A Rush of Wings by Adrian Phoenix

FBI agent Heather Wallace wants to be the voice of the victims, to speak out for them, to seek justice for them.

Heather has been tracking a sadistic murderer known as the Cross Country Killer for 3 years, when his trail leads to Club Hell; a club for “nightkind” in New Orleans, Heather meets the rumored owner and musician, Dante. Heather feels dangerously attracted to the talented and dark Dante, but his past is a mystery and even after looking into his files, she finds only a long list of previous crimes.

Heather knows that there is something about Dante that is linked to the serial killer, but she doesn’t know what. Knowing this, she is sure that Dante is the killer’s next target and so she tries to protect him, but instead, he claims that he is nightkind or in other words a vampire, and that he doesn’t need her protection.

Strangers arrive and go in the city and Heather is the closest that she has been to ever capturing the killer and bringing him to justice. Yet when news arrives that the killer had been caught in the act in a country half way around the world, Heather can’t help but be suspicious.

When Heather checks the evidence she discovers that the story is a cover up and that bureau was in on the plan. Heather returns to Dante, against the bureau’s wishes, in the hopes of protecting him, knowing that the killer is still out there. Yet when an attempt on her life is made, she knows that there’s more to the story than the bureau is letting on…

A Rush of Wings was absolutely amazing! The action and the suspense! The characters were all strong and unique, each and every one of them. I couldn’t put the book down in fear that I would miss an important detail. It’s a very quick read once you get into the story and the plot is very unpredictable.

Inside Out by Maria V Snyder

"For the first time, I was the center of attention. Everyone watched me as if I were a bomb. Would I explode and cause a disaster or would I pop and cause a miracle?"

Trella is a scrub, one of thousands really. Scrubs are the least important people of the Inside, yet they are also the most, they cook, they clean and they basically do all the jobs. They are considered the “lowers” whereas the powerful “uppers” control everything. Trella cleans pipes and keeps to herself, tries not to get noticed and hopes for the best.

Yet when Trella agrees with her best and only friend to meet a prophet, someone who preaches of the Outside and it wonders, her simple life is turned upside down. She is recruited to find discs that may or may not hold the location of The Gateway, the door that is rumored to lead to the Outside.

It would have been smart to refuse, to go back to her simple life, but Trella can’t ignore her curiosity and in finding the discs she suddenly makes herself the go-to girl to lead a revolution. Now she is hunted by the most powerful of the hated Uppers and betrayal is inevitable, the question is who?

Of course I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed by Maria V Snyder’s writing! Put simply, this book is downright amazing! The main character Trella begins the books acting very selfish but as the story unfolds, secrets are revealed and she changes dramatically! She turns into the ideal heroine; she’s strong and passionate but also a little stubborn. And Riley…ah, I loved him from the beginning!

Inside Out is AMAZING!!!!!!!, I simply cannot wait to read the second book: Outside in

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin for allowing me to read and review Here Lies Bridget, it was beautiful!

Bridget Duke knows what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes. Literally.

Bridget rules over her school with no mercy, stripping them of their self-esteem with her double-edged remarks, feeding on their insecurities. Almost everyone loves her, only because they’re afraid not to. Even those that Bridget calls friends are hurt by her careless remarks and gestures. So what happens when a new girl arrives at the school and slowly strips Bridget of her title?

Funnily enough, Bridget gets herself killed… or half killed. She’s stuck in limbo and the only thing that’s stopping her from being killed completely is the judgement of those that she’s hurt…

Bridget steps into each of their shoes, reliving the moments when she hurts them most with her actions, feeling their emotions and hearing their thoughts but not being able to do anything about it.

So when she’s given until midnight to right her wrongs. Bridget feels as though it’s a God send, but with only a few hours to fix years of hurt, can she really accomplish such a feat?

At first I thought that Here Lies Bridget would be a retelling of the story A Christmas Carol, where the old man is visited by the ghosts from the past, present and future. And in a way it is, but it’s also more than that, it’s also another completely different story.

Here Lies Bridget is a beautiful that is very powerful and full of emotions. It tells of the consequences of each and every hurtful act that is inflicted upon someone… The main character Bridget is at first very annoying, she’s just another selfish brat that bullies others for entertainment. But as the book progresses you find out that there are reasons behind why she acts likes she does, and that’s what keeps you turning pages!

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

I was browsing on NetGalley and found this, it looked and sounded really good so I decided to try it out… the result: It was amazing! Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for allowing me to read this!

"The closest word for it was music, but it was better than any music. Every molecule shook with soft, sweet excitement."

Have you ever wondered what happens to the abandoned girls? The ones that are unloved and unseen by the world? Lost Voices is a magical and haunting explanation and solution.

Luce’s father left on a fishing boat almost a year ago, the thing is he never came home. Even though she knows that it’s impossible, she dreams that one day a battered ship will arrive at the docks and that all will marvel at the fact that the High and Mighty finally returns home after being lost at sea for a year. But of course it’s all just a dream.

In reality she lives with an abusive uncle who is drunk more than he is sober. But one day, after drinking heavily, he uncle crosses an unthinkable line. Now more alone than ever, Luce expects to die when she plummets from a cliff, she almost even welcomes the death.

But death does not come and she finds herself transforming into a beautiful mythical creature: a mermaid. More of the stunning creatures welcome her into their tribe, and Luce, for the first time in months, feels as though she belongs. But the price of becoming a mermaid is the desire to destroy boats or more specifically, those that are on them.

