Blog Tour: Blood Ties by Mari Mancusi Review

Blood Coven's website here // $9.99 from {amazon} 

Publisher: Berkley Trade; Original edition (August 2, 2011)

Paperback: 256 pages

Source: Blog Tour

Series: Blood Coven #6; see my review for BAD BLOOD (#4) here

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary: 

The final battle is brewing between Vampires and Slayers. But for Sunny McDonald, the true war is being fought over her heart.

Though now officially back in the arms of her vampire boyfriend Magnus, Sunny finds she still can't forget the gentle mortal Jayden who once saved her life. And when the darkness threatens to steal his humanity, Sunny finds herself with a choice. Stay true to Magnus and the Blood Coven or defy them in a desperate attempt to save Jayden’s soul.

Meanwhile, the Blood Coven is gearing up for its toughest fight yet--going head to head with a splinter group of Slayer Inc who's regrouping in Tokyo, Japan, still determined to take over the world. In dark blood bars and hidden temples, it'll be Vampires vs. Slayers in a showdown that could cost Sunny not only her heart...but also her very life.

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My Thoughts:  

If you're a BLOOD COVEN series fan, you won't be disappointed. Mari Mancusi sticks to her writer guns and cranks out yet another solid – if slightly formulaic – paranormal read. But formulaic works for a reason, right? Right.

Coincidentally, the only other Blood Coven novel I’ve read is BAD BLOOD (#4), where Jayden whisks Sunny away from danger and off her feet with love. Thus, going into BLOOD TIES, I had some vague memory of Jayden, who plays quite a major role, but vague because I read BAD BLOOD over a year ago (vague as in, “What did Jayden do again?”). Yet regardless of whether you’ve read BAD BLOOD over a year ago or haven’t read any BLOOD COVEN novels, it’s easy to slip into the story – even surprisingly so. It’s always tricky introducing the past in a fluid and inconspicuous manner, and I find it extremely annoying when a main character asks twenty questions with paragraph-long responses. So I applaud Mari Mancusi for building up the past piece-by-piece with short, necessary tidbits at opportune moments. 

That’s not the only area Mari Mancusi shines in. I usually dislike having legit love triangles, as in one girl, two guys that really love her, and no second girl that could console the loser. YET again, somehow Mari Mancus makes it work; I just can’t fault Sunny for having feelings for both Magnus and Jayden. I pretty much always lean towards the underdog, but I couldn’t decide on this one. HOW? IDUNNO. It blows my mind. Throughout BLOOD TIES, Mari Mancusi takes a chunk of clichés/popular topics (i.e. vampires-slayers) and makes them enjoyable and workable through humor and fast-paced action. Or, at least, I hope the Cosplay Coven in Japan was named out of humor...

That isn’t to say BLOOD TIES is without its flaws. It’s fast-paced, but with such a short novel, that leaves very little room for character development (which may or may not be covered in previous novels that I haven’t read, sorry). Sunny is always nice, Rayne is 24/7 sassy, Jayden is too devoted, Corbin seems completely evil, etc. There were also some plot holes that seemed like they should have been resolved in this book – but weren’t. There wasn’t anything major that I’d lose sleep over, though they cement BLOOD TIES as a light, fun read and definitely not something to pick up if you’re looking for something very tear-wrenching or heart-touching. 

And in true Mari Mancusi style, BLOOD TIES ends with another epilogue cliffhanger and a teaser from the next book. The ending's enough to satisfy you, so if you don't want to get hooked, you know where to stop. ;)

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Bottom Line:  Fun, fast-paced paranormal novel that doesn't have outstanding strengths or weaknesses. Perfect for a breezy, enjoyable read.

Cover: It doesn't seem tailored to BLOOD TIES in particular, but it's pretty enough.

>>To view more reviews, read interviews, and see other cool features, check out the tour stops on The {Teen} Book Scene BLOOD TIES blog tour page (My post is a bit off in date, but that's my fault, sorry. ):).<<

Review: Twisted Tales Series by Maureen McGowan

Maureen McGowan's website here // C:NW $8.95 from {amazon} // SB: VS $8.95 from {amazon}
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books; Reprint edition (April 1, 2011)
Paperback: 320 pages
Source: Premier Virtual Author Book Tours {here}

 
Cinderella: Ninja Warrior (Twisted Tales #1)
Summary:

In this fast-paced story full of adventure and romance, Cinderella is more than just a servant girl waiting for her prince—she's a tough, fearless girl who is capable of taking charge of a dangerous situation. Seeking to escape the clutches of her evil stepmother, Cinderella perfects her ninja skills and magic talents in secret, waiting for the day when she can break free and live happily ever after. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Cinderella and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

My Thoughts:

CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR is exactly what the title promises: fun, original, and deliciously twisted. So twisted, in fact, that I really hesitate to call it a fairytale retelling. It’s much more like a new fairytale reimagining, unless in the traditional fairytale, I somehow missed the part where Cinderella leaps across shifting blocks in her ball gown and glass slippers. Oh, and the page where she walks calmly across broken glass? Right.

When thinking of this book, I’m in serious danger of only reviewing it with one word: fun. CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR defines light fun. New crazy-but-awesome ideas are constantly being introduced, and while there isn’t much depth, the scope is truly impressive (ninjas and magic?). The balance between background and action was perfect, dull moments be banished.

In terms of characters, I applaud the fact that Cinderella actually has character. As much of a closet Disney fan as I am, let’s face it: Disney princesses are not known for their unwavering courage and kickass-bility. So it’s refreshing to see Cinderella not only adept at physical defense, but also independent and freed from the whole “love at first sight, prince sweeps me away,” one-chance-only deal. I give major points to her for refusing the swoon at the prince’s feet.

Having already talked about content, I can’t neglect to mention the “choose-your-story” aspect that makes CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR so unique, and so reminiscent of when I was six and believed myself to be the queen of choosing my own endings. The novelty of the furious page-flipping definitely adds to the fun factor, and though it gives an idea of just how short the story is (divides page number by two), the light-hearted magic likely would wear away over the course of another hundred pages. My only grumble is that sometimes I would say “no wand,” for instance, and she’d get one anyways... which doesn’t quite give the same heady feeling of power, but it’ll do.

Overall, CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR is a book that flows easily in both writing and plot, and is like literary whipped cream for fairytale fans of all ages.

My Rating: 4 out of 5

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Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer (Twisted Tales #2)
Summary:

In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

My Thoughts:

(To avoid being redundant, I’ll be concentrating on my differing thoughts on CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR and SLEEPING BEAUTY: VAMPIRE SLAYER.)

If CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR was the whipped cream, SLEEPING BEAUTY: VAMPIRE SLAYER was much of the same… but a few days expired. In areas where CINDERELLA: NINJA WARRIOR shines, this book glows dimly. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still enjoyable, but the characters, plot, and originality aren’t quite up to par.

My main issue was by far the romance. Sleeping Beauty’s tale is centered around the necessity of finding true love’s kiss, so it’s not surprise that romance has a greater presence in SLEEPING BEAUTY: VAMPIRE SLAYER. And that’s fine. Rather, my problem lies in the Sleeping Beauty Lucette’s romantic interest. Admittedly, she doesn’t have many romantic prospects, considering all the humans are asleep at night, but I never felt that their love was genuine with that fairytale ability to last forever-and-a-day. When her love does profess his feelings, I was literally waiting for him to pop out with “JK, I only think you’re hot!” It sounds crude, but I'm just glad that my opinion of him transitioned from dislike to apathy. He does later show some redeeming qualities, but the way he was introduced never let me shake the feeling of shallowness and general... unease. That feeling when someone is simply too nice, that there has to be burried darkness.  

