Bad Girl Gone by Temple Matthews ~ 2.0 Stars

Tags

Child Pornography, Murder Mysteries, Paranormal Fiction, Sexual Exploitation of Minors, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

256 Pages

Symopsis: Sixteen year-old Echo Stone awakens in a cold sweat in a dark room, having no idea where she is or how she got there. But she soon finds out she’s in Middle House, an orphanage filled with mysteriously troubled kids.

There’s just one problem: she’s not an orphan. Her parents are very much alive.

She explains this to everyone, but no one will listen. After befriending a sympathetic (and handsome) boy, Echo is able to escape Middle House and rush home, only to discover it sealed off by crime scene tape and covered in the evidence of a terrible and violent crime. As Echo grapples with this world-shattering information, she spots her parents driving by and rushes to flag them down. Standing in the middle of the street, waving her arms to get their attention, her parents drive right through her. 

She was right. Her parents are alive, but she’s not.

She’s a ghost, just like all the other denizens of Middle House. Desperate to somehow get her life back and reconnect with her still-alive boyfriend, Echo embarks on a quest to solve her own murder. As the list of suspects grows, the journey of self-discovery in which she learns she wasn’t quite the girl she thought she was. In a twists of fate, she’s presented with one last chance to reclaim her life and must make a decision which will either haunt her or bless her forever.

Bad Girl Gone drove me absolutely crazy! I loved the premise, but throughout the entire story there just seemed to be something missing. It was as if there was magic there right beyond the horizon, but it never quite materialized.

*Before I continue, I need to warn you about what could be triggers for some readers. One concerns the murders of children and teenagers, and the other centers around child pornography and the sexual exploitation of minors. None of these are graphically depicted, but some readers may have issues with these.*

I think most of of my issues were with the characters and the dialogue. I disliked Echo from the very beginning, which made it impossible for me to care about her. To be honest, I felt she was a spoiled brat who took her rather privileged life for granted. At one point, instead of wondering who would want to kill her, I was wondering who wouldn’t want to. And, making things worse is that her “voice” just seemed so flat and unemotional.

There was also an annoying love triangle between Echo, Andy, her living boyfriend, and Cole, her new dead love interest. I actually liked both boys, but I couldn’t figure out why they were so crazy about Echo. Plus, I think I can count on the fingers of one hand, the times that this plot device has worked for me.

There were several interesting secondary characters, with my favorite being Darby who was not what she first appeared to be. The problem was, that because of the relatively short length of the book, there just wasn’t enough time to develop all of them fully.

The story itself would have been much more enjoyable if the author hadn’t decided to add a second plotline involving the head of the orphanage. Perhaps in a longer book this would have been an intriguing and welcome layer, but here it was unnecessary, and took away from the central mystery.

I thought when the big reveal came I’d feel at least a modicum of empathy for Echo, but I didn’t. The villain was predictable, although their motivation took me by surprise. But because of my feelings toward Echo, I didn’t connect emotionally into an event that I ordinarily would have.

In the end, Bad Girl Gone left me cold, and no matter how much I would have liked to, I just can’t recommend it. I’m giving it 2 stars because I like the cover, the idea behind the story, and a few of the secondary characters. As always, please check out other reviews on Goodreads and Amazon before making up your mind as to whether you want to try this. The ending leaves me to believe that there will be a sequel, but I’m just not interested enough in Echo to continue.

 

 

The Things They’ve Taken, by Katie McElhenney ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Paranormal Fiction, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

278 Pages

Synopsis: All Lo Campbell wants is to be a normal teenager–to go to one high school, live in one place, and have one real friend. Instead, she travels the country with her mother, chasing the unknown, the what else that’s out there.

Until one day, the what else chases back.

Determined to rescue her mom from whatever supernatural being took her, Lo will need more help than a badly dressed demon obsessed with country music. She’s going to need a Tracker–and lucky for her, she finds one. Shaw is strong, Good-looking, possibly available, and utterly infuriating. Sure he may have secrets, and his help costs more than a brand-new car, but she’ll have to deal with him if she wants to find her mother–and get her home alive.

