Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr

Summary: Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments dark and light by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr. Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from beneath the seas, or manifest from seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention—with amorous or sinister intent—relentlessly.

From the gentle tones of a storyteller’s cadences to the terror of a blood sacrifice, tales of favorite characters from Marr’s Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with…or to fear.

My Thoughts: I decided to read this because I loved Enthralled and remembered that Melissa Marr had a story in it. I must mention that her story from that book is also in this, and I enjoyed reading it a second time. I think that was in part because it’s the last story in the book and I have read about many of the mentioned characters before rereading it. Quick thoughts on some of the stories.

• Where Nightmares Walk ~ This one kinda confused me. I meant to read it a second time once I finished the book, but forgot.
• Transition ~ This was very interesting. It’s about vampires. More specifically, how a vampire goes about getting rid of his “sire.” Well-done story.
• Love Struck ~ I think this was my favorite. It’s about selchies, and has a lot of heart and intrigue. I’d love to see more come of this.
• Old Habits ~ From the Wicked Lovely world, I loved it. It definitely made me want to read WL.
• The Sleeping Girl and the Summer King ~ It was beautiful. Apparently it’s the short story that led to WL.
• Unexpected Family ~ I believe the character’s name is Seth. From the WL books. Human-turned-faery? Anyway, it was really cool.
• Merely Mortal ~ This is the one from Enthralled. I liked it more this time around than I think I did when I read Enthralled.

I enjoyed all of the stories, except maybe the one that confused me. For the most part, I found the characters very interesting. I haven’t read Wicked Lovely, but am thinking I need to now. I want to know what happened with these characters and I want to fully delve into Marr’s world. She’s an excellent writer, and I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.

Source: Received through Around The World Tours for review.

Read It: Get your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2012.

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Bloodrose (Nightshade #3) by Andrea Cremer

Summary: Calla has always welcomed war.

But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnameable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.

My Thoughts: This is a hard book to talk about without spoiling things, so most of this review will be hidden in the spoiler box. Long story short (and spoiler-free): I’m satisfied. I like how things ended. Closure is complete. While things happened that I didn’t like, it didn’t make me dislike the book. My main complaint is that it almost felt rushed. They had a lot to accomplish, and a short time to act. Which is fine. But it felt like things came too easily. Like, despite the high stakes, they didn’t have to work very hard to do what they wanted to do. Things seemed to work out too easily, too simply. I suppose one could argue that the Keepers didn’t take the threat seriously. Perhaps they didn’t expect the Searchers to succeed in their efforts. Perhaps they underestimated their opponent. It’s plausible. The Keepers had been in control for so very, very long that perhaps anything else was unimaginable. I don’t know. But, that aside, the book is well-written and HIGHLY emotional. Have tissue nearby when you read!

Favorite Quotes: Lots of good ones. Here are my two favorites.

“Real love, even in moments, is worth more than any of us can say.” ~ page 237 (ARC)

Love wasn’t forged by circumstance or changed by sorrow. It simply was. ~ page 376 (ARC)

Source: Received through Around The World Tours for review.

Read It: Get your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2012.

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~*~

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The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

Summary: In the end, all that’s left is an echo.

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice.

When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye….

My Thoughts: The Last Echo is a gripping suspense-filled story that is an excellent addition to Kimberly Derting’s The Body Finder series. I wasn’t quite as into it as I was with Desires of the Dead, but I still really liked Violet – and Jay – a lot. Violet is a great character. She’s strong, but not overly confident in her strength. She’s got heart, too. And she struggles much the same way all (or maybe I should say most?) teens do, struggles with who she is, how she fits in, where she belongs.

Probably my favorite thing about this book is that it is driven by the action. Driven by the search for the killer, Violet’s interactions with the team, and other things related to her special ability. We don’t have the too-often-in-YA-lit love triangle. You know, where the girl is in love with two guys and has to choose? Nope. Violet is Jay’s girl all the way. I really like that. It’s refreshing.

