Review - First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, #1) by Darynda Jones

Title: First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, #1)

Author: Darynda Jones

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 321

Release Date: 1st February 2011

Blurb from Goodreads: 

This whole grim reaper thing should have come with a manual.
Or a diagram of some kind.
A flow chart would have been nice.

Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can't she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

-Contains spoilers!-

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley*

 

Charley Davidson has her hands full being a private investigator as well as the grim reaper.

Especially when the dead ask Charley for help before they will go into the light a.k.a. Charley herself.

Then there are the steamy dreams Charley has been having lately - are they merely dreams or something more?

Ever since I joined the bookish community I remember seeing people gushing about the Charley Davidson books. So when I finally started reading First Grave on the Right, I was rather excited. Now, however, I wish I hadn't read it.

Charley is supposedly funny and witty. I didn't think she was either. I don't recall laughing at anything she said, but I did roll my eyes several times.

My big problem with First Grave on the Right is the whole Reyes thing. Charley met him once and, on that occasion, Reyes threatened to rape her. Yes, rape. Yet Charley becomes obsessed with finding out more about him and tracking him down. This rang alarm bells for me. Huge Big Ben bells. Every time Charley thought about him I wanted to pull my hair out.

The plot was average and I wished that there was more actual grim reaper related story instead of Charley getting her ass kicked several times and swooning over Reyes.

I'm so disappointed that I didn't like this, but I just don't understand the appeal of a guy who threatened to rape you.

Overall this was a disappointing read that I did not enjoy.

Review - The Edge of Everything (Untitled, #1) by Jeff Giles

Title: The Edge of Everything (Untitled, #1)

Author: Jeff Giles

Pages: 358

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's

Release date: 9th February 2017

Blurb from Goodreads: 

For the perfect love, what would you be willing to lose?

It's been a shattering year for seventeen-year-old Zoe, who's still reeling from her father's shocking death in a caving accident and her neighbors' mysterious disappearance from their own home. Then on a terrifying subzero, blizzardy night in Montana, she and her brother are brutally attacked in the woods--only to be rescued by a mysterious bounty hunter they call X.

X is no ordinary bounty hunter. He is from a hell called the Lowlands, sent to claim the soul of Zoe's evil attacker and others like him. X is forbidden from revealing himself to anyone other than his prey, but he casts aside the Lowlands' rules for Zoe. As they learn more about their colliding worlds, they begin to question the past, their fate, and their future. But escaping the Lowlands and the ties that bind X might mean the ultimate sacrifice for them both.

 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

 *I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and NetGalley*

Zoe is in grieving from her father's death in a caving accident and the murders of her neighbours. Then a snowstorm hits and Zoe finds herself and her brother in danger only for a mysterious bounty hunter to rescue them. Zoe calls him X and there is more to him than there seems.

X is from the Lowlands, a hellish place where X is imprisoned until he is needed to hunt someone down and return with their soul.

Can X escape the Lowlands?

Do Zoe and X have a future together?

This book was not what I expected. At all. The blurb intrigued me but as I continued reading I found myself liking The Edge of Everything less and less.

What I liked:

Hmm... the cover.

The premise - the idea of the Lowlands was interesting.

That's it really.

What I didn't like:

The writing style - it didn't engage me and it felt awkward at times.

The characters - none of them interested me and I didn't connect with them.

The plot - failed to hold my attention and I found myself skim reading.

The romance - instalove and Zoe immediately began calling X her boyfriend. Ugh.

Overall unfortunately this wasn't for me.

  

Review - The Witch’s Kiss (The Witch’s Kiss, #1) by Katharine Corr and Elizabeth Corr

Title: The Witch’s Kiss (The Witch’s Kiss, #1)

Author: Katharine Corr and Elizabeth Corr

Pages: 320

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release date: 30th June 2016

Blurb from Goodreads: 

Can true love’s kiss save the day…?

Sixteen-year-old Meredith is fed-up with her feuding family and feeling invisible at school – not to mention the witch magic that shoots out of her fingernails when she’s stressed. Then sweet, sensitive Jack comes into her life and she falls for him hard. The only problem is that he is periodically possessed by a destructive centuries-old curse. Meredith has lost her heart, but will she also lose her life? Or in true fairytale tradition, can true love’s kiss save the day?

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Harper Collins UK, Children's and NetGalley*

 

Meredith's life isn't normal - she is a witch (although she hasn't used magic for several months) - but things get even more unusual when she learns about a centuries-old curse, a curse that means Merry has to risk her life to stop an evil from awakening and wreaking havoc.

Will Merry be able to save the day and learn to control her magic?

The Witch's Kiss was not what I was expecting. At all.

I didn't like Merry - I can understand her initial reaction upon learning about the curse but she took way too long to change her mind. I found her a bit silly but she was only sixteen.

I quite liked Leo and Gran but not enough to salvage the book.

The plot was okay but I couldn't get on with the writing style at all - it didn't hold my attention and I often found myself skim-reading.

I wasn't a fan of the romance. It felt forced and unnecessary.

I did like the parts of the story that were set in Saxon times. They were interesting to read.

Overall this book wasn't for me.

Review - Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz

Title: Sanctuary Bay

Author: Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz

Pages: 320

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release date: 19th January 2016

Blurb from Goodreads: 

In this genre-bending YA thriller, will Sarah Merson's shiny new prep school change her life forever or bring it to a dark and sinister end?

When Sarah Merson receives the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the most elite prep school in the country-Sanctuary Bay Academy-it seems almost too good to be true. But, after years of bouncing from foster home to foster home, escaping to its tranquil setting, nestled deep in Swans Island, couldn't sound more appealing. Swiftly thrown into a world of privilege and secrets, Sarah quickly realizes finding herself noticed by class charmer, Nate, as well as her roommate's dangerously attentive boyfriend, Ethan, are the least of her worries. When her roommate suddenly goes missing, she finds herself in a race against time, not only to find her, but to save herself and discover the dark truth behind Sanctuary Bay's glossy reputation.

In this genre-bending YA thriller, Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz, Sarah's new school may seem like an idyllic temple of learning, but as she unearths years of terrifying history and manipulation, she discovers this "school" is something much more sinister.

 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley*

1.5/5 stars

Sarah Merson has been offered a place at Sanctuary Bay, an exclusive school located on an isolated island. Having spent her childhood in various foster homes after the murder of her parents, Sanctuary Bay is completely different to anything Sarah has experienced before.
Sarah soon makes friends with her roommates Izzy and Karina and things at Sanctuary Bay are normal . . . until Sarah sees something she shouldn't. Things start unravelling as someone goes missing and Sarah discovers that things at Sanctuary Bay aren't as they seem.
Will Sarah survive her time at the school?

Sanctuary Bay was a YA thriller with an interesting premise.
Sarah was an okay protagonist but I didn't like how she always put people into catagories; Hispanic, blonde, etc. The idea of Sarah having an eidetic memory that allowed her to be sucked back into memories was interesting.
I enjoyed the start of the story but around 30% of the way through Sarah made a decision that I didn't agree with. After that it was downhill for me - my attention wandered and I didn't find the action or twists interesting. I knew some things before they happened and found myself wishing for the end.

Overall this was a disappointing read.

Review - Hidden Wings (Hidden Wings, #1) by Cameo Renae

Blurb from Goodreads:

Seventeen is a life changing age for Emma Wise.
As her family's sole survivor in a car crash, she is left with a broken arm and a few scrapes and bruises. But these are only outward marks; inside, her heart is broken and the pieces scattered.

Whisked away to Alaska, to an aunt she’s never met, Emma starts over. Secrets unveil themselves and now…she doesn't even know who or what she is.

A centuries old prophecy places Emma in the heart of danger. Creatures of horrifying and evil proportions are after her, and it will take Emma, her aunt, and six, gorgeously captivating Guardians to keep her safe. But, if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday... things will change.

Goodreads

Amazon UK

Amazon US

My Review:

* I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Indie Inked and Cameo Renae*

1.5/5 stars.

I really wanted to like this book because the concept is interesting, however, there were many things that ruined the book for me:

* Certain words were repeated far too many times such as 'Asian eyes' and 'handsome'.

* Emma was not likeable and called her friends immature which I thought was a bit harsh.

* The immediate attraction to Kade was a bit over the top for me. I would have preferred it if the attraction had become more intense over time.

* Emma seems to forget about her parents almost immediately. Not once did she think about when the funeral was going to be.

* The Super Darkling had a missile launcher. Seriously? Where would he have gotten that from?

Overall this was a disappointing read that at times made me want to bang my head in frustration. Nice idea but poorly executed.