Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Ever since she found out that she's a demon, one of only two in the world, Sophie has been determined to undergo the Removal. She wants nothing to do with her magical powers if they mean that she can, and most likely will, hurt people. And it wouldn't hurt her chances with Archer, since he's a demon hunter, but she's not so worried about that... maybe. Her dad, the head of the Council in charge of all prodigium, decides to take her to London where he feels like he can teach her more about controlling her powers. Sophie is excited at the prospect of going, and it has nothing to do with the latest reports saying that Archer is there as well... possibly. When Sophie arrives, though, she is shocked to find other demons living in the house, which leads her to the question: Who is raising more demons and why?

I am sooooo upset with Rachel Hawkins after finishing this one. I mean, I know that leaving readers hanging a bit while they wait for the next book to come out is becoming kind of trendy with authors, but SERIOUSLY?!?!? After that ending, we don't even know who's going to be alive in the next book, if anyone! But really, I love her writing style so much. Reading Sophie is like the running commentary in my head: full of sarcastic remarks and a tad bit snarky. It's going to be extremely hard to be patient for Spell Bound to be released on March 13, 2012.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Grace is living as a wolf in the Boundary Wood. Cole and Sam are living together in Beck's old house, trying to find a cure to the shifts that take them from their human bodies and minds. Isabel's father is getting closer to gaining permission to hunt down the wolves of Mercy Falls, and when a girl is found dead, her body showing all the signs of being attacked by a wolf, he finally has the ammunition he needs to get rid of the wolves for good.

As much as I hate to say this, the ending of this series was lacking. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot going on throughout the story and I really enjoyed the suspense leading up to the final hunt, but when I finally got there and there were only 11 pages left, I kind of knew that I was going to be disappointed. I almost feel like she had hit her deadline or page quota or something along those lines so "Well, here's as good a place to end as any." There are so many questions left unanswered that it doesn't feel like the series should be over, but after reading her notes and acknowledgements, she is very firm in the fact that this is the last book about the wolves of Mercy Falls. This may sound harsh, but I almost wish she would've just left Shiver as a stand-alone book because it was so good and the other two just did not live up to it.

Deadly Little Games by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Camelia is learning more about her psychometric ability. She's also learning that her Aunt Alexia has a very similar ability and that it's landed her in a mental institution. Meanwhile, Ben sensed something when he touched Camelia and starts pulling away. She's hurt that he doesn't trust her enough to confide in her and starts spending time with Adam. When he begins receiving crossword puzzles that contain specific threats, Camelia feels it's up to her to keep him safe especially since she's been creating disturbing pottery about him and his future.

This was another good read, but as far as feasibility goes, the series is becoming a bit unbelievable. I mean, really, how many psycho/stalker/killers can a person come across in their life? Other than that, it was a great read. The next book, Deadly Little Voices, is due out in November.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Since finding a cure for Sam's werewolfism, Sam and Grace finally get to have a normal life together. At least that's what they think. Sam has to deal with the volatile new wolf, Cole, and try to help him become accustomed to his new life. Meanwhile, Isabel's father is still hellbent on ridding Mercy Falls of the wolves and Grace is getting sick. No one seems to be able to figure out what's wrong with her, but she has a feeling that it has to do with the wolves...

While this was a very good book, it took me a little while to get used to the narration. In the first book, it alternated between Grace and Sam. This time, not only do they tell the story, but so do Isabel and Cole. While it provides more insight into what's going on, it loses some of the feeling since the reader has to try to keep track of who's speaking. The final book in this series, Forever, is slated for release in July 2011.

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Like all people born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. They're more annoying than anything and she does everything she can, from visiting places that use BlackBoxes to wearing red, to keep them at bay. On her boyfriend Logan's birthday, his band has agents from a record company coming out to see them play. At the afterparty celebrating his birthday and the offer from the company, things get out of control and Logan dies. Aura is devastated until she realizes that Logan has not passed on. She spends time with him when she can, but is forced to spend a lot of time with the gorgeous Scottish exchange student, Zachary, working on a research project. It turns out that Zachary was the last person born before the Shift, Aura was the first person born after the Shift, and there are a LOT of agencies very interested in the two of them.

This was a fantastic story. The growing relationship between Aura and Zachary as well as her resulting guilt over Logan are very believable (and at times heart-wrenching.) There are many storylines left open, though, so I'm REALLY excited for the sequel, Shift, coming out in May 2011!

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Sophie is a witch who recently came into her powers. Her father is a powerful warlock who she's never met. She and her human mother have been on the move ever since Sophie discovered her magic because her spells have a tendency to go wrong. Eventually, this leads to her being placed at Hecate Hall, a reform school for Prodigium, where she lives with other witches, shifters, and fae. One of the first things Sophie learns at her school is that there was a terrible murder there last year and all indications point to the only vampire in the school who just happens to be Sophie's roommate. As more students are attacked, Sophie tries to prove that her roommate is innocent, all the while struggling with three dark witches as enemies, a crush on the hottest warlock in school, and learning that her family history is very disturbing.

This was an excellent book. Not only is Sophie a strong character, but she's also witty and very funny. The mysteries in the story unravel in unexpected ways. I can't wait for the next book in the series! Unfortunately, there's no release date yet.

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Abbey's best friend, Kristen, has recently died. At first, Abbey doesn't believe that Kristen is really gone because they don't find her body, but when they discover it in the Crane River a little ways down from the Sleepy Hollow Bridge, Abbey is forced to accept the loss. She meets a mysterious and beautiful boy named Caspian and quickly begins having feelings for him. While she struggles to cope with the death of her best friend, she learns that Kristen was keeping secrets from her. Then she learns a secret about Caspian, and begins to question her very sanity.

I have lukewarm feelings about this book. While there was a pretty neat twist at the end, there were NO clues that would lead you to the conclusion. The relationship between Abbey and Caspian, while said to be love, reads more like obsession. Her best friend's recent disappearance/death spend so much time on the backburner that it doesn't seem very realistic. There are so many unanswered questions, but hopefully the second book in the series, The Haunted, will answer some of them AND be a bit faster paced. It's slated to be released August 31, 2010.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate is determined to get out of Gatlin, a small South Carolina town with no secrets because practically all of its residents were born there, will live out their lives there, and die there. The summer before his sophomore year of high school, he begins having strange dreams. In them, he's trying to desperately hold on to a girl, but each time loses her. When school starts, all the buzz is about a new girl in school, Lena Duchannes. Not only is she an outsider, but she's living at the old Ravenwood Manor, a house that's rumored to be haunted. When Ethan finally meets Lena, he realizes that this is the girl from his dreams. Then he discovers that she has been dreaming about him, too. As the mysteries surrounding their connection begin to pile up, they have to race against the deadline of her sixteenth birthday before they lose each other forever.

With its Southern charm and mystery after mystery unraveling each chapter, this haunting story will stay with you long after you've read the last page. All I can say is there BETTER be a sequel!

Gone by Lisa McMann

With her destiny as a dreamcatcher revealed, Janie is struggling with her decision: should she continue to fall into dreams and eventually become crippled and blind or isolate herself from all human contact? Her decision is further complicated as she keeps falling into Cabel's nightmares about Janie's fate. Then Janie's father, whom she has never met, is placed in the ICU in a coma. As Janie begins to unravel her father's past, she realizes that the consequences of her decision are more dire than she initially believed.

The final book in the Wake trilogy, this book was fantastic! As sad as I am that there won't be any more books in this series, this one tied up all of the loose ends and was a very satisfying finale.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Fifteen year old Chloe Saunders has a meltdown at school, fending off teachers as she swears she saw a ghost. This episode lands her in the Lyle House, a group home for disturbed teens. Chloe is immediately diagnosed as schizophrenic, but with some encouragement from her housemates, she begins to believe in her powers. With some prodding, she researches necromancy and learns more about her abilities. When she summons some spirits to find some answers about strange occurrences at the Lyle House, she is immersed in the world of supernaturals. It turns out that the other teens in the Lyle House also have supernatural talents and the fact that they have all been herded together is not mere coincidence...

Although this story took quite a while for me to get into (200 pages in, I still had no idea what was going on!), the payoff in the end was definitely worth it! Hopefully, the second book in the series will pick up right where this one left off.

Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Stolarz

Last fall, Camelia fell for Ben, a new boy at school who had a very mysterious gift. Just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. A new semester is starting and Ben has returned to school. Camelia makes the painful decision to let him go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. Camelia believes she's being stalked and doesn't know who to trust. Someone is lying, and it's up to Camelia to figure out who, before it's too late.

I was very pleased with this one and can't wait for the next installment Deadly Little Games!

A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton

Meredith Gentry, Princess of the high court of Faerie, is posing as a human in Los Angeles, living as a P.I. specializing in supernatural crime. But now the Queen’s assassin has been dispatched to fetch her, whether she likes it or not. Suddenly Meredith finds herself a pawn in her dreaded aunt’s plans. The job that awaits her: enjoy the constant company of the most beautiful immortal men in the world. The reward: the crown and the opportunity to continue to live. The penalty for failure: death.