The Things They’ve Taken has a lot of positives. First there’s the elegantly beautiful cover. Then there’s both the creepy and humorous elements, intriguing characters, a plot that is fast-paced and interesting, and an ending that’s a strong set-up for the next book. Both Dolores, aka Lo, and Shaw have had less than ideal childhoods. Lo obviously loves her eccentric mom but moving constantly according to her mother’s whims has taken a toll on her. I actually admired her because before she meets Shaw, she’s tough and secure about herself. She’s set on rescuing her mom and won‘t let anything or anyone get in her way. Once she hires Shaw though, some of that toughness and security melts away a bit. Suddenly she‘s jealous, quick to anger, and dangerously impulsive. It annoyed me a little because I didn‘t see any reasons for the change. Shaw has a tragic past and hides his hurt and vulnerability behind a tough-as-nails exterior. He also keeps secrets from Lo, which once she discovers them, puts their relationship in jeopardy. As far as the world-building, it’s imaginative and descriptive, and possesses enough uniqueness to make it stand apart from other YA paranormal books. There’s also plenty of action, which had me finishing this in one sitting. In the end, the only thing that prevents me from giving this a perfect 5 star rating is Lo’s and Shaw’s relationship. I truly like them as characters separately, but when they’re together they don’t always bring the best out in each other. Because of this and the sniping and angst it generates, there are times when their issues come perilously close to overtaking the story. I still really enjoyed it though and highly recommend it to fans of YA paranormal fiction. I’ll definitely be checking out the sequel where hopefully there’ll be even more world-building and greater communication and cooperation between Lo and Shaw.

About the Author:

  Katie McElhenney was born in Philadelphia into a big family of curious kids and patient adults. A voracious reader and unapologetic daydreams, she knew she wanted to become a writer someday. With the support of an amazing family, great friends, and some truly spectacular teachers, she has written short stories, poems, and novels. A solar-powered human, she now lives in Los Angeles and uses the great weather for year-round trips to the beach and long runs (where the best inspiration happens). Find out more about her at:

Website: http://www.katiemcelhenney.com

Facebook: Katie McElhenney

Instagram: katiemcelhenney

These Ruthless Deeds (These Vicious Masks #2) ~ By Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas – 5.0 Stars

Tags

Historical Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 14th, 2017

320 Pages

Synopsis: England 1883. Still recovering from a devastating loss, Evelyn is determined to use her powers to save other gifted people from those who would harm them. But when her rescue of a young telekinetic girl goes terribly wrong, Evelyn finds herself indebted to a secret society devoted to recruiting and protecting people like Evelyn and her friends.

As she follows the Society’s orders, healing the sick and embarking on perilous recruitment missions, Evelyn sees her problems disappear. Her reputation is repaired, her friends are provided for, and her parents are newly wealthy. She reunites with the dashing Mr. Kent and recovers the reclusive Mr. Braddock ( who has much less to brood over now that the Society can help him to control his power). But Evelyn can’t help fearing the Society is more sinister than it appears…

I think you could probably pick up These Ruthless Deeds, without having read the previous book, These Vicious Lies, but I don’t recommend it because you’ll lose quite a bit of the original context. The story is set in Victorian London, where certain people have evolved and now have powers. It’s very similar to the X-Men. This is a case where I enjoyed the sequel even more than the original book. Actually, I think this is probably going to be one of my favorite YA trilogies. It picks up almost immediately where the first book left off. Evelyn is still dealing with her powers of healing as well as her grief over losing her younger sister Rose. She and her friends are trying to rescue a young gifted girl from a mental institution when they come under attack and wind up being rescued by the Society of Aberrations who was previously mentioned as a nefarious group who were possibly using gifted people for unknown yet sinister reasons. Despite having doubts, Evelyn and her comrades start working with the Society to recruit more “aberrations” in order to protect and save the world. Unfortunately they soon discover that there is something to the rumors concerning the Society and its mysterious leader. These Ruthless Deeds is even more action-packed than its predecessor, with amazing fight scenes. Evelyn continues to be a kick-ass heroine, without losing her compassion for others. There is a love quadrangle/square which (and I feel like such a hypocrite given the amount of time I usually rant about these) I actually like in this book. I love all the characters involved so I think that’s why this doesn’t push my buttons. While there’s still some humorous moments as there were in the first book, this story is much darker, and the surprising  ending is positively brutal. These Ruthless Deeds is really just an exceptional sequel in every way. An exciting storyline which successfully develops the mythological arc of the trilogy and adds in even more fascinating characters, while continuing to further the backstories of the main characters. The tension and drama is upped exponentially and the incredible ending has left me impatient for the next book. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this for fans of the X-Men and alternate historical fiction. 

