Be Gone From My Sight

Published: September 6th, 2011
Vanish
By: Sophie Jordan
HarperTeen
ISBN-13: 9780061935107


An impossible romance.
Bitter rivalries.
Deadly choices.

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

Review

   At the end of Firelight, Jacinda and her family were headed home to stand judgement for leaving the pride.  Cassian had found them and separated Jacinda from Will, a boy she had come to love unknowing of the fact that he was a hunter.  By being with him she betrayed all of her kind in the worst way.  Upon arrival back home, Tamra finally manifests as a full blown Draki and Jacinda is greeted with hostility by everyone she used to love.  Will she choose to stay and be with Cassian like he's always wanted or run away with Will when he comes looking for her?  And what will the cost be when she makes her decision?  Jacinda truly annoyed me in this book.  It was like reading Twilight with dragons and hunters, instead of vampires and werewolves (which actually, they were shapeshifters STEPHANIE MEYER!!!).  I also really had no sympathy for her Mother, who was kind of useless in the first book and completely useless in this one.  I would have liked to read more about Tamra's unexpected changes and how she felt about finally belonging in a world that had rejected her for so long.  That would have been an interesting book.....but NO, I got to read about Jacinda and how she couldn't make up her mind which boy she wanted.  So she just tortured them both for the entire book!  I am truly sick and tired of love triangles as they are horrible and neither boy ever comes out looking like a winner, because they're both wasting time on a stupid girl who takes them both for granted.  The plot in this book was mostly filler, as it had to set the stage for the final book in the trilogy.  Which, by the way, I will not be reading!!!  I do not recommend this book if you value your time in any way whatsoever.

VERDICT:  1/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*

It's In the Way You Shift

Published: October 19th, 2010
Nightshade
By: Andrea Cremer
Philomel
ISBN-13: 9780399254826



Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice? (synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.com)

Review

   Calla Tor has always know that her future holds arranged marriage, guiding a new pack as the female alpha and a life guided by the laws of her kind.  But when she is leading a patrol of the land she saves Shay Doran from a grizzly bear and defies everything she's ever been taught.  This starts a downward spiral of broken trusts, rules and secrets that get revealed.  Turns out that maybe the Keeper's laws aren't quite as sacred as they claim...

  So this book was non-stop action!  So much was happening from the very first page onwards that you never quite know where the story is going. Calla was a very strong heroine and she makes it easy to root for her happiness.  You as a reader never quite know whether to be Team Ren (arranged match) or Team Shay (human boy...at least for awhile).  To complicate things further, Calla and Ren are supposed to unite two packs of shifters into one and makes their subordinates/friends get along.  Calla is in charge of the Nightshade pack and Ren is in charge of the Banes.  Both packs have Keeper overseers who use magic and control all wolves as a race in general.  Supposedly for the greater good.  When have those words EVER meant smooth sailing.  While trying to integrate the two packs with Ren, our heroine is feeling attracted to Shay and torn between fighting for her independence and submitting to the rules she thinks are right.  This book was really fun to read and moves quickly.  My only complaint was that while I understand Calla's confusion, she seems to jerk Shay and Ren around unnecessarily.  I loved Ansel (C's brother), Bryn, Fey, Sabine, Xander, and Nev as supporting characters.  All of the Keepers have major creepiness quotient and I never quite knew what to feel about the Searchers.  The ending was a huge cliffhanger and I'm definitely reading the next one!

P.S.  This is book one is a trilogy.  Book Two is already available and Book Three is released in January 2012.

VERDICT: 4/5  Stars

*No money was exhanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores and online.*