Showing posts with label Vampires. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vampires. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Review: Saltwater Vampires by Kirsty Eagar
Release Date: August 30, 2010
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Genre: Vampires
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 372
Source: Penguin Australia
Blurb (from Penguin Australia
He looked to the sky, praying for rain, a downpour, some sign from the heavens that he should refuse the abomination contained in that flask. But all he saw was the bloated white face of the moon smiling down on him …
And the sky around it was cold and clear and black …
They made their circle of blood. And only the moon witnessed the slaughter that followed.
For Jamie Mackie, summer holidays in the coastal town of Rocky Head Batavia
The Quickie Review
Saltwater Vampires is a highly addictive vampire novel which will suck you in from the very beginning (pardon the pun).
The Full Blown Review
I have been patiently waiting for a book like Saltwater Vampires - with real vampires - to enter the YA vampire genre, finally it has arrived! Now you may be wondering what I mean when I say real vampires, well when I say real vampires I mean the evil, nasty looking bloodsuckers of yester years none of this oh so sparkly, beautiful and noble vampires that seem to have inundated the market lately. It appears that somewhere along the line vampires in novels changed from being these frightening evil creatures to being these beautiful caring creatures. I for one prefer the former, I like my vampires menacing and nasty and boy does Kirsty Eagar deliver, these vampires gave me the creeps!
Saltwater Vampires beings with a bang, the year is 1629 and the Batavia
From the moment I read the prologue I was engrossed. As a reader we are not 100% sure of who or what exactly the four shipwreck survivors are so I was eager to discover more of their back story which is elaborated on further as the book progresses. I especially loved how the prologue ended leaving me on edge and a little creeped out
“They made their circle of blood. And only the moon witnessed the slaughter that followed.” - Page 12
Jamie was a relatable character, Kirsty did an excellent job describing the swell of emotions he was going through and boy he was having to deal with some difficult issues. I find that I generally enjoy a book much more when I feel something for the characters and I really felt for Jamie. He was beating himself up for the accident that happened with Dale when in reality it wasn’t his fault, I really wanted to tell him this but I had to remind myself that Jamie is not an actual person he is only a character in a book. Whilst I have never experienced the things Dale endured (absent mother, distant father) I still was able to feel for him as a character too.
I have decided I wouldn’t mind having Jamie’s friends - Tanner, Kelly, Talia and Willem - as friends. All of these characters were willing to sacrifice themselves in order to help both Jamie and Dale which is an excellent quality to find in a friend. Tanner was a relaxed surfer, nothing seemed to phase him except maybe getting stuck in a campervan waiting for vampires to turn up, who wouldn’t get scared! Kelly, a talented surfer, was a bit prickly and aloof at first but I soon softened towards her once I found out the reason as to why she was so prickly. Then we have Talia the new girl in town who takes a liking to both Tanner and Jamie, who’s not afraid to speak her mind especially in situations when she probably shouldn’t. Finally we have Willem, he was a bit of an odd ball but was a wealth of information on vampires (very helpful), I don’t know what it was but there was something about Willem I found endearing.
Kirsty managed to surprise me in this novel, I thought I knew a character and then all of a sudden they did something that I was not expecting at all. There was one particular action a character took that I did not expect, maybe I’m a bit naïve or trusting but I didn’t see that coming.
I also have to mention that I loved the setting for the novel, I could picture Rocky Head so clearly in my head especially because it reminded me of the coastal town we stayed in when I was younger where we used to go camping near the beach for holidays.
Towards the end of the novel the suspense builds until the final confrontation occurs between the vampires and the teens and what a confrontation is was!
The only real issue I had was when Jamie and Tanner were informed that vampires exist by Willem. Now I know this is only a story and vampires aren’t real (obviously) but both Jamie and Tanner just accepted that vampires must be real, there was no real skepticism, if it was me I’d be very skeptical I’d probably ask them what are you on? All this was a little too convenient for me, I would have liked for them to show a bit more uncertainty but like I said it’s only a minor quibble.
Rating
4.5 out of 5
Goodies
Kirsty’s debut novel Raw Blue was released last year whilst I haven’t read it yet (I plan to though) I did read an excellent review by Nomes over at Inkcrush, so why not check it out? Simply click HERE.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Review: Hourglass (Evernight #3) by Claudia Gray
Release Date: March 9, 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Vampires
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 339
Source: Bought
Blurb (from Goodreads)
Bestselling author Claudia Gray’s Evernight series continues. In Hourglass, Bianca and Lucas have found a way to be together. But it means lying to the people who care about them the most.
After escaping fromEvernight Academy
Hourglass, the third book in this gripping vampire series by the author of the New York Times bestseller Stargazer, has all the romance, suspense, and page-turning drama that have made Claudia Gray’s books runaway successes.
After escaping from
Hourglass, the third book in this gripping vampire series by the author of the New York Times bestseller Stargazer, has all the romance, suspense, and page-turning drama that have made Claudia Gray’s books runaway successes.
The Quickie Review
Another edge of your seat, non stop thrill ride from Claudia Gray with an ending that will leave you begging for more, plus a little frustrated that we have to wait until March next year until Afterlife.
The Full Blown Review
* Note to my bloggy readers who haven’t read Stargazer and/or Evernight yet, in the off chance that your reading this review I wouldn’t suggest reading any further, so *STOP*, *HALT*, *NONE SHALL PASS*, as there are probably some spoilery details which you really don’t want to know just yet, trust me.
Okay so now I have warned you all I can get on with my review. Hourglass picks up soon after Stargazer, with Bianca, Lucas and Raquel hiding out (whilst also training to kick some vampire butt) with Black Cross. Unfortunately Lucas and Bianca’s plans of leaving Black Cross are put on hold as the cell is in lock down so they must wait it out until an opportunity arises for them to leave without being caught. However events conspire that place both Lucas and Bianca in danger and they must leave Black Cross sooner than they bargained for. Though once they finally do get away more problems ensue.
Once again I found the start to be a bit slow going, but then all of a sudden the pace picked up and I couldn’t put it down. I attribute this non-putdownableness (I know it’s not an actual word) to when Balthazar was captured, from that moment I was glued to each page, what can I say I have a bit of a soft spot for Balthazar.
Hourglass definitely gave us more Bianca and Lucas time (it’s basically Bianca and Lucas together throughout most of it) which I appreciated because we didn’t get too much in Stargazer. We really get a sense of how much Lucas is willing to sacrifice to be with Bianca and how much he cares for her, which is very adorable. Lucas also manages put his pride and feelings towards Balthazar aside when he decides to help him escape from Black Cross, something which he didn’t have to do but he did. Hourglass is also steamier than the previous two books.
I felt more for Bianca in this book, she was really struggling with leaving her family and her blood craving which was especially difficult living with a bunch of vampire hunters who would kill her if they discovered her secret. Bianca’s declining health issue was a bit of a mystery for me throughout the book, I kept on wondering what was wrong and what was going to happen because she wasn’t getting any better. Towards the end of the book we are given an answer to this conundrum, once I read this I was like ‘oh this makes sense to me now, clever’.
I also have to mention Raquel who settled in very well at Black Cross. I was not impressed with her actions at all, I don’t want to give it away but I’m just going to say ‘Oh Raquel why oh why, I’m very disappointed in you *wags finger*’, this will make perfect sense once you have read the book. Vic and Ranulf also make an appearance in the book which is always fun, I love them both, they always manage to lighten the mood. As I mentioned before Balthazar is in Hourglass too but it’s really only a minor appearance but it’s still Balthazar so I’ll take anything I can get.
Now I can get onto the ending, words cannot justify how ‘crap me did that just happen’ and frustrating it was. Don’t get me wrong I loved the ending but it’s so cruel we have to wait until 2011 until the next book when we were left hanging like we were. I’ll just say both Bianca and Lucas are in a pretty big pickle and I have no idea how they are going to overcome this pickle.
Random thought: I was thinking about the title of the book before and it dawned on me that it’s really clever, throughout the book Bianca’s time was running out, just like an hourglass, she had to make a choice because if she didn’t the choice would be made for her once the time ran out.
The Good
* The ending, wow!
* Bianca and Lucas’ relationship developing even more, so sweet.
* The second half of the book, it really picked up the pace.
The Not So Good
* Slow start (again)
* The ending, I can’t wait until 2011. Yes I know I’ve placed this in both, I loved the ending but was extremely frustrated with the ending hence it’s been placed in both.
Rating
4 out of 5
There’s Another Book?!?
Yes there is one more book in the series after Hourglass:
Afterlife – released March 8, 2011
Goodies
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Review: Stargazer (Evernight #2) by Claudia Gray
Release Date: March 24, 2009 Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Vampires
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 329
Source: Bought
Blurb (from Goodreads)
The vampire in me was closer to the surface...
Evernight Academy
But Bianca fell in love with Lucas—a vampire hunter sworn to destroy her kind. They were torn apart when his true identity was revealed, forcing him to flee the school.
Although they may be separated, Bianca and Lucas will not give each other up. She will risk anything for the chance to see him again, even if it means coming face-to-face with the vampire hunters of Black Cross—or deceiving the powerful vampires of Evernight. Bianca's secrets will force her to live a life of lies.
Yet Bianca isn't the only one keeping secrets. When Evernight is attacked by an evil force that seems to target her, she discovers the truth she thought she knew is only the beginning....
But Bianca fell in love with Lucas—a vampire hunter sworn to destroy her kind. They were torn apart when his true identity was revealed, forcing him to flee the school.
Although they may be separated, Bianca and Lucas will not give each other up. She will risk anything for the chance to see him again, even if it means coming face-to-face with the vampire hunters of Black Cross—or deceiving the powerful vampires of Evernight. Bianca's secrets will force her to live a life of lies.
Yet Bianca isn't the only one keeping secrets. When Evernight is attacked by an evil force that seems to target her, she discovers the truth she thought she knew is only the beginning....
The Quickie Review
Intrigue, action and suspense abound in the second book of the Evernight teen vampire series, a definite must read for all Evernight fans.
The Full Blown Review
Stargazer had been sitting on my shelf for a couple of months before I picked it up, I don’t know why I took so long to read it because I loved Evernight. Well I have now finished Stargazer and whilst not being my favourite of the series (I liked Evernight better) Stargazer is still an enjoyable read with many plot twists and turns.
It’s a new school year at Evernight and Bianca is still separated from the love of her life, Lucas. Bianca will do anything to be with Lucas even if that means lying to the people she loves. However, whilst she might be hiding secrets, others in her life also have secrets of their own that have dire implications for Bianca. I just have to say I did find the plot to be slow going at the start of the novel but don’t let that put you off because things start to pick up. I also have to give props to Claudia Gray for the plot, there were so many revelations I did not see coming at all which is very refreshing, I love to be surprised!
Many of the main and supporting characters from Evernight are back including Raquel, Balthazar and Lucas. I loved the relationship between Lucas and Bianca in the first book so I was a bit worried Lucas wasn’t going to feature too much in stargazer (with Lucas leaving Evernight) but fear not Lucas fans he is in the book and is just as brooding and caring towards Bianca as ever, that boy would do anything for Bianca, it’s so sweet! We also get to find out a bit more of Balthazar, whose relationship with Bianca really develops in Stargazer especially because they both need each other for something (sorry I don’t want to give it away). The relationship between Raquel and Bianca also developed more in Stargazer, I really felt for poor Raquel in Stargazer so it was nice to see her shut down her defenses and open up to Bianca.
Bianca discovers a few revelations that she has to deal with whilst also trying to handle her ever increasing vampire tendencies, especially her ever increasing need for blood. Her belief of the good in all vampires is also tested when she witnesses the death of a vampire at the hands of another vampire and her parents reveal some shocking information about her birth.
Apart from the romance aspect of the book we are also given more insight into the mysteries surrounding Evernight Academy
Towards the end of the book the action really picked up, I couldn’t stop reading and then all of a sudden I was at the end of the book, good thing I had a copy of Hourglass close at hand!
The Good
* The ending, wow I need the next book now!
* The addition of the wraiths
* The twists and turns woven seamlessly throughout the book, they just kept on coming
The Not So Good
* Slow start
Rating
4 out of 5
There’s Another Book?!?
Yes there are in fact two more books in the series after Stargazer:
Afterlife – released March 8, 2011
Goodies
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
+tours.jpg)
