The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

Shades of London Series, Book 3

Maureen Johnson's website

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Note:  This is the third book in a series.  I will try really, really hard not to ruin the second book for you, but I definitely recommend you read the first two books before reading anything below...

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Rory and her friends are reeling from a series of sudden and tragic events. While racked with grief, Rory tries to determine if she acted in time to save a member of the squad. If she did, how do you find a ghost? Also, Rory’s classmate Charlotte has been kidnapped by Jane and her nefarious organization. Evidence is uncovered of a forty-year-old cult, ten missing teenagers, and a likely mass murder. Everything indicates that Charlotte’s in danger, and it seems that something much bigger and much more terrible is coming.

Time is running out as Rory fights to find her friends and the ghost squad struggles to stop Jane from unleashing her spectral nightmare on the entire city. In the process, they'll discover the existence of an organization that underpins London itself—and Rory will learn that someone she trusts has been keeping a tremendous secret.

This book picks up right where book number two left off:  in a hospital.  Thorpe is now leading the ghost troupe and taking Rory into a form of witness protection.  As Boo, Callum, and Rory regroup to try to find Charlotte, they slowly begin to piece together what was lost and make sense of the notes they do have.  But when Thorpe asks Rory to remain at the safehouse while everyone else does something to help, she's just not going to listen.

As Rory goes looking for a ghost of her own to retrieve some much needed answers, she finds herself in a cemetery with a little more than she bargained for.  But fortunately for her, she's got a stalker ready to save the day.  Funny how a stalker can save the day, right?  Anywho, as knowledge begins to form coherently, they are closer to locating Charlotte and Jane.  And Jane is the one with a nefarious plan that just might ruin everything in addition to saving the day in the end.  Is it something Rory's willing to risk?

After being so very disappointed with the second one (because I felt like it absolutely did not compare to the first - note: Jack-the-Ripper/historical-London fan right here), I was surprised to see this one kept me reading from the very beginning.  We delve right into the secret ghost societies of London, and there's enough plot-changing intrigue to keep you guessing.  And as one plot wraps up, another one slowly weaves it's way in for the next one (subtle hint that there is a next one).  I think I'm finally adjusting to the psychotic plot-weaving and plot-adjusting that this series tends to do.

I had to take a moment to read my review of the second one because I wanted to better understand why I disliked the second book.  And I think I'm a control freak who has to understand the direction a book is taking before I invest myself in it.  I'm wondering if I would have enjoyed the second one more if I had read it after the third one.  Probably...

I'm still holding onto the opinion that this is a good ghost series for readers.  And the first one is definitely a good one.

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

Genre:  YA Ghost Story

Rin Chupeco's website

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Description (taken from Goodreads):

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

We have a corporeal girl looking for vengeance.  This is our narrator and who we will follow throughout this tale.  She's a girl obsessed with numbers and filling a need that can only be filled by spilling blood.  But when a boy catches her attention, she'll put her vengeance on hold to protect him.  For he bears a curiosity that we're dying to figure out.

Tark has recently moved to Applegate where his cousin, Callie, lives.  There's been plenty of strange happenings with him, and he's trying to put his past behind him.  But as Callie tries to encourage her cousin, she notices something quite peculiar following him around.  And when she realizes it's a ghost that's following him, she's determined to keep her from hurting Tark.  So begins their journey into the realm of spirits and Japanese folklore.

For being a ghost story told from a dead girl with OCD (the numbers!), I thought this was a good read.  I was captivated pretty early on and kept going with the flow.  I saw so many correlations to those Japanese scary movies that I watched as a teen, and I think it was cool to read about something instead of watching it.  My imagination went wild.  But in the end, it's still a ghost story with a happy ending (how'd that happen?).

If you're not one strictly into Japanese folklore and are looking for a ghost story, I think you'll enjoy it.  It's a fun story that gives an introduction to a well-known ghost story (just like adaptations of fairy tales but it's ghosts here).

Sublime by Christina Lauren

Genre:  YA/NA Ghost Romance

Christina Lauren's website

Expected publication date:  October 14, 2014

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Goodreads):

When Lucy walks out of a frozen forest, wearing only a silk dress and sandals, she isn’t sure how she got there. But when she sees Colin, she knows for sure that she’s here for him.

