Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Crewel by Gennifer Albin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Synopsis

Adelice's parents raised her to hide her gift, her ability to manipulate the fabric of reality around her. Unfortunately on the last day of testing she slipped and is pulled into a world of secrets and lies when she is "chosen" to become a Spinster, the women that change and control the world. After her violent transition to Coventry, Adelice must fight for control of her own life and the lives of those she loves.

Review

This novel surprised me. I didn't initially think that the book would take place in a post apocalyptic male ruled society. Plus, there was an actual twist at the end of the book that I didn't see coming. (Don't worry, I won't ruin it for you) While Adelice was frustrating at times, acting on the impulsiveness of a 16 year old girl, I thought that she was a wonderful character. The pace of the story was quick, though it felt a bit rushed and cluttered at the end; obviously setting up for the sequel. I will be interested in reading the next part of the story to see what could possibly happen next.

My Recommendation

I really enjoyed this book and give it 5/5 - Amazing!.

Dishonored

Dishonored

Synopsis
The rat plague has taken over Dunwall, bringing the city to its knees. When the empress is murdered and the heir kidnapped, you (Corvo) are asked the dirty work to save the city. Will you choose to save the city? Or finish it off?


Review
For starters, I am absolutely horrible at first person shooters. I know that the picture above is for the PC version, but I played this on PS3, and had a really difficult time with the controls. The game took me somewhere ~ 20 hours of game play to complete, but my guess was that I spent a good 50% of that time falling off of things and getting murdered. Or just falling to my death.  I also found the hand to hand combat to be ridiculously hard, it was nearly impossible to stay targeted when people were bouncing around as we fought. (This could just be me and my not-so leet skillz) That said, the game was fun! It's actually the first game that I've played all the way through since Diablo III, and I enjoyed the experience a whole lot more than that one.
Though the game has "consequences" I didn't really notice any difference between my good decisions and my bad ones, or my lethal/ nonlethal ones.  The big difference in endings that I experienced was cause by inability to not fall off of tall structures in the last two minutes of the game. (I know it's vague, but I don't want to spoil it for you...)
The story was great, and there are tons of places to explore. I thought that the skills were interesting, but it did seem that there were some skills that were entirely necessary and some that weren't. Stopping time and teleporting were a bit more important to me than summoning a band of rats or possessing something (though I do hear that it is a fun way to play the game.) I don't like the first person view point, and would have loved the ability to ZOOM OUT at times, but I could see how that made the experience more intense. I guess.

My Recommendation
While I was surprised that the game play was short, I had a great time. I give it 5/5 - Worth full price.

What do you think?
Do you agree/disagree? I love to hear(read) feedback!

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Synopsis
The world has become a dangerous, hopeless place after a league of angels appeared and destroyed the modern world. Penryn is trying to get her disabled sister to the imagined safety of the hills when a white feather drifts down in front of her. In an attempt to save her sister and her mother, she distracts a group of angels intent on killing another of their kind. She picks up a sword and tosses it to angel on the ground as his wings are cut off. In retaliation, one of the attackers steals her sister and flies away. Penryn is stuck with a wingless angel and a desperate need to find and save her sister. Can she do what needs to be done to get the answers she needs from him?

Review
This is by far the best angel book that I have read, I didn't even mind that it was set up for a sequel. I really enjoyed the fact that nothing was presented in a straight forward manner, but that the ploy was not overly twisty or contrived. Plus, I found the characters, including the inhuman angels to be realistically flawed and was moved to actually care about what would happen to them.

My Recommendation
I really enjoyed this story. I give it 5/5 - Worth the full price.

The Dark Heroine: Dinner With a Vampire by Abigail Gibbs

The Dark Heroine: Dinner With a Vampire by Abigail Gibbs

Synopsis

Violet is just another rich seventeen year old girl wandering the streets of London after a night of clubbing. However, all of that comes to a screeching halt when she witnesses the massacre of a group of men by six teenage boys. The boys kidnap her and offer her a choice; become a vampire or remain trapped in a castle full of vampires for the rest of her life.

Review

When I originally picked up this book, I thought that it would be just another cheesy romance. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised when the story turned out to be interesting. While I occasionally wanted to beat Violet over the head, I still enjoyed her character as a whole. I found Kaspar to be a more interesting character. Even though there were chapters written from his point of view, the insight into his actions was still a bit superficial. This left me wondering why, exactly, he was doing some of the strange things he was doing.
While I certainly hope that the obvious sequels provide poor Violet and Kaspar more personal growth, I'm interested to read them. I look forward to the unveiling of each of the nine dimensions and hope that the author really gets the chance to explore the similarities and differences between them.

My Recommendation

If you don't hate romance, read it! While I feel a bit like this book is a cross between Twilight and 50 Shades of Gray, I think it was an enjoyable cross. I stayed up late finishing the story, and you might too. I give it 5/5 worth the full price!

Steelflower by Lilith Saintcrow

Steelflower by Lilith Saintcrow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Synopsis
What do you do with yourself when you are the only elf without magic? Run away from home and become a famous sell sword of course! While Kaia has excelled at her chosen profession, one drunken theft and her suddenly her past begins chasing her down. As her dreams of a quite life running an inn get farther away, she must decide to face her past, or die avoiding it.

Review
I loved it, I didn't want it to end!
Reading this novel was like venturing into a deep and wonderful world of possibilities, akin to the first time that I read Robert Jordan or Patricia Briggs.
I really enjoyed the pace of the story, as well as the love plot. Though I would occasionally get irritated at the obstinate heroine, I was still able to see her motivation.
I can't wait for the next installment! There had better be one!

My Recommendation
I'm giving it a 5/5 - Worth the full price.

The Faerie Ring - Kiki Hamilton

The Faerie Ring - 

Synopsis
Tiki's memories of her comfortable childhood are fading. She's made a new family and she'll do anything to protect them. Even take on evil faeries and magic that she doesn't understand.

Review
This book grabbed me in the first chapter and managed to hold my attention, a rare occurrence these days. Tiki was an interesting character, and if I occasionally wanted to beat her over the head and point out what was going on, well, that's a pretty normal thing for me.
The story is involving, and you find yourself cheering on the love story. The language is not overly involved, as can sometimes be the case in period pieces. Kiki Hamilton's writing focuses on the meat and bones of her story and doesn't get caught up on tangents or minutia. I hope that Tiki continues to have interesting adventures while discovering what, exactly, she it.

My Recommendation
I really enjoyed it, I hope you will too! 5/5 - Worth full price.

The Dark Divine, Bree Despain

The Dark Divine
Synopsis
The mystery and pain of Daniel's disappearance reawaken in Grace the day that she finds him sitting in her chair in art class. Though her brother tries to make her swear to stay away from him, Grace can't fight her need to help Daniel. However, when Grace's baby brother is stolen on Thanksgiving, Daniel's dark secret comes out and Grace must deal with the events that sent Daniel from town years ago as well as the decision of how far she is really willing to go to save him.

Review
I actually did not know that this was a paranormal novel until I figured out the "twist" about 50 pages in. While it was a bit predictable, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next book in the series. The cover is tempting, the story engaging, and the characters faceted. This is yet another novel that I simply couldn't put down. Grace turns out to be a far more interesting character that would initially be expected, as do Jude and her father. Daniel could be a bit more interesting, but there is definite room for growth in the next book.

My Recommendation
While lacking in any sex scenes, there is certainly violence in this novel. It may be written with a younger (school aged) audience in mind, adults will enjoy it as well. 5/5 - Worth full price.

Raised by Wolves - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Raised by Wolves
Synopsis
Bryn's life has always revolved around werewolves. Her parents were murdered by one before her eyes, and the alpha of her pack marked her at four years old. Being one of the few humans in a pack full of rules and dominance is difficult. For years, she has managed to keep her bond with the pack muted in an attempt to maintain her individuality, however, the pack is keeping a secret from her, and she will have to open her bond if she is going to figure it out.

Review
I really enjoyed this book. Actually, I stayed up until 3am finishing this book. I was already a fan of similar series by Patricia Briggs and Rachel Vincent, but I did find this novel to have a slightly new perspective. I found Bryn to be a pretty intriguing character who actually showed a fair amount of growth through the novel, and I was certainly wondering the entire novel is she would be turned into a werewolf or remain a human. (I may be hoping she goes wolf) I thought that the pacing was nice, and often fairly intense. The side characters are pretty interesting, though I hope Chase becomes a more complex character in future novels.

My Recommendation
This book is a great read for fans of the werewolf genre. There are no sex scenes, though there is some violence. I give it a 5/5 - Worth full price.

The Sleeping Beauty - Mercedes Lackey

The Sleeping Beauty

Synopsis
Rosa is the princess of a very wealthy kingdom ruled by The Tradition, a magical force that forces innocent people into the roles of classic tales. When her mother dies shortly after her 16th birthday and her father immediately remarries, she knows an evil stepmother is only the beginning of her battle against The Tradition to protect her kingdom and her happiness.

Review
I am a huge fan of reworked fairy tales, plus I'm a fan of Mercedes Lackey so this book was really a win win for me. While the book is titled "Sleeping Beauty," the plot actually attempts to tie in a whole range of stories. While I wish that the book would have stuck more to one story, I really enjoyed the read. Actually, I stayed up pretty much all night reading the book as I had a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed Rosa's growth as well as her godmother's romantic journey. Plus, there were several parts that were simply funny. The princes were entertaining, and at one point I wasn't quite sure who was going to win Rosa, which is quite unusual.

My Recommendation
A nice, enjoyable read safe for all ages. I give it a 5/5 - Worth Full Price as I know that I will enjoy reading it again. I know that it isn't a revolutionary work of literature, but I really enjoyed it. :)

The Bones of Faerie - Janni Lee Simner

Bones of Faerie

Synopsis
The world has changed after the war between Faerie and humans. Plants are bloodthirsty, cities were demolished, and magic has seeped into the next generation. Liza has just suffered the loss of her baby sister, who was left on the hillside when she was born with the telltale magic taint, when her mother runs off. Liza, noticing a stirring of magic around her runs away from town and from safety in her single desire to do no harm with the magic she seems to be infected with. Accompanied by her friend Matthew, she goes on a journey to save her mother and discover what magic has in store for her.

Review
This book really reminded me of The Giver by Lois Lowry. There is a similarity in inclusiveness of the community and the fears about going "outside." I really enjoyed this book, and had a hard time putting it down. It is fairly short, 256 pages, and the story does raise many more questions than it answers. You certainly finish the book wishing for a companion novel or a continuation of Liza's story.

My Recommendation
I really enjoyed this book, though I was a bit traumatized by the death of one of the characters. I'd say go out and buy this one. 5/5 - Worth the Full Price