That being said, SLEEPING BEAUTY: VAMPIRE SLAYER still features fluid writing and fun plot. Making Sleeping Beauty a vampire slayer was absolutely ingenious; by making the kingdom and Lucette fall asleep at different times (rather than all the time), we see another Disney princess that actually does something, and what else is awake at night but a vampire? The night undoubtedly places limitations on plot, yet despite the repetitive cycles of slaying-after-slaying, Maureen McGowan still manages to bring in some original ideas, such as vampire rose allergies and vampire politics. All-in-all, I’m happy with how she managed to work the plot to give it that twist.

My Rating: 3 out of 5

Bottom Line: I can't stress enough how fun Maureen McGowan's TWISTED TALES are. They're refreshingly brief, unique, and so, so twisted that I never found myself able to predict what was coming next. Great reads for fairytale lovers!

Cover: I actually like them. They're simple but suit the stories, really bringing out the originality and playfulness with the interesting costumes and bright colors. The more I look at them, the more perfect I think they are. Not jaw-dropping gorgeous, but brilliant all the same.

Review: Burned by P.C. and Kristin Cast

P. C. Cast's website here // $8.45 from {amazon}

Series: House of Night, #7

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (April 27, 2010)

Hardcover: 384 pages

Summary: from {goodreads}

Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how? He will have to die to do so, the Vampire High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left…

Enter BFF Stevie Rae. She wants to help Z but she has massive problems of her own. The rogue Red Fledglings are acting up, and this time not even Stevie Rae can protect them from the consequences. Her kinda boyfriend, Dallas, is sweet but too nosy for his own good. The truth is, Stevie Rae’s hiding a secret that might be the key to getting Zoey home but also threatens to explode her whole world.

In the middle of the whole mess is Aphrodite: ex-Fledgling, trust-fund baby, total hag from Hell (and proud of it). She’s always been blessed (if you could call it that) with visions that can reveal the future, but now it seems Nyx has decided to speak through her with the goddess’s own voice, whether she wants it or not. Aphrodite’s loyalty can swing a lot of different ways, but right now Zoey’s fate hangs in the balance.

Three girls… playing with fire… if they don’t watch out, everyone will get Burned.

Rating: View my rating system.

WARNING: Contains spoilers from PREVIOUS books in the series.
My Thoughts: To be honest, I started Burned with very low expectations. Back when Zoey first became a Redbird and her biggest problem was the mystifying mark on her forehead, The House of Night series was a quickly devoured manifestation of unique ideas and unlimited potential. But potential is unrestrained, so my interest quickly disintegrated when it chose to take the path of Zoey’s doomed love triangles; books three through six involved different guys, same teenage angst. I expected Burned to be a continuation of this trend, but surprisingly – and fortunately – found it to be more of a return to the series’ plot-centric beginnings.

Burned opens with few males remaining: Eric is long out of the picture, Heath is freshly murdered, and Stark is left broken over Zoey’s impending death. The conclusion: Zoey may now practice monogamy – minus the jealous fits and tears. But since we all know how boring monogamy is, the focus shifts to Stevie Rae’s struggle between her new, conflicting feelings over Rephaim and her old sort of-boyfriend Dallas. In the previous books, Zoey’s relationship drama often overshadowed the plot and was characterized by meaningless make-out sessions between various males; in contrast, Stevie Rae’s relationship, though similarly sexual, reached semi-closure in the course of one book and took more of a backstage to the action. It's unusual for me to say this, but I felt the toned down romance was a major improvement.

In terms of writing and narration, I found Burned lacking. The multiple POV’s were an interesting aspect, though slightly disorienting, but did not contribute my enjoyment of Burned – at all. The narration was from different perspectives but the characters’ styles of narration were unexcitingly similar and in third person. I can understand the plot necessity, though it doesn’t change my opinion that the writing and the characters could desperately use more personality and less cliché. In fact, the only character that I felt had any degree of substantiality was Aphrodite. She’s the type of character made so readers can love to hate her and hate to love her, and love her I do. Aphrodite was refreshingly harsh in a world where everything seems a bit too perfect: the self-sacrificing Heath, the unerringly devoted Stark, etc. In Burned, Aphrodite was my fist of reason that I strongly wanted to knock against a few characters’ heads and since I couldn't, I'm glad she sometimes did.