I’m not sure why, but for some reason I thought this was the last book in the series. Perhaps part of it is the title – The Last Echo. Maybe. But, the end makes it clear that there is indeed more to come. Things are not quite what they seem, and Derting drops a bit of a bomb on her readers as she wraps up the story. I was quite surprised, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how that will affect future installments.

Fans of The Body Finder series will be pleased with The Last Echo. Kimberly Derting does not disappoint. I can’t wait to see what more she has in store for her readers!

Source: Received through Around The World Tours for review.

Read It: The Last Echo is scheduled for release on April 17, 2012. You can pre-order your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

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♥

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Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Summary: Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

A huge store isn’t the worst place to be stranded. There’s food and water, bedding and books. But what if it’s not safe to leave?

Six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids are trapped together in a chain superstore. Together they build a refuge for themselves inside, while outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapon spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

My Thoughts: Monument 14 is a book that surprised me. It’s one of those I took a chance on. I thought it sounded like a premise that had promise – and it exceeded my expectations. The description reminded me a bit of Trapped by Michael Northrop, but really the only similarity is the basic premise: a bunch of kids trapped in a large building – without any adults. Where Trapped was in a high school, with only teens present, Monument 14 is in a superstore, with a much wider rage of ages. While Trapped features a monstrous blizzard, Monument 14 features natural disasters and spilling of chemical weapons. Both books left me wanting more – in the case of Monument 14, a whole lot more. As in, my primary thought upon completion was: There had better be a sequel!

As such, I immediately set about some research. No mention of a series on Goodreads. Same with FictFact. Fortunately, I found the author’s website, where I learned that there definitely is another book coming (thank God!). From her site

Book One is called: “We Don’t Die”. Book Two is: “We Split Up”.

So, I gotta wonder. Why is the book I read called Monument 14? And why isn’t there any mention of “We Don’t Die” on it anywhere? Granted, there are still several months until it’s published and I had an ARC. So, I suppose, this very well could change. I think it should – to avoid confusion on the part of readers. (Although, I half expected the second book to be called Monument 5.) Confusion aside, I am quite pleased to know that another book is indeed coming. And, yes, knowing that does have an effect on my review. The ending is, well, nothing short of a cliffhanger, and if it was a stand-alone, I’d be pissed. But it’s not, so I love the book and eagerly look forward to the next one. (Please hurry!)

All of that rambling about whether it’s a series. Let’s talk about this book. It’s good. Very well-written, and the story is compelling. There’s a slight dystopian undertone, with suspense and apocalypse-like action. We get this from the first-person perspective of Dean, one of the boys kind of in the middle of the pack. He’s in high school, not all that popular, but seems to have a good head on his shoulders. I generally liked the view from his head – except for one peeping-Tom episode. Although, in Dean’s defense, it wasn’t intentional. He stumbled upon something.

Anyway …

The characters, from the youngest kids to the high school seniors, are an eclectic group with probably more differences than similarities. But they seem to understand from the get-go that they have to work together to survive. Well, for the most part. There is inevitable discord that comes from such situations – and it grows to all-out fighting in some instances. Understandably. We’re talking high stress!

Laybourne keeps the tension at just the right level, and still gives us hope. When things look their darkest, there is still hope. (That is another way Monument 14 is different from Trapped, which is much darker.) There are some surprising plot twists and turns that I never saw coming, too. As I stated above, the end left much to be desired – but that’s because it’s not over yet! I cannot wait to see what happens with these kids. Oh, and I’m wondering if we’ll still be stuck in Dean’s head at the store, or if we’ll have a way of knowing what’s going on from the group on the bus. Hopefully we get some of both.

Anyway, I would highly recommend Monument 14. And, again, I cannot wait for the next book.

Source: Received through Around The World Tours for review.

Read It: Monument 14 is scheduled for release on June 5, 2012. You can pre-order your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2012.

Find me on Goodreads.com >>
♥

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