Posts Tagged ‘Review’
Review: The Fever Series
The Fever Series
Karen Marie Moning
Buy Kindle Versions: here
Rating: 4 to 5 Stars
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Darkfever – 4 starsGoodreads entry here. |
Bloodfever – 4 starsGoodreads entry here |
Faefever – 5 starsGoodreads entry here |
Dreamfever – 5 starsGoodreads entry here |
You can find my review for book 1 of the series here. The plan was to review them all by themselves, but each book is so closely linked to each other, I think its impossible to do without spoiling things! Because of that I am going to be vague and hope you trust me that you absolutely must read this series if you haven’t!
Darkfever and Bloodfever were good. They weren’t OMG YOU HAVE TO READ THIS good for me, but I read them quickly and really enjoyed them. The same can not be said for book 3 and 4. Faefever and Dreamfever are OMG YOU HAVE TO READ THIS good. They are full of surprises, storyline, and action. A small warning, both do end with cliffhangers…. Dreamfever probably being one of the worst I have read…. EVER! It is going to be a long wait for book 5, Shadowfever.
There were things I absolutely loved about this series. There are also things that made me frown and things that disappointed me. Most importantly, this series grabs you by the shirt and drags you in, makes you care about the characters and what is going on in their world.
I love Mac, I especially love Mac version 4.0. Her character arc and the growth in her is captivating.
Barrons…. still an jerk. But book 4 warms me up to him and I can see all the soft goey nugget inside. I know I would happily volunteer to poke around with him and try to find more of it.
Barrons and Mac together…. they make me swear like a sailor. They are stubborn and pigheaded and I just want to hit both of them upside the head.
*sigh* How much longer until Shadowfever?
FTC Disclaimer: These books were purchased by me
Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Title: DarkFever (Fever Series, Book 1)
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Release: October 31, 2006
Buy Kindle version: here
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 4 Stars
When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….
As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….
I have been putting off reading this series. I have heard about its painful cliffhangers and I am generally not a fan of that sort of thing. My theory was… I can put it off until the last book comes out and just read them all at once. However, I am weak when it comes to peer pressure and I was pretty sure @smokinhotbooks was going to beat me up if I didn’t read it soon. So I gave in and dived in.
The synopsis above gives a pretty good teaser into what happens in this book so I won’t rehash it. I liked Darkfever enough to read it in 2 sessions… in one day. It was addictive, like those Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
I found Mac to be an interesting lead character, even if she does obsess about her nail polish and the color pink a bit much. She is stubborn, often to a fault. I like where the author is pushing her character by forcing her to change her appearance – I look forward to lots of growth of Mac as a person and woman.
Barrons just plain annoyed me in this book. He is obviously sexy, but I did not find him likable Instead I found him arrogant, selfish, and untrustworthy. I am curious as to what he is and where he goes from here considering all the crazy book bloggers who adore him as much as I adore Bones. Obviously he has to have some redeeming qualities and we just don’t get to see them yet.
All in all, I give Darkfever 4 stars. The writing was good and I enjoyed the first person narrative. My only gripe is I dislike the way foreshadowing done. Phrases like “I would come to know just how wrong I wass…blah blah blah” just irritate me. (BTW – not a direct quote). I get thats it is part of the cliffhangers, but argh. The book does end with things unresolved, but I was prepared for it and it seemed like a natural place for things to take a pause. Now, I must get started with book 2…. thankfully hubby is home today to feed me and the kids so I feel no shame in doing nothing but sitting on the couch in my pajamas with BloodFever.
FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me.
Review: Dawnbreaker by Jocelynn Drake
Title: Dawnbreaker (Dark Days, Book 3)
Author: Jocelynn Drake
Release: September 29, 2009
Buy Kindle version: here
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 4 Stars
Those of her race fear Mira for the lethal fire she bends to her will—a power unique among nightwalkers, both a gift . . . and a curse.
The naturi despise Mira for what she is—as they prepare the final sacrifice that will destroy the barriers between the worlds. And once the naturi are unchained, blood, chaos, and horror will reign supreme on Earth.
Mira can trust only Danaus, the more-than-mortal vampire slayer, though he is sworn to destroy her kind. And now, as the day approaches when titanic forces will duel under cover of darkness, destiny draws them toward an apocalyptic confrontation at Machu Picchu. But all is not lost, for a wild card has been dealt to them: a rogue enemy princess who can change the balance of power and turn the dread tide.
