Born of Night

Sep 302009
 

The League and their powerful and ruthless assassins rule the Ichidian Universe.  No one leaves, to retire is to die.

Command Assassin Nykyrian Quiakades is one of the League’s most feared and vicious assassins and is the only man who managed to stay alive for more than a few hours after refusing to fulfill a contract, an act of treason and punishable by death.   So he does the only thing he can,  he vanishes.

A dangerous predator of the highest order, he forms an organisation that would become a shield between the league and their contracts on innocents caught in the cross-fire of political gain.  With only 3 people in the entire universe he can remotely stand to be around, hunted by the League and several others who would also see him dead, he accepts a contract to protect a dancer, Kiara Zamir whose father’s political ambitions have made her a target.  As her life becomes more dangerous and attempts on her life more desperate, they have to go against everything they’ve been taught from a young age.  Trust no one or they will destroy you.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Born of Night.  Interesting premise, but a Sherrilyn Kenyon book set in space?  hmm.  She has become one of my favourite authors through her Dark-Hunter series, but would the things that make those books so absorbing, translate into a science-fiction setting.  The answer is yes.  Oh yes.

I started reading it this morning and I couldn’t put it down til I’d finished, I was utterly hooked.  I was interested to read from the Author’s note at the start that it had been published before, but a different version, with what I guess has a lot of the violence or sexual content removed or toned down.  I never managed to get hold of a copy and in all honesty am now glad I didn’t.  This book is the one she wanted to release, whole and not hiding away any of life’s darker side and I am so glad she was given the chance.

The setting was good, the universe she created is diverse and interesting but where it stands out (and I know I’ve said this before and I will say it again) are her amazing characters.  Nykyrian is larger than life and oh so hot, even when he is being the dangerous and vicious assassin he was trained to be.  Kiara is just lovable, her naivety endearing and after everything she goes through, still manages keeps that trait but gains more strength in who she is and what she wants.  The secondary characters of Syn, Hauk and Jayne are brilliant too and I know the next book centres on Syn and what happens with him towards the end.  It will make an interesting read but I’m not sure if he will quite match up to Nykyrian.  I will have to wait and see!

All in all, a fantastic read and if you like Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter books, you need to read this, and don’t let the fact it’s technically science-fiction put you off.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

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Heat Stroke

Sep 292009
 

The late Joanne Baldwin, ex-weather warden and now Djinn tries adjusting to her new life.  After a decision by Jonathan, the head of the free Djinn, she and her lover David are separated.  She must now figure out how to survive and control her powers alone and above all, stay unclaimed and free.  Things seldom go according to plan for Joanne however – being claimed by the worst person possible as a trap for David, a rift in the aetheric plane and mysterious blue sparkles leaking through in increasing numbers.  When the Djinn start dying and nature starts building cataclysmic events that even the most powerful weather wardens aren’t able to keep up with and humanity won’t survive, what can a newly created Djinn do, even in the most kick ass shoes?

Heat Stroke is the second book in the weather warden series and is as good and compelling as the first.  The major characters of Jo and David are really well written and you get a good mental picture of how they look and can’t help but empathise with them strongly from the start.  You don’t learn much more about them in this book and to be honest it isn’t necessary, it’s all about who they are now and how they cope with the events around them.  I loved the addition of Jonathan, the head of the free Djinn.  He seems cold and heartless but maybe there is more there than meets the eye?

The plot is really good, starts slow and builds up to a crescendo, the allegory of a storm building and breaking isn’t lost on me because of the weather warden Jo was.  The event near the end surprised me and while it could have been a deus ex machina, the foundation for it was laid very early on and fit perfectly within the ‘world’ Rachel Caine created.  The ending was left in such a way that I have to reach for the next book and dive straight back in and see what happens.  I love books that do that to me!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 


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Coming Soon!

Sep 292009
 

With my back issues slowing me down, I’ve gotten behind in reviews, so here are a few things to look forward to now I am back in action (no pun intended unless you found it funny in which case it was completely intentional!).

Reviews in process :

Red-Headed Stepchild – Jaye Wells
Midnight Alley (Morganville Vampires book 3) – Rachel Caine

Waiting to be read and reviewed :

A Princess of Landover – Terry Brooks
Heat Stroke (Weather Warden book 2) – Rachel Caine
Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires book 4) – Rachel Caine
Dark Curse (Carpathian) – Christine Feehan
Blood Noir (Anita Blake 15) – Laurell K. Hamilton
Born of Night (The League book 1) – Sherrilyn Kenyon
206 Bones – Kathy Reichs
Covet – J.R. Ward

And now to lose myself in fantastical worlds, more soon :)

Midnight’s Daughter

Sep 242009
 

For Dorina Basarab, being a dhampir is not easy.  Half-vampire, half-human and reviled by the vampiric community for being an abomination.  Unpredictable due to blackout rages and short life spans, dhampirs usually go insane but Dorina manages to hang on to her sanity by being near her null friend Claire and unleashing her fury on those she believes deserve it.  Dorina isn’t just any dhampir however, she’s also Mircea’s daughter.

I’m a big fan of Karen Chance’s main series, the Cassandra Palmer books, and I was keen to read this offshoot and I ended up quite disappointed.  I didn’t gel well with the lead character of Dorina, she irritated me and really, the only thing that made the book worth reading were the rare appearances of Mircea.  That’s not to say the book wasn’t well written or the story not interesting but it just didn’t have the charm and magic that the Cassie books do in abundance.

From an author whose work is usually outstanding, this is pretty average.  There is one interesting thing I quite liked however, there is a very subtle but brief moment where Midnight’s Daughter melds with the first Cassie book.  I won’t spoil it by saying any more than that but it is very subtle and a friend and fellow fan had to point it out to me the first time!

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

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