Review: Night World Volume 2 by L J Smith

There's something rather charming about the world that L J Smith has created for her Night World series. Obviously a lot of thought has gone into the features and rules of the Night World, and the more I read of it, the more I get to like it. I've had Volume 1 for a while now and enjoy re-reading it every now and then. The stories are fun, easy reads, and although some characters turn up in other books the tales themselves all stand alone. It's nice sometimes to read just one book, rather than committing to a series or trilogy. With the Night World you can do just that - pick a story that suits your mood, and enjoy!

Volume 2 has its roots in the soulmate principle and Circle Daybreak - the group of humans and Night Worlders who want to live in harmony rather than killing one another. I confess I love the soulmate principle - "It says that every person has one soulmate out there, just one. And that person is perfect for you and is your destiny." - quote from the vampire James in Night World Vol 1. I also love that L J Smith doesn't make it easy for her characters who have found their soulmates. When a Night Worlder and a human get together, nothing is going to be easy.

Book 1 in the volume, Dark Angel, is interesting as it doesn't focus on the usual Night World character set of vampires, witches and werewolves - at least not at first. Instead we are treated to a mysterious angelic being, although it quickly becomes clear that if he is an angel, he's certainly not a good one. L J's themes are often standard teen fare - doing bad things to become popular at school isn't a new story by any stretch, but the way she presents it is fresh and interesting, and the characters are well-written. The heroine, Gillian, has some weakness at first, but she grows and finds her strength as the book goes on, becoming more and more likeable.

Book 2, The Chosen, is a real action adventure story. Rashel is like the opposite of Gillian in Dark Angel - Rashel is an incredibly strong character, relying on herself any no-one else. When she finds her soulmate she doesn't want to admit it, let alone accept it. It doesn't help that Rashel is a ruthless vampire hunter and her soulmate is Quinn, one of the most bad-ass vampires around. It makes for an explosive cocktail, and an enjoyable read.

Book 3, Soulmate is the very essence of that soulmate principle I love so much. With a relationship between a human and a supernatural being that spans the ages, it has strong shades of Lauren Kate's Fallen series, but I forgive it - it's presented in a different way, and L J's writing is so different from Kate's that although the basic theme is the same, you can't really compare the books.

Three very different stories, three great reads. I really admire the way L J finishes her tales. I think a good ending is one of the hardest things to write, but L J gets the balance just right - each story has its own end, but you know it's not really the end. It's not as if a sequel is required, but when you catch a glimpse of those characters later in another book it makes you really happy to see how their lives are going. Like real life, each episode comes to an end, but life goes on. Volume 2 has cemented by love for the Night World, and I'll be looking out for Volume 3.

Buy Night World: Bind-up v. 2, Bks. 4-6 on Amazon. It's not strictly necessary, but I'd advise reading Volume 1 before starting on Volume 2 - Buy Night World: Bind-up v. 1, Bks. 1-3 on Amazon.

Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy is on of those books I've heard quite a lot about, but wasn't really sure if I wanted to read it or not. I came across it in a charity shop though and couldn't resist - it promises vampires, werewolves, faeries and shapeshifters - a full rota of paranormal characters. So I picked it up and started to read, and was pleasantly surprised.

Evie is special - she can see through the glamours that paranormals cast, meaning she knows when she's looking at a vampire or faerie rather than a hot guy! She's grown up in a facility that works to track and tag paranormals all over the world - she has an exciting life, working as an agent in the field taking down monsters and protecting humankind. It seems like a great life, but she's lonely and would give anything to go to school, shop and date like a normal kid.

I really liked the way vampires, faeries etc aren't romanticised in Paranormalcy. When Evie sees a vampire, she sees their true age underneath the glamour - "Imagine your grandpa. Now imagine your grandpa minus fifty pounds plus two hundres years." Not sexy. Werewolves deal with their lot by getting sedated once a month rather than by running around having fun on four legs. Evie's best friend is a mermaid, but if you're thinking long blonde hair and bra-made-of-shells, think again.

White is clearly in touch with her inner teenager. Lots of YA heroines are ridiculously mature for their age, but Evie is just like a normal sixteen year-old (apart from the whole working with paranormals part of course). She has her moments of self-absorbed whining and vacuous fashionista-ness, but I didn't find that made her annoying - just more real. White manages to make a really likeable, refreshing character who makes me want to follow her story. Evie is like a modern-day Buffy!

Paranormalcy is a fast-paced book. In just a few pages we're introduced to the main characters, we know what the situation is and the action begins. There's no introduction chapters - we just have to take it all on board as we go along, but White writes in such a way that she makes it easy for us. It's an easy, fun read. There's plenty of action scenes, a few tear-jerkers and a good dose of flirty romance. It's not one of my top reads, but I'm glad I picked it up and will definitely look out for the next installment.

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Review: The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod

This was another great charity shop find - I am so happy when a charity shop has a good bookshelf! I haven't come across McLeod's books before, which is surprising as I'm always on the lookout for Brit paranormal writers. I'm so used to having to put up with US-based books, that I kept getting a surprise when a London landmark was mentioned. This might be due to the fact that despite being British, McLeod has a definite hint of the States in her writing style. Perhaps she's read a lot of US authors and it's rubbed off on her, but reading The Sweet Scent of Blood felt a bit like reading an English version of Charlaine Harris - not that that's a bad thing!

In fact, Ms Harris is quoted on the back saying 'One of my favourite reads'. No small praise, and you'll see why if you read it yourself - the kooky but tough heroine, the complex web of characters, the big adventures and the fact that McLeod is not afraid of a bit of blood and sex - these are all traits that the two authors share.

Our heroine, Genevieve Taylor, is sidhe - a fairy of sorts. She works for the witch-run company Spellcrackers, for whom she goes out and cracks spells, stopping mischievous brownies, gremlins and the likes from causing havoc. The book is based in London, but not as we know it. Vampires are celebrities, witches sell spells in Covent Garden, and Goblins work as bodyguards. McLeod does a good job of setting the scene, describing her world and the rules that govern it without getting too bogged down in the detail. You don't have to suffer pages of history, relationship descriptions or pointless details about who, what, where and when. Okay, so there's the odd flash-back here and there, but they're totally justified, well-integrated and essential to the story.

I'm normally a bit wary of faery-based books - I find they can often be a bit too relient on fairytales, oddly enough! The Sweet Scent of Blood certainly doesn't have that problem though - there are nods to the old lore such as cold iron being poisonous to the fae, but McLeod creates her own fairytale, with its own magic and lore. I've been reading a lot of YA fiction recently, and this tested my concentration a little as I had to work to keep everything straight in my head, but I'm not saying that as a criticism. It's no bad thing to have a deep storyline that twists and turns, taking the reader on a journey beyond their imagining.

I'll definitely be looking out for the next book in the series - it's so good to discover an author who's new to me!

Buy The Sweet Scent of Blood on Amazon