Cover: Sirensong by Jenna Black

So I was working on a 2011 releases list for Rachel Vincent's forum, The Pride, this evening, got to Sirensong on the list and lo! The cover was up! So I headed to twitter and asked Jenna, 'is this the final cover?' to which she replied 'yes!' making me go Hurrah!!

How freaking Beautiful is that cover?!? I am in love with it.

 

Sirensong is the third book in Jenna Black's Faeriewalker series, due out July 5th from St. Martin's Griffin. I just reviewed book 2, Shadowspell earlier today (or yesterday, technically, for me). Now, I really liked the cover for Glimmerglass (book 1) and Loved the Shadowspell cover (which happens to fit the book perfectly as well!) and I didn't think that Sirensong's cover could outdo them, but it totally did. I love getting to see Dana face on, I love the pose. I love the touch of the rose petals from each court on it. And it still manages to fit in beautifully with books 1 and 2 with those little metalic silver dots. It's just a stunning cover and for an awesome series as well. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy!!

Previous books:

What do you guys think? Like it, love it, hate it? (I promise not to throw things if you say you hate it. Or, not many anyways ;) ) Comment away!

Shadowspell by Jenna Black

Goodreads
Jenna Black's site
Series: Faeriewalker #2
Review for book #1 Glimmerglass
Copy obtained: bought
Release date: Jan 4th 2011 (US)
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Rating: 4/5
Spoiler warning: Contains some mild spoilers for book 1

On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended on Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm. A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana's in trouble, since it's common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her - and her rare Faeriewalker powers - dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking's got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?

Glimmerglass was one of my favourite reads from last year. I'm not, or at least I certainly wasn't back then, a big fan of Fae centric books, but because I liked Jenna's adult books, I decided to give Glimmerglass a chance and I loved it! So I was really excited for book 2 and it didn't really disappoint. Dana is more sure of herself in Avalon now, with a little understanding of what's going on around her. Things aren't easy for her though, being kept in what is basically a cave and only being allowed out with at least one bodyguard. When the Erlking makes his interest in her known, things become more dangerous still. But Dana isn't very good at staying locked down as her father would like.

Shadowspell gets off to a great start and from chapter two never really lets up on the intensity. I feel so bad for Dana a lot of the time because she doesn't have many people she can count on, everyone seems to have their own objectives and uses for her. But she's a strong girl too and I love how Dana does everything she can for those she cares about, even if it means putting herself at bigger risk.

I really enjoyed the addition of the Erlking and the Wild Hunt to this book. I admit that before hand I wasn't certain I would because of the suggestion that he would be after Dana's heart rather than her life. But actually the role he plays in the book works extremely well and the tension level rose instantly just from the mention of his name. I love the mythology employed to this series and the mystery that surrounds it all. Because Dana knows very little about her heritage still, so learning alongside her works very well for me. There is plenty of intrigue and a lot of questions in need of answers. There are a few things left from Glimmerglass given answer here, which is good, but there is still plenty left unanswered.

However, while I did love Shadowspell and have a very hard time putting it down (had I not started it at midnight, (dumb I know!) I'd have read it in one sitting), there is one aspect to this series that makes me uneasy. The romantic sub-plot. Now, thankfully, it is (for the most part) a sub-plot and doesn't intrude too much on the rest of the story, which I do completely love. But I am not enjoying the romance side of things at all at this point. The love interest, Ethan, did something in book 1 which made me very uneasy with him and while he then did something to partially redeem himself at the end of Glimmerglass, I was left with the suspicion that I could well end up not enjoying the continuation of that romantic involvement in Shadowspell. Sadly, that came true. It's not often when reading that I get a slightly queasy feeling when reading a romantic plot, even if I'm not fully enjoying it. But that's exactly what I get here. I'm not a fan of Ethan and I'm not completely thrilled with Dana's handling of him either. I understand why Dana is the way she is with him, but that doesn't mean I like it. I also wasn't thrilled at potential romantic developments with two side characters (no names for spoilers sake) and add them together and any time the love subject came up, I wasn't happy and those uneasy feelings got worse as the book wore on, not better. I was left with a little, tiny bit of hope on one side at the end, and a lot of dread on the other. I'm hoping that Sirensong (book 3) clears things up some.

My issues with the romantic plot are enough to stop me giving the book completely full marks, but if you took that away, it'd be a damn near perfect read. Because there is so much tension, so much mystery and (again, taking away the romantic plots) very well drawn characters. I love the world building and how the overall arc is developing. Dana still faces massive odds and I'm really looking forward to seeing where book 3, Sirensong (out July 2011) takes her. Just not where it takes her romantically speaking... Still, it's a fantastic read and I'd highly recommend the series.

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

"Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she’s had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she’ll never have a chance with… until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn’t sure where she’ll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again…"

Glimmerglass is the first book in Jenna's new young adult Faeriewalker series and I loved it!! Beginning to end I found the book almost impossible to put down. Dana is used to being the adult, taking care of herself, taking care of her drunk mother, making sure the bills get paid on time etc, but she's sick of it. Sick of constantly moving, of never being able to get close to anyone, of trying to hide her mom's alcohol dependence. She thought finding her father, running away to him in Avalon, a world in England where Faerie and the mortal worlds co-exist, would be the end of her problems, a chance to start over without being the one making all the decisions. But from the moment she touches down at London Heathrow, things start going wrong and it doesn't take long for Dana to find herself way out of her depth and more isolated than ever.

For all her maturity and experience playing the adult, Dana is only 16 and is very naive and inexperienced when it comes to boys, and friendships as well though to a slightly lesser extent. It's something she's very aware of and I think it makes her more realistic somehow. Her awkwardness with the Ethan, who is very used to girls falling all over him, is cute and understandable, and helps to make her even more likable. I also really like how she wants to be the kid, wants to be taken care of for a change. Responsibility sucks, and she knows it. But it doesn't stop her doing what she feels is the right thing when things get messy. She has to cope with a lot throughout this book and while sometimes it got to her, there are times she really rises to the occasion as well. There is one particular moment (I'm not saying details for spoilers sake) where something happens, and her reaction to it made me so freakin proud of her while I was also aching for her because it was not a nice thing that happened. I don't think I've felt quite so seriously proud of a fictional character before. I found Dana very easy to relate to, I was rooting for her the whole way and really felt for her as she tried to figure out how to survive in this new world.

The action started early on and never really let up. Avalon is shrouded in mystery and we're never given much detail of the world, how it works, the characters or their motives at once. Instead we discover little bits here and there as the story winds on, but you can't ever be too sure about much. It makes for a very intriguing story and I was just wishing for more the whole way through. I love the mysterious nature of everything in this book. But while we don't always get a lot on the side characters, every glimpse in to them we do get, is a tantalizing one, showing the possibilities for so much. I thought pretty much all the side characters were very well drawn, with their motives hidden but glimpses given to show they're more than placements for the plot. My favourites have to be Kimber, Finn and Keane, and Keane is the one who I desperately want more of in the next book. The plot moves along quickly with a lot of twists and turns, some you can see coming but the quality of the trip there meant I didn't care in the least. There was no cliff hanger ending, but even so I finished the book and was hungry for more. More of Dana, the characters and the world they exist in.

I really did completely fall for this book, the world, the characters, the writing. It's one of those fantastic YA books where the teens sound like teens, but also show the maturity they can posses, even though they still screw up. The kind of YA books I think can easily appeal to adults and teens alike. There are some teen books where there is almost the sense of the teens being made to sound younger than they are, and that doesn't happen here. Here, like in Vampire Academy (Richelle Mead), Strange Angels (Lili St Crow), it's almost the sense of untold respect for teens from the author. It's something I don't feel too often, but it's here, and it makes the book that much better. It's a gripping and intense journey with Dana, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I can't wait for book 2, Shadowspell, next year. If you're a fan of YA and/or UF books, this one should be a must read!

Rating: 10/10

The Devil's Playground by Jenna Black

SPOILER WARNING Some spoilers for previous books. Read at your own risk.



This is the 5th, and final (though I didn't know that before I started it), book in the Morgan Kingsley series. I didn't enjoy the first book in this series all that much, just enough to give the second one a shot, but in that one, Morgan really grew on me, and then further through the next two books. But this one is easily my favourite of them all.

Morgan has grown used to having demon king Lugh reside in her, and his advances in her dreams, but after a couple of easy months with no near death experiences for her, they, and Lugh's council on the mortal plain, have grown complacent. They get a rude awakening when Shea, owner of The Seven Deadlies, approaches Morgan with disturbing news: the number of illegal demons in town has risen drastically. Something big is going on, and Lugh suspects his brother back in the demon realm, Dougal - who is trying his best to de-throne Lugh, is responsible. It doesn't take long for Morgan and Lugh's team of demons and mortals to get involved, and deep in trouble again. Only this time they may have to risk everything to stop Dougal succeeding.


Everything in Morgan's personal life is coming to a head as well, as Brian realises he can't ignore that Lugh is with Morgan every second of her life, and what it means for their intimate moments. Likewise, Lugh's stepping up his advances on Morgan in her dreams. Is it really possible they can all get along? With Dougal's plans, it may not matter.


Like I said, Morgan took a while to grow on me, but now I really love her. I love how she's learnt to open up a little and trust through the series, and it really shows here. She's far from perfect but she tries, and that is the important thing. She's grown a lot in other ways as well, through dealing with Lugh and his world in a very different way than she had prior to his arrival. It's been interesting to see the changes in her and how she's gone from sometimes seeming like a bratty teenager who is mad about not getting their own way, to a mature adult who can deal with whatever's thrown at her. I've never been too sure what I think of Brian, but I've finally decided I like him, mostly. I love Lugh, like always, and Dominic and Adam add to the great secondary cast. What surprised me here was the new side of Raphael we saw. I don't want to give any outcomes away, but I will say my opinion of him drastically changed through this book. And I had a similar, if not as deep, opinion change about Morgan's brother too at the end.

Aside from the characters, this book was well plotted. It moved along at a really good pace and kept me pretty well hooked. There were several twists coming that I didn't see, and one point where my denial about what could happen was nearly as deep as Morgan's. The various threads of the previous books come together in this and result in a intense finish. I like that just about everything got tied up, but not too tightly, so you can imagine a future story with these characters past what we've seen.

As well as the main plots, the subplots, Saul and Raphael and Dominic with his new business amongst others, were all woven in well, adding more depth to the story, without wasting pages or taking away from the main story. And despite all the problems and trouble the team face, there are some very funny moments as well, which I liked. I wish there was going to be more books in this series, but at least it got a decent ending. I'll take that over a series run in to the ground any day! And I believe there will be a short story in Morgan's world at some point too, so I'll look forward to that! For sure a series that's ended on a high and one I'd really recommend.

Rating: 9/10

Speak of the Devil by Jenna Black

"For a kick-ass exorcist, it’s all about staying alive . . .

Morgan Kingsley, America’s most successful exorcist, is paying the price for an exorcism gone wrong. The victim’s family is suing the daylights out of her, the Exorcism Board has suspended her, and now she’s living on a diet of ramen noodles and bad coffee. But Morgan has a few good men at her side. One is her current boyfriend, nice-guy legal-eagle Brian, who’s starting to reveal his inner bad boy. The other is Philly cop Adam White, who’s trying to help Morgan find out who sent her a little present—a severed human hand—and why someone seems determined to destroy her.

As her stalker turns more violent, leaving dead bodies in his wake, Morgan turns to the dark side of her life: a group of demons seeped in secrets, sinful eroticism, and otherworldly family feuds, including one sexy beast who shares Morgan’s body—and some X-rated fantasies. Soon Morgan must choose between her friends, her enemies, and her libido: to escape a mad demon determined to destroy her completely."

This is the fourth book in the Morgan Kingsley series. There were a few threads left open in the previous book that pick up in this one, and quickly become much bigger than first thought. Morgan is also facing some tough personal questions and decisions around her (very human) boyfriend Brian, but at the same time is finding herself more and more tempted by the demon sharing her body and the fantasies he creates for her. As Morgan's professional problems mount they collide with her personal ones making things even harder for her, and her guys, to work out where the dangers lie and how to handle them.

There is some really good character development in this book, and I like Morgan more for some of the decisions she makes. The book starts up pretty quick and doesn't really let up. Like the previous book, there is a lot going on and figuring out how it all connects is part of the fun. There is the added presence of a new female character in this book, which helps break up the, at times, oppressive testosterone of Morgan being surrounded just by (mostly very hot) men.

This is my favourite book so far in the series so far with the developments, but the ending makes it clear while somethings may be improving for Morgan, they're not going to stay that way. Things are going to get worse for her before they get better. And me, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens! Can't wait for the next book, The Devil's Playground.

Rating: 8/10

The Devil's Due by Jenna Black

"Things aren't going very well for exorcist Morgan Kingsley. She's been betrayed by her boyfriend of her dreams, her brother has been repossessed, and she's unable to escape from the hunky demon who shares her body. All Morgan wants is to curl up and avoid reality for a while. But she can't. A woman named Claudia Brewster seeks her services. During the brief time that Claudia has been on a cruise, her son, Tommy, has changed from an invective-spewing member of an anti-demon society to a happy little demon host. Claudia smells a rat - as does Morgan - but all the paperwork looks legal. That is, until Morgan begins digging up the secrets of Tommy's past and finds herself deep in another deadly conspiracy..."

This is the third book in the Morgan Kingsley book and it's a series that's growing on me more with each book. The plot of this book sees a lot more of Morgan doing her normal day job, something we haven't seen that much of to this point. But it doesn't take long for her 'regular' job to get mixed up in the problems of her hosting demon king Lugh and his brother (back in the demon realm) wanting him dead.

There was a lot going on in this book and it wasn't that easy to keep track of it all at times, and what linked in to what, but it all came clearer by the end. There were some good twists and the personal things going on between Morgan and her team were handled well and gave really good insight to their characters and why they do some of the things they do, adding to the story. Not a series that is a top favourite, but it's got good characters and a well thought out plot. A series well worth reading.

Rating: 8/10

The Devil You Know by Jenna Black

"The beautiful. The bad. The Possessed.

Some people worship them. Some people fear them. And some people—like Morgan Kingsley—go up against them toe-to-toe, flesh-to-flesh, and power against power. An exorcist by trade, Morgan is one of the few humans with an aura stronger than her possessor, even though her demon can tease her body senseless. She's also a woman who has just discovered a shocking truth: everything she once believed about her past, her identity, may have been a lie… With a family secret exploding around her and with a full-scale demon war igniting, Morgan is a key player in an unsettled world. Then a rogue, sociopathic demon enters her life with a bang. His name is The Hunter. And since she is the prey, Morgan has only one choice: to hunt The Hunter down—no matter what heartbreaking truths she uncovers on the way…"

This is the second in the Morgan Kingsley series, which started with The Devil Inside. I liked the first okay, but didn't love it. Some pretty graphic m/m, torture and BDSM scenes, none of which is to my tastes. But I liked Morgan's character and the plot was strong enough that I decided to give this book a try and I'm glad I did because I find it better than the first. There is some heavy m/m still, but less of the rest and the plot was heavier.

Morgan is facing some nasty family secrets whilst still trying to deal with being possessed by the king of demons, Lugh, a guy who can tease her senseless knowing what she desires. But before long Morgan is facing bigger problems in the form of 'The Hunter' a demon who gets off on killing and who is determined to find Lugh. His only lead being Morgan and he doesn't care who he has to use or possess to get to her.

Morgan grew on me through this book and I could really feel for her as she tried to deny the reality of her situation and why she wanted to. And as she found the strength to face ugly truths. The plot was pretty solid and moved along at a good pace. There were a couple times when I felt the sex took over a little, but when it did, it didn't last long and quickly got back on to the main plot so I could ignore it, and it was only a couple of times. Some of the plot was predictable, but the there were some good twists as well. There was a fair bit of character development for several of the characters and left some interesting things open for the next books. I'm looking forward to reading them.

Rating: 7/10