SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
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R4: Team #7 ~ Seven Spellbinding Sirens
02/26/2012 A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison
for the "Free-shelf"
I rate it ★★★★★
This book made my day. I'm not much for giving the 100% for mindless entertainment value alone, but in this instance, anything less feels stingy, obnoxious and wrong (I'm having a flashback to the Fever reviews here).
We open to a dithering Rachel being faced with a very radical group that objects to the existence of every inderlander, but seems to be calling out to her in particular. That's off the bat. As in, 10 pages in.
There is action and intrigue to spare for the first half of the book, but the focus seemed to be inwards. There is a lot of self discovery and growing for Rachel. Many hang ups are also called back and cleared. There is also a distinct shade of reaching back to the tone of interactions we seemed in the first volumes. Jenks moving forward brought much of that back.
That's another thing. The following up on previous things and moving forwards on all the characters. As Jenks getting his feet back brought back much of the team work with Rachel of old, that seemed to be dimming, Ivy moving forward brings new things. This is beautiful and somewhat bittersweet.
And on that subject of callbacks and forwards, come the locations. There is lot going on for the backgrounds. In a "the background doesn't change, but the person does" move, the places give extra facets to things. How cool is that, that they feel almost like an extra character?.
And I haven't even reached Trent. There is a lot there to mull over. Having just re read the first volume recently, many lines had me bouncing from exhilarated to horribly wary (the dog thing come to mind). Rachel seemed to feel the same way. Or the bracelet. I guess it's existence was a necessary move so Rachel could be equalized a bit, given the huge bump up on the power scale Harrison gave her character recently. But you don't need me to tell you . You want to read it, trust me.
An amazingly intense ride. I'm still jittery. I even had food to feed some growing theories of mine that have me anxious for the next volume to come out. And the next. And the next.
Thank you so much Ladies!!! :)) It was a fabulous day of just being lazy. I don't get many (any) days like that lol. Because of that... I was able to finish my book! ;-)
So for the free space read I read
02/26/2012 and give it ★★★★ 1/2I just love Cat and Bones and all of the characters that make up this series. However, I gave it 4.5 stars instead of five because I didn't love the parts with the new Jackarse in charge. While I was interested in what the mystery was surrounding him as he was obviously trying to hide something (and still am as they never told us what his deal was... next book I'm sure!) this story line was rather boring to me.
I really enjoyed the main story line with the evil ghost. It really had me on the edge as you never really knew when he would show up and he was brutal. It was hard to read how he abused women so much. I really loved reading how he got his.... and Sara too. WOW didn't see that one coming! The new character, Tyler, is a hoot. I hope to see more of him in future books :)
This book was great... Bones is the man (sighhhhhhh) and Cat is one bad ass chick that I would pick for my team anyday (provided I had that kind of team lol)
Definitely looking forward to the next one! :)
woo hoo! Just waiting for 1 more free space & we get the stamp!
I finished :
02/29/12 ★★★★Holy Cr**!! That took me FOREVER to read! I did figure out that it was the tiny print & since I was straining so hard to see it, it took me as long to read a sentence as it did a paragraph in the other books. I did physically compare! Check for yourself if you think I am full of it!
Rune goes back to Carling's island to do her one favor he owed her from the last book. He finds her dying and decides to help her find a cure. Since he is a Griffin, when she goes into her "fades" he is able to walk through them & experience the rifts changing things in them as well. There is only breif interaction with past characters in this book & mostly centers on Rune & Carling together.
Other than the microprint, it was a well written book. I did get bored a few times because it seemed like nothing was happening. Just a whole lot of description of an island, and how people looked and acted & burning books & what the books & the cabinets looked and felt like, packing up water tight bags & testing to see if people can see them... ust too much time on petty things that don't really make the story, just make the book thicker.
It was well written, but I really didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the others. From what I read in the introduction to the next book's characters, it may go back to the fun read the first one was.
My Demons book is going to be
I don't know. It is said to be funny & it had bigger than micro print LOL! It's listed on like pg 65 or so of the demon shelves. I decided to look backwards.Just so you know, I collect books at a flea market & thrift store here. My county has a bad library so I have to buy my books. I own all my to reads. so I just check my list to see what I have. Now to find it!
I tend to download a lot. Libraries ask for you to jump a lot of hoops around here before lending you any book. It's really annoying.
