Annabell’s Comments (group member since Jun 27, 2012)

Annabell’s comments from the TeAmNeRd ReViEwS group.

Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell Cadiz

3/5 stars

Synopsis: Tamani looked at her gravely, and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

He hesitated for an instant, then his hands found the sides of her face, pulling her to him. He didn't kiss her, just held her face close to his, their foreheads resting together, their noses almost touching.

She hated how much it felt like good-bye.

Laurel now knows the truth: Yuki is a rare Winter faerie, the most powerful — and deadly — of all, and Klea plans to use her to help conquer and destroy Avalon. But Klea's reach extends far beyond one wild Winter faerie. With Tamani, David, and Chelsea by her side, Laurel prepares to face what may be Avalon's final days, in the stunning conclusion to the Wings series.


Review: I have enjoyed the Wings Series from the beginning. The first three books were a great take on the world of fairies and an entertaining set of characters to follow so I was excited to dive into the final installment, Destined. The series isn’t a ‘wow’ you type of series but the books have run through at a fast and easy pace along with some great moments in the plot so they have been a guilty pleasure of sorts to read.




The problem is that, Destined . . . lacked any real staying power.


Laurel, who in the previous three novels was portrayed with smarts, strength, and heart, completely turns into a useless and overtly dramatic character in the last book which was disappointing since you would expect the heroine to actually fight to save the world she loves. Laurel’s big moment of near sacrifice and triumph comes toward the end of the book (and there’s this smaller moment where she helps to save a few fairies who, if I remember correctly, turned out to be just fine) and by that time, the reader is just left feeling dejected with her. Laurel spans the novel hiding, crying, and whinnying about not being able to lose Tamani. All the while Tamani and David, along with the fairies of Avalon, have to contend with all the fighting against Klea, Yuki, and the trolls.




Speaking of that fighting, the entire novel pretty much consists of genocide as Klea has the trolls ravish Avalon, killing and maiming anything with life. The book never slows down enough to give the reader a chance to breathe, to grasp the pain and horror of what is happening. BUT, at the same time, that aspect of the book was written well in certain scenes (at least until it started to becoming redundant). Klea, the main villain, was the only well written character in the entire story. She is dark, bitter, vengeful, determined, and unremorseful. I even manage to feel sympathy for her after its revealed why she loathes Avalon so much.


Tamani is still one of my favorite characters of the entire series. He is strong, calm, patient, and kind. His devotion and love for Laurel is lovely. That isn’t to say that Tamini doesn’t fall into pretty predictable actions in Destined. I still loved him though! Chelsea, Laurel’s best friend and a character liked in the previous books for her sassy attitude and unyielding loyalty, doesn’t have much of a role in the final installment which was also a disappointing aspect. Her character doesn’t get many scenes and when she does, she is pretty much running from one of Avalon to the other. But she does help way more than Laurel –gathering fairies, helping to attack trolls, setting up a sort of fortress to buy time. I wished Chelsea had had more to do in the book instead of just being demoted to nothing more than Laurel’s sidekick.



Then there’s David (insert heavy sigh and roll of the eyes here). Jamison, the King of Avalon and a character I really came to like from the series, also barely has any scenes in the book. He is weakened pretty early on and is out until closer toward the last few chapters which made the book feel like it was missing something really important. Anyway, Jamison decides to have David become apart of the battle to save Avalon and gives him (wait for it!) the sword of Excalibur. Oh you know the sword that belonged to King Arthur. The one only a mighty warrior could wield. While Jamison decides that warrior is David, who has been pretty useless throughout the entire series, who was really only apart of the series to act in the love triangle even though from the first book every reader knows how that love triangle will end. I laughed so hard the moment David took a hold of the sword and suddenly becomes the most powerful being in Avalon. Thanks to the sword, nothing can touch David. Not bullets being fired at him. Not swords being swung at him. Not trolls trying to rip his head off of his neck. Nope. He becomes invincible and spends majority of the book trashing and killing trolls like he’s throwing a tantrum. I just couldn’t by it! Tamani being given the sword I could have believed or Laurel or even Jamison but David?! The nerd boy who has done nothing of real value (except for a time where he saved Laurel’s life if I’m remembering correctly but I’m pretty sure that was with Tamani’s help??) suddenly is in charge of protecting and saving all of Avalon . . . Say what now? (insert confused stare).


The love triangle was as to be expected: filled with angst, territorial and ego-driven boys, girl claiming to love both even though she basically cheated on the first boy with the second boy, and girl who decides to go with second boy because she has always loved him but was too scared from how powerful those feelings were to admit her love until she comes close to losing the boy. Ugh. Enough said.

