Series Spotlight: Mythos Academy by Jennifer Estep

Mythos Academy Series by Jennifer Estep

#0.5 First Frost

#1 Touch of Frost

#2 Kiss of Frost

#3 Dark Frost

#4 Crimson Frost

#4.5 Spartan Frost

#5 Midnight Frost (out July 30)

[All links above go to Goodreads]

Series Synopsis: (from author's website)

The Mythos Academy books focus on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the gift of psychometry, or the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. Gwen’s magic lets her see everyone who has ever touched or used an object as well as feel their emotions — the good, the bad, and the ugly.

After a serious freak-out with her magic, Gwen finds herself shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendents of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, and more. The academy is located in the fictional suburb of Cypress Mountain, North Carolina, and the kids there are training how to use their magic and various skills to fight Reapers of Chaos. The Reapers are some seriously bad guys who want to free the evil god Loki from his mystical prison so Loki can take over the world and enslave everyone.

Gwen doesn’t think that she belongs at the academy or that she’s any kind of warrior, but she’s wrong — and she’s a lot stronger than she realizes.

My Thoughts on the series:
I’ve been hearing great things about the Mythos Academy series for so long, that I finally had to take some time and read these books. I can see why people enjoy these books because they’re very reminiscent of Vampire Academy, the Covenent books, Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson. There’s mythology, a boarding school setting, a strong heroine, and different powers. What’s not to love?

Interestingly enough, Gwen got on my nerves quite a bit in the first couple books, but I liked her enough that I was still able to get into the books. Even though she drove me crazy, I kind of liked that she wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Her situation sucks, and her defense mechanism is to be snarky. Gwen is definitely very judgmental at first about the school and its students. She tends to make a lot of mistakes by being rash and jumping into things. What Gwen also is, is very lonely because of her gift, and therefore very loyal to the people she does have in her life. Gwen definitely grows as a character as the series continues and she becomes more willing to learn from others.

As you would expect in a mythology based urban fantasy type series the central theme is a fight against evil, Loki in this case. The boarding school that Gwen attends is full of warriors who have different abilities. Gwen is a chosen one, a champion for Nike, who has to figure out how her ability will help her in the fight against Loki.

The books feature lots of action, with some high stakes coming up occasionally. I definitely enjoyed reading the Mythos Academy books. I feel like the series keeps getting better, because while I liked the first couple of books, I didn't love them. But the next couple? A lot more exciting.

My Thoughts on Spartan Frost: (received for review from Netgalley)
This is a novella from Logan's POV, which makes it an auto-read from my perspective. While I liked hearing from him, I was disappointed that his thought process didn’t reveal anything particularly illuminating. The action sequence part was exciting, and I liked how the novella ended with you wondering what was going to happen next.

My Thoughts on Midnight Frost: (received for review from Netgalley)
This was an enjoyable story overall, and a good addition to the series. I liked the physical journey that had to take place, and how it showed how much Gwen has grown. Gwen started off claiming she didn't need anyone, and now she has all these friends who she’s willing to protect at all costs, including putting herself in danger.

What I didn't care for was that the overarching plot of the series (defeating Loki) didn't really seem to go anywhere in this volume. Of course there were bits and pieces, like gathering weapons that will help fight him, but besides that it didn’t seem like much happened in the big picture. I'm also getting tired of the big bad's henchwomen swooping in all the time and then flying away at the last second without getting hurt. It seemed unrealistic that they always get away, the other Reapers (aka bad guys) all die, and none of Gwen's “team” get mortally wounded, or even seriously hurt. While Gwen and her friends are obviously bad ass, and I don’t want them to die, I find it hard to believe that high school age kids are always better than the top trained enemy adults.

It seems like most of my thoughts on this book are gripes, but I honestly did enjoy it overall. I liked the Gwen/Logan interaction, and the journeying aspect of the book, like I mentioned. While this series isn’t my favourite, I still get a lot of enjoyment from it, and I’ll definitely continue on.

The Covers:
I like them in general, especially the first four. They fit the mood of the series well.

