REVIEW: "Inhuman Heritage" by Sonnet O'Dell

Why this book?: I've reviewed for Sonnet O'Dell before, and when she asked if I would want to review the newest Cassandra Farbanks novel, I jumped at the chance!

Disclaimer: I received this book in an exchange for a review.

Type: Series, Shifters, Vampires, Parallel Worlds, Mythological Beings, Law of Succession

About the book: Two Worlds. One Mystery. "Nothing is stranger than the truth. 

Cassandra has had a lot of questions, but when it comes to the answers, the truth it seems might be too much for her to handle. On top of that, what should have been perfect relationship with the vampire Aram, is falling apart before its really begun. 

To distract herself she takes a job from the werewolves. It's time to pick a new king and a emissary must be safely escorted. Someone is out to kidnap the emissary and steal the crown. Who's behind it is just another question Cassandra must answer before time runs out."

My Review: This will be the third book I have reviewed in this series, and I always thought it had such an interesting premise. I mean, who doesn't want to travel to a different version of reality each evening? Sure, Cassandra's night life can be more than a little scary, but think of all the adventures she has! And the plot of "Inhuman Heritage" is another such adventure. Unlike some of the previous novels, the first 1/3 of this book seems very much character driven. We learn more about Cassandra's relationships.. and especially who, or what, she is - which leads to her having an understandable pity party. But Cassandra doesn't get to wallow in her feelings for too long, she has a job to do, and it's not going to be easy.

Cassandra's sense of humor never fails to tickle me. She's quick witted, and her quips come from all genres of pop culture - it's quite fun trying to figure out where everything is from. In this regard, I can definitely find some parallels between Harry Dresden of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Cassandra. They both have that sense of humor that makes you laugh and groan at the same time. And along these lines, I can definitely see some similarities between this series and the Anita Blake series by Laurel K. Hamilton. Cassandra is, essentially, a younger and less $lutty Anita Blake - which I'm, for one, thankful for.

In closing, I'd definitely say "Inhuman Heritage" by Sonnet O'Dell is great reading choice for fans of Urban Fantasy, especially readers that enjoy a host of fascinating and delicious characters. I'd say this isn't my favorite in the series, but it was still an excellent and entertaining read.

Cover Lovin': Considering how were-wolf centered this novel is, the cover is very fitting. And now that I've read the book and take another look at the cover, it just seems perfect. Loving the image in the eyes!

Recommendation: Fans of both the Anita Blake; Vampire Hunter series by Laurel K. Hamilton and The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher will enjoy the Cassandra Farbanks series. These are definitely good reads, and they keep my eyes glued to my eReader until the very end.
A Note: While author Sonnet O'Dell does very good at getting any new readers up to date, and reminding long-time fans of past events, this is one of those series you really want to follow from the beginning for the full effect.

Final Rating: While reading through the first half of the book, it was definitely feeling like a three.. But by the end, I was full convinced that this book is worth FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). The beginning was a little rocky for me, but once again, this author surprised me with how good the last half of the book was.

The Series in Order:
1. Soul Market
2. Lost Innocents
3. Skin Thief
4. Inhuman Heritage

Have you read "Inhuman Heritage" or any other novel by Sonnet O'Dell? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to try the series out? Click on the title links above to purchase these items from Amazon.com!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~  

Invasion of the body snatchers! REVIEW of "Skin Thief" by Sonnet O'Dell

Why this book?: Author asked for a review, and I really enjoyed the previous book in this series, "Lost Innocents" (click the title to find my review). This is the third book in the Cassandra Fairbanks series. You can purchase this "Skin Thief" here.

Disclaimer: The author sent me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Type: Series, Paranormal Investigator, Witches, Police Investigation, Paranormal Mystery, Urban Fantasy

Book Description: Deciding to put her recently discovered magical powers to use, Cassandra Farbanks has started her own Paranormal Investigation business, and now she’s handling her first official case.



A prison inmate has used a magic amulet to escape his incarceration and seek a bloody revenge on his enemies. But what is his true purpose, and what’s the connection between the victims? It's up to Cassandra to find out. Cassandra is desperate to track and stop him whilst trying to juggle a deteriorating relationship with her boyfriend, the half elf Magnus, and her bond to the vampire Aram.

