Forgiven: The Demon Trappers by Jana Oliver

Release Date: 1st March, 2012

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

Pages: 416pgs

The Story

Riley Blackthorne. Kicking hell's ass one demon at a time . . .

Riley has made a bargain with Heaven, and now they've come to collect.

Lucifer's finest are ruling the streets and it seems that Armageddon might be even closer than Riley imagined. But with her soul and her heart in play it's all she can do to keep herself alive, let along save the world. Riley's not afraid of kicking some major demon butt, but when it comes to a battle between Heaven and Hell, she might need a little help . . .

The Review

A big thanks to Lauren from Macmillan for sending me a review copy of this book!

Damn it THANK YOU Jana Oliver for delivering such a great and explosive third installment of The Demon Trappers series and honestly where has this book been all my life? Now I didn't mind the first book - it was entertaining and I enjoyed it. Then I didn't the mind the second book either - it certainly had gotten my attention and kept getting better and better. But then this book came around the bend, surprised me, and soon after I devoured every single word of it . . . I FREAKIN' LOVED IT and it's honestly the best book in the series so far! So again, THANK YOU to the author, Jana Oliver, for allowing me to fall back in love with this series and with Beck of course, even though he was frustrating than ever before.

In this third book, FORGIVEN mainly focuses on the severe consequences of Riley's actions as seen in the previous installment Forbidden and that my dears was 'getting involved' with a Fallen Angel, which is seen to be - yet again - forbidden to all demon trappers in this dystopian society. Riley, of course, just had to be one of those people to break one of those thousand rules in the guidebook, didn't she? Poor Riley - you truly felt for this girl. Now with the hunters already presuming she is working for Hell, if they ever found out about what really happened between Riley and Ori (the fallen angel in question), she would be off the demon trappers goody list . . . that's for sure. But just as things were getting hectic, there's Beck who is furious with Riley, there's the Devil himself who has not-so-surprisingly raised Riley's father from the dead for God knows for what purpose and wants a favour or two from her, and then there's a mystery all on its own - figuring out who's creating a breed of non-killing armies of zombie-like demons who are putting all chaos to good use. And if Riley can't get her act together, all hell is going to break loose not to mention the world is going to end. Literally.

As a main character I felt Riley has truly grown in this book. Not only has she matured and become a better person and fighter, but she's also finally learning from her mistakes and doing her best to put things right. Finally. For those who've read the second book, you would already be aware of what Ori did to her (how dare he by the way that ass) and how she almost lost her soul because of it. But just when I thought Riley would be forever miserable and complaining all through the book . . . she actually did the opposite. Never once did she allow that small problem of hers to get to her - not in any way, shape or form - and instead she surprised me by deciding to move on with her life as much as possible and embrace all the goodness she could possibly gain. Unlike the girl we knew from books one and two, you know the one where Riley's feelings were all over the place and her actions forever had their consequences that I rarely approved of, however after reading this book, my whole opinion on Riley has changed and for once I can admit Jana Oliver has made me feel really proud of Riley here and I can't wait to see what she brings next onto the table with her main heroine.

Beck, like the usual Beck we know and love in the previous books, will always be a true highlight for me. I may not have loved Riley's character in the first book but I've always loved Beck's. From the start of the series til the very end of this third book. Even though Beck spends the first half of the book being angry at Riley (jealous over the whole Riley and Ori ordeal), but I forgive him. He had his reasons after all - oh and his feelings should have some consideration too, even those he was blinded by those feelings of his that we all know he had for Riley. Anyway Beck truly shined throughout this book and I actually believe that he and Riley would make a great couple. Really they would. Underneath that tough exterior of his, Beck really cares for Riley and while his relationship with her was most like a brother-and-sister type of relationship, but clearly this relationship is developing into something much more . . . so I'm grateful for that. And I guess one of the things I loved most about this book, especially with Beck, was getting a chance to see into Beck's past and now I'm really intrigued. That shocker ending . . . man Beck you really know how to frustrate a girl, don't you?

