Review: Darwin's Children by Natasha Larry

Title: Darwin's Children

Series: Darwin's Children #1

Author: Natasha Larry

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: May 2011

Published by: Penumbra Publishing

Source: Review copy received from author (Thanks!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Life can get pretty complicated for any seventeen-year-old girl, but for a home-schooled telepathic black girl trying to survive in a prestigious private school in small-town Jonesborough, Tennessee, it can be maddening especially when her telepathic father keeps eavesdropping on her thoughts!

Jaycie Lerner's family isn't the usual mom-dad-kid setup. Jaycie's mom is MIA, but Allison, her personal live-in trainer, is more than a mom, with her own special abilities, like being able to lift cars and run incredibly fast. And Jaycie's godfather John is more than persuasive, he can literally convince anyone to do anything.

As far as the rest of the world's concerned, Jaycie's on the outside looking in. The townsfolk love Jaycie's pediatrician father, but she doesn't fit in with normal kids, and she doesn't really want to. Most of her free time is spent training to keep her telekinetic and telepathic powers under control. But there's one thing she can't control, and that's her feelings, especially when her best friend Matt is nearby. If only he knew what she was truly capable of...

Everything seems to be status quo for Jaycie until she receives a cryptic message from a stranger and meets a very unusual girl new to Jonesborough. Then all hell breaks loose!

My rating: ★★★★☆
Jacie and her quite unusual family are special in the sense that they each have a supernatural ability. Jacie and her father are both telepaths and have telekinesis; Jacie’ mother figure and live-in personal trainer, Allison, is super strong and fast; and her godfather John has the power of persuasion. Jacie may seem like a unique girl, and she is, but she is also just like any other teenager…especially when it comes to her BFF Matt, who she has developed deep feelings for. Jacie not only worries about her evolving relationship with Matt, but also what he’ll think when he finds out about the things she can do. However, these are the least of her worries. After a stranger gives Jacie a very obscure message, she befriends a girl (Haylee) who may be more than she appears to be. With the help of Jacie and her family, Haylee learns things about herself that are frightening.

Review: The Moon and the Tide (Marina's Tales #2) by Derrolyn Anderson

Title: The Moon and the Tide

Series: Marina's Tales #2

Previous book in this series: Between the Land and the Sea

Author: Derrolyn Anderson

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: April 2011

Published by: Derrolyn Anderson

Source: Review copy received from the author (Thank You!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Smashwords

Synopsis:

Just when things seem to be all figured out, Marina discovers that there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than she ever imagined. When she learned the truth about her past she thought the drama was over, but she couldn't have been more wrong.

Shocked to discover her whole life has been a lie, Marina is confronted with more than one kind of betrayal, taking solace in a dangerous new habit. After a terrible accident exposes her secret, a dangerous enemy arrives on the scene. Marina's bravery is put to the test once again, forcing her to use all of her new-found skills to protect her family.

Can good triumph over evil?

Will true love win out over jealousy?

My rating: ★★★★☆
It hasn’t been long since Marina found out that her mother was a mermaid…making her half-human, half-mermaid. If it wasn’t for Ethan, the love of her life, Marina would be lost at sea, running (or swimming, in this case) wild among the mermaids. Marina may have declined their offer to become an immortal mermaid permanently, but the lure of the sea is as tempting as ever. But that is the least of her problems when tragedy strikes. After a terrible accident the exposes mermaids, Marina is being pursued by unknown forces that put Marina and the rest of the mermaids in danger.

Review: Between the Land and the Sea (Marina's Tales #1) by Derrolyn Anderson

Title: Between the Land and the Sea

Series: Marina's Tales #1

Author: Derrolyn Anderson

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: Aprill 2011

Published by: Derrolyn Anderson

Source: Review copy received from the author (Thank You!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Smashwords

Synopsis:

Something extraordinary is lurking in the deep ocean waters off the coast of Aptos, California. Just a few weeks after moving to the beach town, sixteen year old Marina has nearly drowned twice, enchanted the hottest guy in high school, and discovered a supernatural creature. If she can only manage to survive her dangerous encounters with unpredictable mermaids, she might just be able to uncover the mystery of her past and learn how to appease the mysterious forces that seem to want something from her... and maybe even find true love along the way.

