Mundie Moms

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Compulsion by Martina Boone, Book Review



By: Martina Boone
Published by: Simon Pulse
To Be Released on: 10.28.14
Source: arc from publisher at BEA
Pre-Order it from: IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Book Depository 
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Three plantations. Two gifts. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunts South Carolina plantation insteada prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who somehow seems to know what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her familys twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isnt what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Ghosts, curses, magic and romance. Martina Boone's Compulsion is a fabulous gothic debut with plenty of Southern charm and alluring history.

I love a well developed Southern Gothic story. What Martina has created was mesmerizing. I was hooked from the moment I started reading Compulsion. From her characters and their rich back stories, to being enticed by Barrie's quest for answers, and uncovering the history of the curses that have spanned generations on her family's land as well as the other two founding families on Watson Island. I enjoyed being swept away in Compulsion's world of magic, lore, curses and danger. The history this book has is fascinating. I loved it. I'm a sucker for a rich history, and Martina created one that had me looking things up to see if it was fact or fiction, it was so well crafted. 

There was this element of excitement I felt from reading Barrie's story. Having never been to Watson's Island until now, there is a lot for her to learn, and adjust to. Barrie is the key to unlocking the secrets and mystery that have surrounded the island and her family for generations. In her quest for answers, Barrie discovers that there is more to the history and curses that tie her to her family's land than she first thought. Her compulsion won't let her rest until she gets the answers, and finds what the spirits are leading her to. Thankfully not only does she have her Aunt to give her some answers, she has the help of Eight.

Talk about a southern gentleman. Eight is, well I'll just say that we all know that characters with a number name can wreck havoc on our hearts. Eight has set a new standard. Eight hails from one of the three founding families on Watson Island, and like Barrie's family, he too has a gift. I liked how he not only helps Barrie learn the way of their island, he helps her understand their tie to it, and their gift/compulsion. One of the things I loved about Eight, is even when he knew what was best for Barrie, and knew what she wanted, he allowed her to make her own choices. Barrie might not have grown up in the south, but she's a strong, stubborn southern girl who won't be told what to do. Thankfully there were times she would listen to Eight's advice, even if she didn't always take it. I seriously loved the bickering these two had. It was so natural, and at times comical. 

The romance. *sigh* I love a great southern romance, and there is plenty of that in this book. It's not the kind of romance that steals the center stage. Instead, it's one that constantly simmers in the back ground. It's not just the natural romance that developed between Barrie and Eight that I loved, but the romances that are richly embedded into the history between their families, and the third founding family's history. It's at the heart of that, where the mystery, and the heartbreaking past collide. I like how Martina didn't rush how the secrets of the past were revealed or how they effected the characters in the story. There's so much that is wrapped up into the story that I want to talk about. The way in which Martina wrote everything is so beautifully paced and so well crafted. It's kind of like a well wrapped present. Part of you wants to rip it open and find out what's inside of it, and the other part of you wants to savor each moment you spend unwrapping it.

Compulsion is one heck of a southern gothic YA read. The entire book comes to life with that southern gothic feel I find myself getting easily sucked in to. No detail great or small was left out of the story. The past and present collided perfectly. The romance was intoxicating, and developed effortlessly. The characters were fabulous. I adore Barrie's Aunt and Mark. Oh Mark. What a fabulous secondary character! Overall, this is one book I'd definitely recommend picking up. If this is Martina's debut, I can only imagine how her sequel will be!

5 stars!

Check out my interview with Martina here & enter to win all that you see below, HERE.


UNMARKED (The Legion #2) by Kami Garcia, Book Review


By: Kami Garcia
Published by: Little Brown
Released on: 9.30.14
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Source: book from publisher to review

He is here... and he could be anyone.

Kennedy Waters lives in a world where vengeance spirits kill, ghosts keep secrets, and a demon walks among us–a demon she accidentally set free. 

Now Kennedy and the other Legion members–Alara, Priest, Lukas, and Jared–have to hunt him down. As they learn more about the history of the Legion and the Illuminati, Kennedy realizes that the greatest mystery of all does not belong to any secret order, but to her own family. With the clock ticking and the life of someone she loves hanging in the balance, Kennedy has to ask the question she fears most: what is it about her past that has left her Unmarked?


