Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler
Published by Simon Pulse
Pages: 668 (3 Book Bind-up)
Genres: Angels, Mystery, Suspense, and Romance


Summery: Kissed by an angel is about a grill named Ivy. Ivy's mother is just getting remarried to the richest guy in the town, who's son is in the very popular crowd. Ivy meets Tristan, I'm not going to say much and spoil it but Ivy has a thing for angel statues. She's not a church religion loving person she just likes the idea that angels are watching over her, which is huge with the book. They, Tristan and Ivy, date and fall in love but on one night driving to a restaurant there's an accident and Tristan dies but isn't gone for good, he becomes and angel. He's not sure what he's supposed to do, as no angel really is. Ivy has a hard time copping with Tristan's death but finds comfort in her stepbrother and friends. But something is wrong. Someone is out to get Ivy and she doesn't no why. Tristan figures this out as well and wants to save Ivy and let her know that he's there. It's a mystery mixed with a love story.

I probably read this book about 2 years ago but I remember really liking it. One of my best friends mom's, who loves to read, actually saw me with this and she was reading it at the same time so we discussed it. (I love discussing books with physical in-person people) It wasn't really weired because she is kind of an easy person to talk to a relate with. Anyway we both loved it. The plot was good. If you don't like total romance stories than this could be a book for you because it has a lot of mystery and suspense to it. It was a bittersweet book that I liked a lot. I admit to falling in love with Tristan, not the type of guy I would normally go for in real life or a book but his character was very sincere, and just a good character. I like Ivy, she was another really good character/person. She's one of those people at school who, if you need one word to describe them, would be nice and loyal, ok so that's two words but they really describe her. The other characters are also good. But Tristan was my all time favorite in this book. The plot was good and kept me reading not through the night but I still finished in about a week. There were lots of surprises at the end some good some bad. Overall I did enjoy it but the end was bittersweet for me, more bitter than sweet. What's really exciting is there's going to be another book in the series! I really hope in this book I get the ending I wanted so bad!I will definitely read it again! A really good angel book!

4.5 Kisses!

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand and Happy New Year!

So First off Happy New Years Eve and New Years!






From all the ladies here at For the Love of Reading happy New Years! So while we're all waiting for 12:00Am and that big ball to drop in New York I have a review on an amazing book! But first a little new years talk. I don't know about you but I am so excited for all the books that are coming out this 2011. I already have over 200 on my to read pile, and I'm sure there are tons more I'll be adding throughout the year! I have so many that I'm so excited for that I can hardly wait, which brings me to Unearthly by Cynthia Hand! Now really quick one of my new years resolutions, yes a have more than one, is to talk less and get to the point. I am an avid talker I can talk on and on, and some of you have probably noticed this in my reviews. So I'm trying to make them shorter, but bear with me it's going to be a tough habit to break. (See how it took me a while to explain all that) So without further adieu the review you all are really here for!

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Published By Harper Teen 2011
Pages 448
Genres: Adventure, Angels, Romance, YA
Reviewed by Kate

When Clara Gardner learns she's part angel, her entire life changes. She understands now why she's smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but she also has a purpose, a specific task she was put on this earth to accomplish-one that reveals itself in pieces and involves a mysterious boy, a deadly fire, and a crushing grief. Confused by her impending future, Clara tries to find her way in a world filled with unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make.

First I want to say thank you so much to Cynthia Hand and Melissa Bruno for sending me a copy to review! Thank you both so much!

I loved this book! Everyone mark your calendars for this up-coming January 4th! I mean seriously run to the bookstore, drop everything work, school, heck, get to the bookstore before it opens and start reading this book during work school or whatever else occupies your days. This was such an amazing book it will have you reading into the night way past your bedtime, as well as way past what you thought you were sitting down for. Okay so you probably want to know why this book was so awesome, we I'll tell you!