My first reaction when I finished this book? “ARGH I FRICKIN HATE THIS SERIES”. But really I love it, i am just impatient and want answers NOW! Its like the TV show LOST – you want to boycott because it constantly makes you question what the hell is going on, but you can’t because its just too good to ignore! Dawnbreaker is another great installment in the Dark Days series.
Mira is nightwalker, but she is a nightwalker with a unique gift. She can control fire and uses it to her advantage whenever she can. Mira is tasked with stopping a race of supernatural beings called the naturi from opening a portal that would allow them to cross into our world and destroy both humans and supernaturals.
Mira is not a character that is immediately likable. I read the first book and was a bit taken aback by her, but I have to admit she grows on you. She can be ruthless and violent. At 600 years old she knows what is necessary to protect herself and her people and is willing to do it without question. But she can also be sarcastic, funny, and protective of those she cares about or feels a duty to protect.
Mira’s unlikely partner in crime is a vampire hunter named Danaus. He is dark, dangerous, and deadly. The two call a tentative truce in book 1 in order to fight the naturi and it has carried throughout the series so far. Dawnbreaker gives us a tiny bit more insight into the relationship between Mira and Danaus. In between light hearted jokes about killing each other we get little hints that maybe these two feel for each other more than they are willing to admit. I certainly hope they do get it on soon…we could all use a little relief in the “will they/wont they” tension! When they do get together it is going to be good. I can’t image smex between Danaus and Mira as anything but rough and primal and all things yummy.
In Dawnbreaker the action starts immediately! The author wastes no time plunging Mira into danger and things never seem to slow down. The plot is dark and violent and it seems that someone is always bleeding. I was constantly on the edge of my seat, even the threat of my kids making a mess in the kitchen couldn’t pull me away! There were a couple spots where I felt like things skipped ahead or paragraphs were left out at the end of a chapter. Not enough to make it unreadable, but enough that I had to go back and page and make sure I hadn’t missed something.
My only other gripe is that for all the violence, I was still left feeling a tiny bit frustrated. I wanted more answers to questions about the developments in Mira’s powers over the last 2 books, as well as the relationship between her and Danaus. For being 384 pages long, the book seemed to end too quickly for me. There is resolution to the main story arc, but with that resolution comes so many new twists and turns. What lays ahead for Mira? What about Danaus? I guess its a good thing there are at least 6 books planned for the series! 
Dawnbreaker is one of those great reads that has you loving it, cursing it, and finally scratching your head at all of the possibilities to come.
FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me.
Review: Fade Out by Rachel Caine
Title: Fade Out (Morganville Vampires, Book 7)
Author: Rachel Caine
Release: February 17, 2009
Buy Kindle version: here
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve’s castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger-and way more dangerous-than anyone suspected.
As I first sat down to write this review I had a hard time writing my own quick synopsis of the story, without giving away spoilers. I can’t explain why, other than I don’t really think there was much story for the first half of the book. I enjoyed the book, as I always enjoy Rachel Caine’s writing, but this one fell short compared to previous Morganville books.
With the demise of Bishop and his clan, Morganville is a much more relaxed place. I think the entire first half of the story focused around the daily activities of the kids, there was very little action or suspense in it. It wasn’t until the second half that a new character, Kim goes missing and we get into the real plot of book 7.
As I said above, I always enjoy Rachel Caine’s writing. She is good at what she does – she somehow managed to bring me into Morganville again without skipping a beat. I didn’t have to sit and try to remember what happened in the last book, as soon I started reading it all came back. The strength of her writing is the only thing that really kept me interested in the book enough for me to get past the middle point.
The first half of Fade Out deals with the kids and their daily life. They have jobs, Claire is working on her studies and with Myrnin. We also meet Kim. Claire sees Kim as a threat to her friendship with Eve and her relationship with Shane and she immediately despises her. Claire’s reactions seemed far too immature for the person she has proven to be in past novels, but maybe teenage love will do that to you? I admit it has been a while There is also some signs the problems with Amelie, who appears to be lost in grief for Sam still. It looks like Oliver is going to plan a takeover and that will be the major plot line of the book, but then it is dropped. I admit that Oliver is in this book fairly briefly and all of it felt like it was filler, but I imagine it is setting up the next book in some way.
