Posts Tagged ‘thriller-suspense challenge’
Review: Shift by Rachel Vincent
Title: Shift (Shifters, book 5 )
Author: Rachel Vincent
Release: March 1st, 2010
Purchase this book: Amazon | Book Depository | Kindle Version
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 5 Stars
As for my personal life? It’s complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother’s death and my father’s impeachment, it’s all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.
With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option…
I was going to try to write this review without spoilers from the previous books in this series, but I honestly don’t know how to do it. Too much has happened that built up to this book to leave them out. I will avoid spoilers about the plot content of Shift and tread cautiously with previous books, avoiding spoilers about the main mystery/suspense plot of each book. Several people have asked if they can read this book without reading the previous books…. my answer is yes, you could if you really wanted to. But I agree with Patti over at Book Addict that if you do you are missing the full impact of the story. The buildup and history of these characters add so much I would avoid it if you can! You won’t be sorry.
Fans of this series know what a hugely important and controversial book Prey, book 4, was. Besides the devastating death of a well loved character, there was shocking (and totally hot!) smexing between Jace and Faythe. Fans have high expectations of Shift and it delivers on every one of them.
Simply put, Faythe Sanders is not the same girl she used to be. Book 1, Stray, introduces her as a mouthy, defiant, and somewhat whiney college student. Her father is Alpha of South Central pride of werecats, and tabbies (female werecats) are rare. So incredibly rare that they are prized and used as pawns in greedy attempts at controlling all the werecat prides. Initially, Faythe wants none of this system and insists she can have a life of her own outside of the pride, away from her family. This series is very much about the growth of Faythe and her finding her own path within the system her natural werecat instincts are longing for.
By the time we get to Shift Faythe is a strong, determined, intelligent, and forward thinking tabby. She no longer denies who she is or what her status means, but instead works to redefine it and make it her own. She is done shying away from the tough choices. She is the first female enforcer for a pride and thrives on the decisions that will lead her to become the first female Alpha. Yet, she is still flawed, she still makes mistakes. Faythe has to face the consequences of one of those mistakes in Shift.
The tension between Marc, Faythe, and Jace in this book is overwhelming. For most of this series there has been tension between Marc and Faythe, could she ever just let go and be with him? I was rooting for him, he was strong and dependable and would let Faythe lead in her own way. He surprises me in Shift and it only adds to my admiration of his character arc.
Jace was always the fun, but flirty guy who made the readers laugh. I never expected him to grow so much over such a short period of time. The events in Prey, changed him drastically. He is no longer willing to be the fun flirty guy who’s intentions aren’t taken seriously. He is making a serious attempt to win Faythe’s heart in Shift and I find myself swooning over his new found Alpha-ness. Faith is going to have to choose and if being with both of them isn’t an option, I don’t know what I want for her!
With so much of this book riding on the relationship between Jace and Marc and Faythe I was worried the overall plot of the werecat pride conflicts would be lost. I should have known better. Rachel Vincent has written a dynamic, fast paced, action driven story that had me hanging on every word. The South Central pride faces new dangers from both a flight of Thunderbird shifters and Carl Malone’s Pride, intent on gaining control of the pride council. Once again Faythe and her enforcers are fighting for their lives and tough decisions have to be made.
This is probably one of the longest reviews I have written and the sad thing is that I could keep on writing! I finished the book this morning and have been unable to think of anything but it all day long. My heart is torn, my nerves are shot, and my emotions are a mess in that way that you can only get from being invested in a great book. Where do they go from here? With only one book in the series left, Alpha can’t come soon enough. Rachel Vincent’s Shifter series is a roller-coaster ride of suspense and emotion that I don’t want to get off.
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FTC Disclaimer: Book recieved from NetGalley
Review: Dead To Me & Deader Still by Anton Strout
Title: Dead to Me (Simon Canderous, book 1 )
Author: Anton Strout
Release: February 26, 2008
Purchase this book: Amazon | Book Depository | Kindle Version
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Psychometry-the power to touch an object and divine information about its history-has meant a life of petty crime for Simon Canderous, but now he’s gone over to the good side. At New York’s underfunded and (mostly) secret Department of Extraordinary Affairs, he’s learning about red tape, office politics, and the basics of paranormal investigation. But it’s not the paperwork that has him breathless.
After Simon spills his coffee on (okay, through) the ghost of a beautiful woman-who doesn’t know she’s dead-he and his mentor plan to find her killers. But Simon’s not prepared for the nefarious plot that unfolds before him, involving politically correct cultists, a large wooden fish, a homicidal bookcase, and the forces of Darkness, which kind of have a crush on him.
