Recenzie PE JUMATATE MOARTA (Madison Avery #1) de Kim Harrison

O LUME MISTERIOASA, UN CARATER FEMININ PUTERNIC, UMOR, SUSPANS SI UN STROP DE ROMANCE.

Ma numesc Madison Avery si trebuie sa va spun ca acolo se afla mai mult decat puteti vedea, auzi sau atinge. Stiu, pentru ca eu ma aflu acolo. Si vad. Aud. Ating. Traiesc.

Balul de absolvire al lui Madison a fost mortal – la propriu. Din cine stie ce motiv, ea a fost tinta unui spintecator al intunericului – da, genul acela de spintecator – decis sa scape de ea, cu trup si suflet. Dar, inainte ca spintecatorul sa-si incheie treaba, Madison a reusit sa-i ia amuleta ciudata si stralucitoare si sa scape.

Acum, e captiva pe Pamant – moarta, dar nu disparuta. Cumva, amuleta ii ofera iluzia unui corp, permitandu-i sa traiasca la limita dintre viata si moarte, undeva intre acum si ceea ce urmeaza. Nu stie de ce, spintecatorul intunericului e pe urmele ei, dar ea n-are de gand sa stea cu mainile in san si sa lase soarta sa-si urmeze cursul.

Cu putina ingeniozitate si cu ajutorul unui spintecator al luminii (unul dintre tipii buni ! Poate...), dar si al baiatului de care e indragostita, precum si al (o, da !) ingerului ei pazitor, Madison e gata sa-si ia destinul in propriile maini o data pentru totdeauna, inainte ca acesta sa o controleze pe ea.

Asta daca ea crede in asemenea lucruri.

Madison Avery. Usor rebela, cool, si pe cat posibil, devreme acasa. A, da, si pe jumatate moarta. O combinatie delicioasa de supranatural si fantasy, care incepe intr-o nota serioasa, abordand un subiect nu tocmai usor digerabil, dar care pana la urma, se transforma intr-un peisaj cu momente usor comine, autoarea incercand sa mai detensioneze atmosfera, de altfel serioasa, de la inceputul cartii.

Lectura este una usoara, incadrandu-se perfect in categoria celor pe care le poti citi intr-o zi, dar avand totusi calitatea de a nu plictisi cititorul. Notele comice presarate printre pagini, ajuta la digerarea mai usoara a cartii, avand in vedere, ca desi nu este o carte tipica celor din care sa tragi invataturi, atrage totusi atentia asupra unui aspect important al vietii, si acela de a avea dreptul la alegere. 

Personajele au fost in parte ok, cu exceptia unora care nu cred ca-si aveau locul. Acelasi lucru il pot spune si la adresa unor fragmente din carte, care mi-au parut putin trase de par, in sensul ca, dupa parerea mea, nu ar fi trebuit dezvaluite atatea detalii care nu ar fi interesat.

In concluzie, "Pe jumatate moarta" merita citita, pentru subiectul pe care il abordeaza, pentru modul "adolescentin" in care autoarea il abordeaza, si pentru Barnabas, ingerul poznas :) Dupa Madison, el face toata cartea!

EARTHBOUND by Aprilynne Pike

Tavia, the "Earthbound" heroine, is the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed her parents and left her in the keeping of an aunt and uncle. She's safe, she's happy, she should be able to move on with her life. 

But... she can't shake the feeling that something's not right- not when she keeps having visions of a beautiful, alluring stranger who wants her to leave her family and flee to Maine, and not when it starts to look like the accident that orphaned her was part of a plot to end her life. 

Soon, she's on the run with no one to trust...except the childhood friend she's sworn to love forever, and whose heart she'd have to break to learn the truth about who she is.

Expected publication: July 30th 2013

GRACE DOLL by Jennifer Laurens

Grace Doll had everything a girl could want: Fame. Fortune. Beauty.

Everything except, of course, her freedom. So when a powerful movie producer forces an experimental treatment on Grace--one that's purported to make beauty immortal--she stages her own death to escape him.

With the help of trusted friends, Grace slips into hiding. She's forever flawless, forever young and forever pursued by her past.

But when a stranger arrives on her doorstep, holding the key to a life she thought she'd left behind, Grace must decide between the safety she's known... and embracing the role she was born to play.

