Book Review: "Fallen" by Lauren Kate

Author:		Lauren Kate
Series:		Fallen
Book #:		1 of 2
Publisher:		Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN:		0385738935
ISBN-13:		9780385738934
# pages:		464

From Goodreads:  Seventeen-Year-Old Luce is a new student at Sword & Cross, an unwelcoming boarding/reform school in Savannah, Georgia. Luce’s boyfriend died under suspicious circumstances, and now she carries the guilt over his death with her as she navigates the unfriendly halls at Sword & Cross, where every student seems to have an unpleasant—even evil—history.

It’s only when she sees Daniel, a gorgeous fellow student, that Luce feels there’s a reason to be here—though she doesn’t know what it is. And Daniel’s frosty cold demeanor toward her? It’s really a protective device that he’s used again . . . and again. For Daniel is a fallen angel, doomed to fall in love with the same girl every 17 years . . . and watch her die. And Luce is a fellow immortal, cursed to be reincarnated again and again as a mortal girl who has no idea of who she really is. 

OH.... MY... GOSH!  Mrs. Lauren Kate picked me up and swept me away with this one!  What a wonderful book!

At first glance, Fallen sounded intriguing, but I'm a tad skeptical when it comes to YA books.  Most of the time, I feel like I'm taking a gamble when I choose to read one.  Granted, I have found a few that I have really liked, but I have been disappointed by more of them.  I'm thrilled to say that this is one of the good ones!

Luce...  Such a true to life character that even I, at the age of 34, could relate to so easily.  Always wanting to just be accepted, never being quite understood, and in search of inner peace.  I felt that I actually knew this girl by the end of the story, and I just couldn't help but cheer her on.

The author's prose is absolutely fantastic, making this book such an easy read.  Mrs. Kate's words just flowed throughout the book, which was very refreshing.  It's so nice to sit down and read a book in which your eyes can float across the pages with ease, and this is absolutely one of those books.  The world building and descriptions in this book transplanted me right into the center of Luce and Daniel's world.. I could see in my mind exactly what the author was writing.  Fallen is a remarkable YA love story that is guaranteed to sweep you away and  have you rushing out to buy Torment, the next book in this phenomenal series.

My rating: 4.5/5!

I SO WANT TO READ THIS: SHADOW'S SON

WISHLIST:
Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk

Genre: fantasy

About Shadow's Son:

In the holy city of Othir, treachery and corruption lurk at the end of every street, just the place for a freelance assassin with no loyalties and few scruples.

Caim makes his living on the edge of a blade, but when a routine job goes south, he is thrust into the middle of an insidious plot. Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers, and darkest sorcery, his only allies are the socialite daughter of his last target and a guardian spirit no one else can see. But in this fight for his life, Caim only trusts his knives and his insticts, but they won't be enough when his quest for justice leads him from Othir's hazardous back alleys to its shining corridors of power. To unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he must claim his birthright as the Shadow's Son . . .

Source: Info in the About Shadow's Son was taken from the author's website at on 04/10/10.

Review: ON THE EDGE

On The Edge by Ilona Andrews
Book 1 of the Edge series

Genre: urban fantasy romance

About On The Edge:

Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.

Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).

But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them—or they’ll devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .

Source: Info in the About On The Edge was taken from the author's website at  on 14/09/2010.

My Thoughts:
This is suppose to be book 1 of the Edge Novels but I think each of the Edge books can be read as stand alones as it seems that each book contains different sets of characters though all of them happens in the same world.

Like the Kate Daniels series which launched Ilona Andrew's writing career, this book also has the superb story telling quality with humor between the lines. The characters were masterfully weaved that they felt like old friends. My favouritest of them all is Jack with his too big paws and inability to resist chasing colorfull tails even if said tail is attached to a very dangerous animal indeed! Just gotta love that cuteness!! I just wish there is a follow up book which features Jack and his family... The ending was slightly predictable but I still enjoyed it. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a happy-ever-afters.

