Hey friends!
I have a mini review for you today!  A mini review is my short and sweet analysis of a book.  You'll know in 350 words or less if this is a book I recommend.

Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 3, 2011 
Format: Audio MP3 (Brilliance Audio, Released January 24, 2011 )
Pages: 441 (Paperback) / Audio Length: Approx 12 hours
Narrator: Sarah Drew
Source: Library Borrow via Overdrive
Genre: YA Dystopian
Review Date: April 16, 2014
Rating: 3 bookmarks 

Synopsis: Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

Pros:  The best thing about our main characters, Lena, Hana, and Alex, is their character growth. They are not the same people at the end as they are in the beginning.  Our heroine, Lena isn't so much of a true heroine. Not at the beginning anyways. She's has a hard time seeing what's right in front of her, she pretty much flat out refuses to see the obvious for most of the book.  She lives with a cured Aunt and Uncle and a few cousins.  Hana is obviously the odd man out in that house, so I can see her need to be like everyone else.

I liked Lena’s best friend, Hana. She's strong and out spoken.  At first she is more aware, but in the end she accepts that she will have the life expected of her.   I'm not sure what to make of Alex. He's got all the typical YA love interest components, but I feel that there could be something more there. I'm curious to see what becomes of him in the next book.

I listened to this on audio, so I’ll address the narrator.  The narrator can either add to or take away from the experience.  It took me a minute to get used to her young sounding voice, but it grew on me, then it was fine.  She did a good job and I have no complaints.

Cons:  The pacing of Delirium was overall slow.  There was so much being explained (sometimes repetitively) about the society that the meat of the story didn't show up until it was half over. The story was entertaining enough, but I kept waiting for things to really start moving.  I hope this pace won’t repeat in the next books.  Hopefully Pandemonium will start off where this book finished, in a dead run. 

Final Thoughts:  I liked it overall. I'll continue the series. When? Who knows, it's not high on my list. If I have a lull where I can't get a book I want, then I’ll continue with this series.  The dystopia genre is still pretty hot right now in the YA world, so if you're into it, this could be right up your alley.  

Happy Reading, 
~Tamara

Publisher:  ACE
Release Date: First published January 30, 2007/ Audio unabridged edition released by Penguin Audio on October 1, 2009
Format: MP3 Audio
Pages: 292 (Mass Paperback) / Audio Length: Approx 10 hours
Narrator: Lorelei King
Source: Library Borrow via Overdrive
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Date: April 10, 2014
Rating: 5 bookmarks

Synopsis: Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.

I. Can. Not. Get. Enough. Of. This. Series!  Why, you ask?  Samuel, Adam, and Stefan, enough said.  Just kidding, well mostly.  I am truly amazed by how Briggs is able to squeeze so much story into such a short book!  It seems like every other book that I've read with this much depth, character development and action are all over 400 pages! Apparently this is a skill that she's mastered.

I adore Mercy. She's got her life together, but she's not perfect. She's brave, but she has fears. She's strong, but she's also weak when it comes to those she cares about. She juggles men and villains with out breaking a sweat. This installment starts off with Stefan calling in the favor that Mercy owns him for some help he gave her in Moon Called. 

I've really been enjoying this series. Thanks to the author, I have a ebook copy of Immortal Hunter that you to have a chance at winning! Interested? Enter using the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post!

Is the Execution Underground new to you? Check out my reviews of Kait's previous two parts of this series. Shadow Hunter and Twilight Hunter 

Publisher: HQN Books
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Format: ARC ebook
Pages: 384
Source: Author
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Date: April 7, 2014
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis:Hunters of the supernatural, the Execution Underground are an elite group tasked with protecting humanity...but at what price?

As an exorcist, David Aronowitz grew up the target of demonic assassins. Now he’s a member of the Execution Underground and hellspawn everywhere fear his name. But when a demon
slips into the seductive body of the only woman he’s ever loved,

David must confront the heartbreak of their past to save her. The piece of her heart Allsún O’Hare gave to David so long ago left her trapped between two worlds: the Fae and the human.
And when David comes to her rescue, fate reunites her with her greatest temptation—and her biggest mistake.

Now, as they’re swept together into a wicked game with the demon who controls her, David must decide if saving Allsún’s life is worth sacrificing his own—and the future of humanity itself.

Disclaimer: I received this ebook courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.

Immortal Hunter is book two in the EU series, but It can be read as a stand alone. We see some characters from the previous installments, but you don't necessarily have to read them in order. At least not at this point.

I like that each of the EU hunters have their own specialty. Which means each book will have it's own angle. That's what makes this series unique.  Damon from the Shadow Hunter novella is a vampire hunter and the leader of the Rochester Division. Jace from Twilight Hunter is the best werewolf hunter around.  David is a exorcists who can get rid of the baddest demons. The guys that have their own story coming are- Shane who specializes in all things occult, aka witches. Ash is a ghost medium that also hunts Poltergeists.Trent is a Shapeshifter hunter of the non werewolf types. The series will finish off with Damon's full story. Meet the EU men up close here.

Immortal Hunter focuses on David and Allsun. They have an amazing story.  This feels like the most believable true love story that I've read in a long time.  While the book is paranormal, the root of the relationship woes are embedded in the real world.  This is a story of second chances and demon killing of course!

There are many components to this story and they all settle into place and everything comes together nicely.  I also appreciate that Ballenger was able to take such a serious relationship topics and seamlessly meld them into a paranormal fiction story. The book was well written and I really enjoyed the writing style.  It was very fast and entertaining read.

If you're a paranormal romance fan, this book is a must read!

Happy Reading,
Tamara

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: June 14, 2011
Format: ebook
Pages: 359 pages (Hardcover)
Source: Library Borrow via Overdrive
Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Thriller
Review Date: March 31,2014
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: 'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...' Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love—all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.

WOW! Seriously, just wow. This is one of the most crazy books I've ever read! And I mean that in a good way. I rushed through this book so quickly because I all wanted to do was find out what exactly was going on!  I'll try my best not to spoil too much of the story, because figuring it all out was the best part of it!

The main players in this story are Christine, the amnesiac. Ben, her husband. Dr.Nash, her doctor and Claire, her best friend.  Every day, day in and day out Christine awakes not knowing how old she is. Not knowing where she is, or how she got there. She doesn't recognize her husband. She doesn't know what happened to her.  Everyday she has to relearn basic information. At some point her subconscious memories start to come to the surface and all sort of revelations start to come out. Who can she trust? Who is lying to her and why?  But how does she capture these questions being that she can't retain her memory day to day? A journal.  It's a genius idea, and thanks to Dr, Nash she's able to start figuring things out, sort of.

Publisher: Avon / Blackstone Audio
Release Date: First published January 28, 2014
Format: Audio MP3
Pages: Mass Market Paperback, 343 pages/ Audio Length: Approx 7 hours
Narrator: Tavia Gilbert 
Source: Library Borrow via Overdrive
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Date: March, 2014
Rating: 5 bookmarks

Synopsis: There’s always one more grave to dig.

Lately, life has been unnaturally calm for vampires Cat Crawfield and her husband Bones. They should have known better than to relax their guard, because a shocking revelation sends them back into action to stop an all-out war…

A rogue CIA agent is involved in horrifying secret activities that threaten to raise tensions between humans and the undead to dangerous heights. Now Cat and Bones are in a race against time to save their friends from a fate worse than death…because the more secrets they unravel, the deadlier the consequences. And if they fail, their lives—and those of everyone they hold dear— will be hovering on the edge of the grave.

Publisher:  ACE
Release Date: First published January 31, 2006/ Audio unabridged edition released by Penguin Audio
Format: MP3 Audio
Pages: 288(Mass Paperback) / Audio Length: Approx 9 hours
Narrator: Lorelei King
Source: Library Borrow via Overdrive
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Date: March 26, 2014
Rating: 5 bookmarks

Synopsis: Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy's next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy's connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water...

I loved this book. If you recall, in my last audiobook review, I mentioned that I was seeking the next audiobook series that I could basically devour.  It looks like I may have found a replacement for my Cat and Bones fix! Not only is the story very good, but there are 7 more books published already, so I have a ways to go before I'm caught up with the series.  I'll have weeks and weeks of listening enjoyment.

What's BTMA?  It stands for "book to movie adaptation".  My BTMA reviews are done separately from the book review.

Movie Release Date: March 21, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For some violence and intense depiction of thematic material)
Watch Date: March 21, 2014
Rating: 5/5

I saw Divergent last night with my book club, and let me say this was a very, very good movie. Yes, things weren't perfect. Yes, there were inconsistencies from the book. But, even with those things present, the movie was still well done. The casting was impeccable. The movie makers picked some of the most exciting and relevant scenes from the book. The pace with amazing, even though the movie was nearly two and a half hours long, it didn't feel like it. It felt like I blinked, and it was over. I'm actually debating if I should see it again!

Of course no book to movie adaptation is perfect.  What could have been done better?  The relationship progression between Tris and Four was abrupt and the development of the relationship was lacking.  Also lacking is the formation of the friendship between Tris, Christina, Will, and their other initiates. They had a tight knit group and that vibe was not as prevalent as it could have been. 

What was done right?  Again, the casting was amazing. I won't cover each character, because there are too many. But I was very pleased with every actor/actress chosen for the roles. 

I liked that the history of the current situation was explained a bit and it was very clear how the factions work and what each of the belief systems are.  Even if you haven't read the book you'd still have a good understanding.

Even the level of brutality that the initiates experienced during Dauntless training was surprisingly vivid. There was one particular situation that was toned down a lot.  I have a guess as to why they altered that particular scene.  Most likely because they wanted to ensure that PG-13 rating!  

Publisher: ACE
Release Date: First published April 1, 2007 / Audio unabridged edition released January 12, 2009 by Tantor Audio
Format: MP3
Pages: 260 pages (Mass MarketPaperback) / Audio Length: Approx 9 hours
Narrator: Renée Raudman
Source: Library Borrow via Overdrive
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Date: March 19, 2014
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate's guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta's magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate's guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she's way out of her league—but she wouldn't have it any other way…

Now that the Cat and Bones series is all wrapped up, I'm on the hunt for my next audio book series. I decided to check out Magic Bites for a few reasons. First, I really enjoy urban fantasy, so I wanted to stick with that.  Second, I had read many good things about this book. Combined that with all the high ratings and I just knew it would be awesome.  Lastly, who doesn't love a good story about shape-changes and magic?  So, I gave it a try. Clearly I'm in the minority because I don't think that it was that good. 

What's BTMA?  It stands for "book to movie adaptation".  My BTMA reviews are done separately from the book review.

Movie Release Date: November 27, 2013MPAA 
Rating: PG-13 (For some violence and intense depiction of thematic material)
Watch Date: March 15, 2014
Rating: 3/5


The first thing, is that I'm glad that I did not see this in the theater. I would have been annoyed if I had spent $14 bucks on the ticket. I really don't like sad movies or books but, because I read this already for book club, this was a great choice to watch so that it qualifies for my book to movie adaptation reading challenge.

No surprise that the book was better. If I consider the movie alone, I'd rate it higher than I would when comparing it to the book. Thankfully the movie contains the most important parts of the book.  But on the down side, there were other parts from the book that really explained things on a deeper level, and some of those scenes were either excluded, lacking or changed all together.  With that said, I still think this movie is a fairly good BTMA. 

Reading this in your email?  Click here to see the movie trailer.  Did you watch The Book Thief? How do you think it stacked up against the book? Please share!

Happy Reading & Watching,
~Tamara

Publisher:  NAL / Penguin Group
Release Date: First published October 1, 2013/ Audio unabridged edition released by Penguin Audio
Format: Audio CDS
Pages: 544 (Hardcover) / Audio Length: Approx 14 hours
Narrator: Eric G. Dove
Source: Library Borrow
Genre: Paranormal / Paranormal Romance
Review Date: March 12, 2014
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: When Cait Douglass resolves to get over her broken heart, throw off her inhibitions, and start really living, she’s unprepared for the two sensual men who cross her path. Torn between them, she doesn’t know which to choose--or what kind of dire consequences could follow. 

Jim Heron, fallen angel and reluctant savior, is ahead in the war, but he puts everything at risk when he seeks to make a deal with the devil--literally. As yet another soul is unwittingly caught in the battle between him and the demon Devina, his fixation on an innocent trapped in Hell threatens to sidetrack him from his sacred duty...

Can good still prevail if true love makes a savior weak? And will a woman’s future be the key, or the curse, for all of humanity? Only time, and hearts, will tell.

Before I get into the review, I need to vent for a second on why it took me so long to finish this book.  I listened to 80% of this on audio, then I had to finish with the physical  book. Why? Somehow the last portion of the audio was missing.  Oddly enough, my library didn't have this on MP3, which is how I normal listen to audio, so I was forced to get the CDs. Which I didn't care for in itself. Then, to make things even worse, the last part of disc 11 and the entire disc 12 was completely blank!  Because of having to wait my turn to borrow the book, this added almost an extra week and a half before I could finally finish the book! Being that I was so anxious to see how it ended, the wait was slightly dreadful.  Anyways, back to the subject at hand, Possession! 

Ward does it again! Yes she did.  The book was full of surprising moments, misunderstandings, dirty tricks, romance (sex actually),heaven and hell, and of course the battle between good and evil. One of best thing about Ward;s writing style is that she can really balance and intertwine multiple story-lines. All the story lines are pretty equally and they intersect seamlessly.