There were a few key moments that seemed to be overlooked all together or done too quickly. One of them was the fact that Tamani never returns to check on his sister and niece after they are rescued. He leaves Avalon with Laurel without bothering to make sure they were okay! Jamison may be married to the Queen of Avalon but he doesn’t have as much power as she does so when he let’s David and Chelsea into Avalon he commits an unforgiveable sin. Well, at least that’s the rule—no humans allowed inside of Avalon—but the Queen just lets him go with a glare. I just expected there to be some kind of battle, some type of action. The Queen also makes a lot of threats in the book and acts as if she has control but she just comes off as an annoying high school mean girl.
The first third of the book was written fast paced and throws the reader right into the action. The main villain was evil and crazy and portrayed as thus which was one of the best aspects to the book. Laurel ends up with who I had always wanted her to end up with and there are a few scenes along the middle of the book that are pretty good to read. The official ending, David’s letter, although kind out of left field and dramatic, was an ending I hadn’t expected. Instead of a complete happy ending all the way around, the ending is bittersweet which was a nice little surprise considering everything else that happened in the book.

Overall, fans of the Wings Series will find Destined an okay ending to the story and characters they have come to love and enjoy. Not the best but not the worse either.

http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/08/book...

3/5 stars

Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell Cadiz

Upon finally being able to get a copy of Hallowed from my local library, I was definitely excited to jump right in! I had really loved Unearthly and the characters so I was looking forward to seeing where the story had progressed.


. . . Except Hallowed didn’t turn out to be nearly as good as its predecessor.


That doesn’t mean there weren’t aspects of the book that I really enjoyed and characters I still love.


There was definitely a lot of Tucker *swoon* time throughout the novel which was great. He is still as sweet, charming and protective as in the first novel. Clara and Tucker’s relationship seems like the type of relationship every girl would want except for the whole love triangle with Christian. I have never been a fan of love triangles or insta-love *sigh* With Hallowed, Clara spends most of the book arguing with herself for the feelings she has started developing for Christian which I didn’t really buy. Christian is sweet and caring, he is gorgeous and has this mysterious factor all of which is just too cliché. Where Tucker seemed more realistic as a character, flawed and opened, Christian is just too angst ridden. Clara also spent the entire book angst ridden where in Unearthly she had seemed stronger and more assured of herself.


The majority of the plot is slow paced and nothing much happens. There are a few suspense filled scenes and a few lackluster action scenes but nothing to really hook a reader in. Although, the last few chapters and big revelation closer to the end will keep readers wanting to know what will happen next.


Something that bothered me was the direction Hand took with some of my other favorite characters who came to play secondary roles in Hallowed to Clara’s constant narration of her mixed feelings. Angela, who was spunky and blunt and bold in Unearthly, doesn’t get much screen time and when she does she has lost her spark a bit. Jeffery is barely in the book and when he is he’s basically sulking and angry. Part of his attitude is understandable because of what happens in the book but Clara pays little attention to her brother which seemed wrong. Wendy is pretty much nonexistent.


There are new characters introduced in the story like Billy, who I liked and look forward to getting to know better. I also liked the scenes in the cemetery and the way Clara’s relationship with her mother was showcased more throughout the novel.


The Black Wing, Samjeeza, was a lackluster villain. He came off more as a schizophrenic sociopath than a powerful supernatural being. He was just as angst ridden as Clara and I couldn’t take his character serious or feel bad for him when his connection with Clara’s mother comes to light.


Hallowed was an okay read and I did enjoy certain scenes. I didn’t fall in love with it anywhere near as much as I did with Unearthly. But I am a fan of some of the characters and do want to know what will happen next. I’m just hoping the author improves the storyline in Boundless (scheduled to come out in 2013).

http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/08/book...

Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell Cadiz

4/5 stars

Note: Contains minor spoilers.


Review: In receiving a copy from Foreseen, I hadn’t quite known what to expect and after beginning, I was a bit worried I would not be able to even read the first fifty pages let alone finish the novel. The novel started off rather boring and remained so for the first forty pages or so then gradually built up to an interesting enough plot that I decided to stick with the book, curious as to where the author would take the story. Truth be told, even though the book fell somewhere between The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong and the movie Push, I was surprised by how much I came to actually like a great deal of the book and characters.


Kinzie is shy, quiet, very much a tomboy and doesn’t really have a lot of friends. She spends more time with her head in a book and handling scientific projects than people. I could relate to Kinzie since growing up (and even now) I was VERY shy and just as much of a tomboy as Kinzie’s character. But she is also honest and incredibly stubborn. I didn’t fully like Kinzie’s character though. She is too gullible and is easily manipulated. She always talks about her distrust of people but she instantly trusts the Seven, the leaders of the Rothston Institute, without really questioning them until it’s too late and she has to be rescued. She also made incredibly stupid decisions with her new found adept gifts when she knew better!


Greg was my favorite character out of the entire novel. I hadn’t expected to really like him at all since he starts off as an ego-centric playboy who depends on his naturally born good looks and family money to impress people. He matures and grows throughout the book as he develops a friendship with Kinzie which transforms into a romantic relationship. I liked how realistic his character was portrayed and how much Greg is changed by his love for Kinzie. He learns to respect women better and to focus on building a life outside of his family’s money.


The Seven are the leaders at Rothston and frankly, the only likeable one out of the bunch was Melvina. She was kind and caring whereas the rest where just evil, egotistical, power hungry maniacs. Rex was the main villain of the book and he was as pompous as the Seven and equally annoying which I supposed worked for the role he played.


