Gold Star Review: The Wicked Within

The Wicked Within 
by Kelly Keaton
Gods and Monsters, book three

Her fate is not set in stone.

Having temporarily defeated Athena, Ari races to break the gorgon curse that has plagued the women in her family for centuries. Her one lead sends her on a quest for the Hands of Zeus, an ancient relic last seen in the charge of New 2’s ruling elite, the Novem. But if there is one thing that Athena desires as much as revenge, it’s the Hands of Zeus—and Athena always gets what she wants.

Before either can locate the Hands, the statue goes missing, and a trail of blood follows those who once protected the relic’s secrets. Ari knows that her city, her friends, Sebastian—her life—depend upon her finding the statue before Athena. And with rumors an ancient power is on the rise, that may not be her only concern…(description from Amazon.com)

So...let me remind you that I LOVE this series. Both Darkness Becomes Her and A Beautiful Evil received gold star reviews on my blog.  The lusciously creepy setting of a dystopian New Orleans coupled with an amazing cast of intriguing characters and a great integration of ancient mythology into the near future makes this series a total winner in my book. 

As this is the third book in the trilogy, I don't want to spoil the ending, so this review is going to be a little brief.  I will tell you that I loved how things turned out... there were depths and nuances to each character and their reactions to events that really continued to flesh out the world and show a testament to Keaton's choices.  We FINALLY got to find out exactly what Violet is... and boy, was that surprise worth it. I love Ari and Violet's relationship.  We also see how things develop between Ari and Sebastian... 

My one and only complaint about this book was that it's supposed to be the end of the trilogy! I can't believe it... not only did it leave a few things unanswered that I'm dying to know, but these are also characters that I would LOVE to get to read more about.  

This is basically me BEGGING Kelly Keaton for more... please!

However, as that is a tongue-in-cheek complaint, rather than a true one, I also want to give this book a GOLD STAR. My first one for 2014...for one heck of a series "ender." 

Full disclosure: Purchased on my Nook

Infinityglass

Infinityglass
by Myra McEntire
Hourglass, book three

No time like the present.
No time in the present.
No time left. 

From the moment the Hourglass group violated the rules of the space time continuum to rescue a murdered loved one, time has been in flux. People from other centuries slide into our time, intruding into our space, threatening our world.

Frantically seeking a way to turn back this tide, the Hourglass begins a search for the legendary Infinityglass, tracking it to the city of New Orleans, a place where the past rests easily with the present.

Quiet, reliable Dune, the group's favorite geek, is selected to travel to the Crescent City and somehow retrieve the renowned object.

But there's a problem.

Because the Infinityglass is not an object, it's a person.
A beautiful, headstrong dancer named Hallie, a girl so enticing Dune can't take his eyes off her.

And time is not on her side. (Description from Amazon.com) 

I love this series.  

They are fun, romantic, and while time travel doesn't always make sense in general, at least here it seems clear enough on the surface, and there are rules set in place so that there are consequences if things are not done properly.  

But... back to the swoony-ness!  Dune.  Ah, Dune.  He was very hot (and smart!! Which I love...) in this book.  Even better, I really wanted to BE Hallie. She was cool, confident, smart...and yet, totally human.  She was a kick-@ss character.  

The setting.  New Orleans. *sigh* Every book I read set there just makes me want to get on a plane immediately.  I really need to see N'orlens soon.  SOON! 

I'm sad that this was the final book in the series, but I was satisfied.  I hope to read more from Myra McEntire someday.  

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my Library 

A Beautiful Evil

A Beautiful Evil

by Kelly Keaton

Gods and Monsters, book two

After the epic graveyard battle at the end of Darkness Becomes Her, Ari and her friends know what they’re up against: Ari is facing the Medusa curse and is haunted by the image of what she will become. To make matters worse, the heinous goddess Athena has kidnapped young Violet and is threatening to destroy Ari.

Ari, along with the superhot Sebastian, is doing everything she can to learn more about Athena and to get Violet back. But the battle of good and evil is bigger than she realizes, and she’s about to be pulled into a world more horrific than she could ever imagine.... (description from Amazon.com)

Keaton has blown me away again with the second book in this series.  Thank goodness I remembered to start this on a weekend afternoon so that I had plenty of time to read, because I read it straight through! I know I would have been up all night again if I'd started this on a regular night... *facepalm*

I love the decaying side of New Orleans and its futuristic society found here. Everything is the most elegant mix of lushness and disrepair. Ari even travels to Mount Olympus and finds the same strange mix of revelry and ruin. Gorgeous in both imagery and the written word.

The stakes get even higher in this sequel. Ari must face what she will become...and her place in society. Her friends get pushed to the limits and some even have to pay the ultimate price.

Gripping. Phenomenal.  A definite GOLD STAR.

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I'm really not sure how I'm going to be able to wait for the third book!!

Lenobia's Vow

Lenobia's Vow

by P.C. and Kristin Cast

A House of Night novella

A great journey…

A new love….

A dark secret revealed.

Evreux, France, 1788: Before she is Zoey’s favorite professor and the House of Night’s powerful horse mistress… Lenobia is just a normal 16-year-old girl – with enough problems to last a lifetime. As the illegitimate daughter of a powerful baron, she has never quite belonged, and instead has to watch her spoiled half-sister, Cecile, get anything she wants. As if that’s not enough, her remarkable beauty draws unwanted attention wherever she goes. For once, she would like to just fit in.

But when fate intervenes, Lenobia suddenly finds herself surrounded by other girls, on a ship bound for New Orleans, where they will be married off to the city’s richest Frenchmen. And they’re not alone…. An evil bishop who is skilled in Dark magic makes the same journey. His appetite for lovely young women makes him dangerous – most of all to Lenobia, who caught his eye back in France. So she remains hidden, making secret visits to the ship’s stables, where a handsome young man and his beautiful Percheron horses soon capture her attention.

Will they make it to land before the bishop discovers her true identity and a powerful evil breaks loose? And will Lenobia follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? (description from Amazon.com)

I really enjoyed this novella.  While I still feel that the Casts are perhaps just cashing in with this series of novellas, I really liked this one a lot more than the one featuring Dragon. Lenobia was an interesting character and the Bishop was skin-crawlingly creepy. 

The love story was great and heartbreaking and tearjerking and totally fun to read.  The time period was interesting and I loved that most of the story actually took place on a boat.  I, of course, will also read just about anything related to New Orleans, so this book was also really exciting in that they are headed there and that Martin is Creole. 

*Side note - I listened to this one on audio. It was great.  Not only was it short and sweet, but the narrator did a great job tackling the French and Creole accents.  A fun listen.

I still won't buy these novellas, but I do like to read them!

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile magazine.



Get to Know....Kelly Keaton!

Today, I am lucky enough to have Kelly Keaton on the blog answering a few quick questions! Kelly is the author of Darkness Becomes Her, the first book in the Gods and Monsters series. (You can read my raving gold star review, here!!) Book two, A Beautiful Evil will be out in February 2012 and I can't wait!!



1. I loved the way that you explored the decadence and rich history of New Orleans to create New 2. Have you ever lived in New Orleans? Did you do a lot of research into the city’s history?

No, never lived there, though I have dreamed of that for ages! I started my love affair with NOLA over twenty years ago and have just been gathering details in my mind with each trip, each fact, photo, or book I read. A lot of the info in DBH was pulled from what I already know about the city or from previous notes I’d made that I found interesting. Most of my research beyond that was map checking and fact checking or digging through my personal photos and such.
*I have to say that I've never wanted to visit New Orleans so much as I did after finishing this book!*

2. What was your inspiration in deciding to have New Orleans become its own independent nation, outside of US government control?

I had this vision of Ari in a dark, lush, creepy world ruled by supernatural beings, and I knew that in order to make that a reality I had to rethink and recreate the city a little bit. I’d always wanted to set a story in NOLA, but never felt I had the right one until Ari came along. It was a very natural fit and the world fell into place perfectly. I wanted the city to retain its unique characteristics and charm while creating a new era where the Novem is in control, where real life rules and laws don’t always apply. So the inspiration came from those ideas, to do something different, make new rules, and create a supernatural playground for my characters that would be incredibly gothic, seeped in history, and had such beauty and hope in the midst of decay.

3. What were your favorite myths to read while you were growing up?

Mostly Greek and Egyptian. Anything that I could get my hands on in regards to the ancients. I love the stories of Pandora, Persephone, Prometheus (what’s with all the P’s?, LOL). I had dreams of being an archaeologist and would lie on my bedroom floor with old National Geographic maps and Time Life books, tracing the journeys of Greek heroes and gods. I was in elementary school when I started doing that, so mythology has been a part of my life for a long time. I adore Arthurian legend as well.

4. I know that book 2, A Beautiful Evil, is slated to come out in February. Are there more books that you would like to write in the series after that?

Absolutely. I would love to write a 3rd book to, at least, wrap things up in a trilogy. But I can see going beyond that as well. I plan to write Violet’s story, too, as her past and what she is has been known to me from almost the beginning – and it’s pretty shocking!
*Oooh! I'm beyond excited to find out!!*

5. What was the last book that you read that you would recommend to other readers?

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
*I just read this too! I love Sherrilyn Kenyon's books.*

6. Quick Picks: Favorite Vacation Destination? Beach. Favorite Childhood Book? The Black Stallion. Favorite Movie? The Fifth Element. Favorite Food? Potatoes, in any form (except raw) Favorite Clothing Item? Crazy socks and plain white V-neck T-shirt.
*I'll eat potatoes any way, too, even small pieces raw. I <3 Potatoes!*


Kelly, thank you SO much for letting me interview you!

If you haven't checked out Kelly's book, Darkness Becomes Her, I suggest you check it out ASAP! *Sooo good!!* For more information, you can also check out her website and like her on Facebook!!

Darkness Becomes Her

Darkness Becomes Her
by Kelly Keaton
Gods and Monsters, book 1

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed. (description from Amazon.com)

This book is...lush, dark, creepy, intriguing, entrancing, exciting...all the best things about a dark, urban, dystopian, paranormal fantasy. This is just how I like my books. I was sucked so deep into this story that I literally devoured it in one sitting, unable to put it down...bedtime be damned!

Ari won me over, heart and soul. She is tough, strange, mysterious, and heartachingly vulnerable at times. Unaware of who she really is, she delves into a dangerous, forbidden city and enters a lush, exotic world of people and things she never knew existed. She manages to be clueless and in control at the same time.

Oh, and can I mention New 2? Umm...I have never in my life wanted more to buy plane tickets to New Orleans than I did immediately after finishing this book. The descriptions are amazing and decadent and haunting. It was like being there...in a post-disaster, creepy way. I loved it! The setting definitely helped to make this book.

Darkness Becomes Her is definitely at the top of my list of books I've enjoyed recently and as such, it earns a GOLD STAR REVIEW!!

I can not wait for the second book in the Gods and Monsters series, which will be coming out in Feb. 2012!

Disney's "The Princess and the Frog"

Okay, so I just watched Disney's "The Princess and the Frog." I was super excited originally because I love the New Orleans setting. I love voodoo, jazz music, the bayou...everything New Orleans! I was so excited to see how that would all be incorporated into the movie.

I was very surprised, not only to be pleased with the animation and the setting, but also with the morals and values portrayed in the movie. Disney actually did a really good job with this "Princess" and her story.

Tiana is an average Southern working girl who grows up with the "Princess" of New Orleans. All her life, she and her Daddy dreamt of opening a restaurant. Tiana works and works and works for that restaurant...and doesn't complain about having to work for her dream!

When Prince Naveen comes to town, Charlotte, New Orlean's "Princess" is determined to win him. However, the evil voodoo man, Dr. Facilier, turns him into a frog and Prince Naveen must escape into the bayou with Tiana, who he's now accidentally turned into a frog as well, to try to find a way to become human again.

Along the way, they learn that they may not get everything they want, but they can still have everything they need...each other. Charlotte recognizes their true love and attempts to help them, but can't in time, and so will be stuck as frogs, but they do not care, because they have each other.

I don't want to spoil everything, but let's just say true love really conquers all, hard work pays off, and dreams really do come true!

My favorite part of all? When Ray, the firefly, finally gets to be with his Evangeline! *tear*