A Book Obsession..: March 2012

The Thirteenth Sacrifice (Early Review)

, by Kt Clapsadl

The Thirteenth Sacrifice by Debbie Viguie

Witch Hunt #1

Samantha Ryan is plagued by nightmarish memories of magic and fear...of strange chants and blood spilled. Because Samantha Ryan grew up in a coven that was seduced by power and greed.

With a cross around her neck and detective's shield in her pocket, Samantha has tried to put her horrific childhood behind her. But as the last in a long line of ruthless witches, she should know that such talismans are no match for the power of a coven that's gone bad. And when young women start dying, only Samantha knows what the archaic symbol carved into their flesh means: The witches have returned to Salem. Now Samantha is going undercover-- into a town obsessed with black magic, into her past, and into the dark, newly awakened heart of evil.

As a child, Samantha grew up in a coven of witches consumed by the black side of power, A coven who regularly spilled blood. Now, years later, she is the only survivor, and she struggles day to day to keep the horror in her past. Now a devout christian and a detective firmly on the side of good, she devotes her time to helping others. However, her latest case hits a little too close to home as woman are dying with ritual symbols carved into them, meaning the witches have returned. She'll have to go undercover and infiltrate the coven as she is the only one who stands a chance at stopping them. But that mean she'll have to use her power again despite her vow, and that may just break her.

Whenever I think of witches, I always picture a mixture of both good and evil, just as there are both types of normal people. I just figure that it doesn't take a supernatural power to be evil, so why wouldn't there be some good ones as well? The author does seem to brush on this as she separates the witches out from the more benevolent wiccans who believe in not harming others. The witches in The Thirteenth Sacrifice are nothing short of pure evil, with Samantha being the only possible exception, and even she struggles to stay on the side of good. The greed for power is so all consuming to them that they commit unspeakable acts, and definitely ratcheted up the creepy factor in this book.

Samantha is such a tortured soul and really quite broken. Her horrific past haunts her, threatening to consume her, but no matter how much she fights it, she cannot ever really escape it. My heart really went out to her when she was forced back into the world of power and witchcraft as it nearly crushed her, especially since it goes against everything that she believes since she converted to Christianity over a decade ago. She knew that once she opened that door, it could never be shut again. To be honest, I'm surprised she made it as long as she did without boiling over on her own. Even so, Samantha is a character you can really get behind due to her determination to not let the seductiveness of magic consume her. In fact, as she learns to control her powers as well as an acceptance of herself, she will truly become a force to be reckoned with.

While I was utterly repulsed and quite terrified of some of the things that happened in The Thirteenth Sacrifice, that did not keep me from being completely engrossed in the story. I was covered with chills as I watched things unfurl and the threat of Samantha's discovery just about killed my nerves, but that only made me enjoy it all the more. I'd recommend The Thirteenth Sacrifice to anyone one who enjoys an on the edge of your seat thriller with a major creepy factor that will utterly haunt you. The next installment as well as other Debbie Viguie novels will be definitely be going on my watch list.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Pre-order a copy from Amazon:
The Thirteenth Sacrifice: A Witch Hunt Novel

Other Reviews:

Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors

, by Kt Clapsadl

Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper

Jane Jameson #4

Just as Jane Jameson’s unlife seems to be stabilizing, fate sinks its fangs firmly into her butt. Despite her near-phobia of all things marital, her no-frills nighttime nuptials to her sexy boyfriend Gabriel are coming along smoothly. But the road to wedded bliss gets bumpy when a teenage acquaintance is fatally wounded in front of Jane’s shop and she turns him to save his life. The Council pronounces Jane responsible for the newborn vamp until he can control his thirst.

Jane’s kitchen at River Oaks barely holds enough Faux Type O to satiate the cute teen’s appetite and maintain Gabriel’s jealous streak at a slow simmer. As if keeping her hyperactive childe from sucking the blood out of the entire neighborhood isn’t enough to deal with, the persnickety ghost of Jane’s newly deceased Grandma Ruthie has declared a war on the fanged residents of River Oaks. Suddenly, choosing monogrammed cocktail napkins and a cake that she can’t eat seems downright relaxing in comparison.

