New This Week! is a weekly feature in which I showcase some of the titles released in the Young Adult world throughout week. Each picture is linked to its respective Goodreads page, so if a cover appeals to you be sure to click on it to learn more about the book.
Original SinLuc Cain was born and raised in Hell, but he isn’t feeling as demonic as usual lately—thanks to Frannie Cavanaugh and the unique power she never realized she had. But you can’t desert Hell without consequences, and suddenly Frannie and Luc find themselves targeted by the same demons who used to be Luc’s allies.Left with few options, Frannie and Luc accept the protection of Heaven and one of its most powerful angels, Gabe. Unfortunately, Luc isn’t the only one affected by Frannie, and it isn’t long before Gabe realizes that being around her is too…tempting. Rather than risk losing his wings, he leaves Frannie and Luc under the protection of her recently-acquired guardian angel.
Which would be fine, but Gabe is barely out the door before an assortment of demons appears—and they’re not leaving without dragging Luc back to Hell with them. Hell won’t give up and Heaven won’t give in. Frannie’s guardian exercises all the power he has to keep them away, but the demons are willing to hurt anyone close to Frannie in order to get what they want. It will take everything she has and then some to stay out of Hell’s grasp.
And not everyone will get out of it alive.
Following in Personal Demons' footsteps, Original Sin is a great continuation of the story that we fell in love with the first time around.
I'll have to admit that Frannie grew on me a little more, yet at the same time managed to tick me off at some of the completely insane and, quite frankly, idiotic decisions that she would make. It boggles my mind, but somehow she manages to be giving and selfish at the same time... if that makes any sense. I loved Luc in this as much as the last, but I had to give Gabe the silent treatment for a while. Even though I love his character, I wasn't so much of a fan of him disappearing and not being around when it was obvious that he was needed. Yet, I understood his decision and I think I'd do the same as he did - given the circumstances.
The evil was more vile this round, which I enjoyed and pretty much reveled in. I mean, if they're going to be representing true evil then they really need to represent! I'm censoring myself saying this for those who haven't read the first yet - but the character that I was happy to see come back in the last novel made me regret my decision in this book. He ended up being even more selfish than Frannie herself and not at all giving. Maybe it's because of his prior circumstances? I have no idea, but I think he should have been smarter than how he acted in this book.
This book was as equally enjoyable as the one it follows and I'm absolutely loving where the story is going. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to come out!
Since I enjoyed these books so much and felt like sharing the love, I thought I would host a little giveaway for my wonderful blog followers. All you have to do is fill out the form below to win the following:
First Line Friday will be a weekly feature that showcases all of the books that I have reviewed in the week. Each post will include the book's cover art along with the first line of the first chapter from said book. Everyone knows the first line is the hook. The question is: will the first line snag you, or let you get away?
It was a miracle.
She had never seen a forest as green as the Wood. It seemed ironic.
If there's a Hell on Earth, it's high school.
Not that I'm complaining, but one serious downside to being a demon-turned-human is that I'm no longer indestructible.
Personal DemonsFrannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She has spent years keeping everyone at a distance—-even her closest friends—-and it seems as if her senior year is going to be more of the same . . . until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can’t seem to stay away from him.What she doesn’t know is that Luc is on a mission. He’s been sent from Hell itself to claim Frannie’s soul. It should be easy—-all he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance. But he has to work fast, because if the infernals are after her, the celestials can’t be far behind. And sure enough, it’s not long before the angel Gabriel shows up, willing to do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for. It isn’t long before they find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie’s soul.
But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay . . . for all of them.
I have been meaning to get to this book for quite some time, but had put it on hold for many reasons including other reviews. However, I was sent its sequel by Tor to review so I thought it was in my best interest to read this one first. I'm glad I did.
I will go ahead and get the obvious con of this novel that I saw – the love triangle. Yes, I was a teenager once and yes, I had a lot of boyfriends... but I never led to guys on at the same time. It just seems wrong to me because, inevitably, someone is going to get hurt – either you, or one of the guys. And either way, it's something that's completely avoidable as long as you don't follow your hormones. Just sayin'....
With that out of the way, I can say that everything else I really liked in this novel. Frannie is a great character that is very much a teenage girl, which I like, but she also has some spunk that sets her apart from other YA female characters. Her wish-wash lust for both Luc and Gabe is really the only thing I can see as far as character flaws go, but that's not necessarily a character flaw for everyone – just me and my personal morals, really. Luc and Gabe are both equally swoon-worthy. I found their names (Lucifer and Gabriel) to be quite amusing considering where they're both from, but they both lived up to those names... except one little thing. Gabe, who is an angel no less, has this weird habit of saying “sh-t” on several occasions. This just seems a little out of place to me and had me scratching my head as to why the angel from Heaven was the one that had an issue with a potty mouth. But, again, it amused me more than anything. I want to talk about another character but I can't because I'm afraid that will give some unwarranted spoilers to the story, so I will just say that I'm glad he came along and I want to know more about his mysterious issues that he has with Luc. And just so you know, Frannie's grandpa rocks. The villains were pure evil and I liked that their characters didn't sway. I sometimes wish they were a little more evil and vile, but maybe that will come with the next book – or that's me just letting my mind go a little morbid for a YA series.
The story is good. The plot was well thought out, with many twists that I didn't expect and I'm excited to see where this trilogy is going. If you're a paranormal lover with a thing for angels and demons, this is definitely one you will have to pick up if you haven't already.
Today's Topic:The Female Perspective: Female vs Male Authors
The Silver StagShe had never seen a forest as green as the Wood. It seemed ironic. The apparent life and vitality flowing from the lush green woods mocking all those entered in the past, never to return again. Chrysillee would not be one of those though. She was on a quest, a mission she would sooner die than leave unfulfilled, a journey she was willing to die for to fulfill, if need be. The sunlight filtering through the trees emitted a glittering, golden-green light. The Wood smelled thick with sweet, succulent magic that lured her forward yet made her sleepy. She stumbled on. The peddler warned of the legendary dangers of the Wood. She must not allow herself to give in... Suddenly, she stopped, listening. She heard it. The music. The sprightly call of the fiddle. She carefully made her way towards it, lured by its enchanting, lively strain. The melody awakened her sleepy spirit and body, spurred her slow steps into a quick walk, then a run, and then- She stopped as she emerged into a clearing where a girl danced on feet light as feathers, fingers weaving and skipping across the fiddle as delicately yet boldly as a spider spins her web. Both feet and hands moved deftly, skillfully, swiftly. Her white-gold hair twirled about her like beams of sunlight as did the full folds of her white-gold dress. Everything shimmered and glowed as she wove in and out of the green-gold beams of light streaming through the trees like the grand pillars of a princess' inner sanctum. Her eyes were closed but suddenly she opened them as if sensing Chrysillee's presence. A striking, sapphire blue. The girl smiled, still dancing, still playing, her feet not missing a beat, her hands not faltering on a single note, her eyes sparkling in a playful yet powerful sort of way. As Chrysillee continued to watch, she knew her quest would indeed not be in vain, for she found the Siren of the Wood, the Sunlit Wind Whisperer. Or maybe she found Chrysillee.Ahh, the fourth and final installment in Christine Schulze's Gailean Quartet series - which I have to say was a fascinating journey from the very beginning until, here, the end. The Silver Stag is a little different from its predecessors, as it follows more with Chrysillee along with her godmother Gail and her daughter Rory. In the past books, we're concentrating more on Rory herself as well as David and Sascha - who, by the way, are all still in the book and still have wonderful roles.
March 6, 2012
Haunted by memories from his first days as a vampire, Balthazar has spent hundreds of years alone—without allies, without love. When he emerges from his isolation to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, Balthazar has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Having learned of Skye’s powers and the remarkable effect her blood has on vampires, he plans to use her for his own evil purposes. As they stand together to fight the evil vampire, Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by Skye...just as Redgrave realizes that he can destroy Balthazar once and for all by taking her for his own.
In a story filled with forbidden love and dark suspense, one of the most beloved characters in Claudia Gray’s New York Times bestselling Evernight series will captivate readers with his battle to overcome his past and follow his heart.
InsatiableSick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper.I have heard pretty decent things about this book, so it's been on my TBR list for a while. I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to review it for one of the publications that I review for, which is usually my cheap excuse to bump some good titles up a bit. Having said that, I have to say that this book, even though it only registers at a mere 320 pages, took me longer to finish over any other book this year.
But her bosses are making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn't believe in them.
Not that Meena isn't familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you're going to die. (Not that you're going to believe her. No one ever does.)
But not even Meena's precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side. It's a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.
The problem is, Lucien's already dead. Maybe that's why he's the first guy Meena's ever met whom she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena's always been able to see everyone else's future, she's never been able look into her own.
And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.
Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future. . . .
If she even has one.
Until yesterday, I hadn't really thought about it since Frannie brought it up a few weeks back. But after what happened with Lili, it's been playing in the back of my mind all day: Frannie's Sway is the only way. If she could use it, maybe I could have Lili -- have everything.- p. 222, Original Sin (Matt)
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