Stacking The Shelves (167) - April 30th

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews - features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

Upcoming Reads

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Soldier (Talon #3) by Julie Kagawa
Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey
The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater
Burning by Danielle Rollins

What books are stacking your shelves??

Soldier by Julie Kawaga

Title: Soldier
Series: Talon #3
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Release Date: April 26th 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

A fighter dedicated to saving humankind from dragons in strictest secrecy.

That was what Garret Xavier Sebastian thought he was part of as a soldier of the Order of St. George. What he learned from a fiery dragon hatchling twisted all he believed in and set him on a collision course with certain death-but not without a chance to put things right.

Betrayed and on the run again, Ember and rogue dragon Riley discover an unthinkable truth about Talon and St. George. They'll need Garret's skills and insider knowledge of the Order to negotiate an impossible deal-and if they fail, there will be no way to stop all-out war.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | iBooks | The Book Depository

About Julie Kagawa

Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.
When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time (okay, at least the illustrations did), but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a
real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, an obnoxious cat, an Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and a hyper-active Papillion.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Review

HOLY DRAGON WAR! Soldier was fantastic.  If you liked the dragon aspects from book one and two, they are in full force throughout Soldier.  There are dragon battles, battles in St. George, battles between the two fighting groups and so much more.  True to the title of the book, Soldier is an action heavy but more specifically, war heavy read.  The suspense and high stakes had me turning through the pages.

Aside from the constant war, the reader is introduced to new fierce dragons, crazy drama, and a continuing romantic tug of war.  At times the romantic tug of war does grate on me but in the end it is well suited to the overall plot and I can appreciate it even though it's not my favorite.  Ember's struggles are emotional yet as a reader I found them to also be very logical.

I truly believe that I have enjoyed each book in this series more than the previous one; to think that there are a few more to come (aside from having to wait with cliffhangers) is a wonderful thought.  I have a sore spot for dragons, especially ones that have human feelings and that plays a huge role in the entire series.  Soldier focused on the complex and tricky web that had been slowly spun in the first two books and still leaves more to uncover in the next book.  The various point of views combined together to leave the reader feeling like they know what is going on in most areas in the story.  The battle heavy, third installment in the Talon series, is definitely worth the read!

Tour Schedule:

Week 1:

4/18: Step Into Fiction - Review

4/19: The Irish Banana Review - Dragon Makeup

4/20: Across the Universe - Review

4/21: The Cover Contessa - Julie's Dragons

4/22: Vi3tbabe - Review

Week 2:

4/25: Star-Crossed Book Blog - Review

4/26: Wonderland Novels - Dream Casting

4/27: The Quiet Concert - Review

4/28: Take Me Away to a Great Read - Fashion Board

4/29: Jenuine Cupcakes - Review

Giveaway:

1 set of TALON, ROGUE & SOLDIER (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rogue by Julie Kagawa

Title: Rogue
Series: Talon #2
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 28th 2015
Source:Library

Summary from Goodreads:
Ember Hill left the dragon organization Talon to take her chances with rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of rogues. But Ember can't forget the sacrifice made for her by the human boy who could have killed her—Garret Xavier Sebastian, a soldier of the dragonslaying Order of St. George, the boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, knowing that by doing so, he'd signed his own death warrant.

Determined to save Garret from execution, Ember must convince Cobalt to help her break into the Order's headquarters. With assassins after them and Ember's own brother helping Talon with the hunt, the rogues find an unexpected ally in Garret and a new perspective on the underground battle between Talon and St. George.

A reckoning is brewing and the secrets hidden by both sides are shocking and deadly. Soon Ember must decide: Should she retreat to fight another day…or start an all-out war?

Review

Rogue is a fantastic sequel; I actually believe it is stronger than Talon. The plot is more action driven, the team is on the run, and there are risks and danger at every turn. Rogue, similar to Talon, is told from multiple points of views. In this case, I think it allows the reader to see all three sides of the dragon world spectrum, Talon, rogues, and dragon hunters. We learn what Dante, Ember’s brother is up to in Talon, and hear some of his planning with the secret organization. The reader gets glimpses into Cobalt and Garret’s thoughts and well as, Ember scattered thoughts and feelings.  The audio version has multiple narrators so the transition between POVs was very easy to follow.

Even though action and adventure were the driving force of the plot, there was still a good bit of romance. I am not a fan of the love triangle, as always, at the moment my team is losing. Luckily a lot of the love triangle-ness of the story comes out in the latter half of the book. It does linger throughout the story but really takes over the plot at the end of the book.

Rogue builds on the various plot lines and turns them into a tangled web of intricate deception and lies. The background history, fight scenes and overall fast moving plot makes Rogue a great sequel. I look forward to the rest of the series!

Stacking The Shelves (122) - May 2nd

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews - features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

Upcoming Reads

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Isle of the Lost (The Descendants #1) by Melissa de la Cruz
Rogue (Talon #2) by Julie Kagawa

What books are stacking your shelves??

Talon by Julie Kagawa

Title:Talon
Series: Talon #1
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date:October 28th 2014

Summary from Goodreads:
Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

Review

Dragons are awesome, fantastic, powerful creatures and I love love reading about them.  Talon brings crazy dragon politics and secret societies to the table appealing to not only my love of dragons but also my love of spy-like novels.  Talon is the order of the dragons, if you are not part of Talon you are a liability, a rogue, and must die. Talk about some crazy rules and intense spy training.

Ember of course is faced with making a decision between a rogue or the life and brother she has grown to trust.  One of my main issues while reading Talon was the predictability of the plot.  The romance and some of the developments were easy to guess.  Some of the relationships reminded me of other dragon books I have read where essentially the dragon falls in love with dragon hunter.

