Mini Reviews: The Eternal Ones, The Juliet Spell, Misfit

Title: The Eternal Ones
Series: Eternal Ones #1
Author: Kirsten Miller
Published: 2010

Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was...

I had high hopes for this novel, but sadly it didn't deliver. If I had borrowed this book from the library, I would have returned it right away without finishing it. But as it was, this was the only audio book I had, and I had to listen to something while trying to fall asleep...

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be confusing. There are parts set in the past, and parts set in the present, and there are several narrators. I had a hard time keeping track of what had happened, and when it had happened.

Another thing I disliked was the religious part of the novel, Haven's grandmother (who was such a mean person!) was very religious, and was certain that Haven had been possessed by the devil. Because of all religion and preachyness I thought this book was set a few decades back, but I don't think it was? Another thing that had me confused in the beginning was Haven's best friend Beau - I couldn't figure out if it was a boy or a girl! haha
This book wasn't for me, but you might like it.

Rating: 2 of 5


Title: The Juliet Spell
Author: Douglas Rees
Published: September 2011

I wanted the role of Juliet more than anything. I studied hard. I gave a great reading for it—even with Bobby checking me out the whole time. I deserved the part.I didn't get it. So I decided to level the playing field, though I actually might have leveled the whole play. You see, since there aren't any Success in Getting to Be Juliet in Your High School Play spells, I thought I'd cast the next best—a Fame spell. Good idea, right?

Yeah. Instead of bringing me a little fame, it brought me someone a little famous. Shakespeare. Well, Edmund Shakespeare. William's younger brother. Good thing he's sweet and enthusiastic about helping me with the play...and—ahem—maybe a little bit hot. But he's from the past. Way past. Cars amaze him—cars! And cell phones? Ugh. Still, there's something about him that's making my eyes go star-crossed....

The Juliet Spell was a fun and light read. If you like theatre, and Shakespeare above all, you're going to love this book!

The main character, Miranda, is so desperate to follow in her mother's footsteps, that she makes a spell in hope of getting the lead role in her high school play. But instead of landing her the role as Juliet the spell gives her Shakespeare, not the Shakespeare but his less-known brother - Edmund.

 

 

Edmund was a fun and bubbly character, at times a bit too enthusiastic. He reminded me a little bit of Puck from the Iron Fey series.

This book has theatre, a little bit of history, friendship and a little bit of romance. Sometimes it got a little to theatrical for my taste, with Miranda and her friends using dramatic old-fashioned language, but as I mentioned before, if you're into theatre this might be the book for you!

Rating: 3.75 of 5

Title: Misfit

Author: Jon Skovron
Published: August 2011

Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential.

What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

This book was something of a roller coaster, it certainly had its ups and downs! I think the idea of Jael being a half demon was interesting and definitely had potential. But instead of focusing on Jael and her destiny I think this story "spaced out" a bit, more than once which made the book thicker, confusing, and harder getting into.


There where some parts of the book that were good, and would have been even better if they had been processed and more developed. And there were some less interesting parts that easily could have been removed.


The characters were also a problem for me, they were all alright - but nothing more than that. And if you don't care too much about the characters, then really, how fun is the book to read?

Rating: 2 of 5

Book Review: Personal Demons

Title: Personal Demons

Series: Personal Demons #1
Author: Lisa Desrochers
Published: 2010

Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She has spent years keeping everyone at a distance---even her closest friends---and it seems as if her senior year is going to be more of the same . . . until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can’t seem to stay away from him.
What she doesn’t know is that Luc is on a mission. He’s been sent from Hell itself to claim Frannie’s soul. It should be easy---all he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance. But he has to work fast, because if the infernals are after her, the celestials can’t be far behind. And sure enough, it’s not long before the angel Gabriel shows up, willing to do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for. It isn’t long before they find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie’s soul.
But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay . . . for all of them.

My Thoughts:
I have mixed feelings about this one. Some parts of it was fantastic - original, and dramatic. Other parts were predictable and cheesy. The language were sometimes too flirty and sappy to seem realistic, and I blushed while reading.

