Book Review: Dragonbane by Sherrilyn Kenyon

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Series:	Dark-Hunter #26
Genre:	Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publication.Date:	August 4, 2015
Pages:	335 (paperback)
Published By:	St. Martin's Press
Website:	Sherrilyn Kenyon
	Dragonbane on Goodreads
My review copy:	Bought

Where to get:

Out of all the mysterious boarders who call Sanctuary home, no one is more antisocial or withdrawn than Maxis Drago. But then, it’s hard to blend in with the modern world when you have a fifty foot wingspan.

Centuries ago, he was cursed by an enemy who swore to see him fall. An enemy who took everything from him and left him forever secluded.

But Fate is a bitch, with a wicked sense of humor. And when she throws old enemies together and threatens the wife he thought had died centuries ago, he comes back with a vengeance. Modern day New Orleans has become a battleground for the oldest of evils. And two dragons will hold the line, or go down in flames.

(Goodreads)

Max shrugged. "What can I say? Absence does indeed make the hear grow fonder, and the guilt of having him locked away in a hell realm for a thousand years means I have to tolerate any annoying habit Illation possesses with utmost patience."

She popped Dev in the stomach.

"See how great dragons are? You should be taking notes." "Fine. Lock Etienne and Remi in a hell realm for a thousand years and I promise I'll be nice to the them when they get out."

Edena shrieked and danced toward her brother as the object came to rest near her and turned out to be a disembodied human head.

An instant later, a huge, spiny dragon poked his head out from between the curtains to offer a lopsided grin. "Sorry, love. Didn't realize anyone was here."

"I don't give up family." He paused. "Well, they could have Fury. I'm not that attached to him. But they'd only keep him till he opened his mouth, then launch his ass back to me with a catapult. He's like a bad boomerang that way."

Two weeks ago my review for Sherrilyn's Son of No One was posted here on Bookish Lifestyle. And while I liked it, I didn't love it and I knew Sherrilyn is capable of doing better. Ladies and gentlemen, HERE IS BETTER! I was so nervous about this series after reading So of No One, but I should have known better than to doubt the Author Goddess.

Dragonbane is the epitome of my love for Sherrilyn and her books. We have a familiar character as our main man and are constantly in contact with old favorites. After I finished Dragonbane, I understood why Sherrilyn needed to tell Son of No One. The way her stories connect and interact and feed off one another is nothing short of genius - there's a reason we Menyons call her "Author Goddess" and books like Dragonbane are a prime example!

If you're familiar with her novels, you know Maxius is the dragon Were-Hunter that lives in the attic  of Sanctuary. Not much is known about him other than he's a dragon, he lives in the attic, and he never sets foot outside of Sanctuary. Immediately we are introduced to Seraphina, a fierce Amazon warrior and fellow dragon Were-Hunter. Seraphina comes from a Amazon tribe of humans who can turn into dragons (verse Maxis who is a dragon that can turn human) and take pride in hunting and killing his kind. Not the best start to a relationship, but some of Sherrilyn's OTPs have been through worse.

The wonderful thing about Sherrilyn's books is that she has some bad ass female characters. They're not sitting and waiting to be saved, they're out there fighting just as hard (and sometimes harder) than some of the male counterparts. Seraphina is no exception - especially coming from an ancient tribe of Amazon warriors. She is from a society where women are above men in all things, but comes to love Maxis as an equal, not someone she needs to constantly take care of.

Full of snark, beloved characters, and a hot and steamy romance Dragonbane will you keep turning pages until late hours of the night (or early hours of the morning really). You'll love getting to know Maxis, especially those of us who first met him in Night Play, and delving deeper into the most intricate and mind blowing world I've ever read.

Top Ten Tuesday: Mermaids & Myths

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Top 10 Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Mermaids & Myths

In honor of our Mermaids & Myths here at Bookish Lifestyle, today's freebie Top Ten Tuesday is all about my favorite mermaids and myths.

Ariel, The Little Mermaid

I mean, what individual who loves mermaids doesn't love Ariel? (Don't answer that.) Disney's Ariel might be one of the most famous mermaids out there - at the very least most well known - and a catalyst for many mermaid lovers.

Madison, Splash

Another quintessential mermaid in my own past. I love the movie Splash and young me (and current me) love seeing a real-life mermaid. Plus, you can't go wrong with Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks. And between her and Ariel,, she wins over Ariel in terms of mermaid lore because she can go back and forth between land and sea with relative ease. No sea witch necessary.

