Review: Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

• Pub. Date: September 6, 2011
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Pages: 336
• Series: Guild Hunter #4

http://www.nalinisingh.com

" The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past...but Dmitri's need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.


Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel's right hand, and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality...the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.


As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting...and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more..."

First Line: "Papa! Papa!"


Review: Archangel's Blade was about Dmitri, so lets just recap on him and what we have learned about him in the previous books...Dmitri is vicious, at most times cruel, merciless, and someone even though he may be sexy as hell, is someone that if you were to see him you should for your own safety run the other way. Yep that about sums him up.


I really wasn't that thrilled when I learned the fourth book was going to be about Dmitri mainly because of how cruel he was to Elena but Nalini Singh has somehow done it again and after reading Archangel's Blade Dmitri is now my second favorite right after Illium of course. Singh did a great job of still keeping Dmitri as we have gotten to know him in the past books while making him more "human". She did this by letting us learn about his past through his memories and all I have to say is my heart was breaking for him the deeper I got inside his head.


As for Honor she is a survivor. She survived being brutalized by vampires and even though she is still scarred by it she is not letting it stop her from getting on with her life. What really made me love her is the fact that she had no fear of standing up to Dmitri.


If you haven't started this series I highly recommend it. Archangel's Blade was a great addition to the series it was full of vengeance, heartache, and believable characters. I would have rated this five stars but the ending was wrapped up too quickly especially with the big reveal. Not giving spoilers but it had to do with Honor and Dmitri's relationship.


Memorable Quotes: 

~Raising his hand, he rubbed a finger on his cheek, came away with a dark red slick on his fingertip. "Something about me seems to make women want to use knives."

~"Some battles," she said softly, holding that gaze full of secrets so very old, "a woman has to fight on her own."

Buy on

Amazon / B&N 

Review: Firelight ( Darkest London #1) by Kristen Callihan

Firelight by Kristen Callihan

• Pub. Date:February 2012
• Publisher: Grand Centeral Publishing
• Pages: 400
• Series: Darkest London #1

http://kristencallihan.com/

"London, 1881
Once the flames are ignited . . . 


Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.


They will burn for eternity . . . 


Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask."

First Sentence: The knowledge that Archer would soon end the life of another cut at his soul with every step he took.


Review: Firelight is now one of my favorites in the paranormal/historical romance genre. It was intriguing, Gothic, action packed full of mystery and murder, and it reminded me of a darker version of Beauty & the Beast and Phantom of the Opera all mixed in one.Needless to say I was sucked into the novel within the first few pages.

The characters were amazing. I was able to connect with both the main characters Lord Archer and Miranda. I loved the fact that Miranda was a strong character who had a sharp tongue on her and was not fearful of anything.  As for Lord Archer he is the ideal tortured hero I couldn't help but fall in love with his character. I also liked how the mystery around him unravels in bits and pieces. Then there was the romance between the two, all I have to say is that the two were perfect for each other both stubborn, passionate and with secrets that haunt them everyday.

Overall Callihan did a wonderful job with Firelight the writing, the characters and the world building all done very well. I loved that this can be a standalone since the next book in the series is obviously about Ian whom I would love to get to know more of especially since he already sparked my curiosity in Firelight. I will definitely be buying this novel to add to my bookshelf because I can see myself reading this again and again.

Review: Raziel by Kristina Douglas

Raziel by Kristina Douglas

• Pub. Date:January 2011
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Pages: 384
• Series: The Fallen #1

http://www.kristinadouglas.com/

"

Kristina Douglas’s sexy new series introduces a realm of fallen angels and ruthless demons, where an eternal rebellion is brewing . . . and one unsuspecting woman can change the fate of the Fallen forever.

She was just an ordinary mortal . . .

“You’re dead” is so not what Allie Watson wants to hear. Unfortunately, it explains a lot. Like the dark, angelically handsome man who ferried her to this strange, hidden land. The last thing she remembers is stepping off a curb in front of a crosstown bus. Now she’s surrounded by gorgeous fallen angels with an unsettling taste for blood—and they really don’t want her around. Not exactly how she pictured heaven.

