Tammy has
763 books
(174 selected)
—
compare books
|
stats
| # | cover | title | author | isbn | isbn13 | asin | num pages | avg rating | num ratings | date pub | date pub (ed.) | rating | my rating | review | notes | recommender | comments | votes | read count | date started | date read |
date
|
date purchased | owned | purchase location | condition | format | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0857663291
| 9780857663290
| 4.24
| 131
| Apr 30, 2013
| Apr 30, 2013
|
In a word: an ingenious concept, flawed but likable characters, exciting action sequences, with an emotional payoff at the end. This whole alien-in-his...more In a word: an ingenious concept, flawed but likable characters, exciting action sequences, with an emotional payoff at the end. This whole alien-in-his-body was starting to sound better and better. First, he got to hang out with a hot girl, and now he was going to be James Bond. He would have to go shopping for a new wardrobe to fit his new role. Roen imagined a long trench coat like Neo with cool sunglasses and a big gun hanging at his waist. The premise of The Lives of Tao is startlingly simple: what if every artistic, brilliant and charismatic game-changer throughout history was controlled by an alien life force inhabiting their body and directing their actions and decisions? This is the impetus behind Wesley Chu’s debut, and it makes for a very interesting and lively story. Imagine an intelligent race of aliens traveling through space, who crash landed on a developing planet millions of years ago. With no way to get back to their own planet, they must figure out how to survive, and so they inhabit the bodies of living creatures—fish, dinosaurs, mammals, and eventually humans—jumping from body to body when necessary, and trying to advance human technology so that they can eventual go home. These aliens, called Quasings, have split into two groups: the Prophus, who want a peaceful existence with humans, and the Genjix, who are driven by their lust for war and conflict. This story had everything I love in a book: great pacing, characters who are conflicted and have lots of growing to do, and all sorts of layers that add unexpected emotional depth. The story begins right in the middle of the action, as our hero Tao, a Prophus currently in the host body of a man named Edward Blair, is trying to escape from the Genjix who is after him, but has just discovered he’s been double-crossed by a fellow Prophus. Edward knows the only way to save Tao is to “release” him by killing himself, allowing Tao to find a new host and continue his work. Not a great situation to be in, but Edward’s been Tao’s host for years and knows the drill. By the end of the first chapter (which by the way, was one of the best first chapters I’ve ever read), Tao is floating around without a host, with only minutes left to find someone new to call home. Enter Roen Tan, an over-weight computer geek with low self-esteem, whose life is about to change forever. Because Tao has just chosen Roen as his new host, and boy does he have a lot of work to do! When Roen wakes up the next morning and hears Tao speaking in his head, he has no idea what he’s in for. So begins the strange and dangerous journey of Tao and Roen, as they try to avoid capture by the Genjix. Roen is the perfect anti-hero, which makes this situation so funny. After convincing him that he has no choice but to act as a host for an alien being, Tao must not only get him in shape, but teach him how to fight, use weapons, and eventually kill in order to stay alive. One of the funniest parts of this book was the ongoing dialog between Roen and Tao. As Tao gives Roen pep talks about how to eat right and lose weight, he also begins to tell him stories about his past lives, and some of the famous (and infamous) people he’s influenced. That’s one of the layers I was talking about. Not only is this a rip-roaring story about spies and infiltrating enemy secrets, but it’s a history lesson as well. Soon Roen meets Sonya, a human host for a Prophus named Baji. Sonya is sent to help train Roen and get him ready to go on assignments. I expected there might be a romance between the two, but instead Roen meets a woman named Jill who knows nothing about the Quasing, and he begins to date her. Jill’s character was the only thing I didn’t like about The Lives of Tao. I just couldn’t figure out why Roen was attracted to her, because she felt so two-dimensional to me. However, by the end I could see why she might be important (as this is the first in a series), and hopefully Chu will flesh out her character and make her more likeable in the next book. A Tai Chi master named Sifu Lin was a fantastic character with a Yoda vibe to him. But for me, Roen and Tao stole the show. Not only are they great characters by themselves, but the friendship that develops between them is priceless. About nine chapters into the book, Tao begins to tell Roen his history, in the form of short paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter. In this way, the reader starts to get an idea of just how broad an influence the Quasing have had over the human race. It was a brilliant way to convey a lot of information in a subtle way, without the dreaded “info-dump.” Tao describes the ongoing war between the Genjix and the Prophus, which escalates into unspeakable horrors as each act of vengeance spins out of control. Chu wisely gives Tao a fatal human flaw: despite having lived for thousands of years, he continues to make the same mistakes over and over again. Including some cool ideas in these history lessons, like imprisoning the enemy Quasing in the body of a turtle for hundreds of years, made me downright giddy! And the emotional payoff I mentioned at the beginning of this review? Just as the reader starts to invest in the characters, the author puts everyone in danger, and you won’t know who makes it until the last page. Chu doesn’t leave us hanging at the end, but he does set things up for book two, The Deaths of Tao, out this October. Full of heart, humor, danger and a couple of jaw-dropping moments of “what if,” The Lives of Tao is highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| May 11, 2013
| May 15, 2013
|
May 11, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1937009157
| 9781937009151
| 4.57
| 7
| May 03, 2013
| May 03, 2013
|
4 1/2 stars...review coming soon!
| Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| May 08, 2013
| May 11, 2013
|
May 08, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0091940737
| 9780091940737
| 3.77
| 20,033
| Jun 16, 2011
| Jun 16, 2011
|
None
| Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 26, 2013
| May 08, 2013
|
Apr 07, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 3.45
| 33
| Apr 23, 2013
| Apr 23, 2013
|
In a word: charming, romantic, full of fairy lore, with some gentle messages about human nature. A few weeks ago I attended the Los Angeles Times Festi...more In a word: charming, romantic, full of fairy lore, with some gentle messages about human nature. A few weeks ago I attended the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, and I just happened to run into Bethany Lopez. I introduced myself to her and told her I was going to be part of her blog tour, and purchased a copy of her book. She is such a nice person, and after speaking to her briefly and reading Nissa, I see some similarities between Bethany and her main character, Nissa the fairy. Nissa is a short but lovely tale about leaving home to do your duty, meeting the love of your life, helping those in need, coming home again, and having to make some tough choices about your future. Nissa is a 900-year-old fairy, but in human years she’s only eighteen. She has just been given her first assignment as a Fairy Godmother, helping a teen girl get back the self-esteem she seems to have lost. After leaving fairy headquarters and being changed into human form, she meets her human liaisons the Cartwrights, a couple that will help her adjust to human life and assist with her mission. She soon meets Vicky, the girl she has been sent to help, and observes her being bullied at school by boys and girls alike. Vicky is miserable and doesn’t trust Nissa at first, but little by little, the girls become friends. One day Nissa goes to Vicky’s house and meets her brother Levi, and before you know it, Nissa is experiencing all the physical traits that fairies feel when they’ve met their soul mate: tingling in her right hand, a racing heartbeat, and eyes that briefly turn pink! There’s only one problem: Nissa is a fairy and Levi’s human, and according to fairy law, the two can never be together. Nissa has her hands full in her human disguise and not only has to help Vicky, but figure out how to deal with her growing feelings for Levi. I loved the author’s vision of fairy life. I’m not sure how much of it is made up and how much is based on folklore, but in my opinion, the fairies in Nissa have it pretty good. They spend their (very long) lives romping through the forest, they have wings and can fly whenever they want to, and if need be, they can transform into humans in order to accomplish certain tasks. Lopez’s fairies are kind, courteous and practical. They are also innocent and trusting, which could be seen as flaws in the human world. Nissa herself is all these things, but she has wisdom, probably because of her advanced age! Nissa and Levi are a good romantic match. I enjoyed their budding relationship, and many of the moments they spent together were sweet and innocent. I also really liked Vicky’s character. She begins as an oppressed and unhappy teenager, but gradually gains the self-esteem she sorely lacks in the beginning of the story. I loved her growth into a happier and more confident girl. The author also mentions several Los Angeles landmarks, which I enjoyed since I’ve been to some of them myself. But the land where the fairies live is quite unique, and I loved the descriptions of the forest trees where they make their home, and the strong family bonds between fairy folk. I wanted to spend more time there, and for that reason I wish the book had been longer. Its brevity made for a quick read, but I did want more detail in certain spots. I also wanted a bit more tension during the story. Sometimes it felt as if Nissa reached her goals too easily, and I wanted her and the other characters to work harder. But those are just small complaints. I enjoyed the clear and simple writing style, and I thought it had just the right touch for a fairy tale. A surprise revelation at the end about two of the characters made the story all the more charming. A quick read, yes, but one full of delightful characters, some thoughtful morals, and just a touch of magic. Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 24, 2013
| Apr 25, 2013
|
Apr 06, 2013
| ||||||||||||||||||
| unknown
| 4.23
| 26
| Mar 15, 2013
| unknown
|
In a word: sexy, disturbing, violent, and full of nail-biting tension I read the first book in this series, Stealing Breath, last August, so I was a li...more In a word: sexy, disturbing, violent, and full of nail-biting tension I read the first book in this series, Stealing Breath, last August, so I was a little worried that I wouldn’t remember enough details to easily get back into the story of Sarah and Evan and the Skinwalkers. But if you have not yet read Stealing Breath, you can still enjoy Silencing Breath, since the author fills in many of the blanks as she goes along in a very unobtrusive way. I think I enjoyed this installment even more, although I wasn’t prepared for some of the extreme graphic violence. But the pages flew by very fast, and I reached the end before I knew it. The book opens four years after the events in Stealing Breath, and we find Sarah and Evan happily cohabitating and celebrating their recent engagement. Sarah and Evan have a special bond: she is an Indigo Child and has the ability to not only feel other people’s emotions, but to help heal negative thoughts. Evan is a Sapphire Child, and when the two of them touch, they are a powerful force. Both of them have finally recovered from attacking Skinwalkers, followers of black magic that are able to leave their bodies and steal the souls of others. Sarah’s soul is particularly potent due to her Indigo Child status, and she and Evan barely escaped the Skinwalkers at the end of Stealing Breath. The couple is deliriously happy and relieved that Evan’s evil brother Stefano is no longer a threat. But not too surprisingly, that happiness is about to end, when Evan disappears one day without a trace. Sarah calls upon her besties Amber and Kate (who are aware of Sarah’s powers and privy to the badness of Skinwalkers) to help her find Evan, and before you know it, the girls are once again mixed up in the evil-doings of Evan’s family. Stefano, an evil necromancer, has decided to bring his father Alesandro back from the dead (in a very creepy scene, I might add), and father and son are determined to make Evan pay for leaving his evil ways behind and joining Sarah in the light. What follows is a fast-paced race as the girls, along with some prison guard friends of Kate, search for Evan and try to stay alive long enough to get him safely out of Alesandro’s clutches. Fair warning to the reader: there are some very bloody and disturbing torture scenes in this book that I wasn’t expecting. This caught me off guard a bit because I don’t think the first book was this violent. Alesandro is a terrifyingly evil creature. He demands complete obedience from those around him, and he’s willing to do anything to get it. The book is filled with descriptions of black magic, much of which involve cutting and stabbing with very large and nasty weapons. Sarah is so focused on doing whatever it takes to get Evan back, that she ignores the obvious traps that Stefano and Alesandro have set for her and brazenly drags her friends into danger not once, but multiple times. There are some sexy scenes between Sarah and Evan, at least in the beginning before they are separated. I love the relationship they have, and the fact that they’ve been together for four years and are still wildly in love is a charmingly romantic element. But their love is tested, and even by the end we’re not certain if things will work out for the couple. It’s just another example of how well the author uses tension to unsettle the reader. She did throw in some romantic tension between Sarah and a man named Alex (who is helping the girls find Evan), and I was a little worried a love triangle was brewing, but it didn’t really go anywhere. Brothwell’s prose is wonderfully descriptive and was a joy to read. She sets her characters up in some very emotional situations, and I felt each one was completely believable. The emotions and tensions run high throughout most of the story, because no one is really safe in Silencing Breath. The author throws in a few twists to keep you guessing, and some characters are deceptively hiding their true natures. Aside from some confusing logistics near the end of the story that slowed the pace a bit for me, the book ends too soon and leaves us with unanswered questions. I’m hoping Joanne is hard at work on Book Three! If you love paranormal romance and can stomach some brutal torture scenes, I highly recommend this book. Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 08, 2013
| Apr 10, 2013
|
Apr 02, 2013
| |||||||||||||||||
| 9780985511067
| 4.32
| 394
| Apr 13, 2012
| Apr 13, 2012
|