Their secret weapon is one that would never be expected, they lure seafarers to their deaths with their enchanting, otherworldly voice. Luce discovers that her voice shines above all the others and almost rivals the tribe queens’.

When a new two-faced mermaid is welcomed into the tribe, all hell breaks loose, the mermaids begin to challenge the rules that they live by and arguments arise over the issue of who should be queen.

The question is not: Can Luce discover the courage to lead the tribe back to what is right, the real question is: Will she?

This is the first book about mermaid that I’ve read and I’m not disappointed. For a book about mermaids, this is really emotional and haunting! In a good way of course. I loved the fact that this book combines your average mermaid with sirens. Most mermaid stories that I’ve heard of are more in the romance genre, whereas Lost Voices belongs in the emotional genre.

I really loved the main character Luce, and her story and emotions are relatable by many people out there. The fact that she tries to fight the violence that she feels towards humans is also very admirable. Lost Voices is a very powerful story that many people can enjoy!

5 out of 5 stars!

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, thank you for allowing me to read this!!! It was utterly amazing!

“And you have to make a choice. A terrible choice”

Since the conclusion of Once a Witch, Tamsin Greene has known that she has to make a difficult decision, one that the future of her family depends on.

In the previous book, Alistair Knight, an enemy of the Greene family, managed to slip through the doors of time into the past. When it is confirmed that he succeeded, Tamsin is forced to Travel back in time in order to stop Alistair from preventing the creation of the Domani.

Travelling back in time is already a challenge… but getting back is another matter entirely…

And so Tamsin Travels back in time and opens her eyes to a city that is completely different. She disguises herself as a maid in order to infiltrate the Knight family, and in doing so uncovers secrets that would rather be hidden…

Tamsin never thought to think that her family from the past needed to be convinced of the evil intentions of the Knight family, and her plan is completely torn apart when they turn her away, convinced that she is the harbinger of death and destruction that the book tells of…

Between trying to stay unnoticed by La Spider and her two-faced son Liam, trying to convince her family to take action against the Knight family and trying to figure out the choice that she has to make, Tamsin is in for a lot more than she bargained for…

Always a Witch is a fast-paced action packed novel that is quick and easy to read. I personally found Always a Witch better than Once a Witch, the story is a lot faster paced and there are bucket loads of action! The Talents of the characters play a crucial part in the story and that’s what makes the story intriguing!

Always a Witch tells us more of the mysterious Knight family that played such a huge part in the previous novel. It also tells us more about the atrocities that they committed as well as why.

The characters are unique and strong, making the book, that much more enjoyable! The book really draws you into the story and can be read by many audiences, from teenagers to older readers!

Absolutely amazing!

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for allowing me to read and review The Vespertine!

The stars could have burned out around us, the moon could have fallen from the sky, and I wouldn't have known it. Not when he leaned indecently close and pressed his cheek against mine to murmur: “Tell me a secret”.

Amelia van den Broek has a secret: every evening, when the sun sets, she has visions of the future.

It is the 1889 and Amelia has been sent to Baltimore by her brother to find herself a decent husband. So during a dinner party, Amelia meets Nathaniel, an artist who is a fourteenth, a person that is hired to round out the numbers because the number 13 is bad luck. Even though Nathaniel would never be a suitable husband, Amelia can’t stay away from him, but Nathaniel hides dark secrets of his own…

When the sun sets that evening, Amelia experiences her first vision and is pleasantly surprised when it comes true. Soon both friends and strangers call on Amelia in hopes that they will have their future predicted. But Amelia can’t choose which visions she sees, whether good or bad.

So when one of Amelia’s worst visions come true, many of her callers begin to wonder if she is not only the mystic but also the cause…

The Vespertine is an amazing book; it is both haunting and very emotional. At first when I started reading the book I found it confusing, not sure where the story began and ended. I recommend to those that read this book to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of each new section of the story. They will come in handy and you’ll realise how the story is put together. I loved the relationship between Nathaniel and Amelia, and although their relationship is forbidden by society, they don’t care what society thinks of them. Towards the end of the book, when there was only 10 or so pages left, I wondered how the story would end and worried that the ending would not be sufficient, but no, I loved the ending… and I’m sure that many of you will too! I cannot wait for the sequel! Springsweet will be out in 2012.

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

Thanks again to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for allowing to read this excellent book!

The Lipstick Laws are sealed with a Kiss…

Compared to the queen of Penford High School, Britney Taylor, April Bowers might as well not exist…

But when, on the first day back Britney invites April to join her at lunch, April’s popularity skyrockets. And even though she is warned by her best friend who has been a victim to Britney’s torture, to avoid Britney and her backstabbing ways, the call of popularity is too much to resist…

April hangs onto the small thread of hope that she may become popular even if that means she must endure the manipulative and arrogant ways of Britney. And when she’s finally invited to officially join the group she must agree to the laws, The Lipstick Laws, created by Britney, that consist of 7 unbreakable rules.

But popularity always comes with a price, the question is: Can April afford it?

The Lipstick Laws is a quick and easy read that anyone can enjoy. It’s funny with enough action and drama to keep you from putting the book down. The character April’s life is relatable to many teens out there, many suffer from the bullying of “popular” groups or people or they succumb to the call of popularity and the price with it.

April goes through a huge emotional journey with ups and downs; the good thing is that she learns that you can always rise back up from a down, even when the odds look bad. She also discovers that sometimes you’ve got to let issues go, and not always be out for revenge. And even when horrible acts have been inflicted upon her, April learns that she should stop and think about the consequences, not just to her or Britney, but to those that are around them, for they too will be affected…