The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Description:

My name- my True Name- is Ashallyn'darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining song of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court.

And I am dead to her.

My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl...

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing gentler feelings the Winter Prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase- a half-human, half-fey slip of a girl- smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer faery can survive,

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through its end- a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.

To survive the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way, Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Okay, some people (although fewer in number) have yet to read this series, so I will do my best to avoid all spoilers. However, unless you have been under a rock, you should know even just a little bit about this series.

This being Ash's story we begin where the last book, The Iron Queen, left off with him going on his own personal quest. Now, I also loved Ash in the previous books, I admit I had trouble connecting to him in this book at the beginning. I think he just came off as so different to me that it took me a minute to adjust even though I got to know more about his past. He had to become his own person after all and could not just play off of other characters. So, I admit (and I know some people will kill me for this) the beginning dragged for me a bit but not much as I still was captivated with the world of the fae.

As for the other characters I think my favorite with this book was Puck. Being a true friend and the comedian of the group, he always entertained me. Puck needs his own book now. I would love to read that adventure! I, of course, should also say something about Grim. I also have to admit, I wasn't as in love with Grim at the beginning of the adventure, but he proved to be the perfect cat sith by the end of the book. So, I hope I'm forgiven for that statement and don't now owe him a huge favor by now. O.o

At the end of Ash's adventure I admit that I was fully captivated and was also fully involved within the story. It becomes the story we are used to with the rest of the series and hate to see the book end. So because of the end of the story I give this book 4 stars. It really payed off.

And NOW I must still proclaim now and forever more I am always:

You will always be my favorite snarky character!

Grim, am I forgiven now?

I was given this book by NetGalley and no compensation for my review was given.

Crave by Melissa Darnell

Description:

Savannah Colbert has never known why she's so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It's as if he's a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she's destined to fail.

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can't stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

This was a book that inspired mixed feelings for me. On one hand, the writing was well done and it did keep my interest. On the other, it was filled with those YA clichés that often turn people off. For example there is the girl without confidence. There is also absentee parents. The crabby best friend (but she was extremely loyal and helpful). Well, I could go on, but it was filled with these except for the love triangle! :) I should also state that there was a obsession on both sides (Savannah and Tristan) but it didn't bother me since this was a paranormal and neither were human. I can attribute it to their paranormalness (it's a word!) rather than teenage hormones. :)

Well, I should also admit, besides the absentee parents, the rest of that didn't bother me too much. What did bother me was the secrets Savannah, her parents and the community was keeping. It was so frustrating that you knew trouble would be coming due to all the secrecy. You would think at least one person (or non-person?) would understand that this only hurts everyone and would try to put an end to it. But the town was built on it so I suppose that is why they kept everything from everyone. It was still annoying to me.

I will say that this book was well written in the world that they inhabit. The adventures kept me going and I did like the progression of Tristan and Savannah together. I'm just not completely happy with the choices they made. So, you see... I'm on the fence on this one. Looking around I can see why people either loved this book or hated it. So, keep that in mind when deciding if you want to read it or not. I do want to read the next book because... get ready for it... it was a cliffie! Yes, I do want to know what happens and if everyone stops being so darn secretive!

I give this book 3 stars. I think people who loved Twilight's obsessive romance will enjoy this book more than the others. So, you need to keep that in mind.
I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley and no compensation was given for my review.

My Book Boyfriend

Meme hosted by the Unread Reader!

This weeks book boyfriend is from Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. If you read my review you already know who I'm going to announce. It's Aiden! *sigh* Yes, I am officially claiming him right now. All the rest of you... back off!

Now, who could I chose to be Aiden? This form of perfection? He has dark hair and beautiful eyes (of course I can't match his eyes especially when they turn silver when he is angry!). Oh and he is built like a god. Mmmmm... yes...

However, is that why I'm so in love with Aiden? No. It is his personality (trust me the package doesn't hurt either!). He treats all as equals even though he was taught differently. He is part of the privileged class, but never saw himself as such. He truly sees me.. uh, I mean Alex, as who she really is deep down. In fact when she finds out more about herself, he doesn't bat an eye. No jealousy, just loves that she knows more about herself. He also thinks about others before himself. Yes, he thinks of Alex's future and not on his immediate gratification. His biggest fault? He doesn't know how to have fun, but he recognizes it and is willing to work on that. I'm willing to help. ;D So, you are wondering who I'm going to pick, eh? Well..

Close your eyes...

Picture a hot male of your chosing...

and give him the personality I stated. 

*ahhh...*

Sometimes it's true. The personality makes the man. ;)

So, who is in your harem. Hands off Aiden! ;D

Winner!

Winner of the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop 

is..

Vivien!

(confirmed)

I swear I'm going to have to rub your head or something! You have the luck going!

Congraties!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Description:

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Art? Paranormal? PNR? Hm... give me a second to think if I want to read it. YES! Oh, did I answer that too quickly? :D So, of course when I got the chance to read and review this one I jumped at it! I couldn't wait until it reached the top of the review pile. :)

I really loved this book. I loved the way each section of the book was introduced. It gave you just a hint as to what was coming. For example, the beginning intro:

Once upon a time,
an angel and a devil fell in love.
It did not end well.

Just enough to whet your appetite as to what was coming. Of course the others made more sense as you read them, but I will not reveal those here as I refuse to spoil this intriguing tale.

There was also humor in the book. One of my favorite quotes that made me LOL when she was being reprimanded by her guardian:

..."I don't know many rules to live by," he'd said. "But here is one. It's simple. Don't put anything unnecessary into yourself.  No poisons or chemicals, no fumes, smoke or alcohol, no sharp objects, no inessential needles~ drug or tattoo~ and... no inessential penises, either."
   "Inessential penises? " Karou had repeated, delighted with the phrase in spite of her grief. "Is there any such thing as an essential one?"

Hm... I don't think anything would have gotten through to her quite like that... despite the many tattoos she already sported. ;D Oh and as you can see, most would consider this an older YA book.

Karou was an interesting character. Someone fully human, and yet had such an inhuman existence. Both her worlds, the one with the creatures she has always known and in her human one are lushly built. In fact, I would love to visit Prague where she lives in her human home. It sounds so beautiful. You also love the secondary characters in the book like her best friend Zuszana. She is a snarky and loyal best friend. One you root for along with Karou. Ah, and then there is Akiva. Do you find out why he is so tortured? Why he is drawn to Karou? Heh... you know it's coming.. *evil laugh* I'm not telling, but you will want him to heal and become the "person" you think he really is beneath the pain.

There is also a recurring theme of wishes and hope. One I can't wait to see how it develops as the trilogy goes on. Yes, it is a trilogy and I want the next one now! That, of course, brings me to my biggest complaint... it is a cliffie! I will say this... it wouldn't have mattered if it wasn't a cliffie. I didn't want to leave Karou and her worlds. So, I would have wanted the next one anyway. So, that is the only reason I am not taking off stars for the cliffie. *sigh*

I give this book 5 stars. I really recommend this book to YA and adult PNR readers. You will love the romance within. It has a bit of Romeo and Juliet as well as Beauty and the Beast quality to it. So, if you enjoy those stories you will enjoy this one.
I received this book through Little Brown and no compensation for my review was given.

The trailer for the book:

Brimstone:

Issa:

Zuzana:

Akiva:

Hm... can you tell I love the characters of this book?

What are you waiting for? READ THIS BOOK!