Gone by Lisa McMann

Gone
(Wake Series Book #3)
by Lisa McMann

Genre: Paranormal Romance / Young Adult

Dream-catcher Janie must decide her fate: continue living in society and helping the police but eventually become blind and crippled, or isolate herself completely. The choice becomes even more difficult when her father, in a coma and on the brink of death, comes into her life for the first time and reveals important information to Janie through his dreams. Cabel remains a steadfast and loving companion, and Janie’s mother, a barely functioning alcoholic, plays a greater role in this volume.

Things should be great for Janie--she has graduated from high school and is spending her summer with Cabel, the guy she's totally in love with. But deep down she's panicking about how she's going to survive her future when getting sucked into other people's dreams is really starting to take its toll. Things get even more complicated when she meets her father for the very first time--and he's in a coma. As Janie uncovers his secret past, she begins to realize that the choice thought she had has more dire consequences than she ever imagined.

I sped through the previous two wonderful books in the series (WAKE & FADE), but was majorly disappointed in this one - the last one in the series,too. I felt each book was great at building up the drama and GONE was just a major let down on all over. The plot felt blah, nothing too exciting, the characters weren't developing as much as I would have liked and it was more depressing than anything else throughout. Sure we meet the father and had some dream facts revealed, but you could almost predict what would happen to her already. I read this quickly just to see if anything got better near the end (nope!) and I felt Lisa McMann really pushed Janie & Cabel's relationship to add something to the story that she wasn't getting from the plot. Most Dream Catcher followers will read this to finish the series, but as a stand alone - just don't!

Likes: Can't really remember . . . ?!?!?

Dislikes: Lets see . . . no definitive climax, no closure, & no new material. Blah!

Rating:

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Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters

Kiss of Life
(Generation Dead Book #2)
by Daniel Waters


Genre: Paranormal Romance / Young Adult

The phenomenon that’s been sweeping the country seems to be here to stay. Not only are the teenagers who have come back from their graves still here, but newlydeads are being unearthed all the time. While scientists look for answers and politicians take their stands, the undead population of Oakville have banded together in a group they’re calling the Sons of Romero, hoping to find solidarity in segregation.

Phoebe Kendall may be alive, but she feels just as lost and alone as her dead friends. Just when she reconciled herself to having feelings for a zombie -- her Homecoming date Tommy Williams -- her friend Adam is murdered taking a bullet that was meant for her. Things get even more confusing when Adam comes back from the grave. Now she has romantic interest in two dead boys; one who saved her life, and one she can't seem to live without.

The story opens with Adam dealing with his new "life" as a zombie. Some of the newlydead come back more agile & talkative and then some have a much harder time adjusting to being undead. Adam falls into the latter. He can barley speak, barley walk, and his thoughts are all jumbled. Phoebe, on the other hand, is torn between guilt and affection for him. She's sad he sacrificed his life for her, but she's still deeply moved he has feelings for her, something she never knew until after his death. Their relationship has its ups and downs throughout the story all while the zombie generation begins to make rebellious protests (a sort of zombie revolution) to the way they're accepted in society.

I love when you like the first book in a series and then you read the second book . . . and enjoy it ever more! I devoured this story. I got so caught up in Adam's development and Phoebe's torn feelings between Adam and Tommy that I found it hard to put down. It's an emotional tale and you really see the characters change from chapter to chapter. The ending probably wasn't as gut-wrenching as the first book, but it still gets the tension going and gets the reader excited for book three - Passing Strange

Likes: All the visits to the zombie dance club AFTERMATH in New York.

Dislikes: Discovering the Hunter Foundation's experiment of how to "cure" being undead.

Rating:

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Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Eyes Like Stars
(Theatre Illuminata, Act I)
by Lisa Mantchev

Genre: Paranormal Romance / Fantasy / Young Adult

Beatrice Shakespeare Smith, a likable 17-year-old, must find a way to make herself invaluable to the Théâtre Illuminata or she will be forced to leave the only home she has ever known. How she arrived at the theater as a baby is somewhat of a mystery, and through the years she has been allowed to run free and cause mayhem of one kind or another. Beatrice proposes to restage Hamlet set in ancient Egypt and promises it will be the sell-out performance that will restore the Théâtre to its former glory. If that were all, the story line would be fairly straightforward. However, the Théâtre Illuminata is no ordinary theater. Characters from the world's major plays live inside, summoned forth by pinning a note on the Call Board. They are bound to the physical confines of the theater by the pages in The Complete Works of the Stage, an enchanted book. Scene changes happen magically by command, though human Properties and Scenic Managers argue over which pieces belong to whom.

