Midnight Crossroad - Charlaine Harris

Summary from Goodreads:

From Charlaine Harris, the bestselling author who created Sookie Stackhouse and her world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, comes a darker locale — populated by more strangers than friends. But then, that’s how the locals prefer it…

Welcome to Midnight, Texas, a town with many boarded-up windows and few full-time inhabitants, located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and Davy Road. It’s a pretty standard dried-up western town.

There’s a pawnshop (someone lives in the basement and is seen only at night). There’s a diner (people who are just passing through tend not to linger). And there’s new resident Manfred Bernardo, who thinks he’s found the perfect place to work in private (and who has secrets of his own).

Stop at the one traffic light in town, and everything looks normal. Stay awhile, and learn the truth...

~~~

I'm a huge fan of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series - I even met her a few years back [details here] - and I was excited/scared to read her new series. 

Midnight Crossroad has an interesting premise. Midnight is a small town situated on a crossroad in the middle of Texas. Few people go through it and even fewer people live there. The ones who do live there, do so for a reason. They want to disappear, they don't want to attract attention. Midnight is a bit like Fight Club. There are rules and if you have to ask what they are, you're clearly not meant to be part of it. We start the story as Manfred Bernardo moves to Midnight for various reasons he mostly wants to keep to himself. He's a psychic, the type that makes money on the internet with photos of himself looking all mysterious, but he also experiences some genuine visions. He quickly gets how the town works and even though he is curious about his new neighbours, he knows better than to ask any questions.

In Midnight, there is a gas station, a pawn shop, a diner, a magic shop, an antique shop, a church and a hairdresser. Each one of Manfred's neighbours owns or works for one of these establishments and they have a routine set up. Manfred tries to glean as much information about them but there are some people he just can't seem to put a finger on who they are and what they do. One of the residents also owns a cat - Mr Snuggly - who seems to be more than just a regular cat.

The plot revolves around Manfred's landlord and the owner of the pawn shop, Bobo, whose girlfriend disappeared a couple of months ago. Bobo, alongside all the Midnight residents, thought she had left him and had gone to live somewhere else. But her departure was a bit sudden and she left all her belongings so everyone was still a bit suspicious and it didn't surprise many of them when her body was found in the town. Things quickly get worse and we learn that more than one person in Midnight has secrets to hide (well, MORE secrets than everyone thought).

Unlike the Sookie Stackhouse books, the story is told from the point of view of an omniscient narrator, following each character living in Midnight. When I started reading the book, I had some issues getting into the story and I felt it didn't hook me as much as Dead Until Dark did and the pace was a bit slow. But as I read along and discovered more about the mysterious Midnight residents, the story hooked me in other ways. I loved following each character and seeing how they interacted with each other and I can't wait to read the second book in the series to know more about them.

I haven't read Charlaine Harris's other books aside from the Sookie Stackhouse series and I am told some of the characters in Midnight Crossroad come from her previous books which is rather exciting. I think this book is different from her previous series but also has some classic Charlaine Harris aspects. The characters are fascinating, the world she created is very intriguing and there is SO MUCH mystery ... so much, in fast, that you just HAVE to relocate from Bon Temps to Midnight, Texas.

~~~

Check out the atmospheric trailer for it:

 

  Thanks to Gollancz for sending over a proof.

Last Sacrifice - Richelle Mead

Title: Last Sacrifice
(Vampire Academy Book 6 and last)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Penguin

Release Date: 2010

Category: Young Adult ; Urban Fantasy

Source: From Penguin

Paperback: 584

Summary from Goodreads:

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules.

She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back… and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you?