The Mermaids from Peter Pan

Okay, I know they tried to drown Wendy but how beautiful is mermaid lagoon!? I would love to sunbath on one of those rocks and hear all of Peter's stories.

Syrena, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Okay, so maybe she gets captured by Blackbeard and crew, and that sucks, but she falls in love with Philip! And unlike her sister mermaids, who are vicious and manipulative, she is reserved and compassionate. I was rooting for these two crazy kids throughout the film and the fact that she gets to remain a mermaid and be with her true love is pretty fabulous.

The Starbucks Mermaid

This one may be cheating a bit, but I love Starbucks and their logo is a mermaid. So whenever I see this logo - especially when it's on a cup that's being handed to me - I can't help but smile.

Unicorns

by Thomas Kinkade (at least according to Google)

I already think horses are rather majestic as is, but throw a horn on their head? Perfection.

Elves

No comment necessary.

Dragons

How could you not love this face!? Harry Potter can keep his Hungarian Horntails and Swedish Short-Snouts, I want me a Toothless!

Fairies

Cottingly Fairies

Tooth fairy. Blue fairy. Fairy Godmother. Puck. Bring of the fairies! (As long as it's not Maleficent or Queen Maeve. They can stay far over there.)

Phoenix

There's something so eloquently beautiful and poetic about going out in a blaze of glory and then being reborn of the ashes. Aside from Faux I don't know of any famous Phoenix birds, so be sure to let me know of any if you think of them.

Are you following along with our Mermaids & Myths months? What are some of your favorite mermaids and myths? Be sure to leave me a link to your TTT!

 

Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake (Review + Giveaway)

Genre:	Young Adult, Mythology
Publication Date:	October 14, 2014
Published By:	Tor Teen
Website	Mortal Gods on Goodreads
	Kendare Blake Website
My review copy:	Purchased

 Where to get:

Ares, God of War, is leading the other dying gods into battle. Which is just fine with Athena. She's ready to wage a war of her own, and she's never liked him anyway. If Athena is lucky, the winning gods will have their immortality restored. If not, at least she'll have killed the bloody lot of them, and she and Hermes can die in peace.

Cassandra Weaver is a weapon of fate. The girl who kills gods. But all she wants is for the god she loved and lost to return to life. If she can't have that, then the other gods will burn, starting with his murderer, Aphrodite.

The alliance between Cassandra and Athena is fragile. Cassandra suspects Athena lacks the will to truly kill her own family. And Athena fears that Cassandra's hate will get them ALL killed.

The war takes them across the globe, searching for lost gods, old enemies, and Achilles, the greatest warrior the world has ever seen. As the struggle escalates, Athena and Cassandra must find a way to work together. Because if they can't, fates far worse than death await.
(Goodreads)

  "And what do they want?"

  "They want their weapon," she said.  "They want Achilles found."

  "We won Cassandra," she said.  "And we're closer to Achilles.  Don't you see?  The cards are falling our way.  Wherever they are, the Moirae are with us.  Fate favors us.  That has to be true, Hermes.  We have to have another chance."

 "I was thinking of..." she said, and stopped.  She'd been thinking of touching Ares in the rainforest.  The heat in her hands when she did it, and the feeling she got, when his blood burst under her fingers.  Joy.  Flat-out, powerful joy.

  

  There is no right place to start this review.  Kendare Blake is a spectacular author that knows how to pull a reader in.  Picking up a book written by this author is like opening the present that you have been dying to get.  Kendare Blake and mythology... Well, lets just say that these books are in my hands as quickly as possible.  Though I will admit that Mortal Gods got some of the second book syndrome, I will not deny that I enjoyed every minute of it regardless.

  Starting this book I thought it might take a bit to get into the swing of things, but it was smoother than I could have hoped for.  Mortal Gods transitioned almost flawlessly from Antigoddess, even adding some intrigue to make it interesting right from the start.  This being said it was still a little slow to start.  Slow, but interesting.  Does that make sense?  Basically I was into it but wihed that everything would move a little quicker.  This was very much a second book for me.  It was pulling from the first book and setting the tone for the third.  There was lots of great development but still many questions that were not answered.  What really got me pulled back in was how well the gods parts were placed.  Nothing like gods accepting or fighting their fate for their own reasons to pull me in.

  I really liked Cassandra in Antigoddess.  There might be a but when it comes to this book though.  It's still easy to admire her strength and love for her friends, but her need for revenge is changing her in ways that I'm not sure about.  She wants her revenge and the cost does not seem to effect her, or at least in any way that she is willing to admit.  She is basically willing to let everyone burn and disappear if it serves her purpose in the end.  She is becoming a teenager with an attitude and a dangerous power along side it.  I admire her strength and dedication but I'm disappointed with her behaviour.