In a word: a romantic and charming tale of witchcraft, secrets, star-crossed lovers and family rivalries. I could tell from the gorgeous and sultry cov...more In a word: a romantic and charming tale of witchcraft, secrets, star-crossed lovers and family rivalries. I could tell from the gorgeous and sultry cover of Residue that this story about witchcraft in New Orleans was going to be good, and it was. Falter has brought together an unusual mixture of storytelling elements that somehow work well together. Residue is the first in the series, and although there is some sense of closure at the end of the book, readers are going to want to get the next book as soon as possible, since the author leaves us hanging at the end. This is one quick read that will keep you flipping pages, not only because of the suspense, but because of the slow brewing romance between the two main characters. Sixteen-year-old Jocelyn Weatherford is attending school one day when an unexplainable scar appears on her arm out of nowhere. An astute school nurse brusquely informs her that she has fifteen minutes to go home, pack and get on a plain to New Orleans. Jocelyn is strangely accepting of this order and soon finds herself living a new life, in a quaint old New Orleans home with her Aunt Lizzie and her five cousins. Before long, she finds out that she is descended from a long line of witches, and she herself has latent powers that suddenly seem to be awakening. The scar on her arm was a warning that an old enemy is getting ready to attack, and Jocelyn must now attend “casting” classes with other witches and learn to harness her powers. One day while shopping for school supplies, she meets an attractive boy named Jameson, who is also a witch. Their immediate attraction literally brings down the walls, but later they discover that they belong to two powerful witch families, the Weatherfords and the Caldwells, who have been at war with each other for hundreds of years, and they are forbidden to speak to each other, let alone start a relationship. But love has its own ideas, and when the two families find out some shocking truths about the magical judicial branch of witchcraft called The Sevens, they must decide whether to remain enemies or come together in order to protect themselves. I loved the characters of Jocelyn and Jameson. Jocelyn is a rule-breaker who has perfected the art of sneaking out at night without getting caught. Jameson is determined to love Jocelyn even when his brothers and sisters are telling him to stay away from her. Their romance is sweet and innocent and perfect for YA readers. I liked the fact that this novel has an overall old fashioned feel to it. Falter’s writing is formal, and although the story is set in the present day (I’m assuming), there isn’t any of your typical teen slang or references to pop culture, which worked well with the subject matter. When the two discover that together they have a special ability to heal the sick, they go out of their way to visit hospitals and even brave the swamps to use this gift for good. The tension in the story lies in a magical artifact that is given to Jocelyn, a rope of braided hair, that turns out to be extremely dangerous. There is also tension between the teen Weatherfords and Caldwells, and a great deal of the story describes the nasty and sometimes harmful spells they cast on each other as they embrace their family feud. Several family secrets are revealed that are painful for Jocelyn, and she must figure out a way to overcome the emotions these secrets evoke in her. Throughout it all is the mystical connection she feels with Jameson, and their Romeo and Juliet-like romance has its own tension. Will they be able to stay together, or will family history pull them apart? A few awkward sentences here and there were a little distracting, but overall the writing was nicely done. And I did run across a couple of Twilight references, but I’m not sure if they were deliberately included, or simply a coincidence (a couple of scenes at school screamed Bella and Edward, and all of the Weatherford and Caldwell teens each have their own luxury sports car to zip around town in, just like the Cullens). But the author used some creative magical touches that I loved. For example, each family has their own specific gemstone that they carry with them or wear for protection. And Jocelyn’s ability to absorb residue was very cool, although I don’t want to tell you what it means and spoil the story! This is a great start to an entertaining series, and luckily for us, the next three books are already available. Recommended for fans of YA paranormal romance that is light on violence but full of tension and that flippy feeling you get in your stomach when you've met the love of your life. Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 22, 2013
| Apr 24, 2013
|
Mar 15, 2013
| ebook
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1936332272
| 9781936332274
| 4.46
| 39
| Apr 27, 2012
| Apr 27, 2012
|
In a word: over-the-top, cringe-inducing, shocking and thrilling When Lindy asked me to read and review Crashers, I was a little hesitant at first, bec...more In a word: over-the-top, cringe-inducing, shocking and thrilling When Lindy asked me to read and review Crashers, I was a little hesitant at first, because it’s not the type of story I usually enjoy reading. Accident fraud? It sounds boring, right? I was prepared to settle down with a very dry book about insurance companies, but what I got was something completely different. Crashers deals with the subject from the perspective of the perpetrators and the victims, and thrusts the reader into the ugly underbelly of the accident fraud business. This book turned out to be more of a horror story than a realistic tale of the corrupt people who make their money by cheating innocent people, and I was pleasantly surprised by this fact. But make no mistake: Crashers is not for the faint-of-heart. While I found myself greedily turning the pages as fast as possible, I did so with dread. Because the characters you will meet here are not necessarily the kind of people you want to be friends with. Shari and Nathan are a young up-and-coming couple who live in trendy Studio City. Shari is a struggling student and works as a waitress while trying to save enough money to fund her student film project. Nathan is a successful stock broker who is about to be promoted at work (or so he thinks). Their future seems rosy, especially after Nathan proposes to Shari one night. But that happiness is short-lived when Nathan is suddenly fired from his job, accused of misappropriating funds from one of his clients. Knowing he’s been set up by a sleazy coworker, he has no choice but to resign from his job. Shortly after, Shari also loses her job, but unfortunately for the couple, the worst is yet to come. Driving home after being fired, Shari gets in a fender-bender on the freeway, and she is unwittingly plunged into a horrible nightmare. Shari, you see, was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and has become an innocent player in a high-stakes game of accident fraud. Broke, desperate and terrified, Shari and Nathan are forced to choose between losing everything, or becoming players themselves in the big business of staging car accidents. The author very smartly switches back and forth among all the different characters in the story, which not only builds the suspense, but paints a terrifying picture of just how complex this scheme seems to be. There’s the attractive and enigmatic Bryce who recruits Shari and Nathan, but has his own boss to deal with, a man who is trying to push him to do unthinkable things; Louise, a young detective who is hot on the trail of the accident fraud ring; Charlie, an innocent man who gets sucked into the game out of desperation; and John Nastic, the lawyer who facilitates the bogus lawsuits. This story is filled with larger-than-life characters that would do well on the big screen, and the cinematic quality of the story is probably due to Hudis’ film background. What really worked in this book, and what I loved, was the pacing and tension of the story. Reading Crashers is like watching a bad car accident: you’re afraid to look, but you just can’t help it. Hudis keeps the reader turning pages by ending her chapters in such a way that you’re compelled to keep going. Most of the time I thought the dialog was well done and believable, but there were times when it veered off and became clichéd and stiff (but in the author’s defense, even the clichéd dialog seemed to fit with the exaggerated story). According to Hudis, driving in L.A. is one of the most dangerous things you can do. The story focuses on continuous bumper-to-bumper traffic, angry road rage-fueled drivers, and frequent car accidents, not to mention a city filled with people losing their jobs from the bad economy and desperate folks from all walks of life who will seemingly do anything to get by, even lie, cheat and kill. Crashers has a doom-and-gloom mentality that bothered me at first, but I did get caught up in the drama and was able to put that negativity aside for the sake of the story. And you really do have to suspend your disbelief. It was hard to believe that two upstanding citizens like Shari and Nathan would become so desperate that they would agree to participate in criminal activity. Shari in particular was a tough character for me. I honestly hated her, as she went from a sweet and innocent girl who has a positive attitude about the future, to a completely out-of-character criminal who takes up smoking, cheats on her fiancé, and in a short period of time, becomes addicted to staging car accidents. I live in Los Angeles and I’ve driven on the L.A. freeways for years. I know what Hudis is talking about when she describes the frustrating conditions of trying to commute in this city. I know accident fraud is real and is probably happening as I write this, but I hope it’s not as prevalent as the author makes it out to be. And although I might not share the angry attitude of her characters, she’s taken a facet of city life and blown it up into a rollicking story that works despite the “ick” factor. You may never want to drive again after reading Crashers, but I can guarantee you won’t be able to stop reading until the final, horrifying page. Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Mar 14, 2013
| Mar 17, 2013
|
Mar 14, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1908844558
| 9781908844552
| 3.69
| 80
| May 07, 2013
| May 07, 2013
|
****4 1/2 Stars!! In a word: a brilliantly imagined world, full of strange and delightful creatures, one adorable rikkaset named Katie, and an explosiv...more ****4 1/2 Stars!! In a word: a brilliantly imagined world, full of strange and delightful creatures, one adorable rikkaset named Katie, and an explosive but frustrating ending. “Yotes can snap an ultratheer’s thighbone like a Solstice candy cane.” If that quote from Zenn Scarlett doesn’t intrigue you, you have no business reading science fiction. Zenn Scarlett was (almost) everything I wanted it to be, but unlike anything I could have imagined. If you love animals, you will love this book. If you love intricate world-building, you will love this book. And if you enjoy a back story with an unsolved mystery, you will love this book. This is the first of two books in a series, and herein lies my problem with Zenn Scarlett (more on that later). I loved this book enough to overlook a couple of issues, because it has a charm and wide-eyed wonder to it that I rarely see in YA books. Here’s a brief run-down on the story: Zenn Scarlett is a seventeen-year-old exoveterinarian-in-training, which means she’s learning how to care for alien animals. She lives in a cloister on Mars with her uncle Otha, who is training her to become a full-fledged exovet someday. Assisting them is the coleopt Hamish, a beetle-like alien creature who is slowly learning the ways of humans from his pal Zenn. Zenn’s parents are both MIA: her mother Mai (also an exovet) died nine years before in a freak accident, and her father has taken a job on another planet and hasn't been heard from in months. As Zenn enters into several exovet tests to determine whether or not she is ready to become an acolyte, bizarre accidents start to happen, and before she knows it, she’s thrust into the middle of a conspiracy that may affect her future, as well as everyone else who lives at the cloister. Luckily Zenn has several trusty friends to help her figure things out, including Hamish the coleopt and Liam, a boy from town who has lately become very interested in Zenn. But who exactly can she trust? For a girl who has lived her entire life cut off from normal human interaction, the lines between friends and enemies are not clearly drawn. Sunkillers. Yotes. Indra. Whalehounds. Rikkasets. Seepdemons. Sandhogs. These are just some of the alien creatures that live in the pages of Zenn Scarlett. I really wanted an owner’s manual with drawings to better imagine what they look like. Schoon himself is an animal lover, so it’s no wonder he poured so much love and attention to detail into his fictional creations. Every time a new creature is introduced, the author gives us a detailed description of the animal, and believe me, each one is more unusual and extraordinary than the last. Schoon’s imagination is endless, and despite the pauses in the narrative during these informational passages, I was riveted. His best invention, in my opinion, is the Indra, an immense alien animal that powers the starships that are the only transportation between planets. To over-explain the Indra and its method of travel would be to lessen the impact of the reading experience. Oh wait. I also loved the Greater Kiran sunkiller. That was my favorite creature. Damn you, Mr. Schoon... I loved all the characters, but I have to say I was completely charmed by Hamish. He’s an alien who’s out of his element and trying to learn the ways of humans. Imagine a gigantic beetle that stands about seven or eight feet tall, has antennae, a claw for a hand, and wings that unfold from his carapace-like frame (and yes, he does use his wings, in one of the most exciting scenes in the book!) Hamish starts as a timid creature who is afraid of doing and saying the wrong thing, but he grows into a hero of sorts by the end of the story. I adored Zenn’s pet rikkaset Katie, a cat-like animal that has the ability to blend into her surroundings and can communicate with Zenn using sign language. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for animal side-kicks, and Katie is one of my all-time favorites. Zenn herself is an interesting girl, but very naïve for her age. She lives by a set of self-imposed rules that prevent her from getting too close to people. But despite this she is resourceful and smart, and I expect her character to only get better in the next book. Which leads me to the reason I was slightly disappointed in Zenn Scarlett: just as the story gets really good, it ends in a dreaded cliffhanger, forcing the suddenly angry reader (me) to curse the author for making us wait to find out what will happen to Zenn and her friends. The first 75% of the book is lots of set-up as Schoon describes his amazing world, so the pace meanders along until the end, where most of the nail-biting action takes place. It’s not that I haven’t been here before. YA fiction these days is rife with trilogies that do exactly the same thing, but I’ve decided I don’t like this trend. Publishers take note: I’d rather read a 500 or 600-page book and get the complete story, than be forced to throw a 300-page book against the wall in frustration. So yes, I highly recommend Zenn Scarlett! But be prepared to have questions when you reach the final page: What is the real story behind Mai’s accident? What really happened to Zenn’s father? And what the heck is the nexus anyway? You won’t get all the answers this time around, but don’t let that stop you from reading this book. Zenn Scarlett is unique and special, and I invite you to enter Christian Schoon’s world. Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| May 04, 2013
| May 04, 2013
|
Mar 02, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1594487014
| 9781594487019
| 3.84
| 12,834
| Jan 01, 2012
| Jun 05, 2012
|
None
| Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 05, 2013
| Apr 07, 2013
|
Mar 01, 2013
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1938404416
| 9781938404412
| 4.31
| 13
| 2011
| Apr 04, 2013
|
