Tabitha Tomala
First thing I have to mention is the humor. The style put me off at first, but after a while it grew on me. I mean come on, Death has a horse named Binky, how could this not be great? One of my favorite parts is Keli's conversation with the gargoyle doorknocker. And let's not forget Mort's embarrassing internal monolog. I like how this book turned into something more than just Mort becoming Death's apprentice. The concept of Death being an actual person and having the desire to understand life was interesting to read.
Honestly if my book club hadn't selected this book, I never would have read it. I am guilty of sometimes judging a book by its cover, and this one screamed history lesson to me. Granted there is a fair chunk of history involved, but that's not the main idea behind the story. Instead we have a chunk of modern americans from west virginia transported back in time to the thirty years war and they must find a way to survive. Sure they have technology and weaponry from our modern world, but that alone won't save them. I love how the townspeople band together and buckle down for the long haul. The interactions between them and the original people of the time line they've landed into is great. The author did a wonderful job showing how the different languages and cultures slowly mingled into a community. I found as I read that any battle not involving the Americans bored me, I simply didn't care. The political side of things was sorta boring for me as well. In general I don't like politics and debating about the new constitution, how voting would work, who opposing parties were, etc. held no interest for me. However, I think I will actually continue on with this series. I would love to see how this diverse group continues to survive together. :)
I'm generally not impressed by anthologies unless they contain authors I am familiar with. I decided to take a gamble since this was on sale and give it a shot. There were maybe three stories I enjoyed.....yes three...some stories simply made no sense while others took so long to develop I contemplated just skipping over them. One in particular that I actually did skip was called The Wizards of Perfil, in which a young boy was somehow in two places at once. Now this seems interesting enough at first, until the author neglects to put any break between him being in two places at once. Instead we end up with a smashed together story where he interacts with different characters in two different places at the exact same time, thus confusing the hell out of me. One sentence he's talking to someone the next he's interacting with someone in a different area not even remotely close to the first character he spoke to. What the hell? I think I will stay away from the rest of this anthology series.
I'm generally not impressed by anthologies unless they contain authors I am familiar with. I decided to take a gamble since this was on sale and give it a shot. There were maybe three stories I enjoyed.....yes three...some stories simply made no sense while others took so long to develop I contemplated just skipping over them. One in particular that I actually did skip was called The Wizards of Perfil, in which a young boy was somehow in two places at once. Now this seems interesting enough at first, until the author neglects to put any break between him being in two places at once. Instead we end up with a smashed together story where he interacts with different characters in two different places at the exact same time, thus confusing the hell out of me. One sentence he's talking to someone the next he's interacting with someone in a different area not even remotely close to the first character he spoke to. What the hell? I think I will stay away from the rest of this anthology series.
This really is a wonderful book for writers. It has so much information on breaking into the market and making yourself known. It is, however, very much based around nonfiction books. Granted there is a chapter about selling fiction, but predominantly the tactics in the book could not help me personally. I still recommend it as a must read as it helped me build my website and supporting channels.
This really is a wonderful book for writers. It has so much information on breaking into the market and making yourself known. It is, however, very much based around nonfiction books. Granted there is a chapter about selling fiction, but predominantly the tactics in the book could not help me personally. I still recommend it as a must read as it helped me build my website and supporting channels.
Jorg's hints at fairy tale interpretations were an entertaining beginning to this short story and made me wonder what other stories survived from our world into Jorg's. What in the world would he think of Stephen King or Neil Gaiman's stories? The twisted rendition of Sleeping Beauty was great and to me, Jorg is a damn fantastic character to read about. I love his anti-hero personality and blunt, no nonsense take on everything. Jorg needs to get something done? Fuck it, it's getting done regardless the barriers, he'll blow them up and stomp the pieces on the way through too. And of course you have his lines like, “Better open the fucking door then.” As he threatens a builder ghost with a vial of deadly virus in his escape. I laughed at this part, cheering him on. Sure spread the virus! Would love to see the fall out on that one. As long as Mark Lawrence keeps writing I will devour every story. Can't wait to read another!
