Book Arrivals

For Review:

• Nocturne by Syrie James
• Catriona by Jeanette Baker (for blog tour)
• Antiquitas Lost by Robert Louis Smith
• Fallen by Traci L. Slatton

Won/Miscellaneous:

• Ocean of Blood (The Saga of Larten Crepsley, #2) by Darren Shan

ARC Review: Birth of a Killer

Birth of a Killer

Darren Shan

Series or Stand Alone: The Saga of Larten Crepsley series, book one

Release Date: September 2010

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

Pages: 253 (Hardcover)

Author Site: http://www.darrenshan.com/

My Rating: 4.25/5

Source: Received from giveaway thanks to Yankee Romance Reviews

Synopsis:

[from goodreads.com]

Before Cirque Du Freak...

Before the war with the vampaneze...

Before he was a vampire…

Larten Crepsley was a boy.

As a child laborer many centuries ago, Larten Crepsley did his job well and without complaint, until the day the foreman killed his brother as an example to the other children.

In that moment, young Larten flies into a rage that the foreman wouldn't survive. Forced on the run, he sleeps in crypts and eats cobwebs to get by. And when a vampire named Seba offers him protection and training as a vampire's assistant, Larten takes it.

This is his story.

Review:

 
So I pretty much feel like a retard. I knew that reading this before reading the Cirque du Freak series was probably a big mistake. Okay, so it wasn’t really a big mistake because I really enjoyed The Birth of a Killer. But I think it would have been pretty great knowing about all the characters before reading this. I know for a fact I would have enjoyed the story even more if I had the Cirque du Freak series under my belt. Since this new series is a prequel to the Cirque du Freak series, having prior knowledge is always a plus! But don’t fret, I’m just being anal. The Birth of a Killer can still definitely be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.

I did have a small amount of prior knowledge going into The Birth of a Killer. I actually caught the movie when it was playing on TV and enjoyed it. I think John C. Reilly is hilarious. And while the movie wasn’t the best ever I knew I would like the books. Now after reading Shan’s writing I definitely know I will.

So The Birth of a Killer tells the story of a young Larten Crepsley before becoming a vampire assistant and ultimately a vampire by Seba Nile. He meets Seba after running away from killing the foreman he worked for. The foreman, who was actually a disturbingly evil man, went a little crazy and killed Larten’s best friend, and cousin, Vur Horsten. He pretty much went too far when he killed Vur but he decided to make an example and show the other boys that he was not to be crossed. In a violent fit of rage Larten goes after him and ultimately kills him. Larten then finds himself on the run. It is in a dark, dingy, and creepy crypt where he finds refuge for the night and where he meets Seba and his destiny…

I loved Larten when he was a young boy. He was eager to learn, loyal, honest, and a great character. I didn’t like the fact that hewas stubborn and pig-headed soon after becoming a vampire. But Larten’s had a tough life and the gradual changes in his personality are understandable. So I don’t hold his bratty tendencies against him…most of the time. Larten does meet another boy, Wester, before he is blooded into a half-vampire and I’m pretty sure he’s a “new” character. It’ll be interesting to see what happens on the next part of Larten’s journey.

With my prior movie-watching knowledge I did recognize some of the characters, which was a great feeling. It actually made me feel more of an idiot not reading Cirque Du Freak first…*sigh* I enjoyed the new-to-me characters in the Freak show and at Vampire Mountain. I loved finding out the reason behind Larten’s crazy hair. I liked Seba a lot. Although he is strict in his teachings he obviously cares a lot about Larten. I thought it kind of funny that Larten’s introduction to the vampaneze involved the same guy that Darren (character) met in the Cirque du Freak series. I really liked Shan’s (author) style of writing. It’s not over the top but still had a horror-type feel that I enjoyed. I’m pretty positive I’ll like his other books. If you’ve read and enjoyed Darren Shan’s Cirque Du Freak series I think you’ll enjoy The Birth of a Killer too.

P.S. (cover talk)

My ARC copy was pretty plain-Jane but I posted my favorite out of the ones I’ve seen. The cover depicts one of the scenes in the book and I absolutely love it!

Book Arrivals

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Won

Daughter of Darkness :: V.C. Andrews

(October 2010 - Pocket Star)

When I was a little girl, Daddy told me never to fear the dark. “We exist because of the darkness,” he told me. “All of you are daughters of darkness.” Beloved bestselling author V.C. Andrews’s passion for vampires comes to spellbinding life in a long-awaited novel of dark desires as all-consuming—and forbidden—as in Flowers in the Attic. One night, with the sound of a young man’s scream, high school senior Lorelei discovers that her stern but loving father, who adopted Lorelei and her sisters as infants, is no ordinary man. He has raised his beautiful girls for one purpose: to lure young men into their world of shadows. Like her sisters, Lorelei has been trained in the art of seduction and warned never to fall in love. But when she meets a handsome and charming classmate, she boldly defies her family and follows her heart—even if love is a poison. . . . Dangerously enticing and deliriously intoxicating, V.C. Andrews’s Daughter of Darkness will leave readers thirsting for more.