In a word: finely paced plotting, graphically descriptive, engaging characters and a terrifying and deadly light... Why is it that stories rooted in Bi...more In a word: finely paced plotting, graphically descriptive, engaging characters and a terrifying and deadly light... Why is it that stories rooted in Biblical legend can scare the bejesus out of me, but I can read books about vampires and werewolves all day long with nary a goose bump? There's something unsettling about the devil, probably because of his religious affiliations. Debut novelist Mike Pace cuts to the heart of this fear with this top-notch horror story about what happens when the devil decides to visit a small town. Here’s a quick run-down on the plot: In the small (and very conservative) town of Cumberton, Maryland, Reverend Jimmy Starr has convinced the town officials to relocate a 350-year-old cemetery so that he can build a dormitory for his fundamentalist Christian college, Starr College. Unfortunately, an old and very dangerous box is unearthed during the construction, and once it is opened, bad things start happening to the townspeople of Cumberton. And I do mean bad. After a seemingly stable co-ed named Jill inexplicably drowns herself in Chesapeake Bay, Sheriff Estin Booker and visiting homicide detective Anna Tucci begin to investigate Jill’s death. But Jill is just the beginning. Soon people begin dropping like flies, and all the deaths appear to be suicides. But to Estin and Tucci, the clues add up to something else entirely. With the help of an English Lit professor named Harvey, O’Hara the old town eccentric, and even Reverend Starr himself, they begin to piece together a frightening picture of what’s really happening. Can Estin and Tucci fight the devil, and win? You’ll just have to read the book to find out! I got so many Stephen King vibes while reading Dead Light, from the small town setting to the eccentric and quirky characters to the stomach-churning visceral horror. Pace doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to describing each gruesome death, and what makes it all the more horrific is that the deaths themselves aren’t supernatural in nature at all. The author has a talent for building a sense of dread. Before each person dies, they all experience the same things: the smell of burnt cookies, a stinging scratch on the back of their neck, and a pulsing light, followed by a frightening vision of someone from their past. So when Tony suddenly smells burnt cookies, you know what’s coming. I loved all the characters, but I have to say my favorite was Tucci, the brash and tough-speaking detective from Baltimore, who unwittingly ends up helping with the investigation. Estin Booker can’t stand her at first, as she criticizes and makes fun of the small-town characters of Cumberton. But she proves to be a smart cop, and as they get nearer to the truth about why so many people are committing suicide, she and Estin get closer as well. Tucci’s got her own tragic past, mostly told through flashbacks, and it makes her more likeable. I was pleased to see a female character that doesn’t fit the usual norms in fiction. The author alternates his present-day story with flashback chapters that take place in the 1660s and partially explain the mystery behind the wooden box and how it came to be buried in the cemetery. I thought he did a great job with these chapters, and even though I felt they were a bit too spread out, they were important to the reader’s understanding of Lucifer’s Light, the blinding flash of light that has escaped from the box. He also uses flashbacks with some of the key characters to explain their feelings of guilt that lead them to commit suicide. A couple of things didn’t quite work for me, like the mysterious ice cream cones that keep appearing at the crime scenes, a reference to Tucci’s past that probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but ended up feeling forced; and a couple of misleads about the case suggesting mass drug use and subliminal messages that were just confusing. But these are small things in an otherwise tightly crafted story. Pace makes a tongue-in-cheek moral statement about sex and death, since several of the characters meet their demise after having forbidden (to the fundamentalist church) sex. He also gives Tucci and Estin a firm disbelief in the supernatural, so it takes them a while before they start to believe that the deaths are connected to the light that’s escaped from the box. The final showdown between good and evil takes up the last quarter of the book, but by that time you’ll be turning the pages as quickly as possible to find out what happens. Dead Light is a novel of Biblical proportions, literally! If it’s the dark you’re afraid of, you ain’t seen nothing’ yet. As Dead Light’s victims say right before they die, “Beware the Light.” Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 25, 2013
| Apr 29, 2013
|
Feb 21, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| unknown
| 3.95
| 38
| Feb 15, 2013
| Feb 15, 2013
|
In a word: laugh-out-loud funny, romantic, character-driven and exciting. I had such fun reading The Devil’s Triangle, an entertaining story about seco...more In a word: laugh-out-loud funny, romantic, character-driven and exciting. I had such fun reading The Devil’s Triangle, an entertaining story about second chances and the lengths one might go to for love. I was a bit worried when I started reading, since the story begins after our main character, Cooper Wanderman, has died and is facing St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. I really wasn’t looking forward to reading a book crowded with morality lessons, and I hoped it wasn’t going to get too heavy-handed and preachy. But my fears were laid to rest, happily. Although De Palma clearly has a message to impart, I was too thoroughly caught up in the story and the engaging relationships and characters to worry about the author's agenda. The story begins in Purgatory, as newly deceased Cooper faces a beautiful girl named Lucy (who just happens to be Lucifer’s sister) who is about to decide the future of his afterlife. Lucy seems to have a heart, however, and she agrees to give Cooper one more chance at a shot in Heaven. All he has to do is go back to Earth for one month and help a girl named Grace. Easier said than done, however, because when Cooper wakes up in his new life, he doesn’t recognize anyone, even though everyone knows him. Cooper does his best to fit in to his new role as a high school football star and get to know his new family, including an older brother named Ryan and a mother and father who make him feel loved and welcome, a far cry from his old life as a foster kid. Cooper soon finds Grace, the girl he’s meant to help, but he doesn’t have any idea what kind of help she needs. When Cooper realizes that a bully named Blake is dating Grace against her will, he thinks he may have found his mission: to help Grace get out of an abusive relationship. But why does Grace seem so familiar to Cooper? And why do memories of an unfamiliar life keep intruding into his memories from his other life? It may seem confusing, but De Palma takes all these story elements and weaves them together, and the outcome may surprise you. Although Cooper’s adventures on Earth and the meddling Lucy and Lucifer up above mingle throughout the story, it was the action on the ground that really kept me reading. I found it much more interesting to observe as Cooper slowly figures out what his purpose is and how he is able to change his destiny, as well as the destinies of his friends and family. But when he occasionally speaks out loud to Lucy, who is presumably watching him from "above," I was jarred out of the story. Even though Lucy appears to be part of the “triangle” of the book title, and her purpose in the story is to play “puppeteer” with Cooper’s destiny, I thought she was one of the weaker characters and could have been developed more. All of the earthly characters are well drawn and I loved spending time with them, but the sections that take place in Purgatory made me uncomfortable, and just like Cooper, I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. De Palma’s dialog is pretty funny, and I thought Cooper and his friends sounded like typical high school students, and there were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. A few metaphors did make me cringe, however, and I wasn’t sure if it was the author’s voice coming through, or Cooper’s sense of humor. Lines like “My tongue sat in my mouth as still as a lizard sunning itself” and “My dreams flew at me like a gaggle of geese desperately flying out-of-the-way of a plane’s propeller” made me laugh, but to me they felt out-of-place. When a line is so bizarre that it takes you out of the story while you try to visualize the metaphor, in my opinion it’s a line that needs to be cut. And yes, there is some romance in the story, because Cooper’s driving force to help Grace is based on love. The author does a great job adding romance in just the right amount so that she doesn’t scare off male readers, while also showing the seedier side of high school relationships, like the one between Blake and Grace, which is about power and control rather than love. De Palma will keep you reading until the satisfying resolution at the end, and this short story may seem all too brief when you’re finished. Many thanks to the author and publisher for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Mar 03, 2013
| Mar 07, 2013
|
Feb 20, 2013
| Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1937009122
| 9781937009120
| 4.03
| 29
| Mar 26, 2013
| Mar 26, 2013
|
****4 1/2 Stars!! In a word: laugh-out loud funny, pitch perfect writing, a many-layered mystery, filled with quirky characters you'll love. I looked up...more ****4 1/2 Stars!! In a word: laugh-out loud funny, pitch perfect writing, a many-layered mystery, filled with quirky characters you'll love. I looked up into the sky and tried to call down the rain. It was a day when I should have been walking in the rain, with the wind rising around me, the dark funnel clouds opening above me, a mean storm waiting to break. So below, as above. But there wasn't any rain. The world denied me my tempest. The alcohol gave me a sour stomach. Gideon curled and uncurled upon a sharp flat rock inside me. The scent of citrus and garlic came on heavy. The smell of freshly made tomato sauce made my belly growl. Gideon hissed in response. Tom Piccirilli’s hallucinogenic tale is a real gem: I can honestly say I did not know what to expect when I started reading What Makes You Die, but I knew after the first ten pages or so that I was reading a very special story. Piccirilli’s seasoned writing is so good and his pacing so perfect that I know I will be going back and reading his earlier books when I have some free time. This is a quick read, not only because of the page count, but because of several mysteries that are woven into the plot, mysteries that will keep the reader turning pages as fast as possible. Tommy Pic is a Hollywood screenwriter in a slump: he hasn’t sold a screenplay in years and his life has become a succession of binge drinking and manic-depressive blackouts that send him to the psychiatric ward, or "the bin" as he calls it. When he wakes up from his latest episode, strapped to a bed and surrounded by his family, he wants nothing more than to get the hell out of there and try to get things back on track. But a call from his agent, Monty Stobbs, makes him wonder if he’s going crazy. Monty is over the moon about the first act of a screenplay that Tommy emailed him called What Makes You Die and thinks this might be the one to put them both back on the map. But what’s a depressed and confused writer to do when he can’t even remember writing the damn thing? And so begins Tommy’s odd journey as he struggles to figure out not only the truth behind the mysterious screenplay, but a lost memory of a tragic event from his childhood. As he battles to stay sober he must deal with his dysfunctional family, a woman who claims to be a witch, and worst of all, the ghost of a Komodo dragon named Gideon who lives in his stomach. Tommy tells his story in first person, and his distinctive voice is one of the best things about this book. His quirks are many; he hears the voice of Gideon in his head and even tried to cut him out once with a steak knife (which earned him a stint in the mental ward). He also believes he sees the ghosts of dead friends and family: his father, his brother Bobby, and the elusive Kathy, a childhood friend who disappeared without a trace when they were ten. He sometimes lapses into talking in screenplay format, with hysterically funny results. He’s a guy that you alternately love, hate and feel sorry for, often all at the same time. When Tommy meets a girl named Eva that can possibly see into his soul (she tells him she can see Gideon), he lets himself believe that she may be able to solve his problems, and then he falls in love with her: It was midnight. I was smitten. Maybe my heart was being cooked and eaten. Maybe that’s what love was. All the characters in What Makes You Die are critical to the story and I can’t imagine this book without any of them. Even the smaller roles, like a high school girl named Celeste who invites Tommy to her “cinema appreciation group” to speak about his movies, or the beautiful Trudy who ties up Monty at an out-of-control Hollywood party, are important, as Tommy claws his way out of his miserable life. And the dead won’t leave him alone. Tommy drives his “dead brother Bobby’s car” (as he refers to it) and keeps seeing women on the street who look like Kathy, grown up and alive after all. Most tragic of all is Tommy’s mother, a woman who has sacrificed her entire life by caring for Tommy’s mentally disabled sister Debbie, cleaning up after his brother Bobby’s drunken mishaps, and stoically bailing Tommy himself out of trouble time and again. But although the mystery of Tommy’s new screenplay was enough to keep this story afloat on its own, my favorite part of the book was the back-story about Kathy's disappearance. Tommy has suppressed his memory of the event, and it isn’t until he has several conversations with Eva and his mother that he can finally remember what really happened to her. The reveal is shattering, and adds depth to an already layered story. The suspense builds as Tommy tries to drink himself into a stupor, believing that “the other me” is the person who is writing the screenplay. Whether or not he will be able to tap into this other persona and finish writing it, well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out. The character of Tommy, who is sometimes crass, sometimes sad and confused, but a good person despite all the mistakes he’s made, is one I won’t soon forget. And neither will you. Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. Quotes are taken from an uncorrected proof, and may differ in the finished version of the book. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Mar 28, 2013
| Apr 02, 2013
|
Feb 19, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1616951370
| 9781616951375
| 3.25
| 102
| Apr 09, 2013
| Apr 09, 2013
|
In a word: nail-biting tension with interesting characters and lots of action Favorite quote: "Where are we?" Sophie asked. "This is not Israel," Anat...more In a word: nail-biting tension with interesting characters and lots of action Favorite quote: "Where are we?" Sophie asked. "This is not Israel," Anat said in a low voice. "Or Japan." It wasn't Galway, either. Declan had pictured the doors opening onto the ambulance bay of a busy hospital: the UCHG, or Bon Secours, maybe. Instead, he found himself facing a large parking lot bordered by tress. Secions of the pavement had buckled, and cars tilted crazily on them, like polar bears clinging to sinking ice floes. Even the air smelled foreign. Declan swallowed the lump in his throat. He tried to sound reassuring as he said, "Well, at least we're not trapped in that dungeon anymore." The set-up for Strangelets is intriguing indeed: three teens from different countries, each facing imminent death, wake up in a strange hospital-like facility not knowing how they got there. This premise is a great starting point and it could have gone in any number of directions (and yes, I certainly came up with my own scenarios as I was reading!). Much of the fun in reading this book was trying guess what was going on, and it didn’t bother me that I had to wait until nearly the end before things were explained. The story unfolds from three points of view: those of Anat, Sophie and Declan. Because the characters were not always together, this style of storytelling worked very well. Not only can the reader see what’s happening at different times and in different places, but we also get three distinct characters who react to the danger of their situation in different ways. Sophie is dying from cancer when she gets sucked into a mysterious void and winds up in an abandoned hospital. I loved that she has a different perspective from Declan and Anat, because she suddenly finds herself not only still alive, but feeling healthier than she has in months. Declan is a cute but cocky Irish boy whose dangerous life as a burglar makes him a perfect character to put in this odd situation, where unseen danger seems to be around every corner and survival has suddenly become a way of life. Anat is a brash Israeli soldier who was attemping to escape to Egypt in order to rendezvous with her fiancé, and immediately makes herself the leader of the group. Gagnon sets the characters against each other, sort of like an episode of Survivor, where alliances are forged and enemies are made. The story revolves around a central mystery: the place the teens find themselves in is a crumbling version of Long Island devoid of any people (except for themselves and three other teens who arrived at the same time, but have smaller roles to play in the story) but inhabited by half-lizard, half-bear creatures that seem to want to kill them. The tension builds steadily as the characters try to sort out what has happened and why they are still alive, when everyone else seems to have vanished. When they finally break out of the locked hospital, the author increases the tension by having them split up. A German boy named Nico wants to search for his father, a scientist who worked at the facility they woke up in, while Anat firmly refuses to go with him and leaves with the strangely quiet and emotionless Japanese girl named Yosh in a different direction. Both groups run into trouble with the lizard creatures, called thrinaxes, barely escaping in some cases. The teens feel certain they will find an adult to help them out, and so they look in abandoned houses and stores, long after the reader realizes that help is probably never coming. Near the end of the story we finally get some answers and learn what’s happening, but by that time I was worried about how Gagnon was going to wrap up her story with a satisfactory ending in only a handful of pages. And the ending did come too quickly for me. Some scientific explanations were given that felt a little too convenient, and the science part of the story could have been better integrated with some more research on the author’s part. One puzzling scene only pages from the end had me wondering if there might be a sequel on the way, and I honestly would love to read another book in this world, if only to have my questions answered! Despite some holes in the plot, and the fact that the story felt way too short (another fifty pages would have fleshed it out nicely), Strangelets was a blast to read. I loved the idea, and for anyone who enjoys end-of-the-world stories with time travel and man-eating beasts from another dimension, this book is an exciting and nail-biting read. Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 02, 2013
| Apr 05, 2013
|
Feb 15, 2013
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0802734189
| 9780802734181
| 3.76
| 398
| Apr 02, 2013
| Apr 02, 2013
|
In a word: non-stop action, a deeply buried mystery, a dangerous world, gorgeously written. The storyline of Stung feels somewhat familiar: in a future...more In a word: non-stop action, a deeply buried mystery, a dangerous world, gorgeously written. The storyline of Stung feels somewhat familiar: in a future dystopian society, a teen (in this case a girl) is on the run from a group of deranged outsiders that are trying to kill her, meets a love interest who helps her survive, as they try to battle their way back to the good guys who live behind a wall of some sort that keeps the bad guys out. Even though you may think this is a rehash of other dystopians, it’s not. Stung has a gritty danger to it that kept my heart racing, and not a moment went by that I wasn’t worrying about the safety of the characters. A very interesting concept kept this story fresh for me, and it was an entirely plausible—and chilling—idea that could possible happen in the future. Fiona (who is also referred to as “Fo,” strangely enough) wakes up in her bed one day, but something isn’t right. The room is trashed and looks like it hasn’t been lived in for years; her parents and siblings are gone; and worst of all, when she looks in the mirror, she no longer sees the thirteen-year-old she was when she fell asleep. She also has an odd, spider-like tattoo on one wrist. But she doesn’t have long to ponder her puzzling situation, because someone else is in the house, and he’s coming to get her… The life Fiona thought she had is over, and this new life is full of confusion and danger. As she stumbles from her house into the terrifying world outside, running from a crazed creature that she knows is her brother, Fiona must adapt quickly or die. The mystery of how she ended up in this place is slowly revealed, as she starts to remember what happened to her in flashbacks. The pace of Stung is non-stop, with barely any breaks to catch your breath. Fiona is hurtled from one deadly situation to the next as she tries to understand what’s happening, and the reader is right there with her, since we don’t know either. Wiggins’ writing is beautifully evocative, and she made this harsh futuristic world come alive for me. In a place where most of the plants and animals have died off, the author gives us glimpses of beauty to offset the ugliness: Above my stomach hovers a tiny bird, inspecting the crimson stain on my shirt. Its wings drone like a motor and I am filled with awe. This fragile hummingbird is the first living, wild animal I have seen since waking up in this dead world. Its bright green chest and red-capped head are startlingly out-of-place. “Where’d it come from?” I whisper, unable to take my eyes from it. “The wall. There are hundreds of hummingbirds living inside of it. Every once in a while one gets out. It thinks your blood is a flower. It’s probably on the verge of starving to death.” Soon after Fiona hits the streets outside her house, she meets a boy named Bowen who turns out to be a childhood friend from the neighborhood. But Bowen is older now (and apparently hot!) and she barely recognizes him. He’s also the person who has been charged with escorting her back to the lab inside the wall, an ominous place that she will most likely not survive. Bowen is terrified of Fiona because of her tattoo, which indicates she is a Level 10 and is about to transform into a deadly beast. But after only a short time, he changes his mind about her, and before you can say "insta-love," the two are exchanging kisses and willing to die for each other. But despite his quick-change opinion of Fiona, I did like Bowen’s character, because he is conflicted in the best way: he’s attracted to Fiona and feels compelled to help her, but at the same time he believes she will become a beast and attack him. Even after he's (very quickly) fallen in love with her, you can see that he's still not completely sure she won't snap. Wiggins gives us plenty of characters to hate (in a good way!) as well. One despicable child named Arrin saves Fiona from an angry mob, but turns out to be a conniving and untrustworthy ally. And there are plenty of evil factions roaming the streets, and all of them seem to be after Fiona. There are the militia, who patrol the wall and capture “Fecs” to take back to the lab; the Fecs, who live in the sewers and try to survive outside the wall; the raiders, who are slavers and rapists and keep beasts as pets, and the black market, dubious types who buy Fecs and beasts to fight in the pit, a gladiator-like fighting arena. I really wanted to know more about the raiders, for some reason. The fact that they capture beasts and drink their blood was such a great idea, but we only get brief scenes with them. A couple of things didn’t work for me, but overall they are small complaints. The scientific explanation of what’s happened (which involves bees, by the way), while fascinating, is finally explained about half way through the book, but it’s a rather complicated explanation that brings the action to a screeching halt. There is also a horrifying scene where Fiona accidentally shoots Bowen in the stomach, but it didn't seem to be necessary and I felt like it was only thrown in for shock value. But the beautiful moments Wiggins adds to her narrative outshine the negative elements: the vivid image of Bowen showing Fiona how to pollinate the flowers with a paint brush; the longing Fiona feels when she finds an abandoned grand piano; and several poignant reunions near the end that bring the story full circle. A brief epilogue at the end could suggest a sequel, and I’m hoping this is true. As dangerous as the world of Stung is, I’d happily revisit it to read more from this talented writer. Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 11, 2013
| Apr 13, 2013
|
Feb 07, 2013
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0857663453
| 9780857663450
| 4.01
| 96
| Mar 26, 2013
| Mar 26, 2013
|
In a word: a dangerous and violent quest, a world on the brink of collapse, and a boy and girl who might be able to save it. I have to admit I almost s...more In a word: a dangerous and violent quest, a world on the brink of collapse, and a boy and girl who might be able to save it. I have to admit I almost stopped reading this book a quarter of the way through, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. Black Feathers isn’t the easiest book to read, but like many other books that I’ve initially struggled with in the beginning, by the end I was so wrapped up in the characters’ stories that I’m now salivating to read Volume Two. The publisher calls this “fantasy,” which it most definitely is, but I have to call it “horror” as well. I’ve been reading horror for years and it’s getting hard to scare me these days, but there were scenes in Black Feathers that truly made me shudder. D’Lacey is one of those authors who can slowly draw out a story until the reader is practically screaming from the tension. Fair warning: most of the mysteries are not solved by the end of this book, and the author raises more questions than he answers. But if you’d like to see a master of storytelling in action, you need to read Black Feathers. The story mostly alternates between two characters: Megan is a young girl who is chosen to become the next “Keeper,” an individual whose job is to observe and record the story of a certain boy whose existence is critical to the survival of humanity. Gordon is that boy, but he lives in a different time than Megan, so she must enter “the weave” in order to cross space and time to watch Gordon’s story unfold. Most of the book takes place when Gordon turns fourteen and is forced to flee his family and home after a group called The Ward take his mother, father and two sisters away. He manages to hide, but not without having several run-ins with two horribly nasty members of the Ward named Pike and Skelton. After receiving secret letters from his parents, delivered to him by a mole who is part of a resistance group called The Green Men, Gordon decides to follow their advice and look for the mythical Crowman, a creature who may or may not be evil and could hold the fate of humanity in his hands. As Gordon sets out on his journey, Megan has her own quest to complete. At about the same age as Gordon, she sees the frightening Crowman in the forest near her home, and is later told that he has marked her as the next Keeper. With her parents’ permission, a mysterious old man known only as Mr. Keeper takes Megan to his home and begins to train her in the duties of being a Keeper. Megan’s part of the story is full of magic, mystery, pain and danger, as she must sacrifice her childhood in order to fulfill her calling. As the story evolves, Megan and Gordon seem to be coming closer and closer together, and it appears as though the two will eventually meet. But D’Lacey has plans for these two, and they might not be what you expect. I was completely swept up in Gordon’s story and enjoyed it more than I did Megan’s. I think the reason I liked his story better was that his world felt more grounded and believable and was easier to relate to. As he is running away from the Ward and trying to stay hidden, he comes upon various groups of people. My favorite were a father and daughter named John and Brooke who are also on the run and hiding in the forest. Gordon only spends a short time in their camp, but he forges a tight bond with both of them, and I wanted their storyline to go on longer than it did. Gordon’s journey is fraught with violence and danger, and he escapes one perilous encounter after another, leaving a trail of misery behind him. Megan’s story, on the other hand, is told in cryptic language and has a dream-like quality throughout. It was often hard to tell what was real and what was a dream, as Megan sometimes leaves her body to travel “the black feather path,” as Mr. Keeper calls her journey. She learns many things from Mr. Keeper, but the most important, and the true theme of D’Lacey’s story, is that she must learn to live in harmony with the land. He seems to want us to come away from this book understanding that if humankind can’t learn to live in peace with nature, our very civilization will crumble. It’s a theme that’s been done before, but never quite in this way. Both Megan and Gordon must fight to survive in the wild during their journeys, and the author even throws in an earthquake to make his point: watch yourselves, humans, or mother nature can take everything away from you. The entire book is written in D’Lacey’s gorgeous and fluid prose. Combine that with graphic violence, the mysterious Crowman who is still not explained by the end of the book, and the unanswered question of the relationship between Gordon and Megan, and you have a story that is irresistibly addicting. For patient readers who appreciate the difficult craft of good writing and storytelling, Black Feathers is a must read. Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Mar 21, 2013
| Mar 28, 2013
|
Jan 25, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| B00C2BXN8Q
| unknown
| 4.80
| 10
| Mar 26, 2013
| Mar 26, 2013
|
3 1/2 Stars In a word: more kick-ass Emma, fantastic pacing, interesting vampire lore, but ultimately disappointing character development I wanted to lo...more 3 1/2 Stars In a word: more kick-ass Emma, fantastic pacing, interesting vampire lore, but ultimately disappointing character development I wanted to love this book more than I did, especially since book one, Violet Midnight, was such a blast to read. Now don’t get me wrong: I did have fun reading the second installment of the Violet Night Trilogy, but a couple of choices the author made didn’t work for me, which I’ll get to. I'm puzzled by all the four- and five-star reviews Violet Dawn has received on Goodreads, and I almost feel like I read a different version of the story than everyone else. I was so disappointed in the reactions and choices of the characters, that I had a hard time getting past them and enjoying the story. Rush has so many creative ideas, and her vampire mythology really is one of my favorites, so it is reluctantly that I give this book only three and a half stars. As book two opens, college students Emma and Jake, vampire Hunters who have special tattoos on their wrists and arms that glow whenever Vamps are near, are cozily settling into life as a couple. For the past four months, since the nail-biting ending of Violet Midnight, things have been quiet, and they’ve had time to get to know each other without their dangerous jobs interrupting them. But of course, this respite does not last long. Just as Jake is getting ready to take Emma to meet his parents for the first time, their tattoos begin glowing: Vamps are nearby and must be stopped. When they find the Vamps and manage to chase them off, they run into a guy named Max, who tells them he is also a college student. Emma and Jake do their best to shrug off the attack, telling Max the Vamps were probably muggers, and try to get him to go back to his dorm. But Max seems oddly fascinated with Emma and won’t take the hint. Later when a gang of Vamps attack and badly injure Emma, Max just happens to be there to save her, and Jake and Emma realize that the events from Violet Midnight (which I won’t spoil for you in case you haven’t read it) are going to have consequences: a dangerous Vamp has come back for revenge, and he’s got some secret powers that might make him unstoppable. In the midst of trying to figure out what’s really up with Max as well as survive the new nest of Vamps, Jake and Emma have some relationship issues that need to be dealt with. Rush’s pace never slows until everything’s resolved and the many secrets that various characters are hiding are finally revealed. Rush once again immerses the reader in her fantastically creative world. Emma and Jake, who are both vampire Hunters, have some cool abilities to help them in the fight against evil. Their Hunter tattoos glow whenever Vamps are near, which comes in very handy. They have some interesting physical traits as well: they never eat, never sleep, and their body temperature is always 74.7 degrees. But best of all, they have a magical ability to “call” their weapons to them whenever they’re needed, and then send them back home when they’re finished. But this time around, the world-building wasn’t enough to sustain the story. My main issue with Violet Dawn was the character of Emma, whom I adored in the last book. She was strong, feisty and smart, but in this book she seems to have misplaced both her intelligence and her strength. She spends most of the book being attacked, bitten, punched and stabbed, and I didn’t feel the author gave us a believable explanation as to why she’s become such a victim. Worse than that, though, Emma has become gullible and trusting, which doesn’t make sense since her life is all about killing vampires. As a Hunter she’s developed a keen instinct that keeps her alive in dangerous situations, but that instinct is on vacation in Violet Dawn. From the moment Max is introduced, I, as a reader, knew he was up to no good. He had the word “slimy” written in huge letters on his forehead. Even Jake sensed that Max was hiding something from the first moment they interacted, yet Emma blithely ignores the warning signs. She continues to defend his dubious behavior throughout most of the story, and when she finally admits that Max isn’t who he claims to be, both Jake and Emma decide that maybe their duty is to help Max choose to be good instead of evil. Maybe the author’s point of the story was to test Jake and Emma by making Max such a confusing character, but none of it worked for me. I also didn't care for the overt religious overtones in Violet Dawn. Rush used some of these elements in Violet Midnight, but they were more subtly done (if I’m remembering correctly). The characters talk quite a bit about “choosing Love” (and yes, that is “Love” with a capital L) in order to vanquish evil. Jake and Emma go to “the Church” (again, a capital C) where they meet Gabriel, an angel from book one. Gabriel helps Max choose the correct path, and all his horrible deeds earlier in the story are suddenly forgiven. Redemption might work this way in the real world, but in fiction, at least the fiction I enjoy, forgiveness needs to be earned. Rush never convinced me that Max was ever worthy of forgiveness, and I continued to hate his character all the way to the bitter end. The story ends with a teaser of what’s to come in the next book, but also wraps things up nicely between Emma and Jake. I fervently hope that the Emma I fell in love with in Violet Midnight returns in book three. Rush has a great thing going on with her Violet Night series, she just needs to remember who her characters really are. Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 02, 2013
| Apr 18, 2013
|
Jan 01, 2013
| Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||||
| 3.76
| 21
| May 06, 2013
| May 06, 2013
|
In a word: A second book that is better than the first, gothically romantic, a ghostly mystery, with a creepy voodoo element. Sometimes second books in...more In a word: A second book that is better than the first, gothically romantic, a ghostly mystery, with a creepy voodoo element. Sometimes second books in a series fall flat or become repetitive, but Oxford Shadows was even better than Oxford Whispers, in my opinion. Maybe it’s because the characters were so well developed or because I enjoyed the ghostly storyline more this time around. But whatever the reason, Croslydon’s Oxford Trilogy is one you shouldn’t miss if you love New Adult Paranormal Romance. The events at the end of Oxford Whispers have been resolved, and we find Madison and Rupert in a blissful state now that they are officially dating. But that bliss does not last long. Croslydon jumps right into the action on page one, as Madison sees a ghost while attending a concert at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. The ghost, who seems to be hovering over Rupert’s stepmother Camilla, tells Madison that Camilla and her unborn baby will die. This sets Madison on a course to find out who the ghost is and to prevent him from carrying through with his horrible threat. Before long and after several more visions and ghostly encounters, Madison connects the ghost to Henry the VIII and a young girl named Liliana who supposedly knew him in his younger days before he became king. After Camilla has a couple of suspicious accidents, the rest of the story involves Madison and Rupert trying to figure out why Camilla is being targeted and what they can do to stop it. Oxford Shadows brings back some characters from book one and also introduces some new ones. An attractive man named Sam enters the picture and at first seems to be vying for Madison’s heart, and Madison is strangely drawn to him and his comforting and familiar Louisiana drawl. But is Sam telling Madison the truth about himself, and why he knows so much about her? It’s one of the ongoing mysteries that Croslydon has in store for the reader. I did enjoy Sam’s character, as he seems to be testing the relationship between Madison and Rupert. Rupert hates him on sight, and Sam brings out a jealous side of him that added some spice to his relationship with Madison. We also meet a not-as-likeable woman named Aurélie, one of Aunt Louise’s friends from Louisiana who is also involved in voodoo. Aurélie’s storyline doesn’t end with this story, however, and we’re sure to see more of her in the next book. In Oxford Whispers we learned about Madison’s family roots in voodoo, and part of the story took place in her home town of Pierre Part. In book two, the voodoo storyline comes to Oxford. With the arrival of Madison’s Aunt Louise from Louisiana, Madison is thrust into a mysterious world of voodoo prayer and animal sacrifice, and Louise hints that she might be a powerful force in the world of voodoo. I’ll have to admit this wasn’t my favorite part of the story. I felt the voodoo scenes were out-of-place and awkwardly integrated into the Oxford background, and with the ghostly Henry the VIII as the main focus, I could have done without the voodoo sections altogether. What I did love was the way Croslydon puts in details of the past by using flashbacks. The story begins with a very creepy scene of a woman drowning, but doesn’t explain what it means. As the story progresses, the reader gets more and more clues about who this woman is and how she fits into the story of Camilla and her baby. I loved the way she used historical details about Henry and Anne Boleyn, but put her own spin on why Henry killed so many of his wives. The author also uses reincarnation to explain the connections between characters, and by the end my mouth was hanging open in astonishment at the inventive plot twists. Another potential pitfall of second books is that the romance can fall flat. I applaud the author for keeping the relationship between Madison and Rupert fresh and interesting. Now that they are a couple, they are faced with different challenges, including introducing each other to their families, dealing with jealousy, and most difficult of all, Rupert accepting fully that Madison is not like other girls, and her ability to see ghosts is something he’s just going to have to accept if he wants to be with her. The story has a very satisfying ending, but also sets things up for book three. Croslydon throws in a couple of surprises at the end, making us eager to read more of this well-written series. Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| May 06, 2013
| May 08, 2013
|
Dec 31, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||||
| 1426894880
| 9781426894886
| unknown
| 3.65
| 23
| Jan 07, 2013
| Jan 07, 2013
|
In a word: inventive, romantic, with an unusual love triangle and time-travel-steampunkish fun. Although this is the second book in a series, and I wen...more In a word: inventive, romantic, with an unusual love triangle and time-travel-steampunkish fun. Although this is the second book in a series, and I went into it without having read the first book, I enjoyed myself immensely and did not feel as though I missed anything at all. So you do not need to read Asher’s Invention first, but keep in mind that it’s out there and available. Set in Victorian England and full of steampunk gadgets that will make any fan of the genre giddy, Asher’s Dilemma is a very short novel about time travel and all the scientific paradoxes that go along with it. This book has one of the most unusual love triangles that I’ve ever encountered, and even if you aren’t a fan of them, this one will interest you, if only to give you something to think about. One day, inventor Asher Quigley collapses in his workshop, and when he wakes up, he begins to catch glimpses of a woman out of the corner of his eye and in mirrors, but when he turns around, she’s gone. He doesn’t understand what’s happening, but he suspects it might have something to do with his Chronometrical Conveyance, the time machine he’s been building and that is almost finished and ready to be tested. One day he accidentally sets the machine in motion and is transported eight months back in time. When he arrives he realizes that the mysterious woman he's been seeing is Minerva Lambkin, his love interest from the past who has somehow been wiped out of existence in the future he has just come from. But here in this reality, she is alive and well. Asher sets out to find Minerva, but before he can he spies a man stalking angrily away from her house: himself as he was eight months ago. And so begins Asher’s dilemma; he must try to co-exist with a different version of himself, convince Minerva that he still loves her, and try to find a way to save her from disappearing forever. There are some interesting twists and turns in the story and I don’t want to give them away. What I do want to talk about is the wonderfully subtle steampunk world that Kwan has created. Not only do we have the Chronometrical Conveyance, which I envision to be similar to the time machine in the movie based on the H. G. Wells story, but Kwan fills the book with viper ray guns, a contraption called a stalking compass that is handy for finding people, and a very modern woman who designs and builds artificial limbs. I thought the author did a great job of balancing all the elements of her story, and she keeps the steampunk parts more in the background, and lets the characters and the romance take center stage. Minerva is a wonderfully plucky female character, a woman who wants her independence, even in the structured Victorian times. When she finally comes to grips that there are indeed two Ashers to deal with, and she loves them both in different ways, Minerva will need all her pluck to figure out what to do about it. Besides the two Ashers and Minerva, two other characters play a part in the possible demise of Minerva: a mysterious woman named Mrs. Nemo (who is revealed to be someone else entirely) and a German mathematician named Klaus Schick, a man who may hold the key to the time machine itself. The characters must make difficult choices in order to set things right, and not everyone will get a happy ending. Looming in the background of the story is the question of whether or not the Asher from the future will ever get back home. It’s a dilemma, indeed, and one that you will have a blast puzzling over. For a quick and fun read, Asher’s Dilemma is highly recommended. Don’t miss the first book in the series, Asher’s Invention. Many thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Feb 20, 2013
| Feb 21, 2013
|
Dec 12, 2012
| ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 9780957282407
| 3.87
| 97
| Oct 08, 2012
| Oct 08, 2012
|
In a word: ghostly, atmospheric, exciting and sexy! I haven’t read much in the category of New Adult, but after reading Oxford Whispers, I really want...more In a word: ghostly, atmospheric, exciting and sexy! I haven’t read much in the category of New Adult, but after reading Oxford Whispers, I really want to read more. The New Adult titles I have read seem to embrace the carefree aspects of young adulthood, mainly the fact that the characters still aren’t facing adult responsibilities. But since the characters are no longer minors, the authors are now free to explore their sexual awakening in a much more graphic way. I find this a very intriguing combination; it’s that time in your life when you’re old enough to be on your own, right before the adult burdens of marriage, work and child rearing come crashing down. College is a heady time in a person’s life, at least it was for me, and reading this book brought back many of those rowdy and rebellious experiences. Throw in the wonderful setting of Oxford College in England, and you have a winning combination. Madison is a history student at Oxford, with good friends Pippa and Ollie to help her navigate the old historical city. But she is also trying to hide from her past. She has left her home in the Louisiana Bayou to try to escape the ghosts and visions that haunt her. Because Madison, you see, comes from a long line of Louisiana women who practice voodoo and can see spirits. But at Oxford, she discovers that she hasn’t left them behind at all. In class one day while staring at a painting called The Wounded Cavalier, she literally “falls” into the picture and witnesses the murder of a young girl. Drawn inexplicably to the three people in the painting, Madison decides to look into their lives. She approaches her history professor, Jackson McCain, who agrees to take her on as a research assistant. As she begins looking into the history of The Wounded Cavalier, she meets Rupert Vance, a sexy and attractive but annoying boy who is on the rowing team. Rupert has access to some research materials that Madison needs, and they are reluctantly thrown together by Doctor McCain. Madison is attracted to Rupert, but he has a girlfriend and doesn't seem to want anything to do with her. But when a series of strange accidents occurs and Madison’s visions of Sarah, Robert and Peter, the three people from the painting, become more and more detailed and real, Madison realizes she needs Rupert’s help to figure out what’s going on, as well as that of her friends and Doctor McCain, before time runs out and someone dies. Although I did find the plot a little confusing at times, this story is beautifully written, and the characters are so well done that their interactions make up for some of the confusion. Madison is a strong female protagonist who is not only attending school in a foreign country, but trying to come to terms with her “gift” of seeing ghosts. We get to see her interact with her family back in Pierre Part, Louisiana, when she goes home during a school break. Her gift stems from the rich voodoo culture of the Bayou, and she gets strength from her grandmother who tells her that she must accept her visions, rather than fight them. I loved her family and the setting of Pierre Part, and I wished more of the story had taken place there. As far as the boys go, I loved Rupert’s character the most. He’s got his own past to deal with, including a side story about his mother’s death. But although he resists his attraction to Madison and tries to avoid her, they can't seem to stay apart, and there are a couple of pretty hot romantic scenes that you won’t find in young adult fiction! And then there are the ghosts, who play big parts in the book. Sarah, Robert and Peter all have their own stories to tell, and they are mixed up with Madison and Rupert in ways you won’t believe. I loved the way the author brought the past into the present, and the way Madison’s life echoes that of Sarah’s. Croslydon uses evocative details throughout her story which bring everything to life, like the fact that Madison smells burning candle wax right before she sees a ghost. Her use of flashbacks into the year 1650 to explain the events from the painting helps us understand the motivations of the characters, both past and present. Luckily this is only the first in a trilogy, so we can expect more adventures from Madison and Rupert. If you are looking for a book filled with secrets and lies, ghosts and visions, romance and danger, look no further. Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Jan 10, 2013
| Jan 14, 2013
|
Dec 05, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0957001908
| 9780957001909
| 4.03
| 302
| May 20, 2012
| May 20, 2012
|
