SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R5: Team #12 ~ The Dirty Dozen {1st Place}
Judithe, I thought of you and picked up
for $1 today when we went shopping for a hanging garment bag for my daughter who needed it for band tonight. After your reviews, I'm hoping I can get to it soon :)
Nice shopping! Hope you get to it soon, and enjoy it!
Completed "Angel" shelf read, Crave on August 31, 2012Rating: 4 stars
Thoughts:
To follow tomorrow
Susan (susayq) wrote: "Judithe, I thought of you and picked up for $1 today when we went shopping for a hanging garment bag for my daughter who needed it for band tonight. After your reviews, I'm..."That's a great price Susan, nice shopping!!!
Yeah. We have a store called Unclaimed Baggage that is exactly what it's name says...unclaimed baggage from airlines. So anything that a person would pack and fly will end up there. The stock is ever changing and you can find some good deals.
How funny! (Also...a bit scary if you value your things...but I guess they wouldn't end up in unclaimed baggage if you did!)
Shelf: magic
Finished: 9/1/12
Rating: 5 stars
Thoughts: WOW, this was fantastic! Marketed as young adult fantasy, but I thought this was a fine example of fantasy in general. Seraphina is a teenager blessed with musical ability who has a dark secret in a world where dragons and humans are at odds. It's been forty years since a peace treaty was signed to save the kingdom of Goredd, but humans are still mistrustful of dragons and vice-versa - dragons can appear in human form (known as saarantrai), but they have to keep themselves separated from all human emotion and quirks. The death of a royal family member, presented as if at the hands of a dragon, brings the tension up to boiling.
The first half was a bit slow - it was really dedicated to world-building and establishing Seraphina's relationships - but after that, it took off like a rocket. It also has a heavy musical element; the author listened to a lot of prog and world music while writing this, and I think it definitely shows. Even if you're not fond of dragons, this is worth picking up if you love fantasy. I am absolutely looking forward to reading the next one when it comes out!
Definitely looks interesting! Added...
Backreading now - sorry for my absence! Classes started up this week and it's been a bit crazy. I'm taking physics, agh! That "Unclaimed Baggage" store does sound a bit scary, but that's probably because I'm prone to losing things! Though $1 paperbacks are always a good deal.
Catching up on reviews, a lot of these were already on my TBR list - I really have to get to The Peach Keeper one of these days! And I have Stormwalker, but I haven't read it yet - good to get warning in advance that the second one's a bit meh, but worth getting through for the third one. :D
Looking forward to your Crave review, Tania! I enjoyed Covet and have been wondering when to get to the next one.
Shelf time is getting closer, tick tock! I probably won't be on in the morning...BUT WILL CHECK! (Even if I don't make it over here to post WHICH book) JUST IN CASE! And have books for the potential winning shelves for us that I'll be taking with me. (Have a baseball tourney...rush around for a few minutes. Then sit and read. Repeat.)
Completed shelf read,
on August 31, 2012Rating: 4 stars
Thoughts:
Crave
Book two continues from where we left off in the first installment "covet". The main character Jim Heron has been chosen to lead the fight between good and evil. Now that he is an angel, he is stronger and most of all ready to fight evil. He must continue the task of saving six more souls, after winning the first round for the good guys. But now the demon (usually in the form of a beautiful woman going by the name of Devina), is out to win and will use any means necessary to win for the dark side and the winner of this competition will rule the world.
Enter Isaac Rothe, former XOps member, already on the run for going AWOL. He is Jim's next assignment and he has his hands full because not only does the devil want Isaac's soul; his XOps boss is out for his head. We follow Isaac as he mistakenly meets the love of his live, an attorney named Grier Childe (who has issues of her own) and battles between good and evil. With the assistance of Jim; Isaac and Grier work through obstacles, both mental and physical, hoping to make it in one piece.
This installment has good characters, description packed action and just the right amount of romance and chemistry. The characters interact amazingly, are realistic and easy to love. I will definitely be reading book three in the series! Liked the first book better, but definitely found this good as well.
That lost baggage shopping is interesting, but yes as long as it isn't your stuff!!! LOLValerie, awesome you're taking physics, but understand it can be demanding and stressful.... Maybe we will win this bingo so you can focus on the course,
Judithe, good luck at the baseball tourney
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Great review, Tania! I've read the 1st in the series and just haven't gotten to that one yet.As for the Unclaimed Baggage, it's really a neat store. Not everything is pre-owned. Some of it is lost shipments of stuff. My daughter got a brand new Coach purse for more than half of regular retail...she was thrilled about that LOL
Oh! And I have my next book picked out for our winning shelves. I'm just waiting :)
BINGO R5: The Dirty Dozen
Shelf: 9/2 ~ psychic (N13)
5/5; stamp requested 9/3
Judithe: Endgame | finished 9/2/12 | 5 stars | review
Karen F: Killer Insight | finished 9/2/12 | 3.5 stars | review
Susan: Bonds of Justice | finished 9/3/12 | 4 stars | review
Tania: Visions of Heat | finished 9/3/12 | 4 stars | review
Valerie: Grimspace | finished 9/2/12 | 4 stars | review
Ladies, it's our chance. Steph just posted: Psychics!http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/p...
Grab your books and have a fun day reading. The other two teams still don't have one stamp plus this to complete their bingo row.
Gotta run to baseball, but reading
Omg! We could win! The other two teams that could win are missing stamps in their row that has Psychics in it! I'm reading Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh. And I'm starting it now!!!
Oh my goodness, YES! I'm out right now (on my phone) but will update everything when I get back. I'll be reading Grimspace!
Great choices! Tow of my fave series!!
I can't explain how excited I am right now! I have been laying down most of the afternoon cause I don't feel well, but when that was posted, I actually jumped up and down LOL
Oooh, last round my team came in second by hours so here is my chance for vengeance! If this wasn't a winning shelf I'd read Tangle of Need but I want to be able to savor that one. So I'm going with Killer Insight, from a psychic cozy mystery series that are usually pretty quick reads for me.
Off to go download from Amazon (grrrr at paying $7.99 for this book but the library isn't open until Tuesday.) :)
LOL Karen! Happy
by Ann AguirreShelf: Psychic
Date finished: 9/2/12
Rating: ★★★★★
Thoughts:
OMG! What an amazing finish! I LOVE THIS SERIES. If you haven't started, do so NOW. Seriously. What a treat in store for you. This is one I'll be re-reading, back-to-back, SOON.
If my little dog weren't running around doing this weird scratch thing that has me almost laughing, I'm sure I'd be in tears...joyous and sad. Sirantha Jax is a character that is real...I don't want her story to end, but I love her final line. No, I'm not going to quote it, and DON'T you dare go peek at it.
So, she grows, and I hope I can grow so well. She finds nuggets of wisdom along the way, and they touched me, too.
From Zeeka, aka "Z", Everything dies. There's no way to stop that tide. In the end, all we have is the pleasure we take from life. For my people, it's not long. I can spend my time crying, or I can LIVE. I can seek wonder. Haven't you ever noticed that people find tend to find what they're looking for, my friend?
About her relationships: But the truth is, the longer you love the same person, the more mysterious they become. ???? is like a pocket universe, full of stars, and I will never learn all his light. (Trying for no spoilers here!)
Especially in the last few pages, there were places I grabbed my writing utensil and marked *GASP* my book....because I want to read those lines again. Maybe it's the place and time in my own life, maybe it's universal, but this book hit me hard. I don't want to say good-bye to Sirantha, but I will enjoy visiting her universe again.
Pick up the series. Really.
And...one down! Even if I weren't reading this for the winning shelf, I would have devoured it in hours! The tourney (what I saw of it) was great...one "overtime" win for our boys (and I was in agony as I wanted to read AND watch at the same time...) followed by a very close loss. Sunburn. Sweaty and smelly...autumn is not quite here...but happy, bittersweet day.
And two down... :)
Shelf: Psychic
Date Finished: 9/2/12
Rating: 3.5 stars
After reading a couple of mysteries in a row where I'd guessed the outcome I was happy to read one where I didn't figure it out until the protagonist did. When reading a mystery I love an ending that you don't see coming but that makes sense in retrospect. For me, this book was one of those and I thought the mystery part was solid.
What held this one back from enjoying it as much as I had others in the series was Abby herself. For a psychic she certainly misses some big clues from people she's in a relationship with. Maybe being psychic is the problem, she depends so much on that intuition that she sometimes doesn't pay attention to what people are actually saying to her. When she and Dutch break up (not a spoiler, it happens within the first 20 or so pages) it really seems to be that she's the one flying off the handle and jumping to conclusions. Although she keeps claiming that he broke up with her. She does get a pretty big "upside the head" from the universe by the end so hopefully she's less obtuse in future books.
Anyway, I like to read cozys in between angstier and more challenging reads. I find they're a nice break. This series has the psychic angle difference. I think I actually enjoy the Ghost Hunter series by this author a bit more but it's still something I keep on my radar when I need that break.
Great review, Karen! I've had this series on my list for a while and just haven't tried it yet.
Thanks Susan! It's a fun series, although you kind of want to knock Abby & Dutch's heads together sometimes. :)
Shelf: psychic
Finished: 9/2/12
Rating: 4 stars
Thoughts: This was a really fun ride! Sirantha Jax was a really interesting heroine, rough and potty-mouthed and generally screwed up. It took a few chapters before I became fully immersed in her head, but once I got used to it I was totally on board. It was a bit scary how paranoid she was, and trying to separate the genuine concerns from her leftover trauma.
I haven't read a space opera in quite a while, so it was fun coming back to this. I loved the concept of grimspace itself, and I thought the most interesting planet was Gehenna, with red, poisoned skies and a city of sin beneath a dome. I was also interested in the politics happening on Keri's planet, and wish I had seen a bit more of her.
I wish there was a bit more development with the other characters, but I really loved Dina! Though I think my favorite bit was at the end, when she managed to (view spoiler). That was some pretty heavy stuff.
I kinda wish Jax and March had more page time together - he obviously has some dark secrets of his own, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the two of them grow together. Also, can we have more of those psi powers? Pretty pretty please?
I'll definitely be reading the next one!
CONGRATULATIONS, Dirty Dozen!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'magic'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamp Dirties!Good luck with race reading :D
I just finished my read for the winning shelf!
Shelf: Psychic for the win!
Date finished9/3/12
Rating 4 stars
Another amazing installment in the Psy-Changeling series!This one gave us human, Max Shannon and Psy, Sophia Russo.
I think Max is my favorite hero of this series (of course I haven't read Hawke's book yet and Kaleb doesn't have a book LOL). His humanness spoke volumes to me. He was still strong, protective and possessive, but not like the other men in this series; it was more low key.
Sophie. Ah. What to say about her? I loved her! She is (view spoiler) Sophia had a wonderful playfulness to her. I think she'll be important later on since
If you've read my other reviews for this series you know I love the background story. In this book we got a closer look at Nikita. She's not all that she's been cracked up to be and I loved that. When she (view spoiler)
And Kaleb. Sexy, mysterious Kaleb. What on earth is going on with him? Who is searching for? When he showed up to help Max, I had to wonder why. Totally not a Psy thing to do. Could this be another crack in the Psy race? With the fracture of the Council into 2 factions and (view spoiler) I can't wait to see what happens!
Of course it was great seeing our other couples in this book. Lucas is so wonderfully protective of his pregnant wife. And I love that Faith is still feeling the enormous responsibility of her gift and we got to see Vaughn help her through that.
This is a series that continues to get better the longer it goes.
thanks, Lisa Kay! I am totally baffled at that. There has to be something deeper going on. I've always thought (view spoiler)
You guys scared?? LOL! Don't forget to take your time & enjoy your book Judithe!
Oh...finished mine awhile ago. Just enjoying munchies on the main thread and reading a couple of other books... ;D
Hi guys!Wow, you all are so fast. Just got back from the trailer, so just got internet access, will finish reading and hopefully post tonight. Then we can win this game;)
Almost done reading "Visions of Heat" Psy-Changeling book 2
Yay, you're here! :D I'll update the stats!
Tania, that's a great book!
Well I did it! Not my best review, but didn't want to let you all down, so I rushed. Fingers crossed its okay.....
Completed "Psychic" read on September 3, 2012
Rating: 4 stars
Thoughts:
This is the second installment in the "Psy-Changeling" series, the first in the series, "Slave to Sensation", was about a female psy overcoming her lifelong silence conditioning and learning how to feel again; which was helped and encouraged by her attraction to a changeling leopard. The second book in the series is similar to the first, in regards to the main female characters. "Visions of Heat" also chronicles the struggle of a female psy to overcome her conditioning and learn to love a changeling, only this time it involves a Jaguar.
In the second book, Faith, the heroine is in a much more difficult place than Sascha was in "Slave to Sensation". She has been isolated all of her life and is constantly monitored by others. The result, she is silenced. As the book progresses, her talent is manifesting some new twists - very uncomfortable ones - and she needs to find a way to manage them without her monitors noticing.
Interestingly Sasha from book one helps her and she develops a relationship with Vaughn, the Jaguar, hi challenges everything she has known. We follow the romance and relationship between the two and we see Faith grow and change.
Nalini has once again created an incredibly detailed world for this series and introduces new and interesting ideas in each of her books. As with my review of the first book in the series, I found this novel too physically focused, but overall good ideas and written well.
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Visions of Heat (other topics)Visions of Heat (other topics)
Bonds of Justice (other topics)
The Peach Keeper (other topics)
Grave Dance (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Neil Gaiman (other topics)Susanna Kearsley (other topics)
Gena Showalter (other topics)
Jennifer Estep (other topics)
Melissa Marr (other topics)
Congrats on the stamp Dirties!