Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely #5)

by Melissa Marr

"Send the messengers for the Faery Courts. This is the end.

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.
Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.
Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win...and some will lose everything."

It has been quite a few years since I read the 4th installment of the Wicked Lovely series, so it took longer for me to get the gist of Darkest Mercy.  I will say that it is obviously not a stand alone novel, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  I hate when series spend the entire book rehashing the previous book, so not knowing what was going on was actually a good thing to me.  Eventually I pieced together what I had forgotten, but this review is based on Darkest Mercy alone, as opposed to part of a series.

I enjoy Marr's writing style.  I also admire the multi-faceted world she has created; making each court with an individual, almost living, personality and characters that live inside. That being said, I wasn't super impressed with the book.  It was good, but lacked the drama of the rest of the series.  Also, five books later and the ending of the series is a little lackluster.  These books have been fraught with peril and heartache and loss, but suddenly everything is right in the world, true love conquers all and Keenan is human. Everything was just a little too easy; Anti-climatic is an understatement. Still, Marr does remain true to the hope she has fostered and the book did not leave me wanting.

Branded (Fall of Angels, Book #1)

By Keary Taylor

"Jessica's had the nightmares for as long as she can remember. Nightmares of being judged for people who have died, of being branded by the angels. Her friends and family think she's a crazy because of it all. Yet she carries the mark of the condemned, seared into the back of her neck, and hides it and herself away from the world.
But when two men she can't ignore enter her life everything changes, including the nightmares. The two of them couldn't be more different. She will do anything to be with one of them. Even tell him the truth about angels, why she never sleeps, and the scar on the back of her neck. But one of the two has set events into motion what will pull her toward her own judgment and turn her into the object of her greatest fear."   This book starts out slow... and never really speeds up.  Everything happens at a very leisurely pace, despite the dark subject matter within the story.  However, the pace didn't really bother me.  Taylor created a very mesmerising character in Jessica, who is very self-contained, but extremely strong and enduring and good.   The role and motivation of Cole were elements I never fully grasped. Every story must have a villain, though, and Cole made a very sinister one. Alex on the other hand was a little too good to be true, a real knight in shining armor.  The coupling of Alex and Jessica was just a little too idyllic, too perfect. Even the lack of your typical romance plot, in which the heroine and hero are tricked into a miscommunication that ultimately leads to either grave results or the final unveiling of the antagonist, was missing.  Still, I like the story and it being devoid of common cliches made it surprising.

Turned, Loved, Betrayed, Destined, Desired

Novels 1-5 in The Vampire Journals Series
By Morgan Rice


"In TURNED (Book #1 of the Vampire Journals series), eighteen year old Caitlin Paine finds herself uprooted from her nice suburb and forced to attend a dangerous New York City high school when her Mom moves again. The one ray of light in her new surroundings is Jonah, a new classmate who takes an instant liking to her.

But before their romance can blossom, Caitlin suddenly finds herself changing. She is overcome by a superhuman strength, a sensitivity to light, a desire to feed--by feelings she does not understand. She seeks answers to what’s happening to her, and her cravings lead her to the wrong place at the wrong time. Her eyes are opened to a hidden world, right beneath her feet, thriving underground in New York City. She finds herself caught between two dangerous covens, right in the middle of a vampire war.

It is at this moment that Caitlin meets Caleb, a mysterious and powerful vampire who rescues her from the dark forces. He needs her to help lead him to the legendary lost artifact. And she needs him for answers, and for protection. Together, they will need to answer one crucial question: who was her real father?

But Caitlin finds herself caught between two men as something else arises between them: a forbidden love. A love between the races that will risk both of their lives, and will force them to decide whether to risk it all for each other..."

The plot continues... with seven sequential books.  If there was ever a series written for no other reason than to make money, this is it.  I keep reading them, HOPING that things will get better, but I really don't think I can keep going.

