Quote of the Day

"Good does not exist without the evil and right does not hold weight without knowing the wrong"

~The Two Kings, Stephanie Hudson

Blade Song by J.C. Daniels

Kit Colbana- half-breed, assassin, thief and mercenary has a new job. But in an alternate universe where supernatural creatures are almost as common as the humans, these jobs can get a little hairy (literally) as well as mortally dangerous. But this last job has just raised the chances of imminent death to an almost 100% guarantee, because if Kit cannot find the runaway teenage nephew of the local cat Alpha, there will be hell to pay. It doesn't help that the Alpha is a bat-shit-cray-cray shapeshifter who everybody is too afraid to stand up to. Luckily Kit has friends in high places as well as witchy ones who can heal just about anything she comes home with. And lets not forget the infuriatingly arrogant cat shifter who has been assigned to her until the job is complete, he is to act as both her body-guard, baby-sitter, tattle-tale and executioner all rolled into one annoyingly pretty face. 

Fascinating world-building, maybe a little something to be desired, but the amazing kick-ass heroin of the story made up for it. I loved Kit, loved her one-liners, but I especially loved that even though she had inner demons from her brutal past that she carried around with her, she was able to look past them in order to do her job and save everyone she could. The way she was raised did not define how she viewed the lives of everyone around her, nobody deserves to be hurt, no matter who or what you are, and that was the main message I took away from Daniel's story. Interesting minor characters, although sometimes they blurred in together, especially the witches, but overall they mostly had their own traits, voices and characteristics. I have been hearing that Kit Colbana is the new Kate Daniels (see review of Magic Breaks), and although there are some similarities in the main character a love for sharp, pointy things and a cat shapeshifter as the main love interest , they have such different plots, supporting characters, world-building and narration that there should not be any comparisons drawn between the two. A great adventure if you love everything fantasy, supernatural and magic-we are even introduced to a new spin off of a mythological creature, which I found very intriguing as there was just so many paths to take it down, rather than the generic vampire and werewolf powers that everybody knows about. 

Rating: 3/5 Titans

"Child, you suffer from an excess of great stupidity or great bravery. I'm not sure which."

Other Book in the 'Colbana Files' Series

Blade Song
Night Blade
Broken Blade
Edged Blade (not yet published) 

Quote of the Day

"Need covers itself with love, but need...need is never love. Always beware of the one who needs you. There is always a want behind a need you see."

~Half-Blood, Jennifer L. Armentrout 

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

In a futuristic America, all of the children aged from 8 to 14 are dying from a disease known as IAAN, but the government is not concerned about those who are dying, they are more afraid of the 2% of children who are surviving it. Because these children are no longer simply human, these survivors are harbouring different dangerous gifts ranged from the Green level of higher intelligence to the Red level of powers like pyrokinesis. Canada and Mexico have shut their borders to the Americans, sealing in not only the disease, but the desperate teenagers who are being rounded up into concentration camps for 'rehabilitation'. Ruby is an Orange (someone who can control minds) who at the age of 10 years old was taken from her family along with thousands of other survivors who are now being held at Thurmond, a camp widely known for its harsh and dehumanising treatment of the children. After six years of hiding amongst the Greens with the help of her power, Ruby has evaded the mass killing of the Yellows, Oranges and Reds as they were seen as a safety risk, but when the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes with her life. Now she is on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for people like her, and the one remaining non-psychotic Orange left who can help to control her powers. 

A story filled with hope, despair and love amidst a crumbling society and an even more corrupt government, Bracken's book left me crying from laughter and then crying from sadness, there was never a dull moment or one where I wanted to put the book down. I loved Ruby, a character who developed from a docile girl to a young women who put up with zero crap from the various people who wished to control her and her powers. The world building is fantastic, as if I was actually along for the ride with Ruby and her friends as they battled their way to a safe haven that may or may not even exist. The strength of the characters was astronomical after they were subjected to untold horrors and various losses, though not so strong as to make them seem un-human-like. Will be getting onto the next book ASAP because I cannot be left with that cliff hanger! Make sure you have a lot of time on your hands before starting to read this book because once you start you will not be putting it down until the very end.  

Rating: 4/5 Titans

"Maybe nothing will ever change for us. But don't you want to be around just in case it does?"

Other Books in the Series

The Darkest Minds
Never Fade
In the Afterlight (not yet published)

Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels #7) by Ilona Andrews

Kate Daniels is back once again and stirring up trouble wherever she goes...but that's to be expected when you're the child of a power crazed god. As the mate of Curran, the Beast Lord of Atlanta, the former mercenary has more responsibilities than she ever thought was possible to juggle. Not only is she trying to keep her investigative business afloat, but she now must deal with the affairs of the Pack, and most of that nowadays is preparing for war, because now that the connection between Kate and Roland (a cruel ancient being with god-like powers) is out in the open, everybody she has ever come in contact with has a target painted on their backs. As Roland's shadow looms ever closer, Kate is called to attend a meeting of the leaders from the various supernatural factions in Atlanta. But when one of the Masters of the Dead (navigators who control vampires) is found murdered by a shapeshifter, she is given only twenty-four hours to bring them the killer. And if she fails, she will find herself neck deep in a war which could destroy everyone and everything. 

My favourite series of all time, Ilona Andrews strikes again and after waiting an entire year for this book it not only lived up to my very high expectation, for superseded them. I absolutely love the entirety of Kate's story, the world building is beyond fantastic, the characters all have their own voice and the plot and twists are so unique and dramtic that I can never get enough of it. I love the heroes, I love the villans and every character in between. There are no black and white decisions and the grey is always different and perhaps not always morally acceptable, but that's what happens when the world is falling apart around you, as it is in Kate and Curran's dystopian Atlanta. With just the right amount of humour throughout the various tragedies, hardships and sword fights, I never want this series to end. And now I have to wait even longer for the next book! I need my next fix and I need it now!

Rating: 5/5 Titans

" 'Fortune favours the brave' I told her. It also kills the stupid, but I decided to keep that to myself."

Other Books in the Series

Magic Bites
Magic Burns
Magic Strikes
Magic Bleeds
Magic Slays
Magic Rises
Magic Breaks

Magic Shifts (Not Yet Published)

Quote of the Day

"Some people bring out the worst in you, others bring out the best, and then there are those remarkably rare, addictive ones who just bring out the most. Of everything. They make you feel so alive that you'd follow them straight to hell, just to keep getting your fix." 

~Shadowfever, Karen Marie Moning 

Awakening the Fire

In a world that is very much aware of the fact that supernatural creatures walk amongst them, Guardian Arianna Calin has sworn to keep the peace between not only the humans and 'otherworlders', but the various factions of the supernatural including the vampires, werewolves and the witches who are constantly battling each other for supremacy. But that's not the end of it, keeping up with the constant power plays within the nests, packs and covens can be extremely tiring for a Guardian who only seeks to keep everyone within her town safe.  Luckily Ari has some help of her own in the form of her witchy fire powers and her human partner Ryan. But when vampires start acting up in random acts of violence and bodies start turning up at every turn, it is up to Ari and the enigmatic vampire Adrian, to figure out who-or what-has begun to make their play for the vampire throne in Riverdale. 

Off to a slow start, Shield weaves a confusing yet intriguing story of the various sectors of supernatural who don't always get along with each other (shocking). Although I enjoyed 'Awakening the Fire' I found myself reading along without really seeing the words or grabbing the full meaning of what just happened. I like my stories action packed, and Shield's book just didn't give me this; too much sitting around talking and not enough ass kicking...you have the power over fire and you used it twice throughout the entire book! But I digress, a good story if you love murder investigations with a big dollop of supernatural themes, dark love interests, betrayal and blood. 

Rating: 3/5 Titans

Other books in the series:

Fire Within
Burning Both Ends
Blood and Fire
Fire Storm
Wild Fire (not yet published)
Eternal Fires (not yet published)