R12: Team #8 ~ Vor8ious Readers

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

I love that we're all caught up! Too bad the shelf calls haven't fallen out better for the card where we'd be approaching a win *sigh*.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Vor8ious Readers!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'alpha male'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Nichole]

I haven't forgotten! I'm just waiting to see if I can combine some books with other team challenges. I'll make my decision by tonight/tomorrow morning. I had 2 new ones start this week... I can't help myself!

And since we have at least 2 more weeks for us to get a winning shelf call, well... I'll have it done by Wednesday, lol.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp V8 Readers!

[Nichole]

Thanks, Steph and Sandra!

[Nichole]

Okay, I'm going to have to go outside of PNR/UF so I don't get too far behind somewhere.

Same, but Different- by Pamela Clare

[Elizabeth]

Shelf 17: Same but different

Finished 11/7/2015
Rating 2.5-3 stars
This is the first book in the Mercury pack series, a spin-off of the Phoenix pack series and plenty of wolves of previous installments were present. Too bad for me they were too many, since I've only read book#1 of the Phoenix series. This book seemed the same as Feral Sins to me, all the things I didn't like in the first book were present, i.e. the bad humor, the insta-lust/sex, the alphamaleness. The mystery plot was predictable but ok.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

So, now the library waitlist has offered up the third Kate Daniels book.

I'm going to switch to that just out of courteous to everyone else on waiting list after me.

ETA: nevermind, was half asleep and forgot what the shelf was and misunderstood the main challenge discussion thread about what book in series.

[Elizabeth]

D.A.—Shelf! Shelf! Shelf! wrote: "So, now the library waitlist has offered up the third Kate Daniels book.

I'm going to switch to that just out of courteous to everyone else on waiting list after me."

Just post the link to the book, please and thank you!

[Elizabeth]

D.A.—Shelf! Shelf! Shelf! wrote: "So, now the library waitlist has offered up the third Kate Daniels book.

I'm going to switch to that just out of courteous to everyone else on waiting list after me."

Did you start reading Written in red and you are able to put it down??

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Pretty sure Debbie means she's got to read Magic Strikes because its come in at the library & there is a queue waiting behind her.

Cause she can't read it for Same but Different - book #3 where she's read the first 2 already :)

[~Melissa~]

I have finished up my Same but Different book - since we underwent our annual survey last week for work (4 days of hell) - this took me way longer to start and finish - I will get my review up later today

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Oops, nevermind. It was a lack of sleep post. I forgot the shelf. I'm still going start Written in Red again. I misunderstood what the main discussion thread about having to be book 1 or not.

Both books, according to my kindle, will take about 2.5 hours to read so will be done by Wednesday shelf call.

[~Melissa~]

Same but Different

11/10/15
Rating 2.5-2.75 - rounded up on Gr to 3♥'s

Review: hmmm what to say. This is a prequel to Soul Avenged and I was confused for a good part of this book. Hard to follow where all the characters fit into this odd, odd world. Who is good, who is bad ...who is in between. Maybe this 'prequel' was really supposed to be read after reading the first couple of books in the series - IDK. Keri Lake is definitely an author that writes gritty twisted dark material and is very good at it. This book follows Xander, an Angel whose sole job is to go after the Fallen (Angels) as once Fallen they become Demons. Angels are not allowed to have sex (read intercourse) with humans ...as that is how they become Fallen. Xander has infiltrated the Demon's to take them down after they killed his partner 5 yrs ago but along the way he saves one of the mortals the Demon's had locked up. This goes against their rules - mortals are expendable. Xander can't look away when she begs for help. Once he helps her...his fate is sealed or is it.
I enjoyed it enough that I will give the next book a try to see if I want to continue this series. I'm hoping it becomes less confusing.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

*

Same But DifferentSpace
Written in Red by Anne Bishop
Finished: November 11, 2015
Series: The Others, #1
Rating: ★★★★½
Number of pages: 448

This was a riveting read. Absolutely engrossing and fascinating. When I sit down to analyze it for a review, well, the elements of the story don't really seem to add up to that amazing of a read -- but it was.

I put off reading this because of the hype and because of what I thought it was from synopsis, bookcovers, reading progress and reviews from friends and followed reviewers.

What it was for me: a fantasy alternate history of what might happen if many of the autochthonous myths/folklore were a part of reality where humankind (what they call "monkeys") was hardly the only or even dominant sentient species. There was Spirit Bear and the Elementals and their steeds ... Something in the Meg character and her experiences reminded me, if anything, of the tv show Pretender. I'm sure it was her escape from an institution (not a spoiler, the book starts with her still running to escape) with zero idea of the real world. The right amount of "tense" to make for interesting reading with believable danger from the villains and alien-ness from The Others. Meg's story to date in the series was just an amazing ride. And not, to me, grim or dark outside of what she ran from and what she might face.

What took me so long to get to it and what I thought it was -- a grim dark urban fantasy with a very "special" girl with very "special" gifts that possibly had too much violence, rape, cutting, cannibalism, abuse, or possibly even a very dark reimagining of something more Brothers Grimm-ish tale maybe Little Red Riding Hood (maybe the last partly because of "Red" on cover and the chick running through forest with wolf in background).

Meg was brave enough to want a life rather than a cage taught just what might be useful to the clients who came to cut for visions. Other than that she was a runaway and still in danger, the story was quite light. Lots of humor. Lots of great characters. This was a girl learning to enjoy life and make connections. This was not a grim or dark story. Yes, she was scared. Yes, there was danger. But she got to be her own person and had the joy of discovering so much new to her. And to be away from the abuse that was her past and even more likely to get worse in her future from what she had witnessed had she stayed in the institution. The Others -- well, for Meg that was all yelling with no bite. She was afraid; but, she also faced it and found things to enjoy and be happy about. A few fairytale-ish elements like kindness to strangers turning out to be kindness to very powerful folk with powerful magics.

Not kickass or too stupid to live brave. Not really equipped to deal with the real world or the just-as-soon-eat-you alien to her races she takes a job with (mostly because was freezing to death and because humans not directly working for the others -- including those she was running from. Yes, she was sort of special with her visions except that all that had gotten her and others like her was locked up in an institution type of setting (not really an institution because was a for profit business where the girls were enslaved and cut to prophecy for clients paying hefty fees).

Lost a half star for me towards the end because Meg did start to be a bit too "special" to every Other she met and got by with stuff other humans would have been eaten or drained for doing. She was inexplicably looked up to by some or at worst considered a "pet.". And because no one until the end did anything about one of the not very clever bad guys/gals they were pretty sure was up to something throughout the entire book -- duh, let them unlike other humans be caught in places not supposed to be and given access to Meg and parts of their compound off limits...once worldbuilding accepted most of the story otherwise worked for me and was believable with an internal logic.

[Yes, it had shapeshifters and even vampires (or at least Other race that survived on sucking or draining blood)., Yes, it was technically urban fantasy because all the modern conveniences( even if more conservation and less easy because of rules from The Others). Yes, urban -- well vaguely a mid-sized urban setting on shores of Great Lakes. Yes, I understand why my buddies chose to list some trigger warnings about abuse, rape and cutting -- but, that wasn't this part of Meg's story and not even even more than a brief mention or even a joke. Mostly just part of the reason she ran from the institution and not extremely explicit (nor was cutting something she did from a psychological disorder leading to self harm but rather that she and the other girls were cut for clients in order to get prophecies from them). . Cannibalism -- nope, it's not canniabalism when it's not humans eating humans nor were their scenes in the book where humans were in the cooking pots or such. Yes, most of The Others saw humans as clever meat and would hunt, kill and even eat humans. Most of the other races didn't really consider humans "human" so was no more cannibalism than when we eat a Thanksgiving turkey. And mostly the people eating mentions were hilarious.]

