Book: Thin Air by Rachel Caine

Published August 2007 by Penguin Group|Pages: 336

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Weather Warden #6

Genre: Adult Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: After preventing Mother Earth from destroying the planet, Joanne Baldwin lost her memories thanks to Ashan the djinn-and they will remain lost forever unless Joanne can recover her identity-and destroy the demon who is impersonating her, fabulous shoes and all…

I absolutely loved Thin Air.  This series…it’s really addicting.  Seeing Joanne have to deal with trying to get her memories back and working with Venna and Ashan because he’s the only one who can do it.  And Demon Joanne, who convinces everyone she’s Joanne, but she’s really not Joanne.  Being a demon and all.

We see a separation between the dijinn- there’s the Old Dijinn, led by Ashan, and the New Dijinn, led by David.  Ashan’s not the biggest fan of us pesky humans, while David is.  So it would make sense that the Dijinn would separate into 2 different factions.  I wondered when this would happen, and it turns out that it happens in Thin Air.

Joanne really intrigued me in this one.  A lot of it is because she’s lost all of her memories, and she’s trying to get her memory back.  Along the way, we learn Imara is the new Oracle in Sedona, which means she’s too new to help Joanne.  And…we learn that Joanne has the abilities of a Fire Warden, a Weather Warden and an Earth Warden, which isn’t too surprising.  There’s part of me that wishes Joanne didn’t hit the trifecta, just because it’s a little too obvious.  Had this been any other book, I’d be worried about Joanne coming across as really perfect with tons of super-powers.  But she’s not perfect, even though she has to make a decision between Lewis and David, and even though she has these new abilities that she has to figure out how to use while keeping Mother Nature happy.

It really will be interesting to see how everything plays out- except for the Lewis-Joanne-David thing, because I know she’ll end up with David.  That’s totally not a spoiler, because it’s in the summaries for at least one of the last three books.  I’m starting to get really intrigued with the new Dijinn and the old Dijinn.  Partly because of Outcast season, but also because the divide between the Dijinn was there, even though it wasn’t a huge thing for a lot of the series.

Thin Air is a really good addition to the series.  Every book builds on the last one, and I feel like we’re peeling away the different layers of this world Caine is building.

Final Thoughts:

Thin Air is pretty freaking awesome.  Joanne’s powers are definitely interesting, now that that’s she on the same level as Lewis.  And I really loved seeing how the Dijinn ended up splitting into 2 groups.  Thin Air gets 5 stars.

Book: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Published May 2010 by Disney Hyperion|Pages: 195

Where I Got It: E-book|From the library!

Series: Hex Hall #1

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Hawkins On Twitter

Summary: Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It’s gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie’s estranged father–an elusive European warlock–only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it’s her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

I can’t believe it took me so long to read Hex Hall!  I’m totally wishing I picked this one up earlier.

I really like the idea of different schools for witches, faeries and shape-shifters, but I also like the idea of a boarding school that’s the last resort for all types of problem students.

We see Sophie arrive at Hex Hall, not knowing anything.  It wasn’t a surprise, but it worked in the sense that you got to learn more about this world as Sophie learned about it.  She’s just a really caring person, and while’s a bit gullible at times, she makes mistakes but seems to learn from them.

Bringing demons back from the dead, and light magic and dark magic and faeries and shape-shifters and all sorts of other magical creatures.  Like Lord Byron (yes, that Lord Byron!) as a vampire teacher.  It’s all pretty awesome.  And it seems like no paranormal book is complete without several groups out to get the Prodigium.  The Eye Of God seems to be the one we’ll see in the other books, and I’m curious about where that will go.

There’s quite the cast of characters, from the mean girls to the vampire who’s the school outcast to Sophie’s mysterious father to Sophie herself.  It’s unfortunate Sophie doesn’t know much about her father, and seeing her interact with people who know more about her family then she does was interesting.  And just being around people who know more about this very magical world was one of the more interesting parts of the book, because Sophie- in a lot of ways- is a clean slate.  She went in with no pre-conceived notions and is so willing to believe Jenna (who is a pretty awesome vampire, by the way) wasn’t behind some of the…accidents that happen at Hex Hall.

There’s a really good balance of funny and absurd and serious.  And the pop culture references!  I have mixed feelings about pop culture references, because I sometimes worry that it’ll make the book seem dated in a few years.  But in this case…it totally works, and I can’t see them making the book seem dated.

And the cover!  I’m assuming the girl on the cover is Sophie- because I have no clue who else it would be- but I really like how there’s a reflection of her in the lake.  And the colors are really pretty.

Final Thoughts:

I really liked Hex Hall.  There were a few things that were predictable, but I didn’t mind that at all.  It really was fun read and I can’t wait to see what happens next.  Hex Hall gets 4 stars!

