Karissa's Reading Review

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop hosted by I am a Reader not a Writer!

My giveaway for this hop is a $10 Amazon Gift Card. So please fill out the form below to enter. Also check out all the other great blog participating in this hop below. Thanks for stopping by!

Review - Forgiven (The Demon Trappers, Book 3) by Jana Oliver (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: March 27, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0312614805
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Demon Trappers series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

I absolutely love this series. I am not fully sure why that is. Oliver’s writing style just draws me in and I love the characters, the unique magic, and the world. I seriously could not put this book down, I just loved it soooo much. The fourth and final book in this series will be, The Demon Trappers: Foretold, and is scheduled for an August 2012 release.

Riley finally has her dead dad back in custody. But with the Demon Hunters in town from the Vatican (and suspicions of her having made a deal with Hell) Riley is in danger. Not to mention the outfall of her liasons with a certain Fallen angel; after learning about that Beck is totally pissed at her. Problem is Riley can sense things are spinning out of control in Atlanta and she fears the final war between good and evil is close at hand.

Riley has finally gets a bit of relief after all of the horrible things that happened at the end of the last book. Her dad is dead, but has been recovered by Mort. But things aren’t going to ease up on her anytime soon, her liaisons with the Fallen Angel have made her a target of the Demon Hunters and now she is forced to go on the run.

Riley does some stupid things in this book, but she also grows a lot as a character. We finally see her opening up to some of the people around her and accepting their help.

We see a ton more of Peter and Beck in this book. It is wonderful to see what an awesome friend Peter is to Riley, she really needs the support and I am so glad he was there for her. Riley finally takes off the blindfold where Beck is concerned and it was great to see things finally heat up between those two.

We also see a lot more of Mort the necromancer, he was a wonderful character. Grandmaster Stewart is also a lot more involved in the plot and there are some awesome scenes involving him as well.

The book is incredibly action-packed. There are some seriously epic battle scenes in here and they are very very well written. So many things are starting to come together in this book. I had an incredibly hard time putting the book down. Oliver’s writing style is just so readable and has so much momentum, it is always a pleasure to read.

Much of the current story is wrapped up in this book, but not all of it. In fact the book ends in a way that will have readers dying to know what’s going to happen in the final book, The Demon Trappers: Foretold.

Overall an absolutely outstanding addition to this awesome series. If you are a fan of action-packed urban fantasy definitely check this series out. Appropriate for young adult and older.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Audiobook Review - Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires, Book 5) by Chloe Neill (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: New American Library
Release Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0451234865
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book in the Chicagoland Vampires series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the fifth book in the Chicagoland Vampires series. It did a good job of mending some of the disappointment (gut wrenching sadness and anger) that I felt at the end of Hard Bitten. This review is spoiler free for Drink Deep but does contain some spoilers for Hard Bitten...so if you haven’t read Hard Bitten yet...well you’ve been warned. The sixth book in this series, Biting Cold
, is scheduled for an August 2012 release.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook (like all the previous ones) was incredibly well done. I highly recommend this series on audiobook.

---Spoilers for Hard Bitten Ahead!!!----

Merit and Cadogan House are still reeling from Ethan’s death in Hard Bitten. Cadogan House has a Greenwich Presidium representative mucking around in House business and generally making everyone’s lives miserable. Then things really start getting crazy; the lake turns black and starts sucking in magic and then the skies over Chicago turn red. With public opinion about vampires at an all time low Merit has to figure out the mystery behind the strange happenings if she is both going to save her race and Chicago.

This book was a lot darker in tone, the characters obviously haven’t recovered from the events in Hard Bitten, and there is a huge hole where Ethan should be. Everyone is more than a little glum and this book didn’t have the fun of previous books. Things also move a bit slower in this book and there isn’t as much action as in previous installments.

Jonah really comes to the forefront of this story. Him and Merit end up partnering on a number of investigations because Cadogan House is short on guards. I really enjoyed him as a character; he was the one character who did have some fun banter back and forth with Merit. Merit grows some as a character and is forced to decide what Cadogan House means to her minus Ethan. We also see more of Tate off and on in this book.

As I said this is a dark book and most of the characters are going through some emotional turmoil. Mallory was in the story some and I usually love her character; but her character was devoid of any humor and took some very dark turns in this book.

The book ends well, with some big surprises that should please fans of the series. If you were going to give up on the series after Hard Bitten I recommend reading this book. It is kind of a transition book, but the continuing storyline looks very intriguing.

Overall a decent addition to the series. Much darker than previous books and slower moving. Jonah plays a much bigger role in the story and Merit does show some growth as a character as well. Recommended to fans of vampire urban fantasy. I can’t wait to see what happens in Biting Cold
.

This book goes towards the following reading series:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Waiting on Wednesday - 5/23/12

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week my Waiting on Wednesday book is Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
. Click on the image to go to Amazon and read more about this book.

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

Release Date: October 30th, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
Length: 368 pages
ISBN: 978-0805092660

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Graphic Novel Review - Homelands (Fables, Book 6) by Bill Willingham (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Size: 192 pages
Publisher: Vertigo
Release Date: January 1, 2006
ISBN-13: 978-1401205003
Stand Alone or Series: 6th book in the Fables series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the sixth book in the Fables series; the most recent book will be Fables Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind which releases in July 2012. This was an absolutely excellent addition to this series. We get to learn a ton about the Adversary and venture deep into the Fables Homelands.

The first few chapters are about Jack and Jill escaping the Farm and starting a production company in Hollywood. The rest of the book is about Boy Blue and how he journeys back to the Fables Homelands to defeat the Adversary.

The first few chapters about Jack were okay, but nothing super special. This kind of seemed like filler, but maybe it will play a bigger part in the overall story later.

Bigsby Wolf and Snow White aren’t really in the book at all; which was disappointing because I wanted to read more about all those crazy babies that Snow White had in the last book.

The rest of the book focuses on Boy Blue and his journey into the Fables’ Homelands to defeat the adversary, and what a journey it is! Boy Blue has a magic cloak and the Vorpal sword and man can he kick butt. We find out a ton about the Adversary and what we learn is surprising and a bit disturbing.

Really this issue answers a ton of questions and introduces some absolutely amazing new characters. If you have enjoyed the previous Fables books, you’ll love this one. This one has a lot more fantasy in it than urban fantasy; which I loved.

Overall one of my favorite Fables yet! We learn a ton about the Adversary and get to watch Boy Blue kick some butt with the Vorpal blade. The story moves forward a lot and I really enjoyed it. Highly recommended for fans of fantasy or urban fantasy graphic novels.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Springcon! I got to meet Bill Willingham :-)

My family and I went to Springcon at the State Fair Grounds today. It was our first time going and it was a pretty good time despite the fact that it turned very cold and rainy.

There were a ton of comic book artists and retailers and some fun costumes. Then I turned around and saw this guy sitting at an empty table all by himself. There was a little sign in front of him that said "Bill Willingham".

I was all like "Seriously is that like the Fables Bill Willingham??" I stared from a distance, I read his name tag...yep Bill Willingham. Then I started to get a little fan girl. I grabbed my husband and my parents "Oh my god...it's Bill Willingham...I would have brought my Fables books for him to sign it I had known. What do I have that he can sign?"

I tried to calm down, but I was so freaking excited. So I wandered away and composed myself, then finally I was all like "Mom, you have got to get a picture of me with Bill Willingham. I have to put this on my blog."

So after the guy who was talking to him left (who had a whole backpack full of Fables signed), I walked up and started babbling about how I loved Fables and had just started reading them last year. He joked about being able to tell me lots of spoilers. I asked how long he planned to continue the issues and he said he hoped he would die at his desk penning an issue of Fables twenty years from now (which is such an awesome answer).

Then I worked up the courage to ask for a picture. I explained I ran a blog that did fantasy book reviews and featured graphic novels from time to time. He smiled and said "Sure, although I tend not to show up in pictures and I don't get prettier no matter how many pics you take." So below is a pic of me and Bill Willingham (seriously I am geeking out as I type...I was soooo excited!)

Okay...deep breath...I need to seriously get over this fangirldom. My husband thought it was hilarious since I tend to be a bit cynical about people that get that excited over things. But geez...it was Bill Willingham and he was super nice and funny. So below is the picture :-) Enjoy! Yes I am wearing a Donkey Kong tank.

I spent the morning trying to explain Donkey Kong to my son who wanted to know why a monkey would roll barrels at Mario. I finally said "Why do you fling Angry Birds at pigs? That's why!"

Showcase Sunday and Mailbox Monday for 5/21/12

Hello and welcome to Showcase Sunday. Inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and the Story Siren, the aim of Showcase Sunday is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

Mailbox Monday can be found at: The Printed Page

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I got eleven books this week. You can watch the video below or look at the pics below to see them. Hope that you all had a wonderful week and got some great books!