After Cas's father died, killed by one of the ghosts he hunted, Cas inherited his athame and began following in his footsteps. Although his mother knows what he does and does her best to help him with any protective magic she has at her disposal, Cas has never told her his ultimate goal: he wants to become skilled enough to find and kill his father's murderer.

The ghost known as Anna Dressed in Blood will be his final one before confronting the ghost that killed his father. She's powerful - if Cas can beat her, he should be able to handle anything. But Anna isn't like other ghosts Cas has gone up against, and there are things going on in Cas's new city that he is unprepared for.

I was flying through this book when I suddenly hit a reading slump. Nothing except audiobooks could even vaguely hold my attention, and I went several weeks before diving back into this. It's a shame, because it badly interrupted the story's flow. It would have been best if I could have read this in a few big chunks over the course of a week.

Although the book is written in first-person present tense, which generally irks me, I barely noticed it here. It helped that I liked Cas's "voice." He reminded me a bit of the Winchester brothers in the show Supernatural, and the dry humor fit as well. If you're a fan of that show, I'd definitely recommend giving this book a shot.

Cas was a loner by choice who, upon moving to Anna's town, soon found himself reluctantly saddled with a couple people he eventually came to consider friends: a slightly telepathic witch named Thomas and Carmel, one of the popular girls. I liked that they both turned out to be useful in the big climactic battle, in ways that made sense. I'm hoping that Carmel gets more of a chance to shine in the next book. I liked that she didn't fit into the usual "popular girl = awful person" stereotype, although I disliked the potential romance between Thomas and Carmel.

Carmel was a little interested in Cas, but Cas only had eyes for Anna. Since he was out of the picture, Thomas, who had a huge crush on Carmel, seemed like a possibility, except she didn't show the slightest bit of interest in him. There was a line in the book that said something to the effect that Carmel could either end up with Thomas or be a shallow stereotypical popular girl and go back to dating jocks. It bugged me, because not wanting to date Thomas wouldn't be shallow of her - it'd just mean that she wasn't interested in him that way. It's possible to be both a decent person and not be interested in dating the main character's unpopular friend.

I liked Anna and the budding romance between her and Cas, although I dreaded the other characters' very valid reactions once Cas's feelings became more obvious. Even if she hadn't killed someone in front of them, romance between a ghost and a ghost hunter didn't seem like a good idea. But Anna was a pretty awesome ghost, and I liked that Cas admired her strength rather than felt intimidated by it. I did snort a bit at Anna's collection of YA stereotypes. Not only was she the most powerful and unusual ghost Cas had ever met, she also had violet eyes.

Cas had a few moments of stupidity - proving the existence of ghosts and his ghost-hunting prowess by taking untrained newbies on a hunt for a ghost he hadn't even researched, for example - but for the most part he was an enjoyable character. I look forward to eventually reading Girl of Nightmares.

 

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Rage: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Spelldr... Alix and her misfit team of coven witches are back and still fighting demons. Alix and the team are still trying to save their “sister witch” Callie from evil demons. But this time around one of their other “sister witches” Matt is in trouble. Matt is Alix’s guardian and he is having a little trouble with being a guardian at the moment because of his feelings for Alix among other things. Guardians have to follow a strict set of rules to be honorable enough to be a guardian.

So when Matt takes off and doesn’t tell the coven where he is Alix figures out real quick like that Matt is in trouble and needs her help. Matt has every intention of turning himself into the council for disobeying the rules but this is not going to happen if Alix can prevent it. Alix and Asher take off after Matt to try and stop him after they find him they run into a little trouble and get themselves kidnapped by a very powerful and mysterious lady.

I have truly loved reading the Coven of Fire series watching Alix and the entire team of misfits grow in their magic and become closer to each other as well. The more I read the more I feel like Alix, Matt, Asher and Liv are all becoming like old friends to me. This series has been filled with lots of magic and demon fighting galore and the more I read the better it gets. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series Blaze. I can’t wait to see what adventures and trouble the team get their selves into next and what kind of demons they end up fighting. I also hope to see Matt and Alix’s relationship grow. I would also love to see Asher and Liv find someone special as well.

Have you read the Cove of Fire series yet? If not then I would very much like to suggest that you do but I would say read them in order. The first book is Rise and the second one is Ignite both are great reads. Check out the links above to learn more about each book in the series.

Karina Espinosa’s OMEGA was an amazing conclusion to the Mackenzie Grey series.  Mackenzie Grey is investigating a serial killing in New York for the Supernatural Investigative Unit (SIU).  Meanwhile, she is still suffering from the events the transpired with her pack and the Lunas.  This contemporary urban fantasy is suitable for adult audiences.

 

I loved this book.  Karina Espinosa continues to do an exceptional job with her plot and character development.   Mackenzie is understandably struggling with the aftermath from the Luna rebellion.  She has sequestered herself from other wolves.  She is suffering mentally and physically.   She is punishing herself.  She goes through more than any one person should have to endure.  She is strong and smart.  She is an exceptional leader.  She transforms a lot throughout this story. 

 

I love that so many characters from the previous books were brought back in this novel.  The story has valuable lessons and good observations.  It had me feeling just about every emotion. I cry toward the ending.  OMEGA was well concluded.  I am sad the series ended.  I would love to see a spin off series.  I also think the Mackenzie Grey series would make an excellent movie or television series.  I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Ignite: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Spell...

I am absolutely loving this series! It's very well written with great characters and an action-packed storyline. The Coven of Fire still has plenty to overcome in this second book, some of it being the secrets they keep from each other. This one is just as good as the first with its snark, witty dialogue, characters that will drive you crazy even while you root for them, and so much action that you can barely catch your breath. I can't wait to see what's next for this crew of misfits.

Rise: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Spelldr... Alix Hill lost her past a few years ago in a tragic accident. Alix’s parents were witches but Alix herself did not inherit any of their magical abilities unfortunately but Alix is trying to go on with her life but it is hard especially when everyone keeps mentioning that she has magical powers and she has to keep reminding them that unfortunately she doesn’t.

The veil between the realms has been broken and demons are pouring through. Alix with the help of her new friends need to form a new coven in order to seal the veil once again and make the world safe again. Alix has no clue how she is supposed to help seal the veil and be a part of a coven when she has no magical powers. But everyone is counting on her besides they tell her she does have magical powers and that she is very powerful. With knowing what these demons are capable of and what they will do to the world Alix realizes she has no choice and must become a part of the coven and fight any way she can.

I have to say that I have really enjoyed following along with Alix, Callie, Liv and Matt on their journey to close the veil and stop the demons from getting through. Alix has a very strong willed personality that I liked a lot. But I kind of felt bad for her where Matt was concerned. I would very much like to see Alix and Matt become an item. I think they would make a great couple. I would very much like to see more of these misfits solving more mysteries. I can’t wait to see more of them in the next book Ignite. I would definitely recommend Rise to anyone who loves a good paranormal and witchy book filled with lots of magical energy and misfits.