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: Blood (Mercian Trilogy #1)
Author: K.J. Wignall
Published: September, 2011 by EgmontUSA
Thanks: EgmontUSA via NetGalley
Pages: 272
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

“I do not remember being bitten. I wish I did, for then I would know the creature who did this to me and I would have a purpose, to track him down and repay him for the poisoned gift he gave me.”

Back in the 13th Century, Will was destined to be Earl of Mercia. He never lived to inherit his title, struck down by a strange illness and buried beneath the city walls. But Will was not dead, and only now, seven lonely centuries later, does he begin to understand that there was a reason for all of this, that he has a destiny. To find it though, he will need help, and as ever, he will need blood.

Final Thoughts:
Slightly too slow paced with the romance, but fast paced in terms of plot. Here a previously hibernating vampire is thrust into an unexpected destiny. Full of culture shock and lots of sword action. I enjoyed the different take on the lore and was relieved to have found a vampire unopposed to drinking blood, but unfortunately wasn’t thrilled with the level of coincidence used to bridge the plot together.

Title: A Beautiful Dark (A Beautiful Dark #1)
Author: Jocelyn Davies
Published: September, 2011 by HarperTeen
Thanks: HarperCollins via NetGalley
Pages: 320
Rating:  
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On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites–like fire and ice–Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move–only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

Final Thoughts:
I love the cover for this book, but what I found inside, not so much. When you’re reading YA, you’re invariably going to come across familiar themes. This one has plenty, from dead parents, to the annoying best friend and even the love triangle. I don’t mind these things most of the time and usually find myself swept up in the book. Unfortunately this time, it didn’t happen.

Title: The Secret To Lying
Author: Todd Mitchell
Published: June, 2010 by Candlewick Press
Pages: 329
Rating:  
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James was the guy no one noticed — just another fifteen-year-old in a small town. So when he gets into an academy for gifted students, he decides to leave his boring past behind. In a boarding school full of nerds and geeks, being cool is easy. All it takes is a few harmless pranks to invent a new James: fighter, rebel, punk. Everyone’s impressed, except for the mysterious ghost44, an IM presence who sees through his new identity. But James is riding high, playing pranks and hooking up with luscious Jessica Keen. There’s just one thing awry: he’s starting to have vivid dreams of being a demon-hunting warrior, a thrill that is spilling over into dangerous and self-destructive acts while he’s awake. As he’s drawn deeper into his real-life lies and his dream-world conquests, James begins to wonder: What’s the price for being the coolest guy around?

Final Thoughts:
A book about how not to be yourself, and why that’s a problem. There are plenty of bits that are sure to crack you up, but if you’re looking for a light, fun read, this isn’t it.

Title: Blood Ties (Oliver Nocturne #3)
Author: Kevin Emerson
Published: June, 2009 by Scholastic
Pages: 224
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

To avoid the summer sun, the Nocturnes head for vacation at Isla Necrata, a resort whose location always changes, putting it near a geologic calamity- most often a volcanic eruption. As a bonus, Oliver is allowed to bring Dean along, the only catch being that he has to pretend to be Oliver’s servant. Before they get there, the Nocturnes must endure a particularly uncomfortable visit with Oliver’s extended, Old World vampire family, who live in Morosia, a vampire city underneath Rome.

At the same time, Oliver discovers that Emalie has stowed away, believing that Morosia may hold clues to her mother’s whereabouts. Oliver must keep his family from finding out about her, sneak out of family obligations to meet up with her on the surface, and search for the oracle that predicted his destiny, which he learns is in the Asylum Colony, somewhere deep beneath Morosia.

Final Thoughts:
More of the same if you’ve read this series before. Oliver’s off on family vacation tracking down information on his vampire prophecy. Dean’s zombieness made is enjoyable enough to get through.