Unmarked by Kami Garcia

The Basics:
Unmarked by Kami Garcia
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Book Two in the Legion series
YA, Urban Fantasy
Published September 30, 2013
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

Why I picked up this book:

I enjoyed the first book, and wanted to see if the second would build on that promising start.

Blurb:

He is here . . . and he could be anyone.

Kennedy Waters lives in a world where vengeance spirits kill, ghosts keep secrets, and a demon walks among us-a demon she accidentally set free.Now Kennedy and the other Legion members-Alara, Priest, Lukas, and Jared-have to hunt him down. As they learn more about the history of the Legion and the Illuminati, Kennedy realizes that the greatest mystery of all does not belong to any secret order, but to her own family. With the clock ticking and the life of someone she loves hanging in the balance, Kennedy has to ask the question she fears most: what is it about her past that has left her Unmarked?

My thoughts:

It had been long enough since I read Unbreakable that I didn't really remember much about it until I'd sunk into Unmarked. That said, after the first chapter, I never felt lost. Unmarked did a remarkable job of catching me up very quickly without giving me large, boring infodumps.

As a story, Unbreakable succeeded at entertaining me. This book deals with the fallout of Kennedy's decisions in book one, and it is fairly significant. We also delve more into the mythology of this version of the universe, learning more about the Legion and the Illuminati, as well as Kennedy's family, and I appreciated that as it added depth where it could easily have been lacking.

That cinematic quality that I detected in Unbreakable is still very much present in Unmarked. It has enough big set pieces and very strong imagery that I can easily envision it as a show on the CW or as a blockbuster movie. There's plenty of action served up with blasts of rock salt and plenty of holy water. There's visual effects to be found in the hauntings from spirits and demon, and I suspect that it would all do very well on the screen.

It's in the smaller moments that Unbreakable doesn't fare quite so well. Kennedy is very angsty and involved in her own drama, which, to be fair is a) pretty significant drama to be dealing with, and b) true of many teenagers. Still, I wanted her to suck it up and 'move onto the next thing' (as I often suggest to my four year-old when she's getting worked up over something).

I still am not in love with the love story. Jared's insistence that he *needs* Kennedy didn't impress me as much as it should have - perhaps I'm just holding them at a distance instead of letting their moments melt me? I did appreciate how the love triangle from book one was dealt with - shockingly maturely, really, compared to all the nonsense that could have happened instead.

I found a lot of the minor characters in this book to be pretty fickle. Again, I have to acknowledge that they're all dealing with some pretty major stuff, including the death of loved ones (not a spoiler, this is how these kids came together to be the Legion in the first book). But I really wanted to run around shaking them. Perhaps it was easy to forget how young they really were after seeing them in action? I think that it would also have helped to really emphasize Andras (the demon Kennedy released) as the demon of discord a few more times - I'm sure that some of the fickleness can be attributed to his influence. Right? Benefit of the doubt?

Bottom line:

Not as creepy as Unbreakable, but still quite entertaining in its own right, Unmarked is a solid sequel. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first book, or hopes that it's going somewhere - it definitely is. Anyone who enjoys the bestsellers in the YA paranormal genre is going to like this one, I think!

4 stars
For fans of YA paranormal, love triangles, hot boys

Betting on Julia by Nina Croft

The Basics:
Betting on Julia by Nina Croft
Entangled: Covet
Book Two in the Melville Sisters series
Paranormal Romance
Published August 25, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

Why I picked up this book:

Werewolf/warlock love story, where they're keeping their supernatural status a secret from each other, trying to feel normal by dating someone normal? I'm in!

Deadly Curiosities by Gail Z Martin

The Basics:
Deadly Curiosities by Gail Z Martin
Solaris
Book One in a new urban fantasy series
Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Published June 22, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

Why I picked up this book:

The cover hooked me - the artwork reminds me of Rob Thurman's Leandros series. Plus I generally love urban fantasy and am always on the lookout for new authors in that genre to read.

The Redemption Engine by James L Sutter

The Basics:
The Redemption Engine by James L Sutter
Paizo Publishing, LLC
A Pathfinder Tales Book, Sequel to Death's Heretic
Fantasy
Published May 13, 2014
Source: Requested it from author who graciously sent me a copy.
Amazon.ca

Why I picked up this book:

I'm a Pathfinder player and relished the opportunity to read and review a Pathfinder book!

