Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion
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Who inspires your wrath? Characters you just want to slap.
I'll have to come back here after I've read something that irritated me. Though Richard does need to Get Over It. Right now, I'm reading a historical that keeps throwing me out of the story because the research is So Dang Bad. SOOO bad. Hoop skirts in 1870. The queen making plumbers into earls. And society being okay with it. I keep having to tell myself "Never mind, just go with it. I know it makes no sense, but just read the story..."
It's not so much the evil characters who are supposed to be evil that annoy me. It's the ones who are supposed to be good guys, and are TSTL, (Too Stupid To Live) or annoying... I remember ages ago reading a book where Every Single Stinkin' Time someone warned the heroine about it, she had to go out and do whatever she was warned against. It wasn't quite "Don't poke rattlesnakes with a stick." Poke, Poke, poke--but almost.
i've just got to this thread::please no no no not Bill::Bill is lovely::leave him alone:: he loves Sookie ::Yes he does:: what about when he visits her to tell that, that real estate womans left him::can't remember exactly what he tells Sooks (books has gone to library so can't check)::something about there being only one for him:: so romantic::HE LOVES HER::can't think of anyone i want to thump at the moment::we let you all know when i do Ha Ha :)
Okay, I've got a couple:First is Ivy, from Kim Harrison's Hallows series. I HATE Ivy. She's the most useless character, good for nothing but melodrama. Her role in the series is basically, "Lets tiptoe around Ivy so she doesn't vamp out!" I was over that whole drama by the third book. Ivy's character needs to contribute something more to the series besides the same reoccuring issue.
Second, there's Rachel herself, who seems to think she's one of the good guys but really is just a troublemaker. Why do I keep reading Kim Harrison's Hallows series? I don't have a clue. Probably for Al. I love Al.
Oooh Richard! How can someone who cannibalized another person be so judgemental? I keep wondering how he has remained an Alpha of his pack for so long, there isn't an ounce of Alpha in him. I never really liked him from the start. I wonder if Hamilton keeps him around to piss off her ex :P
Bella in Twilight: Ugh. Major Mary Sue
This is quite a fun topic :)
Jennifer wrote: "Adrienne wrote: "i've just got to this thread::please no no no not Bill::Bill is lovely::leave him alone:: he loves Sookie ::Yes he does:: what about when he visits her to tell that, that real esta..."AND.....per the descrpitions in the books...he wears khakis....ewww...lol
Oh well:: i stuck up for Bill as best i could::perhapes i should give him up as a lost cause::
Stav wrote: "AND.....per the descrpitions in the books...he wears khakis....ewww...lol"LOL. That is kind of ew.
Now, I'll admit, I did not finish the first book. So there may be more after where I left off that redeems Bill. But I never got the sense that he wanted anything other than to get in Sookie's pants.
As soon as they started doing the nasty I got very turned off by the book because it had a very pedophilic vibe to me. I've read plenty of vampire books where guys who are hundreds of years old end up with girls much younger than Sookie and it works, but in this case it really "gave me the wig" as Buffy would say.
I forgot all about Quinn from Sookie. How could I forget him? I haven't even read the last book yet, although I've heard he becomes less likeable. I never liked him from the start. There is like no passion between him and Sookie.
And Bill might love Sookie, but he's not trying real hard to show it.
And Bill might love Sookie, but he's not trying real hard to show it.
I couldn't stand Eric until after he lost his memory, then I could see the better side of him. And he is becoming so protective of Sookie, in his own vampiric way - gotta love that!
Jennifer: Baby Vamp Jessica is the most irritating thing to walk on a tv screen! Oh, I want to smoosh her face in! Grrr!Adrienne: I guess he realized later that he actually cared for her...but he's just too little too late. And I never saw him as being considerate. Not to mention how much he FLAUNTED his relationship with real estate agent! Comes into the bar just to rub it in Sookie's face? NOT cool.
Yes::i've always thought the clothing in Sookies world leaves much to be desired::especially since i've now entered the world of leather and shitkickers :)::perhapes because i read them wall to wall so to speak i just got to a point where i wasn't really concentrating on what was going on::the thought of reading them again tho'::ho hum::not at the moment.
OK, I may be in the minority here... But in regards to the Southern Vamp/Sookie books. I'm a Bill fan. Sure, maybe he does some things that are... les than moral... but I'm still holding out that he's good underneath it all.
And I'll admit that early on, Eric would have been on my list for a good slap... but he has really come around. And as someone else said earlier, I too am a fan of the cocky bastards.
If I had to pick someone to slap from this series... and this will likely put me even more in a minority... it would be Sookie! Sure, she usually ends up working it out in the end... but she just goes about things all wrong. I just want to take her and shake her and hope that she has some sense in that head of hers somewhere!
