Jenn has
1641 books
(22 selected)
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| # | 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 |
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date read | date added | date purchased | owned | purchase location | condition | format | ||
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| 1416575723
| 9781416575726
| 4.14
| 950
| Jun 30, 2009
| Jun 30, 2009
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Ellie Denton’s life is falling apart, if it weren’t enough to lose her mother, the last of her family she...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Ellie Denton’s life is falling apart, if it weren’t enough to lose her mother, the last of her family she has a rose shaped mark appear on her chest and her former stepfather just showed up and took everything she owned claiming it as his because her mother never bothered to divorce the man. Worse, she’s losing her mind because she swears she can hear animals talking to her. So when she’s drowning in her own tears over her favorite Highlander romance novel as she’s hiding on her own land she makes a silly wish for her one true love and a highlander of her own. What she doesn’t count on is that she’s a descendent of the Fae and that mark is the sign she’d been granted the powers rightfully hers, making her wish a spell that whisks her into the thirteenth century into the barn of none of other than Caden MacAlister. After his betrothed betrayed him nine years ago almost causing the deaths of his cousin and sister just to get away from her marriage to him Caden wants nothing to do with women. He’s certain the fates have decreed he’s not meant to fall in love so when Ellie shows up in her foreign clothes he sees her as nothing other than another Fae problem he doesn’t want to deal with. He doesn’t count on being irresistibly attracted to her. He need to figure out why he’s there so he can send her home or marry her off to one of his brothers, whichever is more convenient. When he falls for her he’s not sure what he wants anymore, but will the Fae who’ve tempted him with her take her away again? I debated between four and five stars for this book, I mean I really loved it, the journey was a pure delight to read. I couldn’t immediately think of issues which should have given me adequate reason to give it a five stars, but for some reason I didn’t think it was quite five stars yet. So I had to sit and think, what bothered me about this book to the point I wasn’t ready to give it a perfect rating. Then I realized it was some of the set up, minor details that had been bothering me. First of all the idea that Ellie lost her home in that manner didn’t quite make sense. Whether or not his brother in law was the sheriff or not if you don’t leave a will I was under the impression and correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the state then decided what was to become of your things and could legally actually take them. Additionally whether her mother was divorced or not, if she’d been separated from her ex for a considerable period of time as it sounded and the property was hers before meeting him I would think the blood daughter she has would have more claim to the property than the spouse she’d kicked out years ago. And while I’ll admit small town law enforcement can get away with a lot more than they should, there’s too many other legal systems in place like the state police and doesn’t Texas have their rangers, for something quite this disastrous to just up and happen. So the set up I find a little hard to believe and although I LOVED the twist in the epilogue, I also find that a little bit hard to believe as well especially if both women were Texans. I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense if you haven’t read the book but to give more than that away would spoil the epilogue and while I know I give away more spoilers than I should, I don’t write reviews intending to give away their twists and moments designed to make the reader smile. An additional issue I had with the book is some of the reoccurring characters from the series just seemed different somehow. I realize nine years has passed for them since the last book, but at the end of the last book it seemed that things were going well for the most part of the MacKeirnan/MacAlister family seemed to be doing well and when we revisit them in this book they all seemed sort of broken, wounded by events of the previous novel. I mean I get that Drew was injured and Caden’s fiancé was the one who betrayed them, but I just didn’t get the impression that there were quite as many scars on this family in the last novel as there are when we rejoin them in this novel. However I will admit that I didn’t think as much on these thing when I was actually reading the novel, I just knew when I finished it that I didn’t think it was quite five stars and had to sit and figure out why. The well written close third person novel was a true delight to read. Beyond just a love story there’s a lot of different things going on in this novel. You’ve got Caden’s brother and the Laird being held hostage because of his brother’s stance in the war, problems with the sheep, a backstabbing friend, the old fiancé back in the picture, not to mention the problems Ellie left behind before the magic brought her there with her stepfather stealing her land and telling her the only way she could live there was if she was willing to be his consort. I’m not sure if I’d call them separate plot lines, well maybe a couple of them might be interwoven plot lines but no doubt this is a lot more than a love story. As with the other novels sex is used sparingly and tastefully to accent the love story, but isn’t substituted for the love story. The attraction and the fire between the two characters all but jumps from the page and the description and setting were vividly written. As with the other books the characters are fairly well developed. We’ve seen Anabella, Rosalie and Blaine in three out of four novels in the series now so they’re really familiar characters. All of them are fairly well developed secondary characters and it was wonderful to see Blaine get his own secondary love story even if his new significant other wasn’t as developed of a character as I would have liked her to be. Most of the characters in the previous novel, at least those that live in the thirteenth century make a reappearance in this novel as well. There are a few new characters but not many so for readers of the series returning to these characters almost feels like coming home because such and effort is made to create realistic secondary characters within this series. Of course because this is a romance the male and female leads are exceptionally developed. Both of the leads are both brooding and fiery. One thing I didn’t like about Caden is that you would think after what he’d learned about trusting on blind faith in people during the last novel he wouldn’t have fallen into the traps he did in this one, but I guess some people are just blind to the true natures of others and Caden is definitely one of those people. He blames himself for everything, but he’s definitely got the Alpha male vibe going on as well. He’s easy to relate to and other than constantly wanting to pair off Ellie with his brothers even though he wants her for himself he’s definitely one of those men you wouldn’t mind bringing home (that is if you weren’t already engaged.) Ellie is fiery, strong and opinionated but she’s let the world beat up on her too much and it takes her time during the course of novel to really find that inner strength. She’s intelligent but insecure and one of those characters that you can’t help but like. Overall as with the rest of the series it’s highly recommend for readers of both historical and paranormal romance, after all who doesn’t want a highlander of their own?(less) | Notes are private!
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| Aug 22, 2011
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Jun 12, 2011
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| B004J4WLOQ
| 4.19
| 10,395
| Jul 05, 2011
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Jun 27, 2011
| Kindle Edition
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| 2940012662699
| 3.88
| 175
| Apr 05, 2011
| Apr 07, 2011
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Jul 13, 2011
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| B005BHR61I
| unknown
| 3.65
| 31
| Jul 08, 2011
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Jul 22, 2011
| Kindle Edition
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| B0051VRLRS
| unknown
| 4.27
| 22
| May 19, 2011
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Jul 22, 2011
| Kindle Edition
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| B004XDYXN0
| 4.10
| 8,861
| Jun 01, 2011
| Jun 01, 2011
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** A First Person Narrative, told from Robin Goodfellow's point of view, Summer's Crossing is a delightful ad...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** A First Person Narrative, told from Robin Goodfellow's point of view, Summer's Crossing is a delightful adventure into the Summer Fey Kingdom. This short story picks up right where Iron Queen left off. I'm not sure if it's necessary to understanding the print books of the series, however Kagawa offers a free copy on her facebook page so it doesn't make sense to miss this story. When Ash and Puck begin their journey to find Grimalkin and hopefully discover a way for Ash and Meghan to be together, they are stopped by Leansidhe who calls in the favor Ash promised her in the Iron Queen. She asks Ash to journey into the Summer Kingdon and retrieve a violin that Titania has stolen from her. Without Puck's help Ash won't be able to finish his quest alive, but if Puck helps him he's not only betraying his kingdom, but helping his rival get one step closer to getting the woman that they both love. The story is a page turner from beginning to end and a delightful read in Puck light and easy going voice. It allows you a look into this character that the other stories told from Meghan's point of view don't offer. You really feel the emotional battle within Puck and it leaves you guessing until the very end just what decision he will make. You couldn't completely blame him if he sold Ash out because it would eliminate his competition for Meghan's love, but at the same time he had years to proclaim his love and shouldn't have waited until Ash showed up to do so. Also if he really loves Meghan he should want her to be happy even if the person that makes her happy isn't him. Puck battles with the decision of what to do throughout the entire story and you can't help but feel for him. I really can't think of much negative to say about this story except that there just isn't enough of it. Being a novel reader, short stories just don't have the meat that I look for in a story. However if you love the Iron Fey series this isn't a title to be missed. (less) | Notes are private!
