Witch Fire

Jan 282010

Mira Hoskins believed her whole life that her parents were killed in a car crash when she was a child.  When a tall, handsome stranger rescues her from being attacked in her home, he tells her she is actually a powerful Air Witch which she finds a little hard to believe.   Her powers were kept secret from her to keep her safe from the evil organisation who really murdered them, their powers drained so demons could be summoned.  Fire Witch Jack McAlister has been sent by The Coven, the ruling body for Witches, to keep her safe and escort her to the Coven before she can be taken and used for the same deed.  One slight problem is that Air and Fire have a natural overwhelming attraction and Jack is forbidden to give in to the fire raging within him.  Mira struggles equally with the power that threatens to consume her and rather than the balancing of their elements that time together should have brought, the fire burns ever brighter.

Apparently I have a soft spot for secret societies of people with special powers living within our mundane world and fighting the good fight against their evil counterparts.  Add in hot men and gutsy women and I’m hooked.

Witch Fire piqued my interest by hitting all those spots and ramped it up with a good story, passionate scenes and well rounded characters.  I loved Mira and Jack, they worked really well together and were believable as a couple, even as Mira learns the truth about who she really is.  The love scenes were pretty steamy and exciting but not excessively written and it did amuse me that most of the book took place in just three locations.  I actually also found that quite impressive.  The plot itself is quite simple but I don’t think that’s a bad thing as I feel the story is mainly about the main players.  I liked the elemental ‘magic system’, it was intuitive and creative, and along with the wiccan ideals and practices made a sturdy base to build it all from.

I did feel the premise lacked originality, which only left the characters and their interactions to help the book stand out from the crowd.  Saying that however, Witch Fire did have a lot of heart.  I felt Anya Bast wanted the readers to love her characters as much as she did, in that she succeeded.

Looking forward to reading more in this series!

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Book Information

One Scream Away

Jan 272010

One night, seven years ago Beth Denison’s life changed when she was savagely attacked.  The man responsible went to jail for a different crime and Beth worked hard to create a new life for herself and her daughter.  Now he’s out and sending mutilated dolls to Beth as a warning that he’s coming for her.  Former FBI Agent Neil Sheridan was involved in a related case seven years ago and consults for the FBI and the Police when a string of murders turn up and all seem connected to Beth Denison in some way.  Neil is determined to find out what hold the killer has over Beth and unexpectedly finds something he never thought he would again.  The chance of a new life and some peace.  First though, he has to keep Beth safe from the hands of a demented killer who wants to hear her scream.

It’s been a while since I read a good crime book, having lately been absorbed by paranormal romance and fantasy.  It’s the first time I’ve read anything by Kate Brady and having just finished One Scream Away, it will certainly not be the last.  Her writing is very smooth and easy to read, even the little bits of back-history that were inserted didn’t jerk me out of the story.  Some parts of the book were extremely harrowing and if I didn’t already find collectible porcelain dolls creepy, I certainly would now!

The pace built up gradually until it was rushing along and carrying me me breathlessly with it, and I really couldn’t see what the outcome would be.  I thought the plot was extremely clever, several layers going on at once until they were slowly stripped away to a single one by the end.    Empathy with the main characters of Neil and Beth built the same way as the pace of the book.  I didn’t really feel much for them at the start but by the end I loved them and really cared about what happened.  Even minor but key characters I didn’t come to know that well tugged at my heart in certain scenes.

Nailbitingly tense in the extreme.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Black and White

Jan 262010

Callie Bradford and Joannie Greene live in a world where Extrahumans not only exist but are sponsored, marketed Superheroes dedicated to saving the world from Supervillains.  Trained from a young age by the Extrahuman Corps they are taught to believe in justice, peace and naturally the Corps way of life.  ‘Iridium’ (aka Callie) and ‘Jet’ (aka Joannie) forge a friendship early on in their training despite having opposite powers of light and shadow.  When Iridium goes rogue and Jet vows to do her duty and bring her in, Jet’s illusions of the Corps are shattered and the truth starts to come out.  Jet and Iridium must decide if friendship will ultimately save or destroy them, and along with them, the rest of the world.

I’ve never really read comics, either as a kid or adult, certainly not the myriad superhero ones out there.  I was aware of Superman, Batman etc but that was mainly through films and media.  Black and White was a truly unique experience for me, a superhero urban fantasy novel that could easily have been a comic book.  The sad thing is, if it had been in comic form,  I would probably never have picked it up and I would have missed out on a great story.  For me in a book, a lot more can be said and allows me to create my own vision of the characters without having the artwork force me down a particular visual path.

I was a little frustrated in the beginning that the perspective changed between characters a lot, and also jumped between time periods.  As a result, I found it jerked me out of the story and hence didn’t engage me at first.  As the book progressed, I realised it was actually very cleverly done, making you re-evaluate the characters constantly as each little piece of their past and present was revealed.

The superheroes and their powers were nicely written; some of the names must have been tongue in cheek, they certainly made me chuckle.  The two main characters of Iridium and Jet were really well done with such different personalities yet also complementing each other.

As a collaboration, I felt it worked well. I couldn’t detect two different styles in the writing and at no point felt that there wasn’t just one voice.

All in all it was an entertaining and enjoyable story about superheroes, their world and two special people within it who are as different as night and day.

This is the first book in the Icarus Project series and it’s certainly left me looking forward to the next one.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

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Kelley Armstrong free to read online book

Jan 262010

I caught Kelley Armstrong’s Twitter announcement that her Teen Paranormal book ‘The Summoning’ is available to read online for free.  You can check it out at http://bit.ly/6OjAbg.

I still read young adult fiction if it appeals and being a fan of Kelley Armstrong’s, this is a series I wanted to check out so I’m happy I can now!

You can follow Kelley on Twitter and you can check out her other books in her author page on Bookthing, as well as the reviews of her books we have here.

Please note, only the first ten chapters are available to read online now at Harperteen

Some thoughts on Books and E-Readers

Jan 212010

Books and reading have always been a very tangible experience for me.  The smell of a new book or an old and much loved copy, the noise and sensation of turning a page, even turning down a corner of the page you are on (a crime to some I know!) if you need to put it down before the end.  I even prefer buying books in a store even though online shopping is so much easier.  I go into the shop with a sense of excitement about getting a new book, hoping they have one you want in stock or just choosing something new to read.  Mind you, I can rarely buy just one book and holding a few as you browse is part of the experience.  Then buying them and leaving the shop with a bag of books and a lot of anticipation.  Online you can usually get what you want but the wait for the delivery and then arriving in a box doesn’t bring about quite that same sense of excitement.

With the advent of E-readers, I’m a bit lost what to think.  I’ve never used one and only looked at ones for sale in Waterstones and online, so not had the experience for myself.  I can see the advantages – being able to carry a multitude of books on one device that is the size of one, but is that the only thing that would attract me?

Have I become so ingrained with my love of physical books since I was a young child that I wouldn’t be able to make the switch?  And would I want to? The other aspect that comes to mind as well is I use the computer for so many things already, my eyes like the break of reading text on paper.  Would I just feel as if I were still reading a computer screen?  The sun on a book page doesn’t really make much difference other than squinting slightly.  The sun on a screen is a totally different matter and makes it unreadable.

I’d be interested to know how people feel, who feel the same as I do about physical books but do use an E-reader anyway.  Or as I suspect I might be, are you too in love with paper books to want to do it a different way?

Born of Ice

Jan 112010

Devyn Kell joined the League to save lives as a doctor and help those whose lives were being torn apart by conflict.  He didn’t bank on the League being one of the corrupt oppressors involved in the war and in one moment, throws his career and nearly his life away to save an innocent child.  Hunted by both the League and an old enemy with a family grudge, he becomes a runner to bring supplies, medicines and aid to those in need.  Alix Garran is a slave offered her freedom and the lives of her mother and sister if she can bring in the notorious rebel.  When an opening is made in Devyn’s crew, she’s forced to apply for the engineering role and find evidence that will convict Devyn and his crew.  If she can’t find it, she’ll have to fabricate it and time is ticking.  Not expecting to find a cause she can believe in, or people she can trust, Alix finds herself horribly torn between her family, and a man she can finally respect.