Bertie has only ever known the Théâtre; it's been her playroom, her connection to friends, and her home since infantry. Her room is a set, she pulls all her clothes from wardrobe, and she uses props and stage makeup whenever she likes, but things are beginning to change. Her actions are no longer being over looked and, since she's not a true "character" but a orphan given to the Théâtre, she's (now 17) being treated as someone who has to take full responsibility of her life. Thus, to prove her step into adult hood and that she can truly be apart of "home" - she decides to direct a play. Not just any play, a new version of Hamlet.

This story really sparkled! Honestly, I got the book from the library solely for the cover - which I found amazing. She rocks the blue hair! Yet, the story is so unique and enjoyable that it is hard NOT to dig right in. I loved Bertie's various personalities (vulnerability, curiosity, being sarcastic, etc.) and I believe her character really made her different from most female leads. Plus, the chemistry she develops with Nate, a pirate from THE LITTLE MERMAID, and Ariel, an air spirit from THE TEMPEST kept me coming back for me. It's truly an enchanting tale and I cannot wait for Perchance to Dream.

Likes: Bertie's stubborn interactions with the Théâtre manager are hilarious! Great humor throughout.

Dislikes: I know the fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream where there to provide comic relief, but they were almost TOO annoying at times.

Rating:

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The China Garden by Liz Berry

The China Garden
by Liz Berry

Genre: Paranormal Romance / Fantasy / Young Adult

'Remember, I tried to stop you. Don't blame me. Remember I tried to warn you.'
Clare is chilled by her mother's warnings to stay away from Ravensmere, the large country house where her mother has taken a private nursing job. But Clare knows she has to go there - it is not a choice but a compulsion. And she only intends to stay a few weeks, anyway, just until she goes to university in the autumn. Ravensmere is a strange, enchanting place, but she grows increasingly disturbed. How come the local villagers appear to know her? Why is she having these odd visions? And who is the attractive, leather-clad stranger who is watching her? What is the power of the Benison and why must she visit the China Garden in the middle of the night? Ravensmere casts a magical spell over Clare, drawing her into a mystery that stretches back over thousands of years. She knows that Ravensmere and the valley are in danger and that time is running out - but will she risk her future to save it? The China Garden is a haunting novel of an ancient legend, family secrets and young love. A heady mixture of romance and mystery.

Basic Summary = Clare, moves out to the country to Ravensmere and leaves London and Adrian, her controlling boyfriend behind. There, she meets Mark, and falls in love with him and begins to discover the secrets behind the saying . . .

Guard Ravensmere well

Its stones and hollows,

Health and prosperity

Always doth follow.

Let Ravensmere die,

Let the land be torn open,

The end of the world

Is surely betokened.

It's a remarkably likable plot full of myth, history, mystery and a little romance. Wasn't too thrilled with the ending since it got a little too Sci-Fi'ish for my taste. The beginning was brilliant though. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of the hidden English estate, an ancient family secret, and the cryptic way the superstitious villagers just "knew" Clare was coming to Ravensmere. I found the whole unraveling of the mother's dark past fascinating as well. Yet, I sadly found myself skipping whole pages to jump ahead in the story. It didn't capture my attention and basically the book had too many sections that just . . . dragged along and then at the end, the story picks up WAY too quickly.

Likes: The mythical vibe the countryside created.

Dislikes: The love story seemed a bit too far fetched/shallow and the fact that Clare and Mark are really cousins . . . um, ew! Too taboo to overlook that one!

