Title: Starglass
Author: Phoebe North
Series: Starglass, Book 1
Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi
Release Date: 23 July 2013
Terra has never known anything but life aboard the Asherah, a city-within-a-spaceship that left Earth five hundred years ago in search of refuge. At sixteen, working a job that doesn't interest her, and living with a grieving father who only notices her when he's yelling, Terra is sure that there has to be more to life than what she's got.
But when she inadvertently witnesses the captain's guard murdering an innocent man, Terra is suddenly thrust into the dark world beneath her ship's idyllic surface. As she's drawn into a secret rebellion determined to restore power to the people, Terra discovers that her choices may determine life or death for the people she cares most about. With mere months to go before landing on the long-promised planet, Terra has to make the decision of a lifetime--one that will determine the fate of her people.
I'm conflicted about this book, or rather how I think about it. On the one hand it does some things really, really well; others it does satisfactorily, but some things frustrated the hell out of me. I'm going to try and talk about all of these things.
The stuff it does really, really well: Diversity. First of all, this is a Jewish spaceship. Peopled solely by Jewish people. It's so nice to read about some religion other than Christianity, honestly. I loved that. Then there's the fact that the book opens with a letter from a lesbian woman to her daughter. I nearly did a fist-pump at that. The fact that gay is not shuffled to the back like it's something that never happens. I really appreciated the fact that the author used this science fiction setting to explore the issues of homophobia and gay rights. The right of choice is a strong theme throughout the book.
Other things worked for me, but didn't raise that 'hell-yes' feeling in me. Like how Terra reacted in certain situations. How she felt about her situation, and her role in the greater scheme of things. The way the community developed and changed over the 500 years they were traveling to their destination was eminently believable. The writing was straight-forward and easy to read through. This was a quick read - I'd fly through 20-30 pages before I even realized I had. I was glad that romance wasn't a focus, really glad actually, though I think it probably will be in the next book.
But, yeah, there's always a 'but'...But, there were things that left me shaking my head in frustration. I'm a character reader. I love characters, they are what makes me invest in the story first and foremost. Second is the world. Preferably I'd have both of these in my books. Great characters that feel real in a world that fascinates and intrigues. Unfortunately Starglass fell down for me in both categories. The only character that is really developed in this book is Terra. And she's so damn passive that I could never really love her. She accepts whatever she's told, by whomever deigns to tell it to her, and just goes along with it. Eventually she starts to question, but it was a little too late for me. Though she spends a good deal of the book working towards personal agency, time and time again she simply falls into patterns that leave her following someone else's plans. However, this is the first book. I will say that by the end I had hope that maybe, just maybe, Terra would show the growth I might have glimpsed in her last act in Starglass.
I mentioned that I like intricate worlds, and I kind of expect them when you're on a spaceship that left Earth 500 years ago. This could have taken place in a walled community cut off from the rest of the world. There was little to no advancement in technology - except for the fact that kids are grown in hatcheries instead of born now - computers are pretty much a non-entity; jobs are shopkeepers, bell-ringers; guards; bakers; botanists, etc. Then there's the fact that they set sail, as it were, for a planet that they know NOTHING about. Five hundred years flying through space and you don't even know if this planet you're heading towards has air we can breathe, water to drink, or if it's at all habitable. It strained credulity for me. I had a hard time swallowing the lack of advancement in a people that could build a spaceship like this.
I didn't even really get to get a good feel for the fact that we're in space until near the very end - when we finally reach our destination.
Conflicted. Still. I was hoping that writing my review would give me a better idea where to rate this.
Title: Iced
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Dani O'Malley, Book 1 / Fever, Book 6
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 30 October 2012
The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.
Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.
Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.
When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.
Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.
Okay, I finally went through and gathered my thoughts, from when I first read it, and from discussing it throughout the past year+ with friends.
I've put off writing this review, or even rating this book, since I first read it in 2012. You have to understand where I'm coming from, the Fever series was something I spent FIVE long years reading, rereading, speculating, discussing, and waiting for the completion. And it was beautiful, perfect...EPIC. I loved it. Even now that it's finished it remains at the top of my favorites list. The scope and ability that KMM showed in that novel blew my mind.
I had reservations about Dani. I couldn't stand her voice in Dreamfever and Shadowfever. Feck and Dude was every other word, it felt like, and I wasn't looking forward to reading a whole book of it.
Then I opened Iced and was surprised as hell to find out that I didn't hate Dani. I began to get to know her, to understand her, and her voice was so much different than what I'd previously read that I settled in hoping that my fears were mislaid.
Surprisingly, to me, I actually liked Dani. I don't love her yet, but I could see that happening. There are things she did that irritated the hell out of me, but she's an incredible character - tough and bitten, naive and innocent - rolled into one, believably.
Unfortunately, because there's been no change in age or growth from when we knew her in the Fever series I can't help but feel like KMM changed her to suit her purposes. There's no reason that her voice would change this much considering Iced picks up before Shadowfever even ends. So, while I was relieved and happy that I liked Dani, I was also skeptical about the authorial intent...and worried about what other characters would change to suit their new purpose (with good reason it turns out).
