Review: Firespell by Chloe Neill

Title: Firespell
Author: Chloe Neill
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 01/05/10
Summary:

New Girl.
New School.
Old Evil.

From the author of the Chicagoland Vampires novels.

A new series about a boarding school filled with something worse than homework.

Lily's parents have sent her to a fancy boarding school in Chicago filled with the ultra-rich. If that wasn't bad enough, she's hearing and seeing bizarre things on St. Sophie's creepy campus. Her roommate, Scout, keeps her sane, but keeps disappearing at night. When one day Lily finds Scout running from real-life monsters, she learns the hard way that Scout is involved in a splinter group of rebel teens.

They protect Chicago from demons, vamps, and dark magic users. It's too bad Lily doesn't have powers of her own to help. At least, none that she's discovered yet...

Plot: 4 Stars
This novel was a very unique take on magic. I liked that each Adept had a different magical skill, instead of everyone being a catch-all of talent. I also liked all of the details of St. Sophia's and the surrounding (and underground) area of Chicago. It gave the book a more life and really came through that the author knew the area personally or researched it extensively.

Pace: 4.5 Stars
The story sucked me in within the first couple pages and didn't let go. This is the fastest I've read a book in a while, and I enjoyed the unable-to-put-the-book-down feeling. Although only about a week and a half passes from beginning to end, a lot of mayhem surrounds Lily and Scout. Between classes, fending off the brat pack, trying to figure out why her parents are in Germany, and learning about Scout and the Adepts, Lily's first week of school was anything but boring.

Characters: 5 Stars
Lily Parker is a very strong teenager, considering she's been sent to a new city to start boarding school. She has her insecurities, but she stands up for herself. Scout, her roommate and new BFF is a hoot. She was the offbeat, goofy character that I always hope for in a book, and she definitely didn't disappoint. Jason and Michael were interesting characters from the boys boarding school across town, and I hope we learn more about them in future books. The brat pack caused drama of it's own without being in your face annoying, which was refreshing.

Cover: 3.5 Stars
The cover was true to the feel of the book, especially with the time spent exploring the basement. I just wish instead of the bulk of the cover being black, that there could've been a bit of design or background (maybe a stone hallway from the school). I really like the font choices; they were simple but elegant in that simplicity. And the skeleton key was a nice touch.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.

Teaser Tuesday (15)

This weekly book blog meme is hosted by Misb at Should be Reading.

Here are the rules:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others.)
- Share the title & author too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Title: Firespell
Author: Chloe Neill
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 01/05/10

"It was on your locker, Parker. They probably saw you following me. Probably heard you clomping through the hall in those flip flops like a Clydesdale." -- pg. 73

In My Mailbox (16)

Thanks to Kristi at The Story Siren for hosting In My Mailbox every week.

Books bought:

Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn
Firespell by Chloe Neill
My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent
Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward (hardcover bargain!)

Review: Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding

Title: Three Days to Dead
Author: Kelly Meding
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 11/24/09
Summary:

She’s young, deadly, and hunted—with only three days to solve her own murder...

When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and bruised on a cold slab at the morgue – in a stranger’s body, with no memory of who she is and how she got there – her troubles are only just beginning. Before that night, she and the other two members of her Triad were star bounty hunters — mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures living in the shadows, from vampires to shape-shifters to trolls. Then something terrible happened that not only cost all three of them their lives, but also convinced the city’s other Hunters that Evy was a traitor... and she can’t even remember what it was.

Now she’s a fugitive, piecing together her memory, trying to deal some serious justice – and discovering that she has only three days to solve her own murder before the reincarnation spell wears off. Because in three days, Evy will die again – but this time, there’s no second chance...

Plot: 5 Stars
There were so many twists and turns, and little details that you forgot about but came back to be a really big deal. All sorts of random details ended up equalling one crazy plot. I never had this story figured out. I also liked how the beginning of every chapter (except for the few flashbacks) had the time remaining at the beginning. It kept the story in perspective and helped make the timeline believable.

