Gothic Reading Challenge - Take Two

Image via Wikipedia Is that time of month already? The time really flies, it feels as if it was only yesterday that I wrote my first post on the Gothic Reading Challenge...
What can I tell you? This past weeks I was in a reading frenzy and I managed to read a good deal of books that have gothic elements...I also read some books from other genres (mainly chick lit) and I'll write about them, too. So if you're not into gothic books, you just have to wait for a couple of days, when I hope I'll post my other reading adventures.
But. without further ado..let's dive in..I will start with the book I enjoyed the most, and that was "Shadowfever", by Karen Marie Moning, the last one in the Fever series. I am not going to spoil it for you, if you haven't read it yet. But, what can I say? After we were left with this annoying cliffhanger in book four, I think it was worth the wait. I loved it, loved it...Dark, powerful it makes your skin tingle with anticipation when your devour page after page. If you are not familiar with the Fever series, K.M. Moning site's says about it:


"MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister's murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals that have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac
struggles to cope with grief, while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh--a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King that contains the power to create and destroy worlds."

I hope I tickled your curiosity bone, because it is worth the time and money.

On the second place are two books, actually. I couldn't decide which I loved more, but I think I owe it to Rachel Caine to mention her book first. It is her latest in the Morganville Vampires series - "Ghost Town". My humble opinion is that with every book this series got better and better. I have to say that I like the vampire characters best, so it was interesting to see how Myrin goes even crazier...but with a twist, as he always does...I hope someday Claire will ditch Shane ( I don't know why, I haven't managed yet to even like him) and start something with Myrin...the "je ne sais quoi" between them is already there...

Now, with the third book I got the opportunity to make the aquintance of a new writer. I like that, keeps the routine out of reading. This time is was Heather Terrell and "Fallen Angel" (the first book in a series). I like the subject of angels, fallen or not and I was curious about this new book. It is mainly about a couple of teenagers, Ellie and Michael that discover together something fascinating and frightening about themselves and their families. Nothing is what it seems to be, that's the motto of Terrell's book. Looking forward to the second book.

What other gothic books did I read? Well, I finished the "Bloodsuckers - Vampire Archives Volume I" anthology. Another great read for me. There were some good stories in there, I loved Stephen King's one - "Popsy "and Tanith Lee's "Bite Me or Not, Fleur de Fur". I am in the middle of the second volume of the "Vampire Archives "- "Fangs" and I am looking forward to the third one, "Coffins".
I also read the first two books in the the "Heir Chronicles" by Cinda Williams Chima -" The Warrior Heir" and the "Wizard Heir". Nice YA mix of urban fantasy, romanticism, gothic and a bit of American superhero. I had this two books in my library for some time now and I have no idea why I did read them earlier. Anyhow, sweet and nice, no headache.

Hmmm...let me see what other book I read this month. ..
Oh, I almost forgot! Cornelia Funke, of course! I knew I discovered another fantastic writer...I read "The Thief Lord" first because it isn't part of a series and absolutely adored it. I loved not only the subject, but also the way Cornelia Funke writes...somebody called her "the German J.K . Rowlings" and I agree 100%. I finished "Inkheart" (saw the movie also, loved Helen Mirren as Elinor and the gorgeous Paul Bettany as Dustfingers) and I was spellbound...When she writes about Elinor :"she'll probably end up poor as a church mouse because she spends so much money on books. I think she'd sell her soul to the devil without thinking twice if he offered her the right book for it" my husbands says he recognizes me in the character...the cheek of him! I am not sure how much gothic-ness is there is the book, but Capricorn is one badass, that much I know...Looking forward to "Inkspell" and "Inkdeath". I also have "Reckless" and my husband saiys it is even better...
So, did I read or didn't?
It happens during periods of distress, I just burrow into a good book to forget about the reality...
And I'll finish with a quote from K.M. Moning: "Evil is a completely different creature. Mac. Evil is bad that believes it's good."