And I'll admit that early on, Eric would have been on my list for a good slap... but he has really come around. And as someone else said earlier, I too am a fan of the cocky bastards.
If I had to pick someone to slap from this series... and this will likely put me even more in a minority... it would be Sookie! Sure, she usually ends up working it out in the end... but she just goes about things all wrong. I just want to take her and shake her and hope that she has some sense in that head of hers somewhere!
Oh, Sookie sometimes needs a wake-up slap. But the poor girl gets so bloodily beaten in almost every book that I wouldn't have the heart to pummel her even more...
Mentioned this board to my friends at dinner and following Yz's train of thought, my friend automatically said Draco Malfoy. What's wrong with us that we didn't think of him! Snide, ignorant little twerp. I'd like to flush his head down the toilet for all his incessant bullying, his pompous airs, and his bigotry!
Mod
True, Michelle, but if Sookie ever got that wake-up slap, she might save herself from some bloody beatings!
And yes...Draco Malfoy! Argh!
And yes...Draco Malfoy! Argh!
Lara, if she ever got that wake up call, there wouldn't be a series anymore!:)
Hey, Yz, nice pic. You look muy glam.
Kai Winn. Whoa. You're right. SHE was irritating. But I'd prefer to slap Wesley Crusher. No, I'd prefer to beat the livin' daylights out of him. Ridiculous character.
Mod
And, since we are talking about OLD TV shows, how about having the urge to bop KITT from Knight Rider? Ok, I KNOW he was a computer, but still. Maybe need an electric shock to bop him with, but still. . . And I am a BIG Kitt fan, just sometimes he really DID just need that bop.
Oh, I loved KITT, but he was a sanctimonious little shite at times!
I have a new object of loathing. Look away now from SPOILERS! of If Angels Burn A Novel of the Darkyn.
Michael Cyprien is hero of book. M.O. includes assault, near-rape, complete disregard of victim, mental categorisation of victim as 1) his possession (as in I-own-a-Lexus possession), and 2) not having any independent or free will of her own. The whole thing reads like a bad SVU case.
I'll grant you that there but for the grace of god go all books in the greater romance genre, but all that volatile stuff is usually balanced out by the h/h relationship and you know, the sex. Not so here, I don't think. He just barely redeemed himself in time for the HEA but damn me, it was close. Actually, I'm not convinced it really happened, when I give it another moment. I mean, he is such an asshole.
Are there those who disagree? Help convince me. I loved the book, I loved the writing, and I'm definitely buying the rest of the series, but so help me, if I read the next book and find Michael Cyprien thinking about how Alex will serve and love him forever, I'm hurling with great force. The book, not my guts.
Michael Cyprien is hero of book. M.O. includes assault, near-rape, complete disregard of victim, mental categorisation of victim as 1) his possession (as in I-own-a-Lexus possession), and 2) not having any independent or free will of her own. The whole thing reads like a bad SVU case.
I'll grant you that there but for the grace of god go all books in the greater romance genre, but all that volatile stuff is usually balanced out by the h/h relationship and you know, the sex. Not so here, I don't think. He just barely redeemed himself in time for the HEA but damn me, it was close. Actually, I'm not convinced it really happened, when I give it another moment. I mean, he is such an asshole.
Are there those who disagree? Help convince me. I loved the book, I loved the writing, and I'm definitely buying the rest of the series, but so help me, if I read the next book and find Michael Cyprien thinking about how Alex will serve and love him forever, I'm hurling with great force. The book, not my guts.
Mod
I found intense satisfaction when Alcide "abjure" her.
Oh, Debbie is terrible and she continues to be terrible. Her awfulness is far reaching.
why do i think Debbie got what was coming to her anyway?:: i read these books so quickly perhapes i lost the plot?:: someone put me out of my misery:: what happened to Debbie?
Yeah, Debbie gets what's coming to her.
*****Sookie Spoilers for those who have not read all of the books****
Sookie ends up killing Debbie in self defense when Debbie shows up to kill Sookie. But, she continues to be a problem, because then her relatives are after Sookie. And after the parents are gone, Debbie's sister is after Sookie. And when she can't get to her, she sends this other were to make Sookie's life hell.
*****Sookie Spoilers for those who have not read all of the books****
Sookie ends up killing Debbie in self defense when Debbie shows up to kill Sookie. But, she continues to be a problem, because then her relatives are after Sookie. And after the parents are gone, Debbie's sister is after Sookie. And when she can't get to her, she sends this other were to make Sookie's life hell.
Mod
I'm only at book 4 so I'm probably no help. But I do really wish that this wicked girl get her comeuppance.
Moss wrote: "Are there those who disagree? Help convince me. I loved the book, I loved the writing, and I'm definitely buying the rest of the series, but so help me, if I read the next book and find Michael Cyprien thinking about how Alex will serve and love him forever, I'm hurling with great force. The book, not my guts."No, I do not disagree. Well, actually I do. I agree with everything you said about Michael and the h/h story. I do disagree about loving the book. I HATED that book. Like you said, definitely an ep of SVU, except there were no redeeming qualities at all. There were no likeable characters. I like dark, but this was just soo dark, it took it to another level. It might have been a good book had the love story had some sweetness or depth or weight to it to balance the dreary hopelessness of the rest of the storylines, but it didn't. It was just as yucky as everything else, and the HEA at the end was completely unconvincing.
And I remember being really annoyed with the beginning of the book as well. Everything having to do with Alex and her burn victim patient annoyed the hell out of me. It just seemed way too unrealistic and archetypical, and the dialogue felt really cheesy and unnatural. I just kept thinking "That would never happen!" or "No one would ever say that!" or "Am I supposed to think that was clever?"
Whew! Sorry, I know this is a "characters you'd like to slap" thread, but I guess I want to slap that whole book.
Lori wrote: "Yeah, Debbie gets what's coming to her.*****Sookie Spoilers for those who have not read all of the books****
Sookie ends up killing Debbie in self defense when Debbie shows up to kill Sookie..."
Thanks::Glad to knowi'm going mad::i read all the Sookie books back to back and somewhat out of order::
wont be reading *If Angels Burn*then::
Nichole wrote: "Moss wrote: "Are there those who disagree? Help convince me. I loved the book, I loved the writing, and I'm definitely buying the rest of the series, but so help me, if I read the next book and fin..."
lol
Isn't it good we have this thread to let it all out? I get the feeling we'd lose stock if we tried it on the main threads.
lol
Isn't it good we have this thread to let it all out? I get the feeling we'd lose stock if we tried it on the main threads.
Re: If Angels Burn, it's actually bordering urban fantasy, rather than paranormal romance, because it is not really meant to have a Happily-Ever-After ending. The first novel introduces you to John's troubled character, as well as a few others, such as Alex's patient (the secondary characters are all pretty important in her novels), and also introduces you to Alex and Michael's relationship and the obstacles they face. They work through them throughout the other novels. I definitely wouldn't call the first book HEA. There are no declarations, etc. You almost have to read the next books.The next books are not quite as dark (I would rate the first book as darkest) and there is more romance. :) But the first book I would definitely categorize as urban fantasy and happy for now. I would recommend giving the other books a shot and seeing how it all unfolds because the story is not complete with the first book, even between Alex and Michael. My two cents.
Debbie is a great addition, and with her I feel the need to RE-nominate Alcide and his irrational obsession with her stalker ass. Ridiculous!
new_user wrote: "I would recommend giving the other books a shot and seeing how it all unfolds because the story is not complete with the first book, even between Alex and Michael. My two cents."I actually am planning on trying out book 2 because I keep hearing such great things about them. But it always seems to get pushed to the back of the line because book 1 left me with such a bad taste in my mouth.
But I read it a long time ago (well, a little over a year ago), and it's possible that I'm in a different mental place now so who knows?
new_user wrote: "Re: If Angels Burn, it's actually bordering urban fantasy, rather than paranormal romance, because it is not really meant to have a Happily-Ever-After ending. The first novel introduces you to John..."
Yeah, I was reading through the reviews of the Darkyn books here on GR (saw your reviews too, new_user ;)), and they all said that Michael and Alex's relationship is a running thread through the whole series. I like that idea, and the idea that the characters are going to change and evolve. I hope Alex doesn't lose her snarky bite, because that was a high point in the book for me. Hopefully she brings Michael around to this century. I kind of wish Viehl had given us a heads-up on the fact that the A/M story arc was going to progress--if I hadn't read the reviews I might have thought that's where it ended, which would have been about as satisfying as an empty taco shell.
I'll definitely be buying the rest of the series. Like I said, I loved the writing, it was just fantastic. And I have to admit dark fantasy is more me than the usual HEA PNR book, so I have no real problems with all the graphic stuff.
Yeah, I was reading through the reviews of the Darkyn books here on GR (saw your reviews too, new_user ;)), and they all said that Michael and Alex's relationship is a running thread through the whole series. I like that idea, and the idea that the characters are going to change and evolve. I hope Alex doesn't lose her snarky bite, because that was a high point in the book for me. Hopefully she brings Michael around to this century. I kind of wish Viehl had given us a heads-up on the fact that the A/M story arc was going to progress--if I hadn't read the reviews I might have thought that's where it ended, which would have been about as satisfying as an empty taco shell.
I'll definitely be buying the rest of the series. Like I said, I loved the writing, it was just fantastic. And I have to admit dark fantasy is more me than the usual HEA PNR book, so I have no real problems with all the graphic stuff.
