Bel Reviews: Dark Desires Boxed Set
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npuqe6JpPY8&feature=channel_video_title
Dark Secrets by Elizabeth Chandler
These two stories are mysteries, plain and simple.
In Legacy of Lies, Megan is begrudgingly visiting her grandmother, a crotchety, grump of a woman, and her
equally charming cousin. The drama is amped up tenfold when the truth of a suspected overdose is proven to be so much more. But how will Megan fit into the equation?
Don’t Tell has us following Lauren as she’s returning to her aunt’s house, where her mother drowned seven years previous. Lauren is being tormented by the same strange occurrences that were plaguing her mother on the days leading up to her mother’s death. What is the cause of the odd happenings? Was her mother’s drowning an accident, or was it cold blooded murder?
I managed to get all 400 plus pages read in one day. I did think there were some slow bits and a few bits where I skipped through the non-dialogue just to get to the point a little quicker.
I thought there were a few really good twists and turns in each story and the red herrings are classic. The character reactions were realistic and their chemistry made for a few smiles along the way, especially the unsuspecting friendships that turn up. I doubt you’ll actually guess who done it.
I really hope the second volume Dark Secrets 2 which includes the stories No Time to Die and The deep End of Fear will be as enjoyable as Volume 1. Keep an eye out for it in a future review.
Elizabeth Chandler: Dark Secrets Series – Legacy of Lies/ Don’t Tell
ISBN: 1416994610 (ISBN13: 9781416994619)
Published August 4 2009 by Simon and Schuster
431 pages.
Tithe by Holly Black
Kaye is living a life with her mother with few responsibilities and even fewer expectations. When Mum’s latest boyfriend tries to kill her, they up and move back to New Jersey where it’s safe, back to old friends and childhood memories of fairies and witches. Old habits die hard and Kay is reunited with her friends—fairy and otherwise. Little does she know, her safe haven is about to become just the opposite, when the truth of her existence comes to light.
There are elements in this book that remind me heaps of Laurell k Hamilton’s Meredith Gentry series, (Just without all the sex). I liked the Kelpie (not the canine variety), he’s a bit of an evil monster; but he’s willing to help Kaye learn on the fly … for a price. The chemistry between Kaye and Roiben was satisfyingly masochistic, and the Thistle Witch is just the right level of kooky.
I spent much of this book well outside my comfort zone and I did foresee some of the not-so-nice things that happened to Kaye, simply because of the situations she was placing herself into. I really am trying not to sound high and mighty, but really, what did she expect would happen?
Although I was left a little shaken by the story, on the whole it was entertaining and it allowed me to safely explore the life of someone who doesn’t play by the rules. The second book in the continuing story of Kaye and Roiben is called Ironside. It looks to be equally unsettling, but just as gripping.
First published October 1, 2002, by Simon and Schuster Ltd.
ISBN 0689860420 (ISBN13: 9780689860423)
320 pages
More author info here.
Nick, Allan and their mother have been running from a bunch of nasty magicians for as long as the boys can remember. Running because their mum has something they want. The scales tip when Allan and the brother of one of the girls at Nick’s school are marked by the same demon.
Allan and Nick, along with Mae and Jamie, decide it is time to stop running, and the hunt begins to rid both Jamie and Allan of their demon marks, once and for all. But can everything be fixed as easily as some spilt blood?
The twists in the plotline kept this book from becoming a retelling of the TV series Supernatural, though I do think that it may be one better suited to a male reading demographic.
There is a tiny bit of gore and moments of heartwarming tenderness. Though I found the living situation the boys were in a little far fetched, I thought the fact that they take care of their mother a little sweet, even if it was bitter in places.
I don’t know how guys would takeThe Demon’s Lexicon, but if you’re male, and have read the book, please let me know what you thought.
ISBN 1847382894 (ISBN13: 9781847382894)
Published June 2nd, 2009, by Simon and Schuster
324 pages
Visit Sarah Rees Brennan’s website for more info.
