SPOILER WARNING: This review contains mild spoilers for books 1 and 2 of the Madison Avery trilogy.

Kim Harrison wraps up her YA trilogy featuring Madison Avery with Something Deadly This Way Comes (after Once Dead, Twice Shy and Early to Death, Early to Rise). Her story actually began in the anthology Prom Nights from Hell when Madison died the night of her prom after being scythed by a dark reaper. Things didn’t go according to plan, however, and the reaper took her body and she stole his amulet. Now she’s caught between life and death with the amulet giving her the illusion of a body. In Something Deadly This Way Comes, Madison has the opportunity to get her body back and feel like a normal human again.

The question is—does Madison want to be a normal teenager again? She’s worked hard as dark timekeeper to challenge the old way of doing things and convince the seraphs and the light and dark reapers that her way works. So will she choose a life of responsibility or decide to reclaim her body and do regular things like hang out with her boyfriend?

I think fans of the previous two Madison Avery books will be pleased with this conclusion to the trilogy. Something Deadly This Way Comes wraps up Madison’s story and gives the reader a feeling of closure yet leaves room for more books in the future. Not that everything is wrapped up in a bow—certainly the battle between light and dark reapers, fate versus choice isn’t over—but you get a sense that things are on the right track.

While Madison and her friends grew on me with each book, I still greatly prefer Harrison’s adult books. I love, love, love The Hollows series and its cast of characters, and, unfortunately, I didn’t think the Madison books came close to that level of awesomeness. Even though the series isn’t for adults like me—it’s written for a young adult audience—I worry that teens will find the dialogue as childish as I did. Despite that, Madison is a relatable, spunky heroine and the books pose interesting questions about fate versus choice, so I’d recommend the series for kids who aren’t quite ready for adult urban fantasy. I’d also recommend starting with the first book Once Dead, Twice Shy.

Watch the book trailer for Something Deadly This Way Comes by Kim Harrison:

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars | Publisher: HarperCollins | Pages: 256 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons

I previously wrote about HarperTeen’s The Dark Days of Supernatural series and this summer they are back with some great new books to promote.

This time around the books are:

- Illusions by Aprilynne Pike
- Divergent by Veronica Roth
- Die For Me by Amy Plum
- Vampire Kisses 8: Cryptic Cravings by Ellen Schreiber
- Something Deadly This Way Comes by Kim Harrison
- Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
- Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Kristen already reviewed Die for Me by Amy Plum, I will have a review for Divergent up soon (which was fantastic by the way) and am currently reading Starcrossed. Also keep an eye out for a couple exciting author interviews.

In the meantime, you can watch the trailer for The Dark Days of Supernatural below, as well as find out more information about each book.

You can also follow The Dark Days of Supernatural on Facebook and Twitter.

ILLUSIONS (Wings #3) by Aprilynne Pike

Laurel hasn’t seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.

But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail.

___________________________________________________________________________

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.
___________________________________________________________________________

DIE FOR ME (Revenants #1) by Amy Plum

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier’s parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life–and memories–behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate’s guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he’s a revenant–an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

In this incandescent debut, newcomer Amy Plum has created a powerful paranormal mythology with immortal revenants. The Paris setting comes enchantingly alive as a relentless struggle between good and evil takes place in its streets. Rich with romance, atmosphere, and thrills, Die for Me will leave readers breathlessly awaiting its sequel.
___________________________________________________________________________

VAMPIRE KISSES 8: CRYPTIC CRAVINGS by Ellen Schreiber

The morbidly monotonous Dullsville has finally become the most exciting place on earth now that Raven is madly in love with her hot vampire boyfriend, Alexander, and a crew of vampires has taken residence in Dullsville’s old mill. Raven discovers Jagger’s plan to open a new club, the Crypt, right here in Dullsville. But is it her dream come true or her worst nightmare? Raven and Alexander have to figure out what the nefarious vampire has in store for Dullsville’s teen and vampire population. Can Raven convince Jagger to listen to her plans to make the Crypt the morbidly magnificent dance club it could be? Will it be safe for mortals and vampires alike?

And as Sebastian and Luna’s relationship heats up, Raven wonders about her own amorous fate: Will Alexander ever turn her? Does he crave her and does he want to spend eternity together? And what does she really want?

With cryptic secrets and cravings, this eighth installment in the Vampire Kisses series is a romantic and mysterious thrill ride.
___________________________________________________________________________

SOMETHING DEADLY THIS WAY COMES (Madison Avery trilogy #3) by Kim Harrison

I’m Madison Avery, in charge of heaven’s hit squad . . . and fighting it all the way.

When Madison died the night of her prom, she knew her life would never be the same. Now she has a powerful amulet, a team of rogue angels by her side, and the ability to flash forward into the future to see the shape of destiny. And of course, now she’s finally with Josh—a perfect boyfriend who doesn’t even mind that she’s dead.

But being dead has its disadvantages, too. Madison feels caught between the light and the dark, and between her real life and her timekeeper status. When Madison has the opportunity to get her body back—to be alive again—she faces her most difficult decision yet. If she claims it, she could return to being a normal girl—and have a chance at a real relationship with Josh. But would having the one thing she wants most in the world also mean giving up everything she’s worked so hard for?
___________________________________________________________________________

STARCROSSED by Josephine Angelini

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it’s getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she’s haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they’re destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.
___________________________________________________________________________

HEREAFTER by Tara Hudson

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she’s dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she’s trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won’t want to miss.

Congratulations to: Erica O.
_______________________________________

We have a pretty exciting giveaway for you today in celebration of the Summer 2011 Dark Days of Supernatural event.

Daemon’s Books was provided with a great prize pack which includes all seven books from the event:

– Illusions by Aprilynne Pike (released 5/03/2011)
– Divergent by Veronica Roth (released 5/3/2011)
– Die For Me by Amy Plum (on sale 5/10/2011)
– Vampire Kisses 8: Cryptic Cravings by Ellen Schreiber (on sale 5/17/2011)
– Something Deadly This Way Comes by Kim Harrison (on sale 5/24/2011)
– Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini (on sale 5/31/2011)
– Hereafter by Tara Hudson (on sale 6/7/2011)

You can find more information about the event on Facebook and you can also follow them on Twitter.

If you would like a chance to win, it’s easy, just fill out and submit the form below.

Note: You now have opportunities to gain additional entries into the giveaway by doing one or all of the following:

1) Subscribing to our daily email newsletter. (Click here to subscribe). [+1 entry]

2) Following us on Twitter (@daemonsbooks) [+1 entry]

3) Tweet about the giveaway. [+1 entry] (Note: to find the link to the tweet, click on the time the tweet was posted)

Please also note:

The address provided will be used to mail the prize should you win.

If you do subscribe to our newsletter and/or Twitter and/or write about the giveaway, please make sure you fill out the appropriate information in the form in order for us to verify the subscription and posts. If we are unable to verify you are in fact subscribed, following us on Twitter, and/or wrote about the giveaway your extra entry will be voided.

The giveaway is open until June 3rd 2011. Good Luck!

More Rules:

This review is for the ninth book in The Hollows series, so it contains SPOILERS for books 1-8. If you haven’t yet discovered how much Rachel Morgan rocks, start with the first book, Dead Witch Walking.

Take one kickass witch, a living vampire, a heartbroken pixy, and a ruthless elf, put them in a powder blue Buick, and you have all the ingredients for one helluva road trip. Of course, you also have a recipe for disaster. That’s the basic premise of Pale Demon, Kim Harrison’s ninth entry in The Hollows series. Picking up on the storyline that began in Black Magic Sanction, Rachel has three days to get to the witches conference in San Francisco where she will plead her case for the removal of her shunning. Coincidentally, Trent Kalamack needs to get to the West Coast to attend to some elven business and Rachel is entrusted with the task of getting him there safely. So will they make it to San Francisco in time? Or will Rachel and Trent kill each other first?

