Vanish

Vanish
by Sophie Jordan
Firelight, book two

An Impossible Romance.
Bitter Rivalries.
Deadly Choices.

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love? (description from Amazon.com)

Again, I commend Sophie Jordan on being able to write one steamy, non-graphic romance! These scenes make me have to stop and check that the pages are not singed beneath my fingers. Perhaps it's the fact that Jacinda has a little fire burning within her, but every time she starts to feel the heat with a guy, flames seem to literally lick off of the pages. *wipes forehead*
So good!

I loved that this book took place within the Draki Pride. We got to see so much more of how their day to day lives worked...their secrets...their rituals. There was more description of the different types of Draki and we got to see them in action. <3

My heart broke for several of the characters. There's a lot of unrequited love (/stalker-esque obsession/passion) going on in this book. Without giving spoilers, I can really only say that I am SUPER intrigued to see how the group that leaves the Pride at the end is going to interact later as they all have some very convoluted feelings...

I cannot wait for the next Draki adventure!! TEAM DRAKI all the way :)

Full disclosure: ARC received from NetGalley

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Check out this cool new mini-trailer I made for Beth Revis' Across the Universe on Animoto!

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Working Stiff

Working Stiff
by Rachel Caine
The Revivalist, book one

Bryn Davis was killed on the job after discovering her bosses were selling a drug designed to resurrect the dead. Now, revived by that same drug, she becomes an undead soldier in a corporate war to take down the very pharmaceutical company responsible for her new condition... (description from Amazon.com)

This was a surprisingly believable version of a zombie tale. It was one I picked up for fun because I love Rachel Caine's books and because I've become somewhat obsessed with the zombie apocalypse concept...but, I really, really enjoyed this one - and not just as the "breeze through it" kind of read!

Bryn was a really interesting, really strong character. A former soldier, she chooses to honor the dead that she saw so often on the battlefield by going into the mortuary science field. Unfortunately, she doesn't last through her first day at work. Now, she has to figure out how to live with being undead. *smirk*

What surprised me most is that there is a romance component to this book and rather than being totally turned off, I found it really sweet! They even really address the issue like adults (that was a slightly hilarious scene)...

All in all a fun read. I think I'll pick up book two when it hits the shelves.

2011 Zombie Reading Challenge title