Becoming Darkness

Becoming Darkness is by debut author Lindsey Francis Brambles.

Like everyone else living in Haven, seventeen-year-old Sophie Harkness is an Immune-- a carrier of the genetic mutation that protects her from the virus Hitler unleashed upon the world more than half a century ago.  A virus that wiped out most of humanity and turned two-hundred million people into vamps. But after her best friend is brutally murdered and several attempts are made on her own life, Sophie becomes determined to find answers to what seems to be a conspiracy running generations deep.  And when she questions the peace treaty that keeps her small community protected, Sophie begins to discover terrible truths about herself and what it means to be human in a world ruled by darkness.

The Breakdown:
1. Brambles has an interesting mash up of genres in this book.  A little paranormal, a little dystopian, and alternate history tied together with a suspense/thriller bow.  On the surface, it seems like a lot to swallow, and I have to admit, I was unsure how he would pull it all together.  But surprisingly, it worked out well.  This book has a lot of twist and turns, and kept me guessing on what was going on and how it affected Sophie.

2. Sophie is an interesting character.  At first Sophie seems like your average girl, but as the story progress, Brambles lets on there is more to her than a normal human.  She is surrounded by secrets, some of which are life threatening to her. She is very headstrong, and that gets her into trouble a few times.

3. Brambles does some interesting world building with both Haven and Third Reich New York.  The scenes he sets with them gives the stark contrast between the Immune world and the world of the vamps.  Haven being on a tropical island, sunny and warm.  The descriptions have me imagining a place washed in bright colors and warmth.  The Third Reich New York on the other hand is city that seems to be crumbling and dark.  The colors there have me seeing grey and blacks.

4. Sadly the ending left me with more questions than answers.  There are a lot of issues and secrets left unanswered at the end.  It left me feeling a little empty.  I do hope there is another book in the works to resolve everything.

To Read or Not to read:
Read

Sentinel

Sentinel is the final book in Jennifer L. Armentrout's Covenant series.

It's a beautiful day for war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworth Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

Alex must face a terrible choice: destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear...or the end of herself.

The Breakdown:
1. JLA packs a lot of action into the final book of the Covenant series. I really enjoyed the conclusions to this series.  It had several unexpected twist, which kept the story interesting.

2. I think one of the best things about this book is seeing the change in Seth, after what Aries did to Alex in the last book.  He comes to realize the path he was on was not the right path.  He seems to want to honestly make amends, and what he does to for Alex at the end was amazing.

3. Speaking of journey's, Alex makes a pretty big one in this book.  She stays true to herself and her beliefs.  She finally meets her father, and her and Aiden have a pretty solid relationship.  She is amazing in the final battle.  I was very happy with her ending.

4. Oh, and that ending, it was not what I was expecting.  JLA surprised me quite a bit with how things ended, and the deals that were made in the end.  I have to say I was very pleased with it.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Winter

Winter is the final book in Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles.

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend- the handsome palace guard, Jacin.  But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years.  Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

The Breakdown:
1.  I cannot say enough on how awesome this entire series has been, and Meyer has really outdone herself  with this final book.  This series has some of my favorite elements to it, re-imagined fairytales, a little dystopian, and science fiction. The characters are so beautiful written with both their strengths and their flaws.  Plus the story itself really kept me engaged from beginning to end.

2.  I was super excited to see how Meyer delved into the character of Winter after her brief appearance in Cress. I loved that Winter is so very different from the world she has grown up in.  She is kind and brave, and despite the pressure she refuse to manipulate others with her gift.  I loved reading the reason why she would rather face madness that use her gift, it was very interesting and thought provoking.

3. The relationships between the characters are a big part of why Meyer's story works so well for me.  The shifting dynamics as new alliances are formed, and the parts that each character plays in the group.  I really feel that while the revolution is exciting and all, that this truly is a character driven story.

4. Without giving too much away, I want to say that Meyer's did wrap up this series beautifully.  The ending makes sense, and does not leave me with any lingering questions. Well done Ms. Meyer.

To Read or Not to Read:
Must Read

Wicked Charms

Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton is the third book in the Lizzy & Diesel series.

Murdered and mummified more than ninety years ago, bootlegger Collier "Peg Leg" Dazzle once found and re-hid a famous pirate's treasure somewhere along the coast of New England.  A vast collection of gold and silver coins and precious gems, and the bounty also contains the Stone of Avarice- the very item reluctant treasure seeker, Lizzy Tucker, and her partner Diesel, have been enlisted to find.  While Lizzy would like to live a quiet, semi-normal life, Diesel is all about the hunt.  And this hunt is going to require a genuine treasure map and a ship worthy of sailing the seven seas... or at least getting them from Salem Harbor to Maine.

Greed is eternal and insatiable, and Lizzy and Diesel aren't the only ones searching for the lost pirate's chest.  There are people who have dedicated their entire lives to finding it, and are willing to commit murder to make a deal with the devil, just to hold the fortune in their hands.  One of those people may even be Wulf, Diesel's deceptively charming and enigmatic cousin.  Wulf desires the Stone of Avarice.  He also desires Lizzy.  It's hard to say how far he's willing to go to gain either one.

It's a swashbuckling adventure full of raiders, monkeys, minions, and mayhem.  Lizzy and Diesel are going to have to do everything they can to keep their heads above water and hope they are living a charmed life.

The Breakdown:
1. I will pretty much read anything that Janet Evanovich is involved in writing. This book, like so many of hers, is a fun quick read with lots of quirky characters.  These book keep me entertained and laughing through out the story.

2. I love Lizzy's character.  I can't decided if it more that she longs for a normal life, but still saves the world with Diesel, or that she is pastry chef. Everyone knows that cupcakes are my weakness, and I seriously wish I could try Lizzy's cupcakes.

3. As I said before, I really enjoy the cast of quirky characters.  Like Glo, the counter girl at the bakery, who thinks she is a witch and carries around Broom and a spell book.  Or Ammon, the eccentric billionaire who thinks that he is the incarnate of one of the princes of hell.  The characters keep the books interesting.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Shutter

Debut author Courtney Alameda's Shutter is the first book of the series of the same name.

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat- a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum.  As one the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens.  With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film.  She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as  a soulchain.  As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise the entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die.  Now pursued as renegade agent  by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before... or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she's in for one hell of a week.

The Breakdown:
1. With Shutter, Alameda is expending the legend of those who fought against Dracula down through the generations.  Micheline, Oliver Stoker, and Jude are direct descendants of those who originally brought down Dracula.  Alameda creates an interesting world where they live, monsters are abundant and the Helsing corps are America's best defensive against them.

2.  With Micheline's family recent tragedy and what she faces now, there is definitely a darker undertone to this book than most of the books I read.  That being said, it has a great horror vibe to it, and was perfect reading for Halloween.  There is some great dynamic between Micheline and her boys.  From the strong friendships between them, and the love between her and Ryder, I really liked their interactions.

3.  I have to say that the character that I hated the most was not the ghost behind Micheline's curse, but rather her father.  He is unkind, and downright abusive at times. He blames her for things that happened in the past, and obviously does not understand she is just as broken from their family tragedy was he is.

4.  The ghost, and the past issues, make it obviously that something is out to get the Helsing family.  There is definitely a bigger conspiracy going on behind the story, and Alameda's ending left it open to finding out more behind it.  It will be interesting to see where she chooses to take the story.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read