Crescendo excerpt thoughts

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Available on October 19, 2010
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 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?

As I've mentioned yesterday, the prologue and first chapter of the book are up for grabs, and you can get the download link at DaisyChainBookReviews.

I just got done reading the prologue and the first chapter, and I'm rather excited about where it's all going. I think Nora going after her father's death will reveal a great deal about her Nephilim line and how Patch found her. Honestly, I'm more interested in how the hell Patch found her, so I'm hoping, judging from the prologue, that we will find out.

I feel like this book is going to be worth waiting for.

Teaser Tuesdays (3) & other things

• I've finally found a layout that I like, so hopefully I won't be changing it every week. It should be less annoying for those of you who check it out, and I'm sorry I've been a pain in the butt for so long.
• Leanna at DaisyChainBookReviews was the first person to suggest I read Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. She has posted a link to the first chapter of the second book, Crescendo, and you can get it here.
• I'm giving a teaser from the book I gave a teaser from last week because it's just been one of those weeks where I kept carrying the book around with me and only got to read a few pages here and there.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 Rehv stalked up to her, took her face in his hands, and kissed her hard. When he pulled back, he said darkly, "Only because of you."

Discovering books

Does anyone else watch the show BONES?

My mother watches it religiously, and I've seen a couple of episodes with her. It looked like something I'd like, so this weekend I started watching it from the beginning-- it's on season 5 right now, so I have a lot more to go!

Anyway... One of the interesting parts so far, apart from forensic anthropology, is that I found out the series was based on books by Kathy Reichs. Being the curious nerd that I am, I checked them out, and there are 13 of them so far, which is a lot, but I do want to check them out. My one worry is that if they get too textbook-like, I'll be completely lost. I'd started reading Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian a while ago, and I still haven't gone back to try and finish it because of this very reason.

So if any of you read these books, I'd love some input!

Here's the first book, which I'm planning to order soon:

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
First published in 1997

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan has finally planned a weekend off to explore Montreal. But when an unidentified female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in garbage bags, her weekend plans--and her life--are turned upside down.

Hoppin'!

ABOUT THE HOP:

Hosted by Crazy-for-Books

In the spirit of the Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event!

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know!  Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added!  And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

Teaser Tuesdays (2)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"The bastard passed out, and shaking him didn't help bring him back. Neither did a palm slam or two."
- Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward

One Lovely Blog Award

This came as a very big, exciting surprise! Thanks to Erika at Erika Breathes Books for giving me the One Lovely Blog Award <3

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

And here are the five awesome blogs I'm going to pass the award to:

• DaisyChainBookReviews
• Emma Michaels
• The Ninja Librarian
• Bookend Diaries
• The Wormhole

 

Book #18 of 2010 - Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick Review

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Published in 2009
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life. 

First Twilight and now this... I'm becoming more and more aware of how MY biology labs in high school were a waste of time! There were no newcomers with piercing eyes and husky voices and strong abs and things... Now that I've finally complained about that, onto the book:

I really liked it. I haven't read anything with angels before, and the only ones I know are from the Supernatural-- they're (mostly, except for Castiel, of corse) arrogant and mean and all that. I guess that's kinda what I expected from this, and I got it, but it was much better.

It's hard not to fall for Patch with his teasing charm and good looks. Nora is confused about him, obviously, since he's also mysterious, arrogant and stalkerish. There were times when I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, going, "You want him, Nora! Hello!" Then I had to remind myself she is 16 and acting the way any 16-year-old girl would in her situation.

Overall, the story flows smoothly and is easy to read, as well as enjoyable. The only thing that left me needing more was Patch's backstory-- is that it? Really? I really hoped we could find out more about him, but apparently not. I'm hoping it will change in the next book since we'll definitely find out more about Nora's Nephilim blood line.

On the other hand, though, Nora's best friend Vee cracked me up a lot. And the twist in the end about the "murderer" was pretty cool; even if I might have guessed it at one time or the other, I'd definitely had forgotten it toward the end of the book.

I must admit that with the biology lab and Nora's driving to Portland to investigate Elliott and getting in trouble, a voice at the back of my head started screaming, "Twilight! Twilight!" Since the subject matter isn't too different, similarities are about to pop up, right?