Without going into too much detail since there's a lot to spoil about this book (it's tempting to blabb I know but I won't), I have to say Jana Oliver has done an absolute amazing job with this book and has surprised me at every twist and turn she'd thrown at me. With a fantastic blend of urban fantasy, action and romance, and delivering tough, kickass characters that you will grow to love even more than you first expect to, I can see why so many readers are excited to read this book and I can definitely guarantee those awaiting readers that this book has everything you could possibly want in regards to storyline and action sequences that Oliver is famous for writing! Overall, FORGIVEN was my favourite book in the series and I'm looking forward to seeing what Oliver comes up with next! Hopefully more Beck scenes . . . please more Beck!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams

Release Date: 25th October, 2011

Publisher: Ace Books

Pages: 307pgs

The Story

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 is 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.

The Review

McKenzie Lewis is not your average young woman. Unlike most mortals her age, she happens to possess the rare ability of tracking Fae (also known as a Shadow Reader), and with this gift alone she is able to read the shadows of where the fae go after they leave a realm and be able to draw maps in order to track them down at a certain point and location. For almost ten years serving at Court, McKenzie has been using her so-called 'gift' to assist the king of all Fae, King Atroth, by tracking down rebel fae members who want to destroy his kingdom. But with McKenzie in love (like forever and ever in love) with the forbidden king's sword-master, Kyol, and with her being suddenly kidnapped by a man named Aren, a rebel fae leader, everything is going to change this one woman's journey forever . . . and possibly a whole kingdom.

Now I wasn't too sure whether to pick this book up or not, but I'm so glad I did. It was an enjoyable, tense and over-the-edge kind of book, and in the end it soon became a very surprising debut novel coming from the talented Sandy Williams . . . so be on the lookout for this author in the future. I didn't think I would like it - I admit that - but I did and I have no regrets whatsoever. Along with the writing lines of Jeaniene Frost and Richelle Mead, THE SHADOW READER is highly recommended by me. I think what made me fall in love with it even more than the storyline itself was McKenzie Lewis and her character alone. She was such a fierce, strong and independent young heroine, and those traits made it even easier to feel drawn to her character despite her personality and action faults. Trust me she has a list of faults, but I love her still for them.

When it came down to the love interests (c'mon you know there's always a love interest involved), you would already know I don't like love triangles anymore - in fact I hate them - unless they're written well and are justified for good reasons. In this book's case, the love interests were done extremely well in both senses and it was one of the best that I've seen and read in adult fiction. Sure the relationship complications frustrated me to a higher level but that's one of the main reasons why I thought it rocked my world, too. Talk about hot fae boys (two of them people)! First of all, I loved the connection between Aren (the rebel Fae dude) and McKenzie. They had great chemistry and had the same old yo-yo romance that could and would drive you mad because you just wanted them to kiss and get on with it. But . . . for some reason I pondered often why exactly they liked each other. It wasn't really explained in the novel. Aren is technically 'the bad guy' and often showed those bad traits of his but I felt it was a little underdeveloped in the romance section concerning Aren and I wanted some answers on why McKenzie was so attracted to him in the first place other than his hotness . . . they're great together but I don't know . . . there was just something missing in their spark. And after all, they've only known each other for a few brief weeks.

On the other hand, we have the sometimes-tense relationship between McKenzie and Kyol (the king's sword-master). Now THEY have a more believable relationship through my eyes than McKenzie and Aren ever did. Both of these characters, McKenzie and Kyol, have worked together for almost ten years straight and since a human and fae relationship is completely forbidden, both have tried really hard (especially Kyol) to keep their feelings unnoticed. For McKenzie, she has waited all those ten years to be with Kyol and I truly felt her pain. I mean TEN YEARS! Damn that's a very long time to wait for someone you love to love you. But by the time McKenzie returns from captivity and returns to Kyol, and by the time Kyol realizes his mistakes from keeping things from McKenzie that have now done a lot of damage control on their relationship, things aren't ever going to be the same between them . . . though I do hope in the next book they work it out somehow. I loved them together! While Kyol understands McKenzie needs to move on, but I don't believe he's ever going to give up that easy on her. A secret part of me hopes he doesn't.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I can see it appealing to readers of all ages. With a lack of romantic scenes that I kind of hoped for, that still didn't stop me in wanting more and more of this book because it has some of the best actions scenes I've read so far this year! So yay for that! Anyway the bottom line is THE SHADOW READER is a must-read for Urban Fantasy fans and it's definitely something I would reread again and again!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

Release Date: 1st March, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 256pgs

The Story

After spending six hundred years on Earth, Seraphina Ames has seen it all. Eternal life provides her with the world's riches but at a very high price: innocent lives. Centuries ago, her boyfriend, Cyrus, discovered a method of alchemy that allows them to take the bodies of other humans from jumping from one vessel to the next, ending the human's life in the process. No longer able to bear the guilt of what she's done, Sera escapes from Cyrus and vows to never kill again.

Then sixteen-year-old Kailey Morgan gets into a horrific car accident right in front of her, and Sera accidentally takes over her body while trying to save her. For the first time, Sera finds herself enjoying the life of the person she's inhabiting - and falling in love with the boy who lives next door. But Cyrus will stop at nothing until she's his again, and every moment she stays, she's putting herself and the people she's grown to care about in danger. Will Sera have to give up the one thing that's eluded her for centuries: true love?

The Review

A big thanks to Caroline from Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

Whenever I hear the word reincarnation I tend to be put off from a book straight away. It's not as if I hate the reincarnation element because I absolutely love the idea of true love spreading across thousands of years and witnessing those two lovers reunite into the modern day, but to me it's more about how many books are written about reincarnation (such as Alyson Noel's Immortal series and Lauren Kate's Fallen series) and how so many of them haven't been so swoon-worthy or amazing . . . however in THE ALCHEMY OF FOREVER I was extremely impressed and as an end result, I have to say this book was probably my favourite reincarnation story so far! It was short. It was sweet. It was captivating. It was . . . awesome.

Seraphina Ames has walked the streets for over 600 years. At a young and vulnerable age, she had her life in the hands of the handsome and alluring Cyrus and he alone turned her into an Incarnate - a person whom remains young and lives forever all because of darkest secrets and magic of alchemy. But in order to remain immortal, every so often these group of Incarnates must switch bodies with another human being, while their previous body turns into ashes. For Seraphina, after all these years of changing hosts and living through many identities, she wants nothing more than to rid herself of the burden of taking so many innocent lives and to escape the possessive clutches of Cyrus . . . but it's easier said than done. And suddenly, when she finds her chance to be rewarded her freedom of death . . . everything changes when she 'accidentally' claims the body of another host and must soon take on this new identity of a mere stranger. With a loving family, a protective brother, different sorts of friends, and a new love interest found in the boy-next-door, this book will surely keep you there til the final pages.

One thing I enjoyed most about THE ALCHEMY OF FOREVER was how fast-paced and well-written it was. It's very rare where I find myself reading short-length books, but in this case I should probably read more often. For this book in particular, writing-wise it was excellent, story-wise it was entertaining, and character-wise it was bloody brilliant! The writing wasn't overloading your mind with character histories and considering most reincarnation books tend to go overboard with their character histories and the days of switching back and forth from past to present, I'm thankful that this book slowed down in that. Same goes with the storyline - it may have flew by very quickly with the events that occured, but there was never a dull moment in them. Even the characters had their own individual personalities and it was easy to identify with them on a personal level . . . so a big well done to the author!

Thinking back to reading this book, there's hardly anything bad I would have to say in regards to this book, except for that damn ending of William's, the romance section, and the book's length! Regarding the ending, while I'd already expected something of a terrible cliffhanger to happen and 'kind of' saw it coming my way, but I was still shocked by it and I have no idea which direction the author will take us to next in the sequel because it was definitely a whoa moment for me. As for the romance parts, while it was all cutesy love and you can't help but loving those cutesy moments, but I was hoping for a little bit more developed evolving between Seraphina and her new leading man, but I'm sure this will be resolved in book two . . . at least I hope so since the ending ruined all that relationship to hell. Sorry guys, I can't tell you anything even though I'm dying to! And last but not least we have the book's length . . . if only it was longer because now I'm deprived of William's crafty creation! Thanks a lot Ms. Awesome Author! I really need to get a life someday folks!

Overall, what a splendid debut novel coming from the very talented Avery Williams and I'll definitely be on the lookout for great things to come from her. She's an awesome writer! Along the same lines of L.J. Smith's The Secret Circle meets Rebecca Lim's Mercy series, and with a new breed of immortals and a new kind of love found in the most unexpected places, THE ALCHEMY OF FOREVER will surely please many of its readers and it's a MUST READ for all! I recommend it in a heartbeat!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

Winners of Touch of Power!

Thank you to everyone for entering!

The two lucky winners of the Touch of Power giveaway are . . .

Katrina & Mary!

Congrats you guys! You totally deserve it!

Both of the winner's details have been forwarded to the publisher. Once again, congrats!

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Release Date: 17th January, 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 262pgs

The Story

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Every one wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature - or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

The Review

A big thanks to Sonia from Bloomsbury for sending me a review copy of this book!

When seventeen-year-old Delaney Maxwell falls through the ice and is submerged under deadly waters, everyone in the town thought she was dead and technically she was. For about eleven minutes. But as if fate gave her a second chance at life with those exact eleven minutes, Delaney wakes up from her week-long coma and not only do her loved ones - her parents, her friends, and even Decker who is her best friend in the whole wide world - have changed from her accident . . . but Delaney herself has changed as well - for better and for worse. And when she meets a new boy in town and sees things normal people cannot see, she'll soon be tested both with love and death, and a little something inbetween.

When I started this book, the first line I read was, "The first time I died, I didn't see God." If that didn't get your attention, I don't know what will. Now speaking of the first line, I absolutely loved the intensity of when Delaney is pulled underwater. To know she was going to die. To know the water was going to take over her entire body. But what I liked even more was how real the scene felt to me - as if I was there underwater with her - but it was also something that just cut to the chase and I love those sort of beginnings in novels. Something that just hits you with a bam rather than fluff around with unnecessary plot fill-ins. But with that being said, the only thing that fell flat for me was the characters and the mystery behind the storyline.

Delaney was a likable enough main heroine. She loved her family, her friends and basically anyone else who was about to be put in harm's way, and she was a teenage with plenty of realism added to her character depth. But she still possessed some unlikable qualities too. She can be a little selfish, a little bit of a mess, a little bit naive when the signs were clear enough to tell you someone was going to be trouble to begin with. However when it comes down to it, what made her standout and what made me like her even more was when she was with her bestfriend, Decker. Now there's a boy I didn't mind. Sure he may not have been the greatest sport of all fictional boys and might've done some silly things in his past, but to me, he brought out the best in Delaney . . . even if she didn't know it at the time. Now if only Delaney was aware of his feelings sooner in the novel! I just wanted them to kill already!!!! Anyway, you should know I'm always a sucker when it comes best friend romances. I can't help but love them.

But despite those little flaws in the two main characters, the character who really brought the story down was the new guy, Troy Varga. I just couldn't - at all - connect to him but the saddest thing was . . . I hated him. From the moment I met this creepy fella, there was just something about him I didn't like and for some reason he gave off the vibe of already being trouble, leading to me not caring about him nor what happens to his character. And then there's the mystery itself weaved in with Troy's character, which was also a disappointment. I was hoping for a catch-the-killer type of mystery and ending, where I see things that I don't see coming, but unfortunately I didn't get either of those elements. Anyway, while I would've liked more of a shocker mystery, a neater ending and something a little less-predictable, but the author still did a pretty good job in entertaining me and making me turn those pages to find out more!

Overall, I thought Megan Miranda's debut novel was a really good novel. It may not have been my favourite of all favourites in the young adult mystery genre, but it's definitely something you need to read at least once in your life. Suspenseful, engaging, fast-paced, and equally as brilliant as the likes of Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder and Laurie Faria Stolarz's Touch series , FRACTURE will have you hooked from the very beginning. Even in those icy cold waters that pulls Delaney under . . . because eleven minutes could - and will - change everything!

The Rating

3 1/2 / 5 stars

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Release Date: 3rd January, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 376pgs

The Story

Exiled from her safe home in the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria finds herself in the outer wastelands known as the Death Shop. If the cannibals don't get her, the violet energy storms will. There she meets a savage, an Outsider named Perry - wild, dangerous - who is her only chance of survival.

