Title: The Fury (The Vampire Diaries #3)
Author: L.J. Smith
Published: November, 1991 by HarperCollins
Pages: 245
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Love can kill

Elena: with Damon at her side, and wild with her craving for blood, the changed Elena struggles to control her desires.

Damon: his hunger for the golden girl wars with his hunger for revenge against Stefan.

Stefan: tormented after losing Elena, he will do anything to get her back. Even if it means becoming what he once despised. . . .

Getting what they want may come at a deadly cost.

Final Thoughts:
Just about everything I had a problem with last time around was addressed in this third instalment. The characters evolved, there was real tension, and basically the plot just got better. The last book served its purpose in advancing the overall direction of the series, but in terms of my own personal enjoyment, there was no contest, I couldn’t put down the The Fury. A lot of the teen angst that had plagued Elena faded with the advent of greater problems. Damon’s gradual change also played a part in my enjoyment. While I love evil Damon, semi-good but snarky Damon is just as fun.
Just a warning, there are spoilers for the previous book ahead.

Title: The Struggle (The Vampire Diaries #2)
Author: L.J. Smith
Published: October, 1991 by HarperCollins
Pages: 236
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Torn between two vampire brothers

Damon: determined to make Elena his, he’d kill his own brother to possess her.

Stefan: desperate for the power to destroy Damon, and protect Elena, he gives in to his thirst for human blood.

Elena: the girl who can have anyone finds herself in the middle of a love triangle . . . one that might turn deadly.

Final Thoughts:
A fun escape, although having turned twenty last month, The Struggle is showing signs of its age. The names, the clothing, the speech patterns jarred me at times, but taking it for what it was, I really enjoyed it. Having come into the books after watching the TV series, the differences are obvious, but the heart of it still lies in the love triangle. This Elena is a little frustrating at times, though. I didn’t exactly agree with all of her decision making. The plot may not have been as complicated if she hadn’t been so stubborn. But even with the hurdles, these books have a way of packing a major punch at the end. It’s hard to just read one at a time.

Title: Every Other Day
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Published: December, 2011 by EgmontUSA
Thanks: EgmontUSA via NetGalley
Pages: 336
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Every other day, Kali D’Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She’s human.

And then every day in between . . .She’s something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she’ll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

Final Thoughts:
This one turned out to be nothing like I’d thought it would. The first chapter didn’t reel me in so I set aside for a few days, little did I know, chapter two was completely different. For some reason I’d expected it to be all about demon hunting, instead it turned into an awesome paranormal conspiracy. The characters felt real, each with their own intertwined histories that made them who they were. Here, not only did the main character get ample development time, the two sidekicks did as well. While there could have been more on the romance front, with the tight timeframe of the plot, I’m relieved it didn’t fall into the trappings of insta-luv.

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, which allows bloggers to share what books they’ve received in the past week. They can be from stores, contests, tours or publishers!

• Muse by Rebecca Lim (purchased)
• Crave by Melissa Darnell (thanks to Publishers)

Two books this week. I planned on going to shops to get a few other new releases but I couldn’t be bothered going anywhere yesterday… next week, I guess. I haven’t started Rebecca Lim’s angel series yet, but I love the covers so I’ve been collecting them. I’ll get around to them eventually, hopefully I enjoy them. Thanks to Harlequin Teen for Crave. I had a look at the synopsis but I can’t figure out what the plot is. It just seems to be about insta-luv. Oh well, I’ll give it a try.

Here are my latest reviews if you want to check them out:
Blue, Parker Demon Underground #1, Bite Me
Blue, Parker Demon Underground #2, Try Me
Blue, Parker Demon Underground #3, Fang Me

Link up to your mailbox and I’ll be sure to check it out!

Title: Fang Me (Demon Underground #3)
Author: Parker Blue
Published: March, 2011 by Bell Bridge Books
Thanks: Bell Bridge Books via NetGalley
Pages: 194
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

The vampires want it. The demons want it, too. And someone is willing to kill Val for it.Val and Fang have to find the powerful Encyclopedia Magicka before either of San Antonio’s warring underworld factions locate it or the consequences will be deadly for the entire city. As usual, Val’s vampire enemies (they still call her The Slayer) want her dead. Even some of her fellow demons may be less than trustworthy, since they’d like to grab the legendary book of spells before she does. Val has a personal claim to the Encyclopedia–her demon father left it to her when he died–but someone stole it recently. And that can’t be good.

Battling vamps and dodging demons, Val struggles to unravel the mystery and find the thief. At the same time, she’s fighting her attraction to sweet, sexy Shade–her favorite shadow demon. Rumor has it that Val will lose her part-demon, vampire-fighting powers if she gives herself to him.With a crowd of vamps and demons out to trick her or kill her, it’s not a good time for her to risk her job as the city’s best vampire hunter by falling in love. The stakes are high and aimed right at her heart. But Lola, Val’s hungry little lust demon, doesn’t like being denied. Will Lola finally get her way?What’s a part-lust-demon-teen supposed to do? Whatever it takes.

Final Thoughts:
With a plot very much like that of book two, I didn’t find it as enthralling. There are new characters though, that help bring the tension. Shade and Val’s relationship has its strains and so does Val’s life in general. Reading the first three books in the series in a row has allowed me to witness the progression of the characters over a short period. I like that they’re learning about themselves and growing, but this whole ‘search for magick books’ plot feels like it’s been going on for way too long. Let’s get back to the vampires.

Title: Try Me (Demon Underground #2)
Author: Parker Blue
Published: February, 2010 by Bell Bridge Books
Thanks: Bell Bridge Books via NetGalley
Pages: 218
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

This part-demon teen vampire fighter and her faithful terrier hellhound are once again patrolling the dark city streets of San Antonio, Texas. Val’s hunky human partner, Detective Dan Sullivan, is giving her the cold shoulder since she beheaded his vampire ex-fiancée. Vamp leader Alejandro is struggling to keep the peace between vamps, demons and humans. The mucho powerful Encyclopedia Magicka has been stolen, someone in the Demon Underground is poisoning vamps, and Val’s inner lust demon, Lola, is getting very restless since Val’s now partnered with sexy Shade, the shadow demon with the blond good looks of an angel.

Final Thoughts:
Picking up soon after where Bite Me left off, it maintained the same feel while somehow managing to flip things, taking the characters in a new direction. Dan becomes a background character with Shade stepping up to fill his shoes in the leading guy spot. I wasn’t too fussed on the romantic shift as book one didn’t really focus heavily on it, leaving Val’s options pretty much open. The book’s overarching plot could have used a bit more meat though, with the Val and Shade scenes seeming to fill more of the page time then the actual problem that needed solving.

Title: Bite Me (Demon Underground #1)
Author: Parker Blue
Published: September, 2008 by Bell Bridge Books
Thanks: Bell Bridge Books via NetGalley
Pages: 229
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Life after high school is tough enough without having to go 15 rounds with your inner demon. Val Shapiro is just your ordinary, part-demon, teenaged vampire hunter with a Texas drawl. And a pet hellhound named Fang. Soon enough she finds herself deep in the underbelly of the city, discovering the secrets of the Demon Underground and fighting to save those she loves. Whether they love her back or not.

Final Thoughts:
Brimming with attitude, and plenty of skill to back it up, Val was a kick-ass heroine. She’s got more to her than just fighting vampires though, as she deals with her unsupportive family and the lust demon clawing at her insides to get out. While the vampires played a big part what I really loved was her dog—and I’m not a dog person. Part hellhound and all sarcasm, Fang stole the book for me, bringing a grin to my face just about every time he spoke.