Saturday, September 17, 2011

Review: The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen

The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen

I got this book at NetGalley.

Marketing copy from NetGalley:
Master storyteller Jane Yolen (Owl MoonSword of the Rightful King) and celebrated fantasy artist Rebecca Guay (Swamp Thing, Magic: The Gathering) weave a textured and lyrical tale of adventure, homelands, and heroism the hard way.

Two hundred years ago, humans drove the dragons from the islands of May. Now, the last of the dragons rises to wreak havoc anew-with only a healer's daughter and a kite-flying would-be hero standing in its way.

* A compelling coming-of-age fantasy with exquisite fully painted art!    


My thoughts:
The art in this book is phenomenal!  Even the font has been chosen carefully to lend it's artistic edge.  I can't wait until this book is in print so I can buy it!  I was drawn in by the incredible cover and was hooked with the phrase:  "Or so the humans believed."
Love her work and continue to be impressed!  Strong characters - wonderful world.  Well worth the read!



Review: A Deadly Whisper and Whispers of Evil - both by Stacey Kennedy

The Watchers: Book One: A Deadly Whisper by Stacey Kennedy

Goodreads description:
Will destiny be enough to break her free of a lifetime of secrets?

Knox, the Seeker, has waited two hundred years for his Watcher and now he's found her. Paxtyn, however, is unwilling to join him. The more he tries to prove himself to her, the more she pushes him away.

Paxtyn has spent a lifetime keeping her secret hidden from the world, but now, she must confront these deadly visions head on. When a string of murders brings her into New Orleans, she must come to terms with her personal demons and use her gift to communicate with spirits to discover who has ended their lives.



The Watchers: Book Two: Whisper of Evil by Stacey Kennedy


Goodreads description:
Nayeli has been locked away, hidden from the world in a mental institution, all due to the whispers of evil which have corrupted her mind. Unbeknownst to her, the voices that have plagued her are a gift given to only one kind―Watchers.

Griffin, her Seeker, is about to break this cage of imprisonment woven around her and give her a new chance at life. But when a demon leaves the confines of Hell to create havoc in Louisiana, will his love for Nayeli free her wounded heart, or will she succumb to the whispers which threaten to steal her soul?
 *WARNING: Explicit sex between a timid Watcher and a gorgeous Seeker, and a ceremony that will certainly raise eyebrows!



My thoughts:
Wow!  I was excited to read these two books because I had already read A Warrior's Witch by Stacey Kennedy and completely fell in love with her characters and her writing style, and I was once again totally impressed!
In this series she has created phenomenal  characters and has given them a fantastic, well developed plot with a fresh twist on the demon hunter.  Her female characters are strong, powerful, funny, passionate, driven to make the world a safer place, sexy, compassionate, and smart.  Her male characters are all those same things wrapped in a body to die for, with a sex drive that would make anyone blush, and looking for "the" woman destined to spend eternity with them.  Really, who could want more?  
Wonderfully written! Exciting to read! She has designed her characters to get under your skin and into your heart, the plot to be heart-stopping and thrilling, combined to leave you unwilling to put the book down until you know that the end is what you are hoping for.


In book one, we see Paxtyn and Knox as the main characters.  They are destined to be soul mates and their very lives hinge on one another's existence, but they just can't seem to get it right.  It was a laugh out loud, cry for them, emotional rollercoaster from the start.  Knox is a Seeker and Paxtyn (unknowingly at first) is a Watcher.  Together with the rest of their team/family they hunt demons and attempt to keep mankind safe.  Paxtyn is strong willed, independent and not at all sure what Knox is all about.  Knox has been looking for his soul mate for an incredibly long time and is completely thrown for a loop when she doesn't seem excited about spending eternity with him.  It was fun to watch their struggle and the reactions of the rest of the family, especially when everyone knows how they feel about each other except them.  Loads of hot, steamy sex to go along with some discoveries about themselves and each other.  


In book two, it is Griffin's turn to find his soul mate; but what he finds in her is a broken shell of a woman who has no true sense of self or self-worth.  Stacey Kennedy has once again written a fantastic tale, she is truly gifted!  This story is emotion on a stick!  Nayeli is an amazing woman; raised with the belief that she was crazy and institutionalized since childhood, Nayeli finds herself in a family who loves and cherishes her while valuing her for her abilities.  She has no idea how to cope with any of it after spending the majority of her life believing that she was of no value.  This book is more than just the story of a group of super demon hunters and the battle of good versus evil, it is the story of one woman's search to find worth and one man's struggle to help her.  I found my heart going out to both Nayeli and Griffin while they forged ahead to conquer not only the demon set on having Nayeli, but to conquer Nayeli's fears and issues before more people die.  Not for the weak or sexually sensitive - graphic deaths and hot, hot, hot steamy romance!


****Fantastic author - Don't miss out on anything that she has written!