Review: Devour (Devoured, #1) by Shelly Crane

Clara has it all. A wrestling star boyfriend, popular friends, all the right school activities...pretty much a perfect life...up until her parents died. Now she lives with the Pastor and his family and though they take good care of her, she feels alone. Then her boyfriend, Tate, starts to show signs of trouble when a new guy, Eli, comes to town. Clara is fascinated with him but hides it until something happens. Eli confesses to her that she gives him something he's never had before...something he needs. Everything is about to change for this normal pretty popular girl in a supernatural way.

I didn't think anything would stand up to the Significance series but Crane thankfully proved not to be a one (series) hit wonder.  The Devoured series quickly became yet another addicting read.  Clara and Eli, oh my goodness!  There are two huge reasons Crane always keeps me coming back for more.  One, her lead characters and the relationships they form.  And two, the fact that there are always more questions and twists and turns with each flip of the page to keep readers entertained and guessing until the very end.  She never allows her readers to become complacent or bored.

Choosing sides is of course a familiar element in Crane's work and readers will feel as though its not just the fictional characters making choices but themselves as well.  That's at least the feeling I got when making my way through this title.  Could you choose sides against your friends and family?  Go against everything you thought you knew to be right?  I could almost hear the disapproval in The Godfather's words, to "never go against the family" but yet unless you're in the shoes and faced with those decisions, it's a tough call to make.

Readers all over the blogosphere are claiming to have been "devoured" by this book and I'm not different.  Crane's given me no choice but to become invested in these characters and the world she created.  There was no question that I was going to move right along to the next installment.

Review: Devour (Warm Delicacy, #3) by Megan Duncan

You never know how strong you are until something makes you choose between humanity, and the beast.

As Claire descended deep into the ancient tomb; laying to rest the bodies of the fallen, she wondered if time healed all wounds, would an eternity be long enough? Still recovering from a brutal attack that nearly killed her, she refused to let evil win. Pain and destruction glared at her everywhere she went. Nothing and no one would ever be safe until Baal was not only defeated, but destroyed. Fueled by her thirst for revenge, she traveled with her father to the ‘old world’, seeking the aide of a long forgotten ally. Will their quest for help lead to their salvation, or is it only the first step in their annihilation?

Picking up once again right where the series' sequel left off, the epic battle at the end is over and Claire and Arrick, along with everyone else is working on recovering from loses and injuries inflicted.  And while this would have been enough to deal with on their plate, they know it's not over and what lies ahead will be more than they can even imagine.  Duncan will not disappoint her readers as her characters continue to develop and expand in your opinions as a whole.  Decisions were made and while the characters must live with their consequences, it's refreshing and nice to see that Claire is still trying her best to hold on to any little pieces of her old self and values that she can. 

While the dilemmas that go hand in hand with love triangles is still evident, I have to admit that Arrick stole it for me towards the end of the second installment and sealed the deal with this third book.  He's just what I as a reader enjoy in a male lead.  He's decent despite what's thrown at him, and how he's treated.  And despite the fact that I like Claire's character, there was more than a few times I wanted to smack her character and her treatment of him.  I did not always approve. 

New characters join the fold and old ones resurface, creating a great mix of personalities and plot twists.  Who can these people trust and who should they be watching out for?  It's a fun ride to take and Duncan once again maintained a great balance of action and suspense, along with romance and friendships.  It was fun to read and again had me only wanting more!