Revenge Of The Librarian (Evil Librarian #2) ~ By Michelle Knudsen – 3.0 Stars

Tags

Paranormal Fiction, Relationships, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 14th, 2016

215 Pages

Synopsis: Last fall, Cynthia Rothschild saved her best friend, as well as the entire student body, from the demon librarian, Mr. Gabriel, all while executing the most awesome set design for the school musical, Sweeney Todd. But now that all the demon stuff is behind her, Cyn is looking forward to the best summer ever at theater camp with her former-crush-and-now-boyfriend, Ryan Halsey. Once she gets to camp though, Cyn realizes this summer might not be all she’s been hoping for. First, Ryan’s best camp friend is a girl (which Ryan has never mentioned to Cyn) and she just happens to be ridiculously pretty. Plus, it seems the demon stuff is not entirely over as Cyn had hoped. At least any new demons that show up to ruin her summer can’t possibly be as evil as Mr. Gabriel. It’s not like he could somehow come back to life to seek his terrible revenge or something.

I really enjoyed The Evil Librarian, so I was looking forward to this sequel. Unfortunately this has a lot more relationship drama ( including an annoying love quadrangle) without the campy fun that made the first book so enjoyable. Cyn continues to be loyal and protective of her friends, but this protectiveness veers into more controlling behavior when she starts keeping secrets and takes it upon herself to make decisions for them instead. Unsurprisingly, this causes problems not only in regards to friendships, but also adds to the danger that pops up this time around. The aforementioned love quadrangle drove me a little nuts. Cyn spends much of the book moaning and whining over her boyfriend Ryan’s friendship with a girl he’d known for years through the camp, yet she herself harbors some feelings for another camp member. The whole thing came off as hypocritical to say the least. And finally, there’s Mr. Gabriel aka The Evil Librarian, who was thought to have been vanquished, yet proves in this book that you can’t keep a good, er, bad, demon down. While he was scarily funny in the previous story, in this one he’s pretty much a one-dimensional character who’s lost the snarkiness which made him so appealing to begin with. The ending makes it seem likely that there will be a third book, and if this is the case, I hope it contains more of the humor that made The Evil Librarian such a hit. In my humble opinion, Revenge of the Evil Librarian isn’t a bad book, just a disappointing one, that didn’t quite live up to its predecessor. 

Rest In Piece ~ By B.W. Ginsburg – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Suspense

166 Pages

Synopsis: Though decades apart, two young girls are connected in a way that is both fantastical and surreal. When twelve year old Louise Erickson finds out that she holds the key to saving a nine year old who disappeared twenty years earlier, she decides to accept the challenge. Will Louise be able to rescue the girl and the others locked away with her before it’s too late?

Rest in Piece is the debut novel by one of our fellow WordPress bloggers, B.W. Ginsburg, which made me even more excited to read and review it. After finishing, I’d say this is written for tweens. While I didn’t find it a perfect read, it was still fun and enjoyable. The action begins on the very first page and keeps the story moving forward at a pretty fast pace right up until its exciting ending. The storyline is highly imaginative and intriguing with two girls being connected over decades to each other through a mysterious and sinister puzzle. To be honest, the story is actually much better than the synopsis suggests. There were just two main issues I had reading this. The first concerned the characters’ voices, which I didn’t feel were distinctive enough from each other enough. The second concerned the actual world-building which took on more of a “telling” element rather than “showing”. Because of this I had difficulty feeling as though I was “in” the story. Overall though, I think Rest in Piece is a promising debut and it’s one that if I were still a children’s librarian, I’d be recommending to my young patrons who love a good paranormal mystery/adventure. I want to give kudos to B.W. on her debut and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next!

*B.W. has two fun and informative blogs that I highly recommend visiting if you haven’t already.

http://restinpieceblog.wordpress.com

http://gettingthroughanxiety.wordpress.com

 

 

RoseBlood ~ By A.G. Howard – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 10th, 2016

432 Pages

Synopsis: In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn–an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality herself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discovervan other-worldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for more than a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.

I’ve been a huge fan of A.G. Howard’s since I read her Splintered series a couple of years ago. Where that was an imaginative retelling of Alice In Wonderland, RoseBlood is a modern day spin on Phantom Of the Opera. As I’m also a fervent “phan” of all things Phantom, I’ve been impatiently awaiting this since I first heard about it last year. I’m thrilled to say it’s a nearly perfect example of how to craft a retelling of a classic story by keeping beloved elements from the original, while building upon that and creating a whole new story. Let me first get the two negatives out of the way that prevented this from attaining complete perfection. The beginning, where Rune and her mother are about to arrive at the conservatory dragged on much too long. I understand that A.G. Howard was setting things up for the main story, but the limo scene really could have used some editing. The other problem I had was with the description of Rune’s voice. One of Howard’s many strengths is her attention to every exquisite detail which makes the reader feel as though they’re part of the story. For example: when describing Thorn’s singing as a child, his voice is described as being so angelic that it forced listeners to face their darkest sins. Rune is supposed to have a voice equally, if not even more beautiful, but we’re told this, not shown it. If the rest of the story hadn’t been so descriptive, this may not have stood out as much as it did. But the rest of the story is so masterfully told I found myself purposely slowing down my reading because I didn’t want it to end. Now that I think upon it, this isn’t so much a retelling of Phantom, as it’s a continuation of the classic. Howard includes most of the original story, adding tantalizing paranormal tweaks here and there. The secondary characters are interesting and some provide a few moments of levity, but let’s face it, the heart and soul of the story is the gothic romance between Rune and the mysterious masked Thorn. Rune is an interesting character especially with her intriguing familial background which is somehow tied to Erik (the Phantom) and the original Christine. But it’s Thorn who eventually takes over, with his tragic backstory and his anguish of being caught between the father figure who quite literally saved him from a fate worse than death, and the young ingenue who has stolen his heart. The world-building is, well, simply indescribable. Each setting, from the boarding school atmosphere of the Paris conservatory, to the hidden watery world underneath its floors, to a rave that is colorful and exciting but more dangerous than any other, is so gorgeously detailed you will feel as though you are there, experiencing everything the characters are. Except for the aforementioned beginning, the plot is absolutely mesmerizing and you will find yourself hanging onto every single word. I really am trying not to include any spoilers, so I’m just going to say this is a tale like no other and you have to experience it for yourself. RoseBlood is a hypnotic story of love, hate, revenge, and redemption. For fans of Howard’s Splintered series, this new book will just further confirm in your minds what an incredible writer she is. And if you haven’t read her before, please, give yourself a gift and pick this up in January. 

Cursing Fate (The Fated #2) ~ By Brenda Drake – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Bullying, Coming of Age Stories, LGBT Relationships, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, Suicide, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen Crave for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

220 Pages

Release Date: November 22nd, 2016

Synopsis: There’s something strange about the Layne sisters, and Wade Diaz wants nothing to do with them. Especially the one who ripped his heart out and set it on fire before tossing it in the garbage several months ago. Iris. He can’t even think her name without unconsciously rubbing the spot in his chest where she left a gaping hole. But now her sisters are claiming some evil spirit is after his soul, and Iris is the only one who can save him. Well, at least his heart would stop hurting, right? Didn’t sound so bad.

Iris Layne has always been the sweet sister. She’s kind to everyone, including her best friend Wade… Until she makes a horrible mistake and breaks his heart. All she wants is to go back to before ‘the dumping’. Of course, Wade would rather see her in hell first. But then Iris touches her sister’s tarot cards and unleashes an evil curse intent on playing a deadly game where no one Iris loves is safe, especially Wade.

How do you convince someone they need your help when you’re the one who hurt them the most?

