Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Ultraviolet (Ultraviolet #1)

by R.J. Anderson 

Paperback, 416 pages

Published June 2nd 2011 by Orchard (first published January 1st 2011)

Barnes&Noble

Amazon

Summary:

"Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her."

Sixteen-year-old Alison wakes up in a mental institution. As she pieces her memory back together, she realizes she's confessed to murdering Tori Beaugrand, the most perfect girl at school. But the case is a mystery. Tori's body has not been found, and Alison can't explain what happened. One minute she was fighting with Tori. The next moment Tori disintegrated--into nothing.

But that's impossible. No one is capable of making someone vanish. Right? Alison must be losing her mind--like her mother always feared she would.

For years Alison has tried to keep her weird sensory abilities a secret. No one ever understood--until a mysterious visiting scientist takes an interest in Alison's case. Suddenly, Alison discovers that the world is wrong about her--and that she's capable of far more than anyone else would believe.

Review:

When I started reading this book I didn't have much info about it. I'd had it in my TBR pile for quite a long time so I said, 'Why not?' Hell, I didn't even know it was Syfy at first.I mean, a girl disintegrates, it should have been a big clue but this takes me back to the whole 'crazy' thing. That's how in the dark I was about it. But I'm glad I picked it up. You know why? Because, as it turns out, the less you know about it, the greater the surprise. Oh, and Ultraviolet was a very exciting read that'll engulf you in the mystery of Tori Beugrand's so called murder at the hands of Alison.

Ms. Anderson's writing and plot were incredibly amazing. As I read, I had all this questions of whether or not Alison was actually sane. Alison's story was really heart-wrenching and insanely good, quite thought-provoking, really. 

Ultraviolet is the story of a confused teenage girl that has no idea what's going on with her weird 'ability' to see music and taste colors, which led her to doubt her sanity. I have to be honest, I questioned things a lot, too. Just when I was beginning to think this was a normal YA book, BAM! There goes everything I believed in with the twist and turn that the book took. Ms. Anderson was brilliant and sneaky. She eased you into Alison's broken world, made got you somewhat comfortable, and then ripped the world from right under your feet when you least expected it. 

When the truth comes out, I still didn't believe it. Seriously, Alison's story is incredibly confusing yet believable when you think about it. The author really did a great job in writing this story with 3D characters that were actually sort of hard to read. Because, really, who likes predictable characters? Although, this might come from the fact that the story was told from Alison's point of view, whom we come to realize was just as clueless about most of the people she thought she knew, which is great.

As original and unpredictable as this story is, it's bound to keep readers on their toes from beginning to end trying to guess the mystery of Tori's death. A great start for a series.

Now I heard there will be a sequel, but with the bar set so high, it makes me wonder whether or not I'll be satisfied with the sequel. Hopefully, it'll be just as awesome, or OMG!, even better if that's possible.

Rating:

5.0

GenLia

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

The Dead and Buried

by Kim Harrington

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published January 1st 2013 by Scholastic Point

Barnes&Noble

Amazon

Synopsis:

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

Review: 

