Review : Soul Catcher by Leigh Bridger

Title : Soul Catcher

Author : Leigh Bridger

Publisher : Belle Bridge Books Inc

Genre : Urban Fantasy

ISBN : 978-0982175682

Series : #1 The Outsiders

Release Date : October 1, 2009

Rating : 4.5/5 - Very Good!

Description from Goodreads :

From the gothic eccentricity of Asheville, North Carolina to the terrifying recesses of the Appalachian wilderness, from modern demonology to ancient Cherokee mythology, SOUL CATCHER follows the tormented journey of folk artist Livia Belane, who has been stalked through many lives by a sadistic and vengeful demon.

Livia and her loved ones, including her frontier-era soul mate and husband, Ian, a Soul Hunter, have never beaten the demon before. Now, in this life, he s found them again.

Review :

Livia Van Belane has lived many, many lives. She doesn't know this , and when her friends try to tell her, she thinks that they are all crazy. What she doesn't know is that she is a Soul Catcher, and her job is to rid the world of horrible banes and demons. Her friends will have to convince her of her fate, or their lives will be at stake.

Ian is Livia's soul mate, and husband. He has followed her for centuries just to be by her side. Livia doesn't always remember him in her many lives, but now is time for her soul to reveal the secrets it has been holding onto for so long. The truth is both painful, and eye opening, but it is what they need to finally be free of the demon known as Pig Face.

This book had me hook, line, and sinker from the very first page. It was one of those books that when someone tries to pull me out of it, I just about snarl at them. Yes, I can be very violent when it comes to my books and reading. I loved this book, to the point where I was sad that it had to end. Thankfully this is only the first installment of a series, so I'm eagerly awaiting more from this author.

Soul Catcher was different than any other Urban Fantasy that I have gotten my hands on as of late. It had a whole new world that I found riveting. It is full of horrible demons, and their fearsome helpers, banes. It also had creatures that were there to protect the land or their buildings called boons and pogs, which were a new thing for me to read about. I'm excited to see where this series will go next and am very greatful to have been able to review this copy.

Read an excerpt of this book here.

Where did I get this book?

I won this ARC from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

Review : Bleak History by John Shirley

Title : Bleak History

Author : John Shirley

Publisher : Pocket Books

Genre : Urban Fantasy

ISBN : 978-1416584124

Series : No

Rating : 3.5

From Amazon :

CLASSIFIED: APPARENT SUPERNATURAL

Subject: Gabriel Bleak. Status: Civilian. Paranormal skills: Powerful. Able to manipulate AS energies and communicate with UBEs (e.g. "ghosts" and other entities). Psychological profile: Extremely independent, potentially dangerous. Caution is urged....

As far as Gabriel Bleak is concerned, talking to the dead is just another way of making a living. It gives him the competitive edge to survive as a bounty hunter, or "skip tracer," in the psychic minefield known as New York City. Unfortunately, his gift also makes him a prime target. A top-secret division of Homeland Security has been monitoring the recent emergence of human supernaturals, with Gabriel Bleak being the strongest on record. If they control Gabriel, they'll gain access to the Hidden -- the entity-based energy field that connects all life on Earth. But Gabriel's got other ideas. With a growing underground movement called the Shadow Community -- and an uneasy alliance of spirits, elementals, and other beings -- Gabriel's about to face the greatest demonic uprising since the Dark Ages. But this time, history is not going to repeat itself. This time, the future is Bleak. Gabriel Bleak.

Review :

Gabriel Bleak has quite a few supernatural abilities that have distanced him from the people around him. He is able to create energy bullets do defend himself when in a bind, and can even see and talk to ghosts that have not passed to the After. He lives in New York City, and there are others like him, although they have their own specialies. These others are apart of a community of supernaturals, called the ShadowComm, and he's going to need their help to destroy the demonic forces set to take over the world.

Agent Lorraine Sarikosca is part of a top secret part of the government called the Cental Containment Authority, also known as the CCA. They're goal is to find supernaturals in the world, to contain them, and study to. They believe that the powers that these supernaturals wield is dangerous, and may be a harm to the United States. Her first job, to capture Gabriel Bleak. Can she do it?

At first it was difficult for me to get into this story, but I soon became curious as to what would happen to Gabriel Bleak. I kept getting sidetracked, whenever they would skip from his point of view to those of the government suits. I know that I needed to know their side of the story to grasp the whole concept, but I was just not a fan of their side of the story. All I wanted to know was how Gabriel Bleak came into his powers, and how Agent Lorraine Sarikosca was to fit into his life. I'm a sucker for a romance, and I smelled one brewing from the very start.

In a whole, I enjoyed this book, although it took me a little longer to read than most books do. I gave this book a rating of a 3.5, because I did very much enjoy the paranormal aspect, but couldn't seem to get over how the government was trying to control them. It seemed rather harsh, and cruel, to treat another race of peoplet that way, but I guess that is what we call prejudice. This is the first time I've read a book by John Shirley, and he has made a good impression on me with this novel. He is very good at describing the paranormal abilities of his characters, and it drew me in. This novel was action packed, and I'm hoping there will be a sequel, as I would love to know more about Gabriel Bleak and the Shadow Community.

I'd like to personally thank Sarah Reidy of Pocket Books for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book. It was a pleasure to have been one of those few to be apart of the blog tour for this title, and I look forward to working with both Reidy, and Pocket Books in the future.

This book was apart of the August Reading Challenge.

Review : Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

Title : Bone Crossed

Author : Patricia Briggs

Publisher : Ace Publishing

ISBN : 978-0-441-01676-1

Rating: 5

From the Inside Flap :

"Welcome to Patricia Briggs's world, a place where "witches, vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters live beside ordinary people" Booklist. It takes a very unusual woman to call it home-and there's no one quite like Mercy Thompson.

By day, Mercy is a car mechanic in the sprawling Tri-Cities of Eastern Washington. By night, she explores her preternatural side. As a shapeshifter with some unique talents, Mercy has often found herself having to maintain a tenuous harmony between the human and the no so human. This time she may get more than she bargained for.

Marsilia, the local Vampire Queen, has learned that Mercy crossed her by slaying a member of her clan - and she's out for blood. But since Mercy is protected from direct reprisal by the werefolf pack (and her close relationship with its sexy Alpha, it won't be Mercy's blood Marsilia is after.

It'll be her friends."

Review :

When Stefen, Mercy's vampire friend shows up beaten and starving on her living room floor, Mercy knows she is in for a world of trouble. Not long after, a not so friendly enemy, Amber, from college shows up on her doorstep looking for help with a ghost problem. With the damage done to her garage, and the threat on her head from the local Vampire Queen, Marsilia, Mercy and her friends think it's best that she head to Spokane to help Amber and her family with their little haunting.

It's not long before Mercy finds herself in far more trouble than she's ever been in. She's caught the attention of the local Vampire of Spokane, and he's not too keen on trespassers. Mercy has to find a way to rid herself of all the vampires on her tail, but how is she to do that?

I loved this fourth installment of the Mercedes Thompson Series. Mercy is a strong, independant character, and is not afraid to stand up for herself. I love the fact that no matter what the situation Mercy can sit tight and roll with the punches. She shows fear, but doesn't let it hold her down, and she's not afraid to ask for help if she is overwhelmed.

I'm eagerly anticipating the fifth installment to this series, Silver Borne, and any that may follow. According to Patricia Brigg's website, their is to be a total of seven Mercy Thompson books released, and possibly even more. I can only hope there are many more, because this is a great series!