That being said, I still really enjoyed the book.  Even though I had a very strong inclination as to what was coming I thoroughly enjoyed the romance and the dynamic between Ember and her  love interest.  The romance was cute, I liked the fact that they go on actual dates and their interest grows throughout the story.  The alternating point of views and the fast paced plot made Talon a speedy read. This was my first Julie Kagawa book and it won't be my last, I loved her writing.  The ending was a cliffhanger yet still very satisfying, leaving me ready for the next book!

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Forever Song
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden #3 
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 15, 2014

Summary from Goodreads:
Vengeance will be hers.

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

Monster.

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

THE FINAL HUNT IS ON.

Review

I started The Immortal Rules with a  sea of hype surrounding it to which it unfortunately did not live up to. So when I started The Eternity Cure, my expectations were a lot lower but then it blew me away. The Forever Song fell somewhere between the two. Not quite as exciting as TEC, but the ending was great.

The majority of TFS was about the hunt for Sarren.  These travel-dominated type books with engineered moments of action/suspense almost always fall flat to me, so I think that is why this one fell short of 5 stars, but Julie Kagawa still writes it better than most. The not-so-unexpected arrival of a certain someone that was in an unexpected state of mind absolutely crushed me (hah, my attempt at spoiler-free). But that was about the only thing of note until the crew arrives in Eden. But from that moment on, things were all uphill. My only qualm was that Sarren was like a cheesy horror film villain in that he could not be killed. After his like 5th resurrection (I don't know how many, it just felt like a lot), I found myself thinking "Can he just die already?". But the ending was really strong and full of action and I enjoyed it very much so.

Jackal wormed his way into my heart in TEC and remains the highlight of this series for me. His humor was perfect and I found myself smiling or laughing almost everytime he opened his mouth. As for Sarren, he is still one of the creepiest villains I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. *Shudders*. In general this series has a really strong set of characters and a lot of interesting relationship dynamics. But I am afraid to say anything more about anyone else so as not to spoil anything.

This was the first series I read by Julie Kagawa but I can guarantee that it won't be the last. I understand why she has such a strong fan base now. Even in a genre that is so oversaturated, she knows how to set herself apart. I definitely recommend this series.

Stacking the Shelves (96) - Nov 1st

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews - features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

Upcoming Reads

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Talon (Talon #1) by Julie Kagawa
Winterspell (Winterspell #1) by Claire Legrand

What books are stacking your shelves??

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Eternity Cure
Series: Blood of Eden #2
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Pages: 434
Source: Audible, Audiobook

Summary from Goodreads:
In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood

She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever—and possibly end human and vampire existence.

There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago—and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.

Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.

Review

Oh my god, this sequel was amazing!!

Just days ago I posted my review of The Immortal Rules and was sad to say that I wasn't as impressed as I'd hoped to be. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. But this book. THIS BOOK. This book impressed me. This book I loved.

The Eternity Cure was so much more than The Immortal Rules in so many ways. Most noticeably, the plot moved at a much faster pace and the stakes were MUCH higher. There was never a dull moment in this book. In fact, I was almost in a constant state of nervous excitement. And although that ending left me sobbing and speechless, I have to say that the events in this book were perfectly orchestrated for maximum feels. So so good.

And I feel like the characters really grew into themselves. Allie was challenged a hell of a lot more, both physically and emotionally. She had to make a lot of really difficult decisions and I think that made her strong and compassionate personality come through even more so. And Zeke. *sigh*. I was not swooning Zeke in The Immortal Rules but I am swooning Zeke now. Hard. He was so much more badass this time around but still managed to keep that sweet way of his. And I never thought I'd say this, but Jackal grew on me. I might even care about him a little which makes me feel weird. His commentary was much appreciated. As for Sarren, he might just be the creepiest villain I have ever had the non-pleasure of reading about EVER. My god this guy gave me the chills and will in all likelihood give me nightmares as well. And Kanin was Kanin. He turned into this fatherly figure in my eyes. Rock solid.

Let's just say I now understand what all the fuss is about. This book pulled me in, made my care for these characters, and left me dying to pick up The Forever Song (although to be honest I am a little scared to). It was expertly written and feel-inducing. I am still in awe.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules
Series: Blood of Eden #2
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Pages: 485
Source: Audible, Purchased

Summary from Goodreads:
To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness….

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for… again.

Review

I don't have all the much to say about The Immortal Rules. It didn't impress me as much as I had hoped - there are a lot of fans of this series - but I still enjoyed the story.

The beginning was really strong. I loved that Allie turned into a vampire and thought it made for an interesting twist. Since I have a problem with reading synopses, I forgot this little fact and was pleasantly surprised. I was really into it when Kanin was training her and her internal struggle over becoming this thing that she hated was believable. I liked Allie.

It was when Allie and Kanin separated and Allie joined the group of humans that things started to slow for me. I don't know if it's just me, but I almost always get bored when the characters are traveling, searching, whatever you want to call it. Allie's predicament of having to hide the fact that she was a vampire made for some interesting moments but ultimately my attention wavered. It didn't help that I wasn't swooning over Zeke. The budding romance was just ok for me but I don't know if that was because of my lack of interest in the pilgrimage.

But towards the end things started to pick back up and the book pulled me back in. There was a lot of action and Allie got to be badass on more than one occasion, which I always love. I mean, she's a vampire, let's have fun with that! And we get a lot of helpful background information like how rabids came to be and who the important players are. The book definitely ended on a strong note.

I'm curious to see where this story is going so I've already started The Eternity Cure (so far so good!). I definitely think this series has promise and would recommend it to fans of paranormal/vampire fiction.