. . . until death catapulted her into a seductive world she never imagined.

Raziel is unsure why he rescued Allie from hellfire against Uriel’s orders, but she stirs in him a longing he hasn't felt in centuries. Now the Fallen are bracing for the divine wrath brought by his disobedience, and they blame Allie for the ferocious Nephilim clawing at the kingdom’s shrouded gates. Facing impossible odds at every turn, the two must work together to survive. Raziel will do anything to defend his spirited lover against the forces of darkness—because Allie may be the Fallen’s only salvation."

First Sentence: 
 I am Raziel, one of the twenty fallen angels spoken of by Enoch in the old books.


Review:

Raziel our protagonist fallen angel is to escort Allie to the afterlife but things don't go as planned and he pulls her back from the hellfire against the orders of Uriel. I did enjoy Raziel but it does start off slow, with a lot of world building. But after a few chapters the plot moves along fairly fast and next thing I know i'm done reading with alot of questions still unanswered about their world. I seriously did like Raziel he was sexy as hell, brooding and unemotional on the surface but thanks to the point of view switch offs we get to learn what is really going on in his head as well. Allie was a one of those female characters whom I found annoying at times and then there where times thanks to her I had a couple of laugh out loud moments. The best moments in the novel was when her and Raziel were in a room together and their back and forth banter which kept me turning pages. As far as them being in love I didn't see it, to me their relationship was all physical. One thing that did bug me a lot about this novel was Allie and how she was dead but yet she was still able to bleed, and be killed. I thought she was already dead so how can she be killed again? This is one of the reasons I dropped the rating on this book it doesn't make any sense and nor was it ever explained. Overall Raziel could have been awesome but in the end it was a good read with alot of potential.

Review: The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

• Pub. Date: December 2011
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Format: Arc 
• Pages: 448
• Series: Fairwick Chronicles #1

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Juliet-Dark/154372161299152

I gasped . . . or tried to. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t draw breath. . . . His lips, pearly wet, parted and he blew into my mouth. My lungs expanded beneath his weight. When I exhaled he sucked in my breath and his weight turned from cold marble into warm living flesh.

"Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of writing her bestselling book, The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. After all, Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she finds herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.


But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: He’s not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the incubus, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this demon lover from her heart. ""

Review: The Demon Lover was not what I expected. The cover is gorgeous and the synopsis looked very promising but it turned out be a very uneven paced read for me. It starts off very slow and took a while for me to get into. Than you have moments where everything becomes very fast paced and I found myself flipping through the pages only to be greeted with more slow moments where I actually started skimming through quite a few pages since I felt it did nothing to move the plot along.

Honestly the main concept of The Demon Lover was interesting which is why I still stuck through it and read it but there were alot of parts that could have been taken out and way to many sub plots. Not to mention not much was explained but after learning that there will be more books published in the series I can understand why the author left so much still a mystery.

What I really did enjoy was reading about the Incubus. Pretty much all the exciting page flipping parts were when the incubus was involved. And lets not forget Liam, he made the second half of the book interesting , of course once I found out who Liam really was it made sense why he was the only other character who I really cared for in this entire novel.

Now as far as the main character Callie goes I didn't feel any connection with her and for me to really get into a novel I have to feel something for the main character. Instead I found her odd. Callie for one did not show a bit of shock or surprise when she found out about the supernatural world or that most of her co-workers were otherworldy beings, and for someone who has a PhD in folkolore who has also written a book about the sex lives of various demon lovers she was very clueless.

I did love the mystical setting of The Demon Lover, and I could definitly envision the gothic feel of it all. Also there was  a lot of hot and heavy sexual scenes which I would define as erotic but tastefully done.

Overall my feelings for this novel is mixed. I loved some aspects of it while still finding myself frustrated and at times bored.

Review: The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen

The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen

• Pub. Date: June 2011 
• Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
• Fromat: Hardcover pp257

http://www.allisonvandiepen.com

"What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?


