Review of Moonshifted by Cassie Alexander

It's no secret that I heartily enjoy urban fantasy, particularly the kind with kick-ass female leads and large scale monster hunts. The Edie Spence series is more of the same, except that the heroine is not particularly kick-ass at all. Edie is a nurse working third shifts at a hospital ward secretly dedicated to creatures of the night--shapeshifter, vampires, and vampire's servants. Moonshifted is the second book in the Edie Spence series.

After the events of the first book, I thought it was interesting to see that Edie is becoming even more settled into her role at the hospital, and in fact might even enjoy knowing the secrets of the supernatural world. This, despite the fact that her zombie boyfriend left her, she witnessed a brutal hit-and-run on a werewolf, and she's been asked to appear at her vampire friend's induction ceremony.

What made this book (and the first one) work for me is Edie. She's incredibly well written, and she just feels real to me. She's relatable because she's both an underdog and a bit of a screw-up, yet she's not stupid. Throughout the book, she's genuinely trying to make the best moves and work out who she can trust, but she makes mistakes and the odds are against her. In addition to the supernatural conflicts--the fight between werewolf leaders and the vampire politics, we also get a painfully realistic look at her personal life. Edie's brother is the motivating factor for her working in the supernatural ward in the first place--the powers that be keep her brother off of drugs as long as she works for them. She really and honestly loves her brother, she wants to help him, but she's also faced with the constant realization that her help can only go so far, and she can never afford to trust him completely. Plus Edie is broke, PB&J for dinner every night broke. The girl can't catch a break. My point is, there's something cathartic about seeing Edie's messed up life and her bad decisions with regard to men and her endless fight for survival as a human in a tooth and claw world. She survives on pure determination, and it's awesome.

While I obviously can't say enough about how much I like Edie, the plot of this book in itself was nothing too special. The power struggles of alphas, like we see with the werewolves, is on the point of being old hat in the urban fantasy world. Same with the vampire politics. To her credit, the author does a good job of making us question who Edie can really trust and what the smartest path for her really is. To her discredit, by the time I finished the book I was left with few truly memorable plot points to carry me forward. We'll have to see, with book three, if the originality of the plot improves.

To sum up, I've really been enjoying the fish-out-of-water nature of Edie's story, and I love her character, and for that reason I do continue to recommend this series. I expect good things from it in the future. 4 stars.

Watch This! Once Upon A Time, Season 2 Micro-Review

A few notes, just to keep everyone informed:

Now that I've completed my Buffy series, I am planning on moving on to Angel. Hopefully that will be a more organized and comprehensive review series, now that I'm starting to grasp how I would like to structure those posts. I need some time, of course, to rewatch most of the episodes. Tentatively, I that series will start next Wednesday.

To continue that thought, it does look as though many of the Watch This Wednesday posts for the foreseeable future will be retrospectives of older/cancelled shows or shows that have a good number of seasons out already. This is do not only to the accessibility of those shows but also to the fact that I'll have the most to say about things with hours of content. So, if there is a show, mini-series, or movie series that you would like to discus  here, please feel free to drop your suggestions in the comments.

Today, though, I'm between retrospective posts, so it seems like a good time to go over what I though of Once Upon a Time, season 2. I started off the fall TV series watching tons of shows, but sadly Once was the only one I was able to keep up with (without sacrificing reading time). If you're wondering what I thought of Grimm, Arrow, Beauty and the Beast, or Supernatural...well, so am I. Hopefully I'll find an opportunity to catch up on those shows over the summer. In the meantime?

Once, season 2....

When season 1 ended, I felt that the writer's may have made the mistake of blowing the lid off of things too dramatically and too soon, and I worried about where they would go from that point on. One of the things I enjoyed about the show was the one episode retellings of individual fairytales, and seeing how they were reflected and fit into the Storybrooke world. Now that everyone remembers who they are, things are less episodic, more connected. This type of narrative can be problematic if the writers constantly have to find a way to one up themselves, to the point where the story loses it's natural flow. This season showed a struggle to not fall into that trap, managing to be enjoyable despite some stumbles along the way.

 

Henry is more of a plot moppet than ever. Always there to whine about people who want to kill the evil queen or just let her die,. Always there to be the motivation of the other characters, and to get in harm's way when the plot demands it. Poor kid is annoying as hell, and sadly one of the downsides to the show.

Emma, on the other hand, is the show's best attribute in a lot of ways. Interesting and respectable, as much as any fish-out-of-water/savior character can be. She's not vapid, she's decently developed, and she's not solely motivated by romance. Sadly, in the current TV climate that makes her a top shelf heroine.