The archetype of ghost stories goes as followed: A new girl/boy moves into town and his/her house is haunted, which means that he/she has to solve the mystery at the same time he/she has boy/girl trouble. It's been done a thousand times before, but the secret, I believe, is add a little something to it, which is exactly what happened in The Dead and Buried. Every element of the story fell into place at the end and it kept me interested to find out the truth throughout the whole thing. The whole dysfunctional family aspect of it was a good addition to the story and the best part of it all was the fact that even though the novel is a mix of something slightly scary, mystery and romance, the latter wasn't the dominant part of the whole story. It was perfectly blended in, which is good. Now, I don't usually like whole high school drama with the mean girls and popular circles, but in this case I made an exception. Or rather, the author made it worth my while. Because, really, if the regular mean girl makes me want to rip out my hair, Kayla Sloan popular-girl-turned-ghost, was outright great. Normally I guess the plot of such books, and even though that was the case here, too, I kept reading just to find out the motives. That's what drove me to keep reading, plus the cute boys, of course. :) My problem with the book, though, was the fact that Jade came across a little detached from certain things. Like, she was leading on one of the boys and didn't think much of it. While he was important to solve the mystery, it was kind of too much. The romance was sweet and devoid of too much drama, thankfully. That's what I loved the most, I think. But, it came to be very suddenly. Jade and Donovan felt that instant connection that just wasn't realistic. This is a major pet peeve of mine and it's what really made me lose it here. The Dead And Buried is a quick, spooky story for those who like mystery and ghosts, but don't want to be scared half to death. To be honest, it was quite predictable but entertaining enough that you won't get bored. At least not with someone like Kayla Sloan's ghost. Point is, nothing scary but interesting. Rating: 3.0 GenLia

The Lure of Shapinsay by Krista Holle Excerpt

Excerpt:

A hand slid over my mouth and stifled my scream before I was even fully awake. When my eyes sprung open, I was ready to be filled with the image of a most ghastly villain, but instead it was forewarned magick that filled my eyes, and I was filled with awe. A man in the lightest sense of the word, loomed over me with eyes so wide and feral, I thought he might howl to the moon. His words came out rough and breathy. “If you make a sound, I’ll snap your scrawny neck.”

The sensible fear one should first feel when they are first assaulted, oozed reluctantly into me, and my eyes strained towards the darkened bedroom. Wake up, Blair.

“He sleeps like the dead,” the selkie hissed as if he read my mind.

Oh, bloody, bloody, the fire had done no good at all. I silently cursed my ignorance and Blair’s lame advice. The man above me was pearly white and as naked as the day he was born. Even in the blushing light of a dying fire, I could see the smooth skin of his chest and the tiny folds at his tight stomach as he curled over me. It was instantly clear why the women in the village laughed when I asked how I might recognize a selkie man. He would wear a lein and trousers no more than a fish.

The selkie man slipped his hand from my mouth then sniffed his palm.

“What?” I squeaked.

His dark eyes turned on me with such wildness and intensity; I believed his promise to break my neck. I pressed my lips together too frightened to move, but also mesmerized by the extraordinary sight of him—a wildebeest about to be eaten by a majestic lion. I was frightened—wasn’t I?

I'm sorry, but who wouldn't want to read this? The writing alone, people! Amazing for a debut novel, really. 

Trailer:

Beautifully Broken by Sherry Soule

Beautifully Broken (Spellbound #1)

by Sherry Soule 

Published August 30th 2011 by Moonlight Publishing

ISBN: 978-0-615-50812-2

Price: eBook $4.99 / Paperback $ 14.95

Paperback Page Count: 305 

Reading age: Mild language, some violence and sexual situations. Not recommended for readers under the age of 14. 

Sherry's: Amazon / Official Blog / Twitter 

Synopsis:
Thirteenth daughter. Heritage witch. Demon slayer. 

They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Whispering Pines. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse. 

Sixteen-year-old Shiloh Ravenwolf is a heritage witch from the Broussard family, a family both destined and cursed. After she takes a summer job at Ravenhurst Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan. But Trent may be the next victim on the supernatural hit list, and Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him. Complicated much?

After receiving cryptic messages from a creepy wraith and frightening threats from a demon, Shiloh finally begins to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist. Now Shiloh must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.

Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.

My Review:

Beautifully Broken has the creepy haunted house, dark secret and a strong female character with witchy powers, all wrapped up in this amazing book! This is something that you will be unable to put down. But be careful with what might lurk in the dark so you might want to have a light on while you read. Just saying. Actually, think of a younger Winchester sister, if there was one. 