Book: Possessed by Kira Saito

Self-Published by Kira Saito in July 2012|Pages: 491

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Arelia LaRue #3

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Kira Saito’s Blog

Summary: Down in New Orleans, Arelia LaRue’s once ordinary life has been transformed into something truly odd.

As she ventures further into the world of Les Mysteries she realizes that nothing is ever as simple as it appears.

Faced with challenges that threaten her very sanity, Arelia must decide if fighting for what is right is truly worth the risk.

This series really is unique.  I can honestly say that I’ve never read anything like it.

I love Darkwood as a setting, and I love that it’s this plantation in New Orleans.  I love seeing Arelia work with Les Mysteries, even though she tends to call on Ezrulie, and doesn’t tend to call on anyone else.

What’s really interesting about Possessed is that Arelia is possessed by Ivan/Louis, and he promises to leave her alone if she just leaves the plantation.  She’s determined not to, and through her possession, we get more glimpses into what it was like to be a slave.  I really like the connection between past and present, and how connected everything is.  We definitely learn something new in every book, and in Possessed, we learn that Marie wasn’t the one behind the curse, and that Ivan and Lucas are brothers.  Different mothers, of course, but I liked learning more about her past.

There was one thing that didn’t make sense: Jacques, Lucas’ dad, couldn’t afford to free Marie, but he could afford to buy her diamonds?

I did like it better than Punished, and mostly because of the history we get to see.  It really made Possessed interesting.  It wasn’t enough to make me really like it or even love it, but it’s still a fun series to read.

I’m still not liking the ending.  They are cliffhanger-ish, but it also makes me feel like I’m reading installments of one story as opposed to reading a complete book.  It’s not enough to make me stop reading, because right now, everything else is outweighing the ending.

The characters are, well, them.  Considering the events of the 3 books have spanned the course of a month or so, it’s not terribly surprising that the characters aren’t changing as much as you’d expect, especially in the case of Ivan and Lucas, who have had decades and decades to hold grudges and feel bad for themselves and everything.  Change isn’t going to happen overnight with them, especially with Ivan, who (seemingly) doesn’t want to change.  Arelia is a different character than she was in Bound, and I have the feeling she’s going to be the one who goes through quite the transformation.

Final Thoughts:

I like Possessed, and seeing history really added an interesting element.  At this point, though, the endings and the feeling that I’m reading installments rather than a complete book is starting to get more irritating as I continue.  It’s not enough to stop reading, because overall, I did like Possessed.  In terms of history and the world that Saito’s created, it’s the one that’s most interesting- and why it’s my favorite in terms of history.  Possessed gets 3 stars.

Book: Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Published March 2013 by Bloomsbury|Pages: 310

Where I Got It: Bought the hardcover!

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads|Lindsey Leavitt’s Website

Summary: When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars).

The List:

1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous

But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

Going Vintage was adorable!  I thought Mallory giving up technology was really unique, and one of the more interesting aspects of the book.  I mean, people are texting her and freaking out that she’s not responding right away.  One of her teachers thought she was odd when she told him she couldn’t use technology for an assignment…she had to do research the old-fashioned way, and go to the library and try to hunt things down without an actual card catalog and use a pay-phone to call her parents if she needed a ride home because she wasn’t using hers.

While I could talk about how technology plays a big role in our lives, I won’t, because Going Vintage is more about Mallory trying new things and connecting with her grandmother.  I liked that Mallory learned she would be okay, no matter what happens, and no matter what’s going on with technology.

I kind of expected Mallory to go completely vintage.  It did seem like she found some vintage-ish clothes to wear, and she was inspired by this list her grandmother made, but I was expecting more of a connection to the past.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked that Mallory found some peace, but I think I was expecting something a little more public.  Something a little more obvious.

Still, it was a cute, fun read, but you can’t help but think about technology and the role it plays.  I liked seeing people react to her experiment.

I loved her sister Ginnie, who has this huge personality.  She balances out Mallory so well, and she’s pretty freaking awesome.  I didn’t really like Mallory’s mom, who kept her blog a secret.  She even talks about Mallory’s break-up, and when Mallory finds out because of a technology relapse, she’s not happy.  I don’t blame her because she broke up with Jeremy because he cheated on her with someone online, and then her mom talks about it on her blog.  But…Mallory doesn’t explain why she’s going vintage to anyone- except for Ginnie, of course- which kind of made me wish that Mallory did talk about why she did it.  Plus, everyone was really forgiving of her mom, which was annoying.  But since the book is more about Mallory becoming more comfortable with herself, I get why her mom’s actions were glossed over.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed Going Vintage.  There were times when I wished Mallory went more vintage, but overall, I really liked her journey and what she learned about herself.  Going Vintage gets 4 stars.