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| Jun 2011
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Jun 04, 2011
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| 3.92
| 12
| Mar 30, 2011
| Mar 30, 2011
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Aug 26, 2011
| Kindle Edition
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| B0049B326K
| 4.25
| 815
| Oct 19, 2010
| Oct 19, 2010
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Received From: The Author For Review ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Vance Mangum and Portia Mullins are teenage soul mates. Due to the dan...more Received From: The Author For Review ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Vance Mangum and Portia Mullins are teenage soul mates. Due to the dangers of their lives as a witch and warlock, they marry young at the beginning of the story. Their honeymoon in Scotland doubles as a rescue mission for the mother Vance hasn't seen since he was a child. Their leads bring them to the home of Douglas and Fiona Cummings, Vance's wealthy grandparents who stand accused of keeping his mother Krista hostage. The Cummings seem to know nothing of what has happened to his mother of his recently deceased father, their own son. They welcome their long lost grandson into their lives with open arms and Portia and Vance are soon drawn into the Cummings lives of wealth and privilege. But all is not what it appears to be in the Cumming's household. Will Portia and Vance discover the truth before it's too late? I really enjoy the second book in this series, but I have to say the third installment was a major let down after the previous book. The first quarter of the book might appeal to the pre-teen reader, but as an adult it definitely didn't appeal to me. I finally understand now why romance novelists end the book at the proposal. The wedding and subsequent honeymoon period leads to very dry and boring reading. "I love you" was said so many times it was like listening to a scratched cd stuck on the same line. They got married and their lives seemed perfect. Yay for them, but frankly as a reader that bored me out of my mind. I know I said the relationship would be more realistic in previous books if it advanced to the next level, but I didn't mean a teen wedding and alluding to the couple have sex every other sentence. On a more comfortable note, we as a reader are at least spared any details of their constant honeymoon sex. We know they're doing it, but the scenes aren't spelled out like in an adult romance. It didn't help that despite how in love the couple seemed, my mind completely rebelled against a high school wedding. I guess the point was demonstrating the moral idea that marriage should come before sex, but I don't think teens should be encouraged to marry that young for any reason. The book starts to get interesting after the first quarter, and though I've never said this about a book before I recommend only skimming the first quarter so you don't loose interest in the story. The middle has an interesting plot line beginning to develop and some really good scenes. What save this book from a bad rating is the last quarter of the novel. The battle scenes are intense, but the raw grief the character feels leaps from the page grabbing you. It yanks you into the pain she feels, giving you no choice but to experience it with her. The emotions and experience of the final quarter of this book are what make this novel worth reading. The book has an odd, open style end that leaves you wanting to read more of the series curious about what will happen next in the saga of Portia and Vance. Overall, I can't say this novel was better than okay. The first quarter of the book with all the happy, lovey dovey scenes really killed it for me. If you could cut the first quarter down to just a few pages and picked the book up from the middle, my rating would have been a lot higher. But you spend too long in the beginning waiting for something to actually happen with the plot for me to qualify this novel as good.(less) | Notes are private!
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| Jul 03, 2011
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Jul 01, 2011
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| B004FGLMHU
| unknown
| 3.42
| 12
| Nov 29, 2010
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Rose is a 130 year old vampire who’s just been called upon by her council to kill a rogue werewolf. She th...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Rose is a 130 year old vampire who’s just been called upon by her council to kill a rogue werewolf. She thinks it will be an open and shut case leaving her free from the council’s drama for the rest of eternity. What she doesn’t plan on is a spunky young fire witch, an overzealous FBI agent and her maker all showing up and adding drama to her quiet little world. She may be hunting the werewolf, but someone out there is setting her up for crimes she didn’t commit in the process. Will she get to the bottom of it before she finds herself frying in a jail somewhere? Silver Moon is a quick and enjoyable paranormal tale. It’s not really a scary story, nor is it a romance. Basically I’d called it paranormal fiction if that’s a genre. Genres are one of those things about books and writing I’ve never been that interested in. To me there’s interesting and not interesting, those are the only things I really need to know about a book. There were really only three things I didn’t like about this book. The first is a taste thing, I like nice lengthy novels with lots of plot twists and details so for me a novella just isn’t long enough so I really would have like to have seen more bulk to the story. Two the final scene switches from the consistent first person point of view to a third person point of view scene. I prefer books to maintain the same point of view throughout the work. Finally she brings in a rather large cast of characters for a short novel so that we don’t get the chance to really get to know them all. The book is very fast paced and well written. For the most part it’s a first person point of view from Rose’s eyes. It flows smoothly and has a good share of surprising plot twists and interesting characters. You’re quickly immersed in a world of vampires, werewolves and witches, however because it’s a novella though it’s mentioned that there’s a lot going on politically in the world of the supernatural it’s not really gone into too much because of the length of the novel. The book took me about twenty minutes to read so if you’re looking for a quick fun read this would be a great choice for reading. Rose’s character was easy to relate to regardless of her disregard for humans. You’re invited in to some of her past and as well as her present predicament. This character has a lot of interesting interactions that I would be curious to know more about however again do to the length we get snippet but not a ton of detail about the past and present. Rose is the most well developed character, however Geer also creates some interesting secondary characters including Bobbie a 21 year old witch and Jerry an attractive werewolf. Both of these characters were slightly fleshed out, but not really completely again due to the length of the novel. Geer presents us with an intriguing world and I’ll admit I felt frustrated because I wanted to know more about the world and the characters within that world. Hopefully this is just the beginning with more novels to come, but I’m not really certain about that. Overall I’d definitely recommend the novella to readers who enjoy paranormal literature and shorter works of fiction.(less) | Notes are private!