 

First off, let's discuss the writing: It is horrendous.  If you're going to write a book... No, I'll even forgive the author... if you're going to PUBLISH a book, for the love of God, PLEASE PROOF READ IT!  If you're going to write a book, gift yourself a thesaurus. The writing is so frustrating.  It is redundant and stale and cheesy.  I find myself mentally rewriting it. 

However, even that is impossible, since the characters are under-developed and, frankly, dim witted. I don't think there is a single character, and there are a great many, that I even like.  Maybe that's the problem; there are too many people in this book. Rice is name dropping like you can't believe.  Between cities and countries spanning the globe, at least three villains at a time, a whole island of identifiable vampires, she's dragging in historical figures like Marie Antoinette and Napoleon. 

The books are harried and lack attention to detail. It's like watching a three year old play: one minute she's wrapped up in dolls, the next, she's watching Sesame Street, and before they even have time to announce the number of the day, she's all caught up with sidewalk chalk. There is absolutely no reasonable amount of time for the characters to be so wrapped up in each other. They spend two minutes together and suddenly they are best friends, worst enemies or soul mates.

The story is a mishmash of events and people and motivations.  I think the underlying journey for Caitlin to find her father is going to end up the ultimate point, but from a few reviews that I've read which contained spoilers, I honestly think that if I finish this series, I will roll my eyes and laugh out loud over the ridiculousness of it. Seriously, It's worse than the House of Night series, and I have definite issues with that one.

I really can't think of one redeeming quality of this series.  The reason I keep picking them up is because I have an OCD compulsion to finish what I start. I think The Vampire Journals series will lead to my imminent institutionalization, because I just don't think I can read one more sentence!

Alice in Zombieland

By Gena Showalter

"She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.
Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.
Her father was right. The monsters are real….
To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….
I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.

Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.

                                                                        I'd tell them I love them. I wish... Yeah, I wish"

I don't know exactly what I was expecting from this book, but I wasn't expecting what it is. Gena Showalter does have some very interesting ideas and unique takes that vary the paranormal genre. This book is no exception.  Right away, her concept of zombies that are spirit, not undead flesh and bone, had me captivated. The idea that only some individuals can see these monsters and that one can only fight them by leaving their body and duking it out in the spirit realm, is a pretty great twist.

The characters... Alice is not a particularly strong heroine, but she does have good, real qualities: here vulnerability wen it comes to her sister, her regret over how she treated her father, her desire to avenge her family's death. I really liked her ability to stand up for herself, even against the gang-like group of hardened zombie slayers. Her loyalty to Kat scores points for her. Also, the fact that she and Cole, although confronted with an obvious connection and attraction, tried to create a relationship slowly, was something I enjoyed seeing progress. I love that Showalter made Ali's grandparents so sassy, trying out teen lingo and discussing sex, drinking and drugs openly.

There was a lot of emotion in this book. There were unavoidable and irreversible events leading to death and sorrow and defeat. The thing that I was irritated about was how anti-climatic her reunion was with her zombified father. Also, it was lacking in the promised malevolence that was indicated by Emma. I know this is a series, but there were too many unanswered questions. Jury is still out pending book two of The White Rabbit Chronicles.

Twisted

By Gena Showalter

"Sixteen-year-old Aden Stone has had a hell of a week. He's been:
Tortured by angry witches. Hypnotized by a vengeful fairy. Spied on by the most powerful vampire in existence. And, oh, yeah, killed—twice.
His vampire girlfriend might have brought him back to life, but he's never felt more out of control. There's a darkness within him, something taking over…changing him. Worse, because he was meant to die, death now stalks him at every turn. Any day could be his last.
Once upon a time, the three souls trapped inside his head could have helped him. He could have protected himself. But as the darkness grows stronger, the souls grow weaker—just like his girlfriend. The more vampire Aden becomes, the more human Victoria becomes, until everything they know and love is threatened."

Book three in Gena Showalter's Intertwined series left me excited for the final book in the series.  With that said, wow, was Twisted difficult to get through!