  Athena, Hermes and the other gods/demigods/reincarnates are all developing in their own way too.  There are so many conflicting feeling when I think of them all.  It's not if they are good or bad, but more so why they have gone the way they have.  I realize that they all fought for their own reasons before and host their own demons, but sometimes the things they do appear out of desperation.  Athena seems to have her own reasons and yet they seem to always be in the best interest of her family.  There are more dimensions added to Athena's character that made her easier to feel for.  You start to get a better idea of what her motives truly are.  You also get a better idea of where everyone's loyalties lay and why.

  Mortal Gods is the perfect second book.  It pulls from Antigoddess and leads perfectly into the grand finale; Ungodly.  It will never cease to amaze me the emotions that Blake can pull out with just one book.  Admittedly I found disappointment in a character but am also willing to recognize that this is the path to something far better.  However, there was also the introduction of characters that I really did enjoy and I guess that creates some balance.  I look forward to picking up Ungodly and seeing how it all ends.  If you have read Antigoddess I do recommend you read this because, heck Blake is epic.  Even with the minor issues I had I believe that Ungodly will blow me away!! A must read series for fans of mythology.



This Giveaway will also be posted on the upcoming review of Ungodly

Open to US/CAN residents :)  GOOD LUCK!

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Book Review: Complete Nothing by Kieran Scott

Genre:	Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
Publication.Date	September 30th 2014
Pages:	336
Published By:	Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Author	Kieran Scott
	Complete Nothing on Goodreads
My review copy:	Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Where to get:

True’s matchmaking skills are the stuff of legend! The second novel in Kieran Scott’s delightful teen romance series that TeenVogue.com called “the next Twilight.”

True is not exactly loving New Jersey. Banished from Mount Olympus and tasked with helping couples find love without using her powers, the goddess-formerly-known-as-Cupid is having a tough time. Especially now that True’s immortal love, Orion, has also appeared at her New Jersey high school—but with no memory of their relationship.

To distract herself from seeing Orion flirt with another girl, True focuses her efforts on making a match: Peter and Claudia. Peter is the star quarterback and the most popular guy in school. But he’s insecure about his future, so he preemptively dumps Claudia, his girlfriend. (If she won’t want to be with him later, why stay together now?) Claudia doesn’t take the breakup too well, and she’s ready to show the quarterback of their rival school just how ready she is to get over it.

But True sees something in these two seniors. She believes they should be together—but can she help them find their way back to each other (and get herself closer to home)? Or have things already spun too far out of control?

(Goodreads)

“I’m . . . fine,” the love of my life mumbled, searching my face. “But who the hell are you?”

     Man, this series just keeps on getting better.

    In Complete Nothing, Kieran Scott continues on with the theme of the series (matchmaking on deadline), but she takes a slightly different approach to it. Instead of helping couples fall in love, this time True has to help them stay in love and seal their fates together. Miscommunication and misunderstandings are the ultimate enemies. Things we keep to ourselves, things we don't talk about, things we assume about one another - these things can pull us apart, bring uncertainty and doubts and, eventually, turn love into heartbreak, even hate. 

     The couple in need of True's help this time is Claudia (remember the girl True stole the scarf from in the first book? Yup, that's her!) and her boyfriend, Peter. These two are undeniably meant for each other. They love each other more than anything and want to actually spend their lives together, BUT, here's the thing.. They are world's apart when it comes to school, social life, college plans, extracurricular interests, etc. Peter is the star quarterback and the hottest guy in school, Claudia is the smart and artsy girl with a secured spot in Ivy League school. While Claudia has it all figured out and is actually eager to start the next chapter in her life, Peter is lost in doubt and paralyzed by fear. Where Claudia sees new possibilities and exciting things to happen, Peter sees rejection and the end of the life as he knew and loved it. And so when Claudia keeps offering her help in filling out college applications, Peter takes it as a clear sign that she's ready to move on and leave him behind. At the same time, Claudia, who is starstruck by Peter and still unable to believe that a guy so gorgeous and popular would date her, is all too quick to accept Peter's suggestion to break up - because in her mind, she was never cool enough to be dating him to begin with. It's a vicious cycle of self-doubt and lack of communication that leads to serious heartache. And the only one who can help them see how much they really love each other is, of course, True. 

     True is dealing with many problems of her own in this installment of the series. Not only is Orion on Earth with her, attending the same high-school and living a life of a regular teenager, but Artemis and Appolo are now after her, she learns things about her mother's past she never even suspected to be true and all of a sudden her godly powers start coming back. All that makes her matchmaking mission even more stressful and complicated. 

     Kieran Scott continues to write incredibly engaging and entertaining plots filled with vivid and realistically drawn characters. Both Claudia and Peter are very convincing, their struggles - relatable and authentic. I liked seeing their love story through their eyes, seeing how the situation looked from each of their points of view. Peter's side of the story was particularly harrowing and almost painfully well written. I could feel the desperation and fear pouring off the pages when he talked about leaving high school and going somewhere nobody knew him. Here, he was popular and had a tight group of friends and a loving girlfriend, but what's going to happen to him in college? Claudia, with her own fears and worries, was almost equally captivating, but I felt more for Peter than I did for Claudia. Perhaps it's because Peter's character had a magnetizing intensity to it. 

     All that being said, I am completely in love with this series and can't wait to dive straight into book three, Something True.

Book Review: Only Everything by Kieran Scott

Genre:	Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
Publication.Date	May 6th 2014
Pages:	326
Published By:	Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Author	Kieran Scott
	Only Everything on Goodreads
My review copy:	Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Where to get:

Sometimes the gods can be so unreasonable.

Like Zeus, the king, who thinks the proper reaction to finding me kissing a mortal is to threaten my boyfriend Orion's life, banish me to Earth, and force me to inspire true love between three couples without my powers. I know! Elders! I'm Eros, a.k.a. Cupid. The Goddess of Love. Until this morning, anyway.

Now I'm stuck on Earth with no clue how to function as a human, and I can't even conjure up my magical bow and arrows to help me do my job. I've already met this amazing guy—Charlie, a new kid in school like me—but matching him up isn't as easy as I thought. Turns out opposites don't attract, nearly identicals don't attract, and giving a guy what he seems to want is just one big disaster. My sweet new friend Katrina might work, but she's got more complications than Medusa's hair, and a live-in boyfriend with a serious mean streak. Probably not the best idea to go there.

If I don't make a match, I may never see Orion again. I have so much to lose, and only everything to gain.

(Goodreads)

"I'd rather die than live without you."

     God, I love Kieran Scott and her sense of humor. 

     Not only is Only Everything genuinely funny and sweet, it's also quite deep, moving and full of spot-on observations about modern society, technology, and relationships. I loved this book so much the first time I've read it (last year, in August), but I think I loved it even more the second time around. The humor never gets old, and the entertaining plot line and wonderful characters make this an all-around favorite of mine. This book really exceeded all my expectations, guys!

     When Eros a.k.a. Cupid is caught openly defying the all-powerful Zeus, she finds herself in a bit of a pickle. Zeus does not take kindly to being deceived and defied. He decides to punish Eros by stripping her off her powers and casting her down to Earth, where she'll have to form true love between three couples. She only has a limited time to do so, she doesn't have her match-making superpowers to rely on, and she has to live among humans and be able to pass as one herself. And if she fails, her beloved Orion will die. 

     Eros starts high school as True Olympia and begins her mission-almost-impossible by trying to help Charlie and Katrina fall in love. Without godly tricks up her sleeve, True will have a hard time match-making. Can the goddess of love succeed without her supernatural powers? 

     Only Everything is the first book in a trilogy, and it's simply fantastic. It's a romantic comedy mashed-up with Greek mythology and written in an incredibly engaging and entertaining way. Full of laugh-out-loud hilarious situations but also more profound reflections on love, human connections and technology, it's a very rich and satisfying story. Kieran's writing offers unexpected complexity and plenty of insight, and it captures the ups and downs of teenage relationships and capriciousness of Greek gods very well. It's a fun and illuminating read. 

     The characters - True in particular - are wonderful. As the story progresses, we begin to see a more caring and thoughtful side of True. I really loved this aspect of the story. True was a fantastic heroine - defiant, dedicated, often times completely clueless and hilarious, but also smart, brave and fierce. She really cared about her new friends and was ready to sacrifice anything - even her own life - to save the one she loved. 

     If you enjoy Greek mythology served in the form of light and sweet romantic comedy, you will absolutely love the True Love series. It's clever, witty, charming and heart-felt. It's also genuinely funny and will make you grin a lot while reading. And be prepared to pick up the second book right after finishing this one, because the ending will send you scrambling for the next volume.