Pretty Dark Nothing - Heather L Reid

Pretty Dark Nothing - Heather L Reid @Twitter
ISBN - 9780985327811
Publisher - Month9 Books @Twitter
Release date - April 23rd 2013
Find - Book Depository/Goodreads

It’s been twenty three days since Quinn has slept for more than minutes at a time. Demons have invaded her dreams, stalking her, and whispering of her death. The lack of sleep and crippling fear are ruining her life. Energy drinks and caffeine pills don’t make a dent. When Quinn dozes off in the school hallway, Aaron, an amnesiac with a psychic ability, accidentally enters her nightmare. The demons are determined to keep them apart, and Aaron from discovering the secret locked away in his memory. Together, they could banish the darkness back to the underworld for good. That is, unless the demons kill them first. - Goodreads

The first time I saw the cover of Pretty Dark Nothing I thought I've got to read that book, then I read the synopsis and it sounded deliciously creepy so requested it on Netgalley and got approved!

We meet Quinn who is being attacked by demons any time she falls asleep but she doesn't know why or if the demons are even real. At first they're just in her dreams but she starts to hear them whispering to her and feels their presence whilst she is awake. Her grades are slipping at school, her boyfriend is dating her mortal enemy and her mortal enemy has taken her place on the cheerleading squad. She still has her best friend though and it looks as though the new boy, Aaron, might like her but she can't even contemplate a relationship with everything going on and the fact that she thinks she's still in love with Jeff. The inevitable happens, the demons attack when she's at school and she collapses in the hallway. What she doesn't know is that Aaron is in her mind and can see what's happening to her... 

Waking from a come after being involved in an accident that took his mother and younger sister, Aaron has developed psychic abilities that he doesn't want. Aaron is struggling with his blossoming feelings towards Quinn, everyone knows about the situation with Jeff & the boyfriend stealing cheerleader and it seems he may be right to stay away as every time they start to get close something happens. Aaron can't tell if it's because of what's happening to Quinn or if she just doesn't know how she feels but how long is he going to wait?

I still don't know how I feel about Pretty Dark Nothing, I loved the premise but I didn't feel much sympathy for Quinn, at times she made some really silly decisions that made me want to scream! I liked it enough to read the sequel which is apparently being written as I'm curious to see what happens. The ending was, on one hand, almost expected but the sudden switch in plot shocked me and I really want to see where the story is going with regards to what was revealed in the last few pages! There was lots of tension throughout, mostly from non-demonic sources but the book kept to the deliciously creepy vibe I wanted and it's rare to find a YA paranormal/horror story that holds my attention.

Thanks to Netgalley & Month9 Books for approving me!


 

Pack of Lies - Sara Dailey & Staci Weber

Pack Of Lies (Red Ridge Pack #1) - Sara Dailey & Staci Weber
ISBN - 978-0984898862
Publisher - Boroughs Publishing Group
Release Date - April 8th 2012
Find - Goodreads

'The last thing Allison Wright ever expected when she moved to Red Ridge, New Mexico was to come muzzle to muzzle with the wolf of her dreams.

Seventeen-year-old Allison Wright is convinced she’s losing her mind. Uncontrollable mood swings, hot flashes, and the urge to punch anyone who gets in her way are suddenly becoming everyday occurrences. Before her erratic behaviour gets out of hand, Allison’s mother finally comes clean about her dark secret. Mom is a werewolf, and soon Allison and her brother Aiden will suffer the same fate. When Allison reaches her breaking point, the family leaves their life in Texas to move to Red Ridge, New Mexico where they rejoin the pack that Allison’s mother left behind almost 20 years ago.

Unfortunately, not everyone in Red Ridge is thrilled about Allison’s arrival, especially when she attracts the attention of the very handsome, very taken, soon-to-be alpha, Cade Walker. Little does Allison know, her mere presence is causing a rift in a once unified pack. Not only has Cade been forbidden from being with Allison by his father, the pack’s alpha, Cade’s girlfriend, Kendall Stuart, will stop at nothing to get Allison out of the picture. Well on her way to becoming the next alpha’s mate, Kendall expects to rule the pack by Cade’s side even if it means teaming up with a rogue werewolf with an agenda of his own. Determined to get rid of Allison permanently, when Kendall and the rogue join forces, all hell breaks loose and no one in the pack is safe, especially not Cade and his true mate.' - Goodreads

This review may contain spoilers! 