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 4

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Book Review: "Hunger Aroused" by Dee Carney

Title:		Hunger Aroused
Publisher:		Carina Press
Pub Date:		11/08/2010
ISBN:		9781426890741
Author:		Carney, Dee

 

*Not recommended for readers under 18*

From Goodreads:  Jasmine is sick in bed when a sexy stranger breaks in and reveals she's suffering an irreversible case of vampirism. And because her turning wasn't approved by the Council, he must kill her once the transition is complete. In the meantime, the executioner offers to ease her torment with chocolate, hot peppers or sexual release. Fortunately for them both, Jasmine's kitchen is bare...  

Corin's honor demands he do his duty, but he cannot execute the lovely woman while any part of her humanity remains. He must also find—and kill—her sire. Jasmine denies ever having contact with a vampire, causing Corin to question the justice of his orders. Sensing his hesitation, the Council dispatches another executioner, forcing the pair to make a run for it.  

Every hour they spend together—every sensual encounter they share—finds them growing closer. Now Corin will have to choose: kill the woman he loves, or go against everything he believes to set her free.

When I found this book on netGalley, I was unsure about how much I would like it.  The synopsis did NOT do it justice, and I found myself really enjoying this read!  

Jasmine and Corin's relationship starts out as nothing more than her being a "mark" for execution, but as the story unfolds, it quickly becomes one of the better paranormal romance novels that I've had the pleasure of reading. Both characters are interesting and captivating in their own ways, and this book tells of a struggle between love and duty, passion and resistance, and life and death.  

Dee Carney's writing was easy to maneuver, and the words seemed to flow together well.  Her world building was interesting, yet not over done, and the characters were created in a way that allowed me to relate to both of them with ease.  Everything taken into account, this book is a great escape from reality that will leave you panting and pleasantly surprised.  

My Rating:  4/5!

Win Fab Prizes at LeeLou

Leelou's Favorite Things Giveaways

The wonderful girl from whom I pinched my blog template from is giving away some of her favourite things :) ...go and grab your chance to win fab prizes!! Contest does not seem to have any geographical restrictions and ends on November 30.

Contest Link: Click here to go to the contest.

WW28: THE DRAGON KEEPER

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering : The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
Page 28, 1st Sentence:

Luck brought Thymara to the right place and the right time.

...Ahh... there is more to the story than that :)
... was it really luck?

About The Dragon Keeper:
Book 1 of the Rain Wild Chronicles

For years, the Trader cities valiantly battled their enemies, the Chalcedeans. But they could not have staved off invasion without the powerful dragon Tintaglia. In return, the Traders promised to help her serpents migrate up the Rain Wild River after a long exile at sea—to find a safe haven and, Tintaglia hopes, to restore her species. But too much time has passed, and the newly hatched dragons are damaged and weak, and many die. The few who survive cannot use their wings; earthbound, they are powerless to hunt and vulnerable to human predators willing to kill them for the fabled healing powers of dragon flesh.

But Tintaglia has vanished and the Traders are weary of the labor and expense of tending useless dragons. The Trader leadership fears that if it stops providing for the young dragons, the hungry and neglected creatures will rampage—or die along the river’s acidic muddy banks. To avert catastrophe, the dragons decree a move even farther up the treacherous river to Kelsingra, their ancient, mythical homeland whose mysterious location is locked deep within the dragons’ uncertain ancestral memories.

To ensure their safe passage, the Traders recruit a disparate group of young people to care for the damaged creatures and escort them to their new home. Among them is Thymara, an unschooled forest girl of sixteen, and Alise, a wealthy Trader’s wife trapped in a loveless marriage, who attaches herself to the expedition as a dragon expert. The two women share a deep kinship with the dragons: Thymara can instinctively communicate with them, and Alise, captivated by their beauty and majesty, has devoted her life to studying them.

Source: Info in the About The Dragon Keeper was taken from the author's website at http://robinhobb.com/novels/dragon-keeper/ on 26/08/2010.

BOOK REVIEWERS WANTED!

<center><a href="http://www.cherrymischievous.com/2010/11/book-reviewers-wanted.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ52FNflE3zDN3PttGR_yJG2nzHXT-PnngByzzTB1copH_s48vFP-zDOEi7FWhQ2nmS6aZU7n9yQlxMtxzh2sq311yNqAEEKg8ubfcnpWeqIRFynjAnztVQblx9kti-iIVAcYbrgcRiZTF/s1600/IReviewForCherryMischievous.png" height="140" width="130"/></a></center>

Free Books In Exchange For A Review! (This book scheme is now closed. There will be another if this trial run is successful, so watch this space!)
I have free books for book reviewers with free mailing anywhere in the world! The catch is, you have to review the book, usually here at Cherry Mischievous. This is the thing, I have too many books and can't read them all... I need help reviewing these books. However, to make the selection a bit more interesting, I've added books in which I have extra copies of. And books which I like to promote. This is also my way of giving the books I recieved for free a little bit more promotion by sharing it with fellow readers. This offer is based on trust, availability and first-come-first-serve-basis. If the book is still available, then it is yours. If it has been given to someone else who asked before you did, then you probably need to pick another one. I always liked to think that us, in the book blogging community, are an honest bunch... so I will send you the book completely free and it is up to you to deliver your end of the bargain. The thing is, if you deliver your end of the bargain, there will be a next time for you. That means that you will get to request another free book from Cherry Mischievous. And there is a huge possibility that you will get the book that you like the next time. The better your reviewer record with us is, the more priority you will get with the books that you choose. That means if there were 5 people who requested the same book at the same time, the reviewer with the best record gets it. I've just thought this scheme up so it might change as our experience with it teaches us a few tricks :) ...So the books available for you to review are listed below. Email me with the title of the book that you like, your age and the address where you want the book sent to at cherrymischif-reviewer [at] yahoo [dot] com. You have about a month to hand in your review, then you will be considered a non-returnee.

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead is no longer available.

Dark Lover by JR Ward is no longer available.

A Wild Light by Marjorie Liu

About A Wild Light:

For too long Maxine Kiss has felt an inexplicable darkness inside her-a force she channels into hunting the demons bent on destroying the human race. But when she finds herself covered in blood and crouched beside her grandfather’s dead body with no memory of what happened, Maxine begins to fear that the darkness has finally consumed her.

Source: Info in the About A Wild Light was taken from the author's website at http://marjoriemliu.com/index.php?/novels/details/a_wild_light/ on 20/09/2010.

Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler is no longer available.

Magic To The Bone by Devon Monk is no longer available.
My review of Magic To The Bone is here.

Received a few emails from bloggers. Will reply on the weekend when I have the time. At the moment am too tired from work (day job) to sit at my computer, sorry!

Please note:

• The cover art used here may not correspond with the actual cover of the book that you will get.
• The book that you will get may or may not be brand new. In fact, it most likely be already read by me or by another Cherry Mischievous author.
• By requesting books for 18s or older reviewers only, you are confirming that you are 18 or older.
• This scheme is void where prohibited.
• Cherry Mischievous reserves the right to refuse a book request.
• Not all the books posted as available for this scheme have been read by any of the Cherry Mischievous authors, therefore, if there is any error in classifying a book, i.e., appropriate for 18s or older only, please bring it to our attention at cherrymischif-reviewer [at] yahoo [dot] com. And if you are under 18, please do not request these books.
• Please read the blog Disclaimer as it forms part of the rules of this scheme.
• Efforts will be made to update this page as accurately and timely as possible. In cases where this is not possible, please bear with me. You can email me at cherrymischif-reviewer [at] yahoo [dot] com if you have any questions. So expect this post to change accordingly.

