The Fae Chronicles

4.7 out of 5 stars
By Amelia Hutchins
Book 1: Fighting Destiny - Book 2: Taunting Destiny - Book 3: Escaping Destiny - Book 4: Seducing Destiny (TBR)

Synthia never had a normal life. She witnessed her parents' murders by Fae at the age of 5- she was already able to cast magic as her father was a powerful warlock. After their deaths, she was adopted by her uncle who was the head of the local Guild- a society that protects humans from harm from the Faerie world and their occupants. The Fae had come out to the humans about 30 years prior and most were celebrities in our world, their beauty and grace far exceeding that of the humans. Syn hates every. Single. One. Of. Them. They cannot be trusted EVER, and they have sex with humans to feed from their emotions- sometimes turning the humans into soulless, mindless zombies. Synthia is raised in the Guild, training to be a warrior that will eventually get vengeance for the death of her parents. She is now 21 years old and her uncle/mentor sends her on a mission for the Dark Prince of the Fae- Ryder. Ryder is engaged to the Light Princess and there have been death threats delivered to her and her fiance. To top it off, local Fae and Witches are being murdered, most likely by the same people. Syn is forced to work alongside her one true enemy and greatest fear- the Fae. Ryder is not just any Fae, he is powerful, sexy, and deadly as hell. Syn is immediately attracted to him and repelled by him in the same breath. He is determined to dominate and control her- binding her into a contract that basically says he owns her until further notice. Syn is terrified of him, yet strangely every time she is near this dangerous Fae, her body betrays her. She is turned on beyond belief by this asshole and it pisses her off. She is falling farther into the Fae world, where for once in her life- she can't tell her friends from her enemies.

First off- these books are not YA by any means. There are numerous amazingly hot sex scenes that I wouldn't let my mother read. I absolutely loved this series, and the good news is- it's not over yet. We can expect two more books in this series alone and Amelia also states that there will be spin-offs with the other characters as well. (Hell yes) In the first book, we are introduced to the deranged relationship between Synthia and Ryder. Ristan, the demon is also introduced- he is incredibly twisted and one of the funniest characters I have had the pleasure of falling in love with in a book. Syn's best friends- Adam and Larissa are witches and the three are as close as family. Keep reading for spoilers....

We find out that Syn was adopted, and she is from a Royal Fae line, instead of the human/witch that she was raised to believe she was. She is becoming what she hates the most in the world, and the only person she can seem to trust- Ryder is the person that she is the most scared of. There is something hidden in him that she can't identify, but it scares the shit out of her. Adam, her best friend is also Royal Fae and ends up being the Dark Prince Heir to the throne. I don't want to give too much away, so just read the series please.

I usually find myself irritated with typos and bad editing- the content and plot lines made up for it in spades. It seems the entire plot was already in place from the beginning. There are sick twists that I didn't see coming and the humor is great. I found myself laughing, and eventually crying, and laughing again. Beautifully written, hands down- one of THE best series I've ever read. Please, for your sanity and piece of mind- read this series. I recommend it for your own health. The fourth book is set to be released in late summer and it is in my top three anticipated TBR novels.

Gods & Monsters

Rated 4.2 out of 5 stars
By Kelly Keaton
Book 1: Darkness Becomes Her - Book 2: A Beautiful Evil - Book 3: The Wicked Within

Ari has always felt like she hasn't fit in with anyone. Given up for adoption when she was only five years old, she jumped from abusive foster families constantly. With her almost silver long hair that can't be cut or dyed to her bright teal eyes, she has always wondered who she is, or rather what she is. At 17, she is finally searching for these answers, which brings her to the hurricane ruined town of New Orleans- but this is not the New Orleans that we all know. This city has been purchased by nine powerful families- called the Novem- from the U.S. Government, and is run strictly under their own rules. There is something strange going on in this city, with supernatural creatures that she cannot identify everywhere. She immediately meets a girl- Crank and her misfit friends living in a run down abandoned house, and they offer her a place to stay while investigating her birth records. But what she finds is not what she expected. Sebastian is a powerful witch- a Novem heir- and she immediately feels a connection to him while he helps her on her quest. Yet something is off- every supernatural she meets is scared of her. What is she, that powerful creatures are afraid of her?

This is a great modern retelling of the Athena / Medusa myth, with a crazy ending. It was a short read, I finished the series in a day, but definitely worth it. New Orleans is a beautiful city that I have always felt drawn to, and this version is even more alluring. With powerful vampires, witches, gods, demi-gods and shifters, this series has it all and more. The ending is exciting and twisted, which is something I always appreciate. A must read for those that enjoy mythology!

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Rated 4.3 out of 5 stars
By Laini Taylor
Book 1: Daughter of Smoke & Bone - Book 2: Days of Blood & Starlight - Book 3: Dreams of Gods & Monsters

The first page of the first book states "Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love". In my mind, I'm thinking Heaven, Hell, demons, white winged guardians full of light and what not. It was a wonderful relief to find out that this book has nothing to do with any of that. Taylor has stripped down everything that we believe of angels and rewritten it into a completely different kind of fantasy world. Where the beliefs of humans and their idea of heaven and hell are nothing but an ignorance of what truly is happening. After reading the first book, I really don't know what to do with myself. It is so unlike anything I expected or have ever read before.
The series starts with a teenage art school student named Karou, whose hair grows bright blue out of her head and she has been raised by something other than humans. Karou has felt that there is something missing in her life, that feeling that she should be doing something else other than attending art school in Prague. Apparently her feelings are entirely accurate; there is an entire other world that is mostly unknown and there are two different species in this world, the seraphim and the chimaera. The seraphim are angels, but nothing like humans believe angels to be- created by God with good intentions. They are at war with the "beasts" that live in their world, and now their war is spilling over onto the Earth plain. Karou meets Akiva on a quest from the chimaera that raised her, Brimstone. She immediately feels drawn to this winged stranger, and repelled by him as well. She knows in her soul that he is an enemy, yet she also knows that he is important to her. When the portals between Earth and the Otherworld close unexpectedly, can Karou learn to trust Akiva, and can they stop this war before it destroys both of their worlds? Keep reading for more spoilers....

When Karou discovers that she is a chimaera resurrected into a human body, she also realizes that she fell in love with Akiva in her prior life. A love that defied everything- the angels and beasts have always been at war. She gets beheaded at the hands of the leader of her own people for conspiring with an enemy angel- and Brimstone saved her soul to be reborn into another body. He hid her for 17 years on Earth, yet now she knows the truth.

Follow this beautiful story and find out what happens to Karou and Akiva, Eretz (the Otherworld) and Earth when the angels decide to bring the war to humans.

I really enjoyed this series, it was well written, the world building was amazing. The plot line twisted and turned wonderfully. It was nothing like I expected and everything I could hope for. The only thing I didn't love was the ending. But nothing is perfect..

Sweet Trilogy

Rated 4.4 out of 5 stars
By Wendy Higgins
Book 1: Sweet Evil - Book 2: Sweet Peril - Book 3: Sweet Reckoning

Anna Whitt has always known she was different- from her heightened five senses to the way that she can see the auras of everyone she meets. When she meets bad boy drummer, Kaidan Rowe, she knows that he is different as well. She can't see his aura, but who would want to? He's a complete jerk to her, refusing to answer her questions and laughing at her with his cocky demeanor. Anna reveals to her adoptive mother, Patti that she met someone else like her, and that is when Patti tells her everything. Anna is the only one of her kind, a half demon/half angel, part of the Nephilim race on Earth descended from Angels and Demons. And Kai is the spawn of the Demon of Lust, so why does Anna feel like she can trust him? Kai offers to take her on a cross country trip to meet her Demon father who has been in prison since she was born, and the nun that gave her up for adoption when her mother died in child birth. But can Anna keep her virtue and heart intact while dealing with a half demon of lust, or will she lose it all to have the chance to be with him just once?

Wow.. this series was great from the first page. I truly enjoyed it, even the cheese worthy romance between Kai and Anna. It was well written, with a totally different spin on the Nephilim world. When Anna and Kai meet, both of their worlds are torn apart because their demon fathers will never allow them to love, especially another Neph. They are meant to work towards their father's goals of seduction and corruption, never able to have a life for themselves. And when an Angel comes into Anna's life that tells of a prophecy of ridding the world of demons, Anna is convinced that she is the one to wield the Sword of Righteousness. With the help of her father- the Demon of substance abuse, the son of the Demon of Wrath- Kopano, the son of the Demon of Envy- Blake, the daughters of the Demon of Adultery- Marna and Ginger, and Kai- the man she is in love with: can she defeat the Demons on Earth so that the Nephilim can have a life free of their domination? Beautifully written, with a touch of humor and some crazy plot twists that you won't see coming!

Sky Fall Series

Rated 4 out of 5 stars
By Shannon Messenger
Book 1: Let the Sky Fall - Book 2: Let the Storm Break

Vane is a typical 17 year old boy, except for the fact that he was the only survivor of a tornado that killed his entire family when he was 7 years old. He remembers nothing of his childhood, his parents, or the storm that killed them. Vane is completely normal, except for the fact that ever since that day- he has dreamed about one girl. Now this mystery girl is showing up in his life for real. Audra is not a typical 17 year old girl. She is a Guardian, sent by the Gales to protect the last Westerly Windwalker. But when Audra makes a mistake and reveals their location to Raiden, the Windwalker that created the storm that killed his family- Audra must convince Vane of who she is, and who he is. They are both sylphs, Windwalkers, Air Elementals who control the wind, and Vane is the last hope against the powerful Stormers that want to destroy the remaining Windwalkers who will not stand with them in their quest for decimation of the human race. Will Vane learn enough in the little time that they have to stop Raiden and the Stormers, save his family and friends, and most importantly- save Audra, his "dream girl"?

This series started off kind of slow, and the maturity level is relatively low. But the concept is wonderful- Air Elementals are definitely original and not an overly explored idea in the urban fantasy genre. Messenger had a brilliant idea with this series, and the second book definitely made up for the first exponentially. The romance between Audra and Vane isn't overly cheesy, and there are twists and turns in the plot lines that you won't see coming. It is worth a read, even though it's more along the lines of Harry Potter with the maturity and content level. I am looking forward to the third book, which hasn't been given a release date yet- hopefully sometime in early 2015. The ending of the second, keep reading for spoilers..

left a lot of questions; with Audra breaking her bond with Vane and being kidnapped by Raiden, and Arella, Audra's mother being released from her prison to help save her, and Vane preparing to go to Raiden's fortress to release her, there are a lot of unanswered questions. I'm intrigued to see how Messenger will continue the story of the Windwalkers!