When we finally did get to the big bad and the sinister plot, I have to say I was disappointed. I expected more oopfff and was left feeling…. underwhelmed. The writing is good, so definitely not a wasted read, but without having the next book in hand it felt like this one didn’t do much to move the series forward at all. There were some developments in the relationship between Michael and Eve, but I didn’t feel they needed this particular story line to create them. I think significant move in the overall storyline of the Morganville Vamps centers around what happens with Ada in this book. I do think that situation is worthy of its own novel, I just think the plot line that was created around it was weaker than Ada deserved. I wish I could be more detailed, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!
All in all, a decent read, just not as action packed as I am used to from Rachel Caine.
FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me.
Review: Blood Vice by Keith Melton
Blood Vice (The Nightfall Syndicate, Book 1)
Keith Melton
Release: February 17, 2009
Buy Kindle version: here
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 4 Stars
Maria Ricardi intends to use that asset to its full extent in order to gain power within her patriarchal crime family. Vance thinks he’s been hired to keep track of the family’s princess, but she’s got a plan to get her hands dirty and earn the respect she deserves. And she’s not above using their instant attraction to get what she wants.
That driving ambition draws the attention of a rival clan’s newest and most dangerous “consultant.” Alejandro Delgado, Vance’s centuries-old nemesis. Delgado zeroes in on the one chink in Vance’s armor—his fondness for the headstrong Maria.
When she becomes enslaved by Delgado’s unnatural kiss, only one thing is certain. Vance has to decide which he wants more. To settle the score—or rescue her soul.
I have read a lot of books over the last year or so…. and I can honestly say up until now, I have read not a single book that combines mobsters and vampires. Somehow Keith Melton successfully tells the tale of bad ass vampires, violent mafia wars, with a dash of romance on the side.
Maria is the daughter of powerful crime boss. She is desperately trying to prove her worth in the family business to her father and his lieutenants, an impossible task in a male dominated world like the mafia. She has the brains and balls, she just has to convince her family that a woman can do the job. Maria hires Karl Vance, a hired hitman and powerful vampire, to help weaken the enemy crime family. Over the course of the story the war between families becomes much more than a war over money or territory – it becomes personal for Karl and Maria.
At first glimpse of Maria I was prepared to dislike her. She was independent, frank, stubborn, and sometimes sarcastic. While I like my men a bit feisty, these same traits in female characters sometimes lead me to roll my eyes. Too many times a strong/bitter female is defiant even when it doesn’t make sense in an effort to be heroic or self sacrificing. I was fully prepared for Maria to be that type of woman and was pleasantly surprised to find she wasn’t. She may kick you in the balls and call you names, but she also knows when its best to go with the flow and save herself some pain.
Karl Vance is a bad ass mofo. His employers may not know his true nature as a powerful vampire, but they know he has no problem doing what needs to be done. While he gave up on his soul many years ago, he struggles to keep his darker nature in check and do the right thing. I don’t want to say that he is looking for redemption because I don’t believe he thinks its realistic, but at the very least he is looking to minimize his own impact on the world. If the book cover is accurate, he manages to do all of this with his shirt open. What more could we ask for in a vampire hitman?
The plot of this book is hard hitting and quick paced. I was sucked into the story line from the first chapter and snuck in reading time wherever I could find it! I love a good urban fantasy novel that takes no prisoners and this one does that. There is a surprising twist with Maria’s character arc during the first half of the book that completely threw me for a loop! It was daring and unexpected and may have even broken some of those unwritten book rules. I had to check my progress bar to make sure I wasn’t at the end already!
If I had anything to complain about it may have been the romance aspect of the plot. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Vance and Maria at first… and even at the end felt like I needed more time with them and the connection between them. However, I liked that Vance didn’t always know what to say to comfort her and often found himself saying nothing even when it was probably not the right move. It was realistic to his character, even if it sometimes left me feeling a bit cold.
Oh wait, I remembered one more thing I wanted to complain about…. the people in this book are way too good at recognizing fancy suit brands at first glance. I mean this is dark gritty urban fantasy world, not project runway I jest.. I get that its a mob thing!
FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me.
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin
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