Even as she finds her way to closing her first real case, Cassandra’s troubles aren't over. As she discovers, the magic of an amulet is too tempting for some—and it could ruin everything for Cassandra.
My Review: As with the previous novel in this series, I was reading along, mildly interested, and then suddenly the author hooks me, and the ending shocks me with its cleverness. There is a lot of interesting character interaction, and each character is given their own little quirks - things that make them seem genuine and real. The way characters act and are described while together is part of the fun of a novel, and you get that in "Skin Thief." For example, while eating dinner together, Cassandra and Magnus play with each other, and make faces at one again - cute little things that just add to the story.

I will say that there are a lot of side characters to keep track of, and if you're new to the series, it's difficult to keep up with all the names. However, this issue is easily solved by reading the series in order, starting with book one. There are some series that allow readers to pop in and out whenever, but for the full effect of Cassandra, her powers, and her posse - be sure to read the whole thing. You won't regret it.

I find "Skin Thief" to be an interesting case - a mobster that gets ahold of a magical amulet, and uses it to pass from body to body. This makes the killer that much more elusive and harder to find, and the mystery that much deeper. This book also contained some great quotes and possibly one of my favorite descriptions of relationships and the people involved to date. I'm including it because I enjoyed it so much (and no worries, no spoilers!).
"Magnus was like earth, wholesome and natural - it came from the elf blood in his veins. It was dark elf blood, so sometimes I worried about him being more like oil, and with me being fire I was more often afraid I would burn him up. I had set him on fire once, but it hadn't been my plan to do so; sometimes when things get a little hot between us, they literally get a little hot.
Aram, on the other hand, was like air, which was bad and good in equal amounts. If I were only a small flame, like a candle on a birthday cake, a simple breath would be enough to put me out. If I was a smoldering flame, he could feed me, help me grow stronger, become more than I am. But he too ran the rick of the inferno, of being consumed by me." (pg 67)

As mentioned earlier, the ending caught me by surprise. I expected the case ending to be the end of the story, but Cassandra's journey certainly wasn't over, and the final climax of the book was emotionally painful and artfully done. I eagerly anticipate another book to see how Cassandra deals with the turmoil that happened between her and another character - you'll just have to read it yourself and find out what happens.
Recommendation: Fans of the early Anita Blake novels will really enjoy the Cassandra Fairbanks series. Really good urban fantasy that will keep you guessing. I strongly recommend reading the previous novels first.

Final Rating: FOUR POINT FIVE out of FIVE (4.5/5). Good urban fantasy with an ending I didn't expect.

Have you read "Skin Thief" or another novel by Sonnet O'Dell? Share your thoughts in the comments! Would you like to pick up a copy? Get it from the link at the top of the review, or at Amazon.com (available in print and ebook, I believe)!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Then where is he? Review of "Prince Charming Doesn't Live Here" by Christine Warren

 Why this book?: THE TITLE. Ha, I love it. But seriously - Where does he live, then?

Disclaimer: Another library book. I did not receive this book or anything else in exchange for a review. I'm reviewing it for my own sick pleasure.

Type: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Series, the Others, Sexy hero names, and He's a P.I.? Excuse me while I undress

About the book: Danice Carter is a lawyer. A damn good lawyer, actually. And when the senior partner of her firm called her into his office for a special assignment, she thought that was it - she was getting the case that will make or break her career, and finally make her a partner in the firm. She never expected for her client to be her boss' granddaughter, or for said granddaughter to not show up to their meeting. Instead of finding her client, Danice found a private investigator, McIntyre Callahan - who also happens to be searching for Rosemary. This case is turning out to be a lot worse than Danice thought. Good thing she has the sexy PI on her side... especially when Rosemary's trail leads them right to a gate into Faerie, and a lot more trouble than either of them could have forseen...

My review: Faeries! Private Investigators! Sexy names! How could I not enjoy this book? There were definitely a lot of things I liked about it. Such as a hero that isn't TOO alpha male. Don't get me wrong, I love alpha males, but every so often, you want a guy that just feels.. real. Even if he does happen to be a faerie, which might make me a little weird but I'm okay with it. And Danice is a strong, confident woman. She's smart, she's driven, she has a lot of good qualities. But this book features something I'm getting a little tired of... When a woman is smart and strong, but yet apparently doesn't know that she's getting too far into something she doesn't understand, and therefore gets herself into trouble. Danice and Mac have to go into Faerie to try and find either Rosemary, or the man that hired Mac. And even though Mac explains how truly frightening Faerie can be, Danice - who is entirely human and knows she's about to step into a place unlike anything she's ever known, just figures she's strong enough to deal with it, and refuses to listen to Mac's warnings. Of course, this leads to trouble, but the trouble is slightly spoiler-y, so I won't get into it. I know the book would turn out entirely different if she had chosen to let Mac, who is definitely more capable, go in alone. But I wish she was strong and smart enough to realize she was in over her head. Or maybe for this sort of thing to not have come up at all.

All that said - really, I enjoyed the book. The end has some "Whoa, what?!" moments, but the novel certainly kept me entertained. And I love, love, love Mac. As I said before, he just felt so.. real. Like the kind of man I want by my side... in or out of bed. And there was a great cast of supporting characters as well. Quigley, for example. Oh man, I laughed in every scene he was in. And his version of crack/meth? Oh, perfect. This is definitely an author I'm going to look into, since this is the first book I've read by her.

Cover Loving?: I like it well enough. Definitely some good chest-age going on. I get that wolves play a part in the rest of her series, but I feel like the wolf at the bottom of the cover is a little misplaced. There's not much mention of wolves in "Prince Charming Doesn't Live Here."

Recommendation: I'd say yes. This is a good book, and I've heard good things about the series, so this is an author I would recommend trying out. As mentioned, I'm going to add the rest of this series to be "To Be Checked Out" list.

Final Rating: I'd give it a THREE POINT NINE out of FOUR (3.9/4). Weird score? Yes. But it didn't quite feel like a four, and it definitely felt better than a three or even three point five. So three point nine it was.

Have you read "Prince Charming Doesn't Live Here" or any other books in The Others series? Are you a fan of Christine Warren? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Want to get this book? Click the link on the left to purchase it from Amazon.com!


Until next time, Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Review of "Blood Ties" by Lori G. Armstrong

 This must be the week of kick-butt heroines. I'm on a roll!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this review.

Type: Mystery, Private Investigators, Kick butt heroines, Vices, Murder and Mayhem, Old Highschool drama

Why this book?: I'm a big fan of Lorelei James, and when I found out she wrote a mystery series under a different pen-name, I just had to look it up. I was never a huge fan of mysteries, but I'm starting to see the error of my ways.

About the book: Julie Collins works for the sherriff's department, as a secretary. It doesn't pay all that well, but she took the job so she could have the jump on any new info about her murdered brother's case. In some ways, she's still hoping, but by now, it's just another job. Luckily, her best friend Kevin is a private investigator that allows her to help out on the side. But this time, the case is a lot bigger and deeper than either of them could have imagined. The girl Kevin is searching for has turned up dead, and each new clue the pair find digs them that much deeper into a pit of secrets and lies dating as far back as highschool. Investigating isn't all fun and games, but Julie isn't about to let this case go.
Julie is the type of woman I would want on my side, though I'm not sure I could handle all of her vices all of the time. She smokes, she drinks, she curses, she runs her mouth.. frankly, it's no wonder that she only has a few friends left, both of them male. But for all of her faults, she's tough and won't back down, not when threatened, not even when coerced with physical pain. She's not perfect, she definitely gets scared or hurts, but that just makes this character human. That and the smoking and drinking, among other things. Julie is rough and tough, and definitely the kind of heroine needed to really get to the bottom of a good, scary mystery.

The plot itself was fascinating. Kevin and Julie are coming up against people they went to high school with, investigating plots and lies that started that far back. And the story kept me guessing right until the end. I'm not a huge mystery reader, but I know enough to dislike mysteries where the culprit is glaringly obvious, you just have to figure out how. But with all the new information Kevin and Julie uncover, each layer of the mystery is slowly revealed. And the two investigators never get any more information than the reader, which is another plus.

"Blood Ties" is not a book for the faint of heart. This plot deals with murder, rape, drug lords, abuse, neglect, and more. But remember the old adage, "No pain, no gain," and this book is definitely good enough to be considered a gain. I would definitely recommend "Blood Ties" by Lori G. Armstrong to any hardcore mystery fan, as well as anyone who enjoys a good suspenseful story.

Final rating: FOUR out of FIVE (4/5).

Get your copy of "Blood Ties" by Lori G. Armstrong at Amazon.com via the link to the left.

Have you read this book, or anything else by this author or her pseudonym Lorelei James? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, aka Morning Glow