Review: Party Disaster! - Sue Limb

Party Disaster! by Sue Limb, published by Bloomsbury on 7th June 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
Fred and Jodie are now an item. Disaster! But Jess soon has other things to worry about when she invites a few friends over for a quiet night in and word accidentally gets out that she's having a huge party. More and more people arrive, many of whom Jess doesn't even know! The evening spins out of control, Jess's house is devastated and her mum's beloved daffodils are trampled. Double disaster! Jess is seriously going to need her friends' help to get out of this dilemma ...

Review:
Having not read the previous books in Sue Limb's Jess Jordan series, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pick up the thread of the story and know who all the characters were.  It turned out to be no problem at all though as Jess was such an engaging figure that she won me over almost immediately.  The plot was also easy to follow and centred around Jess's fixation on her ex-boyfriend Fred who she wants to win back, except he's now dating one of her other friends Jodie. 

Light hearted and entertaining, this was a fun book with laugh out loud humour which was the perfect pick me up!  I giggled at some of the predicaments that Jess finds herself in, such as when she decides to have a few friends over and it turns into a party disaster.  Her efforts to clear up before her Mum discovers the mess are truly funny, as are her attempts to work out whether or not Fred still has feelings for her.

The story is about friendship, love and family and Jess is a character with a heart of gold.  She may not always do the right thing but she always has the best of intentions. 

Because of the ages of the characters, I think 'Party Disaster!' is more suited to a slightly younger teen audience.  Fans of Cathy Cassidy are also sure to enjoy this one.  I read it in one evening and will probably go back and read the other books in the series now too to see how it all began.

Review: Soul Fire - Kate Harrison

Soul Fire by Kate Harrison, published by Indigo on 5th July 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
Alice Forster talks to her dead sister, Meggie, in the virtual world of Soul Beach – an online paradise for the young, the beautiful and the dead – but paradise can be stifling and the Beach’s guests want to move on.

If Alice can solve the mystery of her sister’s murder then Meggie will be free.

But passions are running high, the temperature’s rising and as Alice gets closer to finding the killer, the killer is getting closer to Alice . .

Review:
*There may be spoilers from previous books in the series.

This is the second book in Kate Harrison's fantastic Soul Beach trilogy.  Alice is still trying to solve her sister Meggie's murder.  She has a list of possible suspects but it appears that Meggie's killer may be closer than she first thinks.  Her journey takes Alice from the virtual world of Soul Beach to the hot and steamy climate of Barcelona where danger lurks around every corner.  At the same time she is also trying to help the other guests at Soul Beach such as Javier who wants to be able to move on once and for all. 

An event near the start and an online discovery, spark off a chain of events in the book which lead to Alice becoming more and more embroiled in danger.  She's done a lot of growing up since the beginning of the series and is an incredibly brave character but may have just got in over her head this time around.  

There are several clues throughout 'Soul Fire' to the identity of the murderer.  I have my own suspicions about who is responsible but I still have a lot of questions to be answered which hopefully will all be dealt with in the final instalment.  I'm convinced that it is going to be the person you least suspect and I'm sure Kate Harrison has plenty more twists to throw into the mix yet.

There is suspense in bucket loads and the tension is held taut throughout the whole book.  The danger crackles around Alice who seems more determined than ever to get answers about Meggie and who can't move on until she has put her sister's death to rest.

Kate Harrison definitely knows how to hook her readers in and keep them gripped.  This was an enjoyable sequel, leading up nicely to the third and final book in the trilogy which I can only imagine will be another explosive read.     

Review: Deadly Hemlock - Kathleen Peacock

Deadly Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock, published by Simon and Schuster on 5th July 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Review:
Having read a lot of vampire books lately, I was looking forward to a change of pace and ‘Deadly Hemlock’ provided exactly that with a thrilling story about a society in which werewolves effectively live out in the open after the spread of lupine syndrome. Taking place in the small town of Hemlock, Kathleen Peacock has written a fast-paced and edge of your seat story which had me gripped from the word go.

