Shadow Bound - 5 Stars

Title: Shadow Bound
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Unbound #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 439 Pages
Published: May 22nd 2012 by Mira
Rating: 5/5

If you live in the dark long enough,you begin to forget the light...

Kori Daniels is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her boss, she's ready to break free of the Tower syndicate for good. But Jake Tower has one final job for Kori, one chance to secure freedom for herself and her sister, Kenley, even if it means taking it from someone else.... 

The job? Recruit Ian Holt-or kill him. 

Ian's ability to manipulate the dark has drawn interest from every syndicate in the world, most notably an invitation from Jake Tower. Though he has no interest in organized crime, Ian accepts the invite, because he's on a mission of his own. Ian has come to kill Tower's top Binder: Kori's little sister. 

Amid the tangle of lies, an unexpected thread of truth connecting Ian and Kori comes to light. But with opposing goals, they'll have to choose between love and liberty....

My Review:

Another fantastic book from Rachel Vincent! I went in with high expectations and I wasn't disappointed at all.
I was initially put off by the change of narrators as I wasn't done with Liv and Cam yet, so I was surprised that this book wasn't focused on them. One chapter in and I was drawn right into Ian and Kori's story equally as much as the first book.
Kori is dark a jaded, and Ian is full of secrets. I loved delving into the twisted story they unravelled together.
And the villains! I thought Ruben was bad, but Tower makes him look tame.
Great read. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Fav. Quote(s):

"Jake Tower was the heart of the Tower syndicate. We—the initiates—were the lifeblood of the organization, but Tower was the pump that kept us flowing through the veins and arteries of this living machine." Kori (narrating) - Ch 1

""I would make fire rain from the heavens to smite your enemies with the flames of our shared rage."" Ian - Ch 22

My Rating: 5/5

Other books in this series

(Click highlighted titles for my review)
Novels:
1 - Blood Bound 5/5
2 - Shadow Bound 5/5
3 - Oath Bound (Coming April 30th 2013)

You'll like this series if you liked

Shifter series by Rachel Vincent, Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, Dark Angels by Keri Arthur  or Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Links 4 More:

Amethyst Bound - Quick Review

Title: Amethyst Bound
Author: L. Shannon
Genre: Fiction - Adult, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 432 Pages
Rating: 3.5/5


*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Toni Giovanni is a thief...although she prefers to call it the high-risk recovery business. Her current job feels suspiciously easy-until a mysterious artifact draws her into an ancient prophecy and binds her soul to a spirited dragon named Amethyst.
But Toni isn't quite ready to be taken over by a dragon, even if Amethyst's appetite for sexy archaeologist Dr. Ben Davis mirrors Toni's own. And she's got a big problem on her hands: turns out the prophecy predicts that dragons will end the world...and there are many more dragons out there.
Toni's going to need all the help she can get.

My Review:

I really wanted to like this book. I loved the premis and the characters. The world building was there, but it just needed more meat. Being a novella, it was understandably shorter, but it had to rush through some things that I really wish had been explored, and the relationships progressed way too fast. I found myself wishing that there was another half to the book that filled in the jumps that were made in the story line.

All in all I was left wanting more, which is a good thing. I will probably read the other two books in the trilogy when they are released as I really did like Shannon's take on the dragon lore. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a quick and light Paranormal Romance.

My Rating: 3.5/5

You'll like this series if you liked:

Destiny Kills by Keri Arthur.

Well I may be slow but I didn't see that coming...

Review: The Demon's Lexicon / The Demon's Covenant
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Page Count: Book 1 – 336, Book 2 - 448
Rating: 4.5/5

Book 1 Description:

Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.
Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is desperate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long. Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.
This is the Demon's Lexicon. Turn the page.

My Review:

I just finished the first two books in this trilogy; The Demon’s Lexicon and The Demon’s Covenant. The third book comes out summer 2011 and as of yet does not have a title.

In this world there are mainly three types of people; people with no magic, people who are happy with what magic they have, and magicians that strive to get more and more power by sacrificing people to demons. Creepy and compelling, you’re pulled into the world of the powerless fighting against the powerful.

This series is fast paced and original. Some have said they saw the twists coming but I was totally thrown and loved it, I love being taken by surprise. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen it veered in a totally different direction.

Nick is the narrator in the first book and he’s not very likable at all, but I kind of liked that as well, it was different. He’s mean and cutthroat, every bit the tough guy, but that’s what I’d expect of someone’s who’s been fighting for his life since he was a toddler. It also allowed you to really see the contrast with the other main characters, emphasizing their innocence and softness.

I didn’t love the first book but then the second was awesome and actually made me like the first one better. The second book switches to a different narrator and it made a huge difference to the story. I can’t wait for the last book to find out how this story ends, it’s bound to surprise me I’m sure.

You'll like this series if you liked:

The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare, Darkest Powers Series by Kelley Armstrong, or Soul Screamers Series by Rachel Vincent.

My Rating: 4.5/5