At this point, what I see as The House of Night’s largest flaw is its relentless ability to drag things out. First it was Zoey’s love entanglements, now it threatens to be the Light versus Darkness struggle. Burned hardly mentions Neferet and Kalona and instead chooses to reveal more mysteries regarding the world’s possible demise. While the one aspect I really enjoyed was learning the mythology – especially the extremely vital role of the Scottish – it distracted me from the main evil/good conflict at hand; there are numerous sub-plots and simply not enough time. The lack of concentration in one area lead me to finish Burned feeling like I had just read about the solving of one minor conflict, though admittedly with much more knowledge. Ideally, in their future books the Casts will find a balance between fleshing out the plot with their original, intriguing ideas and pacing the main Light versus Darkness struggle appropriately.

Ultimately, despite my complaints, Burned was new -- period. Its focus on background markedly stood out from its recent predecessors, whether in a good or bad way is objective. For someone like me, who only tolerated Zoey’s indecisiveness and flightiness, Burned was a welcome change. However, it lost some of the series' dramatic tension and suspense, by-products of the strong romance, and breezed through some important past conflicts. Burned's role in the overall series seems to an informational one but as an independent book, the action was entertaining enough to keep my interest.

Romance: A little bit of sexual action, but it concentrates on Stevie Rae's emotional conflict. Given what I've read of The House of Night series already, it's fairly standard.
Cover: 3.0 -- It's pretty (and the inside of the cover is a mini-poster!), but it doesn't say much about the story itself.
Writing: 3.0
Characters: 2.0 
Plot: 3.5

Bottom Line: Burned suffers heavily from a lack of focus and authentic, three-dimensional YA characters; yes, we're partially back to the childish cussing again. However, if you're willing to overlook those flaws in favor of steady paranormal romance and an intricate, unique plotline, Burned may be your form of an enjoyable light read.

Thank you to Tara and St. Martin's Press for the review copy!

**Side-note: I would not recommend reading Burned if you haven't at least read up to the fifth book, Hunted. At the very least, I suggest reading plot summaries of the previous few books.

Mini-Review: Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot's website here // $13.44 from {amazon}

Publisher: William Morrow (June 8, 2010)

Hardcover: 464 pages

Summary: from {goodreads}

Sick of vampires?

So is Meena Harper.

But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.

Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does).

But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, ould prefer to see him dead for.

The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own.

And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.

Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . .

If she even has one.

Rating: View my rating system.

My Thoughts: I'm only doing a mini-review of this one because, technically, it's an adult book. I was surprised by this one a couple weeks ago, and it was a good, if unexpected, surprise. I'll easily admit I've read (and own a couple!) a number of Meg Cabot's young adult novels, and enjoyed them, and having accidentally read one of her more adult books last year (link to my review of Ransom My Heart, which I just realized is a very HARSH review -- ouch), I was intrigued by Insatiable.

To keep this review short, I'm going to try and analyze the fundamental parts of the book as quickly as possible: I first thought Insatiable as promising and a step up on the maturity level from Meg Cabot's usually frivolous chick-lit (hey, that can be a good thing), but the ending quickly had me backtracking. The characters were okay, if stereotypical, and I could see myself sympathizing with Meena to some extent. Sympathy is different from esteem though, and I didn't really hold the three main characters (Meena, Lucien, and Alaric) in very high regard. The reason was that they all fell in and out of love extremely fast to the point where it seemed appearance-based and shallow, though they all claimed they had some "deep feeling." Right -- lust, maybe...? I can see promise in their backgrounds though, and I would definitely categorize each of the characters as "interesting." The redeeming point that made me see potential was the spatterings of truly enjoyable, intense action, which would ocasionally become confusing and anti-climactic, but overall revealed that perhaps Meg Cabot has a path in action-romance after all...

