Watch This! Angel (Pt. 1)

Welcome to Part One of a three part post series on Angel. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a show that was unique at the time and became iconic, to the point that many shows and movies have since tried to capture it's particular brand of appeal, with varying degrees of success. It seems natural that such a larger than life show would deserve a spin-off. Angel was a natural character choice for a spin-off series. His history and mythology are deep enough to be expanded upon over the course of many seasons. It's still surprising to me that the series only went on for five seasons, when it rightfully could have gone on much longer, as evidenced by it's continuation in comic form. But let's just work with the show we have, for now. This initial post will focus on the main cast of characters, with heavy bias on the ones I find the most interesting.

Angel, Out of Sunnydale

Angel himself is far more interesting in his own series than he is in Buffy. One of the problems with his existence in Buffy is the fact that he is supposed to be centuries old. Buffy, throughout his entire tenure as a main cast member, is a high school student. However wise, worldly, and jaded Angel is supposed to be, however tortured he is, we don't get to fully appreciate it because he's  in the role of high school boyfriend. And that, my friends, has an undeniable ick factor to it. Whether or not you like Buffy and Angel together, whether or not you think they're soul mates, you have to see the truth that as long as Buffy is not grown up, Angel cannot act his age. The writers have to temper his maturity so that it doesn't come across as ridiculously skivvy.

Once Angel gets to LA and starts his mission for redemption, all of the sudden you start to feel his age. He is written as a tortured, reluctant super hero. Suddenly his backstory as a vampire with a soul seems darker, and it fits with the darker tone of the entire show. We see, for example, that he isn't mindlessly good all of the time. He makes questionable choices and get's caught up in the need for revenge. In season two, he becomes so focused on taking out the bad guys of Wolfram and Hart that he completely severs himself from his friends. His mistakes are what make him engaging.

Cordelia, All Grown Up

Cordelia is our second transplanted Buffy character. She was originally a shallow, privileged, mean
spirited foil for Buffy. Gradually, however, she was given more depth. She's shown to be smarter than she let's on, and more complex than the typical cheerleader character is usually allowed to be. She dates the comically unpopular Xander, hangs out with the Scooby Gang, and survives some of the bigger battles of Sunnydale. So while you might initially think that she seems like a rather random choice for a main character in the spin-off series, it actually makes some sense. She's already well established, and at least redeemable if not likable.

One of the things I  appreciated about Cordelia's development is that she kind of continues to be a little vain and a little shallow, despite learning empathy and the need for a higher purpose. She's given the gift of visions of people who need Angel's help. The visions are painful and rob Cordelia of the possibility of a completely normal life, time and time again. As a result, she becomes less of a socialite and more of a fighter, though she has much fewer opportunities to kick ass than the boys do.

In terms of how well she functions as a romantic interest for Angel...well, that never rang true for me. While I'm not the biggest fan of the Buffy/Angel pairing, I never felt like Angel's chemistry with anyone else was really complete.

Wesley

In Buffy, Wesley was best described as Not Giles. He's there to try to replace Giles when the council determines that Giles sucks at his job. He comes across as irritating and even a bit comedic, and his character continues in this fashion throughout his initial appearances in Angel. His character development takes a series of turns, however, beginning with the episode in which he's captured and tortured by Faith. From this point on, he becomes steadily darker and more complex, making some morally questionable decisions, but always trying to fight on the side of good. Like Cordelia, I initially disliked his character, and like Cordelia I felt he remained flawed throughout the series. However, his character get's a better treatment in terms of both romance and send off. I really liked him with Fred, is what I'm saying.

Gunn

The first non-transplant character in Angel is also the most manufactured of the main characters. I urban character, a tough guy who has lived on the streets, maybe even been in a gang of sorts, but is still on the right side of the good/evil line." And out of that mold springs Gunn, with his tough sounding name and his tough attitude and his tough toughness. Still, it's hard to dislike the guy, who frequently serves as the team's muscle despite a lack of formal training or super powers of any kind.
can almost hear the writers cooking this guy up. "Okay, we have this urban fantasy set in Los Angeles. We need a really

Angel has a lot of other recurring characters who, depending on what season you focus on are part of the main cast. It would be impossible to fairly cover all of them. In terms of which recurring characters I liked the most...

Darla seems like a natural addition to the cast, since she's Angel's maker and a huge source of conflicted emotions for him. During one of the shows more interesting arcs, she brought back to life as a human with a soul, and she struggles with how to deal with that. Later she's given the Mystic Pregnancy treatment, and her character basically becomes a plot device. I'm mostly okay with the way the writer's handled this, however. I like that, while she's mostly a villain, we do get a sense that she has a good side, a part of her does actually love Angel, and she is capable so sacrifice.

I also really like Lindsey, both as an antagonist and reluctant ally. He's a cynical, jaded character with a murky sense of morality--basically he's the clichéd lawyer from all shows and movies. During his time at Wolfram and Hart, you kind of get the sense that he's in over his head, that he doesn't want to become entirely evil. Yet he's not above some underhandedness, and he does stay with them despite a chance to jump ships. He's the kind of character that I really enjoy, because you can see his motivations, but you're never sure how evil he actually is. And, in fact, he's probably mostly just selfish.

That's the run down of Angel's most interesting characters, or at least as much as I'm able to do in a reasonably sized post. In Part 2, I'll be discussing the world building and How Things Work in the Angel/Buffy universe. The final part of the posting series will of course be a top ten episodes list, and then we'll be moving on to other things. Stay tuned.

Review of Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione

It's fair to say that Larissa Ione has her fair share of duds, even in an otherwise lovely series. That was certainly the case here. In the interest of full disclosure, it's not like I went into this book expecting a terrific read. As a hero, Reseph failed to excited me. He spent the previous three books as the vile, villainous version of himself. We were never given enough information on good Reseph to make me feel like I wanted to see his redemption story. Nevertheless, I was willing to try.

So, to recap, Reseph had been turned into Pestilence, and committed all sorts of crazy evil. In the last book, Pestilence was stabbed with a dagger that turned him back into Reseph. Now, Reaver (the guardian angel of the four horsemen), erased his memory and dropped him in a snow bank. Our heroine, Jillian, discovers him, takes him home to her cabin, and romance ensues. Jillain was once attacked by demons. When her neighbors start dying under very demon-like circumstances, she's determined to believe that Reseph is not to blame, despite the fact that he doesn't know who or what he is.

The first and most obvious issue with this book is pacing. We spend a lot of time with Reseph and Jillian in her cabin, just kind of waiting on something to happen. It is boring as hell. To rub salt in the wound, the payoff following all that boredom isn't particularly grand. There is just nothing within the plot that captivated any part of me.

Sadly, I was not enamored with Reseph. He has his charming moments, I'll admit. He's sweet and protective toward Jillian, and yet he appreciates her ability to take care of herself. I was regrettably distracted by the fact that he has amnesia, which of course I knew would come crashing down at some point. I was distracted by the nasty things he did while evil, however involuntary, and by whether the author was going to get around to resolving all of that angst. I wasn't crazy about the way his family handled his return, either. No one could decide whether it was okay to be pissed at him for what Pestilence did, or if all should be forgiven because it was all against his will. At the risk of getting a tiny bit spoilery, I was also really unsatisfied by the fact that he doesn't earn his redemption or return to sanity--the heroine kind of does it for him.

Jillian, who initially seemed bland and uninspired, actually turned out to be the more engaging of the two. She's survived a horrible ordeal, coped by living alone and working her ass off on her farm, and she makes huge sacrifices for what she believes is right. Her judgment in blindly trusting Reseph very questionable, but I'm willing to assume she simply has good instincts.

Whatever my expectations might have been for this book, it did not surprise me and it did not elate me. I can only hope Ione's next book will be better. 2 stars.

