Hexed by Kevin Hearne

Author: Kevin Hearne

Title: Hexed

Publication: June 7, 2011

Publisher: Del Rey

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Pages: 320

Audience: 18 and up

Rating: 5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from the cover): Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

My thoughts:

 I love this series. My husband and I are going to a book reading and signing to see Kevin Hearne, and three other authors at the end of this month. I'm trying to read them all before then, so I may review them all before then. Please bear with me.
Atticus is at it again. This time he has two weirdos following him, a coven of witches out to kill him, and a group of Bacchus worshipers ready to burn down the town.  All the while he is trying to grow back his ear, please the Morrigan and Flidais, train his padawan, and run his bookstore. However, Mr. O'Sullivan cannot stay out of trouble, even after he defeated Aengus Og. Even the trickster Coyote ropes him into helping him with a demon problem. There is plenty of humor mixed in. There are so many shenanigans he gets into. I love his Irish Wolfhound, Oberon- he is the best comedic relief as is his neighbor the Widow MacDonagh. She had me rolling in the scene where Atticus is attacked by two witches at her house. There is a enough drama, comedy, and action to keep you from putting this book down. Seriously, if you love to laugh, love urban fantasy- check this book out NOW!

Finder by Pepper Thorn

Author: Pepper Thorn

Title: Finder

Publication: March 24, 2014

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Genre: Fairy Tale, Young Adult

Pages: 200

Audience: 13 and up

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from the cover): All Sara wanted was her family, back again,but Faery bargains always come with a price,
and what you look for is not always what you seek.

Ever since she can remember, Sara McAlister has had a knack for finding things. What she has not had for the last year is a family.

Since the accident that stole her dad and little sister, Sara has been living a lie, pretending that everything was fine, and that she and her mom were moving on. But when Queen Titania summons her into the beautiful and treacherous Faery, Sara gets a chance to make her lies reality.

The Holy Grail has disappeared, and King Oberon with it. Sara's knack may be the key to saving them … and getting her life back. But there are more powers at play than even Queen Titania is aware of.

Can Sara use her increasingly unreliable gift to complete a quest that has claimed the lives and sanity of Faery’s finest knights

My thoughts:
I found out about this indie author and book from a small convention I went to called the Alabama Phoenix Festival. Pepper Thorn was a panelist in a panel I attended. She of course promoted her book. I had mentioned wanting it after spotting it in the Dealer's Room and reading the synopsis. My husband had bought it for me while I was at the panel. I went back to get it signed. 
This is a fairy tale...you have the Fairy Queen, Titania, and the King, Oberon. For me personally, it took a little while to get into. I think it really hit its stride around page 100. However, I was reading it each day for about 30 minutes at work, and I had just changed from night shift to day shift...so I was dealing with lack of sleep and other kinds of issues. It could have been me, not the book. I did have a problem with Sara just jumping into the fairy realm without thinking. I felt there were some things left untethered. Like how did Sara learn about her gift? How did the fairies know about Sara and her gift? Why did Nuthelm follow Sara through out her life? At the end Sara is given another gift in the fairy realm, but when she comes back to the human realm, there is no trace of it, so what happened to her gift? Why happened to the twin guards?
Also, this is the second novel that I have read that uses Rock City as a meeting ground. This first was American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I thought it was kind of neat especially since that is where I went for my honeymoon, and I know the landscape a bit. Sara goes into the fairy realm on Monte Sano Mountain, which is really close to my home town. To me, that was really cool.
I thought the book was great. It follows Sara who is on an fairy quest and pretty much learns how to deal with her grief and guilt along the way. There are many creatures from unicorns to tiny tree people. It stays pretty action packed, except for the walking/vision scenes. I found those a little slow, but I think they are imperative to the story. I put young adult for the suggested reading age, but I would suggest 13 and up for this story. It is a fantastic novel filled with all sorts of fairy creatures, villains, and heroes. 

