Family Pack by Kali Metis REVIEW

Summary:

The novel Family Pack, written by Kali Metis (the pen name for Lisa Kastner) is the follow up novel to Cure and continues the tale of Luna Auber as she discovers her own destiny and provides the origins of the two primary lycanthropic organizations, The Lycanthrope Society which believe that humans and lycanthropes should exist in harmony while The Righteous Group believe that lycanthropes are intended to rule over all other species and Luna's battle to prevent the decimation of the world as she knows it.

My Thoughts:

Luna works at a bakery and lives with her fiance, who just proposed. She receives a call from Birger, a fellow werewolf who helped her in the past who wants her to go back and finish her training. There is also a rumor that Chago, the leader of The Righteous Group, is still alive after being thought dead. We also get flashbacks with the stories of Birger and Chago, who are both very old werewolves, and how both organizations were formed. Luna discovers how special her powers are, and helps the Lycanthrope Society try to make peace with the Righteous Group.

It took some time to get used to reading in 1st POV (it has been awhile for me). Despite Luna being the main character, she is barely in the book, as the flashbacks are more prominent in and to the story in this novel. The flashbacks were, in fact, the best parts of the book, as it was really intriguing to hear Birger's and Chago's stories of survival at a time where werewolves were treated as under humans. Luna's fiance randomly disappears in the book with seemingly no explanation, which seemed odd considering how close the two were at the beginning of the book. There were some spelling/grammatical errors, but it makes sense, considering this is an advanced copy. I did enjoy reading this, but I had to get halfway through the book for that to happen.

My Rating: 3 stars  

The Demon by Victory Witherkeigh REVIEW

Summary:

The Demon is now in full possession of the Girl's body, and she is starting her journey in Berkeley, California. She should be thrilled and ecstatic - the plan worked!

Except she doesn't remember the plan. The Demon has memories of the Girl's life and vague impressions of a deal made with the Filipino warrior LapuLapu. She reconnects with her former master, Death, and discovers that her bargain went against his will.

Death's punishment is beyond her comprehension - enduring the cruelties of morality and leaving her imprisoned in the former Girl's university life. Life experiences, toxic friendships, emotional and physical attachments, and finally, heartbreak prove sadistic even for a Demon.

Can a demon have an identity crisis? What happens when the Demon shows more independence of thought and understanding of the cycle of dependency?

Death isn't the only one waiting to find out . . .

My Thoughts:

The idea of a demon losing her memories once she possesses a human body is a very intriguing thought, and it is explored pretty well, as we follow the demon going through mundane human experiences and get bits and pieces of her memory back at a time. The memories and flashbacks are arguably the best parts of the book, as we see a glimpse of who the demon was and what her life was like before possessing the Girl's body. Instead of food, the demon feeds on portions of a person's lifetime, which is also a cool concept. Normally demons are portrayed to have to feed on souls. 

The characters are very well developed, even the side characters that the demon interacts with. The Girl's family is pretty despicable, but the demon loves her grandmother, who is the only decent family member. The students on the university campus that the demon is around are either likable or unbearable, which is very true in real life as well.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this, and I do hope that there is another book coming out, as the ending does not seem like an ending.

My Rating: 4 stars

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix REVIEW

Summary:

High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes wrong, Gretchen begins to act . . . different. She's moody. She's irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening when she's nearby.

Abby's investigation leads her to some startling discoveries - and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

My Thoughts:

The book starts at the current time, with adult Abby seeing an article about the exorcist's death, and then flashes back to fourth grade, when she first meets Gretchen. Gretchen is the only person who came to her birthday party, and Abby reluctantly begins a friendship with her. Flash forward to high school, and Abby has two more friends: Margaret and Glee. They are at Margaret's lakehouse, drinking alcohol, when they decide to try acid. When the effects start, Gretchen wanders off to jump in the lake and disappears under water for a long time. Once she gets out, Gretchen becomes really sick. When she seems to get better, she starts acting different and mean. After a while of worrying, Abby's worst fears are realized when an exorcist confirms that Gretchen is possessed by a demon, and he volunteers to help.

I really like how fleshed out the characters in this book are. You really care a lot about Abby and Gretchen, and even about some of the other characters as well. The story itself is well-written and easy to read. However, this book was marketed more as a horror novel when most of it isn't. It's more of a coming-of-age story than horror, which is fine, but the description led me to have high expectations of the horror aspect, which in that, it disappointed me.

I would recommend this book, but be aware that it's more high-school drama oriented than horror.

My Rating: 3 stars 

Satan's Affair by H. D. Carlton REVIEW

My Thoughts:

Sibel travels around the country with a haunted house attraction, which is the scariest one in the country that doesn't let the employees touch the guests. She has a secret though - she stays behind the scenes and kills evil men who deserve to die. In Washington, she comes across a ring of men who particularly like children, and kills them with the help of a mysterious stranger named Zade, before being caught by the police.

This novella had so much potential if it was longer. There is little to no character development, no real plot, and is basically just murder and sex. Which could be fine, if there was character development or even a slight plot. The twist at the end just falls flat with no real buildup or anticipation. The book seems to be pieces of a story, and not the full story. It feels more like a draft than an actual published novella.

My Rating: 1 star