Book Review: Exotica (Nightshade cases, Ep-2)

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Genre: Crime | Paranormal | Thriller | Episodes

My Rating: 5+1/2 out of 6

Read my review of Exotica at JC’s Book Haven.

You can also read this review at Goodreads.

Blurb:

Bodies wash up on the Silver City beach all the time, but this one is different. Detective Geraldine Meyers is hot on the case, with help from medical examiner Dr. Rachel Hunter and anthropologist Dr. Kinsey DanAllart, uncovering the truth behind deaths at a popular new nightclub. Will they deduce a logical explanation for the murders? Or will the three friends uncover a deeper conspiracy hiding the truth about what’s stalking their city’s streets?

Welcome to The Nightshade Cases, a series of twenty-one episodes in twenty-one weeks. Please note: this episodic series is based on the television show model, with screenwriting notations and shorter formats. There will be a complete mystery each week, with cliffhangers only occurring in the full season story line.

Book Review: Shadow Cursed

Shadow Cursed


Author: Gelo R. Fleisher
Release Date: March 21, 2013
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy | Fiction | Paranormal
Edition: mobi
Pages: 110
Publisher: Self-Published
Interest: Requested by author
Source: Author (Thanks a lot Gelo!)
Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

Bolen is a thief, plying his trade under the spires of an ancient and sprawling city. Worried that he’s growing too old, Bolen has lined up a risky job, just to prove that he can still pull one off.
Tonight, he’s going to break into a nobleman’s vault and help himself to its contents. What he doesn’t know is that inside is the key to a secret as old as the city itself.
Kings have killed for it, demons have coveted it, priests have prayed for it, and in a few moments it will be in his hands. And when it is, the adventure of his life will begin.

Review

4Positives

Shadow Cursed is a beautiful tale of a thief named Bolen and how he lands in an unexpected situation and ultimately overcomes it. The character of Bolen is developed beautifully and I felt the connection with him almost instantly. The plot is quite simple but it’s simplicity is quite mesmerizing! It might sound weird but this book had an odd satisfying feel to it, the way fairy tales have on children. It made me feel that the world is a good place and that it’s not as wicked as we believe it is. This book made me feel like a child who is just hoping for a good ending throughout the entire read. I wanted to see Bolen happy at the end more than anything.

This book had me under it’s spell and that too a really fine one! It has some really good surprises which makes it a must read for everyone.

Negatives

None.

Conclusion

Shadow Cursed is a powerful short and simple read. I’d recommend it to everyone who loves to read a fine book.

You can also read this review at Goodreads | Leafmarks | Booklikes.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “All through the city, the first signs of daylight made themselves known.”

Highlights: Simplicity of the plot.

Low-lights: None.

Memorable Quote:

But laying there, looking out over the city, he felt content. He was happy, truly satisfied for the first time that he could remember. He’d done something worthwhile, something that would last after he was dead and gone, and that felt good. “I don’t know what comes next. Maybe it doesn’t matter.”

Final Thoughts: A beautiful story.

 

Book Review: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)

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Author: Richelle Meade

Release Date: August 16, 2007

Series: Vampire Academy

Genre: YA | Fiction | Paranormal |Vampires | Contemporary

Pages: 332

ISBN NO.: 978-0-141-32852-2

Publisher: Penguin India

Followed by: Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)

Blurb

She must be protected at all times from the fiercest and most dangerous vampires of all – the ones who will never die.
Rose Hathaway is Lissa’s best friend – and her bodyguard.
Now after two years of illicit freedom, they’ve been dragged back inside the iron gates of St. Vladimir’s Academy. The girls must survive in a world of forbidden romances, a ruthless social scene and terrifying night-time rituals.
But above all, they must never let their guard down, lest the immortal vampires take Lissa – forever…

Review

4+1/2-Stars

Positives

Vampire Academy is a brilliant and fresh take on Vampires. I absolutely loved the story-line and the characters were out-of-the-world good. Richelle’s writing (in first person) and the subtle plot- development absolutely blew my mind off. This book is definitely a page turner. It’s intriguing plot kept me stuck to it day and night! This book is painstakingly good and I’ve already got it’s sequel issued from my library.

Talking more about the characters I’d like to say that the leads, Rose and Lissa, have super contrasting personalities. On one hand Rose is bad-ass, impatient, reckless and sassy and on the other hand we have Lissa who is classy, delicate, patient and graceful. For me, Rose Hathaway is the best female lead character after Katniss Everdeen. Being a damphir, absolutely nothing can stop her from saving Lissa from even the tinniest of harms! Their friendship and bond were the best thing about the whole story!

