SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R5: Team #4 ~ Better Off Read
Thanks, Sandra & Christal. *hugs* I know it could be worse. I do not have the money to buy a new ereader so the fact that they're sending me a new one free because of the warranty is a godsend. If my baby had've broken in November, I would've been SOL. So I'm going to use the new free ereader to console myself.
Awww man! So sorry Lethal!! ((big giant hugs)))
Wow ladies your reviewed books sound great! I'm going to check them out!
YEEEESSSSSSS!!!! I am going to read Nobody's Hero for this shelf. I have been wanting (and wanting and wanting and wanting) to read Adam and Karla's story.
Angels
Finished 8/18/12
Rating★★★★☆
Review
Anna is a sixteen year old good girl. She genuinely wants to be the best person she can. So much that she freaked out when she deliberately told a lie, really freaked out. I liked that she was such a good girl and wasn’t prudish. She never judged others. She was so kind and genuine.
Throughout Anna’s life she has been gaining new “abilities”. She has gained heightened senses and can see and sense people’s emotions. She has had to keep these abilities to herself throughout her life until she meets someone else who is like her, Kaidan. He tells her about who her family is and what she is. She finds out that she is the daughter of an angel and demon. Which makes her a nephilim.
I loved the author’s take on angels, demons and the nephilim. The demons that are able to use a human as a host are called Dukes. These Dukes focus on a specific sin and have legionnaires who are demons that whisper temptation into human’s ears. I could totally picture evil demons floating around and whispering to humans trying to convince them to indulge in their sin of choice. The sons and daughters of the Dukes are the nephilim and are expected to help their fathers in this. Anna finds that as a nephilim she is the Duke of Substance Abuse’s daughter. The Dukes take their jobs and the jobs of their children very seriously. If it’s discovered that Anna has no interest in tempting others she will be severely punished. Because of this she has to feign interest in wanting to help humans give in to substance abuse. She really had an internal struggle with staying true to herself while appearing to be the temptress of drugs and alcohol.
Then there was Kaidan. Who (of course) is the Duke of Lust’s son. This makes him hard to resist for Anna. She is immediately drawn to him and there was a little bit of instalove going on. But I did like their relationship, even if he continues to decide what is best for her and just go with that. He spouted the usual “I want to protect you and we must be apart to be safe” BS.
I love how the book ended. Anna is on her way to becoming one kickass heroine. She is doing what she needs to survive but doesn’t lose that goodness that she has. She remembers that she is also the daughter of an Angel and is ready and willing to be used for that side.
Great review, Breann! You've relieved some of my fears about SE. Thank you.I'm going to read
for 2011.
LethalLovely~I've Come to Relieve U of Life & Love wrote: "Great review, Breann! You've relieved some of my fears about SE. Thank you."Thanks LL. I really liked it. But I don't read much YA so it was something new for me. Also completely different from the master/slave and dubious consent books I have been reading lately. (newly discovered and I am totally pervy for it) So I needed something on the lighter side.
Breann wrote: "LethalLovely~I've Come to Relieve U of Life & Love wrote: "Great review, Breann! You've relieved some of my fears about SE. Thank you."Thanks LL. I really liked it. But I don't read much YA so it..."
Heh. I just noticed you're reading "Nobody's Hero" for this shelf. I ♥ that series & NH was definitely the best so far. I've been spazzing out waiting for Nobody's Perfect (Damian & Savi's story), checking Masters blog at least once a day, no lie. It was supposed to be published in May or June but it wasn't finished. Masters finally announced a few days ago on her blog that it's coming out Sep 14. YAY!!!!! Hopefully it's for real this time.
Good to know! Marc's story didn't live up to my expectations but I have no doubt that I will love Adam's story. Ready to see Karla bring him to his senses!
Angels : Spell BoundFinished 8/19/2012
Rating★★★★☆
Review
I love a happy ending.... Even if it's a bitter-sweet happy ending. This was a great ending to this series. I felt everything was wrapped up nicely though there could certainly be more written as there are big changes on the horizon for these guys. It was a quick read as I sat down tonight and busted out most of it! Kept me on my seat and I just LOVE the commentary from the main character, Sophie. I want to be as witty as her! Lol great plot and great characters.
Yeah for another week!! This week for the 2011 shelf I'll be reading "Hexed".
I hope it's a good one as I have a love- hate relationship for anthologies.
The end of a series is always bittersweet. Glad you enjoyed it Angi. I feel the same way about anthologies. Hope it's a good one!
Hexed was pretty good for a short anthology. The Jim/Dali story alone is worth it!
For my 2011 shelf I am going for
been meaning to finish the series off for ages, so here goes............
Angels Read:
Date Finished: August 22nd
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Review:
I'm making this quick because I don't want to waste anymore time on this book that I really wanted to read but turned out to be full of fail. Alice is the protagonist. I don't how old she is because Morgan never says. It's implied she's at least 18 but she has the maturity level of a 14 year old. Anyways. She's a "half-breed" (their words, not mine). Part-angel, part-human. She didn't know this growing up. When a Descended (angel who comes to Earth sometimes) & a Earthbound (fallen angel who got his wings clipped) come to her doorstep, she finds out her mommy was an angel. *tear* So now she's got these powers & they need her to help fight Lucifer & the Fallen (angels who went to the darkside & now work for Hell).
Yeah....excuse me for being unpolitically correct, but Alice is mentally disabled. Some kind of chemical imbalance in her brain gave her the assumption that the whole fucking world revolves around her & her wants & needs. She's not a kickass heroine with powers who is courageous & intelligent. She's an immature, petulant child who was born with powers she sure as hell doesn't deserve. B&F consisted of her screaming (A LOT, & not in pain. More like screaming in anger & frustration), stomping her feet & telling people they have to do what she wants because "Bitch, I'm SPESHUL!" This whole book, Alice assumes she's SPESHUL & the only person who tells her she isn't is Lucifer-because he's the only person who hasn't lost his goddamn mind. Alice doesn't listen to ANYBODY & whines about EVERYTHING & when she does royally screw up, here comes the tears & apologies but I honestly DGAF, because you're not sorry if you keep doing it.
B&F is NOT Urban Fantasy. Yes, the world building was intriguing & a few characters were interesting (which are the ONLY reasons I gave this book 2 stars) but it's not UF. Instead, it's your average shitty YA novel playing dress-up & wearing it's mama's heels, pretending to be UF.
Sorry your read was so bad this time, Lethal. I'm assuming you received your replacement Kindle though so yay for that.
There are two other teams who could receive BINGO from the readers choice shelf!Question: Does the team have to be up to date with ALL of their stamps to get BINGO or do just the 5 in a row need to be completed?
"Instead, it's your average shitty YA novel playing dress-up & wearing it's mama's heels, pretending to be UF." Ouch! LOL! Sounds like a major fail. Thanks for the heads-up.
CONGRATULATIONS, Better Off Read! You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'angels'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Breann, someone asked that is the main discussion thread earlier and the decision seemed to be that you just have to have the ones in a row read. If they don't count for the BINGO, they don't have to be read.
Okay, then that means another team only needs readers choice to get BINGO. Just like us. So if that's what's called STOP READING and read a readers choice book. ;)
Breann wrote: "Thanks Steph!"Welcome :)
Breann wrote: "So if that's what's called STOP READING and read a readers choice book. ;)"
LOL! Yep. The way it works ~ a team must have 5 stamps in a row to win. A stamp on every called shelf is not req'd - just those that make up the 5-in-a-row.
Good luck, ladies!
Congrats on the stamp Better Offs!Love the review LL. I'll be giving that one a big miss. ROFL.
2011 Read:
Date Finished: 8/22/2012
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review:
Among Thieves was great fun, but it was the main character's voice that put it ahead of the pack. I loved nosing about with Drothe and enjoyed learning about the world of the Kin.
Drothe is a nose, an informant of a sort, that finds himself way over his head when a relic he is tracking down leads him right into the middle of a political maelstrom. Using his wits, quick thinking, and not too shabby sword play, he has to find a way out while protecting everyone he holds dear.
Drothe was a great character. He was funny, charming, and intelligent, but not too much so. He was honorable but knew how to turn a con. He was truly multi-faceted while still reading consistent throughout the novel. Douglas Hulick has written a timeless and intriguing anti-hero that I can't help but care about and want to see more of.
The world of the Kin was well done, especially the scummy neighborhood of Ten Ways. The descriptions were vivid and the mythology so layered that it didn't feel like a first book. I really enjoyed the use of the thieves Cant. It gave the spoken dialogue a richness that just added to the world building. The supporting characters were also written in a believable and enticing way. I want to learn more about them all, but especially Christiana, Kells, and Bronze Degan (hopefully).
The action was plentiful and the beautifully described sword fights really drew the reader in. Our hero doesn't always come out unscathed, but he holds his own most of the time. The action doesn't detract from the masterful thefts, the incredibly twisty political plot, or the rival gang warfare. Everything blends perfectly into one heck of a brilliant debut novel. I can't wait to read the second installment and see Drothe's progress within the Kin!
Finished: 24/08/12
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review:
After I finished the previous book in the series I had quoted:
"Mead once again leaves my itching to find out what is going to happen in the next installment as Rose faces a murder charge, has me dying to start it right now and find out what happens next."
As a whole I loved the series, from start to finish but have found some of the book lacking....and to be honest I am not sure how I feel about this, the final book.
Last Sacrifice finds Rose in prison arrested for the murder of Queen Tatiana, whilst sitting contemplating her fate over a crime she didn't committ she trys to work out what is going to happen to her. The only solice she finds is escaping is Lissa mind, however she realises that Lissa is trying to hide something her....it turns out that with the help of Abe, Adrian and Dimitri they help her escape, in order to prove her innocence.
Rose and Dimitri embark on a mission to find the murderer of Queen Tatiana and try to solve the riddle in the note Tatiana gave to Rose...stating Lissa had a sibling living after her father had an affair during his marriage and the child was hidden away. If they can prove this Vasalissa can take her place at court and stand for Queen.
Throughout the series we have seen Rose fight to protect those who are close to her especially Lissa and her friends, find and lose Dimitiri and in doing so lose part of herself. She has been determined and stubborn and I can't help but admire the character. She found Adrian and fell in love with him, he never completed her like Dimitiri, but she kind of made do because she knew Adrian could offered her the comfort and admiration she needed.
However in this the final book everything seems to click into place, she ends up back with Dimitiri starting a new life together, Lissa takes her place as Queen. I should be thrilled after following the series and rooting for her and Dimitri but it just seems to have been so easy, this book for me seemed to lack the dramatics some of the earlier books had. I am I left feeling slightly dissapointed.
Overall a brilliant series and I may read the spin off series at somepoint, will probably be on my never ending TBR later :)
Awesome review, Christal! I don't usually read books with male protagonists but Drothe sounds intriguing!2011 Read:
Date Finished: August 24th
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review:
I don't usually go for sci-fi romances. I'm not a big fan of aliens or spaceships. But the blurb for BtS (I haven't read book #1,Beyond the Rain yet) sounded good enough to give it a go. I wasn't amazed by BtY but I was far from disappointed.
I liked the hero, Cyn. He has a heartbreaking past that is a result of the tyrant ruler of his planet,Azra. He's leading the rebellion to overthrow the bitch, Fira, but in order to do that, he needs to kidnap her successor, Yara. Cyn's spent the past 10 or so years pretending to be an Earthlin, so when he starts opening up to Yara, he's also rediscovering himself, which was nice. I liked Yara as well. She's spent her whole life thinking Fira, The Grand Sister, was a powerful & ruthless, yet just ruler-and she's not. When she finds out how twisted & sick Fira really is, of course she feels denial. But she also is smart enough to connect the dots and realize that the things she's being told about Fira are true. Does she wallow in self-pity and betrayal? No. She decides she's gonna right Fira's wrong and does it with strength, courage, and only a little bit of stupidity.
BtY was an adequate PNR. I wish there were more sex scenes and that the sex scenes were smuttier as opposed to flowery, but that's a minor complaint. I also wish that the big fight at the end wasn't so rushed and that the ending wasn't so damn cookie-cutter perfect. Those are some of the complaints that got this book knocked down a star. I liked Yara & Cyn. They were definitely better protagonists than I expected. But they & BtY weren't anything special. I'm already starting to forget it. It's what I call a "filler" book: something to fill me up until I come across something truly fantastic.
2011
Finished 8/24/12
Rating★★★★☆
Review
Adam and Karla’s story started 9 years ago when Adam rescued Karla from some questionable men in the subway. Karla had been running away from home at 16. After Adam’s rescue she decided that maybe she wasn’t ready to be on her own just yet and he escorted a starry eyed Karla back home. Once home, Karla’s family embraced Adam as one of their own. Being a Marine, Adam was soon deployed. He and Karla kept in touch throughout his tour in Fallujah. Now 9 years later Karla finds herself in Denver singing in Adam’s private BDSM club. She is still completely starry eyed when it comes to Adam, and Adam, being 25 years her senior, can’t seem to see her but anything but the 16 year old girl he rescued. She finally decided that enough was enough and she was going to get Adam to see reason, that they are perfect and belong together.
I have loved Adam and Karla’s story from the beginning and have wanted to read it since book 1. I feel like I am rating their relationship as a whole rather than just this book. Just the book by itself didn’t quite live up to my exceedingly high expectations. What I liked was Karla’s persistence with Adam. She didn’t let him off the hook. She knew how she felt even if he didn’t. While she was persistent, she was able to see a lost cause when there was one. She wasn’t going to sacrifice being herself for him. Even if it is the Marine she has loved for 9 years. Adam did have a lot of demons to work through being a widower. I really liked Joni’s voice in the story and that she was still so much a part of Adam’s life and his new relationship. What did bother me... okay, here goes... there was too much sex. There, I said it. There was scene after scene, to the point where I started skimming. I think it bothered me because I was so invested in them already that I was anticipating more of the relationship part of their story, not just the Dom/sub part. Which was good, the fourth and fifth time...
Ms. Masters has a way of keeping you on your toes waiting for the next installment! She gave me just enough of Damian to make me want more. I loved Adam and Karla in book 1 but have been most excited about reading Damian and Savannah’s story.
Too much sex Breann!? WOW there must have been a lot.... lol I'm glad you liked it overall! :)I have definitely read those type of books where I'm sort of over that. I wanted to read it for the story and I just kept getting erotica. I didn't rent/buy it for that reason so it left me very disappointed. Lethal - I'm not a fan of aliens, etc. either but your choice sounds intriguing. I'm glad you liked it okay and sorry you hated the previous one!
Jade - OH how I love Dimitri. He's just amazing. With the last book I can see you felt it lacked a bit of what the previous ones had. For me though, after all the road blocks for Rose and Dimitri I was so happy to see them together. Other than Jerrico Barrons, Dimitri is my man ;-)
Christal - Great review! Your book definitely sounds like something I would be interested in reading.
2011 Read:
Date Finished: August 24th
Overall Rating: ★★★★
Review:
As anthologies go, this was one of the better ones I have read. I'll review each one by individual story.
"Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews" ★★★★★: This was definitely my favorite. Set in the world of Kate Daniels, we get to see more of Dali the half-blind, rare white tiger and Jim, the big and tough chief of security for the pack. Jim ends up infected with a ... you guessed it... type of hex ;-) Dali has to go deep into an underground world where she is in big danger as she is highly valued for her rare tiger parts to save Jim. But she does it because she loves him. Jim realizes he also loves Dali and doesn't want her to save him because it would put her in too much danger. Bottom line, Dali is a stubborn girl and hella smart. She ends up saving the day and getting her man :) I really enjoyed that we were able to see more of these guys. Not only was the story really interesting but also - I like Dali and Jim. I didnt quite know enough about either of them, especially Jim. I'm really happy to read more about him and not just what a bad-ass he is. I had no idea that they felt that way about each other. I wonder if I just missed it in the other books, or if it is really only coming to light now? I'll be paying attention in the future that is for sure. Anyhow, Fantastic read!
"Ice Shards by Yasmine Galenorn" ★★★ : This story was average for me. It seems to be part of the "Sisters of the Moon" series. It was based around a Finnish House Sprite named "Iris" who goes back to her past to find out the truth about the death of her former lover. The story itself was interesting but it was lacking. I felt like it was just "too big for it's britches". The story was complex so to tell the story, the writer had to keep going back to explain each thing. This happened a lot and it got to be rather annoying. Iris was rather annoying to me. I felt bad for her because she had been treated poorly and outcast for many, many years. However, she just seemed so pathetic that it grated on my nerves. I do give her props for doing the right thing and having the ball to do so though. So overall, it was just "okay" for me.
"Double Hexed by Allyson James" ★★★★
I really enjoyed this one. Stormwalker Janet and her friends find themselves stuck inside her hotel from a "Double Hex". As time goes on, the worst of each of their nature's begin to come out and get stronger until they are fighting with each other as they try to come to the bottom of who is responsible and how to stop it. We learn about the past of Janet's hotel manager, Cassandra. Also, I probably should have read "Stormwalker" before I read this as I believe from the summary of that book, she doesn't know the nature of her mate, Mick. In this book, I found out he is a Dragon, so well, there you go. I enjoyed this story a lot so I've moved "Stormwalker" up on my rental queue to read soon.
"Blood Debt" by Jeanne C. Stein ★★★
I've read several of the Anna Strong series, so I was familiar with some of the characters. However, I am definitely not caught up as there was a lot of revelations from previous books. I wasn't very impressed with this story and it was probably my least favorite. I just didn't feel that much actually went on. We learn a lot about Anna and her beliefs as she is on trial for murdering a black witch (I suppose from one of the previous books I haven't gotten to yet). I felt like this story was just used for the author to talk more about Anna. It was pretty boring and I'm really glad it was rather short.
Angi, sounds like it might be worth it just for Magic Dreams!
I'm going to read
for the Magic shelf.
Thanks Lethal and Angie :). I'm glad everyone mostly enjoyed their books this time around. For the magic shelf, I am going to read The Restorer by Amanda Stevens.
Yes me too! :-) ill be reading
for the magic shelf.
Yay for an early shelf! The good thing about "Magic" is that it gives us TWO chances to get bingo next Saturday!I'm looking forward to your review of "The Restorer", Christal! It's been on my "On hiatus" shelf since February. I lost interest & keep forgetting to pick it back up.
Hmmm. I'm not sure what to read. I'm waffling between
,
&
. HABO, please?
I'll keep you posted about The Restorer, Lethal. I haven't read any of the books you posted but a lot of my GR friends absolutely loved Seraphina. I have it on my TBR too.
CONGRATULATIONS, Better Off Read!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on '2011'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Yeah us! :-) thanks Steph :-)Lethal- I haven't read any of those so I'm sorry I can't offer any opinion. Good luck!
:) WelcomeHey, Lethal, I've read Sable Grace's series (#1-2) and enjoy it. Maybe you would too?
Congrats on the stamp Better Offs!
Yay, Better Off Read! As busy as I am these days, I'm still going to be sad to see this game end. *tear* This is my 4th round of BSB & it never gets old.Thank you very much for your help Christal, Angi & Steph. I figured no one had read Boyfriend from Hell since it doesn't come out until Sept. 25 (I got the ARC from Edelweiss). Ugh. I still can't decide what to read, which is unusual for me. I might go ahead & read
when it comes out tomorrow (AHHHHH!!!!!!). I'm very resistant to buying YAs unless they're cheap but I've been looking forward to Enshadowed for FOREVA. It'd be a good way to treat myself for surviving the first few weeks of the Fall semester without going batshit crazy. I'm off to class.
Sometimes I DO NOT envy college students.., then I drive by the U and start feeling all nostalgic... thinking Masters?? Then, oh wait, I still have to actually WORK and have a hubs and kids. *le sigh* Enjoy it while it lasts :)
Hey guys sorry I have checked in late but have been having laptop problems so had to wait to get back into work to use the pc!! :(For my magic shelf I am going for
Okay, I bought
a few mins ago & now it's on Book Jesus. O_O I feel slightly nauseous because I've never spent that much ($10.71 with tax, JESUS!) on a YA, the reason being because they're usually hit or miss for me. But I ADORED
so I'm crossing my fingers & toes that I didn't just waste my damn near nonexistent book budget money on a dud. *sighs* Who knew reading could be so freaking stressful? Happy reading, Team!
Hope its good Lethal *fingers crossed*
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Bloodfever (other topics)Blaze of Memory (other topics)
Supernaturally (other topics)
Supernaturally (other topics)
Chasing Magic (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Douglas Hulick (other topics)Kelley Armstrong (other topics)
Philippa Ballantine (other topics)
Susan Elia MacNeal (other topics)
E.L. James (other topics)
@Jade Glad you loved Hallowed! With praise like that, I'll have to make time to read it very soon. :)