I know some people have reviewed this book and hate the fact we are in Jill's head more and more each book, but I actually like it. Jill is a very complex and conflicted character, in order to understand why she does what she does we need to see the internal struggle. I also happen to like listening to her snarky little comments. This time around the Circus has come to town, one made of hellbreed and traders. What I loved about this plot is that they actually help the city, in a way. They clear out the suicidal and desperate who have just given up with their situations. While I wouldn't label them as good, they serve more of a purpose than the hellbreed that simply cause terror in town. It's nice to see another side of them. So often we see evil creatures as simply one sided, up to no good beings. Instead Saintcrow has created an enemy that becomes a needed evil as much as hated. The end of the series is in sight...while I am eager to find out what else happens to Jill Kismet, I am sad that I only have 2 books to go.
Thank you Lilith Saintcrow for creating a world filled with your own creatures! First we had hellbreeds, which are still her main badie, and then we were introduced to the sorrows in book two. Now we also learn about scurf, an infectious creature that bites to make more of its kind and infests cities. Though there is some loose indication these are her version of vampires, she has an entirely new way to display them. I'm also thankful for the fact that every Kismet book so far has had adrenaline filled action. Kismet lives one hell of a life, there is no fear of growing bored when reading these books. She takes quite the beating in each one as well, she better hope she never loses her hellbreed scar, I don't know how the series would continue if she did. I was a little sad to see Saintcrow skip her writing around, leaving out details towards the end of the book, but I wonder if this was due to the graphic details she would have to expose her readers to. I'm also happy that the romance between Saul and Kismet is not dominating the plot. I hate when writers lose focus of their main ideas and add too much mushy gushy crap. So far every book has had some sort of huge earth shattering conflict. I'm interested to see if this continues in the rest of the series.
Well Dalglish topped his previous book A Dance of Blades with this one! He has crafted a stunning plot with the perfect balance between characters, seamlessly switching from one character's POV to another, building up the tension and storyline with each chapter. And Dalglish makes sure to eliminate characters artfully, putting us on the edge of our seats, waiting to see what will happen to our favorites. He is unafraid to write about the darkness inside of people and the conflictions they face with the choices made each day for the supposed greater good. With this novel we see both sides of the story, good and evil, finding that the line between each isn't as far away as we would like to believe. Now for a bit about the plot...confronted with a new character called the Wraith, Haern witnesses firsthand how someone can feel justified when killing to better a city and people. Haern's guilt from killing wears on not only himself but the reader as well. I know I felt satisfied when witnessing Haern kill members of the Trifect and dole out his own form of punishment, but when perspectives change with a new city, I began questioning his role as a hero. When an author can dive into my head as much as their character's, you know they are skilled in writing. I am glad that I continued with this series, despite the hang ups I felt about the first book.
Ok, here goes round two for the Jill Kismet series and I must say I was impressed. For the most part I am getting a handle on how Saintcrow's world works. Some writers prefer their readers to work through the pieces they give them, leaving it up to the readers to form a full picture. I haven't read an author with this writing style in a while, but Saintcrow certainly has a way with words, an intense bunch of characters and plot twists. I really really want to know why Jill made a deal with Perry though. It seems taboo for a hunter to do so, did Mikhail know she wouldn't be able to handle the nightside with out it? Did he know he was going to die? My questions aside, this was a hell of a ride! I devoured this book when the first one took me a little while to sink into. We see another side to Kismet's psyche and she isn't as badass as she was in the first book. Well let me rephrase that, she was badass but not as unbreakable. I had fears that she would turn into an unstoppable force since she healed so damn fast in the first book, but Saintcrow added a healthy amount of balance this time around. I am eager to continue reading this series.