I expected this book to follow along the same timeline as Born of Night and Born of Fire and was surprised to find it was about their now grown up children.  Devyn is the son of Syn and Shahara and some of the major cast of characters are offpsring from Nykyrian and Kiara, his crew and friends.  I thought that was a great idea!  Sometimes you get to see what happens after a book is finished, not often you get to see what happens nearly a generation later.  I thought the character of Devyn was nicely written as a blend of his parents temperaments but not a mirror of either.  Alix is a character that brought out a lot of sympathy from me and at times I empathised a lot with.  Her life has never been her own, enslaved along with her mother and sister to her own father.  It was a nice switcharound that it was the female lead character in this book that had the traumatic life instead of the male, although saying that, Devyn has his own issues too.  I liked that the parents were kept out of the book as much as possible and when they appeared or ‘interfered’ it was called for in the story rather than being in it just for the sake of it.  This isn’t as much of an action book as the first two but when it happened it was explosive and fierce and highlighted Devyn’s nature of preferring to heal than harm.  That’s not to say he’s not willing to fight and happens to be very good at it.  Alix is just gutsy, even as self-effacing as she is, having had enough of being her father’s punching bag.  Two brilliant leading characters who you can admire and love.  There is more humour in this book also, maybe due to the larger cast but their banter is very funny and there are a couple of scenes that made me laugh out loud.  Luckily I was reading at home!

A very engaging, exciting and passionate book that I highly recommend you read!  I do hope there are more coming in this series.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Book Information

Born of Fire

Jan 092010

C.I. Syn the deadly, predatory and notorious filch has been accused of an horrific rape and murder.  The warrant out for his capture is picked up by Seax Shahara Dagan, desperate for money to pay for her sister’s medical bills.  Had she not been in such need, not even she would have gone after the son of one of the worst criminals in history.  Branded by his father’s sins and a universal assumption that the son would follow in his evil footsteps, Shahara goes in fully prepared to meet a monster.  What she finds though is what she least expects, an honourable man trying to escape a past that continually haunts him.

After finishing Born of Night, I was eager to get right into the escapades of Nykyrian’s best friend but it took a while for me to get a copy.  I thought I might have to re-read the first book to get back into the setting but only a few pages in, I was well into the story.  I love how Sherrilyn Kenyon can write so astutely from another’s viewpoint in a different book.  Born of Night was Nykyrian’s story in which Syn featured quite a lot and while I liked him, he was a grumpy soul with obvious issues from his past.  In this book, seeing life from his point of view told me so much more.  As I  learned his history and how he’d been treated just because of who his father was, my heart just went out to him.  Shahara’s struggle to keep her family together and their ability to get themselves into trouble, expecting her to bail them out all the time was well written too and her love tinged with exasperation and weariness were very tangible.  I loved these two characters together, right from their first encounter, there were sparks flying.  As the story progressed and perceptions changed for them both, I just fell in love with them more and knowing what was likely to happen at the end, made it all the more heartbreaking.  Everything fit so well together, the pace of the book, the action, drama and love scenes and at no point did I feel any of it was gratuitous.  The only negative thing I can find to say is she re-uses one or two phrases which can get annoying but it’s a minor thing and those phrases do carry a lot of weight.

As an added note, these books are not just Dark-Hunters re-created in space but their own unique stories, completely separate from the rest of Sherrilyn’s work and even if you aren’t a sci-fi fan, if you enjoy her books, definately read these!

Rating: ★★★★★ 

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Princeps’ Fury

Jan 072010

After managing to engineer peace with the Canim, Tavi holds to his promise and escorts them home.  Widespread devastation meets them and the belief that all would be well once Varg and his countrymen had set foot back on their own soil vanishes as they realise the dreaded Vord had laid waste to their entire country.  Back home, his loved ones are fighting their own battle with the Vord and go far and above the call of duty for the love of Alera and her Furies.  Alera must prevail.

So far, this series has been nothing short of amazing and yet Princeps’ Fury still manages to step it up a notch.  It has been a while since I read book four but I had no trouble at all diving right back into the story and greeting old friends.  Some authors tend to have a few major characters that I love intensely, but Butcher manages to sneak an entire legion into my heart.  Tavi, Kitai, Isana, Bernard, Max, Amara, Varg, Nausag – the list just goes on and I have no idea how he keeps them all straight or devotes as much intense attention to them all as he does.  With so many central characters I wouldn’t fault you for thinking it would be too many for them all to be so well rounded. Honestly though, the characterisations are just so good. I even felt I got to know the people better than before as they acted and reacted to the events unfolding in their lives.

The plot itself for this book is very different to what I was expecting.  Shocking, emotional, harrowing and heroic.  In between it all there are still shots of humour and love.  I found this book deeply emotional and I can’t say more than that without spoilers but if you are at all like me, have some tissues handy.  The pace chopped and changed a bit but that was dictated by the story and didn’t detract at all.  In fact it would have been a bad thing had certain scenes been rushed as it would have lost all impact and emotion, and that is where the quality of the storytelling lies.

A truly engaging and entertaining book by a master storyteller!

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Book Information

J. R. Ward

Jan 052010

About J. R. Ward

With law school, working in healthcare and chief of staff of an eminent academic medical centre in her background, she is now one of the most loved writers of paranormal romance.  A woman of many passions – Writing, her husband, her golden retriever and her coffee pot!

http://www.jrward.com/

My Comments

Having read and reviewed Covet, I decided to delve into what else J. R. Ward had written.  I like to start at the beginning of a series, even if it isn’t strictly necessary, just because I like to know where a character has come from or what has shaped them into the person they are.  The Black Dagger Brotherhood books are very tied in together and while you could read them out of order, it would be a shame to miss out on the multiple plot threads running through from where they first started in Dark Lover.  It was actually a book that surprised me a lot and clicked with me right from the start.  The characters are powerful, sexy, rough and ready and very appealing,  the writing style very crisp and clean, easy to read and very engaging.  Add in a good story to that mix and you have a set of books you will want to read right through one after the other and be left wanting more.  Superb paranormal romance at it’s finest!

Bibliography

Black Dagger Brotherhood

Fallen Angels

Lover Avenged

Jan 052010

Zerosum is the hub of Rehvenge’s turf.  Drug-lord, pimp and half amoral symphath, Rehvenge looks after what is his very well and takes care of anyone who threatens that.  Struggling to keep his darker half subdued, he is approached by one of the council aristocrats with a contract to kill Wrath, the King of the Vampires.  If his dual natured secret was leaked, he would be arrested and deported to the Symphath colony.  After meeting Ehlena, a Nurse at Havers’ clinic who causes his vampiric half to become ascendant, he realises things have to change.

With the council in a panic over the recent spate of murders by the Lessening Society, the Brotherhood and Wrath being hard pressed to protect the civilian population, it only seems to be a matter of time before they suffer another loss.  Emotions run high when someone they thought they would never see again returns, but will he be able to stay?

When I realised the central character of this book would be Rehvenge, I wasn’t sure what to think.  As a minor character throughout all the other books, his actions weren’t always good and at the time I picked up Lover Avenged I didn’t particularly like him.  I thought it would be a major task for J. R. Ward to turn him around for me, maybe too major.  One day I’ll learn!  History plays such a big part in making anyone who they are – what they’ve been through, what they’ve achieved and a common theme for paranormal romance, what they’ve sacrificed.  Learning Rehvenge’s history and all the things he has done for his family and friends made me re-examine what I thought I knew of him.  I can’t say I ended up loving him as much as the rest of the Brotherhood but definitely as someone worthy of affection and respect.

Rehvenge is a character that on closer inspection is neither a good nor bad guy because he can’t be,  his dual nature ensures that.  What he is though is someone who cares deeply about those he is close to, tempers his darker side as much as he can with his vampiric half and while his choice of career may not be what can be termed as ‘good’, within it, he makes it as  safe and look after everyone as much as possible.  Except himself that is.  When you learn what he has to do to keep his secret and his family safe, your heart goes out to him.  Ehlena I liked from the beginning and her situation and father’s illness made me sad for her.  I couldn’t help but admire her guts and backbone which, along with her compassionate nature and ability to see Rehvenge through unbiased eyes, made her an awesome female character.  Their interactions were really well written and I found myself hope it would work out for them, even when I was sure it wouldn’t.

I also have to say, this book is almost a two in one.  There is a lot more side story going on with the Brotherhood and several threads that have been brewing over the last few books are resolved here.  The book itself is about twice the size the others are and I can only assume they were threads that needed to come into play but not enough on their own to be in their own novel.  Whatever the reason, it worked and while there were a lot of things being resolved, several new ones have been put into play and I can’t wait for the next one!

A special thank-you as well to J. R. Ward for Tohr.  I was in tears anytime he came up!

Rating: ★★★★½ 

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