Eve of Samhain - 3/5 Stars

Title: Eve of Samhain
Author: Lisa Sanchez
Series: Hanaford Park #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
Page Count: 216 Pages
Published: May 25th 2010 by Omnific Publishing
Rating: 3/5

As a college senior and server at Hanaford Park's hottest nightclub, twenty-one year old Ryann Pierce's plan was simple: work hard, make lots of money, and avoid the ass-grabbers at all costs. What she never planned for was Quinn Donegan—the living, breathing advertisement for sinful behavior that waltzed into her life.
With an angelic face, a hard body and a butt-load of charm, Quinn had a way with the ladies—a lot of ladies. Cursed with a deadly, addictive touch, his trail of indiscretion blazed across five hundred years. Tired and jaded, Ryann is a shocking revelation Quinn didn't see coming.
Filled with desire, yet unable to touch one another, Ryann and Quinn embark on a daunting journey, battling frustrating physical limitations while exploring their new love. In a race against the clock, Ryann learns she must plead for Quinn's life before…the Eve of Samhain. Determined to end her lover's suffering, not even the danger dogging her every move can keep her from her mission.

My Review:

The story is about a tough, independent girl who falls in love with a man she can't touch. The chemistry between the two ill-fated lovers was electric, and the mythical story surrounding his curse was really interesting.

I really wanted this book to blow me away, and it just...didn't. There were all the ingredients needed for a delicious story, but the plot just didn't rise to its potential.

The main character was almost snarky enough, almost strong enough, almost smart enough - but then she did things to completely flatline her likability. A self-proclaimed tough girl; growing up in the foster system, working her butt off just to afford tuition and rent, it didn't make sense to me that she would also be obsessed with designer shoes and handbags.

The antagonist was totally creepy and I was excited about his sinister appearances, only to have him disappear for the meat of the book and reappear suddenly (and conveniently) at the very end.

The love interest was my favourite part, but again there wasn't quite enough of him. I wanted to know more about him. Wanted more scenes of him protecting her - not just "a month went by" and now I'm in love with him. More reasons for his shadows and the sadness in his eyes. Just more.

I still think that Lisa managed to craft an enjoyable story, I just feel sad for the masterpiece it could have been with an extra 100 pages and red pen.

My Rating: 3/5

Other books in this series

1 - Eve of Samhain
2 - Pleasures Untold

You'll might like this book if you liked

Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

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Quick Lil' Survey

Kelly over at The Broke and the Bookish made this quick survey and I thought it was fun.



1. The book I’m currently reading: Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson - This book has me laughing out loud every time I sit down to read it. My friends are probably getting tired of me quoting Jenny's stories at this point, but I just can't help it!






2. The last book I finished: Divergent by Veronica Roth - Seriously, I have no excuse for waiting so long to read this book, especially when everyone was raving about it, but one good thing about my delay is that Insurgent is already out so I can sink right back into the fantastic world the Roth created.






3. The next book I want to read: Insurgent by Veronica Roth - Already loaded up on my eReader and I can't wait! Seriously, if this series ends well it will knock someone out for a spot in my top five!







4. The last book I bought: Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent - I haven't read Blood Bound yet, but I plan to start it after Insurgent so I thought I'd better have the sequel ready. One thing I know for sure is that Rachel Vincent never lets me down. I love everything she writes, and she has become an auto-buy for me - has a whole shelf on my bookshelf :)





5. The last book I was given: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore - I am the resident librarian for my family and friends and my sister likes to buy me a book from my wish list every once in a while to say thanks for lending her my collection. She pre-ordered me Bitterblue and I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I want to re-read Graceling and Fire first, as it's the last in the series.

The Iron Knight - 5 Star Review

Title: The Iron Knight
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #4
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Page Count: 400 Pages
Published: October 25, 2011 by Harlequin Teen
Rating: 5/5

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.

*Received a copy from Netgalley for an honest review*

My Review:

Now that was an epic journey! I was completely immersed in Ash's voyage to the end of the world. I actually preferred his point of view to Meghan's, as he actually knew what was going on, and exactly how much danger they were in. Puck and Grim were hilarious and entertaining as usual, and the cast of other characters were both unexpected, and wonderful.

There were a few different points in the story where I would think, "shouldn't this be the end?" just to have a giant twist come out of nowhere and knock my socks off.

This is a great series, and I am so thrilled that Julie took her editor's advice and added this book. It brought everything together and tied up some of the loose ends that left you hanging at the end of The Iron Queen.

I loved every minute of reading The Iron Knight!

* As a side note, since it took me so long to get down my TBR pile and read this one, my paperback copy had already arrived - so I read both the galley from Netgalley and the hard copy. My only complaint about this book is the printing. I thought that the rough edges were a neat touch when I bought it, but I found it hard to turn the pages and that took away from my reading experience. I would suggest buying a copying with regular paper - there is a paperback and a hardcover.

Fav. Quote(s):

"I promised I'd find a way for us to be together. I intend to keep that promise." Ash (narrating) - pg 13

"What we had was a dream, and it was beautiful, but it was just a dream. It's time for us to wake up." Meghan - pg 135

"I never thought I'd see the day when Grimalkin was wrong." Puck - pg 209

"I am happy that you have finally found peace." Grim - pg 361

My Rating: 5/5

Other books in this series

(Click highlighted titles for my review)

Novels:

1 - The Iron King
2 - The Iron Daughter 5/5
3 - The Iron Queen 5/5
4 - The Iron Knight

Prequels and Short Stories:

1.5 - Winter's Passage
3.5 - Summer's Crossing
4.5 - Iron's Prophecy

You'll like this series if you liked

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Need by Carrie Jones, Lament by Maggie Stiefvater, Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

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Soul Screamers Breakdown

By now you should all know of my love for all things Rachel Vincent. After finishing the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge and being involved in the video spoiler chat for Before I Wake I was reminded of some awesome artwork I stumbled on last year by Marta Dahlig over on deviantArt.

It's a 7 Deadly Sins series, and I thought it would fun to match up her rendition of each deadly sin with the corresponding Soul Screamers book now that we know where each one fits in.

*NOTE: I do not own any of this artwork, and if you like it please head on over to Dahlig's deviantART gallery and give her the praise she is due.*

Vanity - My Soul To Take

Avarice (Greed) - My Soul To Save

Gluttony (Addiction) - My Soul To Keep

Envy - My Soul To Steal

Lust - If I Die

Sloth (Interpreted as fighting Depression) - Before I Wake

Wrath (Rage) - With All My Soul

I love the omnibus set and have even purchased the 4th volume for the only short story I don't own but I irrationally want to own them all, even with the individual books 1-7 and 3 anthologies on my shelf--I have a sickness! To order the 4 omnibuses click on the images below:

Room - 5/5 Review

Title: Room

Author: Emma Donoghue 

Genre: Fiction

Page Count: 321 Pages

Published: September 13th 2010 by Little, Brown and Company

Rating: 5/5

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

My Review:

I was a little late on this one, but a friend of mine was raving about it and I couldn't decide what I wanted to read next, so I finally caved and decided to see what all the fuss was about. I'm very glad I did.

It's a touching and riveting book that captured a terrifying situation in a non-threatening way so that I was comfortable reading it. The pacing was a lot different than I expected, but in the end I agreed with the author's choices and was happy with where it left off.

Reading from Jack's perspective was an unexpected treat. I loved seeing the world through his eyes - even the twisted world he is forced to grow up it. His fears and the things that make him happy are so pure and innocent that I couldn't help but be endeared to him immediately.

I was hesitant to read Room because the idea of a captive girl is to real and scary to me and I thought that I would spend my time while reading it disturbed and depressed, but Emma Donoghue did a fabulous job with this book. Telling it through Jack's perspective gives you a removed view of events without downplaying the drama or high tension moments.

A great read and a welcome change of pace for between series.

Fav. Quote(s):

"I don’t know which manners so I say, 'You’re welcome.' " Jack - Pg 159

My Rating: 5/5

Similar Titles:

Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher,  Entangled by Cat Clarke,  Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

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