The Darkness by Crystal Connor

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The Darkness

By Crystal Connor

Publisher: Bennett & Hastings, 2010

249 pages, paperback

Date Finished: 16/10/2011

Genres: Mature Teen, Coming of Age, Fantasy

Artemisia, a scientist who also practices alchemy, is wealthy beyond imagination. She is one of the founding members of the Skyward Group, a privately funded, secret, research facility conducting experiments that erase what tradition has established as the boundaries separating the realm of man from the realm of God. Artemisia has everything she wants - money, fame, knowledge and power - except for a child. Inanna is a powerful and dangerous witch, also wealthy beyond imagination. Her powers are greater and more deadly than any in the long tradition before her. Inanna has everything she wants - money, knowledge and God-like power - except for a child. The Child has nothing. At three months of age, he knows only what he has experienced through the bars of his locked cage. He has nothing. He doesn't have a mommy. He doesn't have a daddy. He doesn't have a name. The scientists who created him do not handle him, because they know The Child is dangerous. In The Darkness, Two women clash in a vicious battle that has been fought since the days of King Solomon - the fight over a child. One woman unleashes the nightmarish arsenal of modern science while the other dispatches the weaponries of witchcraft. And as The Child grows up, his love for one and resentment for the other will change the fate of both these women, forever.
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "I am an alchemist."
~Last Line: "I told you that from the beginning."

Review: This book was absolutely amazing. At first the characters and events were confusing, but it all leveled out in the end. I'll go ahead and say that you should definitely read this book.

The main characters, Adam, is a wizard. At the age of four, he's mistreated in one organization, rescued and loved by another. Then he's kidnapped from that organization and found by a witch that comes to love him as if he were her own son.

Inanna, the witch that found Adam after he was kidnapped, is probably my favorite character. She was always just so loving with Adam. She never really got mad at him, either, which I thought was way too adorable.

At first, my favorite character was the founder of the group that rescued him, Artemisia; but by the last four pages, I was hoping she'd just fall into a coma. She was ruthless. I just don't understand how she could be so cold D: .

But anywya, the plot of The Darkness was really good. Like I said, the beginning was a little confusing, but as you keep reading you're able to keep up with the characters. There was just dsomething about the way the charries all acted and behaved around each other that pulled you into the story and made you read for hours at a time.

All in all, this book was just fabulously marvelous. I definitely recommend it to any reader who loves witches or paranormal in general. A great read indeed :).

Be on the look out for Crystal Connor's next novel, Artificial Light, in which Inanna comes back!

Plot Rating: 5
Character Rating: 5
Cover Rating: 4.5
GoodReads Rating: 4.5

Overall rating:
and three-fourths :)

Night World: Volume 2 by LJ Smith

Night World: Volume 2 (Night World, #4-6)

By LJ Smith

Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2008

662 pages, paperback

Date Finished: 21/7/2011

Genres: Action, Coming of Age, Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult

Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

In Dark Angel, Gillian is saved from drowning by her guardian angel. Only visible to Gillian, Angel will fulfill her heart's every desire. But when Angel starts making strange and sinister requests, Gillian must question who he truly is and where he came from.

Armed with a wooden stake, martial arts, and the will to resist a vampire's mind control, Rashel struggles to avenge her mother's death in The Chosen. Then she meets Quinn, her soulmate, who is part of the world she has vowed to destroy.

Hannah receives notes warning her of incredible danger in Soulmate. But if death is her destiny, is the Lord of the Night World's love strong enough to save her?
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "Gillian Lennox didn't mean to die that day."
~Last Line: "And then they just sat together, holding each other as the room filled with light."

Review: I reread this omnibus for about a thousand challenges :), and because I reread Volume 1 last year. I am just basically reliving an amazing series and remembering why I love it! Still waiting to get Secret Fate, too. :D To keep it from being all meshed up, I'll review each story seperately.

Dark Angel: This novel was really awesome. I love how the first thing you read about is Gillian dying. It made the book really interesting. My favorite character in DA: David. David was really down-to-earth. You might think that since he's dating the most popular girl in school, he's stuck up. But he actually isn't.

The Chosen: This story is one of my favorites in the omnibus. Rashel lost her mom and her best friend. You can't help but feel sorry for her. I don't blame her at all for becoming a vampire hunter. My favorite character in TC: Rashel. She was always trying to ultimately be a good person. I mean, who else would let the most infamous vampire EVER escape?! Well, okay, she's more compassionate; not necessarily being a good person.

Soulmate: This is my other favorite in this omnibus. I loved when Hannah did the hypnosis, and she got to learn about her past lives. My favorite character in Soulmate: Thierry. He's seen Hannah in quite a few of her lives and is determined to stop the cycle this time. I love determined characters :).

