Skin Hunger

Ok, truth and honesty.  I am completely frustrated at this point.  Not with the book...just the sequel.

Here's the deal.  I bought Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey in late spring.  It had already been out for quite some time, so it got pushed to later in my reading pile for the sake of more current books.  Being overly practical for once in my life, I decided to wait buying the sequel until I had completed it.  Why continue a series you don't enjoy?

I read the book and loved it.  It's a little darker than my normal read, with the torture of children and all.  However, every action in the book was there for a purpose.  We actually follow two stories, separated by over 200 yrs, but united in this odd twist for control and understanding of magic in the world these characters dwell.  Hahp is boy abandoned by his family to wizard school.  (Do not be misled.  It is nothing like Hogwarts.)  Sadima is a young woman torn between her love of a man and the cruelty of this man's master.  Her ability to understand animals in a world where magic has been extinguished is only a small part of who she is.

The ending to this story is a nightmare.  Not that it is written poorly, it just doesn't exist.  The book is clearly meant to lead right into the next book in the series, Sacred Scars.  Which is where my frustration really begins.  I have searched all my local book stores and many ebook stores.  I can not find the second book in this series.  I'm perplexed as to why book stores are not carrying it.  It was released by Simon Pulse for goodness sake.  I am now resigned to the fact that I will have to wait even longer to read the next installment of this trilogy by ordering the book to be delivered to my home. (Something I have not been forced to do since returning to the US from Germany.)

And yes, you did read right.  Skin Hunger was the first of three books to be written in the Resurrection of Magic trilogy.  The final book has not been released yet, and I could not even find a hopeful title for it on the author's web page.  Let's just hope it is easier to find, once released, than book two currently is.

Wake...Fade...Gone

5/5 Books (As Always, Stars Don't Seem Right)

In the last few weeks I've managed to read about ten books. When things get hectic, I bury my head in book just to slow back down. (Sometimes I go a bit overboard once I have started. Like yesterday, in which I read this entire trilogy.) I read Wake and Fade quite a while back, but somehow managed to overlook Gone when it released. Slapping myself in the forehead while at the bookstore when I realized it had been out since February of this year, I came home knowing I had to read it.

Lisa McMann's Wake trilogy, in general, is the coming of age story for a poor city girl trying to figure her life out. Like most things I read, it has a definite paranormal twist to it. Janie, the main character, is a dream-catcher. Since the age of eight, she has been shockingly thrown into others' dreams. This 'ability' is destroying her body and sometimes her ability to make rationale decisions. Through a series of book worthy events, Janie is partnered up with her boyfriend to work as a narc for the local police.

However, the wake trilogy is not your typical teen light read. McMann does a fantastic job exploring some of the more difficult aspects teens today are faced with, and I am not necessarily referring to drugs and sex (though these issues are there, too). The main character is forced to parent her own mother, who lives in her own drunken stupor. Janie is degraded and blamed for everything wrong in the world any time her mother bothers to leave her bedroom, which is normally just to get another drink.

I would recommend these book to anyone. I feel that, while the story may be completely paranormal fiction, a voice of truth pores from the pages. Life is hard sometimes, and tough decisions must be made.

House of Night - Burned

3/5 Books (As Always, Stars Don't Seem Right)


Need a light read?  This is your series.  It is fun and light, but with a million things always going on.  Zoey is typically a very unique character who always does her own thing, even if it backfires on her.  Oh, and did I mention, there's VAMPIRES.


In Burned, book 7 of the HON series, Zoey basically takes a back seat when her soul is shattered.  Though emotionally exhausted and battling an evil immortal, her team must pick up the pieces to save both Zoey and the book.  Aphrodite is one of my absolute favorite characters because she is real.  A realistic teenage hag, who just happens to be on the side of light! 

I'll be completely honest about this series.  I almost quit reading it after the first few books.  As a Christian, I hated what felt like a brutal assault against my faith.  It has been nice to see a change in the feel of the books, as far as religion is concerned.  It is each person's right to find what is best for them in their own time.  As a Christian, I believe it's important to trust God in all matters.  Love people and leave judgment where it belongs.  (Which is not in my hands.)  Like all faiths, mine isn't without hypocrites and over-bearing individuals.  The demonstration of completely different faiths working together for a true positive outcome in the world was a refreshing change that kept me coming back. 

Spirit Bound

Another week, another book. 

3/5 Books (Stars Don't Seem Right)

I completed Richelle Mead's Spirit Bound a couple of days ago, which released on May 18th.  It is the fifth book in the Vampire Academy series.  I want to begin by stating that I am a little torn by my own rating of this book.  It really was great.  However, compared to the suspense built throughout the series this one lacked a little of the usual luster. 

For example, in book 4, Blood Promise, we went through this gut wrenching journey with Rose as she hunted down her one true love to destroy after he was unwilling turned evil.  It was truly his desire to be killed than 'live' such a horrendous life.  We are also introduced to Rose's father, a handy person to know regardless of his sketchy lifestyle.  Book 4 made me cry almost from start to end.  When I look at Spirit Bound, it moved the story of Rose and her friends forward, it was entertaining to read, and even ended with an awesome set up for the next book.  It simply did not have the wow factor that I have come to expect from this series.  I had been anticipating this title since completing Blood Promise, and after reading it was left going, "Hmmmm." 

I particularly enjoyed the change we are seeing in Rose's character as she matures.  She is still overly quick to jump into situations many would think crazy and even a bit reckless.  She is beginning to realize, though, that she has endured more than most her age.  Her experiences have forced her to grow and try to do the right thing for others, even when those actions are not her first choice.

I do not mean to hinder anyone from reading it.  I love the series!  It's just hard to top the many climactic events Rose has endured in earlier books.

The Van Alen Legacy

4/5 Books (Stars Don't Seem Right)

Now that I have finally finished classes (at least for now), I finally have time to catch up on some of the reading that I feel I have been getting behind on. One of the books I finished reading this week was the fourth installment of Melissa De La Cruz's Blue Blood series, The Van Alen Legacy.

I enjoy following Schuyler, Oliver, Bliss, Aphrodite, and a host of other characters from the initial discovery of their true ancestry through the overwhelming trials since. While the main plot for the series revolves around Schuyler's half blood status and how she fits into the world, a connection is made with many of the other characters as well.

In this latest installment, Schuyler and Oliver are on the run, literally for their lives. Bliss is dealing with a personality disorder from out of this world. And finally, a softer, more responsible Aphrodite is temporarily revealed. Overall, The Van Alen Legacy was as expected. I enjoyed the read enough to stay up far to late into the night to finish it. A word of caution to those easily confused. The multiple names for different characters (and the historical stories that pull them all together) are crucial to the story but occasionally difficult to keep straight in this installment as more characters are introduced.