Book Thingo » SFF & horror

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Envyious — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:06 +0000

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (The Blood of Eden, Book 1)

A compelling read, given Julie Kagawa’s brilliant writing and ability to create characters we can sympathise with, but it offers nothing new in terms of the vampire mythos.

Oh how I wanted so badly to LOVE this book! It had all the ingredients of a five-star read—most especially in today’s young adult (YA) market. Post-apocalyptic? Check. Vampires? Check. Did I hear you say, What about zombies? Check that, too (though they’re not named thus in the book, they are pretty much the mindless, walking dead with a one-track mind: to eat you).

Throw in a feisty katana-wielding female lead and a love interest worthy of being swooned at and it should have been a straightforward A+. Ach, but it pains me to admit that it falls short of being mind blowing.

A world post a contagious vampiric virus

The Immortal Rules begins with a multiple public hanging and continues not to shy away from violence throughout. Julie Kagawa sets the scene within the first few pages and it’s clear that humans are now several rungs down the food chain, living in walled cities run by vampires where breaking curfew could be fatal. Allison ‘Allie’ Sekemoto is a feisty, sarcastic (at times, inappropriately so, but then again she’s a teenager so I guess that’s a given, right?) and apparently illegal book lover. That last one was what won me over but there’s plenty to admire about the disillusioned but steadfast Allie.

Fangs and a serious case of photodermatitis

It’s a very traditional take on vampires but it’s how Kagawa tells the tale that made me flip pages past 1 am. By that I mean more Stoker and Rice than sparkling in the sunlight. I was engrossed by Kagawa’s world building, especially when we realise that Allie doesn’t recognise everyday objects we all take for granted, like a lawnmower or a wheelchair. In her reality the concept of school is bewildering and no one actually has any access or much need for mundane equipment that are relics of our current time.

Casualties, targets and thirst-quenchers

We’re introduced to many characters along the way and so the list of possible victims is quite extensive (but there are definitely a few idiots you would want dead). Not unlike Suzanne Collins, Kagawa isn’t afraid to sacrifice a few characters and it was awesome. The end.

(As a sort of unrelated side note it was a tad difficult not to giggle at the name of the vampire who sired Allie since translated into my native language (Tagalog), ‘Kanin’ (his name) means ‘rice’. He’s meant to be mysterious and aloof but my mind was saying surely with a name like that he secretly wants to open his own restaurant right? Dish of the day, blood pudding! You understand my dilemma. Moving on…)

Of blood and sacrifice

What I loved best was the subtle romance intertwined with our heroine’s plight in learning to accept what she’s become. There’s no love triangle! HOORAY! It’s already believable. I maintain that it was hard enough to get the attention of one guy, let alone two, as an awkward teen, so triangles always make me suspicious of the heroine. Allie doesn’t wax poetic about Zeke’s masculine allure and superb beauty at first sight—more a casual description of his person. It’s later on, after they spend some quality time trying not to get killed while getting to know one another, that she realises he’s hot stuff.

Some cover matters

Lastly, while I don’t judge books solely by their covers (though admittedly it is taken into account) I do notice the covers of my books. Allie is explicitly described as Asian of implied Japanese descent—with her ‘squinty’ eyes, small stature and, most notably, her surname, but to my disappointment, the cover doesn’t portray this at all. She’s gorgeous, that’s for sure but, well, not Asian.

I did only get an uncorrected proof but it had what I assume to be the final official cover (as revealed on Kagawa’s blog and on the HarlequinTeen facebook page.

More often than not authors have nothing to do with how their covers turn out and I may just be nitpicking; nevertheless, it would be nice for the art department to take note of. She really should look a lot like the model on the reprinted versions of Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori series (particularly this one).

Yay or nay?

Despite being a compelling read, there was nothing new here in terms of the vampire mythos and, unfortunately, was somewhat predictable. However, these are small misgivings compared to Kagawa’s brilliant writing and ability to create characters we can sympathise with.

Who might enjoy it: Fans of the vampire and post-apocalyptic genres as well as The Hunger Games, minus the politics and the insufferable faux love triangle

Who might not enjoy it: Those looking for a new take on vampirism (though I’d advise them to stick with it—it’s really Allie’s growth as a character that makes the novel worthwhile)

A review copy of this book was generously provided by Harlequin Teen.

Title: The Immortal Rules (excerpt)
Series: The Blood of Eden (Book 1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

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The Lone Warrior by Denise Rossetti

Kat — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Lone Warrior by Denise Rossetti (Four-sided Pentacle, Book 3)

Despite some poignant moments, too many inconsistent elements may prevent you from fully enjoying the story. Best enjoyed as part of the series in which it belongs.

This review is part of the AWW2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge. Click here for a list of books I’ve read so far.

When Denise Rossetti this year’s Australian Romance Readers Award for The Lone Warrior for Favourite Erotic Romance, I knew I had to read this book. I’m not sure who categorised this book for the awards, but it’s more fantasy romance than erotic, and the publisher label at the back of the book says ‘paranormal romance’.

When Mehcredi’s attempt to do the Necromancer’s bidding goes awry, she’s bound to the service of earth shaman Walker. Abandoned as a child, Mehcredi doesn’t know how to be with people, and effectively being trapped into dealing with a bunch of strangers brings old insecurities to the surface.

Mehcredi gradually finds some peace within Walker’s circle of friends, and some measure of self-confidence. When Walker frees her from her bond so he can pursue his quest to avenge his slain kin—he’s the only one left after they were wiped out by demons—Mehcredi insists on coming along, disguised as Walker’s apprentice.

The beginning of this story had me hooked. Until Mehcredi and Walker set off on their journey, I was invested in her story—of her awful childhood and how she makes new friends, gains self-esteem and, at times, loses progress. I was particularly moved by her description of masturbating, as a child, in a closet:

If there was one thing she’d learned at Lonefell, it was the comfort her own bod could give her. The only names she knew for what she did were ugly or childish, or both—frigging, beating off, jerking off. Taso called that soft, sensitive place a cunt, spitting out the word as if it tasted foul in his mouth. But when she lay hunched in some hidey-hole at the keep, cold and miserable and unable to sleep, stroking it helped. The fingers of one hand busy, she’d achieve release, the other first shoved in her mouth to stifle her cries. Afterward, she’d drift off, telling herself it didn’t matter, that at least one person cared enough to gift her with pleasure—even if it was herself.

I wasn’t so moved by Walker’s growing awareness of and lust towards Mehcredi. To call this book an erotic romance is, I think, stretching the definition. Yes, Rossetti uses words like cunt and cock and fuck, but the sex scenes, to me, are more purple prose than erotica. (‘Nngh’ is not a word, and even if it were, it would not be sexy.) The explicit language merely emphasises the lack of depth in these scenes and the weakness of the romance. I understood why Mehcredi fell in love with Walker, but not why he fell in love with her.

The external plot starts off promisingly, but towards the end, I was handicapped by not having read the previous books in the Four-sided Pentacle series. The explanations of magic, demons, djinns and technomages aren’t detailed enough to prevent confusion, ultimately causing me to lose a lot of interest in what was going on. I also found some scene transitions off-putting, with sex scenes interrupted by demon scenes.

I suppose what it all comes down to is a lack of consistency throughout the story. This is reflected in the characters, the language, the pace and the mythology. Mehcredi is an assassin, but she’s not really. Walker is the last of his kin, except he’s not. Prue negates magic, except not with Erik. Magic seems all too easy with the good guys, and even at the very end, the consequence of Walker saving Mehcredi’s life—the source of their final conflict—resolves itself in a terribly convenient way. (Mild spoiler alert: I wonder how Walker feels about part of his soul now being just a fashion accessory?)

Yay or nay?

This book is probably best enjoyed in series order because it seems to rely on worldbuilding done in previous books. I was interested enough in the outcome to keep reading to the end, but despite some poignant moments, there were too many inconsistent elements for me to fully enjoy the story.

Who might enjoy it: Readers who like an awkward heroine

Who might not enjoy it: Fantasy readers expecting a deep mythology

Title: The Lone Warrior (excerpt)
Series: Four-sided Pentacle (Book 3)
Author: Denise Rossetti
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin

Children of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy

Kat — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Children of Scarabaeus (Scarabaeus, Book 2)

Not quite as compelling as the first book and the romance is underdeveloped, but still a satisfying conclusion to the Scarabaeus duology.

When Edie is recaptured by the Crib, she discovers they’ve been grooming four Talasi children to become cyphertecks for her former mentor’s pet project, Project Ardra. Edie is torn between her freedom, her obligation to free Finn, her desire to save the children, and as she learns the motives behind Project Ardra, to find a way of preventing colonised planets turning into uninhabitable mush.

This book is a continuation of the events in Song of Scarabaeus, and it’s best to read the books in order. Unlike its predecessor, Children of Scarabaeus relies on a series of smaller arcs and plots to keep the momentum going. The pacing isn’t as strong, nor are the conflicts as compelling. There are a lot of antagonists, and they’re not all well developed enough to be interesting.

There’s a bit of deus ex machina in the resolution, which is disappointing given that, for the most part, it wasn’t easy to predict how the story would go. The world building in this book also becomes mired in twists and complications.

The romance between Edie and Finn is properly resolved in this book. Creasy isn’t writing a romance novel here, and that’s obvious. The romantic tension between these two characters sometimes comes across as shallow, and the consummation of their relationship isn’t as thrilling as I was anticipating. The lack of insight into Finn’s point of view weakens the romantic arc noticeably.

Nevertheless, Children of Scarabaeus is a satisfying conclusion to the Scarabeus duology. Creasy has plenty of scope for future books with the remaining cast of characters, and it’ll be interesting to see what she comes up with next.

Yay or nay?

Not quite as compelling as the first book and the romance is underdeveloped, but still a satisfying conclusion to the Scarabaeus duology.

Who might enjoy it: Readers who need to know if Edie and Finn get their happy ending

Who might not enjoy it: Sticklers for hard science fiction

Title: Children of Scarabaeus (excerpt – Flash)
Series: Scarabaeus (Book 2)
Author: Sara Creasy
Publisher: Eos/HarperCollins
A format: 9780061934742 (29/3/2011)
Ebook: 9780062078728 (29/3/2011)

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Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy

Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy

Kat — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy (Scarabaeus, Book 1)

A page turner for science fiction readers who like a bit of romance, not the other way around.

Edie is desperate to escape her life of service to the Crib empire, so when she’s kidnapped by mercenaries and forced to cooperate with their plans, she’s worried but not exactly anxious to get back to the Crib.

But when she’s leashed to Finn, an ex-slave who turns out to belong to a group of highly trained fighters, she’s given no choice. If she ventures too far—for example, in an attempt to escape her new masters—Finn dies. If Edie refuses to help the mercenaries, they’ll both be killed.

Edie is a cypherteck, and her job for the Crib was to help seed newly discovered planets in order to make them viable for human occupation. After the planet is occupied, the Crib charge its inhabitants to keep the seeds viable. The mercenaries want her to extract keystones from existing planet seeds, which are then sold to Fringe planets so they can be free of the Crib’s control.

To do so, Edie must revisit the first planet she attempted to seed—Scarabaeus. Privately, it’s her one source of pride and the one success she has kept secret from the Crib. But how can she keep Scarabaeus free from human interference when her life—and Finn’s depends on once again interfering with the planet? And what does it mean when the seeds that were supposed to have naturally died in Scarabaeus seem not only active but thriving?

There are romantic elements in Song of Scarabaeus, but not enough to call it a romance per se. This works well because we’re never in Finn’s point of view, and he remains a bit of a mystery throughout the book. The ending is optimistic, but you’ll need to read the next book to get a proper conclusion. That said, there’s no overt sequel baiting in this book—it’s satisfying enough on its own.

The world building is detailed, but you have to read closely to get the subtle nuances between different types of technology, the political issues and the factions involved. To Creasy’s credit, the exposition is done in context, and it’s unlikely to pull readers out of the story.

Fans of Ann Aguirre’s Jax series, or those who dislike Jax’s first person narrative, may find Creasy’s style more enjoyable. Both series feature heroines who may not be defenceless but are certainly vulnerable and heroes on the inscrutable side. Aguirre’s series has a more well-developed romantic plot, but Creasy’s narrative style flows better. There’s a similarity in the way Jax describes hyperspace and how Edie describes biocyph. Creasy uses music as a metaphor, which allows readers to get a sense of what Edie is explaining without having to delve too deeply into the (very speculative) science behind it.

Yay or nay?

This is a page turner for science fiction readers who like a bit of romance, not the other way around.

Who might enjoy it: Science fiction readers who like a bit of romance on the side

Who might not enjoy it: Science fiction readers who like their science to be rigorous

Title: Song of Scarabaeus (excerpt – Flash)
Series: Scarabaeus (Book 1)
Author: Sara Creasy
Publisher: Eos/HarperCollins
A format: 9780061934735 (27/4/2010)
Ebook: 9780061991363 (27/4/2010)

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Children of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy

Heart Search by Robin D. Owens

Wandergurl — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:38 +0000

Heart Search by Robin D. Owens (Celta's HeartMates, Book 10)

A good addition to the series for Celta fans who are curious to see how characters have evolved and want to catch up on previous characters’ lives.

I first read Robin D. Owens’ HeartMate earlier in the year. Within the next month I managed to collect every single book in the Celta series by visiting random bookshops in the Philippines and through some creative used book buying via @GirrlitsBooks. Needless to say, I love everything about this series—even the apostrophes.

Laev T’Hawthorn was stupid a few books ago and, as a twenty-year old, married the wrong girl, thinking she was his HeartMate. She fucked him over, to put it in simple terms, and later died when a devastating illness swept the land. Laev, now head of his family after the death of his grandfather, has since discovered that she stole family heirlooms and sold them. He is determined to get them back, and in doing so right some of the wrongs he felt he has brought upon his family by choosing the wrong woman.

Camilla Darjeeling runs a tea house (in case you couldn’t get this from her name) and is a very independent woman who has worked very hard to get herself a better station in life. She also knows Laev is her HeartMate. (She can’t tell him—this is a law of the land, just so you know that she’s not just being unnecessarily stubborn.) She’s being bothered by her unscrupulous father and uncle, who keep stealing everything she owns and physically abusing her despite her best attempts to avoid them.

Camilla refuses to acknowledge Laev is her HeartMate, and he refuses to try and find her because of his past experiences and regret. Eventually, their sexy-time dreams catch up with them and they finally hook up in real life, but neither them wants to go further than that.

Laev and Camilla’s relationship came across at times like a friends-with-benefits tale that evolved and and turned out well. Their hesitation to move towards romance, despite the fact that it was inevitable, was realistic and well-portrayed. People do have regrets, and this does stop them from moving forward or trying to love again, because they’ve been burned before. Camilla’s lack of trust for men, brought about by abuse from the men in her family, was also realistic. If you take away all the juju and magic porting and mind-talking cute animals, they really could just be two people having issues with commitment.

You can’t read this book without reading the rest of the series. The Celta series has a very finely ingrained mythology, which you won’t entirely understand if you start with Heart Search, which is set ten years into the future from the last book and focuses on a younger generation. You don’t have to read all the preceding books, and you don’t even have to read them in order—I didn’t—but you need another book to start with before you get to Heart Search. It’s so far along in the series that it’s best to read one or two of the previous books in the series (any of them, really) beforehand.

Yay or nay?

A good addition to the series for Celta fans who are curious to see how characters have evolved and want to catch up on previous characters’ lives.

Who might enjoy it: Celta HeartMates series fans

Who might not enjoy it: Apostrophe haterz

Title: Heart Search (excerpt — PDF)
Series: Celta’s HeartMates (Book 10)
Author: Robin D. Owens
Publisher: Berkley
A format: 9780425241387 (2/8/2011)
ePub: 9781101517291 (2/8/2011)
Adobe: 9781101507896 (2/8/2011)

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Storm’s Heart by Thea Harrison

Wandergurl — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:00:42 +0000

Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison (Elder Races, Book 2)

My new auto-buy author. Even if the hero had turned out to be a wimpy web-footed shapeshifter from outer space whose non-human form was even weirder looking I’d probably still buy it.

Tricks, former head of PR for Culebre Enterprises, has come out of hiding after the death of the Dark Fae King to reveal herself as the heiress to the throne. Not surprisingly, people are trying to kill her. Enter Tiago Black Eagle, wyr sentinel sent by Dragos, her ex-boss who gave her refuge (see previous book), to make sure she’s okay and find out who tried to kill her. They haven’t had much interaction until now, but they make up for lost time pretty quickly. Can Tricks and Tiago find out who’s trying to kill her before she ends up dead, and still have time for some nookie?

I think I’ve written a similar summary before. Hell, I think I might have done it for Dragon Bound, the first book of this series. But hey, why ruin something that works?

