Predestined by Abbi Glines

Author: Abbi Glines

Pages: 274

Genre:  YA Fiction

Published: 2012 by Abbi Glines

From the Back of the Book ~

You would think after helping save her boyfriend from an eternity in Hell that things would go back to normal.  Well, as normal as life can be when you can see souls and your boyfriend is Death.  But for Pagan Moore, things are just getting weirder.

The high school quarterback and reigning heartthrob, Leif Montgomery, is missing.  While the town is in a frenzy of worry, Pagan is a nervous wreck for other reasons.  Apparently, good 'ol Leif isn't your average teenage boy.  He isn't even human.  According to Death, Leif doesn't have a soul.  The quarterback may have skipped town but he's still showing up in Pagan's dreams...uninvited.

Dank has known from the beginning that Leif wasn't human.  But he hadn't worried about a simple soulless creature. Now, he realizes he made a grave mistake.  Pagan's soul has been marked since birth as a restitution, to a spirit so dark not even Death walks near it.  Dank knows saving Pagan's soul won't be easy but Pagan is his.  And he's already proven he'll defy Heaven to keep her.  If Hell wants a piece of him too, then bring it on.

My Thoughts ~

Sqeeeeallll ... Fabulous!  For sequels, the second book is normally not as good as the first and third book tend to be, but for Abbi Glines' Existence series the second book is almost better than the first.  With new trials and lots of love, Predestined is packed full of creativity.  I suppose if I had to mention the down side to this book, it would be the editing.  There are several left out letters or words that could have been corrected by an editor, but this is not a deal breaker for me.  When you have such an amazing story and characters that just grab at your heart strings, little things like misspelled words mean nothing.  Again, the cover is literally "eye" catching.  I have to admit that there was one point, and I'm not going to spoil it, that I actually shed tears.  

Ok now for the real question.. What is it with total heart-throbbing guys with four letter names?  Ponder on that!  Dank is such a strong, powerful character with this heart that contradicts everything he stands for.  I find Abbi Glines' talent is in how she creates or portrays her characters to the readers.  Thank you Abbi!  

For more about Abbi Glines and see more books by her visit her website, and don't forget to add this book along with her others to your Goodreads.

Airel (The Airel Sage Book 1) by Aaron Patterson

Author:  Aaron Patterson and Chris White

Narrated by Phil Gigante

Length:  11 hours

Purchased on Audible

Goodreads Review ~

All Airel ever wanted was to be normal, to disappear into the crowd. But bloodlines can produce surprises, like an incredible ability to heal. Then there’s Michael Alexander, the new guy in school, who is impossibly gorgeous…and captivated by her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she can hear the sound of pages turning, and another, older story being written. It is the story of an ancient family, of great warriors, of the Sword of Light, and the struggle against an evil so terrible, so far-reaching, that it threatens everything. Airel knew change would be an inevitable part of life. But can she hold on when murder and darkness begin to close in and take away everything she loves? Will she have what it takes when the truth is finally revealed?

My Thoughts ~

This book may have been better if I hadn't listened to it.  For me, it was very hard to keep up with because it jumped from present time all the way back to B.C. time.  That's a huge jump in time and it made it hard to believe that something with such a generational gap could exist.  I couldn't keep up because one minute you would be listening to chapter 8 and the next you would be listening to chapter 3.  That is why I say it may have been better to have actually read a paper copy.

As for the story line, the character relationships were hard to make out and I couldn't get a grasp on them.  The love relationship between her and Michael was extremely fast and cheesy.  The narrator made Michael sound silly. The idea behind the story was a good idea if it was only executed better.  I feel, however, that everyone should read and decide for themselves if this book is right for them. 

Overall, I really did not enjoy this book.  If you have read it and think that I should read it in book form please let me know.  I really thought I would enjoy this book.  To read more about Aaron Patterson visit his website.  Aaron is also doing a FAN FICTION Contest for the Airel Saga, so check it out.

Existence by Abbi Glines

Author: Abbi Glines

Pages: 161

Genre:  YA Fiction

Published: Wild Child Publishing.com

From the Back of the Book ~

What happens when you're stalked by Death?  You fall in love with him, of course.

Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life.  Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them.  If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone.  Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face.  Problem is, she knows he's dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done.  He speaks.  Pagan is fascinated by the soul.  What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

My Thoughts ~

Look at those eyes!! Amazingly gorgeous guy on the cover!  Ok, so this was a very short first book, but don't judge it by it's size! It's packed full of great reading. 

Pagan, who as you've read, see's souls wondering around that for her entire life have never made contact with her verbally.  Then Dank Walker, a famous musician and Death himself, shows up at school.  I don't know about you, but any guy as gorgeous as the one on this cover would definitely catch my attention.  Dank, however, has his duty as Death.  Following Pagan around, singing her lullabies at night, he has a change of heart. 

I absolutely fell in love with the characters in this book.  Pagan has a heart of gold and her emotions run deep for everyone she meets.  You don't read many books where passion runs so deep in the main character.  The romantic triangle leaves you torn and longing for resolution.  I was completely shocked at the end, but of course I won't tell you why.  This is a book you will definitely want to read in order to find out what happens.  I am uber excited about the next book!  I stumbled along this book at a book festival in Decatur, GA and met with Abbi for an autographed copy of some of her books, so stay tuned for my review on Existence #2 - Predestined.  

To find out more about the author and her other books, visit http://www.abbiglines.com.  You will definitely want to add this one to Goodreads.

