Review: Grave Memory by Kalayna Price

Title:  Grave Witch
Author:  Kalayna Price
Series:  Alex Craft, #3
Publisher:  Roc
Release Date:  July 3, 2012
Pages:  373
Rating:  

When the dead need to talk, Alex Craft is always ready to listen…

As a Grave Witch, Alex solves murders by raising the dead—an ability that comes at a cost, and after her last few cases, that cost is compounding. But her magic isn’t the only thing causing havoc in her life. While she’s always been on friendly terms with Death himself, things have recently become a whole lot more close and personal. Then there’s her sometime partner, agent Falin Andrews, who is under the glamour of the Winter Queen. To top everything off, her best friend has been forever changed by her time spent captive in Faerie.

But the personal takes a backseat to the professional when a mysterious suicide occurs in Nekros City and Alex is hired to investigate. The shade she raises has no memory of the days leading up to his brutal ending, so despite the very public apparent suicide, this is murder. But what kind of magic can overcome the human will to survive? And why does the shade lack the memory of his death? Searching for the answer might mean Alex won’t have a life to remember at all…

"You're not my collector.?" He shrugged. "I adopted you." Cute.

I was not as intrigued with GRAVE MEMORY as I was with the first two novels in the Alex Craft Series. I was a tad disappointed. Of course we have another big case that Alex is solving that keeps the story interesting enough. I love the mystery side to the Alex Craft Series, but I did feel like some huge key factors were missing. Like let's see...Hmmmm.... FALIN AND DEATH!

"As long as I belong to her, you can never trust me. I have to do whatever she commands. S don't cal me, don't look or me, and if you see me, run away. Do you understand.?"

Falin Andrews, my favorite sexy fae, does not get that much page time, and it felt a but like Death didn't either. He didn't show up much until the second half of the book, but I need my fix! I understand why they didn't get much page time due to the last Alex Craft Book. It is obvious that Alex is into both of these men, but both men come with consequences if Alex were to have a romantic relationship with either one. Falin is tied to "Queen Ice Bitch" and cannot disobey any orders from her. And Queen Ice Bitch plans to be a royal pain in the ass until she gets want she wants from Alex.

"Well, I'm starting to think he's my guardian angel." Though angel of death was what most people would call him."

Oh, Death! I am starting to love you more and more and more and more! You honestly make a girl's heart beat out of her chest! You can be my guardian angel anytime of the week! Alex and Death are so cute! They have known each other since Alex was a child and their relationship is building and building and part of me wants them to be together, but the other part of me wants Falin and this book was a bad book for my Falin. It's like he wasn't even there. But Death! I want him! He is to die for!

In GRAVE MEMORY I thought that we might learn more about the different courts and more about the Shadow Court judging from what went down in the previous book, but we didn't. I was disappointed with that. Overall, GRAVE MEMORY was not quite what I was expecting. I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the previous books, I am hoping the next book will blow me away more than this one did.

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Review: The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams

Title:  The Shadow Reader
Author:  Sandy Williams
Series:  McKenzie Lewis, #1
Publisher:  Ace
Release Date:  October 25, 2010
Pages:  307
Rating:  ★★★★★

There can only be one allegiance.
It’s her time to choose.

Some humans can see the fae. McKenzie Lewis can track them, reading the shadows they leave behind. But some shadows lead to danger. Others lead to lies.

A Houston college student trying to finish her degree, McKenzie has been working for the fae king for years, tracking vicious rebels who would claim the Realm. Her job isn’t her only secret. For just as long, she’s been in love with Kyol, the king’s sword-master—and relationships between humans and fae are forbidden.

But any hope for a normal life is shattered when she’s captured by Aren, the fierce and uncompromising rebel leader. He teaches her the forbidden fae language and tells her dark truths about the Court, all to persuade her to turn against the king. Time is running out, and as the fight starts to claim human lives, McKenzie has no choice but to decide once and for all whom to trust and where she ultimately stands in the face of a cataclysmic civil war.

I went into  The Shadow Reader not really knowing what to expect and came out blown away by the this incredible fae story. This was a really a intriguing world to be thrown into and I enjoyed every minute of it.

