Parker Blue's Fang Me

Fang Me by Parker Blue

Demon Underground series book 3

Bell Bridge Books – March 14, 2011

www.parkerblue.net

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Rating: Loved it!

Recommendations: YA, Paranormal, action that involves meeting your destiny

            Val Shapiro is back, and this time she is not after vampires –she’s working for them. It’s not something she really wants to do, but she’s under contract until the Encyclopedia Magicka books are found and the Movement is able to come out publicly. But Val, the vampires and the Demon Underground are not the only ones who are looking for the books. A visitor, Trevor, from another state, claims that he is the keeper of the books. Val doesn’t trust him and does her best to give him the benefit of the doubt.  She is now searching for the books, trying to figure out what it is that Trevor is hading, fighting the unaffiliated vampires while doing her best to not give in to her temptation with Shade.

This is the third book in the series and it is perhaps my favorite. For lots of reasons, there is a depth in this one that was not present in the first two novels. It feels like Parker Blue has settled into this series and has found that comfortable groove where the characters have come to life and the story is a movie playing until it is captured. That is apparent in this one. Don’t get me wrong; I loved the first two books a lot, but this is so much better because of that groove feeling.

In this story, Val realizes that she has a lot more to lose; the strength, speed and intuition needed to slay vampires or eventually losing Shade. Shade knows what’s at risk for her if they give in to their emotions and impulses and has assured her that he is not in the relationship for that. But like most girls her age she doesn’t believe him; doesn’t believe that any guy would be willing to have a long relationship without getting physical. This is what is at stake, she doesn’t think it’s fair but has decided to do the mature thing and make a choice instead of running from it. A decision that shows how much she has grown. But her search for the books requires her to put off the decision and presents Val with another opportunity; a new path that she can take. So in the face of losing something big, Val also has the chance to gain something equally big (if not bigger). It’s funny, action-packed, and full of the “Val-isms” readers have come to love and so much more.

Her story doesn’t end with this book. There is another book expected in the Demon Underground series, but I am secretly hoping that there are more in the works. There is so much potential and room for growth in this series or a spin-off. Either way I am looking forward to see what the future has in store for Val Shapiro and the other characters of the Demon Underground.

Always Shine,

Starr K.

I received this complimentary galley from Netgalley. The  review is not required to be a positive one, but I assure you it is my honest opinion of the book. 

Parker Blue's Try Me

Try Me by Parker Blue

Demon Underground series

Bell Bridge Books- February 19, 2010

www.parkerblue.net

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Rating: Loved it!

Recommendation: Fans of YA, vampire demons and other paranormal characters, vampire slayers and teenage angst

Val Shapiro is back and this time she is not just another a vampire slayer. She is a teenager is learning to control her inner demon-literally. She is an eighth of a succubus-a lust demon.  Though it will take time, she is hopeful that it means that she will be safe with her partner is appears to be slowly accepting Lola, her succubus. Well it looked that way until Val and Dan are no longer partners, Lola-her secret weapon and succubus side- is revealed to the other SCU officers, and Dan gets a new partner. Val is partnered with Shade,  a shadow demon, on her next case. They must find the Encyclopedia Magicka books before they end up in the wrong hands. On top of her partnership with Dan dissolving, the missing books, and her growing (and confusing) attraction to Shade –who’s supposed to help her learn to control Lola, the few good vampires in town are turning mad and going after innocents. That’s nothing compared to the deal that she makes with Alejandro and the revelation about her unusual strength and speed that Shade lays on her. But it’s all in the day and life of Val Shapiro. If anyone can handle this and save her town, it’s Val.

I really like this one because there is more depth to the characters. While  Bite Me  seemed mostly just a good sit down and read story,  Try Me seems where the characters really come to life. There is still action and mystery and angst. But I found it a lot easier to visualize the characters, the dialogue was easier to grasp definitely dripped with the characters’ inflection. This series has turned out to be one heck of a ride. I am glad that everything that Val thought she knew in the first book is being challenged in this one.  While I like Dan, I don’t like him for Val, so I am very glad that she has someone else to focus on.  I love the quips that go back and forth between Val and Fang, it’s hilarious!

Another thing that I really like about Try Me is that the demons are used creatively. Though the Demon Underground is for those that find that they aren’t really normal but want to live peacefully with the humans around them, they are still demons. Though they want to make nice with the humans, they have not lost their dark side. It’s more of a conscious choice for some more than others, but it another layer added on to the characters which creates potential. Potential in this series is a powerful in and of itself. I am excited to find out what happens next.

Sometimes it’s hard to find that balance of leaving readers hanging with a story that carries on into the next book, and tying up loose strings enough for the current book to have some closure. Parker Blue has found a nice way to find this balance. While, the immediate objectives (the safety of the supernatural and mundanely human population) are always met, the action that is secondary or happening in the periphery is left to be the focus of the next book.  Nicely done.

Always Shine,

Starr K.

I received this complimentary galley from Netgalley. The  review is not required to be a positive one, but I assure you it is my honest opinion of the book. 

Parker Blue's Bite Me

Bite Me by Parker Blue

The Demon Underground Series

Bell Bridge Books September 30, 2008

www.parkerblue.net

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Rating: Amazing and humorous

Recommendation: Fans of the young adult genre, the paranormal, kick-butt action and even some steamy romance

Val is part succubus and part human, and has a natural ability to kick vampire butt. For her birthday, her parents tell her it’s time that she moves out for the safety of her sister, Jen, who looks up to Val. She also has to find another job as her parents are cutting her completely out of their lives. She then finds a job with the SCU through a previous encounter with Dan Sullivan, a hot detective doing what he can to rid the city of the violent vampires. Now it’s Val, Dan and Val’s half hellhound, Fang, against the city’s growing vampire population. When they become partners and try to find the vein of vampires that are wreaking havoc through the city, they become closer than they imagined and Val is forced to test the restraints she has on Lola, her succubus side.

If I were going to compare this to a meal, I would say that this is a smorgasbord of yummy goodness. You have a young heroine who is forced out and into growing up much faster than anyone should have to. But she still manages to hang on to humorous wit and knowledge. She is young and still trying to come to terms with who and what she is, but that doesn’t keep her from being a force to be reckoned with. I really enjoyed the commentary that flowed between her and Fang, the hellhound half breed that befriends her.

I could go into detail about the struggles that Val go through as she learns about herself and her demon nature. Or how Dan must learn to accept the part of Val that is suddenly thrust on him. But really, this was a good story that keeps you interested and invested in how everything turns out. There is a whole world that is yet to be discovered; something that brings comfort to Val and makes it a little more uncomfortable for Dan. His discomfort with the nonhumans that surround him is understandable, but he still strives to be the hero in the midst of it all. And you’ve got to admire that.

Always Shine,

Starr K.

I received this complimentary galley from Netgalley. The  review is not required to be a positive one, but I assure you it is my honest opinion of the book.