THE MONSTER WITHIN
by Kelly Hashway

June 16, 2014 by

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE MONSTER WITHIN by Kelly HashwayThe Monster Within by Kelly Hashway
Published by Spencer Hill Press on 2014-04-08
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Greek & Roman, Legends, Myths, Fables, Young Adult
Pages: 296
Source: Author
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Reviewed by Dani

The moment seventeen-year-old Samantha Thompson crawls out of her grave, her second chance at life begins. She died of cancer with her long-time boyfriend, Ethan, by her side -- a completely unfair shot at life. But Ethan found a way to bring her back, like he promised he would. Only Sam came back wrong. She's now a monster that drains others' lives to survive. And after she kills, she's tortured by visions -- glimpses into her victims would have- been futures had she not killed them. Barely able to live with herself and trying to make things right, Sam ends up a pawn in a vicious game of payback within the local coven of witches. But when the game reveals what Ethan had to do to save Sam, she must make a choice that will change all their lives forever.

The Monster Within is about a girl named Samantha who comes back to life four days after she died from cancer. Her boyfriend is the one who brought her back, but whenever she asks how he did it he refuses to tell her. Samantha and Ethan move to a small town because they can’t go back home. The first night at there new place is when Sam realizes something isn’t right with her. To stay alive Sam has to suck the life out of other people. The book started out good, I was interested in finding out what Sam would do now that she has to drain the life out of people to stay alive as well as how Ethan brought her back. I did not like Sam at all. She made decisions that weren’t smart, and I can’t even keep track of how many lies she told. And it just bothered me that Ethan just wouldn’t tell her what he did to bring her back until the very end. I did like the fact that when she did kill someone she would get to see their futures and what their lives would have been like if she didn’t kill them. I found myself putting this book down a few times. I’m not sure if I would read the sequel.

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HEXED by Michelle Krys

June 8, 2014 by

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

HEXED by Michelle KrysHEXED by Michelle Krys
Published by Random House on June 10, 2014
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 386
Format: Hardcover
Source: Author
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Reviewed by Dani

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?
 
Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.
Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

 

Hexed is about a girl named Indie who finds out she’s a witch, and has to learn fast. Indie has to get the Bible back before every witch on the planet dies. When I got this book I was so excited, because I haven’t read a book that involves witches since I read L.J Smith’s The Night World. I kind of feel let down because I thought more would happen in Hexed, but I guess I’ll just have to wait for the sequel to be released. I wasn’t a fan of most of the characters except for Paige, Indie’s neighbor and Jezebel, Bishop’s ex-girlfriend. I felt like Paige was the only one using common sense, and Jezebel just seemed like a strong female character in general. The reason I didn’t like Indie was because she was shallow, self-centered, and I just couldn’t relate to her. I felt like she should have done more in the book but she didn’t. And Indie’s “Love Interest” just treated everything like a game and it got annoying. Overall, I found this book to be a let down. I would read the sequel just to finish this series and because this book left off on a cliff hanger.

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MIDNIGHT FROST
by Jennifer Estep

June 4, 2014 by

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

MIDNIGHT FROST by Jennifer EstepMidnight Frost by Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy #5
Published by Kensington Books on 2013
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 372
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Reviewed by Dani

Just when it seems life at Mythos Academy can't get any more dangerous, the Reapers of Chaos manage to prove me wrong. It was just a typical night at the Library of Antiquities--until a Reaper tried to poison me. The good news is I'm still alive and kicking. The bad news is the Reaper poisoned someone else instead.

After what happened in the last book with Logan, Gwen is hurt as she should be. But when Gwen is in her library she notices a reaper slipping poison in her water bottle, but Gwen is too late because Nickamedes already took a sip. Gwen and her friends must get find the cure. Gwen and her friends Daphne, Carson, and Coach Ajax go to Denver to start looking for the cure. In Denver Gwen meets her cousin Rory. Gwen’s cousin Rory isn’t liked probably because her parents did something they shouldn’t have… While on this trip Gwen finds out more about her family, and someone comes back from a little time away. I loved this book as I do with the rest in the series. You find out so much more about Gwen and her family in this book. I love how caring and determined Gwen is especially when it comes to keeping her friends safe. The sequel to this book is Killer Frost. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes urban fantasies.

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CRIMSON FROST
by Jennifer Estep

June 4, 2014 by

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

CRIMSON FROST by Jennifer EstepCrimson Frost by Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy #4
Published by Kensington Books on 2012-12-24
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Reviewed by Dani

For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes--the most hideous face I'd ever seen. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw him everywhere I went. It was Loki--the evil god that I'd helped set free against my will.I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we'd gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I'd have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn't see that one coming. I've been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison--and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan's dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I'm guilty. If I'm going to get out of this mess alive, I'll have to do it myself. . .

Crimson Frost starts with Logan and Gwen going on their first date. The unexpected happens as Gwen is accused of purposely helping the reapers set Loki free. Gwen and all her friends will stop at nothing to help Gwen clear her name. Even though Logan’s dad is the one leading the charge against Gwen, Logan still stays by Gwen. Of course I have nothing but good things to say about this book. But the ending is pretty sad in my opinion and when you find out who one of Loki’s reaper helpers is you’ll be shocked because I was. The sequel to this book is Midnight Frost. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Urban Fantasies, and Romance.

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DARK FROST by Jennifer Estep

June 4, 2014 by

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

DARK FROST by Jennifer EstepDark Frost by Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy #3
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Reviewed by Dani

Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects - and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I'm also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me? It turns out my mom hid a powerful artefact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can't use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me - and I'm in for the fight of my life.