The two main points that I felt most strongly about are: 1) the whole concept of "this is not your average vampire read. vampires are sooo 19th century," and 2) Meena. At the beginning, I thought Meena was a strong, firmly grounded woman that truly was immune to the stereotypes of vampires, so kudos to Meg Cabot on that. But when she adds Lucien to the equation, my opinion of Meena quickly disintegrated. Because, yep, turns out Meena isn't as oblivious to the cold, brooding, mysterious combination (aka VAMPIRE) as she thought. She quickly consents to what could potentially be a one-night stand with Lucien, despite her repeated denials that she isn't "that" kind of woman and the fact that she really doesn't know Lucien -- well, besides that he smells good, looks good, is a gentleman, etc. Shallow stuff right there. However, when Lucien and Meena actually admitted they had feelings for each other and got together, I cheered for them. They just worked together: their personalities, their thoughts, their feelings. I can't say much without spoiling it, so I'll just say that I HATED THE ENDING. The end made me hate Meena, and I hate what happened. The ending seemed like Meg Cabot realizing that, opps, we actually have a vampire-human romance going on here and we need to make it different, but without considering the characters and plot line. UGH.

If you don't mind SPOILERS, here's my ranting (it's in white, highlight to read): Meena leaves Lucien. ASDASDJHAKSJDSD!!! Just because he turns into a dragon and she's scared of him now. For being a vampire, what she knows he is from early on. After he risked his life for hers and, thus, turned into a dragon....!! I'm tired of vampire relationships, but I still rooted for Meena and Lucien. *sigh* Meena falls out of "love" so fast that it's questionable whether it was ever really a feeling of love. Perhaps admiration or obsession would be closer to it.

Bottom Line: Despite my ranting, Insatiable was actually a decently enjoyable book. The romances felt insubstantial, but the interesting plot made up for it. The only part that really ruined it for me was the ending, which I absolutely hated, so I deducted .5 stars for that. Other than that, Insatiable shows Meg Cabot's potential in more serious subjects and definitely her development in writing over the years, from a very YA chick-lit writer to a reasonable adult writer. I'm intrigued to see futher development in Meg Cabot's future adult books, though, personally, I preferred her sticking to YA.

Read It? If you're a fan of Meg Cabot's more adult titles, you might like this one, or just like it more. If you're looking for a borderline chick-lit/action vampire book, this one will make for a quick, entertaining read, especially with summer just starting. But if you're just looking for a "different" vampire book, I don't think you've found it in Insatiable, sorry.

Thank you to Pamela from HarperCollins for the book!

**Side note: Please keep in mind I am a teenager, so I may have an idealist perspective. *shrug* Sorry.

Review: Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Claudia Gray's website here // $11.55 from {amazon}

Series: Evernight, #3
Publisher: HarperTeen (March 9, 2010)
Hardcover: 352 pages
Summary: from {goodreads}

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas.

After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at their hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—hiding is no longer an option.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can't escape her destiny.

Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything . . . but can it survive what's to come?

Rating: View my rating system.

My Thoughts: Okay, I’m going to start off with some things I feel need to be said: 1) It’s extremely hard for me to rate series books because I only buy series I really, really, REALLY love (for the record, the only series I have bought are: some children series, Harry Potter, Twilight, Perfect Chemistry, and L.J. Smith’s Night World), 2) I usually don’t have as much to say when talking about series books for some unknown reason, perhaps because I feel like my few thoughts have already been expended on the previous books, and 3) I am a COMPLETE Balthazar fan, if that means any difference to you at all. Sorry, Lucas.

On to the real review, Hourglass is definitely a paranormal read. There are the centuries-old yet undeniably attractive vampires, the fierce vampire hunters, and then an entirely new, chilling something introduced in this book three of the series. With this intense mix, there just has to be action – and there is. The aspect of the book I can find myself complimenting the most is the action, which was definitely non-stop with mystery and intrigue. Hourglass picks up right where Stargazer left off, with Bianca struggling to remain inconspicuous with Lucas and the gang. However, that turns out to be easier said than done when you’re on the verge of changing into a vampire, have a crazy vampire headmistress hunting your vampire hunter buddies down, and have a best friend that would kill you in a heartbeat if she knew what you really were. If that sounds crazy, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Hourglass certainly proves that Claudia Gray knows how to weave an intricate story, continually working in new twists and turns to make sure there’s never a dull moment.

