Review: The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa

YA Paranormal

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey, #4)

Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.
Unless he can earn a soul.
To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

  

Source: Reviewer Purchase

My Review

First off, I'd like to say I've really enjoyed this series. Julia Kagawa (Author) has truly made a beautiful world in which all of her readers can't help but be sucked into. When first hearing that this 4th installment would be from Ash's POV, I was a little scared. I wondered how could he take the place of Meghan. I mean Ash is great but hes not the main character. I was totally wrong, this book was astounding. I absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. I was happy to know that some of the series' beloved characters would be accompanying Ash in his journey. There was Puck, his former best friend. Grimalkin, the mischievous,annoying yet lovable cait sith. Plus another other surprise guest. I was truly amazed by Ash's courage and strength throughout his quest. He never swayed from his oath to Meghan.  I was happy but yet sad to say goodbye to this series. I really enjoyed the ride. The only bad thing I can say about this story is that I'm sad that its over.

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

YA Paranormal Romance

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.It can.She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.There is.She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.

Source: Reviewer purchase

My Review
Ok first off I loved the cover. Its what initially made me want to pick up the book. I can say that this book was very interesting to say the least. Different than any other paranormal books I've read thus far. Mara is a very complex character. I couldn't quite grasp if she's crazy, or does she really see the things she thinks she sees. The main character that made the whole story worth while to me was Noah. Noah Shaw is Mara's love interest in the book. He's charming,sarcastic,handsome and everything a bad boy should be. This book has many different levels to it. There is romance, suspense, mystery, Dark undertones, and it will take you on a psychological mind trip. The only thing that bothered me was the ending. It just kind of left me with a lot of unanswered questions, which I hope will be answered in Michelle Hodkins next installment. I must say I'm looking forward to reading the next book from this series. I do believe I will need therapy though afterwards.

Additional review by Ren: I would have to agree with Robyn about the 'needing therapy' part. I read the last chapter and found myself asking 'What in the world did I just read?' But not in a bad way, a very good way. I was totally mind screwed by Michelle Hodkin. There was just the right amount romance. It was beautifully confusing and I loved every second of it. I gave it 5/5 stars.

Keep an eye out for the next book in the installment titled "The Evolution of Mara Dyer"
Expected publication date is October 23, 2012.

Review: Clockwork Prince(The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare

YA Paranormal 

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.
Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?
As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Source: Reviewer Purchase

My Review
Author Cassandra Clare takes us back for a second round. In her highly anticipated book Clockwork Prince.Set back in 19th century London. Over 150 years before The mortal Instruments. I must say I devoured this book in one sitting. As always I am sucked into this world. That Mrs Clare has created for us. The world of the Shadowhunters is amazing. I am always left with wanting more. Clockwork Prince made me laugh,cry, and want to throw the book across the room. I was literally on a emotional roller coaster. In this book I feel Tessa has really grown as a character. Shes not just the hopeless girl from New York anymore. She has truly come into her own skin. And others as that may be lol. While they still must face off against those Clockwork creatures. There are many other parallels they are up against. New romances,deceit,lies, and decisions must be made. This book made me see Will in a totally different light. He is not just the handsome,dark haired, blue eyed shadowhunter we all know and love. He has a totally different side to him. One that even Jem didn't know still existed.I definitely recommend this book. For those who haven't read this series yet. What are you waiting for? I am totally invested in this series. I can hardly wait for Clockwork Princess to come out. Which is suppose to debut March 2013. My only advice is that you have a box of Kleenex near by. Your going to need it!

Mail Call!

Seriously died and went to heaven!!

Be jelly!!

That's right, Ladies! A signed copy of Obsidian by the lovely and talented

Jennifer L. Armentrout!!!

And some swag, of course!

SQUEEEEEEAAAALLLSSSSSS!!!

I may have hyperventilated a little.