I buy books quite regularly, but I'm trying to build the basic library first, so much of that is classics, and nothing close to contemporary paranormal or urban fantasy. I'm afraid even thriftting, my budget would never be up to the amount I read ^_^
I buy books quite regularly, but I'm trying to build the basic library first, so much of that is classics, and nothing close to contemporary paranormal or urban fantasy. I'm afraid even thriftting, my budget would never be up to the amount I read ^_^
ok I finished the stupidest book I think I have read in a very long time. Ahhh! I should have known.
03/01/12 ★★★A dragon/turned man, Bastain, falls from the sky into a circle of witches. He looks like a cross between Hugh Jackman & Jeffery Dean Morgan. A woman Vivica who is another witch collects him & brings him to her employment agency "Works Like Magick" Okaaaay... Good so far. He is very literal and requires training. Bastians origins are more complex, but why waste time explaining.
Vivica hires him out as a handyman to her cousin McKenna, a Red haired Fat girl who wear flowered hippie caftans to hide her body. He is to help her fix her B & B so she doesn't lose it to an evil guy. This is the only description we get, except she has a great chest, so do I picture her a size 10 or 20? who knows.
The character that makes this book is a faery "Dewdrop" who rides the cat & small children see her as a flying Barbie.
This book had potential, but so many times McKenna is sarcastic & she has to reexplain to this literal dragon guy. AND It goes from one point to another so quickly I had to constantly see if I missed something.
For example, Bastian falls from the roof while being pelted by hail & lands wrong breaking things. He yells at McKenna to move his hands to his back to help heal himself. Next page says "He's fine. are you sure he fell?" as man removes squeezy thing from his arm.
Obviously it implies the ambulance was called they came & he had already healed himself, but no mention of anything after he was repositioned. Where did his audience come from? Constantly. It's a whole lot of filling in the blanks youself. I hate that.
Oh... and his man lance. It's alive with a mind of it's own & is like a seperate being attached to him. It does not look like anything you can find on the internet either & curls itself around the girls arm. OOOkaaay! Out there for sure.
To sum it all up, it's funny at times, annoying at others, jumps around too much & is totally non descriptive.
AND if the author was really born in 1968.... psshhh. look at her website.
It looks like you were very merciful on the rating then, lol. Or maybe it just made you laugh. Dragons are promising ground, but it doesn't seem like Blair juiced it for what it's worth.
I agree Amy, I have the 2nd one too and haven't been able to make myself read it, and I haven't thought of reading anything else of AB since either.
Oh, wow. No read then, lol.
By the way, I'm picking Daughter of Smoke and Bone for my Demons shelf. Took me a bit to decide on this one. Seems like it'll be a bit depressing, so I was kinda marshaling my courage.
By the way, I'm picking Daughter of Smoke and Bone for my Demons shelf. Took me a bit to decide on this one. Seems like it'll be a bit depressing, so I was kinda marshaling my courage.
Zanahoria (Taly) wrote: "Oh, wow. No read then, lol. By the way, I'm picking Daughter of Smoke and Bone for my Demons shelf. Took me a bit to decide on this one. Seems like it'll be a bit depressing, so I ..."
got it!!
I have it marked that I am reading terry spear's wolf/SEAL book, but I have decided that since I have been interrupted so many times that I have to stat over, I am going to wait until this next shelf is picked to read it. It may count for something, or maybe not.
LOL Amy!!!!
03/03/2012 Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
for the "Demons Shelf"
I rate it ★★★★★
Huh. Look at that. It delivered. I sincerely thought it wouldn't be up to it around the middle. And then...
“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.”
It's the opener. You can believe it. Like schmuck bait, like a Lemmony fucking Snicket label, tailor made for those who think that "it can not be that bad". It is. It isn't. Well, it is, but it's so exquisitely laid... I can't explain it well I'm afraid.
First thing that grabbed me was the atmosphere, smoky and dreamlike, a misty and hazy feel that gives the setting a good dose of magic and an extra spark of mystery. Fantastic creatures implied real and then turning up make it all so strangely more plausible. You don't need to suspend disbelief, it quietly goes hang itself while you absorbed unwrapping the secret.
The prose is quirky. It has very unusual turn of phrases. Surprisingly, it works. Except for the repetition of some words like "physicality" and a couple more that are conspicuous because of the strange usage.
The story... well, at it's core, for this volume, it is a mystery I guess. Of who Karou is. With it comes everything else. Or is it a romance and everything else comes with it? Or is the war?. This books is interesting like that. Bit of a beautiful, sad, heart-wrenching mind-screw.
As for the middle, I really, really thought the story was about to tank into the insta-love lovey-dovy crappy side of PNR. It went into it with such a thrust I thought even the foreshadowed reincarnation was going to make a hideous cop-out, and I was already mourning a something that it had started sooo good. And then, it didn't matter. The back-story is so well done that what should have felt like the lamest excuse becomes a touching tale instead. I'm a bit disturbed by this. By how well Taylor roped me into this voyage, with it's ups and downs.
I loved it. I will be waiting for the next install.
Great review Taly! I'm glad you liked it (: I really want to read it too sometime.I'm currently working on my favourite series shelf,
I did. It came recommended, but still surprised me in many aspects. And if I think about it, I'm not sure everyone would love it. It's different.
Zombies? (I'm going by tittle here). Interesting.
Edit: Yeap, into my to-read pile.
Zombies? (I'm going by tittle here). Interesting.
Edit: Yeap, into my to-read pile.
Usually I like different (: But yeah, zombies. It's not your average zombie shooting novel, it's got a lot of conspiracy theories etcetera, it's very suspenseful. I'm almost finished ^^
Zanahoria (Taly) wrote: "Shelf has been announced, and it's Paranormal RomanceI'm picking Soulless for this one :D
"cool!
'Paranormal-Romance/PNR'Direct LinkG15Shelf Anounced 03/03/12
5/5 Completed
Sassy (Amy) A SEAL in Wolf's Clothing03/05/12 ★★★★ review
Celine A Witch in Winter03/06/12 ★★★★ review
Cathy(#123)The Darkest Seduction 03/10/12 ★★★★★ review
Zanahoria (Taly) Soulless 03/04/12 ★★★ review
Angi Magic Strikes03/11/12 ★★★★★ review
I am reading:
for my PNR. I started it thurs. or fri,. but I was interrupted so many times, I have to start over anyway, so I decided to see if it would fall in the category this week and it does. When you read page 54 twice & can't remember who the main characters are, it's time to start over!
I had 2 people get in an argument on one of my review pages. I wasn't in the conversation at all! LOL!
Ha! ain't it something to look at? I guess it proves you are followed, if your reviews make a meeting place :D
hahaha! Authors get so offended!
Finished my Favourite series shelf!
Finished March 3rd, 5 Stars*This review contains spoilers for Feed*
Whoa.
After reading Feed I had pretty high expectations for Deadline. I was pretty sceptical to how I would like the book without leading lady George. I shouldn't have been worried, Deadline blew me away with the power of a tornado.
After George's amplification Shaun is a wreck. He has turned away from his Irwin nature and is a shell of his former self. And oh yeah, he is going crazy. He talks to his dead sister in his head. The only thing driving him is uncovering the people responsible of her death. With his new crew he follows dubious leads and gets caught up in a conspiracy of a size they had no way of expecting.
I would like to compare Deadline to Feed for a bit, so you can get an idea of how this story is like. Where Feed was very heavy on the blogging mechanics, in Deadline ratings aren't important any more. As the story is told from Shaun's point of view, and he really doesn't care about the ratings, they take a background. He's still writing posts, and After The End Times still exists, but there are less massive descriptions of them maintaining their blog. It was a change for the better in my opinion.
I was naive to think Feed had a nice deep story. So, so naive. In Deadline the true digging starts. The conspiracy goes way, way farther than you will ever be expecting. By the end of the book the you-know-what is hitting the fan. I'm getting goosebumps right now by just thinking of it. There is something seriously wrong in the world after the Rising.
Deadline is a very emotional story. Shaun tries to deal with his sisters death, failing miserably. There is actually a little bit of romance, which surprised me. The After The End Times crew is in real danger now. Not just from zombies, but from something way bigger. And these people aren't even afraid any more to sacrifice some innocent bystanders. You just don't know when something bad is going to happen, and how bad it will be. I read the last two-hundred pages in one sitting because I just didn't want to put it down.
I'm thinking about pushing my boyfriend into reading Feed just so I can let him read Deadline, I loved this book so much.
I cannot wait until Blackout is released. That book is going to be so epic.
Nice going Celine! I'm even more interested in reading the saga, though I kinda skimmed through your review so I'm not spoiled the first volume ^_^
Hehe, well, if you're like me, you'll forget about the spoiler before you start the book ^^. I would certainly recommend these books (: The first one is a bit slow, but the second...
