Book Reviews: Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Micheline Helsing (yes she's a descendant of that Helsing) can see the auras of the dead.  Her family and the families of Stoker and Drake run a worldwide organization that tries to keep the world safe from vampires, zombies and ghosts.  Micheline is part of a crew with three others: Oliver, their tech geek, Jude, who can predict death and Ryder, a force to be reckoned with.  Micheline is the last of the Helsing line after a horrible attack that led to death of her brothers and mother many years ago.  Then her and her crew are infected with a curse known as a soul chain.  To save herself and her crew, Micheline will have to run from the organization and her powerful father.

A friend of mine brought this book back from a conference for me. Initially I wasn't going to read it because I thought it was straight up horror, but once I actually read the description and realized that it was about the descendents of Van Helsing, Stoker and Harker running a paranormal investigations type organization I totally got behind it. 

I thought the premise and world building within the organization was very clever and I enjoyed learning about the way the mirrors and camera worked. I would like to have known a little more about how society outside of the organization was run but that was more me being nosy then feeling like something was missing. I admit to being relieved by the lack of love triangle  as well.  Everyone had their own love interest, and although the road for Micheline and Ryder will hardly be smooth at least there was no competition for affection getting in the way of the story.  

I did not see the ending coming at all.  It was sad and gut wrenching and lovely. The book stands alone but there is room for a sequel as well, which also gives me warm fuzzies.  All in all a fun and interesting read.  

Book Review: Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Violet's mother is a fake medium and she uses Violet help have fake seances, so no one is more shocked then Violet herself when Violet actually starts seeing ghosts and spirits while on a visit to a wealthy estate for her mother's grand rising up in the world. Violet begins seeing the ghost of a girl who was murdered a year ago and starts to investigate which is difficult in a world where proper behavior and corsets rule the drawing room.

I should have read this such a long time ago as it's been sitting on my shelf for probably a year or more at this point. Harvey is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I loved all of the details on how seances were faked and the slang of the day. Violet was definitely a kick butt heroine who knew to take help when it was needed. While I wasn't expecting the murder I do have to say that I felt Violet barked up the wrong tree for much too long. I also loved Colin. I like Harvey's romances a lot. Yes her characters fall in love but they don't get so lost in each other that the rest of the plot feels lost, which I really appreciate these days in a YA book.

The Sixth Gun: Book 1 -Cold Dead Fingers by Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt

Becky becomes the recipient of a legacy that her step father never intended for her when she picks up the Sixth Gun, a gun that allows the owner peeks of the future they are heading towards. Unfortunately there are several other people on the hunt for this gun including it's original owner General Oliander Bedford Hume, recently brought back from the grave by his former compatriots upon his wife's orders and Drake a man who was once part of the General's pack.

I had heard some amazing reviews about this graphic novel so when I was able to get my hands on it, I decided it was a must. It's a great mix of western and paranormal/horror and this volume collects the first six issues. This volume was definitely all about the chase. Drake takes Becky on the run (even though really he is following Becky's visions). I was never sure if Drake's intentions were entirely honorable much like Becky isn't sure either. Right now Drake is making a phenomenal antihero and I think it will be interesting to see if he stays on what looks like a good path or ends up becoming more of a villain.

I love the different creatures that are run into, and the different cultures they come from including the birds and the hanging tree. I found the different abilities that the guns had and the peek we get at their history interesting. I am definitely hoping that there will be a more in depth look at their history in a future volume.

The only negative thing I'll say is that right now Becky kind of feels a little bit damsel in distress. It does seem like she is trying to step up and take responsibility for herself but keeps getting into trouble. She never saves herself and i would like it if just once she could be saved by herself instead of Drake or coincidence. Since this is only the first six issues hopefully she will grow a little more.

Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Missy is a self injurer and whenever things are too much to handle she cuts herself with a razor. One night after a terrible party where she is exposed to the entire school, Missy cuts too deeply. In comes Death offering her the job of War the red horsemen of the Apocalypse. Missy takes the job and finds herself in an internal battle with the spirit of War and with herself.

At times Missy was very difficult to relate to. Understanding the impulse to injure yourself as a way of feeling control is difficult to understand, particularly since as a general rule people fear pain. I think that writing about a cutter is just more difficult. I did think that the author did a good job of showing the kind of alienation and the huge emotions that she was experiencing both before and after everyone knew what Missy was doing.