Published August 20th 2012

WICKED KISS (Nightwatchers #2) by Michelle Rowen

MY KISS CAN KILL. I used to be ordinary Samantha Day, but that's changed. Now, after one dark kiss from a dangerous boy, I can steal someone's soul...or their life. If I give in to the constant hunger inside me, I hurt anyone I kiss. If I don't...I hurt myself.

Bishop is the one whose kiss I crave most, but if I kiss him, I'll kill him. Then there's another boy, one I can't hurt. One whose kiss seems to miraculously quell my hunger. They're both part of a team of angels and demons that's joined forces in my city to fight a mysterious rising darkness, an evil that threatens everyone I know and love. I just wonder if I'll be able to help Bishop-or if I'm just another part of the darkness he's sworn to destroy....

NIGHTWATCHERS

When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...

Expected publication: March 2013

FALSE MEMORY by Dan Krokos

Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn't at all surprised by Miranda's shocking ability.

Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn't easy--especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can't remember loving. Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn't seem to matter...when there may not be a future.

Dan Krokos' debut is a tour-de-force of non-stop action that will leave readers begging for the next book in this bold and powerful new series.

Published August 14th 2012

IMMORTAL Series by Gillian Shields

Immortal (Immortal #1)

Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.

Evie’s only lifeline is Sebastian, a rebellious, mocking, dangerously attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie’s feelings for Sebastian grow with each secret meeting, she starts to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl—a girl who is so eerily like Evie, she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she cannot control. And as the extraordinary, elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate.

Gillian Shields’s electrifying tale will dazzle readers with suspense, mysticism, and romance.

Published August 4th 2009

Betrayal (Immortal #2)

In this companion to "Immortal," magic and sweeping romance cross the bounds of time to deliver heart-stopping emotion and suspense.

Published August 3rd 2010

Eternal (Immortal #3)

This third book about the Mystic Sisterhood at Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies is another romantic thriller with paranormal elements and deep mystery. This time our heroine is Sarah Fitzalan, the dependable, faithful friend to Evie and Helen, her sisters in the Mystic Way. But this term Sarah finds that their friendship is tested to the limits. Evie is turning her back on the Mystic Way after the sisterhood laid her beloved Sebastian’s soul to rest; Helen is distracted; and a new girl, wild child Velvet Romaine, seems set on stirring up more trouble at Wyldcliffe. Sarah struggles to keep the sisterhood together as the threat of attack from the dark coven looms. 

All Sarah has to keep her going is her connection with her earth powers and a promise she cannot break. Must she sacrifice herself for the sake of her friends and sisters? Will her sisters join her, or will help come from unexpected sources, like her Romany ancestors, and a love she’d only just dared hope for?

Published August 2nd 2011

Destiny (Immortal #4)

Everything is connected. We weave in and out of one another's lives, like circles within circles, and everything is for a purpose.

Helen has always been the "crazy" one among the girls of Wyldcliffe, scarred by her bleak past and her troubled relationship with her mother, the former headmistress and leader of the Wyldcliffe coven, Mrs. Hartle.

But Miss Scratton promised Helen that a love "beyond the confines of this world" is waiting for her. Could this be Lynton, the mysterious music student who visits Wyldcliffe for his lessons? And what about the brooch her mother gave her--what can the Seal reveal about Helen's past and future?

Now that Miss Scratton is gone, life at Wyldcliffe takes an even darker turn. An unexpected threat arrives in the form of a new high master, whom Helen remembers from her unhappy childhood. Can Helen, Evie, and Sarah finally overcome Wyldcliffe's darkness? Will Lady Agnes come to their aid? And what sacrifices must they make to fulfill their destiny?

"Destiny" is the stunning conclusion to this gripping series about sisterhood, the circles of time, and love. 

Published July 31st 2012

OPPRESSION (Children of the Gods #1)

Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than the average person, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's closer to eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Among so many of her kind, she should not be very remarkable--except for the prophecy. Some believe she will put an end to traditions, safeguarded by violence, which have oppressed her people for centuries. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning--and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules.

Published February 28th 2012

UNREMEMBERED (Unremembered #1) by Jessica Brody

The only thing worse than forgetting her past...is remembering it. 

With no memories and no identity, the sixteen-year-old girl who was found floating among the wreckage of a devastating plane crash knows only one thing for certain . . . nothing is what it seems. Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them. Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?
From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

Recenzie/Review DARK KISS (Nightwatchers #1) by Michelle Rowen

I don't do dangerous.  Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back. 

Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me.... 

MY OPINION

I get chills when I remember this book. I regret that it was over. And how! WAW!

God, so you have no idea how many times I remained breathless while reading. Simply forget to breathe. I'll say in the most sincere way possible. It's AMAZING! It's strong, has plenty of action, is sensual, warm, exceptional. Take a toll on mind and soul of the reader.

Believe me I don't find my words, such I'm excited about the book. I finished a few days ago. Initially, can't wait to write the review. But when I start typing, could't find the words. All were a pleasure chaos in my mind. Don't know what to write faster, what to point out. How and in what way, so don't give a spoiler, but it will make you simply love, already, from present review.

Those few days passed, and I still shudder when I think of the book, the characters, the action, the subject itself. Still not able to find my words. 

<< "Is this okay?" he asked. "May I kiss you?"

My cheeks warmed. "I... um..."

He spoke sotly into my ear. "I should warn you, it's a very dangerous kiss. It'll change your life forever, so you have to want it."

If I wasn't feeling so flustered, I might have thought he was being cocky. I mean, please. A kiss that could change my life forever?>>

I have a question for you, although not usual for a review. Title "Dark Kiss", what makes you think? If it leads to a kiss from that start everything, you're right. If it leads to a passionate kiss, yet full of a strange hungry, you're right. If it leads you to Heaven and Hell, both involved, and they fully woven itself into action, again you are right. If you think of angels and demons ... well ... you spotted! If yet there continue to think, and still have a glimpse of the road, and find that Heaven and Hell, angels and demons, working together to destroy a demon anomaly... You found some source of fascinating reading. But that's not all. Passion and desire, in high levels and extremely hot, but allowed to be read by a minor, is icing on the cake! There you mostly forget to breathe. Why is it so important just a kiss? Well it is, because he's the subject of the book. It changes your life forever.

How about? I've sparked curiosity? If you don't, I'll will leave a few phrases that made ​​me forget I'm human and I need occasionally to breathe. Maybe they will not seem so important, but in the context of the book, I assure you are to blame for the lack of oxygen to the brain.

<< "What the hell's wrong with her?" Kraven demanded.

Bishop looked furious enough to kill. "That bastard just broke her neck.">>

...

<< "You shouldn't have done that," I said, feeling dizzy. "You don't know what - Oh, my God, Carly. You don't know how bad of an idea that was! Whwn he kissed me -"

"He kissed me, too.">>

...

<< "What?" I grabbed her arm. "What's so freaky? Who does she look like?"

She turned to face me, her brows drawn together. "Well, she looks like you, of course. You two could totally be related."

I blinked.

She was right.>>

...

<< "Angels don't have souls," Bishop said again.

"Fallen angels do.">>

MY RATING:5+/5

**********************************************************************************

PAREREA MEA

Ma trec fiorii cand imi aduc aminte de carte. Patesc acelasi lucru pe care l-am patit cu Obsidian. Regret ca s-a terminat. Si in ce fel!!! WAW!!! 

Dumnezeule, deci nu aveti idee de cate ori am ramas fara suflare in timpul lecturii. Pur si simplu uitam sa mai respir, va spun in cel mai sincer mod cu putinta. E UI-MI-TOA-RE!!! E puternica, are actiune din plin, e senzuala, calda, exceptionala. Isi lasa amprenta in mintea si in sufletul cititorului. 

Credeti-ma ca nu-mi gasesc cuvintele, atat sunt de incantata de carte. Am terminat-o acum cateva zile, si initial, abia asteptam sa scriu recenzia, dar cand am inceput sa tastez, ioc cuvinte. Toate erau un haos de placere in mintea mea. Nu stiam ce sa scriu mai repede, ce sa scot in evidenta, cum si in ce fel, astfel incat sa nu dau nici un spoiler, dar sa va fac sa o iubiti pur si simplu, deja, din recenzia de fata.

Uite ca au trecut acele cateva zile, si eu tot ma-nfior cand ma gandesc la carte, la personaje, la actiune, la subiectul in sine. Tot nu sunt in stare sa-mi gasesc cuvintele. Tot imi rasar in minte citate care m-au lasat fara aer. Tot suspin in timp ce astept ca pe ghimpi volumul 2...

<< "Is this okay?" he asked. "May I kiss you?"

My cheeks warmed. "I... um..."

He spoke sotly into my ear. "I should warn you, it's a very dangerous kiss. It'll change your life forever, so you have to want it."

If I wasn't feeling so flustered, I might have thought he was being cocky. I mean, please. A kiss that could change my life forever?>>

Am o intrebare pentru voi, cu toate ca nu e obisnuit pentru o recenzie. Titlul "Dark Kiss", la ce va duce cu gandul? Daca va duce la un sarut, de la care porneste totul, aveti dreptate. Daca va duce la un sarut pasional si in acelasi timp plin de o foame ciudata, aveti dreptate. Daca va duce cu gandul la Rai si Iad, amandoua implicate, impletite din plin si ele insesi in actiune, iarasi aveti dreptate. Daca va ganditi la ingeri si demoni... ei bine... ati ochit! Daca totusi mai continuati sa va ganditi, si mai aveti o frantura de drum, si descoperiti ca Raiul si Iadul, Ingerii si Demonii, lucreaza impreuna pentru a nimicii un demon-anomalie... Ati descoperit o parte din sursa unei lecturi fascinante. Dar asta nu este tot. Pasiunea si dorinta, in cote mari si extrem de fierbinti, dar permisa ca fiind citita de un minor, este cireasa de pe tort! Acolo o sa uitati in mare parte sa mai respirati. De ce e atat de important un simplu sarut? Pai este, pentru ca el e obiectul cartii. El iti schimba viata pentru totdeauna.

Ce ziceti, v-am starnit curiozitatea? Daca inca nu, in continuare o sa va mai las cateva fraze ce m-au facut sa uit ca sunt om, si mai am nevoie din cand in cand sa respir. Poate nu vor parea atat de importante, dar in contextul cartii, va asigur ca sunt de vina pentru lipsa de oxigenare a creierului.

<< "What the hell's wrong with her?" Kraven demanded.

Bishop looked furious enough to kill. "That bastard just broke her neck.">>

...

<< "You shouldn't have done that," I said, feeling dizzy. "You don't know what - Oh, my God, Carly. You don't know how bad of an idea that was! Whwn he kissed me -"

"He kissed me, too.">>

...

<< "What?" I grabbed her arm. "What's so freaky? Who does she look like?"

She turned to face me, her brows drawn together. "Well, she looks like you, of course. You two could totally be related."

I blinked.

She was right.>>

...

<< "Angels don't have souls," Bishop said again.

"Fallen angels do.">>

NOTA:5+/5

THE GRIMM DIARIES Series by Cameron Jace

SNOW WHITE SORROW (The Grimm Diaries #1)

What if all you knew about fairy tales was wrong?

Sixteen year old Loki Blackstar is no Prince Charming. His mother is a ghost. His only friend is a red Cadillac that talks to him through the radio. He looks like an Angel but acts like jerk. No wonder he has been banned from Heaven, which is the least of his troubles. Loki needs a job to pay for school and support himself.

Still, Loki has a rare gift: He is a Dreamhunter. One of the few in the world who can hunt and kill immortal demons in their dreams so they never wake up again.

When Loki is sent to kill a sixteen-year-old vampire girl the locals call Snow White Sorrow, he is pulled into a magical but dangerous world. The locals believe the monster to be Snow White.

The real Snow White... living in the ruins of an ancient castle in a small town. She is described as horribly beautiful, terrifyingly enchanting, and wickedly lovely.

What he finds instead is a beautiful monster girl filled with rage and hurt, who has an epic untold story to tell of things such like why the Brothers Grimm altered the fairy tale, who the Evil Queen really is, where the mirror came from, and who possessed it.

Snow White has killed every person who has dared come near the castle where she once lived with the queen. Mysteriously, she lets Loki live.(

Expected publication: October 30th 2012

CINDERELLA DRESSED IN ASHES (The Grimm Diaries #2)

Remember the famous jumprope rhyme?

"Cinderella dressed in yellow, 
went upstairs to kiss her fellow, 
made a mistake she kissed a snake, 
how many doctors will it take?"

Before it was altered, it was sung like this:

"Cinderella dressed in ashes,
two glass slippers and some matches,
burned the prom all down in ember,
ash to ash and sin to cinder."

The Second installment of the Grimm Diaries.
This Diary continues the adventure, narrated by Snow White.

Expected publication: December 24th 2012

BLOOD, MILK, AND CHOCOLATE (The Grimm Diaries #3)

I have been accused of being malicious and evil.
I, the Snow White Queen, have a story to tell.
The true story and what has really happened. How it all happened. Why the Brothers Grimm altered the truth, letting you think it was a fairy tale. When and how the tale took place. And above all, why I did what I did. Why you haven't been told the truth for centuries. The truth about me and the truth about the not-so-innocent Snow White.

Here is my side of the story. You will never look at Snow White the same way again.

Expected publication: January 3rd 2013

SPELLBOUND Series by Nikki Jefford

ENTANGLED (Spellbound #1)

A Resurrection Spell Gone Wrong

Two months after dying, Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body. As a witch, can anyone blame her mother for attempting to bring her daughter back to life? Now Gray is stuck sharing her sister’s body in twenty-four-hour shifts.

Raj McKenna is rumored to meddle in the black arts, not to mention he’s after Gray’s invisibility spell, and worse—her heart. But Raj might be the only one powerful enough to save Gray from fading away forever.

The race is on for Gray to find a way back inside her own body before Charlene purges her from existence.

*****

This book is intended for older teens.

Published February 20th 2012

DUPLICITY (Spellbound #2)

If Graylee Perez thought sharing a body with her twin sister was bad, dealing with a duplicate of herself is two times worse. Gray the second doesn’t seem to get that Lee’s boyfriend, Raj McKenna, is off limits. Then there’s the problem of Adrian Montez. He expects one of the Grays to be his.

Nearly a year later, the council is onto them for past misdeeds; Lee, along with the rest of the coven, has lost control of her powers; and Gray is being stalked by what looks like the Grim Reaper. 

If they work together, they may stand a chance of setting things right and making it out alive.

*****

This book is intended for older teens.

Published May 20th 2012

ENCHANTMENT (Spellbound#3)

In the third and final installment of the Spellbound series, Graylee Perez (the duplicate), goes to Spain for a summer of escape. There she meets new friends and comes face to face with her old adversary, Adrian Montez. 

When Gray tries to setup a spell that will banish Adrian from her life, she inadvertently falls under a love spell instead.

Charlene returns, having hijacked a new body, for one final battle between the twins. 

*****

This title is intended for older teens.

Expected publication: September 2012

THE PARANORMAL Series by J.L. Bryan

       

Jenny Pox (The Paranormal #1)

Eighteen-year-old Jenny Morton has a horrific secret: her touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague, the "Jenny pox." She lives by a single rule: Never touch anyone. A lifetime of avoiding any physical contact with others has made her isolated and painfully lonely in her small rural town.

Then she meets the one boy she can touch. Jenny feels herself falling for Seth...but if she's going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the deadly pox inside her to confront his ruthless and manipulative girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

* * *

Not recommended for readers under eighteen.

BONUS: Includes an excerpt of Glimpse by Stacey Wallace Benefiel.

The complete Paranormals trilogy--Jenny Pox, Tommy Nightmare, and Alexander Death--is now available.

Published July 22nd 2010

Tommy Nightmare (The Paranormal #2)

While Fallen Oak recovers from the Jenny pox, someone new is hunting Jenny.

Like Jenny, Ashleigh Goodling belonged to a pair of opposites with powers that mirror each other.

Now Jenny and Seth must face the opposite of love...

Published April 10th 2011

Alexander Death (The Paranormal #3)

While Seth searches for Jenny, Dr. Heather Reynard of the CDC unravels Seth and Jenny's secrets.

Alexander opens Jenny's mind to her deep past, and to the full horrific extent of her powers.

Torn between her feelings for Alexander and Seth, and between her past lives and her present, Jenny must prepare to face her enemies in the final, catastrophic battle...

Published September 23rd 2011

ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND (White Rabbit Chronicles #1) by Gena Showalter

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.

I'd tell my sister no.

I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.

I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.

Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.

I'd tell them I love them.

I wish... Yeah, I wish.

Expected publication: September 25th 2012