Series Rating:
[3.5/5]

Series Spotlight: Shifters by Rachel Vincent

The Shifters series by Rachel Vincent

Goodreads Links:

1. Stray

2. Rogue

3. Pride

4. Prey

5. Shift

6. Alpha

(Extremely Short) Series Synopsis (from Rachel Vincent's website):
Rachel’s Shifters series follows Faythe Sanders, the world’s only female werecat enforcer, as she fights to define her own role in her family and to claim a place in her Pride. The revolution is coming, and Faythe will be leading the charge. Are you ready to meet the new Alpha?

Synopsis for 'Stray' (from Goodreads):
There are only eight breeding female werecats left . . . And I'm one of them.

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays -- werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female, and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back . . . for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever -- and whoever -- I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays -- 'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them . . .

My (Relatively Spoiler Free) Thoughts:
Faythe is a very strong and stubborn character. She can be frustrating, but as a reader you love her for how she grows as a character throughout the series. You also admire how much she loves her family and her pride, and how she stands up for her fellow tabbies and for what she believes is right.

I really loved the increasing political aspect in the later books of this series, with inter-pride rules and a very evil/power hungry alpha of another territory. There is also such a great community of characters to these books. You can really feel the family connection and the love between the enforcers and other pride members.

For me, personally, the romance aspect to these books was lacking. I really didn’t like Marc as a character or as a love interest. A lot of times I did think Faythe should have treated him a lot better than she actually did, but I still didn’t think he was all that great. He was far too angry of a character for my liking, especially because physical violence came along with his temper. It felt like we never got to know Marc as a character besides his protective element and how sexy he was. Now if we want to talk about how much I adored Jace and how I thought that storyline should have gone, well that’s a whole different story.

Overall I did enjoy this series because I got really attached to the characters. There are emotional moments that will break your heart, especially in the last couple of books, but there is also a humourous aspect to them. This is a series that gets stronger as it goes, and I can definitely see why so many people are fans of it.

The Covers:
They're okay. I like the various colours and the font treatment for the series.

Series Rating:
[Low 4/5]

Check out Rachel Vincent's website for more information and purchase links.

(This was released as an adult series, but I could see it falling into the 'new adult' category, as the books start with Faythe as a grad student. There is mild sexual content, but I can definitely see this being a crossover series for older YA readers.)

Series Spotlight: The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine

The Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine



Goodreads Links:
1. Glass Houses
2. The Dead Girls' Dance
3. Midnight Alley
4. Feast of Fools
5. Lord of Misrule
6. Carpe Corpus
7. Fade Out
8. Kiss of Death
9. Ghost Town
10. Bite Club
(Extremely Short) Series Synopsis:
Morganville is a small college town in the heart of Texas-not a place that exactly screams "hotbed of creatures of the night". But college freshman Claire Danvers is about to discover why, in Morganville, you should never, ever stay out after dark...

Background:
If you read my reviews regularly then you know I'm not the biggest vampire fan. Heck, before this year I rarely read paranormal books at all. But the books I've read about vampires tend to be boring, chasing the same tropes over and over again. Vampire Academy is a huge exception to this. Those books amazed me, and made me appreciate that a talented author can take a paranormal creature I normally dislike and turn it into the basis for one of my favourite series. Despite this, The Morganville Vampires weren't exactly on my radar. But that all changed over the past couple of months. I'd been seeing this series everywhere! The books at Walmart, individual reviews on blogs I read, and people naming the series as one of their favourites in various 'Best Of' posts. I thought "Hmm, maybe I should pick them up." But 10 books is seriously intimidating. I held off. Then my library got an eBook of the first 8 (!) books of the series. I then thought "Well, that's an easy way to check out the majority of the books. Why not?" One 1500+ page eBook later and I was totally hooked. As I read book after book I quickly put physical copies of Books 9 and 10 on hold at the library as well. And if a series fails to bore you after 10 books? I'd say it's pretty darn good.

My (Spoiler Free) Thoughts:
To me, these books are the perfect reads because they offer a perfect combination of character driven drama, crazy action-packed scenes, and mega plot twists. Each book has scenes about the friendships and romances of the main characters, but there's also a (relatively) self-contained plot involving one major issue in each one.

When I think about what I love about these books my mind first goes to the foursome who live in the Glass House. I love how in a series about vampires the books equally focus on the "normal" people in Morganville (though I think if Eve heard herself described as normal she would either laugh or freak out). Claire Danvers is our main character, and she is all kinds of adorable. She's incredibly intelligent and very studious as well (going to college at 16 isn't exactly for slackers), and she's very sweet. When the series begins Claire is just starting off on her own and she's a little bit wide-eyed and naive. As crazy events surround her, though, she becomes a very strong and determined young woman, willing to stand up for those she loves, even to the detriment of herself.

Michael Glass is the owner of the Glass House, and he's a little bit of a contradiction. He's responsible and soft-spoken, but he's also a musician who has Rock God appeal when he's on stage. And then there's another little issue that Michael has, but I won't spoil it here. Eve Rosser, though not my favourite character, has her strong points as well. She's the sassy goth who is extremely loyal and quickly becomes Claire's best friend. Then we have Shane Collins who has very strong views about vampires thanks to his tough upbringing. Shane is fiercely protective and a bit of a tough guy, but he has a sweet side as well. Nic at Irresistible Reads chose Shane as one of her Book Boyfriends, so you can read just a few snippets of his sexiness and awesomeness here.

The series presents the reality of living in Morganville, a town full of vampires, as very much Us versus Them. And in a lot of ways that's the way the town works. Vampires aren't romanticized in this series. They are the enemy of humans, the rulers over them, and a serious threat. However, not everything is that black and white. Even the strictest rivals can work together against a common enemy. Even a cold-hearted vampire can protect a human. The villains of the series are so nuanced. I can pretty much only think of one or two characters who are out and out bad. The rest of them are so interestingly layered. The town's founder, Amelie, is cold and dangerous, and she pushes down restrictions and punishments on one hand, while protecting Claire on the other. Oliver is portrayed as someone who loves killing and war, and he can never be trusted, yet he also puts things on the line and works behind the scenes to protect certain people.

Of course some of the books are stronger than others. I found the latest, Bite Club, to be the most disappointing, but I say 'disappointing' while also noting that I gave the book a very strong 3 out of 5, and it was just as "unputdownable" as its predecessors. None of the books have failed to entertain me. They are all page turners and kept me reading during the day and up late at night so I could finish them. One thing is for sure: Rachel Caine absolutely knows how to tell a story. This is an incredible series for both the characters and the action. If you haven't picked it up yet, don't be intimidated by the size of the series. The books are such quick reads, and I'm positive that if you start them you'll very quickly fall in love.

The Covers:
Um, yah, not so much. They're very typical "I'm a paranormal book!" covers, aren't they? And who chose the model to represent Shane on the Bite Club cover? What a travesty!

Series Rating:
[A very strong 4/5]

Check the official Morganville site for links to purchase the books, as well as FAQs, information, etc.

The Morganville Vampires #11, Last Breath, will be released November 1, 2011.

She Smells the Dead & Spirit Storm by E.J. Stevens

Release Date: August 19, 2010
Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
Pages: 172
Series: Spirit Guide #1
Review Source: eBook from author for review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
It's the beginning of senior year and Yuki's psychic awareness of ghostly spirits is threatening to ruin her life. Her ability to sense spirits of the dead isn't glamorous like the ghost hunting on television.

SHE SMELLS THE DEAD.

The smell impressions are becoming stronger. Yuki is being visited in her dreams, and she suspects that her friend Calvin is involved in something strange. To make matters worse her crush on Garrett is going unrequited, Yuki's friend Emma is on a rampage against bee oppression, and Calvin Miller mysteriously disappears.

Will Yuki be able to focus her powers in time to save the lost soul who is haunting her? Meanwhile, who will save Yuki from following the spirits into the light?

My Thoughts:
Yuki is such a cute character. I really liked her and her style. She's confident in what she likes, and this shows through her narration. Calvin, from what we got to know of him, was also sweet. I would have liked to have seen more conversations happening between Calvin and Yuki instead of being told about them after the fact, though.

This book is an interesting mix of werewolf mythology, spirit animals, and Yuki's spirit power. I did really enjoy reading it, but it was so short! It didn't really leave time for a full detailed plot. Instead it was more like this was the first half of a book with the story being continued in Book 2.

The Cover: I'm not the biggest fan of the fonts or the background, but I think it's good overall. It's memorable, and that girl could totally be Yuki, especially if she were SMILING.

Find She Smells the Dead by E.J. Stevens on Goodreads & the Spirit Guide Series page.


Release Date: January 1, 2011
Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
Pages: 210
Series: Spirit Guide #2
Review Source: eBook from author for review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
"Let the spirits guide you, but never let them take you."

Spirits of the Dead are coming...

Yuki is about to face an army of lost souls on Samhain, the night of Halloween, when the spirits of the dead roam free. Yuki will need all the help she can get from her friends, but will Calvin be there for her when she needs him the most?

My Thoughts:
I found 'Spirit Storm' to be even more riveting than the first book. It felt a bit more complete as well. Again, Yuki is just such a cute character. I love her mannerisms, and how she's the biggest sweetheart ever even though her outward appearance is "out there" by most people's standards.

In the end, though, I felt like things wrapped up far too easily. There was definitely danger, but the whole book was leading to this big climactic scene that ended up being over with before I knew it. So despite the awesome action and plot it ended up being a little bit disappointing.

The Cover: I like it a lot more than the first. It's so gorgeous while still being sinister enough to show what the book is about.

Find Sprit Storm by E.J. Stevens on Goodreads & the Spirit Guide Series page.


Overall Impressions:
I would definitely read more by this author, especially more in this series. The books are very short, but sometimes that can be appealing. A fun and enjoyable series.

Series Rating:
[3/5]

River of Time series by Lisa T. Bergren

You may remember that earlier this month I posted reviews for Waterfall & Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren. I really love this series! The characters are great, the action is intense, and the romance is incredibly swoony. Bottom line: you want to read these books!

I thought I would post the book trailers, because I think they do a good job explaining what the books are about (plus lots of pretty imagery!):





Some links to check out:
- Waterfall on Goodreads
- Cascade on Goodreads
- Lisa's website
- Lisa on Twitter --> @LisaTBergren

Bloggers, Lisa is currently hosting a fabulous promotional contest, and you can check out the details on her website. While the contest is exciting, it in no way influences how much I love these books. Even without the contest I would definitely be suggesting that you pick them up.

Series Spotlight: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

The Shade trilogy by Jeri Smith-Ready



Goodreads Links:

1. Shade
2. Shift
3. Shine
Brief Series Synopsis: (from author's website)
Young adult paranormal trilogy about Aura Salvatore, the first of a worldwide generation of ghost-seers, whose own boyfriend dies and becomes a ghost

Shade:

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Shift:

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.
Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

My Thoughts:
The thing I love most about these books is how they provide a completely fresh take on ghosts and their part in our world. The idea of a Shift happening where everyone born after a certain time can see ghosts and communicate with them is totally different from anything I’ve ever read. The fact that this was such an original idea drew me into the story of ‘Shade’. I also love the characters. Aura is a likeable character, and because you can really feel her emotions coming through the story it makes her relatable. It’s so much easier to understand a character’s decisions when you also understand their motivations, and I think that is the case here.

This trilogy provides readers with an interesting love story as well. There is a love triangle between Aura, her ghost boyfriend Logan, and the new student Zachary (who just happens to be lovely and Scottish). In a way I feel like the love triangle aspect is a bit of a cop out, because it’s hard to root for a girl to be with the ghost of her dead boyfriend. However, there are truthful emotions behind Aura’s affection for both boys, and her reluctance to leave Logan behind, despite his death, is understandable. If you liked the love triangle aspect in ‘Shade’ you won’t be disappointed with ‘Shift’, as it kicks into high gear in this book.