My rating: ★★★★☆
Marina is sent to live from San Francisco to Aptos with her aunt after her father leaves to work on a project in Afghanistan. Marina, however, does not expect for her life to be turned upside down. Upon arriving she starts her senior year at the local high school, where she meets Ethan. And before she knows it, Marina is falling for Ethan…hard. Also, while on the beach, she discovers the existence of mermaids, mermaids who may be the cause of her nightly nightmares that could possibly become the death of her. Not only that, but Marina soon discovers that her past is intertwined with that of the mermaids. The truth will alter Marina’s reality forever.

Review: Boys that Bite (Blood Coven Vampire #1) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Boys that Bite

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #1

Author: Mari Mancusi

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: April 2006

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Two sisters—as different as the sun and the rain. For one, getting into the Blood Coven is to die for. But for the other, getting out could be lethal...

When Sunny McDonald gets dragged to Club Fang by her twin sister Rayne, she doesn't expect to find anything besides a bunch of Goth kids playing at being vampires. But when some guy mistakes Sunny for her dark-side-loving sister and bites her on the neck, she finds out that his fangs are real—and deadly.

Now, Sunny has less than a week to figure out how to reverse the bite, or else she's going to end up as the perpetually undead. And not only will she be a vampire, she'll also be bonded to Magnus—the bloodsucker who bit her—forever. And forever is a really long time...

My rating: ★★★★★
Identical twins Sunny and Rayne McDonald couldn’t be more different: while Rayne would give her life (literally) to join the vampires in the Blood Coven, Sunny wants out…NOW! It all started with a bad case of mistaken identity. Rayne persuades Sunny to come with her to a nightclub known as Club Fang (very appropriate). Here, a vampire (Magnus) bites the wrong twin, beginning the process of vampirism. From here, Sunny has less than a week to reverse the process, and the only one who is able to help her with this is none other than Magnus, the very vampire that bit her!

Review: First Frost (Mythos Academy #0.5) by Jennifer Estep

Title: First Frost

Series: Mythos Academy #0.5

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: July 2011

Published by: Kensington, K-Teen

Source: Own e-book

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

I am Gwen Frost, and I have a Gypsy gift. It's called psychometry - that's a fancy way of saying that I see images in my head and get flashes of other people's memories off almost everything I touch, even guys.

My gift makes me kind of nosy. Okay, okay, maybe a lot nosy--to the point of obsession sometimes. I want to know everything about everyone around me. But even I don't want to know the secrets my friend Paige is hiding or the terrible loss that will send me to a new school - Mythos Academy, where the teachers aren't preparing us for the SATs, but to battle Reapers of Chaos. Now I have no friends and no idea how my gift fits in with all these warrior whiz kids. The only thing I do know is that my life is never, ever going to be the same...

My rating: ★★★★☆
Gwen Frost has a supernatural ability called psychometry, which basically means that when she touches and object she can see images, the memories of other people who constantly came in contact with the object and had some sort of meaning for them. In this novella we see how Gwen helps out a girl (Paige) by simply touching her hairbrush, how and why Gwen’s mother dies, and when Metis comes to take her to her new school: Mythos Academy.

Review: One Hundred Candles (Past Midnight #2) by Mara Purnhagen

Title: One Hundred Candles

Series: Past Midnight #2

Previous books in this series: Past Midnight (#1) | Raising the Dead (#1.5)

Author: Mara Purnhagen

Genre: YA, paranormal, mystery, horror

Publication date: Feb. 2011

Published by: HarlequinTeen

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

It's taken a long time for me to feel like a normal teenager. But now that I'm settled in a new school, where people know me as more than Charlotte Silver of the infamous Silver family paranormal investigators, it feels like everything is falling into place. And what better way to be normal than to go on a date with a popular football star like Harris Abbott? After all, it's not as if Noah is anything more than a friend….

But my new life takes a disturbing turn when Harris brings me to a party and we play a game called One Hundred Candles. It seems like harmless, ghostly fun. Until spirits unleashed by the game start showing up at school. Now my friends and family are in very real danger, and the door that I've opened into another realm may yield deadly consequences.

