What Were You Thinking? (The Loss of Innocence Chronicles Book 1)

Noli is the kind of girl main character I really do enjoy. Lazear has also given me a beautiful romance between Noli and V Steven that had my temperature rising. Noli wants to work on engines. She wants to go to university and become a botanist, but girls aren't allowed to do this in Because of her strong-will to have the life she wants, she eventually gets herself into trouble with the police when she's caught test driving her father's flying automobile. Women aren't allowed to drive, so Noli is sent to Findlay reform school for girls to become a proper young lady.

Kevighn hears Noli one night, wishing to get away from Findlay, so he takes her to the Otherworld. Noli soon finds out why the faerie's need girls like her, and she realizes that Findlay wasn't the worst thing that could happen to her. V Steven is Noli's best friend, but he's not who he pretends to be. When Kevighn takes Noli to the Otherworld, V is the only one who can help her. V and Noli will finally admit their true feelings for each other.

And after holding their feelings from each other all this time, they definitely make up for lost time. Noli and V's romance is beautiful, steamy and hot! Women-Maker Kevighn has fallen for Noli, too. It's clear who Noli loves, but I do like Kevighn. Yeah, he's the bad boy faerie, but he had me swooning for him. I mean with a name like silver-tongue and women-maker he is a bad, bad boy and he definitely lives up to his name. Innocent Darkness is a wickedly dark faerie novel with a great steampunk theme and romance that is dangerously hot! I recommend Innocent Darkness as a fantastic read. Oct 18, Jessica rated it it was amazing.

To find an author that had the vision to combine the two?? I'm in serious fan-girl mode, people! Okay, let me try to talk myself down a little bit here Well it starts out with a girl who refuses to become the perfect little society Lady taking a flying car for an illegal joyride Then she gets sent to a reform school read punishments and pretty much prison with tea time, here and finds a faery garden in the backyard.

When the High Queen's faerie Huntsman, who is the perfect version of a Huntsman, BTW, relying on charm and good looks to lure the ultimate prey, humans finds Noli there, he ends up sweeping her off to the Otherworld to turn her into the sacrifice that can save all Fae. Unbeknownst to Noli, her best friend and next-door neighbor, Steven I cannot wait to see what Lazear gives us in book two.

So far, she's hinted that there will be air pirates. Jun 23, Sarah rated it really liked it Shelves: I own a copy of this book. Finley House is a nightmare though, and whilst wishing that she could be anywhere else, Noli accidentally finds herself in the land of Faerie. Can Noli make it back to her own world? Or will someone else make use of her first? Noli was an interesting character Source: Noli was an interesting character, but she did make some silly decisions at times!

I did like this story though, and I did get sucked in. The ending to this was okay, if a little slow, but I am interested to see what happens in book 2! Overall; interesting story about the fae, 7. Mar 09, Keren Hughes rated it it was amazing Shelves: When I first heard about this book I was instantly intrigued because, as I will admit, I am a little bit addicted to anything Fae. Add a gorgeous cover and synopsis and hey presto! Sixteen year old Magnolia Braddock, or Noli, lives at home with her mother. She enjoys tinkering with her brother Jeff's old flying car and has a handsome best friend by the name of Steven Darrow, or 'V' as she call When I first heard about this book I was instantly intrigued because, as I will admit, I am a little bit addicted to anything Fae.

She enjoys tinkering with her brother Jeff's old flying car and has a handsome best friend by the name of Steven Darrow, or 'V' as she calls him. Only thing is, much as Noli enjoys fixing things up and trying to help her mother round the house, it doesn't stop her getting into trouble - and taking out Jeff's old Pixy without a licence, failing to stop for the police and then crashing it into the garden is the last straw.

Noli's hoyden ways have landed her well and truly in it this time. Her mother can no longer cope and so Noli is sent to reform school at Findlay House to straighten herself out. Her mother may never have sent her there if only she had realised just what awaited Noli behind closed doors. Whether it was the leers from the doctor, the stints she did in the Sensory Deprivation Tank or the times the horrid woman in charge nearly drowned Noli - her mother clearly wouldn't have been happy knowing these things were happening to her daughter.

But of course, she'd never find out because the girls weren't allowed outside contact. Noli managed to make one friend within the walls of Findlay, her name was Charlotte. She was in there because her awful Uncle abused her and her mother found out, so she thought that Charlotte would be better where he couldn't get to her. One day, the girls are in the little secluded fairy garden when a man looks through the fence and introduces himself. His name is Kevighn Silver. Little do the girls know, Kevighn is the High Queen's Huntsman and every 7 years she needs him to find a Sacrifice- this is a young girl who possesses the Spark.

