Black City

Black City (Black City, 1)
by Elizabeth Richards
Rating: 5 Bows!

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

Wow. That's all I can say about this book because nothing I think of does it justice. I was not expecting this book to be this great and I was glad to be proven wrong. The story sorta reminded me of Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London but it held its own.

A quick explanation of the story: The city is divided by a wall that keeps Darklings separated from humans and Darkling half-bloods. There is a law trying to be passed, Rose Law, to completely eliminate any half-bloods living with the humans and send them out with the Darklings. Natalie, the emissary's daughter, meets Ash, a twin-blood darkling, who happens to attend Natalie's new school. Natalie and Ash have a connection but exploring that connection leads to a ripple of events that have a catastrophic ending. 

Natalie, to me was the perfect heroine, she wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed, she wasn't discriminating, and she wasn't a pushover. Ash was a class-A jerk but given his circumstances, I wasn't too hard on him. I love that Ash and Natalie don't have an instant love connection and that they don't like each other at the beginning, this made their relationship feel more real. The concept was new to me and it was a little confusing as to how the Darklings came to be but I was grateful that the explanations were made simple and not overcomplicated; The most interesting explanation or "legend" was the blood mate story, it was beautiful. 

This novel pulled so many emotions out of me: I cried for Natalie and Ash, I screamed in frustration at the injustice of discrimination, and got angry of the unfairness of it all. 

Reading Black City, I experienced betrayal, lies, and shocking revelations that left me speechless but with a hint of hope as well. Black City is not a series to be missed!!

Blood-Kissed Sky

Blood-Kissed Sky (Darkness Before Dawn Trilogy, 2)
by J.A. London
Rating: 4 Bows!

There's nowhere left to hide.

I thought vampires were our enemies - they controlled our lives, isolated our cities, and demanded our blood - until I met Victor. With Victor taking over as the new Lord Valentine, things were supposed to get better. Instead, they're worse than ever.

Day Walkers, a new breed of vampires who can walk in the sun, are terrorizing the city. Blood supplies are low, and if Victor's vampires don't get enough, they will become infected with the Thirst - a disease that will turn them into mindless killers.

To stop it, I must journey across the desolate wasteland to the very place where the sickness began. I can only hope that the answers that await me are enough to save us all... before it's too late.

It continues! The second installment of the Darkness Before Dawn series does not disappoint. There's plenty of action, plenty of vampires and a lot of drama!

Blood-Kissed Sky picks up right away and the pace never slows. We get the full history of how Day Walkers came to be and the true story of the 14 Old Families...or so we think...
This story takes place in a new city, Los Angeles, so we get to see how the people in that city have adapted and the shocking revelations that Los Angeles hides. 

All the characters were great but I had one minor problem: Tegan. Her character bothered me in the first book but towards the end I figured she was okay. In this book however, I can't say that I'm okay with her, I have to say that I do not like her. All of Dawn's problems would be less hectic if Tegan wasn't in the picture. In the first book, Tegan makes Dawn go to a party (clearly, Dawn doesn't want to go) and they almost die at the hands of Vampires. What happens in this book? THE SAME THING! Seriously Dawn is dealing with a lot of problems and all Tegan wants to do is party. And not to mention the whole boy situation...(but that's a spoiler that I will not give!!)

We don't get to see much of Victor in this novel but when he does make an appearance...I almost faint! He's so sexy and I wish he was real and could be my boyfriend! I'm totally fangirl-ing over him! :D

Blood-Kissed Sky was a great sequel and I can't wait to read the last installment of this trilogy! J.A. London, you did another amazing job with this one! 

Hemlock (Hemlock, 1)

Hemlock (Hemlock, 1)
by Kathleen Peacock
Rating: 4 Bows!

Mackenzie Dobson's life has been turned upside down since she vowed to hunt her best friend Amy's killer: a white werewolf. Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country, and bloodlust is not easy to control. But it soon becomes clear that dangerous secrets are lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, Mac's hometown—and she is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her in grave danger.

I started this book at 9pm and finished it at 2am because it was that good! The synopsis gives little details about the story so I was a little hesitant reading the story but from the first page you're thrust into the action and it doesn't let up until the very end!

There was plenty of action and suspense but overall I would categorize this book as a mystery. So we have Mac, whose best friend Amy was murdered by a werewolf and is determined to find her killer. Mac's best quality, in my opinion, is her loyalty to her friends Jason and Kyle, the fact that she is determined to help them get over Amy's death and not hit rock bottom. 

There is a bit of romance but wait for it...it's a love triangle! Normally I steer clear of these but in this case I felt like it wasn't really a love triangle. We have Jason and Kyle who are best friends but completely different in personalities and some other stuff... Jason is broken and on the verge of being an alcoholic due to Amy's death. He's on a path to destruction because of his rage but he's also sweet and protective towards Mac. Kyle, has issues of his own but he's sweet and protective and the Mac can always rely on him.

The good thing about this "love Triangle" is that Mac makes her choice, I won't say who 'cuz you have to read the book, but I can't say I'm too happy with her choice. However, from reading the story it's pretty clear that Mac isn't too sure about who she loves and I really hope that Mac will end up with the other person in the upcoming books!! 

Hemlock was a good book filled with mystery and action and it's a great start to the trilogy. I'm anxiously awaiting the release of ThornHill and I can't wait to see where Kathleen Peacock takes this series!