kay- I have to admit that I'm giving this 4 stars, when I want to give it 5, because it's a heavily biased review. I have a small, well, actually quit...morekay- I have to admit that I'm giving this 4 stars, when I want to give it 5, because it's a heavily biased review. I have a small, well, actually quite large weakness for the cold, assassin, definitely not good guy hero, the badder the better. I mean seriously- Edward/Ted Forrester of the Anita Blake series is my favorite character! And there's an Edward/Ted Forrester mixed with a little Jericho Barrons from the fever series (cool, calculating, mercenary type) air in his development that I'm addicted to. So with a sigh, I'll say.. the beginning, while a great "love scene" is not quite believable, starting off a romance in that manner... no matter how great the sex was. And.... Simon's big revelation was also... a little hard to grasp considering his character. But the story was definitely entertaining, and it's nice reading of a character that doesn't seem so... helpless. Drea/Andy most assuredly holds her own. All in all, an easy, enjoyable read, with vibrant characters (I was laughing while Raphael is crapping his pants thinking he was in love with Drea), but not a blow your mind read. I consider it a favorite :) something I'll read again on a lazy afternoon, when I'm all relaxed, in a fantastic mood, and I just want to read something fun. Like listening to Top 40 instead of opera. (less)
I've made it plainly clear in other reviews (both for this series and outside it) That I'm more than just a little emotionally...moreI was let down by this.
I've made it plainly clear in other reviews (both for this series and outside it) That I'm more than just a little emotionally attached to Chess. The last book had me thinking I was going to start seeing an up-swing in her character and self-perception, but this book had too many roller coaster up & downs than I have patience for. I need for Chess to start getting better, or I need to know every single detail about her secret skeletons to understand more, but frankly- I'm tired of the same old tired dialogue. I'm being generous with the 3 stars. Ms Kane has a wonderful concept and a set of awesome, mult-faceted characters, but this dragging on with the same ole' is a huge downer. (less)
I shouldn't have liked this but I did.... and I'm at a loss as to how I ended up liking this book rather than disliking. I'm not real fond of Phedre,...moreI shouldn't have liked this but I did.... and I'm at a loss as to how I ended up liking this book rather than disliking. I'm not real fond of Phedre, in fact I find her annoying. Joscelin too. The author can't deside whether Phedre is screwing people for info or screwing people for Naama. I believe it could be both, if both reasons were blended, but fact is, in all the brutal and (lol funny) sexy bits I read, Phedre only has... lets call it "theraputic" sex with Josc and Hyacinth. and the rest just seems like getting off for money, but even so...
I really enjoyed this story (after the first 1/3rd or 1/4th was done) and loved the little romance between Josc and Phedre... and the world building the autor does is AMAZING! Part of me's more interested in the historical and religious history of this world that I feel like damning the characters all to hell lol
Saw The Hobbit over the holidays, and this little creature totally reminded me of my *favorite* nutjob Ana-
Things I hated about this bo...moreEDIT:(01/09/13)
Saw The Hobbit over the holidays, and this little creature totally reminded me of my *favorite* nutjob Ana-
Things I hated about this book:
Anastasia F******* Steele. Immature, naieve, self-centered, hypocritical. I have a strong distaste for people of this nature in reality, I definitely can't stomach them in fiction.
the inner goddess is annoying and stupid, definitely not godly and should be shot.
the subconscious must be another fantasy element E.L. is implementing since Ms Steele is entirely conscious the entire time these stupid lunacy-inducing spats are held. OH and it contains the word "sub" and Ms Steele just can't bring her independent (lol irony)ass to submission.
am I the only one who feels the author wrote with thesaurus.com up on her computer? Because despite her random pretentious and overused word here and there, the flow of her sentences is pretty juvenile, too much so to be using such vocabulary.
Things I liked about this book:
it's a pornographic hot mess of bad writing. because Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey are so fucking awful, I turn American-Psycho crazy and want to... well, it probably shouldn't be said on goodreads, but I will say it's pretty sick, twisted, and it brings my pleasure.
Why I'll continue on:
because I'm a curios little masochist. because I'm a shallow, self-righteous, bullying little bitch who gets her socks rocked that people *do* write this badly, and there are people dumb enough to glorify it.
oh- and because apparently people are having really bad sex. If this turns you on, you fall into this category. BDSM aficianados everywhere are rolling their eyes at you and cursing the Britney Spearsing of their culture. (less)
**spoiler alert** I will admit, I was a little sketchy to start this because of alot of negative reviews- saying that the book drug out too long, wasn...more**spoiler alert** I will admit, I was a little sketchy to start this because of alot of negative reviews- saying that the book drug out too long, wasn't interesting, wasn't enough Claire and Jamie, and the scariest that lot of people found this book to be "boring"
I'm glad the reviews and my apprehensions were wrong :)
This book is indeed long, and alot of plot lines don't get resolved (so to speak) as quickly as you want them to... but like the poem "the wasteland" its the shadow, the tension where things get interesting.
I would say that out of all the books up to this point, the fiery cross has the most humor, and the most... "reality" as far as day to day marriage is concerned. Some of the scenes between Roger and Bri, the "lack luster" sex, the jealousy a father feels for his child, etc echoed alot of tense moments I've had in my own marriage, and with my own child. The almost reverent "intimacy" between Claire and Jamie... the outlander series isn't a "romance" series... it's a series about love in all of its forms. Man and wife, family (or kin), man and those who work for him (tenannts), parent and child, love between friends, unrequited love... it's all presented in... a masterpiece of words and scenes.
The humor though- lol that was a shock. To list off a few... Roger's medical impossibility- dying of sexual arousal, Jamie's pain in the backside (calling Claire his pain in the backside), Jeemy and "chit!"and the scene with Jemmy, Roger and Jamie and "I have balls?"
all in all... this book is like... a 5 or 6 course Michelin star meal. You don't come to the table voracious and amped up- its one you want to take your time with, open your senses and your heart and ease into it... it's not just about the plot and "what happens next?"... its being so wrapped up in the moment you can see it taking place before you, and you start feeling the emotions the author has gone to great lengths to incite.. the same way a chef will use herbs and oils and cooking methods to heighten the subtle flavor of whatever he's cooking.
Just... everything about this was just... "really??" it's not the fact that AJ was haunted by his GGPa's ghost or anything... it's...moreehhh.....
just ehhh.
Just... everything about this was just... "really??" it's not the fact that AJ was haunted by his GGPa's ghost or anything... it's just all corny and far fetched. A historian specializing on a specific person of history, taking all information from one single source with no other evidence? not to mention, all word of mouth? and historical accuracy being such a big focal point in a movie? Even I don't need to go into that... and AJ just didn't do it for me... And AJ's GGPa got annoying at times. The only character that was consistently entertaining was what's-her-face's friend, the publicist.
The series definitly redeems itself with this book :) lol even though some of the answers I was looking for (the religious reasoning or...moreAs promised :)
The series definitly redeems itself with this book :) lol even though some of the answers I was looking for (the religious reasoning or waht not) were still lacking. I'm getting the feeling this is more romance/suspense than "paranormal". Despite all that... this is one of my favorite books :) Jim gets a little bit of background behind him and you find yourself admiring him and rooting for him. Adrian and Edward get a dark side yet show that tender brotherly loyalty towards eachother and Jim. Tid bits come out about Collin and Nigel that jog your brain.. and Davina lol seeing a therapist? It's as epic as a mafia head hancho seeing a therapist (and The Sopranos was seriously one of the best shows ever and should've been a book series). I loved Isaac's character down to the bone. Grier was... palatable lol nothing special, except for I really enjoyed the scenes with her and her brother's ghost.
bottom line: if you like suspense/romance, but lean more toward suspense, this series probably isn't going to be for you. If you lean more romance, but are expecting the spiciness of Black Dagger or Anita Blake... this isn't for you either lol. This series is the vanilla sides of each, but I enjoy it :)
Final Notes:
The Hero- Jim's strength is... phenomenal. I don't mean brute strength either, I mean the scene in Devina's lair with the young blonde girl. My emotions were everywhere, from sadness, to empathy, to panic (at what would happen) outrage... and then you realize you've gone through the exact same emotions as Jim and finally... that's the connection I was looking for. Isaac is a yummy scrumptious character. I love his thing about cussing in front of a lady how endearing :)
The Heroine- I guess I should say something about Grier....but she's boring lol. As I stated above, the only scenes I really enjoyed with her in them (other than the obvious) were the ones with her brothers ghost. I can't say I wish there was more to them or more of them because it's just the right amount for the part they play in the story. It's just that... Grier is no Marie-Therese. Just another, smart, blonde, sexually inexperienced perfect heroine of a romance novel. Davina the anti-hero, however, with her cruelty, and sadism.... I can't WAIT for the next book because I'm dying know more about her and Jim! THe evilest of the evil seeing a therapist for hoarding? and OCD? that's just... AWESOME! lol Her "craving" for Jim? Makes you wonder if Jim will save her... soul I guess, if she has one.
The Plot- Gets rolling a little bit in this book, but still too many details not covered for my taste. I thought for sure that Vin with his gift of telling the future would be a constant in the series but guess not. Other questions- how can Davina take innocent souls? whats the deal with the solution, why the crystal weapons, etc. etc. I'd call myself marginally versed in world religions.. so I understand why salt and sage were used in the first book, but the rest I'm not sure... this book has such a good concept, I'd hate to see it get lost in chick-flick romance. Aside from this, it is a good read, I just hope more depth is given to this side of the story (the suspense/religious/paranormal aspect)
The Sex- you'd never believe it if I said it, I can hardly believe it, but while they were better written than the last novel... I actually skipped 1 because I had to know what was going to happen with the rest of the story. Not anywhere near as good as some in the Black Dagger series but good enough. I think the problem was there were just too many- considering the short time span. and I think 2 scenes could've been scrapped and more plot would've been better.
The End- picks up alot of steam :) Collin and Nigel coming in was unexpected. The whole deal with Matthias was unexpected. What happens with Matthias at the very end... you're kind of glad, but mostly sad... something more conflicting than bittersweet. And the "showdown" at the end with Davina & Jim... I can't wait to find out how that plays out lol a good ending. A little rushed, but good. (less)
I want to give this 4, maybe even 5 stars, but CAN'T!! A longer more thorough review to come... but I will say this- I will change my rating depending...moreI want to give this 4, maybe even 5 stars, but CAN'T!! A longer more thorough review to come... but I will say this- I will change my rating depending on the next book because the cliffhanger is BLOODY F****** UNFAIR!!!!! 4 storylines at jarring cliffs! (less)
Cynfully Sweet
>
Books:
romance
(43)
×
Loading...
