Zombies are sexy too!

Over at The Good, the Bad and the Unread, check out my review of Happy Hour of the Damned, the debut novel by Mark Henry.

If you are amused by the thought of zombie chicks breaking into a funeral home to steal makeup (for the industrial strength full coverage), and repairing injuries with liquid leather, then you might enjoy this book. If the idea of the supernatural world as a place of kitschy-cool nightclubs, complete with themed cocktails, wall to wall with bored, gossipy creatures makes you grin, then give HHotD a try. It is unapologetically full of snarky humor, label dropping, pop culture references and other things I usually hate, but it fits so well with the silly, almost satirical tone, that I gave it a pass. Though at first I hated the narrator with a passion, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

I read Darkfever, the first book in this series, just over a year ago. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't blown away. So it took me awhile to get to the further adventures of MacKayla Lane. But I liked Bloodfever quite a bit more than Darkfever. It took off running and never slowed down. I found the book to be engrossing and action-packed.

Many of the things that irritated me about the first were gone. Mac has grown up a bit, gotten a bit darker and a lot more interesting. Jericho Barrons (man, I hate that name) has also gotten more likeable, while remaining a bit creepy and enigmatic. He is not really a nice guy, but I am enjoying the development of his relationship with Mac. I assume some kind of romance will develop, but for now things are nicely off balance. MacKayla now has three men in her life who have mysterious agendas: Barrons, the Fae Prince V'Lane and the dark horse Christian MacKeltar.

The world of the Fae is developed more and is rather dark and creepy. We also learn more about sidhe-seers like Mac, and those relationships aren't going to play out well :) Karen Marie Moning is a very popular author of fantasy, men-in-kilts romance. I've read one, and only found it okay. But this Fever series really has a lot to appeal to fans of urban fantasy, especially those who like Irish settings and folklore. The happy ending is not clearly in sight at all. But if the action remains fast-paced, and the characters and world keep developing like this, I'll be sticking with this series for awhile: B.

No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong is a longtime favorite of mine, and an author I'd immediately recommend to anyone who is apprehensive about reading anything paranormal. I think she's a great writer, with a crisp style, strong characterization, and well moving plots. Her books have a nice blend of the supernatural, mystery and a dollop of romance. Unlike the other writers she's compared to, Armstrong shifts protagonists/narrators from book to book. The shifting point of view works well, as we get to know characters little by little, until they get their turn to speak.

I was apprehensive about an entire book from Jaime Vegas' point of view. Jaime is a necromancer, that is, she can see and speak with the dead, as well as raise and banish spirits. She seems kind of flaky and insecure and makes her living doing stage shows a la John Edward, putting grieving folks "in contact" with dead loved ones. I never warmed up to her all that much and didn't like her mooning over Jeremy. Jeremy Danvers is the Pack Alpha (top dog werewolf), and one of my favorite fictional boyfriends. He's a different kind of Alpha: reserved, quiet, and controlled, but kind. He's also kinda mysterious and delicious. I wasn't too sure she deserved him, and would've preferred seeing him with a different sort of woman. Like say, a suburban mom/librarian, with newly reddish brown hair and a predilection for cardigans and early nineties alternative rock. But C'est la Vie.

No Humans Involved turned out to be one of the strongest in this series (along with Bitten and Industrial Magic), in my opinion. It revolves around a television special that Jaime is to star in, along with two other mediums. Their mission: to raise the spirit of Marilyn Monroe. While trying to navigate the wacky world of Hollywood types, Jaime is also growing nervous about aging and what it means for her career (there's always someone younger and cuter just around the corner) and her talents (many necromancers end up insane). She's also excited and aprehensive about Jeremy's impending visit. Does it mean that he possibly returns her feelings and is willing to take their relationship to another level? Jaime soon discovers that much more disturbing things are afoot at the Brentwood house where the special is being filmed than manipulative directors and spotlight hungry spiritualists. With the help of Jeremy and others, Jaime has to find out what is causing the strange experiences she's having in the back garden.