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| Aug 09, 2011
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Aug 09, 2011
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| B003AYEJSC
| 3.72
| 111
| Jul 27, 2004
| Jan 27, 2011
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Jul 01, 2011
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| B004S81TJQ
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| 3.95
| 73
| Mar 14, 2011
| Mar 14, 2011
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Aug 26, 2011
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| B005110E0O
| 3.86
| 730
| May 13, 2011
| May 13, 2011
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RECEIVED FROM: Library Thing for Review ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Ariel Donovan is a completely normal fifteen year old girl living i...more RECEIVED FROM: Library Thing for Review ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Ariel Donovan is a completely normal fifteen year old girl living in the town of Hell, Michigan. Well she’s normal if you discount the fact that she calls her parents by their first names. And you don’t mention that her best friend has been missing for three months and without Jenna she’s a social zero. Also if we’re calling her normal we probably shouldn’t mention that she might be seeing ghost and there appears to be something sinister going on beneath the surface of the small town of Hell. Okay so she’s probably not all that normal, but who needs normal when you live in Hell right? Ariel is the girl who’s been left behind in their close friendship, the one with all the questions that no one else is asking. But will she find the answers before it’s too late? I’ll start this review by telling you that mature part of me is telling me that I’m not being fair in my rating of this book. Logically I know it’s a four star novel, well written with strong character development and good pacing. But have you ever read a book where you got to the end and just thought wtf? You found yourself so angry you wanted to call up the author and ask her that exact question? Emotionally however I can’t give it higher than a three stars because I finished this book and I’m just plain MAD. That leaves something to be said about my maturity as a reviewer, but at least I’m admitting that I’m letting my anger at the ending dictate my final rating for the book. Each scene within this novel is described so completely it’s like you’re there living it and the characters as so multifaceted that at times they’re confusing, just as real people are. Do you remember those people in high school, especially the teenage boys where you’d think you know them and then they’d do something that left you going huh? Afterward you’d go on and on to your friends about how boys made no sense whatsoever and it’s no wonder that most of the girls had higher grades because boys clearly weren’t born with brains. While as an adult I can claim a slightly better understanding of the opposite sex than I could as a teen, this book brought me right back to that adolescent phase where boys and their actions just made you go huh? By making them not completely make sense at points she makes her characters seem completely real. The book overall is hard to describe, it’s like Veronica Mars meets Ghost Whisper with a hint of something else thrown into the mix, maybe some Charmed, I’m not really sure what that extra element is that makes this story so original. One of the things I loved about Ariel is that it’s not just stated that she’s fifteen, followed by her being whisked away into some surreal world. She’s living the life of a fifteen year old complete with over protective, though strange parents. The books is filled with paranormal elements which Ariel has to deal with or at least attempt to comprehend, but she’s also dealing with teenage crushes, hot and cold boys, teacher boredom and embarrassment. She attends classes, gets sent to the principal’s office, and deals with teenage rejection from the popular crowd who like in every school seem to get away with everything. By being a part of all these mundane portions of her life she’s more real as a character because real teenagers have to go to school and suffer through classes they’d rather not take and agonize over the one subject in school that doesn’t make sense. While there were a few things that seemed off to me which is why I state that it was more deserving four stars than three, like calling parents by first names and other little things I couldn’t comprehend like that. The main thing that upset me about the book was being left with more questions than answers. Is Ariel really seeing ghosts? What was it about the necklace? What’s really happening with the town and how is Henry involved? What does her family seem to know that she doesn’t? And the ending while I guess enlightening in some ways is more frustrating than anything else because it looks like everything has gone wrong, nothing has gone right and no one is getting answers. Additionally, the villain revealed in the novel was completely unexpected and there was no foreshadowing whatsoever that he might be guilty or involved in anything so that was kind of a major huh moment for me. I hope to god this is part of a series because if that is then end of Ariel’s story I’m thinking this writer might be kind of sadistic. To get the reader so involved and weaving the world and characters so intricately to end in the manner she did seems all sorts of wrong to me. Overall I’m hesitant about recommending it. On one hand it’s extremely well written and an engaging story. On the other since I didn’t get hardly any answers but was left instead with a ton of questions and a burning anger I have a hard time recommending someone else step on an emotional roller coaster ride only to be left stuck at the top of the drop at the end wondering if the writer will let them down. I will say this, if there is a sequel to this novel I’d like to preorder it because I am highly involved with the characters she’s presented to me. As a standalone title I couldn’t recommend it only because of the things I’ve stated above, but if this novel opens a new series I highly recommend jumping on for the ride because I can guarantee she will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.(less) | Notes are private!
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| Jul 19, 2011
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Jul 01, 2011
| Kindle Edition
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| 1426858329
| 9781426858321
| 3.97
| 10,822
| May 20, 2010
| Jun 01, 2010
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**NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN INCLUDE SPOILERS** To be honest you could probably enjoy the Iron Fey Series and understand what's going on without ever readi...more **NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN INCLUDE SPOILERS** To be honest you could probably enjoy the Iron Fey Series and understand what's going on without ever reading this Novella, especially since some of the scenes within are recapped in the Iron Daughter. However if you enjoyed reading Meghan's story, you wouldn't want to miss even one leg of it and you'll find the short novella worth your time. If you don't have a kindle and therefore don't need the story in a kindle format Kagawa offers a free PDF download of the story on her website considering that, it would be just silly to miss part of Meghan's epic story even if you don't need that portion to understand what's going on. The importance of this story is mostly the dynamics between Meghan and Ash. Even with his promise to his queen and the contract to bring Meghan to the Winter Court he allows her to sort of sever the ties with her old life, by first saying goodbye to her family and then despite the dangers saying goodbye to Puck who at this point still exists inside a tree healing from the bullet wound. It's like he knows that being within the Winter Kingdom is going to be one of the hardest things she's ever had to do and he doesn't want her worrying about the people she left behind while she's there. Seeing this and the fact that he chastises her for not leaving him to die and returning to the summer kingdom when she had the chance helps with your view on Ash's character when you see him later in the Winter Court during Iron Daughter. Without reading Winter's Passage you really want to hate Ash for his behavior at the beginning of Iron Daughter, but after having read this you can almost understand that the only way he can protect her within the Winter Kingdom is to treat her like crap and keep her at a distance. The dangers they face in the novella also give a lot to the character of Oberon, showing just how far he's willing to go to protect his daughter even if he hasn't really made her feel welcome or made any effort to get to know her. Combining what you read in this novella with what you see in the Iron Daughter also shows how little the fae really communicate with each other or make an effort to understand each other. Being so short it doesn't give a ton of depth and does leave you wanting more to flesh out the story, however that's normally the case with a novella if you're used to reading longer fleshier novels. It is however an enjoyable story that is worth reading.(less) | Notes are private!
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| May 19, 2011
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May 21, 2011
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| B004J4WN0I
| 4.12
| 16,553
| May 03, 2011
| May 03, 2011
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Atticus O'Sullivan or Sidohachan O' Suileahain as he was once known, is a 2000 year old druid in a 21 year...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Atticus O'Sullivan or Sidohachan O' Suileahain as he was once known, is a 2000 year old druid in a 21 year old's body. Chased by Celtic Gods and the Tuatha De Dannann because he has in his possession a magical sword called Fragarach which can cut through anything, he faces many adversaries in this tale of adventure set in the Arizona desert. His main adversary is Aenghus Og the Celtic god of love who's hellbent on having the sword, but as the story progress you begin to wonder if he can trust anyone other than Oberon the dog with whom has a mental bond. Og isn't cupid by any means and is downright nasty is his pursuit of Atticus and Fragnarach. The story encompasses all sorts of supernatural entities from the fae to werewolves, vampires and witches and reader is often left wondering which is the most dangerous and who will turn on Atticus next as they turn from page to page in this exciting story. I debated between a three and four stars on this one because while the ending did tie things up nice and neat, there was something about it that didn't leave me feeling fulfilled. However that could have just been me having to stop every three paragraphs and yell at my sons who'd just gotten home from school and weren't behaving. I decided to give Hearne the benefit of the doubt and blame my not being pleased with the ending on the fact that I was angry at my boys and went with a four stars. The story is written in the first person in Atticus's voice and for some reason reminded me of the old television show Saved By The Bell. Obviously the two aren't similar in plot, but if you were a fan of the show you'll remember the times when Zack who was a likable troublemaker would speak to the audience in monologues about what was occurring. Atticus's voice and attitude was very similar to that of the lead character in that long forgotten television show. He's a likeable smarta## who doesn't have to go looking for trouble because it's always banging on his door. You can tell the Hearne put a lot of research into his debut novel, however the need to make sure his readers understand Celtic mythology and history slow his pacing down a bit in the beginning of his novel. He info-dumps quite a bit in the beginning and while I appreciate that he didn't walk into writing about this blind, I think there could have been a better way to import the information to the reader than putting it in long drawn out paragraphs. It's mostly only done in the beginning and after you get further into the story you quickly forget about the small text book like portions you suffered through in the beginning to get to the real story. If you're a reader like me who's put off by sections of fiction like that I advise you to keep reading because I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed. While my favorite character was his dog Oberon that in this story can talk in Atticus's head and therefore served as wonderful comic relief, I loved the way Hearne created the characters in this tale of adventure. You could never tell for sure which side any of his allies were on, his main humanish friends are his werewolf and vampire lawyers that charge him for their time and this wacky Irish widow down the road, that mellows out her Sunday church sermons by drinking so much whiskey before she goes that she doesn't remember what's been said. Each character was well fleshed out with unclear motives that left you guessing and little quirks that enamored you to them. Overall the story is a must read for fans of urban and paranormal fantasy. It is for the most part faced paced and once you get past the shaky parts I warned you about in the beginning you won't want to put it down until you read its conclusion.(less) | Notes are private!
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| May 25, 2011
| May 27, 2011
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May 24, 2011
| Kindle Edition
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| 3.92
| 1,232
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| unknown
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** First of all I received this short story as a bonus feature to my kindle version of Hounded. I decided to...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** First of all I received this short story as a bonus feature to my kindle version of Hounded. I decided to review it separately because I don't like the idea of trying to mesh two stories into the same review. In this short story Atticus and Oberon, the 2100 Druid and his dog from Hounded are shopping at an outdoor mall where they encounter a group of gnomes and get drawn into the gnomes issues with a kobold. The story is set to occur approximately 10 months before the plot of Hounded. For a short story this was an excellent read, both entertaining and fast paced. If I was a fan of short stories I'd have probably given this a five stars, I'm more of a novel reader so this was sort of missing the bulk and substance of the novels I prefer. The short story however does include a full story arc, but being a short story, the arc doesn't have the same kind of weight that a novel would. It doesn't have nearly the same importance to the reader compared to the plot in Hounded. The first person narrative was well written, and considering it's length Hearne did an excellent job of still creating well-rounded and likable characters. In a matter of only a few pages he manages to introduce to the reader a druid, a mind-talking dog, a family of gnomes, a fairy, a god and a kobold. He explains what each being is and kind of where they fit in the magical world quickly, giving the reader enough information to understand the story without burdening the story with too much background. As with Hounded I was enamored with Atticus's smartass voice and Oberon's quick humor. If you enjoy urban fantasy and like to read short stories, I highly recommend this read. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| May 27, 2011
| May 28, 2011
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May 27, 2011
| ebook
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| 3.68
| 171
| Apr 14, 2011
| Apr 14, 2011
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Jack Creed has been a reluctant vampire for ten years, turned on the night he was attacked and left for de...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Jack Creed has been a reluctant vampire for ten years, turned on the night he was attacked and left for dead by the werewolf who killed his parents, then saved by a group of passing vampires when one took an interest in him as a potential romantic partner. All of that changes when he encounters Silver Reign while visiting his grave and attempts to save her from a werewolf attack. In the misguided attempt to save her Jack is scratched by a werewolf, something fatal to vampires and believes he's going to die. Instead of a quick death at the beginning of the story Jack not only survives but becomes some sort of enhanced mortal with powers of both a werewolf and a vampire, a mortal who's arrival has been prophesied for a very long time. His shared destiny with Silver is to kill the first werewolf, the wolf responsible for creating them all and who's death could save every other werewolf in existence. If they should fail this being will not only destroy all vampires, but the entire human race as well. The story follows his budding relationship with silver, his interactions with his human brother and his vampire family and his path to discovering the first werewolf, a path that leaves him questioning if his destiny is one he wants to fulfill. Overall this book is a great read that keeps you turning pages. I'll admit I debated between three and four stars on this one. But my copy of the book had some issues that kept skipping me around in pages and turning through blank ones to find words. Considering that I decided I might be being a little harsher on the writing than I should be because I was irritated at the difficulty it was giving me reading it on my ipod. That said I decided to give the writer the benefit of the doubt and go with the higher of the two ratings. The story is fast paced and for the most part well written. Some of the things I noticed were first the character names, so many of them were a little far-fetched ie Silver Reign, that I found this a little distracting. With names like that it's hard to picture them as realistic people. While I've read other books with odd character names, most of them have reasonable explanations for those names and the odd names are not employed by the majority of the characters in a the book. That isn't the case with this story in my personal opinion. Another thing about the characters is that I don't think the writer gave them enough actual character flaws to be believable. Silver is bright, articulate, a good fighter, beautiful and her list of appealing qualities goes on and on. The same can be said for Jack. However, I can't really mention anything negative about their characters. Yes Jack used to be a vampire, but he only drank animal blood. Characters in a story are supposed to be a fictional reflection of real people. Real people are not perfect, they have at least one physical flaw that drives them nuts every time they look in a mirror. Real people have at least a handful of bad habits, and they have lists of things they don't really like about themselves, things they want to change. While I could see the flaws in all the secondary characters, in the two main characters, the ones you could tell the writer really cared about you didn't really see flaws. Jack and Silver are practically perfect teenage kids. Yes they skipped school, but that was to free the trapped souls of the poor wraiths from the never-ending slavery of the first werewolf. Yes Jack considered returning to being just a vampire, but the vampires are the ones who saved him from death when the werewolves attacked his family and they then became his friends, his family for the last decade. Everything Jack and Silver do that could possibly have a negative connotation behind it has a completely good and justifiable reason to go with it. I feel the main characters need a little bit more grit and more flaws to be real to a reader. No I'm not asking her to take her favorite characters and make them into criminals but for example with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which the writer has obviously watched, Buffy is an a##kicking vampire and demon slayer, however her grades in school suck because she's so busy saving the world she doesn't have time to study. She's not popular because her priorities aren't the same as a normal teenager and it's very clear during that series that despite her calling Buffy clearly resents her life. While Silver does make similar claims in this story they aren't as believable because she doesn't have the actions to go with them and as the old saying goes actions speak louder than words. Another issue I had with this story is some of the plot points seemed a bit contrived or unoriginal and some of them were predictable. For instance I knew who the first werewolf was the minute Silver mentioned him, I knew he'd already been introduced and I knew exactly what character it was. Silver being the chosen one, and the way it was described seemed like a scene right out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yeah she's more meant to kill werewolves than anything else, but it almost mirrors the Slayer prophecy. And the having met in dreams, being destined to be together thing just was hard to believe. I was also expecting a little bit more in the ending after having read all that build up throughout the book. I felt cheated to not get the final confrontation in this story especially when the battle we did get didn't have nearly the attention or build enough to satisfy me as a reader with the ending. That said, it was an interesting story and employed a lot of things I did like. I found it intriguing to keep getting pulled into memories when Jack touched something or someone. I liked character of Jersey Clifford, the way he was both intelligent and insane. He was the kind of character who drew you in, who you wanted to understand. I'd have to have seen more of his interaction with Jack, more back story in to him and everyone else including the prophesy. I liked Lily and Summer but again I don't think they got enough play in the story. I guess the thing I think this story is really missing is the build. When the writer decided she wanted to make this a series, she should have added a little more bulk to the villain she was planning to take out in this section of the story. It needed more than just a few random scenes for a reader to feel vindicated when he's taken out. It's missing the back story I guess, the explanations to make it completely believable. We did get some of that and those portions that we got were extremely intriguing. They had me curious and kept me turning pages to discover more. It is a good story and a thrilling read, but I personally wish the author had given us just a little bit more throughout the story to make it something no reader can dismiss or ignore. Additionally I'd like to thank the author for offering me the chance to read and review her book by giving me a free review copy. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| May 29, 2011
| May 30, 2011
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May 24, 2011
| ebook
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| B004RRB2WW
| 3.98
| 2,097
| Nov 12, 2009
| Mar 08, 2011
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Portia Mullins thought she was a normal girl with an encyclopedia salesmen for a dad, a nurse for a mom an...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Portia Mullins thought she was a normal girl with an encyclopedia salesmen for a dad, a nurse for a mom and a crush on the hottest boy in school who didn't even know she was alive. All that changes when she turns sixteen and she finds out not only is she a witch and a powerful one at that, but her Dad is a warlock and her Grandma is a witch too. To top it off the hottest boy in school, Vance Mangum, very much knew she was alive and as a warlock himself had been counting the days to her sixteenth birthday so he could introduce himself to her. Vance explains to Portia that not only is she his soul-mate, but he's in her coven because his demon father has been hunting him trying to steal Vance's power and turn him to a demon as well. When her best friends, the wannabe Barbie doll turns into a crazy goth chick Portia knows something's up, she only hopes she can get to the bottom of it before it's too late. If you like paranormal romance, you'll most likely enjoy this books. It's fast paced with a good flow and easy to read. However, you'll also find quite a few grammar errors and I guess you'd say an immaturity in the writing that goes beyond it being a first person narrative in the eyes of a sixteen year old. The characters are first of all a bit too perfect, their only possibly bad qualities have very good reasons behind them. They really don't have character flaws in anyway and both could be described as a Mary Sue character. They also seem to accept everything blindly. Oh I'm a powerful witch, well maybe I'll express disbelieve for a couple paragraphs but then I'll roll with the punches. Oh, we're soul-mates, cool, it's what I've always wanted. They fall instantly in love without any of the doubt or getting to know each other in typical relationships. She also has an 18 year old boy turning down sex with his girlfriend because he wants to wait until she's of age and they're married. And neither of their parents care that they spend every night sleeping in the same bed. Magic or not, no eighteen year old will be spending the night in my daughter's bed when she's sixteen. Their relationship is like a PG version of an adult relationship minus the courtship where they get to know each other. Nothing in real life falls as instantly into place as these characters' relationship does. No teenager is that good or accepting either. With a little more internal conflict in the characters and some more obstacles put in their way this could have been an excellent story. A better copy editor would have help as well. I should also mention that these modern day children never even mention computers or video games or any of the other things that are normally as close to every teenage kid as the air they breath. It sort of reminded me of the PG way a mother might describe her teenage years to her children leaving out any part that could possibly be construed as a negative influence for them to copy. That said the plot was interesting and it did flow well. The writer also has a nice writing voice. If she learned to be a little meaner to her characters I feel she could write an excellent story. She has potential and I plan to read more of Weatherford books in hopes these things will improve.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| May 30, 2011
| May 30, 2011
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May 22, 2011
| Kindle Edition
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| 1416545204
| 9781416545200
| 3.90
| 2,438
| Jun 26, 2007
| Jun 26, 2007
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Conner MacKiernan is a 13th century highland knight sworn into the king's service. He should have been lai...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Conner MacKiernan is a 13th century highland knight sworn into the king's service. He should have been laird, but since he was only a child when his father and brothers passed away, his awful uncle usurped his title and Conner has no desire to see the lives of his people lost in a war over who should lead them. When his Uncle promises his younger sister into a marriage with an older laird Mairi doesn't love who's already killed three wives before her Conner doesn't know what to do. He can't stand and protect Mairi while still in the king's service. He can't leave the king's service unless he marries himself and seven years before he made a vow before god and man that he'd marry no woman who currently walked the earth. The action had seemed understandable at the time, considering his betrothed has married his Uncle while he was off serving the king, but it left him with little choice but to turn to his aunt, a descent of the Fairy Prince Pol to help him find someone who can help him. Rosalyn, Conner's lovable and meddling aunt sends Connor forward in time where be meets and retrieves Caitlyn Coryell from modern day Colorado to be his new bride. Caitlyn has just caught her fiance cheating on her with his secretary only to have him tell her it was her fault for not being more adventurous or providing for his needs by sleeping with him. Worse than this she almost believes he's right so when Connor shows up and offers her this chance at an adventure she doesn't turn him down. What follows is an adventurous and humorous tale of love and intrigue in 13th century Scotland. Neither Connor nor Caitlyn is ready to trust a member of the opposite sex, but if they don't trust each other or open their hearts, what cost will it be to their lives? Have you ever read one of those stories where you find yourself so lost in the story that when you finish it you have a hard time going back and looking at it critically? For me this tale of magic, mystery and love in the Highlands was once such tale. I debated for a while between just giving it a five star rating and gushing over it or stopping to think if anything really bothered me with this novel, my status update on good reads reminded me that at the beginning I was ready to slap Cate upside the head for her behavior so I decided to rate this at four stars. The book does have a great set up with excellent character growth, but I just can't bring myself to give a five star rating to a book where the female lead pretty much convinces herself it's her fault her fiance cheated on her. In the beginning chapters you actually get to listen to the thought process as she rationalizes Richard's behavior and finds only herself to blame. While she does decide to call of the wedding it's not because of Richard's actions, it's because she realized she was only marrying him because her mother and grandmother had been married at her age. Her wedding was basically a check mark on her to do list and her older brother convinced her that love doesn't work like that. Umm how about the fact you're engaged to a slime ball as a good reason to call off the wedding?! If my fiance ever did that to me then tried to tell me it was my fault I'd be causing him bodily harm to ensure he never did it again and I certainly wouldn't marry him. It wouldn't be my fault it would be his fault. Cate does grow through out the book, getting a backbone, slowly seeing her worth, and becoming a character you can relate to and root for, but the woman you meet when you begin this story needs to be hit upside the head for stupidity. The woman she becomes is one a reader can respect, but the fact that I can't respect the person she started out as is most of the reason I couldn't bring myself to give this book a five star rating. The book like most romances does include sex, however not only are the two scenes included well written, they occur in logical places where they enhance the plot of feelings and attraction between the leading characters rather than being there just for the sake of having a sex scene. The way Mayhue includes them in her novel is a perfect example of how a sex scene should be used in a romance as opposed to recent novels in the genre by writers who have embraced the idea of sex sells so lets have long steamy sex scenes in every other chapter just for the purpose of having them. Not saying all of them do this, but there are so many that as a previous die hard romance fan I don't often pick up a romance novel anymore. The story pulls you in with an exciting plot, well rounded characters and massive character obstacles and growth in the novel. About the only other thing that disappointed me in this novel was the ending, while it did complete a wonderfully exciting story arc I'd like to have seen what happened between the last chapter and the epilogue that neatly ties everything up. It's a good ending don't get me wrong, but there's a lot she could have done between the last chapter and the epilogue that I think would have made it even better. Overall the book is a must read for lovers of historical and time travel romance. I'd highly recommend it. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jun 12, 2011
| Jun 13, 2011
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Jun 12, 2011
| ebook
| |||||||||||||||
| 1416554548
| 9781416554547
| 4.07
| 976
| Oct 30, 2007
| Oct 30, 2007
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Sarah Douglas is an American Author who has decided to spend a few months in Scotland because one she's ho...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** Sarah Douglas is an American Author who has decided to spend a few months in Scotland because one she's hoping it will help her overcome her writer's block and two she believes that fate is pulling her there, to that country, to that cottage. She believes that at that moment it's where she's supposed to be. After spending close to a lifetime of not being able to touch someone without being violently drawn into their thoughts and feelings, she's decided to stop denying her gift and to go where fate takes her. Fate takes her to the doorstep of Fae Guardian Ian McCullough. Ian is a 600 year old war of half fae and half human blood who's mission is to protect the gateway between the human and fae worlds from the evil Fairies - the Nuadian. What apparently only Sarah doesn't know, is her presence presents a risk to Ian and his mission, she's a descendant of the fae as well and as a female descendant she can both see the gate and should she chose to lead the Nuadian right to it. Sarah is quickly drawn into the a web of new faces, new people and new agendas. She doesn't even know if they're all sane, let alone who to trust and to make matters worse she's finds herself undeniably attracted to Ian who looks close to a decade younger than her. In her mind the relationship is entirely inappropriate, but when Ian returns her interest she finds it difficult to turn away. Should she follow her heart or trust what she knows? And when both sides have people she feels she can trust, how can she possibly know which one is right and exactly who deserves her allegiance? Sarah finds herself on an unbelievable adventure of love, magic and dangers that even her writer's imagination could never have envisioned. This is the second book in the Daughters of the Glen series, however since the ties between the two books are slim it's very easily a stand alone title. There is one small scene where the characters from the first book make a cameo, but other than that until the epilogue it's hard to see how the two books are even connected with the exception of the fact that faeries (though for the most part it's not the same faeries) are characters in both books. The book was both well-written and exciting, a tale which draws you in and keeps your turning the pages until it's conclusion. As romance it does include sex, however the few scenes of this nature enhance the plot rather than exist for the purpose of having a sex scene. I had two main issues with this book, the first of which is Sarah. Like in the previous book, the female lead begins as a walking doormat. She does have a lot of character growth and becomes a stronger woman by the stories conclusion, but I'd like to see a heroine from Mayhue that doesn't begin as a woman that you can more easily feel sorry for and ignore instead of a woman with some backbone that you can route for. Sarah sees her gifts as a curse and believes that because of them no one is capable of loving her. She's divorced from a man who married her for her trust fund and belittled her to the point that she barely has an self worth. She can't even find pride in her work, skirting around the genre she writes when questioned by Ian upon meeting him. I get that there are reasons for her skittish behavior, however the character needs a little more to begin with that doormat status. Yes these characters give a lot of opportunity for growth in the course of the novel, but they aren't someone you can respect upon meeting them because they themselves don't seem to possess self respect. The second thing that bothered me about this book is the relationship between Ian and Sarah. The intense feelings between them seem to develop almost out of no where, born more of mutual attraction than of mutual respect. The communication between the two characters doesn't include enough trust and disclosure to the other person for me to really view this relationship as love. If they characters had spent a little more time talking and little less mentally obsessing I might have seen how this could be love, but I'm not the type of reader who will accept that a couple are soul-mates just because someone says so. I want to see more action to prove that this is the case rather than relying on what the faeries believe to be true. All of the characters in this story as in the first are extremely well-rounded with the exception of the Nuadian villain, possessing both believable positive and negative attributes. I particularly enjoyed meeting the supporting characters of Will, the young boy who shares Sarah's gift and Ramos Servans who is a good guy in a villain role. What I loved about Ramos's character is that he really believes what he's fighting for is right, the problem is he's been raised not actually knowing the truth of the situation. I look forward to seeing more of both minor characters in future works. Overall this book is a great read, though I think it will appeal more to reader of urban fantasy than those of romance. Highly recommended.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jun 13, 2011
| Jun 14, 2011
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Jun 12, 2011
| ebook
| |||||||||||||||
| 1416575715
| 9781416575719
| 4.14
| 1,070
| May 20, 2008
| Jun 30, 2009
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** When Mairi MacKiernan researches the family she left behind in the thirteenth century only to learn that h...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** When Mairi MacKiernan researches the family she left behind in the thirteenth century only to learn that her beloved Aunt Rosalyn’s only daughter is killed before her time Mairi decides that she must go back and save the girl. Unfortunately her sister in law, the only one she knows with time travelling powers won’t help her because it’s forbidden to change the past. Unwilling to let things drop, Mairi goes to Pol’s Glenn determined to claim the birthright denied to her because she was a daughter of a son instead of the daughter of a daughter. Before going on the journey Mairi leaves a packet with Sarah only to be opened if she doesn’t return that night because even if she’s back in time for years she should return within moments of when she left. The packet is the only information she leaves about her plans, not willing to risk telling anyone about her hopes before then because she’s not willing to let them stop her. When Mairi doesn’t return that night Ian goes to Dallyn requesting the guardian’s help to bring back his friend’s sister. Ramos Navaros, formerly known as Ramos Servans will do anything to redeem himself for the pain he caused during his time with his father. He can’t forgive himself for being so blind, for being part of the wrong team, that’s why he became a guardian. To become part of the Elite Guard was his greatest honor, so when his first assignment is to journey into the past to save Mairi from the Duke Servans he’s sure his destiny is to kill the Nuadian wreaking havoc in the thirteenth century and see Mairi home. He doesn’t plan on the girl being an irresistible feisty woman and what he really doesn’t count on is the Nuadian being his own father. He’d plan to send Mairi right home then deal with his father, but Mairi won’t return without saving her cousin and he can’t abandon Mairi to go after his father. As passion stirs between them Ramos knows he must end it, he knows that with his family and his past he’s not good enough for Mairi, but he can’t seem to convince her of that. If he could only get her home she’d see other men would be so much better for her even if he doesn’t like to think of the idea of her with any other man. Unfortunately when Mairi finally tries to escape to the present with her cousin her magic won’t work. She’s there to fulfill her destiny which she thought was saving Marsali, if that’s not her destiny what is and will she discover it before she’s stuck in the past forever? The third novel in the Daughters of the Glenn series finally ties together the relation between the first two novels as secondary characters from each novel come together for their own love story. The book is a well written close third person that bounces between the present and the past in the beginning before both characters return to the past to the bulk of the story. Sex scenes are included in this romance, but they’re short and there’s only like two of them which accent the love story rather than detract from it. Though I will say one of them did kind of bug me, not because it’s a bad scene, but because he just saved her from hypothermia and they’re supposed to be saving her cousin who’s been kidnapped by the Duke. Time is of the essence and they decide to have sex? My thought on this was that these characters really need to get their priorities straight. I also find it a little hard to believe that with all the inappropriate for that time period things that they do in this novel no one catches them and they aren’t forced to get married. I mean beside the sex, half the things the two of them do which are entirely acceptable in this century would have made her be thought of as ruined and in need of a shotgun wedding in that one. However their coming together is entirely their own decision instead of a mandate based on their actions in the past which though it worked well with the plot doesn’t seem entirely believable to me. It almost makes me wonder if the people in that keep are blind. I did enjoy that although initially Mairi is paralyzed by fear in frightening situation eventually she gets past that and uses all the defensive things she learned in the future to help protect herself. She did demonstrate quite a few things to portray her as a strong woman; however she also had quite a few that made her look like a weak one. The plot was an interesting blend of a love story and a fantasy I guess suspense. It was definitely a well written page turner with a fast pace. The main characters are extremely well developed and easy to relate to. The two leads Mairi and Ramos kind of parallel each other with the kind of healing they need to do because of their pasts. Mairi needs to get past her almost rape and murder that occurred before she was brought to the future, she needs to get back her spirit and fire. Ramos needs to get past what he did at his father’s request because it wasn’t like he knew at the time that his father was the bad guy. He was raised to believe something entirely different from the truth and he’s a good man. Everyone other than him sees that. They both have these huge emotional scars that they need each other to get through. They’re a nice blend of positive and negative attributes that make them memorable and realistic characters. I also enjoyed seeing the characters we’ve met in other novels like Pol, Dallyn, Connor and Cate, Sarah and Ian as well as Rosalyn and Blaine. Though many of these characters took a back seat to newer characters it’s always nice to see a novel which brings back characters you enjoyed in previous novels. Even the secondary characters were fairly well developed. Overall I’d definitely recommend this book to readers of fantasy and historical romance. Mayhue is a writer in the genre who is not to be missed. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jun 14, 2011
| Aug 21, 2011
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Jun 12, 2011
| ebook
| |||||||||||||||
| B004W3IE3G
| unknown
| 3.80
| 3,297
| Jun 07, 2004
| unknown
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** The day before Chloe King turns sixteen she falls 200ft from the Coit Tower and dies. What should be the e...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** The day before Chloe King turns sixteen she falls 200ft from the Coit Tower and dies. What should be the end of her life is just the beginning of an entirely new world for Chloe when she wakes back up, mostly uninjured as if nothing happened. Chloe begins to develop strange abilities, she has claws and can run, jump and climb as not human can. When she becomes hunted by an assassin from The Order of the Tenth Blade, she learns who she really is, one of the Mai, a descendant of the Egyptian twin goddess Baset and Sekmet. If that weren't strange enough she's torn between two very attractive boys Alyec and Brian who have very different agendas. She's not sure who to trust and just who is safe, but she must figure it out before it's too late. In the second book Chloe moves in with the Mai for her own protection, but when the Order of the Tenth Blade kidnaps her mother, Chloe must discover a way to save her whether or not her people approve. She has to find the balance of who she is with who they want her to be. The final story in the trilogy finds Chloe as the chosen one, one of the few Mai with nine lives destined to lead her people. However she's 16 and in high school, she doesn't know how or want to be a leader. Despite what she wants when she's drawn into the betrayals and politics of the Mai she must discover the leader within her or die trying. Not the best synopsis I've ever written I know, but I waited a couple days between reading and writing the review mostly because I didn't sleep while reading this tome and afterward needed some serious sleep. If I'd read this series as individual novels instead of one longer novel I probably wouldn't have rated it as high as I did. Combined the three stories are spectacular, individually there's not enough there for me to consider a four star rating. The book was a page turner from beginning to end. It has a fast paced plot filled with ancient races, teen relationships, cults and political betrayals. My main issue was the love story in this. While it's quite romantic, the star-crossed relationship of Chloe and Brian, I don't feel there was enough interaction between the two for them to be saying I love you. To show the kind of relationship portrayed in this novel she really needed a lot more character interaction between the male and female leads. Less of the distractions with Alyec, more of the scenes with Chloe and Brian, two dates does not equal love and people don't call boys they've been on one date with to pour all their problems out to. Some of the secondary characters were hard to believe, Brazwell didn't quite give them enough depth to be imagined as real people. I liked Kim, she was probably my favorite secondary character, but many of the rest were sadly lacking. There are quite a few differences between the book and the pilot of the new television show and I'm sure they'll be more as the television series progresses, however I think this is one of those cases where both venues are equally good even if they aren't quite the same. Overall it's an excellent read, though I definitely recommend buying the larger all in one volume portrayed here rather than the individual titles in the series. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jun 16, 2011
| Jun 16, 2011
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Jun 16, 2011
| Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||||
| B003F3FJQE
| 3.92
| 82,182
| Sep 28, 2010
| Sep 28, 2010
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***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** For Luce’s protection she’s enrolled at another boarding school, Shoreline in California, a school with a...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS*** For Luce’s protection she’s enrolled at another boarding school, Shoreline in California, a school with a program for the Nephilim. Daniel and Cam have united under and uneasy truce in order to protect her from new forces seeking her death, but they don’t join her at the new school. Instead Luce is left alone with only millions of question unanswered and occasionally short visits from Daniel where he doesn’t offer any answers. Everyone seems to know who she is, and they all seem to know more about her than she knows about herself. As war wages around her will Luce find answers before she loses everyone and everything she holds dear? For the first quarter of this book I had no intention of giving it a four star rating, while it was more interesting than much of the previous book it still lagged with an awkwardly slow pace for what was occurring. Add to that plot issues that bothered me – A LOT. First there are two Fort Braggs, I didn’t know this until she started mentioning a Fort Bragg in California, as a former Marine I won’t claim to know all the military bases, but since I was stationed on Cherry Point, I do know where the Fort Bragg Military base is. The Fort Brag Army base is in North Carolina. Fort Brag, California is a tourist attraction. It was a military base back before the civil war but is now a place where civilians can go on vacation. I would be extremely surprised to find Marines stationed at a tourist attraction. I’d also be surprised to find them stationed on the Fort Bragg ARMY base when Cherry Point Marine Corp Air Station, Camp Lejuene Marine Corps Base and New River Marine Corps Air Station are also within the state of North Carolina within an easy driving distance. I’d also like to note that a Marine is a proper noun unlike soldier it’s not an eclectic term that can be used to describe more than just a member of the Army. Because Marine is a name, a title it should ALWAYS be capitalized. While I could easily see Marines stationed in California attending a beach side bonfire party at a school, because let’s face it Marines like to party, if you’re going to use Marines in your novel give them the proper respect of the title and have them stationed at an actual military installation please and thank you. Considering there are a couple Marine Corps Bases in the state of California if the author had bothered to look that up, she could have made the scene work. But apparently Kate decided to guess instead of research and OBVIOUSLY I’m a little offended by it. If for some reason Marines are now being stationed at tourist attractions, please correct me. Otherwise, it takes less than ten minutes to check facts like these on the internet. It would have been ten minutes well spent. Fortunately for Kate people who’d know most of this off the top of their heads aren’t likely to be within her target audience. But casually using people and organizations that might be common knowledge to a considerable group of people without checking your facts first is insulting to the reader and just plain sloppy as a writer. Most readers will probably pass over the scene and not even notice the inconsistencies, but they bugged me even if the scene was small and the Marines were portray as no more than guest at the parties with no actual dialogue, the scene really bugged me. In fact I should mention she would have been smarter to not add them at all since they served no purpose to the plot other than being one group among many at a beach party. Okay now that I’ve had my rant, let’s get to the important parts and the things that changed my mind enough to give this novel four stars. While the plot does start of slow and lagging like the bulk of its predecessor, after the first quarter it picks up speed with intricate plot twists that have you turning pages and unable to look away. And even though the first portion does lag it includes some interesting scenes, though admittedly there’s a lot of space between those particular scenes. Not by the end you haven’t received all the answers you looked for in the previous novel, but you start to get a better idea of what’s going on. Since the main drive for this series has always been confusion, and wanting answers to the obvious questions I’m not sure if I’d say the plot was exactly logical. I would say it was interesting and something I couldn’t tear my eyes from even when the battery on my ipod died and I had to read with it plugged in to my PC instead of comfortable lounging on a couch. Usually if the ipod dies I say it’s time for a break but by that time nothing mattered but finishing the story, finding out what happened. I think what made this plot stronger was one the bulk of it had a much faster pace, but more importantly it focused more on developing Luce as a character, making her real and making her strong. What turns me off about series like these both the Fallen Series and the Immortals series (which let’s face it bears a lot of similarities to this one.) is that they focus on my male lead, who’s lived pretty much forever, being the all knowing perfect guy who’s been in love with the young female lead forever. Then the female lead, without really knowing Mr. Perfect jumps right in for this because he basically tells her that she’s the Juliet to his Romeo. Readers are left to accept that because of all the things the writer never bothered to show us, the couple is obviously in love, true love of course. It’s the exact opposite of showing instead of telling and while many love struck teens will jump right on board as an adult reader it’s more like give me a break. In this story she comes back with less scenes of Daniel or the new link of the triangle Miles (because of course we can’t have a teen romance without having the all important love triangle right?) and instead gives us more scenes of Luce pushing the rules, fighting against unexplained demands for her obedience and becoming a more realistic character. In this novel Luce comes into her own and she finally becomes a character a reader can both relate to and root for. While the novel also improves over its predecessor on plot and pacing, the real strength of this novel is the character growth and development we received. Our secondary characters in this novel are less one dimensional and start to become more real to the reader. Obviously since I’ve raved about it a lot Luce becomes a fleshed out lead. While I feel this should have been done in the first novel as well, I’m impressed with the improvement shown in the characters during the second novel. I will say though that even in part two of the series I haven’t fallen for Luce and Daniel as a couple. Even given a second triangle I think she’s better suited with Miles. I like Miles because he doesn’t just expect her to fall into line and do as he says no questions asked. Like Cam demonstrated in the previous novel, he goes out of his way to impress her and be there for her. I’m sorry but Daniel just doesn’t do that. Daniel comes across as jealous, possessive, condescending and selfish and personally I don’t think their relationship is healthy in any way shape or form. I know I’m the minority on this but people who really love you just don’t behave like this guy does. If he knew that his being a part of your life could kill you, he’d walk away because he loved you. He wouldn’t continuously devastate families with losing their daughters, sisters and friends just because he wanted them. If my fiancé behaved how Daniel behaves, always expecting me to go on blind faith, never answering my questions and then ordering me around like some kind of child I’d have kicked him to the curb a LONG time ago. So far all I’ve seen in this series as far as the encouraged love story goes is encouraging teenage girls to enter unhealthy relationships. But again that’s just my personal opinion. While Daniel and Luce’s love story will always remain a part of the story, it’s not so much the focus in this novel, Luce finding out who she is and making her own choices is the focus of this novel. One last thing to note that I loved because yes I’ve gone into some serious detail about the things I didn’t, the ending scenes of this novel are smashing. They are on the edge of your seat devouring every word, give me the next installment now awesome. Kate’s series shows extreme improvement in the second novel of the series. I’m glad I started reading even if it was only because I wanted answers from the previous book. The second installment in the series was worth the drudgery of the first. Overall I’d actually recommend this title, unfortunately it means suffering through Fallen to have this novel make sense. If you can make it through Fallen, Torment is definitely worth reading. Despite its faults I would definitely recommend it. (less) | Notes are private!
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| Aug 2011
| Aug 02, 2011
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Aug 01, 2011
| Kindle Edition
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