Currently Browsing: Reviews
Aug 7, 2011
Posted by Lisa on Aug 7, 2011 in Authors, Reviews | 0 comments
Blurb
Hired gunslinger William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave – until the day he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunt ers, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey. Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised with one belief: Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, William and Abigail must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.
I was really looking forward to the latest addition to the Dark Hunter series. We’d initially met Jess in Dance With The Devil (Zarek’s story) and he came across as another character with a story to tell.
I feel a bit let down by Retribution. There was something a bit haphazard and rushed about it, and for the first few chapters I found myself a bit confused and rereading back thinking I’d missed explanations. At times, the scenes are written as though we were privy to information about the characters background, only that information didn’t appear until later in the book, making the flow feel jerky.
I did like the concept of using Native American mythology but, again, it didn’t really feel as well thought out as other books in the series. And the relationship between Jess and Abigail just didn’t seem as believable as with the other characters in the series. The appearance of a few other Darkhunters seemed to have been thrown in with no real reason behind it other than to have a nod toward characters we know and Ash’s complete absence from the tale just didn’t sit well with me. A Dark Hunter story with no snark from Ash just isn’t right.
I finished the book with a disappointed ”is that it?”
Without giving away any spoilers, the epilogue was probably the best part of the book. If you’re a fan of the Darkhunter series, then obviously you need to have this one and, of course, it is definitely readable but it’s not one of the best in the series – which is a shame.
Book Details
- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Piatkus Books (2 Aug 2011)
- ISBN-10: 0749955635
- ISBN-13: 978-0749955632
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 16.2 x 4 cm
Aug 3, 2011
Posted by Lisa on Aug 3, 2011 in Authors, Reviews | 0 comments
Blurb
Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago’s first (and only) Wizard PI. Turns out the ‘everyday’ world is full of strange and magical things – and most of them don’t play well with humans. That’s where Harry comes in. But he’s forgotten his own golden rule: magic – it can get a guy killed. Which didn’t help when he clashed with unknown assailants with his murder in mind. And though Harry’s continued existence is now in some doubt, this doesn’t mean he can rest in peace. Trapped in a realm that’s not quite here, yet not quite anywhere else, Harry learns that three of his loved ones are in danger. Only by discovering his assailant’s identity can he save his friends, bring criminal elements to justice, and move on himself. It would just be easier if he knew who was at risk. And had a (working) crystal ball. And access to magic. Instead, he is unable to interact with the physical world – invisible to all but a select magical few. He’s also not the only silent presence roaming Chicago’s alleys. Hell, he put some there himself. Now, they’re looking for payback.
If you haven’t read Changes, then be aware that this review may contain spoilers as it’s a bit hard to review this book without acknowledging what happened in the last one!
Jim Butcher claims that the end of Changes is not a cliffhanger – he killed off Harry, didn’t explain who killed him and left us hanging until now to find out what’s going on.. if that’s not a cliffhanger, then nothing is! Either way, when I finished reading Changes, I howled out loud at the typical way Jim left us wanting more and so have been waiting impatiently for this latest installment. . . and boy, I wasn’t disappointed!
From the first page, it’s like meeting up with an old friend – one where it doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you last spoke, you simply pick up where you left off and carry on. That’s how it is with Harry Dresden. From the opening lines, you’re back in Chicago and - for a few minutes – you forget Harry’s dead… that is until he reminds you . . which he does, loudly and often.
Jim’s writing style is as superb as always, in fact I’d say even more so on this book. The story – which I won’t spoil for those who haven’t read it – is sharp, with the sarky quick-witted comments Dresden fans know and love and the other characters from previous books make an appearance too, as well as some new ones.
I read Ghost Story over a weekend, breaking only to feed the kids and sleep, and found it hard to drag myself away from it even then. The story keeps you guessing and, I don’t know about anyone else who has read it, I wasn’t expecting some of the final results at all. There are some very real laugh out loud moments as well as some where you’re more vocal with “Holy Crap!” I suggest you don’t read this in public unless you don’t care about the odd looks you may become the recipient of!
Overall, a fantastic addition to the Dresden series and, as per usual, it has left me waiting in impatient anticipation for the next one in the series. If you haven’t given the Dresden Files a try yet, do so you won’t be disappointed.
Book Details:-
- Hardcover: 496 pages
- Publisher: Orbit (28 July 2011)
- ISBN-10: 1841497614
- ISBN-13: 978-1841497617
- Product Dimensions: 22 x 14.6 x 4.4 cm
Jul 18, 2010
Posted by Lisa on Jul 18, 2010 in Authors, Reviews | 1 comment
Blurb
For centuries, vampires walked the earth undetected, feasting on humans in keeping with their ancient traditions, but now 21st century technology has left them open to detection . . .
To establish order, the Vampire Federation is born, policed by special agents like vampire Alexandra Bishop, authorised to hunt down those who violate the new code.
But rebel vampire Gabriel Stone doesn’t play by the rules and declares war against the Federation, throwing Alex and her team into turmoil.
Oblivious to the chaos in the vampire world, human Detective Inspector Joel Solomon is drawn into an unlikely alliance with Alex when he investigates a series gruesome corpses drained of their blood.
Together they are plunged into a war of good versus evil, taking them from the streets of London to the mountains of Transylvania in a battle that threatens to destroy them all. ..
I have to point out before reviewing this book that I have a huge love of vampires, the vampire mythology and most (but not all) vampire films/books. I also love the urban fantasy genre, where I find most books seem to be written by women, which seems to lead to a big focus on the romance side of things in the main part.
Uprising by Scott Mariani upon first reading the blurb sounds like it’s going to be the atypical urban fantasy novel but from the first page it becomes obvious it’s not. With Scott’s novel, vampires have rediscovered their bite. They’re not dwelling in forlorn despair over a lost love or a passion that shouldn’t be. They are dangerous, deadly and vicious.
Scott has developed an intricate tale, bringing vampires into the 21st century without removing their fangs in the process. Humans are viewed as a foodsource, not as something to be lusted after and the two groups of vampires we are introduced to hold this in common even though they have developed two completely separate ways of continuing their existence.
This story is not a book that lovers of Twilight and vampires that sparkle will enjoy as it makes no bones about the fact that beneath the veneer vampires are not human and do not see things in the same way, although Scott does add an element of romance, but even that comes with an added twist.
If you enjoy a book with bite (excuse the pun) then settle yourself in for an excellent read with characters that jump off the pages and a social system that has been well-developed and thought out with a lot of interesting twists.
Not only has Scott given bite back to the vampire genre, he’s also made an interesting twist on the case of a cross being deadly to vampires. I’m not going to ruin the story by going into detail, but I will say it’s very well done and definitely worth picking up a copy of Uprising to read.
I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series!
Book Details:-
- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Avon (10 Jun 2010)
- ISBN-10: 1847562124
- ISBN-13: 978-1847562128
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.6 x 4 cm
May 31, 2010
Posted by Lisa on May 31, 2010 in Authors, Reviews | 0 comments
Blurb
Raven Whitney is a psychic who has used her gift to help the police track down a serial killer. Now she is determined to escape the glare of recent publicity for the peace and quiet of the Carpathian Mountains. Despite her own emotional fatigue, Raven finds herself connecting psychically to another wounded individual somewhere close by. Prince Mikhail Dubrinsky is the leader of his people but, as his ancient Carpathian race grows ever closer to extinction, he is close to giving in to the heavy weight of loneliness and despair. Then a female voice enters his mind and tries to console him. Intrigued, Mikhail becomes obsessed with finding this unusual human female. From the moment their minds touch, Raven and Mikhail form a connection. But there are those who incorrectly view all Carpathians as vampires, and are determined to give their extinction a helping hand.
The concept of this particular series of stories, from what I could gather from this book, is that the male “Carpathians” (or vampires to the rest of us – they drink blood, are immortal, etc, which to me constitutes vampiric behaviour) need to find their life-mate or consign themselves to becoming some kind of monster – I think losing any kind of emotional feeling and, by all accounts, only seeing in black and white.
When I first started to read this book, I was sure it was set in the 19th century, and it was only when a computer was mentioned in passing that I realised this wasn’t the case. The novel has a very old-world feel, making me think of Bram Stoker”s Dracula (not so much in the fact that this is going to be a classic novel, but the style of writing). While Christine Feehan is, obviously, a very good writer – she has an excellent way of wording things so that you can actually visualise what she’s describing – I found this story to be quite boring. At times I paused to wonder what exactly the point in the novel was, but since I felt the same about Sherrilyn Kenyon”s first Dark Hunter book and am now a huge fan of the novels, I persevered. This isn”t the best book out there and is, in a lot of places, extremely boring to the point of making me want to cast it aside. The characters didn’t really grab me and suck me in to their world. And the whole relationship between Raven and Mikhail was too quick and accepted to be believable.
I do have the rest of the books in my To Read and Review pile and I”m hoping that, like the Dark Hunter series, they become better the more she writes.
May 30, 2010
Posted by Lisa on May 30, 2010 in Authors, Reviews | 0 comments
Blurb
What wouldn’t you wish on your worst enemy? It seems that Harry Dresden is about to find out. . .
Harry Dresden, PI and practitioner of magic, has done his best to keep his nose clean where the White Council of Wizards is concerned. Even so, his past misdeeds haven’t looked good to the Council’s Wardens – and they take their responsibility to enforce the Laws of Magic very seriously. but this has placed him in a bit of a predicament. Morgan, formerly his chief persecutor among the Wardens has been wrongly accused of treason. There”s only one punishment for that crime so he’s on the run, wants his name cleared, and needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. Someone like Harry Dresden.
Dresden faces a daunting task. He must clear the less-than-agreeable Morgan’s name while simultaneously hiding him from the Wardens and the supernatural bounty hunters sent to find him, discover the identity of the true turncoat and, of course, avoid accusations of treachery of his own. A single mistake may mean that heads – quite literally – could roll.
And one of them might be his.
Turn Coat is book 11 in the Dresden Files series and usually, by this point, a series this long has a tendency to lose its steam somewhat and sometimes begin to flounder. Thankfully, this series isn’t one of them! While it’s possible to pick up this book without having read any of the previous ones, to really appreciate the richness of the plot you have to understand what has gone on before, to understand the dynamics of the various relationships between Harry and the other characters.
As always, Jim Butcher writes with a black humour that is absolutely wonderful. Had he been born in the right era, he’d have been applauded as a masterbard (one has to wonder if Jim can sing and play the instruments for that, but no matter, his storytelling is good enough to overlook it if he can’t!).
From the first page, you are pulled in by Harry”
s dry wit as he recounts his latest escapade and you”re right there with him, feeling every emotion and physical attack as he goes up against the skinwalker, while trying to discover who’s really behind the murder that Morgan has been set up for. Without giving too much away, Harry gets emotionally battered in this book, losing people to the vengeful nasties in this book and the ensuing battle near the end is fantastically written.
I’m yet to be disappointed by a Harry Dresden novel, and I hope that continues as I wait for the next installment with bated breath. Turn Coat is a superb addition to the series and has left me wanting more (as they always do) as well as leaving me with questions that need answering.
Ten out of ten for a wonderful tale, Jim!
Book Details
- Paperback: 544 pages
- Publisher: Orbit (4 Mar 2010)
- ISBN-10: 1841496898
- ISBN-13: 978-1841496894
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.8 x 3.8 cm