 

Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1) by Kevin Hearne

Author: Kevin Hearne
Title:  Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1)
Publication: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Del Ray
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 320
Audience: 17 and up
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Atticus O'Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old--when in actuality, he's twenty-one "centuries" old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.
Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he's hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power--plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish--to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

My thoughts: 

My husband pestered me until I picked up the first book and read through it. I really could not put this book down or stop laughing at it. The characters are well rounded and develop really well in this first book of the series. The main character Atticus O’Sullivan is the last of his kind. He is a real life druid and is really old…over 2000 years old in fact. He can speak to his dog, the Irish Wolfhound, Oberon, who is hilarious! There is of course Atticus’s neighbors who had a dash of humor. Oh and his lawyers, one is a vampire and the other is a werewolf. They are able to work together because they both hate Thor (I do too. He is such a drunken jerk, we aren’t talking about the Marvel Thor either.). There is plenty of laughter, drama, and mystery. If you are a fan of paranormal, urban fantasies this is a MUST read! I am trying to squeeze in time to read the next novel, Hexed, which I may do after I finish writing this. I also want to add a word about the author, Kevin Hearne. This dude is amazing. My husband reached out to him on Facebook and Kevin Hearne actually wrote him a response and thanked him for being a fan. He is so kind and he gives you information on his website on how to contact him. We have a trip planned in October to see him in Georgia for a day. I cannot wait, but now I have to read all seven of the books before then!

Valiant (Modern Faeries Tales #2) by Holly Black

Author: Holly Black
Title:  Valiant (Modern Faeries Tales #2)
Publication: October  1, 2006
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: Young Adult, Faerie Tale
Pages: 320
Audience: 15 and up
Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: Public Library

Synopsis (fromGoodreads): When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends.
And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.

 
My thoughts: I have no idea how this book relates to Tithe, but I guess I will find out when I read Ironside. Unfortunately, the experience of the book was lessened as some jerk had censored the book.  

 This book is full of drama and twists and turns at every corner. You don’t expect the bad guys until it is too late. Val is a strong female character who runs away after finding out the truth about her boyfriend. So she jumps on a train and heads to New York on a date by herself…except she decides to stay in New York for a while. Val and her new street friends Lolli, Dave, and Luis aren’t exactly angels. They use fairy glamor, which they call Never to get high. They then have fairy powers to glamor people. Never is very much like heroin and has withdrawal symptoms.  Val runs into some trouble and indentures herself to a fairy to repay for the trouble she and Lolli caused. However, there is some major drama going on amongst the fairies and you don’t know who you can trust. It is a gritty, dirty story, but it is part of the series and it wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t fantastic either.

Birds of Prey: Of Like Minds

Author: Gail Simone
Illustrators: Ed Benes, Alex Lei, Rob Lea

Title:Birds of Prey: Of Like Minds

Publication: March 1, 2004

Publisher: DC

Genre: Graphic Novel, Comic Book

Pages: 144

Audience: 16 and up

Rating: 5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from the cover): After being paralyzed from the waist down, former Batgirl Barbara Gordon took on the persona of information cyber lord oracle and began a successful crime-fighting partnership with the Black Canary.
But when the two femmes fatales are confronted by Savant, a villain whose physical and mental abilities equal their own, they become drawn into a deadly and elaborate trap. Now with the madman holding Black Canary hostage, Oracle- who reluctantly enlists the aid of the Huntress- must choose between revealing Batman's secret identity to her captor and saving the life of her friend and partner.

My thoughts:
Gail Simone is one of my favorite comic book writers. I also follow her on Twitter and she is hilarious and extremely opinionated. Either way, the lady can write. I'm not sure if this is volume three, or if she took over and made it her own. Amazon claims it is volume 1, Goodreads says volume 3. I feel like it could be a continuation of Chuck Dixon's story, but starting in this graphic novel, Black Canary knows who the Oracle is. Either way, I believe this is where the story really picks up. I gave the other two a 4 out of 5, but I could not put this book down! I was taking a 15 minute break at work, and accidentally took a longer break because I was reading. 
This story adds a more human aspect to the characters. Even though they are superheroes, they are still  human and can get hurt. It also deals with relationships- business, romantic, friendship. It just made the storyline more rounded. No matter what number in the timeline, this graphic novel falls in, it is a perfect stand alone graphic novel and I highly recommend it!