A few months back I declared my love of male written and male point of view urban fantasies, but up until that point I had only read Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. I asked for recommendations and Anton Strout’s name was tossed my way. When Literary Escapism announced the League of Reluctant Adults challenge I knew it would be the perfect time to pick up the Simon Canderous series and dig in.
Simon is an incredibly likable character. He is your typical bad guy gone good, but with an interesting twist! Simon has the ability to touch an item and is instantly transported into someone else’s experience with the object. At one time Simon misused this power, living a life of crime. Now he has turned his life around and is firmly on the side of Good, working for the Department of Extraordinary Affairs.
One of the things I like most about Simon is that he is just your regular guy, trying to do the best he can. He isn’t a super hero who can take a beating and still get back up. When he takes a hit, he goes down just like you and I would. When he uses his power, it has side effects that could be dangerous. There is a nice balance to his character and the world around him.
As much as I enjoyed Simon’s character, I also enjoyed the side characters in this book. Simon’s partner and mentor, Connor, was funny and sarcastic in all the ways I like. He is also dependable and trustworthy, even if Simon doesn’t always see it.
The plot was interesting and made fun by the government setting of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs. There is just something humorous about the idea of paranormal government agencies tied up with red tape, paperwork, and cleverly named seminars. Imagine if the forces of good had to fight evil while sticking to a budget?
My only complaint was that I think the book could have used more background, maybe a deeper look into why Simon gave up petty crime. While I enjoyed both Simon and Connor, there was something missing and I never felt like I absolutely could not put this book down. While Dead to Me may have lacked slightly in depth, it made up for in clever and descriptive visuals. Strout does a very good job of describing things in a way that is easy to visualize, while not overdoing it. Dead to Me shows a lot of promise for the series and I look forward to seeing where Anton Strout takes Simon and the DEA next!
Other Reviews:
Title: Deader Still (Simon Canderous, book 2 )
Author: Anton Strout
Release: February 24, 2009
Purchase this book: Amazon | Book Depository | Kindle Version
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Since I am posting this review along with my review for book 1 I am not going to go into too much detail regarding Simon and his powers, you can read it in the review above. Deader Still picks up just a few months after the end of Dead To Me and we find Simon still with the Department of Extraordinary Affairs but also a new member of the Fraternal Order of Goodness. The F.O.G. is a kind of good guys super club, they have been around far longer than the government paranormal agencies and allow Simon to play a little fast and loose with the rules.
We also find Simon a relationship with Jane, the “agent of Darkness” from book 1 as she attempts to find her place on the side of good. And here comes my embarrassing confession….. I don’t like Jane. I really don’t like her. Maybe I am just jealous because I totally want a Simon to call my own, but I just can not seem to get over my dislike of her. I don’t know what it is about her character but I am hoping Anton Strout has some evil plan in mind for her in the future.
Unlike Jane, the character of Connor continues to intrigue me. I really do like him almost as much as Simon, especially because he is always there for Simon. I really enjoyed the tension between Simon and Connor as Simon finds himself in the awkward position of being in charge because of his position with the F.O.G.. Deader Still gives me that little bit of depth I was looking for in Dead to Me and I found myself completely absorbed in the story. The mystery is better and the writing is tighter. The references to and obvious appreciation of the tv show Buffy the Vampire Slayer only help warm my heart to this series.
Deader Still takes the Simon Canderous series up a notch, delivering on the promise that I saw in Dead to Me. The tiny cliffhanger of hope at the end of this one has me anxiously awaiting book 3, Dead Matter.
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FTC Disclaimer: These books were purchased by me
Review: Road Trip of the Living Dead by Mark Henry
Title: Road Trip of the Living Dead (Amanda Feral, Book 2)
Author: Mark Henry
Release: March 1st, 2009
Purchase this book: Amazon | Book Depository | Kindle Version
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 4.5 Stars
I opened up Road Trip of the Living Dead and prepared myself to be entirely grossed out by Mark Henry’s sick and twisted sense of humor again. He did not disappoint and I quickly found myself gasping and giggling at Amanda Feral and her “pottymouth.” I mean how can one not love her?
I’m a total shoe slut. Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin: this is an open invitation. Feel free to run a train on me. The cost? Stilettos, duh.