Review of The Darkest Seduction by Gena Showalter

One of the things that persuaded me to get back into this series was the fact that I knew Paris had a book. Not only do I sort of grudgingly like Paris (I'll explain the grudging part in a minute), but the set up between Paris and Sienna, which took place earlier in the series, was really excellent.

Paris is possessed by the demon of Promiscuity, and one of the consequences of his possession is that he can only sleep with a woman one time--after which, he will fail to respond to her sexually ever again. Sienna had the distinction of being the first woman to arouse him twice, before she was abruptly killed. Now Sienna is a spirit, and is also possessed by the demon Wrath. Paris still wants her, and is willing to brave all kinds of hell to get her back.

The secret society/band of brothers trope in paranormal romance usually features some predictable cookie cutter personality types. There's always the leader/series strategy guy. There's the hacker/technology savvy genius. The legitimately crazy/genuinely scared one. The unusually normal guy who is the most in touch with the human world. The smurfette.  And then there's Captain Super Dick--the one who sleeps with approximately all of the women. I generally hate Captain Super Dick. I even had problems with Rhage from BDB, though admittedly he won me over in the end. But generally, I hate unapologetic man-sluts. I hate that their behavior is rarely seen as bad and is often actually lauded for behavior that would get a female character blacklisted.  And Paris is, of course, Captain Super Dick.

What distinguished Paris to the point where I'm kind of fond of him is the fact that he actually doesn't like the revolving door to his bedroom. Showalter describes his dilemma in such a way that I can see why that would get really depressing after a hundred years or so. She actually made me sad that he has so much sex. I don't think any author, not even Ward, has made me feel the plight of the ever-horny in quite this way. What's more is that, this dilemma makes Sienna valuable to Paris even before he really loves her, and that gives us an interesting premise to build the entire quest of this book on.

Sienna, if I'm being honest, is still a bit bland in personality. Despite Showalter's attempts to load up her back story and give her solid motivation, in the end I don't feel that I'll remember her. When I compare her to some of the other heroines in the series, who stand out both for their huge personalities and grand powers, she just falls short. No matter who's power she absorbs or how big a deal she is.

Anyway, the romance in this one is more than adequate, and I found the plot quite engaging. I would say that among the books in this series, it is far from the best, but it is certainly not the worst. 3.5 stars.

Watch This! Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Pt. 2)

If you missed Part 1 (here, have a link), I focused on how Buffy has effected the way that I view fictional heroines, and in particular those of urban fantasy. Today I'm going to talk about Angel. Now, I might at some later date dedicate a post or two to the Angel spin-off series, but today I'm going to focus on Angel's character as he's introduced in Buffy's story, and prior to his show.

I think we all tend to forget, in this Twilight soaked modern day, that Stephenie Meyer did not invent to sympathetic and more accessible vampire (that crown likely goes to Anne Rice, although I'm far from an expert). Angel and Buffy did the centuries old vampire/teenage girl love story years before, and with more intelligence.

Angel is a vampire cursed with a soul. In the Buffy universe, vampires are essentially demons who feed on humans and lack a conscience. The fact that Angel has a soul means that he does have a conscience, and he feels really bad about all of the people he killed before he had a soul. Dark, broody, self punishing--all of the ingredients necessary for romantic drama with a vampire slayer.

The romance between Angel and Buffy is just as starcrossed and just as silly as any YA novel, but Joss Whedon does more with it than you'd expect. One of the shows early weaknesses, in my opinion, was the fact that it failed to explain why they like each other in the first place. You barely see them talk or share anything. They have little in common besides a mutual desire to kill evil vampires. We're just supposed to buy the idea that they feel this attraction, and it won't go away, and so they must be together. The setup is shallow, but the conflicts and the payoff are a lot more interesting, and that is the point, after all.

The conflict between Angel and Buffy stems not only from their antithetical roles as slayer and vampire, but also from their age difference and finally (the biggest catch of all), from the curse that makes Angel sympathetic in the first place. The fact that they're aware of the age difference and actually play on the creepiness a couple of times in and of itself gives us permission to not take it to seriously (although, of course, we do). I particularly like the Halloween episode when Buffy dresses like the girls Angel would have known when she was his age (and turns into an airhead as a result of the shenanigans), because it underscores how ridiculous their relationship is in the first place.

The culmination of their relationship is fairly well known, even among non-fans of the show. Angel's soul-having curse comes with the catch that if he experiences true happiness, he loses that soul. And turns all evil and stuff. And kills people. So Angel and Buffy do it, it makes him happy, and he turns evil. I've never gotten over how contrived that plot point is, but it's also an interesting metaphor. It puts Buffy this position of feeling guilt and loss and sadness, emotions that aren't altogether uncommon for women after an ill advised sexual encounter. Everything about Buffy and Angel's relationship speaks to how actual teenagers fall in and out of love, right down to having to say goodbye and move on.

In the interest of total honesty, I actually liked Angel a lot more after he left the show and got his own. The brooding romance did start to wear out after a time, and it was for the best that they put a stake in it.

On Strawberry Fluff: A Review of Kiss of Pride by Sandra Hill

 Today for your reading delight, I have this...well, it's meant to be a romance novel, I think. I bought this when it was $0.99, thinking that it would make for light-hearted amusement some day. And then I got into this reading funk, and I sort of realized that I wasn't going to become fully immersed in anything, no matter how awesome, so why not choose something shallow?

The book jumps right into the back story, so I'll start there. Prepare yourself for some silly-ass world building. Vikar and his merry band of brothers were all vikings, and that made them pagans, and so God wanted to wipe them out. The archangel Michael pleads their case, and they end up as vampire/angels in training instead, doing penance until they make up for their sins (there are seven brothers, seven sins, DO YOU SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING?). Vikar's sin is pride. Anyway, they've been time jumping for awhile (for some reason), but now they've settled in present day Pennsylvania, in a town that subsequently becomes a vampire themed tourist trap.

Alex is a jaded reporter with a tragic past--her daughter and husband were murdered. She wants nothing more to take revenge, but her plans are interrupted when she's put on an assignment to interview Vikar. Almost immediately after arriving in Transylvania Pennsylvania, she is bitten by the resident bad vampires--they're called lucipires, and they work for the devil. Consequently, the hero has to start cleansing her of the inherent badness that lucipires spread, and he does said cleansing through a lot of sucking, which is even less sexy than it sounds.

I assumed from the start that I wasn't meant to take this book seriously, and that it would be more of a light PNR. But at times, a serious fact or moment would be thrown in there, and I got the impression that I was supposed to become invested, that I was supposed to find the romance in the midst of the ridiculous. Instead, the whole book is just awkward. The tone is way off, like the author has no idea how to balance horror, sex, and humor. Kresley Cole is the queen of that balance. Gena Showalter is not bad either. J.R. Ward has some seriously awkward bullshit in her stories, but the tone is still mostly cohesive. This book? This book is a mess. The author wants to be funny, but she doesn't understand how to be--she thinks that referencing Twilight and Micheal Jackson and all of the other pop culture things she knows about will make it funny, but all of those jokes are just flat and annoying. Then she wants to be serious, she wants us to feel sad or concerned for Alex, or to find Vikar sexy, or to get caught up in their relationship, but she ends up being hilarious by accident with her awful world building and purple language. You end up laughing at the author and not with the author, laughing at all of the wrong things.

Even if the world building were not unforgivably silly, it would still be terribly unoriginal. I'm entirely sick of seven deadly sins books. If you're going to use Christian/biblical mythology, pick something that hasn't been done nine million times already. Don't get me wrong--angels and demons make interesting characters, but you have to have a good feel for how to write them and how to make them seem both real and different (the same principle applies to vampires0. Hill doesn't seem to know what to do with the mythology, and she doesn't want to bother digging up some fresh and new concepts from it, so she's deriving everything from other PNRs in a way that's too obvious and too sloppy for a traditionally published author.