There are a few secondary characters both within Kinzie and Greg’s life. Sasha was Kinzine’s roommate and only friend (until Greg). She was the most annoying character out of the bunch. I had been hoping she wouldn’t survive to see the end of Foreseen so I wouldn’t have to deal with in the second novel. Curtis was sweet and cute. Greg’s roommates, Boomer and Pete, were hilarious and guy-guys.


The romance between Greg and Kinzie developed pretty well. They started off as awkward friends, learning to feel comfortable around each other as they worked on a school project. They gradually grow into a friendship and learn to trust each other. I liked when Greg realizes his feelings for Kinzie have grown since they come as such a shock to him. I did get annoyed with how often Kinzie needed to be cuddled by Greg to be made to feel better about herself. I also got frustrated with how much the author intertwined scientific jargon for Kinzine to describe how she felt for Greg. It didn’t mix well. It made Kinzie’s thoughts come off too analytical.


After the first 40 pages or so, the pacing to the novel begins to grow and gets better. The suspense is slow growing and not as strong considering Kinzie is rather dull and gullible but works well when Greg is narrating. The action scenes are pretty standard, nothing too surprising about them.


Foreseen was a pretty good debut novel and I do look forward to checking out what will be done in the second installment, Choices. I definitely want to see how Greg and Kinzie’s relationship develops and what will happen with the Seven at the Rothston Institute after how the book ended.


Science fiction fans will thoroughly enjoy this book!

http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/08/book...

Author Michelle Muto --Discover some great new reads in Muto's books: Don't Fear the Reaper and The Book of Lost Souls.

http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/07/indi...

Author Peter Dawes --Find out about his Vampie Flynn Trilogy that has had fans raving!

http://www.nerdalien.com/p/indie-shou...

Author Raine Thomas --Find out about her lovely Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy and the first book to her new trilogy the Firstborn Trilogy, Defy.

http://www.nerdalien.com/p/indie-shou...

Author Chelsea Cameron --Let's fans in on how she approaches creating suspense within her own novels. You can also check out her books: Nocturnal, Nightmare, and Whisper.

http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/07/indi...

Author Martin Rouillard (Tales of the Lorekeepers Series) -- Author Martin Rouillard opens about his journey into self-publishing his debut novel, Rise of the Red Dragon. "If you have taken the time to get it right, to tidy up the place if you wish, then people will come in and enjoy their time with you. What’s more, if they genuinely like what you have done, they will take the time to let you know how you touched or moved them. They will let the world know how much they appreciate the effort you put forth and that, my friends, is the greatest reward of all."

Check out the post at: http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/06/gues...

Author Bill Blais (Kelly and Umber Series) dicusses why he ventured off in a different direction when he creating his heroine Kelly who isn't your typical-size 0-teenager age-angst-ridden-kick-butt-character. Kelly certainly does kick butt but she's much different than what readers are use to reading. And Blais discusses why ordinary people make the best kind of heroines. "I can't make people like my books any more than a painter can force people to appreciate her art, and I believe a novel created by formula has the same appeal as a color by numbers picture. I like people and stories who make hard choices, and I can only do my best to be honest to the stories as I discover them. Seriously, who doesn't want to kick butt and win the guy or girl?"

Read Blais's post at: http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/04/extr...

Author H.A. Goodman (Logic of Demons) reveals how his philosophy on life inspires both his characters, and more importantly, the themes behind his stories. ". . . what I try to do in my novels is have fun with religious mythology and communicate a different way of seeing theologically inspired creatures like angels and demons."

Read Goodman's great post: http://www.nerdalien.com/2011/11/gues...

Author Angela Yuriko Smith (End of Mae) offers marketing FREE marketing tips to help authors better promote their novels and offers five ways she was able to gain such a strong following for her novella End of Mae in just a month. ". . . independent authors are being ignored not because they are bad, but because the writer lacks the money and know-how to get their book noticed . . . Good marketing will not sell a bad book, but it will get a good book the attention it deserves."

Read Angela's tips to help promote your book: http://www.nerdalien.com/2011/07/gues...

Author Leslie Ann Wright (Splintered: Sierra's Legacy) talks about how she overcame her fears as a writer and offers some very good advice to aspiring authors. "If you can entertain others with your stories, it gives you both courage and pride. Writing often makes the impossible possible, with just a few scribbles of the pen."

Writing a novel has been a journey. I have been in love with the written word my entire life. I read and review books on my blog, but I have written numerous stories of my own as well. Last year I took a challenge through Nanowritemo to complete a book in thirty days, and it was an exciting experience. While I have always written, I have always stopped just short of completion. Nano gave me the courage to face my fears, which were, could I write a good ending, and would the story be interesting to anyone else. Through this process, I have found that I can write an interesting story that others like, and it is not very hard to complete when you get in the right zone. Fear is what seems to be the biggest factor.

Read the rest of the post at: http://www.nerdalien.com/2011/07/gues...

