ARC Review: Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Moon Called Volume 1

Author: Patricia Briggs

Genre: Urban Fantasy; Graphic Novel

Release: March, 2011

Source: Netgalley

Rating: 3.5/5

Description: Mercy Thompson inhabits two worlds without truly belonging to either. To the human inhabitants of the Tri-Cities she's an oddity, a female mechanic operating her own garage. To the town's darker residents, werewolves, vampires, and fae, she's a walker, a last-of-her-kind magical being with the power to become a coyote. Mercy warily straddles the fine line dividing our everyday world from that darker dimension... 'till a boy, mauled by vicious werewolves and forever changed by the attack and on the run from those who committed the crime, appears at her door. Now her two worlds are about to collide! Outnumbered and out-muscled, can Mercy possibly save the boy... or even herself?

Review: Mercy Thompson is a one-of-a-kind shapeshifter who can shift into a coyote. She's also a car mechanic who has her own shop. When Mac, a runaway werewolf shows up on her doorstep, Mercy takes him in. Eventually, she saves him from thuggish wolves, killing one of the wolves in the process. Afterwards, she hands Mac over to Adam, the local Alpha wolf. One night, Mercy finds Mac dead and Adam wounded, causing her to search for who's responsible.

What I Didn't Like

• Mercy is half Native American, so I'd think the artist would make her skin color a little browner.
• Sometimes, it was hard to tell the difference between some of the male characters. It tripped me up when I thought the character portrayed was someone only to find that he was someone else.
• The extra chapter at the end. Tho I'm glad I got a look at how Mac came to be, the writing just didn't catch me. And the illustration wasn't on the same level as the illustration throughout the novel.

What I Liked

• Mercy is such a kick-ass character. I'm a sucker for novels with strong heroines...especially when the book shows her vulnerable side (she's not all hard, but soft sometimes).
• I like the fact that I didn't have to read the original novels in order to figure out what was happening. I didn't even know about Ms. Briggs' Mercy Thompson series before seeing this graphic novel.
• Besides the fact that the illustration of the men were confusing at times, I liked the illustrations overall. Great details.

Overall, I liked Mercy Thompson: Moon Called Volume 1; enough to want to read the original series. This book will appeal to those who are already Ms. Briggs' fans as well as new fans.

ARC Review: Bite Me, Try Me, Fang Me

Author: Parker Blue

Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA, Paranormal

Release: March, 2011

Source: Netgalley

Rating: 5/5

Description: An edgy book for teens that spans the gap between YA and adult fiction. Life after high school is tough enough without having to go 15 rounds with your inner demon. Val Shapiro is just your ordinary, part-demon, teenaged vampire hunter with a Texas drawl. And a pet hellhound named Fang. Soon enough she finds herself deep in the underbelly of the city, discovering the secrets of the Demon Underground and fighting to save those she loves. Whether they love her back or not.

Author: Parker Blue

Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA, Paranormal

Release: March, 2011

Source: Netgalley

Rating: 4/5

Description: This part-demon teen vampire fighter and her faithful terrier hellhound are once again patrolling the dark city streets of San Antonio, Texas. Val's hunky human partner, Detective Dan Sullivan, is giving her the cold shoulder since she beheaded his vampire ex-fiancée. Vamp leader Alejandro is struggling to keep the peace between vamps, demons and humans. The mucho powerful Encyclopedia Magicka has been stolen, someone in the Demon Underground is poisoning vamps, and Val's inner lust demon, Lola, is getting very restless since Val's now partnered with sexy Shade, the shadow demon with the blond good looks of an angel.

The second book in Parker Blue's Demon Underground urban fantasy series plunges readers deeper into a heady world of passion, friendship, intrigue and mystery.

Author: Parker Blue

Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA, Paranormal

Release: March, 2011

Source:Netgalley

Rating: 4/5

Description: The vampires want it. The demons want it, too. And someone is willing to kill Val for it.Val and Fang have to find the powerful Encyclopedia Magicka before either of San Antonio's warring underworld factions locate it or the consequences will be deadly for the entire city. As usual, Val's vampire enemies (they still call her The Slayer) want her dead.

Even some of her fellow demons may be less than trustworthy, since they'd like to grab the legendary book of spells before she does. Val has a personal claim to the Encyclopedia--her demon father left it to her when he died--but someone stole it recently. And that can't be good.Battling vamps and dodging demons, Val struggles to unravel the mystery and find the thief.

At the same time, she's fighting her attraction to sweet, sexy Shade--her favorite shadow demon. Rumor has it that Val will lose her part-demon, vampire-fighting powers if she gives herself to him.With a crowd of vamps and demons out to trick her or kill her, it's not a good time for her to risk her job as the city's best vampire hunter by falling in love. The stakes are high and aimed right at her heart. But Lola, Val's hungry little lust demon, doesn't like being denied. Will Lola finally get her way?What's a part-lust-demon-teen supposed to do? Whatever it takes.

Review: I love the character of Valentine "Val" Shapiro! She's definitely kick-ass, and I love that her vulnerable side shows also. Fang, her dog (part hell-hound) is seriously one of my favorite characters. The banter between him and Val is funny. In Bite Me, I liked how the love interest, Dan, stood up for Val to her family. I didn't quite like how he treated her in the end, but that only left the door open for Shade to move in. The reader sees growth in Val throughout the three books. In Bite Me, she's trying to find herself...by Fang Me, she has answers. This series is definitely fast-passed. It has action for the action junkie, romance for the romance junkie, mystery for the mystery junkie...you get my idea. And the ending of Fang Me...I so hope there's another book in this series!

Book Review: Twice Bitten

Author: Chloe Neill
Genre: Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Release: July, 2010
Source: Library
Rating: 5/5

Description: Merit, Chicago’s newest vampire, is learning how to play well with others. Other supernaturals, that is. Shapeshifters from across the country are convening in the Windy City, and as a gesture of peace, Master Vampire Ethan Sullivan has offered their leader a very special bodyguard: Merit. Merit is supposed to protect the Alpha, Gabriel Keene—and to spy for the vamps while she’s at it. Oh, and luckily Ethan’s offering some steamy, one-on-one combat training sessions to help her prepare for the mission.

Merit must accept the assignment, even though she knows that she’ll probably regret it. And she’s not wrong. Someone is gunning for Gabriel Keene, and Merit soon finds herself in the line of fire. She’ll need all the help she can get to track down the would-be assassin, but everywhere she turns, there are rising tensions between supernaturals—not least between her and a certain green-eyed, centuries old master vampire.

Review: Chloe Neill is becoming one of my favorite authors. I so heart both her Chicagoland Vampires and her Dark Elite series. Twice Bitten is book #3 in the Chicagoland Vampires series.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

• I would've like to have seen more of Merit's witch bff, Mallory, and Mallory's boyfriend, Catcher. That's it.

WHAT I LIKED:

• Oh, how I love the character of Merit. Let me count the ways! She's sassy, independent, a kickass fighter, etc. She wants Ethan and is drawn to him, but she doesn't wither if and when he rejects her. She's strong, yet vulnerable. And I love her voice.

• The tension between Merit and Ethan. It has been mounting up since book #1. I won't reveal whether anything happens or not.

• I heart the secondary characters. They all bring something to this book.

• OMG, the action. I'm a big action movie junkie, so of course, I'm addicted to books with action. Merit holds her own, with her fighting skills and her katana.

• The book is well-written and fast-paced. It didn't lose me and held me til the end.

I so heart this series!