It's Friday-- time to hop!

The event is hosted at Crazy-for-Books every Friday. If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know!  Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added!  And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

LET'S HOP! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book #17 of 2010 - One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost Review

One Foot in the Grave By Jeaniene Frost
Published in 2008 by Avon
Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she'll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won't let her get away again.

In the first book of the series, Halfway to the Grave, the protagonist Cat Crawfield, who also is the narrator, had annoyed me. It was alright, though, since she was young and shy and finding out more about vampires as well as herself. One Foot in the Grave picks up four years after where the first book ends, and she seems to be more immature, and her arrogance and the "I'm the shit" attitude just makes it worse. She's tougher and bitchier, and she seems to be an alcoholic-- I don't know if this is going to come up in the following books or not, but half-vampire or not, she's downing way too many gin and tonics whenever she feels stressed or nervous or wants to get out of a certain situation but can't. I couldn't help thinking that if the books were written in the third person, maybe she wouldn't have bugged me so much. Too late for that now anyway.

In general, the writing is wittier and there's much more action. I don't have a problem with fast-paced story lines, I rather enjoy them even, but most of the scenes in this book felt like they needed more build up and tension-- it gets rather exhausting and confusing when she's one place now and another place two seconds later.

I agree with most of the other reviewers that the love scene with her and Bones toward the end of the book is to die for. Honestly, if Bones wasn't as charming and sexy as he is, I probably would've given up on these books (well, the other reason I can't is because I already purchased books 3 and 4, and I also can't help getting curious). It just sucks to see that Cat's immaturity and not thinking things through clearly lead to messed up situations, and Bones has to save the day. I felt bad for the guy most of the time. I don't like it when people are driven so much by their anger and thirst for revenge because of what's been done to them or what they have to live with that they can't see clearly. Cat's just like that, but she also LIKES what she is, so I don't understand how her bitching and attitude are justified.

Tek Ayağı Mezarda, Yazar: Jeaniene Frost

Yayımlandığı yıl: 2008
KEDİCİĞİN HAYRANI OLACAKSINIZ! MEZARDAN KAÇABİLİRSİN FAKAT SAKLANAMAZSIN! ATEŞLE Mİ OYNUYORSUN, KEDİCİK? Yarı vampir Kedicik, FBl'ın gizli bir biriminde özel dedektif. Tehlikeli ölümsüzlerin kökünü kurutmak için devletin emrinde çalışıyor. Halen, seksi ve tehlikeli eski sevgilisi Bones'tan öğrendikleriyle hayatına devam ediyor ancak ya biri genç kadını öldürmeyi kafasına koyduysa? Dahası Kediciğe yani Cat'e yardım edebilecek tek güç, maziye gömmeye çalıştığı ancak kalbinden bir türlü atamadığı eski aşkı Bones!

Gece Avcısı serisinin ilk kitabı Mezarla Randevu'da ana karakter Cat sinirimi bozmuştu ve hikayenin onun ağzından anlatılması da durumu daha da kötüleştirmişti. İlk kitapta Cat daha gençti utangaçtı ve vampirler ve kendisi hakkında yeni şeyler öğreniyordu. Bu yüzden saçma sapan tavırları fazla batmıyordu ancak ikinci kitapta da kendisi "ben şahaneyim, kimse bana dokunamaz" tavırlarıyla oldukça gıcık. Ayrıca alkolik olduğundan şüpheleniyorum çünkü ne zaman hoşuna gitmeyen bir durum olsa hemen gin & tonic'ine sarılıyor. Eğer kitaplar üçüncü tekil şahıs ağzından yazılmış olsaydı daha iyi olurdu diye düşünüyorum ama artık çok geç tabii ki.

Genel olarak bu kitap daha nükteli ve aksiyon doluydu. Çabuk ilerleyen hikayeler normalde hoşuma gidiyor ama bu kitapta ortalık karıştı biraz: bir an bir yerde iki saniye sonra başka yerdeler; arada ne oldu ne bitti belli değil.

Kitabın sonlarına doğru Cat ve Bones arasındaki aşk sahnesini herkes çok beğenmiş; ben de katılıyorum onlara. Zaten Bones bu kadar sevilebilir ve hayran olunabilir bir karakter olmasaydı kitapları okumayı bırakırdım sanırım. Yalnız onu Cat'in saçmalıklarını temizlemeye çalışırken görmek insanı üzüyor cidden.

GLEE!

My favorite performance from this week's episode was Puckerman's Lady is a Tramp-- he totally nailed it!

And my favorite quote of the week was by Rachel, the same one my lovely JuJu-doll shared on her Facebook:

"I'm like Tinkerbell; I need applause to live!"

I'm super-excited that Neil Patrick Harris is going to be in next week's episode and that Joss Whedon is directing it. Can it get any better than that? I think not.

Teaser Tuesdays

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!  

My teasers:

  

It was either the combination of the juice in his fangs or blood that made everything seem not as... stressful. And I should be stressed.

- One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost, p. 118.

How exciting!

I had entered the Beautiful Malice giveaway contest ran by the lovely Leanna at DaisyChainBooks, and I'm one of the winners! I never win anything, so this is very exciting for me-- I cannot wait to read it. She's also going to be running an ARC Tour of this book, so make sure to check out her blog.







I see a lot of blogs doing the "In My Mailbox" weekly post. Unfortunately, I don't get books in the mail weekly, so I thought I could do it monthly since I order books almost every month. Here's what I got in May:

Mothers' Day

My mother is the #1 person behind my growing up a big bookworm. Ever since I was little, I've always seen her with a book in her hand, and I remember wanting so badly to be able to dive into those books and discover the new worlds at her reach. She's the one who got me my first copies of the classics such as Jane Eyre, Moby Dick, Alice in Wonderland, The Adventures of Oliver Twist, Around the World in 80 Days... The most special gift she's ever given me is her copy of Little Women, which instantly became one of my favorites as soon as I got done reading it.

For the past few years, she's been preferring books that are "easy" to read, which are mostly chick-lit. In this genre, one of her favorite authors is Jane Green.

Of course, being the nosy daughter I am, I'd dived into her Jane Green pile as well. All her books are easy and quick to read, and they especially make fun, enjoyable beach-reads. I've pretty much stopped reading her when she started writing about married or engaged couples because all that talk about marriage just makes me sick, but I do still like and sometimes re-read her earlier works. My three favorites, in no particular order, are as follows:

Mr. Maybe by Jane Green (Published in 2001)

To Libby Mason, Mr. Right has always meant Mr. Rich. A twenty-seven-year-old publicist, she’s barely able to afford her fashionable and fabulous lifestyle, and often has to foot the bill for dates with Struggling Writer Nick, a sexy but perpetually strapped-for-cash guy she’s dating (no commitments — really). So when Ed, Britain’s wealthiest but stodgiest bachelor, enters the picture, her idea of the fairy-tale romance is turned on its head. Libby soon finds herself weighing the advantages of Nick’s sexual prowess and tender heart against Ed’s luxurious lifestyle and unlimited retail therapy. But when the diamond shopping commences, Libby is forced to realize that the time for “maybe” is up.
Taking romantic comedy to a hip, sparkling new level, Mr. Maybe is a classic tale of what happens to one girl when her heart and her head aren’t looking for the same thing. With a laugh a minute and a heroine whose struggles in the dating jungle will remind you of your own, Mr. Maybe is a story that will leave you smitten.

Bookends by Jane Green (Published in 2002)
Catherine Warner and Simon Nelson are best friends: total opposites, always together, and both unlucky in love. Cath is scatterbrained, messy, and - since she had her heart broken a few years back - emotionally closed off. Si is impossibly tidy, bitchy, and desperate for a man of his own. They live in London's West Hampstead along with their lifelong friends Josh and Lucy, who are happily married with a devil-spawn child and a terrifying Swedish nanny, Ingrid." All's well (sort of) until the sudden arrival of a college friend - the stunningly beautiful Portia, who's known for breaking hearts. Though they've grown up and grown apart from Portia, the four friends welcome her back into the fold. But does Portia have a hidden agenda or is she merely looking to reconnect with old friends? Her reappearance soon unleashes a rollicking series of events that tests the foursome's friendships to the limit and leaves them wondering if a happy ending is in store.