The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

Author:  Jana Oliver

Pages: 340

Genre: YA

Published: St. Martin's Griffin

From the Back of the Book ~

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary demon trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps.  The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta's local Trappers Guild needs all the help it can get - even from a girl.  When she's not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice Simon, Riley's out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils - Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life's about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley's routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood.  And as if that wasn't bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined.  As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart - and her life?

My Thoughts ~

First off, a huge kudos for Jana Oliver, a Georgia girl!  I love the fact that this book takes place in Atlanta, GA.  It makes it feel believable and helps my imagination envision a city I am familiar with in a time of desperation.  The interesting part is that it takes place in 2018, which, hello!, isn't far away.  What an experience!

The main character, Riley Blackthorne is one bad chic.  Instead of working at the local coffee shop, she pays rent by capturing demons who like to destroy.  What I like most about Riley, it that she isn't portrayed as this ninja fighting trapper, but a cunning and witty trapper with a few weak spots.  Her life is rough and she isn't afraid to take life by the throat and conquer it.  However, being brave seems to be what constantly keeps her in trouble.

If you like a book for the romance, this one will have you biting your nails and asking yourself "who should she choose?"  I liked both of the romantic interests in this book and I can't make up my mind about who I think is better.  Simon, the sweet, thoughtful, handsome guy or Beck the hot, rebellious guy with a huge heart.  I guess we will know more about who Riley falls for in the next book.  

This book was very enjoyable and a quick easy read.  The style was simple yet able to keep you interested.  Overall, it had a steady pace.  Also, one of my favorite features it the cover!  I love the whole city in the background and girl on top of the world look.  A big thanks to Laurie, Meg & Caity at http://www.readergirlsblog.com/ for my copy of The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver.  For more information about The Demon Trapper series check out Jana Oliver's website.  Be sure to add this book on Goodreads

Raven by Allison Van Diepen

Author:  Allison Van Diepen

Pages: 279

Genre:  YA Fiction

Published: Simon Pulse

From the Back of the Book ~

Zin dances with fire in every step, speaks in a honey-sweet voice, and has eyes that can peer into your soul. Nicole's friendship with him is the only thing that saves her from the boredom of school and the turmoil of her family life.  It's no wonder she is madly in love with him.  But she can't understand why he keeps her at a distance, even though she can feel his soul reaching out for hers.

Zin is like no guy Nicole has ever met, and he carries with him a very old secret.  When Nicole uncovers the truth, her love may be the only thing that can save him from it.

My Thoughts ~

If you like the Step Up movies or are familiar with dance at all, you are really going to enjoy this book.  The author is able to use dancing lingo to create for the readers a vivid picture of what's happening on the dance floor.  Her methods are a creative and fascinating new spin for the imagination.  It was a refreshing take to literature that I have yet to experience before.  I hope to read more books that include dancing.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read.  It read  a lot different than most books I've read so it took some time to adjust.  By different, I mean it was really fast paced and could have used more detail to execute the plot.  The story line was unique and original.  I can't say that I have ever read any other books about the Jiang Sui; although, for the longest I thought they were just another type of vampire.

As far as the character's relationships, I feel there could have been more details to help develop their stories.  The lack of detail made it hard for me to believe the relationships.  It came across as a type of love at first sight book that almost seemed too unrealistic.  

I feel that this book should have been longer so that the reader could experience closure.  From what I can tell, this is a stand alone book though.

What it all boils down to is , if you are looking for some creative new ideas to add to your imagination, then this book would be a great start.  I want to thank Rachel @ http://wantedreaders.blogspot.com/ for my copy of Raven by Allison Van Diepen. To grab your copy visit Raven.

Froi of the Exiles: The Lumatere Chronicles Book Two

Author: Melina Marchetta
Pages: 593
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: Candlewick Press


From the Back of the Book ~

Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home....or so he believes.  Fiercely loyal to the queen and Finnikin, Froi has been taken roughly and lovingly in hand by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family and has learned to control his quick temper with a warrior's discipline.  But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds in its surreal royal court.  Soon he must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad princess in this barren and mysterious place.

It is in Charyn that he will discover that there is a song sleeping in his blood...and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.

My Thoughts ~

I'm going to try to express my feelings for this book without revealing anything about the shocking ending.  As far as sequals go, this is a wonderful continuation to the first book.  The author picks up with the same pacing, however, to me, Froi's story seemed to drag a little bit in the middle.  I didn't mind so much in this book though, because I expected it.  Marchetta chose to develop several different characters in this book by jumping from Froi to Lady Beatriss to Lucian and Phaedra.  This was a great way to break up the pace.  As a reader, I had the chance to live through the eyes of many characters and develop a love or hate relationship for each.  I hope to learn more about each character that was introduced in the next book, Quintana of Charyn, releasing sometime in March 2013. 

Adopted by the Queen and her consort in the land of the exiles, Froi finds love and family in the Lumaterians as they take him in as one of their own.  Deep down, though, he feels there is more to who he is.  On his mission to assassinate the King of Charyn, he discovers more about himself than he ever dreamed possible.  That's about as much as I can say without spoiling it for those who haven't read it yet. 

I truly enjoyed this book and yes I have to admit that I cried in the end.  I got so caught up in the characters that I felt like I was a part of the book.  I really hope you will pick up the sequel to Finnikin of the Rock and read it.  You will not be disappointed.