Pace: 4 Stars
The pace of this story never lets up, and it's definitely because Evy has a seventy-two hour timetable to figure everything out. There's no time for rest when the clock is ticking, and the mayhem never stops. There were a few moments when I wished Evy or Wyatt would shut up and keep moving, but other than that, this story never let up.

Characters: 5 Stars
I loved the numerous races of Dregs, or paranormal creatures, in this story. It was a fresh take on many, such as goblins and fae, and the first time I've read a book with gremlins and gargoyles. I really enjoyed Evy as a main character, and I also liked how little bits of Chalice (the body she is resurrected in) broke through. Wyatt was also a character I enjoyed. I liked how he put himself on the line for what he believed in. I just wish we could've seen more of his gift.

Cover: 4 Stars
At first glance, the cover doesn't really stand out against others in the genre. But on closer inspection, there is so much detail in the cityscape background. It really helps you picture the feel of the unknown city featured in the story. The only thing I don't love about the cover is the title: the font choice isn't my favorite and the bright red doesn't quite fit for me.

Overall: 4.5 Stars

Disclosure: I received a signed copy from the author after winning a contest at Dark Faerie Tales.

Friday Finds (6)

Friday finds was started by Misb at Should be Reading.

"The idea is to share, every Friday, about books that you’ve recently discovered (never heard of before) that sound really good!"

Title: Shadow Blade
Author: Seressia Glass
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 01/26/10
Summary:

For Kira Solomon, normal was never an option.

Kira's day job is as an antiquities expert, but her true calling is as a Shadowchaser. Trained from youth to be one of the most lethal Chasers in existence, Kira serves the Gilead Commission, dispatching the Fallen who sow discord and chaos. Of course, sometimes Gilead bureaucracy is as much a thorn in her side as anything the Fallen can muster against her. Right now, though, she's got a bigger problem. Someone is turning the city of Atlanta upside down in search of a millennia-old Egyptian dagger that just happens to have fallen into Kira's hands.

Then there's Khefar, the dagger's true owner -- a near-immortal 4,000-year-old Nubian warrior who, Kira has to admit, looks pretty fine for his age. Joining forces is the only way to keep the weapon safe from the sinister Shadow forces, but now Kira is in deep with someone who holds more secrets than she does, the one person who knows just how treacherous this fight is. Because every step closer to destroying the enemy is a step closer to losing herself to Shadow forever...

Title: Night Tides
Author: Alex Prentiss
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 01/26/10
Summary:

One by one they go missing. And in the lake a voice cries out: “Save them...”

In the darkness, in a lake in the middle of a prosperous college town, Rachel Matre feels the water caressing her bare skin, teasing her senses, drawing her body into a lush erotic embrace. For twenty years she has communed with the lake spirits this way—and told no one. The price is simple: She must help those in need.

But now a series of young women have gone missing. The police don’t have any bodies, or even a single suspect. Only the spirits seem to sense the truth. Through them, Rachel finds herself drawn into a madman’s web. She alone can save the missing women. But who can save her?

Title: Token of Darkness
Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 02/09/10
Summary:

Cooper Blake has everything going for him—until he wakes from a car accident with his football career in ruins and a mysterious, attractive girl by his side. Cooper doesn’t know how Samantha got there or why he can see her; all he knows is that she’s a ghost, and the shadows that surround her seem intent on destroying her.

No one from Cooper’s old life would understand what he can barely grasp himself. . . . But Delilah, the captain of the cheerleading squad, has secrets of her own, like her ability to see beyond the physical world, and her tangled history with Brent, a loner from a neighboring school who can hear strangers’ most intimate thoughts. Delilah and Brent know that Cooper is in more trouble than he realizes, and that Samantha may not be as innocent as she has led Cooper to believe. But the only way to figure out where Samantha came from will put them all in more danger than they ever dreamed possible.