Review: Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson #2) by Darynda Jones

Title: Second Grave on the Left

Author: Darynda Jones

Series: 2nd, First Grave on the Right

Pages: 307

Published: August 16, 2011 by St. Martins Press

ISBN: 9780312360818

Source: Publisher for honest review

Description: When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message. Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He’s left his body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do? 

I Give This ...
  

I always have a hard time with a book that I think deserves half rating.  Do you round up or down?  With Second Grave, I took in to account my enjoyment of the first book and decided to round up.  

Charley felt a little off in this book for some reason.  She still had her spunk and her sarcasm, but it didn't feel like such a defying characteristic and I missed it.  This time around I felt like she was following more than leading.  Her instincts seem a little overshadowed by her complete infatuation with finding Reyes.  And she was really air-headed.  I didn't feel like there was so much going on in the book that she shouldn't be able to keep up with characters' names.  It drove me a little crazy.  I also missed some characters that got more face time in the first book (like Rocket Man).

The ghost involved with this book was down right creepy.  I'm still not prepared for were ghosts show up.  This time it was in the trunk of Cookie's car and then he sticks to Charley like glue.  But, he never talks and has a tendency to show up at odd time like when she's in the shower.  But, I enjoyed the mystery of who he really was and how he came to be in the trunk.  I also really liked the mystery of Cookie's friend.  It turns out Mimi was forced to hide something that happened in high school and now fears for her life.  The culprit is kind of sprang on you and totally now who I thought it would be.

I find Reyes to be a fascinating character that I can't quite get a handle on.  He genuinely seems concerned for Charley and what happens to her.  But, he's got a really nasty dark side and I'm not sure how that connects to Charley in the long run.  Overall, it makes me unable to firmly decide which side he's on.  I'm not sure he knows himself.

Not as good as the first one, but a decent addition to the series.  I'm still looking forward to the next one. 

      

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. Click on the picture to be taken to Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books!

What a busy week!  And another one to come.  Tomorrow was our only free day and for some reason I decided to fill it with a playdate.  I have to take a CPR class this week so I can start work at my daughter's school this year.  Hopefully, that will all come back to me supper fast.  It's been a few years since I've been certified.  Also getting my first spray tan!  My pasty white legs might look decent in my bridesmaids dress next week.  Anybody have any tips?

Read Last Week: 

• Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones
• Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
• Legend by Marie Lu

Currently Reading:

• Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Up This Week:

• After Obession by Carrie Jones
• Want to gG Private? by Sarah Darer Littman
• after that depends on tour books coming in (expecting at least one more)

In My Mailbox!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren and she was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie! 

After the book overload last week, I only received one this one.  I'm expecting a couple different review books, but they haven't hit my mailbox yet :)

For Review:  

• Legend by Marie Lu (Around The World Tours)

Review - The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Title: The Near Witch

Author: Victoria Schwab

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 288

Published: August 2, 2011 by Hyperion

ISBN: 9781423137870

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

 

Description:  The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.  If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. And there are no strangers in the town of Near.  These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.  But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.  The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him. As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy. Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget. 

I Give This ...

 

I really tried to love this book.  It had everything going for it.  But, there were just a few things that really kept me from enjoying as much as I wanted to.

I think Lexi's character was the most interesting part of this novel.  She's the oldest of two girls who was raised by her father to be more like a boy.  She was always told that she could do anything a boy could, and she could probably do it better.  She was taught to not be afraid of the witch sisters who lived on the outskirts of the town.  And above all, she was taught to respect the moor.  When her father dies, her uncle takes his place (more as a man of the house) and spends a lot of time trying to control Lexi and make her into a proper young lady.  I was happy to see that she resists him at very turn and that her mother doesn't give into the pressure.  She also has a talent for tracking.  

I also like Cole.  A stranger that shows up in the middle of the night always adds an interesting twist to the story.  Especially when children start disappearing from the beds in the middle of the night right after his arrival.  I never believed he was involved.  But, I liked watching the town freak out over his arrival.  The mob mentality takes effect, and people start to say things that aren't true.  It doesn't help the sisters are protecting him and the village as a whole or afraid of them.  When they realize what he can do,  there is absolutely no changing their minds on who the culprit really is.  It's easier to believe a real flesh and blood person and not some mythical creature that may or may not have existed. 

I loved the legend of the near witch.  It fit into the whole time period beautifully.  I just wish it would have stayed in the background.  For some reason, I just didn't feel the story needed a paranormal element.  I wanted someone in the village to be luring the children from the beds.  Since witchcraft is such a prominent part of the story, it seemed completely feasible to me.  I wanted the story to be more about the idea that a stranger might be more trustworthy than the neighbor you've known forever.  It was also very slow at times.  But, still a pretty good read. 

Review - Always a Witch (Witch, #2) by Carolyn MacCullough

Title: Always a Witch

Author: Carolyn MacCullough

Series: 2nd; Once A Witch

Pages: 288

Published: August 1, 2011 by Houghton

ISBN: 9780547224855

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: The adventures of Tam and Gabriel continue with more time travel, Talents, spy work, and of course, the evil Knights. Since the gripping conclusion of Once A Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother's prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision—one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady's maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice .

I Give This ...
  

I think books involving magic might be one of my favorite types in the paranormal genre.  This series is no exception.  I really think the magic involved is subtle, which makes the storyline that much more intriguing.

I think Tamsin is one of my favorite female witches.  She's really had the best of both worlds (although I'm sure she would disagree).  She grow up surrounded by people who can do extraordinary things, while she can't.  She's tried to live a normal life in NYC, far enough away from her family.  And even after she learns that she really does have magic that has been kept hidden from her, she still tries to appear normal.  Much to the dismay of her family.  When she goes home for her sister's wedding, she discovers that Alistair aims to bring down her family in the past.  And she also knows that she's probably the only one who can save them.

 

Tamsin chooses to time travel alone.  But, she has no idea how to find her family or how to warn them about the dangers to come when she does.  How do you go about telling something that a spell they have no idea they are going to cast needs to be stronger?  Instead, she ends up an employee of the very family set to destroy her own.  I found it interesting that they were much more diabolical than the stories told made them seem.  They will stop at nothing to make sure their magic is as powerful as it can be.

When Tamsin realizes what the Knight family intends to do, she realizes that only she has the power to fully stop them in the tracks.  Blood magic is extremely powerful and will take something equally strong to bind it.  Tamsin makes the ultimate sacrifice, which I greatly admired her for.  I wondered if it was part of the reason her magic was kept hidden for so long.

The story has a great pace, with a dramatic ending.  I was really afraid something was going to happen to someone I really cared about in the story.  Which I hope doesn't make it sound like the life that was lost was unimportant.  But, I think he knew the sacrifice he was making at the time.  I enjoyed how the characters interacted.  I especially enjoyed how Tamsin has developed from a girl who that she had no powers, to someone is in fully control of what she can do.  I don't know if there will be another one or not.  But, if there is, I will read it. 

Review - Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2) by Kiersten White

Title: Supernaturally

Author: Kiersten White

Series (#, other books):  2nd, Paranormalcy

Pages: 336

Published: July 26, 2011 by HarperTeen

ISBN: 9780061985867

Source: Around The World Tours

Description: Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.  But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.  So much for normal. 

I Give This ...

 

Ok, I'm being a little harsh on this one.  But, I gave Paranormalcy and 4 and this just was just missing something.  All the characters were there, they just didn't seem to be connecting the way I remembered.

Evie is living a normal life and its what she thought she always wanted.  Turns out it's not enough.  Totally not surprising to me.  When you've spent your whole life battling supernaturally creatures why would high school be exciting?  I was a little surprised that she went back to working for the IPCA so easily.  I understood that she wanted something more and liked what they were offering her.  But, it's like all the stuff that she learned at the end of book one was completely forgotten.  And since she knows the Lend and his father won't like it, lets just lie to them instead.  

Speaking of Lend, he's surprisingly absent for a lot of this book.  He's off at college fulfilling his dreams, which is another reason that I think Evie is so bored with her normal life.  I'm not saying that Evie's life should revolve around Lend, but I really expected something more there.  It's almost like he expects her to forget who she is and be content with her little place in life.  I also wonder if he isn't a little bit afraid of what she can do.  The less trouble she can get into, the less likely she is to use it.

 I did enjoy the mission that Evie is sent out.  She's sent to track down goblins that may or may not have human slaves.  As usual nothing is how it seems.  She ends up hunting down a vampire that has a blood lust for paranormal creatures.  His interactions with Evie were really interesting.  I also enjoyed what she learned about the Goblins that she was sent to investigate.

I think my favorite thing was the new character Jack.  He has some strange ties to the Faerie realm.  He's spontaneous and at time a little bit annoying.  But, I think he helps Evie see the truth in who she is and why.  At times, I wondered if he was suppose to develop into a love interest, but I was really happy to see that proven false.  I really love Lend.

So yes, I was a little disappointed.  But, that won't stop me from reading the next one in the series! 

Waiting On Wednesday - The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Title: The Name of the Star

Author: Maureen Johnson

Release Date: September 20

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

You had me at Jack the Ripper.  Yes, I'm one of those crazy people who is fascinated with the case.  So, I'm totally interested in reading this book and seeing how the author connects modern day crimes with Jack the Ripper.  Plus, it sounds like it has a paranormal element to it!