But Perry needs Aria, too, and they are forced into an unlikely alliance that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

The Review

With all the huge hype surrounding Veronica Rossi's debut novel UNDER THE NEVER SKY, it's very hard not to go out and buy it immediately, especially when your favourite blogger friends (you know who you are) WANT you to read it and see for yourself what they're talking about! After some umm-ing and ahh-ing, I finally bought myself a copy of the book and dove straight into the action. The hype wasn't wrong - not in the slightest way. With a strong and likable mix of dystopian elements, interesting and new technologies not seen before in the young adult genre, mesmerizing adventures in the deserts, UNDER THE NEVER SKY will sure not disappoint readers!

UNDER THE NEVER SKY is told in two perspectives of Aria and Perry, two teenagers set apart from two very different worlds, and it was also told in a third POV which I love reading lately. For Aria, she lives in a place - one where she's spent her entire life in - called Reverie, a closed off world away from the outside one, where lands have fallen victim to the Aether storms, a form of strange lightning storms that have destroyed everything in its path. After being falsely accused of a crime she did not mean to committ, Aria is banished from Reverie and left stranded to fend for herself on the outside of her world. With so little survive skills on her side, Aria must try and stay alive for herself, and for her mother that she fears is missing. Perry on the other side, unlike Aria, is one of the many members of a Tribe and he has spent his entire life in the Outside world. Gifted with the ability of super smelling senses (yes it's sad but true) and seeing more than what the human eye can see, he is among the most elite of people within his community and one of the most respected as well. But as Fate turns into the unexpected, leading these two teens to finally meet in the most strangest of all circumstances, everything changes for better and for worse.

At first I wasn't entirely sure what to think about Aria's character. Being a little confused by her world at the beginning of the novel, Aria tended to be a little headstrong and naive at times, more than I would've liked. However, as the story slowly progresses and becomes something much more than I originally anticipated, she soon became a very strong young woman, gave into her own and became someone you could and would admire. From a naive character to one learning about the outside world far from her own - where things are all about the survivor of the fittest involving cut-throat tribal members who like to throw knives around and not needing technology to dictate their lives - Aria managed pretty well for someone with no idea of their culture. Surprisingly too well, I thought. Then, of course, there's the one and only, Perry. He alone is mostly responsible for her change of heart.

Perry . . . Perry . . . Perry . . . He was a much tolerable character than Aria ever was. And a much more believable one at that. He's a sometimes-sexy-caveman (yes I just called him that but he is a caveman), he's sometimes-scary, he's sometimes-intimidating, and he's the kind of guy with the sometimes-sweet-complex personality, and I could completely understand why so many fans of this book loved Perry for what he is and what he stands for in his tribal community. His dedication alone is beautiful to read about and not to mention his not so much insta-love with Aria. But despite his perfections, the only thing I didn't seem attracted to was his 'smelling sensing' abilities. I don't know about you guys who loved him . . . but if I were to eventually fall in love with someone like Perry, I don't want a boy smelling me. Not offence but I'm not crack. I don't care if I smell like violets . . . it's just not acceptable. Moving past that, Perry was awesome and a non-fearless dude. He has my respect.

While I loved the book, another problem other than Perry's nice-to-smell-ya abilities, there was also a certain something that happened to Aria in the book. For those who've read this scene . . . you will know what I'm talking about here and I'm not the only one who thought it was strange. It was something that she wasn't told about (God knows why). Something about women's problems. Something that happens to every women every time of the month if you know what I mean (God knows why she didn't know this). When I read about it, I had to double check the paragraphs to see if that was what actually happen . . . and honestly . . . I didn't see the point of it. I didn't understand why Aria was never told about it. It was silly. Then back to Perry's smelling abilities . . . That. Was. So. Awkward. Anyway, when you look past those awkward moments within the book, you will fall in love with this book so much, along with its main and supporting casts. The supporting cast were great and I loved them all.

Overall UNDER THE NEVER SKY is an imaginative, interesting wild ride with plenty of great twists and turns that make you want want WANT to read more and more. And like every single reader I've come across, I too cannot wait to see what Rossi has installed for us next in the sequel! I'm sure anything she writes is bound to be EPIC!

The Rating

4/5 stars

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Release Date: 21st February, 2012

Publisher: ATOM

Pages: 416pgs

The Story

Is true love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there's more at stake than fighting. There's saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay's wrath. There's keeping Ansel safe, even if he's been branded a traitor. There's proving herself as the pack's alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers' magic once and for all. And then there's deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.

In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy.

The Review

A big thanks to Laura from Hachette for sending me a review copy of this book!

Despite the spoilers that have circulated the internet prior to me reading this book (yes thank you dear readers for that special early surprise of yours), I have to say the author, Andrea Cremer, had still totally surprised me in the way she handled her final conclusion to her bestselling Nightshade series. I mean, I loved the way she separated the book into different sections (water, fire, etc.) and how everything captured my attention from beginning to end just to find out what happens next, but dear Ms. Andrea Cremer why must you do what you just did in this book? Especially to me of all people. WHY? I knew it was coming, I knew there was a possibility of this certain "something" to happen to these lovely characters of ours . . . but man I felt kind of cheated even though I knew some of the spoilers before picking up and reading this book.

BLOODROSE picks up right after the previous book, Wolfsbane, and Cremer doesn't waste anytime whatsoever in continuing the fast-paced action sequences and the smexy sizzling sexual tension between several of the characters for all the right reasons, and I commend Cremer for always having the ability to entertain me. While that's good and all, but regarding characters I was a little concerned about them for the majority of the book and the choices they have made for others that I didn't necessarily agree with.

One of my concerns was the leading main heroine, Calla, herself. Throughout book one and two Calla had remained a tough-as-nuts strong and a fiercely independent young woman, however in this third installment I really disliked the way she juggled her personal relationships with her two potential love interests, Shay and Ren, and I often wondered why she did what she did with them. One moment she's kissing and staying inside Shay's room (I mean seriously come on), and the next she's switching her teams entirely and found almost kissing Ren. Which is basically torture for him . . . I understand why her heart is being split into two between two very different guys for two very different reasons, after all she has spent her entire childhood with Mr. Hottie-paws Ren and found new love with Shay that opened up all sorts of possibilities for her, but what I didn't understand was Calla's usual way of confusing the guy's minds . . . like becoming intimate with Shay right in front of Ren even though she has given the idea to Ren that he may still have a chance to be with her. Now that I didn't approve of and it was beyond cruel. But other than that small mishap on her part, Calla is much more focussed in this book than the others and even that much more determined . . . so for that I'm grateful for.

Look in some ways, BLOODROSE was a very well written book, with plenty of action and romance that kept you there reading on your bed in one sitting, and I love any book that leaves you anti-social for a few hours straight but . . . I disliked the ending. . . partially because I'm biased toward one of the main characters in particular and if you know my boy fictional teams well enough, you would know who I'm talking about here. While I do understand why Cremer decided to end the way she ended things in the third and final book, but I was more opened to an ending that was lovely and fitting for everyone, and unfortunately it wasn't what I wished for. The ending certainly concluded and tying a couple loose ends, but personally for me every single issue and circumstance was wrapped up far too easily and I wanted the main character, Calla, to have full closure and resolvement, and it was a pity it didn't turn out that way for all our sakes. A total bummer.

Without going into further detail, especially since I don't want to spoil things for those who haven't yet read this book or the series for that matter, overall I will give the author a fair shiny 4 golden stars despite my disappointments because Andrea Cremer did do a very good job with this novel and I was entertained on every high level possible. With a great continuation of the storyline (a little sad at times I admit), a fantastic and hilarious cast of characters, and with earth-shattering consequences, and heart-wrenching sacrifices that will pull some heartstrings of all ages, I highly recommend this book to readers of Unearthly and Vampire Academy! After all, this book was great because we finally get to see more of Ren . . . but oh . . . I wanted much more of him and less of nasty Shay (trust me there's a lot of rival alpha male pride going on between Ren and Shay and it's almost ridiculous at times)!

The Rating

4/5 stars