This book is what I really needed to rouse my interest, yet again, in the YA genre. It is a must read.

Negatives

I don’t think here’s anything negative to say about this book. The only reason I’m holding back half a star is because unfortunately I happened to watch the movie first, so it kinda killed the suspense for me. Hopefully the next book will get a full 5-stars rating from me.

Conclusion

If you love YA genre, Vampire Academy is definitely for you. I’m already regretting staying away from it for so long, but nevermind, better late than never! I’m very happy that I read it and more than excited to read the next part. Go ahead and get yourself this book, if you haven’t already!

You can also read this review on Goodreads.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “I felt her fear before I heard her screams.”

Highlights: The fresh take on paranormal genre.

Low-lights: None!

Quotes:

“Taking a deep breathe, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life.
I walked away.”

“I didn’t like having reasonable arguments thrown at me.”

“I had a standing arrangement with God: I’d agree to believe in him—barely—so long as he let me sleep in on Sundays.”

“Screw you,” I told him in a low voice.
“Are you offering?”
“From what I’ve heard, there isn’t much to screw,” I shot back.”

Memorable paragraph:

“Lissa and I had been friends ever since kindergarten, when our teacher had paired us up together for writing lessons. Forcing five-year-olds to spell Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway was beyond cruel, and we’d—or rather, I’d—responded appropriately. I’d chucked my book at out teacher and called her a fascist bastard. I hadn’t known what those words meant, but I’d known how to hit a moving target.
Lissa and I had been inseparable ever since.”

Final Thoughts: A brilliant YA read 🙂

Book Review: Enchanted (Donovan Legacy #4)

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Author: Nora Roberts

Release Date: April 1, 2009

Series: Donovan Legacy

Genre: Paranormal| Romance | Fiction | Contemporary

Pages: 331ISBN NO.: 978-0-263-87514-0

Publisher: Penguin India

Preceded by: Charmed (Donovan Legacy #3)

Blurb

Rowan Murray needed the space to make an important choice, so she ran to a cabin on the wild coast of Oregon. But her new house was isolated, and Rowan was a woman alone. Hiking in the woods one day, Rowan’s solitude was threatened by an encounter with a stranger. Liam Donovan was mysterious, temperamental, frightening – and Rowan’s nearest neighbour. In a terrifying storm, with the power out in her tiny cabin, Rowan desperately needed help. When Liam arrived just in time, she had no choice but to accept his aid. Rowan would have to trust an enigmatic stranger with her whole future.

Review

4+1/2-Stars

The best thing about Nora Roberts’s books is that all the sweet and magical romance makes you forget all your tensions. Well atleast they do this for me! I liked this one a lot because it was different, firstly the lead male-witch, Liam, was a shape-shifter and second the female lead, Rowan, was also a witch, coming from a family of a long-forgotten but a real one!

Rowan as a character was brilliant and successfully flaunted the stuff women go through atleast once in a lifetime like confused, vulnerable, burdened and on the tricky edge to make a life-changing decision. On the other hand, Liam is a typical egoistic and arrogant male character with “I-take-all-the-f***ing-decisions” attitude. He behaves snobbishly and keeps throwing the excuse-ball of responsibility on everyone’s face.  I guess I’ve made it quite clear that I really didn’t like Liam but trust me it didn’t ruin my reading experience because at the end Rowan had the nerves to ask Liam to literally beg and confess his love. That douche-bag really deserved it! That little moment literally made up for everything!

I liked the angle of a Rowan’s grandmother’s forgotten legacy. After reading Captivated, Entranced and Charmed, loosely based on the same concept, except for all the different styles of love-making 😉 , this one was totally different.

The writing was simple and the plot was interesting. If you’ve read the other books from the series then you’ll be happy to know that in this book we get to meet Morgana’s, Ana’s and Sebastian’s families as well. It really felt good to read about all the cousins again, as over the first three reads, one really develops a relation with the leads.

You can also read this review at Goodreads.

 Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Dark as the night and fleet of foot, the wolf raced under a hunter’s moon. ”

Highlights: Different storyline.

Low-lights: Liam’s behaviour!

Quotes: “She sighed once, wishing she had a talent for the details of telling stories. She wasn’t bad at themes, she mused, but she could never figure out how to turn a theme into an engaging tale.”

Memorable paragraph:

““I was your lover Liam, but never your partner. I won’t settle for that, not even for you. You had my heart in your hands, and you didn’t know what to do with it. I can tell you, without the crystal ball, without the gift, you will never have another like it.””

Final Thoughts: A good book to conclude The Donovan Legacy.

Book Review: Frostbitten

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Author: Heather Beck
Release Date: June 23, 2014
Series: None
Genre: YA | Paranormal-Romance | Shapeshifters- Werewolves
Edition: e-book (epub)
Pages: 296
Publisher: Enchanted Publishing
Interest: Requested by author
Source: Author (Thanks, Heather!)
To buy Frostbitten click here.

Blurb

Great beauty hides dark secrets…

Seventeen-year-old Anastasia Lockhart has never led an easy life, but when she starts getting into serious trouble, she’s sent to live with her grandparents in Cedar Falls. The small, picturesque town hasn’t changed since she visited four years ago, with one exception – the presence of a handsome, mysterious boy named Frost. Despite warnings from her grandparents and friends to stay away from Frost, Anastasia can’t deny their attraction, and the more time they spend together, the deeper in love they fall. Unfortunately, Frost has a secret that is beyond Anastasia’s wildest imagination, and she soon finds herself in the midst of a supernatural legend that has haunted Cedar Falls for years.

Can Anastasia and Frost’s love really overcome anything, or are their fates much darker?

Review3.5

Positives:

Frostbitten is a well written book. What really makes Frostbitten a good book is Heather’s writing. I can’t stress enough on how much I liked it. It’s a lovely book that has all the elements a paranormal book should have. Right from the beautiful and stubborn young girl to a gorgeous and loyal werewolf, from a caring BFF to a rich and jealous bitch (who makes Anastasia’s life a living hell!) The mystery involved is also quite good.

I really liked Cedar Falls and I’d love to get answers about it’s past in the next instalment.

Negatives:

Even after liking this book I can’t ignore 2 facts. First, that it was really hard to connect with the leads. I mean they are well-explained and all, but still they felt very far-off. And secondly, this book has some really odd similarities to Twilight: A girl whose life is hell, meets a gorgeous guy who takes comfort in solitude, and falls in love with him. She finds out about him being a shape-shifter and then accepts the truth in no time. They they stand together against the world. Overall it’s totally like Twilight except for the fact that Frost is a werewolf and secondly he was unaware of his past.

Conclusion:

I understand that as this is the first part, establishing the basics is very important and in this book it’s been done quite neatly (well, except for the characters.) I guess that the next part is going to be better, so I’m looking forward to read it 🙂

You can also read this review at Goodreads | Amazon | Leafmarks

Other Stuff

Highlights: Heather Beck’s writing.

Low-lights: Character-connection and numerous similarity to twilight.

Final Thoughts: A light and good paranormal read. Looking forward to read the next part.

Book Review: Tomorrow Wendell

22398574Author: R. M. Ridley
Release Date: June 28, 2014
Series: None
Genre: Science-Fiction | Paranormal Thriller | Crime 
Edition: e-book (epub)
Pages: 232
Publisher: Xchyler Publishing
Interest: Requested by author
Source: Author (Thanks, Mr. Ridley!)
To but Tomorrow Wendell click here.

Blurb

When predictions tell Wendell Courtney he’s going to die, he turns to the one man he hopes can help. Jonathan Alvey’s no stranger to the strange. But, unlike the private investigator’s run-of-the-mill zombie cases, he can find no trace of magic around Wendell, and no hint of an adversary. Alvey certainly has magic and wits enough to solve the mystery, but is his offering to the insatiable dragon black sufficient? Or is Wendell truly destined to die?

Book Review: Captivated (Donovan Legacy #1)

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Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts
Author: Nora Roberts
Release Date: 1992
Series: Donovan Legacy #1
Genre: Paranormal| Romance | Fiction | Contemporary
Pages: 331
ISBN NO.: 978-0-263-87231-6
Publisher: Silhouette Books
Followed By: Entranced (Donovan Legacy #2)

Movie Review: The Ring Two

 

Ring_two_ver2Directed By: Hideo Nakata
Starring: Naomi Watts, Simon Baker, David Dorfman, Elizabeth Perkins, Gary Cole, Sissy Spacek, Ryan Merriman and Emily VanCamp.
Release Date: March 18, 2005
Running Time: 117 minutes
Language: English