Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

There is a very long story behind my journey to reading Angelfire, and it was filled with much sadness, disappointment, and angst. 


Short version:
1. Heard about Angelfire
2. Checked library's website to see if they had Angelfire
3. Put Angelfire on hold
4. Angelfire got in on hold
5. Was unable to pick it up and lost hold.
6. Repeat steps 3-5
7. Repeat step 6
8. FINALLY GET BOOK.
9. Read book in several hours.
10. O.O


*Clears throat* So, yeah. Review.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton 

First there are nightmares.  

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.  

Then come the memories.  

When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.  

Now she must hunt.  

Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.  

------

So let's begin. I really liked this book. A lot. The memory thing reminded me of Shattered Souls, another great read! (Actually, this may have come out first, I'm not sure. But I read SS first, so.) But the other parts of the plot were very different, especially Ellie's and Lenzi's jobs. 


Naturally, I loved Will. He was a fantastic love interest, what with his protectiveness (YES), his seriousness/quietness (YES), his strong/skilled-ness (YES), his loyalty (YES), and, of course, his looks. (BIG YES!) It was easy to see how much he cared about Ellie, and how much he would give up to keep her safe and happy. It's so sweet, and sad at the same time.


Ellie was great, too. She had no idea what was going on, and she could be a bit selfish and spoiled at times, but that's what made her realistic. I mean, if you were thrust into a situation like this with no memory of what you were supposed to be doing, would you be all, "Yeah, let's go kill some reapers! I am ready for ACTION!" or would you be more like, "Um, I still want to hang out with my friends and be with my family and notice how ridiculously hot this Will guy is."


And then on the other hand, when she needed to be, she was brave and strong and smart, and she did what she needed to do, to protect those she cared about and the whole world.


This book was full of great supporting characters, too. I really liked Nathaniel and Lauren, and hope to see more of them in future books. Same with Kate. 


And someone else: This is kinda a spoiler, so I'll hide it. Highlight at your own risk!


Cadan. There is absolutely no way he doesn't come back in later books. Because there is definitely something weird going on with him. I'm almost afraid it's going to become a love triangle. But surely that won't happen. Right? Right??


Spoiler over. 


Altogether, I liked this book a lot and I'm looking forward to reading the next one!


It gets <*><*><*><*>


(:D)
~Mag

In My Mailbox (3/18/12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren, and it's all about talking about what you got in your mailbox each week! 

IN MY ACTUAL  MAILBOX


I am delighted to inform  you that I did get some FANTASTIC things in my mailbox this week!



-Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
-Another Hex Hall (for my giveaway winner!)
-Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
-Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins
-New Girl by Paige Harbison

FROM THE LIBRARY


Lots of goodness this week!


-Angel Fire by L. A. Weatherly. I was really excited about this when I first got it (I LOVED Angel Burn) but now that I've read the synopsis and learned there's probably going to be a love triangle, I'm more reluctant. A love triangle is the LAST thing I want in this series.


-Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barns. I loooove her other books, and this one sounds SO COOL.


-Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton. Not to be confused with the other Angel Fire from this week. I finished this one last night/this morning, and it was SO GOOD. Review to come!


-Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck. Read this one already, too. First half was great. Second half shattered my soul.


-Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck. Read this one. Enjoyed it so much more than Tiger's Quest. Can't WAIT for the next one!!


-Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. ANOTHER one I've finished. People keep calling the end a terrible cliffhanger, but it was my favorite part of the book! Awesome ending (even though I KNEW it was going to happen, lol) and I'm looking forward to what comes next!


-A Life of Joy by Amy Clipston. Book four in the Kauffman Amish Bakery series, a series me and my mom have been reading together. 

Don't know where Tiger's Quest and A Life of Joy scampered off to when it came time for picture taking...


ON MY KINDLE


-The Forever Girl by Rebecca Hamilton. I don't know much about this book, but I won it by playing a game on Twitter, and it seems interesting!

Please excuse the glares in the pictures, my camera decided to get all flashy today :)


What's in your mailbox this week?


(:D)
~Mag

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!

First off, a big CONGRATULATIONS! The winner of a signed copy of Hex Hall has been selected, and it is...

INA WARREN!

I sent the winner an email, so if you could respond with your info ASAP, that would be great :)


I'd like to thank everyone who entered one more time! I wish you could have all won! :)


(:D)
~Mag

Review: Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Yikes, it's been a while since I've posted a review! Don't worry, though, there are lots more coming soon :) Starting with this one, about Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey!

[And don't forget, today (March 15th) is the last day to enter my GIVEAWAY for a signed/personalized copy of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins!]

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey 

A thrilling debut story of death, love, destiny and danger 

Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries. 

Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon. 

------ 

Let's play a game of What-If.


Imagine, for a moment, that you're a teenage girl with a schizophrenic father. He had terrible hallucinations that eventually drove him to take his own life. And then you suddenly begin hallucinating, too.


That's exactly what's happening to Lenzi. She's scared to death because of it, and it doesn't exactly help that her mother has her own issues and her boyfriend Zak just keeps trying to shove pills down her throat.


And then Alden shows up.


Alden, who claims to know what's going on. Alden, who claims to know Lenzi. Alden, who calls her by a different name and doesn't know why she doesn't remember him from her past lives. Yeah, past lives. Lenzi and Alden have known each other for centuries, because in each of their reincarnations they join together to help lost souls resolve their problems and move on "into the light".


This is such a cool thing, I've gotta say. I know that ghost-whispering isn't precisely an uncommon occurrence in YA paranormals these days, but Shattered Souls was still unique and very cool. I fell in love with Alden from the beginning, and I definitely felt sad for him at points. (If you've read SS, you probably understand why.) I never liked Zak, though. Maybe it's because he's not the type of guy I like, or maybe just because I instantly liked Alden so much more, but I never really connected with his character. For me, he as just a roadblock for Alden and Lenzi. But then, so was Lenzi herself--that is, her past selves. (Make of that what you will.)


I loved, loved, loved watching Alden and Lenzi helping ghosts pass on, from sweet little girls to disgruntled old ladies. That, plus a mysterious "bad guy" and Lenzi's unexplained memory loss, makes for a twisty, turny, actiony book of AWESOME! 


Altogether, Shattered Souls definitely gets <*><*><*><*><*>


(:D)
~Mag

Waiting on Wednesday: A Fractured Light by Jocelyn Davies

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted over at Breaking the Spine, spotlighting books that have not yet been released but are being greatly anticipated. Today, my pick under the category "Ooooooooooooohhhhhhh look, a book!" is the sequel to A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies: A Fractured Light!


As it's the sequel to ABD, beware of spoilers for the first book in the synopsis!

When she wakes up in unfamiliar surroundings, Skye knows something terrible has happened to her. But it’s not until she hears Asher, the dark, rebellious angel she fell in love with, that the memories of Devin and his shocking betrayal come flooding back.  

Skye returns home, but with the knowledge of who she really is, nothing can ever be the same. As she tests the limits of her newfound powers, Skye discovers that she’s capable of far more than anyone could have imagined. Both the Order and the Rebellion want her for their side as war between the factions looms. She can’t forgive the Order for nearly killing her, but something holds her back from embracing the Rebellion.  

A Fractured Light picks up right after A Beautiful Dark's shocking cliffhanger ending and is perfect for fans of Lauren Kate’s Fallen and Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush saga. 

I really, really liked A Beautiful Dark. (By that, of course I mean I utterly love Asher.) So I'm really eager (and honestly, kinda nervous) to see what happens next! And even though love triangles and I are not on the best terms lately, I'm pretty confident that Skye will make the right choice. Right?


Right?


What are you waiting for this week?


(:D)
~Mag

Teaser Tuesday: Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play, and the rules are simple:

• 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 TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's teasers come from the second book in the Tiger's Curse series, Tiger's Quest. I totally love this series so far, even though there's some stuff going on in this one that makes me sad :( Anyway, check them out:

1.
     "Iadala, you will never lose me. I'll always be near you. Give me a chance, Kells. Please."
     -Page 73
2.
     No girl in her right mind could look at him--even without knowing everything I know--and think he was average.     -Page 73

(:D)
~Mag 

Cover Reveal: My Super Sweet 16th Century (Plus an excerpt!)

Hey guys! The cover has been revealed for My Super Sweet 16th Century by Rachel Harris! Check it out:

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.  

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.  

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

Sounds pretty cool, right?


And, I have an excerpt from the book to share with you guys!

I hear their muffled whispers and understand every Italian word. Every witty comment made at my expense.

It’s like my brain is automatically translating.

I bunch the soft fabric of the dress in my hand and then reach up to feel the ribbon in my hair. I lightly skim my fingers over my chin and feel my lack of zit. I take in the costumes of the crowd, the stench of the animals, and the Italian I can now speak and understand. And suddenly it hits me.

Reyna must have pulled some kind of gypsy mojo.

Maybe this is one of those nifty “change your life” magic scenarios like in the movies. I mean, mostly I’m still expecting to blink and be right back in the midst of overpriced, gaudy tourism, but for now, the gypsy-time-warp explanation is infinitely better than thinking I’ve lost my mind. As I decide to go with that option, I feel my frantic tension melt away.

The growing crowd seems to notice my change in demeanor and begins shooting one another amused looks, but I don’t care anymore. A smile stretches across my face. Evidently, I was wrong earlier; Reyna is a psychic mind reader, because if this is her special brand of bibbity-bobbity-boo, then she made my exact daydream from earlier in the courtyard come to life.

The long red gown, the braided hair, the Italian merchant’s daughter, the time period. I am in Renaissance Florence.

I stare dumbly at the ground, the words and reality sinking in.

I’m in Renaissance Florence! 

There's another excerpt floating around, too, but I shared this one because I didn't see it anywhere else. If you'd like to see the other one, one place to find it is HERE! 

My Super Sweet 16th Century, by Rachel Harris is available for pre-order on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble Be sure to add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads!

(:D)
~Mag