Fateful

Fateful
by Claudia Gray

Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.

Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over. (description from Amazon.com)

To be totally honest, I had no idea if I was going to like this book or not! It's one of those premises that I was like, "this could be totally AWESOME, or it could really suck." Thankfully, it turned out really good!!

I felt an immediate connection to Tess and just kept hoping against hope that she would be able to get herself out of the awful situation that she was living in. Surprisingly, what I had been worrying about the most, the werewolves...on a ship..., turned out to be pretty believable. I really liked the mythology behind the werewolves and the explanation of why they might end up on a transatlantic cruise.

I also really liked the fact that though Tess and Alec meet and develop feelings for each other very quickly, that the author went to pains to make their interactions feel realistic. Tess wanted to avoid all confrontations, but kept getting thrust into dangerous situations. Alec wanted to keep Tess, a strange and vulnerable girl, safe, but as he got to know her inner strength, he came to want to spend time with her. It was NOT instant goo-goo eyes love. *thank god.*

The very end felt a little too easily wrapped up in some ways, but I enjoyed the beginning so much that I'm hoping the author will follow this book up with another Tess and Alec adventure!

2011 Shifter Reading Challenge title

Afterlife

Afterlife
by Claudia Gray
Evernight, book four

Destiny awaits Bianca and Lucas . . .

Bianca and Lucas have always believed they could endure anything to be together. When a twist of fate not only transforms Bianca into a wraith but also turns Lucas into a vampire—the very creature he spent his life hunting—they are left reeling.

Haunted by his powerful need to kill, Lucas can turn to only one place for help . . . Evernight Academy. Bianca is determined to remain with him. But with the vampire leader of Evernight waging a war against wraiths, her former home has become the most dangerous place she could be, despite the new powers her ghostly transformation has given her.

A battle between wraiths and vampires looms, and Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. They've overcome every obstacle life has thrown at them, but is their love strong enough to survive the challenges after life? (description from Amazon.com)

I'm so glad I finally read the conclusion to this series! It's been awhile since I read the third book and I'd forgotten how smooth I find Claudia Gray's writing style. This book drew me right in and before I knew it, I was turning the final pages. Absolutely riveting.

I really like both Bianca and Lucas. The secondary characters are well done in this series, as well, with almost every character being tested in some way to show the multifacetedness of their character. No character is entirely good...or evil. My favorite will always be Balthazar, though, so you could not imagine my sheer glee when I found out that there is at least one companion book (Balthazar, March 2012) featuring my favorite vamp as the main character!

This series is full of twists, unexpected loyalties and betrayals. Every time I think I know what is going on, Gray throws another surprise into the mix. These books will definitely keep you entertained and on your toes. I look forward to finding out what will happen...now that everything in both this life and the next, has changed!

Full disclosure: egalley received from Netgalley

Firelight

Firelight
by Sophie Jordan

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.
(description taken from Amazon.com)

OMG! This book is SMOKIN' hot! I want book two...NOW!

Whew. I love Sophie Jordan's steamy adult romances, too. It's funny...when I first got this book, I was stoked. The cover is GORGEOUS. The main character is a red-head...and descended from dragons. Awesome, right? Then, I saw that this was Sophie Jordan's YA debut and I was absolutely blown away with excitement!

GO TEAM DRAKI.

Well. Actually reading it...finally...totally lived up to the hype, I am very pleased to say! These draki are really cool characters. Not quite human, not quite dragon, but all around bad-ass. Jacinda is no exception. I love that not only is she the first fire-breather in hundreds of years, but she is also a faster flyer than any other Draki in her pride. Love, love, love a girl who can outdo the boys!

Ahhh...the pride. My only complaint about this book...and it's not so much a complaint as a need to read more...IMMEDIATELY... :) ...is that you don't get to see too much about the actual pride's homeland in this book. I am stoked to read book two and hopefully get to see a lot more of Draki in their actual habitats.

Meanwhile, as Jacinda is thrown to the wolves, oh wait, in this case, humans...she meets Will.
*POTENTIAL SPOILERS* A reluctant hunter, Will is drawn to Jacinda, just as she cannot seem to stay away from him. He brings out the Draki in her. Without Will, her Draki may just die...killing the part of her that feels most alive.

Whew. Talk about sizzling romance in YA? This book is it. Every scene where these two are just kissing...and I mean, just kissing...practically scorches the pages. Fantastically hot romance. *le sigh. This is how to do tortured, Romeo and Juliet-esque love.

Want a book to heat up your fall as the temperature drops? Pick this one up!

Full disclosure: ARC received at BEA 2010

Hourglass

Hourglass: Evernight Book 3
by Claudia Gray

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas.

After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at their hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—hiding is no longer an option.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can't escape her destiny.

Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything . . . but can it survive what's to come?

I was so glad when I started reading this book! I thought that Evernight, book 1 in the series was great. I was not as enthusiastic about Stargazer until about 2/3 of the way through so I had some trepidations about how this volume was going to go, but I had to know what happened after the end of book 2!

I was pleasantly surprised that Hourglass brought me right back to that happy place I had been in Evernight. The pacing was quick, there was suspense, great character interaction, and little twists that kept me on my toes. By the end of the book, no one's life is the same, and I am anxiously holding my breath to see how it's going to go on in book 4!

Riveting.