It sometimes amazes me how authors are able to come up with such fantastic stories – and Richelle Mead is one of these authors! I absolutely loved Frostbite, probably more so than I did Vampire Academy!
If you wanted to compare books, there is a lot less of Lissa in this novel, and a lot less intrigue throughout the first part of the novel. This is not a bad thing though. Sometimes, when reading the first book in a series, it’s obvious it’s a first book; it’s setting up the plot for future stories, it introduces characters and mythology, it gives you enough to whet your appetite, but isn’t exactly a complete story. Vampire Academy wasn’t like that, it was it’s own full story, with it’s own plotline, and it was incredible – but after reading Frostbite, you can see how it could work like an obvious first story, as we know all of the above, and now we have, in Frostbite, what I would say is Rose’s story.
As I said, there was less intrigue; there was the worrying about Lissa’s powers and who was after her in the first novel, but in Frostbite, the danger isn’t necessarily on anyone specific, it’s just there. We focus a lot more on Rose’s relationship with her mother, her feelings towards the guys in her life, the gorgeous Dimitri and the lovely Mason, and some issues with herself about whether she’s changed or not. It’s a brilliant insight into Rose, where as the first book was more focused on her wanting to protect Lissa. It was great to see more of this Rose, vulnerable Rose, and to see her grow.
Yes, there is less Lissa as I said, but there is more of some other characters that we have come to love – or love to hate – like Christian, Mason, and Mia. And, well, wow! I can’t really go into it without spoiling the story, but these three, along with Rose... seriously, you won’t believe what you’re reading, but it does make sense. Frostbite is quite a sad book, I was close to tears at one point, but it’s amazing the strength people can show when things get really bad. I really was completely wowed. And the action! Bloody brilliant! Don’t you just love it when you can’t see a way out of a bad situation, and an author chucks in something that completely blows you away? Simply amazing, but extremely powerful.
As well as more of old characters, we meet some new ones too, namely Janine, Rose’s mum, Tasha, Christian’s aunt, and Adrian, a royal Moroi also holidaying in Idaho. And I love them all, I think. At times, you dislike them all for whatever reasons, I won’t spoil it for you, but I loved seeing Janine, and understanding Rose’s feelings towards her and seeing her work through it. Tasha is also pretty damn lovely lady, and a bit of a revolutionary, and Adrian... well, he’s just sexy and charming, and too bloody arrogant. I’m slightly on the fence when it comes to him, I’m not sure what his game is, but... I like him, I think. My instincts say to be wary, but don’t write him off completely. So we’ll see. I look forward to seeing more of them all in future!
Frostbite is quite a hard book to read emotionally, there’s a lot more danger and more... reality of the world these characters live in, and it’s not pretty. But it’s such a fantastic read. And of course, there’s a fair amount of the amazing Dimitri to make things a little brighter. Such an amazing book, really, you have to read it! I am so looking forward to reading Shadow Kissed, the third book in the series! I just know it’s going to be amazing. And I seriously need to start on Mead’s adult series. Seriously, new favourite author right here.
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I loved this book! It was so good! It’s very much the first book in a series, but it has everything; humour, action, love interests, danger, and a whole lot of wow!
As I said, it’s a first book in a series, and so it’s setting up the story that will continue in future books, but this doesn’t make it a bad book, there’s still enough going on in this novel to keep you interested. We learn along with Merit as she finds out about her new life, and the other supernaturals – or sups. We learn about the vampire mythology, polictics, and the structure of the lives these people live. We also find out about some of the other sups; shifters, sorcerers, nymphs. All this info is relevant to this particular story, but is the set up for the series as a whole, and it’s all so fascinating! I love this world!
I love the characters in this book! You have some seriously awesome strong women to look forward to reading about. Merit, herself, who has to deal with this new life that she didn’t ask for, but also won’t take any crap. Mallory (I love that name, by the way), Merit’s best friend, has a wicked sense of humour, but is also one of the best cheerleaders I’ve read; she’s so supportive, encouraging and pushy in all the right ways, and has an awesome little subplot of her own. Then there’s Lindsey, a vampire Merit becomes friends with, also a great sense of humour, who you can just imagine having an awesome time with!
Then there are the guys. Not all of these people are love interests for Merit, but I think they’re all worth mentioning. Ethan, master of Cadogan House, is not my favourite person. He may be gorgeous, but he’s got a serious attitude problem. He may be the big boss man, but I think he takes it too for. He’s very much “I am the big I am, and you will do what I tell you to,” which is all well and good when it comes to doing a job, but you kind of get the feeling that if you disagree with him, there will be consequences. I’m taking that to extremes, but I’m not his biggest fan. He does have some good moments, but generally, I don’t like him much – but I want to read about him and Merit more! I may like him better when we get to know him more. Catcher is a sorcerer, and he is just awesome. He’s strict when he needs to be, but he’s very funny and absolutely gorgeous. Jeff, the shifter, is adorable! I can’t decide if I’d rather adopt him or have his attention, haha! Then there’s Morgan, gorgeous, charming, powerful – pretty damn lovely really. I do have an iffy feeling about him though, I’m wondering if he’s perhaps too good to be true. Will just have to wait and see.
There are a lot of laughs in this book, but there are also a lot of emotional moments. Merit didn’t want to be a vampire, it wasn’t her choice, and at first, she hate that this life has been forced upon her, and you can’t help but feel for her. There are also a few moments when she feels let down or left out, and I reacted, emotionally, as I would if someone had treated one of my best mates the way she was treated. I wanted to go and slap some faces. You can’t help but love Merit, and want things to go well for her.
There isn’t a huge amount of action in this book when it comes to actual physical fighting, but there is the threat of fighting, and it’s awesome! When words are the weapons, I find it more exciting somehow, as you don’t know what’s going to be said by the others. There are a lot of hold-on-to-your-breath moments when you don’t know how certain situations are going to pan out. It’s just so cleverly written, Chloe Neill is brilliant!
I was not expecting the end that came whatsoever, but it was just so... good! This particular story is resolved, but the resolution is what sparks off the story for the next books, and oooh, what a cliff hanger! It’s one of those cliff hangers where you don’t know what’s going to happen, it’ll happen over time, but it will happen, and it’s just a little exciting! I can’t wait to read Friday Night Bites to find out what comes next!
I was reminded of quite a few other books while reading this. I don’t normally do this, but think of it as a “If you like these books, you’ll like this”. None of the actual storylines are similar in any of these books, but I was reminded of Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series, as both Merit and Cat have to deal with discoveries about who they are. I was also reminded of The Spellcrackers.com series by Suzanne McLeod, as vampires have come out into the open, and humans now know of their existence. Finally, I found the tone of Some Girls Bite at times to be similar to that of Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series. I am a huge fan of all these series, so the tiny similarities are a plus for Some Girls Bite in my opinion. I believe I may have found myself another favourite book! ]]>
Joanne
read and liked
Shellie 's
review of Let the Right One In:
"As Americans we "love" vampires. So much that in fact what was once horrific has become almost an "icon". Specifically, there are vampire novels of every thinkable sub-genre. We have romance, erotic, mystery, young adult, and cla...more "
"As Americans we "love" vampires. So much that in fact what was once horrific has become almost an "icon". Specifically, there are vampire novels of every thinkable sub-genre. We have romance, erotic, mystery, young adult, and cla...more "
I didn’t think I would enjoy this; I love watching period dramas on TV and at the cinema, but when it comes to reading them, I’m not so great at understanding the language, but I thought I would give this book a go anyway. I am so glad I did, I really enjoyed it!
I loved Picky’s voice, and learning things about the time period through her experience of it. There was no trouble understanding the language as it was all through Picky’s point of view, and it was really quite amusing!
The plot was really clever, and if you’ve seen it, it reminded me quite a lot of the UK TV programme Lost in Austen. I was, however, a little disappointed in Picky’s lack of knowledge about history. She may be 13, but surely 13-year-olds know that the internet is pretty new in the great scheme of things, and would have heard of Nazis.
I also found that Picky’s real school life was a little forced. The events were believable, but the reactions to them were a little off to me. And as much as teenagers may say it, I got a little annoyed with Picky’s over use of the phrase, “No. Seriously.”
The Dresskeeper is a cute story over all, and I really enjoyed reading it. I loved the characters from 1685, and how Picky’s view of things changes, and how she learns about herself along the way. It was a lovely story, and I can’t wait to read what Mary Naylus brings us next!
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Witch - I have always been fascinated as magic. As a child, I found magicians and the idea of magic just so awesome; I was in awe of Paul Daniels, he was practically a god. As I got older, my fascination didn't fade, but grew as I discovered there were real people out there who thought themselves witches. Whether or not people believe they have any power is down to each person's individual opinion, but I'm fascinated by the witches' personal beliefs. So, understandably, I was ecstatic to discover that the fictional story of the Wicked series is based on the beliefs of those who are Wiccan - serious research has gone into this series and I think it's awesome!
So I read the first story in the first book, Witch. I really liked it! The whole idea of witches and warlocks who can perform magic and spells, as I said, is fascinating to me, so the story of this girl who not only finds out that she is a witch, but has the burden of dealing with the present day conflict based on the events of centuries past is just awesome! There are so many characters, so many POVs, six that I can remember, and so much going on, you'll be completely gripped throughout.
There are qite a few characters that play quite a big part. First there's Holly, the main character. She struggles with the loss of her parents and her best friend, and having to fit in with these family members she never knew she had. Her greif is such a big part of this story that the only other thing you know about her is that she likes horses. Amanda and Nicole, Holly's twin cousins, are completely different; nice, mousey, friendly Amanda, and vain, popular, and selfish Nicole. There's Aunt Marie-Claire, who I disliked immensely, I felt she was just so shallow. The best characters in my opinion are Jer, Holly's love interest, and his evil father Michael. Their relationship is brilliant, and finding out about their beliefs, desires and goals - they are the story for me.
To be honest, I found the story of Jer and his evil family more interesting than Holly finding out. It just felt to me that there was more research put into what Jer and his family believed and did, as they grew up knowing of their power, it was more solid. Where as Holly puts two and two together after strange things happen. That was a little odd, though. Although it took Holly a while to come to that conclusion, when she did start adding things together, she came to the conclusion of magic straight away, and automatically guessed she must be a witch. I think it would be a little more believable if she tried to believe it was something else first, or questioned her sanity. Then she tells her cousin, and her cousin believes her straight away, no problem. It just felt a little off.
What also felt a little off was the "relationship" between Holly and Jer. I have no problem with unexplained magnetism, I can deal with that, I find it quite intriguing. But with Jer and Holly, there was hardly any build up, any interaction between them before, BAM, the big deal that's happening between them is, well, happening.
The action is fantastic though! Seriously. I can't even begin to really go through it without spoiling it, but it is based on some awesome spells and chants and other things linked with Wicca. Seriously awesome story, and I'm hoping Curse will be just as good!
Curse - If Witch was great, then Curse is amazing! I absolutely loved it! Curse picks up a few months after Witch finished, and not a huge amount has happened other than the Cahors Coven has grown in strength and knowledge.
Curse is a darker novel compared to Witch, and more action packed. It’s a lot more graphic, but not sexually, rather in terms of what one does when practising black magic. You find out in the first story, but you actually see it in this book. It’s a little disturbing, which shows how great the authors’ talent is as they’re doing their job and effecting the reader. With the darker elements, you find yourself sucked into the book that little bit more.
There are so many points of view in this story, you get to see through almost everyone’s eyes at one point or another. Where in Witch the blood feud between Isabeau and Jean is explained, in Curse, we get more history, but from after the events we already know about from the 13th century to the 17th century. The history is just fantastic, the detail that has gone into it so that present day story is more understandable.
A lot of the story is the history. There is quite a bit of action set in present day, but most of the story is relating the history to now. A whole slew of great new characters in introduced in this story, involved in a connected subplot, a new coven. I can’t go into detail about them without spoiling the story, but I’m sure they will play an integral part in the future book when paths cross.
I wouldn’t say there was a resolution to this story, it’s more of a progression; both sides make moves, consequences happen, and more questions arise. This is not to say that nothing major happens, a few major things happen, but there is no definitive end to the story. All I can say is that the next book, Wicked 2: Legacy & Spellbound, is going to be absolutely rivoting! I implore you to pick up this book, it’s fantastic! ]]>
I LOVED Wake! It was so good! Really different from what I’m used to reading in urban fantasy. Such a great premise!
Wake is a very quick, very easy read. It’s not all that fast paced, but it’s not necessary for it to be, as things get interesting as soon as anyone goes to sleep nearby. There isn’t exactly a resolution in to the main story, but there is a resolution to a plot thread that doesn’t really have anything to do with Janie, but the effects will lead on to a big change for Janie in the second book Fade.
Wake is very much a first book; you find out about the main characters, learn about Janie’s dream issues, and go along with her as she discovers more about them. There’s also the set up of the almost separate plot thread, which leads to more happening for Janie.
Not a huge deal happens in this novel in the great scheme of things, a lot of emphasis is put on Janie trying to work out how and why she slips into other people’s dreams, and how she can control it, and her relationship with her love interest, Caleb, but that doesn’t mean the book isn’t interesting. There are a great set of characters, and as I said, the idea of slipping into other people’s dreams is just incredible!
If I was going to criticise the book at all, I would criticise Caleb-as-a-boyfriend. Generally, he’s fine, but when he’s expressing his feelings, it’s not completely believable in my opinion. I had no trouble over looking it though, because generally speaking, the book is amazing!
I highly recommend this book to everyone! Wake is just awesome, and Fade looks even better! A great start to what looks to be a fantastic series!
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I really liked Ice! An updated version of the fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon, it was different from what I expected, but I’m not entirely sure what I expected. A girl who falls for a polar bear? Yeah, right, there’s going to be a twist there somewhere. And yes, there is a twist, but it does happen; a girl falls for a polar bear.
There is a whole lot more to this polar bear than meets the eye though. His magic abilities, for instance; how he can make food appear on a whim, how he can travel super fast, and his actual reason for being – to transfer souls from the dead to the newly born. He really is a great guy, is ol’ Bear, as he is called.
Then there’s Cassie, who just wants her Mum, who was taken away from her when she was very small. Bargains are made to save her life, but after a while, life happens, and things don’t go according to plan. Cassie’s life is turned upside down, and she finds herself on an unimaginable journey.
I cannot believe the strength of this girl. Seriously, first she has to accet fairy tales are real, and get used to that idea, and then when things go pear shaped, she has to go through so much, emotionally and physically. Her strength and determination are awe-inspiring. This is one tough chick!
As I said, I really liked Ice! At first, it reminded me a lot of Beauty and the Beast, where Beast is actually really nice. The novel is separated into three parts, but for me, it seems more like two; the first where deals are made regarding Cassie’s mother and then her time with Bear, and then the second part when things end up not so great. What happens? You’ll just have to read!
The book feels a lot like a fairy tale, even though it’s written to seem like this could actually happen. This is no bad thing, but it’s just not as urban fantasy as I thought it may have been. I equated a fairy tale that has been updated and modernised with urban fantasy. I suppose Ice could be in a way, the fairy tale elements are still there which make the story more like a cozy read that will leave you smiling than a story that will have you buzzing. It’s a nice cup of tea to urban fantasy’s glass of pop.
It really was a beautiful story, and at times, so much goes on, and it really does leave you wondering how on earth the story is ever going to get round to an end – you’ll understand when you read it. I highly recommend this book, it’s lovely, and such an great page turner. I’ll definitely be picking up more of Sarah Beth Durst’s novels. ]]>
bookshelves: to-read
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Allie Beckstrom lives in a world where magic has been discovered, discovering pools of magic deep in the earth and that it can be harvested from storms. She is the daughter of a famous business man who created the devices for humans to gather magic. But, like everything, magic has a price, and it exerts that price from the user in the form of pain on the body. There are those who would rather have the magic without paying the price, and Offload the cost to innocent people. Allie is a Hound who investigates these illegal Offloads. But when one Offload, that almost causes death, seems to have come from her father, things get a little personal for Allie, a little too close to home, putting her life at risk.
I don’t think I’m a big fan of this book, and I would have trouble explaining why without spoiling the novel. The story seems to just go round in circles, and so some things get a little predictable, and you know what’s coming. Sometimes predicting what happens in a book can be fun, but not when you know what’s coming in almost every stage of the book.
One of the things that bugged me about this book is that it just didn’t feel like an urban fantasy to me. There is magic in this novel, and a lot of it, and it is set in Portland, so it is an urban fantasy, but it just feels like there’s something missing to me. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but perhaps it’s the absence of anything paranormal. I’ve been reading a lot of urban fantasy lately hat include paranormal creatures, so that may be it – in which case, I guess it’s just a preference I have when it comes to these types of novels.
Some of the characters annoyed me a bit, too. Zayvion, Allie’s love interest, is just a bit too nice to be believable for me, and lacks what I can only describe as maleness. I don’t mean masculinity, there’s a lot of that, but he just doesn’t seem like a guy – and I don’t mean that guys can’t be nice, they are in a lot of books, but they are also obviously male, whether it be a sense of humour, or the way they talk about things. Zayvion just doesn’t seem complete to me. And with Allie... ok, she has a lot going on her plate but still needs to get on with things to survive, but she tells herself to “suck it up” far too often, and I just wanted to slap her. She also seemed to miss the obvious on too many occasions.
Magic to the Bone is the first in a series, but the story is resolved to a certain extent. However, it seems to me that the resolution is just an excuse given, rather than the actual story. There is more going on beneath the surface, and not everyone is being completely honest with Allie. There are too many questions about the events of this book, in my opinion, for this story to be resolved. I would be amazed if Allie doesn’t find out more about the main events of this story in the sequel.
Saying that, I don’t think I’ll be picking up the next in the series. I didn’t really enjoy this novel, so I think I’ll move on to something else. Although the premise of this book was pretty awesome, it just isn’t for me. ]]>