This sequel out did it's debut! It's haunting, heartbreaking, and a little horrifying. Kennedy's worst nightmares are coming true, and it seems as though there is no way to stop them. Especially when she has a powerful demon after her, and he can become anyone. Constantly on guard, Kennedy and her friends uncover shocking truths, betrayals and learn to either face their fears or have them consume them. 

Kami Garcia doesn't hold back in this book. UNMARKED is action packed. There are demons, ghosts, hauntings, supernatural events, and some serious butt kicking happens in this book. Let's just say that Kennedy and her friends don't hold back on their fighting off the demons, and the demons definitely don't hold back either. Much like when I watch Supernatural, I found myself on edge and a little jumpy at times with this book. The way Garcia wrote the scenes in this book made it easy for me to quickly get absorbed into the story and all that was going on. Hence my jumpiness at times. I liked that I wasn't excepting it be that on edge. Thankfully there are some moments with Kennedy and her friends that provided that right amount of humor that was needed. 

Oh Kennedy! I love it when an author allows their characters to grow and develop over the course of their series. That's something I felt Garcia does well with Kennedy. There are some serious betrayals and secrets that are revealed in this book, and much like when Kennedy was first thrust into this world, she makes the most of it, and looks for a solution to fix what's going on. But not in that's make everything go back to the way it was kind of way. She's brave, incredibly strong, and will do whatever it takes to make things right. One of those things is righting her accidental freeing of one of the most powerful demons, who's now after her. In the midst of that's going on, Kennedy also learns to accept some shocking revelations. I liked that she doesn't back down from anything, and I admire her for that. She doesn't scare easily, though she is vulnerable in fear of what can happen to those she's come to love.

Speaking of love, Hello romance! I love the way Garcia has developed Jared and Kennedy's relationship. It's sweet, intense, slow burning, and awesome all wrapped up together. Unfortunately for them with all that's going on, they don't get a lot of one on one time together, so those little touches, and sweet stolen moments, though few, are always bittersweet, and leave me wanting more. Oh Jared! I swear he's Kennedy's perfect match. I like that he's the one that completes her weakness with his strength. Like Kennedy, Jared definitely isn't scared of much. I mean the guy hunts evil things, what's there to be afraid of right? It's funny how demons have a way of toying with your fears, because the thing both Kennedy and Jared fear the most is about to come true.

Garcia has done a fabulous job at playing with my emotions in this book. Just as I think things will be fine, she totally throws me for a loop in the HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME kind of way. Mixed into the awesomeness of UNMARKED's action packed plot, it's oh so well written romance, and the creepiness that kept me on edge, is a freaking cliff hanger from hell. Like literally. No pun intended, though now I might be laughing at how I just worded that. Somehow I should have seen that twist coming, and I didn't, and now I need the next book in my hands. Like now. I really enjoyed UNMARKED, and I have to say, unless there are spiders, dolls with eyes that open and close, and clowns, it takes a lot to keep me on edge, and Garcia definitely kept me on edge. It was awesome. I totally recommend picking up this sequel. 

4.5 stars! 

* Check out my UNMARKED blog tour post here & enter to win!

Stolen by Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston; Waiting on Wednesday #228



By: Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston
Published by: Putnam
To Be Released on: 11.18.14
Series: Heart of Dread #2
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Nat and her drakon are the last of their kind—sworn to protect what their enemies seek to control—and she’s risked her life for their reunion. But fighting for the majestic Blue meant saying goodbye to Wes, breaking both their hearts. Back in New Vegas, citizens are threatened by the resurgence of magic and declare war on all the marked. 

Wes and his team travel to the extravagant indoor city of El Dorado looking for his sister, but when they are caught on the wrong side of the RSA’s strict new laws, Wes is forced to do the unthinkable—surrender and rejoin the military's quest to uncover the magical source, the same land Nat is struggling to protect. 

Now he and Nat find themselves on opposing sides of a war that could potentially destroy what’s left of the world.

I LOVED Frozen and I can not wait to jump back into Nat's world. I'm holding out hope for Nat & Wes. What book are you waiting to get your hands on?

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