The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Summary: Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he's dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myths and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.

My take: I’m absolutely thrilled with this book! After reading the Iron Fey series and following along with Meghan’s and Ash’s stories, we are left wondering, “Whatever happened to Meghan’s sweet little brother, Ethan, who has the sight to see the fey?” I always felt really horrible for that poor, sweet little kid; he will never be able to forget the traumatizing things he experienced when he was such a young kid.

From the very first page of The Lost Prince, I was immediately sucked back into Julie Kagawa’s world of the fey. Best part is, Ethan’s now all grown up! And poor Ethan is now forced to face the things he has learned to hate, as he is sent on an amazing journey. I’ll have to admit that I was a little worried that Ethan (and I along with him) was going to have to suffer one of those seemingly endless walks or journeys the characters in Julie’s books usually have to endure. But, luckily, in this book Ethan was given a lot of shortcuts. Another thing I loved about The Lost Prince is that we get to learn little bits and pieces about what happened to Ethan…from the day Meghan is made the Iron Queen, until the present. And, after learning about these pieces, I grew really attached to Ethan’s character.

I not only grew more attached to Ethan in this book, but I quickly grew attached to a few of the new characters Julie introduced. Kenzie is my fave, in fact I think she's my fave character in all of Julie's fey books. I grew strong feelings and an attachment this fey boy named Keirran as well. Best of all, there are some small appearances by characters from the Iron Fey books that we’ve grown to love, like: Meghan, Ash, Puck, and even the annoying cait sith Grimalkin.

This book is just like all of Julie’s other books. She has an amazing imagination and she always includes a fun, intense journey in her stories. The best part is, this book could be enjoyed as a standalone novel but I'm even more excited that it's a whole new series.

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Publisher’s summary: Talk about terrible timing…Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Councel strips them away. With her powers locked inside her, Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies – the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t so sure.

The only known spell that can help Sophie regain her magic is at Hex Hall – the place where it all began, and now the headquarters of the evil Casnoffs. Together with her best friend, the vampire Jenna; her boyfriend, Archer; her fiancé, Cal (yeah, her love life is complicated); and a ghost for a sidekick, Sophie must battle an army of demons. But even with her friends at her side, the fate of all Prodigium rests on her shoulders alone.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride… Can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

My take: Holy crap! That was certainly the best way to end the series! I have to give Rachel Hawkins a round of applause because this is for sure a series that I will keep on pimping out to anyone who will listen. LOL!

It was pure torture to wait for the release of Spell Bound! The moment I got it in the mail I’m pretty sure I squealed! I was so eager to get my hands on Spell Bound that I went home on my lunch break to check the mail! So, yes, I read this book almost immediately after the release date.

Spell Bound starts off pretty much right where Demonglass left off, and that was a relief because Demonglass has a freakin’ crazy but awful cliffhanger. The entire book flows perfectly, and it kept me on my toes the entire time. Even if I had a moment’s thought that I could relax, BAM, something would happen and I was back on my toes again.

The characters in this trilogy play a tremendous factor as to why I adore this trilogy so much. Sophie, for one, is a kick *ss protagonist! I almost forgot until I picked up this book how totally awesome her snarky humor is! Her personality adds that perfect touch to the trilogy, and I totally love her. I wish Sophie and I were BFFs because that would totally rock! Archer! Oh Archer! I love you Archer! Anyways, Archer compliments Sophie without a glitch. I think some of the best parts in this trilogy were whenever Sophie and Archer would banter back and forth. Then there’s Jenna; she is the best BFF for Sophie! Jenna is such a sweet, cute, loveable vampire that I just wanna squeeze and hug. Lastly, there is Cal! He is the sensible sweet guy who I just love to love, and I would totally be OK with taking him home to meet my dad. Oh, my, gosh! I almost forgot Elodie! I couldn’t stand that chick in Hex Hall but she turns out to be one of my fave characters in Spell Bound.

The ending to Spell Bound was incredible! Nearing the end of Spell Bound, there is a gut-wrenching tragedy and the story started to get extremely crazy and chaotic, and I started to worry that Rachel Hawkins might not be able to end the series properly! Once it was all over I thought, “Holy crap! She totally pulled it off!” She tied up everything as if she knew exactly how it was going to end and how it was going to get there.

This trilogy has a nice mix of magical creatures in the urban fantasy world, but the series primarily surrounds witches and demons. If you're looking for a book with totally awesome characters, an amazing romance, a lot of action, and some fun twists, then this is the series for you!

Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Publisher's Summary: Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her
irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

My Take: OK. So the end to Iron Queen…when Meghan totally breaks Ash’s heart (OMG she pissed me off!!!) … was so hard for me to handle that I immediately dove right in to Iron Knight. In Iron Queen I wanted to scream at Meghan and tell her …”Let Ash die with you!!!” Or, I’d be happy with just saying to her, “Who cares about Nevernever, just stay with ASH!!!” I know, I know… she HAD to do what she did in Iron Queen to play the roll that was obviously her destiny and for Iron Knight to come about! I was truly amazed that Ash was so determined to make it back with her! But he made a promise to return with Meghan, and a promise made by the fae cannot be broken…or if they choose to break a promise, they must suffer serious consequences.

Since Puck won my affection back again with his sense of humor and with everything he was willing to risk for Meghan and even risk for Ash in Iron Queen, I was actually really happy that Ash and Puck were together in the journey to the End of the World so Ash could gain a soul and return to Meghan in the Iron Realm.

There were so many things that I’m fascinated by in Iron Knight. Iron Knight seemed a lot more cryptic to me than the previous three books in the series. Not only does Ash and Puck have to endure many twisted and horrific things in their journey, but EVERYTHING from Ash’s past comes back to haunt him…literally!!! And it is truly horrifying! The first thing that haunts him from his past actually pissed me off that it even had to come back…more complications! Grrrr. But later on I actually was truly happy that it happened because it made the story so much better…it made me care for Ash even more, and it becomes truly essential to Ash’s journey. There was something that happens near the end of Iron Knight that once again had me crying like a little baby. It was so bad that I actually had to put my Nook down to give myself some time to WOOOOSAHHHH!!!

In the previous books in the series, and even in this book, I was left with so many questions! One being, “Is this journey something that Ash really wants to do because he loves Meghan?” Or, “Is he only doing it because of his promise?” But all the questions I had in my head were all tied up nicely in this book, and I can honestly say that this is my favorite book of the entire series.

I would TOTALLY recommend this series to anyone looking for a very creative, beautiful, twisted faerie world, one that can bring you to tears over and over again. And to top it all off, one with an amazingly intense romance.

Purchased with my own money & received to review with Netgalley

Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Summary: In less than twenty-four hours
I'll be seventeen

MY NAME IS MEGHAN CHASE.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

THIS TIME, THERE WILL BE NO TURNING BACK.

My Take: With Iron Queen, Julie Kagawa once again proves that she IS the all-time QUEEN of creating an amazing and magical world of faeries. But…OMG!!! The cliff-hanger ending to Iron Queen sucked! That’s why I am so glad I didn’t read this series sooner and then have to wait for Iron Knight to come out . . . because, if I didn’t have Iron Knight in my hands to start right away, I wouldn’t be a happy camper!

One thing I really loved about Iron Queen is seeing how much Meghan grows from the first book (Iron King) to this one. She grew tremendously just in this one book! The other thing I loved, loved, loved is the amazing and magical moments between Ash and Meghan. Ash TOTALLY stole my heart in this book! There were a couple of parts where I was a little irritated with Meghan because she was acting a little too invincible, and the only thing Ash had left in the whole world is that he just wanted to protect her!!!

So, now that Meghan and Ash are cast out of Nevernever and cannot ever return because of their forbidden relationship, they try to find a way to live and survive in the human world. But the first thing Meghan has to do is go on a quest to recover her memory of her father that she traded for a favor in the first book. And in the process, she finds out more about Puck’s betrayal, and it leaves me even more pissed off with Puck than I already was.