He goes out and finds them, seduces them and then the magic binds them and they die in order to replenish the land. This, is what Kevighn has in mind when he sees the girls that day. He knows they both possess the Spark, but will either of them go with him? After a particularly bad day at Findlay, Noli finds herself hiding in the tree in the fairy garden.

She makes a wish that she was anywhere but there and that is exactly what happens. The tree transports her to the land of the Fae. She hadn't really thought that the tree could transport her anywhere, she was just thinking out loud. She certainly didn't think that she'd end up somewhere she didn't recognise and with Kevighn Silver, of all people.

That's what comes with her having made a wish on the Solstice, her wish was granted, just not in any way she could imagine.

Steve McHugh

Kevighn convinces her to come back to his home with him. He says he can help her. So she goes with him, but she still doesn't really realise where she is or what's going on. All she knows is she isn't at Findlay any more and she doesn't know how to get home from wherever she is. She has hopes that Kevighn has the knowledge of how to get her home. Noli asks Kevighn to help her get home and he does little to try to actually help.

He just side-steps her questions and distracts her with trinkets and stories and such. He's hoping that the longer she is there, the magic will come and bind her. But he doesn't tell her the real truth about the Sacrifice, he doesn't want to scare her off. He wants to seduce her with his good looks and charm, then she will be what is needed and the land will be replenished before they all fade away and die.. But Kevighn didn't know what he was letting himself in for. Noli is not the kind of girl to take things lying down. She's feisty and she wants nothing more than to get home. There are times when he manages to distract her, but she's a girl with her own mind and she knows what she wants.

See a Problem?

Kevighn didn't expect her to be so unlike the other girls. They were easy to distract and came willingly to his bed, thus meaning they give themselves to him and without knowing it, they give themselves to the land and become the much needed sacrifice. This is a truly remarkable story that I was head over heels for from the first page.

It's fast-paced and well timed. It has fun, it has action and it has two lovely boys who are very hard to choose between. I think I may just be a bit more of an advocate for Kevighn though, but that's in line with my bad-boy addiction. I can't, or don't want to believe places like Findlay House would have existed. It struck me right in my heart and my gut when the Doctor puts her through "treatments" - whether she's in the sensory deprivation tank or almost being drowned, it hurts to see and feel Noli in such a dire situation. I love all the characters and feel that they are developing at a decent rate, they aren't overly rushed.

I think Suzanne Lazear knows exactly what she wants from the characters and how to get them there. Yet I think that somehow, they also play out at their own rate and take Suzanne where they want to go too. It's a delicate balance between the two and I feel she has it just right. I enjoyed the story very much, though there were times when Noli had a really rough ride and I was getting upset and frustrated on her behalf because she couldn't see what was coming.

I look very much forward to the next book and to seeing where Noli ends up. Suzanne has you on the edge all the time. There's moments where you can laugh out loud, moments where you want to strangle someone, moments where you want to cry for Noli and a lot of other things that happen in between. There's stolen moments of intimacy that just add another dimension to the story.

Should she just give up on going home and stay with Kevighn? Should she give in to her urges and not care that it means she's a hoyden after all? Should she give up on V or should she wait?? You are kept guessing and questioning things along the way. My heart wanted her to go with Kevighn, my head told me she shouldn't. After all, he is the Huntsman for the High Queen. All that he did for her was out of duty Whereas V, he's her best friend, he wouldn't hurt her Suzanne has fast become an author that I really rate and will look forward to reading books from in future. She's a clever and tricky woman.

In fact, I think she's a fairy because you get trapped in her land and can't seem to find an escape. Do I really want to escape is the question I should be asking myself. The answer is, no, I don't think I do! As you can probably tell, I loved this story and I am having a hard time shutting up about it. But I'll stop here and just tell you, you need to read this book.

If there is any "must-buy" book this year, Innocent Darkness is it! Oct 19, Shelley rated it liked it Shelves: Noli lives for excitement, and has an affinity for bringing flowers back to life and making them flourish. She would love to study Botany at the university. They also don't have equal rights yet. She loves Flying Auto's. She loves tinkering with them, and yes, getting in trouble with them.

Findlay is a school where girls are beaten to an inch of their lives for being willful hoydens. The school is supposed to teach young girls how to be productive members of society and ridding them of their youthful disobedience. I had to look up the word Hoyden since it appears everywhere! So, the definition is as follows: Hoyden - a girl or woman of saucy, boisterous, or carefree behavior. Noli is unaware that there is a whole dimension called the Otherworld where the Fey run rampant and live off the sacrifices of human women every 7 years. She was even unaware that her best friend Steven is an exile from Otherworld.

