Posts Tagged ‘Demon’

hereafter 1hereafter 2 hereafter 3

4-stars

(4 stars as a complete series)

Hereafter (Hereafter #1) & Arise (Hereafter #2) & Elegy (Hereafter #3)- Tara Hudson

Hereafter Synopsis:

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she’s dead. With no recollection of her past life, or her actual death, she’s trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won’t want to miss.

Arise Synopsis:

Every second he spent with me, every instant he touched me was like a slow-working poison… I had to end this, now.

When dark spirits threaten to hurt the people Amelia cares for most, she will do whatever it takes to protect the.

Joshua has his own reasons for meeting Amelia at the New Orleans St Louis Number One cemetery at midnight.

Together they will join in a powerful ritual – both knowing that once Amelia steps inside the Voodoo Circle, everything will change, forever.

Elegy Synopsis:

A stalker ghost, misguided Seers, and spellbinding wraiths—Amelia Ashley has faced them all. Now her greatest hope is to spend the rest of her afterlife with her living boyfriend, Joshua. But the demonic forces return to give her an ultimatum: turn herself over to the darkness or watch them murder one living person per week until she does.

Amelia fears she might really be doomed, until the forces of light give her another option. She can join them in their quest to gather souls, with a catch: Once she joins them, she can never see Joshua again.

Faced with impossible choices, Amelia decides to take her afterlife into her own hands—and fight back

Hereafter Review:

I would give this 3 1/2 stars. It was a little depressing but the storyline was original albeit a little guess-able.
I could not identify with the main character, she rarely showed enough emotion for me which left me without a sense of her personality. It was a little cold.
I still don’t understand “why” there was such a connection to “Joshua”, why could she touch him for the first time when they were in the water. I guess I need to keep reading to find out 🙂

This book left me with more questions than it answered.  Thank goodness the other books have been released LOL

The pace was a little slow and the conflict felt forced. I never felt a true sense of danger until the end.

Arise Review:

I thought this was a much better planned book than the first one (which was a little slowly paced).
I enjoyed the New Orleans setting very much and the infusion of Voodoo traditions and religion.

The new characters introduced were easy to accept and identify with.

Each situation that changed throughout the story were needed and propelled the story forward.

I am enjoying this series and it seems original to me. I haven’t read anything like it anyway.

I would give this series a shot you may just enjoy yourself!

Elegy Review:

I absolutely loved this book although it is bitter sweet. I don’t want to give anything away and I may be alone in this but I did not see the end coming.

This book had a much faster pace and about 1/4 of the way through I could not put it down. I had to know what was going to happen.

I loved that you were able to see the growth of the characters throughout this series. “Amelia” went from sleepy to tiger, “Joshua” went from easy going to passionate (in more ways than one) and “Jillian” went from egotistical to compassionate and fierce.

I am sad that this journey is over especially the way it’s over but still it is a fantastic love story.

List of Books in Order:

Hereafter

Arise

Elegy

dark kiss 2

4-stars

Wicked Kiss (Nightwatchers #2) – Michelle Rowen

Synopsis:

My kiss can kill.

I used to be ordinary Samantha Day, but that’s changed. Now, after one dark kiss from a dangerous boy, I can steal someone’s soul…or their life. If I give in to the constant hunger inside me, I hurt anyone I kiss. If I don’t…I hurt myself.

Bishop is the one whose kiss I crave most, but if I kiss him, I’ll kill him. Then there’s another boy, one I can’t hurt. One whose kiss seems to miraculously quell my hunger. They’re both part of a team of angels and demons that’s joined forces in my city to fight a mysterious rising darkness, an evil that threatens everyone I know and love. I just wonder if I’ll be able to help Bishop—or if I’m just another part of the darkness he’s sworn to destroy….

Review:

May Contain Spoilers

This series is not your typical fallen angel series, it is not the forbidden type of relationship that you normally see.  Don’t get me wrong, there are consequences but not like what you expect.

I enjoyed the mind-melds in this book and there were a lot more of them.  I liked being able to get into “Bishop’s” head and I also loved the fact that you get to know more about his past.  There are a lot of questions answered in this book which is good that it was mapped out as a duology since there are no plans for a 3rd (but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen).

I really enjoyed this series.  The story arc is tightly worked and is beautifully written.  It was a page turner for me.  The only thing that I wish could have been different was the triangle between “Sam”, “Bishop” and “Kraven”.  There was always, in the back of my mind, the feeling that there should have been more emotion between “Sam” and “Kraven”.  I WISHED there would have been a bigger connection between “Sam” and “Kraven”.  I know triangles take alot of work to get them just right and it didn’t really work in this case.  That was the only disappointment for me.