A copy of Dead Asleep by Jennifer B. White

Signed bookmark from Sarah M. Ross

The Vampire Legacy sticker by Dawn Gray

I would also like to take a moment to thank all of the authors for their wonderful gifts and to Phenomenal Paranormal Reads facebook page!
You are all AWESOME!!

#DaemonInvasion Tour 2012 Re-Blog from Jennifer L. Armentrout

#DaemonInvasion Tour 2012

The Daemon Invasion is FINALLY HERE!!

Over the last couple of weeks, you’ve heard us talking about the upcoming #daemoninvasion and we’re so excited to finally share with you what is going on.

Really excited.

The beautiful and uber cool models, Pepe Toth and Sztella Tziotziosz, who grace the Lux covers, will be joining us in the United States!  You heard right.  They are flying here, from Hungary to spend a few days as Daemon and Katy! While they are here, they will be working with Vania, from VLC Productions (the team behind Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments, Melissa de La Cruz, Kimberly Derting, Moira Young, Kami Garcia and Margret Stohl, Hillary Duff, Lauren Destefano, and many, many more authors’ book trailers), to film book trailers for the Lux Series.

During the filming in Atlanta, they will be accompanying Entangled, VLC, and me on tour! What does that mean? You get to meet them. In the flesh. They will be participating in the signings and events. At those signings, we’ll be giving away signed (by Pepe and Sztella and, not as exciting, by me) posters, photos, and other swag. There will also be meet and greet events you can join in on.

At each signing, there will be advanced copies of Onyx given away!

And to top things off (as if this isn’t enough, but we don’t do anything small), there’s something very, very exciting in the works! It involves advanced copies of Opal, water, and a little destination known as the Bahamas.

I am not kidding.

This will be epic.

Aare you excited? I am! This tour is going to be so, so much fun, and I’m so thrilled that Pepe and Sztella are a part of it. We owe them a huge thank you and a giant welcome making the 16 hour flight to meet the readers of the Lux Series.  You!

Daemon Invasion Signing and Event Schedule

June 8th

FoxTale Book Shoppe

Woodstock, GA

3:00pm

June 10th 

Barnes and Noble

St Johns Town Center 

Jacksonville, FL

3:00pm

June 13th

Barnes and Noble

Waterford Lakes Town Center 

Orlando, FL

3:00pm

June 14th

Barnes and Noble

The Palladium at City Place

West Palm Beach, FL

4:00pm 

There are several #daemoninvasion street teamers out there and if you want to join a team to win exclusive prizes, search down the #daemoninvasion hashtag to join one of the teams!

