Vampire Diaries The Salvation: Unseen – L.J. Smith

“They will never be safe…

Now that the lethal properties of Elena’s blood have been discovered, Stefan has been risking it all to destroy the almighty Old Ones.

But when Elena is almost killed in a car accident – one that was very clearly not an accident at all – she realises that the most deadly Old One is determined to take her down. 

And he just might be powerful enough to do it…”

Firstly I’d like to thank Hachette for sending me this book to read and give an honest review.  I have read and enjoyed all of the previous Vampire Diaries books (even when the ghostwriters took over) so I couldn’t wait to get started on this one.

This is a great series and I love everything about it – the vampires, the danger, the romance/love triangle etc.  In the last book I discovered that Elena was a Guardian and she also became connected/linked to Damon (thanks to the other Guardians), he then left because Elena chose Stefan!  But that isn’t the end of it…

This book picks up the story four years later and began with an email from Elena to Damon – she was warning him of an unknown danger that she felt was coming his way.  It was clear from the email that she missed him even though she was able to feel his emotions because of their newfound connection.  This connection between them was one of my favourite parts of the book because I loved seeing how each of them reacted to the others emotions.

A near fatal car accident involving Elena introduced Jack to the story and he intrigued me immensely, I came up with all sorts of ideas as to who he might be but it turned out that none of them were correct and the truth was even more exciting!

The characters have all grown so much throughout the series and they continued to do so in this book, I particularly enjoyed Bonnie’s witchy trip where she learned more about magic and how to use it.  There were all the usual elements of the story that I love so much (danger, fighting scenes, old vampires) with some added extras (strange new vampires, a couple of very unexpected deaths and a shocking twist at the end that I hadn’t seen coming).  I just couldn’t put the book down and ended up reading it in one day, I’m really looking forward to the next instalment!

This was another great read from this series, I was enclosed in a little Vampire Diaries bubble from start to finish.

Vampire Diaries The Salvation: Unseen was published by Hodder Children’s Books on 2 May 2013 and can be purchased from The Book Depository, Amazon or from most good book retailers.

Hollow Pike – James Dawson

“She thought she’d be safe in the country, but you can’t escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her.

Lis thinks she’s being paranoid – after all who would want to murder her?  She doesn’t believe in the local legends of witchcraft.  She doesn’t believe that anything bad will really happen to her.  You never do, do you?

Not until you’re alone in the woods, after dark – and a twig snaps…”

I was lucky enough to win this book from a giveaway on Daisy Chain Book Reviews, I liked the sound of it and was looking forward to starting.

It had a dark and creepy opening that really set the scene well.  Lis was going to live with her older sister in a place called Hollow Pike because she had been bullied in her previous school.  When she started at her new school I was intrigued by the interesting mix of characters and as I read further I discovered that Hollow Pike had a witchy history that I couldn’t wait to find out more about!

Fitting in at her new school brought up all sorts of problems for Lis and to top it off her nightmares were affecting her sleep.  I loved how Lis dealt with Laura but was shocked when an attempt at blackmail turned into something far more sinister – this was a major event in the story and I found myself suspecting all sorts of people, it really kept me on the edge of my seat.

This was an intense story, there were times when I found it quite scary and my heart began to pound in my chest but it all added to the intriguing atmosphere.  The intensity grew throughout the book and led up to an amazing finale, at this point I was flying through the pages to find out what would happen.

As well as the dark and eerie side to the book, it also had a young feel to it which I guess was because of the characters ages.  I really liked the romance that ran through the storyline, it was a great part of the book but in no way overpowered it.  I think that this book would make a great movie or TV series, I would definitely watch it… in the daylight .  I couldn’t find out if there would be a sequel but I really hope there is because I want to know what happens next in Lis’ life!

This was a dark read that kept me on the edge of my seat with its addictive storyline – a must read for fans of witchy books!

Hollow Pike can be purchased from The Book Depository, Amazon or from most good book retailers.

To find out more about James Dawson click the following links: 

Website | Facebook | Twitter

A Shade of Vampire – Bella Forrest

“On the evening of Sofia Claremont’s seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake. 

A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood. 

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine. 
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains. 

Sofia’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince. 

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? …or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?”

Firstly I’d like to thank the author for sending me this eBook to read and give an honest review.  I love the dark, atmospheric cover and being a big fan of vampire books I was intrigued by the blurb – I just couldn’t wait to see where this version of vampires would take me.

The prologue was teasing, it vaguely hinted at something dark but didn’t quite give enough to answer the questions that had been raised in my mind.  This did, however, mean that I was more eager to get on to the main body of the story so that I could find out exactly what had happened.

To begin with Sofia was telling the story and it appeared that she had just had a falling out with her best friend Ben, I soon found out that her feelings for him ran deeper than I first thought and this made her emotions much more understandable.  What happened next was exciting and scary all at the same time, her abduction was the start of a dangerous adventure!

As Sofia’s nightmare continued I began to learn more about her captors but it wasn’t until the story switched to Derek’s perspective that I really got a good sense of who the vampires were.  I was fascinated by Derek, it was clear he was powerful but I definitely got a hint of a softer side to him.  At this point Sophia was a reluctant participant in anything relating to romance and I found it refreshing that she didn’t fall head over heels in love with the vampire within two seconds of meeting him.  Lucas was a brilliant bad guy, every book needs someone who the reader can love to hate and he fitted the bill perfectly, as for Ben I didn’t really have any strong feelings about him as a character because there wasn’t really time to get to know him – I hope to discover more about him in the next book.

I loved the whole idea of The Shade, it added a different twist and the descriptions of everything made it all so easy to visualise, the storyline gripped me and I found that I couldn’t predict where it was heading. The only bad thing was that it ended before I was ready!

The epilogue was so intriguing and left me wanting more, this was a quick, dark vampire story with a mysterious edge.  A must read for any vampire fiction fans!

EXCERPT

I’d been meandering along the shore for about an hour when I suddenly sensed that I wasn’t alone. Someone was approaching me from behind. My heart leapt. I was so sure it was Ben, that when a stranger showed up beside me, I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

He must have noticed, because a smirk formed on his lips. “Were you expecting someone else, love?”

I eyed him suspiciously, remembering how many times my father had told me not to talk to strangers. I looked him over, taking in his appearance. My eyes widened. I couldn’t find words to describe how fine a man he was. He was almost beautiful. The first thing I took notice of was how his blue eyes were about three shades brighter than any I’d ever seen before. It was such a stark contrast to his pale – almost white – skin and dark hair. Standing beside me, he was easily more than half a foot taller. His height, broad shoulders and lean build reminded me of Ben, but he had a presence that was far more imposing than my best friend’s.

My gaze settled on his face.

I realized that he was inspecting me just as closely as I was him. His eyes on me suddenly made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable. I gave my father’s advice a second thought, but quickly canceled out all notions of heeding to his counsel when I reminded myself that he stopped caring a long time ago.

I straightened to my full height and mustered all the courage I had to keep myself from running away from this stranger.

Big mistake.

The confident smirk didn’t leave his face for even a moment.

“Like what you see?”

“A bit full of yourself, aren’t you?” I scoffed, annoyed by his audacity.

He stepped forward, closer to me, and leaned his head toward mine.

“Don’t I have the right to be?”

He knew he looked good and wasn’t about to act like he didn’t.

“Whatever,” was my oh-so-brilliant comeback.

My shoulders sagged with defeat as I took a step back, unsettled by how close he was now. I rolled my eyes and did a one-eighty, not quite in the mood to play whatever game this stranger was proposing.

I would soon realize that I was about to play his game whether I liked it or not.

He grabbed my arm and turned my body to face him. This motion alone made every single internal alarm I had within me go off in a frenzy.

This man was danger and I knew it. I tried to wriggle away from his touch, but I was no match for his strength.

“Tell me your name,” he commanded.

I was about to refuse, but was horrified to find myself blurting out my name in response.

“Sofia Claremont.”

As soon as I revealed my name, his eyes lit up with a kind of sinister approval. Then he reached for my face and traced his thumb over my jaw line.

“Hello, Sofia Claremont. You’re one stupid girl for taking a walk alone at this time of night. You never know what kind of evil a pretty little thing like you could happen to come by.”

I found myself wondering exactly what kind of evil he was. But I was suddenly overcome by the sensations that were surrounding me. My senses took in everything at once. I heard the waves, felt the sand, smelled the ocean salt, tasted the flavor of cherry and saw the stranger’s manic appearance as he stuck a needle to my neck. The effect was instant. I was barely able to gasp, much less scream. I went from sensing everything to sensing absolutely nothing.

My last conscious thought was that I may never see Ben again.

Buy A Shade of Vampire from Amazon:  USA paperback, USA eBook, UK paperback or UK eBook.

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A Witch Alone – Ruth Warburton

“Where do you go when your heart has been ripped out?

For Anna there is only one answer; into her past, where the truth about her mother, her power, and her real identity lie hidden.”

