Review: Blood of the Earth

Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Soulwood is a great new spinoff series based in the same world as Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series. Nell was recently pulled into Jane's world when Jane asked for her help rescuing a missing Clan Glass vamp. The polygamist cult Nell escaped from and has been attempting to avoid since was responsible for the kidnapping and Jane needed access to their compound which sits adjacent Nell's land. After the rescue attempt, Jane went back to New Orleans leaving Nell to deal with the remaining members who weren't happy with her helping outsiders. In the last few months, things have gotten pretty intense, and are only getting worse, that is until Rick Lafleur and Paka show up. Jane was supposed to send help but they're late in coming, and when they do show up they need Nell's help too. Psyled is working a case that may involve the cult and they want Nell on their team.

Nell is so naive about the world around her having been raising in such isolation. I love the simple joys she finds in things most people consider so normal. She doesn't know what she is or what kind of powers she holds but the coming months will give her plenty of opportunity to test those things out. I never liked Paka much for the role she played in Rick's leaving Jane, but she did grow on me a bit in this book. Even better was Occam, the other were-leopard who just happens to be from Texas and seems to be awfully smitten with Nell!! The other team member I find completely endearing is Tandy, the empath in unit 18. He's basically a human lie detector but he's very sensitive to the emotions of those around him and Nell is very kind to him.


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Review: Too Late

Too Late by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to really like this book but I can't with Sloan and Asa. Neither of them is very appealing just for different reasons. Poor pitiful Sloan is stuck with a drug dealer/user in a horribly abusive relationship because without Asa, her handicapped brother will be forced out of his new home and back in with her mother. Asa knows this, knows that Sloan is dependent upon him and treats her accordingly. Sloan cries a lot but tries to act really tough around Carter. Carter is ok just a little dull. *More of an explanation in the spoilers*

***Spoilers***
Sloan's brother lost the state-funded coverage for his 24 care center and Sloan was forced to return to Asa and ask for his help. For the last two years, he's been paying the out of pocket cost for her brother's care. Except he hasn't. He faked the paperwork saying they were denied so Sloan would be forced to ask him for help. In two years she never thought to even ask anyone about this? Why was it denied? What do they need to do to get it reinstated? Nothing.. this is why I can't deal with her. Asa is just an asshole who has serious issues stemming from his own fucked up childhood. Carter is an undercover cop posing as a partner to take Asa down when he meets Sloan and they fall in insta-love. Nope., not for me.

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Haven  by Melissa Belle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Found this little gem on Wattpad! The best things in life are free! I wanted to rate and add to my collection on Goodreads but the book isn't listed there.

Norah is an aspiring writer and seems to be an introvert most of the time. Her brother has a bad habit of running with the wrong crowd and his bad decisions are now affecting her. When one of his associates threatens her she flees the city looking for peace. What she finds is anything but peace, instead, she's now in the middle of a power struggle between real life fairy tale creatures.

***Spoilers***
I love Rylan! He is everything, funny, protective, hot and a little cocky. Norah was goofy and at times a little annoying but still she made you want to root for her. The entire Montoya family is awesome, well except for Liam. Liam and his twin brother Luke are the first born twins to their clan but due to complications and an emergency c-section no one knows who was meant to be born first. Before he died, their father chose Luke to lead the pack but Liam is not having it. He left the pack and took some of their members with them essentially fracturing the family. Since then it's been a power struggle and Norah is now caught in the middle. She and Rylan do fall for each other after she saves his ass and he saves hers a few times. Liam and Daniel (her brother's friends she's been running from) hook up when he almost dies after attacking her. Liam saves him because the whole "enemy of my enemy is my friend" thing. They decide to kidnap her and before Rylan is able to save her, Daniel (who is now a wolf) bites her and forces the change. She makes out ok as a wolf and in the epilogue the two decide to get married.

Review: When She Woke

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I might be alone in this, but I had to give it 5 stars! When I catch myself grabbing my book in the mornings, so that I can sneak in a few chapters at lunch, I'd say it's pretty good.
Hannah has always felt a bit stifled but remained true to her family, and their beliefs. Well until she had an affair with a married man, got pregnant, and then had an abortion. In this post-apocalyptic world, after the second depression, instead of jails filled with criminals, they are all monochromed. Criminals are injected with a color, that changes based on the severity of your crime, and colors your skin head to toe. Since abortion is illegal, and she refused to out the abortionist, or the father, she will have to remain a Red for 16 years.

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Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow, what a cliffhanger! Mara is trying to bide her time, give the correct answers, and do what has to be done to avoid being put in full-time treatment. No one believes that she saw her ex-boyfriend Jude in the police station, and after a pretty disturbing scene, she was admitted again. Noah is the only person who believes her and is willing to help. Even if Mara wasn't crazy before, dealing with strange new powers, and a dead ex-boyfriend, all while everyone thinks you're imagining things is enough to make anyone mental.


***Spoilers***
After seeing Jude in the police station, and freaking out her parents have her admitted. She gives the right answers and says what they want so that she can go home and into out-patient care. Once she is home Jude starts leaving things for her, a dead cat, blood on the mirror, and moving things around. At one point she throws her grandmothers doll out with the trash at the curb. She keeps having flashbacks of a little girl in a remote jungle in India. The doll was given to that little girl when she was found alone. She later finds the doll back in her drawer, and she tells Noah as much. He tells her that he watched her get up, tell him she shouldn't have done it, and go get the doll. It was her that retrieved it out of the trash. After this, you start thinking maybe it's her doing all of this. She has periods of time she doesn't remember, etc. Dr. Kells the new psychologist at her new treatment facility is a bit shifty, but Phoebe is worse. Phoebe is bat shit crazy and leaves things for Mara to find that her boyfriend gave her. When Mara wakes up in a trunk of a car, and Jude reveals that he has taken her, he tells her that she will slit her own wrists, or he will do it for her. If he has to do it, he will also use the key he took from her to kill her two brothers. She knows that sometimes pain triggers Noah's gift to see her, and she bites her tongue as hard as possible hoping he can see what's going on. She does cut her own wrist but is stopped by a police officer checking on the two of them. He calls for back up but suddenly has a stroke. Mara is found in a pool of her own blood with the dead officer, and no Jude. So again, everyone thinks she wants to kill herself, and no one believes Jude was there, except Noah. He saw everything through her eyes. Mara is admitted to a full-time treatment center run by Dr. Kells. Phoebe is her roommate and keeps telling people that Mara is trying to hurt her. Turns out Jude is her boyfriend, and has been using her to scare Mara all along. He doesn't want Mara dead, only scared because he thinks she can bring his sister Claire back to life if she is motivated enough. Dr. Kells facilitates the whole thing. Jude traps Mara, Noah, Jamie, Stella, and a few others and reveals that they all have powers. Jude heals himself but while doing so, he takes strength from others. Stella can read Jude's mind, not sure if that works with anyone. In the end, Mara wakes up in a hospital with Dr. Kells there. She remembers the fight and killing Jude. Kells tells Mara that she was given some drug that will make moving her body impossible. She also tells her that she has been a part of a blind study, that not even her parents knew about. She pulls up a list of names on a board. Stella, Mara, Jamie, Jude and Noah all have contraindications next to their names, which is what they call the powers. Five of them, three I don't know, and Phoebe and Noah are listed as deceased. Mara doesn't believe it because Dr. Kells has lied about so many things. She asks Mara if she wants help getting better, and Mara answers yes, knowing that she won't be trapped forever.

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