Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Hi! today I'm reviewing one of my favorite books ever. Almost everybody read it, but still... these are my thoughts.

Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1)

by Rachel Hawkins

SYNOPSIS:

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is one of those series I've had forever in my "TBR pile". All my friends liked it but for one reason or another, I couldn't get it before. I'm glad I did now.

COVER: Beautiful. I don't know what the cat is doing there but the rest is nice and the girl looks just how I imagine Sophie.

WRITING AND PLOT: The prologue is very funny and I loved the strong start.  

From the very beginning you can see the sense of humor of the author reflected in the pages. 

I like the atmosphere Hawkins created for the school as well as the family history. 

The story has also a curious and catching touch of mystery. 

I think, that my favorite scene was one where all the "prodigium" are making dresses for a ball. Again, what happens to Sophie is comical. 

Basically I can say that this was an easy reading with a remarkable twist in the end. 

CHARACTERS:


Sophie, the protagonist, is utterly funny. Hilarious. She made me giggle all book long. Even when she is being serious, she has some witty retorts that fixed a grin in my face. 
She is totally powerful but so clueless when it comes to use her powers that you can't help getting attached to her. She is fresh, innocent and in one word: adorable! You don't want to miss her epic monologues!

“When someone tells you somebody’s been murdered, laughing is probably not the best response. You know, for future reference.
But laughing is exactly what I did.” 

Archer Cross: is interesting. Maybe not the sexiest character on earth (at the beginning) but he has something that made me want to keep reading about him. And he definitely, became way more fascinating at the end.

The chemistry between him and Sophie is exhilarating! I would have liked to be in cellar duty with him too! 

Jenna: OMG! Jenna is Sophie's roommate. Also, she happens to be the only vampire at Hecate Hall so yes, she is an outcast. And she adds a lot to the story just by being herself hehe.

“Archer Cross, resident bad boy and total heartthrob. Warlock. Every girl here is at least, like, half in love with him. Crushing on Archer Cross might as well be a class.” 

Well, that's it. I'll be posting my review of DEMONGLASS (Hex Hall #2) in the following days.

I hope you liked it!

Review: The Soul's Mark: Changed

THE SOUL'S MARK: CHANGED 

(The Soul's Mark #4) by Ashley Stoyanoff

SYNOPSIS:

 Ever since college student Amelia Caldwell moved to Willowberg, her life has been in turmoil. But with the evil vampire hunters no longer terrorizing the town, Willowberg is once again peaceful.

With a little help from Mother Nature and a dream for a better future, Mitchell has found himself in a predicament—after eight hundred years of being immortal, he is now a human while his soulmate is a vampire.

Now all Amelia and Mitchell have to do is hide from the world until his body can handle the change. But when Mitchell gets a cold, all hell breaks loose. 

With an unexpected resistance rising, and an unexplained deadline from the spirits, Amelia realizes that this is a fight she cannot win alone. One thing is clear, though: to save Mitchell, he needs to change—again. But if he does, what chance does he have of surviving it?

AMAZON   ||    GOODREADS

MY THOUGHTS:

4.5 STARS :)

** I received an ARC from the author in exchange for my honest review**

Well, I'm a super fan of Ashley, that's no surprise, and the fact that I really enjoyed this book isn't, either.

I've loved this series since the start.

I've grown attached to all the characters with different personalities and stories.

What can I say? I absolutely loved it!

Ok, well, maybe not the first part hehe, I found that at the beginning every character was a little whinny and didn't do much, from Lola, to Millie to Mitch but as the story progressed I got caught up in the plot, as always!

Cover: 

The best so far. I really like it! and it's very representative.

Writing: 

If you are looking for a simple writing this is not your kind of book. Stoyanoff's writing is complex and it makes you think, it entangles you in all the twists and details of the story line and at the same time it flows smoothly and keeps you glued to the pages. I believe her writing keeps improving book after book. 

I think that, even unexpected, the 'TSM: Changed' was an outstanding end to the series. It brings closure and helps you understand a lot of things that have been happening in the other 3 books.

Characters:

They gained depth and in this installment, we get to know all of them better, specially Lola whom I related to more than in the previous books. 

Also we get a lot more of Angelle and Ty's story. Those two are just so perfect and so incredibly cute together that you can't help loving them.

In this book, I even liked Mitchell! I've been hating him since the beginning but now I can understand his actions, his selfishness and overprotectiveness towards Amelia. 

To sum up: I'd totally recommend it and this is a series I will miss!

Check my other reviews of the series:

The Soul's Mark: FOUND

The Soul's Mark: HUNTED

The Soul's Mark: BROKEN

COVER REVEAL: The Soul's Mark: Changed by Ashley Stoyanoff

Quick Facts

Expected Release Date: December 2013

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Formats: All ebook formats and Paperback

Synopsis 

 Ever since college student Amelia Caldwell moved to Willowberg her life has been in turmoil. But without the evil vampire hunters terrorizing the town, life in Willowberg has been relatively quiet. With a little help from Mother Nature and a dream for a better future, Mitchell has found himself in a predicament—after eight hundred years of being immortal he is now a human while his soulmate is a vampire. Now all Amelia and Mitchell have to do is hide from the world until his body can handle the change. But when Mitchell gets a cold all hell breaks loose. With an unexpected resistance rising, and an unexplained deadline from the spirits, Amelia realizes that this is a fight she cannot win alone. One thing is clear: to save Mitchell, he needs to change—again. But if he does, what chance does he have of surviving it?

To celebrate the upcoming release of The Soul’s Mark: CHANGED, the fourth and final book in The Soul’s Mark Series, Ashley is giving away unlimited FREE eCopies of The Soul’s Mark: FOUND, the awarding winning first book in the series. So grab the coupon code below and download your eCopy of The Soul’s Mark: FOUND from Smashwords. Share the code with your family and friends, and if you enjoy it and decide to continue on with the series, Ashley would love it if you could post a review on Amazon.com, Goodreads, and blogs for each of her books that you read.

Visit: Smashwords

Simply use the coupon code: LS34W and download your FREE eCopy.

Expiration Date: October 17, 2013

Ashley Stoyanoff, the award winning author of The Soul’s Mark: FOUND, lives in Whitby, Ontario and loves diving into the magical world of creating fiction. When not writing, she can be found reading sappy novels, watching cheesy chick flicks, and buying far too many clothes. Connect with Ashley Stoyanoff Online Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Email 

Other Books by Ashley Stoyanoff The Soul's Mark Series 

The Soul's Mark: FOUND (The Soul's Mark, #1) 

The Soul's Mark: HUNTED (The Soul's Mark, #2) 

The Soul's Mark: BROKEN (The Soul's Mark, #3) 

Waking Dreams, A Soul's Mark Novella 

Deadly Trilogy Deadly Crush (Deadly Trilogy, #1)




IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE IT YET,  enter my BLOGOVERSARY MEGA GIVEAWAY and participate for more than 20 prizes including 2 ebooks by Ashley! 

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Review and Giveaway: Eyes of Ember by Rebecca Ethington

Eyes of Ember by Rebecca Ethington

(Imdalind #2)

Blurb:

Joclyn is in hiding, hunted by the man she still desperately loves. Ryland is gone, his mind erased, no memory of Joclyn remains. But, Joclyn’s heart desperately begs her to hold out hope. While, in reality the black eyed monster that possesses him, attempts to kill her over and over.

If it wasn’t for Ilyan, Joclyn would be dead by now. 

Ilyan. The man who once stalked her, is now Joclyn’s protector, the only thing she has left. He protects Joclyn from the men who seek to end her life, and while she is haunted by dreams where Ryland begs her to break the bond between them. 

Ilyan is there. Always there.

Ilyan trains and prepares her, teaching her everything she needs to know in the hope that one day she can avenge Ryland, if not protect herself from him.

And then there is her father.

The man who has never been there, is suddenly responsible for everything. And who he is has made Joclyn into something she never wanted to be.

The Silnỳ

About the Author

Rebecca Ethington has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then on stage with years of theatrical performances. The Imdalind Series is her first stint into the world of literary writing. Rebecca is a mother to two, and wife to her best friend of 14 years. She was born and raised in the mountains of Salt Lake City, and hasn’t found the desire to leave yet. Her days are spent writing, running, and enjoying life with her amazing family.

