Charmfall

Hello, fellow book-devourers!

Book 3 in Chloe Neill's series the Dark Elite finally managed to get off my to-read shelf and into my currently reading one (I love Goodreads).
Lily Parker, an Adept with firespell is all psyched up to go to the school dance with her werewolf boyfriend. There hasn't been a lot of activity lately from the Reapers, so the only thing on her mind is her dress. Then, when an attack happens at the school, Lily's powers are gone. Who's taken all the powers of the Chicago Dark Elite, and why? And can Sebastian be trusted to help?

This book was engrossing enough to pull me away from the daily worries, but not so much that I had to finish it before I did anything else. The relationships here are done really well, much better than the first two books (in my opinion) There's the tension between Lily and Jason when the Sebastian issue is brought into the open is really good, and seems true to the characters. I also like what happens with Veronica. Either she subconsciously knows that she owes Lily, or Nicu is just a good influence (I know, we're all laughing) but she seems a whole lot nicer in this book. As a character, I think she's got a whole lot of potential, particualrily when we learn why Nicu is drawn to her.

According to Chloe Neill's website, there are 'no current plans for a fourth book.' I think the series still had a way to go, but maybe she'll come back to it later :)

Many witty ripostes,
Astarte

Hexbound

Hello, fellow book-devourers!

Hexbound, the second book in the Dark Elite series by Chloe Neill, has recently ended up on my to-read pile. The basic storyline is Lily Parker, a junior at a prestigious girl's boarding school in Chicago, discovers the magic underground where teenagers battle to protect the city and finds she has magic powers.

This novel had a storyline that was as tangled as Lily's emotions. Neill has Lily and Scout focusing on way to many things, and nothing is given enough weight to really make it necessary to the plot. Of course, if you got rid of all the things in here that aren't necessary, they'd be no book. Jumping from vampires, to wierd fangy creatures, to secretive parents, and budding relationships, the plot is sacttered at best.
I really hope some of the scenes from this book tie in to future books, otherwise there's no much unneeded text in here, that not only goes nowhere, but doesn't lend any weight to character developement, understanding of the setting, or subtle clues to answer the vital question that the Adepts have, which we know is there, but aren't sure just what it is.

Overall, 2.5 stars
Book three, Charmfall will soon be given a review here, with a rather belated one for Firespell, book 1

Many witty ripostes,
Astarte

Chloe Neill

Hello, fellow book-devourers!
This is a short list of some of Chloe Neill's works

Dark Elite Series
Firespell (1)
Hexbound (2)
Charmfall (3)

Chloe Neill's website: http://www.chloeneill.com/

Many witty ripostes,
Astarte

Black Wings Series

Written by Christina Henry, these books follow Madeline Black, an Agent of Death who must battle for her freedom and those she loves

Black Wings (1)
Black Night (2)
Black Howl (3)
Black Lament (4)
Black City (5)
May this series leave you no longer bored for books!

Many witty ripostes,
Astarte

Black Lament

Hello, fellow book-devourers!

Just gobbled up Black Lament by Christina Henry. This is the fourth book in the Black Wings series starring Madeline Black.

Gabriel, her husband, has just been murdered in front of her and Maddy's grief stricken. Her strength to carry on is mostly because Lucifer (yes, THAT Lucifer) her many-times-over-grandfather reveals that she is pregnant. Never-the-less, there's a blood price on her head that the fairy courts are more than happy to try to claim, her father, Azazel, to extract vengeance upon, Agents to rescue, old enemies to reconcile with and her Agency gig to keep track of through space-time portals, all whilst trying to figure out how she'll raise her child.
In short, Maddy's a pretty kick-arse heroine.

I cried at the end of the last book in this series, Black Howl, and was hoping for more of that emotive writing in this one. I didn't get it though. Maddy's emotions are mostly pushed to the side in order to survive all the battles that she faces. What emotion is in there is rather poorly written, being rather obvios such as complaining of hormones, stating that she is sobbing, and many, many comments on how confused she is about Nathaniel.
This isn't to say that the book was bad. There was still lots of wit that left me howling with laughter, and plenty of action. I just would have liked a bit more grief over Gabriel.
The characters stayed true to the most part. Maddy has changed a lot since Black Wings, but you couldn't expect anything less. Nathaniel had some character depth building scenes, which will be quite interesting to see where that goes.

Overall, 4.5 stars

Book 5, Black City, will be released on the 26th of February, 2013. Until then, there are new books being put up, so you won't be bored for books!

Many witty ripostes,
Astarte