Good vs. Evil, Which Would You Choose?

Title: God’s Eye

Author: A.J. Scudiere

Genre: Fantasy/Thriller

Release Date: 10/01/2011

Content Rated: PG

Review By: Katy Sozaeva, obsessive bibliophile and editor extraordinaire, can also be found on Livejournal at Katy’s Babblings when she’s not busy spoiling her cats in Athens, GA

Synopsis: Katherine Geryon has everything a woman could want due to being born into a life of privelage, except maybe her sanity. When strange and unexplainable events start to occur around Katherine, she meets not one, but two, men that she soon finds are inextricably entangled in her affairs. As her life becomes stranger and her dreams more terrifying, she realizes neither man is what he seems and that she’s caught in something far beyond her own comprehension.

Blender Review: Katharine Geryon was born into wealth and position. Her father runs Geryon & Light, an investment company, which she will be expected to take over when he retires. Her mother ensured that Katharine knew all the proper social protocols and deportments for her station. Katharine has always done as expected, done as she has been asked, and just coasted along through life. All that is about to change with the appearance in her life of two men – Allistair and Zachary – dark and light – good and evil? Katharine is about to have her eyes opened …

“God’s Eye” is an amazing book – I truly wish I could tell you more about the story itself, but it is structured so that, if I were to give you any more information, I would inevitably spoil it for you. While the set-up is perfect for a paranormal romance, that is not what this is. Not to say there is no romance, but that’s not what the book is about – the book is about choices, understanding and learning to see what is around you by truly looking rather than just coasting. It is about Katharine finally growing up and learning to see the effect she truly has upon the world and to consciously choose to make things better. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading – it’s well-written and brilliantly characterized. I’ve read all of AJ’s books and they just keep getting better – I’m anxiously awaiting her next novel, “Phoenix,” although there is no word as to when we can expect that one to be finished, since it appears to still be in the research stage.

“God’s Eye” is AJ’s third novel and is scheduled for release 10/1/11. Her previous books are “Resonance” and “Vengeance.” Follow the progress of AJ’s 4th book, “Phoenix,” at www.PhoenixTheBook.com Thanks to JKS Communications for the chance to preview this amazing book!

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Bloodlines

Title:  Bloodlines

Author: Richelle Mead

Genre: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy Fiction

Release Date: 08/23/2011

Content Rated: PG

Synopsis: Sydney and the Alchemists must save the moroi vampire race from a civil war by hiding the moroi queen’s sister, Jill, in a human private boarding school.

Review By: Allorah

Blender Review: Richelle Mead is back again with another best seller. Bloodlines is the sequel to the international best-selling series, Vampire Academy.  In Bloodlines our narrator is no longer Rose, the tough and reckless,  female dhampir (half human and half vampire) guardian. Bloodlines is told by the narration of Sydney, the fragile yet extremely intelligent female human Alchemist. Although I loved Vampire Academy, I was more a fan of the supporting cast of characters rather than Rose herself because throughout the VA series the narration, and the character of Rose, was often indecisive and vapid not allowing the story to flow as much as I would have liked. Narration from Sydney is a breath of fresh air comparatively speaking. Sydney is developed as decisive, intelligent, well-spoken and keeps the story flowing from chapter to chapter. One thing that can be said for the format of this series, as well as the VA series, is that Richelle Mead knows how to keep you reading. The book has several plot lines that are only partially revealed or not revealed at all until the middle or end of the book.

Bloodlines centers around Sydney and the world of the Alchemists. Alchemists are members of the human race charged, by family lineage, with preventing the strigoi and moroi vampire races from having their existence becoming known to the human race. Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night and chosen, reluctantly, by her father and other Alchemists for a top-secret mission. Now that eighteen year old Vasillisa Dragomir holds the throne, the entire Moroi race is about to erupt in civil war between those that support her reign and those that do not. The young Moroi queen is guarded by a small dhampir army, thus making her sister Jill a much easier target. Jill is sought after by Lisa’s adversaries because, until Lisa is able to change the Moroi law, she needs at least one family member to keep her place on the throne of the Moroi world and Jill is the only family she has. Sydney’s task is to keep Jill and her royal entourage from becoming known to humans at Jill’s new hideout: a human boarding school. Along with Sydney and Jill, Eddie and Adrian also come back for starring male roles in this series. Adrian and Eddie both get developed into much more rounded characters and you start to understand them both more than you did in the VA series. We also get to meet new characters in Bloodlines and the awards for best new villain and best new hero goes to Keith and Micah respectively. You will hate Keith right from the start. I’m guessing that was the intent in which he was written. He is a complete slime-ball from beginning to end but beautifully developed as a villain. Micah gets the award for best addition to the good guys. He will remind everyone of a VA character that has long since passed away and you should be able to pick up on the innuendo almost immediately. For those that are fans of the original VA cast of characters have no fear, we get to see some of them make appearances in Bloodlines, although some are extremely brief. Rose, Dimitri and Abe Mazur all make guest appearances in this book of the new series.

Bloodlines is filled with witty and humorous content that will have you laughing out loud and surprises that will leave you wanting more. This is an easy read for 8th grade and up. This book does contain some violence and adult language. Richelle Mead has hit another home run with this follow-up series to Vampire Academy. This is a MUST read for fans of the VA series! The second book of the series, The Golden Lily, is due for release in the spring of 2012.

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