Forbidden by Lori Adams

The Basics:
Forbidden by Lori Adams
Flirt
Book One in the Soulkeepers series
New Adult (Young Adult?), Romance
Published April 15, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca

Why I picked up this book:

I was on board for a high school girl moving to a small town with secrets that she's instantly in on, plus being caught between sexy Guardian Angel who wants to resist her and Demo Knight who is actively courting her....

Blood Redemption by Vicki Keire

The Basics:
Blood Redemption by Vicki Keire
Curiosity Quills
Book Three in the Angel's Edge series
Paranormal Romance
Published November 11, 2013
Source: Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

Why I picked up this book:

Had to know what happened in the end....

Darkness in the Blood by Vicki Keire

The Basics:
Darkness in the Blood by Vicki Keire
Curiosity Quills
Book Two of the Angel's Edge series
Paranormal Romance
Source: Publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Published November 11, 2013
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

Why I picked up this book:

Second in the series, I wanted to know what happened next!

Gifts of the Blood by Vicki Keire

The Basics:

Gifts of the Blood by Vicki Keire

Curiosity Quills

Book One of the Angel's Edge series

Paranormal Romance

Published Nov 19, 2013
Source: Received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon.ca Kobo.com

Why I picked up this book:

Angels, paranormal romance, secrets in that paranormal vein... All this is right up my alley.

Heart of Stone by Christine Warren

The Basics:
Heart of Stone by Christine Warren
St Martin's Paperbacks
First in the Gargoyles series
Romance
Published December 31, 2013
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:

From bestselling author Christine Warren comes a thrilling new series about a young woman caught between a rock and a hard place—between gargoyles and demons…

Ella Harrow is trying to carve out a normal life for herself. Well, as normal as an art geek with psychic abilities can hope for. As museum docent and gift-shop manager, Ella is able to keep her distance from people—and her powers in check—while surrounding herself with the artifacts she loves. But how on earth is she supposed to act normal when a thousand-year-old statue on the museum’s terrace suddenly comes to life?

HEART OF STONE

Not your ordinary gargoyle, Kees has been asleep for eons, waiting for a portent of evil to wake him from his slumber. Kees isn’t a vision; he’s a bat-winged guardian created to protect the world from the seven demons of the Dark. Somehow, Ella triggered his reawakening. Maybe the demons have been unleashed? Maybe his heart is finally ready to be chiseled open? The fate of the world isn’t carved in stone… yet.

Why I picked up this book:

Gargoyle love? I was willing to give it a shot.

My thoughts:

This book starts with a bang - we're right in the action from the very start when Ella is attacked by one of the museum's patrons. And right away, I felt like this book was a little unpolished. There was something about it that felt a little bit rough, and unfocused.

I loved the concept of Guardians-as-grotesques, summoned to protect humankind from demons, locked as statues when their presence isn't needed. Competing secret societies - one pro-survival of humanity and one pro-demons - also appealed to me. There's also a seemingly non-complex magic system in place. Ella's got a natural talent for it, and describes it as mostly intent, though it seems there are also keywords necessary to trigger spells - or perhaps act as focal points for them. There did seem to be an energy pay-off for using magic, but having those consequences a bit more present in the story would have been a nice touch.

I didn't love-love either Ella or Kees - I think I preferred him slightly as he kind of bull-in-a-china-shopped around. His struggle with what he knew to be true and with what he was experiencing was reasonably entertaining. Ella had to work through some childhood issues, plus confronting the discovery that the weird power she kept trying to suppress was actually magic. (Sidenote: her incredulity when Kees explained this had me rolling my eyes. Yes, it was a weird power, but she's lived with it all her life and what else could it be, really?)

I liked the overarching story, and that we reach out to the woman who, I presume, will be the focus of the second book in the series. I'm looking forward to that one as I've actually been to Montreal and so infrequently read books set in places that I've been....

Otherwise, there's some unexpectedly graphic sex in this book - it was well written, I thought, and appropriate in context, but definitely more than I anticipated reading. I liked the explanation Kees gave for shifting into his human form - it was a nice touch and a happy way to avoid dancing around gargoyle-human sex which might not go over well with a mainstream audience.

Bottom line:

I can recommend this for fans of the sub-genre - paranormal romance, and particularly people burnt out on vampires and shifters. I'd probably align this with the angels and demons niche, because the gargoyle/guardian thing is fairly close (as long as we're not getting too Biblical!)

Felt like the beginning needed one more dose of polish, but overall, an entertaining story!

3.5 reaching ever so close to 4 stars
For fans of paranormal romance, gargoyles, something different from vampires and shifters, museums

Salt by Danielle Ellison

The Basics:
Salt by Danielle Ellison
Entangled: Teen
YA, Romance, Paranormal
Published Jan 7, 2014
Amazon.ca Kobo.com

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:

Penelope is a witch, part of a secret society protecting humans from demon attacks. But when she was a child, a demon killed her parents—and stole her magic. Since then, she’s been pretending to be something she’s not, using her sister’s magic to hide her own loss, to prevent being sent away.

When she’s finally given the chance to join the elite demon-hunting force, Penelope thinks that will finally change. With her sister’s help, she can squeeze through the tests and get access to the information she needs to find "her" demon. To take back what was stolen.

Then she meets Carter. He’s cute, smart, and she can borrow his magic, too. He knows her secret—but he also has one of his own. 

Suddenly, Penelope’s impossible quest becomes far more complicated. Because Carter’s not telling her everything, and it’s starting to seem like the demons have their own agenda…and they’re far too interested in her.

Why I picked up this book:

Witches and demons sounded like something I would enjoy.

My thoughts:

I was not wrong, I did enjoy this.

So Penelope's life is a complicated mess of lies - she's a witch who can't actually be a witch without a family member nearby until she meets Carter - a guy whose sitting on a bunch of his own secrets. Secret agendas abound as these two navigate the witchy world that Nons - that'd be me and you (I presume, unless you're part of the paranormal community) - know nothing about but rely on to stay safe from demons.

Yes, this book has a few cliches, but I felt like the sum of the book overcame them. I'm getting a wee bit tired of the mysterious guy who periodically pops up to save the day, and who may or may not be harbouring some serious lust/love for our dear heroine. At least the author is bold enough to evade the unnecessary love triangle - Penelope's best friend is a guy, but Ric is gay. Penelope's waffling over whether to tell Ric about who/what she really is was an interesting dilemma alongside his openness. I liked that Ric's sexuality was a non-issue, but then Penelope's witch status was a deep, dark secret.

Carter was an appropriately dreamy young man - he's got some snark, he's fully supportive, he's hot, he's powerful. He's got secrets. We know this type by now, inside and out. Carter doesn't disappoint any expectations, though he doesn't really break outside of the box at all either.

There's a lot of action in this book and Penelope more than holds her own. She's one tough lady, which is as it should be given that she's been working towards being an Enforcer since she realized it would help her towards the goal of finding 'her' demon. There's no flailing about for her - she's got moves and she uses them to repeatedly beat down the bad guys. 

Overall, I liked the flow of Salt. The pace was quick but not so hectic that I didn't have a chance to reflect on everything I was learning about the world and Penelope's unique position within it. There's a lot of good worldbuilding here.

Bottom line:

I liked Ellison's spin on the paranormal YA romance - witches and demons duking it out while humans remain clueless. There's some material left open that screams sequel: I will be watching for it.  This wasn't the most original entry in the genre, but it was a fair amount of fun, and that counts for a *lot* with me.  

I'd definitely recommend this to fans of the genre (and I'll suggest it to my family members who read this type of thing).

4 stars
For fans of YA, paranormal, witches and/or demons, young love

The Devil's Flower by Lisa Collicutt

The Basics:
The Devil's Flower by Lisa Collicutt
Curiosity Quills
Book One of The Eternal Beings
Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Amazon.ca kobo.com

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:

Killing isn’t exactly on Rosalie Lockwood’s list of things to do when she runs away from home. But, despite the search for peace, guns and motorcycles become her latest fashion accessories as Divine interference leads her to Steele, co-leader of the Fallen Paladins motorcycle club. 

Leathered and tattooed, Steele’s presence scares off most people he comes in contact with—but not Rosalie. She’s immediately drawn into the dangers of his biker world—and into his heart. 

But Steele guards a secret that if Rosalie knew, could shatter their new love—and destroy the human race. And the truth comes at a price. 

Will Rosalie risk her soul to prove her loyalty to Steele? 

The Dark and Light Realms collide as Rosalie chooses between life, death, and the ever-after to become that which she is fated to destroy.

Why I picked up this book:

I liked the idea of an innocent getting wrapped up in 'the dangers of his biker world.' I was also intrigued by the angel wings alongside the gun on the cover.

My thoughts:

This story revolves around the existence of angels and demons on Earth, locked in battle. Rosalie's looking for a fresh start and inadvertently gets sucked into Steele's orbit, as it were. 