I like these characters, that's already been established.  However, I was a little irked when from page one, Aden wasn't really Aden.  It took nearly half of the book for him to fight off whatever vampire change induced douchebaggery he had been victim to. I also was unimpressed by Mary Ann's little adventure, and the fact that she magically came back to herself at the conclusion of the book.  Why?  What happened there? I did enjoy Victoria's foray into the land of mortality.  She needs some humility in her life. That, and I like the duality of her and Aden, switching places so to speak, instead of becoming vampirisms power couple.
I was glad that there was a focus on the souls; I was irritated when nothing progressed there in the second book. I found Julien's release cathartic, although his story was a little less emotional or realistic than Eve's. I was also happy to see Aden's parents and back story furthered in book three.  It did surprise me that his father was so intent on keeping Aden out of his life, but seemed to know an awful lot about what he insisted he hates. I would have liked a tad more closure there.

About three quarters of the way through, it finally became a page turner, and that's saying something since the  book is over 500 pages.  I've seen a few reviews rampaging over the ending and Aden's decision to rewind everything (which I think would be a good name for the 4th book if it really does go that way), but I'm actually intrigued by how Showalter's going to bind up all these loose ends.  It really was quite a disaster at the end of Twisted, everyone dead or injured or becoming human; things were dire. It will be interesting to see what happens, if Eve and Julien will be back inside Aden, etc. All in all, seemed a little like an interim book, just stringing things out unnecessarily to get to the end.

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.

The Ghosts

by Antonia Barber

When Lucy sat in the attic, she thought she heard the sound of voices calling...

That's when she started to believe the rumors in the village that the old house was haunted. But no ghosts appeared - until the day Lucy and her brother Janie stood in the garden and watched two pale figures, a girl and a boy, coming toward them. That was the beginning of a strange and dangerous friendship between Lucy and Jamie and two children who had died a century before. The ghost children desperately needed their help. But would Lucy and Jamie have the courage to venture into the past - and change the terrible events that had led to murder?

My sister owned a copy of this book at one time and I remember reading it when I was a young adolescent and thinking it was the bees knees of murder mystery novels, a genre I've never really gotten into, with the exception of a brief initiation into the world of Nancy Drew. For the last year or two I've occasionally thought of this book and have tried to track it down with only that old edition cover art to go on. A couple of months ago I was finally met with success on Amazon.com and waited in great anticipation for my find to arrive.

I have to say, the book failed to live up to my memory of it. Not that it was a crappy book, I guess I was just expecting the Juvenile Fiction story that my juvenile self read to grow with me into adulthood. That being said, I did enjoy the book. Barber created a beautiful ghost story, full of missed opportunities, heartache and regrets. The four children each have very distinct personalities that add immense dimension to the plot. The adults in the book provide an interesting foil for those personalities; the reader, if looking, is able to see the children's innocence and the adults manipulative, self-serving side-by-side, as well as those characteristics that will, inevitably, turn that innocence into those, if less malevolent, more adult qualities.

The writing is simple and genuine. The story is well developed, although I will say it might have been rushed just a little. There are many strands of plot that are all feeding into the main story, creating the mystery, and Barber could have taken just a little more time to go into some of those sub-plots and motivations. I liked the way Lucy and Jamie were able to enter Sara and her brother's world, feeling how they felt as ghosts.

The Ghosts really is a good, quick read and I know this is one I will pick up off my bookshelf every now and then to peruse again.

The Awakening and The Struggle, The Fury and Dark Reunion (The Vampire Diaries #1-#4)

by L.J. Smith


I became addicted to The Vampire Diaries on the WB last Fall, and when I realized that the show was bast on a book series, obviously I knew what I had to do.

The first thing I like about the VD series is that the four books are contained in two volumes. Bonus. Secondly, there was HUGE character development. Elena really irked me at first. She came across as vain, selfish and materialistic. The first book found her inner monologues describing her outfits. However, as the series progressed, her desire to become the person that Stephan saw became more and more apparent and her personality warmed as well. I found myself rooting for her, if not exactly relating to her.

I was captivated by the mystery of the antagonist and oddly impressed by Smith's willingness to kill off so many characters, involving so many bloodbaths, no less. The dynamics between Elena and the Salvatore brothers, and the brothers themselves, were interesting to decipher.

The writing wasn't fantastic, but the face-paced plot made it more than bearable. I was irritated by Elena's sidekicks, but realized the need for them in the last book. That last book should really have its own review, but I'm lazy, so I'll just say that I was left with some unanswered questions and a faint sense of regret for even reading it.

Overall, the series was entertaining, but I won't be spending time on a second read.

Tempted

by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Another from the House of Night Series. It's a compulsion; I MUST finish what I started.

This will be a short one. Same old, same old, for Mom and Daughter Cast. Bad writing, not enough development for the plot to take up an entire book and irritating teenagers. I will say that the last chapter actually made me excited to read the next book, so I'd say that's progress.

A Curse Dark As Gold

by Elizabeth C. Bunce

A Curse Dark As Gold is take on the classic fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin. We all know what a pushover I am for books like these, especially ones that are less often spun.

I will admit that I'm a bit behind in my reviews, so, while I'm sure I had a few distinct impressions about this one, I'm not exactly sure what they were. I did enjoy that the dark story remained true to its original vein and that, while there was a good amount of creepy, curse-y and paranormal happenings, it didn't get to be too unbelievable. I also liked that there were multiple antagonists, both realistic and supernatural. This facet made the story more complex as I tried to sort out if and how certain events were connected. The setting, in England at the pivotal beginning of the Industrial Revolution, also complemented the story well, marrying the primitive, seemingly sinister with the glorious promise of new horizons.

I enjoyed the romance that was woven into the story, but it really irritated me that Charlotte refused to confide in her husband, choosing omission and deception instead, (that never goes over well) especially when she chooses to give her uncle, an over the top dandy she's never met before, so much credit. Overall, the characters were wonderfully developed and there were many personalities within the story.

Dreamfever

by Karen Moning

Book four of the Fever Series. FINALLY!

This installment finally took the story further. While it was raunchy and blunt, the predicament that Mac ended Faefever in allowed the book and concept to take off. There were answers and development of characters and relationships. This book said so much I wasn't as bothered when it ended on another cliffhanger and I'm actually excited to read the last book when it comes out next year.

Faefever

by Karen Moning

Faefever is book three in Karen Moning's Fever Series. Why am I still reading these books? Because NOTHING happens and I'm waiting, desperate for it to go somewhere!

Like Bloodfever, Faefever is an entire book dedicated to endless pages that tell a story without actually giving the reader any information to further the story. Once again the details slowly drip out, one little tidbit at a time, and just when you start getting excited, the book ends.

Faefever ends on a truly hopeless and violent note and I'm hoping that, finally, Moning will pick up the pace and really take this story somewhere.

Twilight~New Moon~Eclipse~Breaking Dawn

by Stephanie Meyer































Let me start by saying that I am in no way your typical, obsessed Twilight fan; I do not believe that Stephanie Meyer is in any way a "genius" and I have many critical remarks. That being said, this is the second time I've read the series.

Collectively, the series is intriguing, which is the reason Meyer got four successful installments out of it. However, my biggest criticism is that the characters are too perfect. Everything fits together like a perfect little puzzle, from Bella's maturity making it possible for her to connect to a 90 year old man, to the rivalry between Edward and Jacob, on Bella's behalf and because of their respective species.

Twilight is romantic and idealistic. The vampires that Meyer has created are unique and the special talents that some of them possess add drama.

New Moon is a little irritating in that Bella is so mopey and does not come off as mature at all. She's needy and helpless and a little crazy. Jacob is a sweet, endearing character, and has a few flaws that make him a little more relateable.

Eclipse is probably my least favorite in the series. Bella's attempt to maintain a friendship with Jacob is selfish and screams of High School drama. The whole book is forgettable to me.

Breaking Dawn is my favorite of the series. However, it was extremely anti-climatic.

Stephanie Meyer is a pretty good writer, but she is extremely long-winded and drones on with too many inner monologues. It's exhausting to remain aware of Bella's every thought. These books could each have been shortened by a few hundred pages. This time around, I found myself skimming paragraphs, sometimes skipping whole pages, and didn't feel like I'd missed anything.

Personally, I do not relate to any one of the characters Meyer has created, which I think is the real flaw. They are too perfect, too romanticised, too in love, too talented, too attractive. It would be easy to have a perfect relationship if you were in love with a perfect, attractive, ageless person with more money than you could ever spend. They don't get tired, or fat or even hungry. If I could spend my days admiring my flawless self in the mirror, tearing apart feather pillows with my flawless husband, studying art and music and whatever else I wanted to, and flying off to Italy at a moment's notice, my life would be pretty great.

I think this was a better read the second time, but I'm not sorry the series stopped at #4.

Intertwined

by Gena Showalter

Five people, four paranormal talents, one body. Vampires, werewolves and deep family secrets. Romance, action and betrayal. That about sums up Intertwined.

There were so many elements to this book it could have either been a disaster or a fantastic success. Somehow, Showalter made everything come together in a very smooth and intriguing way. The characters were fun and interesting and the mystery behind Mary Ann and Aden's connection kept me guessing. The writing was very appropriate for a Young Adult novel. It was dynamic but light without being pretentious.

The main complaint I have is the fact that the book opens with a huge display of the paranormal talents contained within Aden's four companion souls and by the end of the book, those voices have become unnaturally secondary and their abilities have been ignored. The focus shifts gradually, but noticeably.

There will obviously be a sequel and I'm excited to see where the story goes.

Hunted

by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

This latest addition to the House of Night series was, overall, the most well-written of the five. That's not saying much.

There's not too much to say that I haven't already said. The one thing that is a little unbelievable is that the books evolved to this point. The main protagonist, Neferet, has gotten much further in her evil plot that she should have. For one, Zoey should have gotten off her boyfriend's face and figured out a way to reveal her as the villain. Secondly, if many adult vampyres are especially intuitive, I would assume that the leaders of the race would be able to keep a close eye on their High Priestesses, not to mention the fact that the big gal herself was in the school, around Neferet and apparently didn't get an inkling of her true nature. Not likely. Plus, there's that whole, let's start a war with the humans, thing. Red flag. Considering all of this, the conclusion of this book was a little anti-climatic and Neferet just ascends with Kalona and that's that. Obviously the next book(s)will have to deal with the conclusion that is so badly needed.

More language and teenage groping.

Untamed

by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Why do I keep reading this series? Because, despite the atrocious writing, outdated fads and irritatingly self-righteous undertones, the plot is actually a good one.

This fifth book of the series was a little easier for me to read because Zoey has lost all of her boyfriends and has some serious apologies to make to her friends, which, while stemming partly from their immaturity, makes me a little happy to see Zoey doing something other than stringing guys along, being praised and adored by her friends and peers and pondering endless soliloquies worth of teen slang-infused angst. I do like the changes in Aphrodite. She remains true to her base character while evolving and transitioning from antagonist to protagonist.

"Jack and Damien are together. Hello. They're gay. My friends and I, along with anyone who's not narrow-minded and utterly judgemental, are cool with that." This literally had me rolling my eyes. It illustrates well the attitude the authors portray; that anything supporting what the characters believe is right and anyone that doesn't believe that is judgemental and narrow-minded. Another example is the interaction between Zoey and a nun who states her belief that the goddess Nyx, whom the vampyres worship, is another manifestation of the Virgin Mary and, consequently, not to be feared or reviled. The whole situation irritates me because Zoey expects to be shunned and is shocked when she's not, but at the same time, she's up on her high horse talking about how everyone that doesn't see things her way is contemptible and people shouldn't judge while she's walking up to a nun expecting to be cast into Hell. This character really drives me crazy.

I will admit that this book included a major plot change that diverted things toward Cherokee legends, which was very enjoyable.

Crude language.

Chosen

by P.C.Cast and Kristin Cast

Book three in the House of Night series begins with the celebration of Zoey's "Birthmas", so called because, in having a birthday so close to Christmas, Zoey is often the recipient of Christmas-themed birthday gifts. True to form, her close friends decide on a theme of snowmen, which upsets her greatly, although she hides it well until her ex-boyfriend's gift arrives with a revealing note and her highly insulted friends blow her off.

Why am I starting my review with such an obvious departure from my normal format? Because I just summed up the entire book right there. Zoey keeps stupid little things to herself and her friends freak out without getting the full story. Seriously, I know the characters are teenagers, but please don't write an entire series about super-human, anomaly, gifted vampyres and expect me to reconcile myself to their immaturity. Also is the fact that supposed fashionistas willing to spend $400 on a pair of boots would never get something as tacky as sparkly, Christmas tree embellished ones and that a stereotypical, well-dressed, gay male would ever consider a cashmere scarf with freaking snowmen embroidered on either end anything other than a waste of a good cashmere scarf.

In addition to this, I am increasingly annoyed by Zoey's boyfriend dilemmas. One girl, one boyfriend, not three. How hard is that? Yes, Zoey, you are gifted enough to save the whole world, but there's no way you can have enough sense to figure out that making out with a teacher in the Library after he gives you diamond earrings is not a good idea. Seeing the human you've imprinted with to "break things off"? Also, not a good idea! It is so annoying to me that she can't get past her hormones and her blood lust. Call down Water and dowse some sense into yourself!

More of the usual unnecessary bad language and sexual innuendo.

Betrayed

by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Book two of The House of Night series once again left much to be desired.

The Casts have added more evidence to my theory that they distinctly lack the skill that should be involved in writing novels, especially given that there are FIVE books in this series. I will admit that the story continues to intrigue me and there is an interesting plot that has a little depth without getting lost in a million subplots. The main character, Zoey, has a little more personality in this second installment, in that she is making some mistakes and feeling a little self-conscious in real life situations. However, there is a side to her that is completely devoid of control when her blood lust kicks in and it is a little frustrating to see the juxtaposition of her apparent maturity and the anomaly she appears to be in the vampire world and this emotional, uncontrollable teenager that gives into her impulses. Looking back at my previous review and thinking about what I've already read of book three, I think I just don't particularly like or relate to this girl. It is also frustrating to have to read through the recap of the previous book, as told from an over-dramatically portrayed teenage point of view, complete with an absurd amount of parenthetical asides and an annoyingly common use of words like totally as well as outdated slang and abbreviations, i.e. 'rentals. Actually, that pretty much sums up the whole book.

I will continue to read the series despite the trying-too-hard dialogue, because the story is really not too bad and I would like to see how things end up. This book contains more semi-graphic sexual talk and imagery...not verging on Fabio romance novels, but inappropriate and unnecessary.

Marked

by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Marked is book one in the House of Night series. The story is actually a very original take on vampires and I am hoping the authors will go deeper into the origin of a world in which vampires are part of the community.

The authors have a great idea, but the execution is poor. It is hard to tell if they are poor writers or just trying a little too hard to get into the psyche of teenagers. They did an excellent job in giving a myriad of characters distinct voices and personalities. The main protagonist, however, seems devoid of any flaws which, especially in a sixteen-year-old, is a little hard to swallow. She has this great destiny all mapped out for her, but she only really had to struggle for a few days until this was manifest to everyone. It seems like she doesn't really have anything left to prove and I am hoping that the following installments give her a few more obstacles. There are definitely romances and other relationships that have potential and I am glad that they didn't rush the development of those.

I enjoyed reading this book and I am hoping the next books add to that enjoyment. There is some language in this book as well as a few graphic allusions to sexuality (definitely unnecessary.)