Six hundred years after The Outbreak, the human population stand side by side with the Fae & the Vampyrs to stop the Demon King from starting a second Dark War. Seventeen year old Adelaide Tate is in her last year of the Academy, with her eyes set on becoming part of the Red Guard. Who cares that no female has ever joined? When a dark force develops an unhealthy liking for her, Adelaide needs to fight for her life and figure out what makes her so different from the others. Betrayal. Fear. Anger. She must overcome it all in order to turn her world the right way around again. Adelaide has one choice. Accept the help offered to her by Xander Bane, or face the Demon Hoard alone. One thing is for sure. The descent will be bloody.
Sloane Murphy is a writer, dreamer, fur mom and crime documentary addict who has developed an unhealthy appreciation for cheesy YA Films, cupcakes and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales, ballet and all things supernatural, drinks far too much coffee, and watches an ungodly amount of Netflix.
She loves to write dark, paranormal/fantasy romance and characters who will shatter your heart. Characters who enjoy stomping on the pieces and then laugh before putting you back together again. And she definitely doesn't enjoy readers tears. Nope. Not even a little. If you want to keep up to date with all things Sloane, including where her next book is out, please join her mailing list. You can sign up on her website. www.authorsloanemurphy.com
A dragging story that I don't know where the story is going. But the dying and goodbyes put tears in my eyes. That adds one star... My rating should be 2....
I'm not a huge paranormal fan by any means. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I read one. The only paranormal books I've read and LOVED are The Scars books by Nashoda Rose. But I received the opportunity to read and review this release early for Sloane Murphy and FUCK ME did I LOVE it!!! It's not often I read and love a paranormal book and I'm on honestly very picky with them but Descent is most definitely up there with Nashoda's Scars book.
Addie and X (my nicknames for them) are compelling characters that have so many realistic characteristics and traits that makes them so PERFECT. They were amazing together. Tyler, Livvie, Dmitri, Aliana (yup, there's a character names after me, how COOL is that?!) all keep you so entertained and play awesome characters in the story that are both crucial but hilarious.
The betrayal, the angst, the romance, the mystery, the motherfucking feels! Sloane brings them all on you with a vengeance. And the cliffhanger and revelation at the end...
I was not expecting that AT ALL!!!
And THAT COVER! Looks so freaking pretty sitting in my Kindle. Definitely one of my top reads of this year. And one of two of my favourite paranormal series EVER. Seriously, it's that good.
And for a limited time only, it's on for only .99p/c. So I'd one click it and fast if I were you! ;)
*ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review*
Title: Descent Author: Sloane Murphy Series: The Immortal Chronicles #1 Genre: young adult, paranormal romance Rating: 1/5 September 2016's Quirky Blind Date with a Book.
Reviewer's note: this review is just my personal opinion. As you can see, others have really been raving about this book, so don't discount it just from what I'm saying.
What?
So, I don't usually read paranormal romance - this was a different thing for me. But it just didn't work - and here's why.
Addie was fickle and irritating, attempting to be a sassy bad-ass but only succeeding in having a narrative voice that seriously grated on me. At one moment she would despair of girls obsessing over men, and the next moment she herself would be obsessing over men. She never felt like a truly strong female character.
There were too many characters - every single one had their own name, and it became massively confusing to keep track of who each individual person was. And many of the supporting cast didn't seem necessary to the plot in the slightest. Xander had very little involvement in the novel at all, and I didn't find the relationship or chemistry believable. I actually preferred Tyler.
This was really a kitchen-sink novel. It read like a stream of consciousness, missing out large gaps of time and then adding in some vague details in a casual manner to explain what was happening in the present. It could have really used some thorough planning, rather than feeling like it was entirely made up as it went along. None of the characters had real motives, and there were particular moments when they just were not acting in character at all (particularly in the many betrayals).
The worldbuilding once again had potential but ended up feeling lazy. The 'Old World' was constantly referred back to for cultural items, fashion, music and films, rather than this world having its own culture and lifestyle. I wanted to know more of the backstory, more of the state of the world at large, and I wanted to know more about the limitations and powers of the species from the outset, rather than having random powers dropped in at opportune moments (and then not actually being of any use after all).
Really, it just felt like nothing of any consequence happened at all. There was no development, much of it dragged and then there would suddenly be a major plot twist that didn't seem believable in the slightest. This is a shame; there was a lot of potential in the premise, and up until the 25% mark I had high hopes - after that point, it descended into confusion, lack of reason and plain pointlessness. This was in need of a thorough planning and a good editor, and I hope the author can come back and deliver something that lives up to the potential I know she has.