I absolutely loved the interactions between all of the Horsemen, it was nice to see Famine again although I wish they had let us know earlier that she retired from life b/c I was really confused trying to remember what happened. I thought Pestilence was scary in a very cool way. I am hoping that the next book is about him I really love how Missy's powers are all about passion, not just literal war and arguing; and again seeing how Missy was able to use her powers to help not just harm was pretty cool.

I think that so far this series is doing a great job. While they are obviously issue books they don't feel like issue books because of the fantasy component of the Horsemen. I also think this series works well to bring a series of issues to a group of kids that wouldn't necessarily read "issue" books.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross

This is a prequel to the Girl in the Steel Corset, which I have an e-galley of and will be posting a review of tomorrow. I was able to get it free for my kindle from amazon. Prior to reading this I had thought that the whole short story on amazon thing for free was frustrating, because it only gave you a taste. Now I am thinking of it as more as knowing whether the book(s) it's based on is worth spending money on.

This introduces the main character of the Girl in the Steel Corset and lets us know how she is unique and how she got the position she is working at in the beginning of the next book. It was a short story that was definitely interesting and now I can't wait to read the book. It also gave me a really clear concept of the world that Finley lives in, a mix of technology, supernatural and Victorian London. Finley was definitely an interesting character and I'm hoping that Phoebe and her mother also make an appearance in the next book.

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks

The Abused Werewolf Support Group is about a boy named Toby who wakes up in a Dingo pen one morning. As this isn’t typical behavior on his part, his mother takes him for all kinds of tests. Then one day a boy and a priest show up at his door telling Toby and his mother that he is a werewolf. At first Toby doesn’t believe anything they tell him and thinks the whole thing is a crazy practical joke. Then Toby is kidnapped for a werewolf fighting pit and he slowly comes to realize that maybe he is in fact a werewolf.

When I first started reading this I was super excited and quickly became very confused. I thought this was going to be Rueben’s side of the story from The Reformed Vampire Support Group. Then as I read on I kind of realized that that definitely was not the case and had to kind of reorient my expectations.

Once I wrapped my head around the fact that this was Toby’s story and not Rueben’s I was able to enjoy it. Toby is a funny and interesting kid whose creativity and sense of adventure can often get him into way too much trouble. I really liked his character (but maybe that’s cause he reminds me of my fiancé with the crazy experiments). He makes a lot of bad decisions and lets himself get talked into things by Fergus way too easily. I have to say that I loved Toby’s ingenuity. I couldn’t wait to see what he was going to come up with next. Some of the things he was able to build were just incredible and there was a part of me that was tempted to go online and see if some of the science experiments (for lack of a better term) would really work.

The story was definitely interesting and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I also loved getting to find out what was going on with the crew from the Reformed Vampire Support Group although there was a lack of Dave I found disappointing. I also thought the ending was very creative. I always love stories that are kind of written as a “warning”. For some reason I just find it very entertaining and I like the reassurances Toby gave, that if help was needed they would find you.

My only other complaint about this book was that there was too much tell rather then show. Toby is telling the story in retrospect and because of that he would constantly tell you how he would never behave this way now and the different kinds of decisions that he would make now. I wish the author had let us see a little more clearly the life Toby was living after his adventures, so that we could see for ourselves how he was different and not have to be told that Toby no longer takes crazy risks.

Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) by Holly Black

The new year starts and Cassel is still trying to be relatively good but his family just keeps getting him into more and more trouble. Especially when Phil gets murdered and the feds try and draft Cassel into a special program for worker teens. Lila is still cursed to love him and they were trying to stay away from each other but she's at school with Cassel, which is just more complications.

I really liked this and I'm not entirely sure how to say why. Cassel tries to do the right thing but thinks that he is a bad person, and I think a lot of times as a teenager I kind of felt that way. It's not that you are intentionally trying to hurt anyone or do bad things, it's that you feel like life leaves you between to impossible choices and neither one is a great option.

The mystery is definitely not as easy to solve as I thought it would be. Early into the book I totally thought I had figured out who had killed Phil. I didn't think there was any other choice and was mildly annoyed that it was so easy to figure out. I was wrong and it was a character I hadn't even really thought about because the were not as heavily featured in this book as the previous one (although if I hadn't been so wrapped up in who I thought it was I might have thought about it.)