There are some definite highlights to this book - I loved the use of demons and angels. I liked that there's a strong personal component underpinning the conflict between them (that I won't spoil!). I liked that the book stuck with the darker side of grey. The biker gang at the center of the story participates in various illegal and immoral activities, operating in a violent, drug-infested space, and there's not really any attempt to gloss over this. It's happening, Steele and his friends participate in it, it is what it is. 

What didn't work so well for me was how the book started. There's some business about a bear that drives the heroine towards the hero that I thought was kind of silly, to be honest.  There's also some pacing issues - a lot of the action is back and forth between the five main characters. Rosalie spends a lot of time hiding out in Steele's cabin, occasionally going forth for some event only to return to hiding in the cabin. She doesn't have a real confidante nor any real aim in life beyond starting fresh. This made it hard for me to really get into the book. Rosalie's kind of stuck on Steele but without any real motivating factors beyond time and place (okay: he's really hot). HOWEVER, by the time she starts involving herself in the gang's business, getting closer to Steele and uncovering some of his secrets, the book picks up the pace. I was hooked by about halfway.

The second half of the book exceeded my expectations. There was at least two places where I thought the story could end - and was quite pleased that it didn't. The extra action is so much more satisfying than any of those earlier potential stopping points would have been. I was so pleased by the entirety of the story told - kudos to Collicutt for not cutting the story short.

Bottom line:

If you commit to it, and make it through the slow start, I think you'll find this one is worth a read. I'm optimistic that more in the series will benefit from the foundation that this book sets!

3.5 stars
For fans of angels and demons, paranormal romance, biker gangs

Darkness Watching by Emma Adams

The Basics:

Darkness Watching by Emma Adams
Curiosity Quills Press
Book One of the Darkworld Trilogy
New Adult, Young Adult
Published October 10, 2013

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:
Eighteen-year-old Ashlyn is one interview away from her future when she first sees the demons. She thinks she's losing her mind, but the truth is far more frightening: she can see into the Darkworld, the home of spirits- and the darkness is staring back. 

Desperate to escape the demons, Ash accepts a place at a university in the small town of Blackstone, in the middle of nowhere - little knowing that it isn't coincidence that led her there but the pull of the Venantium, the sorcerers who maintain the barrier keeping demons from crossing from the Darkworld into our own world. 

All-night parties, new friendships and a life without rules or limits are all part of the package of student life - but demons still stalk Ash, and their interest in her has attracted the attention of every sorcerer in the area. Ash is soon caught between her new life and a group of other students with a connection to the Darkworld, who could offer the answers she's looking for. The demons want something from her, and someone is determined to kill her before she can find out what it is. In a world where darkness lurks beneath the surface, not everyone is what they appear to be...

What worked for me:

This book has a lot of great, big ideas: Demons. The people who can see them. A self-appointed secret organization to police said people. Using college to re-define oneself/start over without the weight of high school impressions. The heroine being targeted by a murderer. There's a lot going on here, and it all comes together in a relatively interesting package - which is lukewarm praise, I know. 

Ashlyn has an interesting emotional journey both within this book and as implied by the aftermath of this book's events. Armed with more information about herself, I'm curious to see how Ashlyn gets on from the point where things end in this book.

What didn't work for me:

I didn't feel any urgency in this book. Now, I had to read it in a bit here and a bit there - but if I'd been really interested, I could have stolen time in longer increments to finish it. still, I didn't necessarily get the real rhythm of the book because I couldn't read it in big batches. But never did I really feel like there were dire consequences on the horizon. 

Somewhere in the middle:

The cast of characters varied from mildly interesting to expected YA-type tropes. There's a hazy love triangle set-up, there's an anti-heroine female character, a pair of adequate potential new best friends in the form of flatmates. Surprisingly, Ashlyn retains her best friend from high school (despite, by her own admission, having withdrawn emotionally of late), which is a nice change over either being surrounded by high school friends or completely dropping everyone upon entering the hallowed halls of post-secondary education. It's also a far more realistic portrayal of that transition than either of those two usual depictions.

There wasn't *enough* of anyone for me to really connect - or not - with them. And that was the rough impression I had of the whole book. Lots of material sketched out, but I never felt like I was sinking into it all. 

Bottom line:

Lots of good ideas, but Darkness Watching only scratches the surface. I'll definitely try the second book in the series, but I'm going to need more oomph to push through to the third. Overall, not a bad read, so check it out with moderate expectations.

3.5 stars
For fans of urban fantasy, of demons in their fantasy, of college-age adventures