Interesting Celine! I've never heard of that one before so I looked it up and added it to my rental list (well the first one - "Feed"- I added). Thanks for the recommendation :)3/4/2012: I just finished my "Demons Shelf" book,
"Personal Demons" by Stacia Kane. I rated it ★★★It was sort of ironic because as I was reading this book, I found myself thinking, "This author writes rather dark.... reminds me of the "Unholy Ghosts" series." HA! Then I realized, duh... it is the same author.
Speaking of the "Unholy Ghosts" series, I have to say I do like it better than this one. It's rather dark... sometimes a bit too dark for me but the story is more interesting to me than this one.I was able to put "Personal Demons" down, which is a no-no in the world of Angi :) I did like however that it creeped me out. One scene in particular gave me the willies. As Megan is laying in bed she hears scratching on her window.. Stacia Kane does a really good job of setting the atmosphere. I also enjoyed learning why Megan didn't have her own personal demon when everyone else in the world had one. It was an interesting story that really picked up in the end. I enjoyed it. I will be reading the next one, I am just in no hurry to do so.
For the PNR shelf, I will read "Magic Strikes" by Ilona Andrews
. I started to read it several months ago but put it down. I was only 70 pages into it so it isn't a big deal for me to start over again. I'd need to regardless as I would have no clue what was going on lol
Way to go! Favorite series shelf stamp requested!
Yay!!! stamp for us! Go Sirens!
Angi wrote: "Interesting Celine! I've never heard of that one before so I looked it up and added it to my rental list (well the first one - "Feed"- I added). Thanks for the recommendation :)3/4/2012: I just..."
Did you finish your free space book? I am not sure if I missed it or not. You've been going in order, so I thought I would ask. I LOVED the KMM series & read them so fast! I was so sad when it was over!
CONGRATULATIONS, Spellbinding Sirens! You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'favorite series'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
03/04/2012 Soulless by Gail Carriger
for the "Paranormal Romance" Shelf
I rate it ★★★
Well, Tatiana called it glorified fanfiction. She is accurate in that it has that unsubstantial quality akin to the Mortal Instruments.
If you are indulging though, this book mighty fun (I was laughing already just one page in). And far, far more preferable.
I mean, a protagonist with gumption. A dauntless, absolutely irreverent one. Not a beauty. With a scientific, very matter of fact approach to everything (even sex, which makes for hilarious thought processes). What's not to like?
A steampunk flavored world. Action. Supernatural beings. I say, break out the pop-corn! No soda, no. You'll just spray it over your copy of the book.
As an aside, I also liked the fact that the book is self contained. It is the first part of a saga, but there is no underhanded compulsion to follow up apart from the promise of enjoyment. I'm OK with spanning threads, and the occasional cliffhanger, but as a somewhat OC reader, it is a relief to be in posses of my free will, if you get me.
Very entertaining and fast read.
♡ Sassy ~ Amy ♡ wrote: "Angi wrote: "Interesting Celine! I've never heard of that one before so I looked it up and added it to my rental list (well the first one - "Feed"- I added). Thanks for the recommendation :)
3/4/2..."
Happened the same to me. The five vols in less than a week (crazy, crazy frenzy). But they ARE long. Also, there will be more, did you see? Check Moning's profaile.
I added Feed too. I've never read zombies before. Don't know why, because I've seen a bunch of movies and enjoy the concept.
3/4/2..."
Happened the same to me. The five vols in less than a week (crazy, crazy frenzy). But they ARE long. Also, there will be more, did you see? Check Moning's profaile.
I added Feed too. I've never read zombies before. Don't know why, because I've seen a bunch of movies and enjoy the concept.
Zanahoria (Taly) wrote: " 03/04/2012 Soulless by Gail Carriger
for the "Paranormal Romance" Shelf
I rate it ★★★
Well, Tatiana called it glorified fanfiction. She is accurate i..."
You are fast! I got into an all day marathon of cajuns looking for logs in a river! I haven't read today!
As long as you had fun, no reading necessary, lol.
It was a very uncomplicated book. And lots of fun. I just couldn't put it down.
It was a very uncomplicated book. And lots of fun. I just couldn't put it down.
Congrats on the stamp Sirens!