Thanks to a wish made at the most inopportune time when her friend Charlotte is whisked away from the school by her rapist uncle, Noli is taken into Fairy and ends up battling for her humanity and her life because she has been chosen to be the next sacrifice by Kevighn. Somehow, she manages to find feelings for Kevighn even though I clearly thought he was a scrub and needed a serious beat down. He also loves his opium. Seriously, allow her to choose when and who she will give up her V-jay to.

I always found that suspect. A mortal comes into Fey, eats food, and drink, and now is forever stuck like chuck into a realm where she is an outcast. I was surprised that Noli remembered about not making bargains with Fey, and not saying thank you. I seriously considered putting a warning label on my review that this book may not be suitable for those under the age of 18 because of sexual innuendos, and situations where Noli and others are put in difficult situations with the schools so called Doctor.

Obviously, Noli has some serious issues with her relationship with Steven, and her own humanity that was snared away from her thanks to an idiotic bargain. In the end, this was a different sort of novel for me. While there are steampunk aspects to the story, it read more like a romance novel mixed with supernatural elements. ARC recvd via Netgalley.

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Releases August 8, The cover of Innocent Darkness called to the cover whore inside me and she immediately had to have it. As the first book in the Aether Chronicles I went into this book expecting a steampunk novel with a fantasy twist. What I got was a young adult fantasy with a steampunk mention. I am noticing a trend in YA novels that seem to cross multiple genres and I am personally not happy about it.

It waters down the genres and has me as a consumer leery a The cover of Innocent Darkness called to the cover whore inside me and she immediately had to have it. It waters down the genres and has me as a consumer leery about what I am actual buying. Despite my disappointment I did enjoy this dark fantasy. They reside in an alternate version of Los Angeles in the year We quickly learn that Noli is perceived as a hoyden and has a knack for getting into trouble. When she takes the flying car for an unauthorized spin she is forced to attend a reform school in San Francisco.

This is where the steampunk element ends, except for a few teasers here and there that felt thrown in. At the school Noli tries to behave so she can be returned to her mother. The school is horrible with incredibly cruel punishments and a creepy staff. She befriends a girl named Charlotte, who would rather stay in this dreadful place then be returned to her uncle.

When things get to be too much to bear Noli makes a wish to be "any place but here. The tale that unfolds has elements of suspense, sexual tension, magic, fairies, and romance. Noli is a brilliant child who tries to please her mother and has always had a crush on V. Her brilliance constantly competes with her maturity level and she wavered back and forth between them.

She wasn't developed enough for me and some of her actions were annoying. V adores Noli and has secrets, lots of secrets. Kevighn Silver is the huntsman for the Queen. He is sent from the Otherworld to find a young woman with the spark. While on his quests he indulges in hired woman and opium. There is something a little sick about Kevighn and he gave me the creeps.

The path the author leads him on never really worked for me. Both V and Kevighn love Noli and I feared the dreaded love triangle. Noli did choose but the loser is not satisfied. The Queen was interesting and kind of reminded me of the queens from Alice in Wonderland and Snow White. I like Charlotte and my heart tugged for her. Overall these characters were unique but under developed. The world-building was both exciting and disappointing. I really enjoyed the back story and the altered concept of Sadly this altered version of was not completely believable. I loved this world and wanted to know more.

The Fae world and its rules while not new were nicely depicted. The pace flowed nicely with highs and lows. There are two climatic scenes towards the end. One was very predictable and the other while not unexpected was filled with tension and excitement. While this novel had its flaws I still enjoyed it and will give this series a chance to redeem itself in book two. This novel had the potential to be so much more. Fans of fantasy and the Fae will enjoy Innocent Darkness, while fans expecting a steampunk series will be greatly disappointed. The cover and the tale do not match and despite my disappointment this was an easy, light, enjoyable read.

This could have easily earned, a five cups of coffee rating, had it focused more on the fantasy aspect and added more depth and detail. The next book in the series has yet to be titled and has an expected publication date of Oct 18, Kara-karina rated it really liked it. Egalley thanks to Flux Books Pretty good read which strongly reminded me of Melissa Marr's fae series. However, I think the cover misleads you in a lot of ways. I thought this would be steampunk, but it's only slightly steampunk-ish. Noli is a young mechanic and a daughter of an impoverished lady, who is strongly opposed to her doing any sort of manual work.

When she gets into trouble flying a car she just fixed without a permit and a license, the police gives her a choice - to pay for her crimes Egalley thanks to Flux Books Pretty good read which strongly reminded me of Melissa Marr's fae series. When she gets into trouble flying a car she just fixed without a permit and a license, the police gives her a choice - to pay for her crimes and in a process hurt her mom's business, or go into a reform school in San Francisco where they will turn her into a lady.

She obviously agrees to the latter. Findley school is a sort of sadistic poisonous environment you would expect from Jane Eyre's novel. Girls are systematically beaten, given weird medical treatment read, - torture by a creepy doctor with an unhealthy interest in young females. Noli goes along with everything to get out as soon as possible until her friend, Charlotte, is taken away by her abusive uncle, and then her inner talent and a magical wish on summer solstice transfer her to The Otherworld. The rest of the book a big chunk of it happens in fae lands. Unfortunately The Otherworld is dying and needs a sacrifice of someone with enough Spark talent, creativity every 7 years.

The Queen and The Huntsman think that Noli can be the one, their only problem is that the girl resists all the temptations and gifts. She just wants to go home and misses her friend, V. I think the problem with this book for me is that it's sooo tame. Noli does a lot of gardening and thinking but doesn't act at all, she waits for someone else to sort her out.

The Otherworld's description is severely lacking. All you've got is some glimpses of Alice in Wonderland. Unlike Melissa Marr's books this doesn't have this dark and twisted urgency, it doesn't come alive. So, it's a very pretty story with a knight in shining armour coming to the rescue and everything else conveniently falling into place at the last moment, but it's all too superfluous to my liking, all talk and no deed. The finale has an interesting twist though, and I would like to continue with the series to find out where it will end. Apr 18, M. Andrew Patterson rated it it was amazing Shelves: Absolutely loved this book.

Having never read steampunk in novel format, I wasn't sure what to expect. Can I just say that this was an awesome introduction. I have now added words like "Dollymop" to my vocabulary which is an awesome word, but I wouldn't call a woman from the Victorian era that or you'll get slapped! The language, technology, and story were so well crafted and believable. I can only imagine the immense amount of research that went into this book.

Also, don't let that whimsical cover fool you, there are some seriously dark moments. Definitely want to keep reading this world. Suzanne Lazear nailed her debut novel! It is the perfect combination of Steampunk and Faery Tale! The characters are amazingly written and the world Suzanne has created really comes to life in your mind. I highly recommend reading Innocent Darkness! Also, Noli is just an awesome heroine. Jun 11, Ashley rated it it was ok Shelves: As posted on booknook - YA and Fantasy book reviews I was first drawn to this book by the cover.

I love the depiction of Noli and immediately wanted to read the book! Unfortunately, the cover art is a very poor representation of what this book is about. She mostly wears fancy dresses and was appalled at the idea of wearing a sleeveless dress. The beginning of the boo As posted on booknook - YA and Fantasy book reviews I was first drawn to this book by the cover.

The beginning of the book started out with promise. Noli is really spunky, strong, independent, and some would say a little too carefree. The school turns out to be incredibly abusive. They literally beat the spunk and independence out of the admitted girls. I was looking forward to her taking control and getting the heck out of there. Right now the Otherworld is in desperate need of a sacrifice, so the pressure is really on.

In between doing opium and sleeping with prostitutes, Kevighn is searching for a girl with a strong Spark. Then, he finds Noli at the reform school.. He loves her innocence, her kindness, and how she turns his house into a real home. This is about where the book started to really turn me off. I found it distracting and a little unnecessary. Secondly, he came off as just a creepy guy. Noli really changed throughout the book, but not in a good way.

She went from being spunky, daring, and carefree to being naive crybaby obsessed with her reputation. Funny, I thought the whole reason she got sent off to reform school was because she didn't care about her reputation. As the story went on, I failed to see what was so special about Noli. Why does she have so much Spark? Any independent, carefree, creative, rebellious qualities she had faded very quickly as the story went on.

She went from being potentially interesting to really bland. I thought her friend Charlotte — who supposedly had less Spark — was a lot more interesting. It just seemed completely out of character. For most of the book I adored him. He was an awesome character and I was dying to know more about him.

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He was courageous, determined, and the perfect best friend. He would do anything for Noli and that was awesome. I really felt like I got invested in his character and sympathized with him. Except towards the end he got really annoying. But then later he was kind of hiding something from her and it just confused her and pissed me off! Then later, he kept trying to push his Fae culture onto Noli. Give yourself to me now. I did read an e-ARC so hopefully these will be fixed in the final copies.

He body went aflame at his touch, but fear still lingered in the pit of her belly. At the beginning, Charlotte was a great character. Anyway, she was perfectly fine at the beginning of the book but suddenly now, at the end, we find out she has a tumor! Since her days are numbered anyway, she volunteers to be the sacrifice to the Otherworld.

Thank god for tumors? Jan 01, David rated it really liked it. Noli Braddock likes to tinker, as one does when one's a bright girl in an alternate steampunk version of Los Angeles. She and her friend Steven take her flying car for a joyride and get in trouble. Unfortunately, it's not Noli's first time in trouble and she's sent to a horrific boarding school in San Francisco where she'll be made into a proper young lady.

