Book Review: Bound

Title: Bound by Erica O’Rourke
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Publisher: Kensington
Pages: 350 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary: Mo Fitzgerald has made her choice: A life in Chicago. A future with Colin. To leave behind the enigmatic Luc and the world of the Arcs. But the more she struggles to keep her magic and mortal lives separate, the deadlier the consequences. In the end, Mo must risk everything--her life, her heart, her future--or lose it all.

I love it when a trilogy ends and everything gets tied up in a satisfying way. It’s not that everything ends perfectly and happily ever after, but even with the bitter sweetness of it all, everything ends as it should be. Bound does that for the Torn trilogy and is easily the best book in the series.

I love the plot in Bound. There are lots of twists and betrayals worthy of any book involving both magic and the mob. As both sides of Mo’s crazy world start to bleed together, the stakes get so much higher and more exciting.

As always, Mo is the most interesting character and she definitely comes into her own in Bound. While the two groups (the mobsters and the magical Arcs) in her life don’t think much of her and try to use her to further their agendas, Mo proves that they underestimated her in big ways. I love the way she navigates both worlds and finally makes a place for herself.

While I loved the plot in Bound, I’m not a big fan of the romance and love triangle in the book. Mo declares her commitment to one boy and begs him to take her virginity and a little later on, she makes the same commitment to another boy and begs him to do the same. Honestly, her feelings of commitment did not feel real to me. It just seemed the Mo wanted to have sex and would stay with the guy who would sleep with her.

Bound has an awesome, exciting plot, tons of action and twisty surprises that I did not see coming. My issues with the romance aside, this is the most exciting book in the series. If you are looking for something different in YA books, this unique trilogy may be it.

Content: Kissing, sex, profanity and violence. More appropriate for older/more mature teens.

My Rating: Really Good!

Book Review: Tangled

Title: Tangled by Erica O’Rourke

Release Date: Jan. 31, 2012
Publisher: Kensington
Pages: 313 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Publisher

Goodreads Summary: Constance started to keen as the air around us began to thrash and twist, the caustic scent of ozone burning my nose. As I watched, her dark gold hair began to lift and kink into knots.

“I’m here. It’ll be okay.” It was the last thing I said before my best friend’s little sister went supernova in the second-floor girls’ bathroom, taking me with her.

A month ago, Mo Fitzgerald risked her life to stop an ancient prophecy and avenge her best friend's murder. Now, she only wants to keep her loved ones safe. But the magic—and the Chicago Mob—have other plans.

Mysterious, green-eyed Luc is back, asking for help—and a second chance. Colin, her strongest protector, is hiding a shocking secret. And inside Constance, the magic is about to go terribly wrong. Tangled in a web of love and betrayal, Mo must choose between the life she's dreamed of and the one she's destined for.

All Mo wants to do is get away from the magic and the mob but they just keep pulling her back in. Tangled picks up about a month after where Torn, the first book in the series, ended. Torn was all about avenging the death of Verity, Mo’s best friend, but Mo had to make sacrifices to get justice. Having done what she needed to do, Mo just wants her normal, invisible life back but no one will let her have it ever again.

The series is partially set in Chicago where Mo’s uncle is connected to the mob and partially set in New Orleans where a secret society of Arcs, people who can pull on the magic in the Earth’s elements, are headquartered. In many ways, the Arcs are no different than the mob: they are ruthless and will sacrifice anyone to get what they want.

Unfortunately, Mo is caught between both groups as well as some other characters, all of whom have their own agendas and almost none of them care about Mo’s well being. Mo realizes that she will never have normal again and that her dream of moving away from all of it may not be possible.

The love triangle from Torn continues in Tangled with Mo being pursued by magical Luc with his sexy Louisiana drawl and being drawn to Colin, her bodyguard with his mob ties and secrets. Both boys have their pros and cons and Mo does spend most of the book undecided about which one she is going to be with. One of the things I like about the book is that Mo’s character does grow throughout the story and she emerges a lot surer of herself than when she started. This confidence also extends to her decisions about the love triangle and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Bound, to see how she deals with the mob, the magic and the men.

Tangled is exciting, fast paced and the combination of magic and the mob is very cool. If you have not started this series yet, you really should. The series stand out from other books in the YA paranormal market and is definitely worth reading. Bound will be released in October 2012 and I'm looking forward to it.

Content: Profanity, kissing and violence

My Rating: Really Good!

In My Mailbox (My First!)

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren. I love reading about what’s in other people’s IMMs and commenting on them but have never done one myself. I figured this was a good week to start so here is my first IMM! This week, I got the following books:

For Review:
Dark Eden by Patrick Carman (Thank you, HarperCollins)
Tangled (Torn #2) by Erica O’Rourke (Thank you, Kensington)
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts (Thank you, S&S Galley Grab)

Purchased:
Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Won:
Saltwater Vampires by Kristy Eagar (Thank you, Jenny from Supernatural Snark)

What did you get in your mailbox? 

Book Review: Torn

Title: Torn by Erica O’Rourke
Release Date: June 26, 2011
Publisher: Kensington
Pages: 336 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Borrowed from the fantastic Neri (In the Name of Books)!

Goodreads Summary: Everyone has secrets. Even best friends.

Swirling black descends like ravens, large enough to block the glow of the streetlights. A dull roar starts like a train on the 'L', a far-away rumbling that grows louder as it pulls closer, until it's directly overhead and you feel it in your chest, except this doesn't pass you by. Verity, white-faced and eyes blazing, shouts through the din, "Run, Mo!"

Mo Fitzgerald knows about secrets. But when she witnesses her best friend's murder, she discovers Verity was hiding things she never could have guessed. To find the answers she needs and the vengeance she craves, Mo—quiet, ordinary, unmagical Mo—will have to enter a world of raw magic and shifting alliances. And she'll have to choose between two very different, equally dangerous guys—protective, duty-bound Colin and brash, mysterious Luc. One wants to save her, one wants to claim her. Which would you choose?

Maura “Mo” Fitzgerald and her best friend Verity get attacked while out one night. With Mo’s family connections to the mob, everyone assumes that she was the target of a hit that went wrong and killed Verity instead. Everyone except Mo that is because she saw the creatures that attacked and they may not have been human.

Mo is a likable, smart girl who is a bit shy but was never jealous of Verity who constantly got the spotlight and the attention. We get to know Verity through Mo’s memories and in flashbacks and the two girls have a good, solid friendship. After the attack, Mo struggles to come to terms with Verity’s death and the fact that her best friend was keeping secrets from her. One of those secrets is the dangerously handsome and charismatic Luc who may have been Verity’s boyfriend and who also holds the answers to Mo’s questions. Mo’s life is further complicated by the equally handsome Colin who has been hired to protect her but it’s hard for a girl to solve a murder mystery when her every move is being watched.

Torn is a great combination of magic and the mob. The story is fast paced and exciting. Mo finds herself caught up in the dark and deadly world of powerful magic that she never knew existed and the mob world that she always knew but tried to distance herself from.

Once you start reading Torn, it’s hard to put down. I want to know more about the world of magic that Luc grew up in and more about Colin’s back story. I loved Torn and can’t wait to read the sequel, Tangled, which comes out in February of next year. The covers of these books are so gorgeous and striking…..

Content: Profanity, kissing and violence. More appropriate for older teens.