Yep, that's pretty much my preference too, and I know Viehl is always referring to her books as dark fantasy rather than PNR, so it could be she never saw the need to give that warning about A/M (I guess a mention in the blurb would help?), though some of her books lean more towards PNR at points. Alex does keep her clever sarcasm and Michael does grow some, although he can be infuriating, LOL.Hope you ladies enjoy the books! :D (Or else I'll have to hide my head, LOL.)
Moss..."which would have been about as satisfying as an empty taco shell."HAHaHaaaa!
Hear ye, hear ye. Here be a SPOILER for ye who haven't read ACHERON. While those people are diverting their eyes I'll say that new_user has convinced me to try the Darkyn.
Now, I HATE Tory. You know that part where she throws the hammer? Had I the powers of telekenisis (and the ability to jump into books and injure fictional characters), I would have snatched said hammer and sent it hurtling at HER head. She's so infuriating! With a streak of too stupid to live. She's the most judgemental, rude, obnoxious character. Also, I can't mesh her prissy, smarty-pants ways with this supposed need for speed and danger she has. And someone as blunt and as rude as her? I can't see her leaving Ash alone about his past-I'm supposed to believe she's sensitive enough to leave the topic be? Finally, ever since her appearance, the big guy has lost his balls. Gone is all the sharp wit. He's lost his edge! I suppose this last is a critique on Kenyon. I just don't understand why Ash's personality seems to have changed so much, when that never happened with any of the other HEAs.
I love every other pairing in Kenyon's world. But this one left me cold. I wanted to slap Tory for her preconceived notions and her stubborn attitude and her naivete.
And so ends my Acheron rant and the spoilers within.
I'm in line to slap Richard Zeeman.I want to put a freakin chasity belt on Anna Strong.
Faythe Sanders needs a good spanking.
I abjure Bill Compton.
I feel bad for Tohrment but not bad enough that I don't want slap him around little for taking off- how selfish- SLAP!!
And Cyrus- don't get me started. The guy is a vampire not a cat- how many times can he come back? I want to slap him back to blue and velcro him there.
Maybe it's just because I recently finished "Up in Smoke" so it's on my mind, but I would love to slap May's "sister" Cirene (sp?). She's so selfish, and yes I know she gave up her common sense to make May, but oy! I would love to POW! ZOOM! her to the moon...
Lissa Dragomir from the vampire academy series. Its written by Richelle Mead.
Oh, Shazzy, bless you, love. I thought I was alone in my Tory-loathin' status.I feel rather vindicated now.
I've got a new one, but slapping would be too good for him. King Taranis(sp) from the Merry Gentry books. WHAT a sociopath. Creepy. Gives me the willies. Needs very badly to get his cumuppance and I don't know if he will.
I can add Leonis from the latest Lynsay Sands - a sociopath who deliberately tortures everyone he meets!
Oh, really, rebecca j? I'm not caught up yet! Aack!
Brandie wrote: "Lissa Dragomir from the vampire academy series. Its written by Richelle Mead. "Brandie IA at the end of Shawdow kiss when she was whining to Rose. I wanted to smack her something terrible. I can't do a spoiler but come on Rose was going through some tragic stuff and all Lissa could think of was herself.
All of the Sisters of the Moon characters (Witchling, Darkling, Changling). Superficial, shallow, and irritating beyond belief - I HATE those characters. The world is ending all around them and they think it's a great time to talk about clothes. Gag!
Mod
Jael wrote: "...Brandie IA at the end of Shawdow kiss when she was whining to Rose. I wanted to smack her something terrible. I can't do a spoiler but come on Rose was going through some tragic stuff and all Lissa could think of was herself."Oh, I completely agree. I mean Rose is going through something huge and more than anything needs Lissa to be there for her for a change and all Lissa can do is be judgmental and selfish. She'd better redeem herself in the next book, because Rose is going to need her considering the severity of the quest she's set herself on. (although I'm fully expecting/demanding a miraculous happy resolution to the whole thing!)
Mod
Oh..I've only read the first one..and I'm so on board with your opinion. Clothes shopping is not the best activity in a crisis.
Lol, Ann. Triangles. But that's the beauty of Betsy. So shallow, yet when she catches up with what's going on, she gets it done!
She IS a super duper ditz. I love it.
But...MJD went darker with the last book. I don't want Betsy to become TOO sensible! God forbid!
Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy
Books mentioned in this topic
Lover Enshrined (other topics)If Angels Burn (other topics)
Stephen it seems will never really be man enough to have Elena and truly stand up to Damon...he's whiny and sooo "depressed"... dude, you've been granted eternal life...get over it already...
and well Damon...evil, dark and hot ....what more can I say