Jennifer is also doing a contest for a signed set of Half-Blood and Pure HERE in celebration of the release of her adult romance, Tempting the Best Man, HERE.  

~~~>Stalk Jennifer L. Armentrout<~~~

  

Review: Fragile by M. Leighton

YA Contemporary Romance (Some mature scenes)

Her heart, as delicate as glass. His love, as strong as steel. Can either survive life and death?
Hardy Bradford is an eighteen year old football phenomenon who has the girl, the school, the town and the future in the palm of his hand. His life is all mapped out for him, right down to who he’ll marry and how he’ll become a professional football player. It doesn't seem to matter that Hardy would’ve chosen a much different life if it was up to him. But it's not. At least not until his Miracle comes along.
The first time Hardy laid eyes on Miracle St. James, he didn’t know who she was, but he knew she was something different and that he’d never get her out of his head. And he didn’t. Now, months later, Hardy’s world is turned upside down when Miracle shows up in his class, stealing his heart and forever changing the course of his life.
Miracle’s sick. Very sick. And Hardy might be losing the only thing in his life that has ever mattered. How much is too much to sacrifice for the one you love? For just a little more time? For just one more chance? Can Hardy be the hero Miracle needs? Or is it Hardy that needs saving?

Source: Reviewer purchase

My Review:
The book is told in Hardy's POV. Hardy is the school's star football player and dates a shallow cheerleader named Cheyenne. At first glance, it looks as if he has everything a teenager could ever want. That is until he sees Miracle for the first time. Hardy first notices Miracle in the park with her younger sister, Mila. Hardy notices that she is bald and a bit frail, he's taken aback by her pleasant demeanor. He wonders what she has been through in her life and how she could be so peaceful. Seeing her that way makes him reevaluate his own life. 


Fast forward a few months. Hardy hasn't seen Miracle since that time in the park so he was surprised to see her in class. He wants to get know her better but his girlfriend, Cheyenne, gets in the way every time. Hardy is pleased to learn that he has his favorite class with Miracle, and no Cheyenne. Miracle and Hardy are assigned to work on a photography assignment together. This gives Hardy the in to get to know her better. After spending time together, he's convinced that he has never felt so strongly about another person in his life. Someone unexpected turns back up in Miracle's life and Hardy is determined to keep her. 


Will Hardy continue down the path that his father wants or choose to follow his heart? Wherever it may lead.


How do I begin to tell you how much I loved this book? Paranormal romance is usually my go-to genre. When I get to a story like this, where the issues are so real, it really gets to my heart. Hardy is a big sweetie and I loved reading the book from his point of view. He was determined to show Miracle how much he cared for her. Miracle was hesitant about being with Hardy, boys had a hard time staying when they learned their girlfriend was sick. Oh boy, the things that Hardy did for that girl...swoon! After everything Miracle went through, she still saw the good in everything. Even in the meanie, Cheyenne. This book kept me captivated from the very first page. The sacrifice he made for her was beautiful. Did I mention I cried my eyes out?! But it was a happy cry :-) 

Review: Wishing for Someday Soon by Tiffany King

YA Romance

Seventeen year old Katelyn Richards is a stronger person than anyone will ever know, and that is just the way she wants it. Behind her normal facade lies the reality of a broken home life. Thanks to her abusive mother, a string of deadbeat stepfathers, and an unsympathetic system, Katelyn has learned that the only one she can count on is herself. Her life’s mission has become to shield her nine year old brother, Kevin, and to give him the future that they both wish for. A life with no more abuse, no worries about where their next meal will come from, and no more wondering if they will have a roof over their heads.
When her mother moves them again, this time to a small town in Montana, Katelyn’s resolve is shaken when she meets Max, a cute boy from her new school, who gets a glimpse into her real world. Max slowly manages to break through Katelyn’s wall of distrust, stirring up feelings she never saw coming. Now with her world more complicated than she ever intended, Katelyn struggles with the decision to follow her heart into the arms of the first boy she has ever loved. A decision that could risk the promise she made to protect Kevin, and to give them the ‘someday soon’ that is so close within their grasp.

Source: won the book in a giveaway

My Review:
Katelyn and her brother Kevin have never had it easy. They are constantly moving because of their mother Lucinda. Lucinda is abusive to Katelyn both verbally and physically. Katelyn figures that it is easier to take the brunt of her abuse to keep Kevin safe. She is afraid that if she were to tell someone about the abuse, that the system will split her and Kevin up. She makes a promise to Kevin that one day, everything will be okay for them. They call it their "Someday Soon". Lucinda decides its time to leave California for Montana. 

Katelyn first meets Max at the supermarket that his father owns. Max is determined to get to know her better so he offers to help tutor her in math. Katelyn is afraid to get too close to Max for fear of revealing her   family situation. Little does she know that this town is unlike any other one that she has lived in. She begins to let her guard down with Max and has hope that "someday soon" may be closer than she thought. Things take a turn for the worse, affecting the one person she tried to shelter from the hurt, Kevin.

