Spirit Bound

Dec 092010
 

Please be aware this review may contain minor spoilers.

For Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir, it’s time to graduate and be let out into the real world.  A real world that has many dangers – Dimitri intent on hunting Rose down and if he can’t turn her, kill her.  A Queen that has her own plans for the last royal Dragomir and several people who resent Rose’s influence with Lissa.  When a chance to save Dimitri and potentially turn him back into the dhampir he once was is discovered, Rose and Lissa must break more laws than they ever dreamt to free someone who they helped imprison.  With friends and family willing to do what they can to help, what they set out to do, could be life changing for dhampir and vampire alike.

Given her experiences in Blood Promise, Rose feels like a much more mature character.  That’s not to say she has suddenly become a model student else she wouldn’t be the Rose we know and love.  Her wit is still sharper than any knife and she will bend as many rules as she needs to, to protect those she loves.  I expect nothing less!

Lissa has grown up quite a lot as well, I think being without Rose for a lot of the last book, even as difficult as it was for her, helped her be aware she isn’t without talent of her own.  Of course that goes along with realising how vulnerable she can be, but maybe being aware of that isn’t such a bad thing, losing that naivety only creates more strength in her.

I loved the run up to Rose’s graduation and her final trial.  I wanted to cheer as she went, proving to her teachers and peers, just how formidable she has become.  I was a little disappointed that not much was made of the vampire side of graduation but I guess since it’s Rose’s story and being a dhampir it made sense.

Now they are out in the real world, at the royal court and no longer students.  Lissa is the Dragomir Princess, the last of her royal line which makes her extremely valuable, and Rose has the unfortunate record and reputation of being a troublemaker but with excellent and proven guardian skills.  I wanted to protest every time someone wanted to pull the two apart which seemed to happen a lot.  Admittedly not all of Rose’s choices have been good ones but no one could doubt her devotion to Lissa.

The action starts as they realise Dimitri is still obsessed with either turning or killing Rose.  A chance comment in the last book leads to a real possibility of saving him, but the only way to get the information they need is to do something unthinkable and highly illegal.  Break out the man who kidnapped and tortured Lissa in the first book, who they also testified against to put him in prison in the first place.

The pace of the story really picks up as they need to get things moving and in place before Dimitri can catch up with them and take any chance of saving him out of the equation.  Rose being torn between Adrian and Dimitri is quite sad as Adrian is a great character and I believe Rose does love him, just in a different way to what she feels for Dimitri.  She may be a lot more mature now but she is still an 18 year old dhampir.

Where Lissa really comes into her own is when she defies Rose and learns some combat skills to be able to carry out her plan to save Dimitri.  Christian does as well to a certain extent, and their interplay as ex-lovers was funny and heartfelt. I just wanted to tell them to get back together already!

What follows is just simply breathtaking.  Lissa’s empathy and determination, Christian’s love for her and both of them prepared to do anything to help Rose.  That whole section of the book had me on the edge of my seat and hoping for the best but fearing the worst.  Outstanding emotional and heartbreaking writing, and I wish I could say more about it but that would be a major spoiler and I am struggling enough with the minor ones.

Mead has a real talent for putting in a whammy at the end of her books that leaves Rose imprisoned and on trial for High Treason.  A crime that the punishment for isn’t imprisonment, it’s execution.

And so the story remains utterly engaging and enthralling as we go into the final book in Rose’s series; Last Sacrifice.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Book Information

Blood Promise

Dec 062010
 

Please be aware this review contains a few minor spoilers.

The time has come for Rose Hathaway to make a choice.  After the attack on St. Vladimir’s Academy left so many dead, injured, or missing, Lissa needs her more than ever.  Rose is frantic after Dimitri was taken and with her worst fears confirmed, needs to find him and give him the peace they both said they would have wanted, if the worst should ever happen.  Does Rose have the strength to leave the Academy and say goodbye to her best friend?  To cross countries in search of Dimitri and if she can, kill him for the final time.  In doing so, can she survive it.

Blood Promise has so many heartbreaking moments, I’m not even sure where to begin.  I thought Shadow Kiss was emotionally charged but this one is just on a whole new level.

Rose is such a wonderful character.  The amount of strength she has, the pain she has to go through and the determination to see someone she loves find peace is just amazing.  She is so well written she feels like a real person and I feel for her with everything she has to endure.  And she really does get put through it in this book.