The first thing I thought about this book was it was so fresh, I still can't put my finger on why, since it was just the beginning but it felt different from all the other books I've read lately. Maybe it's the new scenery, Wyoming, who would have thought right? I love books that don't take place in the big states, or even cities for that matter. Not that I wouldn't love to visit California or New York but I've read so many books that take place in the big cities there. I think it's nice to have a completely new state and city to learn about. Wyoming didn't disappoint. In fact, our family is taking a vacation to who knows where yet, this summer, and I know where I want to go. Just give me Tucker and I'm set to go!

Hand wrote amazing characters! They were finally high school characters in high school! Lately it seems like there are so many characters in high school going on to their 50th anniversary with their love. Okay so I'm pretty sure that's a little exaggerated. But I think we need more characters that are "high schoolers in high school" and Hand did it! She also made the characters so relate able, I really felt like I was in the story at points with these characters, I felt their emotions and related to them easily. I love stories that pull me in like that, another point for Hand! Clara, the main character, reminded me of my best friend. She's so easy to like and even though she's supposed to be pretty much perfect, from her angel side, Hand gave her some flaws that made her human and likable. And she wasn't trying to be perfect! Clara dealt with so many things that normal teens do, pleasing your parents, relationships, both boyfriend girlfriend and friendships, along with heartbreak and just trying to do your best. I immediately connected with Clara and she will stay with my forever, as will many of the other characters. So I could talk on and on about the boys, friends, and family, and boys again, so I'll try to make it short. The characters were phenomenal! From Clara's brother Jeffery to Tucker the hot hunk of a cowboy, swoon. I'm in love. They were all so well written in their parts that I felt apart of their lives.

Of course an amazing story cannot come without some action and adventure, and I always like a little love on the side. The plot was so good keeping me turning the pages well into the night, I actually stopped myself a few times so I could draw out the story longer. The whole book felt so fresh and real to me, it completely had me drawn in, and I loved it! It's not new news that I love angels and this was an amazing new world of angels. I love all that's involved but still have so many questions and can't wait to continue the series and figure it all out. I also am in love with all the different sports and activities mentioned! Usually in books you have the cheerleader and football guys, or the bad boys who have other bad boy hobbies with the plain girl not having much interest in anything. Skiing, fly fishing, hiking, rafting, and swinging off trees into super fast rivers, oh my gosh I almost forgot horseback riding, my personal favorite, are just some of the things Clara experiences, and hopefully I will too with Tucker as my guide for everything! It was so great to read about all these activities and it makes me want to get out there and try them all! I actually really just want to live in this book and have it as my life! It was the perfect read there are no complaints from me. I knew it would be good but this book passed my expectations a hundred times over. I'm predicting this is going to be one of the best books in 2011! I know it's one of my all-time-favorite books ever!

Ok so not so short but I'll probably edit it tomorrow. Happy 2011 everyone!

Definitly five Kisses!

Angelfire (Angelfire No.1) by Courtney Allison Moulton

Title: Angelfire (Angelfire No.1)
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Pages: 464
Published: February 15th, 2011 by HarperCollins

Synopsis: When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.(from goodreads.com)

Yum! This book was amazingly delicious in every sense of the word. Now, I want to tell you that I was very skeptical about it at first. I've had some not so good experiences recently with angel books (angel related?) so I was a bit....deterred. But, I'm always about a heroin who kicks some a$$ and doesn't always have to rely on someone else -*clears throat*namely strong protective/co-dependent boyfriend - , and Ellie was my girl there (most of the time anyway). Plus, she was funny in an offbeat sort of way - she had definitely honed in on her sarcasm.

I was a little slow to start into it, but eventually I was so hooked I couldn't put it down. It was just so action packed and crazy eventful that I couldn't help myself. Or maybe it was the characters. I liked Ellie, she was fun and lovely and didn't take crap. Although, I really did feel for her concerning her father (what is it with crappy fathers?). But I think she took all the crap that came her way in stride. She may have had a bit too much angst, but what 17 year old isn't angsty?!

