Unbreakable (The Legion, #1)

 

Author: Kami Garcia
Series: The Legion, #1
Pages: 305
Challenge: Goodreads Challenge 2014, 2014 Book Bingo Challenge
Genre: Paranormal
Acquired: Library
Rating: ★★★★½

*****

Goodreads Summary:

Supernatural meets The Da Vinci Code in this action-packed paranormal thriller, the first book in a new series from New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia.

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels.

  *****

 My Thoughts:

When Kennedy finds her mother dead, she is launched into a paranormal world she never knew existed. As she uncovers secrets about her mother's past, she realizes that in order to stop an incredibly powerful demon from basically taking over the world, she must assume her mother's position as a member of the Legion along with four other members all teenagers like her.

I really liked Kennedy's character; she gets thrown into this paranormal world so quickly after her mother's death you would expect her to be a wreck and overwhelmed by it all. But on the contrary, she handles herself well considering her circumstances. She was definitely a strong, determined, and independent character that wanted to try her best to help and understand everything despite her position and situation.

On to the other characters: I loved the twins, especially Jared for obvious reasons as he is the bad boy twin with a story and an interesting past! Also Priest is pretty bad-ass in his own right. He is the brains within the group with his great inventing and engineering skills.... hooking the group up with crazy weapons and tools to help them along the way. All the members fit together so perfectly as a group with all their strengths and weaknesses.

Problems? I just felt that it took really long for Kennedy to find her place in the group and purpose in the book. But even with that flaw, I liked that she was head-strong and refused to be looked at as the weakling of the group since she didn't quite understand her place right away.

It was definitely different from what I expected, it was suspenseful and mysterious with a bit of paranormal romance thrown in for good measure. My favorite scene was the scene with Priest and Kennedy in the the well. It was creepy, intense, and suspenseful! I liked the group's sense of togetherness and how they looked out for each other at all times the most. I disliked how choppy and thrown in the stories of the other character's past were; I really wanted more of a cohesive, clear understanding of each of their stories and how they were all connected and came together. The info about their parents/guardians were vague and brushed over so quickly that I couldn't really grasp who they were and where they can from.

Cover: 2/5. Not a personal favorite.
Rating: 4.5/5 I loved the overall story and plot twist! It was definitely an enjoyable read.

The ending ended in a bit of a cliffhanger so I'm interesting in seeing where the story goes with the next book in the series!

I would recommend to someone who wants to read a paranormal book with demons and ghosts with action and adventure throughout!

If you have read this book, let me know your thoughts below!!

*****

Prophecy of the Sisters

 

 Author: Michelle Zink
Series: Prophecy of the Sisters, #1
Pages: 343
Challenge: Goodreads Challenge 2014
Genre: Paranormal
Acquired: Bought
Rating: ★★★★

*****

Goodreads Summary:

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters--one good, one evil.
Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, they find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

  *****

 My Thoughts:

Within an ancient prophecy twin sisters, Lia and Alice are pitted on the opposite sides of good and evil. Soon after both sisters and their younger brother are orphaned, Lia finds a strange tattooed marking on her wrist. Soon after they are all launched into a world of secret texts, symbols, witchcraft, and angels and demons. While one sister is tasked with saving the world from evil, the other is destined to destroy it and let evil prevail.

Told in Lia's POV, she is a sweet, young girl who tries to unravel the secrets of her past as well as the mystery of the age old prophecy that she and her sister are now involved in. I really liked Lia's character and personality. She was the more cool, calm, and collected sister; she took everything in stride (which was a bit weird because I would have definitely driven myself mad if a bomb like having to potentially try to save the world had been dropped on me!).

Other characters like Sonia and Luise were very different while being similar at the same time. I like their connection to the prophecy (which I figured out before hand so go me :D) as well as Aunt Virginia. I will say though I am still wary about James and his potential involvement (Lia's boyfriend) I just get the suspicion that there is more to him buuuuuttttt I could be reading way to much into it. Also the vague and mysterious beast demon trying to escape the Void or Plane.... I really want to know more about him too. (Even the bad guys need stories and attention too haha)

Back to Lia..... I liked that she developed throughout the book into a stronger, more capable character to rival her sister. I like that she knew that she had a goal and purpose to accomplish and that she was clever enough to find clues and try to connect the dots with the help of Luisa and Sonia.

I was pleased that this book was different from what I expected. Originally bought the book because I had seen it around and heard about it a while ago, but I didn't have high hopes or expectations in the storyline or being engrossed with the characters and their involvement in the plot.... Let's just say that I am happy I decided to randomly pick it up and give it a try!

My favorite scenes were when Lia understood and discovered more about her mother. Also finding out the significance of the keys was another favorite scene(s). What did I like most? The mystery of everything and the truth about Lia and Alice. What did I like least? The Henry scene. :((((((( the feellllllssss!

I was kept guessing throughout the majority of the book while occasionally being hit with clues to figure out the mystery along with the characters. The plot was cool with the different take on angels and demons and good and evil and how they coexist or are connected to the regular world in the book. Also the traveling the plane aspect was interesting as well. Ending? I was satisfied; it set up the next book with no cliffhanger, but the reader is still left (or at least I was) with an interest to read the next book to see what happens.

Cover: 6/10
Rating: 4/5
Recommend to: Those who like mystery, angels/demons, twin sisters with two different fates and prophecies.

If you have read this book, let me know your thoughts below!!

*****