 

 ~~~~

 

If you have read my post on the five previous Vampire Academy books (link here), you will know how much I love this series (which I just discovered!).

Sadly, I cannot review Last Sacrifice without sharing major spoilers on the 5 previous books!

 

As I was saying before the spoiler alert bat flew over this review, I have fallen in love with this series and this last book is just packed with the very best!

At the end of Spirit Bound, the Moroi Queen Tatiana is staked and Rose is accused of committing the crime (gasp!). True, Rose has been vocal about her opposition of the Age Law (a law which would bring to 16 the age of dhampirs being sent to the world to become Guardians) and she has such a terrible temper and an aversion to rules that she is the best scapegoat.

She learns from her father, Abe Mazur, that she risks to be executed if she is not proven innocent soon enough (double gasp!). Rose is also given at the end of her trial a piece of paper written by Queen Tatiana herself before her death. Not only does Rose have to prove she is innocent, but she is also given the impossible task to find Lissa's long lost secret sibling to give Lissa a seat in the Moroi Council (triple gasp!).

This book is action-packed and resolves most of the issues and mysteries presented all along the series, leaving enough tension and a cleverly subtle cliffhanger to make you impatient for the next series. Indeed, even if Last Sacrifice is the last book in the Vampire Academy series *cries*, another series set in the same world and featuring most of the same characters will be coming out (really soon I hope!).

The characters are as wonderful as ever. Rose has become one of my favourite characters and I just love her personality. Of course, she has many flaws, like never being afraid of danger and never thinking before acting, but she is the best, really.

In this book, Lissa is learning to rely more on herself than on Rose or Christian. She is really growing up and is becoming, with her progressist ideas, an important figure for both Moroi and Dhampirs.

Dimitri is coming to terms with his transformation back to a Dhampir and his outlook on life is progressively changing. I absolutely love Sydney, she is also one of my favourite characters (and apparently she will feature in the next series, to which I say yes please!).

And I think that my future sentence will suffice itself. 

ABE MAZUR! 

Love that guy! Best character EVER! I just can't help laughing whenever he's there (there in the book, I mean) and I love his interactions with Rose!

Okay so I can go on (and on) for each character like that, but to sum up, they are all wonderful and have great personalities!

There is a lot of romance in there *rolls eyes*, but as you might have understood by now, it's not my favourite aspect of urban/horror YA fantasy. I actually thought there was a bit too much chiseled-chest talk* in there but oh well, one can't always be satisfied!


I already said that the vampire mythology is ace, but it is acer in this one! You will get to meet many many other characters *emphatic background music* which give a nice counter vision to the sheltered life (most of the time) of both Lissa and Rose. I cannot get over how amazing the world Richelle Mead created is. One of the very best.

The writing is just so compelling that you won't be able to let go of the book. And if you do, it's only to start reading the series all over again. The action scenes are brilliantly written and Rose's voice is clear and often hilarious. I am honestly going to miss seeing the world through Rose's eyes.

We get our fair share of politics in this novel and I love how realistic it is (okay, so, technically, Moroi politics and family feuds don't exist per se but honestly, the whole power struggles and interested friendships are totally in fashion in our boring every day world). It is absolutely convoluted and that's what makes it amazing! Go politics! (I mean in books, because I disagree with myself when it comes to real life)

To sum everything up, 

go buy this series and and start reading! 

NOW!

*chiseled-chest talk: A chiseled-chest** talk refers to one of the most prominent features of young adult urban fantasy today and consists of the heroine being so impressed by a male character's chiseled chest that she can't stop talking about it because, let's face it, a chiseled chest is the most important thing in the world when you are in a life-threatening situation. The heroine then goes on to think that the owner of the aforementioned chiseled-chest is the most wonderful person in the world and therefore her soul mate. 


** The chiseled-chest talk is a trademark of mine, you are not allowed to use it because we have enough of this in books!

Many thanks to Penguin for sending me this wonderful book!

Vampire Academy series - Richelle Mead

I have read in less than a week the five first books of the Vampire Academy series and CAN'T WAIT to read The Last Sacrifice. As opposed to reviewing each book independently, I am going to tell you why going out in the snow right now to buy all the books is not such an insane idea at all.


Summary of Vampire Academy from Amazon:
St Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school - hidden away, it's a place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St Vladimir's where the girls must survive a world of forbidden romances, a ruthless social scene and terrifying night time rituals. But most of all, staying alive.

~~~~~~

I can see the ones who didn't read the series telling me that it is just yet another YA series on vampires and that it probably holds all the clichés in there and the story must be all about men chiseled chests and girls swooning. 
That's what I thought last week and that's why I haven't really been keen to read any series coming remotely close to vampires in a while. I like enjoying my reads and being taken into the story and not rolling my eyes every couple of pages because of what's going on. And oh boy was I taken into this one. I have been breathing Vampire Academy for the past days and people probably think I am insane. I just LOVE these books!


The whole vampire mythology, which expands throughout the books, is *awesome*. I can really feel that Richelle Mead was inspired by real vampire myths from Eastern Europe. I really love the distinction between Moroi (who drink blood but aren't dead) and Strigoi (who drink blood, and are dead and evil). I really love that in both societies there are strong issues, like elitism in the Moroi world. The different relationships between the various groups were fascinating and sounded real. It is one of the best vampire mythology I have read and everything makes sense.


The writing is absolutely perfect. The book is told from the amazing Rose's point of view (yes, I am Team Rose all the way :) ) but because she has a bond with Lissa, she also sees through her eyes and can tell what happens to Lissa when she isn't close. Aside from being a really awesome plot twist, it is an absolutely fantastic narrative tool! Rose's voice is snarky and often hilarious and she is the best character to tell us the story.


The characters are all amazing. They are full of layers and really serve the very rich mythology behind the story. The story is multidimensional and I loved seeing those characters falling very low and try to come back and make mistakes and... grow up.
Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir and acts as a protector for Lissa, who is the last member of the Dragomir family, one of the 12 royal families in the Moroi world. Rose often punches before talking (ok, not often, all the time) and she always says the worst things very loud. If you are a friend you think she is badass, if you are a foe you think she is a badass b****. Lissa is in a way Rose's contrary, both physically and mentally and is very sweet, but the magic she can do brings a darkness to her that is a real challenge for her compassion.
There are tons of other characters, and most of them not in the first book so I don't want to give spoilers, but they are all more than just a character, they bring something to the story and make you think. Even secondary characters have depth so you know you will enjoy the books if you like character-driven stories.
The relationships between characters are ace. Obviously Rose and Lissa have a fascinating way of dealing with their friendship, but we see a lot of parent-children relations (Rose and Janine for instance) as well with all the other characters. 


For the swooning teenage girl part of you (and oh boy must you be quite a few out there), the romance part is great and that is saying a lot since you know how much I get bored when the chiseled chest and I-can-see-through-your-soul talk starts. There is romance (everywhere!) but it doesn't hijack the story completely and is more of a teaser rather than full on fluttering heartbeats and sexy make out sessions dragging on for chapters (thank God). Brownie points for Richelle Mead!


The action. The action is wow and since most of it is done by Rose, it is wower. That girl is amazing and she knows how to throw a punch. There is a lot of fighting in there, and the action just flows effortlessly out of the pages and makes you part of the action. I woke up thinking about trying to save Rose at theand of Spirit Bound this morning. Crazy! And yes, though there are some dark parts in the book, the feminist in me didn't cringe all the time!


The sequels are really all amazing and the story doesn't lose its appeal after the fifth book, it just keeps on growing! There is always something new brought to each new book and it keeps the mythology as well as the characters and relationships between them fascinating. It is one of the best YA urban/horror fantasy series I have read!


The last books in the series The Last Sacrifice is out today, and the whole series has now a pretty new look in red and black, perfect Christmas present!!!




Have I convinced you yet? 


Watch the gorgeous trailer and be convinced at last:

Thank you so much to Penguin for sending me these wonderful books!

Alpha - Rachel Vincent

Title: Alpha
(Book 6 - and last - of the Shifters series)

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Mira

Release Date: 2010

Category: Urban Fantasy

Source: From the publisher

Paperback: 472 pages

Summary from Amazon:

