Pages

Showing posts with label SM Reine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SM Reine. Show all posts

Friday, 3 January 2014

A Review for Ruled by Steel (Ascension #3) by S.M.Reine

18524834
Posted by Melanie
Release Date:  October 25th, 2013
Finished Date: December 1st, 2013
Publishers: Self Published
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eARC
Pages: 391
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

Only a demon can save the souls trapped in Hell.
Elise Kavanagh failed to prevent the Breaking, and now Hell is spilling onto Earth. Now she's delved deep into the City of Dis in an attempt to stop the infernal armies--but even the legendary Godslayer is unprepared to face Dis's fiercest demons, not to mention the responsibility of liberating the humans they've enslaved.
On Earth, rogue angel Nash Adamson is wing-deep in damage control after the Breaking, and his fellow angels don't want to get involved. War is approaching the werewolf sanctuary. If Heaven won't help them, he'll have to turn to Hell for salvation.
Everything hinges on who can control the Palace of Dis. Elise and her allies have no choice but to rule by steel...

The Review: Ruled by Steel is yet another amazing instalment in the Ascension series…. As the synopsis states, Elise failed to stop the ‘Breaking’ and now Hell is bleeding onto Earth so that now there’s only one option for Elise, she must go to Dis/Hell and take control in an attempt to stop the threat to Earth… whilst on Earth, Nash tries to fight of the demons, get everyone to safety , protect the werewolf sanctuary and rally the angels to help save the humans. Will his pleas fall on deaf ears when his brethren view him as a traitor? Everything hangs on Elise and what she plans to do in Hell. It was great to see Elise back in action, she is still struggling with her need to feed which also links to her evolving emotionally too, she seems to be struggling with her empathy and blaming it on Eves influence – but is it? She’s uncomfortable with being responsible for others, she’s unsure about caring for people, feeling that by doing so will put them in danger and she is still freaked out by peoples declarations of friendship, scared when they get too close, get hurt or worse betray her like James…. But she is letting people in which is a big step and I love the connection she feels towards the pack members, Rylie in particular & also Neuma. I wasn’t sure about the feeding discovery, it seemed a bit weird to me and I like it when she devours demons, it gives her a sort of invincibility in my eyes… but I’m happy to go along with it. I loved the developments between Elise & James, she seems to soften towards him a lot in this and I love how they communicate through their bond. I still have hope but feel it’s a long way off. Our setting changes this time as Elise takes on hell in a big way! I always say this for these books; they would look stunning visually. I loved the setting, the descriptions of Dis, the ‘House of Abraxus’, the palace, the bridge…. Begs to be seen and gave most of the book a different feel, more fantasy, more desperate as the setting opens up to more horror and introduces us to the demon lords of Dis, depraved, power hungry monsters who have the most despicable plans in place for the humans and use those they have in the worst ways. I wanted to know more about these lords, their hierarchy, who each one is and what they do… I loved what we got but there’s always room for more. I liked that we got a viewpoint from more than one place of interest – Earth with Nash, Dis with Elise & some curious places with James – I really enjoyed all of their point of views and they each add something that connects everything so easily. The pack did take a backseat in this as they mourn the loss of a loved one but they still make a big impact and I really love the way they embrace Elise as one of their own. I loved the developments within the story and whilst there is a lot of action, a lot of killing & battle… there are also some twists and turns along the way with some surprising consequences which makes me very excited for the next instalment…. This one was epic so bring on book 4 – Caged in Bone… even the title makes me curious for more. 

Monday, 31 October 2011

A Review for Death's Hand by SM Reine

Posted by Guest Reviewer Melanie 
Published Date: October 21st, 2011
Finished Date: October 27th, 2011
Source: For Review 
Format: Kindle
Pages: Unknown
<
The Blurb from Goodreads: Policing relations between Heaven, Hell, and Earth is messy and violent, but Elise Kavanagh and James Faulkner excelled at it-- until coming across a job so brutal that even they couldn't stand to see one more dead body. Now they've been pretending to be normal for five years, leaving their horrific history a dark secret. Elise works in an office. James owns a business. None of their friends realize they used to be one of the world's best killing teams. After years of hiding, something stirs. Bodies are vanishing. Demons scurry in the shadows of the night. A child has been possessed. Some enemies aren't willing to let the secrets of the past stay dead...
<
The Review: 4.5 out of 5. Death’s Hand is the first in a new series featuring Elise Kavanagh and James Faulkner who are bound together as Kopis & Aspis , that’s Greek for sword and shield, Elise being the warrior and James being her protector.  Its been that way for many years, ever since James found Elise practically dead under suspicious circumstances when she was a teen. Together they took on demons and all manner of hell spawn, banishing them back to where they came from for Elise was also an exorcist. After one particularly bad incident that nearly claimed Elise’s life they both decided to retire from the business and set about living their separate lives . . . . . That is until James asks Elise to investigate the possible possession of an acquaintance’s child and in doing so they open a whole can of worms that everyone will be wishing has stayed shut.
<
I’ll start of by saying that if you’re looking for a nice, sweet, romantic urban fantasy then look elsewhere! This book is gritty, scary and gruesome and full of things that would give you nightmares if you experienced just a fraction of what the main characters had gone through. Elise reminded me of a female Constantine (as in the Keanu Reeves character from the movie of the same name) a capable warrior & exorcist who just wants to get on with her new life as an accountant and forgetting all about anything to do with hell but is thrust into a power play of magnificent proportions. She is equipped with ‘gifts’ that came with her warrior status and both of them have joint abilities through the bond they have. She isn’t your standard UF heroine, she isn’t everyone’s friend, she doesn’t have all the hot men after her and she doesn’t have an unlimited income. What she is, is a genuine kick ass heroine, what she has been through has defined her and she doesn’t let people in easily. Her ‘shield’ is the only person in the world she trusts and would do anything for. Their relationship can’t be defined easily either leaving lots of questions needing answers. James could also be a very deep character and I feel we have a lot to learn about him especially from his ‘witch’ and ‘leader of a coven’ status and hope that gets explored in the books to follow.

The world that’s been created is quite complex but not confusing and we’re only just getting a glimpse of the possibilities of this series. The exorcism quotes alone must have taken some research but it is really intriguing and imaginative, leaving me with lots of questions but definitely wanting more . . . this is my kind of book and I will definitely be looking out for future books in this series and author.
 
Design by Imagination Designs
Graphics by Octopus Artis