Reading Reflection: The Demon Trapper's Daughter

Forsaken (The Demon Trapper's Daughter #1)
by Jana Oliver
Published 7th 2011
P. 422
Rating: 3/5

Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself—and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on...

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get—even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart—and her life?

It took me a while to write this review.  Originally, this was not one of my favorite books this year, but there was something about it that drew me into the characters and storyline.  It was a fun read, and I can see myself going back to it on lazy Sundays. 

Riley Blackthorne is a 17-year-old living in Atlanta, Georgia after the government has basically gone bankrupt.  Her father, Paul, became a demon trapper after he lost his job as a teacher and her mother died of cancer several years back.  Paul is one of the best, and Riley plans to follow in his footsteps.  She is the first female apprentice on the road to becoming a demon trapper.  This is one of the things I liked about this book, she's doing something that isn't exactly typical, breaking barriers, and kicking butt. 

Now, Riley adores her father.  I love their relationship, but he dies early on in this story and it is heartbreaking.  He was such a genuinely good guy it effects a lot of people, especially Riley and Beck.  Beck is a young man only a few years older than Riley, who Paul devoted a lot of attention to, training him, looking out for him, and just being the father Beck never had.  Riley also had a serious crush on Beck a few years ago, and has hated him since.  When Paul dies, Beck feels he must take responsibility for Riley -- which she fights.

Alright, now I remember why it was so hard to write this review.  There are so many subplots and characters I can't cohesively write about everything.  There's a lot that goes on.  Too much.

1. Riley warding Paul's body until the next full moon or someone can summon his body and use it, like the nice necromancer Mortimer or the really evil one.
2. Riley trying to make ends meet and survive without parents.  Collectors are hounding her about the debt accrued from her mother's medical expenses. 
3. Riley trying to prove herself to the Demon Trapper's Guild while under the apprenticeship of someone who drinks a lot and hates her and her father, Harper.
4. All the demon's seem to acknowledge Riley by name, something that is not usual.
5. Someone is tampering with the holy water and demons are being catched but not sold through the appropriate channels -- Riley finds this all out by having her BFF hack into her father's disc.  
6. She still has to go to regular school 3 days a week and maintain her relationship with her non-demon trapper BFF Peter.
7. She develops a romantic relationship with another apprentice: Simon.
8. Beck is overbearing with her, trying to keep her safe, but going about it all wrong.

There is soo much going on that's it hard to talk about everything.  I like that she is the first female demon trapper, and really tries her best.  I don't like how she and Beck treat each other, it's very love hate.  Beck tries to be like an aggressive brother, but isn't.  He stifles Riley and she fights back.  I like Simon, he seems so sweet and exactly what she needs after losing her father -- someone to offer support without stifling her.  Now with Beck and Simon it may seem like a love triangle, but I'm not sure.  If Beck shrugs off that overbearing authoritative cloak, maybe.  I might actually prefer Beck to Simon him, he's much more masculine.  The things he does for Riley make him amazing in my book, he just has to lose that attitude.  Not too mention, Peter the so-called best friend, but I'm not convinced.  And... a dark handsome stranger that appears later on in the book, Ori.  He claims to be an independent demon hunter (not to be confused with a demon trapper), he saves Riley and the other demon trappers toward the end, but there seems to be chemistry building there. 

Too many boys!  Too many story angles!  That's what made this book difficult for me, too much!

I still liked it, after I sorted all the ideas and focused, but it was hard.  And there's more to come.  All these ideas go into the next book unresolved and the ending provided even more twists.  I don't know if I can handle more, but I wanna find out. 

All in all, it's an okay read.  I liked the setting and the world of demons created, especially the ninja-clad Magpie -- silly little shiny-stealing demon (hehe).  Is it bad that I want one?  There is ALOT going on, but I want to know how it all works out and will continue to read the series to find out. 

  

Reading Reflection: Angelfall

Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days #1)
by Susan Ee
Published May 21st 2011
P. 255
Rating: 5/5

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Alright, I originally gave this book a 4 rating, but bumped it up to a 5 rating.  There were just so many things that set this apart from my other reads that I had to rate it accordingly.

Penryn is a 17 year-old who is trying to survive after angels descend and destroy humans in the apocalypse.  Her sister is wheel-chair bound and her mother is a paranoid schizophrenic off her meds -- that leaves Pen to handle their survival.  On their plan to move, Penryn witnesses something and is forced to intervene.  She witnessed one of the angels being assaulted by his own... by assault I mean beatings and wing ripping.  By saving this one angel, Raffe, she opened the opppertunity for the other aavenging angels to capture her disabled sister, Paige.  

