Sleepless

by Cyn Balog

"Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . .
Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?"

I am in love with the concept of Sleepless. The idea of Sandmen, charged with "seducing" mortals to sleep and watching over their dreams is fresh and enticing.

Eron was a well-developed character and I adored his old world gentlemanly mannerisms and mentality. It seemed a little odd that he was so distanced from the world, but I suppose life is a little limited when you hang out mostly in trees for 100 years. I was also bothered by the fact that the originals, who seemed to run the whole operation, were ignorant of the modern world as well. Naive Chimere was endearing at times, but the fact that she was meant to be an authority figure made her wide-eyed, seemingly spacey personality a disappointment. However, her small betrayal in the end was a surprise to me; both innocent and contriving in its purpose.

Julia. I feel less impressed with this character. Balog's back story of her isolation and self-consciousness leaked through into the real world and I don't feel that I really had a good grasp of who Julia was, even despite her narratives. I'm not quite sure what it was that made Eron fall in love with Julia; perhaps a lifetime of familiarity, but also the thought of him being essentially her babysitter since birth is slightly disturbing.

Griffin was an excellent villain. His motivation was pain and loss and selfishness. I liked seeing the progression of his grieving process, which took him from the always smiling jokester to the slightly manic, near homicidal evil doer.

The book ended too abruptly for me and I would have liked a little more conflict resolution after all the build up. However, overall, this was a fun read.

Endlessly (Paranormalcy #3)

by Kiersten White

"Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the International Paranormal Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans in her poisonous realm. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate.

The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its fate rests solely in Evie's hands.

So much for normal."

"...when you are happy, you don't do anything! If you are content, the rest of the world and those who need you fall away into the background." -Reth

Yep. That's pretty much it.
Saying that it was better than the second book is not saying much. Endlessly actually had good storyline and I liked how the characters all ended up coming together. Terribly predictable, but warm and fuzzy, nonetheless. I'm still bothered by Evie and Lend's relationship, although I do have to say that water boy is a good guy; ALMOST too good, but I found enough flaws to make him at least realistic as a fictional character. I think I dislike Evie even more. I understand her annoyance at being manipulated and feeling pushed into her fate, but I really wanted this heroine to be a little more noble, a little less short-sighted and I could do without the influx of hormones as well.

Good wrap up, but I'm glad the series is has ended.

Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2)

by Kiersten White

"Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be...kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal."

Sigh. I hate when preconceived trilogies are not previously and completely mapped out. The second book in such a circumstance is usually a lot less fulfilling than the debut. Supernaturally was not an exception to that rule. It definitely felt like a filler book; a story that could easily have been summed up in a paragraph, or if we wanted to be really generous, an entire preface.

There was quite a gap between when I read Paranormalcy and Supernaturally, but I do recall that after the first book, I was looking forward to reading the rest of the series. However, number two dragged for me. It seemed that the plot never got anywhere and no questions were really answered- there was no progress made in this story that was necessary for book three.

The characters also never really pieced together for me. I remember Evie being a little naive, but endearing. Maybe I had a false impression going into this one, because she seemed extremely whiny and not tough at all. It's a good thing she has her fairy superpower, otherwise she would have been a goner within the first few chapters. Her relationship with Lend is a little superficial also. What do those two talk about? It seems that they are mostly discussing each other's beauty or reminiscing about their latest PDA. The relationship drama there seemed entirely displaced. It might occur to some that, while, yes, Evie is a teenage girl, having had her life experience and responsibilities should have possibly given her some perspective outside her Me, My, Mine mentality.

Overall, a time suck for me.