Review: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

April 1, 2013 by Alyssa

Title: In the Shadow of Blackbirds

Author: Cat Winters

Publishing Information: April 2, 2013 by Amulet Books

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery

Series information: Standalone

Format: Hardcover, 400 pages

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

Recommended For: Readers looking for a period piece with mysterious and romantic elements

I am a fan of historical fiction novels but I have to admit that they usually revolve around some intrigue happening in the Tudor court and not the Spanish Influenza. To be honest, it was the cover of this book that first caught my eye while browsing Netgalley, and once I read the blurb it was the addition of séances and spirit photographers that really made me request it. In truth, I started the book on a whim, and couldn’t put it down.

Mary Shelley Black is forced to live with her aunt in San Diego after her father is arrested. She isn’t completely new to the area, she spent a lot of time there as a child, and has many memories there of herself and her childhood sweetheart, Stephen. Stephen has since left for the war and it isn’t long after Mary Shelley arrives that she finds out that Stephen has died. As she struggles to overcome this heartache, Mary Shelley begins to be visited by Stephen’s tortured spirit. It seems that Stephen can’t move on until he comes to terms with his death, and he’s determined to use Mary to find out some answers.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds has so many layers that it is hard to begin to describe its intensity. As stated above, it is a historical fiction novel, and Cat Winters did an excellent job in describing the austere and frightening time period in which people were struggling with the effects of war and death. I found myself shivering at the thought of a flu outbreak and nearly sobbed over the details surrounding the war. Through this backdrop there is also a beautifully heartbreaking love story between Mary and Stephen. Though Stephen is only portrayed alive in Mary’s memories, his ethereal character was very real and deeply moving. I found myself somewhat surprised at how much this relationship touched me and made my heart ache. The underlying plot of this novel is of course the mystery, and being an avid reader I am very rarely shocked while reading. Cat Winters leaves many puzzle pieces throughout the novel and to be quite honest, I really thought I had it all figured out. As the novel climaxed and secrets were revealed I was stunned, horrified, and rather shaken to find that things were not at all what they seemed.

In an effort at full disclosure I have to share that I lost someone very close to me a few years ago in a very traumatic way and I couldn’t help but feel connected to the story on a very deep level. As a spiritual person, I connected to the way in which Mary gained more precious moments with her love, long after his time on Earth was over. My heart ached for those moments and I couldn’t help but feel bittersweet feelings over their relationship after death. Cat Winters captured real, heart wrenching emotions that I could have never put into words, and I will forever be grateful.

This is not a particularly happy read, but it is glorious, in the end. It is hard to find a specific audience for this novel as I really believe that it is fitting for all. If you enjoy layered novels, filled with historical fiction, mysterious, paranormal, and romantic elements, then this is the novel for you. This is a book that I am thinking about months after its conclusion. In the end, In the Shadow of Blackbirds will consume you, body and soul.

Review: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

March 28, 2013 by Alyssa

Title: Dark Triumph

Author: Robin LaFevers

Publishing Information: April 2, 2013 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance

Series information: Book two in the His Fair Assassin series

Format: Hardcover, 400 pages

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

Recommended For: Fans of historical fiction featuring layered characters, strong heroines, and manly yet gentle male leads

Like many novels that I adore, I took my time reading Dark Triumph; Robin LaFevers creates a vast and beautiful world that is easy to fall into. Her characters are layered and the story follows its own course, while weaving its way into prior plot threads left for us in Grave Mercy. As in Grave Mercy, Dark Triumph is full of detail regarding the land of Brittany, and its history, through this storyline we are able to see how Anne still struggles and we gain a further glimpse into the convent, which made me remind myself that not all villains are as obvious as you would think. For this reader, D’Albret was the clear choice as villain, and he played his part well, but the sly behavior of the Abbess is what put me on high alert, I am intrigued to see how the convent and its sisters fare in book three. Though a large part of the novel focuses on Sybella and her upbringing in D’Albret’s household, and how it came to be that she became part of the convent of Saint Mortain, the underlying issue was that Sybella was unsure of everything in her life. She didn’t believe in stability, love, and loyalty. It is clear that she never trusted anyone completely, save herself, and like Ismae she struggled to believe in the love that Saint Mortain held for her as a father. Even more, she struggled to believe that any being was capable of a true love that speaks to your soul and makes you realize that a life forever alone may be a lonely one indeed.

