Tuesday 29 January 2013

Teaser Tuesday (28): Prodigy (Legend, #2)


Teaser Tuesday: Prodigy (Legend, #2) 
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
·Grab your current read 
·
Open to a random page 
·
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page 
·
Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.


Author: Marie Lu
Publication Date: January 29, 2013
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Description from Goodreads:
June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long. 

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?









Teaser:

     " "Rarely has the Republic been as vulnerable as it is now. There will never be a better time to spark a revolution. ...there are two things you can give us that our other Runners can't. One: your fame, your status as the people's champion. And two"- he points his drink at June - "your lovely friend." " (page 29)

So this was just released today and I'm just a couple chapters in and gah I am LOVING it! The one thing I love about these books is the alternating text color for June and Day, and this time Day's text is this gorgeous deep blue!

What're you reading this Tuesday? Leave a link so I can see! ALSO if you haven't read Delirium by Lauren Oliver yet, enter to win a copy HERE.

Saturday 26 January 2013

Stacking the Shelves (16): The Kate Daniels Version

Hosted by Tynga

This school term has been nutso, so many labs! So I've been seriously blog slacking. But what I got done the past few weeks:



I bought:


What'd you guys get this week? Link me up so I can stop by! ALSO go enter to win Delirium if you haven't read it yet!


Movie Review: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters


How to turn childhood trauma into a career: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters



Released: January 25, 2012
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Writers: Tommy Wirkola & Dante Harper
Rating: 18A
Starring: 
Jeremy Renner as Hansel
Gemma Arterton as Gretel
Famke Janssen as Muriel
Pihla Viitala as Mina
Peter Stormare as Sheriff Berringer
Rainer Bock as Mayor Engleman

Full cast and crew HERE








Synopsis: 
I'm sure most of you have heard the story of Hansel and Gretel by now. Did you ever wonder what their lives would be like after they escaped the witch? Well look no further, because Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters will tell you!

Traumatized, and orphaned these siblings become inseparable in their quest to rid the land of witches so that no one else has to end up on the dining table of a witch. Honing their skills and racking up the body count they build a formidable reputation for themselves. With an ominous Blood Moon approaching a small town and their children becomes the target for a coven of witches. Desperate the Mayor enlists the help of Hansel and Gretel. 

What starts out as a routine hunt soon becomes more complicated as the bread crumbs of their past is revealed...

Review:

     The movie starts off with a flashback to their youth, and the infamous candy house witch. This is a great recap for people who may not be completely familiar with the story. It's kept quick, simple and has a much more action based ending for the witch than the original story. Although it did leave out some crucial details to the story, it's more of a guideline for the rest of the movie anyways.

     Fast forward to years later (we're never actually told but I'm guessing probably 20 or so years later?). Hansel and Gretel having never found their way home, or their parents; subsequently become orphans. Angry and bitter at the witch that captured them, they make it their life's mission to rid the world of witches. With some seriously out of the time period, but wicked looking weapons they make their name known across the land. 

     First off, I was super surprised this was an 18A ('R') movie, but since you can only do so much with a story that's already well known - what they turned this into was a gore/jump scare/ silly humor/ boob fest. It was so gory, that it became cheesy gory and was hilarious at some points. There's a lot of dead-pan humor, and the modern swear words in a very medieval set felt so out of place that you had to laugh. 

     Jeremy Renner as Hansel, is his usual military badass self. His experiences with the candy house witch and the abandonment from his parents have definitely left their mark on him. He hunts with a singleminded focus, with no distractions (women would throw themselves at him and he seemed completely oblivious to it...), and suppresses any thoughts of his childhood. What I found as a super interesting plot device to add into his story was the detrimental effects of all the candy that he was forced to eat as a child - so you get a little bit of a health lesson while you're watching. BONUS: Jeremy Renner shirtless, do you really need to know any more?

     Gemma Arterton as Gretel was awesome! She's tough, smart and you could tell that she has to take a lot of bull from drunken backwoods men who think that women are only useful in the kitchen - but she takes it with grace and a hard headed approach. 

     While Hansel and Gretel worked together like a well tuned machine, I didn't feel like there was a deep sibling relationship. There were some scenes where I was just thinking - these are some really good looking people and whoaa are they going to kiss?!?! So I was slightly confused and weirded out, I had to keep reminding myself they were siblings. 

