Tag Archive: demons



Sacrificed in Shadow
Sacrificed in Shadow by S.M. Reine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first time I read this book I hadn’t read the Cain Chronicles or any of the Descent series and maybe even a book or two from Seasons of the Moon. It was a great read and I loved the characters. But now that I have read everything in the right order this book makes a lot more sense. The personal histories of the characters and places are solid rather than leaving me with a vague feeling that I was missing something.

I was unhappy this time because it isn’t centered in Reno, NV. Nevada is mentioned a few times but this is on the east side of the country where I have no frame of reference. Still not a problem as I have never been to Heaven, Haven or Hell but I still have a relative idea about those places. ๐Ÿ™‚

Elise Cavanaugh is still absolutely fascinating to me and I can’t wait to read more about her and her people.

Since I have already written a review on this book you can read it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/622966616

I love Sara Reine’s books!

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Paradise Damned
Paradise Damned by S.M. Reine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, I can’t believe that I am finished with another of Ms. Sara Reine’s series. This, book 7 was the finale of the Descent series. It was gripping!

This one had you moving from Reno to hell and heaven and places between. It was a nightmare of Genesis, origin of man, angel, demons and the many things that could and did go wrong.

I love Elise Cavanaugh and James Faulkner. The tension between this couple that draws them closer and farther away keeps the reader on edge and only wishing for their safety. Both are flawed but strong characters who play out their lives in Ms. Reine’s worlds. The plots and worlds are equally strong and believable.

I am so glad I read this series. But remember that it is best to start with the Seasons of the Moon series and then start Descent series with Death’s Hand. Though I think one could read the books out of order, I have found that each book is built on the one before and you can feel the characters growing and the plots thickening.

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Review: Defying Fate


Defying Fate
Defying Fate by S.M. Reine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Taking a break from Elise in this book. Climb into James Faulkner’s mind and life. I liked meeting his son and previous girlfriend and seeing how that dynamic affects James’s life.

If anyone has been paying attention, I have been working my way through all of Sara Reine’s books. She is very creative and has an odd combination of fantasy and real life. This Descent series centers in the Reno/Tahoe area and I find myself wanting to go check out the landmarks. Maybe I will find the Dance studio and meet James or Elise. But then we are suddenly cast into Hell or Heaven or a Haven or other dimension, often that mirror the Reno areas and I wonder if I could find those places and the nightmares, demons or angels that hang out there. Do suspend disbelief.

Since my computer wasn’t working right, yesterday, I couldn’t write this review properly on my laptop. Instead, I found the next book and started reading it. Yay, Elise is back in that one!

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Review: World After


World After
World After by Susan Ee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was another book to keep me up until 3 in the morning. This series is so exciting! It involves so much action that from the beginning, in book one, until now the end of book two, one is caught up in the story. Susan Ee’s writing keeps you captured in her world.

It was so long ago that I read the first book that I was a little worried that I would have to go back and read book one again to remember all that had happened but Ms. Ee does a marvelous job reacquainting the reader with ‘World Before’and ‘World During’ that it all flows quite well as we step into ‘World After’.

Book one had us meeting Penryn, her little crippled sister, and their mentally ill mother. The world was hard enough for poor Penryn to live in then the Angels and Demons decided to cause the apocalypse. Survival was the theme in both of these books. But there is a minor (?) romance between Penryn and an angel.

This book continues the survival, fighting, and romance. Penryn is quite the character and struggles to help her family and the other humans to survive. She learns to use the angel’s sword and tries to save everyone. She is quite spunky and able to hold her own no matter what.

I was about a third of the way in the Kindle version of the book when I realized that I had the Audible version of the book that I had purchased a while back. I must admit that the narrator, Caitlin Davies, was able to read the story exactly how I had been hearing it in my head. What is nice about having the audio version is you get to hear how the names should be pronounced. In this case I had been calling Raffe ‘RAF’ with a long ‘A’ sound and silent ‘e’. Apparently it is ‘Rawffa’. Sounds a lot better the right way, I must admit!

Though almost all threads have been tied up, and the ending is sweet, there is enough to let me know there will be more. Yay! I do really enjoy this series. Oh, and those who don’t believe in angels demons or the bible will still enjoy this series as a fantasy. I recommend it to all for a fun adventure.

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Review: Dire Blood


Dire Blood
Dire Blood by S.M. Reine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t know what I can say about this book that I haven’t about the series in general. Each book has been non-stop action. I can’t stop reading long enough to write another review. Except this one. I haven’t bought the next book yet. I have used up my book allowance for this paycheck. But you can bet I will in the next few days!

Ms. Reine knows how to write in a way that keeps the reader engaged and wondering what will happen next. All her characters are realistic and interesting. Her main characters are strong yet flawed enough to make us believe.

I hope this isn’t a spoiler but something happens in this book that we have been waiting for since the beginning. Are you curious? Check out Six Moon Summer (Seasons of the Moon #1) and keep reading all the wonderful stories that S.M Reine shares. Wonder if I will ever catch up reading this prolific writer’s work!