[~Melissa~]

D.A.—Shelf! Shelf! Shelf! wrote: "


Same But DifferentSpace

Written in Red by Anne Bishop
Finished: November 11, 2015
Series: The Others, #1
Rating: ★★★★½
Numbe..."

Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Yes, I'm glad you loved it too Debbie, its just so unique an idea in UF.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Sandra wrote: "Yes, I'm glad you loved it too Debbie, its just so unique an idea in UF."

LOL, and here I loved it because I didn't think it was a very original idea and instead went back to some of the genre's roots that have too often diluted into alpha-hot-supernatural contemporary characters inserted into romance/mystery/crime/thriller stuff. A more time-honored folklore theme with Other races and a kindly, stranded (often innocent/sheltered/abused or fearsome) human encountering. Tales that could be dark and grim from humans not getting the otherness and their customs or betraying or full of rewards and joys ...

I mostly just liked Meg and her particular way of looking at all these things and beings so new to her.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Are we reading on now that team 9 will be the winner?

If so, author Ilona Andrews fits the BINGO "shelf" announcement so I'll go with my Magic Strikes library read.

If not, it's been fun and thanks for being a great team (despite a bingo card that sucked for the new patterns where every shelf call was in a potentially winning pattern)!

[~Melissa~]

I have a book I can read for BINGO - by Gemma James

[~Melissa~]

D.A.—Shelf! Shelf! Shelf! wrote: "Sandra wrote: "Yes, I'm glad you loved it too Debbie, its just so unique an idea in UF."

I mostly just liked Meg and her particular way of looking at all these things and beings so new to her.
"

I love 'the' Meg and her relationships with everyone - esp Sam and Simon

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

D.A.—Shelf! Shelf! Shelf! wrote: "Sandra wrote: "Yes, I'm glad you loved it too Debbie, its just so unique an idea in UF."

LOL, and here I loved it because I didn't think it was a very original idea and instead went back to some o..."


Well, I think they are the roots of fantasy books rather than urban fantasy, which came along much later. But that's just my opinion and probably not worth the digital space that I've given it. LOL.

Just glad that you liked it regardless of the reasons why :D

And yes you are welcome to read Magic Strikes, I'm reading my book for the shelf :)

[Nichole]

Sorry! I have about 2 hours left on my book and I'll post a review. I've been working 11 hour days and I'm just exhausted this week. As far as reading for the non-winning shelf...I would rather skip it, personally. I'm running behind and work is killing me. I don't want to be a party pooper though and can find something if everyone else is going to read for it :P

[Nichole]

I loved Written in Red! It was my favorite of the series. I agree, I put it off for a while because I was thinking Red Riding Hood or something like that too. It's not really one Genre but I call Paranormal Fantasy Fiction, that pretty much covers it.

[~Melissa~]

Nichole wrote: "Sorry! I have about 2 hours left on my book and I'll post a review. I've been working 11 hour days and I'm just exhausted this week. As far as reading for the non-winning shelf...I would rather ski..."

Hope work gets better for you :)

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

I hope it gets better for you, too, Nichole.

I'm not sure you need to stress about posting your review since we've already lost.

I don't think I'll continue playing. Fiscal year end October was a tough workload where I would rather take a break before holidays and year end anyway.

Never played these patterns before. Knew it was likely a longer game but sort of expected with every shelf call in a winning pattern the finish would be more of a "race" between multiple teams.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Sandra wrote: "...than urban fantasy which came along much later..."

...and usually defined partly as being set in an urban (city) setting, in current time or close future, with supernatural, fantasy or paranormal elements but clearly recognizable as "here" and "now" (or very close to now).

I'm sure we've both wasted too much digital space about it.

This one had more than just the type of book that I don't care for that calls itself UF by just labeling one or more characters as being a supernatural race (but would be the exact same story and exact same character if left human). The ones where now that vampire stories sell well you can almost see where they cut and pasted an existing story to include a vampire ... where non-consent or gang violence becomes just a pack or supernatural order normality ...

I think this one is fine being listed as Urban Fantasy mostly because by level of technology seems to be our modern world and our planet (plus has shapeshifters who turn into wolves and vampires so good luck getting any bookstore or publsher to not list it as UF).

But it was really nearly wild/rural setting within this compound adjoining a town and adjoining the wild spaces. Hardly a city setting; most cities you don't have to go out of the city to find a pizza place. Very likely is an alternate history of earth despite geographical and calendar name changes where the country they were in was the U.S. only a U.S. already controlled by the Others when the first European settlers began arriving.

Just made it more fantasy and alternate history for me. Much closer to folklore and mythological shapeshifters who are spirt animals and werewolves rather than typical UF where living among us in our cities.

[Elizabeth]

I've updated everything so far and I'll claim our stamp for shelf #17 when Nichole posts her review but personally I won't be reading something for this shelf. This game was way longer than I had originally expected. We were a great team ladies and it was great playing with all of you!

[~Melissa~]

Sounds like we will all skip this week's shelf. With the new design for winning this round was definitely longer than expected - maybe this design is better for spring/summer months. It's been fun playing with you all!!

[Nichole]

Sorry!! I fell asleep.

[Nichole]

Shelf: Same, but Different
Book: by Pamela Clare
Finished: 11/12/15
Rating: 3 Stars

Alec Kenleigh was beaten, and sent to the Colonies as a slave under a false name. Sick with fever, he was bought by Catherine Blakewell to work on her plantation. She's unlike any slaver that he knows and though he abhors slavery he can't help but fall for the feisty beauty that now owns him. Someone set him up and he's trying to get his identity back. Meanwhile, Cassie is struggling to keep her Plantation going and keep her people safe.

This was typical Pamela Clare. Hot alpha male, virginal heroine who clash at first but end up in love. So, the same but different...

This was a good enough story and I'll definitely continue the series. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't so tired. Also, Kaleo Griffith narrates this and even though I like his work, his female voices kind of make me giggle. One more thing, how do virgins suddenly become the best lovers a womanizing man has ever had. I don't buy that and I roll my eyes every time I hear this.

[~Melissa~]

Nichole wrote: "Shelf: Same, but Different
Book: by Pamela Clare
Finished: 11/12/15
Rating: 3 Stars

One more thing, how do virgins suddenly become the best lovers a womanizing man has ever had. I don't buy that and I roll my eyes every time I hear this. "

Totally ~ that gets a eye roll along with the 'multiple orgasms' that occur their first time too lol - gotta love fiction :D

[Nichole]

Oh yeah! That too! Gimme a break.

[Nichole]

It was fun playing with you Ladies! I liked the pattern idea at first. I just got too busy at work and would have been reading short books with no real interest if we had been in the running for a winning shelf. That kind of takes the fun out of it. I think just a 2 in a row anywhere would have been better. I'm sure we'll cross paths again :)

[Elizabeth]

Shelf #17 ~ 4 Nov: Same, but Different 4/4
D.A.: Written in Red, 11/11/2015, ★★★★1/2, Review
Elizabeth: Spiral of Need, 11/7/2015, ★★★, Review
Melissa: The Fallen, 11/10/2015, ★★★, Review
Nichole: Sweet Release, 11/12/2015, ★★★ Review

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Vor8ious Readers!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'same, but different'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Nichole]

Thanks, Steph!

Thanks for Captaining this ship, Elizabeth!

[Elizabeth]

Thank you, Steph!

Nichole wrote: "Thanks, Steph!

Thanks for Captaining this ship, Elizabeth!"

You are very welcome ;)

[~Melissa~]

Thanks Steph and thanks Captain Elizabeth :-)

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp V8 Readers!