The pace is very fast in this book and a lot happens.  It is full of romance, deceit, action and mystery.  I wish the story could go on in a 3rd book.  Don’t get me wrong, it ends beautifully but another adventure would be fun 🙂

List of Books in Order:

Dark Kiss

Wicked Kiss

dark kiss 1

4-stars

Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers #1) – Michelle Rowen

Synopsis:

Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that’s me. But I just couldn’t pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me…something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It’s like part of me is missing-and I don’t know if I can get it back.

Then there’s Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he’s keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he’s what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me….

NIGHTWATCHERS

When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising…

Review:

The cover is what drew me to this book in the first place, it’s beautiful and dark.

This is a very easy read.  It is not overly complicated and it is very entertaining.  I read this one in one night.  It did take me a little bit to get into the story.  I would read a couple pages and put it down but once it got going I couldn’t stop.  It kind of reminded me of the show Charmed…not the witches part but the working with demons to get the “big/bad” and also they have an entity called “The Hollow”.

I only wish that the author could have made the “Bishop” character more charismatic.  I know he is supposed to be the romantic unattainable love interest but I just couldn’t feel it.  Even the kissing scenes didn’t really give me the sexual tension that I think should have been present.

One of the only reasons I prefer young adult paranormal books is because the adult paranormal fiction has so much more sexual content (not that I’m against a good romp, I just really like the tension that comes with young adult fiction)

I am hoping the story gets fleshed out in the next book because I think it could be really good if it gets done right.  This series has a lot of potential.

Recommended for teens/young adults…minimal language, no sex, some violence (not graphic)

mortal 3

4-stars

Horizon (Soul Guardians #3) – Kim Richardson

Synopsis:

Much to Kara’s horror, a horde of demons is released into the mortal world, through the Mirror of Souls. Thousands of human souls are dying every day. The Guardian Angel Legion works relentlessly at trying to secure the mortal world from Demons.

But when Kara discovers the truth behind the Demon Lord’s plans, can she return to Horizon safely and warn the Legion before it’s too late?

Review:

The best so far!  I just finished reading this one…I could not put it down.  The pace of this one is fast and even throughout the book.  Emotions run high through “Kara” inadvertently releasing demons all the way through to the epic battle of Heaven and Hell.  I don’t want to spoil anything so it’s hard to give examples.

Still a great read for teens and up…there is still explicit language and some of the descriptions of the battles can be a little gruesome.

NOW ON TO BOOK 4 🙂

List of Books in Order:

Marked

Elemental

Horizon

Netherworld

Seirs

Mortal

mortal 1

4-stars

Marked (Soul Guardians #1) –  Kim Richardson

Synopsis:

Sixteen year-old Kara Nightingale’s ordinary life is suddenly turned upside down when she dies and wakes up in a strange new world with a new career—as a rookie for the Guardian Angel Legion. Kara is pulled into the supernatural, where monkeys drive the elevators, oracles scurry above giant crystal balls, and where demons feed on the souls of mortals.

With the help of her Petty Officer and friend, David, Kara hurtles towards an adventure that will change her life forever…

Review:

I loved this book.  It is a very original story.  The characters are very easy to fall in love with and root for.  I loved “David” and his smart-ass remarks to the Archangels, it was hilarious.  I also loved the creativity of the way the author envisioned “Horizon”.  The elevators are controlled by monkeys, chimps, baboons and apes (who by the way are very sarcastic and a little angry)…the sky cars are driven by birds (don’t forget to tip them, anything you have on you…a button will do).  The hierarchy of the legion is easy to understand.  At least in this first book there is not much understanding of the demon ranks or what exactly they do.

The story, to me anyway, kept a fast pace throughout the book.  Everytime “David” and “Kara” went on assignment the demons showed up.  In no way am I saying this book perfect but I think it’s a fun and easy read.  It kept my attention throughout.  I will definitely be finishing this series…it is a very entertaining read!

The only thing I had a small problem with was the 3rd person narrative mode.  It took a little getting used to since a lot of the books that I have been reading lately have been first person.  It wasn’t hard though and it definitely wasn’t a deal breaker.

**This would be fit for teenagers…there is only some mild language.

List of Books In Order:

Marked

Elemental

Horizon

Netherworld

Seirs

Mortal

You can get the Nook version (Marked: Soul Guardians #1) FREE (as of 05-13-2013) here

*The author is a retired 3D Animation Supervisor so she made a trailer for the book