Hush, Hush/ Crescendo

Finished Hush Hush and Crescendo.
I have to say, the author does an awesome job of making the sexual tension between Nora and Patch real. I would read some sections, then stop because I could feel the sexual tension to the point where I was almost sweating and panting with desire. Patch is like a teenage Johnny Depp; he's rough around the edges, but extremely sexy. :)
Fallen angels are the new vampire craze, however this plot seems to push deeper than a typical teenage forbidden romance. The author does a nice job of including extra information so the reader can see beyond the idea of Patch being a fallen angel for love. The angels fell and now desire a taste for freedom, a chance to become human. The only way this is possible is to kill a Nephilium: a breed of human that is invincible, and they are unfortunately the only kind of human fallen angels can take over. Apparently, there are particular nights during the year when a Nephilium is forced to give up their body to the fallen angels. The dark ones have two choices if they wish for freedom: kill the Nephilium who is a decedent of the original blood line and become human, or save a human live and become a guardian angel.
I can honestly say the characters were very profound. I could feel Patch's darkness, I could relate to Nora's best friend, Vee, and I could understand the pain Nora continued to feel. I found myself getting frustrated with Nora in Crescendo because the questions she wanted answered didn't seem to be the right ones to be asking, and at times her decision making skills were lacking. But these characters are memorable and everyone can relate in some way to one of them.

I fell in love with the titles. The author took such care creating the perfect combination. First there's whisper, then it grows, until it becomes nothing. Hence: Hush Hush, Crescendo, and, the finale, Silence. I absolutely love the concept; it creates a great symbol for the series. Plus the one word/phrase title has a very dark feel too it, so readers are already looking forward to 'the fall'. The black and white covers compliment the feelings, especially with the hint of red. It gives the feel of a tragedy and romance all in one, which is a continuing theme throughout the series.
The plot was fast moving, the romance was delicious ;), and the writing created a blanket of description that held the whole thing together.
And now we wait for the final book. October? Really?

Nevermore...

Just finished reading Nevermore by Kelly Creagh. This is apparently the first of a trilogy.

I love Poe, and the short stories and poems I have managed to read have been amazing. He is one of the best horror writers, in my opinion. I introduced my eighth graders to some of his short stories, and some began to wonder whether or not he, Poe, did the crimes described because of how well he had captured the narrator's voice. The themes of his stories and poetry show the extreme, because of course normal human beings do not encase people in tombs for revenge. However gothic and "scary" most of his work is, Poe does have some captivating love poems as well.
This book, Nevermore, is great because it doesn't just mention Poe briefly. The author creates a fictional horror land based on Poe's characters and themes.
The story involves a typical teenage girl whose soul purpose is to be a cheerleader, have the football playing boyfriend, and do what her parents ask because it is the right decision. She gets paired up to do an English project with a boy who is the exact opposite; goth, dreary, and creepy. As times goes on, her life begins to change. Her social status falls away, and she searches for answers that this boy seems to be hiding. The love she begins to feel for him leads her down paths she never visited. She soon becomes face to face with a fictional interpretation of Poe's most horrifying stories.
I was eager to reach the end, but it left me craving the second book because of the cliff I was left hanging from. The writing is beautiful. Her descriptions of this world left me with goosebumps, and she creates a place where the line between reality and fiction are blurred. I enjoyed discovering more about the characters, but I was impressed with the amount of information the author included about Poe's past.
Truly a work of art. I am sure the second one will leave the same impression. Because the author has not set a release date, I guess we just have to wait. :/

And so this begins

I haven't had a blog in a while. However, I figured this would be a great place to post book reviews and other ramblings. 
Clearly the blog is just getting started, so stay with me while I get things figured out.

Here's to a fresh start..... :D