Tantilizing Trailers:Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Give-Away

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Title: Infinity

Series: The Chronicles of Nick #1

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Publisher: Atom

Publication Date: 3 Feb 2011

Synopsis from Goodreads

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

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Title: Invincible

Series: The Chronicles of Nick #2

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Publisher: Atom

Publication Date: 29 March 2011

Synopsis from Goodreads

Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse...

Nick Gautier’s day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.

His new principal thinks he’s even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can’t even mention and the girl he’s not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.

But more than that, he’s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn’t learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them..

I really enjoyed the first book in the series Infinity (Review HERE) although I did feel I would have benefited from knowing more about the Dark Hunter books to fully appreciate the nuances of the plot. Unfortunately due to time constraints I haven't had the chance to read the second book in the series Invincible. Instead of it sitting on my bookcase waiting patiently to be read I would love to share it with one of my fabulous followers.

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Title: Infamous

Series: Chronicles of Nick #3

Author: Sherrilynn Kenyon

Publisher: Atom

Publication Date: 13 March 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

The world has fallen in love with Nick Gautier and the Dark-Hunters. Now Nick’s saga continues in the next eagerly anticipated volume...

Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That’s the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn’t the average teenager. He’s a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.

He’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.

And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.

Or he’ll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he’ll lose everyone he cares about.

Even himself. 

Review: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Synopsis: From Amazon

Teenager Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is renowned. But his whole world is suddenly turned upside down on the night his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters - immortal vampire-slayers who risk everything to save humanity - and he quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one that's filled with all kinds of evil. However, before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students start turning into flesh-eating members of the undead. Nick knows he's in real danger and he soon has a lot more to deal with than starting high school: he's under pressure to hide his new friends from his mother and his chainsaw from the principal while trying to impress the girl he has a crush on ? all without getting grounded, suspended...or killed.

Review:
I loved the sound of this book from the synopsis but was a bit concerned that I wouldn't understand the intricacies of the plot as I haven't read the Dark Hunter series. After a few conversations with fellow reviewers it seems that my concerns were unjustified as Nick is not mentioned in the Dark Hunters although his mother is mentioned briefly. However, I still feel as if I should read the Dark Hunters to fully appreciate the background to the plot and the interactions of some of the central characters such as Kyrian & Acheron :D Update: Apparently I was informed incorrectly regarding the amount Nick is featured within the Dark Hunters series (please see comments below) although I did point out that it would be beneficial to read t he series alongside this one
 
I thought the start to this book was amazing, a debate as to whether our lives are governed by a pre-ordained destiny or whether we have the freedom to choose our own paths. I really like these sorts of debates, just ask my hubs. I can talk a glass eye to sleep over this one :D
 
Mainly written in 1st person narrative from Nick's point of view. A wonderfully sarcastic 14 year old (you should know by now how much I love the sarcasm). He has been raised alone by his Mother (who if I have done my maths correctly was only 14 herself when she had him). They have struggled for money and Nick has developed a pessimistic, slightly cynical and misanthropic outlook. You can see these are all defence mechanisms that he has had to develop in order to cope with the way he is treated. I just loved his snarky attitude :D He has some of the best one liners I have ever heard :D The reader is given access to Nicks thoughts/insights with the use of italics, also drawing the eye and focusing on specific aspects of the plot (aka Poe style).
 
The depiction of bullying is brutally honest. Showing how even adults/teachers can be biased in relation to money/status as opposed to intelligence/actions. Nick possess a great deal of inner strength, showing that it takes a strong mind to cope with the stresses of bullying, etc. It shows how the events that occur within our lives define us as a person.
 
The changes in narrative were a little disconcerting and I felt that the flow of the story was greatly interrupted because of it. The action is very fast paced making it sometimes difficult to keep up with the intricacies of the plot. There are a lot of threads to the plot which tend to go off at tangents without weaving back together. I am hoping that some of the issues I have with the plot will be addressed in the next book.
 
The use of Greek mythology added depth to the story. Although I was a bit confused as to Artemis's role within the boundaries of good versus evil? I was also left wondering if this was a pivotal aspect of the plot? Nick seems to be pivotal in the battle of good versus evil, the path he chooses for his life deciding the fate of the world :D
 
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, the basic storyline is excellent. I do have issues with the plot as the threads went in a lot of different directions and never really pulled back together. In the end it comes down to the fact that I am now smitten with Nick and will definitely be reading the next installment in order to follow his progress :D