Things for Gwen won’t get easier especially with reapers still coming after her. Before Gwen’s mom died she hid an artifact called the Helheim Dagger, and that’s what the reapers are looking for. Gwen needs to find the Dagger before the reapers do or they’ll use it to set Loki an evil God free. This is my favorite book in the series. Why? Probably because Gwen and Logan are dating now! I just really love this book everything about it is amazing. The ending of the book is crazy especially the fact that Gwen has to hurry and find the Dagger before any of the reapers. The sequel to this book is Crimson Frost. I recommend this book to anyone who likes Romance and Urban Fantasies.

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KISS OF FROST by Jennifer Estep

June 4, 2014 by

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

KISS OF FROST by Jennifer EstepKiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy #2
Published by Kensington Books on 2011
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 374
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Reviewed by Dani

Logan Quinn was trying to kill me. My Spartan classmate relentlessly pursued me, swinging his sword at me over and over again, the shining silver blade inching closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes practically glowed with the thrill of battle . . . I'm Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Academy, and I have no idea how I'm going to survive the rest of the semester. One day, I'm getting schooled in swordplay by the guy who broke my heart--the drop-dead gorgeous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invisible archer in the Library of Antiquities decides to use me for target practice. And now, I find out that someone at the academy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I'm afraid if I don't learn how to live by the sword--with Logan's help--I just might die by the sword . . .

After the events that took place in Touch of Frost the teachers at Mythos Academy decided that Gwen should take Weapons training in case there’s a reaper and she needs to protect herself. But it’s time for winter break so everyone at Mythos is ready to go to the Winter Carnival. Right before they leave Gwen almost gets run over, and shot with an arrow. She believes it is due to a Reaper wanting revenge for the death of another Reaper. At the Winter Carnival similar strange things start happening, leading her to uncovering the truth behind it. Gwen decides to take matters into her own hands and tries to find out who is after her. I think I liked this book more than the first because of the growing relationship between Logan and Gwen even though they still aren’t together. I honestly cannot get enough of this series. I do have the next book which is Dark Frost. I recommend this book to anyone who likes urban fantasies and romance.

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TOUCH OF FROST
by Jennifer Estep

June 4, 2014 by

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

TOUCH OF FROST by Jennifer EstepTouch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy #1
Published by Kensington Books on 2011-08-01
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Reviewed by Dani

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy -- a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest. But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why – especially since I should have been the one who died . . .

Gwen is a gypsy and she attends Mythos Academy, which is basically a school for warriors, so she doesn’t really fit in. Gwen has the ability to see an objects history just by touching it, which is why she has to be careful, because some memories are just too strong, and even traumatizing. Gwen works at the campus library and during her shift she sees the most popular girl in school get murdered. After Jasmines murder most of the other students seem to brush it off because they’re used to seeing death, this just rubs Gwen the wrong way and she’s determined to figure out why and who would kill Jasmine. Along the course of her investigation Gwen becomes friends with a valkyrie named Daphne and even does a little flirting with a cute spartan named Logan. I did appreciate the friendship between Daphne and Gwen it was authentic and something that both girls needed. Logan he’s cute and he’s very aware of his abilities, I like that he would come to the rescue. Anyway the result of who killed Jasmine was pretty surprising and not something I would have guessed. The ending just leaves us wanting more and that’s exactly why I can’t wait to read the sequel Kiss of Frost. This is one of my favorite series and rereading it just brings back memories of how much I love this series and the characters.

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UNINVITED by Sophie Jordan

March 11, 2014 by

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

UNINVITED by Sophie JordanUninvited by Sophie Jordan
Published by HarperCollins on 2014-01-28
Genres: Action & Adventure, Love & Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Author
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Reviewed by Miranda

From New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan, Uninvited is a chilling and suspenseful story about a girl whose DNA brands her as a killer, perfect for fans of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and Confessions of a Murder Suspect.Davy had everything—a terrific boyfriend, the homecoming crown, a bright future at Juilliard—but when her genetic tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, she loses it all. Uninvited from her prestigious school and avoided by her friends and family, she is placed in a special class with other


 

I had the honor of receiving an ARC of Ms. Jordan’s upcoming novel UNINVITED at Authors After Dark. I have been so busy I didn’t have the chance to read it until Christmas Eve. I finished it within 24 hours because WOW it is so fantastic! Sophie Jordan has an award winning book on her hands. UNINVITED hits shelves in January and you do not want to miss out! UNINVITED’S tagline is “They Say She’s A Killer, One Day She Will Be.” This is one great tagline. It creates the perfect amount of intrigue. While reading UNINVITED you will ask yourself a bunch of questions about how we define ourselves and how far we will go to survive?! UNINVITED is beautifully written by Ms. Jordan’s brilliant pen. UNINVITED is by far the best young adult novel I have read this year. It gave me exciting chills the likes of which I haven’t had since I read, The Hunger Games.

UNINVITED gives the reader a feast filled with heady topics, chilling suspense and a one-of-a-kind romance. I fully expect the characters, Davina “Davy” Hamilton and Sean O’Rourke to become the next “YA It Couple!” One of the many things that make this a wonderful novel is the fact that there is no angst-ridden love triangle like most YA novels. Davy Hamilton is one smart and savvy teenager. Unfortunately, her world gets turned upside down in an instant and she is forced to learn a new way of living. Sean O’Rourke is a no-nonsense type of guy who has worked for everything he has. Sparks fly when these two are on the page together. I absolutely love them! I’m actually thinking about reading it again because it went by too fast! UNINVITED took my breath away with its invigorating five-star romance! Sophie Jordan rocked my world with UNINVITED! I cannot wait to find out what happens next!!

 

Xoxo,

Miranda

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