A Paranormal Book Review: Alyson Noel's Evermore

One of my girlfriends lent me Alyson Noel’s Evermore last weekend and I promised I’d blog about it. I was surprised it didn’t make the Vampires.com - Top 15 Popular Young Adult Vampire Series. But, for whatever reason, it didn’t. Still, that didn’t stop the series from being on several best seller lists.

Evermore is a YA vampire/immortal series about a sixteen year old, Ever Bloom, who’s the only survivor from a tragic car accident that killed both her parents and younger sister.


Ever is alone now, living with her Aunt and trying to piece her life back together, wishing she were dead. Her biggest problem – other than losing her entire family -is since her accident; she now has psychic abilities like reading people’s minds and seeing the future. This once vibrant, popular teenager has turned into a freak and a loner since her accident. Her only friends are Haven and Miles…oh and her little sister, Riley, who is a ghost that haunts her too.


The love interest or soul mate is Damien and he sounds about as yummy as one can get for a YA novel. He’s the vampire, of course. I wasn’t sure about his role in the beginning – all I knew was he was definitely creepy. But as the book progressed on, there was something about him and Ever. Half way through the book, I fell in love with their story. I can honestly say I was enthralled with this YA novel from the beginning. The ending or reveal was a bit odd for me. Drina and Damien’s relationship was just strange. I get jealousy but, I don’t get how Damien could be so oblivious and not to see what Drina was doing to Ever’s soul - over and over for the last several hundred years. From a love story’s perspective, that aspect just bothered me.


Two things about this book that I thoroughly enjoyed were the characters Miles and Riley. I can recall laughing out loud a few times when I read some of Mile’s dialogue. He’s fugg’n hilarious. And as for Riley…I just wanted to squeeze her, she was so darn cute.


Evermore, for me, was a delightful read. On the Mina Burrows KilloMeter, I give Evermore a 3.


Until next time, if you’re looking for something to read, try a YA novel.


Mina B.

Lara Adrian’s Name the Baby Contest

Lara Adrian announced she’s running a “Name the Baby Contest”. Beloved characters of the Midnight Breed series, Dante and Tess, are having a baby. It’s the Order’s newest member and Lara’s asking her fans for baby names.  Holy cow...isn't that awesome?

First of all,Kiss of Crimson, is one of my favorite in the series (Midnight Awakening my other fav.) This is such an exciting contest for me, because this is one prize I’d love to win.  Right now I have my thinking cap on with baby names. The deadline is June 30, 2010 so think, think, think but don’t think pink because all breed babies are male. Unless, Adrian breaks another one of her rules. Could that be the case? I doubt it but you never know.


Until next time…Dante and Tess need to name their baby…help!


Mina B.

A Paranormal Book Review: Lara Adrian's Ashes of Midnight

In Book 6 of Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed Series, Ashes of Midnight, the hero featured is none other than the beloved breed warrior, Andreas Reichen.

He’s dashing, debonair and sexy as hell which was why I was clamoring with anticipation to read this tale. Adrian’s books are fuel for the reading demons that possess me. I know when all else fails and I can’t find a good paranormal romance book to save my life, I can turn to one of Adrian’s breed warriors to satiate my literary thirst.

Andreas's breed character is a burst of fresh air in this dark paranormal series. On the surface he’s carefree, jovial but deep down; he’s pure breed – which means he’s lethal. I can’t say this enough; I loved Andreas’s character. We first meet Andreas in Book 3, Midnight Awakening – (click here to read my review) – Tegan and the Order seek help from Andreas, the Director of the Berlin Darkhaven. You either like him or love him, there’s no denying it. And then sparks fly in Book 5, Veil of Midnight, transforming Andreas, the once charismatic breed warrior, into a deadly pyromaniac (click here for my review). An old enemy of Andreas resurfaced and attacked his home, killing his family and spinning Andreas out of control.

In Ashes of Midnight, Adrian introduces a past love of Andreas, Claire. She’s been long gone from his life since he abandoned her and she ended up marrying an unworthy breed warrior, Roth. It’s no surprise that Roth turns out to be another evil player in Dragos’s sick game of world/breed domination. With this trio - Andreas, Claire and Roth - Ashes of Midnight makes for some killer reading. What I loved most about this book is Adrian does what she does best; she breaks yet another one of her cardinal rules. If you’re a fan, then you know the bonding ritual between a breed and breedmate is sacred, connecting two beings eternally, irrevocably. But what Andreas does to Claire, after Roth kills his family is delicious and sets reader’s tongues wagging for more. I won’t spoil it. But I will hint...two is company and three is definitely a crowd. You simply must read this book.

On the Mina Burrow’s KilloMeter, I give Ashes of Midnight, a 4.

Until next time….read a Midnight Breed Series already.

Mina B.

Paranormal Book Review: Larissa Ione's Desire Unchained

Hells Bells! I just finished reading Larissa Ione’s Book 2 in her Demonica Novels, Desire Unchained. Out of all four of the Seminus brothers, Shade’s story is the most unique.