Thea Harrison is my new auto-buy author. Even if the hero had turned out to be a wimpy web-footed shapeshifter from outer space whose non-human form was even weirder looking I’d probably still buy it. (But I’d ask Decadence first.) I am utterly fascinated by her world building and enjoy the universe she’s created.

Tricks and Tiago are great characters. Tricks could have easily turned into a Mary Sue, or Miss Super-Independent-I-Don’t-Need-Anyone, but instead she acknowledges what she needs to learn and gets on with it. Tiago could also have turned into a grunting alpha—honestly, I think of him as Conan or Taboo (from the Black Eyed Peas)—but he’s worked out well. Harrison, and by virtue of this, Tricks, doesn’t try to change him, even at the end, when they’re mated (this is not a spoiler as I’m sure we all know this is going to happen—it’s a romance) and he’s got to be Mr. Faerie. There are also none of the if only they spoke to each other this conflict would not have happened bullshit. When something happens to her, they talk about it right away. They even talk about the whole mating gig. I really liked that in the story.

I found the external plot around murder attempts on Tricks quite interesting, and that kept me reading more than the actual romance. I liked the murder investigation and how everything moved along but, yes, eventually I killed a fairy three-quarters into the book.

Yay or nay?

Yay. But you need to read Dragon Bound first. Storm’s Heart can stand alone, but the first book is better. This doesn’t suck—not at all; it’s pretty good—but you might as well get book one too. :-)

Title: Storm’s Heart (excerpts: one, two, three)
Series: Elder Races (Book 2)
Author: Thea Harrison
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin
A format: 9780425242667 (2/8/2011)
Ebook: 9780748132508 (2/8/2011)

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The Girl In The Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Kat — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Girl In The Steel Corset by Kady Cross (The Steampunk Chronicles, Book 1)

Delivers a good mystery at the expense of world building and character development.

This book has everything going for it. Look at that gorgeous cover. Check out the gushing reviews online. It’s teen steampunk—two of the subgenres du jour in popular fiction. I squealed in delight when the folks at Mills and Boon were kind enough to send me a review copy.

In hindsight, I should’ve known better than to raise my expectations to a level that few books could possibly attain. The Girl In The Steel Corset might have worked for me ten years ago, but now I’m just left wanting more.

Sixteen-year old Finley Jane knows something lurks inside her—something strong and dark and unpredictable. She tries to hide it, but she can’t always control it. After Finley escapes an assault, she’s taken in by Griffin and his friends. She doesn’t want to cause them any trouble…and yet they, too, seem to have their secrets. And their abilities.

Griffin is searching for the mastermind behind recent troubles with automatons going rogue. He’s fascinated by Finley and seems to be the only person who can help her overcome her darker side. But as their search for The Machinist comes to a head, Finley isn’t always sure whom to trust, especially when everyone is pushed to the limit of their powers—including her.

In truth, that summary seems a tad more exciting than the book felt while I was reading it. The mysteries surrounding the different characters’ abilities were intriguing and kept me invested in the story, despite the many info dumps along the way.

“I have no desire to be any more in your debt than I already am.”

[Griffin] looked thoughtful for a moment. “Would it make you more comfortable if I demanded something in return? Would that put you at ease?”

When he put it like that, it made her sound like an awful sort of person for thinking the worst. “It would, yes. At least that would be honest.”

…

“What I want from you,” he said, and Finley braced herself, “is your trust. Irrevocable and unshakable. I want you to put your life in my hands, and I want to be able to do the same without hesitation.”

Disturbed to her very soul, Finley could only shake her head. “You ask too much.” Put his life in her hands? He was deranged! A bedlamite for certain.

A crooked grin curved his mouth. “Too much? You strange and wonderful girl, that is the least I’ll ask of you.”

And yet I felt that author Kady Cross focused too much on the mystery plot surrounding who The Machinist was and what he planned to do, at the expense of deep and solid world building.

Abilities and talents are revealed piecemeal, which is fine if somehow they’re brought together at the end to serve the bigger picture. It didn’t really work for me; parts of the plot still seemed very vague at the end. I’m not sure if this is deliberate, because this is obviously the first book in a series, but it left me unsatisfied.

My other gripe is that many of the characters feel derivative. The underworld figure of Jack Dandy seems like a barely disguised sketch of The Pirates of The Caribbean’s Jack Sparrow. Sam, the enigmatic part-automaton, closely resembles Wolverine from X-Men (film). Maybe this is the way the author planned it, but if so, the characters pale against their much more well-rendered film counterparts, and the comparison only highlights the book’s weaknesses.

