October Pick & Review: Taste by Kate Evangelista

Taste
by Kate Evangelista
Publication Date: April 30, 2012
Published by Crescent Moon Press
Format Reviewed: eBook

Synopsis:
At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans. When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn't realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

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My Thoughts:

Phoenix McKay attends a prestigious, super-elite boarding school in the mountains of Russia. To most of the students, this is academic paradise, but to Phoenix it is just a reminder of her mother's death and that ever since, her father has turned away from her. One night, Phoenix accidentally misses curfew and breaks the one and only rule - no students on campus after sunset - and faces expulsion. Not knowing how to get back to the dorms, she wanders the halls of Barinkoff trying to find someone who can help her. That was her first mistake. Phoenix stumbles onto the secret of Barinkoff; the Night Students. They are eerily beautiful and just as dangerous. She is saved by Demetri, a dark and sexy boy who helps her get back to safety. However, now that Phoenix knows there are secrets she makes it her mission to find out the rest of them. And boy does she... 

They are Zhamvy, or zombies, but not like the Hollywood type eating brains and decaying. They are more like the current vampire myth: strong, quick-healing, fast, and utterly breathtaking  They live in secret and no one, save few, know of their existence  They crave human flesh, but have turned to a synthetic to help them stave off the hunger. But what is keeping them from devouring humans just might be making them sick. Faced with the idea of helping a dying race, Phoenix knows that she must do it because she wished someone had done the same for her mother. 

I loved this book! The cover is stunning and makes me wish I had a physical copy. Phoenix is a great character and I love how she doesn't back down. No matter what is thrown her way, she stands up for herself and those she cares about. She is passionate and a character I cheered her on throughout the entire story. You can feel her pain and anguish over her mother's death and her exile from her father. Once inside the Zhamvy kingdom, Phoenix is forced to confront feelings that she wants to keep hidden, but instead of turning into a whiny girl, she faces everything head-on, never mind the consequences.

Now the boys...I know Demitri was her savior, but there is just something about Luka that I love. Demetri is loyal, stubborn and infuriating and while I found myself liking him, he was just too broody for me.  On the other hand is Luka, the flaxen-haired boy who has some skeletons in his closet. And those have made him the charming and fun boy I officially have a crush on. While Demitri is the one Phoenix first encounters, once I met Luka there was no coming back. Sigh. But, Demetri is good for Phoenix. He is grounded and she is not, but they both care for one another, but won't give into each other fully.

I also really liked the character of Yana, Luka's sister, the Gothic Lolita. She added depth to the story and a bit of humor. Taste is like nothing I have seen before. Zombies aren't your usual romantic leading men, so it was a complete and utter surprise to see something so different. This seems to be a burgeoning genre: Zombie Romance and I look forward for more adaptations of this theme. I know some have been put off by the idea of zombie love, but I don't see it as anything different than vampires. I am hooked and I want more! This book combines passion, duty, romance, history, and zombies. It is a must read for any fan of paranormal romance! I can't wait to read more from Ms. Evangelista. 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review as part of an ARR program from Goodreads. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made. 

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When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing.

Review: The Doorknob Society

The Doorknob Society
The Doorknob Society Saga #1
By M.J. Fletcher
Published: February 9, 2012
Available Formats: eBook ~290 pages

Synopsis: 
Chloe Masters’s world changed in a heartbeat - and all she did was touch a doorknob. When she was young Chloe’s mother vanished. Wracked by feelings of abandonment and anger she lost herself traveling with her father's magic act, where illusions were part of her everyday life. Yet everything changes when they are pursued by a mysterious man in black out to kill her father. Touching a doorknob activates abilities she never knew she had and she finds herself thrust into a world of ancient societies and secrets.
When her father disappears it is a race against time to find answers before she loses what is left of her family. Now Chloe must choose who to trust, the man who will do anything for her or the one she can’t stop thinking about.

Cover:
The cover reveals tiny pieces of information. I love the glowing doorknob and the lion key hole. I like that we get to see a version of Chloe in her hoodies. What I really thought was great was the reference to only doorknobs and doors. The rest of what we read about is a surprise and I loved that!

My Thoughts:
The Doorknob Society has the makings to be a fantastic book. There are  hot boys, good friends, magic,  and a world very reminiscent to my beloved Harry Potter. It wasn't a copy of HP, don't worry, but there were similarities. Chloe is the daughter of a magician and they are for unknown reasons are detained in Paris. Chloe, being who she is, decides to get their passports back. While trying to not get caught in the act she turns a doorknob from one room and ends up back in her hotel room miles away from where she was just seconds ago. Great start to the book, I was instantly intrigued. What happened? Was it magic? I was hooked and had to keep reading.

Come to find out, Chloe is part of a secret society, one that she had no idea existed until now. Her father, the one person she could trust kept so much from her. She still doesn’t even know why her mother left. I was expecting more information to be given throughout the story, but it was never enough. I think that if a few extra chapters were added to give more backstory and flesh out the characters I would have felt more. As it was, the book is a whirlwind of battles, escapes, fights, and very little dialogue.

There are five distinct variations in the societies and each group can do very specific things. The Skeleton Key Guild, my favorite, can use keys to get anywhere and their keys are their power conduit – just like a wand would be. All five organizations are as follows: The Doorknob Society, The Honorable and Venerable Order of Detective Inspectors, The Impossible Engineers, The Mapmaker’s Union, and The Skeleton Key Guild. There were originally seven groups, but nothing is learned about them.

Chloe doesn’t know where she belongs and is undeclared so she must attend the super-secret school Paladin Academy where she will learn the in which society she belongs. Her father is from the DS and she could be too, but there are other factors that Chloe doesn’t know about and she is on a mission to find out everything she can, especially when her father goes missing. She and her friends band together to help figure out the mystery and find an artifact that some in the society are willing to kill for.

I really liked the fact that Chloe wasn’t perfect. She knew she was broken and made sure that those who wanted to be around her knew it. Very insightful for a teenager, but that is about the most depth we get. On the other hand, I didn’t get into her and Slade. I liked James so much more because the chemistry was there, not a sudden need to be attached but genuine interest – a spark. James also had a past, something readers could relate to and sympathize with. I also enjoyed reading about the crew they assembled. No one was quite sure of one another and there was some genuine dislike in the group, but they worked together.

All in all, the story was interesting and kept my attention. The biggest issue I had is with the general copyediting. The grammar was lacking, but the punctuation was atrocious. There were so many question marks at the end of sentences that were not needed. I had to go back and reread to make sure it wasn’t a question so much that it interrupted the flow. Run-on sentences were a problem too, but didn’t distract as badly as the question marks did. I also did not like that the story seemed rushed throughout the entire book. I didn’t feel like adequate information was provided to the readers for the basic “Why” and “How” and “What” questions. I still have questions now and will be reading the second book, The Impossible Engineers, to find the answers.

Favorite Quote: "I envied that surety, that ability to know your place in the universe."

★ ★ ★ ★ 

 
FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from an ARR program from Goodreads for an honest review. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.

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