My rating: ★★★★★
It all started with a harmless game called one hundred candles. Harris, a popular football player from school, brings Charlotte to a party where the few guests present are playing this game. Everyone must contribute by telling real horror stories that happened to them or someone they know…100 scary stories that correspond to 100 lit candles. Charlotte, reluctantly, joins the game.

Review: The Sleepwalkers by J. Gabriel Gates

Title: The Sleepwalkers

Author: J. Gabriel Gates

Genre: YA, mystery, horror

Publication date: October 4, 2011

Published by: HCI Teens

Source: the publishers via Netgalley

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

A chilling and masterfully crafted teen horror novel guaranteed to keep the pages turning, the mind reeling, and the lamp on any reader's bedside table on long after midnight.

Privileged and popular Caleb Mason is celebrating his high school graduation when he receives a mysterious, disturbing letter from his long-lost childhood playmate, Christine. Caleb and his jokester friend Bean decide to travel to his tiny hometown of Hudsonville, Florida, to find her. Upon arrival, they discover the town has taken a horrifying turn for the worse. Caleb's childhood home is abandoned and his father has disappeared. Children are going missing. The old insane asylum has reopened, and Christine is locked inside. Her mother, a witch, is consumed with madness, and Christine's long-dead twin sister whispers clues to Caleb through the static of an a.m. radio. The terrifying prophesies of the spirits are coming to pass. Sixteen clocks are ticking; sixty-six murdered souls will bring about the end of the world. As Caleb peels back layer after layer of mystery, he uncovers a truth more horrible than anything he had imagined, a truth that could only be uttered by the lips of the dead.

My rating: ★★★★☆

During his graduation party, Caleb (AKA “Billy”) receives a very cryptic letter from his childhood friend Christine, whom he has not talked to or seen in many years. Caleb and his best friend Bean decide to go to the small town where Caleb grew up, but once they arrive, Caleb finds out that the old abandoned asylum has been reopened and that way too many people in the small town have gone missing…including Caleb’s father. Even worse, no one seems to be doing anything about it!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (#2)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey.

Finished reading:

First Frost (Mythos Academy #0.5) by Jennifer Estep

Currently reading:

The Sleepwalkers by J. Gabriel Gates

What are you reading??

In My Mailbox (#1)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

This week I borrowed Stork from the library (and I literally got this in my mailbox :D Our public library has this cool thing called Mail Order Library where you request the book online and the library sends you the book straight to your house. Its pretty cool)

I also bought First Frost for my Kindle :)

What did you get in your mailbox this week??

Review: Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Touch of Frost

Series: Mythos Academy #1

Prequel story: First Frost

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, Greek mythology, Norse mythology

Publication date: August 2011

Published by: Kensington, K-Teen

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

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...

My rating: ★★★★★
In a world where mythology is real, there is a special school for kids who are descendants of some of the most powerful mythological figures known. That school is Mythos Academy. Here the descendants of gods, goddesses, Romans, Spartans, Amazons, and Valkyrie are trained to fight like experts, for they are destined to fight in what might be the next Chaos War—a war between the Norse god Loki and the Greek goddess Nike.………

Review: Raising the Dead (Past Mdnight #1.5) by Mara Purnhagen

Title: Raising the Dead

Series: Past Mdnight #1.5

Previous book in this series: Past Midnight

Author: Mara Purnhagen

Genre: YA, paranormal, mystery, horror

Publication date: Jan. 2011

Published by: HarlequinTeen

Source: Own e-book

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

Charlotte Silver's world is like no one else's...

As the daughter of the famous Silver Spirits paranormal investigators, Charlotte Silver is used to all things weird. But when coffins start floating down her street during a flood, life turns extra strange. And wonderful, when her friend and crush Noah signs on to help Charlotte and her folks in the aftermath. Cemetery cleanup might not sound exciting, but as shocking discoveries and a lurking stranger come to light, Charlotte learns that sometimes, raising the dead can bring unexpected rewards.

My rating: ★★★★★
In this short story, the town Charlotte now lives in is experiencing a storm sooo bad that there is a flood. But the weird thing is that coffins start to float down the street during the flood…pretty creepy, eh? lol. Anyway, Charlotte and her family (and her crush Noah) volunteer to help clean up the mess of coffins all over town. But they soon discover that these are no normal coffins. No, these coffins hide secrets, secrets that could potentially put Charlotte and her friends in danger.

