Book Review: Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin

Becoming Alpha

Aileen Erin

Published December 17th, 2013

273 Pages

Tessa McCaide has a unique talent for getting into trouble. Then again, it isn’t easy for a girl with visions to ignore what she sees. Luckily Tessa and her family are leaving California and moving halfway across the country, givingher the perfect opportunity to leave her reputation as “Freaky Tessa” behind.

But Tessa doesn’t realize that kissing the wrong guy in her new Texas town could land her in far more trouble than she ever imagined. Like being forced to attend St. Ailbe’s Academy, a secret boarding school for werewolves.

Even if the wrong guy did accidentally turn her into one of “them” and doom her to attending the weirdest high school ever, Tessa can’t help her growing attraction to the mysterious Dastien Laurent.
When vampires attack St. Alibe’s and her visions pinpoint an enemy in their midst, Tessa realizes that boy drama and her newfound canine tendencies might just be the least of her problems

Tessa is a seemingly normal teenage girl. She has an average, ordinary life doing all the things that normal teens her age do. However, gripping visions that she can't control have made her life strained and difficult. Pretty much anything she touches sends her off to la-la land, a place where she sees far more than she ever would have liked. Avoiding people and such has gotten her a bad reputation as a freak who's up to no good, so her family packs up and moves to Texas in hopes of helping her find he footing and shed her bad rep. However, their new town hides many secrets.. including a pack of werewolf's

Though most people in the town seem to be completely aware of this, Tessa isn't let in on the big secret, and winds up receiving her first kiss from a handsome boy named Dastien, who attends a school for the trouble called St. Alibe's. When things get hot and heavy, a rough bite to her skin transforms both her and her life forever. Tessa was now one of them.

I liked both Tessa and Dastien a lot. Though they are both unsure at times and completely awkward around each other, it was obvious how they truly felt. Though Tessa is understandably reluctant to welcome him back into her life after the pain he caused her, I loved watching them slowly fall deeper and deeper in love, despite many obstacles.

Getting deep into the world of magic, visions and werewolves was a thrilling ride that I didn't want to end. Erin does a great job painting pictures in my mind, and at times I felt like I was right there with Tess and Dastien. Becoming Alpha was a great first installment to what I'm sure will be an intriguing series.

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Book Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Hemlock

Kathleen Peacock

404 Pages

Published May 8th, 2012

Fans of Maggie Stiefvater and the hit television show True Blood will flock to this first book in the supernatural mystery series set in a town where werewolves live in plain sight.
Mackenzie Dobson's life has been turned upside down since she vowed to hunt her best friend Amy's killer: a white werewolf. Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country, and bloodlust is not easy to control. But it soon becomes clear that dangerous secrets are lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, Mac's hometown—and she is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her in grave danger.
Kathleen Peacock's thrilling debut novel provides readers with a mystery that Kimberly Derting, author of The Body Finder, calls "clever and frightening," while Sophie Jordan, New York Times bestselling author ofFirelight, raves: "Forget every werewolf book you've ever read. This one breaks the mold."

I'd been hearing rave reviews about this book for months and months before I picked it up.. I'm almost glad I waited because now I can get a hold of the second book without waiting! Hemlock exceeded my expectations and I loved it, even though I'm not normally a fan of werewolf books.

Werewolves are common knowledge where Mac is from. Her best friend was murdered by a werewolf and she'll stop at nothing to figure out who the killer was, though everyone else seems to have put the death behind them. Reading a story where the presence of these mythical beasts was well known and out in the open was different and quite refreshing. Most stories focus on the craziness of this concept, on the hiding of it. Hemlock is different, and different is almost always good in my book.

Mac was a strong character with many problems. She has no parents, but does have some very good friends, one of which.. you'll have to read and see. I loved her and all the rest of the characters, though I must say there were a heck of a lot of wolves in this little town. They just kept popping up out of the blue and I sat there again and again going: "whoa, you're one of them too?!" This book was quite a shocker.

Overall it was a great story that I finished in what I think was two sittings. A quick break for a bubble bath and some supper and I was back at this one. The good thing about waiting so long to read this one is that I can read the sequel asap!

Book Review: The Rising by Terra Harmony

The Rising

Terra Harmony

271 Pages

Fifteen-year-old Serena is the youngest member of a dying race. The increasing acidity of the ocean is destroying her home, slowly eating away at the once thriving underwater landscape. But since the night of Serena’s birth, it is an outside force that most threatens their dwindling population. Werewolves, who once served as protectors for mermaids in the Kingdom of the Undine, now seek to eliminate all who dwell in the ocean — and Serena is about to find herself right in the middle of the deadly conflict.
Given the title of Werewolf Liaison, Serena is determined to make things right for her people. When she ventures to The Dry, she meets Liam, the werewolf with hazel eyes, and her whole world gets turned upside down. As Serena discovers the real history between werewolves and mermaids, she is left wondering who her true enemies are.

The Rising is the start to a new trilogy called the Painted Mermaids Trilogy, and it's a great, strong beginning. I was drawn in by the stunning cover and the interesting and new to me premise of the story. I mean, how often do you see books that involve both mermaids AND werewolf's? I don't read too much of either, but I've been making an effort to change this, and The Rising was a great start for me.

Serena is your average girl living underwater. She's feisty but not overly so, and she sees things in a completely different way from others living in her undersea kingdom. Her viewpoints are different, and she challenges everything people believe in, which I loved about her. Strong female characters are always, always a win for me. Brains over beauty any day!

The other characters were equally strong and interesting, and I even found myself admiring the king of the kingdom... so surprising for me since I really quite disliked him at first. He came off as selfish to me upon meeting him, but this has to do with a sad past that you have to read about to truly understand.

This isn't your typical love story and there was so much more to it than I has been originally anticipating. Though I has expected a cute and unique love story between a werewolf and a mermaid, the story was about so much more. The final chapters were a race to the finish for me, with secrets and action and so much goodness packed into about 50 pages. I can't wait to dig into the next installment!