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'The Awakening: Chloe Saunders is on the Run and Raising Hell, Literally' (Darkest Powers) by Kelley Armstrong

 

Started: 20.07.09 ~ Finished: 23.07.09

 

Synopsis ~

 

Chloe Saunders used to be a normal teenage girl - or so she thought. Then she learned the shocking truth - she is a walking science experiment. Genetically altered at birth by a sinister group of scientists known as the Edison Group, Chloe is an aberration - a powerful necromancer who can see ghosts and even raise the dead, often with terrifying consequences. Even worse, her growing powers have made her a threat to the surviving members of the Edison Group, who have decided it's time to end their experiment - permanently ...Now Chloe is running for her life with three other supernatural teenagers - a charming sorcerer, a troubled werewolf and a temperamental young witch. Together they have a chance for freedom - but can Chloe trust her new friends?

 

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What a fab book!, 'The Awakening' was dare I say it?, better than 'The Summoning', Chloe and the rest of the group who escaped from Lyle House are now on the run whilst Chloe's powers are developing. A great read, I can not wait for the third installment.

 

;)

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Which is the best series you have read so far?

 

Its so hard to choose Kimmy but the best series so far has been 'The Women of the Otherworld', I have enjoyed them, so many great characters.

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Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz ~ Started: 20.07.09 ~ Finished: 27.07.09

 

Synopsis ~

 

"The dead don't talk. I don't know why." But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn. Maybe he has a gift, maybe it's a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd's otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it's different.

 

A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd's deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15.

 

Today is August 14.

 

In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares-and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.

 

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"I see dead people. But then, by god, I do something about it."

 

'Odd Thomas' is the first book I have read by Dean Koontz and I enjoyed it. Odd is a such a interesting character, so much happened to him in his life (and still happening) but he has a good head on his shoulders, he is such a old soul as well, which I found endearing. A great and exciting read which had me gripped to the end and also made me a little sad.

 

I am looking forward to reading 'Forever Odd', the second book in the series. ;)

 

Rating: 10/10

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Ooo I'm so glad you enjoyed this, it's one of the series I want to read for my challenge this year too :D x

 

I hope you get the chance to read it Lexie, it was a really good story and a lot better than I thought it would be, I was very pleasantly surprised ;)

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Forever Odd by Dean Koontz ~ Started: 31.07.09 ~ Finished: 02.08.09

 

Synopsis ~

 

This is the follow-up novel to "Odd Thomas", from worldwide bestselling author, Dean Koontz. Odd Thomas, that unlikely hero, once more stands between us and our worst fears. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead - they sought him out. As the unofficial goodwill ambassador between our world and theirs, he has a duty to do the right thing. That's the way Odd sees it, and that's why he has already won over hearts on both sides of the great divide. For, though Odd lives in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, he stands between two worlds, and for him the heroic and the harrowing are everyday occurrences. A childhood friend of Odd's has disappeared and the worst is feared. But as Odd applies his unique talents to the task of finding the missing person, he discovers something worse than a dead body. New allies and new enemies gather around Odd, some living and some not. But the enemy he encounters is unspeakably cunning, and every sacrifice is needed to tip the balance between despair and hope as a life-changing revelation rushes towards us. In the battle to come, there can be no innocent bystanders...

 

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This is second book in the 'Odd Thomas' series by Dean Koontz. The beauty of this book was the fact that all of the characters were set up so you just dive right into the story and what a story it was! Odd's friend is kidnapped and Odd goes to find out what has happened to him, using all of his skills in the progress, I found this book a bit more emotional, Odd is dealing with feelings that are intense and they read so well, you feel so bad for him.

 

Odd is a flawed hero but he knows it, which again for me, makes him endearing. An excellent book and I think I have found my most hated villainess! read and find out who she is.

 

I am now about to start the third book in the series, 'Brother Odd'.

:)

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Brother Odd by Dean Koontz ~ Started: 02.08.09 ~ Finished: 04.08.09

 

Synopsis ~

 

The third Odd Thomas novel from Dean Koontz, following 'Odd Thomas' and 'Forever Odd'. Odd Thomas is looking for peace. But in the silence and snow of the mountains, danger and desperation haunt him still! Odd, a charismatic young man with a sense for the otherworldly and the downright strange, is in self-imposed exile. The tragic events that took the love of his life have led Odd from his sun-bleached desert home of Pico Mundo to a monastery in the High Sierra. It's December and the remote abbey is besieged by icy winds and snow. As ever where Odd Thomas goes strangeness goes too. A white dog named Boo befriends him -- as does the ghost of Elvis. And a world-famous physicist is conducting experiments in the catacombs of the abbey. Could this be why Odd can once again see bodachs, shadowy harbingers of violence? They prowl the halls, suggesting terror to come. But what form will it take? And how will Odd defeat an enemy that eclipses any he has met before?

 

This is the third book in the ‘Odd Thomas’ series by Dean Koontz and although not as good as the previous two books in the series, it does keep you interested. This time around Odd has left his home of Pico Mundo to find peace and solace in St Bartholomew’s monastery in the High Sierra on the California side of the border. Odd finds some peace and solace until a bodach shows up (a Scottish Gaelic term for ‘old man’ and a mythical spirit or creature, rather like the bogeyman), Odd knows they are not actually bodachs but it is a word he uses after learning it from a friend who also saw the living dead like Odd.

 

As always Odd has the company of the spirit of Elvis and a spirit dog called ‘Boo’ who he meets at the monastery, Odd finds himself again facing things that are difficult to understand but Odd does what he can.

 

I enjoyed ‘Brother Odd’, I found the premise of the monastery particularly interesting, there was something calming reading about the nuns and brothers of the monastery and the good work they did, plus the isolation of the monastery read well, you could feel the isolation, at times, I did think, ‘how will they get away’. The downside of the book was that it wavered slightly at certain parts, it was readable but under duress readable but it did not put me off the book, and it was a good read.

 

I am now patiently waiting for the next instalment ‘Odd Hours’ to arrive from amazon.

 

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:D

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Wow you are flying right through these books! Nicely done. :D Your challenge will be completed in no time!

 

Thanks Bethany :D

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I got the first and the third in the 'Odd' series by Dean Koontz today. I got them in a charity shop and I was all excited thinking I'd got the first and second! I think I should wait until I find Forever Odd before starting them though :D

 

I would never have thought of even looking at them if it wasn't for your thread Gyre. thank you! :D

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I got the first and the third in the 'Odd' series by Dean Koontz today. I got them in a charity shop and I was all excited thinking I'd got the first and second! I think I should wait until I find Forever Odd before starting them though :D

 

I would never have thought of even looking at them if it wasn't for your thread Gyre. thank you! :D

 

Aw thanks Charm, I hope you get a copy of 'Forever Odd' real soon :lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz ~ Started: 04.08.09 ~ Finished: 10.08.09

 

Synopsis ~

 

The latest Odd Thomas thriller from the master storyteller. A mystery in Magic Beach, California has lured Odd to the small town by the ocean -- but is it the call of the deep or the cry of the desperate? Odd Thomas knows more about the mysteries of the universe than the rest of us. He can see the lingering dead. He has learned that there are no coincidences. Even in chaos, there is order, purpose, and strange meaning. Intuition has brought Odd Thomas to the quaint town of Magic Beach on the California coast. In his desert home, Odd once found an ocean filled with love, and lost it. Now, scarred and alone, the only magic he finds by the vast, indifferent Pacific is in the name of the town where he has come to rest. As he waits to learn why he has been drawn to Magic Beach, he has found work as cook and assistant to a once-famous film actor who, at eighty, has become an eccentric with as long a list of fears as he has stories about Hollywood's golden days. Odd is having dreams of a red tide, vague but worrisome. But nothing prepares him for the hard truth of what he will discover. For in Magic Beach, he will come face to face with a form of evil that will test him as never before.

 

‘Odd Hours’ is the fourth book in the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz. ‘Odd Hours’ compared to the previous books was slightly more violent but it was great reading and the disaster which Odd foresees was shocking and I feel will continue in the next untitled book of the series. Dean Koontz has said there will be 7 books in the series, 4 down, 3 to go.

 

A great read with an excellent ending, what does the future hold for Odd?

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Marked (House of Night) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast ~ Started: 23.08.09 ~ Finished: 26.08.09

 

Synopsis ~

 

When sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird gets Marked as a fledgling vampire she must join the House of Night school where she will train to become an adult vampire. That is, if she makes it through the Change. But Zoe is no ordinary fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the Goddess Nyx and discovers her amazing new power to conjure the elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit. When Zoey discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look within herself to embrace her destiny - with a little help from her new vampire friends.

 

'Marked' is the first book in the House of Night series. It was an enjoyable read, I liked the main character Zoey, her life changes dramatically and she accepts it as best she can, she also finds out more about herself, her powers and her eventual full change to a vampire (if she survives) The teenage language was a bit annoying (because I am as old as the hills :tong:) but as you read, you do not notice anymore. The only thing that I found a bit off putting was the one count of sexual content, I thought considering it is a YA book, it was a bit risky particularly for individuals of a certain age but I noticed today that the following has been added to the synopsis on amazon, 'Not suitable for younger readers.'.

 

'Marked' is a great start to a good series.

 

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:D

 

Betrayed (House of Night) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast ~ Started: 26.08.09 ~ Finished: 28.08.09

 

Synopsis ~

 

It seems that (un)life is going pretty well for Zoey Redbird. Shea??s settled in at the House of Night finishing school and is coming to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her. She even has a boyfriend...or two. Best of all, Zoey finally feels she has found somewhere she belongs. Then the unthinkable happens.Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the vampires at Zoey's school. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey's past life, she begins to realise that the very powers that made her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night. Zoey finds herself facing a betrayal that could break her heart and jeopardise the very fabric of her world. Not suitable for younger readers.

 

'Betrayed' is the second book of the 'House of Night' series. 'Betrayed' had more action than 'Marked' and you are finding out more and more about the 'House of Night' which makes for interesting reading. The only thing that annoyed me was Zoey constant dilemmas over the men in her life, I did find myself thinking, 'oh just get it together' but apart from that it was a good story.

 

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Chosen (House of Night) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast ~ Started: 28.08.09 ~ Finished: 29.08.09

 

Synopsis ~

 

"I guess it had gone okay with Stevie Rae. I mean, she had agreed to meet me tomorrow. And she hadn't tried to bite me, which was a plus. Of course, the whole trying-to-eat-the-street-person thing was highly disturbing..." Zoey's best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead - in an eww! zombie! kind-of-way, not in a cool vampire kind-of-way. She's struggling to retain her humanity and Zoey doesn't have a clue how to help. But she does know that anything they discover must be kept secret. Trust has become a rare commodity. Sinister forces are at work at the House of Night, where the line between friend and enemy is becoming dangerously blurred. Not suitable for younger readers.

 

'Chosen' is the third book in the 'House of Night' series. I really enjoyed it, the story was a great read, especially with the recent changes within the House of Night, it was exciting because everything is not what it seems and Zoey is coping with it all which she learns is not the way to do things.

 

Looking forward to the next book in the series 'Untamed', so I will leave you saying 'hurry up amazon', an easy read, enjoyable :)

 

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So glad you're enjoying these hun, the next two get even better! :)

 

I am glad you have been too enjoying them too Lexie, 'Chosen' is favourite at the moment but I am sure that will be change. :)

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You have persuaded me to read the house of night series now, by reading your opinions on them.

I was undecided weather to buy and read them, but im going to now.

Thanks :D

 

You are welcome BlackStar :D

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After reading your reviews on the house of night series I went and picked up all 5 of the released books when I was out today - thanks for the great reviews.

 

 

Oh not a problem :irked: I hope you enjoy them :lol:

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