Imagine the Faes, Angel’s , Vampires, and Demons all came together in this twistedly surprising paranormal story by Sloane Murphy. Humans and other paranormals struggled to live together in a world that was likely to get shattered and fall apart.
The heroine/female protagonist Addie or Adelaide was a badass. From the start, I knew she was head strong and got a little mischief in her hands when she decided to join the Red Guard, something that no other female had ever done before. Considering she had a lot in her hands and friends who turned out to be something else, I somehow felt drawn to her other personality that showed her solicitousness. As the story progressed, I kind of anticipated the turn of events with the other characters, but Addie’s own self-discovery in the end was a beautiful surprise.
On the other hand, Xander Bane wasn’t the man I expected him to be. When I didn’t realize at first his true nature, I thought he was too old for darling Adelaide and couldn’t understand his fascination. When the truth dawned upon me, that’s when I started liking him. In the end, I thought he and Addie deserved something more than they bargained.
The other characters were a bit edgy and high-strung. Livvie or Olivia surprised me the most and I thought she deserved another break.
Overall, the story was good and entertaining. I was just a little bothered with the typos. But other than that, Descent was a great start of a series. The cliffhanger was awesome, by the way.
Kindle Unlimited or 99c If you're interested in discovering loads more free paranormal reads, head to www.Facebook.com/ParanormalBookFest This was slow to pick up, but eventually it did produce a bit more pace which managed to maintain my interest.
It is basically an academy story with a bit extra. The usual: sexy vampires, nasty demons, confused boyfriend interests etc for the YA audience. I will say towards the end it annoyed me somewhat, . I will admit, this probably would have been a total giveaway for later in the story.
Finally, I will read the next book, which is out in October 2016, available on Amazon pre-order.
I decided to read the book cuz I did like the cover and the blurb sounded very promising. However, it was one of those books which just left me shaking my head and thinking why did I bother? While the story/plot had potential....the execution left a LOT to be desired for. At least, for me.
Story is about Adelaide, our MC, who is a "human" and wants to be a red guard very badly. We have been told many times throughout the book. However, I wasn't quite sure what the red guard did? It seemed they are probably some much sought after elite guard position...however, I wasn't quite sure on what they guarded? Also, Addy enters the academy where she is supposedly, a badass student, top of the class, fierce and every.typical.badass.snarky girl that's one YA MC supposed to be. Again, we were told and not shown about this so called badassery. I never felt that once. She was quite annoying actually. She had some close friends and they also left much to be desired for. Nobody stood out and we even had a customary, cliched (he was great at dressing her up) gay man who befriends her immediately upon seeing.
The story seemed to jump and even the dialogs were not fluid. For example, Addy often had this outburst of "anger" or "indignation" and I wondered where it came from? There was no build up to anything. Many a times, we went through weeks or months by "three weeks later...." or "three months later...." which I get that sometimes it is necessary. However, when it happens often and everything feels disconnected it takes away from the fluidity of the story.
The supposed romantic interest, Xander, don't get me started on that *eyeroll*
Oh and I did guess who she is even though it was never revealed who she is by the end. Thanks to a flashback scene chapter which was placed in the middle of other chapters. It made me think why the heck it was added at that point without any build up. Everything was told to us and not much shown sadly.
Audiobook read with twists and turns at every corner. This is a great listen and I really liked the narrator.
Adelaide is the key to a story she knows nothing about. She’s about to embark on a life changing journey and this is just the beginning.
Fantasy novel with an interesting story. I haven’t read many academy books and the cover doesn’t reflect that this is one but I feel it falls into that category. Without spoilers I can’t explain the other theme. For me this is something different and a good start to a series.
*i received this for free with no obligation to review.
Oh boy, where to begin? The main character, Addie, is a fickle thing, they try to make her seem tough, which she's not, and end up showing off as a brat. In one sentence she thinks one thing and on the next the opposite (i.e. I'm so mad at him, but he's so good looking so I'm not mad at him anymore-- see fickle). She's also quite stupid sometimes (like most times but whatever) She has some love interests, but there is no development of it, she just is in love with one of them, then she is just in love with the other. There is no real character development at all, and no coherency on the story (I.e. at the end of one chapter he tells her he loves her and at the beggining of the next chapter she just doesn't understand him and what he feels and everybody is reaffirming her that he cares... umm I know he cares, he just told her that!) Sadly the story is just bad. I say sadly because I really wanted to like the book, the plot seemed interesting, but I'm actually regretting spending $0.99 in this
I have a new paranormal author and her name is Sloane Murphy!
This book has all my favourite things; Vampires, a kick-ass heroine, a hot alpha love interest and plenty of mystery.
This is an amazing read from a brand new author. We have Addie who is a strong leading lady, she knows where she see's her life going and she works her hardest to get there. We soon can see that there is a lot more to Addie than meets the eyes. There are many turning points for her in this book and I can't wait to see what happens in book 2.
Xander Bane a hot stern Vampyr that takes his job seriously and knows a lot more about the world than many others. He has a great part in this story and another great character.
I can't say too much without giving away an epic story. This book has fantastic secondary characters and had me emotionally invested from the first page, I am looking forward to the rest of Addie's journey.
As much as I hate cliffhangers and tend to avoid them if I can, which means I rarely voluntarily read book ending with one, I found myself reaching for #2 in the series as soon as I finished this. That's the sole reason I haven't posted my review sooner. But back to the point. I am sooo glad Addie was not another doormat. How she waanted to make something more of herself than any girl before has done. She finds herself in an awful circumstances but manages to get herself out and help others imprisoned too. I was very, very unsure about Rose - seemed to me it all was a little to perfect. The author through her beautifully woven story made me question everything. I was a little disappointed with Xander -he left her time and time again. The last one being the worst.
This book was amazing! I love paranormal, vampires and fae.... So this was right up my alley! This is the first book I read by this Author and it was incredible! The look into a future world was breath taking and I can not wait to continue the story with Addie
This was actually a pretty good start to the series. I really love how the FMC is really trying to put it all out there with grit, determination, and hard work to really reach her goals. Unfortunately, goals are bound to change when you don't know anything about your situation.. though it seems everyone else knows, including the reader. The frustration is real in this. As well as angst from our wishy washy male MC.. grr.
Addie our FMC has been working hard to be the best her whole life, wanting nothing more to join the Red Gaurd, a legion of warriors who help defend this new world against the demon king. Only her dreams are cast aside for reasons unknown to her by her Yummy mentor Xander. Not only are her dreams crushed but their school is attacked and 2 of her best friends are killed. Slowly loosing everything she loves around her with no reason why someone would be out to get her she is lured out to discover the things they have been taught at school aren't the truth and things aren't always as black and white as they appear.
Cliffhanger ending folks, even if the reader kind of seen it coming it is still definitely there. I'm down to see where this is headed..
This book is crazy good. It starts slow but quickly builds. I totally for sucked in wanting to know what was going to happen. It is suspenseful, tragic, exciting and has mystery.
The main character is Adelaide Tate and she is a tough, brutally honest and fiesty. She is in her last year of school and her goal is to join the Red Guard. No girl has ever made the Red Guard but he he is determined to be the first. Then tragedy strikes and she about loses herself. She has a hard time dealing with everything and then someone betrays her. Like seriously? Can she catch a break? What will happen? She tries her best to look on the bright side and makes a friend Who She helps out. Things start happening and no one will give her answers. Ugh I need to know what she will do know. I am really worried for her. Yes I know she is a character but still the feelings are there. Really Sloan how could you end it like that!
Yes there is a HUGE CLIFFHANGER, but the BOOK was really good. Definitely worth the read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“Descent” is a paranormal fantasy, and I must say I loved this tale. Yes there are some grammar issues and yes there are moments I wanted to toss this book, BUT, the plot of the story is original, the storyline is exciting and the characters take you on an emotional journey from laughter to despair. I really enjoyed this tale and was ready to pull my hair out as the tale ends in a cliffhanger!!!! But I can’t wait for the next installment.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Our story starts in a world of Fae and Vampyrs, with our heroine Addie as a young child, it’s her first day at the academy and she is relieved to roomies with best friend from nursery, Livvy. It’s an introduction to her character and that of Logan and Ty who are roomed across the hall. Abandoned by her parents Addie has had a tough start in life, the only thing that she has with her were her weapons, her Sai which were left with her…...
Shift to several years later, Addie is close to graduating out of the academy and hoping to become not only one of the few Human’s in the Red Guard but also to become the first female member, it’s her dream and everything she has pushed herself for since her first day.
Logan and Ty are still her neighbours and the four have forged a strong friendship. However, the mysterious shades breach the safety of the walls with devastating consequences and Addie’s world is left in tatters. Although she begins to seek solace with Ty, the enigmatic Xander Bane takes more of an interest and a moment’s comfort from him, is ultimately her undoing. A series of events leads her to a curious captivity with baddy Kaden, although a captive her treatment isn’t as such and quickly new friendships are formed and secrets are uncovered.
How will things remain the same once she returns to Xander? How has her unexpected visitor come to be? And just what is the secret behind her heritage……?
I have to say that I enjoyed this book a lot, it’s an easy read with great characters. It’s a YA paranormal story with a dystopian element. For me it’s a story which kept me guessing, I love it when authors push you in one direction then flip things around on you just when you think you have got the twist. Whilst the story is rich there is also a lot which is alluded to which kept my mind ticking over for clues, but certainly I didn’t see the last 2 twists coming - they are real wow moments!
I was left initially a little confused with the actual state of the world they were in and exactly what the Shades were, I am however, a sucker for a prologue to set the scene, which we didn't have here. But, the story settles into it’s flow well though and the pacing is good, with little in the way of what feels like filler. It’s easy to draw character comparisons with bigger franchises and there are many character traits which Addie shares with some of her more established counterparts but she is still very much her own.
There are sadly several typo’s ranging from the simple that don’t really impact on the flow, to some that really pull you out of the story while you try to work out what it should be, which was a let down as the book is really well edited and formatted other than that.
It’s a great start to a series, and leaves you on one hell of a cliffhanger!
4.5 stars!! What a great beginning to a series!! Ok this book starts when Adelaide is around 8 years old and going from Nursery to The Academy with her best friend. Then we go straight to end of Academy and all the chaos that happens her "senior" year. You see the "outbreak" happened 600 years ago and since then humans no longer rule the world. Though as we learn they do not know everything. And since then it's basically been good vs evil. Except the line is very grey I believe. So much happens to Addie in this book that I could not put it down. There are so many characters that I love in this book. Addie has a couple love interests. 1)Tyler well I loved him and rooted for him but then he ...well I no longer love him 2) Xander is a moody little shit but a sexy vamp who really cares for Addie. Though I am worried about what he is holding back 3) Kaden. Well he wasn't a love interest but damn I wish he was. Idk why but I have a spot for Kaden. And then all her friends all play such big parts in this. The end was great thought the last few pages kind of felt rushed. I loved this book and I will continue to read this whole series. I couldn't give it five stars because some of it felt like something I read before. But I apparently love those books cuz I love this book. Great paranormal read. Can't wait for the next book!!! **I received this book as a review copy through Quirky Blind date with a book from the author and in return I gave my honest review**
Wow. Just wow. I don't even know how to start. So I'm just going to include all four books here to save me writing it again. Descent (book 1), Crash (book 2), Soar (book 3), Rapture (book 4). These books are amazing! Up there with my favourites! There completely unpredictable and I was hooked from the beginning. I fell in love with so many of the characters and my heart was really invested in Addie and Xanda's love journey. I was rooting for them! All through the books I was telling myself, it's ok, it's ok, they will get their happy ever after........and then bam! I was NOT prepared to get my heart broken! I had to put book 4 down for a few minutes to compose myself. I was crushed. Broken. A complete blubbering baby. It's amazing how the author does that. The focus wasn't always on Addie and Xanda, I got to see things from other characters point of view too, which is good, I liked that. There's so many twists, turns and different emotions. I'm finding this review hard as I can't write everything I want to without spoiling it for others! Erghhh! You just need to read them. I can not recommend them enough! You won't be disappointed.
Holy fudge bucket (normally id say another word but on this site thats a big no no). Seriously though...wow. You would never know this a debut author, this book totally knocks some of the others in this genre out of the park. Im talking home run....see ya later....knocked out of the park.
In a world where the Fae and Vampyrs really do exist Addie has but one goal, make it into the Red Guard, the best of the best. When she arrives at the academy everything she does there leads up to her goal....until her life takes a few unexpected turns and Addie learns that not everything is as it seems.
I wont go into detail but i will say if you are looking for a Para with angst,holy fudge what the hell just happened moments, loss, grief and hotness then this is the book for you. When you think youve sussed all you need to know about the main character Addie along comes the twist.
Seriously a 5* read and i cant wait to see what else this up and coming author comes up with. Ill end this here with just three little words:
I really enjoyed this book. There were demons, Angels, vampires and fae; all of which I love to read about it.
Initially I struggled with the first few chapters where it explained the academy and its functions but as soon as chapter 3 began, I was hooked. The author explains the supernatural world well without causing any confusion, which was great as sometimes it can be confusing. The story centres on Addie, the only human at the academy. It soon becomes apparent that things are not what they seem to be for her. With the help of the vampires (spelt vamprys in the book ) D and Xander, Addie soon finds more then what she bargained for; also who she can trust and who she can't. This book was action packed and once things started to pick up in the book, there was never a dull moment. The characters were easily liked, even the not so good ones. Whilst I wouldn't say the book finished on a cliffhanger, it did end with me wanting to know more. I am so looking forward to book two, which I believed is announced at the end of the book as coming late this year, I can’t wait.
I really enjoyed this book. There were demons, Angels, vampires and fae; all of which I love to read about it.
Initially I struggled with the first few chapters where it explained the academy and its functions but as soon as chapter 3 began, I was hooked. The author explains the supernatural world well without causing any confusion, which was great as sometimes it can be confusing. The story centres on Addie, the only human at the academy. It soon becomes apparent that things are not what they seem to be for her. With the help of the vampires (spelt vamprys in the book ) D and Xander, Addie soon finds more then what she bargained for; also who she can trust and who she can't. This book was action packed and once things started to pick up in the book, there was never a dull moment. The characters were easily liked, even the not so good ones. Whilst I wouldn't say the book finished on a cliffhanger, it did end with me wanting to know more. I am so looking forward to book two, which I believed is announced at the end of the book as coming late this year, I can’t wait.
I was given an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review and I gave it 4 stars.
Addie is a human living in a world surrounded by Vampyrs, Demons and Fae. Living in an institute studying for her finals and training to maker dream a reality, making the Red Guard. However, things don't always go to plan and finds herself fighting against an unknown force that wants to claim her for themselves.
Fighting for her life surrounded by lies and fear and not knowing what to do she is faced with one decision! Let those around her who have lied to her all of her life help or face the danger alone.
Ok, so initially I thought this book would be right up my street but I unfortunately struggled with the first few chapters of this story but once the action started flowing I couldn't put it down and found I was right!! I really enjoyed this book, I loved all of the supernatural elements this books contains and all of the little twists and turns this story takes and now I can't wait for book two.
I received this book for September's #QuirkyBlindDate.
This book is not something I would normally buy or read. But I am so glad I did! This story had me hooked right from the beginning. The characters came to life and I really felt like I knew them. Addie was the female lead. I loved her personality. She is a strong, protective, take charge, get things done kind of woman. Her relationship with her friends makes you want to be included into her inner sanctum. The troubles she encounters just strengthens her determination. This story has it all friendship, love, loyalty, deception, betrayal and death. The only thing I didn't like was the cliffhanger ending. I have never been a fan of those. But I will buy book #2. I have to find out what happens to Addie and Xander.
I read all books back to back and made it much easier to follow along. So this review will include a little from all the books. I have not read much YA Paranormal for awhile(not in that age bracket anymore) but this is definitely worth your time. The first book starts out when Addie is just a small girl transferring into a new school. It goes onto her teenage years and her plans to become part of the Red guard. I liked Addie alot, even considering her age. Shes strong and is a loyal friend. As you will read, plans don't go as planned. Especially when people close to you are not who you can trust. I felt terrible for her. So much betrayal.
I quite liked this story. I would have given it 4 or 5 stars but it had some faults that I couldn't get over. Xander didn't have much of a personality and while I can understand that an 800 year old person wouldn't change much over one year, I would have liked to see some personal growth.
Also, at times the story dragged a bit. There were some weird gaps in time and some of the things that happened seemed a little off. I don't like giving spoilers, so that is why this is vague.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and I think Sloane Murphy is going to continue to keep getting better.
At first when I read Descent I didn’t know what I was getting into. Normally I am not into Vampires and Fairies. However, as a read though it just pulled me in. Addie is strong main character, she may have been trained to be on the red guard but there is something more….. At times you are on the edge of your seat to see what happens next. It made me finish the book in the wee early morning. Major cliff hanger and I need more….
I actually really enjoyed reading this book. It ends in a cliffhanger though so I'm looking forward to reading more. The need to find out exactly what and who Addie is and the growing relationship between her and Xander has sucked me in. This is a wonderfully written story that moves along steadily and leaves you wanting to read more. I received a copy via Blind Date with a Book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was not what I expected. Honestly, I wasn't prepared for it at all. The characters were so well developed, showed flaws, strengths and weaknesses that I immediately connected with Addie and her friends. The world building was great and I could perfectly imagine everything that happened. Normally I don't enjoy dystopian novels, but this one was great. I cannot wait to see how it'll all play out in the end and am excied for more books of this author.