The beginning of the book starts with a scary encounter with something that most teenagers wouldn't find in their bedrooms before going to church: a demon.Yeah. A freaking demon and everything goes downhill from then on.
 After getting that dream job as an assistant for a talented architect at (haunted) Ravenhurst Manor where a hottie lives, stuff gets weird.Shiloh was the best part of the book. Aside from the amazingly crafted plot that kept me on edge, that girl is what kept me going. Her sense of humor made me laugh out loud, and her references to different shows dealing with the supernatural were also a source of amusement for me.Kudos for that. 
As the thirteenth witch in her family, she has a destiny. She has power. But she just wants to be normal. Did she give up? No, of course not. Shiloh, like a certain family with a particular last name, has that sense of duty that she has to help people. So she does. The mystery in Whispering Pines is just too great and threatening that if she wants to survive it, she has to figure it out and fight it.
Throughout the novel I was able to see her interact with her mother and the rest of the characters, and I realized how normal it all was. Aside from the whole ghost and demon thing, of course. There's nothing normal about that. So, yeah, I was able to relate to her. That's what I always like about characters in YA. Being able to realize that,"Hey, I once went through similar stuff, too," is always a plus in my opinion. Then the supernatural aspect of the novel comes into place to wreak havoc and it makes me happy because of my ordinary life. 
Now, let's talk about actual relationships. Trent was cool and all, seemed realistic as an individual. He was moody and all like every other teenager, right? But as much as I found him attractive and all (I'll always look twice at a muscled, leather-jacket-wearing bad boy), I wasn't exactly swooning over him. He's hot, I get it. Sweet sometimes, too. But I didn't see much of a connection between him and Shiloh. He was always in my mind, of course, Shiloh thought a lot about him, but that was it. The romance also happened quite fast. First time she sees him at church and instant connection? Probable, though not quite believable. This was my only problem with the book. But he was honest, that much I'll give him. Oh, wait, no. I'm lying. The other thing that I had a problem with was the fact that most of the tragedies were quickly swept up under a rug. I won't say what exactly the accident was, might spoil stuff for people, but it was something that should have gotten more attention. 
Since we are now talking about male characters that are important, let me mention Evans. Oh, Ms. Soule, I so love you for this one, you know? In my despair over a certain mentor from SPN, I so agree on the fact that every ghost/demon hunter needs some help from someone with experience. Shiloh, wasn't alone, thankfully, and received help from Evans. I always love this particular archetype thrown in, too. Specially when the stakes are high in the creepy town of Whispering Pines. 
The next best thing was the writing. The detail and the voice with which the characters were introduced was what I enjoyed. Details, people, details! When it comes to describing a haunted house, Ms. Soule did creep me out. It was like watching an episode of my favorite show. It was the showing AND telling combination.  
For a first book in the series, Beautifully Broken was an amazing introduction and I do hope to see more development between Trent and Shiloh because there's something there. There really is, I just didn't feel it as much as I would have liked it. 
In conclusion my friends, Shiloh kept me spellbound with her Supernatural Diaries and Charmed me from the very first page. (Yeah, I stalked her on Twitter). 

Trailer: 

Rating: 4.5

                                  GenLia

Dominion Blog Tour Stop

Dominion by Melody Manful

Publication: August 20, 2012

Synopsis:


I Dare You.
Look Over Your Shoulders.
Do You See Them?
They are behind you...
They are always behind you.

Abigail Cells had a nightmare the day before she met Gideon, the new guy in school who has every girl drooling just to be near him. In her nightmare, she was murdered by a magical creature. As she gets to know Gideon, she begins to remember pieces of her nightmare, and was shocked when Gideon turned out to be the creature from her nightmare. Who is Gideon really, should Abby allow herself to fall completely for him, or is he the next disaster waiting to happen?

Prologue:

I should have called the police the moment I woke up, but what was I going to say: “Hello. 911. Help. I think I’m going to die because I had a dream that I died?” Yeah, even in my head I sounded ridiculous.

