Review: Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

• Pub. Date: May 5, 2009
• Publisher: Harper Teen
• Pages: 304
• Series: Wings #1

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful - too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

Review: 

Darn love triangle! That's my first thought when it comes to this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it don't get me wrong but the love triangle made me knock it down a star. I've seen a few authors pull them off very well but in this one nope sorry David was a bust for me. I felt no chemistry between him and Laurel. Now Tamani, loved him the chemistry was there spot on between the two. I seriously wish David didn't exist...oh well.

I'm sure this book has been reviewed to death so I'll be keeping this one short.

So this was a new take on faeries for me. Seriously faeries being referred to as plants? At first I thought it was kind of strange maybe even weird and then somewhere along the pages I thought it was the coolest thing ever because of how original the idea was. And then there was the flower petals growing out of Laurels back,the way it was described in my twisted little mind I thought it was beautiful :)

I already told you my feelings on David so moving on to Tamani. Intense..passionate those are the two words that come to mind when describing him, I can't get enough of him. He was overall one of the more interesting characters in the book period. As for Laurel I liked her but she didn't wow me mainly because I felt a little disconnected with her character. She was still a decent character and hopefully she grows on me more in the next book.

Overall I really liked it and I can't wait to get the next book in the mail soon so I can see what happens next especially with Tamani. I personally think his character outshined every other character in the book.

Review: Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

• Pub. Date:January 2011
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Pages: 594
• Series: Fever #5

http://www.karenmoning.com/

“Evil is a completely different creature, Mac. Evil is bad that believes it’s good.”

"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 who 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, containing 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 haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself 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 to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it."

First Sentence: 
Hope strengthens.


Review: When I first started this series I had no idea how much of an addiction it would become. By far the best series I have ever read, it was one hell of a roller coaster ride and Shadowfever the fifth  book to the Fever series lived up to it. I devoured the almost 600 page book. Every free moment that I had Shadowfever was in my hands and there were several times I lost track of time.

 It was wrapped up very well and left me very satisfied as a reader. Shadowfever was full of surprises, I didn't see any of it coming. There were a lot of minor characters from the previous books that you find out actually played bigger roles than you thought in the grand scheme of things, and the ending well I never would have expected it. So many lies and secrets surface in this book making it a thrilling and engaging read.

After reading the Fever series I have become a huge fan of Moning and will pretty much pick up anything she writes. I am so glad to know she will be writing  two more books to the series later on. Right now I'm excited to read her new trilogy coming out Fever World which will be a spin off of Fever with some key characters such as Dani, Christian, and Ryodan. But I will anxiously be waiting for the sixth and seventh book to the Fever series which wont be coming out for a few very long years because I would love nothing more then to dive back into the lives of Mac and Barrons.
If you haven't picked up this series yet ...what are you waiting for?

Review: The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

• Pub. Date:September 2011
• Publisher: Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC
• Pages: 352
• Series: The Faerie Ring #1

http://www.kikihamilton.com

"The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.


Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.


Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…"

First Sentence: 
You wouldn't be here pickin' pockets, would you"?


Review: I absolutely loved the setting of The Faerie Ring. Victorian Era is one of my favorite time periods to read about now add that in with some very wonderful characters this made for a very quick read. I literally flew through The Faerie Ring because I got so wrapped up in Tikis world.

Hamilton did a wonderful job with all the characters to where I couldn't help but care for each and every one of them even one of the antagonist. She did an excellent job with Tiki. I loved how she was such a strong character and with the things the world threw at her instead of growing cold and hard she still found time to take care of her "family" other orpahaned kids just like her. Honestly how can you not care for the group of orphans that we are introduced to, each one helping in taking care of each other and trying to survive the gritty slums of London.

Reiker is the love interest, and at first I didn't know what to think of him. Was he someone to trust or was he gaming Tiki. He remained a mystery, everytime I thought I knew what he was about his actions made me second guess myself. Learning about him was half the fun.

The book had alot of twists and turns that had me guessing,not to mention discovering the secrets of the characters right along side with them. I like how the main focus wasn't really the faeries but it was about Tiki, her orphan family, and of course the faerie ring which in this case really is a ring and not a circle of mushrooms.

Overall this was a refreshing read for me and looks like a start to a very promising series. I can't wait for the next book in the series although this could have been a standalone with the satisfying ending but I have a feeling there will be a few things touched in the upcoming books that was left a slight mystery.

Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

• Pub. Date: April 2008
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 325
• Series: Wicked Lovely #2

http://www.melissa-marr.com/

"To 17-year-old Leslie, the tattoo is a thing of indescribable beauty, a captivating mark that she must make her own. But this subtle web of eyes and wings brings with it a transformation that no sweet young girl would ever imagine or welcome. Like its predecessor, this stand-alone sequel to Wicked Lovely plunges its youthful heroine into a faery world of almost constant peril. A tantalizing urban fantasy that won't let go.""

First Sentence: Irial watched the girl stroll up the street : she was a bundle of terror and fury.


Review: I actually liked Ink Exchange better than Wicked Lovely. This book was so much darker than the first one and mainly concentrated on the dark court and the relationships between Irial, Leslie and Niall. In which I found the three of them combined to be way more interesting than Keenan and Aislinn.

It did slightly annoy me when I found out that the second book in the series was not about the main characters but the story line  made up for it and the well fleshed out characters.
The main characters in the series - Keenan and Aislinn were "just around" in Ink Exchange. And even than Keenan got on my last nerves.

As far as the ending it was truly  bittersweet. I felt sorry for Niall and Irial as well.

Overall this was a great read, much darker and interesting than the first in the series in my opinion.

Review: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

• Pub. Date: June 2007
• Publisher:Harper Collins Publishers
• Format: Hardcover 336pp
• Series:Wicked Lovely #1

http://www.melissa-marr.com/

"All teenagers have problems, but few of them can match those of Aislinn, who has the power to see faeries. Quite understandably, she wishes that she could share her friends' obliviousness and tries hard to avoid these invisible intruders. But one faery in particular refuses to leave her alone. Keenan the Summer King is convinced beyond all reasoning that Aislinn is the queen he has been seeking for nine centuries. What's a 21st-century girl to do when she's stalked by a suitor nobody else can see? ""

First Sentence: "The Summer King knelt before her. "Is this what you freely choose, to risk winter's chill?"

It's funny every time I think of faeries I think of Tinkerbell, which is why I admire Melissa Marr for keeping much of the folklore that really surrounds faeries true in her novel. I personally loved that at the beginning of every chapter there was a quote taken from random works about the fae.

The characters were interesting, they kept my attention but besides Donia I didn't really feel there was much character growth through the novel, everyone just stayed the same. I also wasn't feeling the whole Seth and Aislinn pair. I just didn't feel the connection between the two. Not to mention I didn't understand how Seth especially with the way his character was described could be so calm in every single situation. Some raw emotion would have been nice.

As for Keenan, I don't really have much to say about him. I understood his frustration and desperation but I did not care for the whole stalker vibe he was giving off to Aislinn. Seriously, stalkers are not sexy...it's creepy.

Overall I did like but not love Wicked Lovely. I received the first three installments in the series for free through Swap so I will continue the series, and see if the characters have more development. Although it will be interesting to see since the next book is about Leslie, Aislinn's friend.

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