Retribution ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

By far my least favorite book of the series to date.

Good grief I had so many problems with this book, I don't even know where to begin. *deep breath*

****SPOILER WARNINGS****

Add me to the list of people who found themselves wondering if S.K. actually wrote a good portion of this book. Everything from the dialogue to the new character development felt completely flat and emotionless to me. It was almost as if Kenyon wrote a few scenes here and there, and left the majority of the story up to someone else. A prime example: the book's one and only love scene takes place in the front seat of a tiny car while the H/h are being attacked by a plague of wasps. WTF???!!!

While in the end I wound up somewhat liking the character of Jess, I definitely could not drum up an ounce of sympathy for Abigail. Yes, she was lied to and used by the 'family' that raised her. I get that. BUT...that does not change the fact that she went about killing every Dark Hunter that she could get her hands on. And the fact that she was basically forgiven so easily for everything she did? Makes. No. Sense. Especially in the context of the DH world that i knew up to this point. And how about the fact that one minute she is hell bent on killing Jess and hating him with everything she has....and the next she decides she cares deeply about him, and wants to die to protect him and save the world?! Again...WTF?!?

The trademark snarky dialogue that i have come to love and expect in this series was definitely lacking here. But it wasn't for a lack of trying. The problem was that much of the dialogue (snarky or otherwise) came off as forced and at times down-right ridiculous.

As for that hot mess of a train wreck that was the ending? Talk about confusing and convoluted.

Even a cameo (blink and you miss it) by one of my all time fave DH characters Zarek couldn't make me enjoy this story.

While I understand the need to introduce new characters into the Dark Hunter world, I was not impressed with many of the new faces. I will say that i am curious for Ren's story coming up in Time Untime. I just pray that the story line is handled far better than it was here.

The only reason I am giving this 2 instead of 1 star is because of the 'bonus scene' with Ash. This chapter reminded me why i love the series so much, and felt very much like something happening in the DH world (unlike everything else that had occurred throughout the book). I loved the glimpse of remorse that we saw from Artie, and any kind of action involving Ash is always wonderful in my eyes.

**Update**

Hey booksters,

Just wanted to let you all know that things have been crazy busy for me lately. Not much time for reading or anything fun really. I will be going on vacation in a few days, so I will more than likely be MIA until the end of March. :(

I will do my best to get more reviews up ASAP. So, hang tight!

<3,

Holly

Draculas ~ Jack Killborn, Blake Crouch

5 out of 5 stars

A completely different and ingenious take on the vampire novel.

4 amazing authors: J.A. Konrath, Blake Crouch, F. Paul Wilson, Jack Kilborn, and Jeff Strand - each creating their own characters and following them through to the end - come together to create an absolutely amazing twist on the Vampire novel.

Mortimer Moorecook is a desperate and dying man. Willing to do just about anything to survive the disease that is ravaging his body. After acquiring the so called "Dracula's Skull", he believes he has found the answer to his prayers. Within minutes of the skull arriving at his home, he sinks the elongated teeth into his own neck...

To say anything else about the actual storyline would take away from the enjoyment of discovering all the twisted nuances to this roller coaster of a novel.

As gory and twisted as this novel is (and trust me when i say, this is not for the squeamish), there is a hefty dose of delightfully warped black humor thrown into the mix, which only made me love this book more.

I am already a HUGE fan of JA Konrath/Jack Killborn, but this book makes me anxious to read more by the other authors as well.

Not for the fainthearted, but if you enjoy finding yourself giggling as you squirm in your seat, grab this book and dig in!

30 Days Of Night vol 1 ~ Steve Niles, Sam Kieth

30 days of night volume 1 by Sam Kieth

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a short, high octane graphic novel based on the 30 Days Of Night series by Steve Niles.

The story involves a girl who runs a website asking people to contact her about their real-life encounters with vampires. And while the story was interesting, it only fills up approx. half of the 44 pages (the rest being a preview for another graphic novel). I enjoyed what I read, but it seemed like just as I was getting into the story, it was over.

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From Zero to Four Kids in Thirty Seconds ~ Amy L Peterson

3 1/2 out of 4 stars

What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be.

This is a sweet, uncomplicated book that feels both real and unapologeticly honest. And while there were a few stumbles along the way with pacing, I found myself smiling while reading this book. Sometimes it takes a simple story about finding love and family when you least expect it, to remind me of why I love to read so much. I found myself rooting for Amy and hoping for her to have her perfect, if complicated happy ending.

*This book was offered to me for review from the author, but that fact had no affect on my review.*

Quick Update

I have been sick with both a cold and then the stomach flu over the last couple of weeks. Because of that, I have been doing much whining and moaning, but very little reading lately. I hope to have a proper update posted within the next few days. :)

Incarnate ~ Jodi Meadows

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was beyond anxious to read this book after hearing about the premise. A world where everyone is continually reincarnated, and fully retain memories of their past lives. Living one life as a male, the next as a female...but the underlying soul remains the same. Until one day a NewSoul is born. Someone with a clean slate, that takes the place of a soul that had lived countless lives before.

The concept was brilliant, and truly unique. And there are aspects of the story that i really enjoyed; I loved the characters of Ana and Sam. The creepy/awesome idea of each person being responsible for the graves of their past selves (when Ana is taken to Sam's cabin in the woods, it borders a cemetery full of all his former bodies).

But, around the half way mark, the story started to slow down. A lot. The romance that began to blossom between Ana and Sam seemed to hit a brick wall, and each and every situation seemed to be dragged out far too long to make for a truly interesting read.

I plan on giving the second book in the series a chance, but this definitely didn't live up to my admittedly very high expectations.

Beauty Queens ~ Libba Bray

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I very rarely give up on books. But, I will make an exception for this one.

I was okay with the over the top silliness of the story in the beginning. Unfortunately it didn't take long for it to go from amusing, to slightly grating and into full blown want to throw my Kindle against the wall annoying.

I am all for satire...but there is NO WAY I would have been able to make it through 400 pages of this. I gave up around the 35% mark.

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This Is Not A Test ~ Courtney Summers

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In A Nutshell:

Sloane is at the end of her rope. Feeling betrayed by a sister who abandons her to a life alone with their abusive father, Sloane plans to end her life. Little does she know that the world outside her front door is spiraling out of control. The infected are taking over the living, and Sloane finds herself barricaded inside the local High School. A lone girl who wants to die, among 5 other teenagers who desperately want to live.

Thoughts:

This had to be one of the most intense book reading experiences I have ever had. The feeling of both anxiety and claustrophobia was just overwhelming at times. But, not in a way that would make me want to stop reading. In fact, I couldn't put this book down. And when pesky things like work made me have to walk away from this story for a few hours, I could not stop thinking about the characters and where I thought the story was going.

The last third of this book was just unrelenting in it's intensity. The over-all feeling of dread by the final 25 pages was just insane. And the ending didn't not disappoint in the least.

And yes, this is a story about a zombie apocalypse. But it is SO much more than that.

I am in awe of the way this author was able to maintain both the creep factor, and the overwhelming tension through out this book. There was truly no slow parts...no filler. Just a nail-biting "oh-my-gawd-what's-going-to-happen-next?" kind of story.

Bottom Line:

A relentless, completely brilliant book. With zombies.

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Bryan's Brain ~ Bryan Healey

Bryan's Brain: Volume I by Bryan Healey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A highly enjoyable, extremely funny anthology of essays from Bryan Healey.

Bryan leads us through a childhood full of obsessions....ranging from his attempts to build a time machine out of his mother's minivan, to deciding to buy his own private mountain, and his life's goal of opening his own dinosaur theme park.

Bryan's stories are both funny and sweet in their child-like enthusiasm. He never takes himself too seriously, and in fact spices up his tales with a healthy dose of sarcasm and self-deprecating humor....all of which only add to the enjoyment of the book. And when Bryan gets somewhat serious in his essay about his Grandfather ("Sport") his emotion feels completely genuine, and in fact touched me greatly. I recently lost my Father and his descriptions of how he felt losing such a formally strong and larger than life figure in his life, hit very close to home with me.

This collection of essays was a joy to read from beginning to end. And if Bryan manages to open up that theme park...i will be first in line for tickets.

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