Showing posts with label Katherine Tegen Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Katherine Tegen Books. Show all posts

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Review: Full Moon Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

Title: Full Moon Kisses
Series: Full Moon #3
Author: Ellen Schreiber
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Werewolves
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, Harper Collins
Format: Hardcover, 215 Pages
ISBN: 9780061986536
Release Date: December 26, 2012
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4/5

Purchase Here: Kindle // Hardcover

Tagline(s): Beware of the full moon. A werewolf wants to take you into his world. Forever.

Summary: Celeste and Brandon know that Nash in werewolf form is bad news. But a new prediction from psychic Dr. Meadows has Celeste wondering: Which of them wants to turn her into a werewolf?

Still on Celeste's and Brandon's minds is the "cure" from Brandon's father. Brandon must face one dilemma he hadn't anticipated—if his dad's serum really does work, is he willing to give up being a werewolf for good? Is Celeste willing to give up her heroic werewolf boyfriend? And when Nash finds out there's a cure, will he try to take it from Brandon as they continue to deal with their rivalry, their competing affections for Celeste, and their struggles with their werewolf identities?

Then things grow still more complicated when a gang of sketchy guys from a neigh-boring town comes to Legend's Run just before the big Werewolf Festival. What, or whom, are they looking for?

The third installment in the sumptuous series about werewolves and the popular girl who loves one is full of danger, mystery, and undeniably romantic full moon kisses.

Review:

In the previous book, Magic of the Moonlight, Nash was turned into a werewolf. Now Legend's Run has two werewolves in town. Nash is desperate for a cure--so desperate that he asks Celeste to go with him to see Dr. Meadows. While Nash receives the answer he was seeking, Celeste is given yet another warning: Beware of the full moon. A werewolf want to take you into his world. Forever.

Every ten years, Legend's run hosts a Werewolf Festival and while everyone is excitedly anticipating the Fest, Brandon, Celeste, and Nash have real werewolf problems to agonize over. Brandon is being pressured by his father to take the cure, but he's not 100% sure he wants to. Nash wants a cure so badly that he's becoming reckless in his search for it. And Celeste has Dr. Meadows's warning hanging over her head and fears she'll be turned against her will into a werewolf. To make matters worse, there seems to be a pack of werewolves from a neighboring town that has come to Legend's Run for more than visiting the Werewolf Festival.

Full Moon Kisses is the final book in the Full Moon series. I have really enjoyed reading this series, and I'm kind of disappointed to see it ending after only three books. There is so much more that could be added to the story. And by the end I felt that there were some loose ends that weren't tied up. While the beginning and middle of the book were great with all the romance, hope, fear and danger, the conclusion felt kind of anti-climatic. There have been many series finales that had blown me away, but the ending to the Full Moon series just had me thinking, "Well, okay then, that's it."

So I'd say that readers will either love or hate Full Moon Kisses. I'm not going to say that it will be loved, because there were parts that I loved and parts that I didn't. And while, in the end, I ended up loving Full Moon Kisses, readers may not. It's a love/hate relationship with this one. Full Moon Kisses, by itself, is a great book, but as a series finale, it was just okay.

About this Author:

Before I took pen to paper, I was an actress. I attended a local university majoring in theatre and spent a summer in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where I learned about the “Old Bard” from amazingly talented teachers.

When I returned from London, I relocated to Chicago where I lived for five years. There, I graduated from the Second City Training Center and performed improv, Shakespeare, comedies and dramas--I even sang and danced on a cruise boat--without falling in Lake Michigan! A classmate of mine from Second City and I created and performed a two woman show for a year before I braved it alone doing stand-up comedy. It was during this time I began to write an adult novel about a rock star--I had always enjoyed writing...

Fast forward a couple of years along with a move home where I was performing “stand-up” at comedy clubs in the area. On a plane to LA to decide my fate-- “to move to LA or not to move to LA” that is the question, my big bro, Mark, coincidentally with the same last name as mine (author of PRINCES IN EXILE, DREAMS OF THE SOLO TRAPEZE and STARCROSSED) handed me a young adult book he found at the library he thought I’d like to read during the flight.

As I read the book, I thought, ‘I can do this!’

I returned from LA, and instead of moving there, I wrote my story about the rock star as a young adult novel and called it JOHNNY LIGHTNING.
Mark, my writing mentor, edited JL for me. He was kind enough to send the manuscript to his publisher in Belgium--Facet--and they published it! In Dutch!

I was now on a new life path!

In 2001 HarperCollins made me an offer I couldn’t refuse! Not only was HarperCollins going to publish TEENAGE MERMAID, but it was in a language I could read and book stores I could walk into! HarperCollins also bought VAMPIRE KISSES and COMEDY GIRL.

It was a dream come true!

Since beginning my new life path, VAMPIRE KISSES, TEENAGE MERMAID, and MY MOTHER, THE CLOWN have been published by Facet in Belgium and JOHNNY LIGHTNING has been published in Germany by Ravensburger.

Then my fabulous editor at HarperCollins asked me for a sequel to VAMPIRE KISSES!
HarperCollins published VAMPIRE KISSES 2--KISSING COFFINS and now the soon to be released VAMPIRE KISSES 3--VAMPIREVILLE. I am currently writing VAMPIRE KISSES 4!

When I'm not writing about the love affair between vampire obsessed, goth girl Raven and my favorite mysterious dark-eyed hottie, Alexander Sterling, I enjoy working on my other novels, shopping for Hello Kitty items, and attempting to gain control of the remote from my boyfriend.


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Sunday, August 19, 2012

Review: Immortal Hearts by Ellen Schreiber


Title: Immortal Hearts
Series: Vampire Kisses #9
Author: Ellen Schreiber
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Vampires
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, Harper Collins
Format: Hardcover, 261 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-207008-1
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Athena "Stormy" Sterling is coming to Dullsville, and Raven is both excited and panicked in anticipation of Alexander's little sister's visit. Alexander tells Raven that she and his sister have a lot in common, but can the mini-Raven be everything she hopes for? Alexander calls her Stormy for a reason.

Stormy's visit stirs up the perfect immortal whirlwind. Raven is forced to take a good look at what it would really mean to be a vampire in the Sterling family, aside from some of the things she already loves, like shunning the sun and sleeping in a coffin with Alexander. When Raven compares her life with Stormy's, she can see that it's not all starry skies and black roses. But Raven knows she's always wanted to be a vampire.

Alexander is as romantic and dreamy as ever, and though he keeps showing Raven how much he loves her, will she ultimately be able to convince him that it's the right thing to turn her?

This final chapter of Vampire Kisses' nocturnal romance will keep all mortal and immortal hearts racing.


Review: 

Immortal Hearts brings us the conclusion of Raven and Alexander's story. With the arrival of Alexander's little sister, Stormy, Raven gets a better look at the life of a Sterling vampire. For Stormy, life as a vampire has been lonely and secluded. So Raven knows that being a vampire isn't all good, but she also knows that she wants to be with Alexander for eternity. The only things she questions is whether Alexander wants to change her and if their futures are going in the same place.

I have loved this series since book one, but as the series went along, I just became more and more frustrated. Raven's nagging about being turned and Alexander's reluctance and indecision just started to irritate me. It's sad to see the series end, but it's also a relief to have a solution.

What saved this book for me was Stormy. I absolutely loved her! She was just so adorable, I don't know how anyone could not like her. She loves her brother very much and that trait gave her a sweetness that none of the other female vampires have in this series. She's just a young girl who wants to hangout with her friends and not be kept in seclusion by herself. I would love to be Stormy's friend!

The series wouldn't be complete without one final attempt by Jagger and Luna to split Raven and Alexander up--although it wasn't as grand as all the other attempts. I also thought that the happily ever after, with everyone in attendance, was too happy. I mean, Jagger and Luna just tried to break them up, but now they are all smiles? But for a series as unbelievable, outrageous, and totally hilarious, it was the perfect way to end the series. Almost like how a play ends with the cast gathered together to celebrate. And then the curtain falls and it's THE END.

About this Author:

New York bestselling author, Ellen Schreiber wrote her first novel after reading a young adult novel on a plane ride to Los Angeles. First published in Europe, her books were then published by HarperCollins.

Schreiber has been busy writing ever since—the Vampire Kisses series, Blood Relatives manga, Teenage Mermaid, and Comedy Girl.







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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Review: Magic of the Moonlight by Ellen Schreiber

Title: Magic of the Moonlight
Series: Full Moon #2
Author: Ellen Schreiber
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Werewolves
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, Harper Collins
Format: Hardcover, 229 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-198657-4
Release Date: December 27, 2011
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4.5/5

Tagline(s): Beware of a bite under a full moon... It will complicate your love life.

Summary: Celeste has more to worry about than a secret romance with a hot guy from the wrong side of town. That guy, Brandon, is a werewolf. With gossip and hostility swirling at school, it's time to find a cure for his nocturnal condition, and perhaps the one person who can help is his scientist father. But what if a "cure" makes things worse and Brandon becomes a werewolf full time?

To keep Brandon's secret safe, Celeste must hide her relationship with him from her best friends, but with the Moonlight Ball approaching, she must make a choice. Her dream is to go with her one true love--Brandon. But once the sun goes down, the clouds separate, and the full moon appears, could she really walk into the dance on the arm of a werewolf?

In this installment of the sumptuously romantic Full Moon series, Celeste faces her fears and her friends and finds out whether she's strong enough to stand up for herself and her one true love.

Review:

In Magic of the Moonlight, Celeste struggles with wanting to have a relationship she doesn't have to hide and wanting to protect Brandon and his werewolf secret. It's made even harder with Nash fighting to win her back. Ellen Schreiber has created a story that's just as compelling as her nocturnal werewolves.

I'm going to be completely honest and say that I like Ellen's Full Moon series better than her Vampire Kisses series. There's something about this story and these characters that seems more believable. The story just pulls me in and doesn't let go, whereas with Vampires Kisses, I'm pulled in but the line snaps and I'm let go until it hooks me again.

I love Celeste and Brandon. They are just the cutest, sweetest couple. I thought it was adorable how Celeste, at the very least, wanted to eat lunch with Brandon and hold his hand. I also liked that in this book, the female character, Celeste, is the most protective. I mean, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a hot, protective guy, but it was a nice change to see how protective Celeste is of Brandon.

Then there's Nash. It seems like every character I read that's named Nash ends up being a jerk in some way. Threatening and blackmailing the girl you supposedly love and her current boyfriend is no way to win her back. I just found Nash to be really annoying in this book.

And I was totally not expecting the twist toward the end. I mean, when you're given a warning saying, "Beware of a bite under a full moon. It will complicate your love life," it's going to make you anxious. But what actually happened wasn't what Celeste--or I-- was expecting. I don't want to say too much and give something away, but this little twist really is going to complicate things for Brandon and Celeste.

About this Author:

Ellen Schreiber was an actress and a stand-up comedian before becoming an author; she was also a real-estate agent. She studied Shakespearean theater at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and comedy at The Second City of Chicago, which is where she lived for five years. As a novelist she has had several works published in Europe and America. Her brother, Mark Schreiber, is also an author. He helped her start her writing career. The Vampire Kisses series was her real break. The "VK" series stars Raven, a unique goth girl who has wanted to be a vampire since she was little and Alexander Sterling, the vampire that loves to paint. Ellen says that "Raven is a blast to write for, because when I'm writing about her rebellious exploits, I feel the excitement of the rebellion too."

Recently Ellen announced an new series called Once in a Full Moon about "romantic werewolf!" The first book in the series was released December 28, 2010.