29th out of 49 books
—
54 voters
Poison Sleep (Marla Mason #2)
by
Tim Pratt
The bad girl of the magical underworld is back and badder than ever
Someone wants Marla Mason dead. Usually that’s not news. As chief sorcerer of Felport, someone always wants her dead. But this time she’s the target of a renegade assassin who specializes in killing his victims over days, months, or even years. Not to mention a mysterious knife-wielding killer in black who...more
Someone wants Marla Mason dead. Usually that’s not news. As chief sorcerer of Felport, someone always wants her dead. But this time she’s the target of a renegade assassin who specializes in killing his victims over days, months, or even years. Not to mention a mysterious knife-wielding killer in black who...more
Paperback, 321 pages
Published
March 25th 2008
by Spectra
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Ok, so THIS is why it's good to give series that don't TOTALLY hook you a second shot. I really really really loved this second book in the series. The characters were more developed and the whole book felt more coherent and well put together on EVERY level. I really enjoyed the world immensely, and the characters were so interesting. I enjoy a female character who can function properly and doesn't have to have abandonment issues or past abuse she's whining about (which a lot of vaginal-urban-fa...more
You May Not Be Able to Rest Until this Book is Finished
Marla Mason is the leader among equals of the sorcerers in the city of Felport. It’s her job to protect the city and keep the other sorcerers in line - something that is not so easy to do when one of the sorcerers has hired an assassin to kill her and another has escaped from a mental institution and is wreaking havoc across the city. Then, to top it all off, Marla has found love, which means all her attentions may not be where they should b...more
Marla Mason is the leader among equals of the sorcerers in the city of Felport. It’s her job to protect the city and keep the other sorcerers in line - something that is not so easy to do when one of the sorcerers has hired an assassin to kill her and another has escaped from a mental institution and is wreaking havoc across the city. Then, to top it all off, Marla has found love, which means all her attentions may not be where they should b...more
"So? It just takes a combination of skill and a whole lot of practice. I mean, you can't give a random guy on the street a scalpel and expect him to perform brain surgery successfully, but we don't say brain surgeons are magical, even through there are some people who could never do that job successfully, no matter how much they practiced. Some people are born with perfect pitch, and that's not something you can learn , but we don't say it's 'magical'. The stuff I do, that people like me do......more
This is the second book in Marla Mason series, and I arrived at it without benefit of the first in the series. Despite this I was able to grab ahold of the characters and plot and run with it easily.
The pacing is reasonably fast, with a fair amount of political intrigue and sorcery, rather than being overboard on the romance side of things that one find in many urban fantasy series as of late. The main character is flawed, but not in the normal concept of how this works in such a setting, she is...more
The pacing is reasonably fast, with a fair amount of political intrigue and sorcery, rather than being overboard on the romance side of things that one find in many urban fantasy series as of late. The main character is flawed, but not in the normal concept of how this works in such a setting, she is...more
I wrote a fairly bitchy review of the first Marla Mason book, but the series was re-recommended (and I had a long airplane flight) so I tried the second one. It works better -- but still scrapes against my tastes in unfortunate ways.
As friends have opined, Marla comes off better on her home turf, where she is the generally-aggravated but not-usually-sociopathic gang leader for a gang of powerful magicians who would all be worse for civilization than she is. Also, she interacts with very few mug...more
As friends have opined, Marla comes off better on her home turf, where she is the generally-aggravated but not-usually-sociopathic gang leader for a gang of powerful magicians who would all be worse for civilization than she is. Also, she interacts with very few mug...more
I would never have bought this series if it had been purchased in real life. The covers are ridiculously bad. I'm sorry if I'm offending anyone, but the cover makes it look like a book for someone with a lot of *cats* and many lonely evenings to fill.
However, it came up on my kindle and both the first book and this one had pretty good reviews. So, I gave it a go! And, I have to say, that this second book in the series got me *hooked*. A vivid, unique universe. The no-nonsense aesthetic of the ma...more
However, it came up on my kindle and both the first book and this one had pretty good reviews. So, I gave it a go! And, I have to say, that this second book in the series got me *hooked*. A vivid, unique universe. The no-nonsense aesthetic of the ma...more
MUCH better than the preview book. Although, Marla is still an unsympathetic character. We have very little background on her. Why is she such a hard ass? You can only use the excuse of "sorcerers kill or be killed" for so long before I get bored.
Watching Marla's character interact with Joshua was fun. I loved her ability to retain her personality, even though he was supposed to be smoothing her feathers. As a character, I had Joshus pegged from the beginning.
A few problems with this book: writi...more
Watching Marla's character interact with Joshua was fun. I loved her ability to retain her personality, even though he was supposed to be smoothing her feathers. As a character, I had Joshus pegged from the beginning.
A few problems with this book: writi...more
Poison Sleep is a fantastic second book in a series. I really enjoyed Blood Engines (Book 1), but Poison Sleep takes the cake! Fantastic story, amazing plot, the characters are likeable and interesting. The dream reweaver was a new paranormal power (for me), and Pratt pulled it off quite nicely by mixing up the dream world and the nightmare world. As always Rondeau, Marla's partner, is hilarious and adds a touch of lightheartedness to any situation, well, when he's not freaking out.