Meredith Gentry is a wonderful character caught up in palace politics and family disputes. There are eight books in this series.
(Warning: These books are VERY graphic)

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

In a world where vampires, zombies and werewolves have been declared legal citizens of the United States, Anita Blake is an "animator" - a profession that involves raising the dead for mourning relatives. But Anita is also a fearsome hunter of criminal vampires, known as The Executioner. As Anita gains the attention of the vampire masters of her hometown of St Louis, she also risks revealing an intriguing secret about herself, the source of her unusual strength and power.

In the introduction to this amazing series you'll meet Anita Blake, and you'll never look back. Just in case you get hooked, there are eighteen in this series!
(Warning: this series is very graphic)

Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Molly Harper

Nothing sucks the romance out of world travel like a boyfriend who may or may not have broken up with you in a hotel room. Jane Jameson’s sexy sire has always been unpredictable, but the anonymous notes that await him at each stop of their vacation, coupled with his evasive behavior, push Jane onto the next flight home. Now she's nursing a broken heart with plenty of Type O, some TLC from her colorful friends, and her plans for a Brave New Jane. Step One: Get her new occult bookstore off the ground. Step Two: Support her best friend, and his werewolf bride as they prepare for the impending birth of their baby. Step Three: Figure out who’s been sending her threatening letters. For this nice girl, surviving a broken heart is suddenly becoming a matter of life and undeath.

I can't wait for the next book in this series they are so much fun!

Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper

Life as the undead is finally settling down for Jane Jameson. Her relationship with her sire is slowly coming into focus. She loves her new job at Specialty Books. Her family, well, her father, is adjusting well to her condition. With her best friend Zeb's nuptials looming on the horizon, Jane is forced to wear a bridesmaid’s dress her body may reject like a faulty organ. The passing of her annoying Grandma Ruthie’s fiancé, puts her back on the market. Her new fiancé has his own sordid history of suspiciously dead spouses, and died more than 20 years ago. With daytime funerals, mother-of-the-groom hijinks, and Styrofoam icebergs to contend with, will Jane survive her best friend’s wedding? Will she make nice with her possibly murderous future step-grandpa?

I really can't get enough of Jane. She reminds me of Sookie Stackhouse!

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper

When children’s librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired and handed $25 gift card instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that’s sure to become legend. On her walk home, she’s mistaken for a deer, shot and left for dead. Thanks to a mysterious stranger she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood. Jane is now the latest recipient of a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee. Her recently deceased aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing to avoid coming out of the coffin to her family. She’s forced to forgo her favorite Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy sire keeps running hot and cold. If all that wasn’t enough, it looks like someone is trying to frame her for a series of murders. What’s a nice undead girl to do?

The first book in the Jane Jameson series is hilarious and action packed. Jane is a lovable and witty character.

Shadowland by Alyson Noel

Ever and Damen have fought off the world's darkest enemies so they could be together forever. But just as their long awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse could destroy everything. Desperate to break the curse, Ever immerses herself in magick and gets help from an unexpected source. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She's always believed Damen to be her soul mate, yet her connection with Jude grows stronger and tests her love like never before.

I'm not sure if this book annoyed me because of the love triangle or the general plot line. Either way, it was not my favorite. However, I never give up on a series!

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities , something terrible is happening to her beloved Damen. Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family or staying in the present and saving Damen.

Loved the second book in this series just as much as the first. Very action packed.

Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Stolarz

Everything in Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary. Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia, who's inexplicably drawn to him, and to his touch. Soon Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger. She knows he's hiding something, but he's not the only one with a secret.

A story of paranormal romance that's sure to be a thrilling and chilling favorite. Absolutely hooked on this series!

Fade by Lisa McMann

Janie is asked to use her dreamcatching talent to work undercover for the local police. They have gotten a tip that there may be a teacher at her high school preying on students. While Janie is excited for her first assignment, Cabel, is less than thrilled by the idea of using Janie as bait for a sexual predator. As Janie tries to get clues for her case through her classmates’ dreams, she is also learning about her fate as a dreamcatcher through notes left by another dreamcatcher who worked for the police. When she is finally invited to a party that may help her catch the predator, she realizes that she may be in over her head.

As suspenseful as the first, this book is a real page-turner. Watch for the third book in the series, Gone, coming in March 2010.