Dusk by Melanie Smith

Amazon

RATING: 4 STARS

We start this story with a young woman named Alex, who rushes home from Italy with the news of her fathers passing just a year after losing her mother. Alex returns home to her step brother, and here she meets Dimitri the man who enthralls her and yet repels her at the same time. She learns some secrets that her parents had kept hidden from her but not her brother for the past 20 years. Alex is thrown into a world she never knew existed when she learns she's not only different, she's the Fae Queen. Her people are struggling on the verge of war against her half brother, the leader of the Vampires who feels wronged by Alex's ascent to the throne and her parents keeping her hidden may have done more harm than good by keeping her from her people. We follow along on her quest to learn more about who she is, while trying to save a people she doesn't even know will accept her.

Alex is a great strong female lead, I loved her witty personality. She was caring, loyal, and a warrior through and through. Dimitri starts off as your typical broody male lead, but as the story continues he opens up and you begin to just love his charm. The supporting characters were great, they brought it all together for a story you couldn't help but enjoy. I found myself constantly smiling throughout this book, and I am happy to have had the chance to read it. If you're a fan of paranormal romance with a little bit of kick butt action than you should grab a copy of Dusk and enjoy.

Caitlin

(ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.)

The Body by D. Nichole King

Amazon CA     Amazon US     Kobo

Rating: 5 STARS

"The Body" picks up where "The Spirit" left off. I cannot say enough good things about this part of the series. We are introduced to a few new creatures, and the interwoven parts they play in Lucas and Carrie's lives. 

Carrie struggles through this book with her feelings still, wondering if she's being selfish about Lucas and the part she desperately needs him to fill in her life. They face a whole new battle of good and evil, while learning about Lucas' past, and why he is dead, and has not passed on. We learn so much more about the supernatural forces that are living among them, and part of their history, and the council that presides over them.

The growth in characters, and their maturity is seen throughout, and works well for the story. As a YA novel, I always have issues with parts feeling "too grown up" or "too young" for the life they're living, but D. Nichole King has written it so well. I absolutely love it and don't want to wait for the 3rd part! 

Keri

(ARC Provided in exchange for an honest review.)


*** You can find our review of "The Spirit," book one in this series here.

The Last Glass by T.M. Lazar

Amazon US   Kobo

3.5 STARS

This is a paranormal, young adult book. That for starters, is usually a little out of my depth, but I enjoyed the story line for the most part. The only thing that took away from the plot was how the characters come across. It all unfolds in multiple points of view, which allows you to get a feel for each of the characters and their mindset as a result, but also made it hard to keep track of who you were following. Introducing the characters, we have Tori (female lead), Crispin (male lead); their respectable best friends Sophie and Justin and the antagonist Natalia. 

Tori is moved to the town of Grimmsburg, NY from LA with her Mom, and quickly becomes best friends with Sophie, and falls for Crispin, while Sophie and Justin become enamored with each other. Tori is introduced into this whole other world of paranormality by her new friends and boyfriend, and overnight she became a know all of witchcraft, which frankly, annoyed me. It didn't feel real. There was many parts where it felt like I was being told what was happening, but I didn't get to FEEL what was happening with the characters, and then in other parts, the dialogue felt awkward and rushed, or overflowing with too much emotion. 

As I read this over, I feel like I didn't have much good to say about the book, but I truly did enjoy the plot line, the purpose of the book. I just feel like the telling of the story could have been written differently, to be more captivating. It is a good book. I would definitely recommend it to a YA reader in the future, and would likely read the rest of the books in this series to see how it all comes together.

Keri

(ARC provided for honest review)