Ascend Review

Ascend

By: Amanda Hocking

Published: April,  2012

Wendy Everly is facing an impossible choice. The only way to save the Trylle from their deadliest enemy is by sacrificing herself.  If she doesn’t surrender to the Vittra, her people will be thrust into a brutal war against an unbeatable foe.  But how can Wendy leave all her friends behind…even if it’s the only way to save them?

The stakes have never been higher, because her kingdom isn’t the only thing she stands to lose. After falling for both Finn and Loki, she’s about to make the ultimate choice…who to love forever. One guy has finally proven to be the love of her life—and now all their lives might be coming to an end. 

Everything has been leading to this moment.  The future of her entire world rests in her hands—if she’s ready to fight for it

My Thoughts:

Ascend is the third installment in the Trylle trilogy written by Amanada Hocking. Wendy is married to Tove and must now figure out how to end the war between the Trylle and the Vittra. Wendy will be queen soon and must figure out how to stop the Vittra from taking her kingdom before that happens. Wendy struggles with her feelings for Finn and Loki and must decide which man is her true love as well as what to do about her marriage with Tove a man she is not in love with. Wendy must make the descicsion that will forever change her kingdom and her people.

Torn Review

Torn

By: Amanda Hocking

Published: February 28, 2012

When Wendy Everly first discovers the truth about herself—that she’s a changeling switched at birth—she knows her life will never be the same. Now she’s about to learn that there’s more to the story…

She shares a closer connection to her Vittra rivals than she ever imagined—and they’ll stop at nothing to lure her to their side. With the threat of war looming, her only hope of saving the Trylle is to master her magical powers—and marry an equally powerful royal. But that means walking away from Finn, her handsome bodyguard who’s strictly off limits…and Loki, a Vittra prince with whom she shares a growing attraction.

Torn between her heart and her people, between love and duty, Wendy must decide her fate. If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything, and everybody, she’s ever wanted…in both worlds.

My Thoughts:

Torn is the Second book in the Trylle series by Amanda Hocking. The story continues right where switch left off. Wendy has to decide whether to marry a guy she doesn't love or follow her heart and possible be banished by her own people. Wendy struggles with al  lof the new responsibilities thrown on her as the trylle princess and with a war just around the corner its time she makes some decisions. Can Wendy make the right choice for her heart and her people or will she have to settle for just whats right for the kingdom? I couldn't seem to put this book down, It was ingaging and had you feeling for the choices Wendy had to make. Amanda Hocking is an amazing writer and I can't wait to read the final book in this series.

Switched by Amanda Hocking Review

Switched

by: Amanda Hocking

Published: January 3, 2012

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

My Thoughts:

Switched is the beggining of the Trylee series by Amanda Hocking. Wendy gets taken from the only home shes ever known and thrown into a world she thought nly existed in stories.Wendy went from beng nobody special to a troll princess, who now has to learn all these traditions and rules so she can one day be queen. Wendy falls for her bodyguard Finn who has feelings for her but is also very dedicated to his job and people. Can Wendy get it together and be the Queen everyone expects her to be?  I really enjoyed this book, it was good from the beginning and kept my attention throughout the entire book. I felt bad for Wendy because she was so confused and everyone around get was being so vague. The characters where relatable and real, I felt as though I could feel every emotion they were going through. Can't wait to read the rest if the series

Gone Girl Review

Gone Girl

Written by: Gillian Flynn

Published: May 24,2012

 

Marriage can be a real killer.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around

 

 

 

Megan's Thoughts:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a page turning thriller that will keep you interested from beginning to end. Nick Dunne’s wife has gone missing the morning of their five year wedding anniversary with evidence of possible foul play at the scene. Nick’s nonchalant behavior, as well as holes in his alibi, is quickly making him the number one suspect. But is being unhappy in your marriage and a little bitter make you a killer? There are of course other people that might want to harm Amy. Like her stalker ex-boyfriend from high school or the guy that date raped her just months before her and Nick got together. She is Amazing Amy from the beloved children’s series after all. Fame does sometimes come with a price. The story dives deeper and deeper into Amy and Nick’s married life and reveals shocking secrets from both parties. It is a roller coaster ride and you will spend one half of the book believing you know the characters and you have it all figured out then it will twist so drastically, so abruptly and everything you thought you knew will be wrong. It was fantastically written and thought through. I couldn’t put it down. If you love thrillers packed with secrets, twists and sociopathic behavior then you will love this book 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Water Witch Review

The Water Witch

written by: Juliet Dark

published: February 12,2013

After casting out a dark spirit, Callie McFay, a professor of gothic literature, has at last restored a semblance of calm to her rambling Victorian house. But in the nearby thicket of the Honeysuckle Forest, and in the currents of the rushing Undine River, more trouble is stirring. . . .

