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I'm attempting to join in a Blog Hop over at ParaJunkee's View (link down the right hand side panel). I'm not too sure what this means but I'm sure I'll soon find out!

Review: Dead Witch Walking (Rachel Morgan/The Hollows #1) by Kim Harrison

Description (from Goodreads)

The underground population of witches, vampires, werewolves—creatures of dreams and nightmares—has lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But after a genetically engineered virus wipes out a large part of humanity, many of the "Inderlanders" reveal themselves, changing everything.

Rachel Morgan, witch and bounty hunter with the Inderland Runner Services, is one of the best at apprehending supernatural lawbreakers throughout Cincinnati, but when it comes to following the rules, she falls desperately short. Determined to buck the system, she quits and takes off on the run with an I.S. contract on her head and is reluctantly forced to team up with Ivy, Inderland's best runner . . . and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shape-changing assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crime lord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death . . . not to mention her own roommate.

I first started reading this late 2010 but for some reason (I think it had something to do with the annoying pixy) I couldn't get into it so only after a few pages I'd leave it and read something else. I'd pick it up every once and a while but I'd read maybe a page then, again, I would looked for something else. It was only when I started to read Shiver (and looking for something else to read in order to avoid it) that I picked it up again and managed to stick with it.

Actually the pixy isn't that annoying. I can't really tell you why I thought he was in the first place, but once I got used to him buzzing round, it was like meh, whatever. Around halfway through I started to like him. I was just really prejudiced against pixies I guess. Maybe I was just sceptical since this was my first time with fairyland characters. I found Ivy really dark and intriguing. The incident with Rachel when they first moved into the church was creepy. I like creepy.

The characters felt well rounded and were easy to like. Rachel wasn't annoying like some heroines I've read recently, and her actions felt real. Above all else though, it's just really well written. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Rating: 5/6 - I Really liked It

Review: Wild Rain (Leopards #2) by Christine Feehan

Humm. There isn't a description as such on Goodreads. I guess even they had trouble trying to describe what happens in this book. I'll try... A woman on a aid mission in a rain forest fakes her own death. She is attacked by a leopard after finding a deserted hut. However it is not deserted. She is helped by the owner of the hut. Things get sensual... No, I wont give up my day job :)

Straight away I knew I liked this slightly more than the first book in this series, The Awakening. Although the quantity of different names in the first 2 pages felt like a roll call. But when a breast presses against a chest on the 2nd page I had to groan. I have to admit, though, it did surprise me a little. Yes it has more story than the novella, but only just. It held slightly more promise at the beginning but then slipped and I got bored. I began getting annoyed that I'd started reading it at the weekend when I could've been reading something worthwhile, so I stopped with the attention of picking it back up at some point later that week.

6 months later... I was sick of seeing it sitting, or rather lying, on my bedside table, so decided it was finally time to finish it. It wasn't too bad. The story wasn't great, it was a slow first half, actually it was all slow. Slow and sensual. Rachael was a quite whiny. She'd constantly refuse to talk about some things in her past when Rio was for the most part, open with her.

The lack plot wasn't too annoying, but the one thing that irritated me the most was the constant repetition of their names; Rachael, Rio, Rachael, Rio. Rio? Rachael? Rio! Rachael? UGH! SHUT UP! People don't talk like that.

Random thought; a mango. Really?!

Apart from a couple of instances, most of the story centres around Rio's hut/house in a rainforest and nothing much happens at all. Like AT ALL.

It was boring as hell but I could read it. Not like Nightwalker, or The Turning, where the writing/character development/dialogue was so bad that I had to stop reading before I tore my hair out, because Wild Rain has no character development, or plot for that matter. But at least I've learnt something useful; sensual = boring. If I read sensual in a books description I'll know not to read it :)

Rating: 3/6 - It Was Okay (boring but okay)

Review: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

I'd kinda been shying away from this series due to the hype the books received, especially Mockingjay. I don't think it help that Mockingjay was all over twitter when it came out. But I knew I wanted to read them so I tried to avoid the spoilers, but jeez it was just everywhere.

I really shouldn't have waited, save the benefit of having all 3 books already published so no waiting months on end (years?!).

I really, really liked it. I was hooked from the start. Katniss's voice and personality were so strong. Wow the Games. What can I say that hasn't been said? The concept was brilliant and the world building was vivid. I loved the ease she had with Gale while they were out hunting at the beginning.

I think my heart broke a little when she told peeta that he had no competition... anywhere . All through the book I held out for Gale, and although I knew that romance wasn't the main theme in the book, I still held out for some. When you're fighting for you life I guess romance takes a back seat. The guys created the love triangle though not katniss. I don't think she would have a had a clue otherwise.

This book made me laugh out loud, cry, and tug at my hair . Well worth all the uncertainty.

Rating: 6/6 - It Was Amazing

Review: Bitten (women of the otherworld #1) by Kelley Armstrong

Description (from Goodreads)

Ever since her parents were killed in a car accident when she was five, Elena Michaels has longed for a normal family life. Smart, beautiful, and engaged to be married, Elena hopes to fulfill that dream when disaster strikes. Not only has her fiancé lied about his secret life as a werewolf, but he's made her one, too. She has no choice but to join him at Stonehaven, the upstate New York home of an elite pack of werewolves.

In an attempt to break away, she moves to Toronto to lead a normal life. Working as a journalist, Elena now lives with her new architect boyfriend, works out in the basement gym of their high-rise apartment, lunches with girlfriends from the office, and —once a week, at four in the morning —runs naked and furred through a downtown Toronto ravine, ripping out the throats of her animal prey. But when a band of outlaw werewolves threatens the Stonehaven pack, Elena's feral instincts drive her back there to join the defense. What follows is a war for territory, for pride, and ultimately for Elena herself.

I'll be blunt; I LOVED this book. I loved Elena, in fact I loved all of the characters. Armstrong writes wonderfully. The emotional pull you feel is subtle. Armstrong doesn't give it to you easy, the clues are there you just have to see them. She doesn't tell you, she shows you. You feel everything Elena feels.

I must admit I'm apprehensive about the rest of these books. I don't know how this series is going to pan out; the reading order seems confused; the otherworld, women of the otherworld, short stories; are they seperate yet together? I read a short (rebirth) Which starts these books (or did it, did it start the men of the otherworld?).  It was okay, not my style but then again shorts aren't my style. So this series may take a wrong turn for me somewhere along the line but I'm willing to try. I have to try. I loved this book too much not to try. I just hope the rest are as good as this.

Rating 6/6 - It Was Amazing

Review: Fallen by lauran kate

Description (from goodreads)
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

I'd seen reviews for Fallen on quite a few of the regular blogs and websites I visit. It always seemed to be compared to hush hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and I couldn't decide between them. Then while at a friends house one day, browsing in her library, I noticed she had Hush Hush. Decision made. So read it, and really liked it, then wondered if I should bother reading Fallen. Although I was mesmerised by the cover; it's gorgeous, the reviews on goodreads put me off -so many negative reviews (can I just say I can't actually believe people over on goodreads are compairing it to Twilight. Please, it's nothing like Twilight. At all). I ended up forgetting about it for few months. Until now.

We meet Luce as she's being sent off to reform school after an incident involving a fire and the death of her, boyfriend/guy she liked. I really liked the gothic feel it had to it. I also liked Daniel. The way we met him; Luce saw him and he smiled at her then flipped her off, and that sums his reaction to Luce throughout the first half of the book. The interactions between the characters are captivating enough that they keep you reading even though there's nothing much plot wise going on.

It felt more grown up than Hush Hush but to be honest I can't really remember much about Hush Hush -apart from the fact I read it in one sitting. I also read this in one sitting. I was total sucked in.

The only problem I had with this book was that once the big reveal was, well, revealed, it lost it's allure; the tension that held it all together disappeared.

I particularly liked Arrina and I'm looking forward to seeing how she develops in the next book.

The story was told in haunting, yet simple way. I just hope Torment is just as good... if not better.

Rating: 5/6 - Really Liked It