Power, revenge, and justice - prepare yourself for the final battle! In the final chapter of "The Shifters Series", Faythe and her Pride must fight a tyrannical werecat intent on taking over the territorial council, and the south-central Pride in particular. It's down to Faythe to take on the role of Alpha before she feels completely ready for the job. Forced to rise to the occasion, Faythe must balance experience, advice, and the urge for vengeance. She must also finally choose between Marc and Jace...No decisions will be is easy, and not everyone will survive this epic fight to the death.

~~~~~~~~

I can't review this book without writing spoilers for the 5 previous books of the series. If you haven't read any of the Shifters books (yet), head over to my general post on how awesome these books are (here)!

I have read the five previous Shifters books in a couple of weeks and I have been so impatient to read the next, and last, book of the series for so much time that there was a lot of squeeing when I received it. I read it in two sittings (mostly because I had to go to work) and loved every single page of it. It is a brilliant conclusion to a fascinating series.

This is Faythe's last battle to be accepted for who she is and what she stands for. Faythe fights for women (and tabbies in particular) to have a say in their future, and not be used as political means. She had been fighting for this from the very first book and each time she has been confronted to walls of indifference and narrow-mindedness. This time around, the outcome of her fight will have consequences on all tabbies and other species. 

Faythe has definitely grown up during each book. She has been able to be respected for who she was by her Pride and most importantly by her father who, without acknowledging it, wouldn't have her any other way. I know that there is a lot of sexual tension in the book and that a part of the story revolves on the romance, but I really feel that this book brilliantly explores the differences and inequality between genders as well as political maneuvers to get to one's goal.


The fight Faythe and her Pride bring to the Council isn't a mere territory dispute or the will not to be treated unfairly. They are fighting to bring one vision of the world where everyone can live together, including all species, as well as where tabbies have a say in their future. This fight is so fascinatingly told that I can't wait for Rachel to write a spin off of the series. The world she has created seems so genuine that it has become one of my all time favourite shape-shifting stories.

I have always said that Rachel's style is amazing. The reader is gripped from the first pages into the fast-paced action and falls for the fascinating characters and species present in the book. The characters have all amazing personalities and I love the way they interact with each other. There is also some romance, between Faythe and Marc and between... Faythe and Jace.   This part of the story is really well described and you can feel for Faythe when she says that she truly loves both of them. 

Faythe has come a long way from the first book of the series where she didn't want to be part of the Pride, despite her Pride's love for her. Now she will do absolutely everything for this group of people she has come to love and let them love her in return. After reading this book, you will want to be a Shifter and be part of a Pride. (Or maybe that's just me.)

I am so thrilled to have read this book and I am going to reread the entire series because I frankly can't get my head around the idea of it being over. Rachel has written a guest post on the shape-shifting tradition in literature and how she came to create her werecats on this blog. She is one of my favourite contemporary writers and I can't wait to read her next book; she is one of the few writers from which I will read every single one of her books on principle, knowing I will read something thoroughly original and brilliantly written.

If you haven't read anything by Rachel, you are missing out on something. Anyone with a liking for Urban Fantasy will love this series, the others should get started on the genre just for this series. Did I mention I really loved this series? :)

Thank you so much to Rachel, Mira and Tory for (in the order) writing this amazing story, publishing it and sending me a copy to review!

Raised By Wolves - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Raised by Wolves
(Book 1 of series)


Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Quercus

Category: Young Adult

Release Date: September 2010

Source: Received from UK Book Tours

Paperback: 417 pages


Summary from Amazon:

Pack life is about order, but Bryn is about to push all the limits, with hair-raising results. At the age of four, Bryn watched a rabid werewolf brutally murder her parents. Alone in the world, she was rescued and taken in by Callum, the alpha of his pack. Now fifteen, Bryn's been as a human among werewolves, adhering to pack rule. Little fazes her. But the pack's been keeping a secret, and when Bryn goes exploring against Callum's orders, she finds Chase, a newly turned teen Were locked in a cage. Terrifying memories of the attack on her parents come flooding back. Bryn needs answers, and she needs Chase to get them. Suddenly, all allegiances to the pack no longer matter. It's Bryn and Chase against the werewolf world, whatever the consequences. A thrilling new YA adventure, with an electrifying link between a tough heroine and an exciting boy-were at its heart, Raised by Wolves will leave you howling for more.

~~~~~~~

What a cool book!

Bryn has been raised by a pack of werewolves ever since she was a little girl. She is human and was saved from being killed by a Rabid (werewolf without a pack) by the Alpha of the pack, Callum. The members of the pack didn't accept her too well at the beginning, and she isn't making it easy for them when she starts being older, but they all act very protective of her since there are so few female members of the pack.

She was raised by Ali (human woman who came to live with the pack) and her husband (who is a werewolf), as well as Callum who acts half as a fatherly figure, half as the Alpha of the pack. Her best friend is Devon, a werewolf her age. She is basically unhappy with her life, and whines a lot, but she goes on with it without questioning much. Until one day she meets Chase, and everything changes.

Bryn is amazing! She has quite a temper and doesn't let herself get chewed out by all these over-protective werewolves around her. Her feisty personality is simply hilarious and especially when she is interacting with Callum.
Her best friend, Devon, is a ......... [wait for it] ............ metrosexual werewolf!!! And this is one of the funniest things I have ever read in a werewolf book and I laughed for ten minutes. He is awesome! He wears designer clothes, likes musicals and has the best personality.
Later in the book, you will meet Lake, one of the very rare female werewolves, and I love this character so much, I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series.
This book is very character-driven so they all have a certain depth to their personalities (not only the main characters) which is really interesting to read. Except Chase which you aren't able to learn much about, you get a glimpse of what it is like to live in a werewolf pack.


The whole werewolf myth is not as fully explored as I expected in this book (mostly because it centers on Bryn's struggle) but I suspect it will be in later books. The second one, Trial By Fire, will come out summer 2011.
One of the main themes of the book is about gender and how it affects one's role in society. The werewolves pack are very male-driven and the scarcity of females (werewolves or humans for that matter) make them very protective. As if the women were, somehow, their properties. Bryn fights this all along the novel and it was fascinating to read how male werewolves would not understand what Bryn's deal actually was, unable to put themselves in her shoes. The story of Lake also illustrates this point and I really can't wait to read more about her (which I think you understood by now!).


It is a great read, you can't turn the pages fast enough to know what will happen next, and you will laugh out loud many times at the situations or what the characters say. There is some romance in there as well, so all is not lost for the hopeless romantic in you. 




This book is amazing and I can definitely predict a kick-ass series! I would recommend it to all werewolves and urban fantasy fans, especially if you liked Rachel Vincent's Shifters series don't hesitate to check this book out, you will not regret it! And if you are not a fan of the genre, it is a great book to start!




Thanks to Lynsey and Quercus for organising the book tour!

Happy Roald Dahl Day to you guys!

Linger - Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger
(Book 2 of The Wolves of Mercy Falls series)

Author: Maggie Stiefvater


Publisher: Scholastic

Category: YA

Release Date: 2010

Source: Bought on Amazon

Paperback : 416 pages

Summary:

In SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in LINGER, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping dangerous secrets. For Sam, it means grappling with his werewolf past ... and figuring out a way to survive the future. But just when they manage to find happiness, Grace finds herself changing in ways she could never have expected...

~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you haven't read Shiver, the first book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, you can read my review of it here.

When I read Shiver several months ago, I fell in love with the story, the general atmosphere of the book and the style of writing. I thought it might be a stand alone novel but I was thrilled and a bit weary to see that it was in fact a trilogy. When I picked up Linger, I had this mixed feeling of high anticipation and fear I wouldn't like it as much as I liked Shiver.


Well, a few pages into the book and my fears most entirely dissolved. I was again falling for the characters, the atmosphere and the style. I can spend hours describing how much I loved this book and why. But I won't since it's boring I prefer rereading it and loving it all over again instead of analysing everything as I always do.
Sam has become a man who won't be changing into a wolf anymore whereas Grace is feeling the call of the forest more acutely than ever before. But she can't change, can she? Sam comes to terms with being the new leader of the pack, but he finds it hard without Beck. 


If you haven't read any Maggie Stiefvater books - Uh, are you even living on the same planet?!! - you should. She has a unique way of writing and she gives an incredibly interesting dimension to the werewolf myth.  Her characters are irresistibly flawed, they have doubts and they are always real. If you have read Shiver, then fear not fellow reader, you won't be disappointed!


The book is told from the alternate point of view of lovers Sam and Grace as well as from the ice queen Isabel and the new member of the pack, Cole. Isabel was one of my favourite character in the first book and I loved to get into her head. Cole is an interesting choice for a narrator and it was fascinating to get to know him. Some parental figures play an important role in the book, that's quite interesting to read as well. 
You will *love* the evolution of the werewolf thingy - I love when fantasy makes sense.


The book is perfect and it feels just right. It is one of those books you'll keep next to your bed to reread and rereread whenever you lay your eyes on it and feel again all those powerful emotions embottled in its paragraphs. 

*sigh* 

I love that book.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - Stephenie Meyer

I really can't help posting something about this today. I bought the book yesterday and read it greedily after work.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is the riveting story of Bree Tanner, a vampire first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the world she inhabits. The novella chronicles the journey of members of the newborn vampire army from their preparations to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullen family to its unforgettable conclusion. Summary from Amazon.

~~~~~~~~~~

I have been a very big fan of the Twilight series (before the first film even came out). But I have been a bit shocked by all the media frenzy and it sort of put me off the whole thing. 

On the other hand, I was impatiently waiting for this novella as soon as I heard it would be published. I thought that the choice of Bree for the novella was highly unusual and I was intrigued.

I absolutely loved it. I whined about the price for the not-even-200p novella, but I loved the characters (I love Bree, Diego and Fred!!!), I love the story and I think that the writing has improved (because I found that there were some flaws in the series - after reading each book ten times). 

My favorite parts in the series were the other vampires which looked waaay cooler than the Cullens (sorry, I have a thing for badass supernatural species), like the Denali sisters and others. And this story gives such a good description of Newborns (which we only explored from a certain point of view) and uneducated vampires (to the vampire laws that is). It is actually very informative for when it comes to understanding the other side of Eclipse. But I believe you can read this book even if you aren't a Twilight fan.

I also particularly loved seeing the meadow fight scene through Bree's eyes. You'll understand what happens way better than in Bella's point of view. And it is just wow (yes, so I cried, whatever).

But don't read what I say. 

Go back to when Twilight wasn't the reference in terms of fantasy. 

Forget the Bella and Edward

Forget the actors of the films

Forget the Twi-hards and whatever

And read this novella with the same curious eyes with which you discovered sparkly vampires and forget all the rest that has been building up ever since.

You will love this book. I did !

What did you guys think of the book ? Useful to understanding Eclipse or just fun to read ?