Mini-Review: The Dragon Stirs by Lynda Aicher

Title: The Dragon Stirs
Author: Lynda Aicher
Series: Energen #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 02/07/12
Reviewed by: Sara
Summary:

The energy might bind them, but their love could save us all...

When Shifter Airiana Draco volunteers to scout the enemy’s compound, her family thinks it's to prove herself. In truth, she wants answers. Plagued with doubt and a secret shame, she hungers to learn more about the Energens, the people who have opposed the Shifters since the beginning of time. But getting captured wasn't in her plans.

Energen Loukianos Aeros has always wondered about his exiled older brother who was accused of aiding their mortal enemy, the Shifters, long before Louk was born. Now, the answers Louk seeks are within his grasp when he stumbles upon a beautiful enemy spy right outside his door.

Forced together by the energy, Airiana and Louk are unprepared for the sudden attraction as they struggle to gain the answers they seek. As the danger builds and their lives are threatened, they must learn to trust the energy and each other. But are they strong enough to challenge all they were raised to believe or will the pressure cause them to turn on the one truth they can’t deny?

The time is coming when earth will be changed forever. The dragon is rising and with the joining of The Two, he stirs.

Warning: Mix two opposing forces with some elemental powers, add in a little shove from the energy and you get earth-shattering sex, one angry dragon, a world that is altered forever.

Mini-Review: I really liked the idea of the energy in this novel, along with the Shifters and the Energen. The feud between the two made for a lot of tension. I just wish there could've been more details included about the energy that surrounded everything that happened. There were a few times in which I was wondering if I missed a prologue. The pace of the novel was great, I read it in an afternoon. I also really enjoyed the alternating points of view between Airiana and Louk. It gave me a good look into both the Shifters and the Energen. I really enjoyed the main couple, Airiana and Louk, but I wish some of the other characters could've had slightly larger parts. The cover model's hand looks a bit like claws at a first glance. And the dragon in the background is faint enough that I didn't notice it at first.

Plot: 3.5 Stars
Pace: 4 Stars
Characters: 3.5 Stars
Cover: 3.5 Stars
Overall: 3.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought a copy of this novel for my own reading pleasure.

Review: Slayers by C.J. Hill

Title: Slayers
Author: C.J. Hill
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Release Date: 09/27/11
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it –- these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.

The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?

Plot: 3 Stars
I really wanted to love this novel. The premise was fantastic. There aren't nearly enough urban-fantasy-esqe novels that include dragons. But I found the lack of details a bit disappointing. The reader get the basics as to how the slayers came to be and what the different abilities are, but many of the hows and whys were left unanswered. A few too many details are just taken for granted by the characters. Even while Tori is still learning about her destiny and questioning things, there are some details and history that I wanted her to question, but she did not. Those details aside, this novel was still very interesting. The different powers the slayers possessed and the training they went through were interesting. My favorite parts were the prologue and the last chapter. The prologue gives a glimpse of how evil the dragons can be and leaves you wanting to know more while Tori is finding her way. And the last chapter drops a bit of a bomb. It's not quite a cliffhanger, but it did leave me wanting to know what happens next.

Pace: 2.5 Stars
This novel moved a bit slow for my taste. Life at camp moved at a pretty slow pace while the slayers practiced and showed Tori what was going on. There were entire chapters dedicated to smaller, more trivial events that could've been wrapped up much quicker, like when Tori runs off to get her hair fixed after getting the majority of her ponytail burnt off. There were quite a few times in which the smaller details of every day life were blown up into much bigger scenes than they needed to be. It also threw me off a little when the point of view of the novel changed. The majority of the book was from Tori's perspective, but every now and then there would be a chapter all in italics that was a different point of view. It was normal enough the first couple times, when the point of view only changed to Jesse. But it seemed a little forced when the point of view jumped to a couple other characters.

Characters: 3.5 Stars
Some of the characters in this novel were definitely developed more than others. I really enjoyed the more developed characters, like Tori and Jesse. I wanted to like the less developed characters, but I really didn't get to learn that much about them. Many of the slayers tended to stay in the background, only coming into the spotlight when their powers were needed. Tori was a very interesting main character. She straddled the line in regards to being a bit spoiled. The author did a good job of making sure the reader could still relate to her and not think of her as a spoiled brat. I really enjoyed that she was vulnerable as she began to practice with the slayers. She didn't learn how to use her powers and fight overnight, which made her feel a bit more real.

Cover: 3 Stars
The dark green of this cover is my favorite part. The color really fits a novel about dragons. The yellow color of the title pops against the dark green and continues the dragon feel. But the font itself chosen for the title is a bit too masculine considering about half of the slayers are female, and the novel is mostly from Tori's point of view. The dragon egg used as the focus of the cover fits the novel, but doesn't really draw the eye. It's a little hard to tell what the item is or to distinguish details at a quick glance. I would've rather the cover included a real dragon and maybe a couple characters. This cover is just a bit too generic and doesn't give off enough of a dragon vibe to grab your attention.

Overall: 3 Stars

Disclosure: I received a copy of this novel for review from Authors on the Web.

Guest Blog: C.J. Hill

Today, I'd like to welcome C.J. Hill to Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog. C.J. Hill is the pseudonym for a popular young adult author who makes her fantasy debut with Slayers.

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Most story ideas don’t come to me whole and complete but are cobbled together from several incidents and thoughts. Slayers is that way. The first incident happened when I was fifth grade and had just moved to Silver Springs, Maryland. All the adults there were quite excited because this was the year that the cicadas would emerge from the ground after remaining dormant and hidden for 17 years. The next door neighbor happily explained to me that this was the cicadas’ way of avoiding predators. Since they only emerged every 17 years, predators couldn’t depend on them as a food source.

A brilliant adaptation, I might add, for an insect that isn’t smart enough to avoid accidentally flying into your hair.

I remember finding a lot of hollow cicada skins that summer, because cicada’s also shed their skin. Ahh, there’s nothing nicer to find hanging from your bedroom windowsill than a creepy, hollow bug skin.

But anyway, the point to all of this was that as a child I immediately picked up on what the adults seemed to have missed in the cicadas’ amazing return from the underworld. If bugs could (sort of) hibernate for nearly two decades in order to give themselves a natural advantage, why couldn’t other species do it too? Maybe there were animals with such long life cycles we just hadn’t caught them emerging yet.

I grew up on Godzilla movies and so had a strong and deep rooted fear that dinosaurs might one day show up and start smacking buildings around and eating screaming Japanese people -- or worse yet: eat me.

No one knew what had caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and I was surprised that no one had come up with my theory. They weren’t really gone. They were just hibernating. Waiting until there were lots of yummy fifth grade girls around to chomp on. And there were probably some eggs buried under my house!!

The nice thing about childhood fears is that you can use them later in your novels. Nothing is ever wasted when you’re a writer.

The next piece that added to the Slayers plot was my own clumsiness. I will sometimes wake up in the morning and notice bruises or scratches and I have no idea how or when I got them. My husband is understandably amazed by this phenomenon. He’ll say things like, “How can you not realize it when you hurt yourself? Were you with your body all day yesterday?”

Apparently not. Writers are like that sometimes.

I got tired of my husband’s comments so I started telling him, “While you sleep at night, I secretly go out and fight dragons.”

And then because I have a writer’s brain I wondered what it would be like to fight dragons. Viola, the beginning of a plot. When I researched dragons, I found another interesting fact. Just about every ancient culture had a dragon mythology. Most people are familiar with European and Chinese dragons, but Japanese and Koreans had them too. The Aztecs had Quetzalcoatl the flying feathered serpent, the Native Americans had Thunderbirds -- birds so big that when they flapped their wings, it sounded like thunder. The Bible has dragon references in both the New and Old Testaments. Even the Hawaiians have a dragon mythology. When the dragon goddess, Kihawahine, needed help retrieving her runaway human husband, she called on all the dragons from the Islands to fly over and help her.

I bet you never knew dragons provided that service, did you? They fly, breathe fire, and provide marriage counseling. Can a creature get cooler than that? All of this got me thinking even more about the subject. What if they had really existed? Who could have killed them? What powers would they knights have needed to fight them? And what if some people wanted to save the dragons instead of killing them? Where would they have taken them to protect them?

So that’s how Slayers came about. It was a really fun book to write. I hope readers have just as much fun reading it.

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Thanks again to C.J. Hill for stopping by. And don't forget to enter for a chance to win a copy of Slayers! Click here to enter the giveaway. Ends tonight.

Also, check out the book trailer for Slayers!

Review: Dark Embers by Tessa Adams

Title: Dark Embers
Author: Tessa Adams
Series: Dragon's Heat #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 07/06/10
Reviewed by: Christen
But the Book:

Summary:

A new erotic paranormal series, starring dragon shapeshifters, kicks off with a very sexy debut...

Prince Dylan MacLeod is one of the last pure-blood dragon shape-shifters -- and ruler of a dying race, the Dragonstar clan. It falls to him to protect his people and their ancient magic. But he has one important duty: to provide an heir...

Like all dragons, Dylan, who has a dark, rampant sexual appetite, can only procreate with his destined mate -- for whom he's searched for the last five hundred years. But his quest is delayed when a disease sweeps through the Dragonstars, and Dylan must venture to the human world to find a cure. He tracks down bio-chemist Phoebe Quillum, never imagining the beautiful scientist would be the mate he's been seeking. But even with the fate of the clan on their shoulders, Phoebe and Dylan are overcome by their sexual desire.

Their passion turns to something truer, but when Phoebe is kidnapped by Dylan's oldest enemy, he must risk everything for his love and his clan...

Plot: 2.5 Stars
This was my first dragon read, and it wasn't bad. But I think it definitely could have been better. Never, not once, could I picture in my mind what these dragons actually looked like. I kept waiting for the big information drop, where the reader and the human character gets the inside scoop on dragons and what it's like to be this dragon in particular, but I didn't get that. The human character did at some point off stage, but it would have been helpful to the reader as well. Also, I would have liked a little more explaination about both of the character's pasts, Dylan's in particular. A couple of things happen in order for Dylan to be king, but they are only mentioned in Dylan's mental monologues, which comes across a bit biased. Just an explaination from a secondary character would have been nice.

Pace: 2 Stars
In the summary, it tells you that Phoebe and Dylan are destined mates. Guess when they figured that out? The last page. When could they have figured it out? On page 85. All he had to do was look at his arm, he would have noticed that his tattoo had changed. I don't understand how anyone can go almost three months without looking at your arm. That was very frustrating. Besides that, all of the action was packed into the last fifty pages, which means my attention wandered a bit through the first 300 pages or so.

Characters: 3 Stars
Both Dylan and Phoebe were good characters. They had pasts, they had attitudes, and they had their hang-ups. They were believeable characters. The author spent a lot of time introducting them to the reader and added new layers to each character, just like you would if you were getting to know them. The secondary characters, however, weren't as well done. The few secondary characters that actually had lines were pretty much just that, lines. They were never explained and hardly introduced, just thrown in to help the story progress.

Cover: 3 Stars
The cover model is okay, but he kinda needed a shirt. The tattoo, although pertinent to the story, looked completely fake. The dragon belt buckle was an interesting way to tie in the dragon shifter aspect of the story. Without the belt buckle, the cover didn't really say paranormal. The city in the background helps you place that this is happening in or near the desert. But as far as I could tell, they were never in a city. I really liked the colors chosen for the color, especially the purple at the top.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this novel for my own reading pleasure.

Review: Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Title: Dragon Bound
Author: Thea Harrison
Series: Elder Races #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 05/03/11
But the Book:

Summary:

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful -- and passionate -- of the Elder races.

Plot: 4.5 Stars
This was my first dragon-shifter novel, and it left me wondering why I haven't picked up any dragon-shifter books before because I really enjoyed it. The twists and turns in this novel were intense, and the world-building was amazing. There were so many different aspects to the supernatural world, and a number of different supernatural creatures, but it was never muddled or overwhelming. The slightly large cast of characters never hindered the story, and each character was very unique so I never got any confused. The big plot twist at the end involved something I normally do not enjoy in my romance, but it was done in such an interesting way that I actually enjoyed it.

Pace: 3.5 Stars
This novel was a slow read for me, but not in the normal way. It was not a slow read because there were points in which I wanted to put the novel down, or the plot took some turns that didn't keep me interested. Instead, it just seemed to take longer for me to read each page. I don't know if it had to do with the author's writing style, or if the publisher crammed more lines onto each page (I'm thinking it was the latter because the text was slightly smaller than usual). It also took me a little bit longer than usual to get into the novel. This probably had to do with all of the hype on other blogs and twitter. But after a couple chapters, things got very interesting very quickly and I soon found myself devouring chapter after chapter (at a slightly slower pace than usual).

Characters: 4.5 Stars
Some of my favorite characters in this novel were the supporting characters around Dragos. I'm already excited for the next books in the series because I can't wait to read their stories. Dragos himself was a very interesting character to get to know. He showed a lot of growth throughout the novel, without losing the qualities that made him who he was (such as his possessiveness and stubborness). Pia was a great heroine. She was different from many PNR heroines because she knew what she was, she just didn't know the extent of her abilities. It was very interesting to watch her enter into this new world and test the boundaries of her powers.

Cover: 3.5 Stars
The colors of this cover are my favorite feature. The mix of oranges, yellows, and purples gives off a fantasy feel that fits the subject matter. Although the choice of green for the title doesn't work so well against the other colors, the font choice is spot on. The cover model is not at all how I envisioned Dragos. It's not so much the looks that I have an issue with, but the cover model's expression. He just doesn't look as brooding as Dragos was during parts of the book. And the wing like detail near the cover models back is just strange. I'm assuming it's supposed to give the impression of wings, but it looks more like gargoyle-like gothic details that would be found on an old castle. I did enjoy the scale effect on the cover model's body though. It was done with a subtle touch so that it looked pretty realistic.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I won a signed copy of this novel from the author through a twitter giveaway.

Waiting on Wednesday (32)

This book blog meme is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Title: Firelight
Author: Sophie Jordan
Genre: Young Adult
Release date: 09/07/10
Summary:

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

Review: Stormwalker by Allyson James

Title: Stormwalker
Author: Allyson James
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 05/04/10
Summary:

Janet Begay is a Stormwalker, capable of wielding the raw elemental power of nature, a power that threatens to overwhelm her. Only her lover, Mick, is able to calm the storm within her-even as their passion reaches unimaginable heights of ecstasy.

But when an Arizona police chief's daughter is taken by a paranormal evil, they find themselves venturing where no human can survive-for only together can they overcome the greatest danger they've ever faced.

Plot: 5 Stars
Besides Janet's stormwalking powers, which were unique, there was a whole slew of lore and paranormal creatures in this novel. Between skinwalkers, shapeshifters, dragons, and nightwalkers (a twist on the average vampire), there was never a dull moment. Plus, the idea of the Beneath and the different realities or dimensions that exist were an interesting twist. I hope we get to learn about them more in future novels. The mystery element within the novel and how it connected to Janet was integrated into the paranormal aspects quite well. Although I had figured out certain elements, others caught me completely by surprise.

Pace: 4.5 Stars
This was one of those books that sucked me in immediately and didn't let go. I often fall victim to was I call the 200 page boredom. This is where I'll lose interest in a book around two thirds of the way through because there's a lull in the action right before the climax/resolution at the end. This novel didn't have that at all. It was nonstop action and adventure and mystery from beginning to end. Some of the end scenes could've been elaborated on a bit more because a few details were a bit rushed and confusing, but other than that the pacing was perfect.

Characters: 5 Stars
Janet is one of my favorite new heroines. I haven't liked a main character as much as I enjoyed reading about her in a long time. And her stormwalking powers were so interesting and unique. What I liked most is that she wasn't all-powerful; she couldn't always control her powers and was left feeling hungover afterwards. Mick took a bit longer to come around to, but once I got to know him a little better, I found that I liked his character and his motivations. And the detective was one of those characters you love to hate. He was always there to stir the pot and bring a little more mayhem to the story.

Cover: 5 Star
I absolutely loved this cover. The cover model looked like she could possibly be of Navajo descent, like the main character, Janet. Plus, it's a full body shot of the cover model, which I haven't seen all that often. And it really works. It gives off an air of confidence and don't-mess-with-me that really fit Janet. I also liked the simplicity of the lightning bolt in the background. It gives a hint as to what she can do as a stormwalker and draws you in.

Overall: 5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.

Review: Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn

Title: Voices of Dragons
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 03/16/10
Summary:

On one side of the border lies the modern world: the internet, homecoming dances, cell phones. On the other side dwell the ancient monsters who spark humanity's deepest fears: dragons.

Seventeen-year-old Kay Wyatt knows she's breaking the law by rock climbing near the border, but she'd rather have an adventure than follow the rules. When the dragon Artegal unexpectedly saves her life, the rules are abruptly shattered, and a secret friendship grows between them.

But suspicion and terror are the legacy of human and dragon inter­actions, and the fragile truce that has maintained peace between the species is unraveling. As tensions mount and battles begin, Kay and Artegal are caught in the middle. Can their friendship change the course of a war?

Plot: 5 Stars
I absolutely love the world that Vaughn created in this novel. A cold war between dragons and people, complete with a border that is watched over by both sides. What more could you ask for? Each side finds the other mysterious, which has led to some fear. As much as I didn't think the government would play such a role in the novel, it really worked and made it feel real, which is tough considering the dragons.

Pace: 5 Stars
This is one of those rare books that I just couldn't put down. The action never takes a break, and the twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. Kay didn't dwell on minor details, and kept her eye on the big picture. Plus, there was a real sense of time passing, which was great because I find some novels squish too much action into a week or less.

Characters: 4 Stars
Kay felt like a very real teenager to me. I really enjoyed that she didn't know exactly what she wanted in regards to boys (she reminded me of myself at sixteen). Her friends were nice compliments and her parents were strict enough without being overbearing (considering her father's a sheriff). There were certain military characters that you loved to hate. And the dragons were mysterious in a way that definitely has me begging for a sequel.

Cover: 4 Stars
Although I enjoyed getting a visual of Kay, I wish the dragons could've played a bigger part in the cover. The silhouette of the dragon behind the title is nice, but not enough. The dragons played too big of a part in the story to have such a small part on the cover. I do think the cover model represented Kay quite well. And the colors were very eye catching.

Overall: 4.5 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.

Teaser Tuesday (26)

This weekly book blog meme is hosted by Misb at Should be Reading.

Here are the rules:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others.)
- Share the title & author too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Title: Vocies of Dragons
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 03/16/10

Then they flew away before the army could respond. The planes tried to follow them, but the dragons flew faster. -- pg. 149