I found that I connected to Sybella much more than I did Ismae in Grave Mercy. Sybella was flawed, she was layered and she had a wildness in her that I couldn’t help but be enamored with. There is no question that the things that Sybella goes through in her lifetime are serious and enough to drive anyone to madness. I felt for Sybella, yet I also respected the way that her anger shaped her and drove her to stand up for herself, always. Though it is true that these handmaidens to Death go through training, of sorts, they are chosen by Him for a reason and their ability to carry out his wishes are only partly why. Ismae believes that she is to work as Death’s Mercy and after time, Sybella realizes that her past and her particular gifts have molded her into Death’s Justice. It is the trials and anger that Sybella carries as both a shield and sword that make her into the strong woman that she is.

I will speak briefly of the Beast of Waroch because there is much to be said and therefore, too much to potentially spoil. LaFevers goes a different way than most when creating this hero. She does not paint him as a suave, handsome and utterly charismatic yet insufferable male lead. Instead, he is steadfast, unbelievably manly, strong, and is described as being “ugly” on more than one occasion, yet at the same time he is loyal, charming, and an altogether gentle character. The dual nature of his character is what really shook me, and though I fell fast for Duval in Grave Mercy, I can say with conviction that Beast has secured my heart until the very end.

Then there is Julian…oh, Julian. How do I even begin to explain the array of feelings I felt toward you? True, there were many times while reading that I was disgusted and enraged, times I kept thinking “MY EYES! MYYY EYEESSS!!” over what I was reading. Then, little by little, you squirmed your way into a dark recess of my heart and I started to have FEELS. I started to care. Little by little, I started to feel my heart break. Something that was so HUGE yet was not the center of the plot managed to move me in a way that I did not see coming.

As I said above, Dark Triumph is extremely layered and detailed, and it’s the details that really go straight for the heart. We learn much more about the Saints in this novel and that was really one thing that I ~~need~~ want more of. I absolutely loved the lore presented in this novel and if Robin Lafevers wanted to give me a history lesson on her Saints I would gladly sit and listen for hours. Then there was the addition of the Charbonneri, and their characterization in Dark Triumph was interesting and deeply moving, I hope that we hear more from them in the next installment.

Also, I can’t leave you guys hanging, remember how Grave Mercy had a rather glorious slow burn romance between Ismae and Duval? Remember how near the end you were feeling the FEELS and anticipation so you were nearly falling over with the intensity of it? Dark Triumph has that, but in a completely different way. The relationship between Beast and Sybella was in no way instantaneous, but it wasn’t a relationship that the reader saw coming a mile away while the heroine was all “Oh I am unworthy and cannot trust a man” for 400 pages. Yes, Sybella was wary and no, she didn’t trust right away. Instead, where Duval stood back and let Ismae come to terms with her feelings on her own, Beast was his unfaltering self and nearly told Sybella how she felt before she realized it herself. There were swoons galore, guys, I can’t lie to you. While letting Sybella stand on her own two feet Beast also managed to provide a very important stronghold for her to fall back on. Oh, and, let’s not forget, there were some kissy scenes. Rather good ones, I must add.

The most important thing that you should know is that Dark Triumph was easily my most anticipated read of 2013, and like with so many books that I have hyped up in my mind, I was wary that Dark Triumph would fall short of my expectations. Thankfully, it not only didn’t fall short, it exceeded my expectations and left them in its wake. If you have not yet read Grave Mercy, I suggest that you do so very soon as Dark Triumph comes out in just a few days. Though I was lucky enough to snag an advanced copy, this was one book I did not second guess in pre-ordering. If you enjoy fantasy, strong heroines, swoon worthy male leads, historical fiction, paranormal elements, family dynamics, intrigue and more swoons, I suggest that you pick Dark Triumph up as soon as possible. I wait, rather impatiently, for Annith’s addition to the His Fair Assassin Trilogy.

Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

March 26, 2013 by Alyssa

Title: Girl of Nightmares

Author: Kendare Blake

Publishing Information: August 7, 2012, Tor Teens

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Horro

Series information: Book two in the Anna series

Format: Hardcover, 332 pages

Source: Borrowed from my local library

Recommended For: Fans of horror, romance, dark humor and well developed characters

It’s been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can’t move on. His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they’re right, but in Cas’s eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with. Now he’s seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he’s asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong…these aren’t just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears. Cas doesn’t know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn’t deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it’s time for him to return the favor

“She crossed over death to call me. I crossed through Hell to find her.”

Girl of Nightmares scared (I used the term loosely) me more than Anna Dressed in Blood and I was both happy and disappointed by this fact. In Anna Dressed in Blood, Anna was thought to be the villain, she was a murderess and creepy as Hell. As the story progressed we learned her background and why her story was so sad and in turn we realized the real villain(s) of the novel. Girl of Nightmares is vastly different. There is much history presented on Cas and his family and I was really interested to find out his background, it really made for a nice companion to book one where we learned more about Anna. However, due to the focus on Cas, we didn’t hear much from Anna and when we did she was being harmed and though she was definitely the same, strong Anna from book one in that she was no damsel in distress, she was also a little more like a teenager in love and I missed her intensity. As I mentioned, this book did scare me properly, there was a fantastic part in the novel in which Cas, Thomas and Carmel are walking through a “suicide forest” and honestly readers, I had to put the book down for a bit because I was too afraid of something lurking over my shoulder, there really aren’t many books that manage to creep me out to that extreme.

Like book one, Kendare Blake weaved together an intricate and beautiful storyline that held me captivated from page one. I especially loved how included the secondary characters were in the story, Thomas and Carmel are perfect characters to balance out Cas, they all work together in a glorious way. Blake’s characters were layered and interesting enough that made me care about their feelings and actions, while some of them made me question their motives and made me want to keep my eye on them, metaphorically speaking of course.

A review for a second book in a series is always tough to do. You don’t want to spoil anything for your readers who have yet to read the first, and you are inevitably comparing the two works and how they work in tandem instead of appreciating them without bias as unique pieces of literature. Thus is the case with Girl of Nightmares. While reading the book I was entranced, intrigued, and even a little scared. I went into the story knowing that this was a two book deal and I have to say that they were perfectly matched companions to one another. I was particularly fond of the ending of this novel, the story progressed beautifully and the ending gave me what I wanted and needed from the characters without being too neatly tied up. In other words, it didn’t feel rushed or forced but it was believable and made me content as a reader.

Overall Girl of Nightmares was a successful conclusion to the series. There aren’t many authors who can maintain such impeccable balance between dark humor and serious undertones in a novel. Girl of Nightmares was both scary and endearing, a perfect October read.

Review: The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

March 15, 2013 by Alyssa

Title: The Treachery of Beautiful Things

Author: Ruth Frances Long

Publishing Information: April 16, 2012, Dial Books

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Fairytale

Series information: Standalone!

Format: Hardcover, 363 pages

Source: Borrowed from my local library

Recommended For: Fans looking for a magical tale about love, jealousy, mischief, and happy endings.

As Jenny and her brother Tom were walking through the woods on their way home one day, her brother was taken by the woods. That’s right, he wasn’t abducted in the sense you would think, but quite literally, the woods reached out and swallowed him whole. Before Jenny is able to leave for college she comes to the conclusion that she must make peace with the woods, so she travels back to the place where her brother was taken, and is then taken by the woods herself.

Thankfully (in my opinion) Jenny finds herself in the land of faerie and finds that her brother is now a grown man, and the lover of Queen Titania. Jack and Puck (yes – that Puck) do their best to convince her to leave the wood but she refuses, determined to rescue her brother before leaving. Thankfully she is not on her own as Jack and Puck realize that she isn’t leaving and therefore do their best to keep her safe.

I loved these characters. Jenny was determined and intelligent, but also flawed. She found herself in trouble and did her best to finagle her way out of tricky situations but I found her distress believable as she did need saving on more than one occasion. Jack o’ the forest was quite possibly my favorite. He was complicated in the sense that he believed (and some could argue) that he was not the hero of a tale, but a man bound by duty who did not always fall on the pure side of the line. Additionally, I found their romance to be believable and fun to watch unfold. It wasn’t instantaneous, but sweet and not without fault. More importantly, though the novel didn’t revolve around their romance, it was still a subtle, yet important aspect and fleshed out the novel beautifully. I was particularly fond of Puck, who you may remember from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He was the same mischievous, and fun character that I remembered but I found him to be more layered in this novel. I don’t know what it is but when he did something “good” I found my heart skip a beat a little. I liked what the author did with her secondary characters, Tom was extremely interesting in how his music took an important role in creating his character. Titania was fiercer and slightly more evil than I remember (for reasons I can’t divulge here), she was more in charge of Oberon, who truly just seemed to love the queen and be at a loss on what to do with (and without) her.

“Beware a kiss, he told her. Kisses are powerful things. You expose part of your soul.”

It is really not question that I was bound to adore The Treachery of Beautiful Things. I mean, lets be serious, any novel that has characters from Shakespeare’s plays is bound to be an Alyssa book, not to mention the swoons, and hello? The whole thing takes place in a forest. I LOVE FORESTS. Now, don’t misunderstand me, I loved the book for those reasons but I am no fool, there has to be some uniqueness in a novel for me to have full out adoration, and friends, The Treachery of Beautiful Things has all of those things! The fey world was beautiful, intricate, and at times a tad creepy, the characters were layered and interesting, not once was I bored while reading throughout this novel. I do have to be up front here and say that though I did appreciate the way the novel ended, it wasn’t how I pictured it in my mind, nor was it the ideal ending that I had hoped for. That isn’t to say it wasn’t appropriate or lovely, because it definitely was.

Ruth Frances Long writes glorious prose, she has an innate ability to weave words together to create something magical and I can hardly wait to see what she write next, though I must admit I would like some more Jack, please!!

Fortnight of Fright: Haunted Places

October 28, 2012 by Alyssa

Welcome friends! Thanks for joining me for A Fortnight of Fright over here on Books Take You Places! Fortnight of Fright is an event hosted over two weeks, by myself and Brittany from The Book Addicts Guide, we will be featuring some fabulous posts on all things Halloween!

Today I am going to share some creepy places around New England and we have a guest post from a fellow blogger!

After taking a peek around here, make sure you head over to Brittany’s blog to enjoy some more Halloween fun!!

I am going to stick to New England haunts since that is where I live so first let’s take a look at some of the most haunted places in Connecticut:

Dudleytown: I don’t know anyone who hasn’t heard of Dudleytown, Ed and Lorraine Warren have dubbed this one of the most haunted places in Connecticut and growing up around here it seems that everyone has a story of what goes on in this forest. The story starts off as many do, settlers came to the area and slowly, things started to happen. Things such as suicides and murders!

Norwich State Hospital in Preston, CT: I am slightly obsessed with abandoned asylums and hospitals. They are beyond creepy and it isn’t hard to imagine all of the ways they are haunted. Lucky for me, Connecticut has quite a few of them Unfortunately, patients at Norwich State Hospital were severely mistreated and at times, even tortured. Therefore, it is no question that this is a hotbed for paranormal activity. I have a few friends who snuck in here while we were in college and WOW did they have some stories to tell. These places are of course patrolled by A LOT of police but every time we head toward the casino I make sure to drive by slower than usual speed. You can really feel a difference in atmosphere even from the road.

Salem, MA: How can I not mention Salem? The terrible witch trials took place hundreds of years ago and it’s no wonder why people believe spirits haunt this town. I was lucky enough to take a trip to Salem with Heidi from Bunbury in the Stacks yesterday and I’ll be recapping it for you all tomorrow!

This really is a small percentage of the amazing “haunted” places all over New England. Any place with history is bound to contain some memories, and sometimes these moments lead to paranormal experiences.

If you’re interested in this kind of thing, you should check out The Top Haunted Places in Connecticut.

Let’s hear what Vyki from On the Shelf has to say!

Spooky Local Lore

Every county has some kind of spooky local lore. One of the places in my county is an old cemetery behind one of our local colleges called “Hell’s Gates,” and it has been called this for so long that I can’t even remember what its actual name is. This is one of the creepiest cemeteries I have ever been in!

One a trip to Hell’s Gates one night on a rather cold November night, me and a friend of mine decided to take the camera out and see what we could catch on film (that’s right, film). As soon as we entered into the cemetery, the car heated up and we had to roll the windows down to let the cold air in to cool us off, and it definitely wasn’t the car’s heating system since it didn’t work. When we got the film developed, every picture was full of orbs. For those of you who don’t follow ghostie things, orbs are a way that ghosts show up in pictures. Are they really ghosts? Maybe, maybe not, all I know is that the pictures were FULL of them!

The most known story about Hell’s Gates is the myth about going in and out the same way when you visit the cemetery. It is said that you need to make sure you come in and leave from the exact same entrance; otherwise, one of the cemetery’s ghosts will follow you home. About a year after my sister and her husband moved in to their new house, she decided she was going to go with some friend to Hell’s Gates. When leaving, she went through a different gateway than she came in, not paying any mind to Hell’s Gates’ lore. The whole way home she felt as if someone was following her. Went she walked into the house, she still felt as if there was a presence, and she tried to ignore it. What she couldn’t ignore was the footstep sounds coming from the back room and hallway. She checked around the house and never found anything. Her husband also double checked, but still found nothing at all. From the night she visited the cemetery until they moved out a few years later, there were constant thumps and bumps, footsteps and sometimes even door opening and closing sounds that came from that back bedroom and hallway. Apparently, the ghost became a new house resident and claimed that bedroom!

I want to go back out some night to take some pictures with my digital camera and see what I can catch, but I will definitely be making sure I come out the same way I went in.

Sounds pretty creepy to me! What do you guys think? Do you have any local lore or ghostly stories to share?

Review: Amber House by Kelly Moore

September 28, 2012 by Alyssa

Title: Amber House

Author: Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed & Larkin Reed

Publishing Information: October 1, 2012 by Arthur A. Levine Books

Genre: Young Adult, Gothic, Paranormal

Series information: Book 1 in a planned trilogy

Format: Hardcover, 368 pages

Source: ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

Recommended For: Readers interested in a vibrant, gothic horror story

“Behind me, the sound of chain sliding over wood.

I felt so cold, so squeezed, I could hardly draw in breath. A tear oozed like blood from the corner of my eye.

I made myself turn. Made myself look.

A woman stood in the shaft of moonlight. She was all darkness to me, backlit by the window. I could see thick curls of black hair, the curves of muscled arms, a shapeless drape of translucent gown. All motionless. A spider ran down a lock of her hair, and air escaped me in the smallest gasp. I wanted to shove my fist in my mouth to stop the scream rising in my throat.”

Sarah Parsons returns to her family’s estate after her grandmother’s death in order to assist her mother in selling the old mansion. After spending some time in the house, Sarah begins to find clues regarding her family history and she becomes connected to the house in a very serious way. Sarah begins experiencing echoes left by former “residents” and in time, comes to unravel the mysteries surrounding her mother and grandmother and the very intense legacy of Amber House.

I really enjoyed Sarah as a character because she was easy to relate to as she was a typical teenage girl thrown into an atypical situation. She reacts to certain incidents and characters in a way that shows her shyness, anger or understanding in a wonderful way. Sammy, Sarah’s little brother, plays a very significant role in this novel and as a reader I was very invested in his storyline as his innocence heightened nearly all aspects of the plot. I felt the same frustration and anger over Sarah’s mother as she did and I really appreciated learning more of her story as the novel progressed.

The romance in this novel is an interesting one. There are times when it screamed love triangle but don’t fear, it is so much more complicate than that! Jackson and Richard are polar opposites, both of whom were interesting characters in their own way. I really enjoyed how “real” Richard seemed to me, he was perfectly created to represent that guy in high school. You know, the one all the girls want to date and all the guys want to be even though he is rather douchey? That’s Richard. Jackson, on the other hand, was the best friend who really seemed to understand Sarah and her needs. However, he had a slightly mysterious edge to him that made him more lovable, in my opinion. The best part was that both guys seemed to have their own agenda and as the story progressed, their motives are revealed and emotions become conflicted. I won’t say that it was a slow burn romance between any of the characters, because it is a lot more intricate than that. However, I will tell you that as the story progresses, the romance unfolds slowly and sneakily, and when it finally comes full circle I was left with my emotions spilling over a tiny bit. The best part about Amber House is that though the romance plays a great part in the story, it isn’t the central storyline. Family takes precedence and things play out how they must as important decisions are made.

My main gripe with this novel was that upon finishing it I was enraged and confused because it ended on a note that left so many questions unanswered. I was seriously underprepared for the epilogue and I felt led astray. However, I resorted to Google and after serious searching, I found that Amber House is in fact, part of a trilogy. I breathed a sigh of relief. Bad feelings gone, all is well, and so on. Now my only issue is my impatience in waiting for its sequel!

I found this novel while I was spending time browsing through Netgalley and after reading the blurb (and how gorgeous is this cover?!) I decided to give it a try. Admittedly, I wish I had waited a month or so to read it because it is a perfect read for autumn weather but nonetheless it is a book that has stuck with me months after reading the last page. Amber House is a gothic tale stirring up feelings reminiscent of Bronte’s windy moors and King’s room 237. It is a novel that kept me up way past my bedtime and had me falling asleep with the lights on. For those of you looking for a good “autumn read,” I highly suggest you pick up Amber House. It contains all of the amazing horror elements to keep you looking over your shoulder while also molding in intricate relationships and a deliciously vibrant plot.

Review: Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

September 14, 2012 by Alyssa

Title: Carnival of Souls

Author: Melissa Marr

Publishing Information: September 4, 2012 by HarperCollins

Genre: Young-Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Series information: Book 1 in a planned series

Format: Paperback,

Source: ARC from the publisher (BEA 2012)

Recommended For: Lovers of dark and paranormal fantasy

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures–if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live. (Via Goodreads)

I am always up for a dark tale, and thus far, Melissa Marr has excelled at delivering them. Carnival of Souls was my second book by Melissa Marr and the epic world building, intricate characters and weaving storylines that I loved in Graveminder, were also evident in Carnival of Souls.

Carnival of Souls is unique in the way it is told in three different points of view, from Mallory, Kaleb and Ava…

Mallory is anything but normal; her life isn’t too stable as she is constantly moving from town to town with her adoptive father, Adam. Adam is a witch and is on the run from the daimons because he stole something from them long ago, and their leader would do almost anything to obtain what has been lost to him. It is the constant vigilance of Adam and Mallory that has kept them alive and safe for so many years. Mallory obeys her father’s wishes and doesn’t get too close to anyone, knowing that she won’t be able to spend much time around them anyway. However, things change quickly for Mallory when she meets Kaleb. She is instantly drawn to him and finds him intriguing in a way that she has never felt before. However, she does her best to resist getting to know him because she believes him to be human and knows she can’t risk him by drawing him into her chaotic life.

The Carnival of Souls takes place in The City and occurs once in every generation. It consists of fights to the death between daimons, and the prize is a raise in the caste, and a chance to join the ruling class.

Kaleb is not at all what he seems to Mallory, he is a lower caste daimon and is one who wears a black mask. The black mask sets him apart and showcases his skills as a fighter and a killer. It are these skills that lead him to be hired to find Mallory for an upper caste daimon. It comes as a surprise to Kaleb when he is drawn to Mallory in a way that he had never imagined, she immediately becomes “pack” to him, and you die to protect those in your pack.