Frannie was an alright character, though I couldn't make her very different personal traits fit together into one believable person. On one hand she was flirty and somewhat a player, on the other hand she was a girl who wasn't afraid to get dirty while working on car engines, had lost her faith in God, and was blaming herself for her brother's death.
Overall this was an okay read, but I was expecting more than that, so I got a bit disappointed. I won't walk through fire to get my hand on the sequels.

Cover Thoughts:
Am I the only one getting 80s Nancy Drew vibes from this cover?

Book Review: Forsaken/The Demon Trapper's Daughter

Title: Forsaken (UK), The Demontrapper's Daughter (US)
Series: The Demon Trappers #1
Author: Jana Oliver
Published: February 2011
Source: Bought

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?

My Thoughts:
The world Oliver has created is interesting and new-thinking. The Demon Trapper's Daughter is set in 2018, after a huge economic crises has left the world in ruins. Demons are now popping up all over the world, and it is the trappers' and hunters' job to capture them.

For Riley and her father, trapping demons are the only way to earn enough money to pay the rent for their beat-down apartment. But life as a female, newby demon trapper turns out harder than Riley thought. Some guildmembers are just waiting for a reason to throw her out, so there is no room for mistakes...

Then there's Beck, Riley's father's apprentice who takes every chance he gets to get on her nerves. It's a good thing that at least cute Simon, another trapper, is on her side! And then there is the mysterious Ori who pops up when she leasts expects it... But with so much going on, does Riley even have time for boys?


Beck may come across as a selfish, kind of rude Southern bad boy who couldn't care less about anything but himself - but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Since some chapters are told from Beck's point of view, the reader gets too see a softer, more humble side of him as well as learning about his nackground and the reasons for why he acts like he does. I liked him!

Even though this is a thick book (400+ pages), it's over just when things starts to get interesting! I wanted more Beck! More Ori! Even more Simon! More demons and more trapping! Things were just about to get even more exciting, and then: The End :(

I hope (and believe) that this book works as a neccessary and thorough introduction to Riley's world, and that the next book in the series will have more action and a faster pace!


Cover Thoughts:
This book not only has different titles in the US and the UK, it also have different covers. I decided to buy the UK edition of the book (pictured), since I like this cover better. The girl on the cover definitely looks tough enough to be a demon trapper!


Rating: 3.75 of 5

Book Review: Demonglass

Title: Demonglass
Series: Hex Hall (Book #2)
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Published: March 2011

Warning: Contains spoilers if you haven't read Hex Hall!

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies).

But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves.

Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers. But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good.

Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

My Review:
My thoughts right after finishing this book:
Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God! When is the next book coming out*? And can someone please give it to me now?!!


My thoughts after I had cooled down a bit:
You might have read this in other reviews, and I can only agree with the statement: This is one of the rare cases when the second book is even better than the first book in the series!


Sophie is such a likeable character, who possesses the wonderful talent to make a joke in any situation. Even the most stiff person can't resist her charming personality and cracks a smile sooner or later! She really is the Queen of Sarcasm and Irony!

The love triangle between Sophie and Archer and Cal is slowly building up. Even though Sophie tries to forget about Archer, she still likes him even if he is part of The Eye. But he is her enemy, isn't he?

While Archer is nowhere to be seen, Cal is more present in Sophie's life, and we get to see new sides of him while getting to know him better.

Demonglass has it all; great characters, hot boys, deadly enemies and a big mystery. And it ends on the maddest cliff-hanger ever! (seriously, Rachel Hawkins and Richelle Mead could make a club!**)

Cover Thoughts:
I really like how the designer have kept the theme from the cover of Hex Hall. One of my biggest pet-peeves is mix matching covers! (Like the UK covers of these two books). While the Hex Hall cover is cute and innocent, this cover is way fiercer. The events Sophie had to go through during her first year in Hecate Hall has definitely made her tougher!

Rating: 5 of 5 - I loved it and can't wait to read the next book!




Previous Books in this series:
1. Hex Hall

*March 2012 - I just looked it up. And how the %#& am I supposed to wait that long?
** Tricky-authors-who-write-mega-cliffhangers-and-then-laugh-evilly-at-our-suffering-readers club.