I bawled my eyes out while reading this, it was such a heart wrenching story. I had such a difficult time getting through it because the problems were so real. Katelyn is such a strong girl and the love she had for her brother was beautiful. I did not expect the last chapter and it broke my heart. Once I read the epilogue, I was glad how everything turned out. What an excellent book by Tiffany King!

Review: Preservation by Rachael Wade

***This is an Adult Romance which contains matter not suitable for Young Readers***

Adult Contemporary Romance / Realistic Fiction

Fear is sabotage’s sweetest weapon.

Kate has no time for meaningless romantic charades, and definitely no time for hot college professors who are full of themselves and smitten with her. Constantly battling eviction notices, tuition she can’t afford, and a sick, dependent mother, the last thing she needs is to be distracted with someone else’s complicated baggage.
When she stumbles into Ryan Campbell’s creative writing class, he is only “Mr. Campbell” to her, until Ryan finds himself captivated by her writing and she is forced to face their mutual attraction. His cocky know-it-all syndrome is enough to send her running in the other direction, and his posse of female admirers and playboy reputation are enough to squander any odds in her favor.
But underneath Ryan’s abrasive facade is something to behold, and she can’t stay away for long. Ryan and Kate must decide who they’re willing to become and fight against their former selves if they want to make things work. That’s if academia, vicious vixens, old skeletons, and their own mastery at self-destruction don’t pummel their efforts first.

Source: Reviewer purchase

My Review:
Kate's life has never been easy, her father left when she was 13 and her mother became addicted to drugs. She's always had to work hard and fend for herself . Now at 25, she is enrolled in college and working long hours to take care or her mother. The last thing she wants is baggage...male baggage that is. Her two best friends, Carter and Dean, have always been attracted to her but are always there to protect her. Carter is hilarious and always jokes around with a silly British accent.
Ryan is the sexy 27 year old writing professor who has been burned by a past love. He's what you would call a man-whore of sorts. Afraid of being burned again, he sleeps with countless women and students with no remorse. That is until he meets Kate. Ryan starts to think she can be another one of his conquests...until she opens her mouth. He is intrigued by her spunk and wonders if she will be a game changer for him.

Can a relationship between Kate, with her independence and take no crap attitude, and Ryan, the self-proclaimed man-whore, last? Will they change their ways to find the love that they both have only dreamed about?  

My thoughts...

Let me just say that I have been left speechless!! I read this book in less than a day. I was addicted to the story. Kate was so feisty and I found myself cracking up several times while reading it. Ryan is so effin sexy!  The chemistry between Kate and Ryan was HOT HOT HOT!!! Like salivating hot..too hot to handle. Be careful, this book may burn you! The story line was AWESOME and that ending...perfect :-) You also get to read some of Ryan's POV's at the end and goddamn I wish there was more!! I want more!! If you haven't read it yet, what the hell are you waiting for?!? I bow down to you, Rachael Wade!

Review: Existence by Abbi Glines

YA Paranormal Romance

What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.
Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.
Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.
Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.
He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

Source: Reviewer Purchase

My Review:
Let me start off by saying I am one of those people that judges a book by its cover. I know, I know....slap my wrists if you wish. You have the ever gorgeous Pepe and Stzella on the cover. I know you probably see them on a ton of covers now, but this one is just absolutely stunning!  If death looked like that, I'd fall for him too!
I loved the concept of this book. I haven't read too many books involving deities and it was quite interesting. Pagan has seen souls all of her life. No matter how much she has tried to ignore the super sexy soul from the picnic table, he doesn't seem to be going away. She wonders why he is the only soul that has ever spoken to her. Pagan isn't like any soul that Dank/Death has seen, which intrigues him. She starts tutoring Leif, the hottie star football player. After spending some time together, Leif reveals he has some feelings for Pagan. She is hesitant to start a relationship with Leif because she is drawn to Dank. What Pagan doesn't know is that Dank is Death and her soul has been marked to die. I don't want to spoil the rest so I will leave it at that.

The chemistry between Pagan and Dank is HOT!!! You will definitely need a fan after reading some of the scenes! Check out Abbi Glines' website for Dank's POV on some steamy chapters and be prepared to swoon! The second book in the Existence Trilogy, Predestined, is now available and it was AWESOME! Here is Abbi's website: http://www.abbiglines.com/p/existence.html  and a link to the Existence Trilogy Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Existence-Trilogy/116804095105251.