These books are lot more than just a love story, however. ‘Shade’ introduces readers to an interesting mythology involving ghosts and their presence in our world. ‘Shift’ is the perfect continuation, a book that is possibly even more interesting and entertaining than its predecessor because of its heavy focus on questioning the mythology of the Shift. It provides answers about Aura’s background, while also posing more questions.

What else can I say? These are seriously entertaining books. They are fast paced with tons of action scenes, yet they also rest upon an interesting mythology, and, of course, they feature the ever sexy accented Zachary (and also, Logan, if you’re into spotlight hogging ghosts -- harsh, I know, but I am generally not a fan). If you're looking for a unique and fresh paranormal trilogy I would highly recommend these. With 'Shade' and 'Shift' Jeri Smith-Ready has written two very intriguing and intricately detailed books, and I cannot wait for the third book to come out next year.

Series Rating:


Check Jeri's website (or the Goodreads links above) for information on how to purchase copies of 'Shade' and 'Shift'.

Series Spotlight: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead



Goodreads Links:

1. Vampire Academy
2. Frostbite
3. Shadow Kiss
4. Blood Promise
5. Spirit Bound
6. Last Sacrifice

Short Series Synopsis: (from author's website)
Two races of vampires walk our world. One, the Moroi, are alive and wield elemental magic. The other, the Strigoi, are undead and evil--feeding on the innocent to survive. Rose Hathaway --a half-vampire with poor impulse control-- is training to be a bodyguard for a Moroi princess. Learning to decapitate and stake is hard enough, but Rose's real danger may lie in an illicit romance with one of her instructors...

My (Spoiler Free) Thoughts:
Let’s start this off by summing up the series in one word: Amazing. Two words? Absolutely amazing. This is not your typical vampire series. Don’t let stereotypes or the cheesy covers (see: above) turn you off, because this is absolutely a series worth picking up, even if (or perhaps because) you’re not usually a vampire or paranormal fan.

I first heard of these books a couple of years ago, but I pretty much instantly dismissed them. Ouch, I know. If I had read as many blogs as I do now I probably wouldn’t have done that, because it was all the squee’ing over ‘Last Sacrifice’ that caused me to pick up the first ‘Vampire Academy’ book. I thought “If all these bloggers, whose opinions I trust, are going insane over this series, there must be something to it.” And believe me, there is!

To start with, the main protagonist of ‘Vampire Academy’ is Rose. Rose is a kick-ass heroine who is physically strong, but is also funny, loyal, and smart. The great thing about Rose is that she defies a lot of the stereotypes of strong female characters. She’s intelligent, but she’s not all bookish. She’s strong, like I said, but she’s not stand-offish. Rose cares deeply about her friends, especially her best friend Lissa, and she knows how to feel things: in fact, sometimes her emotions run away with her.

While Rose is the main character in the series, there are a whole cast of characters to fall in love with. The thing that’s so fabulous about these characters is that they all have their purpose. Some authors create throwaway characters, but not Richelle Mead. If you see a character who seems like they have a small role, don’t be fooled: they’re sure to pop up later when you least expect it. I don't even want to start writing about the specific characters (Christian, Adrian, Eddie, etc) because I could write paragraphs on how much I love each one.

As I mentioned, these books are great even if you’re not usually a vampire fan. I know I'm definitely not a vampire fan, but the world that is created in these books is different from any other vampire book I’ve read. I love how there are both “good” and “bad” types of vampires, and there is a very specific distinction between them. I love how the vampire world exists in and alongside the human world, but is secret all the same. Much like with the characters, every little decision made within these books has repercussions. Plot lines get wrapped up, and the action always comes to a conclusion perfectly.

These books are so much more than typical vampire books, as they feature themes of love, friendship, and loyalty. Most of all, the characters are so strong and amazing and the plots are action-packed. If you’re looking for an addicting new series, definitely be sure and check out the six ‘Vampire Academy’ novels, and the upcoming spin-off series, Bloodlines. I'm still thinking about these books a couple of weeks after I read them, and I anticipate reading them again in the not too distant future.

Series Rating:


Check Richelle's website for information on how to purchase signed copies, as well as find links to Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.