Meanwhile, there's trouble across the aether in the realm of faerie. They need to bind a bright young girl to the magic so she can be sa Noli Braddock likes to tinker, as one does when one's a bright girl in an alternate steampunk version of Los Angeles. I loved some of them so much. Greene has Linc show Jade around the campus and they become friends. I love the interaction between them. I laughed at their dialogue and recognized some of it from my own friendships. I liked how natural their relationship felt, with their teasing banter and her threatening bodily harm after he woke her up too early one morning.

Linc stood before me, wearing a smile that was entirely too smiley, and I found myself wanting to smack it away like I would an annoying bug buzzing at my head. I am very excited to see where their relationship goes. The structure of the CGE and how they function and what their purpose is seemed very thought out and developed. Because of that, the story felt grounded, but not too much detail that it felt weighted down. I liked the fight scenes and could visualize most of this story in my head like a movie.

I got a kick reading about the campus and their training program. I loved going with Jade to Demonology on Mondays, Tracking on Tuesdays, Weapons on Wednesdays and Combat Training on Thursdays and seeing her navigate the school life and deal with the challenges that arise as she trains to be a demon hunter. He raised an eyebrow and leaned back slightly. Except I was the character. It already had me. I will be stalking Lanie for the sequel. She has at least 6 books in this series planned right now! Oct 10, Karen-Leigh rated it liked it Shelves: Another new and interesting character and scenario.

I enjoyed it enough to go looking for sequels or series and buy them. Feb 10, Jamie rated it really liked it. I have to admit, the title threw me off a bit… breed — breeding? Should I prepare myself for some creepy story where we find out the characters are all being bred with ideal genetic traits for the benefit of science? Or does the title suggest that the characters are simply all of one particular trait — innocent; and later we will discover t 3.

Or does the title suggest that the characters are simply all of one particular trait — innocent; and later we will discover that this innocence has been used against them the entire time? The jury is still out after having finished the novel, truly… the series could go either way or another way entirely. But let me digress, while the title was strange to me, the summary sounded very interesting: And truly, I was rather happy with the results. This book had enough action to hold my interest, a bit of romance without having the reader drown in it, plenty of demon related material to keep the reader cognizant of the plot.

In short, I enjoyed reading the novel. That said, there were a few issues that did affect my pleasure while reading. While none of them were big enough to make me dislike the book, I did have to knock a few points off of the star rating. Again, these likenesses were not completely distracting but it is noticeable and can be a little off-putting.

Another issue with the book is the world building. While the author does a great job setting up the school and classes, she almost ignores the world outside of it. The readers are given a few hints that this book is set in the future ex: It is my opinion, that if you want to do something like this then by all means do! It can really add to the story if done well. As is, however, I would be interested in seeing the world building develop a bit. Besides for these few little hints, the society has not really changed- one would think that if this was the future there would be more futuristic-ness about it.

My final complaint again, very minor is that I simply hated the way that demons came to be. It seemed silly to me, and rather like a cop-out. I mean really… really??? So to conclude my rather rambling review… I enjoyed reading this book. I hope to read its sequel in the near future. I think there is a lot of potential for the coming novels in this series and I am interested to see if any of the turns and twists I have going through my head come to fruition.

Oh and a big thank you to Lanie Jordan for a copy of her book! At A Glance I loved the concept and it was a good read but some of the characters needed to be fleshed out. The Good Breed of Innocence caught my interest right away. The concept of rounding up people with special DNA to hunt demons is pretty refreshing. I am a sucker for training books, where people teach others how to fight, use weapons, and so on. I love the idea of empowering people to take care of themselves, especially women.

And that's e 3. And that's exactly what happened to Jade. After her family was murdered by a demon, all she wanted to do was find it and kill it. And now she will get that chance as a future demon hunter. The first thing that caught my attention was Jade's strong, snarky personality. I felt so bad for her, having been moved around from one foster and group home to another and pretty much having a crappy life.

I relaxed a little when Jade was offered to live and train at the CGE, a demon hunting school. The way it all happened, with this creepy Mr. Green coming out of nowhere, saying demons are real and this is her only chance at getting revenge for her family was odd, but it worked.

Jade makes quick friends with Linc who helps her assimilate into the school. I loved how nice and supportive he was.

• Breed of Innocence (The Breed Chronicles #1) by Lanie Jordan.
• Innocent Darkness (The Aether Chronicles, #1) by Suzanne Lazear!
• Le colonel Chabert - Texte intégral (Classique t. 1009) (French Edition).
• Innocent Darkness.
• Gedichte von der Liebe (German Edition).
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He is like the perfect guy friend who you wish was more. Then we had the horrible Felecia who hated Jade right away for being "more special" than her. Felecia is not just an enemy, she is straight up psycho. If she could, she would leave Jade to die. That's a scary person to be around, someone who literally wants you dead. Jordan did a great job of world-building and providing enough demon history to keep it interesting but not annoying.

The action was awesome. My muscles tensed as Jade was put in dangerous situations time after time often her own doing. I loved the air of foreboding Jordan often injected into scenes. And when we found out some pretty big secrets, I was genuinely shocked. I just love being surprised.

The Bad I wish the secondary characters were more developed. Most were one dimensional with little backstory. I also felt the connections Jade made with some characters were a little convenient with no real reasoning behind it. The Snuggly This is a very clean YA book. Just some kissing and I don't think there was even a cuss word.

The romance between Linc and Jade is very slow because they are just friends throughout most of the book. Final Thoughts Though it wasn't perfect, I am still interested in reading book two of this series. I want to see Jade fly through the rest of her training and really get into the meat of demon hunting.

Breed of Innocence was definitely a suspenseful and fun read. Quotes My eyes narrowed. I've got 'authority issues'--" I used air quotes, "--a bad temper, and an awesome attitude that no one else seems to think is all that awesome. Feb 03, Elise rated it it was amazing Shelves: I loved this book. Could not put it down. The plot was fun, interesting, and though a little predictable there were enough twists and turns to keep it fairly unpredictable. There were a couple of typos here and there but very few.

I thought that the description was great too. I could picture and imagine everything although a good portion of that was people glaring or having a stubborn look on their faces. The I loved this book. The police report says she's basically gone crazy from the trauma and she's claiming a 'monster' did it. Only Jade later finds out that it was in fact a demon. She lives a care home run by Mrs.

Gill who treats her like crap. One day 3 men show up at the care house and give her a deal she could never refuse. A chance to find and kill the demon that killed her family. This place does everything from hunting demons - genetically modified demon hunters and finding cures for diseases and much more. Its run by a man named Director Greene who has the uncanny ability to know too much about you.

This book is about Jade's journey to being a demon hunter and her journey to self discovery and growth. I loved this plot it was fun, interesting and descriptive. I only had one part that bugged me a little bit view spoiler [ in chapter 10 when Felicia and Jade break into the South Tower. Jade is too out of character. She doesn't even trust Linc her best friend and later boyfriend and yet she decides to follow Felicia to South Tower.

I don't see her ever doing that willingly. My favorite part though was the Combat test. I was not expecting that at all. I thought maybe Felicia had framed her. That was a fun plot twist. I also loved that the way she tracked the vampires down was threw a knocked over trash can. I was laughing at that part. The predictable part was her DNA anomaly. The second Greene brought it up I knew that her super healing had something to do with it. I figured she either got it from her parents or the demon or the night of the attack.

I loved the characters. Greene almost seemed omnipotent through a good portion of it. He also acted like Jade's Uncle or father figure. I actually thought they were related at some point. Jade the main character is feisty, strong-willed, stubborn to a fault but she never gives up.

She has a hard time trusting but when she does she is loyal and trustworthy. She was kind, caring, and an all around bright person. Tasha, god she had me in hysterics. She is spunky and a bit of a sadist. She has a mean streak but she is loyal and once your friends with her you have someone who will protect you from anything. Then there is the attractive, blue-eyed, and hilarious Linc. He is charismatic, good-looking, and generally goofy. He is the comedy relief in parts that were tense making you relax for the next scene in the book. I loved how everyone of them grew some better Jade , some worse Felicia.

They never were stagnant, they were always changing. I was so impressed I bought Shadow and Light. Jun 24, Wennie rated it really liked it Shelves: ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review. If you are looking for a book with realistic characters, snark, humour and action, look no further for I have the book for you.

Breed of Innocence is billed as a YA fantasy with vampires, demons and demon hunters. The summary of the book drew me in immediately. Two hours ago, I joined their secret organization--the CGE. All I have to do is survive demon-hunting school. The classes won't kill me, but the finals might. Jade Hall is an orphan. No one believes her account of the murders. Living in a group home, she feels trapped with nowhere to go, until one organization comes for her, the CGE.

The CGE is a mysterious organization devoted to two things -- demon hunting and research and development. After a very graphic display, Jade decides to join the CGE for one thing and one thing only, she wants revenge. Find the demon who killed her family and destroy it. But before she can do that, she needs to survive the various phases of demon training, and more importantly, she needs to pass, and live through, the final exam. Let me be clear — I loved loved loved his book. I loved the humour, the sarcasm, the back talk and the attitude.