Character-wise, Hourglass was “okay.” I liked seeing more of Vic and his new vampire friend, Ranulf, both of with are eccentric in their own, endearing ways; Ranulf is the centuries-behind vampire, where Vic is just Vic, for lack of better words. They’re close seconds to Balthazar in vying for the spot of favorite character, and make the perfect, strange match. Then, of course, I have to mention Balthazar, who is as Prince Charming as ever, swooping in and trying to save the day. I don’t see what charm Lucas has over him but, apparently, Bianca sees something there I don’t, and their relationship is actually what I struggled the most/am still struggling with. I’ve never been a huge Lucas fan, but his and Bianca’s love felt at times stereotypical and, frankly, a bit annoying. Bianca has no choice to feed on Lucas, he gets turned on, etc. and their extreme willingness to sacrifice for each other aggravated me, even if it was meant to be sweet. The way I look at it, there’s a line you have to draw for self-preservation regardless of how much you may love another, yet Lucas and Bianca lack this distinction and feel the need to constantly proclaim their undying love for each other. I’m not trying to degrade their romance, but, frankly, I did not see it standing out among the many other forbidden love relationships. Overall, I felt a degree of disconnect from Bianca and wish that there could have been a bit more emotional exploration along with the packed action.

Ultimately, after finishing Hourglass, the one thing I want the most is some form of closure. Hourglass flowed like the intense middle of a book, fortunate in that it came without the slow introduction though unfortunate in that it lacked the wrap-up conclusion. I arrived at the end expecting a mini-conclusion, but instead found myself confronted by a situation I never would have dreamed of. If you're looking for a suspenseful cliffhanger, you'll definitely find a great one in Hourglass.

Romance: 3.0. I'm sorry I'm biased here, but one word: Balthazar.
Cover: 3.5 - It matches the Evernight theme very well, though the full frontal shot is a bit bland.
Writing: 3.5
Characters: 3.0  
Plot: 4.0

Bottom Line: Hourglass is a fast-paced, action-packed blend of romance, mystery, and danger that will never fail to surprise with its sharp turns and twists.

Will I continue reading this series? It's not my favorite series, but yes, the ending has served it's purpose in sparking my interest to find out what happens next. I cannot rest in peace until this mystery is solved.

Source: Thank you to Jackie Jou and HarperCollins Children's Books for the copy!

Review: Bad Blood by Mari Mancusi

Bad Blood by Mari Mancusi (Blood Coven #4)

Mari Mancusi's website here.

Publisher: Berkley Trade; Original edition (January 5, 2010)

Paperback: 230 pages

Buy: {amazon}, {b&n}, {borders}, {book depository}
Summary: from {goodreads}

Sunny McDonald is in the ultimate forbidden relationship. Her boyfriend Magnus is a vampire, and the leader of the Blood Coven. Their differences have never been an issue, until now…

When the Blood Coven decides that Magnus needs a mate to be his co-ruler, Sunny’s humanity puts her out of the running. The Coven’s chosen candidate is Jane Johnson, a magna cum laude graduate of Oxford University who just happens to look like a vampiric celebutante.

Sunny is suspicious of a Rhodes Scholar who can’t answer the most basic poly-sci questions, but Magnus brushes it off as petty jealousy. Still, when the Blood Coven goes to Las Vegas for a vampire convention—where Magnus and Jane’s bonding ceremony will be the main event—Sunny and her sister Rayne secretly tag along. And Sunny’s not going home before she learns the truth about Jane. Because not everything stays in Vegas—especially bad blood…

Rating:

My Thoughts: What's a girl to do when her boyfriend suddenly needs to run off to Vegas with another girl? Sunny knows that better than anyone when her vampire boyfriend and Blood Coven leader, Magnus, gets hot-and-steamy (Sunny suspects) with a girl specially picked by the Blood Coven to be his blood mate, one who's going to be turned into a vampire in a few days so she can forever rule by Magnus's side. And it certainly doesn't help that this girl, Jane, is supermodel gorgeous and supposedly has a brain the size of Oxford. But something doesn't quite add up, other than her jeaously, so Sunny secretly follows Magnus to Vegas to see what's up... and maybe save her boyfriend's life.

