Bitter Blood By Rachel Caine

Series: Morganville Vampires #13
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Release Date: October 24th 2012
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Synopsis: For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville, Texas, have managed to co-exist in peace. But now that the threat to the vampires has been defeated, the human residents are learning that the gravest danger they face is the enemy within… Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn't about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires. To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news… or worse.

First Line: Claire Danvers was in a rare bad mood, and nearly getting arrested didn't improve it.

Every time I read one of the Morganville books I profess that it's my favorite so far (with the exception of Bite Club, which I didn't like much) and this time I think it might actually be true. Though I say that every time as well so who knows. One thing is certain though, I love this series and I will be so upset when it ends in two books time. Originally it was supposed end two books ago so maybe I still have hope. Anyway this book follows on straight from the last. The Draug are finally gone and the vampires are once again top of the food chain but this time the rules are changing in their favor. The hunting licences which Amelie had got rid of are back so vampires are allowed to kill one human that they choose with no consequences but if they go over that limit the then the consequences are... well literally non existent. The humans are in more danger than ever. To add insult to injury a ghost hunting show arrive to look for paranormal creatures and it is imperative that they don't find anything otherwise they'll get much more than they bargained for...

I love all the characters in this series and have done in every book, they just get better and better. You can tell the author is good when they make you feel for even the evil characters. Claire manages to fight vampires, keep peace and look after her friends all while going to university and for that I love her. Shane is amazing as ever; he's funny, kind and loving, what more could you want? Eve whom I have always liked is just as badass as she always is but she has a vulnerability about her which makes it so easy to relate. Michael is a very real character who has a protective aura about him which I admire though he seems to have very bad luck. Last but not least is Myrnin who (anyone who read my reviews for previous Morganville books will already know this) is my absolute favorite. He is crazy, charming and intriguing. This time around we actually got chapters from his point of view which all tore my heart out. On the plus side we had appearences from Bob the spider and the vampire bunny slippers!

As always I love Caine's writing style and the multiple point of views she uses have grown on me slightly though I don't fully love them. Her story building is phenomenal and I am sucked into every book that Miss Caine writes right away. I always want to savor them but the pace is so fast that it's impossible. I always recommend this series to anyone and everyone and I'm looking forward to her next books, as well as praying she keeps extending the series. It will never get old!

My Favorite Quotes:
I lifted one foot from the brackish water, and the bunny slippers were soaked and drooped pathetically. Even the fangs seemed robbed of any charm. 
"Don't worry," I told it. "Someone will pay for your suffering. Heavily. With screaming." 
I felt I should repeat it for the other slipper, in case there should be any bad feelings between the two. One should never create tension between ones's footwear. ~ Myrnin

“Stop being so..." 
"Charming?Attractive?Irresistible? 
"I'm going with arrogant.” 

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Stacking The Shelves (5)

Stacking the shelves is hosted over at Tynga's Reviews. Okay I need to stop buying books! I'm buying them much faster than I'm actually reading them. I didn't get that many this time though...

Bought:

  

  

  

I also have a delivery on the way but you'll hear more about that when it comes :)

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Black Dawn By Rachel Caine

Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Synopsis: With its eclectic mix of vampire and human citizens, Morganville, Texas, has always been a risky place to call home. But with the invasion of the vampire’s deadliest enemy, Morganville isn’t just in danger—it’s dying… 

Ever since the draug—mysterious creatures that prey on vampires—took over Morganville, the lives of student Claire Danvers and her friends have been thrown into turmoil. Most of the town’s residents have evacuated, but Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael have chosen to stay and fight.

Using the city’s water system to spread, the draug have rapidly multiplied. Things in Morganville look grim, especially since vampire Amelie—the town founder—has been infected by the master draug’s bite. 

Now, if Claire and her friends don’t figure out how to cure Amelie and defeat the draug, it looks like Morganville will become little more than a ghost town…

I've been desperate to read this book since finishing Last Breath a few months ago. I have loved the Morganville series which is good since I'm on book 12. You'd think that it would get old eventually (like House Of Night) but Morganville never has. I love the uniqueness of their Vampire society, Caine makes her vamps different without going over the top (Discoball vamps anyone?). Usually in Vampire books you have vampires living in a town but most people don't know they're there. Well I love how in Morganville they do know about them. Which call for badass residents who carry stakes in their pockets and holy water in their flasks. Vampire's are top of the food chain so their are a couple of rules to help humans, like Vampires having to have a hunting licence. Well in a town full of them it can't be too hard. In Last Breath we found out that the Vampires are in fact not the top of the food chain after all. Enter the Draug. The draug are creatures that live in the water and can tempt humans and vampires alike with their singing. Their not the problem though, the problem is the master Draug. He brings shame to the name Magnus! How do you kill him? You don't.

The Morganville residents are as awesome as ever. Claire has never been my favorite - and still isn't - but I do like her character. She is no longer the mousy brainiac that first came to Morganville eleven books ago but a new and improved Claire. She's still smart but she's more feisty and that I like. Eve I love. She's goth but a really nice one. Plus she's brave and carry's round a vampire survival kit. Awesome or what? Michael is your typical rockstar; hot, talented but so nice! Did I mention he's a vampire? Shane, well who doesn't love him? I admit his anger gets the better of him sometimes but still, he's so sweet and loves Claire. Shane had a hard life which still haunts him and I'm a sucker for a guy with a tortured soul (Will, Jace, Patch, I could go on forever...). Myrnin, well he's a mad vampire scientist who has a soft spot for Claire, totally sweet but I did get angry with him a few times. Bob is Myrnin's pet spider and I think he may be my favorite spider ever! I hate spiders so it's not an achievement but still.

Overall I loved this book as I did the rest of the series. I had minor issues concerning the changing of point of view. I do like seeing the other characters POV's but I do prefer authors to stick to one. Shane's POV always makes me worried for his sanity! I wish we could have some of Myrnin's point of view though. Then again we may not want to know what he's thinking as his sanity has been and gone. I would reccomend this book to Rachel Caine and Vampire lovers. Even if you don't like vampire books you could like this one, as there are no sparkly stalkers (Sorry Edward!). I would give this book 5/5 Stars because although it's slow in parts I still loved it.

My Favorite Quote (Lucky you get 2): 
“Shane: "Bro," he said, in an injured tone, "I had to go out with a flamethrower, and you weren't there to see it."
Michael: "Pics or it didn't happen." 
Shane: "Dude, little busy for pics. You know, throwing flame."
----
“Myrnin was silent for a beat, and then he said, “Bob would be very disappointed in you.” 
“Bob the spider?” 
“He looks at you like a mother, you know. I’m surprised at your lack of work ethic. Think of the example you set for—” 
She hung up on him and turned the phone on vibrate and relaxed in Shane’s arms. 


Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Chill Factor By Rachel Caine

Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars
Synopsis: Weather Warden extraordinaire Joanne Baldwin, who protects the human race from monster storms, was killed, reborn as a Djinn, and then restored to her original form. She's been through a lot – and stuck her neck out many times – to save innocent lives. Now she is rolling the dice to stop an infinitely powerful, deeply disturbed kid from destroying the world... A teenager has holed up in style at a Las Vegas hotel with the most powerful Djinn in the world, planning who knows what kind of mischief. The Wardens' senior leadership is dead, Djinn are disappearing, and a secret society wants to help Joanne destroy the teenager, even if doing so kills her again. But everyone in Vegas has a game going, and Joanne has to learn the rules fast because the stakes have never been higher – and all hell is about to break loose...

Sorry this review is late but for some reason I haven't been able to work up the motivation to write it, no idea why but still. Anyway Chill Factor is book three of the Weather Wardens series and it's began to get a lot more interesting. Chill Factor takes place in Las Vegas so everyone's in the betting mood. Too bad most are betting against Joanne. Well she has died three or four times so I'm not sure I would put too much money on her. In this book you find out a lot more about Djinn and the way they work. That I liked because I am finding the Djinn very interesting. By the way Djinn are kinda like genies if you were wondering. The story line was clearer in this book than in the previous two. The action seemed more necessary also. I loved the development of the characters.

Kevin seemed less like a spoiled teenage boy and more like a weak, fragile child who was being taken advantage of by a very powerful Djinn. I pitied Kevin after all he'd been through but it didn't make me like him anymore than I already did. I didn't know what to make of Johnathan, sometimes he seemed totally insane but other times he seemed cold and calculating. All I know for certain is that it is not wise to get on the wrong side of him. Joanne I still like as much as before but I feel that she's a lot stronger. I'm very glad that Rachel Caine hasn't made the horrible mistake of making her rely fully on David. Speaking of David, I would have liked to see a lot more of him. He was barely in it. I still don't like Lewis but I've been told he gets more likable further on so I have not yet lost hope!

