Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Series: The Southern Vampire Series (Sookie Stackhouse), Book 11

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Copyright: 2011

Pages: 325

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Review: 11 books on and i'm a bit confused as to where the Sookie Stackhouse Series is going. Since i won't be able to type without getting this out of the way, what is with authors and cliffhangers? With a good enough story, you don’t need to leave so many questions up in the air to get readers to pick up the next book..
Anyway, this book sees Sookie is a whole lotta new situations. She's with Eric, Sam is with a shifter from Alcide's pack and Sook has two houseguests living with her (this would be my attempt at spoiler free in case any of you haven't read the whole series in order). Anyway, Sandra Pelt is after her again, she gets dragged into Eric and Pam's latest problems and gets a bit more info on her fairy background. All of this, along with atleast a hundred other things going on with the story.

What i found annoying about this book is the unnecessary information about everything that happens to Sookie every minute of the day. It's not like being in Bella's head (and i'm truly sorry for even comparing, Ms Harris) but we really don't need to know what you had for breakfast, how hot that bathwater was and atleast a quarter of the book’s pages. The rambling never ends, makes reading the book a bit tedious and the morality discussions are getting a bit old now.

I feel like the books have lost of bit of their spark in this and the previous one. They seem to ramble from one catastrophe to the next, without letting the reader enjoy the thrill from these situations. I hope that changes soon. I like Sookie and this series, so I really hope the next book makes it worth the time I invest in it.

Read my review of the previous books here

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Queen of Dragons by Shana Abé

Series: Drakon Series, Book 3

Genre: Fantasy
 
Copyright: 2007
 
Pages: 304
 
Rating:  3/5
 
Review:  This is my third Shana Abé book and I'm still in love with all things Drakon.
The previous book the Dream Thief had my favourite character Zane, and Amalia - the daughter of Kristoff and Rue from Book 1. This one is the story of the Transylvanian Drakon Queen Maricara and Lia's elder brother, the Darkfrith Alpha Kimber.

Mari has come to Darkfrith with news of an Old enemy of the Drakon who are trying to wipe them out. But the arrival of a unknown Drakon into a Darkfrith that's been discussing her and her Transylvanian home  for years - one who is beautiful, a alpha and who can Turn causes chaos in Darkfrith, with the council, the other men and Kimber all with ideas of their own.
Good thing Mari is headstrong to handle them all.

This book for me was mostly the story of a courtship among enemies, doubt, mistrust, and longing. Almost all of it from Kim's side. I found Mari to be a well drawn character who knew what needed to be done and was very much like Rue and Amalia in her strength and stubbornness. Kim was a bit more confusing for me - an alpha thrust into the position with lil or no experience at handling everything thrown his way and a man who knew what he wanted but bumbled about while he got to it. I'd have hit him over the head and found someone else in some instances if I was Mari. Other times he was a gem. The Alpha part seemed like second skin to Kristoff, and I guess I missed that in Kim. (btw, I always thought Kimber was a girls name?)

The enemies were pretty much confusing and a lot of the story that involved them, especially the ending, left me with a huh?

Which brings me to the ending. After all that build up, anti-climax is a mild word for it. I found it too abrupt, and what really upset me was the cliff-hangers. What happened to Rhys, the other brother? Kit, Rue, Lia, Zane ..so many people I want to know about. . It wasn't really a cliff-ending as such, but it left a lot of things up in the air. Now I HAVE to read the next book. I would have anyway,  but being forced to due to abrupt endings is not a happy feeling.

I love that way Abé writes - poetry and prose all together. Each new book has new characters that have their own abilities and only add to the Drakon world. While not the best book from the 3 I've read so far, this is still a good book that'll keep you turning the pages till 3 in the morning. Do read in order of series to appreciate them though.


See my reviews of the previous books from this series:
Book 1 - The Smoke Thief
Book 2 - The Dream Thief

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Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Women of the Otherworld, Book 8

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Copyright: 2008

Pages: 252

Rating: 3 / 5

Review:
This was a quick fun read. Hope and Karl first featured in the Dates From Hell Anthology, which was enough of a teaser to make you want these two come together. This is the first series that i've read out of order. I've read the first four books, and let just say i got fed up of reading about and from Paige's POV.