But this show has an ensemble cast so...what about the rest of them? Well, they're a mixed bag. Snow and Charming are somehow less interesting this season, though I'm glad we're past all of the infidelity business. They tried to give Snow this conflict where she darkened her heart by killing Cora. It's a failure, both because Cora deserved to die and because Snow is all too quick to feel bad about her actions, negating any of the interest you usually get from dealing in moral gray areas. Mr. Gold remains the most interesting cast member, both because he actually does dabble in those moral gray areas and because he's given conflicts that are actual conflicts.

I'm going to leave off with a list of my favorite episodes for the season. These are the episodes that, if/when I do a top tend list, would be contenders.

Tallahassee (Episode 6)
Child of the Moon (Episode 7)
The Outsider (Episode 11)
Manhattan (Episode 14)
The Miller's Daughter (Episode 16)
Selfless, Brave and True (Episode 18)
Second Star to the Right (Episode 21)
And Straight on to Morning (Episode 22)

Happy Watching, everyone!

On Adam: A Review of Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

This poor book--it arrived right in the middle of my reading slump, so it took me way too long to finish it. The good news is, after all of that, I did not hate it. Mercy is like an old friend to me, and I'm always happy for a new book about her, and even more happy to see her with Adam. Which is why I was so bummed that he was kidnapped.

The book opens up with Mercy and Jesse getting into a car accident, and then finding out that the entire pack has been taken. Mercy uses her mate bond with Adam to contact him, finding him pissed off and in pain, in the hands of men who want him to kill a US senator and thus start a war. Mercy wants to rescue Adam, but her first priority is to protect his daughter, Kyle (Warren's mate).

I like that Mercy is still discovering the extent of what she is and what her powers are. She's always been appealing because she appears to be one of the weakest supernatural beings in her world, and yet she has hidden depths. This book specifically comments on her will and her stubbornness, and how she uses that to overcome impossible odds. It also shows us that she has some pretty serious and mysterious magic--she can do things that no one has ever heard of, and that makes her a wild card.

I've always found Adam likeable, in that usual alpha-shapeshifter kind of way. He's brave, loyal, self-sacrificing, and he actually likes Mercy for all of her flaws. I enjoyed the fact that we got to see a lot of him in this book, and that he was able to be at his most commanding despite getting his ass kicked and suffering major losses. I liked that some of the passages were more from his point of view, which helped to put a different spin on the state of things.

I liked that this book employed so many familiar and well liked characters from previous books--Stefan, Zee, Tad, and so forth. Mercy's world has really grown over the course of seven books, and it's interesting to see what the author can do in that well established world--both in terms of explicit plot points and hints of things to come.

Now, the core plot was serviceable, but to my mind not so memorable as some of the past books. That may have a lot to do with the fact that I spent so much time kicking and screaming my way through reading anything, and perhaps even a brilliant plot would have eluded me. But, in any case, while I can appreciate the dire concerns for supernaturals in law and politics, it seems to me that we're never given quite enough scope and context to become truly concerned, because we rarely step out of Mercy's head. I don't know that I got the high resolution big picture that I was meant to get. But that's okay, it was still enjoyable.

So to conclude--Mercy Thomspon should be at the top of your Urban Fantasy TBR if you haven't tried her yet. And this was a nice edition to the series, even if it took me way to long to get through. 4 stars.

Review: Fables Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons

The Mean Seasons, which chronicles what goes on in the Fable community after the attack of the wooden soldiers, is honestly something of a downer. Well written and well told, this transitional tale still left me wanting a lot more.

The volume begins with a tale of Bigby's exploits during World War II, which involved terrorizing Nazis among other things. If I'm being truly honest it comes off as entertaining but way out of place in the rest of the story arc.

We also learn that Cinderella (Cindy) is far more than what she seems--not just a bubbly socialite, but also a crafty spy.

The meat of the story, though, is devoted to the birth and first year of Snow and Bigby's children. Because most of them don't look human, Snow is forced to move to The Farm with them, and Bigby is not allowed there. The emotional impact of the separation is keen. I really felt for Snow as she grappled with her feelings and dealing with her very unusual brood. It struck me as highly odd, however, that there was no better solution to be had than her self imposed exile to The Farm. Bigby suggest that they go elsewhere, somewhere secluded, and Snow acts as though this would be a huge betrayal of Fabletown. I just can't understand why, and consequently the whole plot felt slightly forced.

Nonetheless, it was very cool to see the cubs in all of their oddness, and to learn about Bigby's father, The North Wind. It's interesting to see what bits of his nature have been passed down to the cubs.

Overall, it's not the strongest volume of the series, with so many logistical and motivational flaws. However, it wasn't so bad that I don't still want to see more from the series. 3.5 stars. 

On Pregnancy: A Review of Broken by Kelley Armstrong

When I picked this book out of my TBR pile, I remembered only one fact with any clarity: this is the one where Elena is pregnant. And, I'm not going to lie, that was what intrigued me. I really wanted to see how this strong character, so familiar and beloved to me, would cope with impending motherhood.

The meat of the plot, however, deals with Elena unwittingly unleashing the soul of Jack the Ripper from a stolen letter. As a result, she and the gang have a zombie hunt to deal with.

Positive Comments

I really enjoy these characters, and I find that any chance to visit them is a treat. I like the fact that Clay and Elena have clearly grown as a couple. The relationship has continued to mature and develop, as good relationships do in real life. Their willingness to take the risk to try to become parents is evidence of that maturity.

I really appreciated the fact that the core plot was not about the baby. We were blessedly NOT victimized with the mystical pregnancy trope, so common to the fantasy and paranormal romance genre. Instead, it's a relatively normal pregnancy that causes normal conflicts and ends happily. Armstrong could have easily made Elena's baby have the spirit of Jack the Ripper or Satan, or be the werewolf chosen one. Nothing so ridiculous happens here.

Critical Comments

To be honest, I really found the Jack the Ripper plot to be entirely uninteresting. I'm not big on serial killers and old mysteries and so forth. I admit that it made for a few suspenseful moments, but for the most part it just felt like something I had to read through.

Recommendation

Six books in...is it still a great series? Admittedly, I don't think I've enjoyed any of these books as much as I did Bitten. Broken may actually be the weakest in terms of plot. This is partially balanced out by the fact that I really like the primary and secondary characters, and I enjoyed seeing them interact in new ways. So, yes, if you've liked the series up to this point, I suggest you keep reading. 3.5 stars.

Guest Review from EggJosh: Soulless

Alrighty, so this time around, I'm talking about the manga adaptation of Soulless by Gail Carriger. I'm not a huge manga guy, but it still appealed to me on some level. So, let's get to it, and break down what did and didn't work in this book.

The Art
Being in the style of a Japanese graphic novel, I shouldn't comment on how it looks visually. Personally, I liked it. Being that the intended audience is clearly female, the art style tends to lean towards some of the "pretty boy" manga I'm at least slightly familiar with. There are plenty of effeminately drawn male characters; not typically my thing, but it fits with the paranormal romance feel of the story. The characters all looked very nice, and I liked the simplistically drawn 1-page side story at the very end as well. I feel that I have to mention the sheer amount of man-ass in this book. Since there's werewolves involved, there's plenty of male nudity, with strategically placed items to cover up dangly parts. Its accidentally kind of humorous the lengths they go to in order to cover up naughty bits.

"Yes, Basil! Nice rack!"

The Characters
The main character, Alexia Tarabotti, is a preternatural, meaning she has the unique ability of nullifying supernatural powers. She's a decent protagonist. Nothing really stands out about her. She's considered a "spinster" for being slightly too old to be single by Victorian standards, and has to try to keep up appearances while being wooed by the far more interesting Lord Conall Maccon, a werewolf who heads up a paranormal task force. Maccon and his sidekick have all the best lines, and his efforts to get Alexia are the best part of the story, compared to the murder and kidnapping plot.

The StoryAs I mentioned, the plot revolves around the appearance and murder of a rogue vampire. The story is nothing special, but the complications that arise from Alexia's efforts to "act normal" while still being a super useful, bad-ass vampire-killer are quite entertaining. There's also a humorous running gag about a hedgehog. The best part of the story is the interactions between the characters. Yes, there is plenty of action, but Maccon trying to court Alexia, as he would a female werewolf is great.

Final VerdictObviously I'm not the intended audience for this book, being a heterosexual, male non-manga-fan, but it didn't bore me. I read it in one sitting, and didn't regret doing so. If you can get it from the library, or borrow it from a friend, I say go for it. 3 stars

Misc. Monday: Goosebumps

The things you read as a child have a way of sticking with you forever. The original Goosebumps series was the first set of books that I ever read entirely on my own outside of school. My older brother had a decent sized collection that he passed to me, and I promptly whined to my parents until I filled in the gaps. All told, I ended up reading the first 45 books in the series over the course of a year or so (1st-2nd grade). Of course I later reread my favorite ones. So for today's Misc. Monday, I thought I'd go through a few of them and see what memories I could kick to life.

#1, Welcome to Dead House, sparks zero literary memories (I must not have liked it), but I do have memories of watching the TV episode. Oh, that's right, there was a TV series--a cheesetastic TV series with bad effects and bad acting. I was, I don't know, seven when I saw this and it still sticks in my brain as a quintessentially bad haunted house story.