The Christain nature of our vangels is then used as the main obstacle keeping the hero and heroine from getting their freak on, and is the reason they decide to have lots of near sex. It's only a real sin if there's actual penetration, apparently. You know who thinks like that? Teenagers. Stupid, horny teenagers who believe that celibacy through technicality is just as good as actual self-restraint. Seeing adults rationalize in the same way is just plain stupid --either sexual acts are a sin, or they aren't. Whatever you believe is fine, but don't try to have the cake and eat it too--you're just being hypocritical.

Delicious, and versatile.

The sex (or almost sex) scenes in themselves are the most unintentionally hilarious things I have ever seen in a modern romance novel. At one point, the heroine thinks she sees a halo around the hero's dick. She pronounces it "cute", and the sex continues. Yeah. Later, the author treats us to the silliest purple terms she could think of--including, but not limited to "woman channel", "woman dew", and my personal favorite "strawberry fluff" (which described the heroine's pubic hair). When the strawberry fluff came into play, I had a small and not altogether quiet break with reality where I collapsed in a fit of giggles. In my world fluff is a marshmallow topping you put on peanut butter sandwiches--so you can imagine what my mind cooked up in the context of the sex scene. Sorry, NEAR sex scene.

When I finally finished this book, it was with the feeling of relief that comes with being fairly certain that you've hit rock bottom. I have found the worst of the books, there is nothing more awful, and anything else will be fantastic by comparison because I have lived through lucipires and strawberry fluff. Do I recommend this book? Well, I don't know, it did make me laugh. Not at the right moment, and not in the way it meant to, but by God did I laugh. So, yeah, if you have a good strong bullshit shield and you like "so bad it's good" books, maybe. Overall, though, it's probably not worth it. 1.5 stars

On Darklings: A Review of Queene of Light by Jennifer Armintrout

I read the majority of this book in one sitting, at a coffee house where I often pass the hours between work and go home time. That is not to say that I liked this book, or that it was a page-turner in any respect, but rather just that it was all I had at that moment and I became pretty stubborn about finishing it.

When Malachi, an angel of death, makes the mistake of touching half human, half fairy assassin Ayla, he is turned mortal. He vows revenge, but upon seeing her again finds that he loves her. Ayla breaks her vows to her people by repeatedly refusing to kill Malachi, but at the same time she remains loyal to her heritage in her heart. She goes so far as to marry the brother of the fairy Queene Mab, inadvertently putting herself in line for the throne. Her life and loyalty are threatened when her feelings toward Malachi become increasingly undeniable.

As a fantasy book, this had it's merits. Simple but fun world building, old blood feuds, political unrest. The settings are interesting, with the entire book taking place underground. Jennifer Armintrout writes a familiar kind of fairy--proud, emotionally stunted creatures who dislike humans as much as they love themselves.

As a romance, this book is barely average. Malachi and Ayla have some strong moments together, and on the surface their story and circumstances are highly romantic. The problem is that both characters are paper-thing in development, and so their romance is also on the thin side. Their love happens spontaneously and is based in very little interaction and almost no conversation between them. They have no relationship, per se.

Ayla is more or less the main character, and as I said above she's not written well. I never felt like I got to know her or understand her motivations fully. I certainly didn't feel her emotions. The author tells us her back story matter-of-factly, tells us that she would like to be an assassin but she's mostly held back, tells us that she's willing to marry Garret without explaining why...and so forth. A lot of telling, in other words, without taking the proper time to slow down and put us in the heroines mindset.

The plot itself is fairly well paced and did hold my interest. However, it's never surprising in the least. Each character's motivations are laid out rather flatly. The author has no sense of subtly or foreshadowing or tension building.

So overall, this book is finishable, but not so much so that I'd recommend it. I don't necessarily see myself going on to read the rest of the trilogy (although stranger things have happened). It isn't romantic enough to satisfy my PNR needs, and it isn't quite clever enough for my urban fantasy shelf either. 2.5 stars.

On Snakes: A Review of Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh

It would be impossible to review this book without mentioning the previous novels, and how very, very much I enjoyed them. Even book four, Archangel's Blade, who's hero I initially found terribly unappealing, managed to capture my full attention and more or less win me over. For this book the bar was set, if not overly high, at least well above the ground. It lives up to expectations quite nicely.

Jason overcame the most tragic of childhoods to become the most skilled spymaster known to angels or vampires. When the consort of archangel Neha is violently murdered, Jason is sent to investigate and prevent further bloodshed. But Neha will only allow Jason into her court under the condition that he swear a blood vow to the princess Mahiya.  The dark secret of Mahiya's birth has made her position in the court tenuous at best for her entire adult life. She longs to be free and start her own life out in the world. To earn this right, she plays the games of politics and survival.

Positive Comments

Going into this, I had no particularly strong feelings toward Jason one way or another, except that I knew he was all cool and mysterious. I really like him. He's got that tortured past, broken soul thing going on (love that), and yet he never gets really angsty. His abilities are beyond awesome, and they make the process of solving the mystery more intriguing.

I also really liked Mahiya. She's smart and brave, but she isn't the fighting alpha heroine that we've seen in the previous novels. Refreshing, yes? I like that she consciously tried to remain kind despite the cruelty around her.

I really liked the relationship building. I felt that Jason and Mahiya were well matched and had excellent chemistry. Their interactions never stuck me as cheesie. The sex scenes were hot and sweet, but did not devour the plot.

I ended up very drawn into the plot and finding out what was going on with the murder and the politics of the court. Even after you figure it out, the tension remains.

Critical Comments

 

My only real disappointment with this book was the resolution of the action/mystery plot. Of course I can't actually explain to you why I found it unsatisfactory (this being a spoiler free review). Suffice it to say, there's a build up to a moment that should have been a BIG DEAL, both in terms of character development for one of our protagonists and in terms of the overarching plot of the series...but then the guns are lowered and everyone goes home to fight another day. I already feel like that's saying to much, so...yeah, did not like that ending.

Recommendation

 

Paranormal romance fans, if you haven't read this series, go do it. Go do it now. You can thank me later. Oh, just one caution though, they are extremely gory. Some chapters are more like a horror novel than anything, so if you aren't cool with blood I'd avoid these. Otherwise, go get yourself a copy of Angels' Blood. 

For fans of this series, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I found myself pleased with it, and I think you will too. Of course, I think many of us are waiting for Illium's story, but until then...4 stars for this book.

On Shadow Lords: A Review of Pledged by Gwynneth White

You know, I spent a lot of time with this book. I dragged it to work, read during lunch, on the ride home, on the coach, in bed, late into the night...it felt like I spent ages reading this book. Yet, it's hard to articulate how I feel about it. I can say for sure that it's neither the best, nor the worst book I've read in 2012...But beyond that, what can I say?

I was asked to read this for the purpose of participating in the blog tour, and the synopsis provided really didn't give me an accurate idea of what I was getting into plot wise...I don't know if I can describe it any better, but I'll try. Seth's brother is marrying Erin's sister, and so the two meet in Botswana on the way to the wedding. Seth has agreed to help his brother (Kyle) find an ancient diamond that turns out to be the key to making or breaking an ancient curse. Guardian angels swoop down and grab Seth and Erin and promptly tell them all about soul mates, and how they knew each other before they were born, and how their are many couples just like them, and isn't it wonderful? But in order to be together, they need to break the curse tied to the diamond. To understand the curse, they have to peer into the ancient past and watch how it has kept other couples from their happy endings. The remainder of the book mostly takes place in the 10th century A.D., with Seth and Erin as invisible witnesses to the loves and losses of a would be Shenayan leader.