This book is from Hope's and Lucas' POVs. Hope goes undercover for the Cortez Cabal to repay the debt Karl and her owe Benicio Cortez, only she's doing it alone cause Karls left her. Enter Karl, and thing get a whole lot interesting.

I liked this new side of Karl where he's trying to open up to Hope - he's always been the cool, aloof thief to me so far, so this side of him was good to see.

I liked Lucas' POV as well. It was interesting to see him struggle to maintain his beliefs and ideals and yet to what's right for the Cortez Cabal and deal with his father

All in all, a good read.

See my review of the previous books from this series here

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Wild Fire by Christine Feehan

Series: Leopard Series, Book 4

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Copyright: 2010

Pages: 400

Rating: 3 / 5

Review:  Pretty good book and i'm beginning to think that the Leopard Series may just be better than Feehan's Carpathian Series . After 21 books, the plot is progressing slowly and interestingly but the love formula's gone stale with the Carpathian couples. Wild Fire was a bit different in that it started with Connor having betrayed his mate by seducing her on a mission and not sharing the matey news with her.

His team is now on a new mission rescuing leopard hostages in the jungles of Panama and there's a chance to reunite with Isabeau. But will the evil villainess ruin the day? (note to self: tone down on the drama a bit, the chocolate happy-high is showing)

I liked this book. The characters and situations are described well enough that you can imagine being a part of the leopard people in the jungle. I laughed with these leopards and was definitely touched at the mushy wiring at times. Typical Feehan style - although i have to say it did get a bit too mushy at times. Men do not get so emotional - it's a bit unreal when they do. I also thought Isabeau was a bit irritating. Her progress the entire book was somewhat like -

He betrayed me.. he betrayed me.. he killed my father

and then 10 mins after meeting Connor again she goes
i can't keep my hands off him

and then again
he betrayed me..but i want him

huh?

But other than that? Nice

Click here for previous book reviews

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Black Dust Mambo - Adrian Phoenix

Series: Hoodoo, Book 1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Copyright: 2010

Pages: 368

Rating: 3 / 5

Review: If you liked the other Adrian Pheonix series The Maker's Song and you liked the writing style with different threads of the story running simultaneously with a lotta things going on and all joining to a big end with enough thread dangling for part 2, then you'll like this book too. Set in the world of magic and hoodoo, Black Dust Mambo centres around Kallie ,who find herself surrounded by death and black magic at the annual carnival at New Orleans. Her hot nomad squeeze ends up dead on her bed, body and soul dead. His clan brother Layne, hot as sin in dreads (still can't picture a hot dread locked man, but i'm willing to go with it) decides he owes keeping Kallie outta trouble and alive since his best friend died for her.

As Kallie and Belladonna, her best friend, and a couple of the other folks try to get to the bottom of things, people are getting shot at, killed, and generally magically possessed. And in between it all, Kallie has only one name and reason given to her by the killer for all the madness going on - Gabrielle LaRue - her aunt and the woman who has raised her for the past 9 years. Which makes this a pretty fun book of what-the-hell-is-going-on?

So in a nutshell, if you like a fast paced story thats different from the other stuff out there, this is the book for you. There wasn't much world building - but there didn't need to be. The author made it interesting enough so even when i wasn't all in love with the Cajun French references some of the time, i wanted to know what would happen and how it would all end. And isn't that all you need from a book?

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Need by Carrie Jones

Series: Need Series, Book 1

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Copyright: 2008

Pages: 306

Rating: 3 / 5

Synopsis: Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.
She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.
In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you"d have to fear
 
Review:

"It's hard to save the world when you can't save yourself"
— Carrie Jones (Need)

I picked up Need after reading Alaine's awesome review of the book at her blog here. Need is a new age YA book with a dark twist to everything you knew about pixies. Zara has been on auto-pilot mode every since her step father died and to get her back to the land of the living, her mother sends her off to cold cold Maine to live with her step-Grandmother. Still grieving for her step-dad, Zara views her mothers packing her off as a betrayal, and she now has to deal with cold climate and a new school and environment. This is made easy with a hot Nick Colt and an over-achieving Ian, both of whom immediately vie for Zaras attentions. There's new friends to be made in the hyper-bubbly Issy and geeky Devyn; not to forget, no YA school story can do without the popular girl who doesn't like you from day one.

Now here's  where my problems with Need begin. Everythings fine so far, and then wham!! There's a pointing man in the woods, and everybody goes weird. One internet search and library trip later, we have a growling and protective Nick, and a theory on pixies stealing boys.

I liked this book, or i really tried to. That part that got to me was how easily everyone involved just accepted the whole supernatural angle. Zara especially. No subtle easing into the supernatural world, and as interesting as the rest of the book was, it made it real hard to read without a 'did i miss a few pages of Zara's introduction to things that go bump in the night' thought in my head.

Another thing that was a bit ridiculous and well, funny, were Zara's plans about the pixies. See, the pixies need her to survive, which means they're all out to get her. Zara dearest has plans on how to escape them, capture them, and at the end imprison them with forks. Yes, forks. See why this got a bit too much from someone who has every phobia in the world?

As a YA, this is still a good book. At times unintentionally funny too. There's not much character building, very little world building, but a good story and warm characters.

And one that note, i'll leave you with this:
I back into him and blurt " But you're so cute. Werewolves aren't supposed to be cute. Vampires are, i think. They are in the movies. But the werewolves are pretty much ugly and they wear leather jackets and are all dirty with these monster sideburns"
Edward would be proud of you Zara, although Jacob might have a lil something to say

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First Drop of Crimson - Jeaniene Frost

Series: Night Huntress World, Book 1

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 371 

Copyright: 2010

Rating: 3 / 5

Synopsis:

The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows - her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield - and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's dark past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness - and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who craves a taste of her.
He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human - even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the demon nightmare together...
Because once the first drop of crimson falls, they will both be lost

Review:
I had really high hopes for this book. Considering how much I liked Spade as a secondary character in the Night Huntress novels, i really hoped his book would be great. But alas, FDOC is nothing but mediocre stuff...good, but mediocre.

One of Denise's   ancestors made a deal with a demon and then reneged on it. The demon wants what was due to him, but since he can't find the ancestor, he's getting Denise to do his dirty work..He's branded her with some Demon marks, so she's got some demon powers (like being able to run real fast, extra strength and eating a lot and such) She needs a vampire's help to find said ancestor..enter Spade.

Problems...Where do i start?
How about the god awful cover. Seriuosly? The Spade in my mind was so much more yummier that the ugly ass guy on the cover. I read this as a free e-book, and i have to say i'd never buy the book based on that cover.

Then there's Denise. Oh Denise.. what do i say. I did not like Frost's depiction of her character at all..She was just this sad case who couldn't seem to do anything right and had lil spurts of courage on an off.  Not a likeable heroine.Spade was a total sap too.. sigh.. if you've read the Night Huntress books you'll know he's way cooler than this book makes him out to be. Cat and Bones make an appearance here, although very brief. All in all, the villians seems to keep the plot interesting.

The storyline is actually good. It had a lot of potential and had Frost worked on the characters a bit more, would have made a great book.  I really really hope she makes up with the next stand-alone novel which is based on Mencheres. I know this seems like a rant more than a review but its just that i had really high expectations and i'm a bit peeved that all this can get is 3 stars. (Part of the 3 stars is from my previous love of Spade)
Read only if you're a die hard Night Huntress fan

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Touch the Dark - Karen Chance

Series: Cassandra Palmer, Book 1
Genre: Paranormal
307 pages
Published: 2006
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Blurb: Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits;talents that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. The ghosts of the dead aren't usually dangerous; they just like to talk; a lot. The undead are another matter.

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking Mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with vengeance on his mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection. The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire—and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay.
 
Review:  Touch the dark suffers from what can only be described as First Book Syndrome - there's so much of world building and explanations of the past put in here that it really bogs you down and leaves you wondering whether you want to go on. But once you get past, say, the first 50 odd pages, you will get sucked right into the story.

Cassandra Palmer is a clairvoyant on the run from the vampire who raised her. Her life takes a turn when she receives an email with her obituary with the exact time of her death. Trying to escape her fate, Cassie instead ends up at the Vampire Senate and suddenly learns a whole lotta things about herself - she may make chief clairvoyant, there's more about her parents she didn’t know, her old Vampire boss is now keeping dangerous company, there's a war beginning, her childhood crush vampire is out to seduce her, oh and she keeps getting transported to the past.

This is a pretty neat story with a lot of action to keep you engrossed..whats keeping it from being great is that in many places it lacks better execution and narration. The story is told from Cassie's point of view, and sometimes she's just to ditzy to be appealing as a speaker. I liked the other characters a lot though- they're all fascinating. The world Chance has build is pretty interesting - the vampire order is based on their degree of power, there's good and dark fae & mages, and the older vamps are all figures you might recognise from history. Mircea, the sexy vamp senate member who I'm drooling over is the Dracula's brother. The others I'll let you read about - Kit, Louis-Cesar & Ralf. I also liked Tomas and Billy the Ghost. And then there's Pritkin, the mage who is quite a pain in the arse. Not giving much info on them here, but you'll love them when you read about them.

I thought all these characters had their personalities sketched a lot more than Cassie herself. But again, I think that’s because its her doing the narration and she's describing things to the reader - the parts where she does talk about herself don’t reveal much about her as a person enough. This is still a good book. I must admit though that I'm saying that mostly cause I've read book 2, Claimed By Shadow , which is a BIG step up from this one and this really is a very interesting series that you will love and get engrossed in. Just those first 60 pages to slog through in the beginning.. Its all good from there.

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Dime Store Magic (Women of the Otherworld, #3) - Kelley Armstrong

416 pages
Series: Women of the Otherworld, book 3
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Paige Winterbourne needs to be slapped...I don't know any other way i can start this review. Maybe she was just such a big pain in Stolen, the second book, that I’ve carried that prejudice into this book. No wait, no maybe about that. I definitely did.

The only saving grace this woman had for the first quarter or more of this book was that she did everything she could do defend Savannah from everyone else.

Ok, let me start at the beginning. In Stolen, Paige's mother is killed at the facility where Savannah and Elena are also kept captive. Savannah is the teenage daughter of a now-deceased witch and a powerful sorcerer. After rescuing and gutting the facility, Paige now has custody of Savannah, and she's also the new head of the American Coven of witches. But Leah, the demon who helped capture people for the facility, wants Savannah back and gets Savannah's father involved in the claim as well.
See, Savannah hasn’t yet matured into witch-hood yet, so there's potential to lure her over to the dark side.

Paige now has to fight for custody of Savannah, against the wishes of the other witches in her coven. The only hope she has is in the form of Lucas Cortez, a sorcerer-lawyer who comes to her rescue
Can they save the day and keep Savannah with Paige?

Paige in the beginning is irritating. She's one of those I let my temper rule and don’t see what I don’t want to see kind of people. On the other hand, i found Savannah to be pretty mature and perceptive at most times, specially for her age. Lucas is a bit of a geeky type, also the son of the CEO of the biggest sorcerer Cabal and reluctant heir-in-waiting, with nothing else much going for him except his willingness to help Paige.

This best described Lucas, and was also when i really began to like him:
"The Caped Crusader is Batman, whose alter ego would be Bruce Wayne. Clark Kent is Superman. Neither analogy, I'm afraid, is quite accurate. I lack the tormented brooding sexiness of the Dark Knight and, sadly, I've not yet learned to fly, though I did manage to sail a few yards when Leah threw me this afternoon."

There wasn’t much of romance in this book. And not the best of plots, although there’s quite a bit of situations they get into. But it still made a good read. I liked watching both Paige and Savannah growing stronger as individuals and with each other.

It also had some pretty LOL moments when I was in tears:

Witch: "We are as the Goddess requires."
Paige: "The Goddess requires you to be naked on my lawn?"
Witch: "We aren't naked, child. We're skyclad. Clothing impedes mental vibrations."

See my review of the previous books from this series here

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