The "mystery" (these are supposed to be episodic books, with a "monster of the week" type of storyline) in this book was weak. Honestly pretty boring and I didn't give a crap about it for most of the story. Up until the last 20%, when it had me riveted, and the climax fight scene was fantastic. I loved how they had to work together, and how well they integrated their very different talents.
And now we're going to come to my main problem. The sexualization of a FOURTEEN year old girl by TWO GROWN ASS MEN. I can't really get into it without spoilers, and the rest of my complaints involve spoilers as well, so read on at your own risk.
1. Ryodan. I liked Ryodan in the Fever books. I thought he was intriguing, a contrast - more civilized and fuck-with-your-mind version of Barrons perhaps (Barrons is, as Mac puts it, with one foot in the swamp). He had a lot of potential and I was interested to read more about him. I *never* wanted him to have a relationship with Dani, at least not until she was older, and this was a concern when I first started hearing about this book.
Turns out I was right to be worried. Ryodan constantly sexualized Dani. Their interactions were constantly threaded with innuendo (that, incidentally, went over Dani's head), and he kept intimating that he was waiting for her to grow up. These moments were portrayed in a positive light, there's no getting around how KMM showed that the innuendo was fun, light, sexy. It's more than obvious that Ryodan wants Dani - maybe not today, but he's got plans and he's acting on them, trying to secure that future, now...despite the fact that she's fourteen.
Add to that the fact that he kept trying to make her dependent on him, and I was nothing but squicked out. The grossness of this relationship was really disturbing.
There's also a huge power imbalance that I'm not even going to get into, because it's pretty easy to imagine. But the fact that Ryodan uses this against Dani infuriates me.
Some really specific examples:
At one point in the book you Ryodan keeping Dani chained up for THREE days. Remember this is Dani, the person that needs to eat all the time (literally) because her metabolism is out of control. Three days with NO FOOD AND NO WATER!! Are you kidding me? She could have died. Honestly, with her metabolism she should have.
Later, I believe it's after Ryodan "dies" and when Dani sees him again he then SLAMS her up against a pillar, bruising her face so badly that she nearly can't see out of it afterwards. He pins her to the pillar and proceeds to breaks her finger. O__O
I can't even...What.the.fuck.
HE BROKE HER FINGERS.
What's Dani do? Cries with relief that he's alive. He's humiliating her. Hurting her. And she's happy he's alive.
Doesn't that sound like abusive dependence to anyone else?
Add to that the fact that Ryodan is either (a) incompetent or (b) someone that's determined to keep Dani in his sphere of influence from now until he can have her. In case (a) he's just worthless - no where near the level of Barrons. In case (b) c'mon, that's just skeevy. She's young, impressionable, able to be molded, and you're going to prey on her now so that you have first shot at her when she's "matured"? Fuck you.
I keep hearing about how Ryodan's supposed to be more epic* than Barrons, but I honestly can't see that happening.
Oh, and while we're at it, let's get this argument out of the way. I keep hearing about how Barrons was the same with Mac. I strongly disagree. Barrons was an ass, I'll agree with anyone there, but (except for the time when he went to her hotel room that first time) he never put a mark on her. He protected her, saved her life multiple times, taught her, showed her how to survive in this new world, gave her information, GAVE HER A WEAPON - The SPEAR (I'm going to come back to this). He was always about making Mac strong enough to take him on. He wanted her able to handle him, not be dependent or subservient to him. Did he use her? Sure. Did Barrons withhold information from her? Yep. Did he act like an ass? Absolutely. But he didn't hurt her, he didn't make it harder for her to protect herself, and he didn't make her less. He helped her build herself up. There's no comparison in my opinion.
The weapon. Barrons gave Mac the Spear. Made sure she was able to protect herself, defend herself. No matter what. We all know that Dani had the sword. At one point in the novel Inspector Jayne (fucker) takes the sword from Dani - believing and arguing that he can use it better than she can. When Dani goes to Ryodan for help, as he's been telling her to do all along, Ryodan REFUSES to help her get it back. Saying that he prefers it with Jayne.
I can't even begin to explain the rage this inspired in me. Just one more way for Ryodan to make Dani dependent on him. Thank goodness that Christian ended up helping her get it back.
There was ALWAYS the choice with Mac/Barrons. No matter what he wanted more than anything, Mac could have walked away and done it her own way. Barrons just, bluntly, told her that no one would be able to help her/save her/protect her/teach her like he would. And that’s what he proceeded to do. Ryodan on the other hand chained Dani up for 3 days without food or water or bathrooms. He slammed her into a pillar, repeatedly, breaking her face. He belittles her.
2. What the hell happened to all the strong female characters? The Fever series was peopled with them. Kat, Jo, Dani, Mac...Kat became weak - unable to make a decision, no matter how much it'd help her sidhe-seers. Jo became a sex object that had no brain. In the Fever series people would say "maybe Jo knows," and here she didn't know what kinetic energy was. She was a sex toy for Ryodan. Blegh. Dani at least remained pretty awesome. Mac was absent for the most part. And every.single.other.female was nothing more than a sex object, a damsel in distress, or window-dressing. No brains, fighting to die for the Unseelie in Chester's, with not a thought between anyone of them that was portrayed.
3. On top of Ryodan's oogling of Dani, you have Christian. His scenes were at least portrayed in a negative light. He was sickened with himself, with the changes happening to him. But on top of the Ryodan stuff it was just too much. Noticing her skull and cross-bone underwear, her "sweet, young curves" nearly made me sick. But I was sick for Christian. He didn't ask for this transformation. He's fighting it; he's often losing that battle, but he's trying. And he always is disgusted with himself later. The ending, and his actions, leave me hopeful that the Christian I know and love is still in there somewhere.
I did enjoy some smaller aspects of it. There's some food shortage issues that I'm interested in seeing more about. The world itself is interesting as hell, still. But I'm afraid to see the characters I know and love destroyed, turned into lesser versions of themselves. I'm going to read the next one, and hope and pray that KMM gets back on track...but I'll probably wait until Jenny's read it and given me a run-down (that she promised :P)
Here's a Q/A with KMM after Iced was released. I'm going to highlight the parts the infuriate me the most. But be warned again. Spoilers ahead. Q&A Link
Q. Is Dani older in BURNED?
A1. Crimeny, is it really all about sex?
Q. Yes. Now answer my question.
A2. Although Dani is 14 at the beginning of BURNED, she does mature by the end of the book. Someone asked if she would be 17. I said possibly.
No. We're not worried about the sex. I'm worried about Dani being taken advantage of...when she clearly has no idea what these MEN want with her.
Q. Do you write about pedophiles?
A. No. I write about life. I write with verisimilitude. I write about men who look at a 14-year old superhero woman-child (who is also an assassin—where is the moral outrage over that? Priorities, the UK would say, get some) and can see the women she will become one day. I write about men who will do anything to keep her alive long enough to become it—even knowing they may never be the one lucky enough to get her. I write about men who know that being gentle and making pleasant requests of a young woman who is stronger, faster, smarter and has more balls than pretty much everyone on the planet would be as effective as trying to chisel a sculpture from stone using feathers. Ryodan never lusts over Dani. Dancer never lusts over Dani. Christian has a few very realistic death-by-sex Fae moments but there is no question he is drawn to her “light’and her ‘innocence’ not the skull and crossbone panties he glimpses when she is freezing to death that ‘charms’ him. Not turns him on. Charms him. Do they have hard dicks? The 9 and death-by-sex Fae always have hard dicks. The wind blows.They breathe. It’s that simple. I was 13 when I first noticed a man looking at me like he wanted to have sex with me. How old were you? Although I didn’t act on it for a long time after that, I remember to this day being thrilled by it. Exhilarated. I was becoming a woman. Dani is an odd duck: raised by TV she has seen everything the world has to offer but experienced very little of it. She gets the actions, not the emotions. Yet.
Part of what may have been difficult for any readers who felt disturbed by the way I wrote the characters in ICED is this: I have always given my reader a way in to the men, a heroine through which the reader could connect on a sexual and romantic level to the Alpha males I write. ICED is the first book I’ve written that does not do that. I gave you no mature eyes through which to experience romance (of which there is none yet.) There is no woman in ICED through which you can comfortably lust after my Alphas. Yet. Stay with me. Keep the faith. This made it difficult for some readers who tried to view the Alphas through Dani’s vantage and felt an ‘ick’ factor. Well, stop it! You weren’t supposed to do that anyway, LOL.
Of all the condescending responses I've ever read. OMG. FUCK YOU. I DO NOT READ to lust after the Alpha. I don't put myself in the place of the "heroine" so I can experience her lust for the hero. I have NEVER done that. Don't try to lay the blame for your lust filled innuendos and situations on me.
And fuck you very much for telling me I read the novel wrong.
*And then there's this where KMM says Ryodan will "eclipse Barrons".
One last note about Ryodan: He will eclipse Barrons. Blot him right out of your soul’s sky.
Why's he gotta be more than Barrons? Why can't he just be different? Why do I get the feeling this means that there's a Dani/Ryodan HEA in the works?
I do have some theories/speculations that I could go on about where things would turn and make me happy again, satisfied. But I don't know if I can bear to hope for them to happen. I don't foresee any scenario in which I'm happy with Ryodan and Dani ending up together.
Here are a couple of fantastic reviews that I agree with 100%: bean and Cory and Jenny.
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.
But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
Pierce Brown spent his childhood building forts and setting traps for cousins in the woods of six states and the deserts of two. Graduating from college in 2010, he fancied the idea of continuing his studies at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a magical bone in his body. So while trying to make it as a writer, he worked as a manager of social media at a startup tech company, toiled as a peon on the Disney lot at ABC Studios, did his time as an NBC page, and gave sleep deprivation a new meaning during his stint as an aide on a U.S. Senate campaign. Now he lives Los Angeles, where he scribbles tales of spaceships, wizards, ghouls, and most things old or bizarre.
Title: Magic Burns
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels, Book 2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: April 2008
Down in Atlanta, tempers—and temperatures—are about to flare...
As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate is going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.
When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta's paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more is at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can't stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive.
My love for Kate Daniels started strong in Magic Bites; when I first read it, I didn't think it would be possible for me to love her - or her world - more. I was wrong. The Kate Daniels' series just gets better and better!
Kate's been doing pretty well since the events of Magic Bites. She's settling into her new job at the Order and continuing to take jobs for the Guild. Unfortunately, things are about to go crazy. It's not just the normal magic-tech fluctuations that Kate has to worry about now, there's a flare coming. Increasingly strong magic-waves, slamming into the world one after the other, until it culminates in magic flooding the world so deep that impossible things can happen; creatures they thought safely in myth and legend begin to walk through Atlanta, perhaps dragons can even fly the skies, and just maybe gods will be able to live.
Magic Burns has everything I loved about Magic Bites and then some. The flare just ups the ante, making everything more urgent, more exciting, and more important. Nothing, including just traveling through Atlanta, is simple during the flare. Kate gets pulled into a mystery on multiple fronts: the Pack asks for help in tracking down a thief, a little girl's mother is missing, and a mysterious bowman keeps showing up out of nowhere. The mythology in this book fascinated me. I loved how Ilona Andrews made it seem so effortless to weave together so many different strands with such imagination. I don't want to say too much about the plot itself for fear of spoiling, but it was more strongly and tightly put together than the first book.
If I thought I loved Kate before, this book solidified my feelings for her. She continues to be kick-ass, keeps smarting off, and still fights to protect. Kate's loyalties run deep - she may have been raised to be a loner, but the attachments she forms are deep and unbreakable. She will never betray someone she cares about, and she'll give her own life to save theirs.
And no matter how much Kate would like to avoid him, we also get to spend a lot more time with Curran. I love the deeper look we get into him in this book. He's Alpha. I don't know how else to explain it. He's used to being obeyed, getting his way, and demanding without question. He's earned it, honestly - he has several hundred shapeshifters that swear allegiance to him. Not only is that a lot of power, it's a lot of responsibility. So even though he can downright be an ass, it's that responsibility that sticks and reminds me why he is the way he is. He cares about each and every one of his people. He's honorable, to the nth degree, and he's absolutely ruthless when it comes to protecting those he's deemed are his.
Curran and Kate have some of the best chemistry I've ever read. They spark off of each other, nearly combustible in each other's company. Their banter never fails to make me grin; in fact I can just think about some of their moments together and will start to laugh. It was this book that made me start really rooting for them together. I began to see how they could compliment and strengthen each other.
There are plenty of other favorite characters returning in this book, too. Derek, Kate's "sidekick" - one of my absolute favorite characters in the series - begins to show just how awesome he is, and how powerful. There's more Ghastek, coming in with an unexpected offer; an interesting, and somewhat enlightening, scene with Saiman; and a few new characters that make things even more interesting for Kate.
Interesting might be exactly what Kate's trying to avoid, but I love it. Every minute feels fraught with urgency and action. The fact that Ilona Andrews can manage to weave humor into these situations, making me laugh out loud for several minutes at a time, just makes their writing all that much more awesome.
I can't do justice in my reviews on these books. I feel like I can talk for hours about how fabulous they are and never really scratch the surface.
I still think that if you're experiencing the story for the first time, you shouldn't listen to the audio books. Tone can change a lot, and the tone that I felt was conveyed through the books - Kate's voice - is very different than what Raudman uses. Kate comes through as much more passive in the audiobooks than she is in the books, in my honest opinion.
Still, it's nice to be able to listen to the stories that I love so much.
Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles, Book 1
Genre: Young Adult Steampunk
Release Date:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
I admit, I was nervous to pick up this book, no matter how much I love fairy-tale retellings. So frequently they don't live up to my hopes and dreams. Cinder, while not perfect, absolutely did! I was engrossed and enamoured of the story and characters from the very beginning. Marissa Meyer pulled me in and, even when I was questioning the logic, or despite knowing exactly what was happening, she didn't let me go.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked up this book. Sure, I knew it had androids and it was a Cinderella retelling. I expected romance, machinery, evil step-sisters and a prince. While I got most of that, it's put together in such a fascinating way that I couldn't help but be charmed. If you've read any fairy-tales, or fairy-tale-like stories, you will probably see the 'surprise' coming a mile away (or from the very first pages of the book more like) - but that's okay. That's part of the fun of reading retellings.
I find it hard to talk about this book for fear of spoiling anyone that hasn't read it yet (I know there's got to be a couple of you out there yet). Cinder's an interesting character. She's not a goody-two-shoes, she's not perfect, and yet she's one that I can absolutely root for. I wanted to see her get her freedom, not just from her present situation either. I really liked how she took concrete steps to try to forge forward with the life she wanted. While she didn't always think things through, and her planning sometimes did not result in her anticipated goals - the fact that she was trying and determined made me love her.
Prince Kai. *sigh* He could almost be too perfect. Almost. But he isn't. He's real and sweet and charming and…I could go on. I loved the sweet flirting between Kai and Cinder; there were times I literally 'aww'd out loud as I read some of their interactions. I 'ship this pairing so hard! I need them to get together.
There aren't a lot of other characters that get a lot of depth, Queen Leveana - the antagonist - barely does; Dr. Erland gets a bit more (I still hate him); and we at least get some understand of one of Cinder's sisters.
Going back to Dr. Erland - I hate the cyborg draft. HATE. Even with his reasons, I can't help but hate him. One of my friends had some issues with the logic of the cyborgs being used in this way, I didn't have these issues. I have no doubt that this kind of thing would result in prejudice and a feeling of superiority from "real" humans. After all they're "pure," not part machine. So I get that. I did wonder where the hell animal testing had gone though. What, are there no rats or mice in this new world? My issue though was with what the character did, not really the logic of that plot-line.
I also have to admit to some confusion on the sense of place. We're in New Beijing. Okay, where is that? Are we still in China? Asia? Somewhere else? It kind of had a feeling of Euro-Chinese - which could be completely valid as New York is a long ways from York, for example. I think I'd just like a better idea of how the world is laid out and divided amongst the Earthens.
Most of these questions and thoughts popped up while reading and were quickly brushed aside as I was absorbed back into the story once again. They still hang with me, but didn't detract from my enjoyment at all.
Cinder ends on one hell of a cliff-hanger. Things come to a head, stuff happens, Cinder's in trouble and recognizes that everything - including herself - is changing and something new has to happen…and then it ends. I'm dying to pick up Scarlet. And I already can't wait for Cress. If either or both of these turn out as fun as Cinder was, Marissa Meyer's got a new fan.
Title: Clean Sweep
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Innkeeper Chronicles, Book 1
Genre: Sci-Fi / Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 2 December 2013
On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can't leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina.
And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night....Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.
Ilona Andrews originally wrote this as a serialized publication, for free, on the web. I read the first couple of chapters as they were released and quickly came to realize that I'd never have enough patience to wait week to week to find out what was going to happen. So I deliberately ignored that it existed. I was anxiously awaiting the day when it would be available for me to buy.
Clean Sweep has an utterly original idea; sure there are werewolves and vampires and magic, but it's all so much more than that. There's intergalactic travel, and aliens, doors through space and incredible weapons. I'm not sure how they do it, but the husband and wife writing team of Ilona Andrews always manages to come up with the most interesting stories and tell them in the best way possible. I'm always utterly engrossed in their books and devastated when I finally reach the end, because there's no more to read.
I've known for a long time that I can count on finding an abundance of subtle humor in books by the Andrews. Clean Sweep is no exception. I laughed out loud more than a few times while reading it. Another thing I can count on is kick-ass heroines that hold their own, don't cow to the uber-alpha heroes (who manage to not be assholes), said heroes that are actually complicated and interesting character in their own right, and beautifully described action scenes.
I know you've read that blurb, and if like me you hate love-triangles (with the passion of a thousand fiery suns), you might be slightly concerned. There is a love triangle that's formed in this book, BUT - hold onto your hats - I liked it. I really liked both Sean and Arland and, most importantly, how Dina reacted to them. The chemistry is fantastic, and I just find myself wanting more, more, more! I have my guesses about who she'll end up with - it's pretty clear to me - but I'm still going to enjoy each moment of the dance between the three of them.
Dina is a great character. She's young, with some tragedy under her belt - and there's an overall mystery to her past and present that I'm dying to see solved - but she's got this great sense of life about her. She's vivid and uncompromising - I mean that she won't give up. She loves life and cherishes it. She wants to enjoy it, so she sets out to follow her path and earn what she wants. She's logical and thinks (why is this such a rarity in books these days?); Dina doesn't let anyone else control what she does or doesn't do, and she takes her responsibilities seriously. And when two alpha males start showing interest in her she doesn't fall all over herself in an attempt to please one, or both, of them. She maintains herself. I love that.
Speaking of the two males: Sean and Arland. Sean's a werewolf stronger than other werewolfs; the alpha-strain werewolf, bred to be faster, stronger...more. I liked that he didn't really know the truth of everything when it started. He takes it pretty well though, and at the end I can completely understand (and agree with) his decision. Once he realized that Dina's not a helpless female, I loved how he treats her. With respect and care. Intent on keeping her safe, but at the same time realizing that she's able to do that herself too. He trusts her to keep herself safe, and helps her when she asks for it. I can't help but respect that. And ... well, hell, I just want him. When he starts flirting? Damn. Sexy as heck.
And then there's Arland. Just as sexily flirtatious. When he turns on the charm I admit I wondered at his motivations at first, but by the end I was healthily intrigued. He's honorable - in fact that's nearly everything to the vampires - but he's also a predator, through and through. And I love, love, love how he reacts to coffee. Made me laugh out loud. He treats Dina like a warrior, worthy of respect. There's no looking down on her because she's a woman - he knows that women can be just as powerful, just as deadly as the males. Misogyny? You can trust that you won't find it in this book (or any book by Ilona Andrews).
Though I normally hate the grand-standing that happens between ALPHA males in books, I loved how Arland and Sean came to terms with each other. How they got to know one another, and gained some respect for each other. Their last interaction made me laugh out loud and had a grin splitting my face for the last few pages of the book. In fact I'm still grinning like a fool here.
I haven't even touched on the plot. It drives the entire story - isn't that what is supposed to happen? Yes, yes it is. Maybe I've been reading too much crap lately, I don't know, but it's such a breath of fresh air when I read a book that combines all the things I love into a single set of bound pages. The plot here is fascinating. It allows us to learn more about the characters, the world, and pulls the reader through the pages of the book to inhabit the world we're reading about.
I want to live there by the way. I want to visit this inn, travel the worlds, meet these characters.
Ilona Andrews' books always reduce me to feeling like a squeeing fangirl, mostly because that's what I become. With such great characters, an actual plot, in an intricately conceived world...who can blame me?
Title: One Enchanted Season
Authors: C.L. Wilson, Erica Ridley, and Elissa Wilds
Series: N/A
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi Romance
Release Date: 5 December 2013
Three bestselling and critically acclaimed authors of paranormal romance weave stories inspired by classic holiday songs.
'tis the season to enchant...
In C.L. Wilson's UPON A MIDNIGHT, an angel helps a troubled woman heal the wounds of her past so her soul can relearn how to sing.
Erica Ridley delivers magic with LET IT SNOW, in which a treasure hunter breaches an enchanted castle only to become trapped inside with a cursed princess and a suspicious tree.
And in SNOWMAN, Elissa Wilds weaves a tale of forbidden love that bridges two very different worlds, when a snowy stranger appears at an isolated mountain cabin seeking much more than shelter from the storm.
Step into a world where the nights are long and dark, snowflakes sparkle like fairy lights, and the hearth fires burn as brightly as the passion of newfound love.
I'll be honest, I only requested this because of C.L. Wilson. I loved her Tarien Soul series and she hasn't released another book since the finale of that series in 2010. I feel like I've been eagerly anticipating her next book forever! Then I saw this, not only a new original short story, but a sneak peak at her full-length novel, The Winter King due out 29 July 2014!! I had to get it.
Thankfully her story was the first one in the anthology, so I didn't have to skip to it. "Upon a Midnight" was a nice, sweet story about a woman finding peace from her past and her guardian angel learning exactly what it means to be made for someone.
Upon a Midnight by C.L. Wilson
Kat has some seriously emotional baggage that's being carried around with her. Though she loved her parents, and was loved in turn by them, her father kept them on the run and her life with them was about upheaval. When they died in an accident, she was sent to live with her horrible grandparents - seriously, these two....I was so mad at them, at what they did to Kat. She bears the scares, deep and painful still, of these experiences and they affect her every day life. On top of all that, Kat worries that she may finally be going crazy - just like her father.
Micah - have I ever mentioned how much I love that name? - is Kat's guardian angel. He was made to protect her, because Kat's so much more than she ever imagined. And it's imperative that she be able to do the task she was destined for. Unfortunately, her history may just make that impossible.
I loved Kat. I loved how, even with her past, she didn't let it ruin her. She forged ahead, determined to still help others. I really admired her. Micah was perfect, but what I loved most about him was his support of Kat. His purpose is to protect her while she completes the task, however when she believes she won't be able to do it, he doesn't demand or insist, he supports. I love that.
My only, tiny, niggle with the story is how quickly Kat was able to deal with her issues. There's so much intense emotional history that it's hard for me to quite believe that she was able to put it all behind her so easily. I was so happy that she was that this didn't bother me a lot, but I think I would have liked more time spent on her healing from the trauma of her past.
Grade: B
Let It Snow by Erica Ridley
Full disclosure - I did not finish this story. In fact I only got about two percent into it. My problems completely stemmed from the world that couldn't decide what it wanted to be. You had characters sending out pleas to gods - plural - and planning to go to midnight mass for Christmas Eve. That made me pause and wonder, but I went with it and kept reading.
You have a main character that carries a sword, talks of magic, and mentions how he purchased a pirate ship - and then you find out a few paragraphs later that airplanes are still flying the friendly skies. Wha--?? M'kay, then. Moving on.
That's when I come to the point where the "hero" of the story is beseiged by six bounty hunters. I'm just going to add the quote and my exact notes from when I read it:
...when a pair of bounty hunters used silver bullets to announce their presence. Four more bounty hunters fell in behind them.
Lance had his sword in hand and through the chest of the closest attacker before the hunter had a chance to pull the trigger a second time. Two razor-edged claymores appeared in Sancho's mitts from out of nowhere, and for several adrenaline-filled minutes, the only sounds were the clang of swords, the sharp report of gunfire, and a series of wet thuds as the bodies of the would-be assassins hit the ground and stayed there.
Bounty-hunters "announcing" their presence by firing a gun - how inept are they that they can't hit an unaware target?
SIX bounty-hunters, presumably with guns, can't take out two lonely guys with only SWORDS?
Sancho (Lance's friend) can apparently wield TWO CLAYMORES at a time - do you have any idea how BIG these freaking swords are? They're HUGE. They're meant to be handled TWO-HANDED.
Then the bounty hunters are apparently still firing their guns and still can't hit our hero.
I'm done.
Grade: DNF
Snowman by Elyssa Wilds
I admit, I had little patience by the time I started this novella. Then it seemed like maybe I'd be in for a treat, because it started off interesting enough - even if I wanted to smack the heroine for idiocy in a snow-storm, at least she recognized that she'd been stupid. But then we get to the part where other female characters can't even be bothered to be given a name. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
After that, I'm not sure if I just lost what little interest I had, or what, but I started skimming and all I saw was 'blah, blah, blah'.
I knew it was time to give up here too.
Grade: DNF
OH! And the preview for The Winter King? LOVE. I'm SOOO excited!!
Title: Red Rising
Author: Pierce Brown
Series: Red Rising Trilogy, Book 1
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
Release Date: 28 January 2014
Darrow is a miner and a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he digs all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of the planet livable for future generations. Darrow has never seen the sky.
Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better future for his children.
But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow and Reds like him are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow joins a resistance group in order to infiltrate the ruling class and destroy society from within. He will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
That blurb up there, it doesn't even begin to do justice to the mastery that lies in these pages.
I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.
That, right there, is how it starts. Instantly hooking me and not letting me go for nearly 400 pages. I wasn't expecting this. I expected another standard-fare dystopia - we've all read them. They are everywhere now, aren't they? The underdog hero fighting against a corrupt system for a brighter purpose. It seems like it shouldn't be so much more than that. I'm not a huge reader of science-fiction, and when I found out this takes place on Mars far in the future, I had my doubts.
But there enters Darrow, a protagonist unlike any other I've read. He's the best Helldiver there is, able to quickly and nimbly gather the precious Helium3 that's so needed. He spends his life happily doing all he's known. He's a pawn, gullibly believing the lies that have been told him his entire life. Not even considering another possibility than the 'truth' he's always known. Until tragedy strikes, and his wife, Eo, is killed by the ruling Golds.
Eo was with us such a short time in the novel. We heard about her, and then only saw her for a couple of chapters, then she's gone. And still it felt like the still-beating heart of me was ripped out. She's such a dynamic character. A dreamer. The catalyst for change - no matter the cost. And the cost is high, not just to her, but to Darrow. And she's never forgotten. I was nearly 90% into the book when Eo was mentioned (one of many, many times) and I started crying again.
Thus starts Darrows first transformation - from ignorant, accepting youth to rage-filled, betrayed husband. His need for vengeance is deep, and he gets his chance. All he has to do is give up everything about himself, everything Eo loved, to become one of his enemy. He'll be reshaped into a Gold, a Trojan Horse slipped in their midst to bring down the corrupt regime. He's to become the knife between the ribs they never saw coming.
I mentioned Darrow's first transformation, but it's not his last. He learns and grows, adjusts and readjusts. He knows he's not the strongest, or the smartest. He doesn't have the strategy perfected. He can't win this on his own. Darrow's fallible. God, how I loved that. He makes mistakes, mis-judges things, hell, he does things that made me cringe. And yet, I was always right there with him. From beginning to end I couldn't help but root him on, willing him to find a way.
It's not just Darrow that's great here, either. He's surrounded by such complex characters, with diverse motivations - sometimes I wasn't even sure where loyalties lay, who was going to betray whom and for what. We learn, right along with Darrow, that the Golds aren't all cut from the same cloth. This changes the way Darrow, and I, saw things. Obviously, some stick out more in my mind than others - and I hope we haven't seen the last of them. But still, I wasn't sure who to trust, and even when I gave trust it was wary and worrisome. What if they were biding their time? I spent most of the book on the edge of my seat....needing to know.
"You do not follow me because I am the strongest. [Redacted 1] is. You do not follow me because I am the brightest. [Redacted 2] is. You follow me because you do not know where you are going. I do."
I read for characters, you might know that by now, that's what will always intrigue me and pull me through the story. But I love worlds, too. Pierce Brown has created such a diverse, complex, intriguing world that I'm in awe of it. The color system he's devised, the way and reason it's implemented, how each group is kept under the thumbs of Golds - blew.me.away. It was logical - imagine that. How it came to be made sense and it was absolutely heart-breaking. I think this world devastated me so much because I can imagine it happening. It scares the ever-living-hell out of me.
On top of all this awesomeness you have the writing that immerses me so deeply into the world, the story that I couldn't let go of it. I can't do this novel justice, I could ramble for ages on how it made me feel, how I laughed out loud, cried and pleaded, and at times it even made me squeal in delight. Red Rising is, hands down, the best science-fiction novel I've ever read. Pierce Brown is brilliant, and I can't wait for the second novel in this trilogy - already I'm anticipating having all my expectations shattered.
Title: Mine Under the Mistletoe
Author: Kat Latham
Series: N/A
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 5 December 2013
Thanks to a transatlantic house swap, California girl Ashley Turner is finally going to fulfill her lifelong dream of a proper English Christmas. Her holiday plans did not include a sexy stranger climbing into her borrowed bed in the middle of the night. But in the light of day, Ashley can't help but wonder if Santa has delivered early...
Game designer Oliver Stansfeld can't wait to leave dreary London—and all its difficult holiday memories—for sunny San Diego. But a freak ice storm and a grounded plane have forced him back to his already-occupied flat. To make up for the mix-up, the least he can do is show his pretty houseguest where to get the perfect Christmas tree before he leaves.
The more time they spend together, the more their attraction grows, and soon Ashley is tempting Oliver to give in to the spirit of the season and snuggle up for the rest of the winter. As the ice melts and flights start taking off again, he must choose between giving in to the past or risking his heart on a chance at love.
Mine Under the Mistletoe ended up being an endearing mix of fun and poignant - I wasn't expecting the poignant when I picked it up, but it really added to the story. I do, however, wish it had been a little bit longer to deal with some of the very intense feelings it began to address in the two main characters.
Ashley's one of those people that is determined to find the best in everything. She's a bit naive, but utterly kind, caring and optimistic. That's not to say that she doesn't recognize the bad things that happens - she understands them very well - but she adapts and forges ahead. I found myself liking and respecting her quite a bit (which helped with the naivete that showed up occasionally).
Oliver is dealing with some heavy, heavy guilt. This is what I thought needed to be addressed a bit more. His sister was in a car accident when she was fourteen and apparently both brain damaged and paralyzed. She died on Boxing Day the previous year. It's well understandable why Christmas is so hard for Ollie, and why he's so desperate to get anywhere but here.
I really enjoyed the way that Ashley didn't push Ollie. She let him come to terms with his issues, and his worries on his own. He'd share them when he was ready and could. And he did. It was incredibly sweet watching these two bond. I did have a bit of a problem with the quickness and intensity of Ashley's feelings though. After just a couple of days they're in love, and with all the grief they were both dealing with I felt that was a little unlikely. I did see how they could make it work though, and was happy they were going to - and the epilogue at the end left me smiling and sure in their HEA.
Title: Season of Second Chances
Author: Brighton Walsh
Series: N/A
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 5 December 2013
When a storm strands Claire Hanlin in Chicago on Christmas Eve, the last person she expects to come to her rescue is Logan Dawes, the man she almost married two years ago. The chemistry between them is dangerously potent, but with nowhere else to go, Claire accepts Logan's offer to stay with him for the night.
Back in the home they shared, surrounded by reminders of Logan and his young daughter, Claire begins to realize how much she misses the family she almost had. After a few cups of Christmas cheer, she falls right back into her ex's arms-even though she knows it means setting herself up for heartbreak all over again.
The magic of the season has thrown him together with the woman he's never stopped loving, and Logan's not about to pass up this gift. He's not the workaholic he was two years ago-his family comes first. Now all he has to do is prove it to Claire, before the snow stops and she flies out of his life for good.
Second chance romances one of my top five story-lines in contemporary romances, I was looking forward to seeing how Claire and Logan dealt with the issues that separated them previously. How they would be able to forge a future from the remains of their past.
From their first meeting it's clear that the chemistry between the two of them is off the charts high. The sparks practically fly off of each other when Claire ends up at Logan's condo in the middle of a snowstorm that strands her in Chicago.
I really easily identified with both Claire and Logan - their feelings as they navigated through the feelings they're still dealing with. It felt so incredibly real, so understandable. Claire, hurt and determined not to let herself fall into it again; Logan regretting the decisions he'd made, wishing he could take them back and not lose the best thing that had ever happened to him. And then there were the little things: Claire thinking how much she missed the simple touches, when Logan finally apologizes it touched my heart with how sincere it was - how utterly unstoppable. This was doubly impressive considering this was a novella of only about 70 pages.
My only complaint is that the whole time they're falling in love, again, the issue that broke them up in the first place was never even a concern. The snowstorm discarded the possibility of it being a problem, and so they were stuck in a fairy-tale like situation where real life didn't intrude. Thus by the time they did have to deal with the reality of it, the only way to resolve it was through a grand gesture - which I'm just not a fan of. I'm never sure that the grand gesture translates into a life-long change, so I really, really appreciated the epilogue here. It cemented my surety in their happily-ever-after and simply made me happy for both Claire and Logan that they found a way to make it work - no matter how difficult it may have been.
Season of Second Chances is an incredibly sweet, sexy, real romance that touched my heart and made me sigh with happiness. This is the first thing I've read by Brighton Walsh, but I've already added some of her other books to my wishlist.