Tensions inside the house are growing…and outside, a sinister force is aiming a stake straight for the center of Gabriel’s heart. Most brides just have to worry about choosing the right dress, but Jane fears that at this rate, she’ll never make it down the aisle for the wedding all nice girls dream of…

Now that Jane and Gabriel are finally engaged, she thought the worst of her problems would be dealing with her overbearing mother in the wedding planning. But of course things never come easy for her as fate deals her another nasty hand when she saves a teenage boy from certain death by turning him, and she becomes his new vampire "mommy." To make matters worse, Grandma Ruthie's ghost is on a rampage to reclaim River Oaks and destroy her relationship with Gabriel. Meanwhile, someone else seems determined to get rid of Gabriel permanently even if he has to use Jane to do it. It will take more than a miracle to pull this wedding off.

Never in a million years would I have expected to see Jane sire a new vamp, or if she did, I couldn't see the council letting her be the one to teach him the ropes. The poor girl can barely take care of herself without causing some sort of disaster or catastrophe of epic proportions. Of course in her defense, she usually isn't the instigator, it's just that she is a powerful magnet for trouble. Seriously, she should be quarantined off by caution tape at all times for both her safety and others. So, as you can imagine, more than a little hilarity is involved as she tries to teach a newly turned teenage boy self-control, especially since said boy seems determined to drive Gabriel nuts. The two mix like oil and water, which definitely puts a strain on Gabriel and Jane's upcoming nuptials.Speaking of weddings, I still don't know what Gabriel was thinking when he turned down Jane's offer to elope. I mean does he have amnesia in relation to her family's antics? What is even worse, it that Jane's crazy overdoing mother is barely a nuisance compared to Grandma Ruthie now that she is a ghost tied to River Oaks. The woman was a menace while she was alive, imagine what she does now that she is dead. Did you shudder? Well, trust me, you should have if you didn't.

Though I guessed early on who the main threat against the couple was despite Jane being pretty oblivious, that did not stop me from enjoying the hilarity that ensued while they were trying to figure it out. Even with this being the fourth installment in this series, it never ceases to amaze me how Molly Harper can make a danger feel threatening while still making you laugh at every turn. Especially when you account for the twists and turns along the way and add in the absurd way things were resolved. It all comes together to make one heck of an enjoyable read.

I didn't know until after I had finished Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors that it would be the final installment. I've really come to love Jane and the rest of the gang so much, that I am a little disappointed there won't be any more books from Jane's perspective. However, there is a silver lining, as there will be a spin off series featuring a new character we meet in this book, and Jane and Co. are supposed to make appearances. But getting back to Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors, I felt things ended rather well, and I was quite satisfied with how everyone ended up, so I can say goodbye with a smile. I can always count on a Molly Harper book to make me laugh out loud, and Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors was no exception. Seriously, if you are ever having a rough day and need a good laugh in a fun paranormal romp, pick up any of her books and you are in for a treat.

Rating:

Order a copy from Amazon:
Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors (Jane Jameson, Book 4)

Other Reviews:

Previous Books:

Waiting on Wednesday (88)

, by Kt Clapsadl

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

The Immortal Rules - Blood of Eden #1

by Julie Kagawa

Publication Date: April 24th, 2012

Amazon Pre-Order: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden)

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

The Shape of Desire (Early Review)

, by Kt Clapsadl

The Shape of Desire by Sharon Shinn

Shifting Circle #1

For fifteen years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But despite loving him with all of her heart and soul, Maria knows that Dante can never give all of himself back-at least not all the time.

Every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal. During those times, he wanders far and wide, leaving Maria alone. He can't choose when he shifts, the transition is often abrupt and, as he gets older, the time he spends in human form is gradually decreasing. But Maria, who loves him without hesitation, wouldn't trade their unusual relationship for anything.

Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she's been telling about her life have turned into lies she's telling herself...

You can't choose who you love, and this holds true for Maria. She's been madly in love with Dante for the past fifteen years to the point where her whole world revolves around him. Trouble is that he is a shape changer and each month he changes into a different wild animal. He has no control when the shifts overtake him, and as time goes on he is spending less and less time in human form. Even so, Maria couldn't imagine her life any other way, and the sacrifices seem like nothing in comparison to her love. But when people start being mauled to death in nearby areas, whenever Dante is gone she begins to question whether or not he could be the culprit. She'll have to make some tough decisions as she realizes some hard truths about whether or not love really has no bounds.

One of the biggest things that made The Shape of Desire fresh and original was that the narrator was a plain and ordinary human. In so many paranormal novels, the narrator typically has some sort of paranormal ability or other such skills. Or even if they started out as normal, that quickly changes as they are sucked into the paranormal's world. So, in The Shape of Desire, it was really good to see the other side of things and how Maria coped with being left behind so much. While I think she allowed herself to be a little too much of doormat at times, she handled her lot in life remarkably well. I cannot imagine being in her position, having to be so careful to keep the secret, but also suffering so much in missing Dante when he is gone.

The mythology behind The Shape of Desire was simple in that there wasn't a plethora of supernatural creatures, yet it was still completely interesting. That the whole shifting process was out of their control made it seem more of a curse rather than a superpower. I loved that they actually changed into a real animal rather than some sort of were-creature. In fact after they change back, there is a period of time where they almost struggle to remember their humanity as the wild seems to cling to them.

At first I was unsure of the pacing in The Shape of Desire, as I felt like I was waiting a very long time for something to happen. It felt like a cycle set on rinse and repeat. Dante would arrive making Maria incredibly happy, they would have a few days together and then he would take off again, leaving her crushed. To be honest, this became a little frustrating to me, until I took a step back and looked at what it was trying to show me. I realized that Maria's life is a perpetual state of waiting and the progression of the book made me really able to get into her head. I felt the highs and lows right along with her, and it made for a very enjoyable read, especially when you combine in all the other elements of the book. So, if you enjoy a book with great characters, mythology, and the more normal side of the paranormal then The Shape of Desire is one book you won't want to miss!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Pre-order a copy from Amazon:
The Shape of Desire (A Shifting Circle Novel)

Other Reviews:

Rabid Reads

Epilogue Rant

, by Kt Clapsadl

*Note: this is re-posted from last night. I logged onto blogger to make some updates to the post, and accidentally deleted the post. Luckily I had a copy saved in my email. I've gotten in the habit of writing most of my posts in gmail first. It has saved me many times when I would have otherwise lost it all.

So I have a small confession to make. I have a guilty pleasure for reading contemporary romance novels. Considering this blog centers around everything paranormal with some dystopian on the side, this may be a little surprising. However, I read really fast, usually going through a book each day. This is great for getting to all the books that I want to read, but there also is a downside to reading so fast. Since my genre preference is really so narrow it doesn't take long for all of the books to start to blur together. Nothing really stood out to me as each book seemed to be the same story, just different characters. In fact, sometime last year I started to get really bad blogger burn out. It was to the point where I literally had to force myself to keep tackling the review pile.

To help combat the burn out, I started to not review everything I read, only the ones I was obligated to, or the ones that I really enjoyed. This helped of course, but only to a certain point. Then one day I was browsing the Amazon free kindle books and I downloaded a plain old romance without any paranormal elements. I read it without any thought of reviewing and just simply enjoyed it. It was so refreshing, especially considering it was so different than my normal reads. I loved that the story was all wrapped up in one book. There were no nasty cliffhangers nor depressing endings. It really was a breath of fresh air. So I had finally found my answer to keeping the burn out at bay. Now I throw in one or two romance books in my reading schedule a week and it keeps things quite balanced and happy.

Now onto my rant. Why oh why don't more authors utilize epilogues? I LOVE epilogues. It really drives me up a wall when you have this great romance book that ends so abruptly. Especially the ones that have the right amount of sexual tension and roadblocks for the couple to overcome. Then all of a sudden comes is the proclamation of love and WHAM! the book ends. Seriously I get a little batty over that. I want more. I mean there is all this build up, and then it just ends as soon as they admit the love, or decide to get married or whatever the case may be. An epilogue that shows the wedding (making it past the in-laws and planning is a milestone in itself), or five years down the road, kids, or really anything at all in the future takes a book from good to great in my book. I want to see the stuff past the ooey gooeiness of love proclamations, as I feel that is the real stuff, the stuff worth working for.

In fact, my desire for epilogues isn't just limited to romance novels. I cannot count how many times I've read the final book in a series and been rather frustrated with the outcome. While the outcome may be good, parts of me still feel like I'm left hanging. Yes, I happy that things ended well and all is well for the most part RIGHT NOW, but what about the future. I mean Yay! You defeated the bad guys, you rule, they drool and all that jazz. But what now? I want to see what happens next. I just think after all the build up and the downright evil things authors do to their characters that both they and the reader deserve at least one little chapter of happiness or some sort of normalcy. I'm not saying everything needs to be roses, but a look into the future would be really great.

The book that was the most disappointing in its lack of an epilogue would have to be Alpha by Rachel Vincent. I love love love that series, and Faythe really went through the trials throughout the six books. Then in the final book the action went to the bitter end, and then the book was over. I won't say how things end up to avoid spoiling things for anyone who hasn't read it. However, let me just say that an epilogue would have made wonders of a difference to me. I needed to see where things would be going or some sort of well anything in the future. I think I remember reading somewhere that Rachel purposely left things the way she did for the reader to form their own imaginary future for Faythe. I'd rather know for sure.

So, I have a question for you readers. What do you think about epilogues? Are they important, or just unnecessary fluff? Also, what are some books you really wish would have had an epilogue? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

It's Monday What Are You Reading (88)

, by Kt Clapsadl

It's Monday! What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Here's what I read this past week:

Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin (Review)
Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin (Early Review)
Magic Without Mercy by Devon Monk (Early Review)

Also, Make sure you check out my rant about epilogues. I'd really like to get everyone's thoughts on them.

My Upcoming List:

The Shape of Desire by Sharon Shinn (Early Review)
Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper
The Thirteenth Sacrifice by Debbie Viguie (Early Review)

Magic Without Mercy (Early Review)

, by Kt Clapsadl

Magic Without Mercy by Devon Monk

Allie Beckstom #8

Allison Beckstrom’s talent for tracking spells has put her up against some of the darkest elements in the world of magic. But she’s never faced anything like this.

Magic itself has been poisoned, and Allie’s undead father may have left the only cure in the hands of a madman. Hunted by the Authority—the secret council who enforces the laws–wanted by the police, and unable to use magic, she’s got to find the cure before the sickness spreads beyond any power to stop it.

But when a death magic user seeks to destroy the only thing that can heal magic, Allie and her fellow renegades must stand and fight to defend the innocent and save all magic…

With Magic unusable to Allie, and everyone under the sun out hunting for her, including the magic council called the Authority, Allie's own freedom is a ticking time bomb. Of course more than just her freedom is at stake because capture would mean losing her mind, literally. Stripping minds is the Authority's standard procedure for renegades. Unfortunately, she cannot lay low until the tide changes as Magic has been poisoned. Allie and her friends are the only ones who are willing and hopefully able to fix things before more lives are lost. But more stands in her way than just the police and the Authority as a nasty death magic user has set his sights on consuming the only thing that can heal magic, and she'll have to stop him before it's too late.

It will never cease to amaze me just how much of a whirlwind Allie is. She draws people to her like a moth to a flame, but cannot be corrupted. In fact, she seems to be the only person the corrupted sections of the Authority cannot seem to put down. Of course she wouldn't have made it this far without her friends, but their utter loyalty to her only further shows her strength and fortitude. Yet despite all this, Allie still cannot quite grasp her true worth. Yes she has her own inner confidence in her skill as a magic user, but as a leader, not so much. However, I think a lot of the events in Magic Without Mercy may have started to open up her eyes, and once she fully believes in herself, she will only be that much stronger.

It completely baffles me that with such a far reaching organization as the Authority, there wouldn't be more checks and balances in place to help stem some of the corruption. Of course the saying goes that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and that is what these people hold. To make matters worse, it doesn't seem like they are corrupted as a whole, but in many different factions with their own agendas are in the mix. Perhaps that could be explained arrogance, in that these people are so full of themselves that they couldn't possibly believe that they could be fooled or ruined by another. Ironically, their downfall will probably be the very thing that got them into power in the first place.

One of the most impressive things about Magic Without Mercy was Devon Monk's ability to keep a perfect balance between action and character development. In a lot of series after the first few books the focus on the characters seems to drastically drop in favor of plot or series momentum, which can be a shame as it is easy to become detached from characters when you don't see them grow. The fact that this series doesn't, pretty much guarantees me a fantastic read with each new installment. In Magic without Mercy we see lots of character development; From Allie's overwhelming need to be the protector despite a certain lack of confidence in her leadership skills as well as her acceptance of her father's haunting, to Shame and Terric's strange love hate relationship, and even to some of the older members of the group learning to hand over the reins. Each character goes through changes, be they forward or backwards in progress, keeping me fully attached to each of them, and this series overall. As for this installment, from start to finish, Magic Without Mercy was a roller coaster ride. I simply could not put it down!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Pre-order a copy from Amazon:
Magic Without Mercy: An Allie Beckstrom Novel

Other Reviews:

Previous Books:

Early Review: Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin

, by Kt Clapsadl

Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin

Grigori Legacy #2

When homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis sees a photo of Seth Benjamin on a police bulletin, she knows that Heaven's plan to halt Armageddon has gone terribly wrong. As the only mortal who knows of Seth's true nature, only she can save him. Aramael was a hunter of Fallen Angels until a traitor forced him into earthly exile. Now, with no powers and only a faint memory of Alex, his mortal soulmate, he will stop at nothing to redeem himself—even if it means destroying Seth in the name of the Creator...

Despite wanting to stay far away from all of the Angel business, Alex finds herself dragged back into the thick of things when she finds out that the plan to stop Armageddon is in shambles. Seth was that plan, until he lost all memory, greatly endangering humanity. She rushes to save him so he can save the rest of the world, but there is more going on than meets the eye. Her soulmate Aramael, who she thought dead, is on his own mission, only his ends in taking Seth's life, and triggering the War between Angels and Fallen.

Sins of the Son dove a lot further into the mythology behind the Angels than the previous installment, which really was great for me because that was my favorite aspect of the series. So much was revealed, and it was great to get the insight into how things came to be the way they are between the Fallen and the Angels. I also really enjoyed seeing Lucifer's perspective. Previously I had thought him to only be a force for evil and that his betrayal of The One was absolute, but I was wrong. Trust me, even after seeing his perspective, I still think he is quite bad considering his hatred of humanity. However, I don't think his betrayal of The One was absolute, and it seems like he would give almost anything to be back with her. It just somehow makes him seem a little less nasty.

While reading Sins of the Son, a certain part really stuck out to me. When The One (Creator) is asked why she continues to love Lucifer despite everything he has done and chooses him over the rest, The One responds: "It is not in my nature - not in my capacity - to favor any one life over another, every living thing in this universe is a part of me, created from me. Who I am, what I am, demands I love them all." Even if you ignore all of the damage Lucifer has done and that she has allowed to happen to mortals, she still has chosen some of her creations over others. The Angels that remained loyal to her were stripped of their free will to a certain extent, but even worse, they were also stripped of their ability to love. I mean what is life other than simple existence with out love in its many forms? Even worse, whenever one of them started to regain those abilities, he was still forbidden to embrace love, all the while Lucifer gets to carry on his merry way. I guess in the end, her powerful love towards him has really blinded her.

I have to admit that Sins of the Son really caught me off guard. I wasn't the biggest fan of the first installment, but I did like the mythology behind everything. So I knew I would be giving the series another shot. I'm really glad I did because Sins of the Son did not have any of the issues that had bothered me previously. In fact, the procedural aspect was pretty much non-existant this time around. Granted, there still wasn't as much as I would have preferred in the romance department, but being an Urban Fantasy, that is to be somewhat expected. So, in the end Sins of the Son has firmly cemented my enjoyment in Grigori Legacy series, and I look forward to the next installment.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Pre-order a copy from Amazon:
Sins of the Son (The Grigori Legacy)

Other Reviews:

Previous Books:

Sins of the Son

Waiting on Wednesday (87)

, by Kt Clapsadl

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

Above

by Leah Bobet

Publication Date: April 1st, 2012

Amazon Pre-Order: Above

A gorgeous urban fantasy about dangers outside and in.

Matthew has always lived in Safe, a community hidden far beneath the pipes and tunnels of the city Above. The residents fled to Safe years before to escape the Whitecoats and their cruel experiments, and now Matthew is responsible for both the keeping of Safe’s stories and for Ariel—a golden-haired shapeshifter, and the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen.

But one horrifying night, an old enemy murders Safe’s founder, Atticus, and the community is taken over by an army of shadows. Only Matthew, Ariel, and a handful of friends escape Above. Now they not only have to survive in a sunlit world they barely know, but they must unravel the mystery of the shadows’ fury and Atticus’s death. It’s up to Matthew to find a way to remake Safe—not just for himself and his family, but for Ariel, who’s again faced with the life she fled, and who needs him more than ever before.

An urban fantasy and a love story, Above is the breathtaking debut of an extraordinary new voice.

Sins of the Angels

, by Kt Clapsadl

Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin

Grigori Legacy #1

A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel…

Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case—a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell.

Aramael is a Power—a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul.

Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.

Alex is a homicide detective that doesn't play well with others, so when she is forced to take on a new partner whose arrogance knows no bound, the sparks were bound to fly. But personality conflicts are soon to be the least of her problems as there is much more going on than meets the eye in her latest case to catch a serial killer. Unknown to her, she has a secret lineage, and her new partner Trent is actually Aramael, one of the few Powers of Angels that hunt the Fallen. One of which is his twin brother and the very killer she is trying to catch, but there is much more at stake than a few mortal lives, for one misstep could trigger the apocalypse.

The romance between Alex and Aramael had so much potential to be a scorcher, but unfortunately things barely simmered in the end. I had such high hopes after seeing Aramael's almost violent reaction of hatred towards Alex in the beginning, just because one strong reaction usually leads to another. Seriously, how many times have we see seen characters in movies and books be fighting one minute, and then can't keep their hands off one another the next? Unfortunately, things just didn't play out the way I would have liked as they both seemed rather oblivious to the attraction for most of the book. Then all of a sudden it was like a switch was flipped and they were head over heels. But even then they wouldn't do anything about it, because their relationship was forbidden. I was just left feeling rather unsatisfied.

Despite my issues with some of the aspects of Sins of the Angels, what kept me reading was the interesting mythology behind it. There are Angels, with different castes who follow the One true God (who actually is a Goddess), and then there are also the Fallen Angels who followed Lucifer in his betrayal of the Goddess. A war has been brewing between them for millenia, which is held by a very fragile truce. In the middle are humans, but they are at least protected from the fallen by one cast of the Angels, Guardians. The descendants of the celestial beings, called nephilim have no such protection, and are generally hated by the Angels, but coveted by the Fallen. All of these elements blended together made for quite the interesting cast of characters.

As much as I enjoyed the unique factor of the mythology in Sins of the Angels, in the end the book was only a mediocre read for me. There really wasn't enough forward momentum in any aspect of the plot or romance to really keep me engaged. In fact, the procedural aspect really seemed to be the main focus, and as I'm not a huge fan of them, it did make it a little hard to keep reading at times. In fact, I found myself skimming the areas of police work to just get past them, but unfortunately it felt like I was skimming more often than not. That being said, I don't plan to write the series off quite yet because the mythology is interesting, and I am curious to see the fallout from the ending of Sins of the Angels. Hopefully the next installment will focus a little more on the characters rather than the investigative side of things.

Rating:

Order a copy from Amazon:
Sins of the Angels (The Grigori Legacy)

Other Reviews:

Book Blogger Confessions (2)

, by Kt Clapsadl

This meme is hosted by Tiger from Tiger's All Consuming Books and Karen from For What It's Worth on the first and third Monday of each month.

This week's question: Everyone LOVES that book! Why don't I? How do you handle being the one reviewer who doesn't like a book that's taking the blogosphere by storm? Do you write a review? Pretend you didn't read the book?

I always rate each book that I have read on Goodreads and add them to my challenge lists. However, I very rarely review the books that take over the blogosphere whether I liked it or not. I just don't feel like there really is anything fresh and original to say after so many other people have written. Also, I don't like to write reviews of books that are hugely buzzed as I'm afraid of that being an outside influence to my opinion. I'd rather write my review without knowing what anyone else thought, and then use comments to discuss other's thoughts. Of course this doesn't apply whenever I had received a review copy in advance, but in those cases, my review is typically written before most of the "buzz" starts to happen. So that outside influence isn't typically a problem.

It's Monday What Are You Reading (87)

, by Kt Clapsadl

Spellcaster by Cara Lynn Shultz (Early Review)
The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens (Early Review)
Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter (Early Review)

Tada :)

My Upcoming List:

Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin
Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin (Early Review)
Magic Without Mercy by Devon Monk (Early Review)