     One of the glaring problems I had with this movie was the townsmen. While this movie is based on witch hunting (and all the witches are female in this universe), there's a lot of misogyny. You know how mob mentally is during witch hunts, they all start accusing the pretty single female girl. But even Gretel's strength couldn't overcome it, and I was really hoping for a super strong female smackdown with a self satisfied smirk at the end. But she ended up turning into a damsel in distress and that was really disappointing. 

     The witches in this movie and their gruesome appearance was pretty spectacular. Seeing Famke Janssen as a witch for the first time was terrifying and damn she can whip up some creative curses. The overall plot that the witches had going was a pretty predictable one (I actually ended up guessing the "plot twist" at the beginning), but it works with the purpose of the movie.

     The movie was action packed in the beginning and it was off to an entertaining start. Then it tried to make Hansel and Gretel form other meaningful relationships which bogged the movie down partway through. I'm not quite sure where they were trying to go with it. There were also a lot of huge revelations about their past and what really bothered me was that it didn't seem to phase them and they didn't build on it or comment on it - it was just kind of revealed and off they went to take a witch head! 


Overall: 3/5 (Rounded up from 2.5) Drinkable Cups of Tea.
I feel very 'meh' about it. I didn't hate it, but it's pretty much a movie for if you want to sit for an hour and a half and not do much thinking. If you go into this with low expectations you'll be fine. The weapons were a bit too advanced for the time period and it had a very shallow and predictable plot but if you liked Van Helsing odds are you'll find this entertaining. I think your best bet would be to wait until it's in a cheap theater or rent it when it comes out, it wasn't worth the Ultra AVX 3D price tag attached to it.
     

Friday 18 January 2013

Review & Giveaway: Delirium (Delirium, #1) by Lauren Oliver

Delirium (Delirium, #1) by Lauren Oliver


Delirium in The Wilds!
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publication Date: February 1, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA, Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 441
Source: Bought it
Book Description from Goodreads:
THEY SAY that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. And I've always believed them. Until now.
Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected
with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.


Review:
     Set in a version of the United States where the borders are closed to the rest of the world to control the spread of the deadly and rampant Amor deliria nervosa - aka 'love'. Strict curfews, guards and a religious government control every aspect of a teenager's life to prevent a resurgence of this disease and in return citizens live long, "healthy" and conflict free lives. The story follows Lena, months away from the procedure that'll prevent this devastating illness that has cast a dark shadow over her entire life - but then someone unexpected happens, and soon she finds herself torn between her perfect life and the truth...or is it just Amor deliria nervosa taking root?

     There was so much hype for each of the books released that I just knew I had to read this book, but at 411 pages it seemed quite daunting. So knowing I'd be spending a lot of time on the beach in Mexico I figured it'd be a perfect companion. I ended up finishing this book in a couple of sittings, it was absolutely engrossing!
     
     The beginning of the chapters contain a little snippet with a bit of the history of this alternate world, or facts about their society and the disease. Oliver considers every tiny detail and builds this intricate culture and an incredibly realistic disease. When I was reading the descriptions of the disease I'd end up stopping to think and compare my own life experiences with love to the checklist (I've definitely got it bad....) and marveling at the conviction of the government to control this disease.

     Lena, the main character was surprisingly complex and multifaceted. On one hand she had absolute confidence in her elders, and that the path she's set on is the right one. While she regurgitates all the right answers, and does as she's told there's this wonderful rebellious spark to her that pops out unexpectedly! I loved watching her evolution from this reserved law abiding citizen, to someone who craved life and love and would do anything for it.

     Alex - love interest extraordinaire and just full of surprises! He's hardworking, devoted and risks everything for even the slightest chance at love. With a painful past, and full of secrets I was definitely as intrigued as Lena about this boy! 

     While it took me a little bit of time to get used to the rigid style of writing that occurs in the beginning, I quickly realized that like Lena, there was a bold divide where the writing takes on the excitement and passion that the characters go through. It works wonders for contrasting the strictness of the city to the wild abandon of The Wilds! 
     
     Oliver takes these two on a whirlwind romance of summer lovin'. But as Lena learns more about a whole other world she was completely ignorant about, the more her own world starts to crumble as her deadline for the treatment quickly approaches. Oliver had me so captivated by the characters, and the tense situations they were in that I never even saw the major reveals and twists! Also...THAT ENDING! OH MY THAT ENDING! 


Overall: 5/5 Steaming HOT Cups of Tea!
Oliver's writing is marvelously paced in a twisted world where love is a debilitating disease and with characters that live like there's no tomorrow. Go read it if you haven't already!!

