All Things Halloween Review - Eighth Grave After Dark

Eighth Grave After Dark (Charley Davidson, # 8)

By: Darynda Jones

Publication: May 19th 2015 by St. Martin's Press

293 pages

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Mystery

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--With twelve hellhounds after her, pregnant Charley Davidson takes refuge at the only place she thinks they can’t get to her: the grounds of an abandoned convent. But after months of being cooped up there, Charley is ready to pop. Both metaphorically and literally since she is now roughly the size of a beached whale. Fortunately, a new case has captured her attention, one that involves a murder on the very grounds the team has taken shelter upon. A decades-old murder of the newly-vowed nun she keeps seeing in the shadows is almost enough to pull her out of her doldrums.

Charley’s been forbidden to step foot off the sacred grounds. While the angry hellhounds can’t traverse the consecrated soil, they can lurk just beyond its borders. They have the entire team on edge, especially Reyes. And if Charley didn’t know better, she would swear Reyes is getting sick. He grows hotter with every moment that passes, his heat scorching across her skin every time he’s near, but naturally he swears he’s fine.

While the team searches for clues on the Twelve, Charley just wants answers and is powerless to get them. But the mass of friends they’ve accrued helps. They convince her even more that everyone in her recent life has somehow been drawn to her, as though they were a part of a bigger picture all along. But the good feelings don’t last for long because Charley is about to get the surprise of her crazy, mixed-up, supernatural life….

I had to take a short break between book 7 and this one. But the break didn't stop me from getting into Eighth Grave After Dark almost immediately. I was slightly thrown off by the time jump as all of the previous books are almost immediately one after the other. It's been eight months from where the last book left off. The time jump makes sense as the characters have been stuck on sacred ground for that time and it would be quite the boring book for them to never be able to leave for months. As it was, Eighth Grave After Dark does advance the overall storyline and Charley does have a mystery to solve (even from the safety of the convent). Yet it felt like not much was happening... probably due to the exact fact that Charley couldn't leave the convent.

I mentioned this before, but I love the pop culture references without name dropping. Name dropping always feels as if the author is trying too hard to be current, cool, or trendy. The way Darynda Jones does them is just right.

I've also mentioned this before, but I do get frustrated with the amount of information that's kept from Charley at times. She gets frustrated too. But since this has been going on for several books (or well...all of them) I'm a little beyond this being a plot tool.

I will also say that the alternate dimension pieces have increased and are getting so prevalent that I'm beginning to get a little frustrated. For some reason, this concept is something that I've always struggled with books. I hope that this doesn't cause me to lose interest in the series since I'm known to struggle with this type of thing.

Several things happened at the end of the book that has me excited about what's to come. Ultimately, Eighth Grave After Dark was probably my least favorite of the series so far. I still enjoyed it, but I certainly had more issues with this book than any of the prior ones. Eighth Grave After Dark gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Eighth Grave After Dark? What did you think?

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

Seventh Grave and No Body - Review

Seventh Grave and No Body (Charley Davidson, # 7)

By: Darynda Jones

Publication: October 21st 2014 by St. Martin's Press

322 pages

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Mystery

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Twelve. Twelve of the deadliest beasts ever forged in the fires of hell have escaped onto our plane, and they want nothing more than to rip out the jugular of Charley Davidson and serve her lifeless, mangled body to Satan for dinner. So there’s that. But Charley has more on her plate than a mob of testy hellhounds. For one thing, her father has disappeared, and the more she retraces his last steps, the more she learns he was conducting an investigation of his own, one that has Charley questioning everything she’s ever known about him. Add to that an ex-BFF who is haunting her night and day, a rash of suicides that has authorities baffled, and a drop-dead sexy fiancé who has attracted the attentions of a local celebrity, and Charley is not having the best week of her life.

A tad north of hell, a hop, skip, and a jump past the realm of eternity, is a little place called Earth, and Charley Davidson, grim reaper extraordinaire, is determined to do everything in her power to protect it.

We’re doomed.

Okay guys, I took notes and refused to let myself start book 8 until I sat down to write this review. So hopefully this review will be better than my reviews for the previous books in this series.

I liked the pop culture references. Sometimes this bugs me because it can automatically date a book, but these weren't references like "I love watching Breaking Bad" or "Twilight is my favorite book." Instead, there's mention of Jesse Pinkman, Heisenberg, and Bella... You just know or don't know the references. Those are the kinds I like. Also, "Friendbook" is just funny.