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Damnation Marked
Damnation Marked by S.M. Reine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve done it again! Grrrr! Ever get done with one book in a series and without stopping to do a review, jump right in and read the next book? Well, that’s what I did. Now I am 80% into book five and I can’t remember book four. But that should give you a bit of an idea about how well I liked the book. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen to the characters.

This book didn’t end with a cliffhanger, by the way. One could very well let it go and read the next book when they can. But Reno and Tahoe were left in a big mess. I am afraid to go downtown now as I am sure I will see it all apocalyptic and ruined! That is the fun of these books for me. The author has included landmarks around here and has hell take over. And it is during the snows so reading it in the right season helps to add to the allure.

Elise, the main character is a strong person often too strong for her own good but we do get to see her insecurities and weaknesses. She has a good support system around her but often chooses the role as protector rather than put her friends/family in the way of danger. She’s sassy and fun.

The problem I had with this book is the same I had with the last one, the jumping back and forth in time. If you read on the Kindle, especially using text-to-speech the sections go by and it is easy to get lost. I think asterisks would help to signify a new point of view or scene, especially when many of the sections contain the same people just earlier or much later.

Still, this is a fun series, and I feel I must continue reading until I catch up with Sara’s stories. What an imagination!

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The Descent Series: Vol.1
The Descent Series: Vol.1 by S.M. Reine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes when you read something that doesn’t work, you have to put it aside and come back with fresh eyes. That is what I had to do with this series. The first time I tried to read it I found myself getting messed up with the dates and years. This is where a tree book would have solved my problem quickly. But with the Kindle flipping through pages to see the beginnings of each chapter messes with the ability to sync between apps. So I let it go and started this again a couple days ago. I still had that date issue but plowed on through and–wow! I was glad I did! Turns out that things resolve themselves so that you can figure out if it is in the past or present moment. So don’t worry about it.

Okay. If anyone knows me, they know I am not into werewolves, angels and demons, etc. Nightmare stuff for me. So, take it from me, that S.M. Reine can tell a story that will keep you focused on nothing else but her story. Yeah, there is a lot of blood and guts, and all the above. Yet the characters she has inhabiting my world (yeah, Reno!) are likable and flawed. There is enough faith in these characters to know that the good guys win and make it a better place to live.

Did I mention Reno? Ms. Reine placed her story in my city and I could picture everywhere than she mentions in this book. I have to admit that I will keep on the lookout for zombies and giant spiders near the university. And watch out for demons here, everyone!

The pictures I see of the author make her look like she’s twelve, but she is a fantastic writer. Not a word is wasted, every word moves the story and you just can’t wait to see what her young mind can make real next. You would think I would understand how it is she writes so well with as many of hers books that I’ve read, but I am more amazed with each book.

For those of you just getting started I’d read the Seasons of the Moon series first and then move into the Cain Chronicles then you can do the side step into the Descent Series. I still have a couple more of those and then there is the Ascension series. I plan to read them all. I can’t get enough of this author’s words and worlds. Well done!

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh. My. Gosh! I think this is the best book ever! Thank you to all that recommended it so highly. I, too, now sing its praises!

Laini Taylor is the storyteller’s storyteller. Once I started into the world that she created I didn’t want to leave. In fact, though the copies I had of the hardback and the CDs were borrowed from the library, I couldn’t bear to return them had I not gone ahead and bought the Kindle and Audible versions to read again. And while I was at it I picked up the next in the series.

Oh, and I need to sing a few praises to the narrator, Khristine Hvam. I was caught up in the sound of her voice and her ability to wring out every nuance each word and even syllable the book had to offer.

The main character, Karou, is real, palpable. I could see through her eyes, smell what she smelled, anguish in choices to be made or mistakes that resulted. The cast of characters surrounding her were also real. I keep trying to come up with another word, after all this IS fantasy, but that is all I can come up with, real.

Magic is in abundance in the book, whether it is meant to be or not. Yet it is highly believable. And always leads to hope. Hope is the theme, I think. It made me feel it deep inside in places that haven’t felt it for a while. Hope. How many books give you that? That is a priceless commodity.

Please read this book with the audio along side. It immerses you into this world and you will feel hope, too.

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Review: The Apocalypse Gene


The Apocalypse Gene
The Apocalypse Gene by Suki Michelle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: This was a free Kindle book from BookRooster from quite a while ago, for an honest review.

So here goes. Um… I am so torn. There were parts I liked and others had me yawning. And I don’t think it’s the parts meant to be boring. I loved getting to know Olyvia and her mother and live with them through the dark and depressing life. I thought it adorable to get the little romance going. I could even get into the little computer icons, even though it seemed to take away from the problem at hand. Even still, I managed to shift gears and enjoy the cuteness.

War! What is it good for? I suppose in this case it is to cure cancer. Not a bad goal, I suppose, but really! During all the Micah parts and the war parts I got so bored that I had to let my text-to-speech yammer on while I read emails. I tuned in to learn how the story concluded. It was a nice ending.

Another thing I had a hard time with was the philosophy of the author thrown in quite obviously. The gods and demons and all that left me … meh?

Look, maybe it was just me. A lot of people have given high ranks to this book, so read it yourself and let me know what you think.

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