#2, Stay Out of the Basement, is about a freaking plant monster. Plants are not scary, even to a seven year old, and even back then I remember thinking this one was funny. The protagonists, Margaret and Casey, go down as the stupidest children in the world for not immediately making the connection between their missing BOTONIST father and the plant monster.

#3, Monster Blood, OH GOD, I loved this little book. It's about a boy who buys some flubber that grows and grows and starts consuming things. I'm not sure why this excited my seven-year-old brain, but it did. I remember using my allowance to buy green Gak so I could rein-act the story.

#5, The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, was another one of my favorites. I remember fixating on it because it's about a boy who ends up wandering through an Egyptian tomb on his own. I also became fascinated with the intensely gross facts of how mummies were made.

#7, Night of the Living Dummy...Umm, Dummies are freaking scary, I don't care how old you are. This is the only one that I remember kind of scared me a little.

#14, The Werewolf of Fever Swamp--Again, I don't so much remember the book as the TV show. I remember that it made me suddenly aware that werewolves were cool and scary. I asked my brother about them, and like all good big brothers, he proceeded to try to terrify me by introducing me to "real" werewolf movies.

#19, Deep Trouble--I remember really liking that there was a mermaid in this. The details are fuzzy now, but I know this was a favorite because of the deep sea theme.

#21, Go Eat Worms--I remember this one because I found it gross. It didn't scare me, it just...creeped me. Worms show up in this kids food and...yeah, EWW. Years later, in college, there was a lab involving mealworms which were being held in pie plates. I had a flashback to THIS BOOK and mentally flipped out a little.

#24, The Phantom of the Auditorium--This was my introduction the The Phantom of the Opera. I read this, and then I watched the Wishbone episode about The Phantom of the Opera, and I was promptly obsessed. Of course, I didn't actually get to see a production of any kind until years later, but I owe the idea of seeing it to Goosebumps.

#34, Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes--This is the last one I can actually clearly remember reading. Gnomes are funny to me. My grandparents always had them, and I think it amused me to think of them as evil instead of adorable.

So that's my little trip down nostalgia lane for the week. Does anyone else remember these books? Do you remember finding them funny, cool, or scary?

Happy Reading!

On Harmony: A Review of Bonds of Fenris by S. J. Bell

In the past I've mentioned that werewolf books are, strangely, comfort reading for me. So when the author of Bonds of Fenris asked me to do a review, of course I agreed, reasoning that you could not find a reviewer more inclined to like this book.

Our heroine, Talia, is a woman in her early twenties who was unwillingly transformed into a werewolf. Talia hates her wolf side, which is constantly hungry and violent. She's forced to live in a shabby house with her equally shabby pack mates, hunt under the full moon every month, and avoid humans at all costs. Then Talia meets Corwin, a fellow werewolf who has complete control over his wolf side--something Talia craves above all things. To learn the same skills, Talia is forced to confront her own flaws and learn to accept herself.

Positive Comments

This story is not, by any means, epic in it's scale. The mythology is fairly limited and narrow in scope. The cast of characters is limited to six werewolves. There are no world saving quests or grand battles. But what the story lacks in breadth, it more than makes up for in depth. The plot is surprisingly thoughtful, following the slow journey from self-loathing to acceptance and confidence. I loved that this book delved into the psychology of what it means to be a werewolf, a human being, and a survivor.

 Talia was a decent, if not very memorable character. She is relate-able, and I did find myself cheering on her successes. Her romance with Corwin is understated, but respectable. Her relationship with her pack mates, particularly in her efforts to teach them to live with lycanthropy, is both interesting and emotional.

Each member of the pack is given a distinct, though simplistic, personality. Bo is dimwitted but lovable. Marline is the intellectual, somewhat cold one. And so on. Normally, I would complain about such shallowly developed characters, but honestly, it isn't really possible to fully develop six characters in 230 pages. At least they all had a few pages of self discovery.

Critical Comments

My interest in the story was strong during the first half, but waned a bit as the story continued. The problem is, Talia's emotional journey is wrapped up pretty quickly, and the focus turns to her pack--particularly Peirce, the young self styled "alpha". Peirce was not a sympathetic character in my eyes. And no, not every character needs to be sympathetic for a book to be likable...unless the last part of your book is about that character's decent and/or redemption. Because I did not care about Peirce, I felt little tension as Talia and company tried to make him see the light.

 Recommendation

If, like me, you are fond of werewolf books, this is a good pick. While the pacing is a little off, and the end is a bit lackluster, the overall story is captivating enough to entertain you. It's also short (223 pages), which makes it a good candidate for travel reading or a lazy afternoon. 3.5 stars.

Bonds of Fenris will be available on Smashwords on May 7!