This series has a way of shining light on some of the worst of humanity. I know the cases that Charley takes on are fiction, but they're not far-fetched in many aspects. (Some of them are because this is a fantasy series after all, but unfortunately, most of them are realistic.) And this makes me so sad for humanity. I appreciate this in fiction because the cases are compelling, but in some ways, it messes with my mind. Especially when my Husband was telling me a horrible story that was real that I could see blending right into Charley's world.

A complaint that I've had over the entire series but haven't had the wherewithal to mention until now is how so many people that meet Charley seem to be aware that she's capable of doing different things, but they're keeping information to themselves. I realize the idea is for Charley to learn herself and grow over the series, but it can be frustrating as a reader to constantly read that a character is capable of XYZ or should know XYZ but can't or doesn't. Finally, Charley makes some significant strides forward in her abilities.

I very much appreciate that while this series doesn't follow religious theology necessarily, it doesn't discount God. In fact, the opposite is true. Charley mentions God in a respectful way more than once. I feel like this is so missing from literature today but especially from the fantasy genre. Why mention God when you can make up an entirely new religion or deity? Super applause to Darynda Jones for the decision making where this is concerned (at least up until this point in the series). She could always screw this up for me in the next few books.

However, Charley has recently been described as being a god in the other plane that she was from. Alternate planes and realities are something I struggle within books. This hasn't been a huge issue for me in this series so far because while they are mentioned the characters aren't traveling back and forth between them. But more and more Charley is being described in a way concerning the other plane that is confusing to me. Her personality seems to clash with who she's supposed to be...not just royalty but as a "god". I'm hoping this doesn't become too much bigger of a plot point.

I'm never a huge fan of descriptive scenes. Thankfully they're not too frequent in each book and they don't derail from the plot nor do they go on and on and on as some books I've read. I will plead with Darynda Jones, however, to lose the word "suckled" during these scenes. I cringe every time I see this word. Especially during these scenes.

This series has become a favorite and Seventh Grave and No Body is probably my favorite of the series so far. The advance in the series plot finally moved forward a good bit. Seventh Grave and No Body gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read Seventh Grave and No Body? What did you think? Let me know!

Sixth Grave on the Edge - Review

Sixth Grave on the Edge (Charley Davidson, # 6)

By: Darynda Jones

Publication: May 20th 2014 by St. Martin's Press

326 pages

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Mystery

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Few things in life can come between a grim reaper and her coffee, but the sexy, sultry son of Satan is one of them. Now that Reyes Farrow has asked for her hand, Charley Davidson feels it's time to learn more about his past, but Reyes is reluctant to open up. When the official FBI file of his childhood abduction lands in her lap, Charley decides to go behind her mysterious beau’s back and conduct her own investigation. Because what could go wrong?

Unfortunately, another case has fallen into her lap—one with dangerous implications. Some very insistent men want Charley to hunt down a witness who is scheduled to testify against their boss, a major player in the local crime syndicate. If Charley doesn't come up with an address in 48 hours, the people closest to her will start to disappear.

Add to that a desperate man in search of the soul he lost in a card game, a dogged mother determined to find the ghost of her son, and a beautiful, young Deaf boy haunted by his new ability to see the departed as clearly as he sees the living, and Charley has her hands full. The fact that Reyes has caught on to her latest venture only adds fuel to the inferno that he is. Good thing for Charley she's used to multi-tasking and always up for a challenge…especially when that challenge comes in the form of Reyes Farrow.

So we pick up Sixth Grave on the Edge with Charley and Reyes "nigh affianced". (Hehe I just wanted to say that and totally cracked up every time Charley called Reyes her "nigh fiance".) Really though, Reyes proposed and we're just waiting to see if Charley will accept.

Sixth Grave on the Edge is one of those books that makes it completely obvious that Darynda Jones planned this entire series before she ever started writing.

There hasn't been too much activity in the demon areas of the series. Although, we do meet a demon (or daeva) called the Dealer. Mostly the overall series story hasn't made too much progress. Well, there was one small bomb dropped at the very end of the book which I didn't see coming. And now that I think about another development too. But that's all.

I didn't feel like any one aspect of this individual book took over--it was about as well rounded of a book as possible. Charley's cases weren't too front and center, neither was the war, neither was her relationship with Reyes (there was just enough of this to make me happy). I do think a good bit of time was spent on Cookie and Uncle Bob, but I didn't really mind that. Other small side stories were woven in: Captain Erickson, Amber and Quienton, Miranda, etc. There's something up with Charley's Dad that was just hinted at. We'll see more of that in the coming book(s).

I did find a continuity error. FBI Agent Carson is called Agent Carter 3 times within one chapter. I don't know if this was in the published version or just the egalley that I received. Anyway, it threw me and had me thinking I was crazy for a bit until the correct name was used. Here's a screenshot of what I'm talking about.

All in all, Sixth Grave on the Edge might be my favorite of the series so far, and I'm giving it 4.5 Stars. Have you read Sixth Grave on the Edge? What did you think? Let me know!

Fifth Grave Past the Light - Review

Fifth Grave Past the Light (Charley Davidson, # 5)

By: Darynda Jones

Publication: July 9th 2013 by St. Martin's Press

339 pages

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Mystery

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Never underestimate the power of a woman on a double espresso with a mocha latte chaser high. - T-shirt

Charley Davidson isn't your everyday, run-of-the-mill grim reaper. She's more of a paranormal private eye/grim reaper extraordinaire. However, she gets sidetracked when the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, moves in next door. To further complicate matters, Reyes is her main suspect in an arson case. Charley has vowed to stay away from him until she can find out the truth...but then dead women start appearing in her apartment, one after another, each lost, confused, and terrified beyond reason. When it becomes apparent that her own sister, Gemma is the serial killer's next target, Charley has no choice but to ask for Reyes's help. Arsonist or not, he's the one man alive who could protect Gemma no matter who or what came at her. But he wants something in return. Charley. All of her, body and soul. And to keep her sister safe, it is a price she is willing to pay.

Charley Davidson is at it again in the sexy, suspenseful, and laugh-out-loud funny fifth installment of the New York Times best selling series.

You guys, I did it again. I couldn't stop progress long enough to review book 5 until I'd finished book 6. *facepalm* I hate doing this because it's hard to separate the two books when it comes time to review them. And I also hate joint reviews. So I'll just do my best to discuss only book 5 and the previous events. And I think it's enough to know that I couldn't stop reading long enough to review this book to show that I enjoyed it.

The description has covered things pretty well. Charley suspects Reyes to be the main suspect in a string of arson crimes. He came to her on one of the nights of one of the crimes smelling like smoke. And it doesn't help that all of the buildings that are being burned down are places that Reyes lived with Earl Walker--the man who raised and abused him. Some of the information we're given regarding Reyes's time with Walker really made my stomach hurt. At the same time, Charley has been slowly bombarded and overrun with blonde women who all appear to have been killed by the same person. Considering Charley's sister Gemma is also blonde, Charley suspects one of Gemma's clients to be the killer.

I didn't feel like much happened in the overall story of the series. I guess we get a little bit of knowledge courtesy of Stokes. And Charley and Reyes continue to get closer. Eee for that ending though.

I'm not sure I have much more to say about Fifth Grave Past the Light at this time. I blew through it. It was really good. I enjoyed it just as much as the other books in the series. I'm excited to see where things are headed. And so yeah, Fifth Grave Past the Light gets 4 Stars. Have you read Fifth Grave Past the Light? What did you think? Let me know!

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet - Review

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

By: Darynda Jones

Publication: October 30th 2012 by St. Martin's Press

308 pages

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Mystery

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Welcome to the world of grim reaper extraordinaire Charley Davidson. Try as she might, there’s no avoiding her destiny. Sometimes being the grim reaper really is, well, grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple of months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above...or at least get dressed. It becomes clear something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. But the more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.

In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved.

Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans in this hilarious fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling series.

***Spoilers for prior books included below!***

So let's just recap. Reyes's earthly father (the man who raised him) tortured Charley at the end of Third Grave Dead Ahead because Reyes used her as bait. This mimics the exact same situation her father put her in from Second Grave on the Left and Charley is feeling the betrayal deeply. In both situations, Charley would have liked to have been told she was being used as bait. Based on her prior decisions, I don't think she would have minded so much. Charley is now suffering from PTSD. I do wish some of this was explained better as Charley's neck was broken in book 1 and she healed quite quickly, but a few cut tendons (from the description of events) at the hands of Earl Walker and she's in the hospital for weeks. I wish we were give a more detailed explanation. Also, Reyes makes the comment in this book that he didn't really think Walker would come after her, but that's not consistent with what he tells her from the previous book where he knew Walker would come but he had expected to be there to intercept him when he did. Not huge things, but little inconsistencies that bug me.

