Review: Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

If you want a break from paranormal novels, why not read a short story by your favorite author in Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions? This lovely anthology filled with all sorts of paranormal beings certainly doesn't disappoint! From vampires to angels to ghosts, 16 popular authors of the young adult genre write short stories according to the theme of paranormal diversions (or journeys) in this anthology. Some authors chose to write stories set in the same worlds as their previously published books, like Jackson Pearce, Melissa Marr, and Carrie Ryan. Others, like Allie Condie and Claudia Gray decided to give the readers something completely new. I didn't find the stories that were related back to another book to contain spoilers that the internet couldn't easily ruin for you or isn't already common knowledge. If anything, I think these short stories are something like samples for what you would find in those worlds and what to expect from the characters. I discovered new worlds and new authors that I have heard so much about but never actually picked up their works. Each story was amazing and unique, but still kept to the theme. Sincerely, this was a quick read, even though it is over 400 pages long.

Cover:
I'm honestly not the biggest fan of this cover. I like the red hue of it and the dirt road lined with trees is just gorgeous. But I don't feel like this cover really expresses what the whole book is about or really what the theme is.
Level of Romance: It varies depending on the story, but most of them do have a romantic secondary theme.
Rating: 5 out of 5

Review: The Boys of Summer by Richard Denney

  The Boys of Summer( Book one: Secrets)
Declan Ambrose is an openly gay vampire in love with a human...whom he's never met. Sent on a mission by his coven's leader, Victor, to retieve a bracelet from Riley Morgan. Riley is a teen boy with an awful fate and Declan is determined to save him from it. As for his mission, his love for Riley may hinder Declan's progress in that.
   I didn't enjoy this novella as well as I did the rest of Richard's works. I'm not sure what it was, but I didn't like Declan and reading this book, told through the point of view of his eyes, was hard. Honestly, Declan's motives are a little blurred makig his whole character less than believable. On the other hand, I loved Riley. He is my favorite character of Richard's to date. He is the character torn between love and what he must do. But it doesn't feel fake, which I love. I really hope to see more from him. The storyline was good and it definitely kept me guessing and engaged. Overall, absolutely worth the read .
Level of Romance: Just count on a lovesick vampire narrating the story. His thoughts are enough to spice it up.
Rating: Like
Buy it here
Pages (on the kindle): 66
Chapters: 6
Source: Amazon
Edition: Kindle e-Book
Release Date: August 2nd, 2011

Review: Violet Fury by Richard Denney

Bethany Cates is having weird dreams. Ones that play in her mind like a movie that she is the star of. Only in her dreams, she's not really herself. She's called Sarah and she's got  some problems. Bethany has to find some answers, especially after the people from her dreams start showing up in real life. Those answers may be rooted in the history of Crest View, the new town she lives in, or even in the depths of herself.
I love it. I was captivated and couldn't put it down until the very end. It was short and sweet and to the point.It has all the elements of a full length novel in under one hundred pages. It brings a different creature to the table of paranormal and I'm excited for the sequel which is supposed to be released in 2012.
Level of Romance: Directly, none. In a round-about kind of way, a minuscule amount.
Rating: Favorite

Review: Monster High by Lisi Harrison

As I am unable to come up with a good synopsis of my own, here's the one from Goodreads:

   "They prefer to call themselves RAD (Regular Attribute Dodgers), but some call them monsters. So far, the "monster" community has kept a low profile in Salem, but this year two new girls enroll at Merston High School, and the town will never be the same.

Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and cheerleading. But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters who might be stalking the halls, Frankie finds that life in the "normie" world can be rough for a chic freak like her.
She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver--but can a normie be trusted with her big secret?"
    I'm not gonna lie: I only picked up this book because when I saw a vampire Barbie (Draculaura) in Walmart, I was blown away. No, that is not an exaggeration. It was like someone had finally answered my dreams. And then I found out there was a book and I had to read it, even if I knew it wasn't gonna be amazing....boy, was I surprised. It turns out that the plot has a fast start and a gripping, page-turning awesome that no one could have expected. The characters are ones you'll come to love. With a great lead in to the next book, but still a satisfying ending, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the next book!
              256 pages, young adult
    Level of Romance: Isn't high school always about romance?
    Rating : 5 out of 5

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Synopsis from Goodreads:
  "For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life."
     This is one of those books that some people love, while others hate it. I personally, am somewheres in between. I liked Nora as a character, she is kind of awkward and uptight. I especially liked her interaction with her best friend Vee and Patch. The volleying of borderline-inappropriate and suggestive comments is too funny. Another thing that is great is that there is a mystery other than Patch. In other words, the plot has more motivation than just find out the bad boy's secret. Not only this, but the book keeps you guessing. I couldn't have guessed the culprit, mostly because the events were jam-packed into the story. never giving me a chance to think about it. Out of the 391 pages and 30 chapters of the paperback edition of this paranormal young adult book, I only have one problem. Some of the evnets and decisions the characters make don't really make sense. In fact, they left me screaming. "Why the Hell would anyone do that!!!!????". It's not a good sign when you question the character's motives...
    I would recommend this book to fans of Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey because of the frustrating denial of attractions the characters carry out through this book, like in Beth's vampire novel.
   Level of Romance:  Hot bad boy and a goody-two-shoes girl = mild romance.
 Rating: 4 out of 5
  

Review: Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund

Book Two in the Killer Unicorns Series and sequel to Rampant

Warning: The very synopsis of this book will spoil the events of Rampant. If you want to be surprised, stop reading. Don't say I never warned you...

Review: Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

        "Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns... Real unicorns are venomous man-eating monsters with razor-sharp horns. Fortuantely, they've been extinct for a hundrd and fifty years.Or Not"
    Astrid had always believed her mother insane, what with her eccentric stories about killer unicorns and the virginal hunters that kill them. But when her boyfriend is attacked by a unicorn, Astrid has no choice but to believe in her mother and all the crazy stories-- or realize she herself has succumbed to the delusion. Having ruined her chance of going to prom, Astrid is all to happy to hear her mother is sending her away to Rome. Ancient cloisters lie there, which unicorn hunters have used for centuries. But the cloisters what they seem. Unicorns lurk outside it's walls, waiting for the girls to leave and attack; the girls she trains with have hidden secrets that could save or destroy them and--oh yeah, Astrid is growing dangerously attracted to a handsome Art student.

Review: The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

Released: February 22nd 2011

"There are Seventeen madhouses in Lovecraft. I've visited all of them."
     Aoife Grayson is counting down the days until her sixteenth birthday; the day that, according to family tradition, she will go mad, just as her mother and brother before her. In the city of Lovecraft, the necrovirus is to blame for the madness,  the dangerous and terrifying creatures that lurk in the night and just about everything else considered Heretical. The Proctors rule, burning Heretics (those who believe in or conduct witchcraft) and ensuring the great Engine, the heart of the city that churns beneath Lovecraft's streets, is in perfect working order and that no one escapes the "safety" of the city. But after Aoife receives a mysterious message from her bother, Conrad, she plans to do just that: escape Lovecraft and find Conrad before the necrovirus claims her mind and her future.

Review: Meridian by Amber Kizer

Book One in the Fenestra Series
Age Group: Young Adult

Level of Romance: Medium. It doesn't dominate the story, but it is something of an important factor.

Summary: As a child, Meridian woke to dead bugs and animals on her pillow. Until her sixteenth birthday party she believes she is death. But after a mysterious car crash in front of her house, she's shipped off to live with her Auntie Meridian, her namesake, in Revelation, Colorado. There her aunt tells her she's a Fenestra, the windows that ferry souls on to the next life. But arriving in Revelation, Meridian was stepping into a battle bigger than she could have imagined.
      Review: This is a fast-paced book, for the most part, but perhaps too fast when it comes to when it matters most. Overall a great base for a interesting and,  no doubt, crazed over series. Definitely something to read for those who want a new, fresh approach on the paranormal romance. It's interesting and a bit daring how Kizer confronts religious beliefs and the possibilities about the transition between life and death.

Rating: 4/5