Author Lloyd Poast stops by to chat about his short novelette, Blink (where a boy finds himself in a world that changes with every blink), what his own world would like if he could create one, and why he prefers Batman over the Ninja Turtles.

Annabell: Tell us a little about yourself.

Lloyd Poast: Sure. I’ve always wanted to be involved with the arts in some way, whether it be painting, music, drama, or literature. Unfortunately, I don’t really have the natural talent to be an actor or rock star, so about five years ago, I decided to take a writing course and that really motivated me to pursue it. My first published piece was a hockey article for thechicagosportsreview.com. After that, I was a staff writer for the popular music site, Consequence of Sound. I loved writing for them and corresponding with upcoming bands, but it was very time consuming and I wanted to concentrate more on fiction. My goal is to eventually become a full time writer, but I can’t quit my day job yet.

Annabell: Three words to describe your writing style.

Lloyd Poast: Hip, whimsical, and poetic.

Describe the plot of your short story in one sentence.

Lloyd Poast: A teenage boy wanders into a mystical forest where things change with every blink and where dreams and nightmares literally walk out of the ocean.

Annabell: What do you think is alluring about your story that would make someone want to read it?

Lloyd Poast: The imagination and magic of alternate worlds is appealing to a lot of readers and I’ve tried to add a unique twist to that. Everyone also seems to really like the characters, especially Amaisia.

Annabell: What are five things you have to have when writing?

Lloyd Poast: I actually don’t really have any special needs or rituals when I’m writing. The only problem I have is actually finding the time to do it.

Read the rest of the interview at: http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/07/auth...

Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Bridget Strahin.


Author Michaela Debelius stops by TeamNerd to chat about her debut novel, Decoy, the sequel, and why we’re both obsessed with Team Taylor ;)

Bridget: I'm pretty obsessed with Decoy right now because it wasn't like most books I've been reading lately. So I have to know: Why aliens?

Michaela Debelius: First off, I’m humbled and downright excited to hear you’re “obsessed” with Decoy. That’s really flattering.

I’ve always had a fascination with aliens. The possibilities are limitless, and that kind of subject matter really lets a writer create their own world. Although Decoy is currently my sole novel, I know the plots for future books and aliens are a reoccurring element. I call myself a paranormal writer because it’s an umbrella term, one that covers a wide array of unusual topics. There are certainly paranormal aspects in my writing, but I’m starting to realize I may be more science fiction than anything. Of course in saying that, I’m not hardcore sci-fi either. There are no hard and fast rules for these genres, I’ve found the lines often blur, so I feel paranormal is the best fit at this time.

Bridget: What was your drive behind this book and how long did it take you to write it?

Michaela Debelius: I initially wanted to write something that I myself would want to read. I didn’t have a clear outline of where the story was going, but I knew Noel as a character. The story developed around her, not vice versa.

I hate to admit it, but it took me over two years to complete Decoy. For a good part of the time I had a full-time job, and the entire process was a major learning curve for me. I’m one of those people that assembles the bookshelf without reading the directions. A lot of times that works for me, here it didn’t. I took a writing course, learned how to better articulate my ideas, and finished Decoy.

Bridget: You left Noel in a pretty intense moment at the end of Decoy. Is there going to be a book two and if so, what can your fans expect?

Michaela Debelius: There’s definitely a sequel. I’m not sure how long this series will run, but there’s at least a second! The reader can expect a fast pace similar to Decoy. There’s going to be a closer look at Noel’s life and the people around her. New characters will be introduced and, as with any good novel, someone’s going to get tortured. Figuratively speaking, of course. Well . . . maybe.

My next release is an unrelated novel. The sequel to Decoy is projected for spring of 2013.

Read the rest of the interview at: http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/07/auth...

Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell Cadiz


Author B.C. Johnson stops by to chat with me about his debut novel, Deadgirl. We also talk about what one of his most embarrassing moments was in high school, which fictional character he’d choose to have dinner with and what the second installment holds.

Annabell: Tell us a little about yourself.


B.C. Johnson: Happy to. I've lived in Southern California my whole life, except for the odd vacational jaunt. Wanting to be an author has defined most of my life: it began at an early age, six or seven, the need to tell stories and entertain friends and family and hopefully strangers too. I'm a chronic procrastinator, which is probably why I never finished college and instead jumped into a long string of wacky day jobs while I wrote on the side. I worked technical live theater the most, and I probably know the lyrics to more show tunes than is strictly healthy.


I'm currently engaged to an awesome lady named Gina, and we'll be getting married in April 2013, assuming the Mayans don't blow up the world. Frikken Mayans.


Annabell: Three words to describe your writing style.


B.C. Johnson: Informal. Dialogue-heavy. Fast.


(I think I cheated with the hyphen there, but such is the power of writing!)


Annabell: Describe the plot of your book in one sentence.


B.C. Johnson: A smart young girl dies on her first date and refuses to go out so easily.


Annabell: What do you think is alluring about your book that would make someone want to read it? What separates it from other books?