Having an ensemble cast doesn’t help, as Cross struggles to flesh out all the characters. I would rather the story had focused on a few key characters and left others a mystery until subsequent books, but Cross tries to do justice to each one. The effect, unfortunately, is to dilute everyone.

Oh, and there seems to be a love triangle in the horizon. Of sorts.

Yay or nay?

This book was an entertaining if not altogether satisfying read. Perhaps the next book will provide the depth I was looking for in the world building and the characters. In the meantime, this one should appeal to readers who are after a bit of adventure and mystery without taking it all too seriously.

If you’re on the fence about trying this book, you can download a free copy of the prequel, The Strange Case of Finley Jane, from All Romance.

An advanced reading copy of this book was generously provided by Mills and Boon Australia.

Title: The Girl In The Steel Corset (excerpt)
Series: The Steampunk Chronicles (Book 1)
Author: Kady Cross
Publisher: Harlequin Teen/Mills and Boon
Hardcover: 9780373210336 (24/5/2011, USA)
B format: 9781921793127 (6/2011)
Ebook: 9781742901305 (6/2011)

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Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook

To dream the impossible dream (Top 5 for 2010 + TBR Challenge)

Wandergurl — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:00:01 +0000

Wandergurl’s recommended reads from 2010 and a self-imposed challenge to conquer her TBR pile.

Book picks for 2010

The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne

Effectively the prequel to The Spymaster’s Lady, this equally wonderfully written novel is about ‘Maggie and Doyle’. Marguerite de Fleurignac, a French noblewoman, encounters William Doyle in her burnt out chateau. They both pretend to be people they are not, as she is trying to desperately smuggle out people during the revolution and he is an English spy looking for her father. The romance is lush and lovely, the spy plot moves around nicely, and I was kept captivated. Highly recommended.

Feet of the Chameleon by Ian Hawkey

This is a largely anecdotal history of modern African football and how it has shaped various countries’ political histories. I read this book during the football (soccer) world cup while in Africa so it was especially poignant. It explained a lot of things that were interesting to me, and would be interesting for anyone with an interest in Africa, its people and its history.

A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemsin

A fantasy novel written about a world with a hundred thousand kingdoms, in which one family and effectively one god rules an earth where many other minor gods and goddesses walk among its people. After the death of her mother, Yeine is summoned to the court of the worlds’ ruling family, the Arameri. She is surprisingly named one of their heirs and has to survive political machinations, competition from the other heirs and the gods themselves, who have a greater stake in this than anyone else. The writing flows well and transports the reader to the lofty hights of Sky, the Arameri palace, as well as the surrounding towns and the lives of its inhabitants. There’s a bit of romance that also drives the story forward.

Changeless and Blameless by Gail Carriger

Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series is one of my favourites, and I can’t wait for the next one. Changeless ended with a massive cliffhanger that annoyed the bejeezus out of me, so I never reviewed it. I picked up the next book and devoured it in a few hours, and am pleased to say that it ends satisfactorily. I need the next one, stat!

Set in steampunk London, Alexia is Soulless, married to a werewolf and has a gay BFF who happens to be a vampire. In Blameless, she tries to figure out what exactly being soulless means, so that she can clear her name based on things that happened in Changeless which i cannot spoil! If you haven’t read this series, start with Soulless!

Lover Mine by J. R. Ward

This book is here because it’s the book that got me to believe in The Crack (TM) again. This is all your fault, J. R. Ward. You and your sunglasses and hip hop lingo. Damn you, I’m going to end up with the next book, whatever happens. Do not read this book unless you’ve started the series. Start with Dark Lover at your own risk. You feel me?

TBR Challenge

Every year I start a challenge or two which I forget about two months after. I never end up completing my challenges. Hence, I’ve decided to set up my own.

My challenge is to finish all the books in my TBR by Dec 31, 2011.

There are approximately 75. (I have made extra allowance for the romance novels I haven’t counted). I think it’s do-able. Sort of.

The rules are:

1. All books read from the TBR must be reviewed (even if it’s just part of the mixed bag).
2. You must read at least 50 pages before giving up. If you do give up, you don’t have to review.
3. You are allowed to give a book away if you pick it up and think, What was I thinking?
4. You must not replace a completed TBR book with a new one. You need to finish at least 5 before you are allowed to add to it. (Pre-planned purchases are excluded—e.g. those in the 2011 new releases listing. This is because 70% of my TBR is impulse purchasing. If you buy a pre-planned purchase you must read it immediately without adding to the TBR! )
5. Are there any other rules I should add?

Please feel free to join me in this challenge. Let’s hope I don’t forget about this one.

Wandergurl’s recommended reads from 2010 and a self-imposed challenge to reduce her TBR pile.

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HeartMate by Robin D. Owens

Wandergurl — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:00:33 +0000

HeartMate by Robin D. Owens (Celta's HeartMates, Book 1)

A well crafted book that will appeal to fans of Jayne Castle’s series. Just ignore the attack of the apostrophes.

Rand T’Ash is a member of one of the Great Families on the planet of Celta, colonised by the people of Earth many years ago during a search to find a suitable location to develop their psychic gifts. Formerly a street rat he is now a respected nobleman with a talent for shaping stones. He has crafted a necklace as a HeartGift, as is customary in their culture, for his HeartMate, the woman who is destined to be his. Danith Mallow walks into his shop one day and is drawn to the necklace, but after some alpha grunt-type discussion and a bit of chaos caused by other customers, she leaves, and T’Ash has to find her and somehow convince her that they are destined to be together. Thus the story and the apostrophes begin.

I had trouble with the names at first. The honorific in their culture appears to be T’something or D’something and the apostrophes started to drive me nuts. I was later told by a friend that it appears to be standard in futuristic fantasy now, and I do not think this is a trend I would like to continue. Having an apostrophe does not make you all fancy, you know.

That said, the world building was excellent, if a bit complicated at first. There’s a lot to get through at the start and you have to keep track of it all as you go along. That said, it’s a very well crafted, well thought out world, very consistent and imaginative.

T’Ash was a solid (literally and figuratively) alpha male hero, though I found him trying sometimes. While I understand that he was raised in the gutter and had no manners, sometimes I really expected him to grunt when he was talking to Danith: Me Tarzan, You Jane, Us belong together. The end. He was really quite pushy, and it’s understandable why she would reject him repeatedly. This conflict did not get resolved until the end, and all the other external conflicts and side plots were fixed, which kind of had me feeling that this bit was a bit rushed.

While the main conflict in the story is the romance between the two, there are a lot of tiny side plots that fit well with the story, although I found that Owens could have done with fewer. This being the first book in a series, it seems as though a lot of these side plots were necessary to establish the other families for future books.

Despite the many things going on, I enjoyed the secondary characters, especially Holm from the D’Hollys , T’Ash’s super charming BFF (who gets his own book later on) and his familiar, Zanth, the straight talking but adorable psychic cat. (Trust me, it’s cooler than it sounds.) His full name, Zanthoxyl, sounded a lot like medication to me, though. The kind that would be banned for recreational use.

Yay or nay?

Name nitpicking aside, I enjoyed this book and found it a good start to the series. I’ve ordered two other books already (thanks, @girrlitsbooks!) and am looking forward to exploring more of the world of Celta and meeting more psychic cats. It’s a well crafted book, and if you like sff books similar to Jayne Castle’s series you may like this one, too.

This book was first published in 2001 by Jove and reissued by Berkley in 2006. Some bookshops list the title as two words, Heart Mate, so if you can’t find the book, that’s probably why.

Title: HeartMate (excerpt)
Series: Celta’s HeartMates (Book 1)
Author: Robin D. Owens
Publisher: Berkley
A format: 9780425212400 (8/2006)
Ebook: 9781436284073 (12/1/2009)

Where you can buy this book

Books in the Celta’s HeartMates series

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Heart Search by Robin D. Owens

Mixed Bag: November 2010

Kat — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:00:14 +0000

In keeping with Halloween, this month’s Mixed Bag is a mix of (mostly) otherworldly books by (mostly) Australian authors.

Fallen by Lauren Kate (Fallen #1)

Fallen by Lauren Kate (Fallen, Book 1)

When Luce starts senior year (year 12 for us) at a boarding school for troubled teens, she discovers that her classmates aren’t, well, normal, and that the reason the school hottie is avoiding her at all costs has something to do with her destiny—until for some reason her destiny doesn’t happen on schedule.

