Once, by Anna Carey

- Eve #2
Release date: July 3rd 2012
Published by: Harper Collins
Genre: Dystopia (YA)
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

*This review will probably have spoilers of the first book in the trilogy, Eve.

When you're being hunted, who can you trust?

For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.

But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.

Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.

I read Eve last year, a couple of months after it was released in the USA, and though it was an enjoyable story, I didn't quite love it. Anna Carey tried to captivate me with her characters, especially Eve, but it just didn't work. It took me four days to finish it, and that rarely happens. However, Once captivated me in ways I can't explain. 

I should start with Eve, of course, since she's the main character. In Eve, I hated her, to be honest. She was so naive, so innocent and reckless that it infuriated me. Her actions hurt so many people, mostly friends and allies, throughout the novel, that it was hard to sympathize with her decisions. In Once, though, she was a different person altogether. It's crystal-clear how what happened to her in the wilds affected her, and that really shows in the way she speaks, how she cares for her friends in a deeper way, and how she stands for what she thinks it's right. I actually grew fond of Eve, and I was surprised to see that by the end of the novel, I wanted her to succeed.

The romance is also developed. In Eve, I had a feeling that part of Caleb and Eve's relationship was pure insta-love, but in Once, that changed. As much as I loved Caleb, I started to see him in a different way, just like Eve did. Instead of thinking about how hot he was, Eve thought about how he held her, how he understood her, how they talked about so many things that would've been weird with someone else, but that just felt right with Caleb. I loved this aspect of their relationship, and I think the fact that they're together relying not on lust, but on comfort and love (and that they show this affection with a touch, a conversation, and a kiss, and not only on make-out sessions), says a lot about how much Anna Carey changed the romance, and how this enhanced the feeling that Once really is a sequel to Eve. 

As always, Anna Carey's secondary characters are enchanting, each one looking just as real and solid as Eve. Her writing flows really well, even with the slow-paced scenes, and that's part of my liking Once. Not all of it was action, and Anna's writing held the plot together as weeks passed around Eve, and nothing new happened. I was never bored while reading Once. Also, I felt like the world-building was a lot more solid in this installment. With Eve growing up and becoming a mature woman, she gave us a new perspective of what was happening in the society itself, and while in the first novel, I felt like I was diving in the dark, without knowing where I was going or what to expect, in Once it was like I was just looking through a binocular, simply expanding what was already there.

To say that I liked Once is an understatement. I loved this novel, and I'm glad I picked it up. Without reading a few positive reviews, I'd never feel encouraged enough to buy it and continue this trilogy. Now, however, I'm dying to get my hands on Rise, the last book. Anna Carey proved to be a very talented author.

The Last Princess, by Galaxy Craze

Release date: May 1st 2012
Published by: Poppy
Genre: Young Adult 
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Happily ever after is a thing of the past.

A series of natural disasters has decimated the earth. Cut off from the rest of the world, England is a dark place. The sun rarely shines, food is scarce, and groups of criminals roam the woods, searching for prey. The people are growing restless.

When a ruthless revolutionary sets out to overthrow the crown, he makes the royal family his first target. Blood is shed in Buckingham Palace, and only sixteen-year old Princess Eliza manages to escape. Determined to kill the man who destroyed her family, Eliza joins the enemy forces in disguise. She has nothing left to live for but revenge, until she meets someone who helps her remember how to hope-and love-once more.

Now she must risk everything to ensure that she does not become . . 

I must begin this review by saying that I had high, huge expectations when I started reading The Last Princess. The premise sounded absolutely beautiful, though a little eerie. A princess determined to kill the man who'd murdered her family and took over her country, with (hopefully) a little romance thrown in the mix. Who isn't captivated by that? I certainly was, and now, I want to kill myself for it.

Like I said, the premise of this novel is wonderful, but the book itself doesn't live up to its hype. Eliza's story is set in the future (when, exactly, it's never mentioned), and England is falling apart. People are starving, there's not enough safe places to hide, and the monarchy is the only thing still left intact. And why, for God's sake, is England falling apart, you may ask? Well, that's something I never really understood. Eliza talks about the Seventeen Days, when everything was destroyed, but how the hell that happened is something I just didn't understand. If you're gonna create a dystopian society, then explain it. I need a context, I need a world-building solid enough for me to understand what's happening. And in The Last Princess, I got neither of these things, and that pissed me off.