She is thrown into an environment that is way out of her league but finds and forms a fast friendship with Linc. Dare I hope that there may be more than friendship between these two? I sure hope so. The story is told at a fast pace with well-rounded characters, fully developed scenarios and the characters kick-ass. There are moments when I found myself snickering, and moments where I was taken by surprise. You will absolutely adore Jade, and root for her burgeoning relationship with Linc.

The book is a very quick read, and once you finish book one, you will long to get your hands right away on book two, which thankfully, is already available. After reading books heavy on the fantasy and light on humor, character development and a well thought out plot, Breed of Innocence is a welcome deviation. Did the author deliver on her promise? Look no further for your summer read. This is the book for you. Did I say that I loved this book?

WILDERNESS by Dean Koontz

Feb 13, Melissa rated it really liked it Shelves: Jordan, for providing me a copy in exchange for a review. Can I say that the cover looks totally kick-ass, but the title holds the mystery? I think I'm in love with the cover and I'm definitely in love with its contents. Breed of Innocence is a fresh take on the paranormal and in essence all those creatues are called "demons" in this world. Now, the summary Goodreads provided doesn't hold much detail, but it gets to the point of what the book is about. Breed of Innocence is abou Thank you, Ms. Breed of Innocence is about a girl trying to get through demon-hunting school, but she's also figuring out who she is along the way.

It's not a character-based book because there's a ton of action going on in here! The CGE is a genetic-research facility for humans along with demons. And no one is the wiser that there's demonic research going on there. This place is top secret and only a selected group can see what the CGE has to offer. Like having a special strain of DNA the CGE is looking for, has associtated with demons, or lost family due to demons. After spending two years trying to find the demon that killed her family, Jade's prayers have been answered as she becomes part of the CGE.

Not only does Jade meet the requirements, but she excels all expectations. If you look past her snarky yet awesome attitude, you see that Jade is an excellent person. She simply wowed me with her personality and snarky remarks. Other than Jade being a cool person, all the other characters were amazing. There were no so-so characters, they were all either love or hate. I couldn't like any of the characters, I had to either love or hate them. Jade and Linc happen to be my favourite characters because they get each other and normally they're in cahoots with each other. The characters were great, but the plot line was phenomenal.

I can't express how much I loved the action going on in here. Because the CGE has to train its new students Prospects , there's some schooling going on.

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And in any school following a high school structure, there's got to be tension. The lessons aren't the main focus in terms of action, it's all about the trouble the characters get into when they go on their practical exams. Let's just say that I was very passionate and vocal while reading the book.

I can't wait to see what Ms. Jordan has in store for the sequel. Fingers crossed that it's as marvelous as this one. At the age of sixteen, Jade Hall is offered an education along with a job as a demon slayer by a mysterious organization called the CGE Consortium of Genetic Engineering. She's had a rough life being shipped from foster home to foster home after losing her family to tragedy, and so without any real stability in her life it's difficult for her to trust anyone. It was refreshing to see a character in a YA novel who has been in the foster care system--young adults reading this book who live in fo At the age of sixteen, Jade Hall is offered an education along with a job as a demon slayer by a mysterious organization called the CGE Consortium of Genetic Engineering.

It was refreshing to see a character in a YA novel who has been in the foster care system--young adults reading this book who live in foster homes or group homes can relate to Jade's background. I found myself drawn to Jade right away--there are so many positive qualities about her such as her sense of humor, courage, and strength.

Jade is determined to hunt down and kill the demon who killed her family, but she isn't reckless about it either. She knows it's important to learn how to hunt and kill before she starts her search for revenge. I'm all about demons--they scare the hell out of me, and there were plenty of tense, scary moments! I loved the relationship between Jade and Linc and the way it developed over time.

The dynamic between them was different and unique. Their banter was so clever, made me laugh, and just fit situations so perfectly! I found myself chuckling loudly more than once. They're easygoing together, and best of all, they're equals; Jade isn't a girl who needs a guy to save her--she's tough all on her own. Felecia is the kind of character I love to hate. Felecia acts like she's tough and is a bully, but when it really comes down to it, she's a coward.

Like a lot of other girls Jade has encountered in the various foster homes she lived in, Felecia does her best to provoke and bully Jade out of jealousy. There really was no other reason for Felecia to have such a vendetta against her, and this actually is a realistic situation among teenage girls unfortunately. The young adults chosen by the CGE all have a rare genetic anomaly that the CGE wants to study, but can the organization be trusted? Are their intentions pure, or is there something more sinister going on? I went back and forth with this--I couldn't decide if they want to help Jade and the others, or if they just want to use them to further their own agenda, whatever that may be.

