Review of Wide Awake-Academy of the Fallen Series by Daniele Lanzarotta

Author: Daniele Lanzarotta

Date Published: May 25, 2011

Publisher: Rocket Science Productions

ASIN: B0052TMTE4

 

 

Kayla is a 16-year-old girl who was adopted when she was little. She lives a normal life, with great friends, loving adoptive parents, and well... a not-so-great boyfriend. But the reason why she was given up for adoption was far from any usual reason. She was meant to be kept away from the Academy and anything else related to the supernatural beings that could hurt her.

Unfortunately for Kayla, it was only a matter of time before she encountered the creatures from the Otherworld, and there is just no running away from the beings that she can now see.

In trying to protect Kayla by keeping her away from the Academy, she may have just been put in even more danger.

This is one of those stories that I had a lot of hopes for, and it just didn't deliver to my expectations. The story started off good, and the characters were well-developed. I hated her boyfriend from the second he pulled her aside at the museum, and I loved Kayla what she jumped to cut him off at the pass. The girl has guts. Only, when she starts being followed by "ghosts," not so much.

The whole story started off with this creepy vibe, and the fact that Kayla is haunted really made me want to stick with it. Add to that the outcast hero, Hunter, who holds a considerable amount of mystery himself, and the story moved along in the same direction any teenage romance would, which is good. However, for all we do learn about what is really going on, we are left in the dark on so much more. What is the secret surrounding Hunter, exactly? That is the biggest question for me, and I feel like I was running around in circles, close but never able to figure it out. And there were other things I took issue with.

One problem for me was the considerable amount of typos and grammatical errors. No book is perfect, and I have made this clear in any review I have ever written where I run into this problem. Only if they are plentiful does it ever really bother me. Fact is, I was surprised that the author had an editor or was even traditionally published. The language the characters used was not how people really talk. There was a huge lack of contractions, which would have made it so much easier to read instead of jerky as it was. Punctuation was also a major problem, which affected readability. Finally, the so called cliffhanger was weak. Instead of, say, revealing Hunter's secret, we were left with *SPOILER ALERT* a confession that he "might" be in love with Kayla. Somehow, that is just not enough make me desperate to find out what happens next, which is disappointing, because I really wanted to love this story. I don't know if I will be reading the next in the series yet, but if I do, it will be somewhere down the line. I'm in no hurry. This is a good YA book for a rainy day.

Wide Awake has a 4.8/5 star overall rating and is available on Amazon. 

NEW! Teaser Tuesdays

This is something new to the blog. Since I am always reading something, every Tuesday I will share a few lines (teasers) designed to entice you.

Want to play along?

• Pick up whatever book you are currently reading and open it to the page you left off at (If you haven't started it yet, open it to a random page). 
• Without giving anything away, share a few lines that you find particularly great. 
• So everyone knows where to pick up this great new read, don't forget to include the title and author name.

That's it!

Now, my teasers of the week have been taken from Gena Showalter's latest release, Wicked Nights, the first book in the Angels of the Dark series.

Teaser #1

"Humans fail to realize how easy demons are to welcome. The negative words you speak, the detestable things you do. Utter a lie, meditate on hate, entertain the urge to commit violence, and you might as well sound the dinner bell."  

Teaser #2

"But how can a person stop feeling fear?"
It is not what you fear that truly matters but what you say and how you act while feeling that way."  

 

Review of Sin Undone by Larissa Ione

Another winner! If you haven't tried the Demonica series yet, you don't know what you're missing! Here is a rundown of the 6th book in what I consider to be a fantastic series. 


Due to some fluke of her breeding, Sin is the first--and only--Seminus demon to be born female. Like her brother, Lore, she has lead a harsh life full of hurt, sorrow, and loneliness. Her mother didn't love her, her grandparents died, and her brother left, convincing Sin that eventually, everyone leaves. Stealing herself against all emotions, she never lets anyone get close enough to hurt her. After falling victim to the demon world and her Seminus blood, Sin eventually finds herself playing the role of assassin. And she's good. Maybe too good.

Part of an anomaly, Sin is capable of infecting her victims with a disease unique to them, but after a hit gone bad, Sin finds out that the infection she spread has gone out of control, and now the entire warg population is in danger of extinction. Now, the Council is out to get her, her assassins want her dead, and the world is about to go to pot.

Con, a half-vampire, half-werewolf, had been put in a precarious situation. After a recent hook-up with Sin, he finds out that she is not only the sister to some of the most powerful Seminus demons he knows, but is also the cause of the deadly plague wiping out his friends and family. When he is charged with bringing her in for judgement, and probable execution, he has a decision to make: bring her in, or keep her safe until a cure can be found.

I'm not going to say this was my favorite of the Demonica series, but I will say it was pretty darn lovely. I enjoyed the steamy connection between Con and Sin, and I even enjoyed the detailed explanations about the virus and the warg communities. I think what I liked the most was the raw, intensely honest emotion that was wrung from these characters. It can be difficult to capture emotion in a character, but the author did exactly that--in spades. Overall, the romance that slowly developed was believable and heartwarming, but certain aspects of the story caught my attention even more. Example: I really liked the side story of Luc and Kar. I wanted so much more of that, to delve deeper into their history, but it was pretty well wrapped up, so I am sure that will never happen. Also I really liked the appearance of the Horsemen. Since I was first introduced to Ione's stories via the Horsemen series, I am well-acquainted with them, and I feel like they added a great twist to the story and direction for the sister series, which is already well underway.

I haven't looked into whether or not there will be more to the Demonica series, but I really, really hope there will be. I love all the characters and their history, and even though I will be fine following on the heels of those delicious horsemen, I want to see more of Sin, Eidolon, Lore, and, especially, Wraith.

I give this book 4 Stars! 

Want a copy for yourself? Pick it up here.

Review of A Devil Named Desire (The Devil's Bargain #2) by Author Terri Garey

 4 Stars

Hope Henderson is in a state of despair over her sister's supposed death. After a series of unfortunate events throughout her life--her parent's deaths and running her sister off unintentionally--Hope blames herself for everything that has gone wrong. She is so depressed, in fact, that she attempts to kill herself, unwittingly calling upon the Darkness. And that is when Sammy Divine, the devil himself, steps in to save the day.

Sammy, always the Master of Deceit, has his own agenda. Give Hope the opportunity to see her sister again, and in return Hope will create a site for his followers to worship him and his minions, as well as her immortal soul. However, Archangel Gabriel, the Lightbringer, never the one to let a good soul fall into the abyss, notices the darkness shadowing Hope, and steps up to the plate, appointing himself her protector.

I really liked this story. Gabriel, as an angel, is historically forbidden to partake in sins of the flesh, otherwise risk falling the way of his brother, Samael. He holds himself to this high standard, looking down on his fallen brethren because he cannot comprehend his temptation as he has never been tempted. Until he meets Hope. Hope appears to be anything but attracted to him, which boggles his mind and captures his attention more thoroughly than whatever game the Devil is playing at.

I had a few problems with the wording. It seems the author has a style that can be a little backwards at times, but overall, the tone was perfectly fine. I also noticed a few typos, but that is nothing compared to the actual leaving out of words. That was my biggest annoyance throughout this book. In the end, I couldn't hold it against the author because there were some great passages that were beautifully written. Everything about it was dark and sensuous, temptation wrapped in pleasure that has the power to create a flutter in your belly as first love is recognized and acted upon. I loved the connection between Gabe and Hope, but I was attracted to Sammy's role in all of this too, curious to see how his life will play out in the end. Try as he might to be evil, there is no doubt there is a heart somewhere deep down beneath that clever, crafty, devilish facade.

If you like your romance wrapped in deviltry, pick up a copy on Amazon, today.