Mini-Review: Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

Title: Ripple
Author: Mandy Hubbard
Publisher: Razorbill
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Release Date: 07/21/11
Reviewed by: Sara
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Summary:

A siren must choose between the curse that defines her and a chance at love

Lexi is cursed. Following in the footsteps of every woman on her mother's side of the family, she's a siren whose song lures unsuspecting victims to their watery deaths. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim to stay alive. Lexi wants desperately to be a normal girl, but she cuts herself off, becoming an ice queen to keep from hurting the people she cares about. Then she finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision of her life. Will she learn that love finds a way to overcome even the strongest of curses?

Ripple is a sea-ravaged tale of melancholy beauty, and the choices one girl makes between land and waves, love and freedom, her future -- and her heart.

Mini-Review: I have been waiting for a chance to borrow this book from the library for a while, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Even Christen enjoyed it (she read it before me), and she is harder to please when it comes to Paranormal Young Adult. I really enjoyed the siren lore in this novel, and how Lexi coped. It was very interesting to see her interact with the other kids at school after the events leading up to the story. Once I was hooked, I couldn't put this book down. It was a quick read, but definitely in a good way. As Lexi was put into certain situations at school, I got to learn more about the students she used to be friends with. All in all, this was a great paranormal read with some interesting twists and turns. The cover was a bit simple, but really worked well with the story.

Plot: 4.5 Stars
Pace: 4.5 Stars
Characters: 4.5 Stars
Cover: 4 Stars
Overall: 4.5 Stars

Disclosure: I borrowed this book for my local library.

Review: The Darkest Edge of Dawn by Kelly Gay

Title: The Darkest Edge of Dawn
Author: Kelly Gay
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 08/31/10
Summary:

It takes a strong woman to keep the peace in a city of endless night...

Deep beneath Underground, a cunning bid for power and revenge has begun -- one that threatens to make Atlanta the new battleground in the ultimate confrontation between good and evil. The powers of hellish Charbydon have the upper hand after plunging the city into primordial night. And under the cover of darkness, a serial killer targets the most powerful Elysians in the city, the angelic Adonai. For Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner Hank, tracking deadly predators is all in a day’s work... but this case will test the limits of their strength and friendship as it draws them into a deadly world of power plays, ancient myths, explosive secrets, and a race against time that risks all that Charlie holds dear.

Plot: 5 Stars
In this sequel, we're introduced to new characters and delve deeper into the politics of Elysia and Charbydon. Between the investigation and the power plays, you would think Charlie didn't have time for anything else. But she also has to juggle with the aftermath of her ex-husband's decision, a partner acting strange, and a kid who is growing up. Any normal person would be overwhelmed, but Charlie handles everything thrown at her. I just hope in future books we get to visit Elysia and Charbydon, I think they'd be very interesting.

Pace: 5 Stars
This novel never stopped. Kelly has a way of writing that keeps you on the edge of your seat, bouncing with excitement for the next scene. It picked up not long after the first novel, and didn't skip a beat. I didn't remember too many details from the first novel since I read it nine months ago, but I had no problem jumping right in. There was just enough details here and there to jog my memory and bring it all back. The author also did a great job of showing time pass throughout the novel. What could've easily been packed into 48 hours, like many novels do, was a little more spread out without slowing down.

Characters: 4.5 Stars
When The Better Part of Darkness ended, Charlie had a lot she was going to have to deal with, and The Darkest Edge of Dawn really showed how much her character had grown to accomodate the changes her body was put through. She had a lot of her plate throughout the book, and she handled it all really well. Her daughter, Emma, was once again a great addition to the book. She showed real maturity for her age and was full of surprises. Hank, a character I really enjoyed in book one, was kind of all over the map in this book. I'm hoping he'll calm back down in the future since his voice-mod problem was taken care of.

Cover: 5 Stars
This cover was lighter than its predecessor, while still keeping the dark and gritty feel that suits the novel so well. My favorite details of the whole cover is the bullet hole right above the title and the green flash coming from the cover model's gun. It's a nice touch since Charlie carries three weapons: one for humans, one for Elysians, and one for Charbydons. I also really like the facial expression on the model. It's a very angry expression, but it feels true to Charlie. I don't think she would want to have a seductive expression, it's not her style.

Overall: 5 Stars

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.