Category: Paranormal

New Adult/Adult, Paranormal

Haze by Rebecca Crunden

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Pages: 265

Publisher: Independent

Release Date: August 6, 2018

Genre(s): Contemporary with Paranormal Elements

Format: PDF Copy from Author

*** I received a copy of Haze from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts/opinions in the review below are all my own and have not been influenced by this exchange in any way.***

Goodreads Synopsis

“When Eliza Owens gets a phone call in the middle of the night from a girl she’s never met, she doesn’t know what to think. The girl introduces herself as Paige, and says she used to date Erik Stern, Eliza’s fiancé. What’s more, she has something important to discuss.

The only problem? Paige has been dead for years.

Believing it to be a sick prank, Eliza tries to force it from her mind until Sam, Eliza’s older sister, tells her she met Paige only a few weeks before. And, according to Sam, Paige has nothing nice to say about Erik.

The fight which follows shatters the lives of everyone involved, and Erik disappears without a trace.

Five years later, Erik returns to town after his father’s death. Old wounds quickly resurface, and with them several burning questions. None the least of which is: Who spoke to Eliza and Sam if it wasn’t Paige? And why?” 

What Did I Think?

To describe this book in a few words …. dark, mysterious, and downright spooky!

The overall concept of Haze fascinated me from the get-go. The vibe is probably split 50/50 between contemporary and paranormal, which I found really intriguing, given that I haven’t encountered other books with such an even mix of both before. Though the narration isn’t truly alternating between our main protagonists, I found myself really enjoying learning about what Erik and Eliza were doing separately just as much as I liked the moments when the story was being told with them in the same location. I’m a total sucker for anything in books that breaks from the normal text, so seeing those journal entries pieced into Haze was so cool to see. Though the main plotline of the book is pretty intense and serious, I think the humor in the dialogue between characters kept me engaged and from getting too sad about the events that sparked our characters’ adventures. While Haze isn’t something I likely would have picked up on my own due to it being on the darker side of things, I thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace and exploring a novel with an overall concept so different from anything I’ve read before.

Though I’ve never experienced half of what Eliza, our main protagonist, has gone through in her life, I found myself so sympathetic to her cause, even when she turned to not-so-great habits to cope with these hardships. After the death of someone very close to her and another just up and leaving, it seemed perfectly reasonable for Eliza to crack and sink to her lowest point. I appreciated the realness we got to see from her character during this time even though it totally did break my heart to read about. However, Eliza’s fiery personality we see at the very beginning of the book is never fully smothered. I lived for the moments when she would put her foot down and stand her ground, even when I thought she was totally crazy for doing whatever it was she insisted on — it’s the effort and drive that counts, right? My favorite moments from Eliza were those where she used her inner strength to help pull others out from under the control of their own personal demons (though it was a little hypocritical in some instances). It didn’t happen often, but I couldn’t help but appreciate this compassionate yet insistent side to Eliza that I also think helped her move past her anger and bitterness for life. As a whole, I liked Eliza’s character okay, though I did find it difficult to connect with her in any real way outside of just being sympathetic to the struggles she has been going through since tragedy struck.

I found that I had a stronger connection with our second main protagonist, Erik. While I couldn’t connect with the tragedy he’s had to face and the people of Riverside’s general wariness of him due to his father’s past sins, I think his reserved yet sincere personality is similar to mine, making it easier for me to understand his motives (even if I didn’t always agree with how he approached things). I appreciated the fact that while Erik has made some pretty terrible choices in life, he does his absolute best to atone for his actions and make it up to the people he’s hurt. I also loved the fact that he didn’t hide what he was feeling or mince words — he’s always quick to tell Eliza how he feels about things, even though she did her best to avoid any emotional topics (to her own detriment, I think!). Overall, Erik’s charismatic nature was kind of hard to resist, and I couldn’t help but respect him all the more for how hard he tries to make up for time lost in Riverside with those he cares about.

I’ll be the first to admit that if there had been no Miles in this book, there’s a good chance it would have been way too dark for my psyche to handle. This dude brought all the humor, laughter, and a good time to all the situations he was put through and did so with a great attitude. I loved the banter he carries on with both Eliza and Erik, as well as how he wasn’t afraid to give them a piece of his mind when they needed it. I think everyone needs a friend like Miles in their life — funny, loyal, and ready to face whatever comes his people’s way right along side them!

While I very much enjoyed Haze, there were some things I wasn’t super keen on. One of the main issues I had dealt with the lack of development from the main characters. I thought there were so many times where a moment would help one of our protagonist start to change course but never did. While not all characters have to have a huge amount of development, it just seemed like all of them stayed relatively stagnant throughout the course of the novel — I just expected so much more from them, in the end. I also had some issues with pacing. I’m a huge fan of fast-paced plots, but this one almost moved TOO fast, leaving some plot holes and the storyline feeling rather incomplete in the end. I think slowing down the action and spending some additional time on transitions (i.e. making it clear when a character left one place to go to another, as one example) would have made the plot a little more clear and easier to follow. The only other component of Haze I just wasn’t sold on was the ending bit. No spoilers, but it just went too far into the paranormal. Did I enjoy it? Totally, but it didn’t work for me in terms of consistency with the rest of the book.

Haze is a quick read sure to satisfy any reader’s paranormal contemporary romance craving! It was spooky, funny, and a whole barrel of mystery I had a blast uncovering alongside our crew of characters. If you’re looking for a dark, ghostly read to get you in the mood for the fall season/Halloween, Haze would be the perfect choice!

Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

***NOTE: While nothing is necessarily explicit, there are certainly mature themes mentioned on more than one occasion (drug usage, some components of romance, and violence) that you should be aware of before giving Haze a read!***

If you are a fan of the New Adult/Adult paranormal/paranormal romance genres and don’t mind a substantially dark read, Haze is the perfect choice for you!

I’d also recommend Haze to fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Don’t Look Back and Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush series.

New Adult/Adult, Paranormal

Torn by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Pages: 360

Series: The Wicked Trilogy #2

Publisher: Jennifer L. Armentrout (Self-Published)

Release Date: July 19, 2016

Genre(s): Paranormal with Romantic Elements

Format: Paperback

*If you have not read the first book in this series (Wicked) , please stop reading this review now! SPOILERS FOLLOW for Book #1!*

Goodreads Synopsis

“Torn between duty and survival, nothing can be the same.

Everything Ivy Morgan thought she knew has been turned on its head. After being betrayed and then nearly killed by the Prince of the Fae, she’s left bruised and devastated—and with an earth-shattering secret that she must keep at all costs. And if the Order finds out her secret, they’ll kill her.

Then there’s Ren Owens, the sexy, tattooed Elite member of the Order who has been sharing Ivy’s bed and claiming her heart. Their chemistry is smoking hot, but Ivy knows that Ren has always valued his duty to the Order above all else—he could never touch her if he knew the truth. That is, if he let her live at all. Yet how can she live with herself if she lies to him?

But as the Fae Prince begins to close in, intent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld, Ivy is running out of options. If she doesn’t figure out who she can trust—and fast—it’s not only her heart that will be torn apart, but civilization itself.”

What Did I Think?

Guys I frick frackin’ LOVED this book! A lot of times the second book in a series is the hardest to write, as it has to pull together ideas from the first book while setting the stage for the third, but this book was one of my favorite second books in a series of all time!

Instead of going into the overall concept (which you already know I love from my review of Wicked), let’s talk about how are characters are adjusting to life after that crazy plot twist JLA threw at us at the end of Wicked! Like with most of her books, I fall more and more in love with the characters she creates as a series goes on. I mean yeah, they literally stomp all over my heart every time, but for some reason I keep coming back (and it’s totally worth it each time, I swear!).

I respected Ivy so much more in this book than I did in the first one. Throughout the course of Torn, she was very anxious and kept to herself a lot, and I really don’t blame her, considering the entire Order demanded that the halfling (aka Ivy) be killed on-site. This distance Ivy was keeping definitely changed the relationship she had with Ren– it basically made it non-existent for a time, which drove me literally insane because I ship them so hard– but at the same time, I thought her reaction was super understandable and realistic, given the circumstances. It’s human nature to want to fight for your survival, and I think Ivy’s approach to trying to do so made total sense and felt real, even though it was clear she hated having to isolate herself from those she loved to keep them (and herself) out of harm’s way. The perseverance and bravery we see from Ivy in Torn is definitely going to make her a stronger character come the third book, and I can’t wait to see how her character deals with the next set of obstacles she has thrown her way in Book Three!

A short letter to my good friend, Ren: Oh, Ren. I love ya, buddy, but you CRUSHED MY SOUL in this book. I get it, I totally do, but I still expect you to make it up to me (and Ivy, but mostly me) in the next book. In all seriousness, though, Ren’s personality stayed pretty true to what it was in the first book– sweet, hilarious, and oh so lovable, even when he was being a dummy. I wish I could give you all the juicy deets about why I have such mixed feelings about Ren’s actions in this book, but you’ll just have to read it for yourself to find out why I’m so conflicted! I will say that he redeemed himself towards the end of the book, but I can’t help but hold a little bit of a grudge because I expected so much more from him (ughh… why do I sound like a disappointed parent here? Regardless, it’s the truth, yo).

