Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her (Barnesandnoble.com)?

This is the first installment in the Strange Angels series. I found that this book was dark, dangerous and different. Three Ds! I was really excited to read it because the cover on the copy that I have says, "Dru Anderson: Night Hunter. Knife Thrower. Heart Breaker." Unfortunately, I did find she was any of those things, at least in this installment.

In the beginning of the book, there was a sentence that really got to me. "I never saw Dad alive again." That aspect of the book really depressed me. Dru doesn't have anyone. First her mom, then her grandma, then her dad? Sad! It seemed like she had a really great dad too! Sure, he was always putting himself in danger fighting the bad guys and he would leave Dru home alone a lot but he did it for a reason. He made sure she was responsible and taught her a lot of valuable lessons.

One thing that really bothered me about this book is the extremely frequent use of the GD word. What the heck? It seemed like the word was used on every page. Seriously. Does Dru not know any other good swear words?

The beginning was really reeled me in because her dad dies and she is now alone and what is she supposed to do? The middle was less exciting for me. The end was awesome though. A new character is introduced, Christophe. That's where I kind of got reeled back in.

There are some mythical creatures that are totally new to me in this book that I am kind of excited about. suckers. So far all I know is that suckers are like vampires but they can also turn people into zombies. Scary! There are also different mythical creatures that are briefly introduced that I am excited about too.

Because I really liked the end and it made me really look forward to the next book in the series, Betrayals, I give this one an overall 4/5. The ending saved it.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever (Barnesandnoble.com).




What a great book to start the month off with! This is the first book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I got Linger in the mail, the second book of the series and I really wanted to read it so I picked this one up.

I usually don't like when books switch POVs off and on throughout the book but I really loved how the author switched from Sam's to Grave's POV. It just worked. I love Grace and Sam, they are really great characters. They are opposites, too, which I think is interesting. Grace is a book worm and Sam is an artist. My favorite part of the book is how Grace loved Sam for so many years even when she knew him only as a wolf.

I was surpised that one of my favorite characters was Isabel. In the beginning I thought she was going to be a great antagonist and then all of the sudden I really liked her. She is very smart and I think she has a lot more going on then she lets on. Her character is dynamic and I can tell she is going to be fun to read about in Linger.

The plot had me perpetually sad. It kind of reminded me of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready. If you liked Shade, you will definitely like this book. There were some parts of the both books that were eerily similar. I kept thinking that I wasn't going to like how the book ended but I really liked the ending.

I am really enjoying Schiefvater's writing and I have Ballad and Lament and I can't wait to read them but first I have to see what's next for Sam and Grace in Linger.

Overall: 5/5

The Reckoning by Kelly Armstrong

My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.

But normal is one thing I'm not.

For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother—who just happens to be a sorcerer—but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.

Not normal.

My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us—permanently.

Definitely not normal.

And finally, I'm a genetically altered necro-mancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.

As far away from normal as it gets (Barnesandnoble.com).

Can I just say I can't believe this is the last one! I didn't realize it was the last book in the trilogy because I thought it was a series, not a trilogy. I want more! This book was the best of all three of the books.

In this one, Chloe gets much better with her powers and gets into more trouble. Her and her pack of friends are on the run and but they can really handle themselves. I feel really bad for Simon because he likes Chloe so much but she doesn't like him. Chloe and Derek get closer. I think this is the first time that I have read a book and thought the main character was with the wrong boy. But, I think that is because Derek creeped me out so much in the first book and Simon is so sweet.

I liked the whole werewolf thing, though. I am kind of excited to get into Armstrong's other series, Otherworld so that I can read more about her werewolves. It starts with Bitten.

This trilogy has an exciting world to dive into, with magic, werewolves, necromancers, adventure and a little love.

The only disappointment is the way it ended. It can't be over, can it? No, I want another book! The ending is driving me crazy. I want more answers, more story. Armstrong has a lot of other books that I am ready to get into.

Overall: 4/5

The Awakening by Kelly Armstrong

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl — someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment — not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends — a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch — and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying (Barnesandnoble.com).

This is the second book in the Darkest Powers trilogy. I love trilogies because it doesn't feel like the series is going on...and on...and on. But at the same time it's better than a stand alone book because there is more room to expand on the story and fall in love with the characters.

In this book Chloe is finding out more about her newly discovered powers and she is getting to know Derek. In the first book of the trilogy, Derek is scary and we don't like him. In this book, we find out that Derek is really protective, even though he gets on Chloe case a lot.

This book was not as good as the first book of the series or the the last but we do find out a lot of good stuff. It was a good read but I the ending wasn't a cliff-hanger that makes you want to read the next one. That is good and bad. I hate when I read a book in a series and there is a serious cliff-hanger ending that have to wait a year to find out what happens. So, it was nice end without that pain. BUT, I already had the third book in the series so I would have actually liked to read a cliff-hanger ending in this case. Just my luck.

I really like this trilogy but compared to other books it wasn't my favorite. I do love the characters, though. The characters are some of the best I have read.

Overall: 3/5