Review: Burning Emerald by Jamie Reed

Title: Burning Emerald
Author: Jamie Reed
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Young Adult; Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: Dafina; May 29, 2012

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Dating the most popular guy in school is every girl's fantasy. But to Samara Marshall, he's a dangerous force come to rekindle their tangled past. Only it's not her past. Samara faces a challenging senior year. Controlling her inner demon is a struggle, even with help from her Cambion boyfriend, Caleb. But her life takes a turn for the worse when the hottest jock in school begins pursuing her--especially since Malik's anything but what he seems. They share a connection from a forgotten past--a secret that could destroy her and Caleb. As the attraction becomes harder to resist, Samara is now at the mercy of the demon within her. To break free, Sam must fight a battle where she is the enemy and the prize...and victory will come at a deadly price...

The Cambion Chronicles is one of my all-time favorite paranormal series, yet, oddly enough, I never got around to getting the second book. However, all that has changed. I have finally read the second book, Burning Emerald, and I’ve been thoroughly reminded why I love this series so much.

The plot picks up after the end of Living Violet, and Samara must deal with the drastic changes in her life. Really, Burning Emerald had a lot going for it, with character and story development that I initially missed. This is just one of those series that kind of requires a full read, or else pieces will be missing. So even though I loved the third book, reading Burning Emerald added a lot of context and clarity to what ultimately ended up happening. So, if you ever read this series, don’t do like I did. Don’t skip the second book; go straight through from start to finish.

Also, the writing in this series is just one of my favorite styles. Reed knows what she’s doing, and expertly applied her skills where they were necessary. Samara’s perspective was unique, to say the least.

Reed knows how to write and develop characters. I think that’s one of the reasons why I keep coming back to this series. Samara Marshall is one of my favorite characters for a number of reasons—her resilience, personality, and individuality. Plus, her relationship with her boyfriend, Caleb, is just awesome. I loved their individual moments, but I also enjoyed the scenes they shared together. Samara’s friends and parents were my favorites of the secondary characters. I especially loved how involved Samara’s parents were in her life.

Burning Emerald answered a lot of questions for me, and I am glad that I finally got a copy. After all, finishing The Cambion Chronicles was long overdue on my end.

The Friday 56 (77) Burning Emerald by Jamie Reed

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Dating the most popular guy in school is every girl's fantasy. But to Samara Marshall, he's a dangerous force come to rekindle their tangled past. Only it's not her past. Samara faces a challenging senior year. Controlling her inner demon is a struggle, even with help from her Cambion boyfriend, Caleb. But her life takes a turn for the worse when the hottest jock in school begins pursuing her--especially since Malik's anything but what he seems. They share a connection from a forgotten past--a secret that could destroy her and Caleb. As the attraction becomes harder to resist, Samara is now at the mercy of the demon within her. To break free, Sam must fight a battle where she is the enemy and the prize. . .and victory will come at a deadly price...

"Halloween with the gang was no casual affair and we took our sugar raid to almost militant proportions. Back in the day, Mia, Dougie, and I had been the original A-Team, laying waste to the entire junk food industry one block at a time, leaving devastation and candy wrappers in our wake."--Burning Emerald by Jamie Reed

Comments: The Cambion Chronicles is one of my favorite paranormal series. I had book one and three, but I never got around to the second in the series, until now. What are you reading this week?

The Friday 56 (1)

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

"However, no one else in their right mind would want to deal with that amount of people, not for minimum wage."-Living Violet by Jamie Reed 




What's on your page 56 this week?

Review: Living Violet by Jamie Reed

Title: Living Violet
Author: Jamie Reed
Source/Format: freebie, iTunes ebook edition
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Dafina, December 27, 2011



My Thoughts:

     It occurs to me now that I never reviewed this book even though I read it last year…a shocking fact since it was so good. Living Violet is an interesting take on the typical paranormal romance with a diverse cast of characters who had interesting familial backgrounds. The opening scene was entertaining to say the least and caught my attention almost right away. The paranormal aspect of this book was vastly different from the vampires, werewolves, witches, and so on that you normally find. Cambion’s, demons who steal the life right out of people…yeah, they certainly weren’t vampires. And to top it all off Samara Marshall wasn’t your typical run-of-the-mill, clichéd main character, she was a character with mixed heritage. Caleb and the rest of the characters…well if you want to know about them, then you’ll have to read Living Violet. So, if you’re looking for a paranormal book with a different take on demons, and a variety of characters, then I highly recommend taking a look at The Cambion Chronicles. (Actual rating is 4.5 birdcages.)