 

Birds of Prey Volume 2: Old Friends, New Enemies

Authors: Chuck Dixon, Greg Land, and Drew Geraci
Illustrators: Greg Land and Drew Geraci

Title:Birds of Prey Volume 2: Old Friends, New Enemies

Publication: February 22, 2011

Publisher: Vertical

Genre: Graphic Novel, Comic Book

Pages: 224

Audience: 16 and up

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from the cover): 
Recruited by the mysterious Oracle to act as her agent, former justice leaguer Black Canary now travels the globe fighting injustice and forcing the guilty to pay for their crimes. Through their adventures an odd friendship has developed, even though Black Canary has never even seen Oracle face to face.

But their friendship and their lives could be cut sort when Black Canary finds herself. in the middle of a deadly hunt being led by the ruthless cult leader Kobra for a long forgotten piece of Russian technology, and as Black Canary fights for her life, Oracle has her own troubles when the U.S. Army begins tracking down the person hacking into their systems, There's no rest for anybody here, wicked or otherwise.

My thoughts:
This comic was action packed. My husband loves Chuck Dixon and I can see why! He is a great writer and I just love him for spawning The Birds of Prey storyline. Black Canary is still doing what she does best- kicking bad dude's butts. Oracle is still utilizing her librarian skills and finding the bad guy's hideouts. They make a great team, which in turn is a great read. I found the individual stories intertwined, but not as closely as volume 1. The last story in the book was kind of crazy and involved time travel and a lake in Minnesota. It was just really odd. Even though, the last story kind of threw me for a loop, the entire book is worth reading!

 

Audiobook Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book One: The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan
Narrator: Jesse Bernstein

Title:Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book One: The Lightning Thief

Publication: June 28, 2005

Publisher: Listening Library

Genre: Middle-Grade, Mythology

Pages: 416
Length: 10 hours and 1 minute

Audience: 10 and up

Rating: 3 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school . . . again. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really be expected to stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him? Of course, no one believes Percy about the monster incident; he's not even sure he believes himself. Until the Minotaur chases him to summer camp. Suddenly, mythical creatures seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. The gods of Mount Olympus, he's coming to realize, are very much alive in the twenty-first century. And worse, he's angered a few of them: Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now Percy has just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property, and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. On a daring road trip from their summer camp in New York to the gates of the Underworld in Los Angeles, Percy and his friends-one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena-will face a host of enemies determined to stop them. To succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of failure and betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

My thoughts:

 I know, I know. This book has been out for almost 10 years. It was something I always meant to pick up, but I always had something else to read. So now I'm making up for lost time. My husband and I went on a road trip a couple of weeks ago, and we now have a tradition of having an audiobook to listen to on the trip. He had tried to read The Lightning Thief a couple of times, but he always turned it off. I thought, AH HA! We are stuck in a car and I will not allow him to turn it off. The book started out slow for me, and I was able to figure every single thing out a chapter or in some cases many chapters ahead. However, the audience for this book isn't adult it is for middle-school aged kids. I think this book is perfect for middle schoolers and they might learn something in the process. I learned a few things even!
The characters were straight out of mythology, so nothing too new. Annabeth is the annoying little sister type character. Grover was the traditional best friend. Percy was the confused, main hero. It is like Harry Potter, but he isn't orphaned and it is mythology not magic. 
I listened to the audiobook and Jesse Bernstein did a great job. He did different voices for every single character. He is a talented narrator, and if you have a middle schooler, you should make them listen to this book. He only had one tic that kind of annoyed me. Every time he said "Grover" it was more like, "Grover?", but in a mom type voice. You know, when you get into trouble and your mom says, "Susie? What did you do?" He seemed to do that a lot, but it is nothing major, just something I noticed.
So if you're bored, this is a great listen. I'm not sure I'll listen to the others because I'm older, but if I had read them when they came out, I probably would have loved them more.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Author: Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant

Publication: October 22, 2013

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian

Pages: 544

Audience: 15 and up

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from the cover): The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered- fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 
But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature- and of herself- wile facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

My thoughts:
 I finished this book a few days ago. I actually started the book back in October right after it came out, but a friend of mine ruined the ending...so I kind of put it off. I'm also doing that to another series. I hate it when people do that, but I eventually get over it because I get to experience the journey. It's just I know I won't have a raw/true reaction to that event because I'm expecting it. Anyway, I'm really not sure how I feel or what I think about this book. I read some reviews about it, and I think the best one described it as Katy Perry's song, Hot and Cold. I think that perfectly sums it up. 
Unlike some fans of the series, I did enjoy reading the book for the most part. I did not like the varying viewpoints because to me Tris and Tobias were written so much alike, that I would forget whose perspective I was in until another character said something, then I was thinking, "Huh? When did we switch perspectives?" 
Of course, Mrs. Roth has no issues killing off her characters. In a way, I respect authors who want to rip your hearts out, but after a while, I start to detach myself from the book and characters so I'm not hurt every three chapters or so. I think she did an overkill for the series, even though it is a dystopian series, she killed off way too many loveable characters. She killed off one of my favorite characters and I had to stop reading at that point and let myself be angry and upset over it. I'm pretty sure I'm still not over it.
As for the ending, I felt one ending was too abrupt for one character. The other character's ending was a bit fluffy and sugary sweet for my taste. Otherwise, the book was fine. It was a conclusive ending to the trilogy. I honestly liked it. There were a couple of quotes about information and one about love that I wrote down to remember. I can say I like Divergent and Insurgent better, but Allegiant makes an okay ending for the series. What do you think? Were you a lover or hater of Allegiant?

 

Grave Mercy

Author:  Robin LaFevers

Title:Gravy Mercy

Publication: April 3, 2012

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Romance 

Pages: 560

Audience: 15 and up

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Source: Public Library

 Goodreads Synopsis:Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart

My thoughts:
I'm not really into  historical romance novels, but this young adult novel takes it up a notch. There is death, poison, lies, and betrayal behind every page.
 Ismae is a really strong willed character and I loved her for it because historically, women we to be looked at- not heard. Even though she is strong willed and intelligent, she was a bit too full of herself on occasion and there were times I wished that she would just get over herself. Having said that, I understand she was a guarding herself, being an assassin and all.
 Duval is another character I loved. He pushed all of Ismae's buttons. When she would push him, he would push her back (not literally). He was also intelligent and very observant, not to mention- sexy!

I wish there had been more about the covenant and I wish it had more darkness too it. I feel like it rushed the beginning, the middle lagged a bit, and the last 200 pages had me  on edge to find out who did it.

I've been talking with Cricket and the next book is due out this spring. We think the next book may be darker as it is to follow Sybella's story, which I am dying to know more about! She was a mysterious character who was not fully explained in the first book.  I enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next one in the series!

Sybil the Backpack Fairy: Nina

Author: Michel Rodrigue

Illustrator: Antonello Dalena, Manuela Razzi, and Cecilia Giumento
Title: Sybil the Backpack Fairy: Nina

Publication: December 6, 2011

Publisher: Papercutz

Genre: Graphic Novel, Comic Book, Children
Pages: 48

Audience: 8 and up

Rating: 5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from the cover ): I'm Nina and she's Sybil, my fairy friend. Being friends with a fairy is so cool! She does all my homework and straightens up my room with a simple wave of her magi wand! All that would be just great if she didn't drag me into her magical world, peopled with monsters and fairies a lot less nice than she is.