Pen will do anything to save her sister, even if it means teaming up with the enemy.  Together, Pen and Raffe travel  through California, trying to reach the same place, but with different goals.

Alright, that's the general storyline.  Now the reasons I love this book.  One, I grew up in a very religious home... angels were kinda scary in the stories I was told.  I love how this book turns these beings into the avenging angels found in a lot of the biblical texts: scary, ruthless, and on a mission that often meant annihilating whole areas while only warning a selected few.  Not dreamy-eyed love interests.  This twist on angels was sooo very interesting and familiar.  

Two: I grew up with a family memeber who was a paranoid schizophrenic... that was a wild time.  How the author portrays Pen's mother -- especially during an apocalypse and off her medication -- is very realistic.  I remember the lucidness leaving my gentle aunt's features before a paranoid bout of insanity drove her into wild frenzies.  So I related to this aspect of the book.  I kept imagining her in some of these scenes, and from my experience, it didn't seem too far off.   

Now my favorite part.  Pen and Raffe.  Pen is strong, determined, loyal, and compassionate.  She is a wonderful protagonist with the right level of hardness to help her survive.  It's not overbearing though, not like she's lost all hope and is just making it day to day -- their's still life and compassion in her.  That's what sets her apart in my mind, she hasn't turned ruthless and lost her sense of emotions.  Raffe, of course, is beautiful, arrogant, and tough as nails. However, there are scenes that you can really see how emotionally torn he is by every thing he's faced.  The thing I love about this story is that it's not centered around a growing love... it's a growing comraderie and friendship.  Though these two are on opposing teams, they develop a loyal dedication to one another -- helping and supporting one another in their mission.  Of course, something brews from this, but its not the focus of the story. 

That's what set this novel apart for me so much, it wasn't a love at first sight -- forbidden love -- I'd die for you story.  It was a development of mutual trust and genuine regard, with slight hints of infatuation.  Very well written. 

WWW 4/18/2012

WWW Wednesdays

April 18, 2012

Meme hosted by Should Be Reading

To play just answer these three questions:

1. What are you currently reading?

2. What did you recently finish reading?

3. What do you think you'll read next? 

1. What are you currently reading?

The month of April has been all about Angels and Demons, I like the genre.  Right now I just started reading Angelfall by Susan Ee -- first few pages are interesting so far.  I was mad I had to put it down before I really got into it.  The book has great ratings so I'm really excited... not to mention it only cost $1.99 on my Nook.  I love good books and even better deals. 

2. What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished finished reading the first two books in The Demon Trapper's Daughter.  I wanted to delve right into the third book, but I was waiting for my library to deliver the goods.  Hopefully it'll be here soon, I like to stick with one series at a time and it's ruining my reading flow. 

What do you think you'll read next?

 I actually finished the first book in this series, Falling Under, because my above mentioned book was unavialable... but, again I'm waiting for the second one from the library.  Darn all those other readers who got the book before me (shaking angry fist)!  But... if Dreaming Awake were to suddenly appear I'd drop everything to start reading it.  I loved the first one. 

Reading Reflection: Falling Under

Falling Under (Falling Under #1)
by Gwen Hayes
Published March 1st 2011
P. 324
Rating: 4/5

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

What a deliciously dark read... that's what I thought throughout this entire book.

Alright, I loved this book.  I was hesitant to read it because of the negative reviews, but so glad I finally did.  I only picked it up out of sheer desperation.  To my pleasant surprise, loved it.  I understand a lot of the other perspectives, the good girl-bad boy-love at first sight-cliche is found in every YA book I read.  But, I come to expect these story lines in paranormal romances. I was very happy to discover no love triangle... just one super creepy/dreamy/stalker-ish/ love interest. 

Theia is a seventeen-year-old high school student who is very different from her peers.  Her mother died during birth and her father is emotionally detached, but extremely strict with her.  They lived in England for a great portion of her life and moved to the United States in her teen years, so she has a British accent -- which I like.  It makes her sound old fashioned, but I believed it fit her character.  She is sheltered, reserved, naive, and just a bit awkward.  She might not be my favorite literary girl, but I liked her.  Especially in the end... finally!

Enter bad boy... Haden.  I can't say much without giving away spoilers.  He's bad, slightly creepy, intriguing, and bad... did I say that already?  I liked him.  I normally prefer the good guy, but there was something about him that was almost haunting, but enticing... that doesn't sound appealing, but it was. 

Donny and Ame were Theia's best friends and I loved them.  They both played their roles very well, they might be my favorite "supporting characters".  I loved Donny from the beginning: brash, emotional, sexual.  Ame grew on me toward the end when she began to discover her own hidden strengths.  Gabe and Mike were the best friends' love interests... and again, they played their roles in this novel amazingly.  I prefer Gabe to Mike and I loved how the importance of his role increased throughout the novel.  The same goes for Varnie, the cross dressing fortune teller turns up at the beginning, but plays an important role toward the end.  This group of characters is one of my favorite aspects of the novel.

My favorite part of this novel was the eerie feeling in some of the sections.  I read a review (I wish I could find it again to credit this person) where the reviewer suggested the scenes were comparable to a Tim Burton movie... they were so right.  The novel begins so drastically, and Theia is so naive/innocent, I found myself drawn in immediately.  Then the novel switches from reality to dark dreamlike scenes, very interesting.  Not to mention the last third of the book, which is amazing.  The villain, plot twist, and choice really tied the book together for me.  It overruled any annoyance I may have developed in the beginning of the novel.

Great read if you can over look the cliche: good girl falls for possibly dangerous bad boy.

One of my favorite quotes was one of the few very funny lines in this novel.

(Donny forced Theia to a club and dressed her in less than virtuous clothing)

"If my future included a street corner and a pimp named Ice Money, I'd be ready" ~ Theia, pg 103 



Reading Reflection: A Beautiful Dark

A Beautiful Dark (A Beautiful Dark #1)
by Jocelyn Davies
Published September 11th 2011
P. 390
Rating: 4/5

On the night of Skye's seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites—like fire and ice—Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye's life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

What the crap just happened? 

Really!?
Holy hell fire.

Alright, so I was reading this book and I thought to myself: Ah, another Good Boy vs. Bad Boy love triangle... mixed with angels.  Nothing special, but not bad either. 

Skye is a teenager who loves to ski, does well in school, has close friends, and lives with Aunt Jo.  Her parents died in a car crash when she was six and her mother's best friend has been raising her since, but due to her job, Aunt Jo is absent a lot.  Enter two new students: Asher and Devin.  Yes, the bad boy and the good boy who both seem to be warring for Skye's attention.  It turns out Skye has a family history that makes her a high priority case, explaining many secrets, strange events, and why both these boys are desperate to win her over.

That sums up the plot.  Now, Skye.  I wasn't thrilled about her, but I didn't hate her either.  I was actually indifferent to her, which made the book difficult to really get into.  I didn't find the spark... that thing that makes me fall in love with the narrator.  But, again, she wasn't all that bad, just not my favorite. 

Asher... the tall, dark, and handsome bad boy.  I'm tired of the bad boy.  I'm tired of them always winning my literary girls over with their arrogant allure (angry fist in the air) so I had a personal dislike for him in the beginning.  He was charming, handsome, and intriguing -- but I wasn't falling for it this time.  I had my guard up.  Well, I tried to have my guard up, but the bad boys are just so darn captivating I couldn't help myself.  Asher held my interest throughout the novel... no matter how hard I fought against it.  It was those little moments, those little instances that showed he wasn't such a bad-ass after all.

Now, Devin -- the good guy.  Light hair, clear blue eyes, and a calm demeanor.  He was the polar opposite of Asher in every way possible. I was rooting for Devin.  He seemed so sincere, but reserved.  One of my favorite moments in the book was when he let loose a little, had a little fun. 

Alright, initially I wanted to give this book a 3-rating for predictability, love triangle, and less than amazing heroine -- though it did keep me interested throughout the novel.  I thought I was so clever while reading, even rolling my eyes at the obvious sequence of events.  But... then the ending happened.  I read those last few pages and was left with my mouth hung open and staring blankly at the words on the page.  What the heck?!  I did not expect what happened, threw me completely off guard, and I felt like a sucker -- I played right into it just like Skye.  So, it was not as predictable as I expected.  That's what bumped my rating... touche Ms. Davies... touche.  

Reading Reflection: The Space Between

The Space Between
by Brenna Yovannoff
Published November 14th 2011
P. 365
Rating: 3/5

Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped—and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible.

Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie’s whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way

Huh?  I need a minute to compose my thoughts... this might end up being a bulleted format review.  Okay, Daphne -- a demon whose parentage stems from Lilith and Lucifer -- is a peculiar character.  I do have to say that I really liked her, most of the time.  There is something so distant, detached, and unemotional about her, it's unnerving.  But she's a demon, so it works. 

With this sense of detachment comes this brutal, but naive honesty,  I think that was my favorite part of this whole book, something about her personality was so strange, but simple and straight to the point.  Very peculiar. 

There's also Obie and Truman.  Obie is Daphne's brother, well half-brother technically.  He's half-human and half demon.  Unlike the other demons he travels to the world and tries to help people.  In the beginning of the book he decides he wants to stay on Earth, he has fallen in love. 

Truman, is someone Obie is working with.  He himself is half human and half angel.  Daphne meets him briefly at the entrance of hell.  After some interference, Truman is sent back to Earth.  However, Truman is severely out of control.  His mother died, he tried to kill himself, and he has haunting dreams, which causes him to drink heavily, act out-- he's just bad emotional news all around. 

While on Earth Obie goes missing and Daphne tries to find him.  She needs Truman's help, if he can stay conscious long enough to offer any.  The whole story is based on their search for Obie, their growing attraction, Truman finding redemption, and Daphne realizing she doesn't have to be the seductive monster her sisters are.... all while someone is killing demons on Earth.  (Oh, forgot to mention.  Demons can visit Earth, but can't stay for good -- not good for Obie).

I did like this story.  I liked the characters and the initial storyline of Lilith is absolutely amazing.  However, at some points I felt utterly lost, had no idea what was happening, or why.  I'm not sure if I missed information at somewhere or if it was too much for one book, but toward the end I lost some interest.   I think it had to do with Daphne's own reaction to events.  She was so melancholy and detached during significant moments, that I found I was too. 
Then the actual ending, the last few pages, left me positively baffled.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.  I'm all about sappy our-love-will-conquer-all stories, but really?  Strange, strange series of events to show your love for one another.  Again, I feel like I missed something major. 

All in all, it really was an interesting read, though confusing at times.  Maybe I need a reread to clarify some of my major issues.

Reading Reflection:Spell Bound

Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3)
by Rachel Hawkins
Published March 13th 2012
Rating: 3/5

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Ah, the third book in the Hex Hall series.  Again, soooo much stuff happens that it's difficult to write about.  In the last book, Sophie's powers are stripped, or held, by the council.  Her father's are removed entirely.  And Archer is sentenced to die.  This is all right before Nick and Daisy go demon crazy and all hell breaks loose.  The house is on fire while Sophie escapes, her father and Archer are trapped inside.  This is where amazing Cal comes in.  He tells Sophie to use the Itineris to find the Brannicks, where her mother is, before running to the burning house to save the people she loves.  

Okay, and then the third book begins.  Sophie listens to Cal and travels to find the Brannicks, another group destined to kill supernaturals which screams trouble.  She finds her mother there, she also finds that her mother is a member of this group, which means Sophie has found an aunt and two cousins who may or may not wish her dead.  Her father's demon status and her mother's demon hunter gig pretty much explains why they never worked out, conflicting interests... but that seems to change in the end.  Good.  I like those two together.    

Next, everyone survives the fire.  Archer escapes somehow.  Jenna joins a "nest".  Cal and James find their way to Sophie and her mother with minimal damage.  Now they only have to decide how they're gonna stop the Casnoff sisters from creating a demon army.  Not an easy task when the whole island housing Hex Hall has disappeared. 

This task becomes easier when every student from Hex Hall is magically returned to the school: Sophie, Archer, Jenna, Cal, and everyone else from the previous semester.  Sophie and her group are the only ones who really know what the Casnoff sisters are up to, they want to turn them all into demons.  With the help of her friends, family, and Elodie's ghost Sophie has to find a way to get her powers back and save the day.

Alright, I didn't like this book as much as the other two.  First, all that witty sarcasm that I loved went overboard, there were certain times when I felt like enough was enough.  Two, though I like Archer, he didn't leave me swooning.  I liked Cal too much to agree with Sophie's choice.  There comes a point when the bad boy isn't enough -- you need more than wit and looks.  Lastly, a loss at the end leaves me absolutely heart broken.  Though everyone is offered a "happy ending", I couldn't get over this one point.  It left me soooo sad I couldn't get past it.  Maybe that's the reason I didn't love this book as much as the others.  The other ones were light, fun reads.  This one, though witty, left me depressed.