I still love the world that Cassel lives in. The curseworkers rights movement harkens back to the civil rights movement of the sixties and I think that Holly Black handles it well. The mobsters remind of me of those old fifties movies or Dick Tracey even though it could be related to something newer. Maybe my frame of reference is just screwy.

A lot of things felt like they wrapped up nicely here. It doesn't really need anymore, but I'm still hoping that there will be a third book because I really really enjoyed it.

Beautiful City of the Dead by Leander Watts

I picked this book up off the shelf over a month ago at this point. When I finally started it I couldn't entirely remember why I picked it up , but I know that I am happy that I did. When Zee starts her new school she can't find anyone who looks interesting until she meets Relly. Relly has his own band and needs a bassist and he thinks Zee is the perfect fit. The four play ghost metal a sound so big you can hear the silence in it. Then Zee finds out that there is more to Relly, herself and their band than meets the eye.

The prose of this book was extremely lyrical and poetic. It just sounded gorgeous and I loved the different places that Zee went to come up with lyrics for the band. I just felt like the whole book had a gorgeous sound to it, which is always appropriate for a book about music.

I loved the twist in the book. I know it was unexpected but I thought that that was what made it work. This is one of the first paranormal books where a lot of explanation about what is going on why people have certain abilities was left out, but to be honest it didn't feel necessary. I didn't miss it the way I normally do. The book felt full all on it's own.

The music was enough for me. I really enjoyed it and honestly I am not entirely sure I can explain why.

Demonglass (Hex Hall, #2) by Rachel Hawkins

Sophie, Jenna and Cal go to England to stay with Sophie's father so that she can learn how to control her powers and make an informed decision about going through the removal. The Eye is still after Sophie and they still seem to be using Archer to do it. Or are they?

I still really like Sophie. She is still sarcastic and fun and watching her learn about her father and what he's like is definitely interesting. He doesn't come across as someone who would keep such a huge secret from Sophie as what she was and I do wish we had gotten some insigth into the decision.

I will say that I am extremely sick of the whole love triangle thing in YA. Archer and Sophie are star-crossed lovers. Does Cal really need to be in love with Sophie? Was it really necessary? I just felt like the whole star corssed lovers thing was enough especially when you include the developing relationship with her dad and the politics of the council. I'm also just kind of over Archer as a whole. He didn't feel as developed in this book as he did in the last and I was honestly just getting sick of him.

The Committee itself came across as interesting and dangerous. There seemed to be an extreme lack of checks and balances in the structure and I could feel both Sophie and her father's frustations with it.

The book ends on a cliffhanger and in a way that almost makes me wonder if it's a complete book or a just a bridge to a third volume. Enough happens that it definitely works as a full book, but I feel like too much happens too. It doesn't feel like it has it's own independent story because none of the plot threads feels entirely resolved (even though one kind of is.) For some reason this whole thing just felt unfinished to me and as of right now I just can't shake that feeling.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Diana Bishop is a witch, but when she was a child her parents were killed and Diana associated it with being a witch so she has tried her best to cut witch craft and magic out of her life. Unfortunately Diana is a powerful witch so magic is not willing to leave her alone. As a historian working on a paper in Oxford, she one day calls up a Ashmole 782, an alchemical text hidden with spells for centuries that may hold the key to any number of things depending on what witch, vampire or daemon you talk to. It's drawing her all kinds of attention from the witches, daemons and vampires she has been trying to avoid; including one Matthew Clairmont, a powerful vampire that she finds herself developing a relationship with.

I really loved this book so much. It was recommended by a friend and even though it took me almost a week to read, I was thrilled with the outcome. The book is sooo rich in detail. Historical details and figures have been intricately woven into an amazing world populated with paranormal creatures. There are references to famous playwrights, musicians, monarchs and popes. It was kind of wonderful to see find out who was human and who wasn't and how the creatures traits were woven into the existing historical figures behaviors.

I also really loved the interplay of genetics in this book. Science can be kind of a turn off because it's not my strong suit and sometimes it just confuses me enough that I can no longer follow the story. However all of the science here makes sense and the explanations are basic enough that I don't feel like I'm lost in it. The science part of the plot was enough to even make my fiance interested in the story. (Not a big paranormal fiction reader). I especially like the idea of science and magic being tied together in such a strong way. I've always thought that the best kinds of magic were probably science that hasn't been explained yet and this book subscribes to that theory in a strong way.

I loved getting to know the characters in this book as well, from Diana and Matthew to Ysabeau and Sophie. While not everyone is obviously likable initially they are all interesting. Reading about them opening up to each other and their origins or even just the long lives they have had the opportunities to lead was one of the things that really kept me going.

Matthew and Diana's relationship at the moment does leave something to be desired, mainly because Matthew is kind of stuck with many of the sensibilities he developed during his life and because of his predatory instinct. Right now Diana is walking a very thin line, trying not to become subservient but being more flexible then she would normally be to accommodate for him. One of the things I love about Diana is how strong and independent she is and I don't want to see her lose that. I also like Matthew chivalrous nature but these habits of his to dominate make me wonder if I am going to continue to like him. I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy and see what happens and learn more about the world the author has created. (Of course with my luck that wont be for forever.

Jane Goes Batty by Michael Thomas Ford

Jane has a lot going on right now. Her book is being turned into a movie in her very own town. She's got a new editor that hates her. Walter's mother is visiting and it turns out she knows more then meets the eye. Add to this the usual worries about "our gloomy friend," a festival and twins and this makes for a very stressful period for Jane.

I have to give Michael Thomas Ford credit. Jane had so many different problems and such craziness going on that the anxiety just roiled off the page for me. (Then again I am an anxious kind of person and I tend to feel that life is way crazier then it should be, so maybe I can just relate.) The feelings of anxiety and all the craziness going on made this book feel a little bit more serious then the last one. However there were still a lot of laughs, a lot of great literary references and I thoroughly enjoy it.

I am wondering if the last one will be much more serious or kind of keep this mix of slightly more serious but still very funny.

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Amelia is sent by her brother to Baltimore to catch a husband. In Baltimore she stays with her cousin Zora. While in Baltimore the two girls quickly gain fame when Amelia begins having visions of the future. Amelia has some trepidation about these visions although she is distracted from it all by Nathaniel an artist she meets at a family party that is below the standing, however she can't seem to keep herself from wanting him.

It took me a long time to figure out how I felt about this book. There were a lot of things about it that drove me crazy. Mainly I felt like certain parts of the plot were just glossed over, and there was one point I'm still kind of confused about regarding Nathaniel, particularly the ending. (I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to spoil anything for anybody.) Those are the gripes, now onto the good stuff.

I absolutely adored the writing style and ambiance. While it was written in a standard prose style there was something very poetic about the writing. Even the simplest of descriptions sounds absolutely gorgeous. The beauty of the language is just absolutely entrancing. My favorite descriptions were of her visions, particularly the happy ones. When Amelia has a vision, she experiences it as though it were happening to her; the happy scenes are lovely and moving. The sad and painful ones are down right gut wrenching and painful, especially when they are for someone Amelia likes or loves.

The language definitely contributed to the ambiance the book has. (Although I feel like I don't have the right kind of language to describe it.) At the opening of the book we actually start at the end, when Amelia has returned home from her adventures in Baltimore. The despair that she feels over the outcomes can be felt in every word. You feel for Amelia and how for her the sun will never shine again. Then we switch to Baltimore and Amelia's initial arrival. You feel her excitement and nervousness and it's a sharp contrast to the despair the novel opens with. Through out the book we go back and forth and I think this serves to heighten the tension in the novel, because you already know it will go wrong and just how bad it will really be.

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

I just got the sequel to this today through inter library loan and I figured since after I read it I will post a review it might be good to look at my previous review and post it as a refresher of the first book.

This is by far one of the silliest, funniest, most enjoyable books I have read in a while. Jane Austen is alive and well living as a vampire in upstate New York. She owns a book store and has finally succeeeded in getting her last book published (all it took was 200 years).

This book is totally over the top in everyway. Many things happen that are just a little too convenient and there is some triteness, but honestly it is just so rediculously funny that it is totally worth it. The reader can expect cameos from Lord Byron and Charlotte Bronte and the biggest and best laughs of the book come from Charlotte's jealousy of Jane's success. This is not for you if you expect any kind of depth of character or a serious plot. It is a quick read that is good for a laugh and is highly enjoyable. I can't wait for the sequel.

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

This book was not what I expected at all. I had read a lot of reviews about it on some blogs I followed and it sounded so interesting but I was totally caught off guard, in a good way.

Hanna's father passed away and she has been living with an aunt. After a big blow out with her aunt, Hanna hitchhikes to Portero, Texas where Rosalee, the mother who abandonned her lives. When Hanna arrives in Portero she finds a hostile town riddled with monster where outsiders are unwelcome. Hanna strikes a bargain with Rosalee, if she can fit in, she can stay.

This book is exactly the kind of character driven work I like Hanna is an interesting protagonist to say the least. She's diagnosed as a manic depressive and she does have some bouts of depression in the book, I found myself wondering if her hallucinations were really hallucinations or a manifestation of her relation to Rosalee and the town of Portero. Especially since these hallucinations allowed her to do things many of the locals couldn't even do. I also loved that Hanna was half white, half black and she owned it. It wasn't a major issue but it was acknowledged and refered to when appropriate. She was also dating a hispanic local, and while Hanna was not loved by his family, her race had nothing to do with it.

The town of Portero was a character into and of itself. It was ominous and hostile and sometimes it was just plain weird. A lot of the time it felt like the town was it's own entity.

The whole book is strange and weird. It's also very violent and graphic, so if that kind of thing bothers you it's best to steer clear. Normally this isn't the kind of thing I comment on but with all the other strangeness in the book it just felt like it was worth mentioning.

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Okay so it wasn't until I was like a quarter of the way through the book that I realized that this is JUST LIKE TRUE BLOOD. Mind reader meets vampire and they fall in love. Well Meena can't read minds, just tell you when you're going to die. She works for a soap opera as a dialogue writer and she's having a very bad week. She was passed over for a promotion and the prince of darkness is in love with her and she with him, wreaking all kinds of havok in her life.

Short chapters usually mean that pacing will be quick but honestly this book just felt like it dragged a little bit. I may have liked it better if it had been a little bit pared down. It felt like it took way too long for Meena and Lucien to meet and then it took way too long for them to find out each others secrets.

The characters were mostly all likable (except for Meena's brother Jon he was kind of a pain in the butt and I frequently found myself wanting to strangle him.) There were also some minor characters I would have liked to have gotten to know a little bit better. But it was mostly fun and I laughed a lot because of how over the top things got (Is everyone I know a vampire?) I also really like Lucien and Meena. Meena isn't passive about her powers, she makes it a point to try and help people once she has seen their future, even if (Although sometimes Meena spent a little too much time going on about things...this would have been a good thing to pare down, I'm just sayin'.) Alaric Wulf was sometimes likable and other times I just loathed him. He ran the gamut from complete jerk to kind. I find myself wondering if there is going to be sequel because it was left very open, particularly in the love triangle department.

There was one thing I was a little bit confused about(I'm going to try and be vauge cause I don't want to cause a spoiler). Knowing who Lucien is descended from and due to several brief mentions of a great grandmother named Wilhemina Harker I find myself wondering if all of these characters are supposed to be direct descendents of the characters from their Dracula counterparts or if the writer was just doing an homage.

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to start reading this book and it's a good thing I couldn't sleep because I didn't want to put it down. This book is actually a modern day continuation of the Snow White tale that takes place many generations after the original. I never would have figured out based on the description although after the fact I do see some hints on the cover.

Megan has had a difficult life, when she was 8 she was in a car accident with her twin sister Remy and her father. Remy died and her father is in a coma and ten years later Megan is still seeing Remy's ghost, and lately she's getting more and more violent and Remy's visits are getting harder and harder to stop/ignore. To add to Megan's issues she also gets a job at The Land of Enchantment, a local fairy tale themed amusement park to keep an eye on her boyfriend Ryan and his best friend (who has professed her undying love to him) Sammy. Megan's first day at the park she meets Luke, who can also see Remy and hopefully help Megan help Remy to move on.

There is a lot going on in this book and the frenetic pace can make it difficult to keep up at times (especially at the end) but it is well worth the read. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened next. I really liked how the author wove the different elements of Snow White into the story. The description of the book sounds so much like a paranormal romance love triangle type thing, but really it's more of a murder mystery and I think that is what really keeps the plot going. Now I'm kind of torn because I want to go further into why I like the book but I don't want to give anything away.

Dream Life by Laura Mechling

Claire is just as quirky as ever but at the end I found myself not liking her as much. Claire still has the black and white dreams that draw attention to her future, but Becca seems to be growing apart from her and Andy seems to be avoiding her so she feels left out. In her efforts to deal with her issues, she ends up not talking to practically any of her friends. Then she gets let in on Becca's big secret, and involved in a new mystery.

