Review: The Shadowing: Hunted (Book 1)

The Shadowing: Hunted (Book 1)

Adam Slater

September 2011 Egmont USA Publishing

Talk about getting that creepy feeling as you are reading!!  This book is definitely one that you don’t want to read at night, alone, when it’s storming outside.  

Callum has always been able to see ghosts and is beginning to have premonitions.  Callum is the kind of boy who knows that he is different and does everything that he can to “fly under the radar”.  The premonitions are becoming stronger, the ghosts seem afraid and Callum realizes something is after him.  The deserted churches, the creepy graveyards and the howling of a distant animal keeps the story moving at a great pace throughout the book.

I loved that “The Hunter” wasn’t revealed early in the book and it added to the mystery of the story.  This character had all the creepiness that I love in a suspense/horror book.  

Gran is Callums grandmother who he lives with.  She tends to ignore things that she can’t see or that isn’t practical, but as the story unfolds, you learn that Gran isn’t everything that she appears to be.  As the premonitions come true, Gran tells of secrets that have been left untold, but still leave you wanting to learn more.

This is a great beginning to a YA paranormal series by Adam Slater.  The only thing is I would have liked it to have been a little longer and played the story out some more….but the Epilogue revealed some things that promises to bring more of that creepiness that I loved so much about this book.  This is a great book for males to read as it doesn’t have the “romance” in it that so many YA paranormal books do now.  It’s a great beginning and I look forward to reading the next installment.

***This book was provided to me by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.  It in no way influenced my opinion. 

Review: Paranormalcy

  

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Hardcover, US, 335 pages

Published August 31st 2010 by HarperTeen

Yes, I know I am probably the last one on the planet to read this book. I hate that it took me so long to read it. Having a day at home (thank you oral surgery)... I spent the afternoon visting with the quick witted, sarcastic, pink loving main character, Evie.

Evie is a normal 16 year old girl who has been raised at the IPCA (International Paranomal Containment Agency) since she was 8. Ok, so normal may not be the right word... I mean she can see through the glamours of all paranormal creatures....her best friend is a mermaid....and her ex-boyfriend is a faerie.....normal, right?

Evie's job is to help "bag and tag" paranormal creatures to help protect humans. One day, a paranormal breaks into the IPCA and her life as she knew it is never the same.

The story is paced just right, the different paranormals are all there. Mermaids, faerie, werwolves, vampires, trolls...you name it, it's there. The twists in the story make you wonder what is going to happen next, the friendships are great... and the developing romance is wonderful, the action and mystery. Nothing too fast, nothing too mature..it was perfect.

I loved how Evie and the other characters developed throughout the story, and some were left just as mysterious as they were in the beginning. Evie is a great main character and I love how she begins to see herself in a different light as the book goes along.

Just enough was revealed to help you understand some of the background, but at the same time it leaves you wanting and anticpating the next in the series.

If you are looking for a fast paced, paranormal, different from all others YA... this is the book for you.

Review: That Day In September

Do you remember where you were?

That Day in September byArtie Van Why

I can remember exactly where I was the day our country took a hit to the face, a gut punch, and changed us forever.  I happened to be doing home care nursing at the time and was at a patient’s house.  The day started like any other lining up the visits for the day, making sure that I had all the supplies I needed, and that all the patients for the day knew I was coming. 

I was at the first patient’s house.  I was chatting with the patient and family, had drawn some lab work, changed the IV dressing and was starting the IV medication when the patient all of a sudden said “What the hell?!”  For this patient to have said that, I knew that something was wrong.  I turned toward the television and saw it.  The images that were shown looked like something out of a movie.  Debris falling, smoke, fire, people running and people in shock.  The reporters were in shock, stumbling over their words, and trying to get all the information they could to share with the world. 

In That Day in September Artie Van Why shares his personal account of September 11, 2001.  He worked at a law firm just a short distance from the World Trade Center.  He felt the shake of the building as the first plane hit; he saw the second plane hit, the debris, the smoke, the fires..Everything I saw on television at that moment, he was living it.  In his book, he shares his thoughts, his fears, his feelings and his life surrounding that day.  As I was reading this, I could remember all the images I saw, but I could see them as if I were there.  He also shares how he dealt with life in the weeks after the attack and since that day.  I found myself nodding to some of his thoughts and feelings “yes, I thought the same thing”, or “I feel the same way”; even though I live in the Southeast and was hundreds of miles away.

Mr. Van Why self-published this book because he wanted to get his story of that day out.  He wanted to do it for many reasons, one to help remember the lives of those lost that day and two to help the survivors know that they are not alone.  With the 10^th anniversary of that day being here, I can’t think of a better way to remember the lives of everyone touched by that day than to read this story and be reminded of what a wonderful place we live and the hope we all have. 

Review: Halfway to the Grave

Halfway to the Grave

Jeaniene Frost

November 2007

384 pages

Avon Publishing

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.
In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

Review: 

Take a half-vampire/half-human, Master Vampire, an irritating mother, and lots of bad guys and you have a great story with Cat and Bones.

This is my first Jeaniene Frost book and I really enjoyed it. I loved the fact that Cat is a kick-ass heroine and stops at nothing to get the job done...even if it means that she goes against the wishes of Bones.

What do I say about Bones......... One of the best Vampires... put the glitter to the side and see what a real vampire is all about. He's strong, determined, witty, charming and can be scary as hell.

I loved that this book had wit and humor, innuendos, lots of action and wasn't overpowered with the romance.

Cat & Bones quickly became a favorite couple. They had the chemistry, the love-hate relationship, the partners in crime all rolled into one. I can't wait to read the next in the series.