REVIEW: Personal Demons by Stacia Kane

My Rating: 6 out of 10 stars

Megan Chase is host to a new radio show that promises to help callers slay their demons. Too bad the demons are taking that literally and are now coming after Megan themselves. But there are some who would prefer to work with rather than against her, including a particularly hot, chiseled and sexy fire demon named Greyson Dante. He's helping Megan stand up to the personal demons who are after her, and along with his team of crazy, cockney guard demons, they're chasing down all the demons that get in her face. :)

This was a cute, fun read. What it lacked in substance, it made up for in quirkiness and humor. While I found a few parts to be a little predictable, the author put a few new twists on typical demon lore to spice things up a bit, like the whole Meegra "family" thing. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and once I get caught up on some of my other reads, I may peek in on Megan and Greyson again in their sequel. :)

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REVIEW: Breaking Dawn: The Twilight Saga, Book 4 by Stephenie Meyer

My Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

The choice has been made and Bella and Edward are ready to start their life together. Bella's unusually strong connection to her dear friend Jacob has not diminished and it's making Jacob crazy to have to stand by Bella's choices.

Yet when Bella manages to conceive Edward's child--a miraculous event that the vampires didn't even realize could happen--things threaten to get even worse as the exceptionally strong fetus rips apart Bella's insides trying to get out. But Bella is committed to bringing this exceptional child into the world, refusing to abort despite the life-threatening risks, or the eventual consequences of the Volturi vampire council. Who will be left standing (or breathing) at the end?

Breaking Dawn is the final book in the Twilight Saga, and upon finishing it I found myself immediately looking forward to the movie, due in November. This final book wraps things up quite neatly, and I was also quite happy with how things turned out for Jacob. Though I probably liked it just a tad bit less than Eclipse, it was a fascinating read nonetheless.

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REVIEW: Eclipse: The Twilight Saga, Book 3 by Stephenie Meyer

My Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

This is the third of four books in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, one of several series which has helped push vampires and the paranormal into the mainstream. I've been a fan and avid reader of the paranormal & urban fantasy genre long before Twilight and True Blood came to the silver screen however, so by the time I finally got around to reading this particular series--which had been languishing on my TBR shelf for several years--I had lots to compare it to.

If you read my review for Twilight, the first book in the series, you'll see that I didn't care for it all that much. A bit too much romance for my taste and Bella's character seemed really superficial and shallow. However, by the 2nd book, New Moon, I was beginning to understand why that was and I liked that one a bit better than the first. By book 3, I was really starting to get into it and liked it even better than the first two, so much so that when I finished Eclipse, I immediately picked up Breaking Dawn, the 4th and final book in the series because I couldn't wait to see how it ended.

Bella is still torn between her love for Edward and her deeply-rooted friendship with Jacob. But now several new dynamics have come into play which make things even more difficult for her. The vampire Victoria--the mate of James whom Edward killed in the book 1--is still stalking Bella in an attempt to end her life, the same way Edward ended the life of her mate. And up north in Seattle, what appears to be a crazed serial killer is running around the city leaving a trail of brutal murders in their wake. The murders are ruthless enough to suggest vampire killings but who could possibly be behind it? With the deadline imposed by the Volturi Vampire Council looming over her head, Bella knows her life will be coming to an end one way or another; her only hope is that she gets to choose how she wants to die....

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REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

My Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

Ahhh the very last book in the Harry Potter series. How I will miss this series, and the movies that go along with. Like most Harry fans, I have watched Harry grow from a boy to a young man and shared in so many of his adventures that I feel he's one of my own friends. :) I only wish there was such a school as Hogwarts, where we could fly around on brooms, make potions, and predict the future all day. That'd be such a fun life! :)

I've dallied a long time in getting this review posted, seeing as how I actually finished reading this book a long time ago--and then took the time to reread it before the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 comes out. I only hope I can still do it justice now that so much time has passed. :)

** CAUTION - SPOILER

The death of Albus Dumbledore at the end of book six, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has left a gaping hole at Hogwarts School of Wizardry & Witchcraft. Severus Snape is now the new acting headmaster and the Wizarding school is now under the control of Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are on the run, and at the very top of the Most Wanted List. However, they're determined to honor Dumbledore's final wishes in finding the necessary pieces to destroy Lord Voldemort once and for all. Each distinct Horcrux is a physical object which holds a bit of Voldemort's soul, effectively rendering him immortal since all pieces would have to be found and destroyed in order for him to die. But the fearless and egotistical Voldemort doesn't believe that anyone else could possibly discover his secret, and by the time he discovers what's going on, Harry and his friends have already found and destroyed several of his Horcruxes. And then there's that one other little piece of information which Dumbledore neglected to impart to Harry: that in order to kill Lord Voldemort, Harry must die himself!!

This final installment in the Harry Potter series will keep you on the edge of your seat as many surprising truths are revealed. This was by far my favorite book in the series and I will miss it terribly. Fortunately, I have all the original hardcover books in my personal library and I think I'll have to buy the box set of movies now too once the final one is released. :)

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