After reading Touching Fate, I was curious as to where this series was headed next. I was hoping that Cursing Fate would continue to build upon the intriguing mythology of the first book, and I’m happy to say it exceeded my expectations. Unlike her older sister Aster, Iris isn’t a fate changer, but after finding Aster’s tarot cards, she unwittingly unleashes the cursed spirit who has brought such tragedy to the Van Buren family for decades. My main complaint with the first book was that the characters, especially the secondary ones weren’t developed enough. Although the sequel is even shorter in length, somehow the author completely makes up for this and I enjoyed it even more. In the first book, Iris was mostly an indistinct figure, but what I did see of her I didn’t really like. She came across as being flighty and shallow. Here she came across much more sympathetically and I was surprised at how much I liked her. She’s entirely aware of her flaws and she’s determined to correct them. She admires her twin Violet and aspires to be more like her. The romance between her and Wade is sweet and believable and is the heart of the story. While the main theme concerns the curse, Drake also explores bullying, suicide, and LGBTQ relationships in a thoughtful manner. Overall, Cursing Fate was a quick and fun read and its left me looking forward to reading more about the Layne family. I think this series will have wide appeal with teen girls.

The Girl In The Picture ~ By Alexandra Monir – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 16th, 2016

272 Pages

Synopsis: Nicole Morgan has been labeled many things–the geeky music girl, the shy sidekick to Miss Popularity, and the girl with the scar. Now only one name haunts her through the halls of Oyster Bay Prep.

The Girl in the Picture.

After high school heart throb Chace Porter is found dead in the woods near the school, the police are in search of the girl whose picture with Chace is the only clue amongst his personal belongings. A girl who no one knew was even close to Chace–and whose dormmate, Lana Rivera was Chace’s girlfriend. 

Nicole is that girl and now she’s the primary suspect in his murder.

But what really happened that night? Were Nicole and Chace dating behind Lana’s back; were he and Lana over? Could either of them have killed him?

Told in alternating points of view, that of our suspect, Nicole Morgan, and her former best friend and roommate, Lana Rivera, readers will piece together the story of a starcrossed love, fractured friendship–and what really happened the night Chace was killed.

I have to admit I hesitated before requesting this mainly because it was obviously going to feature a love triangle. Have I mentioned how much I usually hate love triangles? But because I’ve enjoyed Alexander Monir’s previous books I took a chance, and while it’s not perfect, for the most part I’m glad I did. The main problem I had was with all the cliches, first and foremost of which was the gorgeous Chace, Mean Girl Lana, and meek follower Nicole. I can’t complain to loudly though though since the premise made it abundantly clear that this was going to be a major factor in the book. The love triangle didn’t turn out as annoying as I thought it would be, although I didn’t really buy into the romance. But, here’s what  ultimately saved the story: the downright addictive mystery. The story is told from Nicole’s and Lana’s perspectives over the span of a year and it’s nicely written. There are also glimpses of Chace woven in which added further layers into an already interesting plot. All this would have been satisfying enough, but the author adds in an unexpected paranormal element which I thought was a perfect touch. Overall, I think that The Girl In The Picture is further proof of what an exceptional YA author Alexandra Monir is. It’s a fun and quick read that I think will hold wide appeal for fans of this type of book.  

 

Ink and Bone ~ By Lisa Unger – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Serial Killers, Suspense

Thank you NetGalley and Touchstone for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 7th, 2016

Synopsis: Twenty-year-old Finley Montgomery is rarely alone. Visited by people whom others can’t see and haunted by prophetic dreams, she has never been able to control or understand the things that happen to her. When Finley’s abilities start to become too strong for her to handle–and even the roar of her motorcycle or another dazzling tattoo can’t drown out the voices–she turns to the only person she knows who can help her: her grandmother Eloise Montgomery, a renowned psychic living in The Hollows, New York.

Merri Gleason is a woman at the end of her tether after a ten-month-long search for her missing daughter Abbey. With almost every hope exhausted, she resorts to hiring Jones Cooper, a detective who sometimes works with Eloise Montgomery. Merri’s not a believer, but she’s just desperate enough to go down that road, praying she’s not to late. Time, she knows, is running out. 

As a harsh white winter moves into The Hollow, Finley and Eloise are drawn into the investigation, which proves to have much more at stake than even the fate of a missing girl. As Finley digs deeper into the town and its endless layers, she is forced to examine the past, even as she tries to look into the future. Only one thing is clear: The Hollows gets what it wants, no matter what.

Ink and Bone is the first full length novel set in The Hollows following three short stories collected under the title The Whispering Hollows. You needn’t have read the previous stories in order to enjoy this, but if you do try Ink and Bone, you’re probably going to want to go back and get caught up. This is one of those suspense/thrillers where the tension begins on the very first page and never lets up. Finley is an interesting character even without her cool motorcycle, pink hair and many tattoos, taken into consideration. She’s conflicted about her psychic abilities thanks to her mother who denied her daughter’s gift while she was a child. Although Finley has always had the support of her grandmother, Eloise, she tends to indulge in some self-destructive behavior. Her tattoo addiction is actually tied to her psychic dreams, as she feels compelled to have the images from her visions inked on to her skin. She’s a strong heroine, yet also fragile in many respects. I also really liked her ex-boyfriend Rainer. He’s one of the reasons why she left Seattle to begin her voyage of self-discovery. She feels they bring out the worst in each other, yet you can’t help but be a little charmed by him despite his past philandering and addictions. He is so in love with Finley that he follows her to The Hollows and starts his own business. I know this sounds a bit stalkerish, but it’s really not. He’s determined to clean up his act and prove himself to Finley, and is extremely supportive and protective of her. If there are future books in the works, I hope these two stay together because I think they’re soul mates. The book is told from multiple viewpoints so in addition to Finley, you also hear from Merri and Wolf, the parents of the missing girl, and others. With so much action going on, having the story formatted in this way could have been confusing but wasn’t because each character has their own distinctive voice. By the time I finished, I felt that that the story couldn’t have been told as successfully without seeing things unfold from different perspectives. It’s also focuses on the psychological makeup of each character and their relationships which adds another interesting layer without slowing the pace down. The only criticism I have is that while the book is filled with exciting twists and turns, near the end I felt things got a little too frantic and over-the-top. Overall though Ink and Bone is a top-notch thriller perfect for fans who enjoy suspense, the paranormal, and horror.

 

 

 

 

The Progeny (Descendants of the House of Bathory #1) ~ By Tosca Lee – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and Howard Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Emily Jacobs is the descendent of a serial killer. Now she’s become the hunted.

She’s on a quest that will take her to the secret underground of Europe and the inner circles of three ancient orders–one determine to kill her, one devoted to keeping her alive, and one she must ultimately save.

Filled with adrenaline, romance, and reversals, The Progeny is the present-day saga of a 400-year-old war between the uncanny descendants of “Blood Countess” Elizabeth Bathory, the most prolific female serial killer of all time, and a secret society dedicated to erasing everyone of her descendants. A story about the search for self, filled with centuries-old intrigues against the backdrop of atrocity and hope.

Before I begin my review, you’re probably wondering why I have two different covers depicted above. Well, the smaller one is what was supposed to be the finished cover, but for whatever reason someone at the publishers decided to go in a different direction. Personally, I loved the red cover. I thought it was beautiful and elegant in its simplicity. The cover that they went with in the end is nice, but it just doesn’t grab me like the first did. Anyway, on with the review.

I’ve heard of Tosca Lee, but The Progeny is actually the first book of hers I’ve read and all I can do is kick myself for not trying her before. It’s one of those books that combines great characters with an exciting and multi-layered mythology. Emily/Audra is a character that you can’t help but become attached to. While in some ways she’s your typical kick-ass heroine that you often find in this genre, she also has some interesting vulnerabilities due to her memory loss. As the reader you’re swept along in her quest to discover her past as well as what happened to make her resort to voluntarily having her memory wiped. The secondary characters are equally well-developed and it’s not always obvious who is friend and who is foe. The only criticism I have is that about halfway in, the story segued into an overly long party scene which had me impatiently wanting it to get back to the good stuff. Thankfully the action does pick up and it never slows down until the unbelievable cliffhanger conclusion which had me yelling “Darn you Tosca Lee!” Seriously! How the heck am I supposed to wait for book #2? Oh well. I suppose I’ll have to content myself with reading her other books. The Progeny immediately hooked me with its fascinating characters, exotic locales, and beautiful world-building. It’s a unique and inventive twist on vampire legends which takes the historical figure of Elizabeth Bathory and creates an entirely new mythology around her. I highly recommend this to fans of horror and paranormal fiction!