Review: The Dead Kid Detective Agency by Evan Munday

Title: The Dead Kid Detective Agency

Series: The Dead Kid Detective Agency #1

Author: Evan Munday

Genre: Middle Grade, mystery, paranormal

Publication date: October 2011

Published by: ECW Press

Source: The publishers via Netgalley (thanks!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Thirteen-year-old October Schwartz is new in town; short on friends and the child of a clinically depressed science teacher, she spends her free time in the Sticksville Cemetery and it isn’t long before she befriends the ghosts of five dead teenagers, each from a different era of the past. Using October’s smarts and the ghosts’ abilities to walk through walls and roam around undetected, they form the Dead Kid Detective Agency, a group committed to solving Sticksville’s most mysterious mysteries. So when the high school’s beloved French teacher dies in a suspicious car accident, it provides the agency with its first bona fide case, putting them in the midst of a murder plot thick with car chases, cafeteria fights, and sociopathic math teachers, and sending them on an adventure that might just uncover the truth about a bomb that exploded 40 years ago.

My rating: ★★★★★
October just moved to a new town with her clinically depressed father where she will be starting a new life at a new school. To make things worse, she’s only 13 and she’ll be entering high school already (yeah, she’s that smart! She skipped a whole grade at her old school). Because she has an affinity for the color black and she likes to read in the cemetery, she’s considered a “freak.” High school kids can be such jerks! But I like October :) She’s a pretty cool kid. Anyway, as she’s starting to settle in, there is a murder that takes place…and it is someone October was starting to know and actually like (I don’t want to give too much away ;))Even though it seemed like a very tragic accident, October suspects that there was more to it. And thus the Dead Kid Detective Agency was born! October and the ghosts of 5 dead kids around her age try to figure out who and why they committed the murder.

Review: Deviant by Adrian McKinty

Title: Deviant

Author: Adrian McKinty

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: October 2011

Published by: Harry N. Abrams

Source: review copy from publishers via Netgalley

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Danny Lopez is new in town. He made a mistake back home in Las Vegas, and now he has landed at an experimental school in Colorado for “tough cases.” At the Cobalt Charter School, everything is scripted—what the teachers say, what the students reply—and no other speaking is allowed. This supercontrolled environment gives kids a second chance to make something of themselves. But with few freedoms, the students become sitting ducks for a killer determined to “clean up” Colorado Springs.

My rating: ★★★☆☆
Danny Lopez just moved from Las Vegas to a small town in Colorado, and his new school is just…crazy (in my opinion)! First of all, there is this silence policy that does not allow the students or the teachers talk…at all! Not even during lunch…or recess O.O The only time you can actually talk during school is when the teacher or the students are reading from the script (no this isn’t some theater/drama school). They have this daily script where the lectures are pre-planned. So everything you need to say has to come from that script. It I were in that school, I would go crazy! lol. Then I would demand to be put in a normal public school :) Oh, and did I mention the gloves? Yeah, they have to wear white gloves along with their school uniform. Apparently it promotes hygiene?? Weird, I know. Anyway, Danny makes friends pretty quickly and is involved in some sort of secret club or society thing at school.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (#1)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey.

I finished reading:

Deviant by Adrian McKinty

The Dead Kid Detective Agency (The Dead Kid Detective Agency #1) by Evan Munday

I am currently reading:

The Moon and The Tide (Marina's Tales #2) by Derrolyn Anderson

Boys That Bite (Blood Coven #1) by Mari Mancusi

Up next is:

One Hundred Candles (Past Midnight #2) by Mara Purnhagen

Stake That (Blood Coven #2) by Mari Mancusi

Darwin's Children by Natasha Larry

What are you reading??

Review: A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

Title: A Beautiful Dark

Series: A Beautiful Dark #1

Author: Jocelyn Davies

Genre: YA, paranormal romance

Publication date: Septmeber 2011

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: The publishers via Netgalley

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

On the night of Skye's seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites, like fire and ice, Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye's life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can't help falling for, and Devin, who she can't stay away from, the consequences of Skye's choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

My rating: ★★★★★
The night of Skye’s 17th birthday, she meets Asher and Devin. Then she finds out that they have both transferred to her school. There is something strange about these guys...they’re both very mysterious. Claiming to be cousins, Asher and Devin are as opposite as it gets: Asher is all dark, charming, and a total flirt; while Devin is, with his blond hair and intense blue eyes, shy and quiet.

Review: Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Title: Cold Kiss

Series: Cold Kiss #1

Author: Amy Garvey

Genre: YA, paranormal romance

Publication date: September 2011

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: The publishers via Netgalley

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.

Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants—what she must do—is to bring Danny back.

But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.

Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her—and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.

But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought—even if it means breaking her heart all over again.

My rating: ★★★★★

Danny was Wren’s whole life. She loved him and he loved her. When she was with him, everything was perfect.

And then Danny died.

Review: Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen

Title: Past Midnight

Series: Past Midnight #1

Author: Mara Purnhagen

Genre: YA, paranormal, horror, mystery

Publication date: Sept. 2010

Published by: HarlequinTeen

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear.

All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive…

My rating: ★★★★☆
Charlotte's parents have a very interesting job. They go around the world in search of "haunted" places, they film, then from the gathered info they make documentaries. But they don't exactly go hunting for ghosts...its more like, they go to these "haunted" place to try and debunk all the weird stuff that has been going on. They usually find some logical, scientific reason behind the "paranormal" activities. Usually.

Review- Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love

Title: Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love

Author: Various authors

Genre: YA, anthology, paranormal

Publication date: August 2012

Published by: Running Press Teens

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

For those who thirst for accounts of paranormal romance, Trisha Telep has compiled some of the most thrilling takes of forbidden love in this collection. First crushes and last rites; dark spells and bright magic; forbidden lovers and enchanted beings -- and always, always the hungry games of desire. Pucker up for a darkly sweet collection of ghosts, shape shifters, fairies, unicorns, vampires, and demons in tales from today's biggest writers of the paranormal persuasion.

My rating: ★★★☆☆
Can I just start off by saying that this was (excruciatingly) long, lol! I thought I was never going to finish it! And I will admit, the only reason I picked up this book was because of Rachel Vincent's story takes place in the Soul Screamers world. And if you care to know, she is one of my favorite authors :)

1. The Assassin's Apprentice by Michelle Zink (3 stars): This was a pretty good story, but nothing that impressed me. It was about this girl seeking revenge on a demon after he killed her parents. She eventually does get what she wants with the help of Apprentice.

2. Errant by Diana Peterfund (2 stars): Apparently this story takes place in the world of the series Killer Unicorns. I have not read that series so I thought it was a bit weird, and, truthfully, I didn't really capture my attention.

3. The Spirit Jar by Karen Mahoney (4 stars): This was one of my favorites! And there is another story about Moth in the book The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire.

Moth is a vampire and she is on a mission to retrieve a book for her creator. Sounds easy, right? If only it were...

Review: Familiar by Michelle Rowen

Title: Familiar

Author: Michelle Rowen

Genre: YA, paranormal

Stand alone release date: May 12, 2011

Published by: Running Press Teens

Source: Borrowed anthology from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

A Short Story originally published in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology.

When reluctant teen witch Brenda Collins is sent by her mother to a magical pet shop to pick out her animal familiar, she settles on a small tawny-striped kitten not realizing it’s a shapeshifter currently in hiding. Discovering the gorgeous but troubled Owen’s secret plunges the witch-in-training into a dangerous and romantic adventure that will test her magical abilities like never before.

Familiar is a stand alone 10,000 word young adult short story, originally published in the “Kiss Me Deadly” anthology.

My rating: ★★★★★
Brenda is a witch...and not a very good one at that. Why? Because she just isn't interested in practicing witchcraft like her very talented mother. but to get her insisting mother off her back, she decides to give it a try. First things first, she must pick out a familiar...a witch's pet who will keep her company and help her with magic. Only she doesn't realize that the cute, little , striped kitten she chooses is a actually a shifter in hiding (Owen, who i like to call a werecat even though he prefers shapeshifter :P)

Review: Hare Moon (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #0.5) by Carrie Ryan