This is the third and final book in The Winter Trilogy and I had been eagerly awaiting its release because I really enjoyed the first two books A Witch in Winter and A Witch in Love (you can find my reviews of these books here).  I feel that there is always a lot of pressure on final books to get it just right, particularly when the first two have been so good, well I think this one certainly managed that pressure because it was fantastic – explosive and the non-stop action kept me hooked throughout!

It began with an exciting and fierce magical training session which quickly moved on to a hot kiss, this meant that I was sucked into the storyline straight away and it left me hoping for more to come.

In this book I learned much more about the Ealdwitan and witches from other countries, this was fascinating but made me feel anxious as Anna unearthed many secrets leading to even more danger. Once again I loved Abe, his cheeky confidence is something that I always love in a male character and as with the other books I desperately wanted him to get together with Anna.  Seth was very conflicted in this book and my opinion of him changed many times while I was reading.

A trip overseas led to a frightening discovery for Anna, I had a feeling that this information would intensify the story and I wasn’t wrong because this was when everything became scary and brutal – my heart was pounding in my chest and I just couldn’t see a way out for Anna and her friends.

The ending was good and even though I think I would’ve preferred a slightly different end result I enjoyed it nonetheless.

This magical and action-packed conclusion had me on the edge of my seat, I can’t wait to see what’s next from this fabulous author.

A Witch Alone can be purchased from The Book Depository, Amazon or from most good book retailers.

To find out more about Ruth Warburton visit her website.

666 Park Avenue – Gabriella Pierce

“Welcome to New York City, where the socialites are witches.

Jane Boyle has been living a fairy tale. When her boyfriend Malcolm proposes, Jane can’t believe her luck and decides to leave her Paris-based job as a fledgling architect and make a new start with him in New York. But when Malcolm introduces Jane to the esteemed Doran clan, one of Manhattan’s most feared and revered families, Jane’s fairy tale takes a darker turn.

Now Jane must struggle with newfound magical abilities and the threat of those who will stop at nothing to get them. Welcome to 666 Park Avenue….”

I bought this eBook after reading a review for it on Jera’s Jamboree, it sounded like my kind of read and I couldn’t wait to get started.

First of all was a quick introduction to Jane’s life, she lived in France and had been brought up by her Grandmother.  She was in the process of buying a dress for a date with her boyfriend Malcolm and it was clear that he meant a lot to her.  After an unexpected proposal the couple took a trip to her Grandmother’s house and what they found there was shocking!

The discovery of a ring showed Jane everything she needed to know and a letter from her Grandmother gave me chills.  It was pretty obvious that her life would change dramatically from that moment onward.

Jane and Malcolm’s arrival in New York was really interesting, particularly when Jane was first introduced to the strange Doran family.  They all lived together in an incredible building and this idea fascinated me (I don’t think I could share a house with my entire family though).  Malcolm’s behaviour confused me in New York and I wasn’t sure if I trusted him or not, when the reasons for this were explained I felt relieved and I looked forward to viewing the story from a different angle.

I can’t write this review without mentioning Harris, there wasn’t a huge amount of information about him (I’m hoping to find out more in the next instalment) but I just loved the tension between him and Jane – there really was a spark and I’m hoping that it wasn’t just the magical kind.

I enjoyed the times when Jane practiced her magic and seeing her grow with confidence as she achieved more and more.  The wedding day signaled a massive change and yet another shocking discovery, one that I really hadn’t seen coming.

The ending left me wanting more and I can’t wait to read the next book The Dark Glamour which I already have waiting for me on my Kindle.

This was an exciting read – unpredictable with an eerie, dangerous feel to it.  I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy witchy books!

666 Park Avenue can be purchased from Amazon in Kindle Edition or Paperback.

Entangled – Nikki Jefford

“Two months after dying, seventeen-year-old witch Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body. Until Gray finds a way back inside her own body, she’s stuck being Charlene every twenty-hour hours. Her sister has left precise instructions on how Gray should dress and behave. Looking like a prep isn’t half as bad as hanging out with Charlene’s snotty friends and gropey boyfriend.

The “normals” of McKinley High might be quick to write her behavior off as post-traumatic stress, but warlock Raj McKenna is the only person who suspects Gray has returned from the dead.

Now Gray has to solve the mystery of her death while working out a way to disentangle herself from Charlene’s body before she disappears for good.”

I got this eBook when it was available as a free download from Amazon (current price £1.94), I absolutely love the cover – it has such a magical yet eerie feel to it!

The story got off to a dramatic start but it took me a little while to feel like I really knew the characters, I was a bit confused as to what was going on at this point.  However, I was soon caught up in this magical world the author had so beautifully created.