Rating:

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Ruined by Paula Morris

Ruined
by Paula Morris

Genre: Paranormal Romance / Fantasy / Young Adult

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

Rebecca is left with her 'Aunt' Claudia, a French Quarter Tarot card reader, and her daughter Aurelia while her father is out of the country. Adjusting to a new city, new school, and new friends is harder than she imagined, but after sneaking into a nearby cemetery late one night - her life becomes a lot stranger.

It's a good old New Orleans ghost story! I think I enjoyed this story more for the fact of picking out all the places Rebecca lived, visited, went to school, ate at, and what-not around the city. It's fun to actually have the detailed places set in my mind first and to then build the story around them. It's a good history lesson as well, for the cities past and people. Though it got a bit cheesy at the end, the book throughout was enjoyable and very true to the New Orleans culture.

Likes: Lisette's annual journey to here home through the city.

Dislikes: It became very predictable and the ending happened too quickly for my taste.

Rating:

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The Wolf Next Door by Lydia Dare

The Wolf Next Door
(The Westfield Wolves Book #3)
by Lydia Dare

Genre: Paranormal Romance

They can't even be in the same room together...Ever since their failed elopement years ago, Prisca Hawthorne has taunted, insulted, and in every way tried to push him away. If only her heart didn't break every time Lord William Westfield left her...But staying apart is even worse...Lord William throws himself into drinking, gambling, and debauchery and pretends not to care about Prisca at all. But when he returns to find a rival werewolf vying for her hand, he'll stop at nothing to claim the woman who should have been his all along. Can Prisca forgive the unforgivable, or are the moon-crossed lovers going to be forced into a battle of wills that could be fatal?

Will and Prissy have always been at each others throats. Neither are willing to admit that they have romantic feelings for the other; so instead they bicker, they quarrel, they infuriate their friends and family by keeping up a silly facade of hatred, and in like most Regency romances . . . they end up forced into marriage. Yet, the story has a twist with Will and his brothers actually being werewolves. Can the couple's loath for each other be turned into love when Will's wild side becomes known?

I haven't read a good historical romance for a while, so this was fun + it has werewolves (yummy!). I found I read half the book in one sitting and devoured the last half shortly after and considering this was book three in a series, it held strong as a stand alone read. Definitely a sizzling Regency England tale that has gone to the wolves! Of course, I'll be checking out the two previous books in the series since I'd love to see how the other brothers (Simon and Benjamin) fared.

Likes: Will & Prisca's bickering was enjoyable throughout and her brothers were great characters as well.

Dislikes: Not much to dislike: romance - check, humor - check, historical - check. Good!

Rating:

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Seven Tears into the Sea by Terri Farley

Seven Tears into the Sea
by Terri Farley

Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal Romance / Young Adult

Gwen Cooke was 10 years old when chronic sleepwalking led her onto a midnight beach and into a world of Celtic magic, mystery and danger. Was her encounter with a boy with dark, slightly tilted eyes a dream? Were the words he whispered before vanishing, a spell? In the wake of gossip over what really happened to Gwen, her family moved away from their seaside home and Gwen never saw the boy again. Now seventeen, Gwen is returning to her childhood home. She says it's because her grandmother asked for her help at the Sea Horse Inn. But Gwen knows it's time to go back for another reason: She yearns for the sea. Perhaps the sea itself is calling to her. Perhaps the memory of the boy and his haunting words are drawing her back to the place they met. Perhaps it's time for her to face her destiny.

It's been seven years since Gwen has visited the seaside community that once was her home. At 17, she's decided to help out at her Grandmother's coastal inn for the summer and try to figure out what exactly happened years earlier when her family fled the place. On her first day, she meets Jesse and he finally starts to shine some light on her past and what is to come.

This book was full of mystery, romance, and old-time community folk lore. I enjoyed it a lot since it brought to life a not-so-well-known myth (Scottish Selkie) that was a fun twist to the traditional mermaid stories. It's definitely a quick/lite read, easy to get caught up in and the ending will keep you wanting more and googling if there's a sequel (which sadly . . . there's isn't one) once you reach the last page! Good Summer Read!!!

Likes: It's a perfect balance of enchantment and suspense.

Dislikes: The story was too short (I wanted more!) and the reader understands things a lot quick than Gwen does.

Rating:

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