When Silver Moons Rise Release Day Blitz

When Silver Moon Rise
(The Lost Immortals)

Author: KaSonndra Leigh
ISBN: 1482000121 (ISBN13: 9781482000122)
Release Date:  January 20th 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance,
Dystopian, Young/New Adult
Series: Lost Immortals #2

 

Summary

Facing an unstable future, Chela Prizeon leaves Castle Hayne and crosses over to enemy territory in pursuit of Faris--the boy of royal blood who is cursed by a bitter rival. But soon Chela learns that he has been taken deep into the treacherous frozen prisons--a majestic, but deadly place where people enter and are never seen again. To find the boy she loves, Chela must join forces with one of her greatest enemies. And even though she pulls strength from the good in her powers, she finds herself drawn to the dark side's temptation as well.

Narrated from both Chela's and Faris's point of view, this enchanting sequel to When Copper Suns Fall will take them on a voyage into unknown lands, where the dark, twisted, and revengeful wait to make this their most dangerous journey ever.

Please Note: This book contains mature content including profanity and sexual situations/language. It is intended for a Mature Young/New Adult audience at 17+ years of age.

Excerpt

Faris

The shackles tightened on my wrists and ankles, digging deep in my flesh. Dark magic eased its way through to my skin. I sucked my breath and held it, waiting for the fiery feeling to pass. Curse it. I could hardly move, let alone think. A small band of light eased in through the windows above me, giving the metal chamber a touch of softness.

"I ask you again, Faris Toulan. Is this girl worth your life? Your immortality? Or what's left of it anyway," Olivia hissed into my ear, a sneer on her face. I stayed silent, refusing to give in. She grasped my chin and forced me to look at her face.

I glanced deep in her empty eyes, and said: "Yes. Chela is everything to me. She’s all that you could never be. Your tricks can't remove what I feel for her."

Dark eyes glared at me. Her harsh laugh ripped through my soul. The kindness she showed me earlier disappeared at once. I didn't care. All I hoped for, all I ached for was a chance to see Chela again. I promised to return as the protector she needed me to be. I refused to go back as the thing she was cursed to destroy.  That would only hurt her more than I had already done. I intended to keep my word.

"I do hope you understand what you've agreed to do," Olivia said in a low, but deadly voice, her breath on my ear, her cold fingers stroking my face.  "By the time I’m done with you, there won't be any other name you'll call except mine. Because that's how long you'll beg for mercy."

She moved closer to my face and kissed my lips. I wanted to gag. Inside, I was already screaming. But her torture, or whatever she planned for me, was nothing compared to facing a life without Chela. By thinking of her face, her laugh, even the way she sometimes annoyed me, I could handle anything Olivia did.

Hell most definitely existed. I was about to experience it in full force.

And then I heard Chela call my name…

Chela

In my dream, I felt his suffering as if it were my own. Every burn, each tingle, the agonizing way he screamed from inside that awful dark chamber. Lying in my bed, I thought of the kiss we shared the last time I saw him. My eyes flew open as I grasped at the air around me, reaching for him, but finding emptiness instead. And then the tears fell, and kept falling.

My mind was shutting down one cell at a time. Even breathing took effort. It was as if my lungs were a balloon, and his breath was magical helium; something that only the luckiest girl could find…and lose.

"Faris." I called his name out loud, hoping with all my faith that he heard me. Was it possible for us to connect even with so much distance between us?  I had to try. If he can hear me, then our link will pull him through whatever they were doing to him.

I can't just sit around and wait to hear news about his death. I had to do something.

"Chela. Can I come in?" My best friend, Alexa, stood in the doorway to my room. I didn't even hear her open it. She walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down. Her kind eyes filled me with warmth after so many cold nightmares had left me shivering. 

"Baby, you've been in this room almost a week. Jalen and I miss you. Come back to us." She stroked my hair and laced her fingers with mine. Those small gestures were just enough to make me sit up and bury my face in her shoulders. "You got snot on my school uniform. Well, at least that's a start." I pulled back, glancing at Alexa's face as she studied her shirt. Looking up at me, she wrinkled her nose.