Last but certainly not least, MY MAN TINK! If anyone who’s read this book says that don’t like Tink, you definitely shouldn’t be hanging out with them because they are CRAY! He added so much humor to a book that had some pretty dark moments, and I love when his hidden knowledge of all things Fae and demons comes out when you least expect it! Some big things happened for Tink in this book, and I can’t wait to see what shenanigans he gets into in the next book!

Andddd we are down to my final thoughts! The pacing for this book was right on the money. I didn’t find myself skimming, and I was completely focused and invested in all this book had to offer from beginning to end. The characters demand attention from the audience, and I am so here for how much our MCs have developed in just the first two books. JLA’s writing style is so beautiful and compelling, and her books always take the reader on some of the best (and most insane) journeys ever–Torn could be one of the wildest yet!

Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

*TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains very mature content (both in terms of violence and romantic themes) that exceeds that of the first book in the series, so I would only recommend individuals 18+ give it a read!*

This recommendation is obvious as HECK, but if you loved Wicked, you should definitely be reading this book like right now!

New Adult/Adult, Paranormal

Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Pages: 375

Series: The Wicked Trilogy #1

Publisher: Jennifer L. Armentrout (Self-Published)

Release Date: December 8, 2014

Genre(s): Paranormal with Romantic Elements

Format: Paperback

Goodreads Synopsis

“Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.”

What Did I Think?

Let’s dive right into my thoughts on the overall concept/construct of this bad boy! Jennifer L. Armentrout is literally the queen of paranormal, and Wicked was no exception to this rule! I loved the New Orleans setting and how Jennifer combined paranormal elements with some real New Orleans’ hot-spots (Cafe Du Monde beignets, anyone?). Her world-building was well constructed, and I loved how all the moving parts in this book worked so well together.

Hate me if you must, but at the beginning of this book, I was not a huge fan of Ivy. I just felt like she was doing the whole “woes me” thing (understandable, to an extent, but STILL), and it wasn’t until learning about her past that I was finally member of the Team Ivy fan club. While she is totally kick butt at her job (and in all things life, to be honest), other members of The Order had little to no respect for her and thought she was crazy, which was just plain irritating to read because all of us readers know how awesome she is. However, I appreciated the fact that she didn’t let them deter her from doing her job and doing it better than most of the other members of The Order, nonetheless. The determination that she had to do what she thought was right even if The Order didn’t approve was one of the traits I admired most about her and I think served her so well as various events started to go down.

Can we please just take a moment and focus on REN? So good looking, so freaking awesome, and so funny and witty, ughh. Pretty dang close to a perfect specimen, if you ask me. As much as I wanted to resist his charms, it was an epic fail. I loved how he didn’t baby Ivy and gave it to her straight, especially at the beginning when she was kind of a hot mess. I also really appreciated his levelheadedness, as it helped balance out Ivy’s fiery temper. Needless to say, I’m totally on board the #Revy ship, folks (yes, I just made that ship name up because they make such a great pairing!). Ren’s relationship with Tink also literally almost killed me. It was so funny to watch them bicker back and forth, but with such a fondness for one another, even if they’d never admit it! I hope these two become BFFs as the series continues.

You didn’t think I’d leave this little (sometimes big) guy out, did you? Tink has got to be one of my favorite characters of all time! If you love characters that have literally no filter but loyal to those they love to whatever end, you’re sure to be obsessed with him too! My favorite part of his characterization is that he is so wise. We don’t know all that much about his past, but it’s clear that it has shaped who he is and has also resulted in him being seriously knowledgeable about things that aren’t all that well known to other characters (even when they need that information to deal with various plot events that go down). Overall, I love him, but I’m excited to see his character develops more in the next book and learning more about his kind!

Down to the nitty-gritty. I thought that Wicked was well-paced and that the plot events flowed seamlessly from beginning to end. As with any new series, there has to be time to world-build and sometimes the reader can get bogged down with logistics, and I felt like this was the case, ever so briefly, though, in this book. However, I do think that this information will be very beneficial to the reader as the series goes on. Overall, I thought this was a great read with a compelling storyline and some really hilarious interactions between characters, not to mention a crazy good cliffhanger to top things off and a whole truckload of plot twists along the way!

Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

*Due to mature content (both violent and romantic themes), I would not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 17/18.*

If you’re as big of a JLA fan as I am, I don’t even know why you’re reading this review when you COULD BE READING THIS BOOK. Just kidding, but this book is definitely for you!

I’d also recommend this book to anyone who loves books by Sarah J. Maas, Cassandra Clare, and Wendy Higgins.

Or, maybe you’re just looking for a book with a fun cast of characters, plot twists at every corner, and a whole lot fighting between humans and supernatural critters. If so, this book may just be right what you’re looking for!