Speaking of which, I happen to have an extra Paperback copy of Delirium (I bought the hardcover when it was on sale), so I figured I'd do a giveaway for anyone (in the US/CAN) who hasn't had the chance to read this fabulous book yet!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday 12 January 2013

Review: Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1) by Illona Andrews


Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1) by Illona Andrews

Author: Illona Andrews
Publication Date: April 1, 2007
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 260
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Source: Gifted from Karen at For What It's Worth Reviews
Book Description from Goodreads: 
When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate's guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta's magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate's guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she's way out of her league—but she wouldn't have it any other way…


Review:

     In an alternate version of a Post-Apocalypse modern day Atlanta, magic wreaks havoc in waves and in its wake it brings a whole slew of magical problems from total technological failure to creatures of the dark running rampant on the streets. Task forces have formed to protect people and contain the creatures, but not many have the versatility and the skill to handle every rogue monster.... that is except for Kate Daniels.

     The covers aren't exactly eye catching and each book of this version of the series follows the same theme, and in the fantasy section they kind of blend in with every other epic hero. But after I read the story and got to know the characters on the cover, I got a little bit giddy every time I saw them.

     I was initially recommended this series as something to read inbetween Karen Marie Moning releases, and its proven to be a great choice! It features Kate Daniels as your no-nonsense, kick ass, smart mouthed heroine that's deadly with a sword and has a past that's just riddled with mysteries. Part mercenary and part detective, she's like a blood hound when she's got a target in mind and I dare you to try and stop her. She was an instantly likable character and her interactions with other characters with her often witty banter can sometimes get her into a world of trouble. So when the last of her family Greg ends up the victim of a grisly murder, Kate takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of it and avenge him.

     A dark evil orchestrating in the darkness starts bringing the body count up as Kate's investigation takes her all around Atlanta. She's racing against the clock to prevent an all out war between "The People" and shape-shifters. Her investigation leads her into the belly of the Beast Lord Curran. When you're first introduced to Curran there's no doubt about his status as alpha of the pack. He just oozes power, masculinity and control. Watching him butt heads with an equally strong willed Kate was hilarious, frustrating and kind of hot...

     The story takes us on a wild action packed ride, and while at times I felt a bit confused about the lore I think I just need to get used to the relaxed Kate Daniels style of story telling. This husband-wife writing team creates a gritty dark world with a refreshing take on some old monsters (the necromancers and vampires were ingenious!). While it starts out a bit slow, they build up the world and the people in it with meticulous detail and when you get to about halfway I guarantee you won't be able to put this book down! 
Overall: 4/5 Hot Cups of Tea!
I'm completely addicted to this magical post apocalypse wasteland and especially Kate Daniels and Curran. This is a definite must read for fans of Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series. I'm going to completely devour these books!

     

Sunday 6 January 2013

Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James


Note the following reviews contain mature and semi-spoilery content!


Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1) by E.L. James
Author: E.L. James
Publication Date: May 26, 2011
Publisher: Vintage
Pages: 385
Genre: Adult, Erotica, BDSM, Romance
Source: Bought it
Book Description from Goodreads:
When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.
 
Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.


Review:

     When I first heard about this book, I heard the following things: it was originally Twilight fan fiction and thus described as "mommy porn" for those Twi-hard moms and secondly it was BDSM. I'm not really into BDSM, and based on the explosions of shock and awe on Twitter and review sites I gathered that it was really dark BDSM. In my mind I was thinking Cleveland steamers, lots of anal related play and really torturous fetishes. But apparently my imagination ran wild with that one and I was envisioning far more disturbing scenarios than what it was. I should have known that the loudest proponents of this book were likely pretty sexually repressed adults that haven't really read many erotica/romance novels - let alone BDSM. But it was something new and adult themed that they could latch onto during the Twilight off season. 

     I read this article awhile back, that attributes the success of the series to its relatively tame covers and I definitely have to agree. The innocuousness of a tie, and a very nondescript title made it less embarrassing for the aforementioned sexually repressed readers to buy it and or read it in public without ridicule (although by now I'm pretty sure everyone knows what it's about), since there isn't a half naked man ravaging a half naked woman on the cover (I don't read these in public either because I hate having to stop reading every 5 minutes in order to listen to some old biddy yelling at me that I'm going to hell for reading smut - I live in a very conservative city). 