"Eew, gross," we both said at the same time. And then we both burst out laughing, covering our mouths as we giggled. She was right. Smiling was a good start. And then I heard a boy's voice speak in my mind.

"Chela, I heard you. By the lights, I heard you," Faris said. 

Author
 KaSonndra Leigh was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She now lives in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, North Carolina. She likes to write about people of all ages doing fantastical things in magical worlds.

She loves to play CLUE, Monopoly (the Indiana Jones version), and Pandora's Box (good writer's block therapy). She lives in an L-shaped house with a garden dedicated to her grandmother. It has a secret library complete with fairies, Venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass.

Links

Official Author Website: http://www.kasonndraleigh.com

The Seraphine Newsletter

Amazon's KaSonndra Leigh Author Page

The Lost Immortals Facebook Fan Page

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5137209.KaSonndra_Leigh

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kasonndraleigh

Blog: http://www.kasonndraleigh.com


Buy Links for The Lost Immortals Books One and Two

When Copper Suns Fall on Amazon (Book One)

When Silver Moons Rise on Amazon (Book Two)

When Copper Suns Fall on B&Noble  (Book One)

 When Silver Moons Rise on B&Noble  (Book Two)

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/103612

Visonary Unleashed Book Tour Review

Visionary Unleashed

Author: N. Dunham

ISBN: 9781624884542

ASIN: B00AMO7O26

Release Date:  November 25th 2012

Genre: Fantasy,
Young Adult

 

Amazon
Barns and Noble

Summary
 

Sixteen-year-old Aislinn Lee Murphy accidentally unleashes her hidden ability to see things before they happen, making her a Visionary. But little does she know that this amazing gift comes with a severe price.  She must never tell a soul or she risks putting herself and her family in great peril.

A Visionary is someone who has been chosen to see the future and has the benefit of having spirit animals to guide and protect them, but there is a secret agency whose sole purpose is to terminate all Visionaries and Aislinn has become their next target.

Excerpt 1

I want to learn about all of the spirit animals.  I research Sebastian’s spirit animal and find that it is has a strong connection to the falcon.  The falcon is supposedly my spirit animal.  This makes sense because I feel so incredibly connected to Sebastian and I hardly know him.  When we read that piece together we look at each other and smile. The book states that the falcon and grizzly bear have a have a dual understanding and that their signs are compatible with one another.  This reminds me of the daily horoscope that you read on the internet.
      Captivated by the content of information that I am uncovering I decide to read aloud, “When the earth sign visionary and air sign visionary combine forces they find that they create a long lasting bond as well as a colossal amount of positive energy.   When each spirit animal has reached a higher level of visionary status, they will uncover their destined mission.  They will experience an increase in their already heightened awareness and senses and gain the ability to unleash superior powers.”

Excerpt 2
     “My eye.  I’ve been hit!” I scream as I anxiously rub my eye with one hand trying hard not to fall.
     Sebastian nervously responds to my ill worded statement and asks me what I’m talking about and if I’m alright.
     “Sorry.  I was hit by a bug, I’m fine,” I say trying to correct myself.  I was never one for bugs let alone bugs in my eye.  Gross.
     I focus back on the small, metallic ball.  My right palm starts to feel sweaty and I begin to get an electrifying sense of confidence run through my body.  I hold up my hand and forcefully throw the metallic ball smack into the center of their windshield.  The glass shatters into a million tiny pieces and their car goes into a tailspin before coming to a complete stop.
     “Yes!” I squeal in delight.
     “Alright!” Sebastian says.

Review

I did enjoy this story quite a bit. The author knows how to describe everything to give you a vivid picture of Aislinn’s past and present. Though I do have to say, never use the word 'lol' in a story. Having a main character talk to herself and use 'lol' doesn't make her seem like someone I can identify with. It just makes me think she’s crazy.

Having the power to see visions of the future is always a great story line. The plot was very interesting, but not so unique. It remind me of “Jumper” (movie/book) with the whole killing something that’s is not meant to be around. It’s a bit slow at the beginning, and does takes time to lead up to the action. Each person has a spirit guide, which I thought was an interesting and different take to everything. If you're a bit of a researcher, I wouldn't advice comparing the symbolism of each spirit guide and the real animal it's based on. For example, the African elephant spirit guide states that it provides a visionary (people who see the future) with the best eyesight their possibly is. In real life, an elephant has very poor eyesight. In one scene, Calab (who has an elephant spirit guide) asks main character Aislinn if she can read a newspaper from the other end of the café, and then reads it for her. Aislinn's spirit guide is a red-tailed hawk, who have the eyesight 5 times better then a human's. So, Aislinn should have been able to read the paper and Calab shouldn't have. It will be interesting to see what her spirit guide power will be, and hints of it are given towards the end of the book. The villains of the book, the "Secret Agency", aren't very pivotal to this book, but some of their gadgets are seen. Their mission is to stop visionaries from having visions.

Aislinn is another one of those flip-flopping female leads. I don't know who keeps telling writers to make their heroines like this, but they really need to stop! She says the gift of seeing visions is a punishment, but just a few seconds before this she was loving it. She was having a blast with being able to see the future. Then she runs into another character, and suddenly she see’s it as a punishment. I don’t get where her change in thought came from, but I guess if a cute guy is saying it’s a gift, and you want him to feel sorry for you… Nah, it's still a confusing change. She's also self centered. After she made plans to go to the mall with her best friend, she then changes her mind to going to get pizza after she gets a call from Sebastian! Who does that?! Who forgets about their best friends in a matter of seconds… Gah! She even starts to avoid her friend instead of settling matters and trying to make up. When she receives a text from her friend asking to talk, Aislinn gets excited and says how they haven’t talked in forever. Um, honey, maybe because you run away from your friend and avoid her when you should have sucked it up and tried to talk to her in person! It's your fault to begin with… She also gets some really stupid ideas. How could she think that when she had a vision of her friend’s father getting a new job in another city, that she should tell her friend this? In real life, I'm sure her friend for one would probably think she’s crazy or a stalker when she finds out that information from her father. Sometimes I wonder what Aislinn is thinking. The one trait I can admire in Aislinn is that she's able to have major visions when she meditates. I know I wouldn’t be able to, because I would get bored so fast.

Sebastian is very thoughtful of everyone around him, unlike a certain girl who only thinks about herself and the boy she likes. He does everything he can to get her use to his world as a visionary. He tells her how it happens and what she may expect. Almost like a teacher of sorts, along with the fact that right away he feels connected to her and falls in love with her. (Can I go to this magical world where you meet a guy and he instantly falls for you? Please, someone, find me a direct flight for this place!)

Calab is someone they met in on a scooping mission at the base of the bad guys. He’s says he was was also there scooping them out. I’m sorry, but I would never trust this guy. Surprisingly, they trust him right away cause he’s a visionary (completely forgetting that some visionaries work for the bad guys) and bring him to their home. Following this logic? Mystery visionary + middle of no where = bring him home. He is a great guy, but maybe a little to strong in the friendly side (according to Aislinn). The way she describes how he's always trying to be around her makes me creeped out towards him. Not sure if the author wanted this, but no matter how good he is, now I just feel creeped out by him.

Anyways, Aislinn and Calab go on their first date, and BAM, they are already kissing. This was just after they first met. Oh, fast romances, how I find you not appealing in any way. She doesn't know if Sebastian likes her... Yeah, he only kisses you A LOT! Why are you even kissing a guy if you're not sure if he likes you or not?! Aislinn acts like your typical teenage girl who has a crush on someone. She gets giggly and wonders what she should wear, and wonders if the guy actually asked her out on a date or not. In a way, it is cute to see how she prepares herself when meeting with Sebastian. This random Calab-Aislinn-Sebastian love triangle doesn't last long, and it's completely useless to the plot.

Rating
3 out of 5 Howling Wolves

Author

N. Dunham is the author of the Visionary Trilogy.

N. Dunham's interest in reading and writing didn't come until early adulthood. She enjoys works of many genres and has a passion for the arts. ​

VISIONARY-UNLEASHED was inspired by New England's natural beauty and wildlife (especially red-tailed hawks).

www.ndunham.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/N-Dunham/565938163423483

https://twitter.com/ndunham151

Amazon Author Page

 

Fallen Promo and Giveaway!

