Night World 1: Secret Vampire / Daughters of Darkness / Spellbinder by L. J. Smith

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
The characters in these three Night World stories are all interconnected in some way. In the first story, Poppy finds out that she is going to die of pancreatic cancer before she finishes high school. Her best friend, James, thinks of a way to save her. Poppy finds out that her friend is secretly a vampire. Their attempts to try to save Poppy's life are threatened by James' cousin Ash. Will they be successful? To find out, read Secret Vampire.



In the second story, three sisters are vampires who are trying to escape the strict, structured life they have been living to live free in the human world. Their brother, Ash, is charged with the responsibility of bringing them back home until he meets their neighbor Mary Lynnette. There is an instant connection between Ash and Mary Lynnette, which they are both determined to fight. A similar connection occurs when Mary Lynnette's brother, Mark, meets Ash's sister, Jade. Will Ash successfully return his sisters to their home and resist the draw he feels toward Mary Lynnette? Read Daughters of Darkness to find out.



Spellbinder, the third and last story in this volume, introduces Thea and Blaise, two witch cousins who have been expelled from yet another high school due to Blaise's attempts to control as many boys as possible. They are sent to live with their grandmother in Las Vegas and begin again at a new school. Thea meets Eric when she is trying to stop a group of kids from torturing a rattlesnake and finds herself strangely drawn to him. Unfortunately, her cousin Blaise decides to make a play for Eric as well. Which witch will win and will true love triumph over magic? Read Spellbinder to find out.


View all my reviews.

Archangel by Sharon Shinn

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
The angel Gabriel is poised to become Archangel in about 6 months when he goes to the oracle Josiah to discover the name of the woman Jovah (the god) has designated to be his wife and angelica. Her name is Rachel, and when Gabriel goes to seek her out to make her his wife, he is at first unable to find her. The place where she was born has been destroyed and he has no idea where to find her. He finally discovers her as a slave girl at the home of a rich merchant when he attends the wedding of the merchant's son. Rachel is far from pleased with the news that she is destined to marry an angel. After five years of slavery, she sees this as another way of taking away her free will. Then she finds that she must live in the angel hold at Eyrie which can only be reached by flying in the arms of an angel and she is terrified of heights. Will these two truly ever be a couple? Read this compelling story of a world where angels and mortals live side by side to find out.


View all my reviews.

The Dream-Maker's Magic by Sharon Shinn

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I very much enjoyed this story of a girl whose mother thinks that she gave birth to a boy and so dresses and treats her daughter as a boy. Kellen is finally allowed to go to school, and there she meets Gryffin, a boy whose legs are damaged so that he must walk with canes. They truly become best friends and Kellen helps Gryffin with his walking, while he helps her with her school work. Kellen develops into a very independent young lady, largely due to having been raised as a boy, but as she becomes a teenager, she begins to want to dress as a girl. The story continues to follow Gryffin and Kellen as they grow and experience both tragedies and triumphs. This book could be appropriate for middle school and high school, and possibly upper elementary. This was my first experience with Sharon Shinn, but I will definitely be reading more of her work.


View all my reviews.