Jun 16, 2012

Lament, by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Lament
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: Paperback - 356
Chapters: 22
Genre: Romance / fantasy
Person: First
Tense: Past
Rating: 10/10

Blurb (quoted):
“Sixteen-year-old Dee is a cloverhand – someone who can see faeries. When she finds herself irresistibly drawn to beautiful, mysterious Luke, Dee senses that he wants something more dangerous than a summer romance.
But Dee doesn’t realize that Luke is an assassin from the faerie world.
And she is his next target.”

Opinion:
Okay, so perhaps this is a common sort of storyline – killer and victim fall in love, etcetera, but this is a whole new spin on ‘romance’. Having always been a dreamer, this book has certainly spoken to that inner child of mine that says ‘maybe they do exist…’
This novel was another page-turner, and is yet another of my favourites. This author – my god can she write romance! If you loved her novel Shiver, you’re going to adore this.
Maggie weaves magic into her writing so well, and her descriptions are oh-so-believable. This is a story you won’t want to take your nose out of – I was so disappointed at finishing it!
Highly recommended, especially for faerie-heads.

Guilty Pleasures, by Laurell K. Hamilton

Title: Guilty Pleasures
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Reading Level: Adult
Pages: Paperback - 265
Chapters: 47
Genre: thriller / fantasy
Series: Anita Blake Vampire Hunter:
1-Guilty Pleasures, 2-The Laughing Corpse, 3-Circus of the Damned
Person: First
Tense: Past
Rating: 9/10

Blurb (quoted):
“’I don’t date vampires. I kill them.’
My name is Anita Blake. Vampires call me the Executioner. What I call them isn’t repeatable.
Ever since the Supreme Court granted the undead equal rights, most people think vampires are just ordinary folks with fangs. I know better. I’ve seen their victims. I carry the scars…
But now a serial killer is murdering vampires – and the most powerful bloodsucker in town wants me to find the killer…”

Opinion:
To be honest, I was quite worried picking this book up. I haven’t had much success finding adult books on vampires that aren’t all sex, and I am aware that this particular author has another book series that isn’t exactly suitable for a younger audience, so typically I didn’t have high hopes for this one.
I must say, I was pleasantly surprised! There is the barest of hints at such content, but it’s certainly suitable for a mature audience – 13+? (Though I can’t vouch for sequels just yet). There is a touch of romance but it doesn't run wild through the story.
I was almost immediately drawn into the book. It has my favourite kind of vampires – the dark, dangerous and sexy kind – with some Shapeshifters and zombies thrown in. Best of all would have to be the snarky, sarcastic protagonist.
Definitely a favourite book and I recommend to anyone who is mature and looking for a bit more than the sappy teen romances hogging the shelves of teen-fic.

City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: Paperback - 541
Chapters: 21
Genre: Fantasy / Romance
Series: The Mortal Instruments:
1-City of Ashes, 2-City of Bones, 3-City of Glass, 4-Cit of Fallen Angels
Person: Third
Tense: Past
Rating: 10/10

Blurb (quoted): “Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide to fight with the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders – or against them. Meanwhile, Jace and Clary have their own decision to make: should they pursue the love they know is forbidden?”

Opinion:
I was propelled through this book by anticipation; I could hardly put it down. There were so many pages that had me so involved I lost track of time.
This book is an amazing read, the characters have amazing personalities, there’s humour, despair, romance – everything.
There are so many twists and turns to the story line, you’re constantly asking ‘what next’. It builds so well on the two previous books from the series, the plot is solid.
It has me antsy for the next one.