Dead Rules by Randy Russell
Title: Dead Rules
Author: Randy Russell
Release Date: 6/21/2011
ISBN: 9780061986703
Publisher: Harper Collins
Jana Webster is obsessed with her boyfriend, Michael; intrinsically, stiflingly, fatally obsessed. Her particular brand of overwhelming love follows her from life into death throughout Dead Rules. On top of dying young at the hands of a bowling ball; Jana is also forced into the peculiar institution that is post-mortem high school. Apparently you can’t even be relieved of your education after your dead. Instead of focusing on her studies, Jana is fanatically trying to kill her still-alive boyfriend so that she can spend eternity in his loving arms. Unfortunately as a mere spectral being on the planet she cannot force events into action. So; Jana takes up with the head-“bad” boy of the school, a delectable Mars Dreamcote. Except Mars knows the truth about Jana’s untimely end and it isn’t as innocent as a bump on the head.
Randy Russell’s Dead Rules is a distressingly sidesplitting story about a girl so consumed by her first love that she cannot see the opportunity death has given her; a fresh start and, quite possibly, a new romantic entanglement. Our endearingly fixated heroine learns about letting go of the past, discovering hope, and liberating yourself from a lethal kind of infatuation. It’s a critical lesson for any female -girl or woman- and it is delivered with witty dialogue, quick prose, and humorous; but macabre, characters.
Author: Randy Russell
Release Date: 6/21/2011
ISBN: 9780061986703
Publisher: Harper Collins
Jana Webster is obsessed with her boyfriend, Michael; intrinsically, stiflingly, fatally obsessed. Her particular brand of overwhelming love follows her from life into death throughout Dead Rules. On top of dying young at the hands of a bowling ball; Jana is also forced into the peculiar institution that is post-mortem high school. Apparently you can’t even be relieved of your education after your dead. Instead of focusing on her studies, Jana is fanatically trying to kill her still-alive boyfriend so that she can spend eternity in his loving arms. Unfortunately as a mere spectral being on the planet she cannot force events into action. So; Jana takes up with the head-“bad” boy of the school, a delectable Mars Dreamcote. Except Mars knows the truth about Jana’s untimely end and it isn’t as innocent as a bump on the head.
Randy Russell’s Dead Rules is a distressingly sidesplitting story about a girl so consumed by her first love that she cannot see the opportunity death has given her; a fresh start and, quite possibly, a new romantic entanglement. Our endearingly fixated heroine learns about letting go of the past, discovering hope, and liberating yourself from a lethal kind of infatuation. It’s a critical lesson for any female -girl or woman- and it is delivered with witty dialogue, quick prose, and humorous; but macabre, characters.
Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Title: Trial by Fire
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Release Date: 6/14/2011
ISBN: 9781606841686
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Being Alpha to a pack of werewolves was never meant to be a human job; but it is Bryn’s duty, indelibly linked to her life. It isn’t long into her tenure as Alpha that an intruder comes to her door bloody, matted, and collapsing. The intruder is a werewolf and he is begging for her protection; but, an alpha cannot claim another’s wolf without inciting a war that Bryn has no chance of winning.
Knowing full well that if she sends the wolf back to his master he will die and keeping him could mean the death of her people, Bryn finds herself with trouble all around. In order to protect her people and to save the life of a stranger she thrusts herself into the heart of danger and becomes one with the animal inside her.
The plot twists, turns, leaves you gasping, and blindsides you even at the end. Trial by Fire is an amazing hardcore page turner. Once again the characters, their struggle between the human and their wolf, the pack mentality, and the power of love that underscores every action makes this a must-read. The Raised by Wolves series is haunting, powerful, and stays with you long after you’ve read the last word.
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Release Date: 6/14/2011
ISBN: 9781606841686
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Being Alpha to a pack of werewolves was never meant to be a human job; but it is Bryn’s duty, indelibly linked to her life. It isn’t long into her tenure as Alpha that an intruder comes to her door bloody, matted, and collapsing. The intruder is a werewolf and he is begging for her protection; but, an alpha cannot claim another’s wolf without inciting a war that Bryn has no chance of winning.