The addition...more
The addition...more
(copied from my amazon.com review)
I had some issues with "Blood Engines," the first Marla Mason book. While the plot was interesting and kept me guessing, I found the characters and writing style very flat. I am fairly certain that if I hadn't started with the prequel, "Bone Shop," I never would have picked up "Poison Sleep."
And that would have been a shame, because I really enjoyed "Poison Sleep." The title character is still a no-nonsense, ass-kicking thug of a magical city manager, but she se...more
I had some issues with "Blood Engines," the first Marla Mason book. While the plot was interesting and kept me guessing, I found the characters and writing style very flat. I am fairly certain that if I hadn't started with the prequel, "Bone Shop," I never would have picked up "Poison Sleep."
And that would have been a shame, because I really enjoyed "Poison Sleep." The title character is still a no-nonsense, ass-kicking thug of a magical city manager, but she se...more
Je tiens tout d'abord à remercier les éditions Eclipse pour m'avoir permis de lire ce livre. J’avais bien apprécié l'univers créé par T.A. Pratt, alors j'étais contente de pouvoir m’y replonger. Et franchement, je n'ai pas du tout été déçue de ce 2e tome qui est bien meilleur que le 1er.
L’histoire commence sur Marla, qui a été appelée d’urgence car une patiente de l'Institut psychiatrique Blackwing a tenté de s’échapper, une dangereuse criminelle. Sauf qu’elle a pu être maîtrisé et Marla ne comp...more
L’histoire commence sur Marla, qui a été appelée d’urgence car une patiente de l'Institut psychiatrique Blackwing a tenté de s’échapper, une dangereuse criminelle. Sauf qu’elle a pu être maîtrisé et Marla ne comp...more
The second book in the Marla Mason series does exactly what a sequel should do: it builds upon the world, raises the stakes slightly, and maintains all of the elements the first volume had going for it.
In this volume, Marla Mason, chief sorcerer of Felport, is dealing with several simultaneous threats, all of which are developed into an interesting aspect of the story. She's being hunted by a slow assassin, trained to kill his targets slowly and horribly over a long period of time. The city Mar...more
In this volume, Marla Mason, chief sorcerer of Felport, is dealing with several simultaneous threats, all of which are developed into an interesting aspect of the story. She's being hunted by a slow assassin, trained to kill his targets slowly and horribly over a long period of time. The city Mar...more
POISON SLEEP is the second book in the Marla Mason urban fantasy series, and it’s almost as good as the first. I would give it 4.5 stars out of 5.
The imaginative world that Marla lives in just gets more interesting with the addition of a dreamworld that people are falling in and out of. This dreamworld belongs to one woman, Genevieve, who is an escaped patient from the Blackwing Institute for criminally insane sorcerers. Marla must stop Genevieve before her dreamworld touches too many people, an...more
The imaginative world that Marla lives in just gets more interesting with the addition of a dreamworld that people are falling in and out of. This dreamworld belongs to one woman, Genevieve, who is an escaped patient from the Blackwing Institute for criminally insane sorcerers. Marla must stop Genevieve before her dreamworld touches too many people, an...more
Marla is a wonderful multidimensional character that I can't wait to find out more about. At first glance she is cold hearted and will kill anything that threatens her city. As we learn more about her, we find that that is not entirely the case. This novel scared me at first, we were introduced to all of the characters and it seemed like the mystery was figured out. We knew who hurt Genevieve and we knew who was trying to kill Marla and who hired him. Fortunately, there is much more to the novel...more
Oct 17, 2011
Nicole Bunge
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
ppl who like Michelle Sagara or Kelley Armstrong
Shelves:
speculative-fiction,
paranormal-romance
I liked it. The protagonist is sarcastic, competent and... real. She's 'no-nonsense,' and it gets her in trouble because she sucks at negotiating and politics (which... when you're the head sorcerer in a city of bickering, backstabbing, selfish sorcerers... isn't great.) Marla has... flexible morals (I mean, she IS technically a benevolent dictator who runs a lot of the city's underworld) but she is moral- kinda... chaotic neutral, if you will.
My point though, is that she's human, not a super-p...more
My point though, is that she's human, not a super-p...more
Poison Sleep
OR
Well, There are Worse Ways to Deal With Trauma... I Guess
I'm really enjoying these books. It's a great world built here, with all kinds of interesting characters with often bizarre magical specializations. All the magic is supported by striking images in the narrative. I adore Marla's hard hitting style and I adore that sometimes it utterly fails her. Characters are dynamic and interesting, there are costs and consequences to actions, choices, and beliefs. And yet, through all of t...more
OR
Well, There are Worse Ways to Deal With Trauma... I Guess
I'm really enjoying these books. It's a great world built here, with all kinds of interesting characters with often bizarre magical specializations. All the magic is supported by striking images in the narrative. I adore Marla's hard hitting style and I adore that sometimes it utterly fails her. Characters are dynamic and interesting, there are costs and consequences to actions, choices, and beliefs. And yet, through all of t...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
After hearing of a patient escaping from a hospital, the sorceress Marla Mason must find this intense sorceress before more people of her city become victimized by the patients rewieving dreams. Marla herself is having a difficult time as she has become involved with a lovetalker she simply cannot resist. He eventually does help Marla with this patient as well as other adventures that comes her way. In this book Marla finds a new assistant, SEX, fighting, trying to keep all of her people sane, g...more
Man, if I known this was a "Book 2"... Anyway, I thought this was a rather good book, though maybe not something I'd immediately think of to recommend to a friend. I am intrigued enough to think about reading the rest of the series, but I probably won't reread said series over and over again, like I do with some of the ones I really like. I feel like the language in some places is kind of abrupt, so that it doesn't feel like it flows quite right, but that isn't necessarily a requirement for good...more
Urban fantasy with endlessly creative magic and a badass heroine who is not fetishized or slut-shamed for her bisexuality or her kinkiness, and an overarching plot about rape recovery that is only a little bit hamfisted.
Yeah, don’t get excited. Because it was also so boring. So boring. So boring I was kind of rooting for the emo assassin to finish off the protagonist at the halfway point, because then it would be over. So boring I don’t even care enough to figure out why.
And this is me, so that...more
Yeah, don’t get excited. Because it was also so boring. So boring. So boring I was kind of rooting for the emo assassin to finish off the protagonist at the halfway point, because then it would be over. So boring I don’t even care enough to figure out why.
And this is me, so that...more
The second "Marla Mason" urban fantasy. Marla is the chief sorcerer and protector of the city of Felport. Let's see, an insane sorceress tries to escape from an institution, and while she doesn't succeed (despite having help), she accidentally wakes another sorceress who had been in a catatonic state for 15 years. This catatonic sorceress is a "reweaver," meaning she can reshape reality and pull others into her dreams, and sometimes her dreams can intrude on our reality. She put herself in suspe...more
Jun 19, 2008
Matt
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommended to Matt by:
Fans of fantasy in a modern setting
Shelves:
fantasy
'Poison Sleep' was a fun adventure story with simple ambitions that it largely met. It's told in the mystery novel style, but there isn't alot of detective work involved and the twists probably won't come as any surprise. The story suffers somewhat from an unnecessary hipness, but the middle portion of the story where the author focuses on the faerie tale aspects of his narrative are quite good. Most of the characters are shallow, but are generally likable and filled with suitable promise of her...more
Not sure why I enjoy Pratt's new series so much, but it seems to have hit the "sweet spot" for me right now. Pratt has the goods--his writing is crisp, fast, and fun . . . to me he feels like the lovechild of Jim Butcher and Tim Powers. Definitely a good thing.
I realized Pratt's first novel had struck a chord a chord with me, when I found his latest book "Poison Sleep". Without even realizing what I had done, I promptly put down the book I was reading (can't even remember what it was now) and de...more
I realized Pratt's first novel had struck a chord a chord with me, when I found his latest book "Poison Sleep". Without even realizing what I had done, I promptly put down the book I was reading (can't even remember what it was now) and de...more
I honestly believe T.A. Pratt is as readable as Jim Butcher, if not more so. Marla Mason is an outstanding character, but so is everyone else. I unfortunately spoiled myself for the book by reading it out of order (I read Dead Reign, book #3, before this), but even with the spoilers there was enough uncertainty to find it compelling and amazing. T.A. Pratt has a new fan who will read everything he writes.
I'm fond of this series. In some ways it's pretty stock urban fantasy, but it's got all the good parts - kickass female lead, lots of ambiguous sexuality, sideways take on social issues, etc. I would like to get more than an offhand nod to the main character's bisexuality, but I'm willing to wait another book for it. Good clean fun.
I liked this okay, but it wasn't as gripping as the first novel in the series, Blood Engines. I had a hard time getting into this one. It picked up in the middle and held my interest at that point, though.
Nov 06, 2010
ninefly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
paranormal,
mystery,
mental-power,
dimensions,
creatures,
_marlamason,
teamwork,
hero-nonhuman,
hero-warrior
excerpt from detailed review here: http://angeltyuan.blogspot.com/2010/1...
Marla is just as snipey and down-to-business as the first book, but we see a slightly less-prickly side of her as she gets hilariously smitten over love-talker Joshua, and employs a dying man off the street. The themes dealt with in this book are radically different from the myths and prophecies in the first, focusing instead around the various deviations of sexual attraction and power (though I wouldn't call this "steamy...more
Marla is just as snipey and down-to-business as the first book, but we see a slightly less-prickly side of her as she gets hilariously smitten over love-talker Joshua, and employs a dying man off the street. The themes dealt with in this book are radically different from the myths and prophecies in the first, focusing instead around the various deviations of sexual attraction and power (though I wouldn't call this "steamy...more
Mar 18, 2009
Wealhtheow
marked it as to-read
Recommended to Wealhtheow by:
Felicia
Shelves:
urban-fantasy,
fantasy
The sequel to Blood Engines.
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