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 This is book five in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I’m in part reading these for the challenge over at Beth Fish Reads. Do not read if you want to avoid spoilers for the previous books!
A sniper is shooting to kill the shapeshifter population and Sookie is worried for her brother and her friends. It isn’t enough that Jason has become a werepanther and is about to endure his first change, but now he’s suspected of the crimes. After all, he’s just been changed, and it’s the shapeshifters’ fault. Can Sookie find the true villain before it’s too late?
This was another fun novel in the series and I really enjoyed reading it during the Read-a-Thon. By now I have tabs on all of the characters and I look forward not only to each book’s individual plot but to seeing how things grow and develop in each book. This one doesn’t disappoint. Sookie has all of her usual love interests and then some. It’s remarkable that one girl could have so many men decide they love her, but it does keep the story interesting even if I have to suspend my disbelief a little bit.
The plot in this book itself was okay. I’m obviously not really reading these books for the plot, but I didn’t really guess who the culprit was until he/she was revealed. I don’t think there were really many clues at all, and if there were any I completely missed them. I much prefer to read and see what happens to Sookie. She is just such a charming character; in this one she even went to the library and worried about messing up her books before other, perhaps more important, issues. How could you not love a character that goes home with a bag of books from the library, when she’s also great in a lot of other respects?
Anyway, I don’t really have much else to say about Dead as a Doornail. It was a read-a-thon choice, and while a great one for it, I don’t remember all that much in the mix of the other five books I read. So I’ll just say I continue to enjoy this series, Sookie is a fantastic character, and I hope you’re reading it too!
I am an Amazon Associate. I borrowed this book from my local library.
 Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson has always had issues in school. He’s been diagnosed with attention disorders but still ends up failing out of school every time. In his latest boarding school, Percy has a peculiar encounter with one of his teachers, after which no one seems to remember the teacher! Perplexed, Percy starts listening in on conversations and begins to realize that his life is not at all what he’d thought. Things get even stranger when mythological creatures appear in his life and Percy is sent to a summer camp for half-bloods; children descended from one god and one human. When Zeus’s lightning bolt is stolen and Percy is the prime suspect, he must get it back before the mythological world erupts into war.
While this was certainly a fun book, it was definitely a children’s book. Let me clarify. Percy is 12, so the book doesn’t exactly count for young adult literature because I believe that means a teenage protagonist is necessary. Yet with some kid’s books, I can still enjoy the intricacies of plot and character, so I don’t even notice that they’re written for children. I noticed here, and while the book was a lot of fun, there were times when I rolled my eyes. Others have agreed with me, so at least I’m not alone.
That said, I read this during the Read-a-Thon and it was a perfect choice. It’s fast-paced, there is a lot of action, there was some humor that I still found funny, and the book sped by very quickly. For a light read, if you’re not expecting much, this is perfect. I think this would be a brilliant read for a kid. It has a lot of tame humor and situations that a kid who hadn’t gone through puberty yet would probably enjoy. And with all the mythology, it’s educational as well, in a way that kids could perfectly understand because the gods are all described in familiar terms. Percy doesn’t know who they are at first, so each of them is described fully in his own words, giving kids an easy introduction to exactly who these gods are before they’re presented with an unfamiliar name to remember. It’s easy to see why Rick Riordan is so very popular. This is clean, adventurous fun that would probably appeal to both boys and girls of that age.
So, The Lightning Thief does what it’s meant to do for kids, it’s just a shame I didn’t love it as an adult. I do intend to continue with the series, though, because I liked Percy and I’m intrigued enough to see what happens next.
You guessed it, I’m an Amazon Associate.
 Todd Hewitt is nearly thirteen years old and has never seen a woman. He knows what women look like, though, because he can see them in other men’s thoughts. The ability to see thoughts – words and images – is called Noise, and all the men in his town have the same ability. The Noise, a disease passed on by the Spackle, aliens who previously inhabited Todd’s world, isn’t just limited to men, as all animals can talk, including Todd’s slightly stupid dog, Manchee. On Todd’s thirteenth birthday, he will become a man, the last boy in his town to do so, but before that can happen, Todd encounters a pocket of silence that leads to his expulsion from Prentisstown and causes him to question everything he’s ever known.
This is a book that has been hyped throughout the blogosphere endlessly. I know I bought it because so many book bloggers I trust had read and loved it. I think my expectations made the book less of an experience for me. I simply knew it was meant to be amazing, so perhaps it’s not a surprise that it wasn’t. That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it, because I did, but it hasn’t immediately catapulted itself onto my list of all-time favorite books. The rest of this review might contain slight spoilers, so I wouldn’t suggest reading it unless you’ve completed the book.