FALLEN
(Guardian Trilogy Book 1)

Author: Laury Falter
ISBN: 9780985511036

Release Date: April 1, 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance,
Young Adult

 

Amazon
Barns and Noble

Summary
Maggie is unaware of the terrifying fate that awaits her. It isn’t until she lands in New Orleans for a full year at a private high school and her unknown enemies find her does she realize that her life is in danger.

As a mystifying stranger repeatedly intervenes and blocks the attempts on her life, she begins to learn that there is more to him than his need to protect her and that he may be the key to understanding why her enemies have just now arrived.

Excerpt
“You appear and then vanish like a ghost. You aren’t injured from venomous snake bites. You aren’t killed by wayward, incredibly sharp arrows.” Then, I reiterated, “I am the only one who can see you…how is any of this possible?”

“You do pay attention,” he said, sounding almost regretful, though I didn’t understand why.

“Yes, now will you tell me how you are capable of all that?”

He paused, still looking at me, as he collected his thoughts. The muscles throughout his body visibly flexed, tensing as he prepared his answer. “I have certain…gifts…that not many others can claim…gifts of speed, healing, and regeneration, to name a few.”

He paused, waiting for my reaction.

“Don’t worry so much,” I said, teasingly. “I’m not going to run screaming for the door.”

We quietly laughed together for a brief moment. When I felt like he was comfortable again, I asked my next question.

“So, where did you get these gifts? Did your parents take some sort of special drug?”

“Not exactly. I can’t answer that, as much as I know you’d like me to. Just suffice, Magdalene, to know that without these gifts, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

Author
Laury Falter is the bestselling author of the Guardian Trilogy (Fallen, Eternity, & Reckoning). When she isn't writing, she likes to take her two stray dogs for walks and enjoy date nights with her husband.

Laury's debut novel, Fallen, hit Amazon's Top 100 list in three genres and the remaining two books in the trilogy made showings in the Top 100 of the same genres as well. With a new series available, Residue, about a teenage girl who learns she is a witch and falls in love with a boy from a feuding family, her reader following continues to grow rapidly.





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Heart by Jacqueline Paige Guest Tour

Heart
Book 1 in the Animal Trilogy

Author: Jacqueline Paige
ISBN: 1615728023 (ISBN13: 9781615728022)

Release Date: November 7th 2012
Format: PDF
Genre: Paranormal Romance

 

Summary
Three women without knowledge of their true heritage...
Three men that have waited for their mate all of their lives...
Hearts and tempers collide with wild passions and animal instincts
in the Animal Trilogy
~
Heart

Torn from her sheltered life, Rayne is alone and scared after she discovers her fiancé is not the man she thought he was. Unable to accept the corrupt world he belongs to, she flees to the furthest possible location she can reach on her own. Nothing could ever prepare her for the journey and what she finds out when she arrives.

Is she strong enough to survive on her own?

The epitome of the lone wolf, Devin stays in the wilderness and far away from people, avoiding the decision of whether to accept his title as leader and alpha of the pack. One alluring woman stirs up his resolve and passion when she disturbs his solitary world. The man inside is tempted in a way he can’t understand but his wolf knows he’s found his mate.

Can he have her without succumbing to the responsibilities waiting for him?
 

Excerpt:

If nothing else she was warmer now.  How long would the rain last?  Do I want to wait it out and then try to find a washroom – in the dark?  Rayne shook her head before she could go any further with that thought. There was no way she was getting out of this car until it was light out, rain or no rain.  How many hours until daylight? 

She debated very briefly whether she could squirm around and reach the purse to get her phone.  Highly doubtful.  Besides being cocooned in the puffy material, the phone was off for a reason and turning it on just to check the time wasn’t worth the risk of Aiden being able to trace the location.  Truthfully she didn’t know if that was possible even though all the movies referenced it being so, but understanding what type of man Aiden was and what he was capable of, she wasn’t taking any chances.

Working one arm free from the bag, she shifted far enough forward to reach the ignition; he couldn’t track the cars clock.  Turning the key, her heart sunk when she noted the time, there were too many hours left until dawn.  She looked out the windshield and froze, her heart jumped into her throat. Afraid to so much as breathe, Rayne stared at the animal a few feet away from the headlight.  Her brain first said dog, but that was no dog.  That was a wolf; it had to be a wolf.  Were wolves that big?  It seemed bigger than in any pictures she’d seen.

She sat there looking at it, not sure if she should honk the horn or just sit and try not to get hysterical waiting for it to leave.  The car may be metal, but the roof was something this animal could probably get through. As she continued to stare at it she couldn’t help thinking it was a beautiful creature. It’s grey and brown fur looked soft and thick, not that she’d ever be able to find out if it was.  It was the way the haunting grey eyes watched her that made her decide not to honk the horn or scream as loud as she could, which had crossed her mind briefly.  Rayne was fairly certain it was as surprised to see her as she was to see it.  Didn’t wolves travel as group?  A pack?  She wanted to look around and see if there were more in the trees, but the logical part of her brain said she was better off not knowing.  Never argue with the logical part.

She was sure she stopped breathing all together when it took a step closer to the car and then turned quickly back towards the trees.  As she was reaching for the keys it stopped and looked back at her for the length of two heart beats before it bolted into the trees and disappeared. 

Turning off the key, she sat in the dark leaning back against the seat while she tried to remind her body how to take air in. In this moment with her heart beating so loud she could hear it, or at least it felt that way, Rayne reached the decision that she was not getting out of the car until daylight, and even then was questionable.  One more conclusion was also not turning the lights on again; her mental state was much better not knowing what else was outside of the car.  She checked to make sure the door was locked, she did know a wolf wouldn’t just walk up and use the door handle, but she felt better knowing that she was locked in and more importantly other things were locked out.

Pulling her arm back into the sleeping bag, Rayne shuffled down as far as she could and closed her eyes.  The sooner she slept, the closer daylight was to getting here.  Over the noise of the water beating off the car, she thought she heard a howl.

Review

Well, this book did have it’s ups and downs. If it wasn’t for Devin, I would have given up on this book. He brought life to it, and I'm glad I manged to finish 'Heart'.

‘Heart’ took place mostly in Timmins, Ontario, but it gets scattered to other locations. For other Canadians, especially those in Ontario, you understand how isolated Timmins is. It's basically an every town USA type of town. For a character on the run, it is a great place to run to. It's about 7 to 8 hours away from Toronto, in the middle of no where.

The plot was great, I actually didn’t mind it at all. The author had an interesting take on the whole shifter world. For example, the shifter world is run by a monarchy system, and our main boy Devin is the prince of this world. This monarchy is called the Alliances, and they look after all the shifters. I haven't seen this idea used much before. Usually there's a pack leader, but there's not a real sense of community and connection. Of course, Devin doesn’t want any part of this world. He just wants to be a lone wolf. Until he meets Rayne. Rayne is running from her ex. When she meets Devin, he realizes right away she isn’t all who she appears to be. Great plot, but too repeative in action. I found myself over looking a few paragraphs because it was just too much of the same thing over and over again.

I found some insistences that didn’t seem logical. For example, how Rayne’s ex reported his car missing. The car is from Chicago, and I understand that the people at the border would know that the car crossed into Ontario, Canada because of the license plate. What I don’t understand is how a cop suddenly shows up out of no where, three hours away from the nearest town, just to talk to Devin about a reported missing car. I can only guess that the car had a lot of tips of the direction it was going in, but then most of northern Ontario is highways with no huge towns. They would have had to post descriptions in local newspapers and media, which mean they would have had an idea of where it was going. Sure, it left Chicago at crossing A, but how to you know if it's heading to Timmins or Vancouver or Nunavut or Halifax? There was also an instance where the bad guys seemed to know that Rayne would be at the Toronto art gallery. Uh, weren't you just looking for her in Timmins? As mentioned before, Timmins and Toronto are about 7 to 8 hours apart. Rayne and Devin had to take a plane to travel to Toronto and back. That's not the same as just happening to be in the same store in the same town as you looked for someone. No logical solution is given to this time-space bend. The bad guys also just happen to show up at Devin's camp.... Then run away with their tails between their legs when they find out that Devin is the leader of the Alliances. Whatdagabah?! There's a huge build up then... Nothing. Very disappointing.

I also had a problem in understanding the descriptions of things. For example, when Devin shifted into his wolf form. I’m reading this, and one minute he's is brushing his hair, and the next he is on four legs. No inbetween of saying that he had turned into his wolf form. I had to do a reread to make sure he was in his wolf form and not his human form. Also, there were a few moments of just the stripping of clothes and BAM, he was at the location he wanted to be. Another weird moment was when Devin’s second, (ranking in the monarchy),  Calum called a cat shifter by Devin’s dad. Doesn’t tell me what kind of cat, and even Rayne described him as a cat. Not lion, or lynx, or jaguar. Just cat. All I can think of is a small house cat. Imagine a house cat chasing a bunch of bad guys... Yeah, scary.

Devin is such a sweet guy, though he doesn’t seem so sweet at first. He’s mean towards Rayne at first, due to his confusion of his reaction to her. Yep, he's confused about how's reacting to her. Buddy, put that hamster back on the wheel and give it a boot. You're clearly not thinking enough. Despite this, I could tell from the start he would be a great person, and he was. He protected Rayne, and tried to help her with what she was going through. He did keep some things from her, but that was because she was starting to get overwhelmed. Yeah, I can see how telling someone that they're destined to be mates would maybe freak them out. Devin's character is well written, and I hated how Rayne treated him. He deserved someone better.

Right from the start of the book, I could tell that Rayne was timid. When fiancé said, “I don’t care if you have to slice pieces off, a little at a time...” the first thing she did was run away. Sure, that would be creepy thing to hear, but what was context? I would have challenged the guy, not run away with my tail between my legs. I would figure that having a fiancé would mean you love him, but Rayne drops everything and runs from him and her life. She is what you call a city girl, she knows nothing of anything else but the city. So how she came to the conclusion she wanted to go camping is beyond my comprehension. During a scene where Devin was saying how he hoped her personality wouldn’t change after she went through her first shift, all I could think was about is that I hoped her personality changed a whole lot. Well, it did change, but not for the good. She got angry. Angry at Devin over him not telling her the truth of who he was and who she was to him. You already slept with the guy, barely knowing him! He was going to tell her, but he wanted to be gentle with it and not scare her! She loves to run and doesn’t deserve Devin at all. To leave Devin behind, thinking she doesn’t want him is the worse thing anyone could do. I understand that discovering that she's a shifter would turn her life upside down, but she goes too far. She's a drama queen in the end. In another moment of illogical writing, Rayne claims that everything she owns was bought by Aiden (ex fiance/bad guy), she even worked in a art gallery owned by him. She keeps saying that she doesn't really know anything about him. She then flips the script and seems to know everything about him! Huge denial, or just sloppy writing? Either way, it just doesn't make sense.

I did enjoy the ending of this book, but the journey to the end can be painful at times. Be prepared to cringe. If you're a Canadian, you'll understand the distance issues.
 

Rating
3 out of 5 Howling Wolves

Author

Jacqueline Paige is a world class multi-tasker being a mother to five adventurous and unpredictable children, a cafe manager and having a colossal imagination that allows her to step outside of reality into a world of paranormal romance —with just a touch of suspense.

Jacqueline lives in Ontario, Canada and avoids the ever changing weather of the region she lives in by creating other worlds to fall into in her stories of all things paranormal.

Her first book was published in 2009 and since then has published ten.  She is always writing and currently has more than a dozen stories in one stage or another of the writing process.


You can find all of Jacqueline’s books at: www.jacqpaige.webs.com

Willow by Amy Richie Review

Willow

Author: Amy Richie
ASIN: B0091YHBNA

Release Date: August 2012
Format: Kindle
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal,
Romance

 

Summary
“Being a werewolf is harder than it looks. Everyone thinks it’s just morph at the full moon, kill, morph back. That’s not true. It’s a lot harder than that. Especially if you are seventeen years old.”

Willow has the worst luck. First she has to deal with her narcissistic foster mother, Bella; then of course there’s her horrid little sister Ivy; not to mention the pack of werewolves that belong to Bella. Now, they have to move and start a new school - again.

Just when Willow thinks things can’t get any worse, Blake shows up from a council she never knew existed to name her leader of a pack she never knew existed. How was she supposed to teach a bunch of teenagers how to be wolves when she herself hated everything about her life?

Review

This book started off strong, but it quickly went downhill. I usually love female pack leader stories, but Willow made me think that women should never lead.

The plot wasn't that great or original. I did like how the females in a pack were the leaders. Until we meet Willow, who I find to be an indecisive brat. Not a good trait for a leader. I could blame it on her youth, but I'm just not that fond of her character. Willow's pack is rather weakly written into the story. Half the characters are forgettable, and they make no impact on me to help me remember who's who. It took me a while to figure out who does what in the pack. Of the memorable characters, Gage makes the most impact to the plot line. That being said, his character is too predictable. The book itself takes place too quickly for details to make sense, and rather important parts aren't explained. I think that it was written too quickly, and the editor and author should have edited it longer before the book went to print.

The book takes place in Grover, but that's a rather minor detail. They're always moving from town to town, because that's apparently what werewolves do. Why do they move around? Basically, it's because of the werewolf female's paranoia. Yep, and they're in charge of the pack. Not all of them are, but Willow and her foster-mother Bella (who Willow was living with at first) sure are. They'll move their packs right away over the smallest of things. There was one incident that I can agree moving the pack over, but most of the reasons are rather foolish. With all this moving around, it makes me wonder how many small towns there are in the USA, and how many packs there are? Surely, someone would notice these people moving from place to place...

As the book starts, we learn right away that Willow is going to be the new leader of a young group of boys. She's not ready for being a leader, and I think she never will be. She's selfish and indecisive about many things. Not a leader you want for a bunch of boys. She's also possessive, and doesn't want her pack members to have a life outside of the pack. In one instant, she gets angry when the pack members want to be normal teens and date girls outside the pack. She says it’s dangerous, but I don’t see how when they haven't shown themselves to be dangerous. Maybe she knows something we don't? Willow wants be a cheerleader, then she doesn’t want to be a cheerleader. She doesn’t want to go to prom, but then she does want to go to. I think I would want to scream if I actually had to deal with a girl like that.

One character I find to be a useless main character is Carlie. She's supposed to be Willow's human friend. She's able to catch onto Willow and the boys being werewolves. I can see how she maybe made the connection to the boys, but not to Willow. It also seems that the author decided at the last minute to give Carlie some kind of powers, but it didn't seem well written. I think that Carlie was a rushed add-in, and the time wasn't taken to make sure her place made sense.

At first, I found that Gage was an interesting character, but his twist in this story really didn’t feel like a twist. He first appears as a dirty old man, but then transforms into a hot young guy. He's described as hairy, but since he's now supposed to be attractive, I can't think of how to imagine him anymore. The transformation was predictable though, but Willow's reaction to him was funny. I could not take their conversations seriously, because he never lied to her. The person who brought her to him lied, and he just upheld that lie for that person. There's no drama, no tension!

There are six members of Willow's pack, but only two of them were really memorable, Reuben and Jed. Reuben acts as the leader of the group, and stands up to everyone, including Willow. Jed the perverted one, and he tries to get close to her. He does because her 'boyfriend', but I wouldn't really call him a boyfriend... I know, it's confusing. The forgettable boys in the pack are Colby, Tyson, Rodney and Steven. Sure they each get their time to shine, but not long to make them memorable.

So, how does Willow react to her pack? Not well. As I mentioned before, Willow was thinking of kicking out Reuben because he wouldn’t listen to her. But when Rodney accidentally attacks her (still not sure how you can accidentally attack someone), she keeps him in the pack. Even though everyone else wanted him to be kicked out. She takes one look at him and announces that she wasn't going to kick him out. Uh, WHAT?! You want to keep the guy who attacks you, but not the guy who questions you and could make you a better leader? Sure, okay. I think those scenes were unnecessary to the book and would have been fine without it. They just make her seem like a poor leader, making unwise decisions. Sure, she's new to being a leader. She even said she's getting used to being a leader. But what frightens me is that all females are born to lead a pack. I think that a screening process is needed, because this girl is not ready!

In a related note, Willow loves to keep the pack members to herself. Her words were “My boys.” Hers, and no one else’s. Only she's allowed to 'date' (I wouldn't really call it dating, but it's the best way to describe it), but the pack members aren’t allowed. Because of a story Willow heard a long time ago, she wants complete control over her pack. It makes me feel that she wants the pack to revolve around her.

The romance in this book was pointless and annoying. After meeting her new pack, they all start to say she needs a boyfriend. Yes, that's right, the boys decide on a boyfriend for her. Willow has no say in the matter. Since Reuben is taken (but, I thought the boys weren't allowed to date...) Jed acts as her boyfriend. I don’t get why she didn’t just say no, and that she didn’t want a boyfriend. It's clear that she didn’t want one, and she's the LEADER! It's within her powers to say no. Jed takes it upon himself to then kiss her on the lips, basically stealing her first kiss. This it one of those moments that make me question the author and editor, since the next day, he disappears (I'm not saying why without giving spoilers). This leaves her free for another pack member to take the place of her boyfriend. Willow now starts getting jealous over over Reuben being with another girl. So, you don't want a boyfriend, therefore none of your pack should date... Okay... She still remains jealous when she falls for the hairy guy, Gage. Yep, she's crushing on him before he shaves and reveals himself to be young and attractive. Maybe the werewolves walk around with permanent beer goggles? Her flip-flopping gets even more painful when you realize that this takes place all in the first few pages!

My recommendation if you read this book? Grab your favourite drink and make a drinking game of it. It's just that bad.

Rating
2 out of 5 Howling Wolves

Brother X Brother Manga Review

Author: Kisaragi Hirotaka

Artist: Kisaragi Hirotaka

Genra: Drama, Psychological,
Romance, Yaoi 

Year: 2005

Original Publisher:

Kadokawa Shoten    

Volumes: 

  5 Volumes (Complete)

 Licensed (in English)

No
English Publisher

Summary
After being told that his dad passed away, Souichirou came back to the house which was his home 8 years ago, and there he found out about the existence of his 2 older brothers, the eldest - Masato and the younger - Kaname. In order to receive rights to the house, Souichirou has to live together with them, and despite the chaos and arguments, it's fine by Souichirou if it means he can get the house. But one day, he accidentally sees Masato kissing Kaname...

Review
I actually been waiting more then 2 years for this manga to finish. That's how long i'ved liked this manga and been a fan of it. It's a great story and great characters, there is nothing i dislike about this book.

Souichirou is such a sweet character he loves acting and soon learns to love his new brothers(they all have no blood relation to each other). You wouldn't expect him to grow attach to them but he does and he even falls for Kaname the one who has a bad past. He doesn't even care about the house who is suppose to go to one of them, he just wants to focus on Kaname and his acting career.

Kaname had a bad past that left him with PTSD(post-traumatic-stress disorder). Before Souichirou came he always turned to Masato to help him. Even though it was bad for both of them they continued until Souichirou catches the two of them. Later Kaname is taken over by his PSTD Souichirou doesn't sleep with him like Masato instead he hugs Kaname and that's the start of their releationship.

Ever since Masato first met Kaname he's been using him. He cares for Kaname but can never love him because he loves Karou his and Kaname's step father, who died a little while ago. He could never tell Karou his true feelings and so he becomes accomplices with Kaname. Kaname uses him to get over his PTSD and Masato uses him to cure his desieres for their dead father. This was the same until Souichirou comes and changes everything for them.

It doesn't take long for Souichirou to fall for Kaname. Even with Kaname's bad past they both find a way around it. They're relationship is slow and it takes a while before they can finally be together but they find a way. Masato never loved Kaname even though they slept together and Masato is fine with Souichirou taking Kaname because he knows that Kaname will be safe and cured of his PTSD(post-traumatic-stress disorder).

Design





I just love this mangaka's style of drawing. There is so much detail in the facial expressions, hair and background at times too. She puts a lot of work into her characters and I know what the characters are feeling right away by their detailed expressions. The boy with the light hair is Souichirou and the boy sleeping is Kaname. Cute characters with cute story everything fits so well. I highly recommend this series and I'm sure you will like it.

Rating
5 out of 5 Howling Wolves