***Spoiler***
I didn't like that the cameo punished Claire for going out with Alex. Andy wasn't behaving well this book and she was extremely patient with him. She had every right to take someone else when he refused to go.

***Spoiler ends***

I also thought that Claire was being extremely naive not to realize that the Blue Moon's activities reflected well on the girls parents and were repayed with favors. The mystery was interesting and I was surprised when I found out who was really responsible for all the trouble. The dreams were a lot clearer and it was much easier to see how they fit into the bigger picture. I liked that Claire's powers did develop in the second story and she wasn't still stuck being frustrated.

I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer

This book was an arc someone I work with got at some meeting or conference. No one seemed to really want to read it and it languished in our summer reading prize box. At the end of the summer we got to grab what we wanted and this made me think of my friend Jenn. She is the one I will go looking for when the zombie apocalypse happens and most likely she would be the reason I just might survive. She loves any and everything zombie. Naturally before I gave it to her I had to read it myself.

In Ally's world zombies, vampires and other paranormal creatures and critters are par for the course. Ally starts the novel and the snotty ice queen. She works on the school paper and her and her fellow journalists are known for her witty but cruel sarcastic commentary both at their lunch table and in the papers gossip column.

I actually really liked this book. I found it to be a more "realistic" Twilight story. (I use the term realistic very loosely I honestly just can't think of a better way to phrase it.) The "realistic" opinions and character development added a lot of humor to the story and made me really respect the author. Ally's first love ends up being a zombie. She goes through the typical responses of a girl in puppy love/lust, but she also realizes that this relationship has a short shelf life and she recognizes some of her mistakes along the way. The relationship changes Ally in a lot of ways, in ways that you would wish any teenager dating someone who's not quite right for her would. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad I thought it was a great take on a paranormal romance that hasn't really been seen yet.

Also worth checking out is the books official website. It's got a great soundtrack you can download for free and some other great extras, such as pamphlets and blog posts detailing where some of the inspiration came from. It's a quick read and I will admit to being sorry to have forked my arc over to my friend, but she loved it too, so it was worth it.

Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story by Adam Rex

It's been a while since I finished this book and I'm still not entirely sure how I know how I feel about it. It starts out as a funny read with a strong focus on nerdy/geeky humor. Doug is an overweight, geeky high school kid that gets turned into a vampire. He's into comics and computers and the book opens with him at Comic con in San Diego. Doug feels cheated regarding his transformation; he may be a vampire now but he's still an overweight nerd that no one really looks twice at. To make matters worse he's got vampire hunters chasing him for television ratings and his vampire mentor is kind of the pits.

The beginning of the book is extremely funny. It's very heavy on nerd/geek humor that maybe only a person that's really comfortable with their own nerdiness could appreciate (which I am), so I loved it. I couldn't stop laughing.

Then about three quarters of the way through the book, it suddenly gets super dark and serious. Friends are lost, personalities suddenly darken and the ending is extremely heavy. (I am leaving this ambiguous because I don't want to leave any spoilers.)

I will admit to really not liking the last page. It felt kind of unnecessary, like it should have already ended but the author was afraid that leaving it with such a dark ending would make readers unhappy.

I loved the beginning of the book and I liked the ending of the book. They were both very strong and definitely interesting. I'm just not sure I felt like they went together. The beginning and the end just didn't feel cohesive to me. However the since I did like everything I think it's still well worth the read.

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Tori and her friends are in hiding from the Edison Group, the people who performed genetic experiments on them to make their powers easier to control but instead made them almost completely uncontrollable. They hope that they will soon be heading back to rescue the rest of their friends, but right now nothing is as it seems.

Even though the characters are in a holding pattern for much of this book, there is enough going on between the characters and within their own heads to make it feel like it's moving along. All romances are also sorted out at the end, although it's really dragged out til the last minute. Chloe is not as wishy washy as she was in previous books which also made me happy. Her self confidence is beginning to grow and she starts standing up for herself more, which makes her a much more likable character.

I was so excited that the series was finally going to be finished, but I have to say that in that respect I am a tiny bit disappointed. While this was just as well written and exciting as the others, it doesn't feel like the end of the series. Yes their immediate adventure was over, but it definitely felt like the story could continue and I am disappointed that it is being billed a trilogy making this one the last one. I hope that they decide to make more of these because the premise of the series is interesting, and it would make me happy.