The best and the worst thing about this book is the pace. It’s Todd’s frantic flight from his entire life, a girl and a dog in tow, with terrifyingly bad men behind them. The sense of urgency is overwhelming and is constantly pushing the reader to read on, to read faster, to find out what happens next. While this ability to absorb me is a great thing in a new era of books that only half-heartedly interest me, it also harmed the book’s impact, perhaps because I did read it so quickly. I did get attached to Todd and Viola and Manchee, but all of the tragedy within the book simply did not have the time to emotionally hit me. Something else happened so quickly that the characters couldn’t dwell on their losses or problems, so I didn’t really feel them the way I was supposed to. In addition, the many tragedies made the book feel somewhat emotionally manipulative. There is no respite from it at all.
There is still a lot to love here, though. The concept of the Noise is just fascinating and while the men of Prentisstown can’t be excused for what they did, it’s so easy to see how this could drive someone mad. Todd is an incredibly loveable character despite what he’s driven to do over the course of the novel. I even enjoyed the deliberate misspellings because I felt they revealed a lot of his childishness and innocence; they gave him part of his voice and I honestly don’t think the book would be the same without it. Best of all, I think, was his relationship with Viola, even though he’s obstinate as only a boy could be at the beginning. At first he sees Viola as a foreign object, then as a woman, and finally as a person, just like him, and I think the transformation of his thinking and their interactions was my favorite part of the entire book. If you read this blog you know I’m all about the relationships between characters and this is a great one.
So, in short, The Knife of Never Letting Go* didn’t totally blow me away and it’s not my favorite book of the year, but I seriously enjoyed it and I’m anxiously awaiting the return of The Ask and the Answer* to the library so I can continue the story.
*I am an Amazon Associate and earn a small referral fee if you purchase through these links. I purchased this book.
 Anna and Charles Cornick are just settling in to their new life together when Charles’s father, Bran, the Marrok of all the werewolves, sets up a meeting with all the European werewolves to discuss revealing their existence. Charles finally convinces Bran to send him in his father’s place, so Charles and Anna head to Seattle, prepared for a confrontation. The other werewolves are not going to be pleased with Bran’s plans, particularly not the Beast of Gevaudan, Jean Chastel, who used to openly kill and eat human beings, and rules France to some extent after killing all the other Alphas, or the British werewolf Arthur who believes he really is King Arthur. When a pack of vampires attack Anna on a shopping excursion, the risks escalate and Charles must find the culprit before Anna dies and the Marrok’s plans for peace are ruined.
This is another enjoyable urban fantasy from Patricia Briggs. I felt that this was an improvement over Cry Wolf. There is a lot going on with the plot that is really interesting in context of the universe. Revealing the werewolves’ presence could have a huge impact on all the characters in both this series and the Mercy Thompson series, so it was very interesting to see what happened there. And of course that is certainly not enough, there are also death threats, mysteries, and murders sprinkled throughout the book, leading to one very intriguing and totally unexpected conclusion. If not brilliantly written, Hunting Ground is definitely well-plotted. The villains are all suspicious in their own way, but the overarching deal and the meanings of some of the events early on do not become clear until the end. There is also a nice tie-in with everyone’s favorite Arthurian legend since the British werewolf believes he is actually King Arthur reincarnated. This is a neat addition to an already complex world, but it doesn’t feel too out of place.
The relationship between Anna and Charles continues to develop in a lovely and believable way. They have learned to trust one another, mainly, but there are still small pockets of tension, just like any other real relationship. Anna continues to come into her own, realizing her strengths and beginning to break out of the super-submissive mode by recategorizing just what she is. Meeting her first fellow Omega wolf helps her a lot in this respect and I really look forward to seeing what she does next.
I definitely am enjoying this series. It may still take a backseat to Mercy, but it is another urban fantasy series to watch from Patricia Briggs.
I am an Amazon Associate.
 Rose and Lissa are best friends. Lissa is one of the Moroi vampires, while Rose is a dhampir, learning to become a guardian and protect Lissa from the Strigoi, the evil vampires. Convinced that someone was out to get Lissa, the two fled St. Vladimir’s Academy, living on their own and evading capture. That only lasted so long, however, and now the girls are back at school. Sexy dhampir guardian Dimitri found the girls and while acting as guardian for Lissa, begins to train Rose to become a far better guardian than she was before. In the face of a new danger, can Rose keep Lissa safe while denying her newfound attraction for the older Dimitri?