Colin has never been captivated by a girl the way he is by Lucy. With each passing day their lives intertwine, and even as Lucy begins to remember more of her life—and her death—neither of them is willing to give up what they have, no matter how impossible it is. And when Colin finds a way to physically be with Lucy, taking himself to the brink of death where his reality and Lucy’s overlap, the joy of being together for those brief stolen moments drowns out everything in the outside world. But some lines weren’t meant to be crossed…

Lucy wakes up on a path in a forest next to a private boarding school.  She has no idea how she got there or who she is.  So she starts walking towards the school.  With the increasing amount of people passing her and not paying attention to her, she realizes something is off.  But she's perfectly content to wander into the mess haul alone.  Then a boy walks in from the kitchen and she's certain about two things.  She's a ghost and she's here for him.

Colin is no stranger to tragedy after having lost his family over ten years ago.  In fact, he's more of a daredevil throwing an F-you at death every day.  His school has always had stories about Wanderers or ghosts that come from the lake next to the school.  And he's never paid them any mind until he meets Lucy.  A girl that will draw his attention and complete him.  But there's a problem: it's hard to touch a ghost.

So me not enjoying this book is partly my fault.  When I saw the cover and read ghost love story, I though oh fantastic, a ghost story.  I really should have thought sappy love story, ugh.  And as I kept reading this book as it alternates from Lucy and Colin's point of view, I was thinking the pair of them should grow up.  What they had wasn't love; it was infatuation.  And I felt like the wording tried to be poetic but couldn't pull it off.  It's as if I found some teenage boy and asked him to write me a love poem, this is what I'd get when converted to a story.  Yes, I picked the wrong book to read and I certainly paid for it...

A love story that involves a ghost.  In my opinion, this story had no point for me.  But I think others are definitely going to disagree.  And if you're a lovey-dovey book person, I highly recommend you read a review from someone with similar tastes (so I don't ruin the book for you).

Thanks goes to Around the World ARC Tours for providing me a review copy.

Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

Phoebe Kitanidis' website

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Description (taken from Phoebe Kitanidis' website):

What if you forgot your identity and had to rely on other people to tell you who you were?

And what if to discover your true self, you first had to unravel a mystery so big and terrifying you were not sure you‘d survive solving it?

When Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other‘s arms with zero memory of how they got there or who they are, it‘s the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future...

So with the description above, we don't really know what this book is about.  Sure, the main characters suffer from amnesia.  But what's the real story?  Well it involves a source of power, mysticism, and saving the day.

Elyse and Marshall wake up in an awkward embrace with no recollection on how they ended up together and no memory of who they are.  As they encounter others, they begin to notice something weird about their town.  Elyse sees people that no one else sees, and they seem to put everyone to sleep when something unpleasant occurs.  And Marshall finds out he's an outsider but can protect himself from the heatnaps that everyone seems to suffer from.  Long story short, forced happiness and perfection isn't all it's cracked up to be.  And Elyse and Marshall need to figure out how to stop it all before they forget the reason to be afraid.

In short, this story is cute.  I enjoyed seeing Elyse and Marshall's growth into who they were and leaving behind the unpleasantries.  However, once the story line was revealed, I thought it was a little cheesy.  Yes, it's a good story.  But the mistakes the main characters make just seem too cheesy to make me love it.

This book has a wonderful concept that hasn't been seen before.  I'd recommend looking at other reviews to see if it's something you'd like.

Challenges:  Paranormal and TBR Reading Challenge

Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready

Genre:  YA Paranormal Fantasy

Shade Trilogy, Book 3

Jeri Smith-Ready's website

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Description (taken from Jeri Smith-Ready's website):

No other love has burned so bright

Life can change in an instant, and no one understands that better than Aura. It’s been almost a year since her boyfriend tragically died. She’s finally letting go of Logan’s violet-hued ghost, but not her search to uncover the truth about her past.

As the first in a generation that can see ghosts, Aura is convinced that she has a connection to the Shift. She’s trusted Zachary, ever patient and ever by her side, with all that she knows. But when the government threatens his life in an attempt to learn Aura’s secrets, she will stop at nothing to protect herself and the one she loves...even if that means betraying her own heart.

Hmm, I think I liked the first two books in this series more.  Maybe it's the long time I waited to read the finale, or maybe it's because we're done with the love triangle.  For whatever reason, I don't know.

In a world where kids born after a specific date can see ghosts and those ghosts have the potential to use these kids, you can see where issues could arise.  Where people could be scared enough to react in ways that dehumanize the living.  Welcome to Aura's world.  And various companies will stop at nothing to gain control of the situation.

And as always, we have Zachary: the love interest.  As much as I loved Logan, Zachary was alive and well enough to love more.  But it seems like this book was more about nurturing their love than it was about solving the mystery of the Shift.  I guess I wanted more historical aspects and more solving-the-mystery action.  Don't get me wrong because that stuff is in the book.  It just takes a major back seat when it comes to Zachary and Aura's love for each other.