Reyes was released from prison because the man he was accused of murdering proved himself to be alive when he tortured Charley. So now he's a free man. Yet he hasn't even seen Charley for two months. Reyes is in a position of knowledge and this is one of those situations where he rarely tells Charley what she could really stand to know. He does finally have a moment of opening up to Charley, but these two always seem to be moving forward and apart constantly. It drives me mad in the right kind of way. And I will say that these two made progress in the relationship and appear to be headed in a good direction, but knowing them it would easily swing in the other direction at any moment.

The war that has been hinted at seems to have kicked up a notch. Demons are now possessing people and Reyes it's trying to systematically hunt them down to keep them from getting to Charley. Charley makes one step forward in finding out what she's capable of as far as her abilities go, but we've yet to see how this will affect her mentally, especially considering she has PTSD.

Despite her father's attempts to get her out of the PI business, Charley takes a new case which actually does her good in getting her to take the first steps in her healing and at least leave the house. Again this is one place where Darynda Jones lets me guess correctly on the twists. She does a great job of letting me think I'm figuring things out while completely surprising me in other areas.

I do kind of wish that Charley had done more of the therapy work that Gemma suggested for her like writing the letters. Perhaps this will play a role in future books.

Favorite quotes:

-"They're liars, Dutch. Each and every one. They would lie when the truth would sound better."

I devoured Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet. I couldn't put it down. I mean truly I've read the first four books in this series within two weeks which for me lately is unheard of. I like the direction we're headed. I don't know if I'll read all twelve books in a row or if I'll need a break... Right now I'm picking up book 5 next. Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet gets 4 stars. Have you read Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for Trail of Lightning

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World, # 1)

By: Rebecca Roanhorse

Expected Publication: June 26th 2018 by Saga Press

304 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters.

Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best—hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much larger and more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel to the rez to unravel clues from ancient legends, trade favors with tricksters, and battle dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the disappearances, she will have to confront her past—if she wants to survive.

Welcome to the Sixth World.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

All Things Halloween DNF Review - The Iron Queen

The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey, # 3)

By: Julie Kagawa

Published: January 25th 2011 by Harlequin Teen

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fairies, Magic, Urban Fantasy

Source: Personal Kindle Library

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Goodreads description--The New York Times Bestseller

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

I guess Julie Kagawa and I just aren’t meant to mesh. And this is a shame because I really love the covers and idea behind her newest series Talon. I’ve read 4 previous books by her and while there wasn’t much wrong with them, I just didn’t find myself hooked into them either. I read The Iron King and The Iron Daughter. I was interested in and enjoyed The Iron King, but The Iron Daughter felt like it would take FOREVER for me to get through. At the end of The Iron Daughter I really felt apathetic toward the series. I mean it wasn’t awful, but I just found myself in a place where I didn’t really care much about the characters or what happens one way or the other. At this point, I’m halfway through the series and I own the final two books. I feel a deep desire to at least try to complete the series. Yet The Iron Queen wasn’t calling to me at all. My friend Paula finished the series and said that she felt like The Iron Queen was the best of the series. So I figured I just needed to press on.

I’ve found that some books that I don’t enjoy spending my limited reading time on are much more enjoyable to me in audiobook versions where I can multitask and therefore not really feel like I’m “wasting” valuable reading time because this time would be spent doing some chore or other and now I’m killing two birds with one stone. Often times, books that seem to dddddddddddddrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggg in print form really pick up pace in the audio medium. So I went in search of The Iron Queen on audiobook. Of course, the library didn’t have it, but I did find on YouTube (although I can't find it now when I'd like to link to it) a random (to me) girl reading The Iron Queen. She’s obviously not a professional and this was not a professional quality video, but it served my purposes. Unfortunately, it cuts off around the 55% mark (I believe). Since I do own the kindle version of this book, I said “well I can finish reading it from here.” But no. No I can’t. I made it an extra 9% to a whopping 64% total completed, and I had to put it down again.

Like I said, I can’t really pinpoint that there’s anything wrong with this book or the series or even Julie Kagawa’s writing except that I find myself disconnected from the characters and disconnected from the story. I find that I don’t care what happens, how things end, or that all of the characters survive or end up with their happy endings. I just…don’t…care. At all. I really did have all the intentions in the world of picking this book back up since I’ve read 64%, but after months and months of putting it off, considering picking it back up, and coming back to the conclusion that I’m perfectly okay with not knowing how things end, I decided to finally officially mark The Iron Queen as a DNF.

Have you read The Iron Queen? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

Waiting on Riders

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Riders (Riders, # 1)

By: Veronica Rossi

Expected Publication: February 16th 2016 by Tor Teen

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can’t remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen—Conquest, Famine and Death—are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now—bound, bloodied, and drugged—Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he’s fallen for—not to mention all of humankind—he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him?