All McKenzie wants is to be normal. She is a "Shadow Reader", a person able to read shadows left behind from fae who travel from one place to another. For about 10 years she has worked for the court and thought she was working for the good guys and then she is kidnapped by the rebels who are thought to be the bad guys, but are they really?


"I don't want to hurt you," the fae's leader says. "I'd like to talk to you." He takes a step toward me. I take a step back."Look." He sheaths his sword, then holds his hands out, palms up like he's harmless.Screw him. I won't let them take me.  

And what's an incredible fae story without some steamy hot love interests? Aren is the rebel leader who wants to keep McKenzie alive because he believes she can be brought over to the rebels side, but McKenzie proves to be quite a stubborn woman. Aren is every woman's wet dream. McKenzie is in love with someone else but Aren doesn't care, he plans to win her over anyway.


"If I were a good man," he says, "I'd acknowledge that Taltrayn is an honorable fae, that he loves you and would take care of you. I'd step down and let you have the man you've always wanted, but, McKenzie, I'm not as good as Taltrayn. I never will be, and I can't step down. I'll fight for the chance to be with you."   

Mackenzie was really a stubborn heroine and I really liked no matter how much so got threatened by the rebels that she never changed her loyalty, that she really thought about some of her decisions. Even with the decisions with both of the love interests. I really felt her determination and strong will. I think that is one reason our Aren is quite smitten with her.


"Fine," he says, his words coming out breathless. "I'll save your precious sword-master, McKenzie. But I will never, ever give you back to him." 

Kyol is the king's sword-master, the man McKenzie truly loves. The thing here is the 10 year wait and still no action between the two. I like Kyol, but I want my hero's in the story to take action and not let their heroine slip from their fingers. Kyol is a good man and dedicated to his king and the court, but I wish he would be a little selfish sometimes for himself.

All and all  The Shadow Reader actually turned out to be quite a exciting and thrilling read. I am really looking forward to see where this story goes in the sequel.

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Review: Storm Born by Richelle Mead

Title:  Storm Born
Author:  Richelle Mead
Series:  Dark Swan, #1
Publisher:  Zebra
Release Date:  August 1, 2008
Pages:  361
Rating:  ★★★★★

Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every horny creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants...
Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl's got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy--one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie's first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.

Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldy ne'er-do-well, and the ones who don't want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her...

Richelle Mead is amazing, simply amazing. Not only is her Vampire Academy Series a favorite of mine, but also I may have found a love in her adult urban fantasy series, Dark Swan. I was about to give up on fae books. I have only read a few, but Storm Born turned out to be a real page turner.

We have the main character, Eugenie who is really just like all my favorite urban fantasy heroines. They basically all have one trait in common. They kick some serious ass. I found Euguine quite funny too. Her life isn't easy either. She recently finds out she is the daughter of the deceased fae king, The Storm King and there is a prophecy going around that his daughters son will rule the world and every fae is trying to rape her and be the father of that son. Yea. Eugenie has a lot on her plate.

"Oh, God. I’m trapped in the fucking Chronicles of Narnia."
"I’m sure that would be an amusing reference, if I understood it."  

We have two hot love interests, which means, yea, you guessed it. A love triangle! Kiyo is the hot shape shifting fox her steps into Eugenie's life and he makes it known that he is interested in her. To be honest I hate Kiyo. At the beginning I thought I would be the one cheering Kiyo on, but boy was I wrong. Part of it has to do with this huge secret and it's not one of those secrets where the girl says, yea, okay, whatever. It's a secret where it can damage the relationship for him keeping it in the first place.

And we have the sexy Dorian. Ooohhhh. I love this guy. He is king, of course and he is really funny and I always have a huge smile on my face when we have a scene with Dorian. He wants the Storm King's prophecy to come true, but he's not going to rape her to make it happen. I think Dorian has his own agenda, but to me he is real and a heart a good man and honest unlike Kiyo.

"That’s the last time you’re going to kiss me,” I warned when it ended.
He smiled knowingly, and in his eyes, I could see his own memories of that night. “So you say."   

I just love how Richelle Mead is able to get me so worked up with these characters that this book has been all I've been thinking about. I think Storm Born was a great start to the Dark Swan Series and I am looking forward to the next book, Thorn Queen.

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Review: Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

Title:  Grave Dance
Author:  Kalayna Price
Series:  Alex Craft, #2
Publisher:  ROC
Release Date:  July 5, 2011
Pages:  371
Rating:  ★★★★★

Whoever said dead men tell no tales obviously never met Alex Craft.

After a month spent recovering from a vicious fight with a sorcerer, grave witch Alex Craft is ready to get back to solving murders by raising the dead. With her love life in turmoil thanks to the disappearance of Fae Investigation Bureau agent Falin Andrews and a shocking “L” word confession from Death himself, Alex is eager for the distractions of work. But her new case turns out to be a deadly challenge.

The police hire Alex to consult on a particularly strange investigation in the nature preserve south of Nekros City. The strange part: There are no corpses, only fragments of them. A serial killer is potentially on the loose, and Alex has no way to raise a shade without a body, so she’ll have to rely on the magic of others to find leads. But as she begins investigating, a creature born of the darkest magic comes after her. Someone very powerful wants to make sure the only thing she finds is a dead end—her own.

Grave Dance was an exciting and thrilling read and when it ended I threw a fit because I didn't want this book to end.  Grave Dance exceeded my expectations on so many levels.

In the previous book, Grave Witch we find out that Alex is fae, which comes a little bit of a shock to Alex and in this book we are really introduced to the fae world in the Alex Craft series where you feel like you didn't get enough. I love fae books and it is always interesting to see how each author creates their fae world and I thought Kalayna Price did a fantastic job.

Alex is back and has some special powers and all the fae want her for themselves and Alex is on the run. Not only does she not want to be the property of any of the courts, being in faerie terrifies her a bit. She is most comfortable in the mortal world. While she is on the run, she has a new case to solve that happens to involves the reapers. SO she has to work with them to solve this new case that she is involved in now.

Falin Andrews comes back and I don't think I realized just how much I missed this guy. I am a Falin fan through and through. There is just something about this guy that makes me go SWOON! We learned in Grave Witch that Falin is the winter queen's knight and lover which comes quite a bit of a shock to Alex and we actually learn the why's and how's of this. I really love Kalayna Price for letting us know more about Falin's past. There were some event's in  Grave Dance that made you hate Falin a little bit, but in my opinion that is all the winter queen.

"His shoulders sagged as he stepped back. Then a half smile made the edge of his lips crook. " You're mad at me."
"And that's amusing because?"
The half smile spread into a lopsideed grin, and he stood up straighter. "You wouldn't be mad if you didn't care. I'm onto you, Alexis." Oh, that insufferable, arrogant--" 

Oh, Death. I love you. Can I have both you and Falin? Please? Death is just as yummy as Falin. Death as well as Falin makes their intentions to Alex known as well as coming face to face with each other and having a pissing contest. We also find out why it may be impossible for Alex and Death to be together.

Although I loved this book to death there were also a few parts where I got so bored I had to put it down for a while and I really think that had to do with the research/more about the big case Alex is trying to solve. Otherwise, amazing sequel.

There was a mixture of fae and witch stuff that blew me away and I really want to know more and more about the fae. Everything in this book just "WOW-ed" me and why oh, why doesn't the next book come out 6 months from now instead of a year. I will die before I get my hands on the next Alex Craft book.

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Review: Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Title:  Shadowfever
Author:  Karen Marie Moning
Series:  Fever, #5
Publisher:  Dell
Release Date:  January 18, 2011
Pages:  594
Rating:  ★★★★★

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.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief, while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh--a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King that contains the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac, and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.

Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman that haunts her dreams? More importantly, who is Mac and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master's penthouse, to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover, to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac's journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and make a choice that will either save the world...or destroy it.

++SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF SHADOWFEVER, BUT IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES THERE MAY BE SPOILERS++

If I had to use one word to describe SHADOWFEVER I would have to say EPIC. This series is all in a epic category of it's own. I can honestly say that it was worth the wait, all the speculating and predicting from the hell-ish cliffhanger in Dreamfever was well worth it. SHADOWFEVER captivated me in a way no book has ever done so before.