So as you can see, this omnibus has a lot to offer. The series is truly amazing!! :D

Plot Rating: 5
Character Rating: 5
Cover Rating: 4
GoodReads Rating: 5


Overall Rating:
and three quarters :)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling

This book counts toward the following challenges:


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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)

By JK Rowling

Publisher: Scholastic, 1997

309 pages, hardcover

Date Finished: 17/4/2011

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Action, Historical Fiction

Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.

All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley--a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.

But all of that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry--and anyone who reads about him--will find unforgettable.

For it's there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him...if Harry can survive the encounter.
~from goodreads.com~

~First Line: "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."
~Last Line: " 'I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer. . . .' "

Review: This was a reread for me. I probably wouldn't have read the thrilling series-beginner if it hadn't been for Marcie hosting her Harry Potter Reading Challenge.

The well-known Harry Potter begins his years at Hogwarts hoping not to disappoint. However, even if he isn't as good as one of his best friends, Hermione Granger, who can make any teacher proud, he makes people (especially us readers) proud because of his definite bravery.

My favorite character in this book . . . I'm not really sure. I love Dumbledore for sure, and Fred and George always make me laugh. But I don't think I have a favorite character for this series. Maybe I'll have one after I read Chamber of Secrets!

I think my favorite scene, however, was when Ron, Harry, Hermione were trying to save the Stone from ending up in the wrong hands. Let's just say that those very brave first years definitely had some challenges to solve :).

This really was an awesome start to an awesome series. I will have to start rereading Chamber of Secrets sometime soon!



Quotes from the Book:

" 'We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat.' "

" 'Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here.' "

"There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot troll is one of them."

" 'But we're not stupid -- we know we're called Gred and Forge.' "

" 'What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrel is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows.' "

Night World: Volume 1 by L.J. Smith

Night World: Volume 1 (Night World, #1-3)
By L.J. Smith
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2008
729 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 23/12/2010
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Action

Synopsis: In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of the Night World.

Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.
~back of book~

~First Line: "It was on the first day of summer vacation that Poppy found ou tshe was going to die."
~Last Line: "She held Eric and felt his breathing and was at peace with the night."

Review: This was my second time reading this omnibus, and I rediscovered why I love this series so much! There were magnificent characters, spectacular plots, and a good amount of action -- not too much, not too little. Since the book's covers contain three books, I will give a mini-review of each novel.

Secret Vampire: The first stories in omnibuses seem to always end up being my favorites; it was no different when I reread this series starter. The heroine, Poppy, finds out that she has cancer and there's no cure. The hero, James, has a startling secret -- he's a vampire. The only way Poppy will survive is if she's turned; will she give up her life, family, and friends? *My favorite character in SV: Phillip, because he's the kind of older brother I would have liked to have.*

Daughters of Darkness: The sequel novel revolves around "three renegade vampires and a secret vampire killer." When Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade move in with their aunt, they discover that someone has murdered her -- and knew she was a vampire. Mary-Lynnette, the heroine of DoD, gets caught in the midst of everything when her curiousity gets the better of her logic. Then there's Ash, the hero. How can he and Mary-Lynnette ever be soulmates when they basically can't even stand each other? *My favorite character in DoD: Ash, because he always has some sort of smart-allicky comment, and whenever he was alone with M-L, you could tell that he really did care; he just didn't show it in public.*

Spellbinder: Thea and Blaise, witches you've been raised together since early youth, have only one chance left. They've been expelled from their high school after being there for only one month -- again. Now they are living with Grandma Harman, and if they mess up again -- rather, if Blaise messes up again -- they will be shipped to the Convent, the dark and gloomy home of their Aunt Ursula (the name even creeps me out). Blaise is up to no good as usual with the human boys at their new school. Thea, our heroine, is trying to keep her in line. Then she meets Eric, our gorgeous, totally popular, every-girl-wants-to-be-with-him hero. Blaise wants him to be her new boytoy, and Thea must take a stad against her "sister." Who will win the guy in a fight between witches?

Overall, this omnibus was absolutely fabulous, and I can't wait to reread the next three Night World books! :D



Quotes from the Book:

" 'Are you nuts? Look, Phil, I was born in San Francisco. I'm not some bug-eyed monster from Alpha Centauri. I eat Wheaties for breakfast.' " ~Secret Vampire

"Jade put down the suitcase and cat carrier and pulled at the gate. To her surprise, itmoved easily.
'See, it may not look good, but it still works--' She didn't get to finish the sentence properly. The gate fell on her." ~Daughters of Darkness

" 'I wash my hands of you two and I don't want to know what's going on. Besides, I've got worries of my own. I have to decide between a Maserati and a Karmann Ghia.' " ~Spellbinder