Showing posts with label Jana Oliver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jana Oliver. Show all posts

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Review: Forgiven (The Demon Trappers Series Book #3) - By Jana Oliver



Author: Jana Oliver
Release Date: 3/27/2012
Purchase Info: Amazon, B & N, Book Depo


The days are growing darker for 17-year-old demon trapper Riley Blackthorne. With her father’s reanimated body back safely, Beck barely speaking to her because of a certain hunky Fallen angel, and a freshly-made deal with Lucifer, she has enough on her hands to last a normal teenage lifetime. Though she bargained with Heaven to save his life, her ex-boyfriend Simon has told the Vatican’s Demon Hunters that she’s working with Hell. So now she’s in hiding, at the top of everyone’s most-wanted list.

But it’s becoming clear that this is bigger than Riley, and rapidly getting out of control: something sinister is happening in Atlanta… or someone. The demons are working together for the first time ever and refusing to die, putting civilians in harm’s way. Riley thinks she might know who’s behind it all, but who’s going to believe her? Caught between her bargain with Heaven and her promise to Lucifer, Riley fears the final war is coming – and it may be closer than anyone thinks…

First Thought: Gut Wrenching!!


*SPOILER ALERT if you have NOT read Book #1 or #2*

Holy Demons!! (no pun intended) Never in my wildest dream would I have imagined that Jana would out do book #2 to this extreme! 

Picking up right where Soul Thief left off, Riley’s world is completely upside down. Finding her father, knowing who raised him, and realizing why it was all done sends Riley into shock. Not only has she been betrayed by someone who she thought she could trust forever, she’s worried that the Hunters from the Vatican will find her any minute and basically burn her at the stake. So now keeping her father’s body safe is top priority. But not everyone shares this idea. Enter that creeper Lord Ozy-What’s-His-Face…..yeah that necromancer who thinks he could raise Jesus….he’s out for one thing and one thing only, Paul Blackthrone. But Riley’s determined to let father go on HER terms, NOT the other way around.

During Forgiven I LOVED how Riley was able to come into her own and handle things the way she wanted to instead of listening to those around her. (i.e. Beck) You can see a change in her, how she’s had to grow up fast and has turned into not only a kick ass heroine, but a strong woman. With the high amount of emotions that are running through this whole book, I found myself crying and wanting to throw the book at the wall all in the same breath.  I guess that’s just the effect that Beck has on me, LOL.

There’s a time when you’re reading a book & you get to that point where you start thinking, this book is seriously wicked, well that’s how this book was from page one. I can’t praise this book, and series, enough for you all to understand how truly amazing it is. This world & these characters were able to launch me from my small town in California, into a run down, demon infested, Atlanta of the future. I just melted into Riley’s world and never wanted to leave.  Jana’s gift of writing is absolutely superb and mind blowing. (if only she wrote faster…kidding) Though I am EXTREMELY excited about Foretold, the 4th book in the Demon Trappers Series, yet I’m sitting on the verge of sadness simply because it means that this incredible series is slowly reaching it's end. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Pick this book up, A.S.A.FREAKIN.P, you will NOT regret it!


5/5





Monday, December 26, 2011

Top 10 Reads of 2011



This week long event has been put together by the following WONDERFUL peeps!

Rachel @ Fikshun
&
Jaime & Patricia @ 2 Chicks on Books


Today I am going to be sharing my Top 10 Reads of 2011
(These are in NO particular order....that would cause me to much stress to figure that crap out!)


MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh—a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.


In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.
Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?


From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.


October "Toby" Daye, a changeling who is half human and half fae, has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the Faerie world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world has other ideas...

The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening's dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby must resume her former position as knight errant and renew old alliances. As she steps back into fae society, dealing with a cast of characters not entirely good or evil, she realizes that more than her own life will be forfeited if she cannot find Evening's killer


In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams


Mindy Keenan couldn't shake the feeling that somehow...in a matter of moments...the boy she once knew was not the one standing before her.



After Mindy's childhood best friend, Dean Aiken, shuts her and everyone else out of his life, she learns to move on. Years pass and she gets used to the fact that he's no longer a part of her life, but things begin to change



Mindy's new best friend, Markus Medina, witnesses Dean kill two people behind a club. Mindy has a hard time believing him, especially when he mentions that the bodies disappear. Poof! Into thin air. Markus decides he has to follow Dean around in order to get evidence that he's been killing people, so he doesn't sound like a nut to the police.