In a word: action-packed, creative, engaging, but needs editing Independently published books are always a gamble. It’s one reason I’m reading less of...more In a word: action-packed, creative, engaging, but needs editing Independently published books are always a gamble. It’s one reason I’m reading less of them these days. You just never know whether or not the hours you spend reading them will be worth it. I had read really good reviews of Talisman of El and I was excited to dive into this book. And while it has amazing potential, for me that potential was never quite realized. I wanted to like it more, but overall it just didn't quite gel for me. This is the first novel in a trilogy, the epic fantasy adventure of a young boy named Charlie and his friends as they journey to the land of Arcadia, a hidden realm beneath the earth where angels and demons and mythical creatures like dragons and werewolves live. When I started reading Talisman of El, I was expecting a young adult story, but both the ages of the main characters and the simplistic writing style make this feel like it was written for the middle grade crowd. The author has creative ideas to spare, and the sweeping story line will be appreciated by fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. Stone’s description of the mysterious land of Arcadia was truly engaging, and the idea of a world in the center of the Earth was a great idea to build a plot around. Stone has a talent for vivid description that brought the world to life for me. But my problem with this story is that there is just too much—too many plot lines, too many characters, too many magical creatures, too many fantasy elements—and the story therefore becomes over-crowded and confusing. I had a hard time keeping track of everything that was going on, and the story often veered off in new directions, leaving me in the dust. I did love several of the characters, but I could have done without others, just so I could spend more time with the ones that interested me, like Charlie, Derkein and a wonderful girl named Oren who, in my opinion, should have a whole book to herself. Charlie’s friend Alex, a girl his age who becomes jealous when Charlie speaks to some of the other female characters, was one of my least favorites, and unfortunately she plays a leading role in Talisman of El and therefore makes an appearance in every chapter. A horrible man named Jacob, Charlie’s foster father in the beginning of the story, had the potential to be interesting; but although the author leads you to believe he’s connected to the magical Talisman in some way and will play an important part in the story, she completely drops his story line mid-way through the book and doesn’t adequately explain his purpose. I found the writing itself to be solid for the most part, but full of awkward phrases and words in some parts of the book. This story needs a good polish, in my opinion. The raw material is there, but the shine is buried underneath a gritty surface. A professional editor would be able to take out the elements that slow down the pace of the story and really make it shine. The heart of the story, Charlie’s search for the Garden of Eden so that he can save his friend Derkein, has so much emotional potential, but somewhere along the way it gets lost in a confusing shuffle of extraneous characters and events. Despite my review, I would like to read more about Charlie’s adventures and get to know the characters better, especially the fascinating Arcadians. Thanks to the author for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Feb 06, 2013
| Feb 12, 2013
|
Nov 23, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0765333333
| 9780765333339
| 3.81
| 1,590
| Mar 05, 2013
| Mar 05, 2013
|
In a word: an inventive, magical mystery with awesome characters and lots of twists. Selene: “Just because someone has the power to do something doesn’...more In a word: an inventive, magical mystery with awesome characters and lots of twists. Selene: “Just because someone has the power to do something doesn’t mean they will. Sometimes people choose to be good even when they don’t have to.” This isn’t the first time I’ve read a story about a school for magical folk (not by a longshot!), but despite its similarities to a certain beloved book, I found The Nightmare Affair to be a fun and exciting read from beginning to end. Mindee Arnett has a real gift for well-timed comedy and her pacing kept the pages turning for me. Best of all, I really loved these characters, who seem remarkably human even though most of them are not. Sixteen-year-old Dusty is a Nightmare, a girl who must “feed” off of other people’s dreams in order to survive. Because of her magical nature, she attends Arkwell Academy, a school for magickind, as magical humans and creatures are called. A force called The Will directs her to feed off certain people, and one night she is drawn to the bedroom of Eli Booker, a very cute boy who Dusty knows from her old high school (before her magic kicked in). But this time something strange happens: Eli is dreaming about a girl lying dead in a cemetery, and Dusty recognizes her. When Eli notices Dusty in the dream and makes contact with her, Dusty realizes that something weird is going on. Even worse, she later finds out that the girl in the dream, Rosemary Vanholt, has actually turned up dead, exactly the way Eli dreamed it. Rosemary was a “Keeper,” someone whose life force had been used to hide a powerful spell. After a visit to an oracle to find out why Dusty and Eli shared this particular dream, Dusty is told that she is a “dream-seer” and has the ability to see the future through dreams, and that Eli is now her exclusive dream partner. Forced together to try to help solve the mystery of Rosemary’s murder, Dusty and Eli must delve into the dangerous underbelly of their magical world to catch the person responsible for Rosemary’s murder. Dusty was by far my favorite part of The Nightmare Affair. She is a very human character, despite her magical abilities. She worries about what to say to Paul, the cute boy who seems to like her, and stresses over her conflicted feelings for Eli. Arnett doesn’t leave out the typical drama that is a part of teenage life, like jealousies between girls and insecurities about what to say and how to act around the opposite sex. Dusty is wonderfully flawed and believable. Her spells never seem to go the way they are supposed to (shades of Ron Weasley?) and she is constantly breaking school rules and sneaking around at night, getting into one scrape or another. She also has a rebellious mother, and like any normal teen, wants to grow up to be her complete opposite. Another favorite character of mine was Selene, Dusty’s siren friend who indignantly covers up her beauty by dressing as a tomboy and forgoing makeup in “protest against the objectification of sirens.” Dusty has two boys to keep her busy. She’s attracted to computer geek Paul, but she’s also drawn to Eli, her dream companion. Arnett keeps the romance light and also keeps the reader guessing as to which boy (if any) Dusty will end up with. But which characters are good and which are evil is a question you’ll be asking throughout most of the book. The author doesn’t give much away until the end, and she uses misdirection more than once before the mysteries of the murders are revealed. I thought the world that Arnett created was really well done. Even though some similarities to Harry Potter bothered me (“mules” are the equivalent of “muggles”), some of her magical touches were unique. My favorite was the concept of “animation,” where inanimate objects become “animated” after spending too much time in the presence of magic. For example, Dusty’s computer starts to talk back to her, and even desk chairs move by themselves. The only thing that slows down the story is the occasional information dump, as Dusty tries to catch the reader up to speed on the magical rules of Arnett's world. Yes, it's information we need, but there are subtler ways to go about it. This is one of those times when "show don't tell" would have worked better for me. The Nightmare Affair may feel familiar at times, but in the end it’s a story that will resonate with many readers. Tweens and teens in particular are sure to relate to the characters’ non-magical issues and may see themselves in the vulnerable but feisty Dusty. Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Mar 09, 2013
| Mar 14, 2013
|
Nov 17, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0857662643
| 9780857662644
| 3.97
| 298
| Jan 29, 2013
| Feb 07, 2013
|
In a word: Strange, melancholy, heartbreaking, and nostalgic. They went into his room and she climbed backwards onto his bed, the bed he never slept in...more In a word: Strange, melancholy, heartbreaking, and nostalgic. They went into his room and she climbed backwards onto his bed, the bed he never slept in because he did not need to sleep, and pulled him on top of her. She took off his shirt, kissed his pale, hairless chest. He had no heartbeat but she could hear something spinning inside of him. She was entranced by it. Like white noise, like the recorded sound of stars. The story—girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl gets boy back—may sound familiar, but Clarke's execution of it is anything but. Once again I have been surprised by a book. This seems to be happening a lot lately, for which I am very grateful. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a reading rut and every book I read feels just like the one before. But The Mad Scientist’s Daughter reminded me of a couple of books I haven’t read in years, books I loved dearly that still haunt me. It has the strange feel of Geoff Ryman’s The Child Garden, a terribly sad story that was ultimately so rewarding. It also sparked some of the same emotions I feel while reading anything by China Miéville. This beautifully written and sprawling tale takes place over many years and follows the relationship between Cat, a young girl trying to figure out her place in the world, and Finn, the android that comes to tutor Cat and assist her father. Cat’s father, the “mad scientist” of the title, brings Finn home one day when Cat is very young. Finn is an adult android who is the only one of his kind. He looks and sounds human, but is unable to feel emotions. (Think Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation.) Cat’s childhood is mostly happy and carefree, as she spends her days studying with Finn and roaming the forests near her home. As time passes and Cat grows into a young woman, she realizes that she is falling in love with Finn—but that he can never love her back. When Finn decides to sell himself to the government and go to the moon to work on the Lunar Station, Cat is forced to evaluate her true feelings for Finn. The setting of The Mad Scientist’s Daughter is a future America that has been devastated by an unexplained disaster, an event that has left many families struggling to survive. Cat’s family is luckier than most since her father is a well-known engineer and works with robotics; nonetheless, an air of desolation and sadness lingers over everything. Although this story is science fiction, it has such an old-fashioned feel to it, and the “nostalgic” label I used above describes the vibe perfectly. Details like robots and comm slates and computer monitors built into the walls of houses compete with cigarettes and worn clothing and dust, elements you don’t imagine when you think of a futuristic setting. This is one of the brilliant things Clarke does in her book, skewing our notion of what a science fiction story should be. The shiny toys of the future live side by side with human misery and despair, and the science fiction elements take a back seat to the more important human issues that Clarke is writing about. As a main character, Cat was refreshingly different. She seems to go through life with little ambition, and I felt the choices she made were mostly out of boredom. She works as a “Vice Girl” selling hand-rolled cigarettes, and feeds her artistic leanings by creating tapestries on her loom. (One of my favorite parts of this story involves a tapestry Cat spends years making for Finn.) After Finn leaves, she meets a man named Richard and accepts his proposal of marriage because she can’t really think of a reason not to. Cat is not happy being married and is still pining for Finn, and it isn’t until Richard turns abusive that she finds the courage to leave him. As for Finn, you may think it would be difficult to root for an android with no emotions, but Finn was a big surprise for me. He starts out very robotic, but as the story progresses you can see that he is much more than just a tangle of wires and circuits. The blossoming relationship between Finn and Cat is tender and unexpected, and I loved some of the surprising moments they share, moments I don't want to spoil for you. Throughout the book the author explores the idea of sentience and what constitutes a human being, using Finn as the example. Cat has always believed Finn to be sentient, and she defends his rights to anyone who tries to call him “it.” But for me, the main theme of the story is isolation and how it can harm us. Cat spends her life trying to connect to other people and usually fails, but ironically she feels happiest when she is with Finn. The author captures the idea of lonely people circling around each other, coming together briefly and then separating again. I think it’s part of what makes this book so melancholy, but it also makes the times the characters do connect extra sweet. This book is pretty special, and for readers who can appreciate unusual stories, this is one you shouldn’t miss. Many thanks to Angry Robot for supplying a review copy. Quote is taken from an uncorrected proof and may be different from the finished copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Jan 25, 2013
| Feb 02, 2013
|
Nov 16, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0765329328
| 9780765329325
| 3.71
| 234
| Jan 22, 2013
| Jan 22, 2013
|
What do an Indian whose relatives are coyotes, a sheriff who has been hanged three times and lives to tell the tale, and a man who keeps his dead wife...more
What do an Indian whose relatives are coyotes, a sheriff who has been hanged three times and lives to tell the tale, and a man who keeps his dead wife’s head in a box have in common? They are all characters in this quirky, horrific and magical Western filled with some of the most interesting characters I’ve ever run across. The publisher describes this book as "Buffy meets Deadwood," and they aren't wrong. As the ultimate Buffy fan, I found lots of Buffyesque material to keep me happy. Belcher’s first novel is masterfully written and constructed, and it’s a good thing it is. When I started reading I’ll have to admit I was wondering how on earth he was going to be able to bring the many seemingly disparate elements together, but not to worry! The Six-Gun Tarot will have you hooked from the beginning, and keep you reading up to the gory and yes, emotional ending. Jim Negrey is a young man running from his past, trudging through the vast deserts of Nevada with his injured horse Promise and nearly dead from dehydration and heat exhaustion, when he is rescued by an Indian named Mutt and taken to the small mining town of Golgotha. Jim is on his way to find a “near mythical railroad job in Virginia City,” but when he arrives in Golgotha he decides to stay for a while. It isn’t long before he discovers that the residents of Golgotha are hiding secrets, and the biggest and most terrifying secret of all may be buried deep under Argent Mountain, the location of a now-defunct silver mine. When the good folk of Golgotha start to go missing, it’s up to Sheriff Jon Highfather, his trusty deputy Mutt, a brave woman named Maude, and Jim himself to stop the evil thing that just might be trying to break free and take over humanity. That’s about the best summary I can come up with. On the surface this seems like just another good versus evil plot, but what makes this story different are the characters. Each one is painstakingly drawn and most are given detailed backstories. Jim’s story is particularly interesting. He’s running from the law, but he’s the kind of man who gives his horse the last bit of water from his canteen. Jim carries an eye made of jade, a peculiar object that used to belong to his father. The tale behind the eye plays an important part in the story, and Belcher slowly reveals the details of how he came to have it in a series of flashbacks. Just about every character in the book is intriguing and likable, except for the bad guys, of course, who are exceptionally bad. But my favorite character is Maude, a woman with her own secrets who carries a flask of blood around her neck, blood that defines who she is and will ultimately determine the future of Golgotha. And here’s where the Buffy comparison comes in. Maude is descended from a long line of women warriors who are taught to carry “The Load,” and eventually pass their skills and knowledge on to another girl. This reminded me so much of Joss Whedon’s Slayer mythology that I was immediately drawn into Maude’s life as she trains her daughter Constance to eventually take over The Load. We also meet Maude's grandmother Bonnie through flashbacks as she trains a young Maude to fulfill her destiny. I have to admit I wanted to read more about Maude and I wished her character had been more prominent. Here’s a wonderful quote during a scene where Maude and Constance are training: The knives hummed from her hand like angry hornets, straight toward her daughter’s heart. Belcher fills his story with a melting pot of religious and social groups that not only add to the craziness of the plot, but really show the amount of research he must have done to make these elements believable. Golgotha is home to a group of Mormons who live in luxury on the hill, squatters who have little or nothing and eke out a living on the fringes of town, the Chinese, or “Johnny’s” as they are referred to, who live in Johnny Town and keep to themselves, not to mention the whores, Protestants, merchants and other colorful characters that make up the fabric of a small western town in the 1800s. In one poignant chapter we learn that Mayor Harry Pratt, an upstanding Mormon with two wives, is in love with a piano player named Ringo. Swirling around all of this is a growing evil buried somewhere under the silver mine on Argent Mountain. When the evil shows itself, watch out. Belcher adds enough gore to rival the best of Stephen King. I might even go so far as to compare the evil in The Six-Gun Tarot to Invasion of the Body Snatchers…but I don’t want to give away its best secrets. Even chapters that seem to come out of nowhere, like the ones that take place between two angels as they discuss the fate of humanity, eventually tie into the big picture. Belcher is a skilled weaver, as each dangling story strand is eventually tucked in and tied up nicely. Despite the horrors in The Six-Gun Tarot, both human and supernatural, there is an underlying humanity that grounds this story. When I get to the end of a story and the author has made me cry, I know I’ve just finished a five-star book. What more can you ask of fiction? Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Jan 14, 2013