I found Lissa’s feelings of abandonment very sad and it didn’t surprise me when she started to go off the rails.  You knew all wasn’t right with her, when new character Avery seemed to be trying to take Rose’s place.  I felt nothing good could come of it.  I did think Avery’s character was well written, just little hints but it was only really when you knew what she was up to that it added up.  It was also hard knowing Rose could see some of what was happening and it was just adding to the guilt she already felt about leaving.

A new organisation and character was introduced and I liked the concept.  It did seem strange that even though the living vampires and dhampirs kept themselves out of human society as much as possible, there needed to be something that allowed them to cross paths without too much trouble.  Enter the Alchemists.  Sydney is an interesting character and I thought the way her dislike of dhampir’s and vampires started to change over the course of the story was well done.

Dimitri.. aaah.  Those sections were the hardest for me to read, to see Rose come so far, so determined then almost give in and become what she dreads the most.  Dimitri as a Strigoi is just plain scary.  A nice touch, however, is that even undead he still feels a strong connection to Rose, even if it is now a broken and twisted thing.

The real strength of character in Rose came to the fore, when she realised Lissa was in serious trouble and she had to finish what she came to Siberia to do.  She still has a place in the living world, however tormented she felt about it, and that she still wanted to find peace for Dimitri through love and not hatred was very powerful.  It still wasn’t easy though.

Managing to save Lissa, even though she was thousands of miles away was brilliantly done.  Using her shadow kiss bond along with another spirit user, to do what she always promised; to protect her.

Rose’s last moments with Dimitri are the most heartrending and what she was prepared to do rather than be turned reduced me to tears.

An emotional, engaging and thrilling read.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Book Information

Shadow Kiss

Dec 052010
 

Being a guardian to her best friend Lissa Dragomir, after graduation, is all Rose Hathaway ever wanted.  The psychic bond between them, gained when Lissa brought Rose back
from the dead, might be the perfect tool to protect her, but at what
cost?  Torn between the forbidden love for her tutor Dimitri Belikov and the
role of protecting her best friend, Rose might be forced to choose
between them.  When the unthinkable happens and undead vampires invade the Academy,
Rose goes above and beyond the call of duty and fights with everything
she has in her.  Will it be enough to save those she loves the most?

Shadow Kiss has a much darker feel to it than the first two books in the Vampire Academy series.  A natural and necessary progression I think, due to the way book two finished.  It was great to be able to start straight in on this novel and I felt it was all the more poignant for it.

Rose is once again the focal character and I have to say I absolutely love her.  She matures rapidly throughout this book due to both her experiences in Frostbite, and the trials she has to go through in this one.  She kicks butt with the best of them but I did fear she was starting to come apart at the seams.  I couldn’t help but feel for her as she tries to cope with her guilt, desire, responsibilities and dedication to Lissa on top of being in her final year as a novice guardian.

There are some interesting revelations about Lissa’s abilities and their bond, and Rose learns more about what it means to be shadow kissed and its repercussions.  Lissa is dealing with her own feelings, of being in an adult relationship, being the last living Dragomir and having to be wary of the schemes the Queen seems to be cooking up for her.  They both grow a little distant from each other which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but with their bond you know they will never truly be apart.

From their group of friends, characters are starting to stand out on their own; Lissa’s boyfriend Christian, Adrian who makes no bones about wanting Rose, and Eddie, steadfast, loyal and dependable.  All of them play a huge role in making this series as good as it is.  Then there is the forbidden and gorgeous Dimitri.  I can’t help it, I love him too!

The pace felt a little different in Shadow Kiss, starting almost slowly and then as certain events happened, it got kicked up a gear until the end.  And by the end, wow.

The story, complemented by that exciting pace, was just amazing.  Emotional, compelling, passionate and painful, you felt every ounce of it in the writing.  As crisp, clear and easy to read as the first two, but with two very intense scenes that just blew me away, each for very different reasons.  I was in tears for one of them, make of that what you will!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Book Information

Vampire Academy

Dec 042010
 

Two seventeen year old girls running away from school might not raise many eyebrows, but when one is the last living vampire of her royal line and the other her best friend and dhampir bodyguard, both vampire and dhampir society are scandalised.  Dragged back under heavy protest, Rose Hathaway is frantic to protect Lissa Dragomir, not only from the rigours of high school life, but also from the very thing that caused them to flee St. Vladimir’s Academy in the first place.

