Friday, November 29, 2013

COYER Mini-Review Marathon Time! Sterling, Holding On And Letting Go, and Turned at Dark

Is there such a thing as reviewer's block? Every time I sat down to tell you all how much I loved this and that, my mind scattered in a thousand directions. Here's my best shot at lassoing some of those thoughts.

5 STARS!! Sterling (Mageri Series: Book 1) by Dannika Dark took my breath away right out of the gate. Zoe Merrick is completely average and totally cool with it. That's the thing I liked about her from page one, she's a with it character who knows how to wield what she has. Then bam! She's attacked. Killed? Maybe, maybe not? In her very understandable freak out she runs into Adam Razor. Oh, my goodness. I love him. I'll just get that out right now. Adam helps her come back to life, but she has no vision for her future. How do you start over when you feel disconnected from everything and everyone? No worries because she meets Justus De Gradi who knows what's missing in Zoe's life. The road to the magical future she's meant to have is not a pretty one, but Justus vows to show her the way. There's flirting, kissing, and a whole lot of sexual frustration in this installment. My heart raced and swooned. There were moments I wanted to stand with Zoe and fight by her side. The bad guys are worthy of gruesome deaths. The good guys are all so damn hot, even Zoe is a little dizzy. I have book 2 already waiting for me. How's that for cleaning out my Kindle?

"May I have another taste of your cherry?" 
Justus to Zoe p. 113 (it's not what you think)

"And you don't see me carrying a wand, do you?"
"Well..."
"You've always got a counter for everything, don't you?"
Justus to Zoe p. 232


5 STARS!! Holding on and Letting Go by K.A. Coleman had me crying from the beginning. I knew this was a tearjerker. I stepped outside my wussy norm and risked my heart anyway. Emerson Caulfield lost the love of her life. If you're thinking some wild boy who died way too young, you're right. She lost her baby brother who had the most amazing spirit. He was the light of her life. Darkness swallowed her and kept her captive for two years until she returned home. Thing with letting light back in your life, any flicker hurts. Enter Matt, all american hottie, next door neighbor, and Emerson's long ago best friend. He's determined to be there for her. She's determined to continue putting on an act and mourning in private. Emerson's journey out of the dark is a painful, gritty one filled with angst and tears, but I couldn't get enough. I love Matt and Emerson's story. We all have one. We all lose our way at some point. 

"Sometimes it's yourself that you lose, and that may be the worst loss of all."
location 1899


3 STARS!! Turned at Dark (A Shadow Falls Novella) by C.C. Hunter gives us a glimpse of Della Tsang's life before she entered the spooky world of Shadow Falls. You see how she went from perfect daughter in love with the boy her parents actually approved of to the sullen vamped out chick we all know and love. I'm so excited that she has a spanking new spin off series coming May 2014. I enjoyed this quick read, but I wished it was meatier. My emotions weren't tugged in any direction. I'll be looking for Reborn in the spring. I hope you all check it out too!


10 comments:

  1. I totally know what you mean with a reviewers block. Some books I just can't seem to review. I'm glad you liked all the books you read so much. Except for Turned A Dark of course but we all get a worse book every now and then. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reviewer's block is such a pain! How is it that I love the book but can't put a single sentence together to express it. This has been such a fun challenge, though I added book 2 of three different books I read. Hmm.

      Delete
  2. Hey, Robyn
    You have some great books here. :)
    Especially Sterling, and Turned at Dark, caught my attention. Sounds very interesting and like the books I'd pick. :)

    Holding on and Letting Go, even if sounds good too, I don't know, I don't want to cry. :)

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sterling was so exciting. There are some brutal parts where I wanted to jump in and kick butt. Turned at Dark was cool because the supernatural world is so different especially how vamps get turned. I think the upcoming series will do what the novella didn't.

      I'm with you about not wanting to cry. I bawled my eyes out even after I turned off my Kindle. Will was worried.

      Delete
  3. YAY! I'm so happy you loved Zoe and her friends form Sterling, Robyn. Isn't she just awesome? And hey, don't think your reviews aren't great - I love that you do a few at the same time, because I always find a book I haven't read yet and that I want to check out.

    I hope you're having a wonderful weekend :) Happy reading.

    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sterling was so good. And I kept putting off Holding On And Letting Go, the tearjerker, until I thought about that discussion post you had about characters dying. There was mention in the comments that it can be cathartic. That was exactly what I needed so you broadened my horizons in a completely different way. Thanks, Lexxie!

      Delete
  4. Zoe sounds like an awesome chick. Sterling sounds like one that I would enjoy. I didn't know that Della was getting her own spin-off. I knew about the novella you read, but not her own story-line. That's pretty neat news! Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I got to give you the scoop. I know Della is one of your favorite characters. I hope the new series doesn't soften her too much because I love how edgy she is. You would like Sterling. Zoe is a tough chick and the guys rock. Oh, and the magic in this story is different from anything else I've read.

      Delete
  5. You already know what I think of Sterling...can't wait to read the next book. And I actually have Turned at Dark on my ereader, too, but haven't read it yet. Now, Holding On and Letting Go...definitely going on my TBR and I might just have to one-click it. ;) It sounds incredible.

    I know this challenge didn't do much for cleaning out for either of us, but we did get some reading accomplished, so I say YAY for us! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Turned at Dark is a twenty minute read, but it was satisfying to read how Della turned. We didn't do much cleaning out and we did find some amazing books. I haven't hit any of the sequels yet because I've fallen into a holiday romance spell and I don't want out.

      Delete