WISHLIST: THE LOST SAINT

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
Book 2 of the Dark Divine series

Genre: urban fantasy, YA

Publication Date: 28 December 2010

About The Lost Saint:

*Spoiler Alert* - If you have not read The Dark Divine, this synopsis may contain spoilers.

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot—a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel is put in danger—in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her—not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

Source: Info in the About The Lost Saint was taken from the author's website at http://www.breedespain.com/saintsynopsis.html on 01/10/10.

IN THE MAIL: SACRIFICE

My loot:
I actually won SACRIFICE by Dakota Banks from two different blog contests!! And I would like to thank Natalie of A Great Book Is The Cheapest Vacation and Larissa of Welcome To Larissa's Bookish Life for hosting contests which made it possible for me to win Sacrifice (Book 2 of the Mortal Path series ) by Dakota Banks!! Together with the package was a Mortal Path series bookmark and a Mortal Path series pen. Thank you!!
Synopsis:

A Sumerian demon's enslaved executioner--a ravager of lives and souls--Maliha Crayne has been reborn, willing to sacrifice her immortality for a chance at freedom ... and salvation.

Now she has an opportunity to prevent the death of thousands to help balance the countless lives she has obliterated over the centuries. To do so, she must locate and destroy an evil cabal of madmen in possession of a weapon of unspeakable power--and survive the immortal assassins who are now after her blood.

But it means reverting to the old ways and surrendering once more to the darkness. And if Maliha dies before the mission is accomplished, the hell she once knew will seem like a picnic compared to the eternal torments awaiting her.

Source: Info in th above Synopsis was taken from the author's website at http://www.dakota-banks.com/ on 19/11/2010.
*Added 20/11/2010:
Received another package with exact the same contents. Thank you!! Didn't really expect to be receiving two copies of the same book... but, thank you!

Review: DEATHWISH

Deathwish by Rob Thurman
Book 4 of the Cal Leandros series

Genre: urban fantasy

About Deathwish by Rob Thurman:

How I felt the mental stirrings of a bloodthirsty heritage when I passed through the gray light wasn’t my favorite topic…. The Auphe nature wasn’t mine. I wouldn’t let it be. And if I said that to myself over and over and sprinkled around enough frigging fairy dust, maybe it would be true.

Half-human Cal Leandros and his brother, Niko, are barely getting by with their preternatural detective agency when the vampire Seamus hires them. He’s being followed, and he wants to know by whom. But the Leandros brothers have to do more than they had planned when Seamus turns up dead (or un-undead). Worse still is the return of Cal’s nightmarish family’ the Auphe.

The last time Cal faced them, the Auphe were almost wiped out. Now they want revenge. Cal knows that before the Auphe get to him, they will try to destroy everything and everyone he holds dear. Because for the Auphe, Cal’s pain is a pleasure.

And they’re feeling good.

Source: Info in the About Deathwish by Rob Thurman was taken from the author's website at http://robthurman.net/cal-leandros/deathwish/ on 14/09/2010.

Review:
Being book 4 in the series, the world building and character development has been done a long time ago. Although new characters were introduced, it is done in the same flare as the first book. Very good indeed. A 5 out of 5. So what else can I say about this book that I haven't said already in the previous books? The ending. The story ended with a bang and satisfying closure, but, some of the scenes there had some feasibility issues. It just tells you that this and that happened.  It didn't take the reader through the journey. The how did they get there was not properly explained. Consequently as a reader I had difficulty suspending disbelief. But because the story telling quality was good, I could overlook that issue for now and continue reading Rob Thurman.

Another thing about this book is that the narrative's point of view (POV) swaps between Nik and Cal from chapter to chapter. I had gotten so used to the narrative from Cal's POV that when Nik gets his turn I sometimes get confused and had to re-read the pages. The up side of this is that we get to hear Nik's POV which I have been wanting to know for a long time and this book gave me that satisfaction.
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Previous books in the Cal Leandros series: