R4: Team #1 ~ The Fiery Firsts

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

:D Looks like we're in a really good place with the shelves announced lining up for a Bingo! Supernatural, Favourite Series, and ghosts are all under the I on our card!

[Valerie]

Hah, I feel weird not having my space done by now. I'm reeeeeally hoping that my Melissa Marr book comes in tomorrow, because it should be a quick read. -crosses fingers-

[Midu]

Valerie wrote: "Ahhh, I have Deadhouse Gates sitting around. Someday I will get to it..."
Valerie, you've read the books before DG? I'm in love with ya! hehe

[Midu]

For the favorites shelf:



Finished: February 20th 2012
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
(view spoiler)[This one was so much better than the first book! I was already in love with Charley's bouncy way of dealing with life and this book just reminded me how much. She doesn't let things like yearning for the son of Satan or her dad sending a criminal after her get her down. Yes she does take denial to extreme but I still liked it. Liked Reyes much better in this book. I just couldn't connect with him in the previous one. Here he was much more than a hot guy..he was funny and would go to any lengths for the people he loved.
Off all the people, I fell in love with Ubie! (and maybe a little with the guy who kept calling Charley "Juicy") He's an uncle every girl should have. This book also resolved Charley's issues with her family.
I didn't quite mind the ending as much as other readers did. Charley had no other choice and Reyes, of course, would respond the way he did.
The humor, the T-shirt slogans and the bumper stickers cracked me up every time.
So looking forward to reading the next one!! (hide spoiler)]

[Valerie]

Yeah, I read Gardens of the Moon last year and liked it quite a bit! It was the definition of epic.

[Midu]

Are ya listening, Vi? To what Valerie's saying (writing)? Epic, she wrote! hehehe

[Valerie]

It is! And uhh, I kinda swooned a little over Anomander Rake. Though I don't think he re-appears until the third one...

Faery Tales & Nightmares came today! It's shiny. AND SIGNED AND PERSONALIZED ASKDJFKADSL;FJALD;SF -flails- Soooo yes, that's what I'm picking. :D

[Midu]

hands off, he's mine! hehehe and I've got the email address to prove it:anomandersrake@ :-p

[Midu]

yaaaay! *excited for her* hehe

[Suzanne]

I picked up by Melissa Marr a couple of weeks ago, have you read that one yet?

[Valerie]

It's gotten really mixed reviews, but I loved it and am actually considering re-reading it sometime this year. :D

[Carlyn]

Shelf: Favourite Series
Finished: 21/02/2012
Rating: 5 Stars

This is the first in the Immortal After Dark series by Kresley Cole. This is one of my top series' and I can happily re read them many times.

This is the story of Lachlain, the lykae king, when he smells his mate and escapes from decades of torture at the hands of vampires, he will stop at nothing to possess her. What he doesn't realise is that Emma, his mate, is half vampire. The very creature he loathes.
The story deals with Lachlain's hatred of vampires and Emmaline's fears.

Kresley never fails to amuse me. I love her characters (especially the valkyrie's) and the humour in these stories! I would recommend these to anybody :)

[Carlyn]

Favourite Series

Carlyn: message 212 Finished 21/02/2012 Rating 5 Stars.

Midu: message 204 Finished 20/02/2012 Rating 4 Stars.

Suzanne: message 233 Finished 26/02/2012 Rating 5 Stars.

Jeann:
message 230 Finished 25/02/2012 Rating 5 stars.

Valerie: message 228 Finished 23/02/2012 Rating 4 1/2 Stars.

[Carlyn]

Ladies I have requested the Free Space stamp and I've had to move the Favourite Series master post since something went wrong with the last one!

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

OK my favourite series read is by the way :)

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Fiery Firsts!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'free space'.

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Fieries!

[Midu]

thanks, Steph and Sandra!

[Suzanne]

WooHoo!!

[Valerie]

Yaaay!

[Carlyn]

How is everyone getting on with the ghosts and the fave series books?

[Midu]

I've submitted both, I think!

[Carlyn]

Yup Midu you're on track :)

[Midu]

yaay me! hehe

[Suzanne]

I'm 1/2 through with , hopefully I'll finish it tonight!

[Valerie]

I'm also halfway through , I'll finish it tonight or tomorrow.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

I'm 60% through my book, will be finished today or tomorrow too.

Go team!

[Valerie]

Shelf: Favorite Series
Finished: February 23rd, 2012
Rating: ★★★★½
Thoughts: Can I just type "I LOVED IT" twenty times... ?

This is a short story collection from Melissa Marr, author of the Wicked Lovely series and more recently Graveminder. A few of the stories are set in the Wicked Lovely universe; quite a few of them involved the Dark Court, which made me happy because the Dark fae are my favorites. "Old Habits" takes place after Ink Exchange and involves the growing discord between the Dark and High Courts. "Stopping Time" takes place after Fragile Eternity and revisits Leslie, her past, and her bonds with Irial and Niall. "Cotton Candy Skies" deals with Rabbit, and "Unexpected Family" and "Merely Mortal" take place after Darkest Mercy -- I'm hesitate to elaborate on those two because I don't want to accidentally spoil anybody, but needless to say, I really liked them. (The latter was especially hilarious -- Marr needs to write humor more!) "The Sleeping Girl and the Summer King" is the prototype to the first WL book, and is kind of a cool glimpse on what she eventually built her series from.