Identical twins Graylee and Charlene were witches, they had very different personalities and didn’t seem to get on well at all.  There were also warlocks, Raj, Nolan and Ryan to name just a few.  There were many rules and regulations that the coven were supposed to follow but, as always, rules are made to be broken and that is just what these young witches and warlocks did.

Charlene turned out to be more than just a nasty twin with a grudge against her sister, she really did seem to have an evil streak.  When Graylee woke up to find people calling her Charlene, she couldn’t figure it out.  There was a moment when she read a newspaper clipping that she had discovered hidden away in her house, this gave me chills and was a real turning point in the story.  It became much more intense, interesting and sinister as Graylee tried to piece everything together.  Obviously sharing a body with her twin sister had its complications but I enjoyed seeing how they coped with it, one of my favourite parts were the written instructions and notes that they left for each other.

There were some funny moments including one where Graylee attempted to speak French without much success, and there were also a couple of heated romantic scenes, these moments lightened the book and made it the complete package for me - I simply loved this different take on the witch story, it was just such an intriguing idea!

A fantastic one day read with an ending that left me wanting more – I’m definitely adding the next book Duplicity to my wish list.

You can find out more about Nikki Jefford by visiting her blog here.

The Witch of Turlingham Academy – Ellie Boswell

“It’s not easy being the only day girl at Turlingham Academy: Sophie misses out on all the midnight feasts and late-night gossip.  And when new girl Katy turns up, it feels like she’s bewitching all of Sophie’s friends!

Katy’s no witch, but there is a witch at Turlingham.  Katy comes from a long line of witch hunters whose job is to stop evil magic.  Sophie is going to help her – anything to get Katy out of her life and get things back to normal.

But what she discovers means nothing will ever be normal again!” 

I was lucky enough to win this book from a giveaway run by Bliss Magazine.

I have to admit that I wasn’t entirely sure about this book before I read it, being children’s fiction I was worried it might just be too child-like for me but I actually very much enjoyed this quick, fun read!

Sophie’s mum is the headmistress of Turlingham Academy and whilst in her mum’s office Sophie discovered something hidden in her one of her drawers, something that led to all sorts of trouble and changes for her.  The first indicator that something had changed was when Sophie and her friends were messing about in an old lighthouse, they got a bit of a shock when their pretend magic actually worked!

The two new mysterious students, Katy and Ashton, were interesting and although I knew what they were, it was fun to see what they would get up to.  Towards the end things got really tense for Sophie as the their true colours shone through, leaving Sophie fearing for her life.  Sometimes, however, people can surprise you in a good way…

This book has a young and fresh feel to it, I enjoyed the typical teenage girl talk (boys, school etc.) and the magic that was thrown into the mix made it even more interesting.  It was well written and easy to read, I would definitely recommend it for children, teenagers and fans of witchy books in general.

There is a second book which has already been released, Undercover Magic, and a third which is due to be released in September called Secrets and Sorcery.

The Witch of Turlingham Academy can be purchased here with free worldwide delivery.

The Circle – Sara B. Elfgren & Mats Strandberg

“One night, when a strange red moon fills the sky, six schoolgirls find themselves in an abandoned theme park, drawn there by a mysterious force.  A student has just been found dead.  Everyone suspects suicide.  Everyone – except them.

In that derelict fairground an ancient prophecy is revealed.  They are The Chosen Ones, a group of witches bound together by a power, one which could destroy them all.  But they soon learn that despite their differences they need each other, in order to master the forces that have been awakened within them.

High school is now a matter of life and death.  Because the killing has only just begun.”

I had heard good things about this book and I loved the eerie cover so I thought I’d try it out for myself.

I have to be honest, I nearly stopped reading quite early on in the story – the beginning is mostly a brief introduction to all the main characters and, while this is necessary to learn about them all, I found it really tedious.  I think perhaps because there were so many main characters, it seemed that this part dragged out more than usual and I also found it quite difficult to remember who was who.

I did carry on reading though and I’m glad that I did because once I got past the introduction stage the story really heated up!  The gruesome discovery of a body at school had me thinking all sorts of things and when the six girls were mysteriously dragged to the fairground I was even more intrigued.

Each of the main girls in the story were dealing with their own personal issues and they were all very different.  I was interested to see how these different personalities would mix and I had a feeling that there would be some tension within the group.  They all seemed to learn something new about themselves as the book progressed and it was interesting to see them grow in that way.

