Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Hourglass
(Evernight Book #3)
by Claudia Gray

Genre: Paranormal Romance / Young Adult 

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas. After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at their hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—hiding is no longer an option. Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can't escape her destiny. Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything . . . but can it survive what's to come?

The Evernight series follows Bianca, the teenage daughter of vampire parents who has both bloodthirsty and human qualities, and her mortal beloved, Lucas, to Manhattan, a “city with a serious vampire problem.” Posing as a member of the vampire-hunting group Black Cross, to which Lucas belongs, Bianca continues to take part in the war between humans and vampires, which rages everywhere from elegant apartments to Central Park.

Seventeen-year-old Bianca, half-vampire, half-human, & twenty-year-old Lucas, a Black Cross vampire killer ,continue to take refuge with the enemy. Effected by dizzying spells and a weaker body due to the lack of interactions with her own kind, Bianca must beat the odds of remaining undetected even though she is afraid of who and more importantly what she is becoming. Hourglass is highly tension packed at times and at others quite emotional with the whole bond of family/friends. There's some big shockers that really break your heart, but with the story plot . . . it was pretty much inevitable. The ending was excruciating for me since I would have chosen differently, but it definitely spices things up.

Likes: Modern Romeo & Juliet tale with a twist!

Dislikes: A plot twist full of death and heartache!

Rating:

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The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

The Reckoning
(Darkest Powers Trilogy Book #3)
by Kelley Armstrong

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Young Adult

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.

Still on the run from the Edison Group, Chloe and the gang try to figure out the next move in their chaotic escape for a life that offers some protection from harm. Having figured out that they themselves were cruel experiments; they turn to the only safe place they have left - a friend of Simon & Derek's dad, Andrew . Having the chance to stop running, rest, and practice their frightfully emerging powers, Chloe (necromancer) and her friends Simon (sorcerer), Derek (werewolf), and Tori (witch) along with help from Liz (poltergeist) finally decide to fight for their right to live freely in the future.

I read the first two books of this series quite quickly, so when this one came out, I dove right in as well. Even up until the end of the book, I had no idea this was a trilogy and sadly I wanted more at the last page. We were just getting to see the 'sun come out of the clouds' for these kids and finally Derek & Chloe were admitting their true feelings and more. The story moves pretty quickly, so you'll get caught up in the book from the beginning. I enjoyed the whole series and Armstrong's writing really helps the reader feel trapped or alone in the world when the gang gets stuck in tricky/deadly situations. Plus, she creates that perfect spook factor, which I just adore! Even though I'd love to read more about these guys, I'm satisfied how the Darkest Power's Trilogy ended. Overall, I'm still a fan of Kelley Armstrong (ever since I first feel in love with her writing through "Bitten") and will remain so.

Likes: Derek & Chloe's growing romance and Derek's growth into his werewolf self.

Dislikes: Still not a big fan of Tori, I had hoped she would change a little bit more throughout the series, but o'well.

Rating:

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