Straight Talking by Jane Green (Published in 2003)

Meet Tasha — single and still searching. A producer for Britain’s most popular morning show working under a nightmare boss, Tash is well-versed in the trials and tribulations of twenty-first century dating. She and her three best friends certainly haven’t lived the fairy tale they thought they would: there’s Andy, who’s hooked on passion, but too much of a tomboy to have moved much beyond the beer-drinking contest stage; Mel, stuck in a steady but loveless relationship; and Emma, endlessly waiting for her other half to propose. Their love lives are only complicated by the sort of men who seem to drift in and out: Andrew — suave, good-looking and head over heels in love . . . with himself; Simon, who is allergic to commitment but has a bad-boy nature that’s impossible to resist; and Adam — perfectly attractive, but too sweet to be sexy.
The bestselling first novel that launched Jane Green, one of the brightest stars in contemporary women’s fiction, Straight Talking sets the record straight regarding the real world of dating, and follows the adventures of Tash and her friends as they search for fulfillment and the right kind of love. Funny, flirty, and ultimately tender, Straight Talking gets at the heart of modern romance.

To find out about more of her books and read excerpts, you can visit author's website.

Book #16 of 2010

Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood Novel #6) by J.R. Ward
Published 2008/534 pages

Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood’s bloodlines alive.  As Primale of the Chosen, he is obligated to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that traditions of the race survive, and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished.
As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself.  She is drawn to the noble responsibility behind the emotionally scarred male.  But Phury has never allowed himself to know pleasure or joy.  As the war with Lessening Society grows grim, tragedy looms over the Brotherhood’s mansion, and Phury must decide between duty and love….

I don't even know where to start with this one-- I guess I should start by saying that all of you paranormal romance fans should definitely read these books and start from the first one, Dark Lover. I'd given it to my sister who finished it a few days ago, and her comment was "I think I'm gonna fall in love with all of [the brothers] as I read the books." I have to second her on that one because that's just how it works.

Lover Enshrined, unlike the first five books of BDB, especially Lover Eternal and Lover Awakened, wasn't that big of a romance novel. This sounds negative, but it's not, really, because there was so much more going on.

Phury, unlike the other warrior brothers, puts himself before others first. Having saved his twin Zsadist from slavery after searching for him for an eternity and losing his lower leg in the process, he has his own demons and turns to drugs to ease the pain. As he turns to drugs more and more often, he also steps up to the role of the Primale so his brother Vishous can be with his shellan, which means he's expected to mate with the Chosen-- except he falls for Cormia, the first mate, and doesn't go through with the whole Primale thing. It was rather amazing to see what was going on inside his head, and I very much enjoyed reading him connecting with Zsadist finally.

Apart from Phury, finding out more about the Chosen and the "other side" was rather exciting for me as well. The more I found out about it, the more hated it though because it reminded me of my strict, annoying high school. I was glad in the end when Phury talked to the Scribe Virgin and brought them out of there. I especially enjoyed the last chapter where we get a glimpse of the Chosen's daily activities living all together at Rehvenge's property.

Rehvenge... The next book (and I'm STILL waiting for it to show up at my door) is his. I'm not sure how I feel about him. He's always seemed cool, and I like his sense of humor and everything, but I don't know how exactly I feel about sympaths. I guess I just don't get their whole deal yet. Hopefully Rehv's book will clear that up a little bit.

Like I've said, there's so much going on in this book. My favorite parts were definitely the ones about warrior-to-bes John Matthew, Qhuinn and Blaylock. And I'm very very excited about John Matthew's book, Lover Mine, showing up at my door with Rehvenge's.

I genuinely do think J.R. Ward just keeps getting better and better. Yes, the romances are to die for. But that's not the one main focus of the books, which I think is one of the reasons why they're so addictive. I'm so looking forward to more exciting plots now that Thorment is back and Lash (hate him!) is playing for the enemy's team.

Hoppin'!

This is something I kept seeing on Leanna's blog at DaisyChainBookReviews and was curious about. She assured me that other content among books is fine, so I'm gonna be hopping starting today!

The event is hosted at Crazy-for-Books every Friday. If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know!  Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added!  And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

LET'S HOP!

Covet

COVET
by J.R. Ward
October 2009

Redemption isn’t a word Jim Heron knows much about—his specialty, both personally and professionally, is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. His weapon: the power of love. His enemy: the darkest of evil. And failure is not an option.

Vincent Di Pietro has surrendered himself to his business—until fate intervenes in the form of a tough-talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior, and a woman who will make him question his destiny. With an ancient evil ready to claim him, Vin has to work with a fallen angel not only to win his beloved over…but to redeem his very soul. 

Has anyone read this? 

My friend Kathy, who got me started with J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series said she wasn't too crazy about it. Honestly, I've never read any fictional angel books before-- Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick is going to be my first when it gets here. Still, I'm thinking if Ward is as good with angels as she is with the vampires, it might be worth checking out.

For those of you who are interested, you can read an excerpt form the book at the author's website.

 

The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove

Summary (author’s description)

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. It is.
Soon she starts receiving threatening messages from an unknown enemy. She's also beginning to suspect that the pale elegant headmistress and her gorgeous sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the sunny, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the dark, quirky older brother, who constantly puzzles her.
The longer she stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and the headmistress and her family.
What will she give up and what risks will she take to stay in this privileged world and be bound to Birch Grove forever? What's Jane willing to sacrifice for this once in a lifetime opportunity?

Just saw this in my e-mail, in the newest newsletter from the Love Vampires Website. Reading anything more than 2000 words on my computer screen makes my eyes bleed, but I did go ahead and downloaded the *.pdf version of the book that they offer. You can download it here.

Lover Mine

I'm currently reading the sixth book (Lover Enshrined) in J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and I've already ordered the seventh and eighth books. The eighth book, Lover Mine, was recently released on April 27th.

I was searching for something completely different when I came across a video of J.R. Ward talking about the book on Penguin's YouTube channel. Now, since I have to read two more books before I can get to that one, I tried not to watch it, but I failed miserably. The spoilers aren't too bad, and I'm excited about the fact that she says she doesn't really see the series ending because there are so many possibilities.

She makes another good point about Lover Mine: we really did follow John Matthew through so many books, still are (well, I am due to where I am in the series) witnessing his physical and emotional development. I'm very excited to finally read all about him.

Book #15 of 2010

Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous son of the Bloodletter possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pretrans growing up in his father's war camp, he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time- until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that cannot include her.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Is Vishous an interesting character? Yes-- he's a tech-savvy, bisexual warrior vampire who's into BDSM and can heal or electrocute humans/vampires with his magic glowing hand. Since the beginning of the series, I've thought he was pretty cool and especially enjoyed reading his interactions with Butch. In this book, however, I wasn't as curious about him as I'd expected I would be because there was so much more going on. The biggest shocker about him is the fact that we (and he himself, too) find out The Scribe Virgin is his birth mother. His back story with his father, Bloodletter, was rather interesting as well, but, like I've said, failed to be the center of my attention because there was so much more going on.

• Phury loses his virginity after a forever-long celibacy. He's still hung up on Bella, which makes me rather sad to read about because she's his twin's shellan. Because of all this, he takes Vishous's place as the Primale, which I have mixed feelings about, yet I cannot wait to read about him and The Chosen, Cormia, in the next book.
• John Matthew was the most interesting part of the book. He finally went through his transaction and is a warrior-sized vampire, who uses the daggers with his left hand like Darius used to. I remember Darius making a request to the Scribe Virgin in the first book, so I have my suspicions about this, but I'll just wait and see instead of dwelling too much on it.
• Lash is a whole different story. I felt like something was up with him, too, and I'm hoping I'm right and that I'll find out what it is in the following books.
• Jane, the female Vishous falls in love with, was alright. The way she comes back after she's killed by a lesser feels kinda funny to me, though. I'm not too crazy about the whole "Jane, the Friendly Ghost" kinda deal. 
• The lessers weren't around as much in this book, so I'm expecting them to make a strong comeback.