I have to start by saying that this book has one of the best love triangles that I’ve come across in recent months. The main character Mackenzie, literally has two incredibly hot guys in love with her. What’s a girl to do?! Personally, I was torn between them too. Firstly there’s Kyle who has been Mackenzie’s closest friend since they were children and who is sweet and reliable. It was quite obvious from the start that although she kept professing that they were only friends, there was a lot more than that between them. Then there is Jason, who was her best friend Amy’s boyfriend, but who she feels an undeniable attraction to. Usually I’ll pick one guy or the other but in this case I loved them both and I enjoyed seeing her interactions with both characters. It will be very interesting to see how the love triangle develops between them.

There is of course much more to this book though than just romance. At the centre of the plot lies Mackenzie’s determination to find out what really happened to her friend Amy who was murdered by a werewolf. As she begins to investigate her friend’s death, she discovers a number of shocking secrets about the people she thought she knew. Multiple twists and turns meant that I was continually left guessing about who could be trusted and found it impossible to put the book down until I’d read just one more chapter.

Paranormal romance fans will love ‘Deadly Hemlock’. The idea behind the story is just so original and even if you’ve read a lot of werewolf stories already, I can promise you that you won’t have read anything quite like this.

The first in a trilogy, this book delivers mystery, romance and plenty of supernatural twists and will leave you wanting more!

Review: Dreamless - Josephine Angelini

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini, published by Macmillan on 5th July 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
Can true love be forgotten?

As the only Scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies’ cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen’s sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Review:
*There may be spoilers from the previous book in the series.
‘Starcrossed’ by Josephine Angelini was one of my favourite books of last year so understandably I’ve been unbelievably excited about the sequel ‘Dreamless’. Ever since reading the final page of the first book in the trilogy I’ve been looking forward to returning to the series and catching up with all the characters. This is a book that really will leave you “dreamless” because you’ll be up all night reading it and like me, probably won’t get any sleep at all!

The storyline focuses mainly on Helen’s nightly descent to the Underworld and her quest to defeat the Furies. Determined to end the blood debt once and for all, she endures extreme torture and pain during her nightly ritual, and even with her health failing, she won’t stop. In the Underworld, Helen meets Orion, who has been sent to protect her. Through their ordeal, the two share a powerful bond and knowing that she can never be with Lucas, Helen finds herself drawn towards him.

The Underworld setting was quite literally hell for Helen. I thought the descriptions of it were absolutely perfect and it gave me a chill every time Helen had to go there. She comes across some really scary things and has to endure unimaginable horrors.

Orion is one of my favourite new characters in the series. He’s had a really tough life but he’s still a very positive and upbeat person and becomes Helen’s saviour in the Underworld. The two are linked together from the start and whereas I don’t normally like the guy that becomes the third person in a love triangle, for Orion I’ll make an exception! He’s kind and understanding and pretty irresistible, but of course, Helen is still fighting her feelings for Lucas. I did love all the phone texts which went back and forth between Helen and Orion and the way that even when they weren’t together, thinking about Orion always made Helen feel better.

There definitely isn’t as much Lucas in ‘Dreamless’ which is a shame as I missed his presence in the story. It’s heartbreaking to see him struggle to stay away from Helen when he’s quite obviously head over heels in love with her.

I also enjoyed getting to see the developing relationships between Helen’s friends and the other Scions. I’m a big fan of Claire and Jason and I liked the way he was so protective of her because he was worried that as a ‘human’, she would get hurt.

The plot is fast paced and complex and plunges the reader straight back into the action from the get-go. If I’d had time I would have liked to have re-read ‘Starcrossed’ first to remind myself of everything that had happened previously but saying that, it didn’t take me long to pick up the threads of the story again.

There is a massive cliffhanger at the end which means that I now have another long and impatient wait until the third book is published.

Review: Riven - Sarah Bryant

Riven by Sarah Bryant, published by Snowbooks on 1st May 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
Devastated by the death of her boyfriend, Lucas, Sophie moves in with her mother in Edinburgh, hoping to grieve quietly. But since meeting Lucas, nothing about Sophie's life has been quiet, and his death doesn't change this. If anything, life has become more complicated and confusing than ever. Her mother is determined that she get over him. A strange, compelling man seems to be stalking her. And she's begun to have visions she doesn't dare believe. Because, if she does, it means that Lucas isn't dead at all. Instead, he's entangled in a fate worse than death. And only she can save him.