Ava is also a daimon in The City. Though unlike Kaleb, she is part of the upper class. Ava chooses to compete in The Carnival of Souls for a different reason than to raise her status. Instead, she fights to win her freedom – the freedom to choose her own future. Female daimons in the upper caste are forced to marry and breed, and Ava would rather die.

At first the relationship between Mallory and Kaleb seemed to lean toward the insta-love we find in many paranormal romances. However, Marr made me believe in it in a way I have been unable to in the past. The moment Kaleb described Mallory as pack was the moment I believed fully in their relationship and began to become invested in their reliance on one another as a couple. I also became very interested in Mallory’s growth through the novel, Adam keeps many secrets from her and though she is physically stronger than most females her age, she begins as a very naïve character. She grew fabulously throughout the novel, and by the last paragraph I was metaphorically giving her a high five. I enjoyed the vastly different emotions I felt toward both Mallory and Ava, where Mallory had to grow on me, I loved the strength behind Ava and her utter devotion to fight for herself. I felt angst and sorrow over her decisions because she had no choice but to fight for herself.

“They were pack. She was meant to be in his life, and now that he knew it, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.”

Melissa Marr again delivered a world that I cannot stop thinking about; I loved the darkness and the blurred lines between good and evil. The caste system, the masks, and their representation throughout The City provided amazing imagery that I had no trouble picturing in my mind.

Carnival of Souls was fantastic and delightfully dark. I felt a deep connection to each of the characters and thought the relationships to be intricate and overly exciting. The plot of this novel is fast paced and I devoured it, desperately needing to find out what was going to happen next. I am eagerly anticipating book two in this series, I can’t wait to see who will excel in fighting for what they believe in.

Extra: I was lucky enough to meet Melissa Marr at BEA – and not to brag, but she totally hugged me – and she was so incredibly nice and just..well…awesome! She also signed my book (with what I think is the best signature ever):

Thank you so much for the ARC, Melissa (and HarperCollins), I doubt I was able to express my gratitude and love for this novel in this short post. In a nutshell: you rock!

Review: On The Day I Died by Candace Fleming

June 1, 2012 by Alyssa

Title: One the Day I Died

Author: Candace Fleming

Publishing Information: July 10th 2012 by Schwartz & Wade

Genre: Middle Grade, Short Stories, Parnormal, Ghost Stories

Series information: Standalone

Format: Hardcover, 208 pages

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher

Recommended For: Any lover of not so scary ghost stories

The phenomenally versatile, award-winning author, Candace Fleming, gives teen and older tween readers ten ghost stories sure to send chills up their spines. Set in White Cemetery, an actual graveyard outside Chicago, each story takes place during a different time period from the 1860’s to the present, and ends with the narrator’s death. Some teens die heroically, others ironically, but all due to supernatural causes. Readers will meet walking corpses and witness demonic posession, all against the backdrop of Chicago’s rich history—the Great Depression, the World’s Fair, Al Capone and his fellow gangsters.

I am not a huge fan of short stories but I am definitely a huge fan of GHOST STORIES! I was so excited to receive this advance copy from Netgalley because it looked and sounded extremely creepy and I was not disappointed!

The story opens with a boy named Mike who is racing to get home by curfew. As he is coming to the bridge he sees a mysterious looking girl standing in the middle of the road (sound familiar, anyone?) he becomes intrigued and decides to give her a ride home. Suddenly, she disappears, leaving nothing behind but her shoes. Being that she has just told him exactly where she lives he decides to drive her shoes home to make sure she got in okay. An old woman opens the girl’s front door and explains to Mike that her daughter has been dead for almost fifty years and every year on the anniversary of her death she obtains a ride from someone driving over the bridge and requests that her shoes be placed on her grave in White Cemetary, a cemetery dedicated solely to teens who have died before their time. Mike ventures to the cemetery and finds the girl, along with many others who wish to tell their tale. Each story is intriguing and many are oozing with supernatural elements that really raise the hair on the back of your neck.

At the end of the book, the author provides some background evidence for each story and the real life inspirations for the characters and their untimely deaths. Though this book was showcased as a middle grade novel and I can’t say that I was ever actually scared while reading it, I was definitely freaked out in the best possible way. The author caters to different needs for the reader. For example, some readers will appreciate the “back from the dead” stereotype where I ADORED Scott’s story. His story was set in a mental hospital and I am slightly obsessed with anything supernatural relating to mental asylums. For some reason it just creeps me out in this magnificent way that has me craving more. Another fun story was based on the legendary “Monkey’s Paw.” There are few people who haven’t heard one version of this fable (or who haven’t seen The Simpsons Halloween Special) and Candace Fleming provided a really interesting new twist. When explaining where she obtained her inspiration she stated that she always wondered what happened to the monkey’s paw at the end of the story and she always imagined it ended up in a garage sale somewhere, which is exactly where her story picks up.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, the stories were just the right amount of creepy to keep me wanting more and I think that any lover of ghost stories will appreciate the different worlds that Candace Fleming creates.

Review: Blackwatch by Jenna Burtenshaw

May 17, 2012 by Alyssa

Title: Blackwatch

Author: Jenna Burtenshaw

Publishing Information: April 1st 2011 by Headline

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal

Series information: Book 2 in the Wintercraft series

Format: Hardcover, 288 pages

Source: Borrowed from my local library

Recommended For: Fans of layered characters and who appreciate a good friendship

Kate has escaped the clutches of the High Council and Silas has left Albion for the continent. But their lives are forever linked and as the veil weakens, causing Albion’s skilled to fear for everyone’s safety, Silas and Kate find themselves drawn together by the mysterious and corrupt Dalliah Grey.

Blackwatch begins with Kate on trial because she has been falsely accused of murdering one of the leaders of the Skilled. Kate learns who she truly can and cannot trust while on trial and she is disheartened to find that those she believed loyal to her, those she risked her life for, are really not as loyal to her as she believed. Kate and Edgar escape from the Skilled into the underground caverns only to be caught by the Blackwatch, the Continent’s most elite warriors. Across the sea, Silas is also being hunted by Blackwatch and it is through Silas and Kate’s blood tie that they are both captured and forced to try both Silas’s patience and Kate’s power.

This story delves deeper into the tie between Silas and Kate and the powers that Kate has inherited as one of the Skilled. One of the reasons I adored Shadowcry was because of how dark it was as a young adult novel, and Blackwatch was no different. Jenna Burtenshaw delves deeper into what the veil represents and how it affects both Kate and Silas as well as how Edgar’s role as Kate’s only confidant will affect her power over the veil. The novel also provides the reader with glimpses into past which assists the reader in understanding both how Wintercraft came to be and how easily one can be consumed by darkness.
A new character, Dalliah Grey was introduced in this novel and she was a nice addition after the absence of Da’ru, though it is still a little unclear if her motives are going to be detrimental to Kate or not. It is no question that she does not have Kate’s best interests at heart and only wants to use her to accomplish her own (less than godly) goals. The shift in POV between Kate and Silas also offers a nice addition so the reader is able to glimpse some of Silas’s inner turmoil as he starts to gain a conscience. That being said, the last few pages of the novel were probably my favorite as they really gave the reader a more solid view on the man that Silas is growing into, no word yet on the romance but one can only hope (okay, pine for.)

Like in Shadowcry, Jenna Burtenshaw uses impeccable descriptions to describe the world Silas and Kate travel through. As I was reading about the caverns underground and the city housed in them I was amazed at how vivid they were in my mind. The climax of the novel was also brilliant in my mind and I found myself feeling a range of emotions as Kate struggled with the situation she was thrown into. I am thrilled to say that my copy of the conclusion to this trilogy, Wintercraft: Legacy, just arrived yesterday and I can’t wait to find out the extent of Kate’s power and Silas’s strength.

This series comes highly recommended!