The enchanted town of Fairwick’s dazzling mix of mythical creatures has come under siege from the Grove: a sinister group of witches determined to banish the fey back to their ancestral land. With factions turning on one another, all are cruelly forced to take sides. Callie’s grandmother, a prominent Grove member, demands her granddaughter’s compliance, but half-witch/half-fey Callie can hardly betray her friends and colleagues at the college. 

To stave off disaster, Callie enlists Duncan Laird, an alluring seductive academic who cultivates her vast magical potential, but to what end? Deeply conflicted, Callie struggles to save her beloved Fairwick, dangerously pushing her extraordinary powers to the limit—risking all, even the needs of her own passionate heart.

My Thoughts:

The Water Witch by Juliet Dark is the second book in the Fairwick Chronicles series. The Water Witch was a lot more fast paced than demon lover,it elaborated on the history of some more of the main characters. Callie, armed with the knowledge of her family history, is recruited to assist a group of fey back into Faerie or they could die. Callie inadvertently lets out a lethal creature from Faerie that begins to reek havoc on the town of Fairwick. Callie is trying to unlock her true potential to stop the grove from closing the last known door to Faerie. Callie faces creature way more terrifying than an obsessed individual in this second installment. I felt that this book made me more interested in this series than the first as it was more the pace I enjoy and seemed to give more depth to the characters.

Demon Lover Review

Demon Lover

written by: Juliet Dark

published: December 27,2011

I gasped, or tried to. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t draw breath. His lips, pearly wet, parted and he blew into my mouth. My lungs expanded beneath his weight. When I exhaled he sucked my breath in and his weight turned from cold marble into warm living flesh. 

Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.

But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.

My thoughts:

Demon Lover by Juliet Dark is a paranormal romance. The main character, Caillie, is a professor of fairytales and gothic romance. Caillie gets a job as a professor at a college in a small town in New York called Fairwick. While in Fairwick she buys a house that was owned by now deceased Dahila LaMotte, author of gothic romance novels that talk about a demon lover. Caillie also inherits Dahlia's manuscripts and the demon lover she wrote about. The beginning was a little slow going but it sped up towards the middle and end. The ending frustrated me but made me want to read more.

Black Mamba Review

 Black Mamba

Written By: Jac Simensen

Published: April 28, 2011

Recipe for a Spellbinding Voodoo Thriller...Start with a Mamba, a Haitian Voodoo Priestess. Stir in an evil, psychotic, Voodoo Sorcerer, the leader of a Cabal of rich, important men who increase their loathsome powers by sacrificing young virgins in a bizarre, erotic ceremony. Add the innocent, kidnapped daughter of a dead prostitute. Then, fold in a physically stunning Haitian Zouk singer, and a fading rock star. Finally, season the thickening brew with equal portions of sex, betrayal and murder. Simmer and bring to a boil in a battle-to-the death, power duel between the Voodoo Mamba and the Sorcerer set in an otherworldly desert canyon.

Megan's Thoughts:

Black Mamba by Jac Simensen is an exciting thriller with a Voodoo kick. The main character, Stella, is a Voodoo Priestess who inherited her powers from her mother when she was young in Haiti. She is adopted by a wealthy British family and eventually ends up in Atlanta, Georgia. There she believes she can make a difference and deter child prostitution and sex slavery, using her first hand knowledge of this gruesome crime and the spirits that dwell deep within her. Stella comes head to head with a powerful and evil Voodoo Sorcerer who seems to be the hub of the sex slavery in Atlanta and many other major cities in the U.S. The story is smothered in crime, scandal, sex and magic. It can at times get a little confusing because of the number of characters involved and how the chapters jump around, on occasion skipping ahead ten years or so without warning. Overall, a good read especially if you are into twisted stories of blackmail and murder with a little Voodoo to complicate the mix.