Amy is in love with someone who doesn't exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction."

First Sentence: There was a festive vibe in the air that reminded me of fourth of July.

Review: The Vampire stalker had potential...a lot of potential but it just didn't quite hit it.

There have been plenty of times I've wished one of the fictional characters I've  read about actually were real. And thanks to a very creative theory called literary physics, Alexander Banks is able to cross over into the dimension in which Amy lives in. Seriously literary physics is a genius of an idea. I loved it, especially since I was curious about how Van Diepen was going to bring Alexander into Amy's world.

Now as far as the characters are concerned I was able to relate to Amy's bookworm personality, but that was about it. As far as her feelings for Alexander, her anger towards her dad, and her annoyance towards her sister, it just all fell flat. I couldn't feel any of her emotions. When it comes down to it all the characters in the novel could have been more fleshed out. The relationship between Alexander and Amy also happened way to fast for my likes. Maybe if the novel wasn't so short their relationship could have developed in a more deeper and meaningful level.

Then their was Vigo the antagonist. He just wasn't something to be fearful of, not to the extent Amy and Alexander made him out to be in the novel. Maybe it's just that I've read way to many novels with far worse villains  than Vigo, the ones that actually get under my skin and make me worry about the protagonist.

I also have to admit I wanted to know more about the story within the story. Alexander Banks Otherworld Chicago sounded so much more intriguing and I hope Van Diepen decides to write about that world someday soon.

Overall don't let the cover or the name fool you. Vampire Stalker was in the end a fun, quick, and very light read. But it had the potential to be so much more.

Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

• Pub. Date:Dec 2009
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover, 563pp

http://www.kamigarcia.com/
http://www.margaret-stohl.com/

"Ethan Wate is struggling to hide his apathy for his high school "in" crowd in small town Gatlin, South Carolina, until he meets the determinedly "out" Lena Duchannes, the girl of his dreams (literally--she has been in his nightmares for months). What follows is a smart, modern fantasy--a tale of star-crossed lovers and a dark, dangerous secret. Beautiful Creatures is a delicious southern Gothic that charms you from the first page, drawing you into a dark world of magic and mystery until you emerge gasping and blinking, wondering what happened to the last few hours (and how many more you're willing to give up). To tell too much of the plot would spoil the thrill of discovery, and believe me, you will want to uncover the secrets of this richly imagined dark fantasy on your own. -"

First Sentence: "There were only two kinds of people in our town"

Review: I was ready to fall in love with Beautiful Creatures after all the "you have to read it nows" I kept getting and the continuous hype surrounding it. Instead sadly that was not the case for me. I really tried which is why  even though I was ready to stop reading the book half way through I stuck to it and finished it, regardless of the fact that it took me close to two weeks to do so.

I really felt that Beautiful Creatures could have been easily cut down a couple hundred pages. There were lots of details that were pretty insignificant and thought it did nothing as far as moving the plot along. As far as the characters are concerned I didn't care for Ethan or Lena. I did not feel the supposed love between the two. Lena was just flat, I was more intrigued by her cousin Ridley. Ethan, well lets just say the narration sounded like it was from a females point of view. Which is maybe why the whole time I kept thinking gee Ethan and Lena can be best friends vs wow they are really meant for each other...etc.

What I did like was the uniqueness of the casters. I also like the fact that it was set in the south but having experienced living in the south myself for quite some time, I felt that the authors could have delved deeper about the south instead of just portraying the same old cliche.

Overall loved the concept of the casters but did not care much for the characters.

Review: First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

First Grave On The Right by Darynda Jones

• Pub. Date: February 2011
• Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover 310 pages

"Charley sees dead people. That's right, she sees dead people. And it's her job to convince them to 'go into the light'. But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. "

First Sentence: "I'd been having the same dream for the past month - the one where a dark stranger materialized out of smoke and shadows to play doctor with me."

