SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Expired Challenges
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Love or Hate @ FIRST Sight Read 2012
August 2011
Stormwalker by Allyson James
Series: Stormwalker
Read: August 5th
Rating: ★★★
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? Yes
Review: There were parts of this story that I loved, and parts that I thought were a bit cheesy. Some of the dialog felt awkward to me, not natural. And I am a sucker for the initial attraction and building of a relationship, that's why I love UF. But in this book, so much of that had already happened "off-screen", so it was hard for me to be gung ho about the romance.
But the series has potential, and I will read the next book. But I'm not chomping at the bit to do it. :)
August Monthly Update
Title/Author: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks
Series: The Night Angel Trilogy
Date finished: 18 August 2011
First time author?: Yes
To-Be-Continued?: Yes
Rating: ★★★★1/2
Review: Man it was long but intense. There were loads of characters, all fully fleshed out, all with their own strengths and weaknesses and all with their different motives. I mean, talk about shades of grey! And some of the twists! I just didn't see them coming, and there were a lot of them.
The beginning was a little tough to get into but I think that was due to it being necessary to leave out certain information. It really picked up at the end though :)
My favourite passage (which isn't really a spoiler but is at the same time so I've hidden it just in case), I think it sums up the book and the different plots quite nicely:
(view spoiler)
Review for SOS Love or Hate at FIRST Second Monthy Update
Title/Author: Cry Wolf, by Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha & Omega
Read: 08/16/11
Rating: ★★★★½
First time author? Yes (excluding the prequel)
To-Be-Continued? Definitely!
Review: my full GR review
★★★★½ rating from me. Loved this book! To be honest, in the beginning I was worried that it wasn’t living up to the novella/prequel (which I adored, and can’t imagine anyone reading this book w/o first reading that story). There was a tiny bit of info-dumping/world-building/rule-explanations-not-yet-revealed that I felt I was slogging my way through, but not as bad as other series.
August Monthly Update
Title/Author: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
Series: Iron Seas
Read: August 16, 2011
Rating: ★★★1/2
First time author? Yes, unless I read an anthology I forgot about
To-Be-Continued? Yes
Review: 3 1/2 stars... Enjoyed this book and the "steampunk" world this story was set. Started a little slow for me with the world building, but the storyline was unique enough and kept my attention. I found the main characters attraction and communication with each other a little awkward at times, but still a good read. Looking forward to the next book, met the characters that will be in the spotlight and they should be pretty entertaining.
Snap Lis. LOLAUGUST Monthly Update
Title/Author: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
Series: Iron Seas
Read: 21/8/11
Rating: ★★★★
First time author? Yes, except for prequel
To-Be-Continued? Definitely
Review: I'd already read the prequel, so I was somewhat acquainted with the world building before I picked up this book. I really enjoyed it, but for some reason I did find it easy to put down a couple of times.
This is steampunk flatout. Victorian politics & morals and automatons and airships. I quite liked, not loved both H/h, but it was a just a little too obvious, the thinking at cross purposes, right till the last page of the book.
I will be reading the next one which is due out November 2011.
Rats! Wish I was done and could make it a threefer. LOL!
ROFL!!
I joined the challenge a month late so I have two reviews for August to catch-up :)August Monthly Updates:
Title/Author: Temptest Rising by Nicole Peeler
Series: Jane True
Read: 8/22/11
Rating: ★★★★✩
First Time Author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? Yes
Review: Jane True lives in the small town of Rockabill, Maine with her father. She has always felt different and the residents of Rockabill have not made life easy for her. When Ryu, a vampire, comes to town to investigate a murder Jane learns her world is much more than it seems. Ryu introduces her to world of supernatural beings and Jane learns about her history (and has an eye opening adventure). The person who recommended this book to me said it was kind of slow but I didn't find that to be the case at all. It is a fun, quick read and Jane is witty and I loved all the characters we had a chance to meet. I am looking forward to reading what happens next in Jane True's world.
Title/Author: Tempting Danger by Eileen Wilks
Series: The World of the Lupi
Read: 8/13/11
Rating: ★★★✩✩
First Time Author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? Maybe?
Review: Rule Turner (Prince of the local werewolf clan) is accused of murder and Lily Yu is the investigator assigned to the murder case. I feel so-so about this book; I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. I had a really hard time getting into the story. I'm not sure if it was bad timing with other things going on in my life or the writing style or both. I never connected with the characters and I had a hard time believing the relationship between Rule and Lily. When the excitement in the book did finally pick-up, and I was starting to enjoy it, the story suddenly wrapped up rather quickly.
Has anyone else read this series? I'm torn if I should give it a second chance and try book 2.
Jane W wrote: "I joined the challenge a month late so I have two reviews for August to catch-up :)August Monthly Updates:
Title/Author: Temptest Rising by Nicole Peeler
Seri..."
I really enjoy the World of the Lupi series (although some books are better than others). The character list will expand out some and you'll learn more about Grandmother if you continue. And seriously, wasn't Grandmother the coolest?
Title/Author: Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells
Series: Sabrina Kane
Read: 22nd August
Rating: ★★★✩✩
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? Probably
Review: Not bad. Not sure what I really expected from this, I'd heard really good things about it. But, there was something missing - oh yeah - I remember now, hot sex. There was definate potential with Adam the hot Mage, but the wise cracks only go so far with me. I guess I've read too many female assassin books lately. I'd rather read Jaz Parks, but I'm interested enough to get the next book.
Jane, I enjoyed Jane True also. I have #2-4 here TBR and look forward to making time for them. LOL Charlotte! I love it!! "But, there was something missing - oh yeah - I remember now, hot sex." >;)
I find that at least one bout of heavy, headbanging monkey sex helps with most books!
is it too late to join in on this challange?
Lisa wrote: "is it too late to join in on this challange?"It's not too late, Lisa. The rule regarding late joining is that you have to catch up the first month you join. So since this challenge started in July, if you don't join until August, you would have to read 2 first-in-series books in August to catch up, and then one every month after that. And if you don't join until September, you would have to read 3 first-in-series in September to catch up.
Did that make sense? :)
MAINAugust -
Title/Author: Unearthly
Series: Unearthly
Read: August 2011
Rating: ★★★★★
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? YES
Review: I LOVED this book...couldn't put it down. Will diffenatly read more by this author
SERIES: Sense of Time
Read: August 2011
Rating: ★★★
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? YES
Review: This was a good book, read it in one day
September's Book
Title/Author: Banished - Sophie Littlefield
Series: Banished
Read: September 2011
Rating: ★★★★★
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? YES
Review: Great BOOK!
October's Books
Title/Author: The Gathering - Kelley Armstrong
Series: The Gathering
Read: September 2011
Rating: ★★★★★ (Would give more stars if they were available!)
First time author? No
To-Be-Continued? YES
Review: This is an AWESOME book...can't wait to read the next one in this series
other reads in October
I need to read
, I've heard nothing but wonderful things about it.This poor book suffers--at least for me--from it's contemporaries; I just automatically clump it in with
and
, and it automatically goes into the no-way-am-I-reading-that-drivel category. Moving it up the list. :)
it is truly a good book...give it a try...
I'm glad to hear it! I automatically put it with 'Fallen' as well, I hated that book! I have a lot of YA to read - in the next week, along with
, I have
,
and
:)
Unwind was awesome, and Ultraviolet was pretty great as well. Haven't read Birthmarked yet. :)
Unwind was FABULOUS!!!! Birthmarked was good, but not as compelling as Unwind. That book still is stuck in my head.....I read it last year. I'm thinking I need to get a keeper copy. I can definitely see myself reading it again.
Cindy (eclecticfirefly) wrote: "Unwind was FABULOUS!!!! Birthmarked was good, but not as compelling as Unwind. That book still is stuck in my head.....I read it last year. I'm thinking I need to get a keeper copy. I can defin..."I had buy myself a keeper copy of Unwind too. It was so phenomenal.
You've all made me excited to read it! :)
Just don't expect a happy read. Some parts of it were quite disturbing. Engrossing (I literally could NOT put it down), but disturbing....
Charlotte (Buried in Books) wrote: "I find that at least one bout of heavy, headbanging monkey sex helps with most books!"LMAO! ;)
Though I've been reading books that fit this challenge, I've been sadly failing to make updates.JULY UPDATE
Title/Author: Dragon Boundby Thea Harrison
Series: The Elder Races
Read: 1 - 2 July 2011
Rating: ★★★★★
First time author?: Yes
To-Be-Continued?: Yes
Review: Loved the world-building and I loved the author's style. Under other circumstances, I might not have liked Dragos -- she managed to make him charming and she showed he was capable of change -- if only for Pia.
Also Read :
Jedi Twilight (Coruscant Nights #1); Kiss of Midnight (Midnight Breed #1); Marked (Eternal Guardians #1)
August Update
Title/Author: Forsaken by Jana Oliver
Series The Demon Trappers
Read August 5
Rating ****
First Time Author? Yes
To Be Continued? Yes
Review: Brilliant new world that I can't wait to read more about. Not perfect as it's introducing a new world and characters, but it completely sucks you in. Absolutely love Beck!
Also read:
SOS Love or Hate @ FIRST Monthly Update: August 2011
2/12 Read
Cover
Title/Author: Carrie Ryan
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Read: 08.03.11
Rating: ★★★★✩
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? Yes
Review: While this book excluded the blood and gore many zombie books are known for, the author more than made up for it with several very chilling moments. I'll definitely continue on with this series.
Also Read:
_____________________________________________________
August Monthly Update
Title/Author: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Series- The Body Finder
Read: 8/2/11
Rating: 3*
First time author? Yes
To-be-continued? Probably not
Review: I loved the premise of The Body Finder; I really liked Violet's special ability, it was very interesting and I thought it was neat how she could sense each different dead person in a unique way, using different senses. I also liked her relationship with her best friend Jay. But the execution of the story could have been much better, and their were many TSTL moments for Violet. There are so many YA Fantasy books out there I doubt I will continue with this one unless the story lines improve.
Also read in August:
2/12 DoneJuly 2011:
August 2011:
September 2011:
October 2011:
November 2011:
December 2011:
January 2012:
February 2012:
March 2012:
April 2012:
May 2012:
June 2012:
Also read these first's this month...
September Monthly Update
Title/Author: The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle
Series: The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy
Date finished: 1 September 2011
First time author?: Yes
To-Be-Continued?: Yes
Rating: ★★★★
Review: Couldn't put it down. I love 'Beauty and the Beast' anyway so I was bound to like a fantasy book based on the fairy-tale, involving goblins no less!
I had a couple of parts that could've been improved to make me love it even more but it was still great :)
September monthly update
Title/Author: Lord of the Vampires, Gena Showalter
Series: The Royal House of Shadows
Read: 1 September 2011
Rating: ★★★★★
First time author? No
To-Be-Continued? Yes!
Review: The mythology of this world is amazing. I really enojyed the characters. Nicolai is like a mix of all the cool heroes like Dragos, JZB and Raphael (guild hunter) all rolled up into one. Loved the story!
September Monthly Update
Title/Author: Seducing the Succubus by Cassie Ryan
Series: Sisters of Darkness #1
Read: 9-1-11
Rating: ★★★★
First Time Author? No
To-Be-Continued? Yes
Review:
Jezebeth. What a wonderful name for a succubus! This is her story. Nice, sweet, fairly steamy read. Wonderful HEA..... Warning! There is some F/F interaction, so if that isn't your cup of tea, too bad! You will be missing out on a fabulous book. Not a major part of the storyline, so you COULD skim those parts - but, you would be missing out on another side of a major character in this book and the ones to follow.
The second book in the series is already out, so I'll be working the budget to grab hold of it soon! There should be 2 more after these. Will the sisters be able to keep Armegeddon at bay? Let's all hope so......
August 2011
Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, Molly Harper, 8-2-11, 4 starsI really love Harper's humor. Jane's unexpected trains of thought, snappy comments and overall personality charmed me. There were several moments that caught me by surprise, making me laugh out loud. Her quirky friends and crazy family only added to the mix. There were only a couple concerns that lowered my rating. The transitions to Jane's flashbacks were a little jarring. I feel they could have been smoothed out more. Jane's views on why a certain elderly gentleman was dating her grandmother, while funny, appeared twice, worded almost exactly the same. It seemed as if Harper forgot that she had included those comments in a previous chapter. Those concerns were minor and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the second book.
Dragon Bound, Thea Harrison, 8-7-11, 5 starsI absolutely loved this book. When I wasn't reading, I couldn't stop thinking about how soon I could get back to it. The world building was incredibly well thought out and the characters were great too. Definitely will be continuing this series.
The Nine Lives of Chloe King: The Fallen, Celia Thomson, 8-17-11, 3.5 starsPicked this up because I enjoy the TV show. Major differences, not always for the better. However, the mythology is better explained and more logical in the book. Fun, no deep thinking, quick reads. So I'll at least finish the three that are out now.
SEPTEMBER Monthly Update3/12 completed
Title/Author: Primal Law by J.D. Tyler
Series: Alpha Pack
Read: 5/9/11
Rating: ★★★1/2
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? Undecided
Review:
For a first in series book it wasn't bad, world building was good, there was just something about it that I found it very easy to put down, again and again; some other book would just grab my attention.
Maybe I just didn't feel the connection between Jax and Kira as strongly as I know others have.
A Black Ops team made up of shifters & psi have been betrayed and Kira stumbles upon some evidence and they stumble upon her.
The conspiracy continues to grow. Could the government be involved? You'll have to read on to find out.
Not sure whether I will though, we'll wait and see.
Lady Jaye wrote: "September monthly updateTitle/Author: Lord of the Vampires, Gena Showalter
Series: The Royal House of Shadows
Read: 1 September 2011
Rating: ★★★★★
Fir..."
Lady Jane -- I'm so moving this to my top pile. So excited.
Wan "Artemis", the Dark-Hunters' Goddess wrote: "Lady Jaye wrote: "September monthly update."
Wan, I hope you like it. I was so blown away that Gena Showalter could write so well, after a disaster I read by her...
September Monthly Update
Title/Author: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H.P.Mallory
Series: Jolie Wilkins
Read: 6/9/11
Rating: ★★★
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? Yes
Review: This was a quick and fun story about a young female psychic who realizes she can bring the dead back to live. Many factions are now after her in order to harness her powers for themselves in an upcoming war. A sexy warlock takes her under his protection while she tries to grow into her newly found witch powers and teaches her to use them.
I had some problems with the main character who is not as kick-ass as I like my heroines usually, but she grew on me over time. The book ends in a bit of a cliff-hanger, so I'll be picking up the next one as I'm curious enough to find out how the story develops.
Lady Jaye wrote: "Wan "Artemis", the Dark-Hunters' Goddess wrote: "Lady Jaye wrote: "September monthly update."
Wan, I hope you like it. I was so blown away that Gena Showalter could write so well, after a disast..."
Lady Jaye - what was the disaster? So far, I've really liked everything I've read by her!
Cindy (eclecticfirefly) wrote: Wan, I hope you like it. I was so blown away that Gena Showalter could write so we..."
Cindy - my first and only other showalter book was The Darkest Fire. *Shudders* - the writing was not very good. Throughout I was wondering if this was the same Gena Showalter everyone loved.
Lady Jaye, I wasn't very keen on any of those shorts for the LoTU series, but the series itself is good.
Sandra wrote: "Lady Jaye, I wasn't very keen on any of those shorts for the LoTU series, but the series itself is good."Sandra, I can believe that now that I've read LotV.
If you'd said this to me last week, I wouldn't have believed you :D. I have three of the LotU books, so I'll get to them soon.
I never did read that one, but I adore LotU! Now I just won't bother even looking for it! Ah well, short stories and novellas are a whole different kind of writing. Not everyone can be successful at those AND full length novels. Since I prefer the novels, I've been extremely happy with her writing!
Trying to catch up on my GR biz. Here's my August update for First reads.August 2011 (2/12 Done)
Title/Author: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
Series: The Iron Seas
Read: 24 August
Rating: ★★★✩✩½
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? At least book #2
Review: I had a hard time with this one. For one, I think steampunk just isn't my fave genre. Two, I was trying to read it when too many RL things were going on and there just wasn't a pull (other than Bingo) to read it. So, I ended up making myself push through and that's never fun. Instead of relaxing and enjoying it, I was a grumpy reader.
I read the prequel and really enjoyed it, enough that I was looking forward to reading this book. The world building and nanotech was interesting. The H/h just weren't two I had to know ended up together, even though I knew they would. Individually, I enjoyed their back stories and how they dealt with the fame (ID) and looks (Mina) now b/c of it. I actually enjoyed Yasmeen, the captain of the Lady Consair, more than I did the mains. So, I'm hoping her story w/Archimedes in Heart of Steel will be more enjoyable for me. I will read #2, but won't rush to buy it.
Also Read:
Steph wrote: "Instead of relaxing and enjoying it, I was a grumpy reader."Man-oh-man! I think that is what is happening to me with regards to
.
:( Hope it gets better for ya, LK. That's never fun.
Love or Hate @ FIRST Duration: July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012
Complete: 3/12
SEPTEMBER UPDATE
August: Key of Light by Nora Roberts - Finished (Aug 12)
August: Burning Alive by Shannon K. Butcher - Finished (Aug 14)
September: Warrior by Zoe Archer - Finished (Sept 9)
October:
November:
December:
January:
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
Title/Author: Warrior by Zoe Archer
Series: The Blades of the Rose
Read: September 9, 2011
Rating: ★★★★
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? Yes
Review: This is my first book in the Steampunk genre and the historical and geographical settings are one of the highlights of the book. The romantic leads are also very likeable characters. It did start out a bit slow but speeds up just after halfway through and is action packed from then on.
Lauren, I don't think I'd ever read a book set in Mongolia before Warrior. I enjoyed it too ;)
Lisa Kay wrote: "Steph wrote: "Instead of relaxing and enjoying it, I was a grumpy reader."Man-oh-man! I think that is what is happening to me with regards to
."Lisa, what issues are you having? Spoiler tag them, if you must. :)
I read the first four a couple years ago, so I figured I'd reread Crows before I started Dragons. But I'm not a rereader, so I'm listening to the audio in the car, and I'm loving it. But I do soooo love this series. But half the time, I'm thinking I should have reread #3 too, because there's so much I didn't remember. So a reread was a must, and I'm glad I'm doing it before picking up Dragons.
Although I was at my brother's last night, and he just finished Dragons and spoiled two things for me. Butthole! After I stuck my fingers in my ears and started "la la la-ing", my sister-in-law was like, "You would kill someone if they did that to you." And he was all smirky "oops". Jerk.
Laura Lulu wrote: "I was at my brother's last night, and he just finished Dragons and spoiled two things for me. Butthole!"
Man-oh-man! Your brother is a stinker! Laura Luluu, as much as I hated the last three books, I loved them to the same extent. Every time I got fed up b/c one of my beloved characters bit the dust, I couldn’t resist picking them back up to see what happened to the others; I was Hooked, with a capital “H”. Not so with this one.
I really like Brienne – and yet her chapters are boring and with lots of repetition. The only chapters holding my interest are Cersei’s – and you know how I feel about her. Oh, wait you don't, LOL! Let's just say, I can only take so much. (view spoiler) I like Jaime’s chapters a bit too, but I just think GRRM is teasing us with historical info there; plus, no commitment on if he is going to be (view spoiler) I think GRRM left too many neat characters out of this one and the writing is not up to par with the other three, IMHO. He is reiterating too much, or did I say that, LOL!
And no direwolves!
I think I would have done better via audio too.
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Ashfall (other topics)Fury of Fire (other topics)
Once Burned (other topics)
Darkness Falls (other topics)
Demon's Caress (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
H.L. Reasby (other topics)Delilah S. Dawson (other topics)
Susan Ee (other topics)
Susan Ee (other topics)
Susan Ee (other topics)
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Title/Author: Naked Dragon by Annette Blair
Series: Works Like Magick
Read: 8/11/11
Rating:★★★
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? Yes
Review: I enjoyed this book, it wasn't the best thing I have ever read, but I think I will continue the series. Not sure how it will continue though. In this story we read about Bastien, the extremely literal alpha dragon who is sent to earth to earn passage for his dragon brothers, and McKenna, a sweet but insecure descendant of a great witch, with no powers of her own. Often Bastien's literal use of the English language got tiresome, but the story was cute. The next book looks like it is about an angel so I have no idea how it will tie in with this series, but since I got it at the library at the same time as the first so I already have it on hand.