The lack of a very important element in this book wasn't the only thing that put me off this story. The characters were just so unrealistic and flat, especially Eliza. She just lost her entire family... her situation should've made me sympathize with her, but instead, I wanted to shake her all the time. Your parents have been killed, and your siblings are prisoners... it's obvious you want to destroy this guy with your bare hands, and that's pretty understandable. But why the hell would you join this guy's army? Why would you go through the extremely difficult process of becoming a soldier, one of his pawns, knowing that only officials, and sergeants, have access to him?

Eliza is a princess. She spent her childhood playing in the garden and riding, learning how to behave properly and have manners. She's never starved. She doesn't know how to kill someone. Eliza's not tough enough to succeed in a army, to become a general, a high position in which she could have access to Cornelius and then kill him when he was unprepared. Eliza, of course, go through with this fantastic plan, and when things go downhill for her, and she really begins to see what it's like to be in the army, she just runs away. It was just so unnecessary for her to be there to begin with.

But that's not the only thing that made me dislike her. When you're in the middle of a battle, and your friend gets hurt, you try to aid her, of course, but... do you get off your horse, kneels near your friend, and starts to scream for help? In the middle of the freaking battle, in which you're fighting for your country's freedom, literally??

And don't even get me started on the romance. Holy crap, this was one of the worst love stories I have ever read. Eliza is in Cornellius' army, like I previously mentioned, and this certain Sergeant starts to pay attention to her. Wesley helps her when she goes off hunting, he saves her life, he gets her out of the army when she tries to flee... that's okay for me, really. They just met, he knows who she really is, and he's helping her. Then Wesley kisses her five pages after that, and this is what Eliza thinks when she wakes up and abandons him to continue her quest of revenge:


"Somehow, the memories already felt far away, but they gave me the strength I needed. They gave me the hope that love still existed in this dark world, that it would exist even after I was gone."

 Love? She doesn't even know him. She barely talked to him. It just doesn't make any sense! This, to be precise, is the entire romance in this novel. In the ending, he saves her again, they stay together, and that's it. The whole thing is so raw and poorly developed, I wanted to kill myself.

The writing is another thing that bothered me. It screamed "self published novel" everytime there was a transition of scenes, or the passage of time. Not to say it's also completely devoid of emotions at certain parts, and it was full of repetitions. Also, everything was just so convenient for Eliza. If she wanted to see her siblings one more time before she was killed, of course the guard would've been kind enough to take her to them. If Eliza were freezing, of course a homeless person would give her some clothes. If she were about to die, of course someone would appear just in time to save her. This kind of thing happened all the time, and it was so unrealistic that it gave the sentence "damsel in distress" a whole new meaning.

I feel like The Last Princess had a lot of wasted potential. The story would be amazing if the author knew how to execute it well enough, but sadly, that didn't happen. I don't like to write negative reviews, and I tried to do it without offending anyone, but to be honest, I had to put all of this out of my chest. My ebook is full with angry notes and ranting. However, I do know a lot of people loved this novel, and maybe, if you give it a shot, you may like it too. For my sake, though, I'll stay away from The Last Princess.

Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Release date: July 3rd 2012
Published by: HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 4/5 stars
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything--her family, her future--to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

Tiger Lily was one of the books I was most looking forward to in July. I mean, seriously, a book about Tiger Lily and Peter Pan? The synopsis looked interesting enough, and after watching the book trailer, I was eager to get my hands on this novel. I've always been a fan of Peter Pan, and though it always made me happy to see Peter with Wendy, a love story with Tiger Lily, of all people, was a differente experience altogether. 

Jodi Lynn Anderson took a lot of risks in this book. Not only because of the romance, the setting, and the mythology behind it, but because of the narration, as well. Tiger Lily is narrated by Tinkerbell, our most beloved faery, and while I found that curious, and more than a little weird, her point of view was perfect. Tink isn't an active character, exactly, but she's not entirely passive either. She likes to watch what happens around her, and her sensibility about other people's emotions let us know exactly what Tiger Lily was feeling (most of the times, that is). The writing is unique, filled with observations, and Tink's thoughts on the matter. It fit the book perfectly, and though I didn't like it at first, the narration grew on me.

Since most of what happens is told instead of shown to us, the story is slow-paced, which can be pretty boring, if you don't like the characters and the setting itself. However, the descriptions were enthralling, even without action scenes or anything significantly fast-paced, and that made me appreciate all the details in Neverland, as well as the characters' personality. Speaking of the characters, they're unique, just like everything else in this novel. Tiger Lily herself was a mystery to me during the whole story, and though her quiet behavior grew on me, and I found myself loving her more and more, I still didn't quite understand her. Peter Pan was just as criptic, but for once, this didn't anger me. When their feelings for each other deepened, so did my love for them. It was a delicate balance, but it worked. 