I don't completely love Jaime now, but I found her dilemma interesting: a woman in her early forties who has been on stage her entire life, only now starting to wonder what she really wants out of life. Her sense of self worth is so deeply tied to her success as a performer (thanks to a bitch of a stage mother), Jaime is only now realizing that she has more to offer the world. She is kind of insecure, but also practical. She knows the ways of the world and how to use them to help herself (without hurting others). I did love seeing Jeremy from her point of view. We usually see him through the point of view of characters who see him as a father figure. His whole life has been shaped by an almost crushing amount of responsibility (for his father, Clay, Elena, the Pack), and he, is now starting to think about life apart from all those responsibilities. Jaime and Jeremy have a mature relationship. And pretty hot too. I want to see more of them. Love Jeremy. Love.

The mystery was good and creepy, with some unsavory villains. I also enjoyed the secondary characters. I like Eve and Kristof, and was glad to see them helping out. Hope and Karl were the high point of last year's Dates From Hell anthology. I liked seeing more of them. I believe Hope will be the next protagonist, and I can't wait. I love grey-area type characters and Karl definitely fits the bill. Hope does also but her leanings toward the dark side are beyond her control, the legacy of her Chaos demon father. Should be some interesting internal/external tension.

A- for you Kelley Armstrong. Minus is because I just don't love Jaime as much as others, and I missed Paige, Lucas, Elena and Clayton. If you've read others in this series, you will enjoy this, and if you haven't, go get one. Really. Now. Start with Bitten.

**Questions I am pondering--Should Apolo have beaten the Fat One? Was the last episode of Veronica Mars a stunning return to the series' noir roots or a disappointing attempt to do so, with little closure? How long will I be sad that both shows are gone? At least Dancing with the Stars will get another season and who knows, perhaps Enrico Colantoni will be a contestant.

Short and Sweet...

...Or rather sexy.


On Sunday evening I read Michelle M. Pillow's novella Talons: Seize the Hunter. It only took about an hour to read, but it was an enjoyable hour. Seize the Hunter takes place on the planet of Falconia, where women rule, and men who can turn into falcons are the warriors and protectors of the planet. On the eve of her wedding, to be followed by her coronation, Princess Ari dreads seeing her childhood nemesis again. Commander Rurik, a natural born shifter, isn't looking forward to seeing Ari either. She seems to have it out for him, sending his men on the most dangerous missions. According to Falconian tradition, a female drinks from a chalice, which then brings her her chosen mate. You know what that means...will fate intervene for Ari and Rurik?

Novellas are a tricky proposition. Often they seem too rushed and I don't buy the connection between the h/h. But this one worked pretty well. I liked the sparks between Ari and Rurik. They went together well, and I liked each character individually. It did seem a bit rushed, particularly the misunderstanding and reunion at the end. But my main complaint was that I wished it was longer, and that's a good thing. I give it a B, which means more glomming for me.

"Stop It!", Part Deux (Spoilery)

I think it's time to give up on For a Few Demons More. Every time I sit down with it, I start thinking about other stuff I could be reading, and indeed, I've read two other books before getting halfway through this one. Question is, do I give up on this series entirely? I couldn't finish the second one either (The Good, the Bad and the Undead) but I really enjoyed the third (Every Which Way But Dead). There are things I really love about Harrison's universe, like the secondary characters, and some of the little, funny, mundane details that make the Hollows come alive. But at the time, with all the detail and exposition involved, there are still sentences like this (p.149): "I took a quick breath and narrowed the inflow before my chi overflowed and I'd have to spindle it." And, five books in, I don't get it, the line stuff, the chi stuff, and I feel dumb. But many, many people love this series, so mebbe I am. So for now, this is a DNF (I'll skim the rest and I already read the end).

But I must address one thing. My biggest problem by far is Rachel Morgan, the protagonist from the series. I've gone from merely thinking the girl's kinda dumb, to full-blown dislike. I'd like to put my fake therapist hat on to try and help a fictional character. Just to refresh your memory:



Rachel, please try to learn from your mistakes. It is time to look before you leap, think before you act, take a deep breath before opening your piehole. Yes, you have pissed off half the critters in Cincinatti, as well as half the demons in the Ever After, but you've got no one to blame but yourself. Have you ever considered that there might be consequences to your actions? Stop it, you knucklehead. As for your relationships, you're starting to come off like a manipulative user.You know Ivy has strong feelings for you, and you appear to for her, but you don't do girls. So instead, you've turned to the closest thing to Ivy: Kisten. Fine, Denial Girl, but don't keep goading Ivy, asking her to drink from you, but that's all, no funny stuff. It makes you seem like a mindfucker. Have you ever heard the expression "Shit or get off the pot?" Just stop it! [Wo]Man up, get yourself some Birkenstocks, and Indigo Girls albums, and book a little weekend for you and Ivy in Provincetown. It'll get you what you both want.

Whew, I feel much better. Seriously is it just me? Hope I didn't get too spoilery.

More books and a meme...

I've read the next two installments of Michelle M. Pillow's Realm Immortal series: Faery Queen and The Stone Queen. All titles can be found at Samhain Publishing. I enjoyed both, although the first book (see review below) was definitely the best. I liked Faery Queen the least. It focused on Juliana's older brother Hugh, and the queen of Feia, who first appeared in the King of the Unblessed. Hugh dislikes the Queen, whom he holds responsible for his sister's marriage. He also lusts after her. Queen Tania is lovesick for Hugh, and Lucien, the King of the Damned, seeks to use her pain to his advantage. I did not particularly like either Hugh or Tania, and never felt that there was more than lust between them (especially on Hugh's part). It did get me excited for the next one, and I pretty much focused on the parts with Merrick (the hero of the first book), and the evil but interesting Lucien. I give it a C+. I enjoyed The Stone Queen much more, which returned the focus to Juliana, Merrick, Lucien and Mia. In this one, the pregnant Juliana ends up encased in stone. While Merrick tries to find a way to free her and their child, the war rages on between the Blessed and the Unblessed, and Lucien plots to overthrow them all. This one was paced well, and I just love the gloomy but hot Merrick, and sexy, evil Lucien (I'm really fascinated by his weird relationship with his nymph mistress Mia). I did feel that Juliana was borderline TSTL (but how many fairy tale princesses are?), and I wasn't thrilled with the explanation of how Juliana ended up within stone. It didn't really make much sense to me, seemed like the author rushed through it to get on to more interesting stuff. But all in all, this was another fun tale. I give it a B. I don't know if this was a trilogy or if there will be more, but I'd definitely be up for Kalen (Merrick's ally) getting a story, as well as more Lucien/Mia.

Any other Pillow recs? I'm in a definite paranormal mood. Anyone read her vampire books?

Okay, I wasn't going to do this, but the more I saw this on everyone and their sister's blog, the more curious I was to see what I've read. I don't know where this list came from. It's a mix of classics and good and bad bestsellers.

Red=Ones I've Read
Green=Haven't read, but may attempt at some point
Purple=No interest in reading
Pink=Seen the Movie Only

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) (I was forced to listen to an audio on the way to NH and I hated it.)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18 The Stand (Stephen King) (well, the mini-series)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44.The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible (well, not the whole thing)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58.The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)9
96.The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce) (Okay, I actually only read huge excerpts of this for a class, and I loved them (love the Molly Bloom section, but somehow I doubt I'll ever be picking it up again).




33 read. If I were honest, most of the greens are probably purples, but I like to think I'd read 'em at some point. Kind of a random list, if you ask me.

Dance, Magic, Dance!

What movie is the post title referring to?

(Answer to come later in the post.)



I stayed up into the wee hours reading Realm Immortal: King of the Unblessed by Michelle M. Pillow. This is a dark fantasy romance set partially in a Medieval type England, and partially in an "Otherworld" populated by Elves, Faeries, Goblins and other folkloric creatures. Lady Juliana of Bellemare has always had a very active imagination, preferring stories of magic and mystery to the life of duty that awaits her as a noblewoman. On the eve of her marriage to a much older neighbor, Juliana asks somebody, anybody, to give her one adventure. Unbeknownst to her, Merrick, the King of the Unblessed (it's like the kingdom of mischief, bad luck and stuff that ruins your day) has become fascinated by Juliana, and has already planned on making her his. So he decides to give Juliana her adventure, ensure she doesn't marry the old guy and trick her into going to his palace, where he will keep her. So he goes to Juliana, and tells her he has kidnapped the village children. In order to save them, Juliana must journey to the palace of the King of the Unblessed and ask him a simple question. Horrified and fascinated by Merrick (not knowing his true identity), Juliana sets off.

First off, I am a monkey's uncle if Ms. Pillow did not get her inspiration for this book from the movie Labyrinth. Does anyone remember this movie? A teenage Jennifer Connelly plays a girl with her head in the clouds, who wishes for something to happen to her little brother. The Goblin King (David Bowie with big hair) listens to her plea and steals baby boy. The Connelly character, Sarah, must solve the Labyrinth in 13 hours or her brother will be turned into a Goblin. Musical numbers (including the catchy "Dance, Magic, Dance) and slightly creepy Jim Henson creatures abound.

This is not a carbon copy (I'd call it a homage), but there are definite parallels. Like Jareth/Bowie, Merrick rules over the Goblins. Neither king understands why the heroine is so angry with them, when they are only giving them what they want. Each want to rule over the heroine, and gain power from her fear. As for Juliana/Sarah, their "adventure" is really a journey of leaving childhood fancies behind, and realizing that things are not always black and white and not always what they seem.

I should admit that I adore Labyrinth. It is a wonderful, surreal movie, and I can't wait until H-Bomb and the Destroyer are old enough to watch it with me. As a twelve year old watching this movie, I wished that Jennifer Connelly had stayed with David Bowie and been his Goblin Queen. Icky as that may be, it may explain why I liked this book so much. Merrick was a great dark, tormented hero. He wanted Juliana, but he couldn't quite understand her, and despaired of her ever understanding him. Plus, why would she want to stay in his dark kingdom and share the burden of being disliked. Juliana was annoying at times, but overall I liked her. I also liked and was intrigued by the secondary characters like her brothers, Lord Kalen (Merrick's ally), Lucien, the Demon King, and the Faery Queen Tania.

Ms. Pillow's writing was very smooth and assured. I found the setting and world to be very vividly described. Sometimes the language had a bit of that stilted "Methinks" and "Whilst" thing going on , not a personal favorite, but then it would go away (in "reality" vs. "the Otherworld", I think). The sex scenes were well written, nothing more extreme than found in most mainstream romance. I found the ending to be a little perky compared to the rest of the work, but there are two sequels, so we'll have to see if Merrick gets all sweet. All in all, this was a compelling grownup fairy tale and lots of fun: B+. If you like, say, Kinley MacGregor's Lords of Avalon series, or if like me, you think they miss the mark, give this one a go. I'm going to buy the next two installments now, because I want to see what happens next. And I think I'm going to email Ms. Pillow about Labyrinth thing. I'm so curious.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

In Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, readers are introduced to the alternate reality of Ixia, a country once ruled by a corrupt monarchy, and now under strict military rule. The former provinces have been turned into military districts, ruled by Generals, who are all in allegiance to Commander Ambrose, the architect of the coup. Societal position is no longer determined by money and connections, but by skill and loyalty, and all subjects are held to a strict Code of Behavior. The code dictates that if you take a life, you lose your life, whether it was on purpose, by accident, or in self-defense. At the beginning of the book, 19 year old orphan Yelena awaits her execution for the murder of the son of one of Ixia's Generals. At the eleventh hour, she is given a second chance by Valek, Ixia's head of intelligence, a skilled spy and assasin. The catch? If she wants to live, she must become Commander Ambrose's food taster, checking his food and drink at each meal for poison. In addition, to prevent any chance of escape, Yelena will be given a small amount of poison each day. If she does not go to Valek each day for an antidote, she will be dead within days. If she doesn't get poisoned by one of the Commander's meals first. Or, if the vengeful General Brazell doesn't get to her. Is it worth it to Yelena to prolong her life for a time? The practical Yelena thinks so. She soon finds herself neck-deep in intrigue, corruption, danger and unexpected love.

I really, really enjoyed this one. Yelena was a great heroine: strong-willed, intelligent and practical. She does what it takes to survive, and her growth and development from scared convict to brave woman was very interesting. It was also a fast paced and exciting book. I liked the world of Ixia, which was both very strict and strangely fair. I enjoyed the romance as well. I did feel that it was a bit out of the blue, but since I would characterize this book as fantasy rather than a romance, this didn't particularly bother me. The romance is only part of Yelena's journey. She and her romantic interest (I'll leave that a surprise, though I'm sure you can guess), were quite well-suited and have a lot of potential. Her hero is somewhat less than heroic, and he did remain a bit of a cipher, but that didn't bother me, either. He was characterized in a particular way throughout the book. I'm glad it's a trilogy, because I'm looking forward to reading more about him and their relationship. Good secondary characters as well. Loved the twist concerning Commander Ambrose.

All in all, I was quite pleased to get an email newsletter from Harlequin announcing that the sequel Magic Study is out today. Hope to find it at the library soon.

Some other reviews: here,here and here. I'm know there are others, this one's been making the rounds. Gotta go, season premiere of Veronica Mars in 5 minutes.

In short, strong fantasy, strong heroine. B+.

A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison

A Fistful of Charms is the fourth book in Kim Harrison's series featuring witch Rachel Morgan. The previous books in the series are, in order, Dead Witch Walking, The Good, the Bad and the Undead and Every Which Way But Dead. I would characterize these books as Paranormal Urban Fantasy, similar in a way to Kelley Armstrong or Charlaine Harris, but with her own distinct style and world. These books take place in modern day Cincinnati, 40 years after "the Turn" brought Vampires, Witches, Weres and other supernatural races who had always lived alongside of humans, out into the open. "The Turn" has to do with a virus caused by genetically engineered tomatoes which affected humans, but not supernatural races. It ended up with the uneasy coexistence of the humans and others, and with the sad result that humans will no longer eat pizza (I feel for them all, but particularly those of Italian ancestry). The series revolves around Rachel, a witch, Ivy, a living vampire, and Jenks, a pixy. They were all formerly runners for the I.S. (agents for the law enforcement agency of supernaturals), and now they have their own firm and act as private investigators of sorts.

I had a hard time with the first two installments of this series. I found them to be slow. So slow, in fact, that I never finished The Good, the Bad and the Undead. Not that it was awful, but I kept putting it down, and then it was due back at the library, and I never quite got around to taking it out again. I had two major difficulties. The first was with the worldbuilding. Even though there was quite a bit of exposition, I felt like I never had a good handle on things. I could quite grasp the abilities etc. of the different races. Like, why are they called Inderlanders? Thats what the different supernatural races call themselves. And what's up with the vampires? It seems like anything and everything sets them off into a bloodlust. I remember Rachel kept referring to Ivy trying to "pull an aura," and I could never quite figure out what it meant. It sounded like she was giving someone the "stink-eye", as my sister would put it, but, there has to be more to it than that. Sometimes I felt like I was missing something. I also didn't care for Rachel too much. She seemed a bit bratty, and not too bright and always acted without thinking first. I couldn't get why she was appealling to all the other characters. But I enjoyed the third book (Every Which Way But Dead) a great deal. It hummed along nicely, and the greater role of Ivy's friend Kisten, provided a lot more insight into the vampires. I also began to see how Rachel was developing, and questioning her previous assumptions. She's learning a lot of new stuff, and the reader is along with her.

So I was really looking forward to FOC. This installment takes us out of the Hollows and off to Michigan, where Rachel and Jenks, having repaired their relationship from the last book, are trying to rescue Jenks' son, Jax, and Rachel's human ex-boyfriend, Nick from the clutches of some nasty Weres. Of course, they end up in posession of an artifact that could literally start World War III. I'm sorry, to say, that this book did not work for me nearly as well as the last one. It started off sloooowly. And Nick (first introduced in DWW)? Meh. I could care less about him. He was never particularly well-developed, nor was their relationship, so it was hard for me to care about the events in this story. Nick at the center, and very little Kisten and no Trent Kalamack (another central character from the first three)? WTF? No surprise that the story picked up when Ivy appeared on the scene. Some interesting developments in the Rachel/Ivy relationship, although both of their angsting is getting old. Rachel was pretty annoying too, with a lot of existential "But I will I be a good witch or a bad witch" crap. Shut up, you know you're going to do the bad stuff anyway. I started to get lost again with some of the concept and terminology (although maybe it's because I didn't finish GB&U). What's a "blood balance"? And I found the descriptions of Rachel's spell casting to be boring. Ultimately, there were too many times I wanted to skim to get to the next Ivy/Rachel scene or get back to Jenks (my favorite character).

Despite my negativity, I don't want to discourage those who enjoy the paranormal to try this series. I think it might work better for others than for me. The universe is rather angst-ridden and full of shades of gray (dark gray), but Harrison does a nice job of leavening the atmosphere with some genuinely funny moments. She's also created some really great characters. If you are looking for romance, I think that Harrison is not nearly as good as Armstrong or Harris with the romantic element. But that's because the most important and intriguing relationship being developed in this series is between Rachel and Ivy. I hesitate to call it a love story per se, and I think that Harrison's doing a nice job of keeping things up in the air. We know that Ivy wants Rachel as a lover, but Rachel's straight and scared and confused. I feel that Kisten (Rachel's current boyfriend) functions as an Ivy substitute. He's also a living vampire, but he's male and he lacks Ivy's heavy emotional baggage. I'm not sure that Ivy and Rachel are going to end up with a HEA, but I'm really curious to see where it's all going. For that reason, plus the fact that I want to see what's going to happen with some of the other characters, I will definitely keep reading, despite giving this one a C. Check out Kim Harrison's website here. She only has a few extras, but I found them quite helpful in filling in some blanks. If only she had a glossary!

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

I just wanted to write a quick review of Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. Ms. Briggs website can be found here and here's the book at Amazon. I love this cover, by the way. Moon Called is a modern, urban fantasy that begs comparison to Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison or Charlaine Harris. This book takes place in an alternate universe where supernatural races live in secrecy side by side with humans. Recently, the fae decided to make themselves public, with mixed results, and other races are pondering whether or not to follow suit. Mercy Thompson, a Washington auto mechanic, knows a lot more than your average person about the non-humans. In fact she is non-human herself. While I doubt that knowing her identity would spoil one's enjoyment of the book, I'll leave that a surprise. Anyway, Mercy's adventures get off to a start when a new werewolf shows up at her garage looking for work. Sensing that he needs help, Mercy puts him in touch with her friend and neighbor, local Alpha werewolf Adam. Things begin to unravel from there.

This was a solid read. I liked it. The characterization was good, particularly Mercy. She was a strong woman, without being grating or sassy. She really just came off as smart, and that includes being smart enough to know when to stand and fight and knowing when to let others take the lead. In light of the book I am currently attempting, I really appreciate this (the heroine makes me want to gouge my eyes out so I have to stop reading). It wasn't my favorite, but then I'm not a huge werewolf fan. Except for Kelley Armstrong's (just because I like those particular characters), they bore me a bit. It's always like Pack hierarachy, yadda, yadda, yadda, mates, yadda yadda yadda, challenges, yadda, yadda, yadda. However, if you do enjoy werewolf books, or you are a fan of the authors I mentioned at the beginning, Moon Called is definitely worth a read. There is not much romance, but a love triangle is set up at the end, between Mercy and two werewolves, that could be interesting. Currently, their motives seem a bit murky and I like that. There will be more, and I'll check 'em out of the library.

Random Thoughts...

I found this blog over at the Good, the Bad and the Unread, one of my favorite spots to visit for info. I haven't read a Harlequin or Silhouette since I graduated from high school and stopped stealing my mom's, but Jamie Sobrato is so funny, I may have to check out one of her books. Actually, I may make that my summer project exploring the world of Blazes and Harlequin Presents and whatnot.

I was thinking about the Kelley Armstrong books, and what makes them stand out to me, and I have to mention the relationship of Elena and Clay. So often, I visit these boards and loops where readers are positively swooning over having a big, scary paranormal Alpha male of her own. When I read these books lots of times I get to thinking about what its going to be like for them after the HEA. Armstrong explores this often amusingly in her books. Yes, Clay is totally gorgeous (and a great character), and totally in love with and focused on Elena, and you know what? He drives her nuts half the time. He is overpoweringly possessive, and hates her to spend time with anyone else. She loves him, but seeing them navigate their relationship, even when they are secondary characters in some of the other books, is funny and kind of sad. It's food for thought, and an interesting counterpoint to some of these overly romanticized vamps and whatnot. I mean, think about some of the relationships being set up in these books. Paradise or one-way ticket to unhealthy co-dependence? Think of those obsessive Carpathians, for example. Perhaps I'm being terribly unromantic and overthinking.