I might have enjoyed this story more if I hadn’t already read the many—oh, so many—teen urban fantasy books with similar characters and conflicts. The brooding, I’m-no-good-for-you-so-I’ll-turn-down-your-advances-by-being-rude-and-offensive hero just doesn’t work for me anymore. At least, not unless the heroine calls him out on it—and Luce doesn’t do it enough. It got interesting towards the end, but the main characters didn’t have enough shades of grey for me.

Yay or nay? Sparks of interesting plot were bogged down by a frustrating hero and shallow character development. You can read an excerpt via Facebook (scroll towards the bottom of the page if you want to avoid spoilers for the next book).

A review copy of this book was generously provided by Random House Australia.

Publisher: Doubleday (Random House) | C format: 9780385618021 | B format: 9780552561730 | Ebook: 9781409096085

Gladiatrix by Rhonda Roberts (Timestalker #1)

Gladiatrix by Rhonda Roberts (Timestalker, Book 1)

This book is the first in a time travel mystery series featuring 22-year old Kannon Jarratt, who inadvertently becomes a time traveller in the process of trying to find her biological mother. When Kannon finds herself in Ancient Rome, she has to figure out how to get back to her time—but first she has to survive the arena.

There were two things I liked about this book: the beginning of the story is set in Sydney and most of the rest is set in Ancient Rome. There’s potential in this series, but I’m used to a lot tighter plotting and faster paced novels. Gladiatrix didn’t always hold my attention.

Yay or nay? A series to watch out for. There was a little romance in the story, which always wins points. You can read an excerpt via HarperCollins Australia.

A review copy of this book was generously provided by Voyager.

Publisher: Voyager (HarperCollins) | A format: 9780732288556 (May 2009)

The Splendour Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

When Sylvie Davis’s promising ballet career is cut short by a terrible fall, she goes off the rails a bit, gets drunk at her mother’s wedding and is sent off to some distant relatives in Alabama to get herself back together. But there, Sylvie beings to see and hear things that make her wonder if she really is going insane. Meanwhile, she meets two boys—one bright and one moody, of course—and they might just be the key to her family history.

This book starts off strongly, and I loved the way Clement-Moore introduces Sylvie’s injury and resulting downward spiral. But when the paranormal elements are introduced, the story becomes less engaging. I found the plot lacklustre, the pacing slow, and even though the romance wasn’t bad—in fact, quite sweet at times—it wasn’t anything extraordinary, either.

We stood that way for a long, ridiculous moment, until my out-of-practice grin faded, and there was nothing left to say but goodbye. But the longer he didn’t say it, the more I didn’t want him to.

I certainly couldn’t. My tongue had tied itself in knots. Maybe because I was suddenly very aware that we were in my bedroom, and I was wearing my camisole and pink pyjama pants with bright yellow ducks. Which hadn’t seemed like such a big deal until we shared that smile.

Yay or nay? For readers who like a gentler kind of paranormal plot with tree-hugging undertones. You can read an excerpt via Random House Australia (link to Flash widget).

A review copy of this book was generously provided by Random House Australia. Note that the US edition is titled The Splendor Falls.

Publisher: Corgi Books (Random House Australia) | B format: 9780552561358 (April 1, 2010) | Ebook: 9781409096245 (July 1, 2010)

River Run Deep by Rachael Treasure (originally titled Jillaroo)

River Runs Deep by Rachael Treasure

(There’s nothing paranormal about this book at all, but I’m including it in this Mixed Bag, because if you pick up this book? You should be very afraid.)

This is the book I have dubbed The Vomit Book. In summary: They fight, they drink, they puke, they save the farm.

Apparently, the B&S in ‘B&S Ball’ doesn’t just stand for ‘bachelors and spinsters’; it’s also code for binge drinking and spew. Alcohol abuse and vomit scenes in every other chapter are not my idea of a good read. This is a shame because the romance is quite sweet in some parts of the story and the drama shows promise here and there. But the plot and characters are a bit of a mess and Treasure doesn’t manage to convey any depth despite the trauma they—and I, as the reader—endure in this book.

Yay or nay? If you’re thinking of trying this author, start with a different book. You can read an excerpt via Penguin. (This book was first published in 2005 as Jillaroo by Penguin Australia.)

Publisher: Preface (Random House UK) | B format: 9781848090859 (November 2008)

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