I’ve not read Richelle Mead’s work before, so I had no expectations when I started Vampire Academy, the first book in this series.  I’m not really one to take much notice of labels such as ‘Young Adult’ – if the story sounds interesting, I’ll give it a try and in this case it turned out to be a real treat.

Mead has a very clear style of writing that is both easy to read and very entertaining.  I like the dry sense of humour that comes through in the story and the darker scenes evoked an emotional response in me.

One thing I found to be very well done was the explanation of the differences between dhampir/living vampire/undead vampire.  That could have been extremely confusing but it was actually well explained and written as part of the story, so I didn’t feel jerked out of it, while you learn some essential history.

The characterisations are superb and pretty spot on in how I think teenagers of sixteen/seventeen would behave with a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. Rebellious on the one hand, seriously protective of a best friend on the other.  The book is told from Rose’s perspective and she really stood out the most for me.  Sarcastic and sassy but with so much love and empathy for her best friend Lissa.  She manages to get in and out of all kinds of situations, some of her own doing because of her temper and nature, but others not of her own making.  She handles herself well and thinks fast on her feet, even if she is losing.  Lissa is a bit of an enigma, and I didn’t connect with her as well as I did with Rose early on, but that changed quite a lot as the story progressed.

The plot was good, not overly complicated but had enough mystery to keep me turning the pages.  With a few shocks, tantalising forbidden crushes and very entertaining secondary characters added in, this book became a gripping and highly recommended read.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Book Information

Lover Mine

May 122010
 

Having grown up in the human world, a place he didn’t fit in nor understand, John Matthew is finally finding his place within the Brotherhood.  Trying to put his brutal and abusive past behind him, he finds brief comfort from an unlikely source.  Xhex, whose own troubled past haunts her and being half symphath drives her to keep everyone at arms length.  Being kidnapped by Lash, the vicious son of the Omega is the last straw and she wants vengeance.  Even though John’s brief relationship with Xhex had left his heart broken, he vowed to either find her and bring her home or avenge her death.  Fate has played a cruel hand in both their lives but was there a chance for both of them to find peace, or would they continue along their paths alone.

I had mixed feelings when I started Lover Mine.  John has been present in the series for a long time, starting before he hit his transition into full vampire and while his history was sad, his present was getting messed up through bad choices, bad memories and a whole lot of attitude.  Understandable but it still made me want to smack him upside the head.  The same with Xhex too.

Now having arrived at his own book, I was soon drawn right into the story and a lot more made sense about who he has become and why he made some of the choices he did.  He had started to feel whiny, sulky and annoying in Lover Avenged and I was really pleased to see him grow out of that.  Xhex was a much more layered character than I expected and it didn’t take long before she had claimed her own corner of my heart, along with the other females of the series.  She kicks serious ass too which I think makes her the perfect match for John!

I thought the flashes of the history of Darius and Tohrment were a really nice touch and I should have seen where that was going but it still came as a surprise, maybe because so much else was going on in the book.

I’ve probably said this in every review of the series but I still absolutely love that the other major characters from the series appear, which isn’t that surprising since it’s a tight knit group but it’s great (and sometimes painful) to see how they are doing.

I don’t know where to even start with Blay and Qhuinn.  They SO belong together but while Blay accepts who he is, Qhuinn is still in denial and thinks he should be doing the female and baby route that his lineage has programmed into him.  They are both so hot together and even though Blay might have moved on, I hope there is a future for them and their own book because they are brilliant characters.

The book as a whole was amazing.  I absolutely loved it and even with the often horrifying and disturbing events the characters have been through, the emotion, grit and sheer balls of all the characters mean I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I need more, now!

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Book Information

Changes

Mar 302010
 

Harry Dresden, the only Wizard in the phone book is in for the shock of his life.  After a phone call from his ex-girlfriend Susan rocks his world, he realises Arianna Ortega has sworn revenge for the death of her husband and she is going to get it by killing his daughter.

The White Council, still reeling from betrayal and foolishly trying to garner peace with the Red Court vampires can’t help him and his list of allies is thin.  Those who mean the most to him however are ready to stand and fight by his side and Harry must find a way to take on the Red King and the entire Red Court, or lose the daughter he’d never known about.  With few options open to him, some of them down a very dark road, and growing more desperate, he must choose the best way he can to save his daughter and his friends.

Since Changes is the twelfth  book in the Dresden Files series, there are certain things you have come to expect.  Fast paced action, Harry being witty, heroic in the face of all evil and being regularly beaten into a pulp.  This book has all that and much, much more.  The very first sentence of the first paragraph gives you a big UH-OH moment and really, it doesn’t stop til the OH MY GOD moment at the end of the book.  It’s an emotional, engaging, gritty ride that doesn’t really let up apart from the laugh out loud sections that Butcher has such a talent for.

This book is a much more personal look into Harry’s life and what he believes in than previous novels.  The sections that show just what he’s capable of and willing to do for those he loves reduced me to tears.  I really can’t say more than that without spoiling it.

I absolutely love these books and while they have never become formulaic and samey for me, some are better than others and I honestly feel Changes is one of the best.  The title says it all really, there are some big changes in store for Harry and if you like this series, it’s an absolute must read.  Jim Butcher at his very best.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Book Information

Kitty and the Midnight Hour

Feb 132010
 

I first read this book quite a few years ago.  Having bought the two latest books and wanting to re-read them all from the beginning, I decided the early ones deserved reviews too.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour is the first book in the series and introduces us to Kitty and her coming out of the werewolf closet.  She’s a graveyard shift DJ for a Denver radio station until she fills in for someone on the midnight hour request show.  Instead of music, it turns into an advice/talk show for and about the supernatural and becomes her regular gig.  Eventually though, problems within her pack, her Alphas not liking the success she is finding and the enigmatic Cormac, supernatural bounty hunter, paid to kill her live on air, Kitty wonders if she has bitten off more than she can chew?

This book really is about a young woman who through no fault of her own was turned werewolf and tries to find her way in an ordinary world when she herself is anything but.  She still wants the life she would have had, and works hard to try and make that happen in spite of the people who would rather she be a good wolf and sit, stay.  I have nothing but admiration for her and I absolutely love the character of Kitty. She starts off being as submissive in nature as her wolf side, but as she matures and grows in success and confidence, you start seeing glimpses of the sassy, sarcastic, stubborn and kick ass woman she will become.  The talk show segments of the book are really good and the advice Kitty gives often make me laugh out loud, as do the questions.

I thought the pace of the book was good, even the radio segments, and when the action does kick in, it goes with a bang.  I like that she isn’t a fighting expert but relies on her wits, intelligence and her wolf instincts to survive.  That and the ability to talk the hind legs off a donkey!

It’s a great story, and the first read through left me hungry for the next book, and that didn’t change at all on this re-read.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

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 

Book Information

Lover Enshrined

Jan 042010
 

Phury, twin to Zsadist is slowly killing himself.  His drug habit is spiralling out of control, he’s in love with his twin’s wife and he’s hearing a sadistic voice in his head.  It’s only a matter of time before he self destructs completely.  Having sacrificed his freedom already for Vishous’ happiness, he is now supposed to be the Primale, the Vampire race’s primary male to help refresh the gene pool with the Scribe Virgin’s Chosen.  Yet he remains celibate, as he has been since the vow he took when he went to rescue his twin.  Cormia is the Chosen who has been put forward as his primary female, having lived and grown up in the Scribe Virgin’s domain, never having been to the ‘other’ side, she is confused by the role that has been placed on her.  She finds she wants more than the simple life laid out for her but can Phury put enough of himself back together to fulfill his duty or will Cormia be sent back to the Scribe Virgin’s domain and resign herself to never living out her dreams.

I actually found this book very bittersweet.  Phury has been such a constant presence in the series and witnessing him slowly spiral out of control has been very sad.  Until now he’s always managed to pull himself back from the edge and I thought it would end up being resolved very quickly at the start of this book so that other events could take place.  I was wrong and it ended up being a very powerful and poignant journey with Phury and the fight for his life and mind.  Cormia is such an innocent having grown up in the scribe virgin’s realm and had never experienced life as we know it.  It was refreshing seeing certain things anew through her eyes, even such a simple things as colours.

At times I did want to shake both of them and point out the obvious but really, those parts were well done given what both characters had been through and their individual insecurities.  It’s easy to see what is right in front of someone else’s face, your own, not so much.

By the end I felt I’d read something special and been through an emotional journey that had sorrow, joy, sheer guts and above all, love.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Book Information

 Older Entries  Newer Entries
© 2011 Grete Evans A blog of myths, romance, fantasy and thrills. Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha