Review: Sin Undone

SIN UNDONE
Larissa Ione
Paranormal Romance
400 pages
Hachette Book Group
Available Now
Received from Rex Robot Reviews ARC Tour

THE STORY
Sin lives her life much in the way of her shortened moniker. She's the only female Seminus demon in existence, needs sex for her very survival, and works as a master assassin. She's convinced herself she has very few needs outside of carnal ones, and has closed herself off from all those that might make her believe she needs anything other than what her demon is known for.

Emotional attachment issues are the least of Sin's current problems however. Sin has a gift for creating diseases, having the power to conjure a disease and pass it to another human, shifter, vampire or demon. She inadvertently used her gift to create a plague that's spreading rapidly through the werewolf population with a 0% survival rate. Suddenly, lack of sex is not biggest factor that can kill her, but rather the assassins from her den who seek to eliminate her as master to snag the spot for themselves along with the members of werewolf council who want her to answer for the deaths of so many of their kind, take precedence.

Con, who's half werewolf, half vampire, is asked to bring her before the council for punishment. This is problematic for a variety of reasons, not the least of which his former intimate encounter with Sin. Con also has her four demon brother's to deal with, any one of whom would gladly rip him to pieces for hurting her. As he and Sin struggle to find a cure for the disease and a reprieve from punishment, it becomes clear that the hurt her brothers were so concerned about will not be physical, but emotional.

MY THOUGHTS
An absolutely brilliant end to the series. As I've said before, I typically have trouble relating to the heroines in paranormal romance novels, but Sin is a fantastic combination of strength and vulnerability. Her past was dark and bleak as she found herself adrift with a demonic essence she didn't know she possessed, forced to enter into physical relationships that had no real meaning beyond a moment of pleasure. As a result, she has an understandable aversion to any kind of significant personal relationship and keeps any manifestation of her feelings blanketed in an air of indifference. But unlike so many heroines, when the truth of her feelings is eventually asked of her, she doesn't spout half truths or give vague generalities that leave the thick-plated emotional armor untarnished, but rather lets that armor fall away and allows Con to see all of her. It's a beautiful thing to read.

Con, for his part, returns the favor and allows Sin to see his insecurities, his secrets, and his baggage so they are constantly on equal footing. He asks no more of her than he is willing to give, and their relationship is truly one of two alpha personalities joining to create something stronger, rather than an alpha male forcing his female to submit.

Ms. Ione does a superb job in crafting their delicate relationship, and when the inevitable moment comes when Con is forced to push Sin away to save her life, the venom lining his words is so intense the reader can't help but wince, hearts leaping from our chests and dropping somewhere in our guts. The words become more than words, morphing into shards of glass so sharp edged, we're in danger of slicing a finger open on the page, leaving a pain no longer vicarious in nature, but one as real as if Con had spoken directly to us.

In addition to two strong, intelligent and intense protagonists, there is also a very interesting and engaging storyline. Though the relationship takes center stage, it is fully supported by a war of the species, keeping the reader as physically engaged in the action as they are emotionally captivated by the relationship. There's not a page that passes by without passion or conflict, and I found myself reading the last page long before I wanted to be finished.

Sin Undone is a paranormal romance at it's finest and should be added to any romance lover's bookshelf.

Rating: 5/5

In My Mailbox #5

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi over at The Story Siren and is a great way to see what other bloggers are reading and reviewing. I always love seeing what everyone else got for their week!



For Review:
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (courtesy of Star Book Tours)
Matched by Ally Condie
Sin Undone by Larissa Ione (courtesy of Rex Robot Reviews )



Bought:
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Cover Critique: Immortal Beloved

Let me preface this post by saying that my design critiques of these covers are in no way, shape or form a reflection on the author, the content or the publisher. I know the authors have very little, if any, control over the design. These are strictly my thoughts stemming from my design experience.

Well, hello gorgeous. I wanted to pick a cover this week that didn't utilize a single photograph, but rather incorporated some additional design elements.

I have a confession to make. I have an unnatural fixation with symmetry. I like things to be symmetrical. When they're not, I develop a nervous tick and have a compulsive need to try and remedy the situation so whatever it is that's off will be symmetrical. It's a sickness really, but I'm working on getting help.

This cover does wonderful things for my illness. I love the circular design that encases the title, the frail scrollwork is nicely balanced with a thicker, more robust font to create a nice contrast. Normally, I'm not a fan of distorting fonts to make them fit into a particular shape, but I think in this case the elongation of the typeface works well, as does the staggering of each letter to make it conform to the circle. Though I haven't yet read this book, I know it deals with immortals (yes, my intelligence is sometimes astounding) and I'm assuming vampires might be in the mix so the extension of the two "m" letters to sharp points makes sense. Perhaps fangs. Or stakes.

Though there is a photograph in the background, it's blurred and indistinguishable enough as to not detract from the delicacy of the pattern, but it provides enough texture and color to keep the eye interested. Having seen this cover in person, I know the photograph is far more decipherable in the above image than it is in the printed version, making it a wash of changing colors that I think enhance the bright white of the border and title beautifully.

My one tiny complaint relates directly to the aforementioned fixation. The circular focal point is directly in the center of the cover which typically would be great and glorious and symmetrical. However, in this case we have the addition of the author's name below it which closes the space between the circle and the bottom, and makes it look as though it's off center with more space existing at the top. I want to reach in and hit the up arrow key about 5 times to create just a little more distance between the title and author's name so the space appears equal.

I have a problem, I know. But overall, I love this cover. The colors, font choice, and design all work beautifully together for me.

What do you guys think?

Blog Hop!

This weeks question: Do you judge a book by it's cover?

Why yes, yes I do. I can't help it! Part of it is the graphic designer in me, if the cover is just spectacularly awful, I can't bring myself to spend money on it. I know I should read the blurb, see if it has an interesting premise, but sometimes I just can't get past the design. It works the opposite way sometimes too, where if the book has a gorgeous cover I buy it just because it grabbed my attention. So, in that way at least, I'm an equal-opportunity cover critiquer;)

Review: Mockingjay

MOCKINGJAY (The Hunger Games #3)
Suzanne Collins
Young Adult
390 pages
Scholastic
Available Now

This review contains no spoilers.

THE STORY
Katniss Everdeen has faced death more times than she can count. She's survived not one, but two Hunger Games, and has become the poster girl for a revolution. But her survival and her unwanted celebrity status have come at a price: she has lived while others have died in her name and at her hand, and that is a heavy burden to bear.

In the wake of the first public wave of the revolution, Katniss finds herself ensconced in District 13, once thought to be annihilated by the Capitol for it's defiance. Her family and best friend Gale are safe, but Peeta Mellark remains in enemy hands, and Katniss is struggling with his absence.

The revolution needs her. Her family needs her. Peeta needs her. Everyone needs something from her, but Katniss only has so much left to give. There are few around her whom she can trust, and a war is brewing whether she wants it to or not. It's time for her to make a decision that will irrevocably change the face of Panem forever.

MY THOUGHTS
Intense doesn't seem to be an adequate enough description for the final installment of this profound trilogy. It starts out a little slow, almost as though Collins is giving us time to fully grasp the enormity of the decision Katniss must make, and is allowing us to catch our breath before Katniss chooses to either embrace her public persona, or fade into the background while the rebels surge forward without her. Collins is certainly not one to coddle her readers or cocoon us in a protective bubble with vague allusions to violence and promises of a better life. No, she thrusts the savagery and cruelty of a society that would sacrifice it's own children for sport right in our faces so that we cannot defensively shield our eyes, but must remain riveted to the page as the horrors unfold one after the other.

Katniss is a changed woman. She still stokes the fires of rebellion with a relentless fervor, but the strength of her conviction seems to have waned, replaced now by confusion and weariness. She's escaped the physical arena only to be catapulted into a political one where the attacks are stealthier and more insidious, the enemy less recognizable, and the endgame nearly impossible to ascertain. No matter which direction she looks, she is but a pawn in someone else's ploy. She's the essential piece in a war not of her making, yet one where responsibility can be ultimately laid at her feet. Her mind is constantly churning, the questions are endless, and those she thought she knew best reveal new colors.

This story is dark. Light is not a luxury Katniss, nor the reader, is afforded. We are confined to underground tunnels with her, and together we all frantically try to claw our way out of the suffocating blackness and find a sliver of hope to which to cling. But we aren't given one. That hope is continually just out of reach, there are no breadcrumbs to follow that lead to home and safety, and there is no guarantee that any of the characters we so love will live to see the end result of their fighting. To be so fully submerged in such desolation is disorienting, unnerving, and completely mesmerizing. It's thrilling to not know which way is up, who to trust, or who will lay down their life for their cause.

My only wish for this story is that Katniss own her emotions a little more. For so long she's been told what to wear, what to say, who to be attracted to, who to stay away from, and ultimately who to be for the camera that's it's robbed her of the ability to decide for herself. We got brief moments of real, genuine emotion from Katniss with regards to Peeta and Gale in the previous novels, and I was hoping that she would step up in this last book, disregard the cameras and the prep teams, and take control of her feelings so that no one else could lay claim to them ever again. She ultimately does make a romantic decision in the end, but it lacks the confidence she shows in other areas.

Though the story is bleak and by the end of her ordeal Katniss's blazing fire has been forcibly extinguished, we are left with the knowledge that the embers have yet to lose their warmth and with the right conditions and a little coaxing, a new flame might flicker to life.

Rating: 4/5

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!




Shadowfever (Fever Series #5)
Karen Marie Moning
Urban Fantasy
January 18th, 2011

From Goodreads:
MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever. Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister's murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals that have lived concealed among us for thousands of years. What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief, while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh--a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King that contains the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac, and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves. Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman that haunts her dreams? More importantly, who is Mac and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card? From the luxury of the Lord Master's penthouse, to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover, to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac's journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and make a choice that will either save the world...or destroy it.

This is one of the most deliciously frustrating series I've ever read. Book 4 ended with a spectacular cliffhanger, and Ms. Moning's monthly newsletters with teasers from this final book are going to give me a stress-induced ulcer if I don't find out all about Mac and Barrons soon! If you haven't read this series yet and you are a fan of Urban Fantasy, add it to your list immediately!