SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R6: Team #2 ~ Terrible 2's
Hope you feel better soon Lili :)
Jade aka MrsTosh wrote: "Get better soon Lili I have had it too for the past 2 weeks and can't seen to get shut!! I now have a lovely cold sore to show for it :("Nasty things cold sores, hope you feel better soon as well Jade :)
Lili wrote: "Hey team... I'm here, sorry for the delay, I have the flu and I'm still at that stage where you feel like you just want to die.I love Bingo!, been playing for a while and I think my team won once..."
Lili, hope you've moved past that stage and are well into recovery!
hope you feel better Lili!!!! For Free Space I will read Dearly, Departed
and for kick ass heroines I will read Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Take good care of yourself Lili!
A few days we were talking about dragons, it turns out that one became a freebie lately from Amazon. If you are interested...Dragon's Kiss (Romance, erotica). Oops, it's only 186 pages so it does not qualify for Bingo.
Thanks for the share, Valerie!
You gals have some interesting books picked. Looking forward to the reviews!
I'll be reading for Free space from the group Bookshelf
by Rachel Vincent.I'm done with my weekly shelf book, review later today.
Kick-ass heroine shelf
Stormwalker by Allyson James
Rating: ★★★
Finished: 17/09/2012
# pages: 330
Review:
I liked this story and the characters, so much so that it was difficult to put down. Janet is obviously the kick-ass heroine with a tendency to fry anything that she does not like but still has investigating and tactful skills when the situation warrens it. Jane, with her unfortunate mixed Navajo heritage has been an "outcast" for her entire life while fleeing facing her ghosts. Mick is the super alpha male that wishes to protect this damsel in distress.
I think the major problem for me was Sheriff Nash the Unbeliever. At some point I was really wondering how he can have any work done with his faulty logic. His ass would be fired many times over if it was up to me.
Free space shelf
Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent
Rating: ★★★
Finished: 18/09/2012
# pages: 439
Review:
I feel totally awful because, being as cynical as I am, I am having a hard time writing an honest review. I regret that I have to get inspiration from other reviews otherwise it would be short and not very flattering.
Shadow bound is the second book of the series, we find Kori 6 weeks after the end of the 1st book. Kori did take the fall for the breach in security and has been consistently and severely imprisoned,starved, tortured, violated in so many ways it's a question if she could be sane again. I cannot imagine anyone surviving all this and being expected to perform any duty. Luckily for Kori, she has 2 weeks to whip into shape resembling a human being and play recruiter for the Tower syndicate. Her objective, convincing Ian Holt who is a powerful Blinder to sign away his soul into Jake Tower's service.
Naturally Kori being a former member of the security detail of the mob boss and family, her interpersonal skills for making friends and influencing peoples are sorely lacking. Kori knows this task she is given is set to fail miserably but in this world, if you are oath bound and the boss tells you to do something...you well damn do it or suffer resistance pain until your internal organs shut down and let you die in horrible agony...same goes for conflicting orders. I just wish that that order/structure/oath be detailed a little bit more to see how much leeway every individual's free will is restrained but it was not done to my satisfaction (ok some small loopholes were exploited to advance the plot).
Here we have Kori, a damaged person forced to perform in less than ideal circonstances. This character is multi-layered, strong of character in a very weak body (after cooler her heels in the basement cell for so long). She prefers beer, strong liquor and hamburgers to fine dining and wines. This cussing, no filter character is a perfect counterpart with Ian. While Ian may have a conscience, his motives for wanting to be recruited by Tower are less than truthful. From distrust grows understanding and admiration...the hallmark of a good PNR. Kori, for all her orders and restrictions, manages to communicate to Ian how much it would be a mistake to sign with any syndicate.
Anything else would go into spoiler territory, I am at an impasse so I'm going to bitch a little bit. Kori has been starved for many weeks, she is rail thin at this point. How can you expect to have retain any muscle mass or even fat for that matter. She has been out of the gym but still manage to kick ass like a pro, drink and swear like a sailor while being beautiful enough to attempt a seduction. Hell, she is not a supernatural being and did not get medical attention for any of her knife or shot wound and still manage to save the day....suspend disbelief since it's fiction.
About three-quarters of the book was used for character development and world-building, the problem that arise is that the build-up was a bit too prolonged (meaning lots of touring and talking) while little is accomplished toward the goal of both character's 'conflicting' mission.
Another sticky point is the relationship of Kori with her sister Kenley. I could not understand the logic of threatening Kenley to keep Kori in line (Kenley being the Binder for the syndicate, the linchpin of all Jake's power). The ending came together fast but seamlessly, the downside is that you could see the punch line a mile away.
...Damn, I think that is the longest comment I have ever written.
LOL, Val! We'll be checking for it!ETA: There it is and what a comment!
I'll have to say I'm still on the fence about picking up this series or not...
Kick Ass Heroine Shelf
Fade Out by Rachel Caine
Finished: 9/18/12
Rating: ★★★★
Book 7 in the Morganville Vampire series opens with relative calm as a pseudo-truce has been called between humans and vampires. Of course, within the first few pages all hell breaks loose and non-stop action ensues. There are actually at least two kick-ass heroines in the series: 17-year-old academic genius Claire and her slightly older housemate and goth-obsessed barrista Eve. Claire holds her own quite well against various vampiric foes while taking advanced physics classes, assisting eccentric vampire Myrnin with his various experiments, and enjoying her relationship with another hottie housemate, Shane. (Not quite sure how Claire's parents allow her to shack up, but whatever, they live in crazy town!) One issue I had was Claire's insecurity and jealousy over one of Shane's old hook-ups. This was a bit out of out of character for her. I will continue the series to see what happens next.
I'm nearly done with my kick ass heroine book. Hopefully I'll finish it tonight or tomorrow morning. Then I'll pick out a free space book, but I'm gonna to have a lot to do this weekend so probably won't get any reading done. :-(
Finished my free space book, Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh 09/20****I love the Psy-Changeling series, it just keep getting better and better.
We have Sophia Russo, a J Psy which I don't think we've heard before, and Max, the cop we met at...some book before this one.
The story was interesting, there were some developments in the general plot of the series, I especially liked Nikita's role here, who would've thought!... good for Sasha.
Four stars because I need a changeling in the mix to make it an extraordinary book.
By the way, loooove the covers with half of a really really hot guy's face.
Hey team, happy to report I feel pretty good, thank you for the concern.Still battling an annoying and persistent cough but since now I can breathe again, I'm thanking God for the benefir of air.
I'm about to start this week's book, Divergent by Veronica Roth, it's supposed to be really good so I have high expectations.
Glad you're still breathing Lili :DDDD
Hey ladies, and sorry I'm a bit behind with my read this week.. My father law suffered a brain hemorage this week. He is recovering I am hospital. So bear with me x
(((Jade))), sorry to hear that. Hope he is recovering well and all of you are getting over the shock. My thoughts are with you and your family.
Lili, welcome back to the land of the living!Jade, so sorry to hear about your father-in-law. Hope his recovery goes well.
Lili, grad to hear you are still one of the living. I know it's gross and kind of an old wive's remedy but (view spoiler)Jade, I hope your father-in-law comes out of it all right.
Shelf: Kick-ass-heroineBook: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Finished: 9/21/12
Rating: 5 stars
Review: After reading a whole ream of terrible books lately I wanted something I knew would be good. I decided to change my book for this shelf to the Hunger Games and revisit the world of Katniss, as I hadn't read it in about 4 years. It is just as good as the firs time I read it! I love this story and I love Suzanne Collins' writing. It is really interesting having watched the movie recently and now re-reading the book, many of the conversations for the movie were lifted right out of the text, and I am very pleased with how close the movie is to the text. Overall a very satisfying day for me!
Jade, sorry about you father-in-law. Hope all goes well with his recovery. Lili, keep on getting better!
And now for a review.
Kick Ass Heroine shelf
Date finished: 09/21/12
★★★★
Just like the first book in the series, I couldn't decide for a long time into the book whether I liked it or not. I still don't know if I like the characters all that much. Certainly none would rank on my list of favorite supernatural characters. I do enjoy the story though, even though, like Faythe, I get aggravated at the out-dated attitudes towards women (or rather, the female werecats). Anyway, my instinct was to give it 4 stars so 4 stars it is. I think it is because Rachel Vincent must do a good ending that leaves me more satisfied than I am in the middle of the book. LOL
I'll be reading the next book,
for my free space book.
by Cassandra Clare
Shelf: Free Space
Date Finished: 9/21/12
Rating: ★★★★
I read
last year expecting a 5-star read after all the hype. Unfortunately, I was disappointed and had no interest in continuing the series. I decided to try this author again. Historical Fiction is my favorite genre, so I was attracted to the 19th century London setting, and many of my friends rated this highly. I really did enjoy this book! After the death of her parents and guardian Aunt, Tessa Gray travels from New York to London to find her brother. There, she is introduced to the world of Downworlders and Shadowhunters while discovering her own supernatural abilities. I think Clare does a good job with characterization and plot, and her descriptions of places and people in the era are realistic and evocative. The story isn't perfect, and I'm sure many readers solved the main mystery more quickly than I did, but overall for me it was entertaining and I want to continue the series. Questions I have: Why is Will such a douche? What is the truth of Tessa's parentage? What happened to Camille? I'm reading the next one soon!
Yay, we have a new shelf: 'Favorite Author' which is a personal shelf.
Gotta love the freebie shelves! This won't be an easy decision...
LOL. No surprise at all Val :D
Well, now I have to pick a favorite author. Hmmm, I don't really have many favorite authors in the paranormal genre, except for J.K. Rowling and I'm not in a Harry Potter mood right now. Or Patricia Briggs and I'm all caught up with those books too. Oh wait, I've got it. For Favorite author I will read
. Assuming I actually have it on my kindle like I think I do. If not I'll pick another later.
Finished Divergent by Veronica Roth 09/23 *I guess this book and I were doomed since the beginning since I'm not a fan of YA at all, the drama and overthinking of the characters either bores me to death or just annoys me.
The whole plot reminded me of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World so not much new there... the characters are ok but again, they're teenagers who think and behave as such.
For me, the main problem is that the whole fraction thing is so stupid, at least the way it's used here; they all behave like idiots. There are 5 fractions:
1. Dauntless jump off trains just to prove how brave they are!... ooooohhh, soooo fearless!!
2. The ones in Abnegation are a bunch of pushovers who think if you see yourself in a mirror or eat good food then you are selfish!... wtf?
3. Go to Amity if you want to be super happy for no reason and be friendly to the world, I bet they eat mushrooms or smoke pot like crazy.
4. The Candor fraction is where you can be an asshole and be rewarded for it, just speak up your mind 'cause as long as you're being frank, then you're ok. If you think you're right, then say so: you're ugly, you're fat, you're an idiot, I think it's true so I must tell you.
5. And all the poor Erudites have a stick up their butt, they're know-it-alls who think themselves better than the others because they're so knowledgeable.. and they're super fun!, they memorize maps of cities in their free time!!
Other than the fractions thing... oh God, who am I kidding?, I hated it!
0 stars!, or 1 since I can't give it 0.
But I must say this: it is not a bad book, just not my cup of tea.
LOL Lili, despite glowing reviews elsewhere I haven't been tempted to pick this series up. Thanks for the confirmation :)
Lili, I thought Divergent was vastly overrated. Crystal, I really liked Timeless. I was so bummed that the series ended! :-(
That's the last of the series!?!? Oh no. I am sad now. I had no idea. :-(
There is a spinoff series coming next year, based on the daughter, Prudence.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...
I really hope Lord Akeldama is in the spinoff.
I would hope so with his relationship with Prudence.
Even if I gave a high rating to Divergent and read it because everybody liked it, I always found it lacking. The problem with 6 factions is, as you elegantly put, lacking in common sense doctrine wise. It is as if the author tried to merge Brave New World and 1984 together with very limited skill or success. The bright points about Divergent is that it takes all the familiar fears (control of the mind or by society in it's many forms), manipulation of history and advances in technology into a young adult setting. I have read precious few books in a post-apocalyptic era but I wound prefer something like Eve or Enclave any day over Divergent. I have not read Insurgent and every time I see it on my TBR pile I push it back.
Sandra wrote: "There is a spinoff series coming next year, based on the daughter, Prudence.Oh yay! Glad to hear this.
Regarding Divergent, I've
I'm not sure if I'll read Insurgent at all... but if I do it'll take me a while to be interested in it.Anyway, for this week's shelf I'll be reading Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
I really like that series and I'm only one book from Ash's.
Hey ladies, I am back!! Sorry I haven't been around, thank you all for your messages. My father in law is getting better, just going to be a very slow process.I will catch up with my reading this week, sorry to keep you all stampless. What is this weeks shelf?
Jade, so glad to hear your father-in-law is getting better. Great news!
by Jennifer Ashley
Shelf: Favorite Author
Finished: 9/25/12
Rating: ★★★ 1/2
This is the third book in the Highland Pleasures series that focuses on the four Scottish and very hot Mackenzie brothers. Cameron Mackenzie is widowed with a teenage son. Ainsley Douglas is widowed and working as a lady-in-waiting for Queen Victoria. When Cameron busts Ainsley snooping in his room as she's searching for letters that would embarrass the queen, Cameron is reminded of a time 6 years earlier when he caught her basically the same position. He tried seducing her then, but she was uber-devoted to her aging husband. Times have changed, and now Ainsley is open to pursuit. One of the things I like most about this series is that the heroines are not young and innocent. They've been married before and have some experience of the world, so that gives them an extra layer of sophistication. The father of the Mackenzie boys was brutal and merciless, often abusing them, so they do have demons to overcome. Added to that, Cameron's dead wife was batsh*t crazy and tried killing him and their baby before killing herself. Although this book lacked the charm of The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and the emotional depth of Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, it was an enjoyable read and now I have to read the final book. I hate when a romance is too cutesy or cheesy. Thankfully Jennifer Ashley's writing is not!
Very good news Jade :)
Turned out Sherrilyn's book I do have is Unleash the Night so that's what I'll be reading.I just picked it up last night but I can tell it'll be a pretty quick read.
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Lord's Fall (other topics)Play of Passion (other topics)
Midnight Alley (other topics)
Lord's Fall (other topics)
Stolen (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Thea Harrison (other topics)Samantha Young (other topics)
Patrick Rothfuss (other topics)
Seanan McGuire (other topics)
Janet Evanovich (other topics)
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I'll be reading
Divergent by Veronica Roth for this week's shelf
Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh from the group shelf for the free space