Book: Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Published June 2012 by Harlequin Teen|Pages: 304

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Soul Screamers #6

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Vincent’s Website

Summary: I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul.The good news? He didn’t get it.

The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school….

Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent “recovering,” she’s back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend.

But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won’t keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn’t just gambling with her own life….

The more I read this series, the more I love it!  Where else are you going to get a story about a girl who’s now trying to struggle to fit in with her human friends.

I think my favorite part was seeing Kaylee adjust to life in the human world.  She really has to concentrate on staying visible in school, and I liked that she’d randomly start disappearing in the middle of class.  While Kaylee doesn’t always want to go to her dad when stuff happens, in the end, she does end up telling him, which I really like.  I mean, a lot of times, parents are totally absent, and I like that Kaylee seems to have the good sense to go to him when things get weird…well, weirder than normal, anyway.

I kind of wish we saw a little bit of her training, because I’m super-curious about her training actually entails.  Especially when you learn that Kaylee, her boss and a necromancer are the only people left in her department.  Add in Avari being able to cross over to the human world while borrowing the soul and body of people.  Especially if it’s someone Kaylee knows…because Avari is one twisted hellion.

Kaylee and Tod are so adorable together, and they make a great couple.  It’s nice seeing them together.  The stakes are getting higher with each book, and while the ending wasn’t what I was expecting, I can’t say it was all that surprising.  I’m almost nervous to see who’s going to be next- hopefully, no one, but I doubt everyone will survive.  If they do, I’ll be surprised.

At this point, Before I Wake is tied with If I Die for my favorite book in the series!  Seriously, Kaylee coming to terms with being dead, and the guilt she feels over a certain event in the book, and trying to hold onto her humanity…I loved that part of it.  I’m sort of amazed at how different Kaylee is now, and how much she’s changed since the beginning of the series.  Her struggle with her immortality was great to see.

Final Thoughts:

I totally can’t wait to read the next (and last) book.  I can’t wait to see where Vincent takes things after the events in Before I Wake, because things have gotten a lot more interesting.  Before I Wake was completely awesome, and gets 5 stars!

Book: Windfall by Rachel Caine

Published November 2005 by Penguin Group|Pages: 352

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Weather Wardens #4

Genre: Adult Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: Less than a year ago, Joanne Baldwin was an agent for one of the most powerful organizations in the world, entrusted with the safety of millions of lives on a daily basis. Now she’s a scantily clad “weather girl” for a Ft. Lauderdale television station.

After losing her job as a Weather Warden (those with the ability to manipulate the weather and avowed to protect humankind), Joanne is finding life in the “real world” not as enticing as she once thought. Her job as a cheesecake weather girl is humiliating, especially with a lecherous head meteorologist (deliciously named Marvelous Marvin McLarty) who delights in devising new ways to embarrass her on camera. But with her supernatural Djinn lover slowly dying and a recently divorced, shopping-addicted sister camping out on her sofa, Joanne’s problems couldn’t possibly get worse — or could they? Throw in a highly suspicious detective bent on arresting Joanne on murder charges, a Djinn civil war, and a monster of an approaching hurricane –and suddenly Marvelous Marvin’s antics don’t seem so bad!

Holy cow!  Windfall is totally my favorite book in the series right now, because once the book starts, it doesn’t stop, and you’re left wanting to read the next book to see what happens!

The connection between her current boss, Marvelous Marvin and Bad Bob from Ill Wind, was surprising…but not too surprising either.

Just when you think things can’t get any worse…they do!  At this point, things are going to get really interesting because the Wardens are now at war with the Dijinn.  Based on what I’ve read in the Outcast Season- which is a spin-off of this one- it would seem that we are now starting the events that will lead up to that series.

I just love Joanne, who is such fun and spunky and generally awesome.  Her as a weather girl was really amusing, but seeing her trying to live a normal life was both amusing and interesting.  Trouble seems to follow her everywhere, and with her not being a warden and her powers being almost completely gone because of David as an Ifrit…well, let’s just say things get super interesting in Windfall.  With the Wardens wondering if she’s behind bizarre weather patterns in Florida and people out to get her, Joanne having seriously depleted powers…Joanne really can’t catch a break.  Then again, if she did,

It’s definitely  action-packed, with Joanne nearly dying several times throughout the book.  We also meet her sister, and it wasn’t a surprise that she met the guy Quinn was working for.  I wasn’t expecting it, but I really shouldn’t have been surprised by that particular revelation.

Seeing Joanne’s relationship with David was interesting, and it’s really going to be different in the books to come.  And it’s all because of the end of the book!  I’m also curious to see how things play out with the Wardens, the Ma’at and with Lewis.  Especially Lewis.  I feel like Windfall is the turning point, but I’ll have to finish to rest of the series to know for sure.

Final Thoughts:

I totally loved Windfall and I’m absolutely positive we’re at the point where the other books will be REALLY hard to put down.  Things are changing, and I can’t wait to see how things turn out.  Windfall is a fun, action-packed read.  Windfall gets 5 stars.

Book: That Time I Joined The Circus by J.J. Howard

Published April 2013 by Scholastic|Pages: 273

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads|J.J. Howard’s Website

A Note: That Time I Joined The Circus was an e-book from netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review

Summary: Lexi Ryan just ran away to join the circus, but not on purpose.

A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake–and facing a terrible tragedy–Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi’s mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.

When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn’t there . . . but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus’s fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.

But then Lexi’s ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it’s Lexi’s own future that’s thrown into question.

With humor, wisdom, and a dazzlingly fresh voice, this debut reminds us of the magic of circus tents, city lights, first kisses, and the importance of an excellent playlist.

I am so glad I read That Time I Joined The Circus!  I think it might be one of my favorites that I’ve read this year.

It took a little time to get into it, because it was hinted that Lexi was doing something horrible the night her father died, but we eventually learn what happened that night, and all the details that led up to that night.  But in the end, I loved how the story unfolded and how we slowly learn all the details of that night.

I thought the role music has was pretty good, and while it had a big role, there were times when I felt like she wasn’t as music-obsessed as I was expecting her to be.  I did like that each chapter had lyrics from different songs, and that every single chapter went along with said lyrics.

We totally have to talk about the setting, because the circus is the main setting of the book!  Where The Night Circus was magical, and Water For Elephants was a little bit dark, That Time I Joined The Circus was fun and sweet and light-hearted.  I just loved the circus and how we saw the midway and the crew and the main act.  Circus Europa had a lot of charm.

There were some serious moments, because Lexi ends up at the circus trying to find her mother after her father died.  I felt like Lexi searching for her mother randomly disappeared once Lexi realized her mother wasn’t at the circus.  I thought that was interesting because Lexi has  no way to find her mother.  She does find her mother in the end, but I didn’t particularly care about the relationship she had with her mother.  Mostly because her mother was absent for a lot of the book, and so it was hard to care.  I also felt that way about her relationship with her dad, who we only saw in a handful of flashbacks.

What I did like was her guilt over being with Eli when she got the call about her dad.  I found it really easy to relate to, and I’d probably feel the same way if I were in her position.  I didn’t find her relationship with Eli too believable, because I never really felt like her feelings for him were really strong.  It definitely seemed like they were there, but it was hard to like her with him when I liked her with Nick so much better.

The circus is such a great backdrop for Lexi’s journey of figuring out she is and dealing with feeling abandoned by her two (ex) best friends, her mother who left when she was a child, and by her father.  I loved seeing her make friends at the circus, where people were not who they initially seemed to be.  Her time at the circus led her to a performing arts college, and I loved seeing how much her time in the circus changed her.

Final Thoughts:

I SO COMPLETELY LOVED That Time I Joined The Circus.  While the flashbacks didn’t completely work for me at first, by the end I was completely in love with the characters and the circus.  The title and the cover go so well with the story, and it’s better than I ever could have imagined.  That Time I Joined The Circus gets 5 stars.

Book: Waifs And Strays by Charles de Lint

Published June 2004 by Firebird|391 pages

Borrowed the paperback from a friend!

Series: None

Genre: Fiction/Short Stories/Fantasy

Summary: Charles de Lint is a thirteen-time finalist for the World Fantasy Award, and eight of his books were chosen for the reader-selected Modern Library Top 100 Books of the Twentieth Century. His best-selling and award-winning work has always featured teenage characters. Here, at long last, is a collection of his stories about teenagers- a book for teen and adult alike. From the streets of his famed Newford to the alleys of Bordertown to the realms of Faerie, this is speculative fiction that will tranfix and delight, that will make readers think and feel and keep reading. Waifs and Strays is a must-own for de Lint fans, and an ideal introduction to his work for newcomers.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Waifs And Strays, but I liked it more than I was expecting.

I really liked the elements of fantasy and myth and how well he blended them with the real world.  I also liked how the main characters were all teens.  Towards the end, they all started to blend together because they all seemed pretty similar to each other.  And this was after reading a couple stories at a time.  Since this book is short stories, it’s easy to have a couple other books going on at the same time, because you can read a couple at a time.

With any collection of short stories, you’re not going to like everything, which is the case with Waifs And Strays.  There were a few that were a little bit too long (like Sisters and Stick, to name a couple) but there were a few I liked (like Merlin Dreams In The Mondream Wood and Ghosts Of Wind And Shadow).

I did like the imagery and I could visualize everything so well.  I’ve never read Charles de Lint before, so this really is a good introduction to his work.  I don’t think I’m interested enough to read his other stuff.

I honestly have nothing else to add.  I liked it, but oddly enough, it’s also not my cup of tea.  Waifs And Strays gets 3 stars.

Book: Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

Published April 2013 by HarperCollins|400 pages

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: The Body Finder #4

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Kimberly Derting’s Website

Summary: Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

Dead Silence is a great conclusion for this series!

One thing I loved was Violet connecting to her now-deceased grandmother through the journals her grandmother left behind.  I know her grandmother had the same ability, which was mentioned for sure in The Body Finder.  And I can’t remember if it came up in the other books, but I did like the connection between her team and the team her grandmother was on.  It’s all rather creepy, actually, because Violet’s team is comprised of people who had relatives that were part of the team her grandmother was on.  I’m sort of wishing that we got more glimpses of this super-secret group running her team.  We learned enough about them and what they do…and what they will do if you don’t do what they want.  Part of me wanted more, but there’s another part of me that’s okay with not knowing everything about this mysterious group because I love the air of mystery surrounding the series.

I really liked the random chapters following the serial killer.  It makes it more creepy, and it’s always a mystery to see the other person connects with Violet.

Seeing Violet deal with her own imprint was pretty interesting.  And her learning that there’s only an echo if the person has their heart was an interesting revelation- all thanks to her grandma.  Her discovery leads to her not walking around with her imprint, but she’s still dealing with what happened in the last book.  Which is totally understandable because killing someone- even when it’s self-defense- can’t be easy.

It was also nice to finally see Violet open up to her friend Chelsea.  Having the ability to find dead bodies can’t be easy, and sharing it with someone has to be hard, but it was nice to see her come to the realization that she needs to be more open with her friends.  And seeing the entry in her  grandma’s journal where her grandma had to move because of her ability because people found and thought she was crazy sort of put it into perspective.

The ending was pretty open, which leaves the door wide open for more books.  But things were also resolved enough that I’m okay with this one being the last book.

Final Thoughts:

I really liked Dead Silence, and thought it was a great last book.  I didn’t love it but overall, it fit with the other books so well.  Dead Silence gets 4 stars.

Book: If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Published September 2011 by Harlequin Teen|304 pages

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Soul Screamers #5

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Vincent’s Website

Summary: The entire school’s talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee’s no ordinary high-school junior. She’s a banshee—she screams when someone dies.

But the next scream might be for Kaylee.

Yeah—it’s a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee’s going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend’s needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren’t quite human, either.

But Kaylee’s borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life.

Anything.

If I Die is another great book in the Soul Screamers series.  It’s definitely my favorite in the series.

Kaylee dying…part of me was hoping it wouldn’t happen, but it did.  Seeing how she reacted compared to everyone else- I actually liked that she went about things like she normally would because she couldn’t change her dying.  And distracting herself  by taking out Mr Beck was definitely how Kaylee would distract herself.  Who knew it would turn out so badly?

Then again, there are actually consequences for whatever happens, which is actually NICE to see in a YA book.  This sort of falls into the consequences for your actions category, so I think it is a good place to mention that Kaylee and Nash break up, and that Kaylee and Tod get together.  Kaylee finally realizes that she can’t forgive Nash for becoming addicted to Demon’s Breath, and it’s after she kisses Tod!  Nash…I started out completely loving him, and now I’m not really liking him at the moment.  Demon’s Breath was bad enough a couple books ago, but there are a couple things in this book…goodness, how Nash has changed.

I’m totally trying to not give anything away here, because if I do, I’ll majorly spoil the book, and I really don’t want to do that for anyone who may want to read it!

I’m actually glad she and Tod are together.  They’re a much better couple than Nash and Kaylee.

I can’t believe I just said that, because I never would have thought that after the first book or two.  But it’s totally what I’m thinking right now.

I suppose I have to talk about Mr. Beck and him being an incubus.  I’m always impressed with what Rachel Vincent does in terms of paranormal creatures, and Mr. Beck is no exception!  Sabine helping Kaylee was slightly unexpected, but I ACTUALLY LIKED SABINE.  Sabine was still Sabine, but she really grew on me in this one and I was surprised by how likeable she was.

I thought Mr. Beck being an incubus and teaching high school students because he wants a son was an interesting and different.  It’s totally creepy, especially because he goes for girls who need help with math.  But it also sort of makes sense because he’s going for girls who are more likely to give him a healthy child.  Totally makes sense in this really creepy way.  And I did like how everything connected back to Kaylee and her past.  Not just with Mr. Beck but in general.

I just love so much about If I Die.  I really can’t think of anything bad about it.  Nash comes close, but while Nash was frustrating, I’m totally willing to overlook it.  For one thing, I kind of get why he acted the way he did.  And I think he was headed in that direction for the last couple books.

Final Thoughts:

I seriously LOVED If I Die.  It’s my favorite one in the series so far, and I can’t wait to read Before I Wake.  This is one hell of a journey for Kaylee and her friends, and I like where things are going.  If I Die gets 5 stars.

Book: Chill Factor by Rachel Caine

Published January 2005 by Penguin Group|Pages: 352

Source: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Weather Wardens #3

Genre: Adult Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Caine’s Website

Summary: Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin has protected the human race from monster storms, been killed, reborn as a Djinn, and then restored to her original form. Now she’s throwing the dice to stop an infinitely powerful, deeply disturbed kid-who is holed up in a Vegas hotel-from bringing on a new ice age.

I’m totally loving Caine’s Weather Warden series!  I’ve been a fan ever since I started out with her Morganville Vampires series, and Chill Factor is just as awesome as everything else she’s written.

Joanne is a pretty awesome character.  I just love how freaking cool she is, because she always finds herself in interesting situations.  Seeing her get out of said situations is also interesting and entertaining.  And seeing her with other people is always funny but entertaining.

As much as I loved Chill Factor, I’m not sure what else to say without sounding like a broken record!  The characters are really consistent, yet I’m still surprised by some of the new additions as well as previous characters we’re still getting to know.  There’s so much going on and I really liked certain…developments that I don’t want to give away.  The rest of the series is going to be really interesting, because there are quite a few things in Chill Factor that could prove to be very interesting later on.

Right now, I’m feeling like the word interesting is a tad bit over-used.

Anyways…random flashbacks!  We see a little bit of Joanne’s past, and her connection to the Ma’at, who we meet in this novel.  I vaguely remember them from Outcast Season (I swear I’m going to finish it someday) so it was nice to see what they’re all about, and how they got started.  I hope we learn more about Joanne’s past in future books.

I love the descriptions of the aetheric plane, and I can imagine it so well when I’m reading.  I also love the connections to the weather, and while it could be a bit more vivid, I still love how Caine makes weather really different (but interesting).

I totally loved Chill Factor, which was super-fun to read.  The characters are great, and there’s always something weird going on- but in a totally good way.  Caine is such a consistent writer (which I love), and Chill Factor doesn’t disappoint.  Chill Factor gets 5 stars!

Book: Spellbinding by Maya Gold

Published April 2013 by Scholastic, Inc|Pages: 275

Series: None

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads|Maya Gold’s Website

A Note: Spellbinding is an e-ARC from netgalley.com, which has not influenced my review in any way

Summary: There’s more than one way to be powerful…

It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva–sixteen and nearly friendless–makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.

Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush–and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there’s Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history–and her heart–before she can face the powerful truth.

I really liked Spellbinding!  There’s something about witches and their connections to the past, especially when that past is their family history.  I totally loved the connection to the Salem Witch Trials, and the elemental magic used in Spellbinding.

While Spellbinding has a mix of elements right out of Carrie, Mean Girls and quite possibly Sabrina The Teenage Witch (and probably a few other teen movies that I’ve missed), I still really liked it.  I loved how history played out, and while I’m not completely sure how I feel about the prom scene, I did like the connection back to the Salem Witch Trials.

I thought the whole retribution part of it was interesting.  I can understand wanting revenge for what happened hundreds of years earlier, and it made Abby discovering her powers a lot more interesting.

I liked how normal Abby is.  She doesn’t seem to have many friends, and she’s ignored at home, which is a little sad.  But that makes it really easy to see how she gets pulled into the magical world.  I wish we got a little more of her home life and her friendships so we could really see how much things changed.  I also found Rem a very interesting character, and it’s because he’s so mysterious!

Final Thoughts:

I don’t really have anything else to say about Spellbinding!  It was a fun, quick read, and I loved how well magic, history and the present connected.  Spellbinding gets 4 stars.