Cyn Newman
For fluff, it's got some really dark scenes. It doesn't have enough of a plot to be anything more than fluff, though. It absolutely does NOT stand alone, so don't consider reading this book unless you've read all that went before it - you'll be hopelessly lost.
Sookie has changed so much over the course of this series that she is having trouble recognizing herself, and is troubled over it, with good reason. Having a main character change is good, and I'll say that some of that change is growth, but I can't say it's all growth, or all to the good. (Can any of us say that, though, about the changes we go through in our lives?)
That was so good. Just so very good. Like the last three - well plotted, with good character development from a fascinating cast of characters. This time most of the mythology is Native American (specifically Navajo) instead of Norse or Celtic, but there's a little spice from other traditions thrown in as well. And as before, there are always consequences getting involved, even in good causes. I think that's one of the biggest ways this series reminds me of the Dresden Files by [a:Jim Butcher 10746 Jim Butcher http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205261964p2/10746.jpg].I am absolutely going to be on tenterhooks until Trapped is released!
Wow. This book has a non-stop pace, for reasons that will be obvious to the reader but cannot be explained to others without spoilers. I'll just say “clear your calendar” because you'll not find ANY good stopping places.One of the things that truly impresses me is that [a:Kevin Hearne 4414255 Kevin Hearne http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1289238438p2/4414255.jpg] doesn't just show his characters doing amazing things, but shows them experiencing the consequences of their actions – some expected, some totally unexpected. I truly enjoy his views of archetypes and myth, especially coming from a character who walks around speaking to gods, having a beer with Jesus and throwing down with Thor.I'm so glad that I have [b:Tricked 12700306 Tricked (Iron Druid Chronicles, #4) Kevin Hearne http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1324455119s/12700306.jpg 16669362] on hand, but I wish Trapped were out already! At least I have the extra [b:A Test of Mettle 13145815 A Test of Mettle Kevin Hearne http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1323216768s/13145815.jpg 18323275] to read, too. I just can't get enough of Atticus.
I didn't expect anything so good from a short story distributed free on the author's web site! This is a wonderful addition to the series, and required reading for anyone following the series. I can only hope that [a:Kevin Hearne 4414255 Kevin Hearne http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1289238438p2/4414255.jpg] gives us more from Granuaile's point of view!
I just can't say enough good things about this book. It's well-plotted. There's an excellent cast of characters, and they develop in interesting ways. The world-building is wonderfully rich. I have the same incredible, bubbly feeling that I did when reading the very first Dresden Files novel by Jim Butcher–gimme more! Fortunately, there are already three more books available in the series ([b:Hexed 9595650 Hexed (Iron Druid Chronicles, #2) Kevin Hearne http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320539847s/9595650.jpg 14482685], [b:Hammered 9595620 Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicles, #3) Kevin Hearne http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311632977s/9595620.jpg 14482655] and [b:Tricked 12700306 Tricked (Iron Druid Chronicles, #4) Kevin Hearne http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1324455119s/12700306.jpg 16669362]) with a fifth (Trapped) on the way.
I didn't intend to read this book, as I'd largely heard snark about it. A dear friend recommended it, though, so I finally gave it a read.
The writing definitely needs polish and a good editor–I couldn't possibly give it more than 3 stars due to that alone. The sexy is there, though, and that's the whole purpose of the book. It does follow most of the traditional romance tropes, which explains most of its acceptance, but the addition of spicier sex seems to be what has everyone talking. (I'd call it spicy more than truly kinky.)
The entire plot takes place in just three weeks, which isn't bad in the romance world. That doesn't leave much time for character growth, but there is a little. That brings the book up a star from where I'd put most romance novels.
If you want some light, sexy summer reading and don't mind the fact that this is so very obviously a self-published first novel, go for it. Some people will want to read it just because of all the uproar, I imagine. If you're looking for literature or true erotica, pass this one up.
This book isn't worth the paper on which it's printed, unless you're already a developer. If you aren't, don't bother. McGrath introduces concepts with little to no explanation, tells you to type something in, says it should do X, then moves on to the next thing. An average of two pages per concept, with the code descriptions.
He doesn't address best practices (at least, not a quarter of the way through the book). He always puts the scripts in the head of the document, which is (according to others I've been learning from) a bad idea unless there's a good reason for it.
Along with all that, there's supposed to be a web site that goes with the book, where you can download the sample code. There's no mention of the fact that the site is only accessible to those in the U.K. Why do that, then market the book in North America?
I think it deserves no stars, but GoodReads won't let me do that.
This is one of those books that I want to give less than one star to. I didn't actually finish it, because I didn't feel a need to do so. Wiker's complaints about every book pretty much come down to, “It's not from my Christian worldview.” He's black and white, and I have very little tolerance for the intolerant.
There's nothing in this book that was really news to me, but I've been dealing with fibromyalgia for nearly 20 years and have a background that leaves me familiar with dental health issues. That said, it's a very useful book for those newer to the subject, and it is a decent survey of dental health issues. I recommend it to any fibromyalgia sufferer who needs dental work done, in particular.
I enjoyed this book, and plan to go on to the next book in the series, [b:Web of Lies 6933152 Web of Lies (Elemental Assassin, #2) Jennifer Estep http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1262902266s/6933152.jpg 7164540]. I'm hoping that [a:Jennifer Estep 580315 Jennifer Estep http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264385515p2/580315.jpg] grows as an author, though, as the foreshadowing regarding the real “big bad” as well as the revelation of a fact important to the main character were both rather clumsily done, in my opinion.I'm aware of another series by Estep, Bigtime. I was thinking of reading it, but it was written earlier than the Elemental Assassin series, and now I'm not so sure about whether I want to read it or not. Estep's characters are interesting, but I'm not sure that they're interesting enough to hold me through writing that's less polished than [b:Spider's Bite 6611038 Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1) Jennifer Estep http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1254292883s/6611038.jpg 6805023]. Then again, I've certainly read worse. I suppose it all depends on what I happen to have in hand at any given time. I'd be more likely to read it if there were short stories available similar to the ones on Estep's web site that drew me in to this series.I didn't do reviews for those, but there are three stories that occur chronologically before [b:Spider's Bite 6611038 Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1) Jennifer Estep http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1254292883s/6611038.jpg 6805023]: [b:Poison 10869243 Poison (Elemental Assassin #0.5) Jennifer Estep http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg 15784488] [b:Web of Deceit 11478192 Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.75) Jennifer Estep http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg 16413134] and [b:Spider's Bargain 11478167 Spider's Bargain (Elemental Assassin #0.90) Jennifer Estep http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg 16413109]. Reading them certainly isn't necessary to enjoy the novel, and it's definitely better to avoid reading [b:Web of Deceit 11478192 Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.75) Jennifer Estep http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg 16413134] first. They are good stories, though, and I do recommend that anyone who enjoys Estep's work seek them out in order to enjoy the additional bits of information gained in them. For instance, [b:Spider's Bargain 11478167 Spider's Bargain (Elemental Assassin #0.90) Jennifer Estep http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg 16413109] is the story of an event that is pivotal to Gin and Caine's relationship, and its consequences are likely to continue echoing through the next few volumes of the series.
This was one of those “I finished the last thing I was reading and I'm bored, what's already loaded on the iTouch?” reads. It was on there because the anthology includes [a:Lori Handeland 17060 Lori Handeland http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1236700197p2/17060.jpg]'s “Cobwebs Over the Moon” (Nightcreatures, #10) and I read all of that series a while back. I didn't care to read the rest of the anthology at the time, but I hadn't gotten around to deleting the book. Ah, happy digital packrat am I!If I've read anything by [a:Susan Sizemore 88608 Susan Sizemore http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1254303347p2/88608.jpg] other than “Tempting Fate” (Primes #6.5), it was eminently forgettable. I'm absolutely sure that I haven't read anything else in her Primes series, because I probably would have thrown said material firmly into the nearest hard surface (or whatever the equivalent is with bytes) because of the insanely annoying number of times Sizemore feels it necessary to remind us that her vampires are Primes! Alpha Primes! They are! Really! And that means they fight a lot! Especially over women! Otherwise, it's a Mary Jane story set in New Orleans. I have a strong feeling that most of the Primes series is Mary Jane-ish, but I may at some point be trapped and forced with the prospect of staring at the inside of my eyeballs or reading more of Sizemore's stuff. I'm not sure which would be worse right now. I'll get back to you on that.“The Darkness Within” by [a:Maggie Shayne 17064 Maggie Shayne http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1215028948p2/17064.jpg] feels terribly familiar, although I'm sure I haven't read it before. I have, however, read other Shayne novellas in other anthologies, and this story follows a familiar pattern. Sexy gal who doesn't think she's attractive has had a run of hard luck and may lose the house she has bought relatively recently and loves. Said house has a spooky past that she didn't know about when she bought it. Stalwart too-sexy-for-her man gets involved somehow, preferably in a way that allows her to question his motives. They are inexplicably drawn to each other and screw like bunnies (or near as makes no difference), then blame their lapse in judgement on whatever weirdness is going on in the house. (Yep, that's what they all say - and no safer sex anywhere! Does paranormal activity preclude discussion of sexual history and prevent STD transmission?)“Cobwebs Over the Moon” by [a:Lori Handeland 17060 Lori Handeland http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1236700197p2/17060.jpg] (Nightcreatures, #10) isn't the most logical entry in that series. Neither is it the most illogical - but by the tenth entry, the series' mythology has gotten a bit ridiculous, so I don't know why I even bother bringing up something as irrelevant as logic. Silly me! In every book, we're introduced to a woman who is in some way tangled up with werewolves, then to a man who is tangled up with her and/or the creatures and, of course, whose loyalties are uncertain. There is always an element of danger to add spice to the romance that has to grow between the two. The formula never changes at all. There are always evil werewolves, but sometimes there are also good ones. If you like predictability in your paranormal romance, Nightcreatures is a great series for you.I suppose [a:Caridad Piñeiro 2944621 Caridad Piñeiro http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1305975476p2/2944621.jpg]'s “Crazy for the Cat” isn't technically any better or worse than any of the other three stories. There's more variety in the shapeshifting and the main setting is the Amazon jungle. I couldn't get past the bigotry and colonialism, though. Dark is bad, light is good, of course! Those poor benighted natives couldn't possibly handle a few rogues without that white woman, could they? Spare me.
[a:Sam Chupp 11847 Sam Chupp http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1219698183p2/11847.jpg] has been after me to read this book for weeks, so as soon as I finished [b:All Clear 7519231 All Clear (All Clear, #2) Connie Willis http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267552735s/7519231.jpg 9735628], I started it. This book is different from anything else I've read in years. I hesitate to say it's more literary than most fantasy, because I don't like “literary” books - they're usually stuffy, dry, and presumptuous.After the first few chapters, there's no slowing down, because you're as caught up in what's happening as the characters are. I was transfixed by White's descriptions, which can make even ugliness fascinating.We are traveling into time, burning two hours for every one I endure beside this babbling, cursed child of Greece. I see them all the time, these bastard half children of stories and mortals, trapped between worlds, the genetic lineage of myth reasserting itself across the inextricable ages. Helen of Troy is born the socialite child of a partial Zeus mated to half of a swan-loving Leda, the mythic DNA in each of them dormant until they breed and damn their offspring with its expression.White's vampire mythos is like no other I've encountered. I found it far more believable than most of what's being printed over and over and over again. Another refreshing thing about the book is that there's no feeling of a set up for a series. Oddly, though, I'm now seeing the book identified as the first of a series called Harrowing, at least on GoodReads, but as far as I can tell, the second book has no characters in common with the first. Perhaps it's simply set in the same universe?In any case, I've added [b:In Dreams Begin 7850577 In Dreams Begin Skyler White http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1269478625s/7850577.jpg 10971303] to my to-read stack, and I'll be keeping an eye on [a:Skyler White 2977214 Skyler White http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1290046039p2/2977214.jpg].
Well, this volume moved much more quickly than [b:Blackout 6506307 Blackout Connie Willis https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402428101s/6506307.jpg 6697901] did! Having read a brief piece written by Ms. Willis thanking those who stood by her as one book spread into two, I think I have a slightly better understanding now of what happened that led to my unhappiness with the way the first book ended. They really shouldn't be two books, but they couldn't physically fit into one volume. Or, for many e-readers, one ebook.It is still a large book! And, as in [b:Blackout 6506307 Blackout Connie Willis https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402428101s/6506307.jpg 6697901], it isn't always clear just who a character is. I'm reading along happily and all of a sudden, there's a new main character! Wait, who is this? Has Colin gotten through somehow? Or is it another historian? Or another trip by one of the people we already know? Or–but–...Ms. Willis does a marvelous job of keeping us guessing. And the historians' habit of using different names on different assignments meant that I didn't always know which person I was reading about even when I thought I did know who he or she was! The reader has to catch the tiniest details to know that something isn't quite right, or be left completely surprised at the reveal! The many references to [a:Agatha Christie 123715 Agatha Christie https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1321738793p2/123715.jpg] are definitely meaningful, and I've come to believe that I haven't read nearly enough of her work!I've always considered Ms. Willis a cerebral author, but my emotions were heavily engaged here. The analogy of Polly, Sir Godfrey, and The Admirable Crichton was so apt, and that dreadful business in the Phoenix had me bawling. By the time a hero we'd grown to know and love dearly fell, and fell so, so close to home, I was a basket case. After finishing this massive duology (which really should count as one enormous book spread across two volumes), you would think that I would be sick and tired of all things Willis and not want to read another word by her for the next year or so. Instead, I want to know, right now, what comes next. I want to read about Eileen and the Vicar, and watch Alf and Binnie grow up. I want to see Polly and Colin's relationship grow.I imagine Ms. Willis is rather tired of all of them, though, and happy to rest for a while and remember what it is to live back in this century again. The Oxford Time Travel universe offers so many rich and fascinating possibilities for fiction, and I hope she chooses to write many more novels set in it. I'll definitely be willing to read them!
Oh, Ms. Willis! I cannot believe you did this to me! A cliffhanger? After 512 many pages? And I hung in there SO long in the beginning, when the book was so slow to get going! Seriously–during all that nattering about over changed schedules and finding drop sites I nearly screamed to just get on with it already! So it is absolutely ridiculous to find that after more than 500 pages, I am not a nice resolution to any of the various plot lines, but rather am referred to the next boook, [b:All Clear 7519231 All Clear (All Clear, #2) Connie Willis http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267552735s/7519231.jpg 9735628]!It's a bloody good thing that I 1) really, really like Ms. Willis' work; and 2) already have All Clear on hand and ready to go, or I would have been sorely tempted, sorely, I say, to throw the book across the room. That isn't nearly so satisfying with ebooks, and tends to do absolutely nothing but damage one's hardware, so I imagine I would have refrained.But I absolutely would not suggest this work to a first-time Willis reader. [b:To Say Nothing of the Dog 77773 To Say Nothing of the Dog Connie Willis http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298434745s/77773.jpg 696], certainly. [b:Bellwether 24985 Bellwether Connie Willis http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544946s/24985.jpg 1194887], even more so. But not this one, and not [b:Doomsday Book 24983 Doomsday Book Connie Willis http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287032661s/24983.jpg 2439628] or [b:Lincoln's Dreams 24980 Lincoln's Dreams Connie Willis http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544943s/24980.jpg 25743] or, honestly, even [b:Fire Watch 10301442 Fire Watch Connie Willis http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JNKi8g3aL.SL75.jpg 2324159] (the story on which the All Clear duology is based). Willis doesn't write simplistic stories, or I probably wouldn't enjoy her work so much, but she has a way of making the complex clear that's beautiful. It's just that these require a bit more desire to get there on the part of the reader, to my way of thinking, than the other two. And once one is seduced by those, it is clear that the effort is wholly worthwhile.In any case, there's no doubt but that I'm going right on ahead to read [b:All Clear 7519231 All Clear (All Clear, #2) Connie Willis http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267552735s/7519231.jpg 9735628]. I'm just a bit put out with the author at the moment–and very, very glad, considering the heft of these tomes, that I've switched to ebooks!I still think that readers deserve some small reward for the sheer aggravation meted out thus far. Surely resolving some small plot issues would not have caused trouble? For instance, authors who are accustomed to working with multi-book series regularly wrap up some issues in each book, while leaving other, larger plot threads to carry over into future volumes to provide continuity.
The end of A Clash of Kings snuck up on me. That's something I hadn't really thought about before, especially with an 874 page monster like this, but it can happen with an ebook. I'm reading along, eager to know what happens next. The chapter ends, I go to the next page, and - Appendix? What do you mean, Appendix! That's nonsense, there's got to be more story here than that! I want to know what comes next, dammit! GIVE ME THE STORY!As it happens, I can start reading [b:A Storm of Swords 62291 A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3) George R.R. Martin http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298429990s/62291.jpg 1164465] whenever I like, unlike all those poor folk who read this book when it was first released. I think I might need to stop and read a few other books first, though. I did read today's big announcement regarding [b:A Dance with Dragons 2782553 A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5) George R.R. Martin http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1301849720s/2782553.jpg 2936175], but there's no way I can stretch the next two volumes out to last through more than two months until book five actually comes out. I'm sure the delay will be worth it, though!One thing [a:Sam Chupp 11847 Sam Chupp http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1219698183p2/11847.jpg] and I have discussed is Martin's marvelous subtlety with magic. It's only barely there at all throughout A Game of Thrones, and can easily be dismissed by anyone who doesn't have direct experience of it. It grows stronger in A Clash of Kings, but it is still something that just about anyone in the Seven Kingdoms would say belongs in tales for children. Not relying on magic for plot takes more discipline as an author, and holding back as he is says a great deal about Martin's careful pace.
I have absolutely no idea how I came across this book. I'm glad I did, though. It was very well-written, and the character of Darby McCormick was fleshed out very thoroughly. I don't normally read many books of this genre, though I do watch shows like Criminal Minds.
The reveal as to the final villain felt somewhat off, - if I hadn't been reading an ebook, I probably would have flipped back to figure out what clues I had missed. That isn't quite as simple on an ereader, so I didn't, but I did spend time thinking it over. I read the book very quickly, when I wasn't feeling well, so it's entirely possible that I did miss something that I would have ordinarily caught.
I'll look for another book in the series to see if it is more intellectually satisfying for me, since I did like Darby and the overall writing style was enjoyable.
I finally got around to reading A Game of Thrones, despite the fact that the series still wasn't finished when I started, because the television series was starting. [a:Sam Chupp 11847 Sam Chupp http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1219698183p2/11847.jpg] really wanted to watch it, and I didn't want to see it without having read the book, so I gave in and started reading.He had repeatedly warned me that it was really dark, and indeed it is. I think he said that there are no wholly good characters. So far, at least, that isn't quite true. It may be something that becomes more accurate as the other volumes unfold. There are certainly no simple characters, or plots—but then, I remember enough of Martin's earlier work (on the Wild Cards series and such) that I wouldn't expect anything else. People aren't simple, or purely black and white, so why would characters in good fiction be that way?The best way I've found to maybe tell protagonists from antagonists so far is to use the chapter names as guides: the people whose names are used as chapter names are either protagonists or survivors. I'm not sure which. Catelyn and Tyrion are the only people from the “older” generation who have chapter names. No, wait—I just thought of someone who kills my theory. I can't say because that would be a spoiler.I did find several incidents in this first book disturbing. I don't like it when bad things happen to children or animals. Cersei would be a fun character to play, although I suppose she'll get her comeuppance at some point (or I hope she will). I've tried thinking of her as a woman protecting her children, but that's not helping.If you're easily disturbed, don't read the book (or watch the television series, apparently). Just - don't. You won't be happy with the opening scene, and it sets the tone for the rest of the book. But if violent war and political scheming, incest as a dynastic strategy, and very occasional creepy supernatural happenings are okay with you, it's a very well-written book.
I read it, but - GAH! I feel like I need to go back and read [b:The Hidden City 1385783 The Hidden City (The House War, #1) Michelle Sagara West http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266788937s/1385783.jpg 1375829], then read it again, to be sure I got everything. I think I'll wait until [b:House Name 6121287 House Name (The House War, #3) Michelle Sagara West http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1279636477s/6121287.jpg 6299563] comes out, then read all three of them together. At that point, I'll probably be ready for a re-read of [b:The Sun Sword 153223 The Sun Sword (The Sun Sword, #6) Michelle Sagara West http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266483918s/153223.jpg 147905] (really, the whole series) again. But of course, to do them justice, I should go back and read the Hunter duology, too. This is the problem with [a:Michelle Sagara West 6256 Michelle Sagara West http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg]! Her world is SO rich that it's difficult to find a good beginning place. But very well worth it, I promise!