Book: Defending Jacob by William Landay

Published January 2012 by Random House|Pages: 432

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: None

Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery/Thriller

Goodreads|William Landay’s Website

Summary: Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. He is respected. Admired in the courtroom. Happy at home with the loves of his life, his wife, Laurie, and teenage son, Jacob.

Then Andy’s quiet suburb is stunned by a shocking crime: a young boy stabbed to death in a leafy park. And an even greater shock: The accused is Andy’s own son—shy, awkward, mysterious Jacob.

Andy believes in Jacob’s innocence. Any parent would. But the pressure mounts. Damning evidence. Doubt. A faltering marriage. The neighbors’ contempt. A murder trial that threatens to obliterate Andy’s family.

It is the ultimate test for any parent: How far would you go to protect your child? It is a test of devotion. A test of how well a parent can know a child. For Andy Barber, a man with an iron will and a dark secret, it is a test of guilt and innocence in the deepest sense.

How far would you go?

Defending Jacob…I have mixed feelings.  There were things I thought were interesting, but there were things that I didn’t like.

One interesting thing is that Andy (Jacob’s dad) is very insistent that his son didn’t do it, and that it was someone else.  He’s very much convinced that his perfect little angel could never kill someone.  At the same time, you have Laurie (Jacob’s mom) has the complete opposite reaction of Andy.  She’s open to the possibility that her son could have done it, especially when she starts reflecting on Jacob’s entire life, and wonders if he could have done it because of how he acted as a kid.  I’m not surprised by their reactions or surprised by how different they are.

Also interesting is the idea of a murder gene.  Andy’s father and grandfather ended up in jail for murder, and while it wasn’t explored as much as it could have been, it was really nice to see a bit more focus on the genetic end of things.  The author could have focused on how the media is to blame, but instead went with something completely different.  It was nice to see something that could have been passed down from generation to generation, and how Andy, Jacob and Andy’s dad ended up so different, even though they all have the same “murder gene.”

More than anything else, Defending Jacob is about the lengths a parent will go to in order to protect their child.  Andy doesn’t even want to face the possibility that his son could have committed murder that he’ll do most anything to prove his son’s innocence.  Laurie, on the other hand, is much more willing to believe Jacob could have killed someone, and it really breaks her heart.  How far will you go to keep a loved one out of jail?

This actually brings me to what I didn’t like about the book.  I didn’t like the mysterious courtroom transcripts, and I didn’t like Andy as a narrator.  I felt like he was really detached from what was going on, and despite his insistence that Jacob what innocent, I felt like he didn’t show any emotion regarding what was going on with his son.  I didn’t like the random flashbacks to Andy’s childhood and I COULDN’T STAND the vague “if only I knew then what I know now” comments.  It made it totally obvious that there something else going on, and so I wasn’t surprised to find that Laurie snaps and does something…extreme.

I found it fairly predictable- especially the ending, which didn’t actually resolve anything.  Were the last few paragraphs creepy?  Sure, but I was expecting loose ends to be tied up.  A lot of stuff was introduced but for me, they didn’t go anywhere, and you’re never completely sure if Jacob actually did it or not.  Plus, there’s absolutely no resolution to what Laurie does, which was most frustrating. I just wanted to know why, and that is something we have to guess.  I normally don’t mind open-ended endings, but this one was just annoying.  Let’s just say the ending was one big WTF-moment.

Final Thoughts:

The ending was the most frustrating part of the book.  Throw in a bunch of characters who didn’t seem to show a lot of emotion and plot points that don’t really go anywhere, and you have a book that was as interesting as it could have been.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked it, and there’s quite a bit to think about.  But everything combined leads to a 3 star rating for Defending Jacob.  

Book: Firestorm by Rachel Caine

Published September 2006 by Penguin|Pages: 320

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Weather Warden #5

Genre: Adult Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: Rogue Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin is racing to New York to warn her former colleagues of the impending apocalypse. An ancient agreement between the Djinn and the Wardens has been broken, and the furious Djinn, slaves to the Wardens for millennia, have broken free of mortal control.

With more than half the Wardens unaccounted for in the wake of the Djinn uprising, Joanne realizes that the natural disasters they’ve combated for so long were merely symptoms of restless Mother Nature fidgeting in her sleep. Now she’s waking up—and she is angry…

If there’s something Caine does well, it’s writing a book that I cannot put down.  Firestorm is no exception to that. I’m probably going to say this in all of the reviews for the rest of the books in this series, but things are getting crazy!  Mother Earth is starting to lose it, a bunch of Wardens are dead/missing/have demon marks, Imara (Joanne’s daughter) is quite interesting, and we finally see the Oracles mentioned in Outcast Season.  I think we all meet Cassiel, but I’m not sure, because she’s not mentioned by name.  We do see an angelic-looking Dijinn, which seems to fit her.  I’m pretty sure we’ll find that out later though.