Title: Hare Moon

Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth #0.5

Author: Carrie Ryan

Genre: YA, dystopian, fantasy, horror

Publication date: August 2012

Published by: Running Press Teens

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis: Tabitha can’t shake the feeling that something exists beyond the fences of her village. And when she sneaks out, past the gates and down the path into the Forest of Hands and Teeth, she meets a boy who teaches her heart things she never knew. But love in a world surrounded by so much death doesn’t come without its sacrifices, and Tabitha gradually realizes just how much she’ll have to give up to live among the Unconsecrated. From New York Times bestselling author Carrie Ryan comes an original story of love after the Return.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Tabitha, the curious young gal that she is, knows that there has to be more beyond her fenced village... beyond the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

Review: Kisses From Hell

Title: Kisses From Hell

Authors: Kristin Cast, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Richelle Mead, Francesca Lia Block

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: August 2010

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: Borrowed from the library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Truly, Madly, Undeadly

This irresistible collection features stories of love amid vampires by five of today's hottest authors—Kristin Cast (Tempted), Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy), Alyson Noël (Evermore), Kelley Armstrong (The Summoning), and Francesca Lia Block (Pretty Dead).

From a fugitive vampire forced to trust a boy who might work for the group bent on destroying her to the legendary romance of two immortals whose love compels them to risk everything, this heart-pounding collection brings new meaning to the words "love you forever." Whether you're into romances that are dark and moody or light and fun, these stories will quench that insatiable thirst for enchanting tales of the beautiful undead.

My rating: ★★★☆☆
Sunshine by Richelle Mead (4 stars): This is a Vampire Academy story about how Lisa's parents met. I really liked it and because of it I decided to read the whole series :)

Review: Boyfriend From Hell (Falling Angels Saga #1) by E. Van Lowe

Title: Boyfriend From Hell

Series: Falling Angels Saga #1

Author: E. Van Lowe

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, paranormal

Publication date: August 2011

Published by: White Whisker Books

Source: E-book from author (thanks!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Fifteen year-old Megan Barnett and her single mom, Suze, have a special relationship—they are friends, close friends, who do almost everything together.

“But come on, guys, she’s my mother… Can I really tell her that while we’re snuggled up on the sofa watching Spider Man Three, I’m secretly undressing James Franco with my eyes? Of course not…”

The special bond takes a turn for the worse when Suze decides to start dating again. She hasn’t had a man in her life since Megan’s father left ten years ago.

Enter two mysterious young men, Megan’s new classmate, sinfully attractive bad boy, Guy Matson, and the dangerously handsome art dealer, Armando. Before long Megan and Suze both wind up in steamy relationships.

But neither of the handsome pair is quite what he seems. In fact, one of them is Satan, with his sights set on a new bride. Megan has precious little time to figure out how to stop him. If she doesn’t, either Megan or Suze are quite literally going to HELL.

My rating: ★★★★★
First of all, I won this book in a giveaway on Goodreads...sooo thanks a ton to the author who sent me the copy, I loved it!

Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Title: Angelfire

Series: Angelfire #1

Author: Courtney Allison Moulton

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, paranormal

Publication date: February 2011

Published by: HarperCollins

Source: Borrowed from Library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

First there are nightmares.
Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.
When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.
Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

My rating: ★★★★★
Ellie led a pretty normal life, that is, until she turned 17. A gorgeous guy suddenly comes into her life claiming that she is the Preliator, slayer of demonic reaper who reincarnates after dying. Its a never ending cycle: she kills reapers, dies, comes back, kills reapers, and so on. And get this, it turns out the hot guy, Will turns out to be her Guardian!

Review: Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3) by Richelle Mead

Title: Shadow Kiss

Series: Vampire Academy #3

Previous books in this series: Vampire Academy (#1) | Frostbite (#2)

Author: Richelle Mead

Genre: YA, paranormal romance

Publication date: November 2008

Published by: Razorbill

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Is Rose's fate to kill the person she loves most? It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since Mason's death, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She has dark flashbacks in the middle of practice, can't concentrate in class, and has terrifying dreams about Lissa. But Rose has an even "bigger" secret . . . .She's in love with Dimitri. And this time, it's way more than a crush. Then Strigoi target the academy in the deadliest attack in Moroi history, and Dimitri is taken. Rose must protect Lissa at all costs, but keeping her best friend safe could mean losing Dimitri forever...

My rating: ★★★★★
Rose cant be with Dimitri, and her best friend Mason, who also loved her, died (I miss him!) Things cant possibly get any worse...only they do.