It was a great ending to a fun trilogy.  I just wished I had read this one sooner...

Challenges:  Paranormal Reading Challenge and TBR Pile Challenge

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Genre:  YA Urban Fantasy

Shades of London Series, Book 2

Maureen Johnson's website

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Note:  Please, please, please read the first book before you read my review here.  It's a really good book, and I don't want to ruin the plot for you (but I will if you keep reading).

Description (taken from Goodreads):

When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…

There's a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London. Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

So, the description above really doesn't give you a good idea of what this 'second-in-a-series' is about.  So, I'll give you a few details without ruining it.

Rory is in Bristol still recovering from the Ripper attack.  And she's also sort of coming to terms with what's happened to her, paranormally that is.  But all of the action happens in London, so she returns back to Wexford, her school.  Everyone kind of walks on eggshells around her while she readjusts.  The only problem is, she's not adjusting well and everything's falling apart at the seams.

After a random death, Rory sees some ghostly connections and asks Stephen to help her investigate.  And this is sort of the beginning of Rory merging herself into the ghost fighting team.  Some paranormal happenings and some drama, and we've got a story.

You know, I did not have a problem with this book at all until the last twenty or so pages.  It was slower, yes, but the recovering parts felt valid.  And Rory trying to find herself amongst the chaos was alright.  But then the book took a turn in left field and then another one.  And I realized, I missed the twist because I wasn't invested enough.  And this book just didn't have the big overall plot it should have had.  It's like if I were to take the main ingredients from cake, spaghetti, steak, lasagna, and throw it all together and call it a masterpiece, no one would agree with me.  And that's what this book did, twenty different small plots that didn't really make up a big enough plot.

Agh, I'm mad with the ending.  This book would have been okay without that ending.  And thanks to the ending, I don't think I'll continue.

Challenges:  Paranormal Reading Challenge

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

Anna, Book 2

Kendare Blake's website

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Description (taken from Kendare Blake's website):

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Before I share my thoughts on this book, I have to point out that it has been over a year since I first read the first book in this series.  And I think somewhere between then and now, I fell off of the Anna train. It's been six months since Anna sacrificed herself to save Cas and his friends.  And Cas hasn't gotten over this moment.  In fact, he's being constantly haunted by Anna.

I felt disconnected with this book.  Like I couldn't remember enough of the first to enjoy this one.  All of the memories of Anna and being constantly reminded of her, I felt like Cas was just dealing with some hard times, nothing supernatural (other than the ghost aspect).  And that kind of resulted in a rough beginning for me.  To put it bluntly, I was bored for the first half.

But then we meet some interesting characters.  And Cas' athame gets explained.  And we pretty much get to see Hell form Cas' eyes.  It's uber creepy and really fun to read about.  I was very engrossed with the last fifty pages, and they totally made the book worth it.  But then it ended, and I felt kind of let down.

I absolutely adored the first book in this series, Anna Dressed in Blood.  But this second was a letdown for me.  So my suggestion is for people to pick up both of these books and read one right after the other.  You may have a better experience than I did...

Thanks goes to Tor Teen for providing me a review copy.

Challenges:  Sensational Seconds and Young Adult Reading Challenge

Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong

Genre:  Adult Paranormal Fantasy

Women of the Underworld Series, Book 13

Kelley Armstrong's website

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Description (taken from Kelley Armstrong's website):

A war is brewing—the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half brother from supernatural medical testing, but he’s fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing.

Savannah has called upon her inner energy to summon spells with frightening strength, a strength she never knew she had, as she fights to keep her world from shattering. But it’s more than a matter of supernaturals against one another—both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

Uniting Savannah with Adam, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and other lost-but-notforgotten characters in one epic battle, for a grand series finale.

The Women of the Underworld series has been a major favorite of mine because the books are from various characters' points of views.  For example, we get to experience the supernatural world from a werewolf's perspective in one book while seeing it from a half-demon's in another book.  The last three books in this series are from Savannah's, a witch, point of view.  And I do believe it was very fitting.

Now to the story.  I'm not going to say much to ruin the plot, but I will say that the book immediately picks up where number twelve left off.  And there's a lot of action and violence.  All the characters we have come to love show up in this epic battle.  And no one is safe from death nor despair.

But once the fight is over, it just kind of ends with a theme that life goes on.  Just another day in the paranormal neighborhood.  Was it a good ending?  Sure.  Am I sad to see the series end?  Obviously...

Gift by Andrea Buchanan

Genre:  YA Paranormal Fantasy

Andrea Buchanan's website

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Description (taken from Goodreads):

High school sophomore Daisy Jones is just trying to get by unnoticed. It doesn’t help that she’s the new girl at school, lives in a trailer park, and doesn’t even own a cell phone. But there’s a good reason for all that: Daisy has a secret, unpredictable power—one only her best friend, Danielle, knows about.

Despite her “gift” (or is it a curse?), Daisy’s doing a good job of fitting in—and a cute senior named Kevin even seems interested in her! But when Daisy tries to help Vivi, a mysterious classmate in a crisis, she soon discovers that her new friend has a secret of her own. Now Daisy and her friends must deal with chilling dreams and messages from the beyond. Can Daisy channel the power she’s always tried to hide—before it’s too late?

When I first picked up this book, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into.  So, let me tell you what this book involves to help you decide whether or not you need to pick it up.  What kind of paranormal aspects are involved?  Well, it mainly involves a ghost and past lives.  However, our main character has a special gift, and we don't really know why or how she got it (other than she was born with it).  And there's a bit of mythology involved (just a little bit).

Daisy, Danielle, Vivi, and Kevin join forces to help solve the mystery of Vivi's ghost.  They end up further down the rabbit hole as Danielle and Daisy start to have similar dreams.  And Kevin gives his insight to help explain what's going on.  And Daisy, the main character, has this gift.  She's very much connected to the energy around her.  I'm not really sure if I ever understood it completely.

Did I like this book?  Sure, I thought it was entertaining.  But what made me love it more than the average book?  It was the extras.  There are some added visuals in the novel that crop up every now and then.  Then at the end of the story, we have some super short stories/extras from Kevin, Vivi, and Danielle.  And I really enjoyed those parts of the book.

Thanks goes to Open Road Media and Netgalley for providing me a review copy.

Challenges:  YA Mythology Challenge and Young Adult Reading Challenge

Blog Tour: Shadow of the Witte Wieven by Debbie Peterson

Welcome to my stop for the Shadow of the Witte Wieven tour.  It features my review of the novel, the book trailer, and Debbie Peterson's bio.

Shadow of the Witte Wieven by Debbie Peterson

Genre:  Adult Paranormal Romance

Expected publication date:  April 21, 2012

Debbie Peterson's website

Goodreads

Description (taken from the Blog Tour):

Despite a contract on her head, lone Drug Enforcement Agent, Aliyana Montijo must ferret out a mole and stop the assassination of top DEA officials, as so ordered by the Colombian drug lord she seeks to take down. The task is a daunting one, for there is no one she can trust. No one that is, until she encounters a most unlikely ally.

Former seventeenth century captain of the Dutch West Indies Company, Wolfaert Dircksen Van Ness, now from a parallel dimension, encounters the beautiful agent during an unearthly storm in the Bermuda triangle. Drawn to the Spanish beauty he rescues, he pledges his assistance, despite her reluctance to accept either his help or his heart.

Can Wolf bridge both space and time to claim the woman he loves?

This is such a different paranormal romance novel than what you typically see.  No vampires and werewolves here.  Just ghosts.  And the ghosts here have their own peculiarities.  But let me tell you first that this book contains romance.  Not just romance, but the perfect, story-book romance.  The happy ending kind that you see in fairy tales.

What did I love about this book?  There's a lot of dialogue.  And I absolutely loved it (I love dialogue in general).  A lot of the story unfolds as the characters talk and interact with each other (it makes the story more believable).  And the romance...  It's swoon-worthy.

What I thought was all right (or slightly lacking): the action.  Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of action.  But I felt like the action went a little too perfectly like I was watching it through foggy glasses.

Who would I recommend this book to?  Anyone who likes romance novels and is looking for a different paranormal read.

Author Bio:  Debbie Peterson

Debbie Peterson, author of “Spirit of the Rebellion,” is about to release her second novel, “Shadow of the Witte Wieven,” through InkSpell Publishing. This paranormal romance combines a seventeenth century sea captain, a modern DEA agent, and the Bermuda Triangle to send you on an incredible adventure, filled with intrigue and romance. Debbie has always had a soft spot for fairy tales, the joy of falling in love, and happily ever after endings. She incorporates these aspects into all of the paranormal stories she writes. When she is not busy conjuring her latest novel, she spends time with the beloved members of her very large family. She also pursues her interests in family history and all things ancient and historic.