I tend to distrust large organizations that make a high profit, and it just seemed to me something insidious going on. Isn't there usually some sort of underlying evil in every organization in fiction? This could turn out to be the exception or maybe not. I absolutely loved this book! It was so awesome in every way! There isn't anything about this book that I didn't like.

I was captivated, enthralled, and I want more of this story and the characters. Sep 16, Michelle Willms rated it really liked it Shelves: Two cops Holt and Walden appear at the home and ask to speak privately with Jade. Gill or one of the other girls will be more than happy to blame something on her. Almost two years have passed since that time, but the crime is still vivid in her mind. She saw the murderer. It was a demon. Of course, no one believed her, and the crime remains unsolved.

Jade sneaks out of the group home to hunt demons on a regular basis. At first, she has a hard time believing they are sincere. She will also be required to give DNA for scientific research. Almost immediately upon her arrival she makes friends with a handsome young man, Linc Stone, and enemies with a young woman named Felecia. Lanie Jordan is an excellent author; sometimes the book has an almost Harry Potter-ish feel to it, at least Book One does, for brief instances, as the descriptions of the students, cliques, and classes are discussed.

This is not a bad thing, it is done in an almost teasing manner, lending a comforting feel to the school. The characters are very well developed, most being multi-faceted. Jade can be an emotional rollercoaster, the kind of person who can be fun and loyal, but also tiring if her moods start swinging.

Linc is strong, thoughtful, and an almost perfect friend. Felecia is the most conniving, lowlife enemy one could ever hope to read about. Jordan portrays these people so well through their interactions, they live and breathe; they become beings the reader can care about or love to care nothing about, as the case may be. Had useful details Read my mind Kid, 12 years old March 2, Great Science-Fiction draws on Cinderella tale for captivating read!

Cinder is an interesting combination of a futuristic sci-fi and fairy tale, which, surprisingly, works extremely well. This book makes you look at the common-place Cinderella story in a way you never have before. Set in "New Beijing" the story has stronger ties to the original Chinese Cinderella then the European version which we know better. While the book itself is not rich with educational details, it makes one think. For example, a deadly plague is sweeping the world, and cyborgs are used a guinea pigs, since they're considered not human -- which they aren't fully, but they still think, feel, and care the way humans do.

This raises a few questions that have been very important in history: Is every human a "person"? How should "people" be treated? Is is okay to have citizens who don't have the same rights just because they're different? However, despite these setbacks, Cinder is brave and cares about helping her stepsister, Peony, and friends what she has of them, that is. There is a strong message of freedom, and the book questions if you are truly safe in a world where being safe may mean that you aren't free. There is minimal violence, however, this book is not suitable for very young readers.

A deadly disease kills people quickly, and Cinder is sent -- against her will -- to help them try to find a cure. The Lunar queen kills her subjects, and those who escape don't find a better life on Earth. Sci-fi and fantasy fans alike will enjoy this book as it draws heavily on both. Teen, 14 years old Written by Megaroo August 31, A great Book for teenagers It is a hard subject for younger teens to understand so I would say 14 is a good age for the child to read this book.

Kid, 10 years old February 3, This is the best book ever! I read it when I was 9 and it was a bit easy for me. I was personally horrified when I saw the ratings were for age 12! Cinder is an amazing book. That's just my opinion though. First off is educational value. A bit but not enough that someone would call it learning.

You could say so. It might put out to do whatever you can to get what you want to achieve a goal possibly. If I was a parent I would let my kids read this book at maybe age 8 or 9 depending on their maturity. Unless if you consider a cyborg scary and scary as violent? There's flirting, but nothing too inaproppiate. No language at all.

Teen, 13 years old Written by cait luvs bbc December 30, Cinder starts the series off to a good start The first book in the Lunar Chronicles is fantastic, even though i wish it had a little more similarities to the fairy tale. She tries to hide the fact that she is a cyborg from the prince and that she too is lunar. With the Lunar queen threatening war against Earth and the prince crowned king no good can come from it.

The adventurous novel by Marissa Meyers is a great book for people looking for thrill. Had useful details 5. Kid, 12 years old July 30, Has you craving more with each page I was at a school book fair when I saw this book and thought oh well there is nothing else. When I first got it I read it not with a lot of enthusiasm but then as I kept on progressing I just kept getting more and more excited!

I would say an overall fantastic books for preteens and teens. It has one questionable reference about the ovaries and sex but that was just simply a joke. This reference also was just used in a scientific examination of Cinder's cyborg body. There is also some flirting between Cinder and Prince Kai. There is also a variety of violence and some graphic images of patients with the appending plague. I loved this book so much and read it when I turned twelve I think children 9 or 10 and under may be disturbed by some parts.

Though overall one of my favorite one of my favorite books! Helped me decide 8. Had useful details 4.