Storm's Heart by Thea HarrisonI don't know how to review this book. I mean...yeah, don't know how to do it. I just keep staring at the picture of the cover and one question remains --> why cut off Tiago's head?? I mean, yeah, it's "that" kind of book, but still... And to add insult to injury, the library edition I have has the library barcode placed smack dab on Tiago's shirtless chest...which only leaves Tiago from the waist down and half a cityscape in the background. It's just kind of awkward. You know what else is awkward? The romance in this second installment of The Elder Races. I mean, I liked the book as a whole...but it's really hard to believe that Tiago goes through such a huge character change in less than a week. Day one: Tiago is a brooding Thunderbird/Destroyer of Worlds...surly and military-minded. Day two: Tiago is a besotted, possessive alpha-male ready to leave the world he's been living in for...oh, you know...since practically the dawn of time. Now, granted, Niniane has been in Tiago's world for several years, but she admits that Tiago was always gone doing warlord-y stuff so she didn't really have that much interaction with him during her time in the Wyr demesne. The romance just seemed contrived and forced and way way way too fast. I wish the romance had evolved a bit more gradually...had been more organic feeling. Since the romance was one of the pivotal elements of the book, the fact that it was just kind of weird made me drop it down two stars. The rest of the story was pretty good, though. I liked reading about Tricks' journey to take back her inheritance. Harrison sets up the premise for the third installment as well and I definitely plan on continuing the series. Insta-Love and cheesy shirtless covers, however, put it solidly in the realm of cotton candy. Rating:
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The Guard by Kiera CassWhelp...this was just ok. The Guard is a short novella detailing some of the events from Aspen's point of view. It's an uber quick read and, to be honest, didn't really give a whole lot of new information or character development. I know that Cass has to make it standalone so as not to put those who don't read it at a disadvantage...but on the same token, I do wish we had learned a little bit more about Aspen. Instead, it was just him pining after America while we re-read what already happened in the second full-length story The Elite. I guess I was hoping for some new content (even if it's totally unrelated to the overall plot), rather than just a rehashing of the last portion of The Elite I really enjoyed the earlier two full-length installments in The Selection trilogy, but Aspen was never one of my favorite characters. (Which, btdubs, if he ends up getting the girl in the final book, I may be a little miffed. Not that my opinion will sway the book's final outcome...but yeah.) I'm still looking forward to The One...mainly because I'm curious as to which guy America will choose. Only a few more months to go! Rating:Lover Revealed by J.R. WardSo...the Black Dagger Brotherhood is picking up steam. I confess, I was not looking forward to reading Butch's story. Out of all the Brothers (and my initial thought was - he wasn't even a Brother, so why was there a book for him?), I really just didn't like him. Plus, the relationship between him and Marissa was projected in the earlier books...so what more was there to say about Butch? Well, yeah...apparently there was a lot more to say about Butch. I definitely did not see these plot developments coming which made Lover Revealed a fun read. Butch definitely redeems himself a bit in this book and becomes a more in-depth character as well. There seemed to be less references to "shitkickers" and quickly outdated rap artists which made me happy...although, there were still plenty of "what's doing, my brother?"s to fill the annoying quota for this novel. As long as there are lines like that in these books, they will continue to earn their spot on the cotton candy bookshelf. The overall plot is also kicking up some speed in this novel. I won't go any further than that to avoid some major spoilers...but let's just say things are definitely getting interesting in the BDB world. I'm looking forward to the next installment - we shall see "what's doing" with Vishous. Rating:...you totally loved books one and two of a trilogy and get stuck on the final installment. The Kingdom of Gods was so different from books one and two in The Inheritance Trilogy. Books one and two followed a similar pattern and book three is totally different. Not a huge deal, but when it's not what you expected going in, it can be a bit off putting. I will back to The Kingdom of Gods...but after it sitting on my nightstand for a month and a half without being completed I think it will have to be relegated to a "time off" corner for a while. Until we meet again, The Kingdom of Gods...until we meet again. Endless Knight by Kresley ColeEndless Knight picks up right where Poison Princess leaves off...almost like it's part of one giant book that they cut in half at the end of a climactic chapter. This second installment in The Arcana Chronicles is excellent...maybe even better than the first book. Endless Knight delves deeper into the world After the Flash and introduces the reader to more Arcana Cards ready to do battle. I wonder if I liked Endless Knight better because you see less of Jackson in it? Oh, Jackson (or "Jack" as he's suddenly called in this book) is still there, no worries...but the focus is definitely on Death - when will Death show up/who is Death/what will Death do to Evie when he gets her/etc? Cole did a great job of creating a sympathetic figure...Death seemed to fall into the gray area of bad, but not quite bad. While we're at it...let's point out the elephant in the room. Evie definitely has a type she goes for, doesn't she? This shouldn't be a huge spoiler since you can see the cover art and all...but inPoison Princess it's all about Jackson...now we are intoEndless Knight and she's easily distracted by Death and their previous history. Yep...Kresley Cole has implemented the tried and true (and tired?) trick of young adult love triangle. So, let's go ahead and pick teams now...are you Team Jackson or Team Death? I know a lot of people are sick of the YA Love Triangle, but it doesn't seem to be a weary plot point in this story. Both guys are sympathetic enough that you can root for either of them and still feel bad that the other guy is going to lose out. I'm curious to see where Cole will take The Arcana Chronicles. This next bit might be a spoiler so stop reading now if you aren't interested in my hypothesis... Seriously - you've been warned - potential spoiler ahead. Ok - so I did notice the one line thrown into this book about the Card that doesn't know he/she is a Card until he/she kills another Major Arcana. Pretty sure that will be Jackson. And I think Jackson will turn out to be the Sun Card. Evie as the Empress is attracted to Death because he is her antithesis...yet, the Sun is what would make the Empress (ie. life) grow and flourish...so the Sun seems like it might be the right choice. I guess we shall see. Going to give this one five stars because it was a great read that stuck with me even after the last page was read. Can't wait for number three! Rating:I have been putting off reading this book for some reason. Maybe I am overloaded on vampires? What I was *not* aware of, was how long the book had been out...I read the 10th anniversary copy of the book! That's some staying power... All that to say, I don't know why I put it off - it was really enjoyable! It's a fast-paced story written in an engaging writing style which makes it a pretty quick read. At first I was concerned because I just didn't like Anita Blake. She struck me as a self-righteous...well...bitch. And I am still on the fence as to whether she is or she isn't one. But as I read the story I found myself warming up to her quite a bit. She definitely has some flaws which can ultimately make a character interesting. There are about a million books in this series...don't know how far along I will get in the series before I throw the towel in, but as of right now? Bring on the next installment! 4.5 gnomes out of 5 Rating:Dragon Bound by Thea HarrisonFINALLY. That was my reaction about a third of the way into the book --> Finally, it looks as though I have found a series that a) branches away from the typical vampire/werewolf plot line that permeates the genre and b) is written in a style that doesn't irritate the crap out of me. I have a few dragon/shifter books on my to-read list...but this was the first one of the field that I have read. And I loved it! It's steamy and seems to be the start of a really interesting world. It's not just dragons that shift in this series -- it's all the fae creatures you could ever imagine...from gargoyles to gryphons to whatever. And to top it all off, there are Elves! I love me some elves. Not like Santa's Elves...think more like Tolkien, Forgotten Realms, or Dragonlance elves. Dragon Bound starts the Elder Races series which, you guessed it, encompasses all the fantasy races. There's definitely plenty of material here - Thea Harrison could keep writing this series for quite a while and she has enough variety within the fantasy races alone to keep things fresh and interesting. The plot of Dragon Bound was interesting...the romance steamy (but pretty typical if I'm being honest). Was it predictable? Maybe a little...I should have figured out what Pia shifted into before it happened. In fact, the page before Pia shifted I guessed what she was. I predicted the end of the book as well...BUT the other factors of the story/characters/plot made it compulsively readable so I didn't really care that it echoed of other stories I may have read. Thea Harrison has a very readable style to her writing. The story flows smoothly and it's not filled with annoying sayings or choppy plot like other well-known authors/books in the field. Dragon Bound definitely caters to the Alpha Male storyline too. There's a positive review from J.R. Ward on the cover recommending it to fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood - she's right. There's definitely a similar vibe both in character style and series set up (if that makes sense?. Wrath is to the BDB as Dragos is to the Elder Races. All in all --> 4.5 gnomes...rounded up to 5 because I am excited to read where this series will go! [Read Dec. 2013] Rating:Atlantis Rising by Alyssa DayUm. I wanted to like it. I really did It has good reviews on Goodreads and the premise seemed interesting. I just couldn't stand the writing style. This may be one I come back to later, though. The premise seems too good to let go so easily... So, until we meet again, Atlantis Rising, until we meet again. [Read Dec. 2013] Rating:Where has half of November gone already? Life has been busy, but I've managed to squeeze a couple books in...not many more than that, though. Seems like each day something gets added to December's plate, so hopefully I can still manage to fit some reading time into things! The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. JemisinI think I may have found a new favorite author! The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin was excellent. The second installment of the Inheritance Trilogy, The Broken Kingdoms follows a blind artist, Oree Shoth, in the years following the conclusion of the first book - The One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Oree is in the middle of an on and off again romance with a godling when a dangerous new cult catches a whiff of her magical abilities. To add to the troubles, godlings are murdered across the city and it's up to Oree and her mysterious new friend "Shiny" to not only escape the cult's clutches but to put a stop to whoever is murdering the godlings. To be honest, I was slightly concerned about Jemisin following another heroine in book number two. I was unsure if I would find the new heroine as engaging as Yeine. While she still makes appearances in The Broken Kingdoms, Yeine is not really integral to the plot line. This is definitely Oree Shoth's book. Once I got used to that fact, the book really took off for me. I found the story engaging and the writing style very similar to the style of the first. The world building subtly evolved and grew. I did find that I didn't get as wrapped up in this installment as I did in the One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms...which is why this one got four gnomes as opposed to the full five. I think the reason for that was I just found Yeine's storyline more engrossing. Oree still had her fascinating points, however, and she was definitely a great subject. I am looking forward to wrapping up the trilogy...hopefully it reaches a satisfying conclusion. [Read Nov. 2013] Rating:The Poison Princess by Kresley ColeI really enjoyed this one! I think it's safe to say that it's my favorite "dystopian" genre book at the moment. In a humongoid nutshell, Evie is a tormented teen who discovers that she is part of a group of young adults who embody the various Tarot cards. It's up to Evie and the other young adults to either destroy the world or save it. This book was immensely readable and hard to put down. I'm still on the fence about Cole's Immortals After Dark series...but I wanted to give the YA book a try. I'm glad I did. This book definitely has a different flavor than the IAD series. The only things that kept me from ranking it a full five gnomes were the male lead and the annoying way Cole phonetically wrote out words in a Cajun accent. Jack Deveraux? Yeah, he's a douchebag. I may be showing my age here, but to watch him think with his "other" head for just about the whole book and then see Evie justify it away time after time after time...yeah, no. That just doesn't fly. Hopefully he redeems himself in the next book...otherwise, I am going to root for the other dude in the inevitable love triangle that is to come. Evie was on track to be annoying, but like I figured - she came into her own by the end of the book. Hopefully she doesn't backtrack in book number two just to win JD back...'cause, girlfriend - he ain't worth it! [Read Nov. 2013] Rating:A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley ColeI don't even know how to begin writing a review of this book. Let's just say that it was not my cup of tea...but I knew it probably wouldn't be when I picked up the book. In this first installment of the Immortals After Dark series, Kresley Cole introduces us to Emmaline - a half Valkyrie/half vampire young woman who is trying to break free from her sheltered past and learn more about her mysterious parentage. We also meet Lachlain - the uber macho king of the Lykae (werewolves) who has just recently escaped his own personal hell created for him by the king of the vampires. When Lachlain "scents" Emma and recognizes her as his mate, he swoops in and kidnaps her to his Scottish castle and attempts to woo her. Emma is not so easily swayed, however, and with the king of the vampires hunting them both down, things start to get interesting. Or not interesting. Depends on what you're into, I guess? Let me be frank - I only read the book because I spotted a book further down the Immortals After Dark reading list that I wanted to read and I *hate* jumping into a series in the middle. So, I picked up this installment which I think is the first in the series (there may be a novella that gives a prelude to the series? I don't know - Haven't read that one...) simply because it was the first story. I read the back...read some reviews on the book...and determined pretty quickly that this would not be one of my faves. I was right. Kidnapping? Yeah...no. Attempted rape? Yeah...SO not into that. Caveman-ish Alpha Male? Yeah...not into that either. More rape? Still not ok with that. Annoying heroine? Yeah...not into that. How about some more rape/rape attempts? ........... I just felt uncomfortable reading this book. Lachlain was a little to dominant male for me and he definitely attempted some sexual acts without Emma's permission or consent. That's not ok...even if she "eventually gives in" or if he overpowers her and she "discovers" that she likes it...I would still argue that's rape since she initially said NO. The big sexy scene in the story starts with Emma trying to run AWAY from Lachlain...to escape her kidnapper...and then he catches her, overpowers her, and off they go like bunnies. She ends up having a grand ol' time...but to start out with her trying to flee her kidnapper and then just being like, "Well...the Instinct has kicked in so now it's ok to have sex" - yeah, not ok for me. Because of the over-playing of the caveman alpha male and the weak, submissive female, I felt the characters were rather two-dimensional. (spoiler alert...you've been warned...) Even when Emma has a pretty kick-ass moment toward the end of the story, it fell kind of flat. I was more intrigued with some of the side characters which I think will get their own books...so maybe there's still hope that I'll make it to that book later in the series I wanted to read. I am going to give the next few books a try in the hopes that things get better. We shall see... [Read Oct. 2013] Rating:Assassins In Love by Kris DeLakeSo...I read this. This book is an example of why an author should always choose their book's title with care. When this was picked for a book club selection, I almost didn't touch it with a nine-foot pole. Assassins in Love? Seriously? Plus the guy on the cover with his shirt off while posing with his gun ('cause shirtless gun handling is useful?) was like cheesewhiz icing on an already cheesy cake. Then I looked at the author and discovered Kris DeLake is actually a pen name for Kristine Kathryn Rusch who happens to be a Hugo award winning author. The longer I stared at the book, the more I decided "Assassins in Love" wasn't cheesy...it was clever/funny/whatever. So, I bought it. And you know what? It wasn't that bad. It was actually pretty good. And I knew exactly what I was going to get with the book -- what's the plot synopsis, you ask? Well, let me tell you. There are two assassins. And they fall in love. Ok, you good? Well, there may be a few more twists and turns to the story than just boy meets girl, but the title is pretty straightforward. DeLake's writing style is very engaging and makes for a quick read. Lots of sexy bits as well...(what did I expect? They're Assassins...and they're In Love...). So, what did I learn from my Assassins in Love foray? Don't judge a book by its title. [Read Oct. 2013] Rating:The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. JemisinYou know that moment when you're reading a book and you can feel it sink its claws into you to the point where you are just compelled to read it? Yeah...totally had that moment with this book. And what's sad is I could have read it last year...but instead it just sat on my shelf waiting for me to pick it up. It's time finally came, however, and now I wish I had picked it up back when I initially bought it. What a wonderful read! The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is labeled "fantasy", but I might argue it's actually more of a mythology. The story follows Yeine Darr who, after living among her father's people for her whole life, is forced to travel to her mother's homeland to take her place in the succession of the nation's crown. Yeine travels reluctantly as there is no love lost between her and her Grandfather, the ruler of the Arameri nation. Once within the Arameri palace, Sky, Yeine meets Lord Nahadoth (the Dark Lord) and several of his godling children who are all enslaved as weapons to be used by the full-blooded Arameri. As Yeine cultivates complicated relationships with the personified deities and muddles through her newfound world of politics, she discovers that the path to her inheritance is much more complicated than she ever would have thought. I found the story to be utterly absorbing. Could it have been more complex and intricate? Definitely. But, for the amount of plot within the story, I thought the amount of politics to be in good proportion. It seems that several fantasy authors tend to put TOO much politics into their writing in an attempt to further develop the world. I'm not saying that approach is bad...I'm just saying that I don't prefer a lot of politics - it can bog the story down. The world building was a little weak as well and I want to know so much more about this world. I wish there was a map in the front of the book... I take comfort in the fact that this is the first in a trilogy and based on the description of the next installment, I think the world building will be expanded upon. I loved this book. [Read Oct. 2013] Rating: |
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