What happened to me was horrifying. It still is. But you won’t read about it in the newspapers, because it never happened.

“It was only a dream.” That was what everyone kept telling me. Nevertheless, they were wrong. What happened to me wasn’t a dream. I was living it. I died that night. I was murdered in a firestorm.

Yet, where I am, I’m alive.

One single white lie isn’t supposed to bring with it a lifetime of obstacles, right?

Wrong!

I lied. I said ‘Yes,’ when I was supposed to say ‘No’, and that was how I got here.

I committed a crime. Handcuff me. Sentence me to life. Execute me. Trust me, death will be a vacation compared to the punishment I’m serving.

“You’re such a terrible liar, Abigail.” This is what everyone I know says whenever I try to key up a lie. Then again, what does everyone I know, know for sure?  Nothing!

I wasn’t crazy. No, honestly, before I found myself in ‘wackoland’ I was a walking ray of sunshine. Everything in my over-idolized life was perfect.

Until he came.

First, I thought. Finally. Someone to chase away the monsters underneath my bed, but as it turned out, he didn’t come to chase them away. He was it.

My guardian angel.

 Author Bio:

Melody Manful was born on the 8th of June 1994 in Tema, A town in Ghana. She started writing at a very early age and has been doing it ever since. She has two siblings, and lives in Denmark with her family. She loves music, reading and writing, and puts a great deal into making her friends happy.


Melody's: Website / Twitter 

Moonlight Mayhem Blog Tour Stop

Please welcome Sherry Soule, she kindly agreed to add me as part of her Moonlight Mayhem  Book Tour. 

Now, as a huge fan of the TV show Supernatural, which is a show based on Urban Legends and the bromance between the Winchester brothers who 'hunt things and save people because that's the family business', I'm more than excited about this post. I mean, really, that's the exact reason why I love to read Paranormal Romance and Horror so much. It's all about the urban legends, people!  

So, yeah, enjoy! 

Oh, and don't forget to leave your comments and perhaps another urban legend or two. :) 

Supernatural Urban Legends

Hi everyone, I’m Sherry Soule—waving from California, where it’s getting pretty foggy! Well, it’s the start of summer here, and even with the fog burning off by afternoon, I’m cranking the air conditioner and chatting on Twitter about my love of YA books.

Thanks for letting me stop by today as part of my Moonlight Mayhem Blog Tour this summer. It’s a thrill to get to be a guest and fellow booklovers such as yourself. For those of you who haven’t heard of my epic blog tour, it’s not too late to join the fun!

To celebrate the release of Sherry Soule’s new YA novel, MOONLIGHT MAYHEM coming this July, she has put together a few mysterious and intriguing urban legends that surround the eerie township of Whispering Pines, California…

Urban Legend #1

Some researchers believe that certain demon races are actually the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim. (They are also considered to be Shadow People.) The origination of the Nephilim began with the legend of an archangel named Raziel. Urban legend states that Raziel escorted a sect of angels that were to instruct humans in morality.

Unfortunately, these angels began to educate man in sciences that God had deemed to be forbidden. These subjects included astrology, divination, and magic. The tutelage went on for centuries, until the angels began to pine for the human females.

After the fallen angels, or sometimes known as the Fallen, had sexual relations with the women, their unholy union resulted in the hybrid offspring called: Nephilim, which are the direct descendants of the antediluvian Fallen. Nephilim are also known as the Grigori or the Watchers.

It has been insinuated that one of the main reasons for the great flood, was not only to punish man, but to cleanse the earth of the Nephilim created from the union of fallen angels and human women. The flood banished most of the Fallen and their offspring into a Sheol.

So, do you believe in the Nephilim? What do you think will happen if they are ever freed?

Urban Legend #2

One haunted house claim that continues to be an urban legend is the infamous, Ravenhurst Manor in Whispering Pines. Books and stories have been written based on its hauntings and its reputation as one of California's most ghostly places.