SHADOWFEVER was mind-blowing and heart-wrenching. At the end of Dreamfever Mac had killed someone very dear to her and we finally find out who that is. It comes as a big surprise as to who that very special someone was because I kept thinking no, it must be someone else. Chapter 1 of SHADOWFEVER was breathtaking for me because the way that Karen Marie Moning writes is just so astonishing. The chapter killed me. There is so much emotion in how Mac in feeling learning who she has killed that it tears me apart. I was seriously tearing up here. Moning writing is spectacular.

Mackayla Lane She goes through hell. I am really impressed with Mac that I can't even begin to describe it. For a young woman to go through what she has grown through has to have a heart of a true warrior and she has proved again and again that that is what she is, brave, and tough. She could conquer the world if she wanted to. Mac has become one of my all-time favorite heroines.

Jericho Barrons Oh, god this man makes me swoon! Sometimes you want to hate him for being so cold, but than again that sexy voice and body, I want him! We finally get something, we finally get a little clue on what Barrons is and it makes perfect sense why didn't I think of that. We get to see into Barrons head a little bit and know a little bit what he is thinking and what secrets he has held from Mac. And another thing, why he wants the Sinsar Dubh. He is the most perfect dangerous bad-boy that you will get and he has taken my heart. I declare that Jericho Barrons has become my favorite guy in an urban fantasy series or of all-time. I have the Barrons Fever and I don't want a cure!

"Since the moment I laid eyes on Jericho Barrons, I wanted him. I wanted him to do things to me that pink and clueless MacKayla Lane was shocked and appalled and ... okay, yeah, well, utterly fascinated to find herself thinking about."

Darroc aka. LM We have gotten plenty of Darroc and I admit, I have to admit, don't hate me til you have read SHADOWFEVER, don't hate me even then.) I have grown to like Darroc, I didn't even think this has happened. We get a little inside look into him and into how his relationship with Mac's sister, Alina really was and I have to say that he could have been a changed man, not the total crazy dude we all thought him to be. hmmmm..

V'lane All I have to say is OMFG!!! I so didn't see that coming.

My Lovely Mackeltars I love them all! I want more highlander book! Even though they had a role in the book, I wanted more. But at least we got some yummy Christian! I want more Christian. Drustan and Dageus made my heart flutter so I had no doubt in my mind that Christian would too. It is surprising what new change happened in Christian.

This whole entire series has consumed me. Every single book in this series was an addiction that I didn't want to get away from. It was amazing. We had twist and turns and cliffhangers that drove me insane, but let me tell you those cliffhangers were worth it to get to this moment, to get to SHADOWFEVER and find everything out, all the secrets that Moning has kept from us for 5 years. It was so worth it.

It is sad for a series to come to an end. I want more. I enjoyed Mac's journey and will forever love this series. I loved every single one of these characters and YES! There is a spin-off series and I Am dying to read it, but it won't be out for a while. I am in love with Moning's writing and I crave for more.

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Review: Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

Title:  Dreamfever
Author:  Karen Marie Moning
Series:  Fever, #4
Publisher:  Dell
Release Date:  August 25, 2009
Pages:  512
Rating:  ★★★★★

He has stolen her past, but MacKayla will never allow her sister's murderer to take her future. Yet even the uniquely gifted sidhe-seer is no match for the Lord Master, who has unleashed an insatiable sexual craving that consumes Mac's every thought-and thrusts her into the seductive realm of two very dangerous men, both of whom she desires but dares not trust.

As the enigmatic Jericho Barrons and the sensual Fae prince V"lane vie for her body and soul, as cryptic entries from her sister's diary mysteriously appear and the power of the Dark Book weaves its annihilating path through the city, Mac's greatest enemy delivers a final challenge...

It's an invitation Mac cannot refuse, one that sends her racing home to Georgia, where an even darker threat awaits. With her parents missing and the lives of her loved ones under siege, Mac is about to come face-to-face with a soul-shattering truth-about herself and her sister, about Jericho Barrons...and about the world she thought she knew.

DREAMFEVER takes you on a deep level with how truly insane you go with how the book ends, believe me. If you haven't read the Fever Series. I advise you READ IT, but ask yourself can you handle the cliffhangers, if not, read them all the exact moment Shadowfever comes out. DREAMFEVER leaves you screaming for more and I mean 100X more than any of the other books in the series. DREAMFEVER is one of those books where you have to stay up til you finish the last page. And after finishing I have a feeling that Shadowfever will be even better.

So, Mac was turned Priya by the Unseelie Princes and when we all think she is doomed she is rescued and brought to the abby, but all Mac craves is sex, sex, and more sex. The ending of Faefever had left us breathless, like what the hell is going to happen next? Leaving us with more questions than answers, but that is what Karen Marie Moning is best known for. In DREAMFEVER, Mac becomes a stronger person and I mean even stronger than when I said she is strong in the last three books. She is taking a stand and coming out on top. Mac becomes even more fiercer as before and I really admire how strong this woman becomes and how to she doesn't let anything step in her way.

I don't want to give too much away and I won't but we don't get a lot of hints but tiny small ones about Barrons. Well, I wouldn't call them hints because I didn't figure out anything with what we got. I NEED to know what Barrons is and we better find that out in Shadowfever. And what is up with V'lane and BArrons? Is Barrons so terrifying that V'lane doesn't even want to get within a couple of feet of him, this is driving me crazy. Mac and Barrons are getting closer to each other and also closer to finding the Sinsar Dubh. The Lord Master is stalking Mac and gives her an ultimatum where she may have no choice but to work for the Lord Master or find a way around it.

I was no longer sexually vulnerable to the death-by-sex Fae Prince.
Jericho Barrons was my poison now.

In the conclusion to DREAMFEVER we get a hell-ish cliffhanger, big surprise, correct? haha. But I am serious. This cliffhanger is the biggest of the biggest cliffhangers of all-time. You have been warned. I am addicted to the Fever Series. One of the Best Urban Fantasy Series of all time. I have no doubt in my mind that Shadowfever will not disappoint. DREAMFEVER leaves you breathless and will leave you with just your mind to picture what the hell is going to happen next. Looking forward to the conclusion to the fever series January 18, 2011. Feel the Heat, Catch the Fever...

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Review: Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

Title:  Faefever
Author:  Karen Marie Moning
Series:  Fever, #3
Publisher:  Dell
Release Date:  September 16, 2008
Pages:  416
Rating:  ★★★★★

He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too. When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul.

As All Hallows’ Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds—with devastating consequences.…

FAEFEVER left me completely stunned after I finished it, where I was screaming, "WHERE IS THE NEXT DAMN BOOK! I NEED IT NOW!" Moning has been making me go very crazy lately so no surprise, right? Moning's endings make you crave for more and that's exactly what you'll do when you finish this book. I devoured this book. I couldn't stop. But who would want to stop? This book was freaking AMAZING! I want more! I will never get enough of Mac and Barrons, so bring on the next book!

Mac is torn and does not know who to trust. And she is having a hard time making decisions, because there are three guys who want her to find the Sinsar Dubh for him. Darroc and V'lane have motives and since day 1 so has not trusted them, but now she is questioning Barron's trust. But I guess that can be true where she does not know one damn thing about him, but he could share a bit, don't you think? But that doesn't stop Mac from being so attracted to Jericho Barrons.

Jericho Barrons and Mac are having some problems where she can't trust him and he takes matter into his own hands. I think by each book Barrons is becoming a little more human a little bit at a time. But there is still so much that Mac does not understand about Barrons and wouldn't you want to know more? I know I sure do. Mac is the only one who can sense the book and there are many that need her for that, but we also need to think about where does she actually come from, who can she trust? And what the hell is going to happen in the next book, Dreamfever?

Barrons was powerful,broodingly good-looking, insanely wealthy, frighteningly intelligent, and had exquisite taste, not to mention a hard body that emitted some kind of constant low-level charge. Bottom line: He was the stuff of heroes. And psychotic killers.

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