The stories not set in the WL universe are just as good. "Winter's Kiss" is a sweet story about a princess whose breath turns everything to ice, and sets out to find a place where she can be useful. "Transition" is the author's take on vampires, which I really enjoyed -- I'm not much of a vampire person, but if she ever writes a full-length involving them, I'll definitely pick it up. "Love Struck" involves a girl and two selchie brothers; both try to tempt her, but one winds up toying with her. This was really great and seems to be the favorite of a lot of people.

Some of these stories are available in other anthologies or as separate ebooks, but this anthology is a good way to get them in one package. If you're a fan of the author, I recommend it.

[Midu]

woohoo Valerie!

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

This side of the grave
finished 25th March
rating 5 stars
shelf favourite series


This side of the grave starts off with a bang as Cat gets accustomed to her newfound powers and strange feeding habits as a vampire.

Bones and Cat have ironed out their issues from the last book and spend their time either being mushy with each other or getting hot and heavy. It's a welcome change from the angst and whining from the last book as there's a lot more happening here on the brink of an all out ghoul war with an evil ghoul ruler and a ghoul goddess representing queen of the Damned.

The side characters especially the ghost Fabian are a crucial focus on this book, and Vlad as well as Mecheres are as fascinating as ever.

The plot isn't as tight and fast moving as previous books, but a hilarious voodoo experience and emotional passing of someone who means a lot to Cats heavyweights in this book. It's def a stronger contender than the previous title filled with lots of action, wit, and love. Can't wait to move onto the next one.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

Yay new shelf is up - demons!

Imma read

[Valerie]

I borrowed today hoping that it'd fit today's shelf announcement -- it does so perfectly. :D Hooray!

Jeann, I LOVED Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I hope you enjoy it!

[Suzanne]

Yea!! I finished it finally!! Just in time for another shelf :)

I don't know why I waited so long to read the next book out of this series but it was awesome! Lots better than the first. Debbie Reynolds plays Stephanie Plums grandma in the movie and she did a really good job. The grandma plays a big role in this novel so it would be awesome if they made another movie off of this one! *****

[Carlyn]

Okay I've requested the Fave Series stamp :) I'm going to read for the demons shelf :)

[Carlyn]

Team #1 The Fiery Firsts
Demons Shelf

Carlyn: message 249 Finished 28/02/2012 Rating 4 Stars.

Valerie: message 250 Finished 29/02/2012 Rating 3 Stars.

Jeann: message 265 Finished 03/03/2012 Rating 4 Stars.

Suzanne: message 279 Finished 06/03/2012 Rating 4 Stars.

Midu: message 282 Finished 06/03/2012 Rating 3 Stars.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Fiery Firsts!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'favorite series'.

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Valerie]

WOOOOOOOO! -dances-

[Midu]

yaaay! Thanks, Steph!

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Welcome, Midu! Congratulations, Fiery Firsts!

[Suzanne]

I think I'm going to read for the Demons shelf. I'm about 30% of the way through my Ghosts book, so HOPEFULLY I'll get that read by tomorrow!

[Midu]

hey Suzanne! *waves*

[Valerie]

Let us know how that book is, Suzanne! I'm kinda curious about Ione's stuff...

[Midu]

Hey Valerie!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Fieries!

[Midu]

thanks,Sandra!

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

Oooh I'm curious about Demonica as well, it's definitely on the To Read list.

Thanks Sandra!

I am loving Daughter of Smoke and Bone, it's the sort of book where I savor every single word and slowly digest it.

[Suzanne]

I'm almost done with my ghosts book and then I'll let you guys know how Ione is! I'm liking the Graveyard Book, I'm going to have to buy a copy of this one and hold onto it until my kids are old enough to read it :) Is it being made into a movie?

[Valerie]

I think rights have been bought, but it's in development limbo. I'd love to see a movie version of it!

[Carlyn]

Finished: 28/02/2012
Rating: 4 Stars
Shelf: Demons

This is the fourth book in the Sabina Kane series. I loved the first three books in this series and the fourth installment has definately lived up to my expectations.

Sabina is a half vampire and half mage woman who live with her mage boyfriend Adam and her minion, the mischeif demon, Giguhl. They are preparing for a treaty between the dark races which will bring about peace but when murders start to happen things go from bad to worse.

I love Sabina! She is one of those great characters that seem so fantastical yet you can still relate to her and cheer her on. Giguhl is still hilarious and one of the best things about the book. The story was great and left me guessing until the end!
I can't wait to read the next installment :)

[Valerie]

Shelf: Demons
Finished: February 29th, 2012
Rating: ★★★
Thoughts: Hmmmm.

This was my introduction to J.R. Ward. My overall reaction was rather ambivalent, but there were some things I quite liked about it. I enjoyed the main premise: Angels and demons are battling it out for the fate of the Earth, and Jim Heron, a construction worker with a shady military past, has a near-death experience. He is chosen because of his moral compass (equally good/evil) and charged with a task: save the souls of seven people. We are introduced to Vin, Jim's wealthy boss and his first assignment; Devina, Vin's girlfriend, who isn't all that she seems; and Marie-Terese, a woman trying to rebuild her life via prostitution after running from her abusive ex-husband.

I enjoyed the setting of Caldwell, NY -- I really like urban fantasy that actually attempts to be "urban" -- and I enjoyed Vin's and Jim's POVs (particularly Jim's, because despite his military past, he seems incredibly normal and relatable). However, after the initial first half, the book lost momentum and started feeling too long. Also, I felt the thread with Marie-Terese's ex and the murders at the Iron Mask was both underdeveloped and resolved too easily -- I think the book would've been better if his POVs were cut down.

I might read the next one, but it's not terribly high on my TBR list.