Positive Comments

I really liked a lot of the concepts that the book presented. I find the idea of a soul mate, someone you met and loved before you were born, to be very intriguing. Suspense is created when the reader is informed that having or meeting your soul mate doesn't necessarily mean a happy ending--you need to work for that yourselves. That's a very balance view of fated romance, and I like it.

Critical Comments

When Seth and Erin travel back in time to watch the events of the past unfold, it brought to mind for me the sixth Harry Potter book, where Harry spends most of the book watching people's memories in order to try to understand Voldemort's seeming immortality, and also his potential weaknesses. I really enjoyed the concept in that book, so...why doesn't it work as well here? Well, I think the difference is that with Harry Potter, we had already had five books to build up stakes, make us care about what's going on in the present day, and curious about what happened in the past. With this book, we are only given the most vague descriptions and accounts of our main characters before they are sent to the past as invisible onlookers. I don't know enough about them, or feel enough toward them, to care about how the colossal pile of info-dump and back story relates to them. Stylistically, it just doesn't flow well, and it failed to keep me invested.

Seth and Erin have no real chemistry...because an inadequate amount of time is spend building that chemistry. So it's not a very romantic book.

Seth, and pretty much every male character in the book, is selfish, short sighted, and stupid. He gets better, but for me it was too little and too late.

It has more pages than the content of the story justifies, taking 100 pages to tell us what could be said in 50. The pacing is snail slow. You feel every page of the book, because you're waiting for the main characters to be able to do something. But they just watch, and you just wait, and not much comes of it.

I couldn't get invested in what went on in the historical portion of the story 1)because the characters are unlikeable 2)because I know the stories end badly, or we wouldn't have the present day story 3)because nothing in the narrative makes it feel like I'm in 900 something AD. I'm not anal about historical accuracy. However, I do find it distracting to have foreign characters in an ancient time using super modern language. Terms like "sleep together" (as a euphemism for sex), or being told that the warlord of this time has a desk...those sort of things feel out of place. There was nothing to really create the proper tone of being in a different time and very different culture.

Recommendation

Obviously, for me personally, cons outweighed the pros for this one. I did not enjoy the experience. What kind of reader would really like it? Well, I'd say if you like stories with dick-ish heroes that eventually see the light, and if you really get into angels and demons and curses, and you don't mind wading through back story, this is a good book for you. For those who like a deeper romance, a faster pace, and a more concise plot, don't bother with this one. 2 stars.

On The Stock Exchange: A Review of Breaking the Devil's Heart by H.A. Goodman

I love being a book reviewer. Ever since I started this whole blog project, my reading has expanded in scope and diversity, and I absolutely love that. Breaking the Devil's Heart is just one more book that I would probably never have read on my own, but I'm so glad that I did.

I guess this is technically book 2 in a series, but it stands well on it's own. The premise is that Stewart and his girlfriend, Layla, are trying to infiltrate Hell in order to stop the human suffering caused by it's residents. Stewart was once alive and human, but died tragically and became an Observer in order to embark on this Satin killing mission. The author's version of hell is a lot like Office Space, if it were horror instead of comedy. It includes neurotic businessmen, a telemarketing scheme, and a stock exchange system--all of which run on human souls as currency.

Positive Comments:

I loved the settings and the ideas. I loved Goodman's take on hell, on souls, and on evil. I liked that it wasn't as simple as "The devil makes you do bad things." It suggests that human beings have a natural capacity for evil, and that while they can be persuaded in any number of directions, they are ultimately responsible for their actions. At the same time, the demons benefit from any evil act and will buy and sell souls in the hopes of those souls doing evil. Because evil...gives them peace or something. That's the point where the logic of the world building kind of breaks down, but even with that major flaw, the world building is still awesome.

I liked Stewart and Layla. I sort of wished for more relationship building, or more character building, but then again there was nothing that made me dislike either of them or their relationship. I liked that they were smart and cunning, but firmly dedicated to achieving their ends. Stewart really believes in good, and his willingness to sacrifice all for it is what endeared him to me.

I like the sort of "twist" near the end. I can't say more, for obvious reasons.

Critical Comments:

There were definitely some leaps in logic, or a total lack of logic in some cases, that gave me pause. I like the world that Goodman has created, but it's a little hard to swallow the "how" and "why" of it all.

In the end there was a sense of uncertainty in terms of how much was actually accomplished and whether anything was really resolved. There is a lot of build up to a moment where you would expect huge changes in the world. Instead, things are fairly ambiguous. I don't care for that sort of ending, because it leaves me feeling extremely unsatisfied.

Recommendation:

Yes, I recommend it, with a few notes of caution. If you are particular about world building and want things thoroughly explained--don't read this book. If you like nice, tidy, happy endings--don't read this book. Also, it's worth noting that this book paints religious fundamentalists in not the nicest light--it actually directly states that they cause problems in multiple passages. So if you are very deeply religious and inclined to take offense, it's best you steer clear of this one. Readers that I would recommend this to are: urban fantasy lovers, who are interested in an imaginative take on hell and human nature. 3 stars.

Buy from Amazon: Breaking The Devil's Heart: A Logic of Demons Novel

On Wishes: A Review of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

I spent all of last night finishing Daughter of Smoke and Bone, because I felt it was really time to be done with it. And, as far as 5 hour reading marathons go, it was pretty enjoyable.

The protagonist of Daughter of Smoke and Bone is Karou, a seventeen year old girl living a double life. In the "normal" part of her life, she is an art student in Prague. In the more extraordinary part of her life, she runs errands for the creatures--chimaera--who raised her. Brimstone, her foster father, runs a shop that trades wishes for teeth. Karou has no idea what the teeth are for, but obediently travels all over the world to retrieve them from hunters, grave robbers, and murderers. Then suddenly, all over the world, black hand prints begin to appear on the doors leading to Brimstone's shop. Soon, the doors are cut off, and Karou is unable to reach her foster family. At the same time, an angel appears to be following Karou, and he has answers to all of Karou's questions.

Positive Comments

The mythology is less convoluted than it sounds. Once you get used to it, it becomes easy to buy into a world full of spliced together animal creatures (goat-lion-man and the like), which is essentially what the chimaera are. The world building has a style that's completely unique.

I've seen other reviewers that say they didn't care for the romance, but I found that I liked it. Karou is drawn to Akiva (the angel), for reasons she can't explain. Akiva is drawn to Karou because she vaguely reminds him of his long lost love...But it's not like it's insta-love. They do talk and share some moments before they're feelings really come out. And given their back stories, it definitely worked for me.

I liked a lot of the messages that this novel was trying to convey. It delves into the idea of wishes and magic, but argues that these are less important than hope and emotional resilience. That's a lesson that's hard to learn for a seventeen year old girl, but I think Karou learns it well.

Critical Comments

This was the least page-turning, but not boring, book that I've ever read. I could pick it up and get immersed pretty easily, but at the same time I had no problem setting it aside to do other things. It just doesn't have any suspense to it. A lot of the big reveals are things that I had figured out way in advance. Almost nothing surprised me. The only way I could make progress with this book was to sit down and force myself to read.

I didn't like where and how it ended. The first half of the book seems to be building up to a rescue/action type climax that doesn't happen. Instead, the climax is the revealing of Karou's back story. And, to be fair, she has a really cool back story. But in the end I felt a bit hollow because so much of the present story went untold. So whether it's a pacing issue, or whether the author spent too much time on the wrong things, this novel does not feel complete.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, absolutely, you should read this book. It has some great fantasy world building layered over deep, thoughtful themes. But, had I known how it would end, I would have probably waited until the sequel was out, or at least closer to the release day. So, if you're a reader who is impatient with cliffhangers/non-endings, hold off on this one. 4 stars.

On the End of Days: A Review of Angelfall by Susan Ee

I wish I could remember which reviewer first recommended this book to me, because I owe her a big thank you. Despite some minor flaws, which I'll address later, this was a pretty fantastic novel.

Angelfall takes place in a version of our world after it has undergone an apocalypse at the hands of the angels. That's right, the angels in this one are the bad guys. Penryn is a teenage girl struggling to survive in the now broken world, while taking care of her disabled sister, Paige, and their schizophrenic mother. When Paige is kidnapped by a group of angels, Penryn considers it her responsibility to rescue her at all costs. Even if it means forming an alliance with Raffe, a wingless angel of unknown loyalties.

Positive Comments

I loved the plot. It reminded me, a bit, of seasons four and five of Supernatural. You've got angels, demons, an arguably non-exist or uncaring God, and the humans caught in the crossfire. You can feel Penryn's motivation as she storms headlong into danger to rescue Paige. It's an excellent story of survival and heart.

I loved the characters and their relationships with one another. Penryn is supposed to be 16 or 17, but her maturity level makes her seem older, so she's a character that I could connect with. Penryn's mother has no grip on reality, and is arguably quite abusive. You can feel the pain that this causes Penryn, but at the same time you can understand her loyalty and the love she has for her mother. Of course, there's also Raffe, the ostensible love interest. Is his relationship with Penryn glowingly romantic? No, not at all. In fact, he keeps her at arms length for most of the book. But, they save each others lives, take care of one another, and begin to form an emotional connection despite themselves. I prefer reluctant love over insta-love any day.

Critical Comments

Just one, really. I hate cliffhangers. Oh God, do I hate cliffhangers. I could see this one coming, too. A lot of crap was not resolved, and my Kindle was telling me I was at the 98% mark, and I was ready to throw the damn thing because I knew I was getting cliffhanged (cliffhung?). So I'm sorry, Susan Ee, I love your book, but this cliffhanger cost it half a star.

Needless to say, I do recommend this book. It has a lot of action, a lot of horror and gore, all of the things that you expect in a post-apocalyptic novel. 4.5 stars.

On Fallen Angels: A Review of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I've read quite a few reviews of Hush, Hush, and the one thing I've noticed is how polarized the opinions are. People either love or loath this book--very few people are on the fence about it. Now, having read it, I completely understand why.

At sixteen, Nora Grey has no time for boys. She's busy trying to keep up her perfect GPA in hopes of someday landing a full scholarship to a top school. When she and Patch are paired as biology partners, she's certain it will spell disaster. Patch couldn't care less about school. Worse, he radiates a bad-boy charm that has Nora hopelessly attracted to him, and he's obviously attracted to her in turn. Then, Nora and her friend Vee are repeatedly harassed by a masked attacker, Nora begins to suspect that Patch is following her--and is more than what he seems.

Positive Comments


I hate to admit it, but I like Patch. In real life, guys like Patch--guys with bad boy attitudes, who come on very strong, but seem to care about nothing--turn out to be pure scum, every time. The fact that Patch does not turn out to be scum provides an odd kind of wish fulfillment. Because, let's be honest, who doesn't like bad boys?

I like the core conflict that Patch has to deal with. I can't get too specific without spoiling. He basically has to choose between a lifetime goal and Nora's life. Throughout the book, he bounces back and forth between these two choices. Not giving in to the darker side is a big sacrifice for him, and  I really enjoyed that aspect of the story.

I like the relationship between Patch and Nora--they have excellent chemistry. The book is at it's best when these two are alone together. Patch challenges Nora, putting her in touch with some darker sides of her personality. Nora brings out Patch's softer side. They're honestly good together, and I'm really looking forward to seeing more relationship development in future books.

Critical Comments

I hated Vee. She's dim-witted, she's flighty, she's useless; overall, I would have liked to see a lot less of her. It seems like she's there as a plot device, and her role in moving the plot forward is far more important than her character development. She runs headlong into trouble, her life is threatened, she has to be saved--all of the classic traits of a damsel in distress. In the end, she learns nothing. Did this book really need a damsel type character? No. Granted, she makes Nora look smarter by comparison, but I still would have been happier without her.

The masked stalker plot was only just passably entertaining. It was predictable. It served the purpose of forcing Patch to make his choices. But other than Patch, no one changes or learns anything from the entire experience. Furthermore, this plot had me questioning the intelligence of both Vee and Nora. During the entire climax, I kept wondering why no one was calling the cops. Lives are at stake, after all. But they're afraid that calling the cops would get Vee in trouble, so they handle in themselves. Seriously? Get your priorities straight!

As I said earlier, I understand why this book inspires such love and such hatred. The characters make bad decisions, the relationships aren't what I would call healthy, and the writing is only alright. On the other hand, the characters are all the more interesting for their imperfections (except Vee: I hope she dies in a fire), the relationships are complex and deliciously dangerous, and I was completely invested in the story the entire time. For me, this book was a guilty pleasure. There are a lot of problems with it, no question. Yes, some readers will hate this book. But if you're like me, and you enjoy YA fantasy with bad boy heroes, this is a good book for you. 4 stars.

Miscellaneous Monday: Teens, Monsters, and Teen Monsters

Miscellaneous Monday is my new weekly post in which I will talk about things that I'm doing or am interested in that are not related to books, or in many cases, are only vaguely related to books. I'm going to keep it as a journal throughout the week and post on Monday mornings. I'll try to stay organized, but it may get a bit "rambley", so feel free to read, reply, or ignore at your heart's content.

Welcome Home, Ghoulia

First up, I want to mention Ghoulia Yelps--the Monster High doll I received as a present from my fiance. I'm not sure how long Monster High has been around, but I just noticed them a few months ago and instantly thought they were adorable. And your never too old for toys, right? Ghoulia is a zombie, and is currently my one and only doll. I display her proudly.

I've been to MonsterHigh.com, which has games and character bios and that sort of think. I recommend watching the webseries, if you're at all inclined to watch cartoons. There are a lot of episodes, but they're only about 2 minutes long each. A few of them are actually quite clever.

There are also Monster High novels. I'm considering ordering the first one just to give it a try. From the description I think they're meant for preteens/young teens, so it would be outside my usual genre.

The Secret Circle

Out of curiosity, I watched the pilot of The Secret Circle. This new show is based on the book series by L.J. Smith. I have no intention of reading the books at this time. I read her Vampire Diaries books before the show first aired, and to be honest, did not care for her writing style. I also never got around to watching the show, though I intend to.

Anyway, for a pilot, I thought this was a pretty good episode. We meet Cassie, our main character, who is honestly a bit bland. We establish that magic is real (and can be kind of pretty--aw, floating water drops). We meet the other two corners of the love triangle (or possibly square, not sure yet)--Diana and Adam. And there's a whole host of shady characters and villains. This includes Faye who, so help me God, I wanted to drop a rock on. The actress's performance is so over the top, I kept thinking it would be more efficient to have her wear an "I'm An Evil Bitch" T-shirt. But it's the first episode, so I'll cut them all some slack for being new to the parts. It's probably too early to say whether the show is going to be hit or miss for me, but I will say that I'm inclined to like it.

Most girls go through a witch phase. For me, it was Charmed, and to some extent Harry Potter. I know there are lots of books and movies about witches that are geared toward teens. Point is--there is always a market for this kind of show.

Supernatural Season Seven

I'm a huge fan of the Supernatural TV show. Never heard of it? Here, have a link! Seriously, I don't watch much TV--there are maybe two or three shows that I actively follow. This is one of them. It's urban fantasy at it's core, with the entire show based on the idea that urban legends and myths are real--and generally unfriendly.

Incidentally, there are Supernatural novels, but I gently caution against reading them--unless you're a huge fan of the show and a very patient reader.

Anyway, Friday's season seven premier was interesting in that it put our heroes in kind of a helpless position where the "monster" is a close friend who they really don't want to have to kill. After six seasons, we're starting to see some repetition in theme and character development. So it wasn't the best episode, and it wasn't the worst.

On Hunters: A Reviw of Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Blade is book 4 of Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series. I want to begin this review by saying that I went into this book with some pretty conflicted feelings. After Archangel's Consort I felt that a change in main characters could be a really good thing for the series. On the other hand, Dmitri was not at all one of my favorite characters. My reviews of the first three books can be found HERE. I highly recommend reading the series in order.

Honor is a hunter, one who's been out of commission for quite awhile due to having been kidnapped and brutalized by deviant vampires. In an attempt to pull her back into reality, her boss assigns her to a case that requires her to work with Dmitri. Dmitri, the darkly sexy second-in-command of New York City, finds Honor captivating. He takes the horrors committed against Honor quite seriously, and vows to see the culprits hunted down and punished. The bulk of the book revolves around solving the case to which Honor was assigned, as well as hunting down all of her tormentors.

Positive Comments:

Overall, the book had a really great balance of external and internal conflict. The characters develop in a way that feels natural, and in response to events of the book.

The sex scenes are hot, but not overused. Given Dmitri's personality, I expected lots of senseless sex and bondage. Instead, we only get the scenes that further the development of the relationship. 

I really enjoyed the revenge plot. I'm sure this says something nasty about me, but I liked the process of bringing the evil characters to justice.

I loved Dmitri's back story. You get to learn about his wife and children, how he lost them, and how he became a vampire. I found these parts tragic and captivating.

Critical Comments:

This book is nominally a paranormal romance, and a dark one at that. I've come to expect a little horror in my PNRs, and I enjoy it. But horror is a strong ingredient, and one has to be careful about overusing it in a novel like this, because it can easily overwhelm everything else. Nalini Singh walks a fine line, and there were times when I did feel like her use of violence was a bit gratuitous. It didn't damage the story too much, but it bares mentioning as a tiny flaw.

There were some pacing issues. It felt like this book had no distinct climax, or perhaps had three separate ill timed climaxes. There were too many conflicts, and their resolution felt a bit disorganized. To specify further would mean spoiling things, so I'll just leave it at that.

Finally, the relationship was not entirely satisfying. Honor and Dmitri certainly have chemistry. It's obvious that they care for one another. But there's a certain lack of tenderness or intimacy in their interactions. Again, I think it's partly an issue of pace. I was much more invested in Dmitri's connection to his wife, Ingrede.

Rating:

I'm pleased with this book. While it's not as good as the first two Guild Hunter books, but it's a solid improvement on Archangel's Consort. I recommend it. 3.5 stars.

On Sins: A Seven Deadly Sins Double Review

Maybe it's just me, but it seems that demons, sin, and fallen angels have become a big trend in paranormal romance (and to some extent urban fantasy) over the last several years. Being a curious penguin, I've tried to dip my toes into many of these series. I love Larissa Ione's Demonica work (see reviews here and here) and I'm cautiously optimistic about J.R. Ward's Fallen angels (see here). And then there's Erin McCarthy's Seven Deadly Sins series. It had so much potential, and a pretty strong start...and then it kind of fizzled. I thought the world building was pretty weak and unclear, and while there were other problems, it's the world build that stopped me from continuing. In any case, here are my reviews.

Book One: My Immortal: This is the first in a series of books about demon servants, charged with the task of promoting sin amoung humans for their master's dark purposes. It was darkly fascinating and deeply disturbing.

The bulk of the book is told in two parts--one an account of the past, told either through letters or the characters themselves, and the other in modern times. In New Orleans, circa 1790, we learn that Damian du Bourg is a selfish, cheating, semi-abusive husband to Marie. In addition to this, he makes a deal with a demon that gives him immortality in exchange for his servitude. That is, he shall spend eternity encouraging the sin of lust among all he meets. Even shy, frail Marie succumbs to his irresistible lure--to her ultimate doom. In present day, Damien is simply trying to get by, quietly repenting for his sins while doing enough to satisfy his demon master. As it turns out, this means throwing sex parties. Marley, a reserved and moral school teacher, shows up on his doorstep looking for her sister who disappeared after one such party.

I was very surprised that the author managed to redeem Damien as much as she did. I still find his history disturbing in the extreme, but not something I couldn't get past. Marley is fairly easy to relate to, though a little bland.

The plot is quiet, no action to speak of, and yet I was never bored. I wish we were given more background on the demons themselves, but the author seemed more intent on character development.

Overall, this was quite a page-turner. I caution that it might be disturbing for some readers. But I enjoyed it, and I recommend it: I think it can stand alone from the series quite nicely. 4 stars.

Book 2: Fallen: I only made it through about 150 pages of this book, then started skimming, then gave up altogether. This book moves very, very slow and I was just plain bored.

In 1849 Gabriel (a fallen angel) was accused of the murder of a prostitute, Anne, who died while he was drunk/high from opium and absinth. Gabriel doesn't know whether he committed the murder or not because the drugs caused him to forget many events. In the modern day, the now sober immortal writes true crime novels and continues to pursue the long cold murder case. He comes across a recent case that parallels Anne's murder, and contacts the victims daughter about investigating and writing a book on the case. Sara is herself a recovering addict, struggling to make peace with life after her mother's death. What Gabriel doesn't realize is that Sara is Anne's descendent, and the women in the family have a long history of being murdered. Sara dives into both investigations in hopes that she won't be next.

The romance aspect of this book had potential. I liked the concept of two former addicts finding strength and understanding in one another. Like everything else in the book, however, the relationship doesn't seem to progress at a natural pace. Gabriel is apparently cursed when it comes to women, so he's afraid to touch Sara. In my opinion this was a pretty lame road block for the author to throw up.

The murder mystery unfolds through newspapers, letters, and documents put in the book. They slowed the plot down even more and were at times repetitive. The murder issue is not complex, and the description of it's solution could have been told in 100 pages if you took out the filler.

SPOILER, Highlight to read: The plot point that really broke me was when the heroine decided to try absinthe, to know what it's like. I realize that her addiction was to sleeping pills, not alcohol or the like. Fine. But is it really a good idea for a person with an addictive personality to try something so potentially addictive. Why would she think that was necessary? If she wanted to know what the substance was capable of, couldn't she ask someone who's done it. Bare in mind, Gabriel HAS done absinthe (at this point Sara is unaware that Anne's lover and Gabriel are the same person), so you would assume that he would discourage Sara from trying it. But he gives it all of two seconds thought before he breaks out the bottle.

This book might have been great, but in the end my impatience got the better of me. I would only suggest reading this if you are found of slower, milder, less complex paranormal stories. I also want to point out that the connection to the first book is pretty weak (or was up to the point where I read). Don't look to this book for complex world building or fantasy. DNF

Final thoughts: My Immortal is worth reading for any paranormal romance fan. Fallen is something I would recommend only to people who like a lot of mystery (slowly paced mystery) in their books.I don't intend to read any more Erin McCarthy books, but I won't go out of my way to avoid them. Happy Reading!

The Trouble With Labels: A Fallen Angels Double Review

Classifying books can be difficult. Some books fit really neatly into one section, one genre, one sub-genre. Others could easily be labeled under multiple genres depending on the point of view of the person doing the labeling. The most common example that I encounter is the paranormal romance vs. urban fantasy debate.

