Anathema Review

Anathema

By Megg Jensen

Summary

Forget prophecy. Make your own destiny. 

Sheltered from the outside world with no hope for escape, slave girl Reychel dreads her fifteenth birthday - when her master’s symbol is burned on the back of her bald scalp. Her best friend disappears the night before, leaving her to face the branding ceremony alone. She soon discovers nothing is as it seems when people desperate for freedom beg for Reychel's help.

Can Reychel learn to believe in herself?

What I Loved
Story
Very interesting story with lots of intriguing things that we get to find out as Reychel learns about it all. Hidden magical abilities that is just being revealed. Escaping enslavement, being in hiding and learning about the world outside of the castle. Not to mention betrayal and intrigue. Every page brings something interesting and new to our attention.
Characters
Reychel: I'm still trying to figure her out, she is still coming into her strength and I think she will find herself more as the next books progress and she gets more challenged.
Romance
Light on the romance, but some sweet innocent romantic attraction that gets her into a little bit of trouble.

Didn't Like
Nothing really. A quick paced intriguing book. So glad the whole sage is published and I don't have to wait, waiting for the next book would be torture.

Recommendation
Great read for any fantasy reader, especially since the series is fully published and you can buy the whole collection as The Song of Eloh Saga

Information
The Song of Eloh Saga
Initiate
Cloud Prophet Trilogy
Anathema
Oubliette
Severed
The Swarm Trilogy
Sleepers
Afterlife
Sundering

Dragonlands
Hidden my review
Haunted TBA

Hell Bent Heaven Sent my review

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Hell Bent Heaven Sent Review

Hell Bent Heaven Sent

By Megg Jensen

Summary

Originally published under the name Isobel Lucas as a miniseries in 2012, Hell Bent Heaven Sent has been reborn under the author's well-known name, Megg Jensen.

A smoking hot daughter of Hell. A blissfully beautiful son of Heaven. Follow their explosive relationship as they attempt to bend the rules of Heaven & Hell, all while saving the world from a demonic invasion.

What I Liked

Good Vs Evil

Usually it is the girl that is from Heaven and she is being tempting by the sexy boy from Hell, but in this story we have a reversal of roles and I like that. Although she does start out seeming like it will be the traditional good girl bad boy but we soon find out that isn't the case. The lines of good and evil aren't as cut and dry as they usually are in most books with this theme and I'm glad for it since this isn't my usual theme I'll pick up to read.

Story

The book was a fast paced and intriguing story. Although the good vs evil end of the world has been done many times I felt it was a different and original version. 

Didn't Like

I'm not the biggest fan of the whole heaven, hell, God stuff, but the story is good enough and it isn't preachy so that I can easily look past it and still enjoy the story. 

Recommendation

Great read for romance lovers, good vs evil and Megg Jensen fans

Information

Was originally published as 5 individual short stories now you can read all of them together in this one book.

Other Books

Dragonlands

Hidden my review

Swarm Trilogy

Sleepers my review

Cloud Prophet Trilogy

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Hidden Review

Hidden

By Megg Jensen

Summary

The mystery enshrouding Hutton’s Bridge is as impenetrable as the fog that descended at its borders eighty years ago. Each year, three villagers enter the mist searching for answers. No one ever returns.

Then a dragon falls from the sky to the town square, dead—the first glimpse of an outside world that has become nothing more than a fairy tale to Hutton’s Bridge. Except to Tressa.

Tressa grew up with Granna’s stories of the days before the fog fell. When Granna dies, leaving Tressa without any family, Tressa ventures into the fog herself, vowing to unravel the foul magic holding Hutton’s Bridge captive. 

What she discovers beyond the fog endangers the lives of everyone she loves.

What I Loved

Characters
Tressa: My favorite type of female character, she struggles with what she must do, but when she needs to stand up and do the hardest things she gets it done. She is willing to make sacrifices for the good of her people and willing to sacrifice her happiness and self for the ones she loves. I'm really excited to see what happens to her in the next book, and I wonder what she will be doing next to save her village again.
Fantasy
I love fantasy, I love new and different worlds that are created and this one is confusing at first because the characters we are following don't even know or understand the world they are in. The whole deadly fog is a crazy and kinda scary concept. I'm not sure if I could do what Tressa has to do without crumbling in fear.
Romance
Although the book mainly isn't about romance, it has a wonderful touch of lost loves and romance. It was the perfect amount for this book. 

Didn't Like

This is the first book in a series and now I have to wait for the next one, I wish it was in my hands right now!!

Recommendation

Great read for fantasy, romance and action lovers.

Information

Dragonlands

Hidden

Hunted

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Carnival of Souls/Secrets Review

Carnival of Secrets 

previously titled Carnival of Souls

By Melissa Marr

Summary

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the carnival, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures—if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father—and every other witch there—fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable.While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the carnival.

What I Loved

Characters
I love both the main female characters Mallory and Aya, both are strong, tough and know how to kick some ass. I personally love strong females and I especially love it if they can fight too and they both sure can.
POV
I do love a book that has multiple points of view, I do enjoy getting everyone's feelings, thoughts and insights while the juicy events are happening.
World
Although a little confusing at first, trying to figure out and understand the world of the daimons, but so interesting once I understood it.
Action
Lots of action, fighting, intrigue, backstabbing, betrayal, deals, bonds and all sorts of exciting stuff throughout the entire book. Every page is filled with so much.

Didn't Like

What a cliffhanger! I want more but there isn't anymore yet. 

Recommendation

A must read series for any young adult, fantasy and romance reader.

Information

Untamed City

Carnival of Lies (prequel Fall 2014)

Carnival of Secrets/Souls

Untamed City 2015

NOTE FROM MELISSA:

I can now say that there will finally be a short sequel to Carnival.  It will be in ebook about a year from now, and shortly before that, there will be a prequel short story (“Carnival of Lies”).  Then all three pieces will be released as one volume (called UNTAMED CITY) hereafter.

Until such time, the first book will stay in hardcover, so that when the paperback (UNTAMED CITY) is released in 2015, ALL of the story will be available in one slightly thick volume :)

That short story (“Carnival of Lies”) is already written (& has been since September 2012). It will be published Fall 2014.

The sequel (which I also started in 2012) will be out in (I am told) a smidge over a year from now.  

Goddess Review

Goddess 

By Josephine Angelini

Summary

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.

What I Loved

The Final
I love reading the final books in series, but I'm always sad to know it is the final book. However this was a wonderful ending and I'm so happy with how it ended for all the characters.
Story
What a great conclusion to this epic love/tragedy story. The final battle was fought. Lies and deceit played a key role in obtaining the outcome. And of course LOVE. Some loves were lost and a new ones were found.
Characters
I love all of the characters in the book and Helen has always been a really great character. I like that she has never given up at any point in the books, even when discovering horrible news. She takes everything in stride which I like and tries to do what is best, no matter the final outcome for her.
Flash-backs
I loved reading about all of Helen's previous lives, that was so cool. I personally love when things go back into the past to explain and understand why things happened the way they did.

Didn't Like
Saying goodbye to all these wonderful characters and story.

Recommendation 

A must read series for anyone who loves romance, Greek Mythology and YA. If you haven't read this series yet it is the perfect time to just into the series since this is the final book. If you have already started this series, get this book asap and read it asap!

Information
Starcrossed Trilogy

Starcrossed my review
Dreamless my review
Goddess

Have you read this series yet?

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