Review: Charley Davidson is a grim reaper. The grim reaper to be exact. She is the portal - the light in which the dead pass through. Charley is also a private investigator and she helps her uncle Bob a detective for the Albuquerque P.D. solve crimes. Which for someone who can see and talk to the dead is a pretty easy thing to do especially when you can just ask them who killed them. So besides dead people following her around everywhere Charley also has a supernatural entity haunting her dreams in the most sexual of ways.

I saw this novel being reviewed on a couple of blogs and one day when I was at Borders during their last few days before closing down I saw the last copy of First Grave on the Right sitting on the shelf and grabbed it. And i'm so glad I did. Darynda Jones created a perfect combination of humor,suspense, and mystery to keep me interested in Charley Davidson's world.

I loved the mystery around Reyes and with the way the novel ended i'll be picking up the second book in the series soon. I do predict a three way love triangle coming up between Garret, Charley and Reyes...but i'm hoping i'm wrong and there wont be one since i'm pretty tired of love triangles.

Overall this was a good read, I especially loved the paranormal aspect of it.

Review: Passion by Lauren Kate

Passion by Lauren Kate

• Pub. Date: June 2011 
• Publisher:Random House Children's Books
• Format: Hardcover 420pp

"Every single lifetime, I'll choose you. Just as you have chosen me. Forever." 

"Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever."

Review: I had high hopes for Passion but sadly I'm giving this one 2.5 stars. I actually am a fan of the Fallen Series which is why I was disappointed with the fact that I found myself bored during this book.

Luce did a lot of time traveling, going back to her past selves to find out and learn more about everything that is going on and how to break the curse. Yet, I felt quite a few of the lives she visited were just fillers, neither she nor I the reader really learned anything. Most of the questions are still left unanswered.

There was a new antagonist in Passion, although I must admit even he was very predictable. I already figured out he was the bad guy the moment he appeared.

Overall the book didn't become interesting until the ending which  left us with a cliffhanger. And yes I will be picking up Rapture when it comes out, just to see how everything turns out.

Review: Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

• Pub. Date: August 2010 /Released in Paperback/Hardcover January 2011
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Fromat: Paperback 329pp

"The blacksmith would marry her.
The woodcutter would run away with her.
The werewolf would turn her into one of its own. 

Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home. 

After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town. 

It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die. 

Based on a screenplay written by David Leslie Johnson"

Review: I didn't fall in love with this book. I really wanted to, since I love the classic Red Riding Hood and also thought the world building in this current version was just wonderful. What gave me mixed feelings was the characters, they all were flat with no real character development in my opinion. I also didn't care for the love triangle or the instant love that happened between Valerie and Peter.

What kept me reading was the suspense. I had no idea who the wolf was until the very end. Not to mention the world created in the retelling was extremely dark which is how I've always pictured Red Riding Hood. I did end up knocking off a star due to the fact that I had to go online to read the final "bonus" chapter.

Review: Dracula In Love by Karen Essex

Dracula In Love by Karen Essex

• Pub. Date: August 2010 /Released in Paperback/Hardcover July 2011
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Fromat: Paperback 368pp

"Karen Essex turns on the heat in this transporting and darkly haunting new tale of love and possession that puts forth the question: What if everything you knew about Dracula . . . was wrong? 

From the shadowy banks of the River Thames to the wild and windswept coast of Yorkshire, the quintessential Victorian virgin Mina Murray vividly recounts in the pages of her private diary the intimate details of what transpired between her and Count Dracula—the joys and terrors of a pas­sionate affair and her rebellion against a force of evil that has pursued her through time. 

Mina’s version of this timeless gothic vampire tale is a visceral journey into the dimly lit bedrooms, mist-filled cemeteries, and locked asylum chambers where she led a secret life, far from the chaste and polite lifestyle the defenders of her purity, and even her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, expected of her. 
Bram Stoker’s classic novel was only one side of the story. Now, for the first time, Dracula’s eternal muse reveals all. What she has to say is more sensual, more devious, and more enthralling than ever imagined. The result is a scintillating gothic novel that reinvents the tragic heroine Mina as a modern woman tor­tured by desire."

