Angel & Faith Volume 3: Family Reunion by Christos Gage

Angel & Faith Volume 3: Family Reunion (2013) (Diamond Book Distributors)
Christos Gage (script), Rebekah Isaacs (art)
Grade: B+
Genre: graphic novel / Angel & Faith / vampire
Source: NetGalley / own
Angel & Faith: (1) Live Through This, (2) Daddy Issues, (3) Family Reunion 

Willow is in town and pledges to help Angel with his mission to bring Giles back to life – if he’ll help her with hers. After Buffy destroyed the Seed, thereby eliminating all magic from the world, Willow has been desolate. Magic was her life and now she’s on a mission to get it back. It’s crazy and dangerous, but Willow has to do it – for the good of the world.

Angel & Faith Volume 2: Daddy Issues by Christos Gage

Angel & Faith Volume 2: Daddy Issues (2012)

Christos Gage (script), Rebekah Isaacs (art), Dan Jackson (colours), Chris Samnee (art, Women of a Certain Age), Jordie Bellaire (colours, Women of a Certain Age), Steve Morris (cover) etc

Grade: B+

Genre: graphic novel

Source: NetGalley
Angel & Faith: (1) Live Through This

It’s been too long since I’ve read anything and since I had just finished my review of Buffy: Freefall but couldn’t manage to find my copy of Buffy: On Your Own from wherever it decided to hide itself on my laptop, I decided on the next best thing: Angel & Faith. One issue, I promised myself. Yeah, right. I finished the whole arc, went to bed at three in the morning and felt like crap when I woke up. But it was worth it and I’m going to tell you why.

Something is making its way across London, making people crazy and lash out at the people around them with devastating consequences. In the course of his bring-Giles-back-to-life mission, Angel has been poring over the Watcher’s journals and thinks he knows who the culprit is. The Lorophage demon feeds on the trauma of others to the point of death, but there have been rare reported cases of the Lorophage being interrupted in its feeding process, with the victim merely becoming insane – Giles was one such victim. There must be something controlling the Lorophage in order for it to be leaving this many victims alive, and whatever it is, it must be pretty damn powerful …

Underworld by Meg Cabot

Underworld (2012)
Meg Cabot
Grade: B-
Genre: YA paranormal
Sex scenes: classic Meg Cabot fade-to-black
Source: library
Abandon series: (1) Abandon, (2) Underworld 

Pierce Oliviera is stuck in the Underworld and there’s no going back. At least she won’t be bored, with her boyfriend John Hayden for company. He might be King of the Underworld (and thus she’s his Queen Consort) but someone’s got to do it, right? Besides, Pierce has got bigger things to worry about, like the Furies that are after her and want to see her dead …

Pierce’s transition into her new life hasn’t been as smooth as she’d hoped. Her departure from Earth was captured by CCTV and to the world (along with some help from Pierce’s over-exaggerating, Fury-possessed Grandmother), it looks as if she were kidnapped. With a £1million reward on her head (really, was that all her dad could afford?) and so many loose ends to tie up back on Earth, Pierce must be very careful during her return visit not to draw too much attention to herself. And whatever she does, it must be fast. Terrible consequences are suffered in the Underworld when the balance is upset and its residents must not spend too long in the land of the living.

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon (2011)

Meg Cabot

Grade: C+

Genre: YA paranormal

Source: own
Abandon series: (1) Abandon, (2) Underworld

I haven't read any new MC in years. I've been reading her work for over half my life and the Princess Diaries, Mediator and Missing series were huge favourites during my teen years. My one venture into that huge world of Fan Fiction featured the awesome Suze Simon of the Mediator series but I never got near to finishing it and I think I would be horrified by what I found if I went and opened the document today. I believe the last new MC I read was Airhead in July 2009; it hadn't been great so I haven't yet read the other two. I distinctly remember MC stating years ago that she would never venture into vampire territory and so I steered clear of her Insatiable series. I'm really looking forward to Size 12 and Ready to Rock because I love Heather Wells, but when I saw Abandon and it's beautiful cover, I couldn't help but buy it.

Pierce Oliviera is a NDE: Near Death Experience. When she was fifteen, she tripped and fell into the outside swimming pool during winter and drowned. When people inevitably ask whether or not she saw a light, she never tells the truth of exactly what happened to her. She's learned the hard way that the truth could lead to a future featuring men in white suits ...

Angel & Faith Volume 1: Live Through This by Christos Gage

Angel & Faith Volume 1: Live Through This (2012)
Christos Gage (script), Rebekah Isaacs (art), Phil Noto (art), Steve Morris (cover)
Grade: A-
Genre: graphic novel
Source: NetGalley

I've waxed poetic about how much I hate writing spoilers and how I'll try and keep spoilers to a minimum where I do need to reveal big plotlines. Not possible here. There's no way that I can talk about this book without revealing huge spoilers for Buffy Season 8. So if you haven't read the Buffy comics and want to, then DO NOT click on the 'Read more' link below if you don't want to find out what happens. Similarly, there's some biggish spoilers for Angel and Faith too. I mean, sure, don't let me stop you from reading it if you haven't read Live Through This yet and you plan to, but it's nothing MAJOR major unlike the Buffy spoilers. If you have read Buffy Season 8, or on the other hand don't plan to, then click ahead. But don't say I didn't warn you.