Wow you are fast!! LolAmy I finished my free space read. I posted the review previously- thanks for checking ;-)
Angi wrote: "Wow you are fast!! LolAmy I finished my free space read. I posted the review previously- thanks for checking ;-)"
i had an idiot moment! i meant to ask celine!! but got you confused! when I read your response, I was trying to figure out what you were talking about. sorry!
I am going to read The Darkest Seduction by Gena Showalter for my Paranormal Romance pick. And I haven't forgotten about Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole for my Demon pick. Was a bad week our house had the stomach flu. YUCKY!
Hope you and the family are feeling a little better Cathy :)
Hi guys! No, I haven't finished Shadowfever. I left the book at a friend's house, so I haven't been able to read it yet, lol. I'm getting it back tomorrow if everything goes well (: I hope you're feeling better Cathy!
I did start my paranormal-romance read already, I'm reading Witch in Winter
. It's a pretty quick read, I'm hoping to finish it soon so I can get my demon read out of the way too.
Oh, Cathy, poor you. My sympathies. Hope you are all better.
Celine wrote: "Hi guys! No, I haven't finished Shadowfever. I left the book at a friend's house, so I haven't been able to read it yet, lol. I'm getting it back tomorrow if everything goes well (: I hope you're..."
I loved that series so much, I think I am more excited to see what you think. It's one of the ones I am keeping forever! I will definitely reread it again!
So that's what got me thinking about the book & missing the review! I always think I'm missing something, so just let me know if I do.
I finished:
03/05/12 I give it ★★★★Meara is runing a campgrouns/cabins while her brother is away on his honeymoon. Her brother Hunter is an ex Navy SEAL & has a special team of former SEALs that do private black ops jobs.
After one of the SEAL's team members is shot, Finn comes to protect Meara, knowing the assassin is after her too. She is an alpha female looking for a mate & both of them are supposed to be off limits to each other.
It was a great story, BUT...
Terry Spear used to be my favorite shifter author, but she went into military black ops romantic suspense with the last 2 books. I actually love bth genres, but these books have lost the shifter quality & if you take out the shifter part of the story you still have the RS & a complete story as well. Almost as if the shifter is now secondary. Oh well!
Nooo you aren't an idiot!! I was confused too! I think we both just got confused because as I reread it I realized it was for Celine! lol Sorry!! ;-) I saw my name and got all confused... doesn't take much ha.Cathy, hope everyone is recovering nicely and quickly!
Finished my paranormal-romance read.
Finished March 6th, 4 starsWith the arrival of vampires, shifters and angels, witches have taken the background. Luckily, 2012 brings us some very interesting young-adult debuts featuring witches, including Witch in Winter.
When at a slumber party Anna by accident bewitches her crush Seth to fall in love with her, she doesn't know what to do. She has found an old spell-book and she tries everything to undo the spell. But her powers are attracting unwanted notice, and some people might do anything to make her stop...
What I liked about Witch in Winter is the main character Anna. She is believable and a nice girl. She isn't the popular kind of girl, but not the lonely emo kid either. It was nice to have a main character that has a nice group of friends. Her love interest Seth is kind of standard at the begin of the story, the typical popular bad boy. He does change over the course of the novel, and getting to know him was enjoyable.
Watching their romance was a bit of a rocky road for me. At times I liked it, at times I didn't. At the end I wasn't that sure if Seth is the right guy for Anna. I met a character that I think might be a better match for her as she matures throughout the story. I'm looking forward to see how their romance continues in the next book.
Another thing I liked in Witch in Winter is the old-school magic system. There are spells and rituals, different powers, clans and everything. And their magic isn't just for little stuff, but they can do some pretty impressive stuff with it. Witch in Winter contains an epic magic battle that I enjoyed a lot. I'm looking forward to read more about the different kinds of power, and what makes Anna so special.
Witch in Winter is a very enjoyable paranormal read featuring witches, but it left me wanting more. I want more details, more magic, more background. Even though some things in the book are a little bit off, it is a great debut book and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel, Witch in Love.
I'm finally getting back on track a bit. Now I'm off to find a demon book, I hate that shelf. Every single Bingo it gets called and I never have a fitting book xD
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
On the Edge (other topics)A Game of Thrones (other topics)
Grave Surprise (other topics)
Supernaturally (other topics)
Hidden Summit (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Marchetta Melina (other topics)Laini Taylor (other topics)
Darynda Jones (other topics)
And out. I just finished my free-shelf book, but it kept me through the night, so I'm crashing. Review to come tomorrow.
Good week everyone