Despite Marcus' crazy theories about the possibility of Dean not being human. And not to mention the fact that he's dangerous. Mindy can't help that she may be falling in love with him. Even after hiding their feelings for each other from the world. Dean and Mindy being together stirs up dangers that neither of them could ever imagine. When she finds out about what Dean really is and the world he tried to keep her away from...it's already too late


Half-human and half-Wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the Wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their Dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful—and passionate—of the Elder Races.

As the most feared and respected of the Wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they've ignited in each other.

Pia knows she must repay Dragos for her trespass, but refuses to become his slave—although she cannot deny wanting him, body and soul


Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase's birthday, the bloodline stopped.


Exiled without the Circle's protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle's agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can't do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna — a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret.


In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle's plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other's life depending on it


Katelyn McBride’s life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains. Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It’s a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths. And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night—welcome to Wolf Springs



Wood Point Academy is not at all what I expected. For one thing, it looks like a cross between military school and Buckingham Palace. Everyone stares, the floors shine so bright you can see your reflection in them from a mile away, and no one smiles. Unless they're kicking your butt in the process.


At least I've got plenty to take my mind off the fact that my psycho cousin, Miles De'Luca, keeps calling and declaring his love and promising to come for me just as soon as he's destroyed anyone standing in our way. Wes isn't going to like that idea. So between Miles, Wood Point's evil welcoming committee, and the drill sergeant hottie trainer from hell, I just keep asking myself, how did I end up here?


My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.


It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims—lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.



Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…



Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.






But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?




Friday, August 5, 2011

Soul Theif (Demons Trapper's Series - Book #2) - By Jana Oliver

Author: Jana Oliver
Release Date: 8/30/2011
Purchase Info: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

**IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BOOK #1 THE SYNOPSIS IS A SPOILER**

Riley has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her boyfriend Simon is gravely hurt, and now her beloved late father has been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. Add to the mix: Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy grandad, and Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether. But as the demon count in Atlanta increases, the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, and pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention. With an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon stalking her, and her luck can’t last forever.

Struggling to wrap her head around what has happened, Riley also has to try to move forward and figure out who was behind ambushing the trappers. Everyone wants to point the finger at her and her dad, but she just won't stand for it. She knows she didn't do it, she knows Simon laid the Holy Water correctly and that it wasn't the fake stuff. So what happened?

With Riley's mind going in 15 different directions, she knows a few things are on top of her list of "To-Dos". Find her dad, kill the demon, and make sure her boyfriend is ok. But Simon's not the same. Cold, distant, and short. (Basically I wanted to punch him in his gorgeous little face) Has to be post-traumatic stress....Well, at least having the hunky Ori as her body guard is taking her mind off of life for a while. Though she doesn't know much about him, and he seems to always be there for her, Riley can't help but want to know more about him. Feeling as though this might finally be the guy who will diminish the chaos in her life and take down her demon stalker, she can't help but shake her doubt.

While Riley's busy with sorting out her own problems, now the city thinks the Trapper's can't hold their own. So they've decided to call in the big dogs, The Hunters from the Vatican. This doesn't sit well with anyone in the Guild, especially Beck, because they're steppin' on his toes and making the them look bad. All Beck wants is for the Demon who's stalking Riley to be destroyed, for her to move FAR away to her aunt's house, and for Paul (Riley's dad) to be found and put back into his grave. If only life were that simple.

Soul Thief completely exceeded my expectations! Sometimes it's hard for authors to have their sequel supersede the first book, but Jana was able to do that with ease. More magical elements were brought into the second book, like summoning, illusions and necromancy. Yes, the necromancers were in the the first book, but you are actually able to see their work first hand in Soul Thief. As the story went on, I was sitting at the edge of my bed, literally trying to read fast so I could find out what happened next.
All I can say is, WAY TO ROCK THE ENDING! I was not only yelling, "What the F&*@!", but my heart was bleeding for Riley in a way I didn't think was possible! Seriously lady, how do you come up with these endings, they're phenomenal!




5/5




Monday, August 1, 2011

Warp It Up - July

I must say that after the completely hideous month that I had in June, July was a HUGE turn around!
Though I didn't read as many I was wanted to, I still got out of my rut and started a reading fire.

Here's how it went:

Dragon Bound - By Thea Harrison



Anathema - By K.A. Tucker




Dark Matter Heart - By Nathan Wrann


The Iron King - By Julie Kagawa
(review to come)



The Iron Daughter - By Julie Kagawa
(review to come)



Four Houses - By Tori Scott
(review to come)


Soul Thief - Jana Oliver
(review to come)


How did you do this month? Did you stay on track? Complete everything you wanted? Struggle to get past something? Let me know!


Friday, April 1, 2011

Wrap It Up - March

Feel SUPER proud & accomplished for all my reading I did in March compared to February! So if you missed out on any of the reviews, here at the books I was able to read:

The Demon Trappers Daughter - By Jana Oliver
(review here)




















Rush of Darkness - By Rhyannon Byrd
(review here)
Rage - By Jackie Morse Kessler
An Immortal Legacy - By Ashley Harrison Blalock
Uniform Behaviour - Edited by Lucy Felthouse
Second Chances - By Jennifer L. Place
So now let's BLAST into April & read our little hearts out!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Demon Trapper's Daughter - By Jana Oliver

Release Date: 1/31/11
Website: Jana Oliver
Purchase Info: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.

**SPOILER ALERT**

It's so hard for me to sit here and write this without giving away a spoiler that had me crying for literally 2 chapters, and then some. But for you to truly understand the story and know how it flows together, I have to give it away.

After Riley's major catastrophe at the library she's left humiliated, bitten and peed on by a demon. No one can figure out how a class 1 demon cased THAT much trouble. Well that's just it, a class 1 didn't. Somewhere in the mix of Hell the demons are starting to work together, and the Trappers Guild knows that's nothing but trouble.  Though living through her humiliation, Riley wants nothing more then to fall asleep and wake up with a clean start. (If only life was that easy) Instead Riley wakes up to the horrific news that her father, legendary demon trapper Paul Blackthrone, was killed while trapping a grade 3 demon. With her world crashing down, Riley has to fall into the routine of school, apprenticing with a master trapper who's an asshat, sitting vigil at her fathers grave so necromancers won't reanimate him, AND figure out why every demon from class 1 to class 5 knows her by name. Even when she's never met them before.

Now that things have gone to Hell in a hand basket, Riley has to turn to Beck, her fathers former apprentice for help. Ugh....see Riley & Beck don't always see eye to eye. At one point Riley even wanted Beck because he was a muscles and fresh out of the military, but Beck shot that down real quick. So now they have a love hate relationship, and in the wake of her father's death Beck steps in and now has to fight tooth & nail to keep Riley out of harms way & on the right track.

Hands down this book was amazing! Jana has done such a great job truly bringing her characters to life, and making you feel what they're going through. There are hardly times when I bawl like a baby while reading, but the raw emotion simply blind sides you. There are so many emotions swirling around that you can't help but feel it all. Love, grief, terror, guilt, it's a miracle the author was able to balance it out so well. So now I can't wait for the follow-up and am literally stalking Jana's Facebook & Twitter to find out every detail I can on the sequels release!


5/5



Friday, January 7, 2011

Fresh Face Friday 1-7-11



FFF is back, better then ever, and super pumped! (Kind of like on steroids, but without the weird permanent side effects)

Though it's been a couple weeks since I've had an FFF, I've been doing my research so I can make sure this weeks kicks off the New Year in style.

Jana Oliver's debut YA novel, The Demon Trapper's Daughter, introduces us to main character, Riley Blackthorne, who's striving to follow in her fathers legendary footsteps. With demon's being placed in every city by Lucifer himself, The Demon Trapper's are the only defense in sight. Riley is fighting to prove herself, all while trying to keeping up on homework, and dealing with her growing attraction to a fellow trapper. The book itself looks amazing and I for one can NOT wait to get my hands on it!

When I first "Liked" Jana's page on Facebook, her book cover instantly caught my eye. I know, I know, don't judge a book by it's cover....but honestly wouldn't this catch your eye too?



Yeah, that's what I thought.  :)

With The Demon Trapper's Daughter release just weeks away, I thought now was a perfect time to spread the word about this amazing novel & it's author!

If you're interested in pre-ordering your own copy of, The Demon Trappers Daughter, the links are list below.

Amazon
Borders
Barnes & Noble


Please cruise by one of the many places you can find Jana and check things out. Her Twitter, her website, or her Facebook. I promise it's worth it!





Monday, January 3, 2011

Paperback Dolls: The Demon Trapper's Daughter MEGA GIVEAWAY!

With the upcoming release of her first book in The Demon Trapper's series, Jana Oliver has teamed up with the amazing girls over at Paperback Dolls & created The Demon Trapper's Daughter MEGA GIVEAWAY!

So run over, enter to win before time runs out & good luck!!