The story had a dark and dangerous feel to it, there were a couple of funny moments but not many so don’t get this if you like a book that makes you laugh a lot.  Some of the scarier moments for me included strange dreams and hearing voices that they shouldn’t have been hearing.  Something that I did really like were the few pages that were full of symbols, it added a real novelty factor for me (even though I was unable to figure out what they meant, obviously I’m not a witch!).

I made a few different predictions as to who might be involved in the mysterious deaths, the good thing about this book was that there were quite a few suspects so I couldn’t figure out who or what it was.  Eventually, however, I did manage to figure it out but this wasn’t until I was nearly at the end of the book so it kept me on my toes.

There were some parts that I found difficult to read, particularly the suicide attempts, and there were many times when I thought my heart would pound out of my chest (yes, I am a big scaredy cat).

This may have been a slow starter but it ended up tense and full of dramatic twists and turns, I look forward to seeing what is next for the witches in part two which is called Fire.

The Circle can be purchased here with free worldwide delivery.

A Witch in Love – Ruth Warburton

“When love is tangled up in magic, how do you know what’s real?

Anna still finds it hard to believe that Seth loves her.  She has vowed to suppress her powers, but magic – like love – is uncontrollable.”

This book is the follow-up to A Witch in Winter (review here), I had lots of unanswered questions after reading that book so I couldn’t wait to start reading this one.

The action started early in the story and there was lots of it throughout, also the dark and eerie feeling that I got in the first book continued in this one which made it feel familiar to read.  Again Anna faced danger and many emotional revelations, including trying to figure out her relationship with Seth.

I still felt unsure about Seth, I couldn’t put my finger on what it was that bothered me about him but something happened near the end that helped me make up my mind about his character – I won’t say whether it’s good or bad though, you’ll have to find that out for yourself!

A trip back to London uncovers something that worries Anna and is also the beginning of a significant change in her life where she finds out more about her mother and family.

Abe was a particular favourite again and as we find out a little bit more about him I think I can finally understand him better.  I would definitely like to see him get together with Anna so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that something might happen in the next book.

There were a few unexpected moments, some of which took a nasty and scary turn that I just couldn’t see Anna getting out of.  All this means that I really can’t wait for the next instalment A Witch Alone, there was a sneak peek of this in the back of the book and let me tell you, it was super exciting and raised my hopes that at least one of my predictions might come true.  It really does hint at the final book being truly amazing!

This is a magical, eerie book that definitely has me under its spell.

A Witch in Love can be purchased here or from most good book retailers.

To find out more about Ruth Warburton visit her website here.

The Forever Girl (Forever Girl Series #1) – Rebecca Hamilton

“Sophia Parsons’ family has skeletons, but they aren’t in their graves…

Solving the mystery of an ancestor’s hanging might silence the clashing whispers in Sophia’s mind, but the cult in her town and the supernaturals who secretly reside there are determined to silence her first.

As Sophia unknowingly crosses the line into an elemental world full of vampire-like creatures, shapeshifters, and supernatural grim reapers, she meets Charles, a man who becomes both lover and ally.

But can she trust him?

It’s not until someone nearly kills Sophia that she realizes the only way to unveil the source of her family’s curse: abandon her faith or abandon her humanity. If she wants to survive, she must accept who she is, perform dark magic, and fight to the death for her freedom.”

I was lucky enough to win a Kindle copy of this book from a twitter giveaway run by the author Rebecca Hamilton (thank you @InkMuse).

This eerie story captured my interest on the first few pages with it’s mysterious characters and dark atmosphere.  Sophia is a local outcast after events in her life leave people judging her and trying to push her away.  She does have a few good friends however, and it’s through one of these friends that she meets Charles.  Charles is a dreamy character, I sense he’s a bit of a bad boy but also a sensitive guy who is loyal and protective, he certainly has a mysterious air about him.

I loved reading about the first time Sophia and Charles met, it felt so tense and romantic – a real love at first sight moment.  Their relationship throughout the story is filled with desire but the secrets they both hold threaten to keep them apart.  Sophia finds herself embroiled in a dangerous new world that is full of supernatural beings and I thoroughly enjoyed discovering all about this world alongside her.

This story is refreshingly different to other supernatural books I have read and although there were times that I felt a bit confused about what was happening, once I read further I discovered the answers to my questions.  I loved the many twists and turns and scary moments that really got my heart pounding, there were also some shocking revelations in the story that had me gasping out loud but I won’t give any secrets away, you’ll have to find out for yourself!

The ending made me smile but knowing that this is the first in the series I have an idea that there will be many more obstacles for Sophia to overcome in the future.

This really is a gripping story, it feels dark and enticing and I loved every minute of it.  I look forward to reading the next in the series.

The Forever Girl is available to buy from Amazon.