Knowing full well that if she sends the wolf back to his master he will die and keeping him could mean the death of her people, Bryn finds herself with trouble all around. In order to protect her people and to save the life of a stranger she thrusts herself into the heart of danger and becomes one with the animal inside her.
The plot twists, turns, leaves you gasping, and blindsides you even at the end. Trial by Fire is an amazing hardcore page turner. Once again the characters, their struggle between the human and their wolf, the pack mentality, and the power of love that underscores every action makes this a must-read. The Raised by Wolves series is haunting, powerful, and stays with you long after you’ve read the last word.
Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Title: Raised by Wolves
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Release Date: 5/10/2011
ISBN: 9781606842119
Publisher: EgmontUSA
When she was only four years old her parents were brutally murdered by a werewolf. Subsequently Bryn St. Vincent Clare was raised by a pack of werewolves. Life as a member of the pack is not easy. Being one of the only humans in a brotherhood of supernatural creatures feels impossible; but she is scrappy, resilient, and tougher than she looks.
It is only when the pack goes on high-alert that she begins to hunt down the problem that has the pack, her family, anxious. Her search leads her to Chase, one of the only human beings to have survived a werewolf attack and lived. Even rarer, he is one of only a few people in centuries to have been changed lupine. Bryn’s connection to this stranger is immediate and inexplicably intense. It is unlike anything she has ever known and in her dealings with him she will find herself revealing a horrible lie that will alter all that she has ever known.
Raised by Wolves is absolutely fantastic and undeniably gripping. The characters are rich, vivid, and bursting with life. The complexity of the pack mentality is extremely well written and powerful to behold. Once you start this story you will have a hard time putting it down, even late into the night.
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Release Date: 5/10/2011
ISBN: 9781606842119
Publisher: EgmontUSA
When she was only four years old her parents were brutally murdered by a werewolf. Subsequently Bryn St. Vincent Clare was raised by a pack of werewolves. Life as a member of the pack is not easy. Being one of the only humans in a brotherhood of supernatural creatures feels impossible; but she is scrappy, resilient, and tougher than she looks.
It is only when the pack goes on high-alert that she begins to hunt down the problem that has the pack, her family, anxious. Her search leads her to Chase, one of the only human beings to have survived a werewolf attack and lived. Even rarer, he is one of only a few people in centuries to have been changed lupine. Bryn’s connection to this stranger is immediate and inexplicably intense. It is unlike anything she has ever known and in her dealings with him she will find herself revealing a horrible lie that will alter all that she has ever known.
Raised by Wolves is absolutely fantastic and undeniably gripping. The characters are rich, vivid, and bursting with life. The complexity of the pack mentality is extremely well written and powerful to behold. Once you start this story you will have a hard time putting it down, even late into the night.
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
Title: Ruby Red
Author: Kerstin Gier
Release Date: 5/22/2012
ISBN: 9780312551513
Publisher: Square Fish
Gwyneth Shepherd is sixteen and all she wants is to grow up like any other normal girl. The problem is that her family isn’t normal. Every few generations the women in her family inherit a gene that allows them to time travel. Her cousin, Charlotte, has been rigorously groomed for time jumping all of her life and now that she is old enough to make her first leap through time; she can’t seem to do it.
As all eyes are on Charlotte, it is Gwen who is being hurtled in and out of the past without any preparation. When she finally gets the nerve to inform her mother that they have the wrong girl, she begins to unravel a long held secret within a secret. Her mother takes Gwen to an esoteric society where there are men who can help her control the traveling and prepare her for her next jump. Along the way she meets Gideon de Villiers, classically handsome and charming to boot, and a host of other time travelers who simultaneously warn her against and encourage her interaction with the society.
Something is strange about the way that events begin to unravel and Gwen must decide who to trust and what to do about the life she has suddenly been thrust into. From international bestselling author Kerstin Gier, Ruby Red has of a wonderful cast of characters set deep in the heart of London where the mysteries of ancient ancestors and an ominous society abound. Sooner than you’ll realize the ending is upon you and you will find yourself begging for more.
Author: Kerstin Gier
Release Date: 5/22/2012
ISBN: 9780312551513
Publisher: Square Fish
Gwyneth Shepherd is sixteen and all she wants is to grow up like any other normal girl. The problem is that her family isn’t normal. Every few generations the women in her family inherit a gene that allows them to time travel. Her cousin, Charlotte, has been rigorously groomed for time jumping all of her life and now that she is old enough to make her first leap through time; she can’t seem to do it.
As all eyes are on Charlotte, it is Gwen who is being hurtled in and out of the past without any preparation. When she finally gets the nerve to inform her mother that they have the wrong girl, she begins to unravel a long held secret within a secret. Her mother takes Gwen to an esoteric society where there are men who can help her control the traveling and prepare her for her next jump. Along the way she meets Gideon de Villiers, classically handsome and charming to boot, and a host of other time travelers who simultaneously warn her against and encourage her interaction with the society.
Something is strange about the way that events begin to unravel and Gwen must decide who to trust and what to do about the life she has suddenly been thrust into. From international bestselling author Kerstin Gier, Ruby Red has of a wonderful cast of characters set deep in the heart of London where the mysteries of ancient ancestors and an ominous society abound. Sooner than you’ll realize the ending is upon you and you will find yourself begging for more.
The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
Title: The Eternal Ones
Author: Kirsten Miller
Release Date: 8/10/2010
ISBN: 9781595143082
Publisher: Penguin Group
Ever since Haven Moore was a little girl she has been talking about going to New York to find Ethan. The only problem is no one knows who Ethan is. At first her family thought he was an invisible friend. That was until Haven began to black out and have visions. Her grandmother thinks that she is being possessed by a demon and refuses to let Haven go to college until she has been saved.
One night Haven is knocked unconscious and her home is set on fire. She has a sneaking suspicion that the culprit and her visions are linked. Haven leaves Tennessee and goes to New York to find the answers she is searching for and hunt down celebrity playboy, Iain Morrow. Once she arrives she is swept up into complex mystery and an intense love affair that is timeless. Haven contacts the cryptic Ouroboros Socitey to enlist their help in discovering her past lives and solve a murder mystery ninety years in the making. She quickly discovers that no one can be trusted, not Iain, not the society, not even family. Who can Haven trust and can she keep the tragic past from repeating itself?
“I look for you in every life, but I don't always find you. And sometimes I find you too late.” The Eternal Ones is a fantastic young adult novel about reincarnation and the power of a love that refuses to die no matter the cost.
Author: Kirsten Miller
Release Date: 8/10/2010
ISBN: 9781595143082
Publisher: Penguin Group
Ever since Haven Moore was a little girl she has been talking about going to New York to find Ethan. The only problem is no one knows who Ethan is. At first her family thought he was an invisible friend. That was until Haven began to black out and have visions. Her grandmother thinks that she is being possessed by a demon and refuses to let Haven go to college until she has been saved.
One night Haven is knocked unconscious and her home is set on fire. She has a sneaking suspicion that the culprit and her visions are linked. Haven leaves Tennessee and goes to New York to find the answers she is searching for and hunt down celebrity playboy, Iain Morrow. Once she arrives she is swept up into complex mystery and an intense love affair that is timeless. Haven contacts the cryptic Ouroboros Socitey to enlist their help in discovering her past lives and solve a murder mystery ninety years in the making. She quickly discovers that no one can be trusted, not Iain, not the society, not even family. Who can Haven trust and can she keep the tragic past from repeating itself?
“I look for you in every life, but I don't always find you. And sometimes I find you too late.” The Eternal Ones is a fantastic young adult novel about reincarnation and the power of a love that refuses to die no matter the cost.
Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan
Title: Procession of the Dead
Author: Darren Shan
Release Date: 1/10/2011
ISBN: 9780446551762
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The City is a dark playground for the criminal underworld and full of awesome potential. To get in on the action, Capac Raimi goes to live with his Uncle Theo in order to be trained in the intricacies of organized crime. He’s smart, sly, not-easily shaken, and he’ll do whatever he has to do to make it big. But; in the City, no one is anyone without the Cardinal’s blessing.
When the Cardinal destroys his Uncle and his underlings; Capac is brought into the inner-most fold of the city’s underworld and given the “okay” to rise. In order to achieve all that he dreams the Cardinal promotes Capac from small- time gangster to insurance agent. Although the path to supreme power comes falling into place; the City along with its Cardinal is more than what it seems.
People seem to disappear from even memory, blind Incan priests roam about unnoticed, and the City is plagued by inexplicable bouts of heavy green fog. Alas greatly disturbed by mysterious events, Capac demands the truth from the Cardinal and comes to discover the full capacity of madness within himself.
Procession of the Dead is an eerie page-turner; guaranteed to keep you up at night as the world you’re submerged in, both, quickly unravels and perturbs you. When you reach the end and you’re dismantled but exhausted; the conclusion will continue to haunt you.
Author: Darren Shan
Release Date: 1/10/2011
ISBN: 9780446551762
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
The City is a dark playground for the criminal underworld and full of awesome potential. To get in on the action, Capac Raimi goes to live with his Uncle Theo in order to be trained in the intricacies of organized crime. He’s smart, sly, not-easily shaken, and he’ll do whatever he has to do to make it big. But; in the City, no one is anyone without the Cardinal’s blessing.
When the Cardinal destroys his Uncle and his underlings; Capac is brought into the inner-most fold of the city’s underworld and given the “okay” to rise. In order to achieve all that he dreams the Cardinal promotes Capac from small- time gangster to insurance agent. Although the path to supreme power comes falling into place; the City along with its Cardinal is more than what it seems.
People seem to disappear from even memory, blind Incan priests roam about unnoticed, and the City is plagued by inexplicable bouts of heavy green fog. Alas greatly disturbed by mysterious events, Capac demands the truth from the Cardinal and comes to discover the full capacity of madness within himself.
Procession of the Dead is an eerie page-turner; guaranteed to keep you up at night as the world you’re submerged in, both, quickly unravels and perturbs you. When you reach the end and you’re dismantled but exhausted; the conclusion will continue to haunt you.
Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore
Title: Bite Me: A Love Story
Author: Christopher Moore
Release Date: 3/8/2011
ISBN: 9780061779732
Publisher: Harper Collins
This is not your typical love story and Christopher Moore will never give you a typical vampire story. However, he will put the two in a blender; give you the most ridiculous vampire romance that anyone could possibly give and he’ll do that just to make you roll your eyes and laugh out loud.
Our narrator, “Abby”gail Von Normal, is the chief minion to the vampire- Countess Jody and her lover, Flood. Except for failing Biology 102 and being human, Abby enjoys her duties and her “manga-haired love monkey, Foo Dog.” The problem arises when Chet, a shaved nosferatu cat, and his herd of vampire felines terrorizes the back streets of San Francisco. Since, Abby like-totally had her vampire masters bronzed into a lifeless statue there is no one out there who could possibly save the city. Foo Dog whips out the lab rats and the chemistry set to invent a cure; while she tries to keep the felines, police, and bigger-scarier vampires at bay.
Moore is flat-out funny and his characters are so “un-alive” that they jump right off of the page. The plot is ridiculous, quick witted, deliciously chaotic, and surprisingly… romantic. And if you care to look, there is a fine moral about finding love in the most unlikely of places and being perfectly mortal while you are doing it.
Author: Christopher Moore
Release Date: 3/8/2011
ISBN: 9780061779732
Publisher: Harper Collins
This is not your typical love story and Christopher Moore will never give you a typical vampire story. However, he will put the two in a blender; give you the most ridiculous vampire romance that anyone could possibly give and he’ll do that just to make you roll your eyes and laugh out loud.
Our narrator, “Abby”gail Von Normal, is the chief minion to the vampire- Countess Jody and her lover, Flood. Except for failing Biology 102 and being human, Abby enjoys her duties and her “manga-haired love monkey, Foo Dog.” The problem arises when Chet, a shaved nosferatu cat, and his herd of vampire felines terrorizes the back streets of San Francisco. Since, Abby like-totally had her vampire masters bronzed into a lifeless statue there is no one out there who could possibly save the city. Foo Dog whips out the lab rats and the chemistry set to invent a cure; while she tries to keep the felines, police, and bigger-scarier vampires at bay.
Moore is flat-out funny and his characters are so “un-alive” that they jump right off of the page. The plot is ridiculous, quick witted, deliciously chaotic, and surprisingly… romantic. And if you care to look, there is a fine moral about finding love in the most unlikely of places and being perfectly mortal while you are doing it.
First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost
Title: First Drop of Crimson
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Release Date: 2/9/2010
ISBN: 9780061583223
Publisher: Harper Collins
“Green eyes everywhere. Blood will follow. Death will follow, as it always does,” Denise MacGregor repeats. She knows all too well what lurks in the shadows at night. Her husband was slaughtered in a vicious war between the undead. At this point, all she wants is to forget what she knows about the other side of death. If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, her families' past is shrouded in that very same darkness Denise wishes to deny.
It's a very old ancestor of her's that has welched on a deal with a demon. Now Raum, that same demon, seeks revenge. He demands that Denise find her relative and deliver him. He brands her arms and gives her with a promise; if she does not find her ancestor he will turn her into the very thing she fears, an undead monstrosity. With no idea how to find someone close to a century old, Denise is forced to turn to another monster, a vampire.
Spade, formerly known as the Baron Charles DeMortimer, is a friend of a friend. He quickly decides that he is duty bound to help Denise with her predicament. But as the hunt for the infamous relative lengthens and Denise's humanity begins to dissipate, she is forced to rely ever more heavily on him.
The old vampire knows more about losing a beloved than he lets on; allowing for a common ground beyond the hunt. Unwillingly, they fall into each others' arms but; can the unlikely relationship survive? After all, Spade cannot facing losing another mortal lover and Denise cannot face losing her humanity. With eternity standing between them, is it at all possible to bridge the gap? Will they be doomed to failure as all the rest? Or will Denise loose her humanity to Raum and become something more monstrous than even a vampire?
Jeaniene Frost is an amazing author who tangles love and adventure into intricate novels that continue to capture and thrill her fans. If you loved her Night Huntress Series, you will most assuredly love “First Drop of Crimson”. Even if you haven't read her previous novels; I dare you to stick your nose in this book and not emerged transfixed.
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Release Date: 2/9/2010
ISBN: 9780061583223
Publisher: Harper Collins
“Green eyes everywhere. Blood will follow. Death will follow, as it always does,” Denise MacGregor repeats. She knows all too well what lurks in the shadows at night. Her husband was slaughtered in a vicious war between the undead. At this point, all she wants is to forget what she knows about the other side of death. If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, her families' past is shrouded in that very same darkness Denise wishes to deny.
It's a very old ancestor of her's that has welched on a deal with a demon. Now Raum, that same demon, seeks revenge. He demands that Denise find her relative and deliver him. He brands her arms and gives her with a promise; if she does not find her ancestor he will turn her into the very thing she fears, an undead monstrosity. With no idea how to find someone close to a century old, Denise is forced to turn to another monster, a vampire.
Spade, formerly known as the Baron Charles DeMortimer, is a friend of a friend. He quickly decides that he is duty bound to help Denise with her predicament. But as the hunt for the infamous relative lengthens and Denise's humanity begins to dissipate, she is forced to rely ever more heavily on him.
The old vampire knows more about losing a beloved than he lets on; allowing for a common ground beyond the hunt. Unwillingly, they fall into each others' arms but; can the unlikely relationship survive? After all, Spade cannot facing losing another mortal lover and Denise cannot face losing her humanity. With eternity standing between them, is it at all possible to bridge the gap? Will they be doomed to failure as all the rest? Or will Denise loose her humanity to Raum and become something more monstrous than even a vampire?
Jeaniene Frost is an amazing author who tangles love and adventure into intricate novels that continue to capture and thrill her fans. If you loved her Night Huntress Series, you will most assuredly love “First Drop of Crimson”. Even if you haven't read her previous novels; I dare you to stick your nose in this book and not emerged transfixed.
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Title: Soulless
Author: Gail Carriger
Release Date: 10/1/2009
ISBN: 9780316056632
Publisher: Orbit
Miss Alexia Tarabotti is savvy, quick witted, Italian tempered, a spinster, and oh yes, she's a preternatural. Which, simply put, means that she has no soul. It's not her fault; she did not sell it. No, Miss Tarabotti was born that way. Her “gift” is the cure for all things supernatural. If she touches a vampire or a werewolf they quickly become mortal again.
In Carriger's novel, Victorian Era London accepts and embraces the paranormal elite into the social ton with open arms and ... close monitoring. However; rogue vampires suddenly start appearing and seasoned supernaturals are disappearing at an alarming rate. When Miss Tarabotti defends herself and kills a rogue vampire, the entire supernatural community assumes she is behind the disappearances. One thing is for certain, an odd man is following her around London attempting to kidnap her.
Enter Queen Victoria's chief investigator and alpha werewolf, Lord Conall Maccon. His mission is to discover what is happening to London's supernatural socialites and find whoever is responsible. But; this close to the full moon, can he hold onto his fragile control and not be distracted by the illustrious Miss Tarabotti long enough to solve the mystery?
Soulless is flat-out funny, immensely entertaining, and perhaps most importantly fresh. Fast-paced and witty dialog will keep the pages turning and bursts of laughter flowing. I would fully recommend this novel to anyone looking for something one part paranormal, one part mystery, one part romance, and two parts humorous.
Author: Gail Carriger
Release Date: 10/1/2009
ISBN: 9780316056632
Publisher: Orbit
Miss Alexia Tarabotti is savvy, quick witted, Italian tempered, a spinster, and oh yes, she's a preternatural. Which, simply put, means that she has no soul. It's not her fault; she did not sell it. No, Miss Tarabotti was born that way. Her “gift” is the cure for all things supernatural. If she touches a vampire or a werewolf they quickly become mortal again.
In Carriger's novel, Victorian Era London accepts and embraces the paranormal elite into the social ton with open arms and ... close monitoring. However; rogue vampires suddenly start appearing and seasoned supernaturals are disappearing at an alarming rate. When Miss Tarabotti defends herself and kills a rogue vampire, the entire supernatural community assumes she is behind the disappearances. One thing is for certain, an odd man is following her around London attempting to kidnap her.
Enter Queen Victoria's chief investigator and alpha werewolf, Lord Conall Maccon. His mission is to discover what is happening to London's supernatural socialites and find whoever is responsible. But; this close to the full moon, can he hold onto his fragile control and not be distracted by the illustrious Miss Tarabotti long enough to solve the mystery?
Soulless is flat-out funny, immensely entertaining, and perhaps most importantly fresh. Fast-paced and witty dialog will keep the pages turning and bursts of laughter flowing. I would fully recommend this novel to anyone looking for something one part paranormal, one part mystery, one part romance, and two parts humorous.
The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause
Title: The Silver Kiss
Author: Annette Curtis Klause
Release Date: 1/1/1992
ISBN: 9780780716841
Publisher: Random House
Meet Zoe, a sixteen year old girl dealing with her mother's impending death at the hands of cancer and premature independence. Her father, trapped in his own saddness, never speaks to her, she is not allowed to visit her mother, and her only friend is at a loss on how to comfort her. Therefore she spends her time in the community playground watching children.