     Anyways, we're first introduced to shy, sexually inexperienced virgin Anastasia Steele (to be fair this sounds like a bad porno name to begin with) who in a twist of fate has to fill in for her best friend for an interview with Seattle's most eligible and successful bachelor Christian Grey. Ana has a penchant for running an internal monologue - and generally that's okay to talk to yourself in your head I mean I'm doing it now, but Ana takes it to a whole new level. She ends up splitting herself into multiple personalities - her immature sex drive the "Inner Goddess" that sounds and acts like a child with a shiny new toy and then there's her "subconscious" that's a bit abusive. These two are silly and simplistic in their exchanges with Ana, and soon it gets really bothersome. All in all, Ana irritated me from her inability to say no, to rationalizing abuse, to not even owning a freaking computer - she's easily molded and manipulated and quieted with sex.

      Christian Grey, I can see why people would love this rich, charming, sophisticated, absurdly possessive and domineering man that demands subservience from his women - in some really odd ways (you have to eat, but you have to stay skinny). For me he definitely makes the book, but not for the aforementioned reasons. To me he's a psychologists (at this point it could be literally and figuratively) wet dream with all that childhood trauma, sexual abuse and psycho-sexual dysfunction that even I could see a mile away before it was even hinted at in the plot. That's what kept me reading this train wreck of a series, I wanted to know if and how he'd overcome all his mentally and physically erected barriers to intimacy.

     The sex and sexual acts in this is by no means anything new, okay except one thing that involves a female personal hygiene product that I can never look at the same way again, it just kills the mood right then and there. I know it's a reality, but it's not something I want to see in my fiction and there is NOTHING sexy about it. The BDSM aspect is MILD. Control freak Grey sets some stringent rules, and limits most of the interactions to getting off on physical abuse of his submissive. From my understanding BDSM is supposed to be consensual and pleasurable for both parties involve, and I'm pretty sure it's not really pleasurable when you're getting your ass beat and tears are streaming in pain and anger. But these two are in the honey moon phase (they've just met), and like the cycle of relationship abuse they apologize, she gives him more and more chances and we keep going on.

     As this was originally Twilight fan fiction, I spent a good portion of the book finding the correlations between the two. It's everywhere, and James is not subtle about it. It gets mixed around a bit, but it's very obvious in the music discussions and the obsessions with expensive toy cars. The style of writing is kept extremely simple, repetitive to drive home the point and dances along at an upbeat tempo. There's a lot of ups and downs, and James definitely knows how to hook the readers into the next book with a heartbreaking ending. What I think keeps, especially women reading this (I've seen a lot of guys reading this lately, and I'm really wondering what's drawing them to this, curiosity?) is the spoiling riches and the possibility that it may be possible that a guy will actually change drastically for the woman he loves if she just tries hard enough. It's started a BDSM erotica fever... and while I may not have liked this much at all, hey it's gotten people to read (and maybe be the doorway to better stories?) and get out of their shells a bit right?


Overall: Two Tepid Cups of Tea.
Read it because you're beyond curious about the fuss, then try some other erotica. Might I suggest Backstage Pass (Sinners on Tour, #1) by Olivia Cunning.

Saturday 5 January 2013

Stacking the Shelves (15): The Post Christmas Edition

Hosted by Tynga



It's been a crazy month of December/beginning of January. I ran off to Mexico for a family wedding/vacation, then I had finals and then I was preoccupied with Christmas and all the insanity that entails and now the beginning of a new term. But boy did I ever get some awesome books that I can scratch off my wishlist now! 

The Past couple of week's on the blog:



Gifted:

Won:

Bought: 


I'm in the midst of inventorying and sorting all my books, look for a book swap list soon, I've got too many doubles of books! 

What'd you guys get over the holidays? Link me up and I'll be sure to stop by!

Tuesday 1 January 2013

Review: Release (The Protector, #3) by M.R. Merrick

Thanks to Valerie @ Stuck in Books for hosting this!

Release (The Protector, #3) by M.R. Merrick

Author: M.R. Merrick
Publication date: December 8, 2012
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy
Source: e-ARC provided by author for review
Book Description from Goodreads: 
After uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems.
Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father. Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates.
Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made - especially regarding Rayna.
One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past - sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight.





About the Author:
M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer, and author of Exiled, the first installment in The Protector Series. Having never traveled, he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he's usually found at the computer, between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal.





Review:

     For someone so young, Chase has seen a lot of death and destruction and it doesn't look like it's going to be ending soon. This time around in the third installment of Merrick's Protector Series, Chase's title as The Protector is heavily challenged as he's hunted by the psychotic multi-shifter Arian, while racing his father Riley from dimension to dimension to get to Ithreal's soul pieces to prevent worldwide annihilation and keeping his friends breathing. But after the events of Exiled and Shift, Chase is cut off from the Gods and now his powers start going haywire, it seems like this whole saving the world thing would have to been done the old fashioned way with a little elbow grease and a good dagger. 

     I love the covers of these series, they're always so mysterious and their full meaning isn't revealed until well into the story and everything clicks and you have an "aha!" moment. 

     Chase has always been pretty hot headed, and with so many elements burning in his core he needs to learn emotional control fast - but with everyone rushing to deal with the coming onslaught, I felt like he was pretty isolated and left to figure things out on his own for the most part. I was really proud that he took so much initiative and really proved his worth as a leader and The Protector in some of the most trying situations. 

     Sometimes intriguing secondary characters never get their day, but I was so surprised how much depth and history Merrick revealed in Released that added to the growth of several characters and their story arcs in addition to Chase's story. This was especially true with Willy (my absolute favorite character) and his tragic past in conjunction with the vampire Vincent's familial problems that end up being a large thorn in Chase's side.

     I especially loved that Chase's friends end up playing a more integral role to his character development. Tiki acts like The Protector's conscience, gently reminding Chase of his obligations to every poor soul in any world that needs help. They constantly clash for a while, but it's important in the road to Chase fully accepting his role as The Protector.

     Since more or less solidifying their relationship in Shift, Rayna and Chase this time around are a bit more subdued. I was a bit sad that we didn't get to see more of them together (but this story isn't meant to be a bad teen romance), but the stolen moments that they do get are so cute and give such a bright flare of hope for Chase to keep trudging through the dark. 

     Merrick continues The Protector Series with his sharp wit, distinctive and alluring demonic dimensions and of course thrilling visceral action sequences. But here's the thing, I was so used to Merrick's action sequences I thought I knew how they'd play out - because it was formulaic. There's some equal sparring, a sudden dire situation and desperation but it all works out in the end because that's how a heroes story goes. 

     I have to hand a slow appreciative clap to Merrick right here because while these sequences kept me entertained, they lulled me into such a deep sense of security that I was completely blind sided by the ending. I mean, Merrick had to have some serious cajones to pull that ending off, I am both shocked and supremely pissed and can't wait to see what happens in the next installment!
Overall: 4/5 Hot Cups of Tea!
You'll laugh, you'll bask in awe at vivid landscapes of demonic worlds, gasp at the graphic and bloody action and more likely than not, you'll cry.

Giveaway:

Grande Prize Pack (3 Winners)
3x Signed paperbacks (Exiled, Shift, Release)
3x Signed 8x10 posters (Exiled, Shift, Release)
5x Bookmarks
1x Notebook (Winner’s choice of cover)
1x Magnet
Runner-up Prize Pack (5 Winners)
1x Signed paperback (Winner’s choice of Exiled, Shift, or Release) with signed poster
1x bookmark (Winner’s choice)
1x Magnet
Secondary Prizes A (10 Winners)
Release eBooks
Secondary Prize B (10 Winners)
1x bookmark (winner’s choice)
1x The Protector magnet
Winners will be chosen as followsFirst 3 names drawn from Rafflecopter will get the grand prize. The following 5 names get the runner-up prize. The following 10 names win ebook copies of Release, and the final 10 names win the swag pack.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Teaser Tuesday (27): Magic Burns


Teaser Tuesday: Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, #2)
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
·Grab your current read 
·
Open to a random page 
·
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page 
·
Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.


Author: Illona Andrews
Publication Date: April, 2008
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Description from Goodreads:
As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.

When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, Celtic god Morfran supersedes goddess Morrigan for witch coven worshippers of the Crow, and sea monsters from the Underworld enter via the Cauldron of Plenty. Kate starts looking for Pack maps and 13-year old Julia's witch mother, and ends up uniting shapeshifters and vampire zombie controllers to save the world.







Teaser: 
      " The vampire stared at me, his mouth slack as Ghastek assessed his options. I took a couple of forms from my desk, put them into the vamp's mouth, and pulled them up by their edges.
       "What are you doing?" Ghastek asked.
       "My hole puncher broke."
       "You have no respect for the undead." " (page 117).

I got the first book for Christmas, and I just tore through it like crazy and ran out and got the rest of the series. I'm LOVING them so much, I don't know why I didn't read these sooner. 

What're you guys reading this week? Leave a link and I'll stop by!
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