This was pretty decent read with the lead character being extremely interesting, but the explanation of the world's rules was lacking which is why I took the rating down a bit. We have a tough chick heorin with a damaged personality who must protect her city from misbehaving hellbreed. Enter the first question, what exactly is a hellbreed? From what I gleaned they are creatures from hell and vary in power levels, but how do they enter the world? Why are they allowed cohabitation with humanity unless they misbehave? Then we learn that Jill has a special eye and powers. Granted we learn how she comes to possess said powers, yet we don't learn much about the limitations she has. I do like the fine line Jill must cross to remain in control of her powers and Perry. However, Saintcrow glosses over how Jill attained her special eye. She hints that Jill received it from hell, but I want to know how. Saintcrow also glosses over what is called a between world. What is it? Jill seems to see the past within it but then again I have no idea, maybe it's hidden truths, there just isn't enough information. I also wanted to know more about the etheric, what exactly it is other than some sort of magic. Is it separate from Jill's enhanced abilities or does she gain control of the etheric because of her enchancments? I love the dark underworld we are exposed to in this book and I am eager to see how Jill evolves, I'm just hoping more explanations pop up or I will continue to give these books low stars.
This book was a much better read than the first. I feel as though the first book allowed the author to stretch his writing muscles in preparation for Dance of Blades.
We have a much more rounded character with Haern, and the immaturity seen in the previous book is gone, as this one takes place 5 years later. I do have to admit that some of his fight scenes confused me and I had to read them over several times to form a clear picture in my mind. I did like the originality behind some of his moves, it wasn't simply trading sword blows and his cloak dance was impressive.
Switching between different character's point of view also ran much smoother in this book and the reader is given less to bounce between.
All together this was gritty, dark and fast paced, just like I enjoy my books though some of the gore seemed a bit too forced. The ending of this novel and the secrets that are spoken of leave me eager to find out what happens next.
At first I thought this book would be better, I was wrong. I had to wait almost an entire book for Mia and Adam to meet, and then proceed to be annoyed by Mia. I honestly had moments where I wished she had just died in the first book. I think the worst part was my emotional detachment from the characters. Adam I found interesting, really I did, but I also found him sickeningly pathetic. I get that Mia was his love, I do, but he didn't act like a man, he had too many feminine qualities in his personality. Needless to say I won't be reading anymore from this author.
I was not impressed. After all the hype I heard about this book, I was looking for an engaging, heart rendering read and it didn't even come close. I feel as though this book was written backwards. The big incident occurs within the first few pages and then the memories come, laying a foundation after the tense moment. There needed to be a longer build up, allowing Mia and Adam to find a place in your heart instead of trying to capture the readers after the fact. I honestly didn't really care about Mia and Adam's situation until the last few pages. The only thing I found remotely interesting was the concept of Mia' s out of body experience. As these books are relatively short and the next one is from Adam's prospective I will give it a try.
I was surprised to encounter a male main character written in first person point of view from a female author. I admit I was a little worried that Mackie would not live up to being male enough for the story, but Yovanoff did a wonderful job.
The story is eerie and graceful, sending the reader on a journey through a town that isn't as simple as it first appears. I loved the attention to detail and well crafted metaphors. Any story surrounding the fey incorporates how iron harms them, but Yovanoff went so far as to explain how the iron in human blood can harm the fey and the downfall of being a teenage fey in a world of steel body piercings and jewelry.
I am looking forward to reading more by this author.
I was surprised to encounter a male main character written in first person point of view from a female author. I admit I was a little worried that Mackie would not live up to being male enough for the story, but Yovanoff did a wonderful job. The story is eerie and graceful, sending the reader on a journey through a town that isn't as simple as it first appears. I loved the attention to detail and well crafted metaphors. Any story surrounding the fey incorporates how iron harms them, but Yovanoff went so far as to explain how the iron in human blood can harm the fey and the downfall of being a teenage fey in a world of steel body piercings and jewelry. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.
I was very happy to see Devon Monk come out with a new fantasy series as she finished Allie Beckstrom. However, as a first book in a new series, this wasn't much to talk about. There is a lot of new world information being pushed at the reader and it is confusing at first to sync with the new lingo. I also felt that the romance was forced. There was no slow build up like with Allie, instead the main character is head over heels immediately. Boring, unrealistic. Give me more to go on with these characters, don't just shove them together and think it makes an interesting love story. Dont get me wrong though, the idea behind the characters is great. Galvanized beings, Monk's version of zombies, stitched together from bits of people yet holding onto their brain's personality and actual being. I love it! No rote repetition of mindless flesh eating beings, awesome, but give me more character developtment. I think I was also spoiled with the fast pacing of Allie's series which this one also lacks. Here's to hoping the next one is more up to speed.
The prologue held so much promise of bloodshed and dark fantasy....but that's where it ended till about page 300. The character of Aaron is decivingly portrayed as a strong killer, yet when you encounter him later on he is well versed in combat, but a weak rebelling teenager. I found more interest in Kayla than I did with Aaron and wished she were the main character instead. I will give Dalglish a pass though as he tried to pull off a highly complex novel, just simply fell short. Aaron has potential and I hope to see it rise in the next novel.
As I put this aside the first word that comes into my mind is...wow. Koontz did an amazing job on this book and I am enthusiastic about purchasing the rest of this series. Without over the top gore, just the right amount of psychological thrill and a dash of dark humor you have Odd Thomas. From the first page Koontz's free flowing style harbors a need to continue reading. Odd is a character like none other. Considering the not only dysfunctional but screwed up parents he was given I was pleasantly surprised when Koontz did not over indulge the readers with his past, but instead dolled it out throughout the entire book and slowly gave us the complete picture of who Odd became. Wonderful storytelling, a play on the emotions and a great read.
Having enjoyed the second book immensely I approached this one hoping for the same thing, and while the storyline remained true, the war dragged on far too long. The moments that were outside the war were the best and I loved getting into the mind of 1017, and being able to understand the Spackle better. However the constant battling back and forth between factions seemed endless. Everytime I thought the book could end on a good note, some character dragged the war back to full flame. I'm glad I read the book to have some sort of closure to the trilogy, but I wish it had been condensed.
Not your typical Dragonlance novel. We have a new section of Krynn called Taladas, instead of a focus on Ansalon The gods are named differently (though similar enough names to not confuse the readers) and brand new cultures for familiar races. I enjoyed this new perspective on a world I have come to love. I especially enjoyed how well Pierson brought the story lines together. My favorite would have to be Shedara's because of her balance with magic use and rogue skills. It reminded me of prestige classes from D&D. I do wish I could have seen more about the Silvanes elves, but this book wasn't designed to focus on them. I also enjoyed the variety of spells she used and the fact that she didn't overuse them. My only gripe would be the confusion I had when reading Forlo's dreams. There was no distinction to let the reader know that the chapters began as a dream. About half way through the novel I began to grasp the changes in time lines, but even subtitling the chapter as a dream would have helped.
Despite the fact that this book was not in my genre of choice, I enjoyed it enough to finish it in one day. I was sitting on my couch entranced to the point that when I read the last page I was confused at first. Was this really the last page? How could it end on this page? In disbelief I thumbed through the rest of the pages and said allowed, “I just want one more chapter!” Alas there was no more and will be no more. What captivated me? The overall disposition of the characters and how they treated their terminal illnesses. I was expecting a heartbreaking, sappy story that I would thoroughly tear apart in the review, because I despise such stories. Instead I found characters that were humorous, enchanting and captivated my heart. The dynamics between Augustus and Hazel is simply amazing. To find such happiness within so many struggles, and to maintain the aloof attitudes to enjoy such a relationship takes a great amount of strength. The writing style was so simplistic, yet perfect. The words flowed across the paper, keeping me entertained and eating away the hours it took to finish this novel.
I was very impressed with this one. I think now that I am familiar with the writing style I was able to see more of the story behind it. I enjoyed being able to read not only Todd's side of the story but Viola's as well.
Something I always look for in books is character development and this one impressed me with the chnages both characters underwent.
The villian of this book was also well written. There were moments when even I felt manipulated by their words and the ending....I can't wait to read the next one!