My thoughts:
I have a book problem. It happens anytime I go into a bookstore or comic shop. I usually see something I just have to buy because I just have to read it. I usually don't have time and that is where my book collection comes in. However, I thought this cover was so funny and I just had to buy it and read it. I thought it would be more pre-teen than what it is, but it is a perfect G-rated, girly comic. It was so funny and the artwork is well done. Oddly enough, the artwork reminded me of cartoons I used to watch when I was young. Nina is a cute little girl who has  issues that everyone can relate to. She gets in trouble at school for talking too much, her parents are divorced, and she is young. Then Sybil comes along and turns Nina's world for a loop. Its all fun and games until Mom comes home! This is a wonderfully cute graphic novel. If you want to share the love of graphic novels or encourage a young child to read- I suggest this. I just looked it up on Amazon and Papercutz is still in business. It is super cute and easy to read! 

 

Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers

Authors: James Roberts, Nick Roche

Title: Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers

Publication: March 6, 2012

Publisher: IDW

Genre: Action, Adventure. Comic Book

Pages: 172

Audience: 16 and up

Rating: 5 of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis(from Amazon):
The Autobot special ops crew, The Wreckers, are sent to investigate Garrus-9, a prison that fell to the Decepticons three years ago with no communication in or out since. Who's really behind the prison siege, and what dark secret awaits Springer there? The answers to those questions will send this mission to the razors edge!


My thoughts:

I didn’t grow up with Transformers, so I missed out on the campy 80's cartoon, which is fine because I was and still am a Ninja Turtles kid. All the same I’ve been getting in to Transformers lately and since I have loved what IDW has been doing with the Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles this year, I decided to see how well the “Robots in the disguise” transformed (see what I did there?) in to comics. I started with Last Stand of The Wreckers because even though it takes place kind of deep in the Transformers storyline, it focuses on mostly background characters, and is a stand alone story. I wouldn’t be lost as to what’s going on.  Last Stand of The Wreckers somehow took big colorful robots, and put them in a story that was action packed, funny, gritty, sad, and thought provoking, and it worked. This book makes you ask yourself, "If I had the chance to live my biggest dream even though it could mean the end of everything, would I do it?" I loved this book and recommend it to any Transformers fan, but if your all together new to Transformers you may want to wait on this one.

 

Wicked Business (Audiobook)

Author: Janet Evanovich

Title: Wicked Business: A Lizzy and Diesel Novel

Publication:June 19, 2012

Publisher: Bantam

Genre: Adult, Adventure, Romance, Comedy, Fantasy

Pages: 320
Length: 6 hours

Audience: 16 and up

Rating: 4 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis:
Lizzy and Diesel are  back! This time a Harvard English professor, Gilbert Reedy is found dead. His mysterious death reveals that Reedy was searching for one of the SILGIA stones, the Luxuria Stone, the stone for lust. The quest is not without difficulty as Diesel's sketchy cousin, Gerwulf Grimoire, and his evil minion Hatchet also has their eyes set on the Luxuria stone. That is not all! Now there is a new person going after the Luxuria stone, someone who goes by the name, Anarchy. The race for the Luxuria stone, but who will get to it first?

My thoughts:

Like, I mentioned before. Ms. Evanovich sticks to her traditional plot line. Cute, smart, sassy main lady, likes sexy forbidden guy, is nice to the "bad" guy who isn't always bad, stands up to  the crazy minion guy, is best friends with a ditzy lady, and  there is a a monkey in the mix. I listened to this book as well. I want to correct something I had said in my review of the first audiobook. Loreli King does not give the character's a southern accent. I'm not sure why I thought she did. However, she has a wonderful voice and does the voices for everyone perfectly. I wish I could hire her to read bedtime stories to me. I'm kidding, but her voice is nice. I was a bit disappointed in this book. I thought Wicked Business would focus on the greed stone, but it was the lust stone. I also thought the book would follow the format of Wicked Appetite. I felt Lizzy and Diesel did more interviews in the first one and in this one they visited more landmarks. I'm not sure why that disappointed me, but it kind of did. The story was by no means boring, there were ton of hilarious shenanigans that ALL the characters got into. I recommend this if you would like to try to new, adult, romantic-comedy series. I also recommend this book if you are going on a trip or commute it is a cute book to listen to.