But, really it came down to her love interest...Will! Could I just tell you all I have another fictional boyfriend I'm adding to the tally! I mean, come on, the guy was smokin', shove against the wall, sex on a stick hot! I loved his tattoos. Not that I could actually see him (as he is my fictional boyfriend), but I could completely and totally imagine it. He was like the guy that could be bad, but acted good. You know exactly what I'm talking about here, I know you do.... *prrrr, lick, lick*

I liked some of the other secondary characters, namely Nathaniel, Will's friend, and I did like Ellie's mom, but most of the other characters I didn't really care for. They were just kind of passe and forgettable. But in the end it didn't really matter because the story isn't about them, it's about Ellie and her fight against the dark forces. *mwah ha ha*

It's about her finding what she is made of and fighting the evil that wants to take the souls of humans to Hell. She is the only one who can call the Angelfire. She is the warrior who fights the good fight, the good fight with her wickedly scorching hot guardian, Will, by her side. He who has been with her for 500 years. He has secrets, but then again, she does too. It's quite a scintillating plot now that I'm thinking about it.

Overall, I really did like this book. And even though I thought the beginning might have been a bit slow, I liked everything else about it. I can't get it out of my head. Because, with some sweet flaming swords, sexy tats, reapers, the Phantom of the Opera, secrets galore and some touching that may make you sweat, you just won't want to put it down.


Rating: 4.5/5
Quotes:

"You look very sharp yourself. Where'd you get the shirt?" (Ellie)

"A friend." (Will)

"You have friends?"

"Don't be so shocked. I've lived a long time. I was bound to find someone who likes me. It was just Nathaniel, anyway."

"Oh, that's so cute," I said, pinching his cheek. "He shopped for you. You're, like, biffles."

He disappeared out my window, leaving me alone, once again putting distance between us as soon as we got close. I stared after him, past the curtains billowing in the icy nighttime breeze and out that black hole of a window.

He dropped his head to mine, his body so close to mine I could hardly stand it. "If we're separated--if I lose you--I'll find you," he breathed, his cheek touching mine gently, lighting tiny fireworks on my skin.

Fresh, relentless, warm tears rolled down my cheeks, His promise melted through me, and my heart ached for everything that I wanted and couldn't have.

I received this book free of charge from HarperCollins and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Giveaway - Sinful (Signed Copy) by Sara Dailey & Staci Weber

So, here are the rules and point entries for this giveaway:
Signed copy of Sinful and a Sinful postcard
by Sara Dailey and Staci Weber

Rules:

• Open to US Only (Sorry everyone else)
• Must be 13 yrs old to enter
• Giveaway will run through January 18th, 2011 - Midnight (Mountain Standard Time)
• To enter, leave a comment on THIS post with your email address and number of points

Point Entries:

• +5 for following us (But you don't have to follow to enter)
• +3 for friending us on Facebook
• +3 for following us on Twitter
• +10 for posting the giveaway (Must leave us the LINK for where you posted about it)
• +5 for leaving a creative comment on the Sinful book review post.
• +5 for creatively commenting on our Author Interview

**Note: Once we pick the winner, we will notify them by email. They will have 48 hours to respond to the email. If we are unable to get a response, we will draw a new winner. Also, the book will be shipped to the address designated by the winner via the US Postal Service. We are not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged items after they have been shipped.

Okay, so it's pretty strait forward, you don't have to follow us to enter, but you get extra points for doing it. Plus you get 10 extra points for sharing the joy of the giveaway. So, everyone get a entering! Oh, and please post your email address is this format:

ikissbooks{at}gmail{dot}com

If you don't feel comfortable posting your email, you can email us at that address with your info.

Happy holidays everyone! Hope you all have a fabulous season!

Authors Sara Dailey and Staci Weber Interview!

Sinful Interview and Giveaway!

All of us ladies here at the blog are very excited to be hosting our version of a holiday giveaway! And we want to start by saying a big thank you to both Sara Dailey and Staci Weber, authors of their debut novel SINFUL, for letting us host a giveaway, starting tomorrow, as well as giving us their time for this interview! Thank you both so much!

1)How did you come up with idea that would become Sinful?

First, I want to thank y’all for having us on your blog and allowing us to get the word out to your readers about our debut novel, SINFUL. Kate was actually the first person to review SINFUL, so we are really excited to get to be here. And a special thanks to Kate for seeking us out 

A few years ago, we were both reading YA novels like mad and joked about writing one of our own. As middle school English teachers we thought, “How hard can it be, right?” Ha! Well, Staci had a crazy dream that she thought would make a great book, and it didn’t take much convincing to get Sara onboard. Before we knew it, we were plotting out our novel. In the end, it was far different from Staci’s dream, but it was that dream that sparked the idea that became SINFUL.

2) Wow, that's so awesome! I love dreams that turn into books, I think those are some of the best! So, how did you both go about writing it together? Did one of you write and give it to the other to add and edit? Did one of you write while sharing ideas?

Amazingly enough, no blood was shed. We really do work well together. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and aren’t afraid to say what we think. We had no idea what we were doing at first or how it would work writing together, but we started meeting once a week, and it all just kind of worked out. We would sit and drink coffee at Starbucks while passing the computer back and forth as we wrote. The majority of the revising and editing, we did on our own time, but the most of the writing took place when were together.

3) That sounds pretty organized. I was always cruious how co-writers...well...write together. I just adore Michael, he is one of my favorite characters in Sinful. He is so different from all the guys that I’ve been reading about in books lately, actually ever. He’s sweet, sensitive, but still strong. How did you come up with him?

We’re not really sure how Michael came to be exactly. Like we said, we didn’t really know what we were doing when we started, but one thing we did know was that all too often in YA novels, the main conflict is between the main character and her love-interest, and we wanted the conflict to be an outside source, which allowed us to create “a good guy” in Michael. We’re glad that we didn’t make Michael the fallen angel. We like that our love-interest for Elizabeth is the kind of guy that teens should long to be with, not the “bad boy” (though we are both quite found of our fallen angel too).

4) I too was drawn to Daniel, the fallen angel, but I still love Micheal. I really like your thoughts behind the "love interest". I think it's an amazing change from the bad boys, but I still love them too! Ok so, just for my own curiosity, why angels? I love them but is there a specific reason you chose them?

Believe it or not, at the time we started writing SINFUL, there were no YA romances on the shelves about angels. So, the answer that question is because we wanted to do something different. Little did we know, books about angels would be coming out right and left after our novel was already written. Just about the time we signed our contract with our publisher, angel book after angel book hit the shelf. It takes a long time for a book to get published, and it was an 18 month wait before we actually saw our novel in print. In fact, our original title for SINFUL was FALLEN. Our novel was titled FALLEN for almost two years before we had to change it last December when Lauren Kate’s book came out.

5) I was actually happy with the title change! I think it really works for the book, and it really fits the cover. Are there any special foods, or anything really, that get you through the writing process?
Not food, but caffeine is a must. We rarely write anywhere other than Starbucks, so of course some type of caffeinated beverage is always purchased and consumed.

6)What are one or two things that you NEED when writing?

As I said above, caffeine, but we also have to have our notes. We have proven to ourselves over the years that we take the absolute worst notes, but we can’t seem to work without them. We plan out our chapters and keep notes about things we need to go back and add and stuff we might want to add later. We never fail to amuse ourselves when we go back to read all the great ideas that we had, but then we can’t understand our own notes. We try really hard to be specific now, but we still usually have to piece our “brilliant ideas” back together.

7) What are some of your favorite YA books?

How much time do you have? Let’s see - 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson Unwind by Neal Shusterman Venomous by Chris Krovatin Numbers by Rachel Ward The Hate List by Jennifer Brown A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb Impossible by Nancy Werlin Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause Anything by John Green North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles Willow by Julia Hoban We could go on and on, but those are some that stand out in our mind as really good YA reads.

8) Those are some really good books! Though I still have most of them on my to-read pile. Will there be more paranormal beings in the future?

The series we are working on now is about werewolves. We hope for it to be a several book series, but we don’t plan to stop there. We have tons of ideas (mostly rolling around in Staci’s head), so there will definitely be other paranormal beings in the future.

9) I can't wait to see what other characters you both will create. I have to ask, will we be seeing both Michael and or Elizabeth again? I sure hope so!

SINFUL was written as a stand-alone novel, so there won’t be another book about Michael and Elizabeth, but we’ve discussed writing Daniel’s story. It would be fun, but it's not in the works right now.

10) I would love a book with Daniel as the main character! Please write it! May I ask how did you both get the idea for Static? It’s completely different from Sinful.

We’re not sure exactly how we came up with the story line, but we wanted to do a series like some of the adult romance series that we read, in which each book is about different people that are all a part of a group of some sort. Thus, the Red Ridge Werewolf Pack was born. The first book, STATIC, is about Allison and her love interest Cade, and then each book after that will be about other members of the pack. We both get tired of reading series about the same main characters, so this way we can write a series and hopefully not get sick of our own characters.

11) I cannot wait for this new series! It sounds so good. Can you tell us anything about Static? And when is the release date?

In STATIC, seventeen-year-old Allison Wright is turning into a werewolf; she just doesn’t know it yet. When her new behaviors become too much for her to control, her mother makes the difficult decision to move her family back to her old pack where Allison meets the wolf of her dreams. Unfortunately, he is already taken by Kendall, a girl who will do anything to keep him and her position in the pack. When Kendall teams up with a rogue werewolf with an agenda of his own, things get hairy (ha ha). We are currently looking for an agent to represent STATIC, which will hopefully lead to STATIC being picked up by a publishing house. That means STATIC is nowhere near a release date, but if everything goes the way we hope it does, STATIC will be on the shelf someday in the not-too-distant future.

12) Hopefully sooner rather than later! Any other ideas of what you’re doing after Static?

After the holidays, we plan to start plotting out the sequel to STATIC. It will be about Allison’s “were-challenged” brother Aiden. Aiden’s character provides quite a bit of the comic relief in STATIC so it should be fun to write.

Thank you so much for taking the time to let us interview you both! You can find Sara and Staci's book SINFUL online at your favortie bookstore! Or you can enter our contest starting tomorrow. That's right starting Christmas Eve we will be hosting our own holiday giveaway! So stop by tomorrow for a chance to win your own signed copy, that's right SIGNED, and a SINFUL postcard. So Happy Holidays and Good Luck!

Sinful by Sara Dailey and Staci Weber

Sinful by Saraa Dailey and Staci Weber
Published by: Mundania Press
Pages: 232
Genres: Angels, Chick-Lit, Romance, and Ya

After the death of her mother, seventeen year old Elizabeth Carrington is starting over. In a new city, at a new school, with a dad she hardly knows, it isn’t going to be easy. Trying desperately to find her way and cope with her unceasing grief, she finds herself surrounded by a force so compelling, so comforting, so captivating that she can’t deny its presence and soon fears that if it were to leave her, she might lose her very self. But is it all really happening or has her wavering sanity finally found its breaking point?

Michael’s role in this world has been the same for centuries, but now something is different. He is inexplicably drawn to an intriguing stranger so alluring that he can’t force himself to resist her. Is he willing to risk everything to be with her, even falling?

A dark force, hell bent on destroying any chance of happiness for his arch nemesis Michael, is lurking in League City, TX, and there is no limit to his need for vengeance. How far will he go to seek revenge for his sworn enemy’s betrayal?

Caught in a clash of good versus evil, Elizabeth soon finds herself in the crosshairs of a battle that has been brewing since long before she was even born.

First thank you so much to both Sara Dailey and Staci Weber for letting me review this book, I'm really glad that they let me!

This book left me thinking, "Wow! Not what I expected but still good!". First off, I love the concept of this book, angels. I am on a angel high right now, if there's a book that has angels in, it is more than likely that I will be reading it as soon as possible. So, of course I loved that aspect of it! This book is a very fast paced and right to the point read with characters that I really liked and are very realistic. The characters were actual people that you will see in high school. Finally! No 30 year old high school characters, I am so tired of those characters. They are not very realistic, these characters are, I could actually name names about who these characters represent. I really liked that Elizabeth could stick up for herself and wasn't someone who needed others to lean on. I liked that Michael is different from all the bad-boy characters that have graced the pages of so many YA books, don't get me wrong, I love the bad-boy characters but it was a nice change. Michael is very sweet and sensitive, not in a bad whiney/easily offended way but in a way that he was aware of Elizabeth and wanted what was best for her. It was very refreshing. I liked them both but I wasn't too keen on was how quickly they fell in love; it was almost instantly which didn't feel real to me. Although if there was some hot angel following me around I'd fall into his arms too! Overall they were very real and refreshing characters.

This is a very fast paced quick read, no little scenes that just took up pages and ink. Sometimes I wanted a little more description, but most of the time it was a perfect balance for me. The plot was cliché at times but it was still very good and kept me with my light on reading late at night, when I really should have turned it off for my own healthy energy benefit. Overall it was a fast paced book with great characters. I would definitely recommend picking this book up. I can't wait for the next book!

4 Kisses!

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages:427
Genres: Action, Adventure, Angels, Mystery, Romance, YA
Reviewed by Kate

Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away, and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch, or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

How do I even begin my review of this book? I'll start by my initial worries about this book. I'm not 100% sure but pretty sure that Hush Hush, the first book in this series, was supposed to be a stand alone novel. It seemed to me that it would have been fine that way, though I'm glad it's not. Anyway, it always worried me when authors either make their stand-alone novels a series or make way to many books in a series, you just don't want to push to-much-of-a-good-thing. So I was worried that this book wouldn't be as good because it seemed more of an after thought to the success of Hush Hush. But I have to say that Fitzpatrick did an amazing job. I loved this book, and at times hated it.

So this book was a lot different than Hush Hush but if you didn't know that Hush Hush and Crescendo were related before reading them you could tell afterwards, it still has ties and expands on things from Hush Hush. This book actually has a lot more mystery of who killed Nora's dad and a new secret society, I won't give away any spoilers so that's all I'll say, than anything else. I really liked that aspect of the story, there really wasn't to much romance. In fact Nora and Patch take a break throughout the whole book pretty much, and yes Patch hangs out with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie. However predictable this may seem for a second book it was done in a way that I liked a lot, well hated actually but that was just the situation in general. So this book was a lot of mystery and action.

I was really disappointed that Patch wasn't in the book a whole lot. I missed his sarcastic, arrogant, in a bad boy way that I love, and sexiness/charm. I was also a little confused by some of Nora's actions about him being being Marcie. Sometimes I was saying "yes Nora!" other times I was thinking why on earth is she doing that. But then I thought about how I would be feeling in that situation and I think that that is how I might react as well, against my better judgment. Love hurts. It also bothered me that at the end Patch and Marcie's relationship was sort of explained but not really, I need more.

One thing I loved about this book was the mystery. There are so many twists and turns that I was not expecting at all. This book really is preparing for what I hope is an explosive next book. There's just so many things that are set up in this book that NEED to be answered/resolved in the next book. I hated the ending, well it was more I hated the ending because you need to know what happens next and we have to wait a little less than a full year for the next book. It makes me want to pull my hair out in frustration. But I'm super excited for the next book! Overall, this book left me with so many emotions. I know this review is a little hard to understand since this left me with so many different feelings, most were contradicting, but I'm still giving this book a 5 Kisses! I absolutely loved it! If I can decipher my feelings and thoughts better I'll come and change my review.

5 Kisses!

Awakened (The Guardian Legacy No.1) by Ednah Walters

Title: Awakened (The Guardian Legacy No.1)
Author: Ednah Walters
Pages: 272 Pages
Published: September 2nd, 2010
Read: September 27th, 2010
Rating:

Synopsis: Most teens turn sixteen and get the license to drive, Lil Falcon gets the license to kill demons, but no one told her she is not supposed to fall in love with one.

Orphaned as a child and raised by an eccentric grandfather, Lil is concerned with surviving high school and is unaware she's a Guardian—a being with super powers charged with killing demons and protecting humanity. But when she meets Bran, a mysterious boy with amazing abilities, his psi energy unlocks her latent powers.

But Bran has a secret that can destroy their growing relationship. He's part demon. But in her heart, Lil knows Bran is not evil. So when her grandfather is kidnapped by a powerful nature-bender and Bran is the only one who knows where he's being kept, Lil convinces the other Guardians to trust him, not knowing her grandfather is just the bait. And the truth that she discovers in the demonic enclave may just destroy everything she believes in, unless she makes the right choice—love and sacrifice.(from goodreads.com)

I've actually been very excited to start this book. It's funny how on Goodreads, the book word can spread like wild fire just by adding a book to your TBR list (now I know for future use). So, you can imagine my joy when Ednah Walters sent me a copy of her debut novel.

The book is set in the Utah valley. Now, although nobody knows this about me, I have family in several parts of the valley there so I'm pretty familiar with its layout. Plus, visiting the place at least twice a year for most of my life didn't hurt (My mom is a native....what can a girl do?). So to me, it was exciting to see a story unfold in a place that sits so close to me. You should see me when I read books that have to do with Arizona... It's like I've won the lottery.

Anyway, our main character is Lil. Now, I'm not really going to give you plot details and such because the synopsis does it's own job of that. What I will tell you however is that Lil is a 16 year old who just wants to fit in. I suppose that is the story with most 16 year olds. She also happens to have some pretty sweet powers and belongs to a super secret world of Guardians here to protect us from the evil demons that want our souls.

Sweet. (*my thoughts*)

The very beginning of the book is motivationally delicious - it grabbed my attention fabulously. Immediately we (the readers) are introduced to Bran, the seriously sexy male love icon. It took me quite some time to try and figure out his character, but I still don't think I did. I would have liked to have seen some more Bran, definitely more development of his character. He didn't seem to really fit in the world that Lil had carved for herself. He was just kind of there, like he was forced into the story. I think that some of the smaller characters were a bit more developed than he was. I felt like Lil would have been better placed with Sykes rather than Bran.

Lucky for me, there were several other characters to love. I had an all out crush on one of the guy guardian trainees - Sykes. He was adorable in the I'm-hot-and-sexy-and-I-know-it-so-I'm-going-to-flirt-with-you kind of way. I really liked his sense of humor and his wit. Plus, there was Izzy who seemed like she could kick ass but was still nice and kind. Kim, the other female guardian trainee, was kinda an evil bitch mean, but I understood her. I could totally get why she was the way she was....maybe that says something about me (food for thought).

The demon part of the book was a bit tricky and I didn't quite get how the whole thing worked with them until the end. I did think the concept of how they functioned and their purpose for being in existence was pretty cool. I loved the explanation Walters gave for the nature problems on Earth and the demons hands in all that. Excellent!

Still, I do think the general storyline was fun and interesting. Plus, there were quite a few fight scenes which I adored and girl fights always add to the drama in a book.

...They were sweating, swords colliding, lifting and connecting again. Remy knocked the sword out of Sykes' hand. Sykes teleported, snatched his sword before it hit the ground then disappeared again. His laughter drew my attention upward. He was on one of the beams above the floor, grinning. Ah, so that was the purpose of those babies.

"Didn't expect that, did you?" Sykes mocked Remy.

"You want to play hardball?" Remy asked, grinning back.

"Bring it on." Sykes teleported to another beam, looked down at me and winked.

I shook my head. he was such a show-off. My gaze returned to Remy.

He wrapped a hand around the blade of his sword, and the glistening steel changed its color to a dull brown. The sharp edge rounded, shimmered like a mirage and stretched until it became a long, cylindrical shaft, the end dangling to the floor. In mere seconds, he'd transformed his sword into a scythe with a long chain at its end...

Walters' debut novel of Guardians, Nephilium, demons, souls, swords and crazy teenage hormones makes for an interesting and entertaining read.

Rating:3.5/5