Book Review: Overbite - Meg Cabot

Overbite - Meg Cabot

Meena Harper has a special gift, but i's only now that anyone's ever appreciated it.  The Palatine Guard--a powerful secret demon-hunting unit of the Vatican--has hired her to work at their new branch in Lower Manhattan.  With Meena's ability to predict how everyone she meets will die, the Palatine finally has a chance against the undead.

Sure, her ex-boyfriend was Lucien Antonescu, son of Dracula, the prince of darkness. But that was before he (and their relationship) went up in flames.  Now Meena's sworn off vampires for good...at least until she can prove her theory that just because they've lost their souls doesn't mean demons have lost the ability to love.

Meena knows convincing her co-workers -- including her partner, uber-demon-hunter Alaric Wulf -- that vampires can be redeemed won't be easy...especially when a deadly new threat seems to be endangering not just the lives of the Palatine, but Meena's friends and family as well.

But Meena isn't the Palatine's only hope.  Father Henrique---aka Padre Caliente--New York City's youngest, most charming priest, has also been assigned to the case.

So why doesn't Meena--or Alaric--trust him?

As she begins unraveling the truth, Meena finds her loyalties tested, her true feelings laid bare...and temptations she never even imagined existed, but finds impossible to resist.

This time, Meena may finally have bitten off more than she can chew.

3/5 stars (liked it)

This book was better than the first one.  Even though I was not crazy about Meena and Lucien in the fist book I grew to like them more in this one.  Although I would l love to see a novella on Alaric Wulf and his back story.  He's one of my favorite characters in the book.   Another favorite character is Jonathan, Meena's brother.  His little love story was adorable!  The book had a slight predictable ending, although I did like the ending.

Book Review: Smoke and Iron - Rachel Caine

Smoke and Iron - Rachel Caine

To save the Great Library, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill put themselves in danger in the next thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.

The opening moves of a deadly game have begun.  Jess Brightwell has put himself in direct peril, with only his wits and skill to aid him in a game of cat and mouse with the Archivist Magister of the Great Library.  With the world catching fire, and words printed on paper the spark that lights rebellion, it falls to smugglers, thieves, and scholars to save a library thousands of years in the making...if they can stay alive long enough to outwit their enemies.

3/4 stars (liked it)
In this book I really started to like Brendan a little more.  Through Jess, we learn more about him.  We also get more a glimpse of the love between Santi and Wolfe.  Khalila has grown to be one of my favorite characters in the series.  The love story between Khalila and Dario, although they are so different, their story works.  I also like Morgan's story in the Dark Tower and the introduction of new characters.  

Book Review: Mistborn: The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn: The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life.  The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice.  Together, can they fill the world with color once more?

In Brandon Sanderson's intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage---Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

4/5 stars (really like it)

Although I haven't read many books by Brandon Sanderson I have read enough to tell me that I love him!  I love his writing style and his characters.  I love the way he tells you a little bit but just enough to get you to read more.  Although not everything is answered in the book I still walked away from it satisfied with the ending.  Although I am glad the store continues in a another book.  I was not crazy about Vin when she was fist introduced but by the end of the book I loved her.  I love the way she grew, not just her allomancy but her as an individual.  I loved Kelsier form the beginning and I wish we could have learned more about his past.  A character that really surprised me was Elend Venture, a noble that was introduced later in the series.  His character really grew on me and I hope he's in the next book.  Seems like so much happens in the last few pages of the book.  Definitely reading the next one.

Book Review: Acceptance - Jeff VanderMeer

Acceptance - Jeff VanderMeer

It is winter in Area X, the mysterious wilderness that has defied explanation for thirty years, rebuffing expedition after expedition, refusing to reveal its secrets.  As Area X expands, the agency tasked with investigating and overseeing it--the Southern Reach--has collapsed on itself in confusion.  Now one last, desperate team crosses the border, determined to reach a remote island that may hold the answers they've been seeking.  If they fail, the outer world is in peril.

Meanwhile, Acceptance tunnels even deeper into the circumstances surrounding the creation of Area X- what initiated this unnatural upheaval?  Among the many who have tried, who has gotten close to understanding Area X-and who may have been corrupted by it?

In this last installment of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, the mysteries of Area X may be solved, but their consequences and implications are no less profound-or terrifying.

2/5 stars (It was OK)

I though this book would actually answer questions but it really didn't .  I was not happy with the ending.  But was glad to see the story from the point of view of the Lighthouse keeper and the Psychologist.