After going through chaos to collect her memory back, she now has to help her father remember her! So in a lot of the first part of Iron Queen, Meghan is trying to help her father remember his human life, and several of these moments had me in a blubbery mess. During this long painful process, the thing Meghan needs most is to keep herself occupied, so she does by training with Ash and learning how to fight. But during her training they discover that something is terribly wrong with Meghan’s fae powers. Yeah, so this (of course!) causes them to seek out Puck’s help…and neither Meghan nor “I” were very happy about that!

And then...!!! What a shock! Nevernever is in trouble of being totally destroyed by the Iron Fey, and because iron is fatal to the original fey (if they enter the Iron Realm, they will all be killed), the only person who CAN enter the Iron Realm to try to kill the False King is Meghan because Meghan is only half-faerie so the iron doesn’t affect her!!! But if the iron keeps spreading, and the Iron Fey keep killing the Seelie and Unseelie fey, then soon all of Nevernever will be destroyed. So does Meghan really have a choice?! Maybe not, but I’m thinking, “DON’T DO IT! It was sooo easy for them to just kick you and Ash out of Nevernever just because you love each other!!!!” But, OF COURSE, both Ash and Puck want to return to Nevernever and, because Meghan doesn’t want Nevernever to be destroyed, selfless little Meghan accepts and goes right along!

The last half of the book was pretty much chaos! They are in a war and it gets really intense, violent, bloody and…last but not least…utterly heartbreaking!

Purchased with my own money.

Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Publisher's Summary: Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My Take: I truly love the magical, fun and sometimes disturbing world that Julie Kagawa has created for The Iron Fey series.

Iron Daughter begins with Meghan being held prisoner at The Winter Court by Mab, the Unseelie Queen (Ash’s mother). At The Winter Court, I saw a side of Ash that just plain pissed me off. Poor Meghan is all alone at the Court with fae all around who are tempted to harm her, tease her and some are even tempted to eat her! All the while, Ash simply ignores Meghan, and when she does try to speak with him, he’s an outright cruel prick, giving the fae the opportunity to treat her even worse!

Since it’s the time of year for the seasons to change from summer to winter, Oberon, the King of Seelie Court (and Meghan’s biological father), delivers the scepter of the seasons to the Unseelie Court. Oberon tries to get his daughter released, but since Meghan made a foolish deal with Ash to rescue her brother, she must stay at the Court until released. Unfortunately, this means Meghan just plain happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time! Because, while the Unseelie Court is in celebration for the changing of the seasons, a knight of the Iron Court comes to steal the scepter and murders one of the Unseelie princes. Mab doesn’t believe there are Iron Fey, so she thinks that Meghan assisted the Seelie Court in killing the prince and stealing back the scepter.

The Unseelie Court declares war on the Seelie Court and, during the chaos, Ash helps Meghan escape.

There’s another fae queen who’s thrown into the mix, and this new queen once again proves how twisted the fae can be. She is someone I wouldn’t want to cross or come in contact with . . . EVER! Well, now that I think about it, I wouldn’t want to come into contact with any of the fae queens I’ve read about in this series! They are all crazy!

The remainder of the book is a wild journey to find the scepter and, during this wild ride, my attachment for Puck grew; he’s always there to assist and protect Meghan as he’s been from the very beginning. And, while Ash is on his own journey to find the scepter, something horrifying happens to him! And, near the very end of the book, we learn of a huge betrayal . . . and this discovery had me in tears...I was literally sobbing.

What I love most about both Iron King and Iron Daughter is at the end of both books Meghan shows how powerful she is and can be. The ending to Iron Daughter is phenomenal, and I immediately dove into the next book of the series, Iron Queen. This is a series that I would highly recommend!

Purchased with my own money.

Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Publisher's Summary: Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.



My Take: Why did I wait so long to read this series? I LOVED Iron King! Julie Kigawa created a magical but at the same time gruesome faery world! Once I was nearing the end of Iron King, I thought back to the beginning of the book where Meghan is humiliated in front of her entire school by the “popular boy” and she thought her life was over. At the time it seemed like such a horrible moment to read but by the end of the book that earlier moment seems extremely trivial compared to what Meghan had to endure in the faery world throughout the book. If I knew a faery world like this existed, I would want to avoid it at all costs! I wouldn’t even care if there was a super-hot, unable to resist, faery winter prince waiting to sweep me off of my feet.

Iron King has all types of creatures hanging out in Nevernever. In Meghan’s journey to save her brother from the faery who kidnapped him, every turn she takes is a battle for survival against one or another of the evil and/or ghastly creatures in Nevernever. There was always something going on from one page to the next.

I grew really attached to the characters that Julie created in this story. Her character development is nothing short of phenomenal and, YES, I’m in love with Ash! I REALLY like Puck, he’s freakin’ awesome, and I hope he continues to play a big role in the series. And I can’t forget the cat; what’s his name again?  Oh yeah Grimalkin? For some reason whenever I think about Grimalkin, I picture The Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. He adds a little spice to the story and he seems to always just BE there. I even grew attached to characters that played very minor roles, like Meghan’s mom and brother. And, of course, there are the characters I hate! Julie did a remarkable job in creating characters that I loathe, like that maliciously evil Summer Queen Titania! OH! And that one crazy chick who was running the night club...what’s her name again?! I think it was Shard.

There are so many things that happen in this book, it almost requires MAJOR concentration to remember everything, but I truly loved it so I immediately started Iron Daughter. I can already tell that I might like it more than Iron King! This is another recommend I have for everyone out there. It is totally worth setting your other books to the side and adding this one to the top of your to-read list.

Here is a trailer for you!

Purchased with my own money.

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Publisher's Summary: The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.




My take:  The first novel to the series Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr introduces me to the demented world of faeries with magic, deception, horror, romance and heartbreak. In this last installment to the series (Darkest Mercy), Melissa Marr ties together all the story-lines that were introduced in the previous four books . . . beautifully! What I love most about this book is that Melissa absolutely kept me entertained from start to finish. Each chapter kept my full attention because the story switched back and forth between the intrigues of each court.

I was a little disappointed that Seth only played a small roll in this last book because I was hoping he would be the hero who kills War. And, Niall?!!! He WAS one of my favorites when it came to the court kings/queens, but then he began to act like Caligula (a personification of Rome) throughout the rest of the book.

I never thought I would EVER say this, but Keenan COMPLETELY redeemed himself in this last book, and I actually now like Keenan! Wow! Are you surprised? Well, you would be if you’ve read my previous review of this series. There are 2 HUGE things that he does that completely shocked me! I didn’t think he was capable of being so good! There was one scene with him where I was actually crying because I was so touched. But then there is another scene when he asks Ash if she trusts him, and I was thinking, “Say NO Ash!” But, of course, she lets me down! LOL! But when she does tell him that she trusts him, well . . . that’s when Keenan totally proves that he really should be trusted!

I also became really attached to both Donia and Ash in this last book. I really liked how strong the Winter Court is, because Donia (the winter queen) is able to keep her emotions in check enabling her court to stay strong. And to think she was able to do this even when she lost the one she has loved for centuries and she’s completely heartbroken! With Keenan missing, I loved that Ash was able to take on the Summer Queen’s roll and do it well even though it was an entirely new role for her.

And then there’s the Dark Court!!! Like I said . . . something’s seriously wrong with Niall and he is taking it out on all of his fey. In this book, I wouldn’t recommend anyone getting anywhere near him!

In the end, all the courts must come together to fight for their survival against War! War has been gathering up troops to start a war and has been taking fey from the other courts to do so. War is getting stronger and the courts need to really get their acts together to defend themselves.

I'd say the worst part of this book would be the deaths. There were a couple fey that were killed that I had really hard time dealing with! But their deaths made the war all the more real.

The ending was fabulous and ended with a bang! This is definitely the best way to end a series!


Here is a pic of Melissa Marr and I, right after she signed my copies of Darkest Mercy and Graveminder!

Purchased with my own money.

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Summary:  Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?


My Take: Whoa! That was one big bang of an ending. It was also an awfully amazing cliffhanger and I am SERIOUSLY craving for more. I can't even go to bed right now because my mind is still reeling. The ending pretty much felt like a major explosion of fireworks! You know, when you are watching the finale at the end of a firework show and it is so crazy that you almost feel like you can't handle it? Yeah, that is how it made me feel! I can still feel the high.

If you haven't read Hex Hall, then I want to warn you that there will be some spoilers of Hex Hall in this review.

Literally, right after I finished Hex Hall I picked up Demonglass. I was determined to find out if she was really going to have her powers stripped and what the heck happened with Archer! What a twist! Were Archer's feelings for Sophie real or was it an assignment?

Sophie's father takes Sophie, Jenna and Cal with him back to London. Ahhhh Cal...I ♥ him! And I am thrilled he is featured more in this book. But even though he is a hunk and I have the major hots for him, I found that one particular part in the book made him a little bit of a wuss. Seriously? He has this amazing power to heal and his obsession is to heal plants? There is a part in the book where he is holding a plant gingerly in his hands after trying to teach Sophie how to heal it and after the pot holding the plant broke. I'm sitting here thinking, "If you’ve got this amazing gift, wouldn't you be hanging out in some Prodigium hospital to cure some magical creatures? Why the heck are you so freakin' obsessed with plants? " But other than that, Cal is totally hot!

I loved in this book how truly powerful Sophie is and can be. I don't want to give up too much, but it was fabulous and the ending had some more freakin' crazy twists! I was thinking, "Where the heck is this heading?!?" And I am still thinking that!

I have only had this happen with one other book, but right before the crazy ending, I was thinking about how I would rate Demonglass. At that point I thought I would be giving it only 4 stars . . . but after THAT ending...I HAD to give it 5 stars! I highly recommend this series.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Publisher's Summary: Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father?an elusive European warlock?only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect. As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.



My Take: After I had already put my copy of Hex Hall off to the side as my next read, I thought maybe I should first take a quick glance to get a little taste of what I would eventually be diving into. Well, I read the Prologue and I KNEW this book would be fabulous and I KNEW I would love the main character. And oh boy was I right! The Prologue is freakin' hilarious! And guess what? You can read it here - Hex Hall Prologue. What did you think? Isn't it freakin’ awesome sauce? And don’t you just love Sophie? She rocks!

Because Sophie cast that fabulous Love Spell, she is sentenced to go to school at Hecate Hall (or as Jenna, Sophie’s roommate, would say "Hex Hall") to avoid more exposure. When Sophie is first introduced to Jenna, her first impression of Jenna is pink! EVERYTHING in her side of the room was hot pink, including the streak in her hair. Can you get anymore sweetly innocent and girly than that? Well, Jenna’s a vamp and the rest of the school thinks she is a monster. So when girls at school keep getting attacked, drained of most or all of their blood and finding holes in their necks, who do you think is the only suspect? Only no one has proof and, besides, a vamp’s bite is normally much more rapacious.

The majority of the story is about Sophie trying to adjust to a lifestyle she has never been a part of, learning about and going to school with Warlocks, Witches, Faeries, Shapeshifters, Werewolves and a Vampire. And most of all, just trying to fit in! Only, when she finds out who her father is, this doesn’t help…it only makes things worse.

Of course there is "the guy" that I, along with probably every other reader, wants Sophie to be with. Only Archer is the boyfriend of the leader of the "Mean Girls." Yep, there are truly Mean Girls in Hex Hall and when Sophie refuses to join their group, she has to suffer their wrath. Knowing that Archer is with this chick was really bugging me. “You have to get to know her.” Yeah right! There is nothing nice about that mean chick.

With all the magical fun, romance and mystery of trying to figure out who is attacking these girls…by far the best parts were the twists at the end! I was like, “What? I didn’t see that coming!” and then I was like, “WHAT? I didn’t see that coming either!” Yeah! There are more than a couple twists.

In all, I have to once again say that this book was a fabulous read!

Purchased with my own money.

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Goodreads Summary: Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places - and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary - and neither is the demon inside of him...



My Take: I am happy that Tiffany and Liz convinced me to come back to this series. This book was a lot better than the first. I am actually looking forward to reading the remaining books of this series.

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Goodreads Summary:  When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it's up to shapeshifting car mechanic Mercy Thompson to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not. And she'll have to choose between the two werewolves in her life -- whether she wants to or not.

My Take:  I am having a hard time with this book. I really liked it because it was an easy quick read and the true murderer Mercy was trying to find throughout the whole book totally caught me off guard. What happens to Mercy is something I cannot accept and all I can say is that I am glad there were no details.

The ending has me upset because Mercy has been this really independent woman that will do anything for ANYONE she cares about. Now I have no idea what roll her character will play. The books wouldn’t be any good if she didn’t still have the strong willed personality that she has had throughout the series so far.

I really liked what happens in the end that Ben takes part in. Ben has always been this big jerk but now you see his reasons and his true side. The very end stopped really abrupt so I will be reading the next book soon.

I hope the remaining Mercy Thompson books do not take a toll on me like this one did, but I guess that is partly why the book was good.

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Publisher's Summary:Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . . .

My Take: I had a hard time deciding how I would rate Ink Exchange. It is definitely not as good as Wicked Lovely and it is a darker book as well. I found the whole thing about marking Ash’s friend Leslie by tattoos that essentially links her to the Dark Court strange. It also kept bothering me that she wasn’t talking to anyone about what was happening to her. Ash is so caught up in the life she is not caught up in; she doesn’t even recognize that her friend is getting mixed up in it as well.

The dynamics of the Dark Court is also really strange. There is a part in the book that was really evil and I was wondering how the heck this Leslie chick is able to handle it. One major confliction I have is, after my ill feelings toward the Dark Court I still was a little disappointed in the decision Leslie makes in the end.

This book is still very different so I think that it deserves 4 stars even though I didn’t fall in love with it as much as I did with Wicked Lovely.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Publisher's Summary: Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.

But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning 21st century faery tale.

Wow! As soon as I picked up this book I was addicted. I love YA fantasy but I have never read a book about "faeries" and I was pleasantly surprised.

My heart ached for poor Ash because the life that she has had to live; to be able to "see" these creatures that she has been told her whole life that she must fear (by her grandmother) and she cannot show any signs to the faeries or humans that she is able to see them.

I admire the relationship that Ash and Seth have. Just when they start to act on the feelings they have for each other, this dang faerie king has to get in the way and pursue Ash because he believes that she is destined to be his faerie queen.

As soon as I picked up this book I was completely sucked into the faerie world. I absolutely could not put this book down from start to finish. As soon as I had finished I wanted more so I harassed my friend to loan me Ink Exchange (the 2nd to the series).

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

Publisher's Summary:
Hunger for nourishment. Hunger for touch. Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers. Those same cravings also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies—including Devlin, the assassin who is brother to the faeries' High Queen. Ani and Devlin are drawn together, but as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Alluring romance, heart-stopping danger, and sinister intrigue combine in the penultimate volume of Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series.

My Take: Melissa Marr finally proved herself with Radiant Shadows. I really liked Wicked Lovely, I really liked Ink Exchange (but not as much as Wicked Lovely) and Fragile Eternity really irritated me. In all, think I may have liked Radiant Shadows more than I liked Wicked Lovely! Well, now that I think about it, probably not because I REALLY liked Wicked Lovely and it introduced me to the faerie world.

I was really happy that I didn’t have to put up with the characters that were getting on my nerves in Fragile Eternity. Woo!Hoo! Keenan is missing!

It was really refreshing to read the story of Devlin and Ani. I didn’t know what to expect when I found out that the book was about Ani a Half Mortal (Rabbit's sister from Ink Exchange) and I actually really liked how the story ended. But isn't weird the part where Rea is involved? And Ani is OK with it? I didn't quite get that part.

Queen Sorcha is an idiot! Did she really obsess so much about Seth “her son” that she purposely keeps herself asleep so she can watch over her him in a dream? Hello! Your court is dying! And she still wants to stay in a lame dream watching him through a mirror?

So now that Devlin and Ani are the King and Queen of the Shadow Court, I really hope that they do not become complete idiots like the others.