**Thank you Roxanne from Fang-tastic Books

Dark Song :: Gail Giles

(September 2010 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Mark said he heard the dark song when he creeped houses. The song the predator's heart sings when it hears the heart of the prey. I heard it now. Mark said it had always been in me. Lurking. Waiting for me to hear.

Ames is not the person she was a few months ago. Her father lost his job, and her family is crumbling apart. Now, all she has is Marc. Marc, who loves her more than anything. Marc, who owns a gun collection. And he'll stop at nothing--even using his guns--to get what he wants. Ames feels her parents have betrayed her with their lies and self-absorption, but is she prepared to make the ultimate betrayal against them?

**Thank you Terra from Yankee Romance Reviewers

Manifest :: Artist Arthur (Mystyx series, book one)

(August 2010 - Harlequin)

When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.

But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, funny, a good listener—and everything she'd ever want—except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door—Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good?

**Thank you Jessica from Shut Up! Im Reading

Birth of a Killer :: Darren Shan (The Saga of Larten Crepsley series, book one)

 (October 2010 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

 
Before Cirque Du Freak...
Before the war with the vampaneze...

Before he was a vampire.

Larten Crepsley was a boy.

As a child laborer many centuries ago, Larten Crepsley did his job well and without complaint, until the day the foreman killed his brother as an example to the other children.

In that moment, young Larten flies into a rage that the foreman wouldn't survive. Forced on the run, he sleeps in crypts and eats cobwebs to get by. And when a vampire named Seba offers him protection and training as a vampire's assistant, Larten takes it.

This is his story.

**Thank you Terra from Yankee Romance Reviewers

The Witches' Kitchen :: Allen Williams

(October 2010 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

When Toad wakes up, dangling over a bubbling witches' cauldron, she has no memory of her former life, not even her name. With some luck, she escapes and sets out on a journey to the oracle of the kitchen. Along the way, she makes friends with Natterjack, an imp who refuses his demon ancestry; Horsefly, a carnivorous fairy; and Pug and Sootfoot, residents of the Kitchen. But the Kitchen and the witch sisters it belongs to, is not a place one wants to end up lost. The Kitchen is pitch black and infinite, filled with furniture that constantly moves when unobserved, making navigation nearly impossible. Its residents are both animals from the outside, unwitting victims of the Witches, and creatures who were born or made in the Kitchen itself - many of whom would not mind eating the Toad and her friends. And let's not forget the Witches themselves, who seem to have a special interest in the Toad. With some courage and wisdom, the Toad just might find self-realization yet - and with it, the power to defeat the mighty Witches.
 

**Thank you Terra from Yankee Romance Reviewers

Bloodthirsty :: Flynn Meaney

(October 2010 - Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Some vampires are good. Some are evil. Some are faking it to get girls. Awkward and allergic to the sun, sixteen-year-old Finbar Frame never gets the girl. But when he notices that all the female students at his school are obsessed with a vampire romance novel called Bloodthirsty, Finbar decides to boldly go where no sane guy has gone before--he becomes a vampire, minus the whole blood sucking part. With his brooding nature and weirdly pale skin, it's surprisingly easy for Finbar to pretend to be paranormal. But, when he meets the one girl who just might like him for who he really is, he discovers that his life as a pseudo-vampire is more complicated than he expected. This hilarious debut novel is for anyone who believes that sometimes even nice guys-without sharp teeth or sparkly skin--can get the girl.
 

**Thank you Terra from Yankee Romance Reviewers

Day 371 - Book Arrivals

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From Contests/Giveaways & Misc.:

The Stand :: Stephen King

(Given to me by a friend - Thanks Kathi!)

This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.

And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides -- or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail -- and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.

Matters of the Blood :: Maria Lima

(Book one in the Blood Line series)

(Given to me by a friend - Thanks Crystal!)

If you thought your family was strange...
Try being Keira Kelly. A member of a powerful paranormal family, Keira elected to stay among humans in the Texas Hill Country when the rest of the clan moved (lock, stock, and grimoire) to Canada. But family duty means still having to keep an eye on cousin Marty — a genetic aberration who turned out 100% human, poor guy. And recently Keira's been having violent dreams — or are they visions? — featuring Marty as the victim of a vicious murder. Something sinister seems to be brewing in little Rio Seco. Can Keira get to the bottom of it all while avoiding entanglement with her former lover, Sheriff Carlton Larson? And what does she plan to do about the irresistible and enigmatic Adam Walker? When this old friend shows up as the new owner of a local ranc and wants to get better acquainted, Keira is more than happy to be welcoming...until she suspects that Adam could be intimately connected to the dangerous doings in Rio Seco.

The Vampire's Assistant and Other Tales from the Cirque Du Freak :: Darren Shan
(Book one-three in the Cirque Du Freak series)

Darren Shan is just an ordinary schoolboy who loves to ride bikes and hang out with his three best friends. Then one day Darren and his friends stumble across an invitation to visit the Cirque Du Freak, a strange and mysterious freak show. Almost as if by destiny, Darren wins a ticket and what follows is his horrifying descent into the dark and bloody world of vampires. This is Darren's story.

New movie edition features the first three books—Cirque Du Freak, The Vampire's Assistant, and Tunnels of Blood— bound up in one volume!

Fire :: Kristin Cashore

She is the last of her kind...It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don't need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven't, you'll be dying to read it next.

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker :: Leanna Renee Hieber

(Book one in the Strangely Beautiful series)

(Thank you so much Leanna!)

What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Considering how few of Queen Victoria’s Londoners knew of it, the great Romanesque fortress was dreadfully imposing, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met the powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadow, the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She knew simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow-white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gifts. But this arched stone doorway offered a portal to a new life, an education far from the convent—and an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death….

Dark Hunger :: Rita Herron

(Book two in the Demonborn series)

(Won from Cheryl - Thanks!)

Telepath Quinton Valtrez wants nothing from Annabelle Armstrong except her luscious body. One peek into her mind, however, and he knows that that this CNN reporter has uncovered his identity as a government assassin and is determined to expose all of his dark secrets, one by one. He'll never let that happen, his uncontrollable hunger for her be damned. But when a bomber strikes as they're both in range, killing hundreds, Annabelle devotes herself entirely to the story. Thrown together by danger and desperate to stop the violence, Quinton and Annabelle uncover that the serial bomber is a supernatural attack, perpetrated by an evil force that exerts mind control over people and turns them into killers. But when the forces of evil unite to overpower them, targeting Annabelle in order to ensnare him, Quinton must face his own destiny as one of the Demonborn and join forces with his brother Vincent (from Insatiable Desire) to save Annabelle and fight the evil threatening to overtake them.

The Christmas Secret :: Donna VanLiere

(Book five in the Christmas Hope series)

(Received for review)

When a struggling young single mother saves the life of an elderly woman, she sets into motion a series of events that will test her strength, loyalty, and determination, all the while setting her on the path to finding true love. Christine Eisley is the mother of seven-year-old Zach and five-year-old Haley. Her ex-husband provides little, if any, child support and makes life difficult for Christine by using the children as pawns. She works long hours as a waitress to make ends meet, but her job is in jeopardy because she's often late to work due to the unreliable teenaged sitters she's forced to use. When Christine saves the life of a woman who works in Wilson's department store, the owner of Wilson's wants to find her, to thank her, but Christine has disappeared, losing another job once again. He sets his grandson, Jason, to the task of finding the mysterious 'Christy.' Jason, an accountant by trade who has lost his job to downsizing, thinks he is 'above' working at Wilson's. Soon, he discovers that this new task gives him more than he bargains for. The Christmas Secret is a novel for anyone who wants to see how love is a gift that keeps giving back; that hope is a treasure that never runs dry, and that faith is a miracle that is reborn with each new day.

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From Paperback Swap:

The Golden Compass :: Philip Pullman

(Book one in His Dark Materials series)

The action follows 11-year-old protagonist Lyra Belacqua, accompanied by her daemon, from her home at Oxford University to the frozen wastes of the North, on a quest to save kidnapped children from the evil 'Gobblers,' who are using them as part of a sinister experiment. Lyra also must rescue her father from the Panserbjorne, a race of talking, armored, mercenary polar bears holding him captive. Joining Lyra are a vagabond troop of gyptians (gypsies), witches, an outcast bear, and a Texan in a hot air balloon.

The Subtle Knife :: Philip Pullman

(Book two in the His Dark Materials series)

"What is he? A friend, or an enemy?" "He is a murderer." Will has just killed a man. He's on the run. His escape will take him fa beyond his own world, to the eerie disquiet of a deserted city and to a girl, Lyra. Her fate is strangely linked to his own, and together they must find the most powerful weapon in all the word.

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Just wanted to re-iterate how awesome Leanna Renee Hieber is! I receieved an ARC copy of her book to review when it came out in August and I absolutely loved it (See what I thought). I gave away my copy in hopes of spreading the love around for Miss Percy Parker. Leanna generously offered me a finished copy that she signed for me...I was so excited when I opened the book =) Thank you again Leanna!!!

Happy Reading Everyone!!