Wow, there is so much awesomeness in Pale Demon, I don’t even know where to start. Rachel, Trent, Ivy, and Jenks on the “Great American Road Trip” is everything I hoped it would be and more. Rachel can’t seem to go anywhere without attracting trouble, and adding Trent to the mix just seems to make things worse. As the group travels the country, they find themselves in situations that are at times hilarious, worrisome, jaw dropping, and messy. Like previous books, the plot moves at a fast, breathless pace and is filled with action packed twists and turns. In the midst of all this chaos, Rachel has to decide if she truly can trust Trent. She’s struggled with this in the past, as the arrogant elf doesn’t make it easy, but their relationship is put to the ultimate test in Pale Demon.

Fans of the series will find a lot to love in Pale Demon. Trent may be front and center, but we also see Al, Newt, Pierce, Vivian, and Bis, as well as the introduction of the new titular character. He’s a frightening demon who is very different from any demon we’ve seen before. Something else I think fans will like is that, as the group leaves Cincinnati and travels to new places, we get to see how The Turn affected other parts of the country. This made me happy since the world building is one of my favorite parts of this series.

Kim Harrison is a master at weaving together storylines from previous books while at the same time introducing new ones that will have implications further on down the line. In Pale Demon, she ties up loose ends, but then drops the freaking mother of all twists. I’m still reeling from it all and wondering where the series will go from here. Nine books in and The Hollows series is stronger than ever. I really can’t recommend it highly enough!

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Harper Voyager | Pages: 448 | Source: Publisher via NetGalley | Buy on Amazon

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons

Pale Demon will be released on February 22, 2011.

Synopsis of Pale Demon by Kim Harrison:

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passenger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

UPDATE 1/18/2011: Chapter 3 is now available as well!

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons

This review is for the eighth book in The Hollows series, so it contains spoilers for books 1-7. If you haven’t read this series yet, start with the first book, Dead Witch Walking.

Publisher’s summary of Black Magic Sanction:
Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter—and lived to tell the tale. But she’s never faced off against her own kind . . . until now. Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment—at worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom, but trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and an ex-boyfriend turned thief.

It takes a witch to catch a witch, but survival bears a heavy price.

I’ve been slowly working my way through Kim Harrison’s The Hollows (Rachel Morgan) series, and I’m finally caught up through book number eight. Just in time too, since the ninth book, Pale Demon, will be out in February. I absolutely love this series and I thought Black Magic Sanction lived up to previous books. There’s non-stop action, and series regulars like Trent, Al, and Nick (“crap for brains”) return. We also learn more about the pixies, which is fascinating, despite some heartbreaking circumstances. Rachel’s life is messy and she sometimes makes decisions I find frustrating, but I continue to love reading about her and awesome group of friends.

So if you’ve read Black Magic Sanction, I’d love to know your predictions for Pale Demon. What do you think will happen at the witches convention? Any thoughts on Pierce? I really like the ghost and think he’s a good match for Rachel (I know not everyone feels that way). Let me know what you think in the comments.

Quotes from Black Magic Sanction:

Lee: “You try getting through the Hollows traffic with a stoned redhead hanging out the window shouting, “I’m king of the world!”

Jenks: “Tears could not be equal if I wept diamonds from the skies.”

Rachel: “I was cold, hungry, and in a hole in the ground. But at least I had my elven porn, damn it!”

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Eos | Pages: 496 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The third installment in The Hunger Games trilogy was the book I was looking forward to the most this year, and I wasn’t disappointed. I thought Mockingjay was an epic finale to the dystopian series. It had the most jaw-dropping, OMG moment of any book I read this year.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

The Passage just blew me away and it’s probably the one book I’ve recommended most to people this year. I found the mythology, characters, and descriptive prose contained in The Passage to be perfect. It’s an ambitious start to a trilogy and I can’t wait for Cronin’s next book.

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

The love story in My Name is Memory is my favorite of the year. It’s just so epic—I’d describe it as Twilight meets The Time Traveler’s Wife—with two souls continually meeting through the years. In addition to the romance, My Name is Memory has a lot of action too, making it the perfect combination.

Stay by Allie Larkin

A heartbroken woman has a few too many kool-aid/vodka mixers and orders a German shepherd puppy off the Internet. The dog arrives and it’s a ginormous beast that only answers commands in Slovakian—sounds like a cute story, right? Stay is more than that though, it is a wonderfully touching, engaging story about a woman, Van, going through a rough time. Van is funny, relatable, and just one of my favorite characters of the year.

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Kim Harrison’s The Hollows (Rachel Morgan) series is up to eight books, and, in my opinion, it has only improved with each book. I’m currently OBESESSED with this series and can’t get enough of Rachel (a kickass witch), Ivy (a sultry dangerous vampire), and Jenks (a hilarious pixy who likes to say things like, “Tink’s a Disney whore!”). Besides the awesome characters, the books also have some amazing world building (paranormals are outted when a virus in genetically engineered tomatoes kills a huge portion of the human population). Black Magic Sanction, with its non-stop action and heartbreaking moments, is another fantastic entry in The Hollows series.

So there you go, those are my favorite books of 2010. I’d love to hear which books you loved this year, so let me know in the comments!

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons

After listening to the amazing fifth book in the Rachel Morgan/The Hollows series by Kim Harrison, I couldn’t wait to get the next one, The Outlaw Demon Wails. Unfortunately, unlike books 1-5, book 6 isn’t narrated by the talented Marguerite Gavin. I love her narration so much that she’s become Rachel to me (it’s her voice I hear saying “Crap on toast!”), so I decided to skip the audiobook and read this book.

The Outlaw Demon Wails picks up a few months after For a Few Demons More, and it’s Halloween in the Hollows. As the book begins, Rachel is Halloween costume shopping with her mom, whom she’s been trying to spend more time with. Both for her mom’s sake and for herself, as Rachel is coping with the loss she’s recently suffered. Everything’s great until Al the demon crashes their shopping trip and tries to kill Rachel. It turns out someone has been summoning Al and then letting him loose to go after Rachel. Unless she wants to be trapped on sanctified ground every night, Rachel is going to have to figure out the identity of the demon summoner.

The Outlaw Demon Wails totally lives up to For a Few Demons More; something that I thought was going to be nearly impossible. We find out a lot of new information about Rachel and her family, most of which was of the jaw dropping, OMG variety. Trent, Quen, and Ceri also play a big role in the book, and I love those elves. Well, except for Trent. Every time my feelings for him start to soften, he does something that makes me hate him again. I think that’s a good thing, though, because he makes a perfect adversary for Rachel.

The Hollows series has become one of my favorite urban fantasy series. Non-stop action and awesome characters make these books highly addictive, and I can’t recommend them enough.

Quotes from The Outlaw Demon Wails:

Rachel: “Damn it, I was too busy to learn another freaking life lesson.”

Rachel: “Sometimes it takes a two-by-four across your head to realize what you want isn’t what you’ll end up with if you get it.”

Rachel’s Mom: “Shut your mouth. My daughter just saved your butt. She drove off two demons and bound a third while you hid like a prissy girlie-girl who wouldn’t know the right end of an amulet if it came out of her ass.”

Rachel: “Here, kitty, kitty, stupid kitty. How’s my little chicken-ass feline today? I’m not going to hurt you, you sweet little bundle of asinine, orange-furred, Were-toy of a cat.”

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Eos | Pages: 544 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons

 
Holidays Are Hell is a collection of four supernatural novellas that take place around the solstice, Christmas, New Year’s, and Thanksgiving. As you can probably tell from the title, these stories are about characters kicking some hellish bad guy ass—not drinking cocoa and caroling. They might not put you in the traditional holiday spirit, but they do put a fresh spin on holiday fiction. Here’s a look at each individual story:

“Two Ghosts For Sister Rachel” by Kim Harrison – This story flashes back to an eighteen-year-old Rachel Morgan who is anxious to be accepted in the IS intern program. Her brother Robbie is against her going into a dangerous profession, so they resurrect a ghost to help them settle the dispute. I bought Holidays Are Hell because I wanted to read this story, as it introduces Pierce, a character who becomes important in The Hollows series. If you’ve read White Witch, Black Curse, you know the gist of the story, but it was still fun to see Pierce and Rachel meet for the first time. It was also interesting to see how different young Rachel, still recovering from the Rosewood Syndrome, is from the Rachel we know today. This is just another fantastic offering from Kim Harrison and is by far my favorite story in the book.

“Run, Run, Rudolph” by Lynsay Sands – In this Christmas story, a shape-shifter has to take on different forms to evade an evil man who wants to study her. Of the four stories, this one is the most lighthearted and romantic. It’s kind of silly, but it’s fun and a nice balance to the last two stories (which are pretty dark). I enjoyed Sands’ sense of humor and I’d like to read more from her.

“Six” by Marjorie M. Liu – A deadly Chinese government agent must join forces with a necromancer to stop a terrorist attack during the Chinese New Year. I didn’t find this story as interesting as the previous two, but I will say that it was very unique. I’d be willing to try reading more from this author.

“The Harvest” by Vicki Pettersson – This is a prequel to Pettersson’s Zodiac series. Since I’m not familiar with the Zodiac universe (where superhero forces of good and evil battle), I found this story very hard to get into and ended up skimming it. I’m sure fans of this series will enjoy this story a lot more than I did.

I liked three out of the four stories, so I’m pretty happy I bought Holidays Are Hell. I got to read some backstory about my favorite kickass witch, Rachel Morgan, and try out some new (to me) authors at the same time. Overall, I’d say this is a solid anthology.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars | Authors: Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, and Vicki Pettersson | Publisher: Harper | Pages: 384 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons

I’m continuing to work my way through Kim Harrison’s The Hollows/Rachel Morgan series, and I’m up to the fifth book, For a Few Demons More. The books are about Rachel, witch and bounty hunter, who lives in a church with her partners—Ivy, a vampire, and Jenks and the rest of his pixy family. It’s a few months after the gang’s spring road trip to Mackinaw, and they’re back in Cincinnati with the Focus. The problem is that a power struggle is brewing because both the vampires and the werewolves want the creepy demon-made Were artifact. Things get worse when Glenn asks Rachel to consult with the FIB on the murders of several female Weres. Rachel suspects someone is killing the Weres to get to the Focus, and it’s up to her to stop them and get rid of the thing for good.

As usual, Rachel is dealing with a few other headaches as well. She wakes up one morning to find the insane demon Newt in her church. A demon on sanctified ground shouldn’t be possible, but Newt doesn’t seem to follow the rules. Rachel’s nemesis, Trent Kalamack, also returns and wants to hire Rachel to work security at his wedding. She reacts about as well as you would expect.

I really started to LOVE this series during A Fistful of Charms, and For a Few Demons More just sealed the deal. So much happens in this book! I think I’m still reeling from it all. The story is jam-packed with action and stunning developments. Characters make shocking decisions and develop even more complex relationships. There were even a few parts that were so emotional that I was close to tears. For a Few Demons More is just a superb entry in what has become one of my favorite urban fantasy series.

I listened to the audiobook version of For a Few Demons More, which is narrated by the amazing Marguerite Gavin. She really captures Rachel’s voice—sometimes she’s a total smartass and sometimes she’s vulnerable—which can’t be easy. The other character voices are fantastic too—Ivy’s voice is low and sultry, Jenks’ voice is high pitched, Al has a British accent—and it made the audiobook so much fun to listen to.

If you haven’t yet discover Kim Harrison’s highly addictive series, start with the first book, Dead Witch Walking.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | Narrator: Marguerite Gavin | Publisher: Tantor Media | Length: 17 Hours and 5 Minutes | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons