Book Review: Lucky Charm by Annabel Chase

Goodreads Summary: New witch Emma Hart is at her wit’s end and, this time, it’s not the result of her vampire ghost roommate, her snarky owl, or her feelings for a certain fallen angel. Key members of Spellbound society are acting like children, and it’s wreaking havoc on the town’s regulation-happy infrastructure. When Emma is turned invisible during the investigation, she realizes that the spell was no accident and that someone is out to silence her—permanently.
Lucky Charm is the fourth book in the Spellbound paranormal cozy mystery series.
This is a full-length, humorous cozy mystery novel.

Goodreads Rating: 4.39 stars with over 1,000 ratings
Genre listing: Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Witches
Number of Pages: 190
Book in series: 4/10
Previous reviews for the series: Curse the Day. Doom and Broom, Spell's Bells
Goodreads Challenge: 25/30

Book Review: 

I think it's safe to say that I'm addicted to the Spellbound series by Annabel Chase. Every time I finish one I have to dive into the very next book. I keep telling myself I'm going to read something else, but obviously, I have not. I keep staring at my unread bookshelf and mentally apologizing to it. On the bright side, I'm at least getting close to meeting my Goodreads Challenge for the year. The 2018 Reading Challenge, not so much. Which reminds me, I should probably start working on 2019's. 

A little recap on the series for those of you just tuning in: Emma Hart finds herself stuck in Spellbound, a cursed Paranormal town, thanks to Fallen Angel Daniel Starr. To boot she's found out, she's a witch and has been placed in remedial witch classes to get her up to speed, Oh, and she's also taken over the position of the town's public defender that was vacated when her vampire predecessor was murdered and became a ghost that only she can see. 

As much as I enjoyed Lucky Charm, it definitely wasn't my favorite book in the series so far. I didn't really get a good feel for the mystery at hand in this one. It felt like an afterthought to all the chaos that happened in the book. I don't even remember who she had to defend (or why) in this one. I will say that having a bunch of well-respected council members spelled to act like children was fairly entertaining. I think that Emma taking charge the way she did also really secured her place in Spellbound. 

I think what I enjoyed most about this cozy paranormal mystery is that Emma learns a lot about who she is. She gets to figure out why she's so different from the other witches in Spellbound, and how powerful she could actually be. I feel like because of this her bond with Sedgewick is strengthened. By the way that Owl amuses me. I love sassy side-kicks! 

As I write this review, I'm already mostly done with the fifth book. A new love interest is introduced in the very last part of this book, and it had me intrigued. I'm a sucker. There are ten books in this series, so far. I have a feeling I'm not going anywhere else in the literary world until I finish this series. Luckily all of the books are pretty short, and I'm getting through them in a couple of days time. It's a good series to get into if you want something to binge, something quick to read, like paranormal or cozy mysteries, want something that's slightly humorous. The entire series is on Kindle Unlimited, which is making it extremely easy for me to binge. I think as of right now, each of the books is around $3.99 each.

Book Review of Doom and Broom and Spell's Bells by Annabel Chase

Goodreads Summary: 
Welcome to Spellbound, where paranormal is the new normal.

Emma Hart hasn’t had a moment’s peace since her arrival in Spellbound. Her fear of heights hits an all-time high when she’s tasked with mastering a broomstick. It doesn’t help that Lady Weatherby seems determined to make basic witch training feel more like the magical ninja warrior championships.

When a werewolf is found dead and Daniel is named as the prime suspect, Emma takes the initiative to prove that the angel’s halo is firmly intact, once again stepping on the hooves of the cranky centaur, Sheriff Hugo.

The heat is on as Emma struggles to get a grip on her broomstick and identify the killer before it’s too late.

Doom and Broom is the second book in the Spellbound paranormal cozy mystery series.
Goodreads Rating: 4.33 stars with over 1,100 ratings
Number of Pages: 294
Book in series: 2/10

Goodreads Summary: Welcome to Spellbound, where paranormal is the new normal.

When a sleeping dwarf is found entombed in a glass coffin and remedial witch Sophie is blamed, Emma Hart must defend her friend while trying to get to the bottom of the enchantment. The investigation lands Emma smack dab in the middle of Spellbound’s matchmaking scene, where plenty of the town’s residents are eager to find her an appropriate suitor.

Emma knows it's time to kick her witchy skills up a notch if she expects to survive Thursday night speed dating and keep sweet Sophie from a life in paranormal prison.

Spell's Bells is the third book in the Spellbound paranormal cozy mystery series.

Goodreads Rating: 4.36 stars with over 1,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Paranormal, Supernatural, Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fantasy
Get the Books: Doom and Broom Spell's Bells
Goodreads Challenge: 23 and 24 out of 30.
Number of Pages: 274
Book in series: 3/10
Previous Review: Curse the Day

Book Review:

You may be wondering what's going on with the format above. Well, the thing is I have problems. I downloaded Doom and Broom from Kindle Unlimited right after finishing Curse the Day, the first book in the Spellbound Series. I finished the cozy mystery either late Friday night or Saturday night and read Spell's Bells until 4 am in the morning. When I finally put it down, I was about 88% finished with it. Since I read both books back to back like that they've merged in my brain, so I figure I'll do one post for them. Plus, I'm lazy.

So, as you can probably tell from the binging, I adore this series. I think I relate to Emma with the whole working and going to school full-time thing. There's a lot of details that make the town of Spellbound enjoyable to read. I can tell that Annabel Chase put a lot of effort into including a broad mix of species in her stories. I like that she's slowly getting into Emma's background as far as being a witch goes. I think that's what I want to read the most. Towards the end of Spell's Bells, there is some interesting foreshadowing going on.

Daniel's growing on me the past two books. I won't say I'm entirely for team Daniel, but he's a better option than some of the other choices that she's presented with. I do feel like she's using the Vampire friend a lot though. I can't remember his name at this moment in time. I guess he's not making a huge impact in the story if I can't remember the name.

I'm keeping this short and sweet tonight. I'm recommending the series for anyone who needs something quick and enjoyable to binge read on Kindle. The books are under 300 pages. The stories move quickly. There's good detail, but not so much that it bogs the story down. The characters are enjoyable for the most part. Interesting mysteries. I won't say they're complete shockers, but the conclusions seem reasonable. I will say that I pegged who the murder was in Doom and Broom fairly easily. I was admittedly wrong about the crime in Spell's Bells.


Here's a couple of quotes I liked from the books: 

"This was supposed to be the remedial class. We should all suck equally." -Somewhere around 12% in Doom and Broom

"I had people I cared about, then I risked losing them. In my experience, the negatives far outweighed the positives." -Somewhere around 57% in Doom and Broom

"Maybe you want to be tall, but your DNA has other plans."- Somewhere around 73% in Doom and Broom. (Also, my life.)

"Unsurprisingly, he was mistaken. I never set out to make him look like an idiot. He managed to do that all by himself." Somewhere around 7% in Spell's Bells.

""I'm warning you, Silas. Get your genie butt out of here before I shove you inside the nearest lamp.” She gave him a pointed look. “And I won’t be rubbing it.” - Somewhere around 27% in Spell's Bells. I audibly cackled at this one, I think. 

I'm giving both books 4 moons :)

Book Review: Curse the Day by Annabel Chase

Goodreads Summary: 

Welcome to Spellbound, where paranormal is the new normal.

The only magic Emma Hart believes in is caffeine and the power of the dryer to lose one sock per load. A public interest lawyer buried under a mound of student debt, Emma’s whole life has been one turn of bad luck after another.

Her streak seems to continue when she gets lost on the way to see a client in the remote Pocono Mountains. A chance encounter with a suicidal angel lands her in Spellbound, a town where supernaturals have been cursed to remain for centuries--probably not the best time for Emma to discover that she's actually a witch.

Between the recent murder of the town’s public defender, a goblin accused of theft, remedial witch classes, and the attention of one smoking hot vampire, Emma struggles to navigate this unfamiliar terrain without losing her mind...or her life.

Curse the Day is the first book in the Spellbound paranormal cozy mystery series.

This is a full-length, humorous paranormal cozy mystery novel.

Goodreads Rating: 4.19 stars with just over 1,400 reviews

Genre Listing: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Get the Book: Amazon
Number of Pages: 290 pages
Book in series: 1/10

Goodreads Challenge: 22/30

2018 Reading Challenge #3, A Cozy Mystery. See the full challenge here

Book Review:

After I finished up Thunderhead, I wanted to start something quick and relatively easy to read. I figured it was a good time to knock out the Cozy Mystery category for the 2018 reading challenge. It took me a while to find one, but I'm glad I took my time and decided on Curse the Day by Anabel Chase. It's around 290 pages and is fairly fast-paced. I finished it in a day. Which with my current insanely busy schedule is pretty impressive. (When I say busy, I'm not kidding. I work full time, go to school full time, run a jewelry business, and run this blog. Send help in the form of coffee!)

Curse the Day by Annabel Chase was an enjoyable cozy paranormal mystery story that was entertaining from the start. I found Emma to be a likable main character. Her inner monologues with herself are pretty funny. I found myself laughing (out loud, even) quite often while reading this story. I enjoyed that she gets shoved into a remedial witch class with several misfits who take her under their wing. I ADORED that she gets them to watch The Craft. It's one of my favorite movies. Oh, and there are several Harry Potter references in the story. 😍

Anabel provided a nice variety of paranormal species in this one story. The entire town is paranormal, so I was glad to see it wasn't just the typical weres, vamps, and witches. These types are there, but there's also goblins, harpies, fairies, incubus/succubus, elves, gorgon, and of course a grumpy hairless cat that's an insult to all cats. (That's a reference to the book. It'll make sense if you read it.)

I like that Emma's background is a mystery. It sets up the series for exciting twists and turns, especially since she's not quite like the other witches in Spellbound. I imagine it'll be an ongoing mystery in each book. I will say I thought the actual conclusion of who the killer/thief was in Curse the Day came out kind of abruptly. It's revealed around 80% into the book, and while it makes sense, the reveal didn't necessarily wow or surprise me. I will say I'm glad that it was a logical character choice instead of some random off the wall surprise with nothing leading up to it.

There are a couple of potential love interests already lined up, but both make me roll my eyes. The suitors so far are the typical love interest of "He's so HAWT" and zero depth. I'm reserving judgment for now. Maybe they'll grow on me. One of them certainly isn't going away any time soon.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and already started on book two. Now hopefully I can get a chance to finish it soon. I recommend it if you like cozy mysteries, paranormal books, or need something quick to get you out of a reading slump. The entire series is on Kindle Unlimited for those of you needing a series to binge on.

I only had one part that I highlighted during my read, but it's a good one.

"Sometimes we seem to forget that the entire reason we're trapped here is because we mistreated someone. It's important that we strive to do better and look out for one another." - located around 70% of the book.

-->

Book Review of The Damned by Laura Thalassa

Goodreads Summary: Taken. Whisked away to hell. Forever bound to a monstrous god. This is seventeen-year-old Gabrielle Fiori’s fate. It’s everything she’s ever feared, and it has all come to pass.
Only … the devil isn’t the monster she remembers. At times he seems gentle and, most unnerving of all, she’s drawn to him. He wants her for all eternity, and if she gives in, everything he has to offer can be hers. The only cost? The last of her soul—and her humanity.

By a twist of myth, Gabrielle finds herself back on earth from dusk to dawn. Back where the living breathe, where Andre de Leon, the king of vampires and her former soulmate, await her. Yet she can’t help but feel that something’s wrong. She’s wrong. Her blood seeds demons and her powers can move earth and air and all manner of creation.

Now angels flood the skies, gods and demons are made flesh. A battle between good and evil is erupting, and if Gabrielle wants to escape hell and save the world, she’ll need to end it, once and for all.

Goodreads Rating: 4.3 stars with over 500 ratings
Genre listing: Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Gods, Angels, Magic, Romance
Get the book: Amazon, Book Depository
Previous reviews on the series: The Unearthly, The Coveted, The Cursed, The Forsaken

Book Review:

Edited 12/1/2016

I feel like I've found the holy grail right now. I read a series that had an actual ending to it! I'm serious; there wasn't any foreshadowing of things going on and on and on indefinitely! So exciting. I liked this series from The Unearthly, but The Damned made me LOVE the series. WOW. And not just because it finished the series and there was ending. That being said, I'll be honest; it wasn't the ending that I wanted.

In The Damned Gabrielle finds herself the current embodiment of Persephone, only so much more. She spends the days with the Devil and nights with Andre. Battling feelings for both of them, and struggling to find a way out of her situation. She now has more power than she knows what to do with and is fighting a war against herself.  Which side will win?

I thought that the character depth in this was fascinating, especially surrounding Gabrielle, Andre, and the Devil. Gabrielle seems like she is fighting against losing her humanity, but in reality, she's not only holding on to it fiercely, she's bringing in a more human side of not only Andre but also the Devil.  The latter surprised me, and because of it, I hoped for a different ending.

I try to stay away from spoilers in my reviews, but I'm not going to in this one. Mainly, because I desperately want to discuss the ending that could have been. The ending you get is the one you expect. It's the one that probably every book would go to, and it's understandable and makes sense. However, through all of the fighting and war Gabrielle brings out the good in the Devil- the God he once was. This will probably make no sense unless you've started reading the series, but in this book the mythology is that all of the gods from all religions are one and the same just different personas. So the devil is Pluto, Hades, Osiris, and even Gods before that. Gabrielle brings out a benevolent side of him, known as an old god named Asiri.  Before everything comes to its end, Gabrielle is given a glimpse of what could have been if she could have tamed the devil so to speak. Eons of happiness and reshaping the underworld into something better. I desperately want to read that story. So sue me, I like twisted things. Not sure what it says about me, but there it is.

Okay, back to the story that took place, and sorry for the spoilers. I needed to get that out of my system.  Oliver grew a lot in this one as well. I won't give spoilers on this one, but it gives it a fun finality to things. Leeanne was in this book as well, but for me, she was just kind of there. She had a lot of doings in seer things, but it didn't seem like it much mattered. It looked like a lot of it would have played out with or without her intervention.

All in all, everything was tied up in a nice predictable little package. Don't get me wrong; I liked it, and it makes sense, and I knew it was never going to go any other way. I just really want to be surprised by an ending sometime.  I am still giving it a five, because it was a great read.

I didn't highlight much of anything for quotes in this series, but there was one that I did highlight. Even though I didn't get the ending I wanted, I did love this quote from it.

"The Fates had woven our threads together. But we hadn't simply been given this love. We'd fought and earned it." - Featured in the Epilogue.  I. LOVE. THIS. QUOTE. Truly, I feel that is how every relationship should be and how the truly lasting ones are.

Book Review of Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Goodreads Summary: Danger and betrayal, love and loss, secrets and enchantment are woven together in the breathtaking finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices Trilogy, a prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem, and Will will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Goodreads Rating: 4.58 stars with over 160,000 ratings
Genre listing: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Angels, Demons, Supernatural, Magical
Get the Book: Amazon , Book Depository
My other reviews of Cassandra Clare's books: Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Angel, City of Lost Souls

Review:

Edited 12/1/2016

Halfway through this book, I started asking my friend Kayla all kinds of spoiler questions. She wouldn't budge and give anything away, but she did tell me that "everything is how it's supposed to be." This couldn't be a more perfect way to sum this third installment of the Infernal Devices up. I know that the Mortal Instruments is the more famous of Clare's series, but I think this one is really what has her heart and soul in it.

One thing that I loved about the Clockwork Princess is that a lot of the characters got their own time to shine. Yes, the book primarily focuses around Tessa, Will, and Jem, but we also get to see a lot of behind the scenes with Henry, Charlotte, Jessamine, Sophie, and the Lightwoods. It made me feel a lot closer to these characters.


I don't want to say too much about this book because I don't want to spoil anything about it. I felt it was well done, and ended perfectly. I guess there will be a fourth ID book. This book ties up all of the loose ends, and like Kayla said; everything is how it's suppose to be. I've also been instructed that I need to read the latest MI book. The to-read list keeps growing. If you like the Shadow Hunters and have read, the other two ID books make sure to read this one too. Sorry for the short review on this. I just really can't say much without spoilers.



Five out of Five moons

Book Review of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Goodreads Summary: In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them....

Goodreads Rating: 4.31 stars with over 323,000 ratings.

Genre Listing: Paranormal, Angels, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Teen, Adventure, Mystery, Science Fiction, Action

Get the Book: Amazon,  Book Depository
My other reviews of Cassandra Clare's books: Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess, City of Lost Souls

Review:

Edited 12/1/2016

Happy Late Holidays to everyone! I hope whatever holiday you chose to celebrate was good to you. I finally got around to reading one of my Christmas presents, as you can see. The husband-folk did a good job. He got me this and the next two books in the infernal devices series. I, unfortunately, don't get much time to read anymore. I'm working about 50-60 hours a week, so posts are going to be few and far between. :(

I'm just going to come out and say it- I like the Infernal Devices more than I like the Mortal Instruments. With the MI series, I get tired of Jace, Clary, and their drama. I found Will, Jem, and Tessa to be refreshing, and I get a taste of old characters too - like Camille and Magnus. I had read this a while back, but how much I forgot about it astonishes me. It made it kind of like reading it for the first time again. Unfortunately, the things I did remember were the plot twists, so it was hard for me to get completely engrossed in it.

Will has some pretty comical moments, which I liked. If possible, he's even snarkier and more brooding than Jace is in MI. Jem, however, is a far better character in my opinion. He seems real and wise beyond his years. I think he has an interesting perspective on life because of what he's gone through. I'm interested in reading more about him in the next book. I don't dislike Will, but I'm less interested in seeing what happens with him.

It's going to be interesting to read more about Tessa and her journey to finding out who/what she is. There's a pretty nice glimpse of it in Clockwork Angel, so I'm hoping the next book doesn't disappoint. I'm intrigued to see how this connects with Mortal Instruments. I know it has to in some way, I just haven't pieced the how together yet. I'm also hoping that Jessie gets over herself in the next book. At this moment, I can't stand her and hope she gets punched in the face or something.

One of my favorite quotes from this book is:"Sometimes," Jem said," Our lives can change so fast, that the change outpaces our minds and hearts. It's those times, I think when our lives have altered, but we still long for the times before everything was altered- that is when we feel the greatest pain. I can tell you though from experience, you grow accustomed to it. You learn to live your new life, and you can't imagine, or even really remember, how things were before."

Overall I enjoyed this and am hoping to start the next book soonish. It didn't quite captivate me as much as I hoped it would, but it's still a good read.

Four out of Five Moons.

Book Review of Death's Dilemma by Candice Burnett

Goodreads Summary: Cendall, history’s first female Grim Reaper, has had one hell of a year. She has gone from the top of her class to the realm’s biggest traitor. Working with the enemy, Cendall finds herself enrolled in a human high school, protecting a soul she was originally supposed to collect.

With her powers building and feelings for a particular enemy growing stronger, Cendall must learn to control herself and navigate her emotions as the threats against her and her assignment escalate. As she begins to come to terms with the fact that a master Demon is hot on their trail, an old friend brings to light that a bounty has been placed on her head, and she is the most wanted individual in the realm.

Faced with the impossible task of defending herself and the soul she has grown to care for, Cendall must make a choice she never wanted to make and confront death’s greatest dilemma.

Goodreads Rating: 5 stars with 4 ratings

Genre Listing: Fiction, Paranormal, Grim Reapers, Fantasy, Supernatural, Death, Angels, Young Adult, Guardians, Demons

Get the Book: Amazon

Review:

Edited 12/1/2016

I don't even know where to start with this review, but this supernatural book is so fantastic. A while back I read the first book in the series, Death has a Daughter and fell in love with it. Death's Dilemma finally came out, and it was well worth the wait. It is going on my favorite shelf, along with Death has a Daughter.

Typically when I wait a while to read a sequel, I spend half the book trying to remember what happened in the last book. That wasn't the case with Death's Dilemma, though. After a few chapters I was hooked, and about 30% in it started to get really action packed.

This is going to be a short review, I have a lot to say about it, but I don't want to give out spoilers. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Cendall's transition out of the Grim Reaper world is fascinating. I can't wait until the third book comes out.

If you like Grim Reapers, Angels, and a whole lot of action (with a smidgen of romance), and haven't read Death has a Daughter, read it. Once you read Death has a Daughter, get Death's Dilemma and instantly binge on it. You will not regret it. I'm pretty sure you can get both books on Amazon for under $5.00.

I adore Cendall. She's such a badass, but she's also genuinely heroic and caring. I think one of the things I enjoyed about this book is that not only do you see her tougher side, but you also get to see her more emotional side too. She's an adamant female lead character.

The only issue I have with it is I think it could go through the editing process again. It's nothing major, but the e-book version I purchased had random symbols on a few pages, and then some of the wording seemed to be off. It wasn't anything major, though, or anything that made it annoying to read. 

Five out of Five moons! 

Book Review of For the Birds by Angela Roquet

Goodreads Summary: Lana Harvey isn't just any reaper. She's the new captain of the Posy Unit, a specialty group dedicated to harvesting mass quantities of souls from natural disaster sites, battlefields, and the like. The new title didn't come without a price, though. Lana made some promises along the way, and now it's time to follow through... even if that means putting herself in the path of the three Fates, a fickle and mighty force to be reckoned with. The Fates run a soul recycling plant in Limbo City, and if Lana isn't careful, they just might recycle her

Goodreads Rating: 4.26 with 65 ratings

Genre Listing: Paranormal, Angels, Demons, Grim Reapers, Romance, Fantasy

Get the Book: Amazon
My other reviews for Angela Roquet's books: Pocket Full of Posies, Graveyard Shift

Review:

Edited 11/24/2016

If you haven't been able to tell, I'm addicted to this paranormal series now. It's so good. I picked this up last night after I finished Pocket Full of Posies. I was going to give myself a rest from reading (what?) today, but my power was out because of a storm... So I decided to dive into this. I'm going to keep this short and sweet tonight.

I think that one of the things I love about this series is that I never know what's going to happen. A lot of books I read, I make an attempt to predict what's going to happen. This series always keeps me guessing, though.

This book, in particular, has me intrigued. Lana's secrets are coming out, she's getting herself into more complex situations, and more and more influential people are taking notice that she's not just any reaper. I think that she came into her own this book. She's taking all of the responsibility and becoming a force to be reckoned with.

I liked that this book ended on a positive note. A lot of the past obstacles seemed to be squashed, so it makes me wonder what's going to happen in the 4th book when it comes out. I also really like her relationship with Bub. I'm super excited to see where the series goes, but alas I get to be in bookworm turmoil until it gets released. Now, what am I suppose to read?

Four out of five moons 

Book Review of Pocket Full of Posies by Angela Roquet

Goodreads Summary: Not Your Grandma's Afterlife…The promise of peace in Limbo City is threatened once again, but this time, the terrorists have a more specific target in mind: Lana Harvey. The up and coming reaper thought to pass her classes at the Reaper Academy were going to be her biggest challenge, but when a rebel demon sends her apartment up in flames, she realizes that her victories from the previous year haven’t gone so unnoticed after all…

To make matters worse, the Afterlife Council has taken notice of Lana too. The Egyptian god Horus is blackmailing her into joining the Posy Unit so she can do an illegal side job for him, and Cindy Morningstar, Lucifer’s daughter, insists that she take a two-week training course with the devilishly tempting Beelzebub, much to her angelic boyfriend’s chagrin.

Goodreads Rating: 4.35 with 75 ratings

Genre Listing: Paranormal, Demons, Fantasy, Angels, Grim Reapers, Mythology, Romance

Get the Book: Amazon 
My other reviews of Angela Roquet's books: For The Birds, Pocket Full of Posies

Review:

Edited 11/24/2016

I like this series a lot. As soon as I finished with Graveyard Shift, I instantly bought Pocket Full of Posies, and before I started this review, I purchased For the Birds. I may or may not have a book addiction.... Anyways. I will say that I liked Graveyard Shift better, but this one was still good. It didn't have as much humor in it as the first book, but I assume that's because there was so much chaos that it had to be a little bit darker. Lana was still sarcastic, which I love. 

This book was all about Lana bettering herself through school and actually kind of taking control of her life. She gets a lot of things thrown her way that FORCES her to have some ambition if nothing else for her safety. I'm excited to see where these advancements and significant changes in her life take her. 

So this is a spoiler, but I have to talk about it. The angelic boyfriend gets SUPER controlling and intervening. It's obvious that he does it to protect her, but it gets to the point where she almost can't even make a decision for herself. I've been complaining a lot about controlling boyfriends in books. So let me tell you how happy I am to read that she kicked him to the damn curb because of it. I swear if I read one more book where the main character falls more IN LUV with their boyfriend the more he controls them, I'm going to scream. I think that's kind of why I like Lana so much. She does whatever the hell she pleases, and not afraid to stand up for herself. Go Lana! 

So here are some great quotes (I'm getting obsessed with highlights) from the book. 

This book has the quotes at the beginning of the chapter just like the first. This is one I liked. It's from George Eliot, but I don't remember what chapter. The mark says page 54. "It's never too late to be what you might have been." 

"I was beginning to wonder if there was a vaccine for annoyance." This was early on in the book when Lana is getting annoyed with her friends. If this vaccine exists, sign me up.

"But that wasn't what grated my cheese." This made me chuckle because I say that something grates my cheese when I get annoyed. 

"It was time to stop worrying so much and start enjoying some of the crazy life was throwing my way." This is at the end of the book, and I just like it because it reminds me that I need to do this from time to time. 

So overall, I enjoyed the second installment. I'm not prepared to give it five moons, but it's a definite four-mooner. 

Four out of Five Moons

Book Review of Graveyard Shift by Angela Roquet

Goodreads Summary: The Inferno has Evolved… Lana Harvey is a reaper and a lousy one at that. She resides in Limbo City, the modern capital of the collective afterlives, where she likes to stick it to the man (the legendary Grim Reaper himself) by harvesting the bare minimum of souls required of her. She’d much rather be hanging out with Gabriel, her favorite archangel, at Purgatory Lounge. But when a shocking promotion falls in her lap, Lana learns something that could unravel the very fabric of Eternity. If the job isn’t completed, there could be some real hell to pay.

Goodreads Rating: 3.97 with 223 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Paranormal, Angels, Reapers, Romance, Demons, Humor, Adult,
Get the Book: Amazon
My other reviews of Angela Roquet's books: For The Birds, Pocket Full of Posies

Review:

Edited 11/24/2016

I found this book free on Amazon, and let me tell you; it is an absolute gem. Lana's a likable character and Grim Reaper. She does what she has to get by in her job, but breaks the rules to help good souls she reaps that are destined for the Sea of Eternity. In the story, we see Lana go from this do the bare-minimum type of reaper to an ass-kicking reaper who fights off demons. If you're looking for a quick read with a strong female character, this might be for you.

This book has a lot of comedic value in it. For example, Lana and her friends, Josie and the archangel Gabriel, play poker. They don't play just any poker, though, they play with a grim reaper set of cards, and the winning combination of cards are given a death name- like the electric chair, stabbed, and a gunshot wound. There's also a lot of puns and satire. It's a great read.

I felt that Angela Roquet created an incredibly unique world in this story. She didn't just put Reapers into the human world; she also gave them their world. There are so many details set into this world. I think that the thing I loved the most about this book is that it combined so many beliefs and gave them all a place in the afterlife. Whatever you believe, there's a place for you in the Afterlife that Angela Roquet dreamed up. Because of that, there's a crash course in a variety of different beliefs and mythologies.
I figured out how to highlight things on my Kindle Fire finally. I know, I'm a smart cookie. I'm so excited to be able to highlight quotes in books I love now. To celebrate, I'm going to try to share some of the ones from the book. Also, to the ones below each chapter starts off with a quote about life, death, or religion. It's neat.
About one of the Goddesses, "She obviously fancied herself a temptress, but nagging hussy would have been more accurate."
About the Egyptian gods being related/ married to each other, "Whatever floats your boat, I guess. As long as it doesn't sink mine."
"Humans may fear death, but they never pass up an opportunity to gawk at it."
These are just a few of the statements in the book I enjoyed. I think this is still free on Amazon, but please do not let that fool you. I know some free books can be questionable at best, but this is an excellent read. It's quick, it's light, it's funny, but it's fantastic. I'm probably going to get the second and read it here pretty soon. I like Grim Reaper stories lately.

                            Five out of Five Moons

Book Review of Heir of Darkness by Rachel Higginson

Goodreads Summary: Stella Day will one day be the Protector of Earth, but right now she’s focused on other things. Surviving high school, having a winning soccer season and balancing the two guys in her life all vie for her attention. She isn’t ready for her future or the massive destiny waiting for her.

Unfortunately for Stella, destiny isn’t patient. Stella’s life becomes complicated when the Darkness won’t leave her alone. She’s plagued by Shadows at practice and in school. Seven, Seth’s deranged sister, is stalking her. And Aliah has made it his life’s mission to destroy her before she turns eighteen and comes into the fullness of her powers.

In a risky effort to save her life, Seth makes a deal with the devil that changes everything. Suddenly, it’s no longer her own life that Stella is desperate to save. She must find a way to protect her Counterpart before he becomes the worst threat of all.

As Stella grapples with the intensity of her feelings for both Tristan and Seth, her choice might just be made for her. While the Darkness demands her attention, humanity and the high school life she loves will fade into the background as she embraces the purpose she was given and the most complicated battle yet.

This time, it’s not just her life on the line, but her heart as well. Choosing which boy to love might not mean a happily ever after. Choosing between Seth and Tristan might just lead to a heartbreak she never imagined.

Goodreads Rating: 4.37 with 171 ratings
Genre Listing: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural, Romance, Angels
Get the book: Amazon
My other reviews of Rachel Higginson's books: Heir of Skies

Review:

Edited 12/1/2016
This teen book series went through a name change. It started out as Sunburst but then became Heir of Darkness.
I finished the first book in the Sunbright series a couple of days ago, which I found in a free book omnibus, and had to move on to book two instantly. I have mixed feelings about the second one, sort of. My small issue is that there could have been some better editing. There was a lot of typos and wrong wordage. I can look past it, but it's still annoying.
On to my big issue. What is the deal with stories lately where the primary love interest is a controlling douche-nozzle to the point where it's abusive? Seriously Stella Day, you weren't sure what you felt for Seth, and then when he sells his soul and becomes borderline abusive, that's when you decide you love him? If you were real, I would slap you, no joke. Every scene where she and Seth are together after he agrees to the contract made me angry. I was hoping he'd get a sword through the chest in this book. I was more Team Tristan in the first book. The relationship with Seth seemed forced in the first book, and now it seems forced and abusive in the second book. -_-
Anger aside, I still like the story and want to see where it goes. I just want her to be done with Seth, alas I know that's not going to happen. I am however glad that Jude was introduced to the story. Even though he's Fallen, I like him. I hope we get more information about him in the third book. If there were ever a side book about him and his adventures as a Fallen, I'd read it.
I'm glad that the love triangle is done in this one, or at least, I hope it to be. It served its purpose without being drawn out too long. I was worried it was going to be ALL about that love triangle.
Overall I thought that Stella grew as a character. I hate that she's hung up on Seth, but I get that it's her purpose right now and since he's her counterpart it's going to be a big part of the story. I hate it, but I'll deal with it. I tried to go and buy the third book, but I don't think it's out yet. If anyone needs me, I'll be brooding in a corner because now I have to find new characters to get attached to.

Four out of five moons

Book Review of Heir of Skies by Rachel Higginson

Goodreads Summary: Stella is a Star, sent by a Council of Elders to live on Earth and protect the planet from the Darkness, a terrifying evil that would suck the good from every living thing and leave the planet empty and desolate. She has until her twenty-fifth birthday before the Protectorship becomes hers and Earth is left solely her responsibility. Stella’s fate goes on fast forward as she struggles to balance the rest of high school with the duties of protecting humanity from the deadliest kind of evil. With her parents and Seth, the boy intended to be her Counterpart, by her side she faces down demons and fallen angels in an effort to protect the last inhabited planet in the universe. But evil is not her only enemy. She also fights her future as she tries to decide if she’s willing to give up her human relationships, especially that of her best friend Tristan, in order to save humanity.
Goodreads Rating: 3.98 with 487 ratings.
Genre Listing: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Angels, Supernatural, Demons, Romance
Get the Book: Amazon 

My other reviews of Rachel Higginson's books: Heir of Darkness

Review:

Edited 11/24/2016
I feel like this review takes a little more explaining than usual. I found this book in a free book bundle on Amazon called the "YA Little Black Book." It was an e-bundling of around eight YA books. I was going to try to review it as one book, but I realized pretty quickly that was going to get lengthy and confusing. The first book in the bundle was Starbright by Rachel Higginson. However, it's apparently gone through a name change and is now Heir of Skies.  It's e-book only, so the Amazon link goes to the Heir of Skies version, and then since it was E-book, there is no Book Depository for it. However, I linked the book bundle for anyone who is interested.
Now that we got that underway let's get started. I just want to declare my love for the concept of this book. I would have never in a million years thought about stars being turned into supernatural beings. I've wanted to read more angel books, so I'm glad that I was able to read this book. The book kept me on my toes. I had a slew of possibilities running through my mind and was surprised pretty frequently. Some of my theories included Jupiter being a trader, Tristan somehow working for the Darkness, her parents being involved somehow. I had all kinds of crazy ideas. I'm going to try not to get into any spoilers, though.
I felt that Stella was an unyielding character. She didn't have any qualities that annoyed me, which was refreshing. Overall I felt like she was able to get control over situations quickly, instead of whining incessantly about it. Oh and she juggles all that encompasses being a star all while being an average teenager.
I thought that the love triangle was a little bit predictable, but at the same time, I believe it was necessary for her to fully accept her destiny. I'm excited to see what happens in the next book. In fact, I was going to work more on the book bundle this was in, but as soon as I finished Starbright/Heir of Skies I bought Sunburst/Heir of Darkness. Soo yeah. Going to read that this weekend probably.

Four out of five moons