B.C. Johnson: I think the main character, Lucy Day, feels like a real person. She isn't a Mary Sue, or a reader avatar, or even one of those ball-of-problems characters that is responsible for all of their own drama. Lucy is smart, but she's also young and in love, and makes brilliant decisions in one scene and terrible decisions in the next. She says all the dumb things I know I've said when I'm angry or unhappy, and yet she genuinely cares about her friends' feelings.


The book also runs the gamut of emotions, I feel. There are funny scenes and funny characters, and yet it'll switch gears into soul-sucking zombie-faced horror, then back to adventure or romance or mystery.


Annabell: Where did the inspiration for Dead Girl come off?

B.C. Johnson: Deadgirl came from a lot of places, but I'm going to say that the biggest debt owed is to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As a kid born in the eighties and raised in the nineties, Buffy came along at the perfect time in my life. Just about to enter junior high, a little freaked at how my world was about to change, confused and for the most part completely unprepared for the change from child to young adult. Buffy had super-powers, and she was still just as confused and lost as I felt. Ditto with her friends, especially Xander, who I related to hard. Xander was funny but heroic, and tough even if he didn't have any super powers or ninja fighting skills. I think Lucy Day is probably some twisted combination of Buffy, Xander, and myself. Buffy featured smart teenagers with problems both real and supernatural, and they didn't always make the best decisions even if their hearts were in the right place. Deadgirl fits that mold pretty well.

Annabell: What would you say makes Lucy so relatable? What are some qualities you think you share with her?


B.C. Johnson: Lucy is a resourceful girl who, for the most part, solves her own problems with toughness, wit, and sheer ain't-gonna-quit stubborness. She isn't perfect, but tries hard to be a good person. She's loyal to her friends. At the same time, she freaks out, she gets angry, she does the dumb little things we slap ourselves in the forehead for doing.


I probably share with her my self-deprecation, my quick tongue, and my temper.

Read the rest of the interview at: http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/06/auth...

4/5 stars

Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell Cadiz


Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Ava-Claire Sullivan isn't one for doing the expected. Especially when she finds out her mother's cancer is terminal. After a crying session in the local cemetery where she's attacked by one strange guy and saved by another, she doesn't call the cops. Because those guys definitely weren't your average hooligans.

And the one who sort-of saved her? Well, he's odd. He doesn't seem to breathe or smile or have anything better to do than wait in the cemetery for Ava to come back. Which she does. Call it morbid curiosity. Even after he warns her that he's dangerous, she can't stop wanting to see him, talk to him, be with him.

There's something about Peter that provides a much-needed escape from her mother's diagnosis and her tenuous relationship with her father. Even her best friends Jamie and Texas don't know what it's like to face death. But Peter does. He already has. He also made a promise a long time ago that could destroy both of them.

When everything in your life is falling apart, what are you willing to give up to hold onto the one thing that could last forever?


Review: Vampires are one of the biggest themes within the paranormal genre and over the last few years they have gone from being portrayed as terrifying predators to sparkly controlling stalkers or so human-like they shouldn’t even be called vampires. With Nocturnal I had expected a ghost story (I don’t know why. Quite possibly because I had read the synopsis to Whisper, first book in Cameron’s Whisper Trilogy, and thought the Nocturnal would approach the same concept) but instead I was surprised to find a book of vampires. I haven’t been a big fan of the newer versions of vamps since they all seem to come off sounding the same. I was even more surprised at the fact that I liked the version of vampires Cameron created.

Ava, the female lead within Nocturnal who happens to narrate the book, has her world shatter at the news of her mother’s terminal illness. From the moment the book opens, the reader is thrown full force into Ava’s heartache, anger, resentment, and fear over facing her mother’s death sentence. Cameron does a beautiful and moving jump at showcasing Ava’s emotional rollercoaster. Emotions are often hard to capture and Cameron did a pretty lovely job. There was a good deal of repetition though and times where the scenes were dragged out so the emotions were too heavy handed but overall, not too shabby.

I haven’t fully been able to decide how I feel about Ava’s character. I can completely understand the pain and heartache she faces over the situation with her mother; I went through a similar situation with my own mother. I completely understand why she pretends to be strong, chooses to put distance between herself and her friends, prefers breaking down alone and keeping her true feelings to herself. When tragedy strikes, everyone has his or her own way of dealing with it and I can relate to how Ava dealt with her own. So in that sense I felt a connection with her and give her props for having the strength to get up everyday and keeping trying to give her mom a sense of normalcy and laughter so her mother can enjoy however much time she has left. But Ava also did some stupid crap I just couldn’t help but roll my eyes over (i.e. going to parties and getting drunk when she knew she shouldn’t, hanging out in a cemetery alone when she was already attacked in the same cemetery!, trusting a total stranger with her feelings and her life when said stranger threatened to kill her).

Ava may be strong with her mother but she is too much of a doormat with her friends, especially her best friend Tex which I didn’t understand. She gives into doing stupid things because her best friend tells her to instead of standing her ground and telling her friend to get over it. I also didn’t like the way Ava treated her father. How could she be so understanding with her mother but not with her father? Her father had to endure the same tragedy. Ava just acted too much like a brat with her father.

Peter was a very interesting character. He starts off seeming hard of emotions and deathly scary, literally. It takes a while for Peter to open up and let Ava in which was a nice way to have their relationship develop instead of them being all over each other from the moment they meet. There is a dark and ageless charm to Peter’s character. He moves and speaks with a deliberate patience and wisdom. I also liked the physical features to Peter’s character. He’s gorgeous but doesn’t have this ridiculous ego you would expect. He also doesn’t completely look like what you expect a vampire to look like. It was a nice little change. The only issue I had with the writing for his character was the fact the scenes where Peter narrated came off too telling, everything was dictated to the reader instead of experienced.
Tex and Jamie, Ava’s best friends, play the secondary characters alongside Viktor and Ivan, Peter’s brothers. I had moments where I enjoyed Tex and moments I couldn’t stand her character. She comes off too bossy and shallow. But there are scenes where she actually shows her heart and shows she cares about more stuff than just boys and clothes. Jamie was one of my favorite characters. He’s sweet as candy, adorable, and a great friend. He has such a big heart and truly cares about the people in his life despite the fact that he is facing such a hard life. I was annoyed since the author seemed to bypass Jamie’s situation. Ava brings it up a few times and makes some sad attempts at paying attention to Jamie but doesn’t really do anything to help then Jamie’s situation is thrown under the rug without any real resolve.

Viktor and Ivan aren’t in too many scenes and I would like to read more of them. Ivan is such the bad boy vamp but you like him for it. He doesn’t pretend to be anything more than what he is. Viktor carries himself with a quiet strength and deep wisdom. I look forward to reading more of his character.

The Claiming is one of the big moments in the plot and it was pretty predictable. I mean it’s been done in other vampire books before. I didn’t understand why Ava didn’t put up much of a fight. She just let’s Peter pretty much hold her down and do what he wants. Seriously?? Ava talks a big game about defending herself if someone came at her and standing her own ground and not being afraid to speak her mind but she’s only ever like that with her father who doesn’t deserve for her to be. The idea behind The Claiming is okay and presents a big conflict for Ava and Peter; I just would have preferred the scene coming off differently than it did.

Di, the real villain in the book, has only one real scene which I suppose works since the author wanted to use the first book to establish the characters and relationships so that didn’t really bother me. As a reader, you can tell Di is definitely cunning, selfish, and powerful. I look forward to reading more of her character as well.

The curse that binds Peter, Ivan and Viktor to Di I liked. It was a clever way to show how words have power and can harm as well as heal. The first book doesn’t really establish HOW the curse is binding but I’m guessing it’s more explained as the series goes on.

The pacing and fluidity of the story are done well. The suspense is tension filled and the world building is detailed just as well. The romance is built pretty well, if not somewhat shallow at the beginning. The action scenes really only consist of like three and the big meeting with Di is too anticlimactic because it ends so quickly there isn’t much of a buildup.

Overall, Nocturnal was an enjoyable and good read. I would recommend the book to fans of the paranormal romance and supernatural genres.

http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/08/book...

3/5 stars


Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Bridget Strahin

Synopsis: The year is 1983. Christian is twenty-two years old when he leaves his home in Denmark to spend a year in Florida with a very wealthy family and go to med-school. A joyful night out with friends is shattered by an encounter with a savage predator that changes his life forever. Soon he faces challenges he had never expected. A supernatural gift he has no idea how to embrace. A haunting family in the house next door. A spirit-filled girl who seems to carry all the answers. An ancient secret hidden in the swamps of Florida. One life never the same. One love that becomes an obsession. Two destinies that will be forever entangled. Savage is a Paranormal Romance with some language, violence, and sexual situations recommended for ages sixteen and up.

Review: I will admit. This book gave me some issues. It took me 3.5 days to read this; not because it was a long read, but because I was dreadfully bored. The story starts out with Christian moving to sunny Florida from his home in Denmark. He is a shallow, self proclaimed playboy who surprisingly, has enough smarts to get into medical school. One night, while out with friends, Christian, decides that it would be a good idea to go swimming in a swamp. Of course something terrible happens and he is saved from one beast by another. Christian must now figure out how to cope with his new life and his unbreakable fascination with the creature who saved his life. Enter the oh so beautiful Aiyana. Christian falls for Aiyana on sight. She's gorgeous and mysterious. He just can't help himself. Especially when she offers help with his new gifts. They soon begin a fast paced relationship (dramatic eye roll) Christian is warned to stay away from the strange people who live off drug money but he can't. He takes everything he's worked hard for and pretty much tosses it to the wind just to be with this girl. (Spoiler) which in the end, was a mistake because she ends up leaving him; but, not without the cryptic message that one day their paths will cross again.


I found many things wrong with this story and many of them could easily be fixed with a good edit and a re-write. Another thing was the sex scenes. I should have asked in the first place what kind of content this book held but I got swept up by the synopsis and forgot to ask. Completely my fault. Which is why I still finished the book and which is why I'm still gonna talk about said sex scenes. Christian is a terrible person! (More Spoilers) He sleeps with someone other than Aiyana because he's sad and upset. (ugh, boys). When Christian realizes that he loves Aiyana, he becomes a somewhat more tolerable person. He was caring and readers get a chance to really see him as the poor little boy who lost his mommy too soon. Which gave me hope for him. But then that sex scene happened and then the ending and ugh. I wanted him to fight for the woman he loves but then I remembered that there are two more books so we will just have to see what happens won't we??
Now, let's talk about the things that had me LOL'ing: The eighties flash back. I've never been so happy to be born in the late eighties in my life! Walkmans, headbands, ripped sweatshirts, old school Dallas! I just couldn't keep the laughing and jokes to myself. No wonder my mother considers the eighties as the dark period.


If you like more character based drama over action packed suspense, then this book is for you! But, if you don't . . . well, sorry. I wouldn't say this book was completely unfortunate, but it definitely wasn't my cup of tea.

http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/08/book...

Brought to you by TeamNerd reviewer Bridget Strahin


Synopsis: Escape from the religious war leads Nicole and her family to the most unlikely rescuer, a vampire. Nicole discovers love and a new life, but finds herself inexplicably drawn in to a private war between her protector and an extremist faction of vampires.

The deeper she gets involved in the vampire world the higher the price she will have to pay to obtain her desires.

Rejoin “Vampires Revealed” narrator Bektamun, in Paris 1572, at the height of the religous war between Catholics and Hugeunots, the day of the St Bartholomew’s Massacre. Discover the story behind her rescue of the Gervais family. How Nicole became her Avetser and was made vampire. Desires Revealed will also introduce you to Oskar, leader of the Eleiveb.
Review: A vampire story like you've never read before.
Desires Revealed is told from the points of view of Nicole and Bek. It’s 1572, Nicole and her family run through the street of France from an angry religious mob trying to eliminate the Huguenots and find refuge and safety in the home of the very powerful vampire Bektamun. Bek, who is cautious at first, takes in the Gervais family. Offerers them food, a home, protection and anything else they would need.

Bek is almost instantly taken with the young and ever so curious Nicole. From they're very first encounter, Nicole isn't afraid of Bek even though she knows what Bek is. Over the years, as Bek nurtures Nicole in her loving arms, Nicole and Bek build an incredible bond. Bek knows that loving a human (or several humans) is pointless because they have such short life spans, but through the Gervais family, she learns to love. She learns just how powerful her love is and how far she will go to protect her new family when they're lives are threatend by an old foe.
For me, this story was a straight shot and almost a little too predictable and repetitive at times.

Though, there were a few things that did surprise me. Not having read the first novel in this series, I was not aware of Nicole and Bek's relationship, so when I read that Bek was starting to develop romantic feelings for a then, fifteen year old Nicole and that Nicole was also expierencing the same feelings for Bek, I was a wee bit shocked. It just seemed out of place that in the previous chapter Bek is showing Nicole something related to motherly affection then in the next, Bek is sexually attracted to her. I'm not in anyway against same sex couplings but this felt wrong and uncomfortable.

I also had a hard time with the torture scene. It pained me to read about Nicole being brutilized the way that she did. Nicole was sliced, burned, beatend and at one point the author describes how the “Pear of Anguish had torn through her virginity and was ripping her apart.” That was just too much. The scene came off too much like a brutalized rape and content of that nature I DO NOT like to read. I didn’t see the need for the scene either.

However, there were some minor good points to the book. Michael, with all his hottness, wit, and willingness to do what ever it took to make his make Bek happy. I just simply loved him. And then there was Oskar. Though he was probably one of the most evil villains I have ever read, to the point I actually got a little nervous to read the next page, he was well developed enough for me to appriciate Harrington's writting skills.

Desires Revealed is not a book I recommend reading for those under the age of eighteen and if you choose to read the book be aware the content contains rape like scenes, sensuality, and torture.

This wasn’t a book I enjoyed, especially given the fact that the author did not let me in on the content beforehand.

I wish her the best of luck with her future novels but I will most likely not be reading anymore of Nicole or Bek.

http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/07/book...

Author Jacinta Maree stops by TeamNerd to chat about her debut novel, My Demonic Ghost. She also opens up about where her love for writing came from, what her favorite aspect of writing is, and what her favorite place to go to is in Japan along with some other fun tidbits. Enjoy!

Annabell: Tell us a little about yourself.

Jacinta Maree: I’m born in Melbourne Australia and I’ve lived there my entire life so far. I enjoy basketball and watching movies/ playing games (both board games and video games) with my friends. I love anything oriental and seemed to have gotten a bad habit of collecting tea sets. Favourite animal is most definitely a cat and favourite destination to travel to is Japan.

Annabell: Where did your love for writing and storytelling come from?

Jacinta Maree: Honestly I have no idea. None of my family members were writers, though my mother was a big fan of reading books. I’ve been writing for so long, I can’t even remember how it all started. Grade two I had to write a story for class and I ended up writing about a haunted house infested with bats, and from there I was writing every spare moment I had. Whenever my parents tried to punish me when I did something wrong, instead of sending me to my room I was sent to the laundry as they knew I would have a blast writing in my bedroom.