It's bad when a title...

makes you think of a goddamn Evanescence song. And it goes through your head, and through your head and through your head...At least I think it's Evanescence, I can't keep up with the crap the kids are listening to these days. Give me some real hard stuff and Goth stuff please. The singer reminds me of my old best friend, though. Anyway, I hopped on over to Kelley Armstrong's website after reading Broken (yes, I was eventually going to get to a point), and apparently, she doesn't really know why she gave this book this title. Heh, I don't really either. You can guess a lot of things, but they're all kinda reaches. Didn't dim my enjoyment of the book at all though. Btw, here is Kelley Armstrong's website. It's one of the best author sites, in my opinion--she keeps it up to date, and has lots of online extras for her fans, including novellas and short stories. Oh, and as I was blog hopping this morning, I found a little interview with her. Oh, and read her books, they're really good. Onto the review.

Kelley Armstrong's books are mysteries with romantic elements set in a contemporary world, where supernatural beings co-exist with humans. I would put her in a category with Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison and Laurell K. Hamilton, although they all have different tones, voices, worlds, and quality levels (but I will refrain from LKH dissing today). Kelley Armstrong is my favorite of these authors and I feel that her particular strength is in her characterization. I often have a difficulty with contemporaries in that I feel the characters speak or act in completely unrealistic. But her characters feel realistic to me (heh, considering that they're werewolves, witches, and half-demons), and also in tune with what they're supposed to be (i.e the werewolves are unapologetically violent and not particularly loyal to anyone outside of the pack). And they are always intriguing, fast reads.

Broken returns to the world of the werewolves and narrator Elena Michaels. Fifteen years after Clay first bit her, things are going pretty well. So well, that she's gotten pregnant. Of course, as the only known female werewolf, and pregnant by another werewolf to boot, there are a lot of unknowns in this pregnancy, making Elena a bit anxious. But things really get complicated when Xavier Reese (from Stolen, a shady half-demon contacts her to call in a favor. He wants her to steal Jack the Ripper's "From Hell" letter. It goes pretty easily, and then, pretty much literally, all hell breaks loose.

This was another solid book from Armstrong. I did figure out the mystery pretty quick, and got a bit annoyed when the characters didn't, but no matter. It moved along and was sufficiently exciting, and I was more interested in seeing what was going to happen with Elena's pregnancy, anyway. It was like a reunion with old friends: Elena, Nick and Antonio and my favorites, Clay and Jeremy. I just love that crazy Clay and the mysterious Jeremy. I did miss Paige and Lucas, and would've preferred their presence to Jaime's. Apparently Jaime, the flaky celebrity necromancer, is going to be the narrator of the next book, so we'll see how that goes. I just hope she doesn't get together with Jeremy. That pairing doesn't work for me at all.

If you haven't read anything by Kelley Armstrong, give her a try. She's a great writer and really stands out from the pack. Just an interesting note: when I read Bitten and Stolen, they had rather arty, literary hardcovers, rather than the paperbacks' more genre-y, supernatural babes covers. I guess they changed direction in the marketing, but it's signficant because they are hard to categorize. But go read them.

Happy Surprise!

Hurrah, hurrah! I had totally forgotten that Broken by Kelley Armstrong is out. Whee, the return of Elena and Clay! A trip to Borders post-mommy and me is warranted. If you haven't read anything by Kelley Armstrong and you like paranormals. I wouldn't characterize her as romance, nor horror...its like a contemporary paranormal fantasy with romantic elements. I love her characterization of the werewolves. When I first read Bitten, I wasn't really into romance and I was like, this is my perfect book! Why is no one else out writing like this? And don't tell me Laurell K., please! Anyway, over time her world has expanded to include lots of different characters, who I enjoy (got a soft spot for Lucas), but of course, my ultimate fondness is with the prickly Elena, the hot and sociopathic Clay, and the enigmatic Jeremy. Yay!

So I've been feeling really nostalgic lately for the strangest things. Anybody remember a little cinematic gem called Teen Witch? With the fabulous songs, "In Like Boys," "I Want to be the Most Popular Girl, "and the "rap off", "Top That?"

I'm also highly unhappy that Veronica Mars was pre-empted yet again for New Jersey Nets basketball. What! Of, course, since I'm a spoiler whore, I could not help but to go to TelevisionWithoutPity to find out what happened. I missed heartbreaking, Veronica/Logan angst!!! Dammit, I've been watching all season, and they've barely thrown us a bone with them, and now Channel 9 won't show it!! I've got to see it, because it sounds right now like it was up there with the last episode of My So-Called Life, and Brian Krakow on his bicycle. Moment of silence for Brian Krakow.