Goldilox and the Three Weres: April 2013

Monday, April 15, 2013

Soul Screamers Series Read-A-Long - Discussion #3: My Soul to Keep + Reaper!

Soul Screamers Series
Read-A-Long!

Hosted by me, Christen @ Goldilox and the Three Weres, and Laura @ Little Read Riding Hood!

Discussion #3

Welcome to the third Soul Screamers Read-A-Long discussion!

This month, we are discussing these books:

My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3)

Reaper (Soul Screamers #3.5)

Reviews:
Laura's review of My Soul to Keep
My review of My Soul to Keep

***SPOILER ZONE***

Leave your comments, questions, praise, fangirling, wails, and moans in the comments below!

Discussion Questions:

My Soul to Keep

1. Did you notice Nash's odd behavior right away? Did you suspect what was causing it?

2. What's your opinion of how Kaylee handled the Nash situation throughout the book and in the end?

3. What do you think about Alec? Will he become a bigger player in the future?

4. Will Kaylee's cousine Sophie EVER be let in on the family secret?

5. Okay, let's talk about Tod. Do you LURVE him? Hate him? Wish there was a 'Tod and Kaylee'? Or content to have have Tod as a side character?

Reaper:

6. How did you like the time frame Vincent chose for Tod's novella? Were you happy with where the story started and stopped? Were you shocked about the accident and Tod's choice?

7. How and when do you think Tod revealed himself to Nash?

Leave your answers to the discussion questions, or anything else you want to say, in the comments below!

Read-A-Long Schedule:

Join us May 15th for the next discussion!

February 15:

My Soul To Take (#1) and My Soul to Lose (novella # 0.5)

@ Goldilox and the Three Weres

FIND THE DISCUSSION HERE!

March 15:

My Soul to Save (#2)

@ Little Read Riding Hood

FIND THE DISCUSSION HERE!

April 15:

My Soul to Keep (#3) and Reaper (novella #3.5)

@ Goldilox and the Three Weres

May 15:

My Soul to Steal (#4)

@ Little Read Riding Hood

June 15:

If I Die (#5) and Never to Sleep (novella #5.5)

@ Goldilox and the Three Weres

July 15:

Before I Wake (#6)

@Little Read Riding Hood

August 15:

With All My Soul (#7)

@Goldilox and the Three Weres

Your hosts:

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Review: My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Keep
(Soul Screamers #3)
Rachel Vincent
Release: June 1, 2010
Add to Goodreads Buy at Amazon

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them. Until something does. Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked. And so is someone else…

Review:

My Soul to Keep is the third in the Soul Screamers series by author Rachel Vincent. Up until now, this series has been a fun read with an interesting paranormal element, likable characters, and emotional endings. But in this third book things take a darker turn that make me really glad I decided to read this series. My Soul to Keep shows us some different sides of our characters and complicates several relationships in the series. Since "dark and complicated" is one of my favorite descriptions of a book, this one is for sure my favorite Soul Screamers installment so far.

In My Soul to Keep, our main character and bean sidhe (banshee) Kaylee discovers that some of the more popular high school students have gotten ahold of Demon's Breath, which gives users a powerful high with eventual deadly consequences. Kaylee and Nash set off on a course to find out who is supplying the teens and how Demon's Breath is getting out of the Netherworld. As far as main plots go, this one is as interesting and original as the plots of the first two books and, as always, I wondered how exactly the gang was going to pull this one off. When the culprit was revealed I wasn't surprised, as I'd had my suspicions all along, but I look forward to seeing this particular character again in future books in the series.

The most interesting part of this book, for me at least, was the change we begin to see in Nash, male bean sidhe and Kaylee's boyfriend. I've always been ho hum about Nash as a love interest. He is a great character but can sometimes be a very stereotypical YA high school guy. In My Soul to Keep, however, Nash finally gets the depth he deserves. To be frank, he acts like a bit of an ass sometimes in this book and its obvious something is going on with him. His relationship with Kaylee is occasionally strained due to whatever his problem is and the book ends with readers wondering if these two have a future together at all.

Tod is back again for my reading pleasure and, like I always do, I enjoy every scene he's in. I love his sarcastic quips, his moral gray area, and his willingness to protect those he cares about. I also enjoyed his reaction when the cause behind Nash's ass-i-ness is finally unveiled, as it shows his anger and surprise in true Tod fashion. I love to see his friendship with Kaylee and his protectiveness of her grow in each book, especially after he was willing to sacrifice her well-being for that of Addison's in the last book. I think he more than makes up for it here.

The Soul Screamers series grows on me more and more with each book and I look forward to where Vincent will take the next book! She has proven she is not afraid to let her characters grow and change and she doesn't shy away from complicated twists and turns!

Recommended for fans of: paranormal young adult series, bean sidhes (banshees), snarky dead blond guys, and character growth.

4 / 5 stars

This book is part of the Soul Screamers Series Read-A-Long!

Check back here tomorrow on Monday, April 15th for the read along discussion!

My reviews of other books in this series:
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers #2)

Friday, April 12, 2013

Giveaway: Ruby's Birthday Giveaway Hop!

Ruby's Birthday Giveaway Hop!

Hey all! In honor of her birthday, Ruby from Ruby's Reads is hosting a mini giveaway hop! That's right, it's Ruby's bday, but YOU get the presents!!!

For my stop on this fabulous mini hop, I'm giving away the winner's choice of any one ebook of my favorite recent YA reads. All of these books are YA books I've read in the last few months that I LOVED!

One winner will get their choice of one ebook, either for Nook or Kindle!

The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter, #1)

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3)

The Name of the Star (Shades of London, #1)

Enter to win on the Rafflecopter below, then check out the other blogs participating! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Review: Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Apollyon
(Covenant #4)
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release: April 4, 2013
Add to Goodreads Buy at Amazon

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

Review:

I highly recommend reading the novella, Elixir, prior to starting Apollyon. The novella is from Aiden's POV instead of Alex's, but it is really vital reading in my opinion since it literally bridges the end of Deity and the beginning of Apollyon.

Jennifer L. Armentrout knocks another one out of the park with the fast-paced Apollyon, the fourth book in her Covenant series. Readers who have loved the brisk pacing, exciting plot twists, and wealth of great characters in the series so far will be pleased with Apollyon, especially fans of the previous installment, Deity.

Armentrout doesn't skimp on the good stuff. The ending of Deity promised us an Alex soaked in Apollyon brainwashing, and Apollyon delivers. When the book starts, Alex is completely lost to the Apollyon connection to Seth, aka "The First". Aiden, Marcus, and the others have locked her inside a ward-reinforced cell of sorts while she spouts all sorts of nasty things and constantly tries to escape. I loved that Armentrout didn't skip this amount of time because I found it really interesting to see the 'changed' Alex and read her thoughts, as well as her mental conversations with Seth through their connection. Seth fans (that would include me) might be slightly disappointed that he isn't around as much as other books, but Armentrout squeezes in some Seth time in creative ways that satiated me for now.

As the story continues and Alex becomes more herself, a lot of really interesting things happen to move the plot along. In typical Convenant series fashion there are bombshells dropped, characters offed, and secrets revealed. There are several emotional conversations between Alex and Aiden and some really awesome fight scenes that show off Alex's new Apollyon powers. And the plot just plows right along at a wonderful pace that never left me bored.

In this book, we see a more mature Alex. I already noticed Alex's growth in Deity, but in this one she comes much further than ever before. The days of "Impulsive Alex" are close to being over. Armentrout doesn't change her in ways that feel disjointed, instead she is growing and changing in a believable way that I really love. Alex's maturation makes her relationship with Aiden seem deeper and so much more real. And speaking of Aiden, Armentrout doesn't skimp on the good stuff there either. Go ahead, take a moment.

Apollyon is yet another fantastic book in the Covenant series. With all the secrets spilled and plot twists unveiled, by the end of this one I was once again exhausted. I cannot wait for the final book in the series, Sentinel!

Recommended for fans of: other Armentrout series, Vampire Academy, mythology and the gods, Mythos Academy, character growth, strong character relationships, and revelations that make your brain explode.

This review is based on an advance copy of the book provided by the publisher.

5 / 5 stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
Half - Blood (Covenant #1)
Pure (Covenant #2)
Deity (Covenant #3)

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Review: Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland

Vengeance Bound
Justina Ireland
Release: April 2, 2013
Add to Goodreads Buy at Amazon

The Goddess Test meets Dexter in an edgy, compelling debut about one teen’s quest for revenge… no matter how far it takes her.

Cory Graff is not alone in her head. Bound to a deal of desperation made when she was a child, Cory’s mind houses the Furies—the hawk and the serpent—lingering always, waiting for her to satisfy their bloodlust. After escaping the asylum where she was trapped for years, Cory knows how to keep the Furies quiet. By day, she lives a normal life, but by night, she tracks down targets the Furies send her way. And she brings down Justice upon them.

Cory’s perfected her system of survival, but when she meets a mysterious boy named Niko at her new school, she can’t figure out how she feels about him. For the first time, the Furies are quiet in her head around a guy. But does this mean that Cory’s finally found someone who she can trust, or are there greater factors at work? As Cory’s mind becomes a battlefield, with the Furies fighting for control, Cory will have to put everything on the line to hold on to what she’s worked so hard to build.

Review:

Vengeance Bound is a a young adult book by new author Justina Ireland. This book deals with mythology and the Furies, those angry, angry ladies who like to punish those they feel are wicked. This is a dark and fun read, with some faults for sure, but I enjoyed delving into Cory's world

Cory is a human girl living with two Furies inside (and occasionally outside) her head. Ever since the Furies found her, she's had a rough life - on her own - filled with killing, running, and hiding. We meet her right after she has moved to a new town (for most likely the hundredth time) and is starting at a new high school. We experience Cory's gruesome past through her memories throughout the story and go along with her as she navigates small town high school life during the day and small town murder at night. The author balances well the time spent in high school with the time spent on the more Fury-focused plot. I enjoyed some of the drama going on around Cory while at school, although I think I kept trying to read more into every little side character that came along.

The Furies have quite the desire for murder and send Cory little hints about the local low-life men they want her to execute. She finds them, reads their crimes in their eyes, and then kills them using some special Fury abilities and weapons. The problem Cory faces is that she doesn't really want to be an executioner anymore and she's worried about the power the Furies are gaining. Every kill seems to feed their strength and Cory worries that she will eventually lose herself to the Furies. It's a very believable predicament.

Where this story stumbled for me was in the last one-third. As Cory's personal life starts to take off a little the story starts to fall a little flat. With regard to the love interest, things went from zero to sixty mighty fast. I liked the character, I just felt like the story became slightly different once their relationship really started to blossom. The ending of the book was also a little too "tied up neat with a bow" for me and after enjoying the darker parts of the story I was a little disappointed with all the sudden happiness. Some pieces of the ending were also just too convenient and I feel like things could have been wrapped up better.

Vengeance Bound's portrayal of the Furies is probably my favorite that I've read. Ireland writes them as manipulative and properly murder hungry to a degree I really enjoyed. She was not afraid to make this book full of darkness and death, as per a book featuring the Furies center stage. I also liked that two of the three famed Furies were possessing a regular human girl and the story as to why this was possible and what happened to the third real Fury. I thought this was an original take on the myth and added something different.

Recommended for fans of: mythology, Furies stories, dark YA, and Dexter.

This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher

1/2

3.5 / 5 stars

Monday, April 8, 2013

Reading Challenges Update: January - March

2013 Reading Challenges Update:
January - March

2013 Book Series Challenge
Info About This Challenge

Read so far:

Jane True series
by Nicole Peeler
Tempest Rising
Tracking the Tempest
Tempest's Legacy

Sabina Kane series
by Jaye Wells
Red-Headed Stepchild
The Mage in Black
Green Eyed Demon
(Join the Read-A-Long HERE)

Soul Screamers series
by Rachel Vincent
My Soul to Take
My Soul to Save
(Join the Read-A-Long HERE)