I must start by saying that while it didn't influence my rating of the book, it must be the ugliest cover I've seen all year. I don't even understand how it fits into the book.

So, the Vie are still terrorizing the Earth and people who are anaemic provide a powerful drug the Vie like to get high on. In this conclusion to the story, it is time to bring the Aliens and the system down.

Like I said in my review of Dawn of the Vie, it has all been done before, but it is still very enjoyable. I liked the second book slightly less. The discovery of others and the power struggles in between the resistance are never my favourite parts. Still glad I read it though.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Dawn of the Vie features a future is which the Earth is invaded by a predator Alien species that closely resembles vampires. They are in each and every sense superior to humans and even immortal, although I suppose they age as there are whole families of them. Vie and humans both despise the Anemies, people with a hereditary form of anemia, which makes them unsuitable for feeding.

Alex, a high-standing Vie scientist, has found a use for their blood after all. Apparently it is a powerful drug. How this is supposed to work is never explained, although I do hope the author realizes that anemia means that something, like red blood cells, is lowered in the blood instead of something added.

This story had a lot of the usual suspects thrown into it. Some of them are, a truly unfair societal setting, the main character is just trying to protect his younger sibling and soon finds himself in the center of the enemy. Sounds familiar? Indeed, because it has all been done before. That's why I was a bit surprised that I still liked the book as much as I did. I found it to be precisely the kind of Dystopian story I was looking for at the moment.

I would not consider it the best, but it is one of the good ones, and if you want to enjoy yourself for a couple of hours, I would recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I don't usually read anthologies, but this one is pretty good. :)

Shimmer - This is quite a different take on The Little Mermaid. I wish I could say that I was wowed by the story, but sadly no. It's kind of sad and it left me hanging. I thought it was just normal because of the length of the book, however, once I finished all the other stories, this one just pops into my um-open-ended-ending-sucks list.

Between - THIS IS MY VERY FIRST GIRL X GIRL RELATIONSHIP BOOK. At first it was weird for me, but as the story went on, I understood how the main character felt. She is as frustrated and as confused by the events in this book. She just couldn't be herself in front of everybody. She just wants the love, acceptance and attention of her mom, so she resorts into what she thinks is best for her. However, her decision affected the life of a very important person to her. This is her story of forgiveness, wishes and revelations. It has many lessons, but the glaring one would be... (I'm quoting Gobber from How To Train Your Dragon here) "stop trying so hard to be something you're not". I think it's just plain exhausting. Needless to say, this was a good read. :)

Sunset Moon - A troubled girl meets a really troubled boy who leaves her to lie for his ass. Not a fun story? You can say that again. Half the time, I was thinking of virtually hitting the girl on her head for not listening to adults who are there for her. She was given another chance though. A good chance for rebirth. Except for the love story part, I pretty much like this book. This is a good book for all teens because it will make them realize what's important and unimportant in life. This will teach teens not to dwell on the bad parts, but think of what's good instead. Lastly, this book tells everyone that there's hope for everyone.

The Maker - This is probably the creepiest, most disturbing story in this bunch. A guy gets left by his girl after being in an accident. He wanted revenge, but at the same time, he admits to still being obsessed with the girl! He's so confusing. He calls upon an entity which is basically good. He orders this entity to do his bidding to extract revenge on his ex. The ending is kind of bizarre in my opinion. Anyway, this is a good book to read when you feel like you want to have revenge on someone because it shows only one ending and it's not good. REVENGE = BAD KARMA FOR YOU TOO.

A Beautiful Mourning - This is a very good story of forbidden romance. Dieties are one of my favorite type of characters. The possibilities are endless with them. This book is about two of them who finds themselves in love, only to be blocked by a wall named "father". Yeah, I know It's a bit cliche, but I still enjoyed reading about their perils and their sweet moments. I like the setting and its descriptions. I believe that the author made me really imagine the heavens and middle land. The ending is nicely woven. I don't particularly love it, but it's the best that could happen, all things considered.

The Barricades - This story takes on a different angle on fairies. It's has a somewhat dystopian kind of feel. The two main characters comes from two very different worlds. They meet after a very bad scenario. From thereon, the story tell us how they smooth out their differences. I think the main point of this book tells us that trust should be earned and you must choose carefully on whom you give it to. I would be very honest as to say that this would've been better if it was made into a full blown novel. The two main characters have great chemistry (judging from the really short time that they had in the story). The story has a lot of promise if it was continued and expanded. I would read this if it becomes a full blown novel. #pleaseauthorplease :)


All in all, these stories are great. It kept me company for a few days and I enjoyed reading them. Not only did I enjoy their adventure, romance, thrill and full plot, I also enjoyed figuring out lessons behind each story. I recommend this book to the young and young at heart who wants books with meaning. Teens definitely should read this! :) I give this 5 fairy wings!!!

This review can also be seen here on our blog: Musings of the Book-a-holic Fairies, inc.

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

LORE is an anthology of six short stories based on various myths and mythologies ranging from Native American to Aztec to Hebrew. It’s a bit of an odd mix but they’re all pretty interesting. And unlike Disney, it ain’t always a Happily Ever After ending.

Shimmer by Brinda Berry- a young mermaid struggles to assimilate into the modern world. But does she even want to… especially after meeting a handsome young man? Don’t look for Little Mermaid here; this is a New Adult tale laden with angst and conflict.

Between by Karen Bynum- high school peer pressure boils over when uptown girl Lucy has to decide between popularity and Natasha, the girl she loves. The choice she’ll make changes everything, and the consequences may be more than she can bear. Tragedy, drama and sorrow- this one’s loaded like Shakespeare. With djinn, no less.

Sunset Moon by Laura Diamond – Eloise is a troubled young girl sent to connect with her Native American heritage in an attempt to steer her away from self-destruction. The signs are all there, but is it truly the beginnings of a spiritual journey or just a really bad high? This one’s full on teen rebellion complete with drugs and abusive boyfriend. Too much time spent on her tragic backstory and buildup, and not enough on the mysticism and Native culture; plus the romance seemed forced.

The Maker by Jayne Knolls- after a car accident leaves his mind and body shattered, Brett seeks ice cold revenge on his ex-girlfriend Cassandra for abandoning him in the wreck, dished and dispensed by the best golem his money and intellect can buy and create. But will it be enough for this modern-day Frankenstein? Or his creation? Got all the makings of a good ol’ fashioned horror story in this one.

A Beautiful Mourning by Theresa DaLayne- Aztec gods Ishel and Kinich pledge their eternal love to one another, despite her betrothal to Nacon. Their love compels them to flee to the middle world, jeopardizing all of Nature and incurring her father’s and Nacon’s wrath. Kinda on the light side and a little confusing on the magical elements. The non-speaking character Balam was the best part of it.

The Barricades by Cate Dean- Celtic gods and humans have resettled on a distant planet. Humans are driven into servitude and squalor while the Eternals reign over them once again. Daniel, son of an Eternal and a human, finds himself entangled in a fatal conspiracy and only a human girl can save him. Very intriguing premise that teases you with the possibilities. Thankfully the author plans on expanding upon it.

It’s an interesting collection of shorts- all new twists on the old favorites. Read and enjoy.