It is there that Zoe meets Simon; a young man tortured by the gruesome death of his mother... three hundred years ago. A friendship born of understanding the pain of death and loneliness begins.
Simon has been stalking his mother's killer across the continents and centuries. The murderer is an old vampire trapped in the body of a child consequently leaving his mind twisted and mangled in the endless hunt for not only blood- but death. The tragedy does not end there; for the killer is also Simon's older brother and sire.
Zoe, whom cannot save her mother from death, decides to help Simon destroy his brother, death itself.
"The Silver Kiss" is a dark novel filled with longing, sorrow, the acceptance of death, and love as a conqueror of all. Klauses' character's pain is tangible and gut-wrenching and her novel is not a simple love story. This is not mortal-girl-meets-vampire-love-happy-ending material. This is a story about accepting death as a nautral course of life and loving someone enough to let them go.
"The Silver Kiss" is elegant, extremely well written, and emotionally riveting. An excellent read.
Author: Annette Curtis Klause
Release Date: 1/1/1992
ISBN: 9780780716841
Publisher: Random House
Meet Zoe, a sixteen year old girl dealing with her mother's impending death at the hands of cancer and premature independence. Her father, trapped in his own saddness, never speaks to her, she is not allowed to visit her mother, and her only friend is at a loss on how to comfort her. Therefore she spends her time in the community playground watching children.
It is there that Zoe meets Simon; a young man tortured by the gruesome death of his mother... three hundred years ago. A friendship born of understanding the pain of death and loneliness begins.
Simon has been stalking his mother's killer across the continents and centuries. The murderer is an old vampire trapped in the body of a child consequently leaving his mind twisted and mangled in the endless hunt for not only blood- but death. The tragedy does not end there; for the killer is also Simon's older brother and sire.
Zoe, whom cannot save her mother from death, decides to help Simon destroy his brother, death itself.
"The Silver Kiss" is a dark novel filled with longing, sorrow, the acceptance of death, and love as a conqueror of all. Klauses' character's pain is tangible and gut-wrenching and her novel is not a simple love story. This is not mortal-girl-meets-vampire-love-happy-ending material. This is a story about accepting death as a nautral course of life and loving someone enough to let them go.
"The Silver Kiss" is elegant, extremely well written, and emotionally riveting. An excellent read.
Swoon by Nina Malkin
Title: Swoon
Author: Nina Malkin
Release Date: 5.19.09
ISBN: 978/1/4169/7434/5
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
“Love at first sight must be glorious. I wouldn’t know. Since at first there was no sight.” Swoon by Nina Malkin begins with a profound intensity that is sure to ensnare the reader and lock them in for a one time session. From cover to cover the plot twists and turns delivering you to the unlikely providence of Swoon, Connecticut where we are introduced to our protagonist “Dice.”
Can“Dice” Reagan Moskow is a seventeen year old girl dropped from her never dull life in New York City into the remote town of Swoon, Connecticut; a town built on the sweat of old families that can trace their ancestry to before the settling of the colonies. In a place where money and prestige is wielded by your surname, High School is more about political craftiness than education. For Dice the narrowly escaped exclusion of the elite of Swoon is delivered by her gorgeous and unwieldy cousin, Penelope Leonard.
“Pen” is an adventurous young woman who accidentally launches Dice and her audience into a plot of epic proportions crowned with a love triangle that could brings readers to their knees. During the autumn solstice, Pen falls from a tree in the back country of Swoon where 300 years ago an innocent man was strung up and killed. Sinclair Youngblood Powers, the said deceased, seizes on the opportunity of vengeance and possesses Pen’s body.