Annabell: My Demonic Ghost centers around ghosts who have done not so great things in their lives attaching themselves to humans to keep from crossing over. Where did the inspiration come from? Why did you decide to debut your novel in the supernatural and paranormal genres?

Jacinta Maree: The idea actually came to me as I was sitting in my philosophy class at Ivanhoe Girls Grammar listening about the teachings of Descartes. He was talking about the theory of consciousness and it just started to make me question all the things we as a human race just accepted, especially about the stories of the afterlife. One question Descartes brought up was the possibility of a demon god, which then turned me towards the question of ‘how do we know that we aren’t controlled by something corrupted by power?

From there, the story mutated its self to what it is today. I had wanted to write something where good and bad are flipped around, and instead of ‘Angels’ being white coated heroes I wanted to draw attention towards the demons and the so called ‘bad spirits’. Suppose I was interested in writing a story from a different perspective where the stereotypical case of angel equals good and demon equals bad doesn’t apply here, and showing that not everything is as black and white as we had first assumed.

As to why did I write in the genre of supernatural and paranormal, well I guess that comes from my interests in the unknown. Why write in a world with limitations?

Annabell: Rachel is the heroine of My Demonic Ghost and she’s fifteen. Why did you choose to narrate the book through the eyes of someone younger rather than older?

Jacinta Maree: I could have easily written it in a grown up version of Rachael, but I felt the message behind her struggle with Lock and spirits wouldn’t have been so powerful if they were older.

I wanted to write from innocence and take everyone back to the heart pounding, stomach twisting, nervous sweating anxiety that comes with first time love. I also believe that having Lock and Rachael so young helps the impact of Lock’s damnation feel much more enhanced.

Read the rest of the interview at: http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/07/inte...

Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell Cadiz

5/5 stars

Synopsis: Frank is a professor of Literature at a local community college with dreams of becoming a New York Times Bestselling author. His anger and disillusionment grows stronger with each rejection he receives. With his fiftieth birthday just around the corner, the last thing Frank wanted to hear was how Cole, one of the new adjuncts, just received the biggest publishing deal ever made with Random House for yet another book about vampires. His anger intensifies as he thinks of the injustice of yet another mediocre wanna-be author who barely understands the craft of writing or has any respect for traditional literature, receiving the money, the accolades, and the movie deals he deserves. Frank’s emotions have not only grown out of control but he soon discovers the other changes he has been experiencing—sensitivity to bright lights, increased strength—have turned him into something he cannot bring himself to believe. What’s worse is that Cole plays a bigger part in his life than he had realized.

Review: “Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia,” I don’t think a quote ever fit a story quite as well as the on by E.L. Doctorow. He wasn’t describing The Revisionist but he might as well have. Now, I am not a huge fan of short stories. I have read a good amount of them through reviewing work for various authors and have only come to really love a few. I’ve also been stuck with stale and predictable books as of late so I was a bit hesitant to jump into a short story. When I bought The Revisionist I hadn’t really known what to expect. The synopsis made the novelette sound as if the main character, Frank, basically losses his mind and in part, that is true. But I was even more surprised at the twist as to why Frank losses his mind!


Frank is bitter, resentful, jealous, petty, and in desperate need of a therapist (and a straightjacket!). He has spent years attempting to have his short stories and a novel published but has only found success a handful of times. To the publishing world, it’s not exactly noteworthy success. Blais hit Frank’s character right on the nail. He created a character not only every writer could relate to but every writer’s alter ego looks like (whether they want to admit it or not). I often found myself in complete agreement with Frank’s monologues of how the publishing industry works and the battle between something being published based on talent and something being published based on trend. Not exactly what any writer wants to admit to thinking or behaving like but truth be told, at one point or another every writer feels as disillusioned as Frank.

Cole is everything Frank isn’t. Young, charming, instantly fawned over by women and students, and everything comes easily to him. He doesn’t really have a work ethic, caring more about how much his students like him instead of how much they are actually learning. His talent is based more on the latest trend than actually understanding the craft and Cole is as much cocky as Frank is angry.

Blais captured the dynamic of Frank and Cole’s relationship, the battle between ego’s, the battle between talent and trend, and the battle between truth and fiction wonderfully. The twist as to why Frank suddenly develops such drastic new changes was one of the best parts!


The story is written with a dark and poetic voice. The suspense is crisp and intense. From the moment you start reading, you won’t be able to stop until you know how it ends!

And Blais managed to do all that with only FORTY PAGES!

I am in DESPARATE need of more and DEMAND this short novelette be turned into a full-length novel AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

As for fans of the fantasy, supernatural, and thriller genres, you should DEFINITELY jump right into this short story! I am sure you will come to love it as much as I have!

If not . . . well, Frank could pay you a visit to change your mind but I don’t think you would want that to happen *wink wink*

http://www.nerdalien.com/2012/07/book...