Shade, like his brother Eidolon in Book 1, Pleasure Unbound (click here for my review), is about to go through the change: transforming himself into an insatiable sex demon. Shade’s only saving grace is finding a mate. The book begins with Shade waking up in a dungeon chained next to his ex-human girlfriend, Runa.

A year prior, she was nothing more than an innocent fling for the Seminus Demon. But for Runa, Shade was her heart’s desire until that fateful night when he betrayed her. It was a rude awakening for Runa when she caught Shade tangled in bed with two other female demons. Not only was he cheating on her but she found out his true identity, a demon. The obscene sight ripped out her heart, making her abruptly flee and by accident she ran directly into a raving werewolf. And yes, he bit her. Now, a year later, she’s a werewolf herself, stuck in a dungeon with man she loathes, her ex, Shade.

Shade broke her heart the first time and it was riveting poetic justice the way Runa wielded Shade’s heart the second time around. While being held captive by a dark enemy, they reconnect in a way neither one expected. Shade bonds himself to Runa, and is now mated to her for eternity. And what’s great – at least my favorite part – is she’s unable to bond to him, which made Shade deliciously vulnerable. The only question that haunted their romance was would Runa walk away? My oh my…how the tables are turned in this eternal relationship.

Trust is a common thread that flows effortlessly throughout this book. Ione is a master at tying in an over arching plot that brought everything back to family. Although this was not my favorite book, it was still a wonderful addition to the Demonica Series. Ione delivers with hilarious dialogue as usual, which I just couldn’t get enough of.

On the Mina Burrows KilloMeter, I give Desire Unchained a 3 ½.

Until next time…read a Demonica Novel.

Mina B.

Creepy Classics: Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

This month’s Creepy Classic is Oscar Wilde’s bizarre tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray. As strange as this book was, it certainly kept me entertained at every page. Wilde explores the concept of a few deadly sins in his creepy story. Dorian Gray, the main character, is cursed with one of the most well-known deadly sins, Vanity.
From the first few pages I was drawn into Wilde’s clever dialogue. In the beginning, Wilde introduced two main characters. First was Basil; a talented artist who covets his latest muse, Dorian Gray. When depicting Basil’s personality, he writes with fevered passion about Basil’s attraction to Dorian. Lord Henry is quite another character. If Dorian Gray is riddled with the sin of vanity, then I dare say, Lord Henry effortlessly symbolized another sin, Envy. Both Basil and Henry are smitten by the likes of Dorian Gray; the young, rich and beautiful bachelor. Basil viewed him as living art; an inspiration for his greatest work. Lord Henry saw Dorian as a science project, identifying ways to poison his mind.

One of Dorian’s many character flaws is his weak mind. Because he often lacks an original thought, he falls victim to Lord Henry’s influence and soon becomes as callous as his friend, Lord Henry. Basil sees how Lord Henry’s influence corrupts Dorian in the beginning. He begs both of his friends to take care, but soon Basil’s own insecurities gets himself thrown to the waste side. But before parting, Basil gives Dorian his greatest masterpiece; a portrait of Dorian Gray, one painted to perfection. When Dorian first sees the portrait, he becomes jealous of its beauty, knowing that as time passes on, he will grow old and the painting will remain timeless or young, rather.  It was Lord Henry that suggested that notion to Dorian. And from that point on, Dorian became obsessed with the portrait. So much so, he reverently prayed that instead of him aging, he begged that the painting age and that he keep his youth.

However vain it was, it was a simple request. One, he never thought a moment more about, until he began to notice changes in the image. The portrait altered whenever Dorian acted in poor taste. Under Lord Henry’s influence, Dorian’s dormant, sadistic mind flourished. And from that moment, Dorian began living his life with little consequence, treating people wickedly and living life for his pleasure only. He could care less, of course, since he had his beauty – that is all that seems to matter.


Not too longer after, Dorian saw the errors in his judgment but only when he glances at his marred picture. It’s as if he’s staring into his own conscious and it warps his brain, making him insane towards the end of the book. I won’t spoil the classic story for you. I’ve relayed too much already. If you want to know what happens to the vain gentleman, Dorian Gray – you’ll have to read for yourself. Yes, it’s that good.


Wilde created a timeless piece of fiction when he wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray. On the Mina Burrows KilloMeter, I give The Picture of Dorian Gray a 4.


Until next time, if you looking for something to read, try a Creepy Classic.


Mina B.

Top 15 Popular Young Adult Vampire Series

I had the pleasure of coming across a post from Vampires.com not too long ago. They wrote a special feature: What Is Your Favorite Young Adult Vampire Series? In the post - which I found insightful- they listed several YA Vampire Novels.

Since I’m a bona fide list collector, I felt the topic was well worth repeating or reposting, rather. But what I treasured most about the original post was the small book description that followed each series. Check it out if you get the time. If not, I’ve put the list below. These are in no particular order and many of them I’ve read. There are a few I haven’t but since reading this article, I’ve flagged a couple for my “must read” list. Check out my blog for previous book reviews with authors like Richelle Mead of the killer Vampire Academy Series.


1. Vladimir Tod series by Heather Brewer


2. The Blood Coven series by Mari Mancusi


3. Den of Shadows collection by Amelia Atwater Rhodes


4. Bloodline Series by Kate Cary


5. Vampire Beach series by Alex Duval


6. Blue Bloods series by Melissa De la Cruz


7. The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer


8. House of Night series by P.C. and Kristen Cast


9. The Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine


10. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead


11. The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith


12.Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber


13. Vampirates series by Justin Somper


14. Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan


15. Evernight series by Claudia Gray


Until next time…read any of the YA series above. I promise you’ll be thrilled you did.


Mina B.

A Paranormal Book Review: Richelle Mead's Spirit Bound

Wow. Richelle’s Mead’s Book 5 in The Vampire Academy series, Spirit Bound, was quite a read. Where do I start? First and foremost, there will be spoilers in this review. So, readers beware.

In Book 4, Blood Promise, Rose has returned from a horrendous and unspeakable journey to Siberia. Having failed her mission to kill Dimitri and release his soul, she’s learns of a possible way to save him. It’s a long shot, but one she feels she must take. It involves freeing one of her and Lissa’s enemies from prison, Victor Dashkov. Victor’s brother, Robert (another spirit user) is the only rumored spirit user that supposedly knows how to bring back Stigoi from the dead. And with that, Rose sets off on her last effort to save Dimitri.

In Book 5, now that Rose is back, preparing for finals, Dimitri embarks on his own mission, to kill Rose. He torments Rose by sending her sadistic love notes, promising she’ll die at his hand only. Those letters were brief but impactful and I couldn’t get enough of them. Spirit Bound starts with one of those letters, just as Rose’s final exams are about to begin. She passes her finals with flying colors, of course, all the while scheming on ways to get Victor out of prison.

After graduation, Rose head’s to Court with Lissa, where they both then set off to break Victor out of jail. With Dimitri hot on her tail, I was surprised Rose ventured outside Court’s walls so haphazardly, bringing along innocent friends in the process. Nevertheless, that was part of the allure of the story. Rose had a mission and she relentlessly focused on it at all times. Not surprising, the prison break was a success as was the meeting with Robert. Everything was moving along swimmingly until Dimitri showed up. Did they rekindle of their romance at this reunion? Hell no, but they did exchange a few heartwrenching comments, followed by a gripping fight. To describe the scene in one word; awesome.

Rose makes countless mistakes in her plight to save Dimitri. After reading the previous Book, Blood Promise, I expected Rose to be more mature from her Siberia experiences. Having faced death so many times, I really thought she’d be more responsible with her decision making. For me, it was like her character lost its wisdom – the kind that comes with death and despair - and she reverted back to being a young teenager again instead of a maturing into a vibrant 18 year old. That aspect of the book was disappointing. She continued down a destructive path, making fatal errors in her judgment and putting people’s lives at risk. Alas, it was all in the name of love, so I’ll concede to Mead’s motives.

By the middle of Spirit Bound, Rose and Lissa do the inconceivable and free Dimitri’s soul. Yes, I said it; he’s back from the dead. Unfortunately, he’s got far too much emotional baggage from his stint as a Strigoi, and so he rejects Rose. It was terribly excruciating to read. Rose was stuck in the middle of an emotional tragedy; one of her own making. Dimitri didn’t want anything to do with her and it was just sad. What’s even worse is how Rose treats Adrian. I adore Adrian and at times found myself begging for Rose to give him a chance but she doesn’t. Rose’s heart belongs to Dimitri and he does nothing but rips it to shreds, over and over again.

I was completely engrossed in this book up until about page 300. Once I realized, Dimitri’s brooding nature and unwillingness to rekindle a romance with Rose, I felt dejected – just like Rose. All her efforts were futile. In between the tumultuous love triangle of Rose, Dimitri and Adrian, there was an interesting twist beginning with Rose’s outburst against Tatiana’s new law allowing young dhampirs to graduate at 16. This had most Moroi and Dhampirs in an uproar. And by the end of the book, Rose, with her flippant mouth and poor judgment, managed to completely alienate herself from pretty much everybody. With nowhere to turn, she receives some intel about Lissa’s Dad and begins to delve into some mysterious bank deposits. And that’s when the unthinkable happens.

I won’t say anymore other than what I’ve spoiled thus far. I may not have approved of Rose’s behavior, but I still reveled in this book.  I promise it was a spellbinding read. If you love The Vampire Academy series, you’ll love this addition too.

On the Mina Burrows KilloMeter, I give Spirit Bound a 4.

Until next time…read, read, read this series.

Mina B.