Vampire Academy is a fun start to what appears to be a promising YA series. For once, it isn’t particularly Twilight-esque and I appreciated its originality with the two different kinds of vampires and the dhampirs as the guardians of the Moroi vampires. It’s a well done world. I always enjoy books set in boarding schools. They provide such a terrific setting with all the characters in one place, with a reason for them to be parentless, and I find that I often wish I could go there myself (Hogwarts is the best example of this). While I don’t think I want to attend St. Vladimir’s Academy, the setting worked perfectly and allowed all of the young drama to take a strong hold on the characters and their actions.
Rose is by far the strongest character in the book. She is a vibrant teenager that visibly grows over the course of the book. She is a bit promiscuous, but I like that she learned over the course of the novel how to be a better guardian and became much more of an adult. Her priorities straightened out and her development was impressive and fluid. I really liked her crush on Dimitri. I think most teenage girls have an older man that they decide they love, so it humanizes her and gives the story an interesting direction to take for the next few books. I’m really looking forward to seeing where it goes. Lissa is a weaker heroine, in part because we see her only through Rose’s eyes. She seems to be loyal and kind, but it’s harder to get a grasp on her personality, although I loved her scenes with Christian when Rose was spying on them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s great YA urban fantasy and I’m looking forward to continuing the series.
I purchased this book. I’m an Amazon Associate.
 Anna Latham, an Omega werewolf still adjusting to her status and history of abuse, has arrived in Montana with her would-be mate, Charles. Charles’ pack is controlled by his father, Bran, the Marrok, or basically the alpha of all the werewolves. As Anna is adjusting to life in a new pack, with new trust issues, and a new mate that she has to get to know, trouble crops up in a nearby forest. Somehow, it’s related to an extremely old werewolf in Bran’s pack who believes he is going a little insane and needs to be put out of his misery. Charles and Anna must do their part to sort out the trouble before the public catches on to the werewolves’ presence while adjusting to new life together.
I can’t really imagine reading this book without having read the short story “Alpha and Omega” in the On the Prowl anthology (my review). It picks up directly afterwards and I can imagine the reader feeling lost without having already been acquainted with Anna and Charles and all that had happened. Similarly, someone who hadn’t read the Mercy Thompson series would have missed out on the connections between books. I don’t know how well this stands alone, but as someone who is a fan, this is a great start to a spin-off series.
It’s not quite as engrossing; Anna is not nearly as compelling as Mercy, for one thing, and Charles still feels a bit stiff. But it’s easy to warm to these characters as they warm to one another, and Anna’s ongoing struggle with her past is handled in what I considered a believable way. Anna has to learn to trust Charles and he has to learn not to do anything to betray that trust. I really felt that they both grew in this novel, so even though they’re not my favorites, they are still likeable and convincing.
The plot itself is a bit of a race to the finish; there is hardly a dull moment and a lot is packed in here with the mystery, resolution, and the relationship drama. The story itself is not really much of a mystery, but more as a way for Anna to develop while providing a bit of suspense outside of love. A lot of the book also fills in pack dynamics which are missing more from the Mercy Thompson series; for example, the concept that the inner wolves mate choose mates without the human side’s consent. This is what happened with Bran and his mate Leah, something I had wondered about, and happens with Anna and Charles almost instantly. Luckily for the latter, their human sides fall in love too, but it’s interesting that this isn’t always the case.
Anyway, I really enjoyed Cry Wolf .* Perhaps not great literature and I wasn’t immediately racing to read the next one, but I’m looking forward to it.
*If you buy through this Amazon link, I will earn a small commission fee.
 Everything is getting harder for Aislinn, the Summer Queen. She’s finding it harder and harder to resist Keenan, her king, who it seems she is naturally inclined to lust after. Keenan loves Donia, the Winter Queen, and vice versa, but with such opposing natures, these two struggle to make any kind of relationship work. Aislinn still loves Seth and wants to be with him, but he is a human in a faery world and it’s hard on both of them. Aislinn has lost most of her human friends and finds it hard to separate herself from the faery world, making everything more awkward for Seth, who can feel her separation from him. He determines to take drastic measures in an attempt to be with Aislinn forever, not realizing the potential consequences of his choice.