Ravenhurst Manor’s first owner was a woman and dark sorceress named, Rowan Broussard. After her death, the estate was used as an all girl’s boarding school for many years. The sixty room Gothic mansion was listed for sale with the resident ghosts. Other odd things that occurred in this house were: doors and windows that opened or closed on their own, cold drafts, whispering voices, and some visitors even claimed to see a dark shadowy figure roaming the halls.

However, Ravenhurst is most famously linked to the disappearance of six children during the years of 1964 through 1967. (After the school was closed, the estate became the property of the town before it was sold to an wealthy, oil magnate.) After the children’s' bodies were discovered buried within the walls of the house, obviously from less than peaceful circumstances, the town buried them in Silent Hollows Cemetery.

Did these Children buried on unconsecrated ground, lead to the strange tragedy that would make this mansion so famous?

Urban Legend #3

Ah, let’s move on to the zombie apocalypse!

Another interesting urban legend states that on September 28, 1941, during an eclipse, a zombie was spotted in Whispering Pines. To make matters worse, a fire at the local mill had swept through town. As day turned to night, more zombies appeared. Many townsfolk mistook the undead for dazed mill workers. After the residents received hugs from the zombies, they were bitten by these paranormals, and soon the epidemic spread across the town like wildfire. 

To make matters worse, the roads and bridges connecting Whispering Pines to the rest of the Bay Area had burned in the fire. The townsfolk had no way to escape. Scores of people become lost when they chose to venture into the dark depth of Deadwood Grove rather than face the insatiable zombie menace.

Within days, the Paranormal Research Group (PRG) converged on Whispering Pines in a variety of aircraft. They established a base on the south side of the forest and went about the process of extermination. It took two weeks to secure the town. A total of 500 people were plague-ridden, an enormous number considering that there wasn’t a zombie vaccine available at this time.

Whatever the case, Whispering Pines’s zombie outbreak affected just under 600 people, making it one of the worst cases in U.S. history.

Are you prepared for a zombie apocalypse? What if zombies start showing up again?

Twitter hashtag: #MMBlogTour

Otherworldly Creatures. Dazzling Magic. Fiery Romance.

Shiloh Ravenwolf thought she was getting used to the strange events in Whispering Pines, until the full moon brings another surge of supernatural threats to her coastal town. Ferocious wolves, deadly necromancers, and shambling zombies have descended upon the neighborhood, so Shiloh needs to gain control of her magical abilities—fast!

It sucks that she has a crippling fear of the dark, which for a demon hunter can be an epic problem.

When her classmates are attacked by a mysterious creature and her father is murdered, Shiloh vows vengeance. Forcing her phobias aside, she forms an unlikely coven of supernaturally gifted teens to help her eradicate this menace. Except that's not all Shiloh has to worry about. She’s battling a different monster within herself and struggling not to become the very thing she fights: evil.

But with demon blood inside her—anything can happen…

Places you can cyberstalk, Sherry Soule:

Official Blog: http://www.sherrysoule.blogspot.com

Official Spellbound Series Universe: http://thespellboundseries.blogspot.com

goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11634793-beautifully-broken

Twitter @WriterSherry: http://twitter.com/writersherry

Book Trailers on YouTube: http://youtu.be/5uqVXKygvUs

  and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o44sW-gFtvA

Follow Friday

And this week's questions is: Christmas in July! Someone gives you a gift card for two books (whatever that costs). What two books would you buy?

Well, this one is sort of hard because there are, like, ten or more books that I'm dying to get my hands on. But I've managed. :)

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

&

Dark Star by Bethany Frenette

This is what i really can't wait to read. I'm what you would call a cover lover and so I get really excited about them. And since both covers are AWESOME, I love them both. :D 

Anyways, Insignia reminds me of Captain Amercia and Dark Star is really about 'superhearoes' so I totally have to read them. Two of my favorite things.