Links:

Goodreads 

Amazon Author 

Amazon Buy link 

Barnes and Noble 

Website

Twitter 

Facebook

Read my review of Kiss of Fire (Imdalind #1) HERE.





My thoughts: Eyes of Ember (Imdalind #2)

4 STARS!



After loving book one in this series I couldn't wait to jump into this one.
I won't say I was dissapointed, at all! but I kinda liked the first one a little more.


First: I am absolutely mesmerized by the cover!

I liked the way the author gained depth in the characters without being repetitive.
I felt that Jos grew a lot and I really liked her. She is stronger and finds a motive to go on, not like in the first instalment that she was a but lost.
Though some situations with Ilyan make me mad at her. (I don't want to make a spoiler, can't tell!)

Ilyan... WOW! I really found in him what I was looking for. 

The love triangle was predictable but he was charming. I am his number one cheerleading! Though I would have liked more chemistry between them

Ry... well... you know where book one ended so, you also know what to expect, I like his new him. Muahahahaha! :P


We have some background here, I like that in books, not annoy you with dull details but remind you were the story stands. Here you can pick book 2 after a while of reading the first one and you will totally catch up with the story.


The writing is great, it flows smoothly, the story is original and fast paced. A lot of action and definitely left me wanting book 3.

When is it released? :P


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Interview and Giveaway: The Witching Hour by Marie Hall.

SYNOPSIS:


After not only being run over, but watching her husband die in the same hit and run, Eve Philips thought she would never love again. Years pass and her sisters worry that she’ll become an old crone like so many other witches. They’ve made it their personal mission to help her find her next true love. But Eve wants none of that, she throws herself into her potions shop--Witches Brew--determined work, and not a lover, will fix the void in her heart.

Until the day she sees him. Cian, gorgeous and mysterious, she’s frightened by the desires he brings out in her. A passion that rivals even the love she’d felt for her husband.

But Cian is not what he seems. He’s fae. More than that, he’s the grim reaper of legend and his mission means her death. She shouldn’t have seen him. His kind moves in stealth, but the moment her golden eyes meets his he knows his world will never be the same. He’ll defy his orders and his Queen to keep her. But will Eve want what he offers when she discovers the truth? That he was the one who harvested her husband’s soul… 

This is an Urban Fantasy Romance dealing with fairies, vampires, shifters, witches, and the occasional vindictive ghost.

INTERVIEW:

Tell us about your current works:

Well, my current release is book 4 of the Kingdom Series and it's called Jinni's Wish. About an exiled Jinni and the human woman was made to love him. Of course, he's semi-dead, which means in order for her to be with him she'd need to be a ghost.... it was fun and weird to write and I had fun. It's not the most action packed book in the world, it's almost entirely character driven which made it a bit of a challenge for me since I tend to come from an Urban Fantasy perspective which usually involves lots of butt kicking in the tightest black leather around. But for a change of pace I wanted to write some fun, quirky fantasy romance novellas based on my favorite fairy tales and to retell them from the villain's perspective. It's been fun.

Tell us about what's coming:

There will be two actually. I'm wrapping up the world of Kingdom. For now. I'd originally intended this series to be a 5 and done type of thing but I've had such great readers response from the books that there is a possibility of future projects. I've been throwing around the idea of doing a type of spin-off. We'll see.

The next book scheduled for release will be Hook's story. And in it there will definitely be some familiar faces. Gerard and Betty are around quite a bit, they were in book 2 and tied to the Beauty and the Beast retelling. Because this was supposed to be my wrap up book I'd planned to show most of my characters and do a sort of 'where are they now' kind of thing.

I'm also releasing the first of my YA Trilogy. Called: Forbidden, Genesis Trilogy Book 1... it centers around a girl who works in the circus with her dad, only to discover that there's much more to the place than first meets the eye. It's been super fun and since I did actually work in a carnival one summer I've been able to incorporate a lot of the color and charisma of a traveling show into it.

How would you describe your writing style?

LOL. Crazy. I'm so incredibly type A, but writing is one aspect of my life I simply cannot control. Sometimes I'll start out with an idea for a character. A throw away character who's just supposed to play a vital, but very bit part of the plot, only to discover the character is actually my villain. And yes, that just happened with Forbidden. It shocked me. But it's fun to just let go and see where the journey takes me. It's the one place in my life I don't try to control. Sometimes the results are surprising, but always, always fun.

How do you develop your plots and your characters? 

No formulas. I generally have a small kernal of an idea and the story blooms from that. I was walking down a trail last year and saw this wild mass of flowers growing up out of a mind. I remember thinking in my head, wow, if fairy mounds existed, they'd look like that. Then boom... I saw Danika (the fairy godmother to all the bad boys in my Kingdom books) and the stories just came from there. So definitely no formula. Like I said, writing controls me, not the other way around.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always thought I'd be either a nurse or Marine Biologist. Then when I graduated and went to college I quickly discovered it was not for me. I floundered for a while. So you can imagine my surprise when I KNEW writing would be my thing. Prior to that, I hated English class. I'd be lucky to get a B. But once the fire started it burned out of control. I took courses to discover how to write, to learn grammar, and it took nearly 10 years to get to the point that I felt confident enough with my writing to start putting it out there for the world to read.

How do you react to a bad review?

Well, I don't like them. LOL. They sting, of course. But once I'm done licking my wounds, I realize it's not personal. It's just a book and their reaction to it. In fact, funny story, I once got a 2 star review on one of my books. I read the review and thought... hmm... okay. Next day, the reviewer contacted me and said she just wanted me to know she rated me a 2 star but that she felt the story itself was strong, that she simply didn't respond to it. To this day, she drops my blog every so often and I like that. I don't mind if you don't love my stories... not everyone will, but I think I can grow and learn from any type of constructive criticism out there. Who can't, right? Plus, if you put your books out there, then expect to have readers who don't connect. I mean, if Pride and Prejudice gets 1 star reviews, then I'm in some pretty good company.

Tell us something about you that will surprise the readers.

My mom used to always catch me sneaking into her room as a kid and turning on up all night with Elvira. And yeah, if you don't remember the show then don't tell me because that means I'm getting old...lol, anyway, she'd warn me that if I kept doing it one day I'd watch something that I could never unwatch.

Sage advice I didn't heed. Thanks to movies like It and Puppet Master I've now got a terrible fear of clowns and dolls. Yeah, I know... go ahead and laugh, it's ridiculous. But you'll never catch a doll in my house. ;)

Thanks!

Marie :D

Contact Marie

BLOG / TWITTER / FACEBOOK / GOODREADS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules:

- You must be 13+ to participate.
- There will be 3 winners, that can choose from any ebook format.
- The winners will be announced here and via Facebook and Twitter.
- I'll send an email to the winner and they have 48hs to answer, otherwise I'll choose a new winner.

Review: Witch in The Wind

Witch in The Wind (Bandit Creek #17)

by Brenda M. Collins.

(yes, you read correctly, #17, but don't freak out, this reads as a stand alone book perfectly)

SYNOPSIS:

Everything happens in Bandit Creek when witches, warlocks and canine familiars slip through the portal from the magical world called THE OTHERLAND.

​

When murder strikes in Bandit Creek, and the victims aren’t who they seemed, powerful guardian warlock, Marcus Egan, is sent from The Otherland to investigate. What he doesn’t expect to find is Avalon Gwynn, the grieving daughter of the victims, who has no idea she’s an extraordinary, hereditary witch. And Avy’s pent up magical abilities have just been set free in the mortal world.

​

Can Marcus catch a killer while making sure Avy doesn’t bring Crow Mountain crashing down on the town—destroying Bandit Creek for the second time?

​

This is a sweet paranormal novella of approximately 50,000 words written for an adult audience but also suitable for young adult readers.

Website | Twitter | Amazon | Smashwords | Kindle

Enjoy an Excerpt

(from Chapter 2)

Marcus debated if he should fade into the background. In his line of work, his talent for making even another witch’s eye look past him without registering his presence was useful.

He felt another power surge. “What the—

The woman wasn't the magic source. Fierce, dark eyes locked on him, not in a friendly, or mortal, way. And the beast already knew Marcus was there. What the hell is a familiar doing here? Familiars couldn’t be summoned. They appeared only when gifted by a more powerful spirit in times of great danger. There hadn’t been such a creature around The Otherland for centuries. So who sent this one to the mortal world, he wondered. And why?

Pushing away from the wall, Marcus wandered over to the reception desk. By habit, he moved with quiet steps, yet the young woman seemed to sense his approach and turned in his direction. She pulled the cap from her head, pushed loose wisps of hair from her forehead, and looked up at him.

His breath stopped in his throat and his mouth watered. The little nymph was more than the usual pretty combination of golden blond hair and flawless fair skin. Her electric blue eyes, even smudged with fatigue, jolted his gut in a way he hadn’t felt since his teens, when his magical energy was working overtime along with his hormones.

He smiled and managed to keep his stance casual as he kept one eye on the familiar and one on the woman. She seemed startled for a second but then returned his smile with a brilliant one of her own. The familiar didn’t. He bared his teeth and growled.

“I mean you no harm.” He didn’t want the familiar to blow his cover so he stood completely still as he spoke to it directly.

To the woman he said, “Is he always afraid of strangers?”

The familiar rumbled again as if insulted.

“Only you as far as I know,” she replied. Her voice, a rich alto, wrapped around him like a siren’s song. “He was fine with me, and the sheriff, yesterday.”

He blinked trying to regain some control of his brain. “What’s his name?” He eased his hand, very slowly, towards the familiar murmuring reassurances that only the magical beast would understand.

“I don’t know really. I found him last night with no collar.” She shrugged and a light flush colored her cheeks. “I’ve been calling him Busby. You know, after the big furry hats the guards at Buckingham Palace wear. When I first saw him on my porch, that’s what he reminded me of.”

That answers one question, Marcus thought. He’s here to protect this woman. But does she know that? With his hand dangerously close to the familiar’s mouth, he let the beast scent the strength of his power. Warlocks were a level above most magical creatures, having been bred for generations as warriors. Of course, that didn’t mean the familiar wasn’t as strong, or even stronger. No one knew how familiars travelled from witch to witch and many assumed they were from the spirit realm.

Finally, the creature eased back on his haunches.

“Busby’s giving me a reprieve.” He very slowly withdrew his hand. To the familiar he said, “Giving me a chance, aren’t you, Busby. But you let me know who’s got the teeth when it comes to this woman.” He stepped back.

My Thoughts

3.5 STARS! 

As I said before, this is a book that it's part of a series but when I signed up to review it, I was told I didn't need to read the previous ones, and now I know they were right.

It totally reads as an only book. 
It's a short story, entertaining, though the real action began at around 40%. The first half was a little slow.

I liked the main characters, they have some mystery around them but couldn't relate to them much (probably because of the length of the book). But I found very touching the storm scene and how she relates to her inner energy.
The familiar is probably my favorite :)

The writing is nice and simple. The cover is beautiful.
And we have a little bit of romance and a little bit of magic, which are a perfect combo for me.

I surely want to know what will happen in the next book. This one didn't blow my mind, but I truly enjoyed it.

Meet the Author

Brenda M. Collins has wanted to write romance since she was twelve years old. At the age of twenty, she spoke to an editor in Toronto, Canada, who expressed an interest in her story; however, she soon realized it takes more than an idea to be an author. She joined a number of writing groups to learn about ‘the craft’ and completed two mystery manuscripts. To help her fellow writers develop strong business skills, Brenda has published articles, and delivered workshops to hundreds of writers, on career planning, professional networking and presentation skills. Her most recent article, entitled How to Improve your Presentations, is in the 2013 Writer’s Market (Brewer, R.L., ed. F&W Media Inc. p. 153).

Brenda’s debut novel, WITCH IN THE WIND, starts with a murder, but comes to life with witches, warlocks, a canine familiar and a magical dimension called The Otherland. For upcoming titles in The Otherland Chronicles, and other stories, keep an eye on Brenda’s website www.brendamcollins.com and follow her on Twitter.

I hope you like it!!!

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