Title: Darkness Hunts
Series: Dark Angel #4
Author: Keri Arthur
Release Date: November 6, 2012 Now Available!
Those of you who read the review for book #1 know how much I love Keri Arthur. Easily one of my most featured authors to this point, I’m fully confident “Darkness Hunts” will be a fantastic read. Lovers of the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genres should definitely move this series (or, even better, the “Riley Jensen” series) to the top of their must-read lists!
For the first time, I’m turning over control of my reading list to you in this new feature: Your Pick for Nik!
Each month, I will be nominating 5 to 10 titles from my TBR list and YOU will choose which one gets featured. It can be one you’ve already read and want to discuss, one you want to read but wish to see my feedback first, or – and this is my favorite part – you can read it along with me!
Depicted below are my 10 nominees* for October. Simply vote for your favorite, and let the best book win! On Thursday the 18th, I will announce the winner. Come the end of the month, I will post a thorough review of the chosen title – and hopefully find out what you thought of it as well!
To cast your vote, just leave a comment indicating the title of your chosen book – Good luck!
*Each cover is a link to BN.com where you can read a quick synopsis before making your selection.
Title: Bitter Blood
Series: Morganville Vampires #13
Author: Rachel Caine
Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance
Release Date: November 6, 2012 Now Available!
This is a great teen series that gives off a different vibe than other similar books on the market (such as “House of Night” and “Vampire Academy”). Although it is not my personal favorite, I know several people who rank “Morganville Vampires” at the top of their teen paranormal lists. It’s definitely earned its place in the “must read” category of the genre!
Title: First Truth
Author: Dawn Cook
Series: Truth #1
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5 stars
The Overview: Alissa doesn’t believe in magic. Her father’s stories about the Hold, a legendary fortress where human Keepers learn magic from the enigmatic Maters, are just that―stories. But her mother insists that Alissa has inherited her father’s magical ability, and so she must go to the Hold―the only place her talents can be trained.
On her way, she crosses paths with Strell, a wandering musician from the plains. And though Alissa is not sure she can trust a plainsman, Strell has something she needs―one of her father’s old maps. Travelling together, they can reach the Hold before the snow sets in. But they don’t know that the Hold is nearly empty. Something is very wrong and someone believes that Alissa and Strell knows about a book called First Truth.
The Review:
As a whole, this series is one of my absolute favorites, despite the fact that nothing particularly “epic” happens throughout. Although the pacing of the story can sometimes be rather slow, I was so smitten with the characters that it didn’t bother me. While most fantasy novels tend to be more event or world-building driven, this book was all about highlighting the characters. For any of you who have read Kim Harrison’s (Dawn Cook’s alias) Rachel Morgan series, you know that she is exceptionally talented at creating characters we care about. On top of that, she really knows how to tell a compelling love story, which was actually my favorite element to this series. There’s just something magical about it that keeps me coming back to reread it over and over again. What’s more, the plot gets increasingly more interesting as the series progresses, creating a great momentum for the end of the story – so much so that I was up all night the first time I read it.
Overall, its incredibly charming. If you’re in the mood for a character-based, magic-filled, sweet love story, this is the book for you!
Recommendations: The cover I’ve featured is from the original publication. The covers they’re marketing the series with now are incredibly cheesy and do nothing to represent the story… don’t let them deter you from giving it a try!
Other books you might like:
Title: Polterheist
Series: Esther Diamond #5
Author: Laura Resnick
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: November 6, 2012 Now Available!
I’ll admit that I haven’t actually read this series yet… I know, ultimate shame. I decided to feature the new one anyway because the series has been on my TBR list for years now. You see, book #1 (Disappearing Nightly) was only just re-released a few months ago (which was due to an odd circumstance involving the publisher). In any case, I will be picking it up soon – reviews to follow!
Title: Touch of Frost
Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy #1
Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The Overview: My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy; a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody’s head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest. But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I’m determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why; especially since I should have been the one who died…
The Review:
I came across this series while doing research on Estep’s “Elemental Assasin’s” books, picking it up completely on a whim. Well, $15.00 (for all 3 books) and two hours later, I found myself glued to my chair totally immersed in the story. It took everything I loved about the “House of Night” novels and combined it with well-researched mythology much like in the “Percy Jackson” series. It was an awesome combination that really added up to a fantastic book!
Estep has a great first-person writing style that’s fun to read. While a definite master of her craft, she’s not afraid to throw in a bit of common slang to spice up the story. This also helps readers get to know the main character, making her much more relatable and endearing. While the side characters were well-done, the main character really stole the show. I appreciated her self-depreciating manner and general outlook on life, and found her downright charming.
Overall, it was a great find, and I will definitely be reading the sequel before the month is out!
Recommendations: There is a prequel to this series called “First Frost” and it adds a bit of backstory, but nothing that isn’t covered in the first book. The good news is, if you’re not sure whether or not you’ll like the series, you can download a certain sample ebook FREE from BN.com that allows you to read the entire prequel plus a few chapters of book #1. Be on the lookout for book #4 out December 24th!
Other books you might like:
The Obsessive Bookseller 