Over the next month, Pen, acting crazier than usual, arouses Dice’s suspicion. She knows something is terribly wrong. Whipping her cousin’s body around to face her, Dice looks into the eyes of a stranger and asks “Who are you?” To which the gentle voice of a Sinclair replies, “Why, my lady, I thought you’d never ask.” From that moment, Dice’s fate is sealed and she falls hopelessly- and I do mean hopelessly- in love with him. Deciding out of concern for the welfare of her cousin, Dice decides to exorcise Sinclair.
Unbelievably, Sinclair gives her the tools to perform the ceremony and she utters an incantation in a Native American language. When Pen is finally free from her possession, Dice quietly says her painful goodbyes to a ghost she hardly knew. Imagine her surprise when her devilishly handsome ghost shows up at Pen’s breakfast table the next morning. At first excited and later suspicious, “Sin” finally unveils his intentions to reek havoc on the ancestors of Swoon.
Now caught between her love of Sinclair and protecting her classmates from his terrible wrath, Dice has to make the hardest decision yet; to destroy the man she loves before he destroys everyone else.
“Love at last sight is glorious. I know this for a fact. It came in the fading light of a dying fire.” Swoon is a feast for the young adult audiences looking for a fresh story to covet. Filled to the brim with colonial flashbacks, emotional tension, and the fate of the people of Swoon, Connecticut; Swoon is just the kind of novel that steals you away and refuses to let go until the absolutely last word.
Author: Nina Malkin
Release Date: 5.19.09
ISBN: 978/1/4169/7434/5
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
“Love at first sight must be glorious. I wouldn’t know. Since at first there was no sight.” Swoon by Nina Malkin begins with a profound intensity that is sure to ensnare the reader and lock them in for a one time session. From cover to cover the plot twists and turns delivering you to the unlikely providence of Swoon, Connecticut where we are introduced to our protagonist “Dice.”
Can“Dice” Reagan Moskow is a seventeen year old girl dropped from her never dull life in New York City into the remote town of Swoon, Connecticut; a town built on the sweat of old families that can trace their ancestry to before the settling of the colonies. In a place where money and prestige is wielded by your surname, High School is more about political craftiness than education. For Dice the narrowly escaped exclusion of the elite of Swoon is delivered by her gorgeous and unwieldy cousin, Penelope Leonard.
“Pen” is an adventurous young woman who accidentally launches Dice and her audience into a plot of epic proportions crowned with a love triangle that could brings readers to their knees. During the autumn solstice, Pen falls from a tree in the back country of Swoon where 300 years ago an innocent man was strung up and killed. Sinclair Youngblood Powers, the said deceased, seizes on the opportunity of vengeance and possesses Pen’s body.
Over the next month, Pen, acting crazier than usual, arouses Dice’s suspicion. She knows something is terribly wrong. Whipping her cousin’s body around to face her, Dice looks into the eyes of a stranger and asks “Who are you?” To which the gentle voice of a Sinclair replies, “Why, my lady, I thought you’d never ask.” From that moment, Dice’s fate is sealed and she falls hopelessly- and I do mean hopelessly- in love with him. Deciding out of concern for the welfare of her cousin, Dice decides to exorcise Sinclair.
Unbelievably, Sinclair gives her the tools to perform the ceremony and she utters an incantation in a Native American language. When Pen is finally free from her possession, Dice quietly says her painful goodbyes to a ghost she hardly knew. Imagine her surprise when her devilishly handsome ghost shows up at Pen’s breakfast table the next morning. At first excited and later suspicious, “Sin” finally unveils his intentions to reek havoc on the ancestors of Swoon.
Now caught between her love of Sinclair and protecting her classmates from his terrible wrath, Dice has to make the hardest decision yet; to destroy the man she loves before he destroys everyone else.
“Love at last sight is glorious. I know this for a fact. It came in the fading light of a dying fire.” Swoon is a feast for the young adult audiences looking for a fresh story to covet. Filled to the brim with colonial flashbacks, emotional tension, and the fate of the people of Swoon, Connecticut; Swoon is just the kind of novel that steals you away and refuses to let go until the absolutely last word.