| Jan 21, 2013
|
Nov 11, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 9781939997067
| 4.24
| 283
| Jan 01, 2011
| Oct 15, 2011
|
In a word: fascinating world-building, strong characters, a bevy of magical creatures, and a rather circuitous quest. Lichgates is brimming with creati...more In a word: fascinating world-building, strong characters, a bevy of magical creatures, and a rather circuitous quest. Lichgates is brimming with creative energy. Often when I read fantasy stories I’ll come across an interesting world-building idea and think “cool” or “that’s original.” But as I was reading this book, I often wrote notes in my Kindle that said “WOW!” or “What an awesome idea!” Boyce infuses her novel with exclamation point-worthy ideas from start to finish, and I was sucked into her magical world of Ourea. Although the author uses many familiar fantasy tropes—a quest, a magical portal that leads to another world, cute and cuddly animal sidekicks, and plenty of evil bad guys—I found Lichgates to be a charming story full of engaging characters that goes beyond surface material and thoughtfully explores the human condition as well. Kara Magari is taking a walk in the woods one day when she stumbles upon an arched wooden structure with the word “Lichgate” carved at the top. She decides to explore and steps through it, only to find herself in a strange world. When she opens a door embedded in a rock face, she is pulled into an odd library-like room filled with old and dusty books. Kara’s fate is sealed when she manages to open a locked book called the Grimoire, an ancient journal penned by a man known only as the Vagabond. Much to her chagrin, Kara has become the new Vagabond and now holds the secrets and powers of the Grimoire. Soon after, she meets Braeden Drakonin, a boy her age who has been trying to find the Grimoire for himself. But Braeden is not human. He lives in one of the kingdoms of Ourea and has been hiding out for the past twelve years, trying to avoid his father, an evil and powerful man named Carden whose people, the yakona, are known for torturing their enemies. Braeden longs to change his fate and wants his father to believe he is dead. But his luck—as well as Kara’s—doesn’t last long, and the two are thrown into the middle of a land whose kingdoms are warring against each other. Kara and Braeden are sent on a quest to try to unite the kingdoms in a peace treaty, and most of the story follows them as they struggle to follow the instructions of the Grimoire and stay alive, as many people in Ourea seem to want them dead. This is a fairly complex tale, and while I loved the creativity of the world-building, it sometimes seemed a bit too much. Not only are there five or six different kingdoms to keep track of, but the creatures who live in each kingdom each have their own set of rules and magical powers, not to mention difficult-to-pronounce names. Boyce fills her land with a large variety of mythical creatures both familiar (dragons, griffins and mermaids) and unfamiliar (earaks, flaers, and isen), and gives her characters the ability to wield all kinds of magical weapons (swords with poisonous edges and arrows made from air, to name a few). I almost wanted my own Grimoire to guide me through the complicated parts of the story (and in fact, the author has already created a website for the book, complete with an encyclopedia: check out http://www.thegrimoirebooks.com for lots of extras!) I loved the Grimoire itself, an ancient book that hides the soul of the last Vagabond, a wise and friendly man who occasionally pops out the book to dispense advice and warnings. And the lichgates of the title, portals between the kingdoms, were a great device that not only showed the division between each of the lands, but helped keep enemies away. Although the quest Boyce sends Kara and Braeden on was sometimes confusing (I honestly forgot where they were at times, since they travel to so many different locations), there’s never a dull moment. A map included somewhere in the book would have been a nice addition for readers to visualize their journey. The best part of the story for me was the characters. I loved the feistiness of Kara, a girl who can never go home and must face some painful memories in order to move into her new role as the Vagabond. Braeden was one of my favorites, and I thought Boyce did a great job giving him both strengths and weaknesses, which ultimately makes him more human (even though he’s not). He hates his father and wants to destroy him, but he’s forced to look at that desire from an ethical standpoint. Boyce asks the question, is it morally right to destroy an entire race of people, even if they are bloodthirsty killers? The fact that Braeden has trouble answering this question made him even more likable. Kara and Boyce are adorable together, and even though the author doesn't emphasize the romance, their growing attraction to each other is slow and satisfying. Several minor characters also stood out; a young girl named Twin who seems lost without her dead sister; and a creature that Kara hatches from an egg named Flick, who imprints on her and becomes her fierce protector. Aside from a few awkward sentences that could have used a heavier editing hand, Lichgates is a solidly written story that will plunge the reader into a fascinating, but dangerous, world. This is only the beginning of The Grimoire Saga, and I look forward to continuing the adventure. Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 05, 2013
| Apr 08, 2013
|
Nov 03, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0385344031
| 9780385344036
| 4.29
| 4,312
| Jan 29, 2013
| Feb 05, 2013
|
In a word: charming, quirky, pitch-perfect dialog, and unforgettable characters I had brought with me one of my favorite lock-picking tools: a set of m...more In a word: charming, quirky, pitch-perfect dialog, and unforgettable characters I had brought with me one of my favorite lock-picking tools: a set of my wire dental braces which I had ruined forever last summer by putting them to good use for a similar purpose at Greyminster School. Those and a bent pickle fork—which nobody, I hoped, would ever miss—were all that a person would ever need to open nearly every lock in Christendom. What happens when you combine a young lock-picking sleuth who has a knack for discovering dead bodies and mixing poisons (and is especially fond of cyanide), with an atmospheric setting in a cozy English hamlet in the 1950s? You get a Flavia de Luce mystery by Alan Bradley, of course. Bradley’s fifth book in the series was a trip down memory lane for me, because it’s been a few years since I read one of his books. I was immediately thrust back into the quirky and über-intelligent mind of eleven-year-old Flavia and the wonderful characters of Bishop’s Lacey. The setting: a centuries-old church. The murder site: the pipe room of the church’s huge old pipe organ. The outcome: a humorous and layered tale that is much more than a simple murder mystery. St. Tancred, who died 500 years ago and was entombed in the bowels of St. Tancred’s Church, is about to be exhumed, but not everyone in town is happy about the decision. After all, who knows what you’ll find when you dig up a 500-year-old body? But Flavia is thrilled about the idea and is determined to be there when it happens. When the tomb is opened, however, instead of the old bones of St. Tancred, they find the dead body of one Mr. Collicutt, clutching a broken glass tube and wearing a gas mask. While the Inspector and the police try desperately to find the killer, Flavia sets off on her own investigation, making several startling discoveries along the way. Flavia is a dream character. Not only does she end up solving the murder, but she uncovers some of the better kept secrets in the village while doing so. You may wonder how a girl with little supervision who spends her spare time alone in her musty attic bedroom mixing poisons can be the most endearing character in the book, but she manages to do it. Flavia has a way of getting away with everything and then lying about it afterwards, and she doesn’t let the English rain or the four walls of her decrepit estate keep her from riding all over the village on her trusty bicycle Gladys, hunting for clues along the way. She’s surrounded by many other wonderful characters, including Buckshaw’s caretaker Dogger, who Flavia is particularly fond of, and the intriguing Mr. Sowerby, a man who claims to be an archeologist but turns out to be a detective. While things wrap up neatly at the end, Bradley does throw in a bit of a cliff-hanger that cleverly sets up Flavia and company for the next installment. You don’t necessarily have to read all the books in order to enjoy them, although the author does occasionally mention past events from other books. Even though I missed a couple of the previous stories, I had no problem enjoying this self-contained tale. The best part of Flavia’s story, for me anyway, is the way the murder mystery takes a back seat to the rest of the drama that swirls around the residents of Bishop's Lacey. There is a murder that needs to be solved, but the focus of Bradley’s books is the human element and the things that happen on the way to solving it. With Flavia as your guide, you wouldn’t want it any other way. Many thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Feb 16, 2013
| Feb 20, 2013
|
Nov 01, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1594486042
| 9781594486043
| 3.60
| 196
| Jan 10, 2013
| Jan 10, 2013
|
I just finished reading the stories in this amazing collection several hours ago, and they are still haunting me, tickling at the edges of my brain li...more
I just finished reading the stories in this amazing collection several hours ago, and they are still haunting me, tickling at the edges of my brain like the unholy tongue of a zombie (yes, two of the stories are about zombies). These stories were unsettling and disturbing at times, humorous and bizarre at others, but in all cases brilliantly written gems that look directly into the heart of what it means to be human. Each story seems innocent at first, but eventually things go horribly wrong, leading to that unsettled feeling I was talking about. The stories are all told in first person in a slightly detached way, as though the strange events the characters find themselves in the middle of are simply run-of-the-mill occurrences. The deadpan delivery and overall lack of emotion from these narrators might lull you into thinking these stories are safe, but they aren’t. Here’s a breakdown of some of my favorites: Pilot, Copilot, Writer – One of my favorites, this strange tale is about a hijacked plane that has been flying in circles over the city of Dallas, TX for twenty years. The reasons behind what the hijacker wants and why he’s flying in circles go unexplained, but the curious way the passengers handle this problem is part of the charm of this story. The Miniature Wife – A man accidentally shrinks his wife and then tries to atone for his horrific mistake by building her a dollhouse. What starts as an almost funny premise takes a darker turn when things begin to escalate out of control, and the narrator and his wife wage war on each other. I won’t go into details, because this is one story you’ll want to read for yourself, but let’s just say the family cat is involved… The Artist’s Voice – A story about a man whose compulsion to compose music has not only resulted in him becoming nearly paralyzed, but has caused him to speak through his ears. One of the odder stories in this collection, and a great example of how Gonzales is able to convince the reader that the absurd is actually normal. Cash to a Killing – I loved this one! It starts out like this: We had spent the past hour burying the body and were on our way to grab a hamburger. This story, written with dead-pan humor, is about two men who are burying a body and the comedy of errors that ensues when one of the men loses his wallet. All of Me – The first of two zombie stories, this one is oddly sweet, a story about a very conflicted man who has recently become a zombie and how he tries to disguise that fact when he continues to go into the office every day. His human side and his zombie side are fighting each other, and one of them is about to win… One-Horned & Wild-Eyed – A quirky tale about a man, his friend and a unicorn. A man yearns for a different life after an encounter with a unicorn makes him realize he isn’t the person he wants to be. “Wolf!” His claws fell away almost immediately upon his death, his snout shrank back to a reasonable size, his body returned to its previous near-bald state, and the madness leaked from his eyes, leaving small orange tracks, like painted tears, down his cheek, his innocent brown pupils surrounded once more by a pure white sclera. Another of my favorites, this werewolf tale is bloody and terrifying, and once again, told by a very matter-of-fact narrator, whose father has become a werewolf and is devouring his entire family, including his eight children. As in many of these tales, Gonzales explores what it means to be human by placing his characters in not-so-human situations. By the end of this story I was crying… Farewell, Africa – What starts as an absurd premise (a museum installation that demonstrates how the continent of Africa has sunk into the ocean) turns sobering when the reader begins to realize what’s happening… Escape from the Mall – Another zombie story, with a nod to George Romero, about a group of strangers trapped in a janitor’s closet at the mall during a zombie attack. Both a horrific story of survival and metaphor for starting over, this was a great way to end the book. Scattered throughout are very short “Meritorious Life” stories about fictional famous people. My favorite was William Corbin: A Meritorious Life, which is a bizarre and scholarly explanation of the history of clowns. Manuel Gonzales is a unique new voice, and his first collection of stories should not be missed. These stories are guaranteed to linger in your mind long after you finish them. If Gonzales leaves you feeling slightly uncomfortable, then he has done his job well. Many thanks to Library Thing for a review copy. Quotes from the book have been taken from an Advance Review Copy and may not reflect the final version. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Nov 26, 2012
| Dec 31, 2012
|
Oct 30, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0062217070
| 9780062217073
| 3.92
| 589
| May 07, 2013
| May 07, 2013
|
None
| Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| May 15, 2013
| May 19, 2013
|
Oct 29, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 9781419703
| 3.87
| 188
| Mar 05, 2013
| Mar 05, 2013
|
Sometimes a book comes along at just the right time and resonates in just the right way. Bruised was that book for me. It could be that I needed a bre...more
Sometimes a book comes along at just the right time and resonates in just the right way. Bruised was that book for me. It could be that I needed a break from all the paranormal stories I’ve been reading, and I have to admit it was a nice change of pace to read a contemporary novel. But no matter what your usual reading fare is, Bruised is sure to trigger some type of emotion, because it’s so well written and perfectly paced. I absolutely loved the character of Imogen; I found her to be one of the most real and natural teenage protagonists I’ve come across in quite some time. Her story is unique, but I’m betting many readers will empathize with her situation nonetheless. Imogen is a sixteen-year-old with a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. The past six years of her life have been dedicated to immersing herself in martial arts and adhering to the rules set forth by Grandmaster Huan, her teacher. But one night as she and a friend are about to leave a diner, a man with a gun tries to rob the place. Instead of using her martial arts skills to stop the holdup, Imogen hides under a table. From her spot on the ground, she sees a boy across the way, also hiding. The next thing she knows, she’s at the police station, covered in blood. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t remember the events of the shooting. But even worse, she blames herself for the gunman’s death, for not being able to use her fighting skills when it really mattered. One day at school she is called in to see the school counselor, and she meets the mysterious boy from the diner, a boy named Ricky who sets her heart fluttering. Ricky and Imogen attend counseling sessions together to overcome the stress of the shooting, getting to know each other better in the process. The rest of the story involves Imogen’s slow emergence from self-blame to accepting the things in life she can’t control. This book isn’t really about the plot. I pretty much gave you a wrap up of the story in the last two paragraphs. So why did I love it so much? I loved it because this is a story about relationships and how they can hurt us, help us, and define us. Even before the shooting, Imogen is having problems with many of the people in her life. Her girlfriends are dropping her because they are interested in dating her older brother, Hunter. Her brother is stealing her friends by sleeping with them. And her father is in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with diabetes. Everything is changing, and Imogen is having trouble dealing. Everything except Tae Kwon Do, the one thing in her life that feels steady and comforting. But after the shooting, she realizes that even her well-honed fighting skills have failed her, and she doesn’t know how to come back from the shock of the experience. There’s a line in the book about building up your muscles, and that the only way to make them stronger is to tear them down first. Skilton uses this as a metaphor as Imogen comes to grips with the tragedy and what her life means now that she’s questioning everything she believes in. Her emotional turmoil is written in such a believable way, and her interactions with Ricky, her family and her friends seem honest and true to life. Poor Imogen is going through a lot, and it’s no wonder she nearly has a mental breakdown. In addition to the drama surrounding the shooting, she’s also dealing with normal teenage stuff: her first kiss, trying to keep her grades up at school, and how to handle it when a friend moves away. I loved Ricky’s character, too, and his interactions with Imogen are especially well done. Yes, there is a bit of romance, but it’s not the focus of the story. Imogen and Ricky are attracted to each other, but they also have some obstacles to get past before their happy ending. More than once, Ricky and Imogen trade actual blows, which may turn some readers off. But I thought these scenes were important in not only propelling the story forward, but giving us a glimpse into Imogen’s inner turmoil. The author uses color as a theme throughout the book, and I loved the way she accomplished this. She starts out by describing the different belt colors of Tae Kwon Do and their importance in Imogen’s life. Then she has Imogen compare herself to her brother: We have similar features, but they came out wrong on me, like secondhand clothes. If his short, curly hair is a buttery-golden sunflower, my straight, thick tresses are the color of dandelions—nourished with acid rain. If his eyes are the clear aquamarine of a thirst-quenching mirage, mine are a dry, hazel-colored chalk and the boring sidewalk beneath it. This gorgeous writing continues up to the end, when she cleverly brings color back to wrap things up. So what did happen that night at the diner? Imogen does eventually recover her memories, but it takes time and the help of friends and family, including some wise advice from Grandmaster Huan. The details of the shooting are not nearly as important as Imogen’s journey toward healing and self-discovery. Her story will stay with you long after you’ve read the final page, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be dying to read Sarah Skilton’s next book. Many thanks to the author for the signed ARC I won! (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Mar 07, 2013
| Mar 09, 2013
|
Oct 29, 2012
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||||
| 3.76
| 38
| 2013
| 2013
|
***3 1/2 Stars In a word: Atmospheric, two feisty heroines, some poignant moments, but an ultimately unfocused plot The sequel to last year’s The Dead o...more ***3 1/2 Stars In a word: Atmospheric, two feisty heroines, some poignant moments, but an ultimately unfocused plot The sequel to last year’s The Dead of Winter, a book I loved and gave five stars to, She Returns From War unfortunately fell short for me for several reasons. The first book was driven by the strong and feisty character of Cora, a monster hunter who rides a horse and carries a gun. Collins’ story and pacing were excellent, and he surprised the reader with a twist at the end that I thought was brilliant. But She Returns From War lacked the cohesiveness of the first book. The story was confusing and fractured, the monsters were not nearly as scary, and worst of all, Cora seemed to be a different character this time around. What made me keep turning pages was the character of Victoria, a young woman from Oxford, England who finds herself completely out of her comfort zone after an encounter with a supernatural creature. The story is told from Victoria’s point of view, and starts with a bang as she and her parents are riding through the countryside in a carriage, discussing her impending betrothal to a man she has no interest in, when their carriage is set upon by a group of large, dog-like creatures. This encounter results in a terrible accident, and while Victoria survives, both her parents are killed. Vowing to avenge their deaths, she sets out on a quest to find someone to help her. Her circuitous path eventually leads her to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where our erstwhile heroine Cora now lives. Cora has retired from monster hunting after her exciting adventures in Leadville, Colorado, and she’s opened a bar called Ben’s Print Shop, an inside joke and a nod to events from The Dead of Winter. Victoria tries in vain to convince Cora to return to England with her and help her exact revenge on her parents. But after Victoria is abducted one night and taken to an abandoned barn in the middle of the desert, Cora changes her tune and decides to go after the creatures that captured Victoria—and then let her go. One of them, a supernaturally strong vampire, calls himself “Fodor Glava,” a vampire that Cora killed in the first book, and Cora won’t rest until she finds out why he might still be alive. Controlling the vampire is a mysterious Indian woman who has many powers, among them the ability to change into animal form. The story picks up momentum from this point until the expected final showdown at the end. I’m wondering if Collins intended for his story to end up being a humorous “buddy” tale, since the bulk of the book involves Cora and Victoria reluctantly working together to kill the vampire and the Indian woman. Cora dislikes Victoria the moment they meet, and continues to hurl insults at her for the entire story, often having to do with her feminine ways and her inability to do anything practical. When Victoria first walks into Cora’s bar, all the men think she’s a prostitute, and even Cora calls her a “lady of the night.” I never got over the uncomfortable feeling I had every time Cora spoke to Victoria. It was just odd to hear an older woman referencing a younger woman’s “pretty little rear” over and over again. At one point Cora decides to teach Victoria how to shoot a gun, and if I’d been Victoria, I would have turned the gun on Cora and the story would have turned out much differently. Also frustrating for me was the direction the story took after Victoria’s parents are killed. As implausible as it seems for a young English woman to head off on her own to America to try and find a mysterious woman who may be able to help her, and then convince this woman to come all the way back to England with her, I was more disappointed when the story shifted away from the (frankly) intriguing Hell Hounds and focused on vampires and the mysterious Indian woman who holds power over them. Collins seems to be more interested in creating sympathy for the plight of the Indians than making his story flow like it did in The Dead of Winter. There were some interesting moments near the end when Victoria realizes she has a special power of her own, but much of the rambling plot simply slowed down the momentum of the story. The character of Victoria was the best thing about She Returns From War. She’s an unwed, unchaperoned woman in the 1800s, all alone in a harsh and dangerous Old West America. Collins does a superb job of portraying her growth from a virtuous innocent to literally fighting for her life against supernatural creatures, and trying to sidestep the lewd advances of just about every male character in the town of Albuquerque. By the end of the story, I was cheering Victoria’s pluck and courage, and I would love to read more of her adventures. I don't know for sure whether or not there will be a third book in the series, but I did get a sense at the end that Collins could easily add another book and turn this into a trilogy. Victoria’s parents remain unavenged, a fact that begs for another installment. And yes, there were some moments when the "old" Cora made an appearance, a Cora made vulnerable by past tragedies, and I could glimpse the reasons I loved her in the first book. But it just wasn't enough for me this time around. I do hope the author continues Victoria's story, because that is one I am anxious to read more about. Many thanks to Angry Robot for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Feb 21, 2013
| Feb 25, 2013
|
Oct 28, 2012
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 1356194360
| 9781426894664
| 3.73
| 316
| Nov 19, 2012
| Nov 19, 2012
|
It’s been a long time since I’ve actually sat down and read a novella, but for a busy book reviewer it was a nice change of pace. How Beauty Met the B...more
It’s been a long time since I’ve actually sat down and read a novella, but for a busy book reviewer it was a nice change of pace. How Beauty Met the Beast is only 38,000 words, and I spent a pleasant evening breezing through it. A modern re-telling of the Beauty and the Beast story, it has many positive elements: engaging characters, a wonderfully unique setting, and a very surprising sex scene. Now that I have your attention (!)… Jolie Benoit is a burlesque dancer at a club called Pussy Will-Oh! in Austin, Texas when she has an unexpected encounter with a hulk of a man who visits her dressing room after a show one night. The twist is that Jolie is changing behind a sheet that has been strung up to give her privacy, and their anonymous encounter takes place with the sheet between them. Hauk, the beast of the story, is an Army Ranger vet who is terribly scarred from a fire in Afghanistan. Although he is attracted to the beautiful dancer he watches at the club, he knows she is off-limits and way too refined to ever be attracted to him. They part ways, and Hauk never expects to see her again. But fate throws them together, of course, when a group of men called the Order of Ananke tries to kidnap and rape Jolie. Hauk rescues her and takes her to an underground community called the Underlight, a place that Hauk calls home and whose residents work in secret to overthrow groups like the Ananke, who are dumping chemicals into Austin's water supply. Jolie is shocked and scared when she sees Hauk's face for the first time, but she doesn’t connect him with the man from her dressing room until later in the story. When he tells her that a twelve-year-old girl named Whitney has been kidnapped by the Ananke in order to blackmail her grandfather, Reginald Benoit, Jolie admits that Whitney is her niece, and Benoit is actually Jolie’s father. Hauk and Jolie, along with other friends from the Underlight, join forces to help rescue Whitney from the clutches of the Ananke. The story takes off in a fast-paced race to track down Whitney. Along the way we get to know more about the elusive Hauk and his terrible past as well as a host of flavorful characters that interact with Hauk and Jolie, both above ground and below. The relationship between the two slowly evolves as Jolie begins to see past Hauk’s scars into the gem of a man that he is inside. What I really enjoyed about this book was the quirkiness of the characters, many of them misfits of one type or another that are simply trying to fit in and find love and acceptance. I absolutely loved the Underlight, an almost technology-free underground city where residents each learn a craft to keep their world sustainable. It reminded me of the tunnel world under the subways of New York City in the original Beauty and the Beast TV show, and I wanted to know more about this fascinating world. What didn’t work as well for me was the Order of Ananke, the bad guys that are trying to presumably rule the world and corrupt society. Some supernatural elements are added into the story when the gang breaks into the Order's stronghold to find Whitney, as the Order of Ananke uses magic and goddess worship to control their enemies, but I honesty felt the story would have been just fine without the magic, which almost seemed thrown in so that the book could be called “paranormal fiction.” What really makes the story shine are the characters and the relationships between them. I love Hauk and his tragic back-story, and I think Jolie is a perfect foil for his dark and haunted past. Other characters, such as the likeable cross-dressing Catrina who runs the Pussy Will-Oh! and Hauk’s computer hacking sidekick Brayden, add interesting side stories and fodder for future books. I wasn’t as impressed with musician Paul, Jolie’s philandering boyfriend, or Jolie’s niece Whitney, a somewhat annoying character that didn’t do much other that act as a device to try to get Hauk and Jolie together, but I loved most of Garren's characters and wanted to get to know them better. I had such a fun time reading How Beauty Met the Beast, a story that shows how people from different sides of the tracks can find happiness together. I'm anxious to read more about the Underlight and the people who live there, and luckily the next two novellas in the trilogy both come out in 2013. I fervently hope that the author finishes what she started with Jolie and Hauk (*wink wink*) because I was definitely left wanting more in that department. Many thanks to Carina Press for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Nov 15, 2012
| Nov 20, 2012
|
Oct 20, 2012
| ebook
|
Loading...
