#Review - Night Magic by Jenna Black #YALIT #Paranormal #Horror

Series: Nightstruck (#2)
Format: Hardcover 288 pages
Release Date: May 30, 2017
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Horror / Paranormal

Jenna Black returns to the quarantined city of Philadelphia, where an unsuspecting seventeen-year-old has unknowingly unleashed a dark power that transforms the city into a monstrous hellscape.

Once, the guilt of having inadvertently let the night magic into the city—and of having killed her onetime best friend—had threatened to destroy Becket Walker. But now she’s been Nightstruck, and all her grief and guilt and terror have been swept away—along with her conscience. So what if she’s lost her friends, her family, and her home? And so what if her hot new boyfriend is super-controlling and downright malevolent?

Mesmerized by the power and freedom of not having to care about anyone but herself, Becky is sinking ever deeper into the night magic’s grasp. But those who love her refuse to give up on her—even if she’s given up on them. If they can’t find a way to help Becky break the night magic’s hold, the entire city might soon find itself shrouded in perpetual night. But the last thing Becky wants is to be “rescued” from her brand new life, and she will fight tooth and claw to stay exactly where she is.

 

Jenna Black's Night Magic is the second installment in the authors Nightstruck series. 17-year old Becket Walker has been tricked into opening a door between worlds, allowing a dark magic into the mortal world. As the magic trickled in, the city began to change at night. Strange creatures roam the streets, inanimate objects come to life, such as potholes turning into toothy mouths and wires turning into strangling vines, all of them bloodthirsty and terrifying.

Venturing out at night has become a dangerous proposition, and the moment the sun sets, most of the citizens of the city shut themselves up in their houses and stay there even in the case of dire emergencies. Yet, even that won't protect you from certain creatures who have zero fear of gaining access to your home. Becket has become part of what the author calls Nightstruck. These are people who went out during the transition from light into dark, and got stuck and can't return to the light of day.

The one constant is that they all have the same vivid green eyes, little or no guilt, grief, or insecurity. Robbing, partying and watching people being killed is part of life as a Nightstruck, but Becket doesn't feel the desire to join in. Becket and the villain of the story, Aleric have become thick as thieves and enjoy plotting, scheming, breaking into stores which Becket could never ever afford before, and partying like it's 1999. 

But, there's still guilt about her actions at the end of the previous installment, and Becket hasn't lost all connection with Luke. With the City of Philadelphia under quarantine & the government believing its people have been infected with some sort of madness that can't be explained, Becket has to decide whether she is going to remain a villain, or become the savior that her city needs and defeat Aleric who has apparently decided that Becket's blood is key to world domination.

I do think it's important to read the first installment before reading this story. In my opinion, the first part of the story was the least effective, but necessary to show Becket's state of mind which led her to being Nightstruck and the actions she takes that she would have never made had she not become stuck. The final part of this story is the best, but I wonder if another book is really in the works or not? Anyone? 

The story ends on what is essentially a cliffhanger, but I haven't seen anything on the author's page, the publishers, or anywhere else for that matter whether a third book is in the works or not. I am of one mind that if you already released two books in a series, then please go ahead and release the final installment so that it doesn't leave readers with a bad taste in their mouths.

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#Wednesday Review - Divine Descendant by Jenna Black (Urban Fantasy)

Series: Nikki Glass # 4
Format: Kindle, 228 pages
Release Date: May 16, 2016
Publisher: Pocket Star
Source: Amazon, Kindle
Genre: Urban Fantasy


For Immortal Huntress and cunning private investigator Nikki Glass, vengeance trumps all in the final novel in acclaimed author Jenna Black's addictive urban fantasy series!

What happens when fertility goddesses go on strike? Nothing much—except maybe the end of the human race.

When private investigator Nikki Glass became immortal as a descendant of Artemis, she never dreamed she’d find herself playing marriage counselor to the gods. But she doesn’t really have much of a choice when the crazed ex-wife of Anderson Kane—a god in disguise who just happens to be the son of a Fury—decides to enact revenge by wiping out all of humanity. Somehow, Nikki must convince the two to kiss and make up, but with Anderson now gone AWOL, she'll have to find him first. To top it all off, the cat’s out of the bag that Anderson killed Konstantin, the Olympians’ deposed leader. Now their new boss—Konstantin’s son—is out for blood.

With every mere mortal’s fate now resting in Nikki’s hands, can she outsmart the gods…or will she be doomed to spend the rest of eternity in a barren and desolate world? 

Divine Descendant is apparently the final installment in author Jenna Black's Nikki Glass series. Things have been rather curious for Private Investigator Nikki Glass over the past three months. She found out that she was a Descendant of Artemis, the supposed goddess of the hunt, chastity, virginity, the moon, and the natural environment. Now, apparently immortal, she's a member of Anderson Kane's Liberi group which is heavily outmatched in numbers by the Olympians, lead by Cyrus Galanos, son of Konstantin who offered Nikki no amount of trouble and heartache. 

Even though Cyrus is the supposed enemy, she finds that perhaps they have common ground, especially when fertility goddesses fail to do their jobs, and Kane's ex-wife Niobe shows up with vengeance on her mind. The fact that Nikki isn't all that happy with what happened in Rogue Descendant, and Kane's very public revelation of who he really is, and then his abrupt disappearance, makes for an interesting temporary alliance with Cyrus. The one thing that is apparently clear right from the onset of this story, is that Nikki has taken the leadership role in Kane's group. Nikki's group of Liberi includes Logan (Ares Descendant), Jack (Loki), Maggie (Hercules), Blake (Eros), and Jamaal (Kali). 

Let me say that if I were a person new to this series, I would definitely be eager to start from the beginning with Dark Descendant. Nikki is a very developed character at this point. She's tried to keep her humanity in the face of major challenges in her life, and that of her families. She is far from a character who makes silly and stupid mistakes. She's also not entirely sure of her powers at this point, only that they are stronger at night and with the moon. Nikki has kept her bleeding heart sense of mortality almost from the beginning when she was shoved into her current position. 

What has made this series interesting for me, is that Black finds ways of twisting things until they actually make sense. Who could have imagined that the first descendants of the Gods were immortal, but subsequent generations of mortal descendants are able to take their places by killing them? You would think that only immortals can kill other immortals, but you would be wrong. Black's world is far from being black and white. The good guys are not necessarily all that good, but the bad guys are truly despicable and evil. Look no further than Konstantin's search and kill mission of all mortal descendants. 

Even though it has been three years since Rogue Descendant released, I am fully onboard with the way Black wraps up her series. Hell, I am damn happy that she was able to come back to this series after that gut wrenching ending to Rogue Descendant and not just abandon her readers to the darkness of feeling unsatisfied. I am more than happy with the romance that finally, yes, finally develops fully between Nikki and Jamaal who has absolutely grown from being the angry dude who wanted to kill her. I am extremely happy that Black didn't use rape as a weapon this time around. I can't ever support rape as a weapon under any circumstances. I am also happy with Black giving Nikki not only hope for the future, but someone she can spend her immortality with.

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#Sunday Review - Sealed with a Curse by Jenna Black (Young Adult, Occult, Horror)

Format: Mobi, 73 pages
Release Date: October 10, 2015
Publisher: IGLA
Source: Amazon
Genre: Young Adult, Occult, Horror

Being the new kid in town sucks, and when you're the only one not invited to the party of the year, you know you're a real outcast. So when Chloe discovers she's invited to the annual Halloween party after all, she throws together a costume and braves a hurricane to go. But there's more than weather threatening the fun, and unless she can find a way to counter the curse that's killing off the partygoers, it'll be the last party she or any of her classmates ever attend. Forget about trick or treats; tonight is going to be pure terror.

Sealed with a Curse is a Young Adult themed Horror novella that author Jenna Black released in time for Halloween. Which is totally why I am reading it now, instead of before Halloween! This is a story about a girl named Chloe who, along with her mother and grandfather, has moved 4 times over the past 4 years. This time to Miller's Point, Georgia where school has already started. 

Halloween is a time of the year when the Oakmont's throw the biggest Halloween Party in town. A party that Chloe somehow did not get an invitation to until the day of the party thanks to the mail being delivered to another home. Unfortunately, a massive Hurricane is strolling its way towards Georgia, and what should have been the party of the year, ends up being a struggle for survival.

Chloe has scoffed at her mother's belief that the family has magical abilities to cast powerful supernatural curses on people. Something Chloe will become personally intimate with when she attends the Party along with a dozen of her classmates who were able to make it. From Chloe's decision to attend the party DURING a massive hurricane heading their way.

To a phone call from her mother URGING her to come home because the party has been cursed. To random accidents that happen to the attendees until it becomes apparent that something is definitely wrong, and everyone who attended the party is now in mortal jeopardy. With a massive Hurricane bearing down on them, and a curse winding its way through those that attended the party, it will be up to Chloe stop the curse before everyone dies.

Sealed with a Curse is a story that is both entertaining, and fast paced. I shall be brutally honest by saying that I dare Jenna Black to write more about Chloe and her mother and their abilities. I dare Black to pick up from where this novella leaves off and follow Chloe's trail after the terrible things she experiences and witnesses in this book. I realize that this probably won't happen, but a girl can dream!

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