Shadowed Ground by Vicki Keire

Genre:  YA Paranormal Fantasy

The Chronicles of Nowhere, Book 2

Vicki Keire's website

Amazon | Goodreads

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Chloe Burke has only two choices left: run or fight.

As she wakes from a poisoned sleep with silver scars across her back, her aunt’s diary may provide the only clues about the creatures of fire that hunt her.

Separated from her last living relative and the only home she has ever known, Chloe must rely on the deadly Eliot Gray to guide her through the strange world she suddenly finds herself inhabiting. It’s a world where the Abandoned wear human bodies like cheap suits, where the Landing finds itself threatened by its nearest neighbors, and Chloe and Eliot must watch their every move.

A dangerous road stretches on before them, and Chloe and Eliot must learn to work as a team against the deadly predators that threaten a whole new world. As the bonds of trust grow, they must be careful not to tread upon time-honored boundaries: those forbidding Guardians to act on feelings for their Wards. Determined not to let the only home she remembers suffer the same fate as the world of her childhood, Chloe finds herself in a race to reach Gray’s Landing before it is too late.

Honestly, I have to say I enjoyed this book more so than the first.  And the reason why?  Even though the ending wasn't really an ending (in the sense that this is a series), it was a million times better than the ending in the first book.  With the first, I felt like I was kicked off a cliff at the end.  With this one, I felt like it closed with a sense of hope that they will get through this.

This book was full of a lot of action.  Looking back on it, a few things were explained that satiated my curiosity.  But not a whole lot was explained.  But that's okay because I got to see a lot of kick-butt fighting.

And the relationship between Chloe and Eliot?  It could just be my hopefulness that makes me think there's something between the two of them.  Or the fact that I like Eliot a lot.  Who knows, we'll see when the next one comes out.

And now I'm left wondering when the third book will come out...  What's my recommendation?  If you like urban fantasy reads, then I recommend you read the first and second book in this series together.  Do not treat them as separate books.  Since they're short stories to begin with, it's easy to treat the two as one novel (and you'll feel better about the ending).

Challenges:  Young Adult Reading Challenge

Worlds Burn Through by Vicki Keire

Genre:  YA Paranormal Fantasy

Chronicles of Nowhere, Book 1

Vicki Keire's website

Amazon | Goodreads

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Chloe Burke has nightmares of a world burned to ash and the strange boy who saves them both.

Underneath the dreams lurks a deeply buried reality; Chloe and a handful of others are survivors of a decade old apocalypse that burned their home world to the ground.

Now their ancient enemies hunt them again. To keep their adopted world safe, Chloe must undergo a ritual of blood sacrifice that will have life-long consequences if she survives. Her lethal protector, Eliot Gray, must keep her alive long enough to do it.

Together they will uncover even more dangerous secrets buried in the past’s deepest, darkest ashes.

Let me start off by saying that this book is a very short story.  And it has the potential to draw you in immediately.  There's paranormal, action, and definitely a lot of mystery.  But what did it lack?  Well, honestly nothing was explained.  You only saw glimmers of possibilities.  But there was never a whole picture to look at.

Chloe is your average teenager who just lost her dad and is rebelling against her mom.  Only we find out she's not really average.  According to my slim knowledge, she's possibly an alien from a destroyed planet.  And now she's being hunted by some fiery-looking dudes.  But she has Eliot to protect her and keep her safe.

Honestly, I was drawn in from the moment the book started.  But nothing was ever explained.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you need to read the second one with the first as if they were one book.  Hopefully things will be explained in the second book.  I am planning on reading it, so I'll let you know if it gets better...

Challenges:  Young Adult Reading Challenge