Before moving on to my thoughts, I want to say that I have NOT read the previous Blood Coven novels, and due to that, I probably missed some character development that happened in the previous novels. On the other hand, I can say first-hand that Mari Mancusi skillfully introduced me to the world of the Blood Coven and I was able to quickly grasp the concepts. This review will also be solely focused on Bad Blood without any influence from previous books.

Bad Blood was my first time reading any book in the Blood Coven series, and I was plesantly... surprised? content? I didn't exactly know what to expect, though I thought I would have connected more with Rayne, who emphathizes more with the "dark side." And, no, it's not because of their cookies. However, I actually connected more with Sunny, Rayne's twin sister. Sunny seems like the typical, optimistic fictional blonde, but in reality she's strong and fairly independent. She was a lot more relatable to me than Rayne because Sunny showed human fear but still managed to pull herself through it, while Rayne just seemed confident and more than a little pissed at the world. I thought Rayne was okay, still understandable as a person, but I just didn't feel that connection with her. Either way, I enjoyed the sarcastic banter between the two; there was a solid love-hate relationship going on here, which I could totally relate to given my own sister.

Mari Mancusi's pretty up-to-date, and I liked all the little pieces of pop culture she managed to throw in there. Those tidbits ranged from Katy Perry's "envy-inducing curves" to Hannah Montana and DDR (Dance Dance Revolution). Plus, Final Fantasy equals total love. (Or maybe I'm just a geek.) Either way, the setting was definitely 21st century and made the story and characeters come alive just that little bit more... and a tiny, okay, major portion of why I liked the references were that they were simply amusing, understandable, and made me smile.

Other than the light, fun jokes and good-humored jabs, there was some intense action, romance, and family problems. Basically: nobody's perfect and someone's going to have to pick up the pieces. There were some crazy vampire politics going on here and Sunny and Magnus's relationship greatly suffered because of it. Like my feelings with Rayne, or lack thereof, I don't really have an opinion of Magnus because he just simply isn't there a lot, which is also one of his and Sunny's major problems. I was a little dissapointed with his lack of trust in Sunny though. From a superficial viewpoint, Magnus sounds pretty hot, and I loudly appluad Sunny for not immediately succumbing to his charms all the time, a common fault among pretty boys. Can't say I blame anyone for melting, but hold some semblance of sense together, please!

Finally, the ending. I don't want to ruin it, so all I'm going to say is: WOAH. Total cliffhanger! It was totally out-of-the-blue, but I can't wait to see where Mari Mancusi takes it.

Romance: Sweet, light smatterings. Hm, two boys vying for Sunny's attention. Is it starting to sounds like heartbreak? Nooo, because I love Jayden.
Cover: 4.0 -- So pretty! I love the revamp, with the gorgeous pictures and swirls.
Writing: 4.0
Characters: 3.5
Plot: 3.5

Bottom Line: Bad Blood was a fast-paced, light but enjoyable read with a bit of mystery, romance, action, and danger. If you're looking for a short read with all of the above, you won't be dissapointed with Bad Blood, or dare I say the entire Blood Coven series? Not at the absolute top of my list, but I'll definitely be looking out for future books in the Blood Coven series! :)

Thank you to Caitlin from Berkley Publishing for the copy.

Review: Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (December 22, 2009)

Hardcover: 256 pages -- Paperback is coming out at the same time!

Price: $11.46 from {amazon}, {barnes and noble: pb, h}

Summary: from {goodreads}

On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black—agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family. Luckily she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy—who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life—Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black—in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart. Even fans of the genre who’ve seen it all will find a fresh read with kick-butt characters and family dynamics that ring true for all brothers and sisters—vampire or otherwise.