Review: Karen Essex did an incredible job retelling Bram Stokers Dracula. Dracula in love was told from Mina's  perspective, and I loved it just as much as the original.

The first half of the novel was a lot of background information on Mina, which I found interesting. The novel really picked up for me when we got to the asylum. I was reading Dracula In Love in the middle of the night so yes, I was slightly creeped out but couldn't stop myself from turning the page. Essex did a great job with keeping the suspense. I also loved how on point Essex was with the treatment of women during that time period.

Essex brought on new twists and turns that held my interest all the way to the very end. I was honestly rooting for the count in this one, which is why I was a little saddened by the ending. I felt as if Jonathan Harker did not deserve Mina. I seriously thought Mina would have picked the Count especially after learning about their past and how strong their love for each other was.

There is also quite a few passionate sexual scenes, which fit perfectly with the atmosphere that was created in the novel. Dark,Sexy, and Captivating describes Dracula In Love down to a T. If you are looking for an overall great read you will not regret picking this novel up.

Review: Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

• Pub. Date: March 2011
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Format: Paperback , 336pp

http://www.gwenhayes.com

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

Review:  I am not going to lie when I tell you I strictly bought this book for its cover, so I could add it to my collection of gorgeous book covers. Lucky for me not only is the cover beautiful but Falling Under turned out to be a horrifyingly beautiful YA paranormal romance.

The book started off with a burning man falling from the sky right outside Theia's house which raised my curiosity. And after that Hayes pretty much takes you on a roller coaster ride into a terrifyingly magical world.

I loved Falling Under, I think what really made me go from like to love was the fact that there is no love triangle, no werewolves,vampires,angels,faeries or zombies. Half the fun was figuring out what Haden was.

I loved how Theia's character grew throughout the story. And how her friends Amelia and Donny were also very well developed characters not just fillers like most YA books I've been reading lately. Haden was a blast, there was actually certain parts where I was creeped out by him and other times (his human side) where I just adored him and felt sorry for the guy.

There were a lot of dream sequences in the book which were very intense and hair raising and I loved every minute of it. Hayes did a wonderful job making sure everything connected and flowed together.

Gwen Hayes has created a very dark,suspenseful,edgy and amazingly captivating world in which I can not wait to immerse myself in again when book two to the series comes out next year.

Evermore (Immortal Series #1) by Alyson Noel

Evermore by Alyson Noel

• Pub. Date: February 2009
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback , 320pp

http://www.alysonnoel.com

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch.   Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste… Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition.  He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets.  Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head.  She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is.  Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

Review:  I finally went ahead and got my hands on this book. In-case your one of the few who didn't read it when all the hype was surrounding it when Evermore came out, It's about a girl named Ever who was in a terrible car accident in which her entire family was killed, except her. She lingered to long while her family was crossing over that she was brought back to life. 

Ever also discovered she now is able to see auras,hear peoples thoughts, and from one touch know a persons entire life's story. Not to mention she can see and talk to spirits such as her twelve year old sister Riley.

She goes from being the popular cheerleader girl to a pony tail,hoodie wearing girl with her ipod cranked up to block out the world. That is until the day Damen Auguste walks into her life and her life becomes more complicated than what it already was.

This was a fairly fast read for me, actually I was pretty much glued to the book and tried to read it every chance I got. I liked the character of Ever for the most part. Noel did a great job portraying someone who is filled with guilt and grief. I also loved the character of Riley, she really did remind me of a typical annoying twelve year old sister.
I wasn't a fan of Haven or Miles although realistic characters they just didn't seem like that great of friends to Ever.
Now Damen the "YA Hot guy" for the series, well He was your typical smoldering sexy hot guy which has become common in most YA novels now days.

I loved the first half of the book but the ending just seemed rushed to me. I did like the concept of the immortals and how Noel related it to alchemy that was a unique concept and since I do plan on continuing the series I hope she goes more in depth about the immortals and how it all really came to be.