Caragh Reviews - Briar Rose by Jana Oliver

Published - 12th September 2013
Publisher - Macmillan
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - For Briar Rose, life is anything but a fairy tale. She's stuck in a small town in deepest Georgia with parents who won't let her out of their sight, a bunch of small-minded, gossiping neighbours and an evil ex who's spreading nasty rumours about what she may or may not have done in the back of his car. She's tired of it all, so when, on her sixteenth birthday, her parents tell her that she is cursed and will go to sleep for a hundred years when the clock strikes midnight, she's actually kind of glad to leave it all behind. She says her goodbyes, lies down, and closes her eyes . . . And then she wakes up. Cold, alone and in the middle of the darkest, most twisted fairy tale she could ever have dreamed of. Now Briar must fight her way out of the story that has been created for her, but she can't do it alone. She never believed in handsome princes, but now she's met one her only chance is to put her life in his hands, or there will be no happy ever after and no waking up.

Briar Rose is an unconventional fairytale that is full of adventure, friendship, and love - as every fairytale should be!

I didn't really know what to expect when I first picked up Briar Rose. I'm a huge fan of Oliver's Demon Trapper series and so I had perhaps unfair expectations upon first reading the book. Briar Rose started off great. It pulled me in straight away and I was immediately intrigued by the relationship between the Roses and Quinns, what their secret is and how it was going to play out.

It was also refreshing to see that although Briar didn't know about the curse, Oliver didn't try to keep it a secret. It was presented and accepted by all as it was inevitable and there was no point hiding from it. I can see that maybe some could find that frustrating or even unrealistic but it totally worked for me.

Every single character was well written and had warmth and depth - even the bad guys to an extent. The world was well created - both Briar's real world and her fairytale world which made it interesting and exciting to read no matter what was happening, or where.

Briar Rose took longer to read than a book would usually take me as to be honest, after the first couple of chapters it fell a little short. The story dropped in excitement and there was little anticipation until the story unfolded more. However, after the initial dip, it picked right up again and after that I couldn't put it down! I rarely read fairytale-esque books so it was a nice refreshing change and by the end, I was hooked. Briar Rose is a standalone book but I hope that Oliver writes more books like this soon!

Caragh Reviews - Foretold by Jana Oliver

Published - 6th August 2012
Publisher - Macmillan
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - In the fourth Demon Trappers novel, Riley faces the final battle for humanity and Beck's heart—and Hell is the least of her problems
Now that Riley’s managed to (just barely) fend off Armageddon, everything’s changed. Well . . . most things. After their passionate kiss before the big battle in the cemetery, Beck is back to treating her like a little girl, as if nothing ever happened. While she’d love to just tell him off and move on, Riley vowed to take care of Beck the way he’s taken care of her since her father’s death—but she’s about to get a whole lot more than she bargained for. When she’s commissioned to go with Beck to his hometown and help him care for his dying mother, they stumble too close to a dark and murderous secret, one that Beck fears will drive Riley away from him forever. As chaos breaks loose, Riley may be Beck's only hope for redemption . . . and survival. Meanwhile, up in Atlanta, it’s quickly becoming clear that Heaven may have won a battle, but the war is far from over. Riley and Beck face a stormy future, as Lucifer's ex-right-hand-man, Sartael, proves himself to be more resilient than anyone thought. He has Atlanta in his grip and is about to begin a brutal war with the prince of Hell. As the seconds tick down toward a final confrontation, it's up to Riley and the man she loves to finally defeat their old enemy, or lose everything they've fought for.

Forbidden (#2) Review is here
Forgiven   (#3) Review is here

I was a little anxious to start reading this as it's the last book in the Demon Trappers series and I completely adore them. The last book came to a climax with the not-quite-apocalypse happening and I wasn't sure what was in store for Foretold as there didn't seem to be much left to the story.

Foretold focuses on Riley's beau and fellow trapper Denver Beck and the sketchy history that was uncovered in Forgiven. The book seemed to me to be split into two parts and so that's how i'll review it.

The first half of the book sees Riley and Beck in Georgia for reasons I wont disclose and it feels a million miles away from the Demon Trapper books that came before. Firstly I should say that the book is excellent, as always, but very different. Riley & Beck's time in Georgia feels more like a mystery book. It would have made a great side book to the series but i'm not sure how well it works as part of the series by itself. It was really interesting not just learning about Beck's history but about him as a person and not just as Riley's sometimes-love interest. There were moments when I felt real concern for certain characters and that the dangers they faced were serious. Despite the lull of Demons in the first half, the book was still fast paced and exciting and kept me reading right until the end.

The second half of the book definitely picked up and though not necessarily more enjoyable, it felt more true to the series. As mentioned previously, I was concerned about Foretold being anti-climactic after the events of the last book but it was justified and pretty damn crazy! "The Scene" (as you'll understand when reading) was very cinematic and was a big thing to take on. Again, the danger was very real and i'm not (too) ashamed to admit that I cried SO MUCH out of fear and intrigue. I wasn't sure where Oliver was heading and I was so overwhelmed by the possibilities that my emotions were everywhere! I have devoured every single one of these books and have carried Riley's story with me for a year now. I'm sad that the series has ended but these are definitely books that I will read again in the future.

If anyone has any recommendations for similar books/styles then please let me know!

Review // Forgiven (Demon Trappers #3) - Jana Oliver

Published: March 1st 2012
Publisher:  Macmillan
Format: Paperback

Synopsis:  Riley has made a bargain with Heaven, and now they've come to collect. Lucifer's finest are ruling the streets and it seems that Armageddon might be even closer than Riley imagined. But with her soul and her heart in play it's all she can do to keep herself alive, let alone save the world. Riley's not afraid of kicking some major demon butt, but when it comes to a battle between Heaven and Hell, she might need a little help...

 

 Caragh's review of Forbidden (#2) is here

I guess the first thing to say about Forgiven is that I really enjoyed it in a can’t-put-down kind of way, in fact I'm not sure if I did put it down. Jana Oliver has kept the quality of the Demon Trappers books pretty consistent in my view with well developed, interesting characters which are explored over the series rather than in an info dump (technical term). The plots are always well balanced with action and low points which are tender and sweet. 

It’s a fairly fast paced book with little time where characters aren’t involved in something important - things are heating up in Riley's world! This book lets you get to know some of the characters that we’ve known since the first book a bit better, especially Master Stewart, Master Harper and Mort and also raises a few more questions about Beck, specifically his history before he moved to Atlanta and became a trapper, which leave you wondering about the morality of Beck.

Although I really enjoyed this book I was a little disappointed by the ‘apocalypse’ that Riley is supposed to stop. Personally I think it was over a little too quickly and as the 3 books so far have been leading up to this, I think it leaves a bit of a plot vacuum for the next book. What is the last book going to be about?! However I know that some people I’ve spoken to (Caragh) don’t share my view on this, and although I was disappointed it was by no means bad and if you've already started the series, I would definitely recommend giving it a read and let me know what you thought of the ending.

Review // Forbidden (Demon Trappers #2) - Jana Oliver

Published - 5th August 2011

Published by - Macmillan

Format - Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis - Seventeen-year-old Riley has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her boyfriend Simon is gravely injured, and now her beloved late father’s been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. As if that’s not enough, there's Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy granddad. With all the hassles, Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether. 
But as Atlanta’s demon count increases, the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, and pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention: an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon is stalking her, and her luck can't last forever…

Although this is the first review of the year, I actually read it at the end of December and didn't get chance to write a review.

The second book in the Demon Trappers series, Forbidden, is incredible. I read the first book (Forsaken) months ago now and gave it a less-than-it-deserved rating. I enjoyed the first book but I dropped the rating because the book gave false pretences on what it was about. However, this time I went in fully armed and wow. 5 stars, no questions asked.

The book kicked off pretty much where the last one ended and although it had been a while since I read the first, I knew what was happening and what situations were going on just by the storytelling. It wasn't that i'm going to tell you everything all over again kind of thing like you get in some books, it actually fit in. I love the characters so much too! Riley, Beck, Ori, Mort - all for different reasons but they were all fantastic. As this is a 4-book series, questions didn't really get answered and raised a lot more but there was plenty of new adventures and story in there to keep it more than interesting. 

At the end of the book I was literally left speechless. I was not expecting a certain, huge, revelation and the cliffhanger is almost too much to bear. If it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't actually handle the suspense and emotions of Forbidden, I would have picked the next one up straight away. Definitely need a few days to get my head around this one! Keep an eye out for the review of the next book which should be up within the next few weeks (earlier if I can't wait anymore!)

Book Haul | December

Not many books joined the shelves this month! However, January is coming (as is payday ;)) so expect a decent sized book haul in the new year.

Paris, I've Grown Accustomed To Your Ways - Ruth Yunker
Devil's Bargain - Rachel Caine *Review Posted
Wolf Sirens Forbidden - Tina Smith
Wolf Sirens Fever - Tina Smith (To be featured in Blog Tour Feb 2013!)
Forbidden - Jana Oliver

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~ The final post of 2012! This blog has grown so much over the past 12 months and i'm expecting great things for the new year. I'd just like to thank anyone who reads and/or follows Loaded Shelves, thanks to all of the wonderful authors who have sent their precious work my way to share with you. 2013 will bring more books, more reviews, interviews and whatever else I can set up ;)
Thanks for everything!
                      Have a wonderful 2013 and keep reading :)