Review: The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams (Incarnation #1)

Title: The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

Published: January 3^rd, 2012 by Simon & Schuster

Format: Hardcover

Source: Purchased

Challenge(s):  TBR Pile

Grade rate: B-

Seraphina has been alive since the 1300's, made immortal when the boy she was beginning to love back then, Cyrus, saved her from death with a strange liquid - a method of alchemy that lets them swap bodies with any human being. But now, in modern day America, Sera has decided that she can no longer bear the weight of stealing people's lives so she can keep living on. So she decides to run away from Cyrus and end her stolen existence once and for all. Her plan goes awry when she accidentally takes the body of a dying teenager and feels forced to take over her life. When the lines between Sera and Kailey's identity begin to blur, Sera finds a reason to desire to live once more. But she can't shake the guilt of having taken Kailey's life, even if she was dying. And what if Cyrus finds her?

My Review

I had high expectations for The Alchemy of Forever and I’m sad to say it didn’t entirely meet them. 

Sera is a strange character.  She has been alive for a long time, and has finally had enough of living and of taking lives in order to do so.  I do understand her disillusionment and eagerness to just stop, I just don’t agree with the way she went about it.  She did make an awful number of mistakes with her escape plan; I don’t want to go into details so I don’t spoil the story for you.  Sera is a good person, but also a bit lost since Cyrus always took care of everything.  When she takes over Kailey’s life she has to pass herself for a teenager, without having a clue how to act.  It’s apparent that Kailey was very controlling, a bit volatile, with strong opinions on everything and a snob.  Sera/Kailey acts in a complete different way that it’s out of character, but since the changes are good everyone is will to accept them at face value.

Cyrus was an evil, controlling, and intolerant and I don’t understand why Sera didn’t find a way to get rid of him instead (sorry of the violent thoughts!)   Noah was actually very sweet, he is Kailey’s childhood friend and he is obviously in love with her.  Their romance was believable, and didn’t feel ‘instant’.

One of the things I love the most was Kailey’s family dynamics, this is actually a very close knitted family, which is always refreshing to see. 

The plot is a new approach to alchemy that involves ‘body hopping’, but unfortunately the ‘body’ needs to be dead for the alchemist to take over.  This part is a bit creepy and totally unnatural; I wish that there was more background information about it and about the life of the coven.  The story is quite short, the writing is easy to read and with a comfortable pace.  The ending was a cliffhanger which I never appreciate :(

Overall The Alchemy of Forever is a quick, easy read.  The next installment, The Impossibility of Tomorrow, will be published in January of next year and will patiently (*cough*) wait for it.

About the cover:  The cover is truly beautiful, with a little sheen to it.  In it we see Sera and various reflections of her.

Review: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Title: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Published: May 9^th, 2011

Source: Purchased

Format: Hardcover

Challenge(s): TBR Pile

Grade rate: B-

This is an adult book!

Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville. While growing up, Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual at every funeral: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words, "Sleep well, and stay where I put you." 
Now Maylene is gone and Bek must return to the hometown—and the man—she abandoned a decade ago, only to discover that Maylene's death was not natural . . . and there was good reason for her odd traditions. In Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected—and beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D. From this dark place the deceased will return if their graves are not properly minded. And only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk. 

My Review

Hmm… I’m not quite sure how to explain this book, but I will try my best.  It was different in an interestingly-creepy sort of way.

Probably my biggest ‘issue’ is that I didn’t care much for Rebekkah.  She is supposed to be mature adult (she’s about 28) and most of the time acted like an insecure teenager, for some reason this bugged me.  I know that at some degree, the graveminder heritage was of a ‘paranormal’ nature, but she was skeptical and actually acting quite dumb about it and the next minute she was acting like she was born to be the graveminder.  I did like Byron, he seemed more realistic about things and tried to do his duty to the best of his ability.  I also enjoyed Amity’s character and other minor characters in the story.  Daisha was another interesting case; because she is essentially a ‘bad’ character turned ‘good’ (I’m using very relative terms here).

The plot was interesting and intriguing, but it felt a little fragmented to me.  Let me explain, I did like the overall story, but I don’t think we have all the background information we need to really understand and also it seems like different stories running parallel to the main one.   The story is told in the third person from different points of view, which is very refreshing after reading so much YA lately.  The writing is lyrical and well-paced.  This book was written as a stand-alone, but it seems like there is potential for series since there are a few loose ends at the end.

Overall Graveminder is a good try for the author of the Wicked Lovely series into the realm of adult novels.  If you like mystery / paranormal you will enjoy Graveminder. 

About the cover:  I don’t think the cover has anything to do with the story, but it is creepy though.

Review: The Demon Trapper’s Daughter by Jana Oliver (The Demon Trappers #1)

Title: The Demon Trapper’s Daughter by Jana Oliver

Published: February 1^st, 2011 by St. Martin’s Griffin

Source: Purchased

Format: Paperback

Challenge(s):2012 TBR Pile Challenge

Grade rate: B

Demon Trapper Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself—and that’s exactly what Lucifer is counting on…

It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.

My Review

I had The Demon Trapper’s Daughter in my TBR list for a while and I actually own copies of this book and book #2 in the series.  This book was an enjoyable and a little surprising to me.

Our kick-ass heroine is Riley, daughter of renowned demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne.  Riley is tries to be a good person and wants to be a good trapper.  She has gone through a lot and it seems like trouble follows her around, or maybe she is a little impulsive and doesn’t think things through.  Riley is relatively new and inexperienced trapper, but she is willing to learn. 

Simon is Riley’s love interest, but for some reason I cannot like him.  He is the type of person that sees the world as black or white, good or bad.  He is handsome, good, and responsible and he really cares about Riley, but it seems to be like the relationship develops way to fast.  Now, I love Beck!  He is much less likable, but with more layers and more depth than Simon.  He has his own set of rules and it works for him.  I would love to see more of Beck in the next book (if only Riley will see that and stop being so tough on him!) There are many other characters in the book, both good (Peter, Ari) and bad (Harper) that makes this "alternate world” believable.

The plot and the story are very original.  It takes place in Atlanta (love the setting) in a world were demons exist and are very common.  The demons are very different and range from three inches to over seven feet in height and have diverse powers and classifications.  The writing is straight forward and easy to read.  I will definitely read the second book in the series.

About the cover – I really like the US cover better than the UK (on the left). I like the red color (and its significance), the wings, the city at the background and Riley looking over it with a sphere in hand.