Rating:

 Review: Solange is the first girl born to a powerful vampire line in over 900 years. She's human right now, but she might not survive past her 16th birthday to transform into a vampire. With her trusty best friend and nose-breaking wonder, Lucy (real name: Lucky), at her side, Solange takes down some serious vampire hunters, crazed blood fanatics, and repulsive admirers. And did I mention she find love along the way?

If all of that sounds like a lot, IT IS. Hearts at Stake was packed with action, romance, and vampire politics - in a good way. It moves in fast and doesn't let up. There was never a dull moment, and I was always learning something new: another vampire betrayal here, another killing over there, etc. It was easy to read and understand and kept me on the edge wondering what would happen next. That being said, Hearts At Stake is not an extremely deep book, but enjoyable. The best way I can think of to organize my thoughts for this one is to split them into pros and cons since there are quite a few things I think need to be mentioned, both positive and negative.

The White:
1) I love Lucy!! (Just noticed the parallel to the TV show when I finished typing this. Must be fate.) She's like that awesome best friend that we all wish we had - the one that sticks by your side and defends you no matter what and who's willing to throw a few punches to enforce that. Lucy has serious spunk and bravery, and coupled with a biting, sarcastic sense of humor, she's my type of girl.
2) Fast-paced with lots of action. Stakes flying, insane jumps, Matrix-esque backward bends, what's not to love?
3) Interesting vampire-related groups and politics. Alyxandra Harvey creates an intricate world of vampire hierarchies and histories and various beings like the Helios-Ra, vampire hunters, and the blood-crazed, blue-skinned vampires called Hel-Blar.
4) Did I mention super hot vampire guys with ice blue eyes? Let me say that again: seven hot vampires that all look almost the same. One for you, one for me, and let's continue to pass the rest around the circle.

The Black:
1) Jumped in very fast. I had to double-check to make sure I didn't miss something, specifically a book before Hearts At Stake. The action started immediately and though there was some introduction, I felt that there were previous events I had missed that would really have fleshed out the book. I definitely could have used a lot more background information on the Solange-Lucy and Lucy-Nicoholas relationships.
2) Hectic ending. Quite a few groups that had been mentioned in the book but never actually showed up popped up at the end to throw some kicks and complicate all the crazy action that was already happening. To say I was confused by all the different groups coming in and yelling is an understatement.

The Gray:
1) Alternating POV between Solange and Lucy. I enjoyed seeing things from both of their views and it allowed me to see what was going on at two different places simultaneously. My concern is that I felt it was a bit choppy jumping around so often, and I didn't see a clear distinction between Solange and Lucy. While I liked Lucy's rebellious character, I didn't really have a feeling about Solange. She was just... there.
2) Fairly simple writing. I don't know what to make of this. On one hand, it was easy to understand and didn't detract from the story. On the other hand, it didn't add to the story and the questions Lucy uses at the beginning to clarify some terms are obvious for what they are - info for the reader.

Romance: Cute, hot, fast. Technically there are two romance in Hearts at Stake. And they move fast, as in the first kiss is on page 23. While I enjoyed the rapid pace, I wish there could have been more time for development.
Cover: 3.0 - The model is gorgeous... but who is she? Solange has short hair, though other than that, it matches her description.
Writing: 3.0
Characters: 4.0 - Lucy points!
Plot: 3.5

Bottom Line: I know my review of Hearts at Stake is a bit long and winding, sorry! There were just so many points I wanted to get in here, because I'm still not really not sure of my standing on Hearts At Stake. It had unique ideas and loveable, interesting characters, though the beginning and ending weren't very solid and I had a few concerns that I can't flag yet as full-fledged objections. Again, the one thing that I loved was Lucy! I'd recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of the paranormal and looking for an action-packed, romance-filled, fast-paced, and light read. Overall, I gave Hearts at Stake four stars for it's entertainment value and I'd say this series has potential; I'll be looking forward to reading Blood Fued, book 2 in the series. Congrats Alyxandra Harvey on her debut! :)

Thank you to Katie, who I won this ARC from.