In Road Trip of the Living Dead Amanda, Wendy, and Gil find themselves up to their supernatural asses in trouble and are forced out on the run (all because of some really gross ghost urine!). The gang uses the need to leave town as an opportunity to visit Amanda’s deathly ill mother. However, nothing is ever simple for these three and their road trip quickly turns into an adventure filled with action, danger, gold grills, and fleshlights (google if you must, but I warn you… do it when you are completely alone! its errrr interesting).
While I found book 1, Happy Hour of the Damned, to be heavy on the character plotting, book 2 was a nice blend of character and interesting storyline. If anything I think Gil and Wendy took a smaller role about halfway through and I missed them a tiny bit! The mystery and suspense was better and more to the forefront than the previous book. I was engrossed in the oddly developing story and simply did not want to put this one down! Mark Henry brings in some new characters that are sure to make you laugh, including a sexy new werewolf named Scott. We even got a smexy scene that will make you snicker!
I have only one itsy bitsy complaint (or I would have given this 5 stars) ~ I wanted more with Amanda’s mother. We get such a tiny glimpse of her at the end and I was slightly confused as to what happened to/with her. There was quite a bit of setup as to Amanda and her mother and that plot line seemed to take a bit of a backseat in the end. However Amanda did make a few comments that lead me to believe this was intentional and more is coming.
With Road Trip of the Living Dead Mark Henry had me once again laughing hysterically, out loud, causing the hubby to look at me like I had lost a few marbles. If you haven’t yet jumped on the Save Amanda Feral bandwagon, don’t worry, there is still time! Book 1, Happy Hour of the Damned, is being re-released as Mass Market Paperback on January 26th and you can pre-order it from amazon.com here. You can read my review of book 1 here. Book 3, Battle of the Network Zombies is being released on February 23rd.
FTC Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the author.
Review: Beneath the Skin by Adrian Phoenix
Title: Beneath the Skin (Maker’s Song, Book 3)
Author: Adrian Phoenix
Release: December 29th, 2009
Buy Kindle version: here
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 4 Stars
The dark pieces of vampire rock star Dante Baptiste’s past are violently emerging, and it is only a matter of time before the Fallen discover he is the creawdwr they have sought for thousands of years. The destruction he left behind in Oregon threatens to reveal his identity as Fallen Maker and True Blood, exposing the young nightkind to shadowy predators — mortal and supernatural — who will do whatever it takes to win his favor…or destroy him.
RESTS IN DANTE’S HANDS.
When beautiful FBI special agent Heather Wallace went AWOL on assignment, she chose irresistible Dante over the shady government forces that now stalk them both. Heather has her own secrets of the past to uncover, but she is also the only one who can hold her nightkind lover together when his dangerous quest for the truth threatens to send him over the edge. And as she and Dante fi ght for their survival, she realizes they must work together to protect their future — before his mysterious destiny tears them apart….
Book 3 of the Maker’s Song series by Adrian Phoenix picks very quickly after where book 2 left off. In fact the entire events of Beneath the Skin take place over just about a week. So much is going on in these few days that several times I wondered if time just ran differently in their world. Ok not really, but seriously if I could get as much done in a day as these guys I would be superwoman!
In Beneath the Skin Heather and Dante find themselves stuck trying to deal with the aftermath of all the events that take place at the end of In the Blood. Dante is lost within himself, buried in flashbacks and memories of his past. Heather is now on the run from the agencies she used to work for. Lucien is still being held by the Fallen and suspected of being dead. Book 3 explores the question…. can Dante keep his sanity or is he destined to be just a weapon who has lost control?
One of the things I love about this series are the characters. Heather kicks ass and I was glad to see her finally slip on some leather pants. For once I think the book cover actually portrays a look the characters pulls off in the story! I love Heather because she is smart, determined, dedicated, and simply will not take no for an answer. Not even from the bad boy vamp in PVC mesh and leather. There is never even a question that she is strong enough to stand beside Dante and fight with him.
Equally lovable is Dante, a True Blood (born) vampire and Fallen Angel “maker”. He is like an M&M, hard shell…. sweet chocolatey goodness in side. His foul mouth and flippant attitude make him a fun character to read about. I just can’t help but love a guy who is so fond of flipping people off and tossing out the F#&! word. As if his oddly charming personality isn’t enough, Dante is man enough to not push Heather behind him at the first sign of trouble. He doesn’t go all alpha crazy and lock her in a closet when things start falling apart, in fact he admits to needing her. But make no mistake, you will get your sexy man beast fix with this book as he has no problem putting Heather up against a wall if ya know what I mean *wink wink nudge nudge*.
Something else to look forward to from Beneath the Skin is an extended glimpse at Von, the sexy biker nomad. He plays a heavy part in the book. His dedication and love for Dante and all the things he considers “his” is touching.
Now for my complaints… *sigh*. I hate to do it, but I have some. This installment has just too much going on. Halfway through the book I was seriously considering whipping out some graph paper and making a flow chart so I could remember who was who and what agency they worked for. The way the author draws us into Dante’s head and his struggle to not lose it was flawless. I ate up those chapters like freshly baked cookies. But I found myself growling and sighing when we got pulled out of those scenes only to be stuck in the middle of Shadow Branch/FBI/Whatever other Agency crap. There were just too many agents with too many agendas and in the end there was nothing done with those plot points. They are just left dangling in the wind. On top of that the ending seemed abrupt… I didn’t expect it to be so sudden and got the feeling that because of all the plot lines the book was originally longer but they needed a stopping point.
Now that I complained, I will admit, that field agents (don’t ask me which agency they were from) Emmet and Merri interest me. I do look forward to seeing what part they will play in the wind and I liked the relationship between them. However, everything else relating to the Shadow Branch and the plot to capture/release Dante just went over my head and left me feeling confused.
Even with my gripes, Beneath the Skin, is a great read. So much of the action of the book comes from within Dante’s mind and I found myself really enjoying the experience. Often a good internal struggle is so more engaging than the external dangers. This book was definitely better than the last and I look forward to the next one. It will be interesting to see how and if resolution comes about in book 4.
Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me.
Review: Happy Hour of the Damned by Mark Henry
Title: Happy Hour of the Damned (Amanda Feral, Book 1)
Author: Mark Henry
Release: March 1st, 2008
Buy Kindle version: here
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 4 Stars
Making her way through a dangerous world of cloud-doped bloodsuckers, reapers, horny and horned devils, werewolves, celebrities, and PR-obsessed shapeshifters–not to mention an extremely hot bartender named Ricardo–isn’t easy. And the minute one of Amanda’s undead friends disappears after texting the word, “help” (The undead–so dramatic!) she knows the afterlife is about to get really ugly.
Something sinister is at hand. Someone or something is hellbent on turning Seattle’s undead underworld into a place of true terror. And this time, Amanda may meet a fate a lot worse than death…
Confession Time: Zombies. Totally not my thing and not sexy. I think this could be the very first zombie book I have read, but it won’t be the last! Contrary to popular belief zombies do not always walk around chanting brains. If they are lucky enough to be “made” zombies, like Amanda Feral, they can continue to function as they did before death, mostly. The exception being the devastating (and totally gross) side effects of eating real food, pale skin even a spray tan won’t fix, and the desire for human flesh. Other than those minor things, they can carry on with their lives as usual. Amanda Feral is trying to do just that, refusing to give up her designer clothes, power career, or warm blooded boyfriend just because she is dead. Unfortunately the afterlife isn’t so easy for her when one of her friends seemingly goes missing and she finds herself in over her head in someone’s attempt to stage a world takeover, one Starbucks at a time.
Amanda Feral and friends are quite possibly the most foul mouthed, snarky, and sarcastic group of characters I have come across yet. They are dirty ~ and I don’t mean “spank me” dirty, I mean “depends” dirty. Their brand of humor is not for the easily offended or light of heart. Living with an experienced master of inappropriate jokes and sarcasm, aka my husband, I figured I was up for the challenge. A few times I found myself cringing because Mark Henry holds nothing back, gore and bowels are not off limits. However, most of the time I found myself silently snickering and snorting along at bad jokes and hilarious storytelling. Mark Henry seems to have the unique ability of making the gory act of zombies eating humans perfectly normal, if not funny.
I have only one itty bitty complaint…footnotes. Happy Hour of the Damned is filled with footnotes, giving you little tidbits of info sure to make you snort out loud. Because I didn’t want to miss any of the funny, I wasn’t about to ignore their existence, but I did find them a tad distracting when reading it on the Kindle. Obviously, this is not the fault of the author, but this may be one of those series that are better off read in paperback where you can flip back and forth easily (*gasp* yes, I did indeed say that… mark your calendars!). Being a diehard Kindle lover who avoids dead tree books if at all possible, I did come up with a method that was workable and figured I would share because I am a generous girl like that.
Because of Mark Henry’s foul mouthed crew of comediens I give Happy Hour of the Damned 4 stars. It was fun to read an urban fantasy with main characters who were not battling with moral dilemmas and ethical questions. I can’t wait to see what else Amanda Feral can get herself into. Next up, Road Trip of the Living Dead.
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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