Review:
Please be aware that there may be spoilers from the previous book in the series.

I fell in love with 'Bound' by Sarah Bryant when I read it earlier this year and couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel.  'Riven' exceeded all my expectations and had me gripped and immersed in the story from the very first page.  Brilliantly written and with an intricate and astounding plot which was both imaginative and magical, Bryant has done it again with this fabulous novel.

The story picks up where 'Bound' left off.  Sophie is devastated after the death of Lucas and tries to rebuild her life with her mother in Edinburgh.  In the Scottish city she meets several new faces, including the mysterious Rive and kind hearted Angus but is still haunted by dreams of her lost love.

I can't mention too much about the plot because I don't want to give anything away but suffice to say that there are lots of unexpected twists throughout.  You never know what is going to happen which is part of what makes it so enjoyable.  At the centre of the plot lies Sophie's struggle to survive without Lucas and to cope with losing the love of her life.  With this in mind, it was interesting to see the interaction between Sophie and her mother, the latter not understanding how deep the bond between her daughter and Lucas had been.   

I enjoyed learning more about Sophie and Lucas's history which was fascinating, including how they first met each other and how their love developed.  They are a perfect couple in so many ways and it's easy to understand the attraction which lies between them.  I also loved Sarah Bryant's interpretation of the beginning of creation and the detailed descriptions provided of the hierarchy of angels, aeons, daevas and humans. 

'Riven' took my breath away!  Powerful storytelling with an unbreakable love at it's heart makes this a book to be savoured and read again and again.  I can't recommend it highly enough.  There was a tantalising peek at the end, of the last book in the trilogy, which is called 'Morningstar' and due to be published in 2013.  I'm dying to read it!

Review: Blood Moon - Alyxandra Harvey

Blood Moon by Alyxandra Harvey, published by Bloomsbury on 5th July 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
When the vampire tribes convene for the rare Blood Moon ceremonies, Solange Drake is plunged into a battle with her feral nature. The Drake brothers have been raised knowing they had to protect their younger sister at all cost. But forbidden magic and a mysterious stranger have put all of them in terrible danger.

Nicholas is going to have to make a difficult choice: between his girlfriend, Lucy, and his little sister, Solange - blood or love.

Review:
This is the fifth book in the extremely popular Drake Chronicles series by Alyxandra Harvey.  The story picks up after the events of 'Bleeding Hearts' with Solange struggling to battle her own vampire nature.  At the same time, the Blood Moon ceremonies are taking place and vampire tribes have convened from all over the world to take part which means several new faces.     

The focus of the story shifts between Solange, Nicholas and Lucy.  Solange has never been one of my favourite characters but she undergoes quite a change in this book.  There are reasons for her strange and unpredictable behaviour and they are pretty shocking!  It will be interesting to see these explored further in the next book. 

I loved the fact that much of the plot resolves around Lucy and Nicholas who are adorable together.  They featured prominently in the first book of the series so it was nice to hear from them again and see events unfolding from their perspective.  Lucy is trying to fit in as a new student at the Helios-Ra school and is also coping with her best friend not speaking to her.  Although Solange has treated her quite badly, Lucy still wants to try and put things right and isn't willing to give up on her.  Nicholas has his own problems too and faces a choice between his girlfriend and his sister.  However, when they are with each other all these things seem to just fade into the background.  There's one particularly romantic scene between them which left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside!

The rest of the Drake family also feature too, as well as Hunter and Isabeau who it was good to see again along with their respective other halves. 

The ending of 'Blood Moon' nearly killed me because it leaves you on such a big cliffhanger.  Please tell me that I don't have too long to wait until the next book in the series because I don't think I'd be able to stand it otherwise.  I love the way that Alyxandra Harvey always throws something new and unexpected into the plot and continually surprises me with the directions that some of the characters take.

This edition also features an exclusive bonus story about Liam and Helena Drake which was a nice added extra.