Title: Forbidden (The Demon Trappers #2)
Author: Jana Oliver
Published: September, 2011 by Pan Macmillan
Thanks: Pan Macmillan, AU
Pages: 416
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Riley’s beginning to think being a demon trapper isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Her dad’s been stolen by a necromancer, her boyfriend’s gone all weird and she’s getting warm and fuzzy feelings for someone who’s seriously bad news. It’s tempting to give it all up and try to be normal, but that’s not an option. Because the demons have plans for Riley. And they’re not the only ones.

Final Thoughts:
While the first book introduced lots of world building, this one felt scaled back in that regard. The dystopian-esque setting takes the backseat to Riley’s love life and the trust issues surrounding her after the events of Forsaken. I liked the romantic focus, but when there’s a love square (yes – she has three potential love interests) you end up spreading things a little thinly with some of them. The final quarter of the book does pack some serious punch though, so if you can stick around until then it’ll probably hook you enough to come back for book three.

Title: Embrace (Violet Eden Chapters #1)
Author: Jessica Shirvington
Published: October, 2010 by Hachette Australia
Pages: 382
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

All Violet wants is to be with Lincoln. But he has a secret so great it could tear them apart.

Then there’s Phoenix. He’s intense and enigmatic, but always there for her.

Caught up in a battle between dark and light – where angels seek vengeance and humans are warriors – Violet must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice. And who to trust…

The wrong choice could cost not only her life, but her destiny.

Final Thoughts:
It’s obvious from the blurb that there’s a love triangle on the way. I usually love these, but this one not so much. It was heavily weighted to one side, and for me it wasn’t the side I wanted. There’s lots of build up to one relationship and then bam, you’re shoved into the other one. I realised there was a need to develop the second pairing, but the way it was done came across somewhat jarring considering the strength of her feelings towards the first guy. Now with that said, I actually did love this book. The plotting is very well thought out, with lots of depth to the angel lore that is sometimes lacking in others of the genre. Everything comes together well, with lots of tension and revelations. It renewed things enough that I can forgive the romantic detour.

Title: Dawn of Darkness (Daeva #1)
Author: Daniel A. Kaine
Published: October, 2011
Pages: 318
Rating:  
Purchase: Amazon // Smashwords

Unburdened by the pain of loss and heartbreak, Mikhail is content with his life of solitude. But everything began to change the day he realised he has a psychic ability — the power to alter the emotions of those around him.

Ushered into the Military Academy with others like him — other Daevas — Mikhail does his part to help tip the scales of war against the vampires that destroyed the world and plague what remains of humanity. But after going up against his first vampire, Mikhail starts to question everything he thought to be true.

To discover the truth and expose the lies he once believed, Mikhail will set out on a journey of discovery, and learn some things about himself in the process.

Final Thoughts:
Evil vampires, questionable vampires, an apocalypse and supernaturally gifted humans thrown into the military…sounds like fun, right? Lots of paranormal action and conspiracies coupled with a gay romance you won’t want to put down. It’s both erotic and endearing. The character development simply hooks you. But the twists, take it from me, starting it before bed may be hazardous to your mental health and your sleeping pattern.

Title: If I Die (Soul Screamers #5)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Published: September, 2011 by Harlequin Teen
Pages: 342
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

The entire school’s talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee’s no ordinary high-school junior. She’s a banshee—she screams when someone dies.

But the next scream might be for Kaylee.

Yeah—it’s a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee’s going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend’s needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren’t quite human, either.

But Kaylee’s borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life.

Anything.

Final Thoughts:
This is the book the series has needed. Soooo much romance. While I’ve really enjoyed the Soul Screamers so far, If I Die took it to a whole new level. It was possibly everything you could want and not want thrown together in a storm of emotions. It pained me to put it down once I realised 3am had caught up with me. I kept searching for a chapter to end things on comfortably for the night, but unfortunately Rachel has written a book that just won’t let go of you. But once I found page 204, I forced myself to seal the book and grinned myself to sleep.

Title: Stick
Author: Andrew Smith
Published: October, 2011 by Feiwel & Friends
Thanks: Macmillan via NetGalley
Pages: 292
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Fourteen-year-old Stark McClellan (nicknamed Stick because he’s tall and thin) is bullied for being “deformed” – he was born with only one ear. His older brother Bosten is always there to defend Stick. But the boys can’t defend one another from their abusive parents.

When Stick realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father’s anger, Bosten must leave home. Stick has to find his brother, or he will never feel whole again. In his search, he will encounter good people, bad people, and people who are simply indifferent to kids from the wrong side of the tracks. But he never loses hope of finding love – and his brother.

Final Thoughts:
Stick shattered my expectations. I’m left in awe over it. It was a book I simply had to read in one session, there was no way to put it down. While the main character was thirteen and a boy, something different from my usual literary outings, I found Stark McClellan’s story incredibly heart wrenching. In a book reaching less than 300 pages, I still managed to care about these characters in a way a book hasn’t been able to make me feel in a while. There were actual tears in my eyes. If a book can make me cry – 5 stars.

Title: The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1)
Author: Maureen Johnson
Published: October, 2011 by HarperCollins
Thanks: HarperCollins, AU via NetGalley
Pages: 372
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it’s the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn’t notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Final Thoughts:
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. I’ve never really followed the Jack the Ripper history, at least I hadn’t until a university assignment had me watching one of the movies. While this book does draw a lot of focus towards the murders, it bridles it with plenty of boarding school drama to keep things from getting too morbid. When you add in a dash of the paranormal and a heap of likeable characters, it makes for an enjoyable read.

Title: Silence (Hush, Hush #3)
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Published: October, 2011 by Simon & Schuster
Thanks: Simon & Schuster, AU
Pages: 438
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They’ve overcome the secrets riddled in Patch’s dark past…bridged two irreconcilable worlds…faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust…and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they’ve worked for—and their love—forever.

Final Thoughts:
If you read the blurb and then go into this, you’ll probably be very confused. ‘The noise between Patch and Nora is gone.’ If by noise, they meant complete knowledge of Patch, then yes, the noise is gone. Nora has amnesia leading back to before the events of Hush, Hush, leaving her with no knowledge of fallen angels or her hot, but often bumpy, romance. While making Nora a clean slate was an interesting route to take the story down, I felt like it took up too much of the book. But with that said, I did love the rekindling experienced. Who gets to find their once-in-a-lifetime love twice?