Much of Fragile Eternity is spent on the characters agonizing over one another. A natural, and easy, pairing would have been Aislinn and Keenan, the Summer royalty, who are almost doomed to love one another given the eternity that they are forced to have. Yet both Aislinn and Keenan love elsewhere, hurting both each other and their lovers equally. They can’t stop being drawn together even though they don’t love one another. It is a difficult time for all four people, and Marr explores the tough choices that they have to make with some finesse, even if it feels frustrating. I know I had trouble returning to this book because the relationships were so well drawn and so painful. It was hard to know where the book was going to end up.
Seth’s choice, about halfway through the book, made sense even though I wished it hadn’t come to that. His journey into the world of Faerie was the best part for me. He was finally at peace with his choice, becoming more than frustrated ball of love for Aislinn, and Sorcha is a great addition to the cast of characters. She’s strong, interesting, and simply feels mythical. She adds immeasurably to a book that is largely about tortured lovers by giving the story another outlet. Besides, I always love great worldbuilding and Seth’s journey was a stellar opportunity for Marr to engage in it. I was really looking forward to learning more about the world and I wasn’t at all disappointed.
Overall, I’m not sure this one lives up to Wicked Lovely or Ink Exchange. I think it’s telling that I had to put it aside and take a break from all the angst, and then I dreaded going back to it because I didn’t want the characters to be so unhappy or tortured anymore. To some extent this has always been true of this series, but I really had a hard time here. It also ends in a cliffhanger and the next book isn’t out until 2010. So, I’ll be biting my nails until then! I do plan to continue but next time, I’m going to approach Marr’s books with a totally open and relaxed mind, rather than one which didn’t really need more stress.
This was my first book for Carl’s RIP IV Challenge! I’ve actually completed the challenge now.
 This is book four in the Sookie Stackhouse series and this review may contain spoilers for the first three books. For the first book in the series, see my review of Dead Until Dark. I’m reading this as part of the Sookie Stackhouse challenge hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
After the disastrous events in Club Dead, it looks like Bill and Sookie’s relationship is officially over. Bill heads on a trip to Peru while Sookie remains in Bon Temps, making a New Year’s resolution not to get beat up again. Life doesn’t return to normal, however, because on the way home from work Sookie spots Eric running around naked. When she gets him in her car, she realizes that he has amnesia and has no idea who he is. Not only does this new, sweeter Eric fluster Sookie, but she learns that there is a were-witch coven at work who cast this spell on him. Worse, the coven is extremely dangerous. It looks like Sookie may not keep her New Year’s resolution after all.
Like nearly everyone else who has been reading these books, I have been crossing my fingers for Eric and Sookie to get together. His sex appeal just oozes off the page, and here he’s sweet, old-fashioned, and totally perplexed in addition to ridiculously sexy. How can this go wrong?
Well, after reading this book, I’m glad that the reviews for the next one promise no romance. Poor Sookie’s heart has been totally put through a wringer. Between Bill and Eric, I feel sorry for her! There is also Alcide, who I wouldn’t mind having a little more screen time. It doesn’t help that her brother goes missing and she is once again stuck helping to save everyone, even though she’s not actually anything paranormal herself. It just never ends. Although if it did end, there wouldn’t be much of a series! I also was very intrigued by the nearby town that Sookie discovers and its residents. I didn’t see that coming at all, but it’s an interesting twist and I hope they stick around to wreak a little bit more havoc.
Anyway, this isn’t much a review, it’s more a random collection of various thoughts which have popped into my head. Regardless, I am really enjoying this series! My new library has all the rest of the series and I couldn’t be happier. Expect more reviews soon! In the meantime, Dead to the World is another great addition to this series, which I am definitely thrilled I started.
 In Katsa’s world, people with Graces, or extraordinary skills, are feared and sometimes exploited. They are distinguished by their dual colored eyes. Unfortunately for Katsa, she has a killing Grace, and has been used by her uncle to do his bidding since she was eight years old and accidentally murdered a man with her bare hands. When Katsa seeks to rescue the father of the King of Liend, she stumbles upon a mystery and on Po, a man who can fight almost as well as she. Katsa decides to defy her uncle the king and set off to solve the mystery, the curious Po at her side.
I love fairy tales, especially fairy tales expanded into novels. While this is a completely new story, it feels very much like a fairy tale. It is a once upon a time fantasy with a darker edge in that Katsa’s Grace is so violent. The closest I can compare it to in style is Robin McKinley, who I recently discovered and loved. Thus it’s not at all a surprise that I really enjoyed this book too.
For Katsa, this is completely a coming-of-age story. She is disgusted with herself, with her uncle, and with the world. She knows so little about both her Grace and the wider world, though, that even as a teenager she essentially goes on a journey of self-discovery. She realizes how much she herself is a product of the kingdom in which she grew up and takes steps to become a strong, confident woman. Add in a little bit of budding, confusing romance and Cashore has the perfect combination for a teenage girl. Although I enjoyed the adventure that Katsa went on, I appreciated her believable and steady character growth much more.
Cashore’s pseudo-medieval world is also very well considered. The kingdoms that we see are distinct and interesting, especially Po’s, and the idea of Graces is beautifully developed. It’s fascinating that even people with Graces shy away from others who have them, because no one knows what particular skill might be lurking behind blue and brown eyes. Everything feels organic and natural and it’s very easy to lose yourself in this world.
Graceling is a compelling fantasy set in a fairy tale medieval world. Katsa is one of the best female characters I’ve come across in YA, with strengths and vulnerabilities in equal measure, and her adventure had me spellbound. Well worth a read for both young and regular adults.
 On the Prowl is an anthology of novellas by four urban fantasy/paranormal romance writers, so I’m just going to treat each story separately.
Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs
I adore the Mercy Thompson series, so moving on to the Alpha and Omega series was practically a given for me. This short story was surprisingly more substantial than just a teaser. Anna thinks that she’s the most submissive wolf in her pack; turned without a choice, she is threatened frequently by other pack members and has been subject to gang rapes and other such cruelty. When she sees a man missing on the news and realizes that her pack leader has not only turned but sold him, she finally calls the Marrok, the leader of all the werewolves, and he sends his son Charles to investigate. The connection between Charles and Anna’s wolves is immediate and he helps her to realize she’s not worthless after all. I liked the relationship between them and the fact that they don’t exactly act on their animal impulses. Restraint is something that doesn’t happen very often in this type of novel and I love that Briggs’s characters are always building their actual relationships, not just hopping into bed with one another because they want to. I feel that this is a delicate handling of Anna’s horrible situation and I liked the resolution of this story. I’m looking forward to reading the next two in the series but I do think that I could have stopped here satisfied at how it stands alone.
Inhuman, Eileen Wilks
This story reads much more like a teaser for a series. Kai Michalski is a physical therapist who also believes she’s a telepath. She’s friends with Nathan, a police officer who isn’t exactly human. When suspicious deaths begin to occur, Kai is immediately blamed thanks to prejudice against magical people from politicians and because another creature has taken her form, fooling credulous officials. While all her affairs on earth are cleared up, thanks to a handy deus ex machina that Nathan can summon at will, the story ends in a massive “buy my book if you want to know what happens now”. It’s a shame because I did like this one, although somehow it managed to feel too long, perhaps because it is all background and not really a story on its own. I might be interested in reading the Lupi series, of which this is a part, but I am not in a rush to do so.
Buying Trouble, Karen Chance
This was my second favorite story in the anthology. Claire has the ability to calm magic around her, so she’s been hired at an auction house to prevent the magical devices going wrong until the duped customers can get them home. One night, however, she discovers that she herself is on auction because of her skills; she can be killed and her abilities drained to make a bomb. Lucky for her, she is rescued by a Fey, Heidar, who realizes that there is even more to Claire than she herself suspected, not to mention a reason for her pesky attraction to all Faery men. This story alone was actually very funny at times and I really liked the main characters, Claire and Heidar. It struck a good balance between action, humor, and romance, and it was a great self-contained short story, not an ad for a book like the other three are. After reading this story I put a request in at my library for another of Karen Chance’s books.
Mona Lisa Betwining, Sunny
This was my least favorite story in the anthology. Basically, it felt like an infodump with lots of sex attached. Mona Lisa is a new Monere Queen, but she’s special because she’s half-human. In this story, she’s called to account for the death of another Monere Queen, who was part demon, and she laments the death of one of her lovers. She also makes an unpleasant discovery about herself. A lot of the story consists of recounting what happened before to get to this point. In the meantime, she has sex with two different men and one of the scenes made me very uncomfortable. The story is only 60 pages long, so at least it went by quickly, but I probably would have skipped this one if I’d known. I went on Sunny’s website and it turns out that her books are mainly paranormal erotic romance, which I really don’t like, so that explains my reaction to this. Her novels have won a number of awards so I’m assuming they have more actual plot and less recapping, but I don’t intend to try them.
If you have this hanging around, I’d recommend it for the Read-a-thon, which is coming up soon!
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