Imara.  I like her, and she’s a pretty interesting character.  She’s more grown up than you’d expect.  She also grew up fast, so creating a Dijinn- even one who’s part Dijinn, like Imara- is definitely different.  Plus, she has the knowledge of Joanne and David, and while I have a fuzzy idea of how things turn out for her, it’ll be great to see how she gets there.

Random Note About Things That Don’t Really Have Anything To Do With This Book: This would probably be a good time to mention that I’ll probably be talking more about Outcast Season as I continue this series.  At some point, we’ll see the events of Outcast Season, which should be any book now, because there’s only 4 books left for me to read.

Now Back To Firestorm: Seeing how things are getting really bad, and how there are a lot of Wardens who are not accounted for.  And the broken agreement with the Dijinn, and Mother Earth losing it, and everything is GOING COMPLETELY BONKERS.  Especially because there’s something about Joanne that makes Mother Earth want to listen to her.  I like this whole idea that there are a lot more earthquakes and other natural disasters because Mother Nature is trying to heal herself.

Even with impending doom, there were still a few funny moments.  Mostly when Joanne was flying to the Southwest.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is when one of the pilots told them to enjoy their food because they’d be vomiting later.  I have no idea why I was amused by this, but I was.  It also a great scene because you learn that Weather Wardens and flying are two things that should not be combined.

I just really like where things are going, and how Joanne’s doing what she can to help.  Things are crazy, and they can only get worse.  Mother Nature is not a happy camper, and I don’t blame her.  The Dijinn aren’t really helping, particularly Ashan.  I thought his “relationship” was interesting.  They’re definitely at odds with each other in Firestorm, and while I’m not surprised he managed to end up with Imara, I think part of me was wishing he wouldn’t.

I just have this feeling that she’s somehow going to be used against Joanne.  We’ve seen it with her sister- which also makes you wonder what the deal is with Eamon- so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ashan (and any other villain) use her loved ones against her.

Final Thoughts:

I love the concept of the series, and how each book focuses on different weather patterns and elements.  Fire seems particularly appropriate at this point, but I honestly couldn’t tell you why.  Firestorm gets 5 stars for being another great book in a really addicting series.

Book: Punished by Kira Saito

Self-Published by Kira Saito in March 2012|Pages: 223

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Arelia LaRue #2

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Kira Saito’s Blog

Summary: Down in New Orleans, Arelia Larue’s once ordinary life has quickly transformed into something truly extraordinary.

As her ability to communicate and work with Les Mysteries (spirits) grows, so does her attraction for Darkwood’s secretive owner Lucus LaPlante.

However, Arelia soon discovers that Darkwood’s shiny and seemingly extravagant exterior holds secrets that may put her very soul at risk.

In the intoxicating world of New Orleans voodoo/hoodoo, expect the unexpected.

After really liking Bound, I was really expecting to like Punished.  Which I liked, but not as much as I thought I would.

One thing I really love is the focus on voodoo/hoodoo, which is something I haven’t come across.  So it’s pretty freaking awesome that a paranormal series set in New Orleans actually focuses on one of the things that come to mind when I think of New Orleans.  I liked seeing Arelia work with more spirits, and how she got pulled in to the history of Darkwood.  We see a bit of Lucas’ life back in the 1800’s, and we also meet Louis, a slave who was at the plantation before the curse trapped Lucas there.

As it turns out, Louis is also trapped at Darkwood.  But while Lucas is in his own body, Louis is in a different one.  It was pretty obvious who it was pretty early in the book, and I just can’t believe I didn’t figure it out in Bound!  I think Arelia feels sympathy for Louis after seeing what his life was like.

Sabrina and Ivan got really tiresome in Punished, and I felt like they were just…there.  Sabrina seemed even more shallow than she did in Bound, and Ivan…his character does make sense, but he’s still the same guy he was in Bound.  I did like his story, though.

So, the thing that’s sort of annoying about Punished is that…it just ends.  It was something I noticed with Bound, and I’m a little disappointed that it continues with Punished.  I’m really starting to feel like Saito is just randomly deciding where to end, and just going with that, because Punished ended kind of abruptly.  I like the series enough that I’m willing to overlook it for now, but I’m hoping it doesn’t continue.

Final Thoughts:

I liked Punished, and I think the whole idea of a curse and the voodoo/hoodoo and the setting of New Orleans is different from a lot of other paranormal ideas out there.  Some of the characters are still the same characters they were in Bound- even ones who have more of a backstory- and I’m not liking how the books seem to randomly end.  Punished gets 3 stars.