Nerd Alert

I've had some time these past few weeks to do a bit of reading and finished 3 new books: 2, in 2 new series and 1 in a series I've been reading for a while.

** note: MOST urban and/or fantasy books, especially those with female leads, have corny covers. And I mean C-o-r-n-y, corny. I don't mind them too much, but they are a bit embarrassing, right? Try to look past those as I have :)

Book numero uno: New series, new book
Vampire Academy By: Richelle Mead

About:

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

My review:

Nooooot such a great read. First off, I didn't realize that it was a young-adult novel until about, oh, a chapter in. The content and writing style were anything but mature and the depth of character and story development were basically terrible. The actual story setup/background and plot were great. I've never read another story with this same plot and I just loved the concept. The actual execution of said concept, however, was just a plain ole flop. It was too immature for my taste and I won't continue the series. 


Book 2: Also new series, new book
Halfway to the Grave By:Jeaniene Frost

About (series):

The NIGHT HUNTRESS series is an urban fantasy romance featuring half-vampire heroine Cat Crawfield and Master vampire hero, Bones. My heroine and hero have a difficult road ahead of them and they will have to work very hard to earn their HEA (happily-ever-after), so their story isn’t over with the first book. Hope you come along for the ride!

My review:

Love this urban fantasy book/series! It's intelligent, witty, has a tough female lead and just the right amount of sexy time ;)This author knows what she's doing-- there is a great and unusual story line accompanied with well developed characters and just a bit of romance. It totally sucked me in and I will continue reading the second book in the series.

Boor three: Book 5 in the Kate Daniels series

Magic Slays By Ilona Andrews

About: 

It’s a volatile, screwed-up world. Magic feeds on technology, gnawing down on skyscrappers until most of them topple and fall, leaving only skeletal husks behind. Monsters prowl the ruined streets, werebears and werehyenas stalk their prey; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds.
The world has suffered a magic apocalypse. We pushed the technological progress too far, and now magic returned with a vengeance. It comes in waves, without warning, and vanishes as suddenly as it appears. When magic is up, planes drop out of the sky, cars stall, electricity dies. When magic is down, guns work and spells fail.
In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight.  But sometimes even trained killers make friends and fall in love, and when the universe tries to kick them in the face, they kick back.
My Review:
Fantastic series! Each book gets just that much more addicting and this book was no exception. Great story and overall concept. Interesting character and plot developments. Fun & creative writing, as well as intelligent humor, put this book very high on the series I love scale. Read. This. Series. Someday I'm really going to have to make that actual scale....

Book Love

I just love, love, LOVE to read. Being a stay at home mom permits such indulgences. And indulge I do. Sometimes being a stay at home mom simply involves the act of sitting and managing chaos. You can't really get anything done during this time, but the kids don't necessarily need your undying attention. Although, if you leave the room, of course chaos ensues. Example: I went upstairs for approximately 3 minutes the other day and I came downstairs to find that the house had been "blues cluesed" by two three year olds. Here's a few examples:



As usual, I digress. So, reading.

Here's what I'm currently reading:
Kitty Norville series, Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn

About (the series):
Kitty' Norville, a late-night radio DJ, accidentally starts a late-night talk show about Werewolves, Vampires, and other mythical creatures. The catch is - she's a werewolf herself, and the secret is supposed to stay silent.
My Review:
This is book 3 of the series. I really loved the first book of this particular series. Nice plot setup, good back story, interesting relationship dynamics, but then some important characters are killed off and some of the initial intrigue is lost in the second book. I normally gravitate toward urban fantasies and generally like ones with just a tad less sexy scenes. However, the err, romance, in this book seems forced, at least in the past book (Kitty Goes to Washington).I think I'm going to stick it out for this book and if I'm still feeling lack luster, I may just move on to another series.


What I just finished reading:
Queene of Light by Jennifer Armintrout

About:
An unimagined destiny an undeniable passion. In a time not long from now, the veil between fantasy and reality is ripped asunder creatures of myth and fairytale spill into the mortal world. Enchanted yet horrified, humans force the magical beings Underground, to colonize the sewers and abandoned subway tunnels beneath their glittering cities. But even magic folk cannot dwell in harmony and soon two Worlds emerge: the Lightworld, home to faeries, dragons and dwarves; and the Darkworld, where vampires, werewolves, angels and demons lurk.
Now, in the dank and shadowy place between Lightworld and Darkworld, a transformation is about to begin....
Ayla, a half-faery, half-human assassin is stalked by Malachi, a Death Angel tasked with harvesting mortal souls. They clash. Immortality evaporates, forging a bond neither may survive. And in the face of unbridled ambitions and untested loyalties, an ominous prophecy is revealed that will shake the Worlds.
My Review:
Loved this book! Lately, to save some moolah, I have been downloading my books from my local library (technology is so cool!), but they only had book 1 of this series. So, if I want to continue this specific reading adventure, I'm gonna have to pony up some dollars, which I very well may do.
This book concerns the world of Faerie, but gives an unusually twisted take on the normally majestic and alternate dimension world of Faerie. Here Faerie is a sad, dark place located below ground where Faeries and other supernatural beings have been exiled to by the Human race.
In addition to urban fantasies/ supernatural/ Faerie inspired books, I just love me a good heroin or female lead.
In this book, Ayla is an excellent lead female character, with just enough passion yet uncertainty about the ever changing world around her. The love story in the book is just detailed enough to draw in the reader, but not too much that you have to blush whilst reading in public.


Just finished series:
Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning, Shadowfever was the last book

About:

MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister's murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals that have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

My Review:

Such an excellent series. I love when the Fae world is brought to life in literature. The possibilities for story-lines and creative possibilities just seem endless. In fact, It just may be one of my new favorites! I normally hate re-reading series (unless it's ten or so years apart), but I basically sped-read through this series because the plot was just too addicting. A good re-read may be in the near future.

Werewolves, Faeries and Fae, Oh, my!