Interesting take on the werewolf story, it starts with the main character Allison Wright trying to figure out why she's gone from most popular girl in school complete with best friend and boyfriend to a nobody who is sexually harassed by male students and physically threatened by the girls whilst her brother continues as one of the popular kids. When Alli's mother is called in after her third fight at school she finally finds out what is going on, her mother is a werewolf and both Alli & Aiden will be going through their first change soon. Their parents explain that not only are their grandparents still alive but they're also moving back to Lillian Wright's hometown to live with the pack that she ran away from after meeting their dad. Alli looks on this as a good thing as she hopes being with other 'weres' she won't stand out as much and may even make friends. However the instantaneous attraction between her and Cade (the son of the Alpha, Marcus, who also happens to be Alli's mother's ex) on their arrival in Red Ridge means things don't go quite to plan, especially as Cade has a girlfriend.

Overall, I really enjoyed this take on werewolves. I was quite concerned about the whole 'insta-love' scenario but this is explained away through the werewolf 'true mate' bond which even Marcus, Cade's father, can't argue with although he does try, mostly by forbidding Cade to see Alli and to continue his relationship with Kendall. Kendall is also encouraged to keep Cade interested by any means possible by her mother to keep their standing in the pack, damaged years earlier by Kendall's father. The main villain of the piece is a werewolf called Dylan from another pack who becomes entangled with Kendall and together they plot to take down the Red Ridge pack so Dylan can become Alpha. 

There were a few things which I wish we had read more of, for instance the development of Alli & Cade's relationship, why Dylan wanted to become alpha of the Red Ridge pack and why he partnered up with Kendall of all people! I did like the second part of the story being told from the three different perspectives of the main characters, each voice was unique and enabled us to see what was going on in more detail and learn more about them individually - especially Kendall as it allowed us to see why she behaves as she does. Although Aiden was in this book he was very much a secondary character so I'm hoping in book two - Circle Of Lies, which the publishers very kindly sent to me - we get to see more of him. I really want to know how he deals with the information given to us at the end of Pack Of Lies (which I guessed correctly before the end of chapter six!) and being a werewolf. I'm also looking forward to reading the prequel about Marcus & Lily and their lives before she left the pack which I believe is called Born Of Lies and due out sometime next month.

*My copy of Pack Of Lies was very kindly sent to me by the publishers, thank you!

The Blackhope Enigma - Teresa Flavin

The Blackhope Enigma* - Teresa Flavin

Twitter - @TeresaFlavin

ISBN - 9780763660673

Publisher - Templar UK

Twitter - @templarbooks

Find - Book Depository/Goodreads

'For centuries, Blackhope Tower has been shrouded in intrigue, which seems to centre around a curious painting hanging in the Mariner’s Chamber. Its meaning has baffled historians, but when fourteen-year-old Sunni Forrest visits the tower, she finds herself transported to the very heart of the Blackhope Enigma, and the painting itself.

Can she and her friend Blaise overcome its dangers and evade their ruthless pursuers? And will they find their way home . . . alive?

An age-old mystery is about to unravel.' - Goodreads

Sunni Forrest is studying a painting, painted by Il Corvo, a renowned Renaissance painter whose reputation is shrouded in rumors about enchanted paintings, in the Mariner's Chamber of the Blackhope Tower. Her step-brother Dean is with her and, getting bored of waiting around, starts following the path of a labyrinth engraved on the chamber floor. Somehow he figures out the trigger to magically transport him into Corvo's painting and disappears. He is followed by Sunni and the next day, by Blaise, an American student in Sunni's art class who was there when Dean disappeared. Once in the painting they discover Arcadia is actually exists in the painting as a real world and the adventures begin! There are mazes, monsters and pirates, a scheming artist from their own time (the brother of their art teacher), an apprentice who studied under Corvo, a man called Hugo who appears to be some sort of caretaker & his servant and a motley assortment of other characters. Confirming the rumors that Fausto Corvo indeed did know how to paint a world within a world inside a painting the children set off to find a way out of the world and the painting to get back home. 

I loved The Blackhope Enigma, it was a fantastic adventure novel with the added fantastical elements, pirates and all the male characters mean it would appeal to anybody. I also loved the art element present all the way through, from Corvo's painting to Sunni & Blaise's sketchbooks which are never far away from them to Teresa Flavin's illustrations scattered throughout the pages. It's aimed at children aged 9 & up but anyone could read it really as there's adventure, fantasy & history all of which gives it wide appeal and not forgetting the art which only fuels your interest - especially in the creation of Corvo whose life comes across so convincingly you're almost certain he's a real artist and not just one created purely for the story.

Labyrinths, mazes, pirates & pirate ships, treasure maps, bad guys, good guys - The Blackhope Enigma really does have it all and I can't wait to get started on the next book, The Crimson Shard, to see what else Sunni & Blaise can get up to and whether Blaise's crush on Sunni is ever reciprocated!

*My copy was borrowed from my local library but I have just bought my own to keep for the future library of F & E when they get older!

This Dark Endeavour - Kenneth Oppel

This Dark Endeavour (Apprenticeship Of Victor Frankenstein #1) - Kenneth Oppel
Website - Kenneth Oppel
Twitter - @kennethoppel

ISBN - 9781849920896 

Publisher - David Fickling Books

Twitter - @DFB_storyhouse
Find on: Goodreads

Book Depository

'The purest intentions can stir up the darkest obsessions.

In this prequel to Mary Shelley’s gothic classic, Frankenstein, 16-year-old Victor Frankenstein begins a dark journey that will change his life forever. Victor’s twin, Konrad, has fallen ill, and no doctor is able to cure him. Unwilling to give up on his brother, Victor enlists his beautiful cousin Elizabeth and best friend Henry on a treacherous search for the ingredients to create the forbidden Elixir of Life. Impossible odds, dangerous alchemy and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn.

Victor knows he must not fail. But his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, science, and love - and how much he is willing to sacrifice.' - Goodreads

Wow, where to start with this one? It's been on my wishlist since I first heard about it back in 2011 but I've only just read it as I was so sure I would be disappointed. I needn't have worried, This Dark Endeavour (in my opinion) is all I expected it to be. You don't need to have read Frankenstein to read this but if you haven't and you still don't want to after finishing the book then there's something wrong with you! 

From the beginning the characters and the storyline hold your attention and draw you in, the tone is just as dark and enthralling as Shelley's original and the relationship between Konrad & Victor is almost a perfect split between good and evil - his having an identical twin is the perfect plot device to show how easy it is to do anything, including going against the laws of nature to keep a loved one with you. Unlike Shelley's novel you get to see Victor's character in all its glory and depth as he is the principle main character, although he is the 'villian' of the piece you can't help but root for him throughout This Dark Endeavour.

Victor, Konrad, their cousin Elizabeth and best friend Henry are always together, so when they discover a hidden alchemical library deep in the bowels of the Frankenstein mansion shortly before Konrad falls ill, it is the obvious place to search for a cure even though they have all been forbidden from ever entering it again. There then begins a race against time to save Konrad aided by an unreliable source of help, an old wheelchair bound alchemist in the nearby town with a big cat as a guard/servant and going to extreme lengths (especially in Victor's case) to save his beloved brother whilst also falling in love with his brother's betrothed, cousin Elizabeth and the intense rivalry this causes on top of the usual competitiveness between twins. 

It was almost eerie reading Victor's thoughts and seeing quite clearly how he becomes the mad doctor of Mary Shelley's novel, how he is already tiptoeing the fine line between insanity & mere obsession and t becomes easy to see how he becomes the Dr Frankenstein of the classic. The final few pages set out quite clearly the path that Victor is, in a way, destined to follow. The ending shocked me and had me ranting that it was impossible for me to buy the second book in the series, Such Wicked Intent, immediately! Definitely worth staying up until 3am to finish...

Brief Thoughts #2 - Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher

The Obsidian Mirror (Chronoptika #1) - Catherine Fisher

ISBN (UK) 9780340970089, Hodder Childrens Books, pub. - October 4 2012
ISBN (US) 9780803739697, Dial Books, exp. pub. - April 23 2013

'Jake's father disappears while working on mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger ... The experiments concerned a black mirror, which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn's estate: Sarah - a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says, Maskelyne - who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century. There are others, a product of the mirror's power to twist time. And a tribe of elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and filled with hate for humans. But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really happened to his father.' - Goodreads

I'm a huge fan of Catherine Fisher which, considering I've only read two of her books, is saying something! I loved Incarceron (I cried when they cast Taylor Lautner, hopefully if the movie ever gets off the ground he won't be in it), liked Crown Of Acorns and I have both Sapphique & Darkhenge on my mountainous TBR pile. There is something about her writing that draws me in but having said that I think I spent three quarters of Obsidian Mirror confused. There were multiple time periods, multiple POV's with snippets taken from documents & diaries interspersed amongst the chapters but this was all quite easy to keep track of. I've no idea why I felt so confused except maybe I wasn't quite sure where the story was going and it very much felt like a standalone novel but then, it seemed to click and things made sense, by the time I got to the end I was desperate to read book #2 in the Chronoptika series only to discover there's no title or expected publication date so it looks like a long wait!

Lots of people don't like time travel because it's not something that could ever happen but I liked this idea, of using the obsidian mirror to go into the past or the present and let's face it if you can't believe in something fantastical then you probably shouldn't be reading fantasy! What made Obsidian Mirror for me was the inclusion of the fey or the Shee as Fisher refers to them. I loved Summer and Gideon, the human boy out of time and am looking forward to reading more about Winter. Her descriptions of the Shee as a whole were breathtaking and I really hope in the next instalment more is made of the connection between Summer and Venn, Jake's godfather and of the Shee themselves. It was extremely refreshing to have a boy as the main protagonist, Obsidian Mirror would appeal to anyone because it has 'fairies' they're not your everyday Tinkerbell type! What hooked me the most though was the secret revealed right at the end of the book, what a cliffhanger! Ms Fisher, I urge you to write quickly because I'm not sure I can wait patiently for the next book. I borrowed my copy from the local library but I think I will be buying a copy, I'm almost certain I will need to reread if/when book two is published.

77 Shadow Street - Dean Koontz

77 Shadow Street  - Dean Koontz, published by Harper June 7 2012

'The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill at the highest point of an old heartland city, a Gilded Age palace built in the late 1800s as a tycoon's dream home. Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its rechristening in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. For its fortunate residents--among them a successful songwriter and her young son, a disgraced ex-senator, a widowed attorney, and a driven money manager--the Pendleton's magnificent quarters are a sanctuary, its dark past all but forgotten.
But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths. With each passing hour, a terrifying certainty grows: Whatever drove the Pendleton's past occupants to their unspeakable fates is at work again. Soon, all those within its boundaries will be engulfed by a dark tide from which few have escaped.
Dean Koontz transcends all expectations as he takes readers on a gripping journey to a place where nightmare visions become real--and where a group of singular individuals hold the key to humanity's destiny. Welcome to 77 Shadow Street' - Goodreads

The first Koontz book I've read since Brother Odd (I think, in 2006)* and it feels like I've never had a break from his writing. Great story, anything 'spore'-like freaks me out because it's so possible but still he uses twenty words for something where the rest of us may only use five. It creeped me out sufficiently enough to remind me that once upon a time - when I was but a young girl - I found Mr Koontz scarier than Stephen King for some absurd reason. A classic haunted house story on a large scale with a somewhat unexpected twist, a considerable motley crew of characters ranging from the innocent children, the child-like innocents to the (probably) criminally insane and the elderly all of whom helped to make this an unexpectedly good tale.

* I may have read The Darkest Evening of the Year in 2007 but I can't remember!