I've been waiting for another publication by Veronica Rossi. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

All Things Halloween Review - Pretty When She Dies

Pretty When She Dies (Pretty When She Dies, # 1)

By: Rhiannon Frater

Published: November 24th 2008 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

238 pages

Genre: Paranormal, Vampires, Horror, Urban Fantasy

Source: Kindle Freebie Deal

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Goodreads description--Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry...

... in a new, horrific, unimaginable way...

Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas. Her new hunger spurs her to leave a wake of death and blood behind her as she struggles with her new nature.

All the while, her creator is watching. He is ancient, he is powerful, and what's worse is that he's a necromancer. He has the power to force the dead to do his bidding. Amaliya realizes she is but a pawn in a twisted game, and her only hope for survival is to seek out one of her own kind.

But if Amaliya finds another vampire, will it mean her salvation... or her death?

I think it’s possible that I might be in a reading slump. Or well…I think I was in a reading slump at the time I read Pretty When She Dies. Unfortunately. Since I’m scheduled in advance this review won’t go live until quite some time so hopefully I’ll be out of my slump by the time this review is posted. (I did get out of the slump, but I think I'm edging back into one! Sheesh!) Anyway, I think I would have enjoyed Pretty When She Dies more had I been in a different place with my reading life. I was browsing all my titles in my possession, looking for a short book that I would be able to read quickly and I decided on Pretty When She Dies. It being one of only two that I had under 300 pages at the time, I picked it up. Also, I can’t really remember the last time I read a vampire book so I was kind of excited to return to the genre that started it all.

I loved the very beginning of Pretty When She Dies. Amaliya wakes up buried alive and turned into something that she doesn’t know or understand. I loved how disoriented she was. And I was struck with the writing from the very beginning. Her creator watches her rise and feed for the first time. He stays long enough to tell her that he’s going to be watching to see how she handles her new life but that he won’t interfere or help her out at all. The next section was necessary but slow moving for me. Amaliya needed to establish how alone she was in the world, but this section of the book felt like it would drag on forever. Eventually, Amaliya makes her way to Austin where she meets up with Cian, another vampire who happens to have been created by the same vampire as Amaliya. Once she made it to Austin, Pretty When She Dies picked up speed for me, thankfully.

Cian has never really embraced his vampire self. Being forced to turn against his will and losing his wife and two children have damaged him. He’s made a life for himself in Austin, but he’s working so hard to be human—or as human as he can be. Unfortunately, Amaliya brings out the vampire in him like he’s never experienced before. Despite being engaged to a human, Samantha, Cian and Amaliya are drawn to each other. Their connection isn’t easily severed.

But the thing is, Cian and Amaliya’s creator likes to play with his creations. He has all kind of twisted games that they have to endure. Amaliya being his newest creation has just drawn his attention back to Cian. Things get heated, battles are fought, the series must go on. While everything is wrapped up by the end of Pretty When She Dies, Rhianon Frater adds just enough unrest to have need of continuing the series.

Pretty When She Dies is one of those vampire books that brings the heat to this genre. It wasn’t overly graphic, but in this series blood mixes with pleasure. Amaliya has a colorful vocabulary, which is a nice way to say that she drops a lot of f-bombs. While the beginning sucked me in, the middle of Pretty When She Dies dragged for me, and the end had me skimming a bit. Overall I’d happily give Pretty When She Dies 3.5 Stars. Have you read Pretty When She Dies? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

Upon Further Review: Last Sacrifice

Upon Further Review is an original feature here at Somewhere Only We Know. I have always loved re-reading my favorite books, and I wanted a way to incorporate re-reading into my blog. Thus From the Ashes and Upon Further Review were born. From the Ashes is where I re-read a book that I have never reviewed before and finally review it. Upon Further Review is where I re-read a book that I've already reviewed and see if my original rating stands or not. This is also the time for me to discuss any new revelations that my latest re-read has brought to my attention.

As you guys know, I've been re-reading the Vampire Academy series. Check out my From the Ashes reviews of: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, and my Upon Further Review of: Spirit Bound. Last Sacrifice also gets an Upon Further Review post instead of From the Ashes because I actually semi-reviewed it before. I can barely stand to look at my old posts much less call them reviews. As with Spirit Bound here's my attempt to make up for that.

Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, # 6)

By: Richelle Mead

Published: December 7th 2010 by Razorbill

594 pages

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires, Urban Fantasy

Source: Own in multiple formats

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*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--They come first.

My vision was growing dimmer, the blackness and ghosts closing in. I swore it was like I could hear Robert whispering in my ear: The world of the dead won't give you up a second time. Just before the light completely vanished, I saw Dimitri's face join Lissa's. I wanted to smile. I decided then that if the two people I loved most were safe, I could leave this world.

The dead could finally have me.

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir's Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose - for a crime she didn't even commit. She's in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She'll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose's life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back...and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will save you?

Join Rose, Dimitri, Adrian, and Lissa in Last Sacrifice, the epic, unforgettable finale to Richelle Mead's international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series.

I read Last Sacrifice the first time immediately after its release in December 2010. Along with Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice was one of the first books I ever did a post about. Seriously, that post is so embarrassing I didn’t even want to link to it. I didn’t know anything about writing a book review at that point.

I’m not really sure how I feel about the Goodreads description above. In some ways I feel like it gives too much away and yet it’s deceptive at the same time. I’ve been discussing how Richelle Mead is a foreshadowing magician, right? Well it all culminates in Last Sacrifice. Everything that’s been set up and alluded to has come out. But does she stop there? Absolutely not. She goes on to foreshadow and set up her Bloodlines series with Last Sacrifice. I love it.

I only took 3 pages of notes this reading of Last Sacrifice because my 6 pages of notes from Spirit Bound was so overwhelming I had a hard time even using them to write my review. Too much information is just as hard to muddle through as not enough. Either way, just the fact that these books are worthy of note-taking—and they are!—is enough to make them top rated books for me. So let’s dive in. Again….spoilers for Spirit Bound (book 5) and all previous books.

At the end of Spirit Bound, Rose and Adrian have just had a very sensual night together. Having not gone all the way, Rose does let Adrian drink from her which is totally taboo. The evidence is on her neck the next morning when she sneaks out to get breakfast. She stumbles upon Dimitri who acts like he wants nothing to do with her at first. They begin talking about the new dhampir age decree, and then the guardians swoop in and try to arrest Rose. Dimitri fiercely protects Rose from them in a way that can only come from someone who has the history that they have together. Rose is eventually arrested for the murder of Queen Tatitana because she talks Dimitri into backing down. And that’s essentially where we pick up with Last Sacrifice. Rose is still in holding for this crime.

Abe, Rose’s father, has taken on the task of defending her. He’s sworn to her that she won’t be convicted or executed for this crime, but time appears to be running out. I know I’ve been talking about him since he first showed up in Blood Promise, but I just love Abe. He’s snarky, sarcastic, a flirt, a mobster/gangster, dresses like a pimp, and his faith in his daughter is nothing short of endearing. Even though Rose and Abe haven’t had a very long relationship, it doesn’t take years for them to click and to depend upon each other. Rose could easily have that “I didn’t have a dad” victim mentality, but as she discusses at the end of the book, she’s never had a victim mentality at all—and it’s one of the reasons why I love her character so dearly.

Lissa is the strongest in Last Sacrifice that we’ve ever seen her throughout the whole series. She started the series as a character that I struggled connecting to, but has come out on the other side being a character that I can respect. She isn’t going to let Rose go down for this crime she didn’t commit, and instead of letting Rose take care of everything like she normally does, Lissa steps up and takes charge to take care of Rose this time. She executes her plan with poise and grace, even when bumps in the road come. As I said, I’ve come to respect her a lot. Now there is some pieces of her behavior at the very end of the book that had me furrowing my brow in slight confusion but nothing too bad. Also, as I’ve said in every single review of this series, the bond between Lissa and Rose is the perfect way for Richelle Mead to have dual narration without actually having dual narration. So smart.

The biggest thing for me with Last Sacrifice is Rose and Dimitri’s relationship contrasted with Rose and Adrian’s relationship. I’m going to try to be as vague as possible here, but proceed with caution. I don’t condone Rose’s treatment of Adrian. She doesn’t always take him seriously. She uses him even when she’s not fully aware that she’s doing it. Sometimes Rose almost treats Adrian with scorn. This should not be the way you think about the person you’re with—your other half. Rose never intended to be forever with Adrian. She tells his mother as much in Spirit Bound. She cares about him, sure, but she sums it up by saying “I should have said we strengthen each other. He makes me want to be a better person. We understand each other. I didn’t motivate him,” and “We have fun together.” While my heart aches for Adrian, I love how utterly raw he is with Rose about how he’s feeling. He tells her some harsh things in a harsh way, but they’re things she needs to hear. And the same goes for her. While she’s in a position that can’t really defend her actions and he might not want to hear the truth, she is completely right about their relationship.

Obviously in contrast, Rose and Dimitri do better each other. They make a great team. Dimitri is willing to fight for Rose, for her life, even if that means forfeiting any life of his own to go on the run with her. He comes alive with her after having been dead. After feeling the extreme guilt over his actions as a Strigoi. Rose is the only one who knows how bad Dimitri really was as a Strigoi. She’s the only person he can share those feelings with because she’s the only one who saw him at his lowest. When Dimitri kind of goes off the deep end and kills Donovan in a messed up attempt to atone for his Strigoi days, Rose is the only one who can bring him out of it by showing him that he can’t possibly have any Strigoi left in him because he’s able to see the beauty in her—in the world. Seeing how beautiful a second opportunity at life after being Strigoi really is, Dimitri can’t help but want to live his life to the fullest. That includes being with Rose—what he ultimately wants and is scared he’s lost forever. He wants her to be happy, even if that means she’s with Adrian—or someone else. And Rose…well look at every single thing she’s done since Shadow Kiss. Every move she’s made has either been in service to Dimitri and her love for him or in service to Lissa and her love for her. Rose has matched Dimitri moment for moment, sacrifice for sacrifice. Rose and Dimitri match. They fit.

Of course, not everything in Last Sacrifice revolves around the Rose/Dimitri/Adrian love triangle. Lissa, as we found out at the end of Spirit Bound, has a sibling and the sibling must be brought to court so that Lissa can have her family backing and vote on the counsel. Rose, Dimitri, and Sydney are out and about searching for Lissa’s long lost sibling while Lissa, Christian, Adrian, Eddie, and Abe are back at court investigating Tatiana’s murder in order to prove Rose innocent. Politics still infest the Moroi at court as elections begin for a new monarch. And Spirit continues to play a vital role in both sides as spirit dreams, Strigoi healings, aura watching, compulsion, telekinesis, and charming various silver objects abound.

Favorite quotes:

“Of course not. Why do anything without a reason?” – Abe pg 16

“Ah, my daughter," he said. "Eighteen, and already you’ve been accused of murder, aided felons, and acquired a death count higher than most guardians will ever see." He paused. "I couldn’t be prouder.” – Abe pg 64

“You’ve always been my equal, Roza.” – Dimitri pg 72

“Impossible situations are our specialty...” – Rose pg 94

“I don’t need luck, Roza. I’ll always find you.” – Dimitri pg 117

“I've seen you too. Ozera. Crispen, right?” ... “So what brings you and Christopher here?” ... “But you just got here! I was hoping we could get to know each other." It went without saying what he went by that. "Oh. And Kreskin too.”– Blake Lazar pgs 316, 317, & 321-322

“Fighting is easy. It’s why we fight that matters.” (I don't remember who said it and therefore wasn't able to find it searching through the book. If anyone knows, please let me know in the comments, and I'll update this.)

“...it was better to be alone with my self-respect than to be in the wrong relationship.” – Rose pg 486 - amen Rose, amen!

“Ah, Belikov," said Abe, shaking Dimitri's hand. "I'd been hoping we'd run into each other. I'd really like to get to know you better. Maybe we can set aside some time to talk, learn more about life, love, et cetera. Do you like to hunt? You seem like a hunting man. That's what we should do sometime. I know a great spot in the woods. Far, far away. We could make a day of it. I've certainly got a lot of questions I'd like to ask you. A lot of things I'd like to tell you too.” – Abe pg 589

Last Sacrifice is an excellent series ender. Everything wraps up nicely but in a way where it doesn’t feel forced or overly predictable. As a matter of fact, the true killer for Tatiana’s murder was a pretty good surprise the first time reading it. Richelle Mead pulls in pieces from even the very first book and references them again in Last Sacrifice which I love. The characters continue to grow and change, and I love them even more in this book than I did in the beginning. Last Sacrifice is witty as Richelle Mead tends to throw in those one-liners here and there for the right characters at just the right moments. It’s passionate and yet methodical. I love it. Last Sacrifice easily gets 5 Stars from me for an overall 5 Stars for the series. Have you read Last Sacrifice? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on The Immortal Crown

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Immortal Rules (Age of X, # 2)

By: Richelle Mead

Expected Publication: May 29th 2014 by Dutton Adult

432 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Paranormal

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Vampire Academy and Bloodline series returns with the second installment in her acclaimed Age of X series.

Gameboard of the Gods introduced religious investigator Justin March and Mae Koskinen, the beautiful supersoldier assigned to protect him. Together they have been charged with investigating reports of the supernatural and the return of the gods, both inside the Republic of United North America and out. With this highly classified knowledge comes a shocking revelation: Not only are the gods vying for human control, but the elect—special humans marked by the divine—are turning against one another in bloody fashion.

Their mission takes a new twist when they are assigned to a diplomatic delegation headed by Lucian Darling, Justin’s old friend and rival, going into Arcadia, the RUNA’s dangerous neighboring country. Here, in a society where women are commodities and religion is intertwined with government, Justin discovers powerful forces at work, even as he struggles to come to terms with his own reluctantly acquired deity.

Meanwhile, Mae—grudgingly posing as Justin’s concubine—has a secret mission of her own: finding the illegitimate niece her family smuggled away years ago. But with Justin and Mae resisting the resurgence of the gods in Arcadia, a reporter’s connection with someone close to Justin back home threatens to expose their mission—and with it the divine forces the government is determined to keep secret.

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Waiting on Dreams of Gods and Monsters

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, # 3)

By: Laini Taylor

Expected Publication: April 2014 by Hodder & Stoughton

528 pages

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal

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*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Blog Tour Stop - Review of Bait by KC Blake

Bait (Order of the Spirit Realm, # 1)

By: KC Blake

Published: April 24, 2013

387 pages

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Source: Author in participation of the Bait Summer Long Book Tour

( Goodreads | Amazon )

Goodreads description--Ghosts, a reaper, and a rock star.

At sixteen Bay-Lee is not your typical girl. She doesn't even try to fit in at school. What's the point when she'll be moving to a new place within a few months? She's lived her whole life on the run, hiding from monsters.

Then a reaper uses her closet to cross over from the Spirit Realm. It has a message for her. Just when she's about to join her father at his school for hunters she finds out they are dying on their birthdays. Something is killing them, slipping past locked doors, never leaving a trace of evidence, and her birthday is only two months away.

Becoming a hunter isn't exactly her dream come true. She's doing it for her mother, for revenge, for justice. Nothing is going to get in her way, least of all love. Then she looks up into a pair of jungle green eyes and everything changes.

Bait is also available in ebook form from all the usual suspects in online retailers.

Bait came highly recommended to me by my sister-in-law and fellow blogger, Holly @ Words Fueled by Love. So I decided to check it out and join the blog tour. I liked the idea of a series being about Van Helsing's daughter. While there might be a whole heap of books dedicated to all things Van Helsing, I've never actually read any of them, so Bait came off as being an original (or at least, new) concept to me.

Bait does have an insta-love kind of relationship going on that I know many readers will shy against. While I understand instant attraction, I have enjoyed the insta-love theme of a lot of paranormal books less and less lately. Of course this comes double when the relationship is forbidden. Sometimes forbidden love is the best kind to read about, and sometimes it's just annoying. I can't quite decided which way I felt about Bait's forbidden romance. Without getting into to many details, there's this whole prophecy thing. And while I like the idea of everything a character does (fighting against or not) actually brings them closer to the prophecy versus working to break the prophecy, what I don't enjoy about prophecies, curses, and destiny is when it just changes randomly. But that's enough about that.

It's hard to describe the way I feel about these characters. At some points, I really liked them and felt like KC Blake did a good job flushing out their motivations and backgrounds. But at other points I felt like behavior was out of character or left unexplained. And sometimes I felt like perhaps the writing wasn't as deep as I prefer--but only just barely. There were moments that I can't discuss in detail because of spoilers that I just wanted more from. And the questions that I was left with at the end of the book weren't so much about what's to come in the sequel, but more about things within the characters that I didn't understand.

Keisha for instance. I couldn't decide throughout the book if I thought she was good or bad, real or fake. I am still left wondering. For the majority of the book I felt like this was probably good writing...keeping me guessing. Because it's true, I didn't guess the culprit. I was torn between praying that it wasn't the obvious person and not knowing how it could be any other person. After Bait was over, I was left feeling like perhaps Keisha wasn't as flushed out as she should have been. Maybe this will play into future books in the series, but I felt her behavior was often contradictory. Even Bay-Lee and Nick had moments that behavior seemed out of character to me. *shrugs*

I wanted to be hooked. I wanted to blow through this one as quickly as my sister-in-law had. I wanted to be fanning myself from the steamy romance....but I wasn't. It took me longer to read that I wanted. I'd get hooked for periods of time and not want to put the book down. But looking back over the entire book, I feel I was left being more confused than anything else. Bait gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read Bait? What did you think? Let me know!