The Weather Wardens series keeps getting better and better and Rachel Caine has not disappointed so far. There was actually a decent amount of chapters in this book (compared to the 3 previously) so I had no complaint about that. I would recommend this book the people who like feisty heroines and also those who enjoy a unique twist on Urban Fantasy. I would give this book 4/5 stars and I'm eager to get into the next one in the series.

My Favorite Quote:
“God, it was hot! Forget about frying an egg on the sidewalk; this kind of heat would fry an egg inside the chicken.” 

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Heat Stroke By Rachel Caine

Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars

Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars

Synopsis: Accused of murder, Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin was chased across the country—and killed—by a team charged with hunting down rogue Wardens. Five days later, Joanne had a lovely funeral and was posthumously cleared of all charges. Her human life was over, but she had been reborn in Djinnhood. Now, until she masters her enhanced powers, Joanne must try to avoid being "claimed" by a human. But when a hazard that only a Djinn could sense infiltrates Earth's atmosphere, Joanne must somehow convince someone to do something about it—or the forecast will be deadly. So who said being all-powerful was going to be easy?


Heat Stroke is book 2 in the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine. As you may know she is one of my favorite authors and she never disappoints. Although I prefer her Morganville series this one is really great. One thing I like about Rachel Caine is all of her heroines are as bad-ass as they come. Joanne Baldwin is smart and deadly, yes she has her barbie doll moments but I can get over that. I was kinda shocked when at the end of Ill Wind she was reborn as a Djinn because - apart from vampires - it's not often an author changes her main characters species and even when they do it's usually near the end of a series. Well this is book two of nine so I wouldn't say it was near the end. Another thing I love about Rachel Caine is her writing style, it's relaxed and not forced as some author's writing comes across. The Weather Wardens series is very unique, I mean we always complain about weather but Caine actually was genius enough to write a book about weather.


We had the same familiar characters as in book one including Lewis - whom I'm not particularly fond of - and David - who I like slightly more but still don't love. I think the story line seemed slightly better in this book than the first which didn't have much of one. I liked them both equally though. The only thing that annoyed me was the length of the chapters, there were about five in the first book and this one had three. Seriously they were about 150 pages each and I always like to read to the end of chapters before taking a break so it was very irritating. I would recommend this book to lovers of Rachel Caine and kick-ass heroines. I would gibve this book 4/5 stars. 
I've been reading a lot lately so reviews of Unearthly and Specials coming very soon.


My Favorite Quote:
“Paul?” I said.
My voice shook a little. “It’s Jo.” Silence. I couldn’t tell what was happening on the other end.
Then, very quietly, “Jesus.”
“No, just Joanne, although I can see how you might make the mistake, coming back from the dead and all.” 



Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Cover Reveal - Bitter Bloods By Rachel Caine

You know how usually an author brings out a book and then a year later they bring out another and everyone gets frustrated with waiting? Well it seems Rachel Caine is a lot faster than most authors, Black Dawn her twelfth Morganville book is coming out in a few weeks and already the thirteenth Morganville's book cover and synopsis has been released. Now that's what I call fast working.
Here's the cover, don't you love it?

I'm sure your wondering why I haven't shared the synopsis with you. Well the reason is I accidentally read it and it literally told me what was going to happen in Black Dawn. I was very annoyed and I don't want my lovely followers to got through that so I will share it closer to the time. Do you like the cover? I think it's supposed to be Claire on the front which begs the question who is on the Black Dawn cover? 

Personally I'm very excited for Black Dawn and Bitter Bloods. I just love this series. I know lots of fans around the world would be upset that the twelfth book is coming out soon because it was going to be the last but guess what? There is now going to be fifteen. They just don't get old, Rachel Caine is definitely one of my favorite authors. Are you looking forward to it?

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Ill Wind By Rachel Caine

I've read two books in one day, I think that may be a record! Anyway on with the review. I picked up Ill Wind thinking it was a Young Adult book because the author wrote my beloved Morganville series. I was mistaken. I really need to start checking books out, I think this has been the third I've picked up and found it was adult. I didn't mind too much though.

Ill wind is about Jo Baldwin, she's a Weather Warden... on the run. A Weather Warden's job is to keep people by delivering the world of dangerous weather but that's easier said than done. Joanne is searching for Lewis, the only person she knows that can help her avoid the certain death that is approaching. One problem, he's also on the run after having stolen three Djinn's. So not only is he on the run but he is the most wanted man in the world - things couldn't get much better for Joanna - but if she's going to survive then she has to find Lewis. And fast. 

"Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life...  Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful warden known. Unfortunately, he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn-making him the most wanted man on earth. Still, she's racing hard to find him-before the bad weather closes in fast..."

I enjoyed this book mostly because I love Rachel Caine's writing style, I don't know what it is but I always love anything written by her. This was a good book, not as good as Morganville, but good. As it's the first book I didn't really get to know any of the characters well but I quite liked Jo and David. Lewis, to say he's the main part of the book, is hardly in it so I don't know how I feel about him just yet. Some parts of Ill Wind confused me slightly but by the end I got it. I am really looking forward to book two. I wouldn't reccomend this to younger readers but its a good read. I would give it 4/5 stars.


My favorite quote:
“People talk about nature as a mother, but to me she's always been Medea, ready and willing to slaughter her children.” 


Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Waiting On Wednesday (#1)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This is my first time doing it, I'm looking forward to SO many books so it was highly difficult to decide on the book but alas I made my decision. My book is...Morganville: Black Dawn by Rachel Caine. To be released May 1st 2012. I couldn't decide which cover to use so you get both! BEWARE! Do not read this summary if you have not yet read Last Breath.

"Ever since the draug—mysterious creatures that prey on vampires — took over Morganville, the lives of student Claire Danvers and her friends have been thrown into turmoil. Using the city’s water system to spread, the draug have rapidly multiplied and vampire Amelie — the town founder — has been infected by the master draug’s bite. Now, unless Claire and her friends figure out how to cure Amelie and defeat the draug, Morganville will become little more than a ghost town…"

What book can you not wait to read? Tell me about it! I may just have to add it to my TBR list, which is very full by the way. Show me your Waiting On Wednesday.
Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK

Last Breath (Morganville Vampires #11) By Rachel Caine

The Morganville Vampires series has been one of my favourites for a long time. And this book upset me! No not because it was a disappointment. It was anything but that, this book was the best Morganville so far. No the thing that upset me was after reading this book I realised that there was only one left. One more book in the Morganville series! So that will be twelve books in total and it is still not enough!!!

This book followed the Glass House residents as normal but throughout the book the story was told by different characters. It was mostly Claire as usual but you also got to see things through Amelie, Eve, Michael and Shane's eyes. Sadly there was not a section told by Myrnin, that would be... interesting but undoubtedly hilarious.

There was most of the usual characters in this book including Bob Myrnin's much loved spider but there was also lots of new characters, including the mysterious Magnus. There are many things that become clear in Last Breath, like why the vampires live out in the desert and just what have they been running from all these years. With vampires disapearing it seems whatever they were running from has caught up with them. Of course there is also the drama from Eve and Michael's engagement which you just new was going to happen. But why is it such a big deal? Also after 10 books you finally get to see just how much Myrnin cares about Claire and then just what Shane would do for her. Lucky Girl! Really it IS as awesome as it sounds!

"Claire Danvers is concerned when three vampires vanish from Morganville without a trace. The last person seen with them is someone new to town - a mysterious individual named Magnus. Claire is convinced creepy Magnus isn't human ...but is he a vampire, or something else entirely? Claire's hunt for answers leads her to solving another mystery that's long been puzzling her: why do vampires live so far out in a sunny desert when they're sensitive to sunlight? The answer has nothing to do with sunlight, but with water - and an ancient enemy who has finally found a way to invade the vampires' landlocked community. Vampires aren't the top predator on earth. There's something worse that preys on them ...something much worse. Which means if Claire, and Morganville, want to live, they will have to fight on to the last breath ..."

I loved this book! It was a really great read which made me definatly want to reread the series. I would reccomend this book to paranormal romance or YA lovers. I would rate this book 5/5 stars. Yay my very rare full number and it deserves it. Go out and read this book now! RIGHT NOW! I know what your thinking "Maybe later" but no you need to read it now! I am currently reading Vampire Diaries: Phantom so I will be posting a review of that soon.

My favorite quote:
The quote I really wanted to share with you was sadly too much of a spoiler but luckily I found a hilarious one to take its place.

“No.” He took his hand out of his pocket and put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her close. “If I could be half the girl you are, I’d be—wow, I have no idea where I was going with that, and it just turned out uncomfortable, all of a sudden.”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK