Review: Gathering Deep by Lisa Maxwell

Gathering Deep by Lisa Maxwell
Publisher- Flux
Released- Oct 8th 2015
Purchase- Amazon / B & N

When Chloe Sabourin wakes in a dark, New Orleans cemetery with no memory of the previous days, she can hardly believe the story her friends tell her. They say Chloe was possessed by a witch named Thisbe, who had used the darkest magic to keep herself alive for over a century. They tell her that the witch is the one responsible for the unspeakable murders that nearly claimed the life of Chloe's friend, Lucy. Most unbelievable of all, they say that Thisbe is Chloe’s own mother. As she struggles with this devastating revelation and tries to rebuilt her life, Chloe wants nothing to do with the magic that corrupted her mother…especially since she feels drawn to it. Now, a new series of ritualistic killings suggests that Thisbe is plotting again, and Chloe is drawn unwillingly back into the mystical underworld of the French Quarter. To stop Thisbe before she kills again, Chloe and her friends must learn what they can from the mysterious Mama Legba. But when her boyfriend Piers vanishes, Chloe will have to risk everything and embrace her own power to save the one person she has left… even if that means bringing down her mother.

My Thoughts:

Honestly? I wasn't sure if I'd love this book more then the first one. See, Sweet Unrest was one of those reads where not only did the words haunt me, but so did the characters, in the best way possible. I've always been a romantic sap, and well, Alex and Lucy had such a bittersweet love that I craved more the minute the story was over. So when I found out this book was a companion and not the sequel I was secretly hoping for, I had my doubts but they were quickly at ease only after reading the first chapter. Gathering Deep in Chloe's story and it's filled with just as much mystery, suspense and intrigue that I fell in love with in the first book, but this book felt different, more dangerous more sinister and I loved every minute of it!

Man, I really just adore Maxwell's fantastic storytelling. It's so crisp that I could feel and see everything play out in my mind so vividly. The atmosphere crackles with torment, power and charm and I love the way she clues in the reader with history, visions and dreams to connect us to that right moment or memory from past to present. I also love that this is set in New Orleans and that it's woven in deep voodoo magic, tortured love and an inevitable destiny. It's creepy mind you and gave me some chills, but it was so captivating I couldn't wait to see how everything plays out.

My heart really goes out to Chloe, she's been through some crazy stuff and it's not everyday you learn you mamma is an all powerful voodoo witch out for blood and took over her own daughter for her wicked plans. Literally. To say that Chloe was a bit unhinged would be an understatement and yet, I have to say I'm impressed with how she handled it. Scared, yes, haunted, sure, but extremely determined to try to fix her unconscious-mistakes and own up to her part, even if she wasn't the ones who pulled the strings. I thought Chloe was fascinating even in her resentment and doubts, I applaud her dedication to put a stop to Thisbe, even if it means the end to her own mother. 

Piers, I think, will be misunderstood for this book. When he we first meet him in Sweet Unrest, he plays the part of Chloe's charming love interest and I enjoyed what he brought to the story, but he didn't come out of Sweet Unrest, unscratched and what he had to face, what he had to almost do still haunts him. Saying that, I think I get why Piers was so overbearingly protective and even controlling and I even get why Chloe was so irritated and upset with him, but through it all, I liked Piers unwavering love and support. It just felt, realistic and I was nervous for this very thin-as-ice relationship's future. And as always I loved seeing Lucy and Mama Legba, such amazing characters that add the perfect charm to this magical story.

Bottom line, I really loved this one. Gathering Deep has a great twisty plot, remarkable writing and unforgettable characters and it make me crave more stories about voodoo witches and forbidden love. While this left us on a satisfying note, I think there is room for one more. I'm simply not done with these characters yet or this captivating world. Great read and fun escape. Can't wait for more from Maxwell!

Find the author:
Goodreads/ Website                                4.5 snowflakes

Review: Sweet Unrest b y Lisa Maxwell

Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell

Publisher- Flux

Released- Oct 8th 2014

Purchase- Amazon / B & N

Lucy Aimes has always been practical. But try as she might, she can’t come up with a logical explanation for the recurring dreams that have always haunted her. Dark dreams. Dreams of a long-ago place filled with people she shouldn’t know…but does.When her family moves to a New Orleans plantation, Lucy’s dreams become more intense, and her search for answers draws her reluctantly into the old city’s world of Voodoo and mysticism. There, Lucy finds Alex, a mysterious boy who behaves as if they’ve known each other forever. Lucy knows Alex is hiding something, and her rational side doesn’t want to be drawn to him. But she is.As she tries to uncover Alex’s secrets, a killer strikes close to home, and Lucy finds herself ensnared in a century-old vendetta. With the lives of everyone she loves in danger, Lucy will have to unravel the mystery of her dreams before it all comes to a deadly finish.

My Thoughts:

Wow, now this was an impressive debut! I'm really surprised how much I enjoyed  Sweet Unrest.  I always knew I wanted to read this, but I didn't think I'd be this mesmerized by everything this book had to offer.

Lisa Maxwell is a fantastic writer. The storyline has a little bit of everything I crave in a good escape. Voodoo magic, reincarnations, ghost stories, dreams, mystery, suspense and a fierce all consuming love. I also really loved all these characters and felt instantly connected to their stories. Past and present. I was instantly charmed by Maxwell's smooth writing style, absorbing plot and engaging characters. The writing is very smart and sharp and always kept me interested and invested chapter after chapter. To some, the pacing may seem a tad slow, but I rather enjoyed the steady rhythm of intrigue and suspense. I loved the way Maxwell connected us to the past and present by linking us through Lucy while bleeding her dreams into reality. I also really got a kick out of the voodoo element. I can't say that I've read this particular lore in other books before and I've learned that I quite enjoyed the readings, ceremony and dark magical history that comes with it, or at least in Maxwell's world. It was completely fascinating and hands down freak-worthy. Combine all that with the beauty of New Orleans and the mystery of the plantations and you have yourself an irresistible read.

Lucy is an amazing fiery protagonist. She's an ever practical person who doesn't exactly believe in all this voodoo business, but I like that she doesn't flat out reject the idea and keeps an open mind, especially considering  what she's been seeing in her dreams and then seeing it re-enact in her own life. I think that was one of my favorite parts, seeing the dreams, nightmares and visions unfold and watch the mystery play out with thrilling anticipation.

Alexandre is a very alluring character, he's definitely intense in that dark almost threatening mysterious way but also has a playful kindness and charm that you can't resist. His story is haunting and heartbreaking and I couldn't seem to get enough. I absolutely adored the love story. It's a beautiful fierce endless  love that you just want to squeeze and hold close. It may feel like insta-love to some, but I think given the circumstances between Lucy and Alex and their tortured past lives together, this felt more fated then instant and it definitely goes on the list of swoon-worthy goodness.

I also liked the rest of the character, everyone played their parts well and at one point of the story I wasn't sure who I could trust. One of my favorites though was Mama Legba. She gets a huge round of applause. She's the local Voodoo Queen and written with an otherworldly uniqueness that brought in such a perfect tone and flavor to the entire length of the story.  

All in all, I really enjoyed this book so much. It's been a long time since a story as captivated me in a way that I simply could not put the book down at any given point. It's the kind of story that you can just relax and sink into and let the escape take you way. The ending was pretty bittersweet and apart of me - the hopeless sap part - wished for something more, but in it's own way it was kinda perfect. I'm thinking this is a stand-alone, but you wouldn't hear me complain one bit if we get a sequel. I'm simply not ready to let this world go. An amazing and incredibly entertaining debut novel  by Maxwell.  I greatly look forward to see what she comes up with next! 

Find the author:
Goodreads / Website                               4.5 Snowflakes

Review: Darkbound by Scott Tracey

Darkbound by Scott Tracey 
Published- Flux
Released- April 8th 2014
Purchase- Amazon / B & N

Malcolm has seven days to unravel a twenty year old mystery, find a body, capture a killer and keep a demon at arm's length.No one hates being a witch quite like Malcolm. But if there's one thing worse than being a witch, it's being a Moonset witch. There are very few things in his life that he can control, and after a fight with his siblings, he's losing his grip on what he's got left.A creature as old as Hamelin has crept out of the Abyss, and its siren song has infected the teenagers of Carrow Mill compelling them, at first, to simply be swept away in love. But love soon turns dangerous, as passion turns to violence and an army of sociopaths is born.
The Pied Piper isn't just a story, and he's got his eyes set on Malcolm, promising a life of freedom from magic and the shackles of the Moonset bond. As Carrow Mill burns, Malcolm must make the hardest choice of his life: family? Or freedom?

My Thoughts:
Switching point of views are always a little tricky, especially with paranormal genres. 

Once the reader falls in love with a particular voice, it’s sometimes hard to let anyone else in the spotlight. While I'm always curious enough to accept a change in character's perspective, I still go into it a little weary. Moonset, the first book, was told in Justin’s pov and is the reason I really fell for this series. Not only was he easy to connect with, but he had this really sharp way he held himself. Smart but sarcastic witty but warm and while he’s always known that his coven bonded ‘family’ is screwed, he was at least optimistic about it. Malcolm? Not so much.

Going into this book, I must admit, I wasn't prepared for how really dark Malcolm could be. I had known that he liked to rely on his physical strength more then his magical ones, but I didn't know just how much he despises, well, everything. He hates magic and everything that comes with it. He hates the fact that he has to constantly live in the shadows of his parents sins and that he can’t have any kind of normal life. He also hates that he’s stuck to his ‘adopted’ siblings because of some magical coven bond and is against learning how to control it. He’s cynical, jaded and pissed off. He wants his freedom but will it cost him the only family he has?

While I didn't always like Malcolm’s attitude, I still have to admit he was a real force in this one. Tracey knew what he was doing. Malcolm may be the oldest of the Moonset children but not the wises. He had to find his own path and his own way of dealing with the pressures of this magical life he never asked for and struggle with his haunted history that he wants to overcome. Still, this was cleverly done and I ended up really enjoying the darker side of this Moonset teen and his journey of self-worth.

I really loved the plot line, it was very well crafted. Tracey continues to thrive with dedication to historical detail for this world as well as giving us the magical madness that I crave in my books while adding a seriously sadistic Prince demon that was both unhinged and riveting. The storyline was less action packed then the last book, but it’s definitely more suspenseful and fascinating. I loved diving deeper into the history of the original Moonset and the monsters that wrecked havoc during their rein. The Abyssal Prince demon was crazy consuming. He offered Malcolm something that he wants more then anything. His freedom, and for added measure to insure Malcolm see things his way, the Prince started to infect the witches of Carrow Mill with dark spells, twirling the town with deadly seduction and warping their every thought. When one of the Moonset brothers gets hurt, Malcolm has no choice but to make peace with Jenna and work together to find a way to stop the Princes evil doings and uncovers long buried secrets along the way.

Justin, Jenna, Malcom, Cole and Bailey are so much stronger when together. I love how they play off one another in banter and devotion. They were bonded together for a purpose, even if they don’t understand why and it’s those moments I find myself enjoying the most. But for this book, it’s really Malcolm’s story and the journey he needed to take to finally accept what he is and what he has to do. However,  I was surprised that Jenna was featured in this one so closely to Malcolm since these two particular characters don’t really like each other and don’t get along very well, despite them being ‘siblings’. Still, it was really great to see them put their differences aside and work together for the greater good. But I think my favorite part is when all the Moonset children come together, uniting their magic through the coven bond at the end of the story. It was a very defying moment for Malcom, for the reader and what it means for future books. I also really loved the Abyssal Prince. This guy was seriously creepy and unnerving. Tracey wrote him good.

All in all, I really enjoyed myself with Darkbound. The writing is really very smart and I loved that Tracey kept me on my toes throughout the entire story. If you’re looking for a magical read with a unique twist in paranormal, then I would recommend this series as a solid entertaining escape. There is so much more to the story and I look forward to seeing what Tracey has in store next for this world and the Moonset children who can’t escape their fate. Well done!

Find the author:

Goodreads / Website                               4 Snowflakes

Review: Insominia by J.R. Johanson

Insomnia by J.R. Johanson
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: June 8, 2013

Her eyes saved his life.
Her dreams released his darkness.

After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can't take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he's made eye contact with. If he doesn't sleep soon, Parker will die.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker's furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he'd go. And when someone begins to terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker's memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence

My Thoughts:
THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS YOU ARE WARNED!!

This book made no sense whatsoever.  I am beyond frustrated because the summary sounded so good, but what I read was not what I was promised.   I very rarely give out 1 snowflakes and when I do I am not very happy about it at all.  I can always find something in a book that makes me like it, but with Insomnia I can't find anything unfortunately.

I am going to limit this review because I don't want to get too ranty so I am going to discuss the major problems I had with this story.  The first being how unorganized the story was.  In the beginning Parker just wants to sleep without falling into a persons dreams and when he finds this peace in Mia he becomes addicted to her.  Okay I get that she gave him peace, but instead of stalking the poor girl why didn't he try and become her friend?  He didn't have to tell her about the whole Watcher thing he had going on, but he could have acted like a normal person and just bonded with her.  It wouldn't have been that hard for him either, she was Addie's (his best friends sister) best friend and she played soccer which is something they both had in common.  It seemed so unnecessary for Parker to become this weird psycho stalker.  Plus why didn't Mia go to the police??  She had evidence that she was being stalked!  I was really frustrated by these events.

That was one part that didn't feel real or organized, the other bigger part was the whole Darkness vs whodunit vs Skull Bones guy.  All three of these are thrown into a story that was so inconsistent that I never knew what was going on.  The Darkness is the part of Parker that is trying to take over his body I'm guessing anyway.  When Parker would fall asleep this Darkness would take over and do weird things like watch Mia sleep at night.  What I don't get is A.how can someone black out if their brain can't sleep which is Parkers big issue in this book and B.In the end we are shown who the villain is and since it wasn't actually Parker I don't get what role this Darkness plays. Yes this thing did influence Parker to kill a person in a dream that so happened to actually kill them in real life, but the the author chose to move focus from this thing to something else entirely making me feel like this whole Darkness stuff wasn't that important. I simply just don't get it.

The villain is another area where I am completely lost. I don't understand why this character was ever brought in to be the big bad guy and all it did in my opinion was bring in another strange disconnected storyline. If the bad guy had turned out to be Parker and his dark side then I at least would have understood where the story was going, but this random person did not help the story at all.

The introduction of the Skull Bones guy was really not good timing and it felt like to me as a reader as a cheap way to try and make me read the sequel.  This piece of information should have been brought in way sooner than the last page and honestly it was more interesting than the other 300 pages that I did read.

Okay so that was a long rant sorry about but well I just don't get it!  I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn't and I feel very disappointed. 

1 snowflake

Review: The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace

The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: September 8, 2013
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Smart girls aren't supposed to do stupid things.
Madelyn Hawkins is super smart. At sixteen, she's so gifted that she can attend college through a special program at her high school. On her first day, she meets Bennet. He's cute, funny, and kind. He understands Madelyn and what she's endured - and missed out on - in order to excel academically and please her parents. Now, for the first time in her life, she's falling in love.
There's only one problem. Bennet is Madelyn's college professor, and he thinks she's eighteen - because she hasn't told him the truth.
The story of their forbidden romance is told in letters that Madelyn writes to Bennet - both a heart-searing ode to their ill-fated love and an apology.

My Thoughts:
Wow when I picked this up I didn't expect to feel as connected to the story as I ended up feeling.  I knew the subject manner before hand, but after reading Madelyn's recount of what happened between her and Bennett my heart really just broke in two.

The story is very simple, 16 year old falls for her 26 year old professor. What makes this story unique is Bennett, the professor.  See Madelyn is in an advanced program at her high school so he really doesn't know how old she is, he just assumes she is old enough to be a freshman in college.  I know that he should have asked and yes I realize that even 18 to 26 is a big age gap, but most of my friends have bigger age gaps than that so I didn't mind Bennett wanting her when he thought she was 18.  I really loved his character.  He knew the rules about teachers and students so he made Madelyn a promise, he told her that the minute his course was over and he was no longer her teacher they could be together.  He waited for her like a responsible gentleman.  I loved him for that and I was so proud when he stuck by their agreement.  Madelyn made very bad decisions, but when you are 16 that happens a lot. I wasn't proud of her for keeping it from him, but like I said 16 year olds typically don't make the right decisions.  So when he found out her age after certain intimate situations occurred I completely understood his reaction. It wasn't pretty and Madelyn knew she had it coming.  I only wish she would have told him sooner.

This isn't a pretty story and I thought the ending was brilliant.  I wanted something positive to happen after the disaster of a confrontation and I couldn't have asked for more than what the author gave us.  Again it isn't perfect with a bow, but life isn't always that way.  Half of my heart did want a different conclusion, but after reading the ending I realized that things were meant to be this way.  No one meant to hurt anyone and Madelyn makes that abundantly clear with her letters to Bennett.

I am a fan of Amanda Grace and this was another wonderful addition to her amazing collection of books.  If you want something that is real then I think you will enjoy this title.

3 Snowflakes