I can't say I loved this novel, but I did like it. Perhaps it's because I didn't connect with the characters the way I use to when a read a stand-alone, perhaps it's because of the heart-breaking ending, but I enjoyed the story, overall. Tiger Lily is a quick read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves Peter Pan, and a light, yet full of meaning, love story. Jodi Lynn Anderson is a talented author, and I look forward to more of her work in the future.

One Foot in the Grave, by Jeaniene Frost

- Night Huntress #2
Release date: April 29th 2008
Published by: Avon
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Adult Fiction
Rating: 5/5 stars
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

*In this review, there will be mild spoilers of Halfway to the Grave, the first book in the series. 

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She’s still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.
 

Being around Bones awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline rush of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head – wanted: dead or half-alive – means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard Cat tries to keep things professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever … and Bones won’t let her get away again.

As much as I loved Halfway to the Grave, it's clear how much the series, and the characters developed in the second installment, One Foot in the Grave. First of all, Cat. She was a remarkable character in the beginning of the series, but now? Now she's in another level. Leaving Bones, and being forced to work for a secret unit of the government as a measure of protection for her loved ones made Cat look at things differently. Now, hunting vampires isn't just a hobby, or something she did to please her mother and easy her guilt... it's her work, and she's so concentrated on it that she's now known as the Red Reaper in the undead world. 

But badass skills aside, Cat isn't completely satisfied with her life. Memories of a certain vampire, and of a long-lost relationship, haunts her, even though she does everything possible to let it go. When Bones finally founds her, after 4 years looking for her, Cat's past threatens to unbalance her newly established work. Jeaniene Frost managed to fill in 4 years of Cat's life in less than 10 pages, without making it look rushed, or unrealistic. We get to know how Cat's been dealing with her personal life, and that info is proved to be necessary when Bones returns.

Cat and Bone's chemistry explodes in this novel, and what they really feel for each other is a lot easier to see. It's usually hard to see a relationship this deep look natural in the second book, but of course, Night Huntress is nothing but unusual. Cat's impulsive personality keeps colliding with Bones' protective instincts, which makes their dialogues drip with irony and vehemence, not to mention the really romantic scenes. 

I'd say One Foot in the Grave is a perfect sequel to Halfway to the Grave, and though I would've liked to see more of Bones' search for Cat (maybe in a dialogue, or even a novella), it doesn't disappoint in the least. Everything feels different, but the essence of Frost's writing, and the character's personality, is the same, which I loved. Well done again, Mrs. Frost :)

Halfway to the Grave, by Jeaniene Frost

Release date: October 30th 2007
Published by: Avon
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 stars
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side... and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

 

After reading Once Burned, I realized that it's been years since I've read Night Huntress (the first novels, anyway), and I decided to re-read the entire series, just for the sake of doing it (it is my favorite series of all times, after all), and to write a proper review of each book. I first read Halfway to the Grave in 2010, and I admit I was a bit afraid to re-read it now and just don't find it as appealing as I had. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

Halfway to the Grave introduces us to Cat Crawfield, a half-breed that's been hunting the undead since she was sixteen, right after her mother told her about Cat's heritage. Cat, in my humble opinion, is the best heroine I've ever encountered, YA or Adult Fiction, simply because she's realistic. Sure, her humor can be a bit too snarky sometimes, but she's a solid character, with a reliable point of view and a fierce personality. She isn't submissive, and she sure as hell isn't a Mary Sue. Cat is strong, tough, and caring... to put it simply, she's human, her father's non-beating heart notwithstanding.

To create a dynamic story (and add a romantic element to it) we have Bones, and no, he's not Edward-esque at all. In fact, I'd say he's the exact opposite of every hero I've ever read about. Bones is shameless, cruel, honest (a little too much, in fact), and so badass that to call him a "bad boy" would be an understatement. Bad boys are attractive, and mean trouble. Bones is trouble. And just like Cat, he's perfect in every sense of the word. If Bones says he's going to rip your head off and use it as a soccer ball, you better run, because he means it. That's one of the things I love most about him. He's honest to the core, and while that can be a hell of an inconvenient. it's also pretty damn reliable.

With two main characters as unique as these, I don't have a lot more to say. Jeaniene Frost writes wonderfully, in general, but in Halfway to the Grave, especially, her writing skills are clearly raw - maybe because that was her debut novel. This is, perhaps, the only mildly negative point of this book. The pace is fast, the action scenes are engaging, and the romance is developed slowly, accompanying the plot and the character development. Even the mythology involving the vampires is good.

In general, Halfway to the Grave is a brilliant start to a great series. It reminds me why Night Huntress is so easy to devour, even after two years. The story is growing on me even more than it previously did, and while I'm finding little negative aspects about it, I'm also loving each character a lot more.

Once Burned, by Jeaniene Frost

- Night Prince #1
Release date: June 27th 2012
Published by: Avon
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 stars
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

She's a mortal with dark powers...
After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person's darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude...until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world's most infamous vampire...

He's the Prince of Night...
Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all—but whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him—a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.

Jeaniene Frost is, to put it in a very simple way, my favorite author of all times. Everything she wrote, and I literally mean every single book she wrote, got into my favorite list. Her writing is fluid, full of sarcasm and yet the romance she builds in every novel is sweet and sexy at the same time. Her characterization is solid, the plot is consistent, and it's impossible not to fall for the heroes (a.k.a. Bones, Spade, Mencheres...). It shouldn't come as a surprise to see that I gave Once Burned 5 stars. I would've given it 10 stars if I could.

All the aspects of Jeaniene Frost's books that I mentioned above are present in Once Burned. To write about Dracula as a main character of a love story requires a certain amount of... creativity, to put it mildly, that not all the authors have. Vlad didn't make me fall in love with him in the Night Huntress series, but then, his potential as a hero and as a love interest weren't fully explored. In Once Burned, he's the main attraction, and man, he makes a hell of a love interest. He's arrogant and protective of his people above all else, but he's also fierce, strong, and gentle. Vlad is a fantastic character, and it would be impossible not to fall in love with him just as I did with Bones.

Don't get me wrong. Bones is amazing, and one of the few characters I've read about that can be just as interesting after 6 books and 3 novellas as he was in the beginning of the series. But Vlad has... something more. His relationship with Leila doesn't even come close to Bones and Cat's relationship in Halfway to the Grave, but it affected me the same way. Maybe that's because Leila is just as likable as Cat. She's determined, snarky, and is strong enough to bear the weight of her powers and the realization that Vlad is, indeed, Dracula, without breaking or whimpering.

As a whole, Once Burned was everything I thought it would be, and more. I cannot wait for the next book in the Night Prince series, and I really hope it's just as good as Night Huntress. Jeaniene Frost has a lot of potential, and Once Burned just proved to me why I consider her my favorite author. Her stories never fail me, and I really, really hope it stays that way.

Mirage, by Kristi Cook

- Winterhaven #2
Release date: June 5th 2012
Published by: Simon Pulse
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 3/5 stars
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Violet McKenna is back for her senior year at Winterhaven, and thrilled to be with Aidan after a long summer apart. But when a violent and disturbing vision begins to haunt her, Violet suddenly feels unsure of everything: who to trust, if she is in danger, and—worst of all—whether she and Aidan are really meant to be together.

It wouldn't come as a surprise to say that Mirage was one of the most anticipated books in 2012, for me. I almost died with excitement when I found out Haven was going to have a sequel. I mean, come on. Haven was original - though full of clichés - and refreshing in a way that made you forget your problems and focus on the story enough to enjoy it. However, and I don't say this lightly, Mirage was a disappointment for me, due to the story itself, or my lack of interest in it. To be honest, I haven't been able to read a single book since Inheritance, and I thought Mirage could get me out of this crisis. It didn't. 

What really bothered me as I was reading Mirage was the non-existence of action scenes. A book requires more than a few training sessions and troubled dreams to entertain the reader, especially since Haven did have its good moments of action. That said, I was bored. The plot consists of endless dialogues without apparent meaning, and clichés from Haven that didn't need repetition. It wasn't original, it wasn't exciting, and though the romance was good, it sure as hell wasn't enough to make me enjoy it after reading Inheritance. 

I know I'm probably being too harsh in this review, and it's obvious that any book will seem pale in comparison to Inheritance, but... come on. Give me something else. I didn't finish Mirage - It took me more than a week to get to the middle of the book, and I gave up by then - but unless Aidan finds his cure, I won't pick it up again for a few months. My expectations were high, and I was sorely disappointed. I will give it one more shot... but not now.