To me "paranormal romance" implies a book that contains fantasy elements, in which the central plot involves the relationship between the two protagonists. "Urban fantasy" is a book that contains fantasy elements in a contemporary setting, and may or may not have some kind of romantic undertones. To me it's all about the main plot, and whether or not "romance" is the main point. Sure, I've encountered one or two books that fit both classifications equally, but more often than not I can place them in one or the other. The problem is, my classification often doesn't line up with the publishers and bookstores. Rachel Vincent's Shifter books are always put in the romance section, although to my mind they aren't that romantic. Same goes with Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. The last time I was in Barnes and Noble I saw Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress book in both the romance and the fantasy section (couldn't they just flip a coin?).

You would think that since I read both romance and fantasy with equal pleasure, the classification issues wouldn't bother me.The problem is the labels create expectations. If I buy something labeled as romance from the romance section, it's because I'm in the mood for a love story. If I buy an urban fantasy, it's because I'm in the mood for action. Having my expectations fall apart midway through a book damages my opinion of that story. That's not fair to me as a reader, and it isn't really fair to the book itself.

In my opinion J.R. Ward's books, particularly the Fallen Angels series, are victims of mislabeling. I'm not really sure who's responsible for the problem--author, publisher, marketing team, all of the above--but they are marketed as romance, and I just don't find them particularly romantic. It isn't that there's anything wrong with them (although they have their issues). It's that I keep waiting for the big, heart warming romance and I'm left cold. So, with all of that said, here are my reviews of the first two Fallen Angels books.

Book One: As is typical of Ward, the point of view jump around a lot. We meet Jim, a 40-year-old ex-assassin construction worker who, following a near death experience, is charged with saving seven souls from sin and damnation. The first of these souls is the leading man of the book, Vin. Vin is a very wealthy man who is basically always unsatisfied with what he has and greedily seeking more. Vin's world is turned upside down when he meets Marie-Terese, a prostitute who is desperate for a normal life. They pretty much immediately and inexplicably fall in love (another typical theme for Ward). However, they are both in danger as Vin's greedy past and Marie-Terese's less than pleasant current circumstances catch up to them. Jim must help them find there way out of danger and to each other.

The romantic moments in this book are surprisingly touching. If you can suspend disbelief and assume love at first sight, that is. There's no build-up, just instant knock out attraction followed quickly by "the L word". I actually enjoyed this aspect of the book, because it made their love seem urgent and fated. I had some trouble liking both characters at first, because they just aren't that easy to relate to. But Ward quickly explains why they are what and who they are, so I was able to start to sympathize with them. Similarly Jim takes some time to warm up to, but you like him by the end. Most importantly, I can't say I was ever bored by this book.

Having said that, there were a few not so good things about this book. I felt like it changed points of view a little too often, even cutting into romantic moments to tell us what Jim is up to. While he's vital to the plot, he's not the romantic lead and in my opinion he got just a little more air time than was necessary. Also, there is a stalker subplot that made almost no sense and could probably have been left out entirely. Meanwhile, we are given a lot of background on how Marie-Terese ended up where she was, and in the end those background circumstances pretty much remain the same--i.e. the abusive scary ex-husband is still out there to pose the same threat as before. Loose threads like that, as well as Vin's special ability, are left to hang so the reader must guess and assume (or perhaps they will be tied up in future books). Overall there was a little to much "Buy The Next Book To Find Out" going on at the end of the story--it doesn't function as a stand alone at all. 3 stars.

Book 2:(Contains Spoilers From Book One) The war for human souls rages on. Jim is in charge of guiding each soul (with the help of some angel warriors). He's never certain which soul might be next. He's working against a very powerful and terrifying demon, named Devina, who makes it a hobby to collect and torture human souls. Jim believes that his old military buddy, Isaac, is going to be Devina's next target. Isaac, meanwhile, is trying to hide from his old life as an assassin when he's busted for illegal cage fighting. Grier, his attorney, is desperate to help him whether he wants her assistance or not. The plot had its interesting points and its drawn out points, but overall it was passable. The themes and settings are definitely getting darker as the series progresses, which I enjoy. This book is definitely an improvement on Covet, which was full of plot holes and loose ends.

Jim Heron is a very cool character, and I found myself relating to him and cheering him on. He seems like an average guy, but he has a shady past and a lot of personal demons in addition to the flesh and blood ones being thrown his way. If I continue reading the series it will probably be to see how Jim fairs over anything else. Grier was a moderately likeable character. Supposedly she's very intelligent but her actions don't demonstrate much logic. She has a lot of heart and she's very willful. She's literally haunted by a tragic past. I found Isaac extremely intriguing but he was underutilized. He's sexy and dangerous, but still oddly gentlemanly and honorable. I feel like he could of and should of gotten an entire book from his point of view alone, but of course that would have been useless to the demon/angel plot of this series. As for their relationship, there is definitely chemistry but as stated above its underdeveloped. It needed a few more scenes with just Isaac and Grier to really be touching or believable.

Stylistically, this book is much like Wards others--the conversational tone, the frequent changes in point of view, scenes that don't really seem relevant to the plot, and the odd slang that doesn't quite fit. If these sort of things bothers you, be prepared to be bothered some more. For myself, I just power through it and try to ignore it. It does always knock her books down half a star in my mind though, so I have to make note of it.

Overall, rating this as a dark urban fantasy I give it 3.5 stars, but 2.5 if I'm forced to call it paranormal romance.


Such is my opinion of this series so far. I intend to read Envy when it comes out, but I'm not sure what to expect from it. I'm left wishing that The Powers That Be who are responsible for these books would get their ducks in a row and figure out what the series is actually about.

Wings and Fangs: Review of The Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh

See, angels can be bad ass too. And wear trench coats.

When it comes to my all time favorite mythological creatures, angels are second only to fairies by a narrow margin. I guess I just really want wings. Anyway, there a a limited number of angels populating the urban fantasy/paranormal romance world--a world still mostly dominated by vampires and shapeshifters. At least, I've only found a handful worth the time it takes to read them. Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter books number among them.

Book 1: I hesitated to pick these books up, since the Psy-Changeling books weren't really my cup of tea. Plus, the start wasn't all that promising. Elena is a vampire hunter and by all initial appearances behaves like every female vampire hunter in every book series ever. Maybe it's me, maybe I've read too many vampire books, but come on--Anita Blake, Riley Jensen, the Night Huntress novels, Jane Yellowrock, the list goes on. All good books, but bottom line is, I have definitely seen vampire hunters before--show me something new.

As you might guess, the angels hooked me in. Back tracking a bit, in this universe angels are responsible for turning a very select number of humans into vampires. In exchange vampires are required to serve their angelic masters for a century (I believe) and if they try to go rogue, they are hunted and killed or captured as the case demands. So that's Elena's day job, and it's turned on its ear when she is summoned by the archangel Raphael to hunt an angel gone rogue. Archangels are the top of the angel food chain and so they rule everything and scare Elena and every other human out of their wits. Elena has every right to fear Raphael, because he demonstrates his violent streak and lack of conscience or humanity blatantly at the beginning of the story.

As the very dangerous hunt for the maddened serial killing angel goes on, Elena and Raphael start to bond. She is very much the typical butt kicking tough chick, and Raphael is attracted to warrior women. He first pursues her purely for amusement, but over time feelings on both sides seem to deepen. The relationship was handled decently on the author's part, progressing at a reasonable rate. Elena and Raphael challenge each other, fight, and ultimately come to a tenuous agreement to be together.

Trying to skirt around spoilers here, Elena's development in this book was largely physical rather than emotional. Yes, she comes to care for Raphael and she experiences huge life changes to be with him, but really she remains the same mentally and emotionally. Raphael, on the other hand, goes from cold and heartless and inhuman, to demonstrating softness, compassion, and desperate love. The transformation is all the more enjoyable to read because Raphael is completely aware of the changes happening to him. At first he's freaked out that developing a human-like temperament is going to weaken him and lead to his death. But then, watching the downfall of his fellow angel, he comes to embrace that bit of humanity, and Elena for instilling it in him.

I'm giving this book a solid 4.5 stars. I can't give it a perfect review, since it did make me suffer through some very cliched vampire garbage.

Book 2:(CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM BOOK 1) The bulk of the story takes place in the Refuge, which seems to be home base for angels and their families. Elena is recovering from her year spent in a coma and learning to use her new angel body. She is trained and looked after by Raphael and his Seven, all interesting characters in their own right. At the same time, the death of the archangel Uram has created a power vacuum, with several powerful angels hoping to take his place. Many think to prove their power by threatening Elena, because she belongs to Raphael. Then there's Lijuan, the oldest archangel, who has developed the power to raise the dead as zombie slaves. She decides to throw a ball in Elena's honor, and seems to delight in toying with her.

In this book we see Elena begin to develop much more then in the initial book. Even as she slowly gains physical strength and begins to learn about the angelic culture, the hurts and weaknesses buried in her past start to surface. There are times when she seems fragile, but she's never entirely helpless. She starts to develop a stronger backbone, but does so without sacrificing her human emotions.

The relationship between Elena and Raphael is lovely. Raphael is protective, and at times it seems he wants to shelter Elena from everything. But he quickly realizes that she's a warrior in her own right and that she has many useful talents. Power dynamics aside, the emotional connection grows more and they become more comfortable with one another. There were times when I almost felt they were too perfect together.

The plot wasn't as complex as I'd prefer, but it keeps your interest. I enjoyed the political intrigue, power struggles, and bursts of horrific violence and gore. Most of all, I enjoyed the settings and characters. I was fascinated by descriptions of the Refuge and it's occupants.

Basically, this book is exactly the kind of thing I look for-- interesting characters, plot and world building, and romance. I'm giving this book 4.5 stars

Book 3: (CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM BOOK 2) I'm a tiny bit disappointed in this one. Not crushed fan-girl, never-going-to-buy-another-book disappointed, just sort of underwhelmed. I had very high expectations and this book just fell a little short. First off I want to say that I think series style authors have a very difficult task in keeping their books interesting to readers as the series progresses. The task is even more difficult when the series focuses only on one or two main characters. The author must try to tell complete stories, letting the characters grow and develop while keeping them likeable--a daunting task in one book, but even more challenging over three or four. I think Nalini Singh is stumbling just a bit on this front.

In a nutshell this book is about Elena's return to New York and her adjustment to her new life. She is still somewhat weak and untried as an angel. Plus, she struggles to balance her Guild Hunter loyalties and all of the elements from her old life with the demands of the new. Meanwhile, a series of disasters and disturbing events lead Raphael and others to believe that his mother, Caliane, is rising from Sleep after centuries of being hidden away. No one knows if she will return insane, and her close connection to her son could prove seriously problematic.

Things I liked: The romance is lovely. I like Elena and Raphael as a couple, and I feel like they are starting to fit better and better with each book. There's a lot of sex, almost too much of it. It starts to detract from the plot, actually. But it's written fairly well. There's a lot of wonderful imagery, bedroom antics aside. The cast of characters is rich and interesting, and I'm starting to feel like some of them need their own spotlight soon. Illium, for one, has more depth then you initially imagine. Finally, I think the mother/son connection between Raphael and Caliane seemed pretty complex and shows decent potential.

Now, the problems. This felt like a bridge book--wrapping up some slightly loose ends from the previous book, setting up some details for the next one. As a result the plot when taken by itself is a bit rambling and unfocused. There just isn't much to it in terms of mystery or detail. It starts to redeem itself toward the end, with the characters making some baby steps forward in terms of developing, but still it's left very incomplete. It's also starting to show some repetition, as though the author thinks readers have forgotten the details of Elena's childhood or her current Daddy issues. Explaining how her mother and sisters died a dozen times starts to desensitize the reader, and really it's just pointless filler.

I really liked the first two books and rated them very highly. I'm hoping that better things are yet to come in this series. 3 stars

Snippet Reviews: Demonica

It's time once again for me to revisit one of my favorite series and attempt to describe what it was that made me keep reading. Larissa Ione's Demonica books are the best attempt at demon centered paranormal romance that I have come across so far. Dark, a little creepy, and very steamy. I would definitely label these as erotica. That being said, erotica is so subjective and difficult to apply a fair grade to. I will endeavor to do my best.

The overarching premise is that three brothers (who happen to be incubuses (incubi?)) run a hospital for demons and other creepy crawlies. Demons of their breed go through several stages of sexual maturity, and in the final stage they must either choose to bind themselves to one mate or go kind of crazy and start raping people. The mate bond, incidentally, is not exactly a fated mates thing. Readers are told up front that it goes wrong more often than not and one member of the pair kills the other to escape the bond.

My first comment applies to all of the books: I hate the naming scheme. They're all "Something Un-something" and I can never remember which is which. I've dealt with this a lot in my tenure as a paranormal romance reader--the Carpathian books are "Dark Something", J.R Ward's BDB books are "Lover Something", Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniel's books are "Magic Something". It's shorthand for readers to figure out which books belong to the same series. The same thing could be accomplished by just labeling and numbering them. Just a thought. Ok, end rant.

Book One: Pleasure Unbound  : I liked Eidolon, the hero, quite a bit. He's a doctor and a big brother and an all around stand up guy, despite being a demon. I never cared for Tayla, the heroine, quite as much. She's a demon slayer and she has a certain toughness about her that seems forced to me. I found her character arc pretty weak. It's erotica, so they fix their problems with sex quite often, but in Tayla's case I felt like sex was the last thing she needed (the first being a psychologist and the second being a solid ass kicking). I really liked the creepy demon hospital setting, and between that and the mate bonding system my interest was captured enough to continue with the series. 3 stars.

Book Two: Desire Unchained: Shade is probably my favorite hero of the series. He's pretty rough around the edges and has some dark tendencies (BDSM, because there just HAD to be one in the series somewhere). His relationship with Runa starts when she is still human, and he freaks out because he feels attached to her--this is a concept I'm fond of. I liked Runa, and I felt she and Shade both had satisfying and well balanced character development. I really enjoyed their love story. 4.5 stars.

Book Three: Passion Unleashed: Without a doubt I was not a fan of Wraith going into this book, but he redeems himself quite strongly. The heroine, Serena, annoyed me a bit because she projects virgin/martyr/helpless tendancies initially, but she gets more interesting. Wraith is the one that goes through the most in terms of emotional development. The plot had more in the way of mythology than the previous two books, and I really enjoyed that. 4 stars.

Book Four: Ecstasy Unveiled : Lore (the hero) is an assassin sent to kill Kynan, and Iness is essentially Kynan's guardian angel. I loved that premise, and I loved all of the world building employed in this book. Lore and Iness make a very interesting match. Unfortunately the pace of this book was a bit off and the plot is a bit disjointed at times. There are plot holes, as tends to happen when an author increases the complexity of their world. 4 stars.

Book Five: Sin Undone: In my opinion this book has the most coherent plot. Sin, our demon heroine, has actual demonic tendencies (other than the impulse to screw things) that she can't always keep from using. I really liked her and enjoyed her character arc. Conall is a good match for her. I felt a genuine emotional connection between them. This was a good, strong conclusion to the series. 4.5 stars.

If you like dark paranormal romance/erotica, I recommend these. Incidentally, there is a spin-off series called Lords of Deliverance in which many of the same characters appear. I will be reviewing the first one, Eternal Rider, soon. Happy Reading!