by Kay | Sep 8, 2010 | Reviews |
Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine
Series: Morganville Vampires #8
Published by Allison & Busby, Penguin on 2010-04-27
Pages: 256
Genres: Paranormal YA, Young Adult
Source: Purchased myself
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Also in this series: Glass Houses, The Dead Girls' Dance, Midnight Alley, Ghost Town, Bite ClubA new chapter in the New York Times bestselling Morganville Vampires saga. Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael's all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell...
Thoughts: I remember reading that Rachel Caine had had a 6-book plan set out for the Morganville series when she started out. Kiss of Death is book 8 – and her lack-of-overarching-plan is kinda starting to show.
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Kiss of Death. Caine’s verse is as addictive as ever. I love these characters and their angst – so, really, how could I not enjoy another visit into their world? But Kiss of Death was definitely a step down from some of the other Morganville books. If I weren’t such a fan, I probably would have been less than impressed.
Kiss of Death takes place outside of Morganville. This is a first for the series which had had the characters literally confined to the city in previous books. Whilst a road trip might sound like a happy-go-lucky time for the gang, things never work out that way for Claire and co. So, there are plenty of new vamps, some kidnapping and, oh, a car chase or two.
Pretty cool… but also pretty pointless. Kiss of Death felt very episodic and monster-of-the-week. A cool monster, sure, but I couldn’t help thinking “… so?” It was a far cry from the epic cliff-hangers of the first 5 books that literally stopped your heart.
Not to mention the most important failure: the epic lack of Myrinn. *cries softly whilst wearing vampire bunny slippers*
However, I do have hope for Morganville books of the future. Fade Out was friggin’ fantastic (and with plenty of Myrinn goodness) and managed to remain self-contained to a single book.
Bottom line? The Morganville Vampires series is fantastic – I highly recommend it. That said, Kiss of Death was not it’s greatest instalment.
Note to the UK publishers: Did something break when publishing Kiss of Death? My cover was in pieces after one light read – not to mention the book was littered with typos. Not cool.
by Kay | Sep 2, 2010 | Reviews |
The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells
Series: Sabina Kane #2
Published by Orbit
Pages: 326
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased myself
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Also in this series: Red-Headed Stepchild, Green-Eyed Demon, Silver-Tongued DevilSabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, leader of the vampire race, wants her dead.
So when she arrives in New York to meet her mage relatives, the reunion puts the fun in dysfunctional. Not only is mage culture completely bizarre, but everyone seems to think she's some kind of 'Chosen' who'll unite the dark races.
Sabina doesn't care who chose her, she's not into destiny. But the mages aren't Sabina's only problem. In New York's Black Light District, she has run-ins with fighting demons, hostile werewolves and an opportunistic old flame. Sabina thought she'd take a bite out of the Big Apple – but it looks like it wants to bite back.
Thoughts: I absolutely
adore Jaye Wells. Her writing, her characters,
her blog – everything. She writes snarky-but-serious urban fantasy that is violent but amusing. It is a flawless combination that can hook even the most skeptical of UF fans. Honest to God, if I could only read one urban fantasy author for the rest of my life – it would be this one.
Mage in Black picks up right where Red-Headed Stepchild left off. Wells introduces a dozen new characters within the first few chapters – including Sabina’s long-lost twin and her vampire ex. Both of these characters has serious potential to make me hate them – I mean, really, how could I like a competitor for Sabina’s attention when she has the sexy hexy Adam after her?
That I loved both of these so-easy-to-hate characters? Friggin’ awesome. Her sister is adorable and her ex is – frankly – swoonable. (despite being slightly sociopathic – but hey, on Slade it was hot).
Everything I loved about RHSC was in this book – especially the humour! Demon/Cat!Giguhl is back in action – complete with inappropriately violent funnies (Rule #1! You do not talk about Demon Fight Club!). There is also a ton of Sabina Kane character development. She is still the gritty, distrusting and jaded Sabina from RHSC – the words “emotionally traumatised” have nothing on this girl. But she is fundamentally good – or, well, at least not-evil – and watching her start to get that was amazing to read. I am relatively certain that one day she will have a rock-solid moral code.
Until then, this is the Sabina we get to enjoy:
“Believe it or not, there are plenty of ways to satisfy your need for blood without harming anyone.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”
– Chapter 6, The Mage in Black
One of the things I love about Wells’ writing is that the humour is just so natural. It doesn’t feel like she is trying to write a “funny” book – instead, she’s writing a book with funny characters. That’s how the series manages to remain an oh-so-serious!UF/Horror novel and not a chick-lit paranormal comedy. Wells can make you want to cry and then have you in hysterics a few pages later.
Even though I gave RHSC 5 stars, I’d say this book is even better than the first. 5.5 stars, if you will. Ok, there’s not as much Adam (*woe is me*), but the villain was 100x more badass and Sabina’s character development goes into the sky-high levels of awesome.
Bottom line? The Mage in Black is gritty, bloody, painfully tragic, kick-ass and hysterical. GO BUY IT. And then lament the fact that the third book in the series, Green-Eyed Demon, doesn’t come out til March 2011.
Give this book to a boy! If you are looking for male-friendly UF, try Jaye Wells on an unsuspecting guy. Unlike a lot of UF out there, Sabina has no one-twu-wuv waiting at home. And no one could claim Sabina was at all “girly” about her feelings.
At least, not without getting their ass kicked.
by Kay | Aug 28, 2010 | Reviews |
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Published by HarperCollins on 2009-02-19
Pages: 240
Genres: Contemporary YA, Young Adult
Source: Purchased myself
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Rating: This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.
Thoughts: This was a lovely book. Short, sweet and, well, lovely.
When I bought Boy Meets Boy I was somewhat skeptical. I wasn’t sure I would enjoy a book where the world was happy! with sunshine!and flowers! But, luckily, Levithan must have had the same thought. Because although Paul’s high school is a gay kid’s dream come true – the rest of the world in the book is certainly not like that. What Paul considers “normal” is a luxury to everyone else – including his new boyfriend Noah. I think this scene between Noah and Paul kinda sums it up:
“Have you always known?” he asks. I know immediately what he’s talking about.
“Pretty much so, yeah,” I answer. “You?”
He nods, […].
“Has it been easy for you?”
“Yes,” I tell him, because it’s the truth.
“It hasn’t always been easy for me,” he says, then says no more.
– Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, pg. 49
So while watching Paul come to the realisation that dude, did he ever luck out – there is also plenty of drama without all that pesky coming-out business. Guys can be idiots, even when they are dating other guys. And just because you don’t have to worry about getting bashed doesn’t mean you can’t royally screw up. Which Paul does. Very successfully.
I was also very impressed by Levithan’s writing style. This is a short novel, filled with a rich and diverse cast of characters – Levithan made each of them shine bright. Not to mention his writing style is elegant as hell and some of his ideas are out of another world. The book opens with the boys dancing on a night out – in a bookstore. Honestly, how brilliant is that?
Bottom line? This is a lovely, elegant tale. Short and sweet, I was loath to put it down.
by Kay | Aug 19, 2010 | Reviews |
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
Series: Sirantha Jax #1
Published by Ace/Roc
Pages: 320
Genres: Science Fiction
Source: Purchased myself
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Also in this series: Wanderlust, Doubleblind, KillboxAs the carrier of a rare gene, Sirantha Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. Then a crash landing kills everyone on board, leaving Jax in a jail cell with no memory of the crash. But her fun's not over. A group of rogue fighters frees her…for a price: her help in overthrowing the established order.
Thoughts: I loved Grimspace so damn much, which obviously made this review nearly damn impossible to write!
Let’s start with the lead character, Jax. Jax is seriously kick-ass, but God, is she far from perfect. We meet her at her lowest: she’s grieving, vaguely suicidal and – unknowingly – a bit spoiled. Jax is the corporate-gal who needed to lose everything to see what assholes her employers are. So while she goes through some pretty horrific trauma in Grimspace, it helps her “grow up”. She doesn’t doesn’t truly change, per say, it’s more like she grows into herself.
It is fabulous to read, because honestly, who doesn’t love some good old-fashioned character development in their fiction.
Grimspace is filled with non-stop twist and turns. Space battles, crazy alien planets and new enemies at every port – kicking ass and running like hell. I am in love with the verse. I’m also in love with Aguirre’s writing style. She managed to turn the whole tale around half a dozen times without making the book bi-polar. In retrospect, it was one of the most coherent novels I’ve read – although it seemed out of control (in a “Dude, that’s crazy awesome” sort of way) while I was reading it.
I also want to go on a fangirl rant about March, who was one of my all-time favourite male characters. Ann Aguirre writes what I consider the ideal “bad boy”. I use that term lightly, because what I actually mean is this:
Bastard. But I don’t mean it. […] I wouldn’t trade March for someone nice. Well, I don’t mean that like it sounds. March is a good man, just not a nice one. Does that even make sense?
Chapter 33 – Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
March is a good man but he can be cruel. In fact, he is constantly struggling to keep from letting his cruelty take him over. And that ever present instability? It is exactly what makes him exactly the kind of hero you love to learn to love. He isn’t easy and he isn’t kind, but he always has his heart in the right place. There’s a fine line between a honest and cruel, and Aguirre straddles it perfectly.
Grimspace is labelled “Sci-Fi Romance” by some, and while it has a seriously epic romance… I think I’d keep it off the romance shelf. Grimspace follows zero romance rules: it does not centre around a single relationship, has a heroine with more than one “tru wuv” and forgoes the whole dual-POV. And considering the strong, mystery-filled, dangerous world Ann Aguirre creates in Grimspace – I think it would be a shame to read it solely for a romance.
Bottom line? READ THIS BOOK. It has intergalactic global corporations and human trafficking, lesbian mechanics and scarred strippers, adorable bog aliens and unionised!bounty hunter aliens. It’s brilliant.
by Kay | Aug 7, 2010 | Reviews, Summer Shorts |
Summer Shorts is a weekly feature on Dead Book Darling, reviewing great short stories every Saturday through July-August 2010.
Ode to Edvard Munch by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Caitlin’s Website / Goodreads / Librarything
Rating: 5 stars
Featured in: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance
Thoughts: Ode to Edvard Munch is an elegant, literary story. It may be only 10 pages long, but it felt epic. Breathtaking, heartbreaking and all sorts of things I can barely describe. Beautiful. Terrifying. Horrific.
Kiernan is one the most artistic writers I have ever read. She reminded me of one of my favourite authors, literary fiction writer Javier Marias – and that is certainly not a compliment a dole out lightly. I’ve re-read this story a few times since I first picked it up, and each time I notice something new to swoon over.
All I can do is give you a sample of her style. I spent most of this story drawing hearts around passages – here’s one of my favourites:
“This was the hall of my mother,” she says. And now I see the corpses, heaped high between the smoky braziers. They are nude, or they are half-dressed, or they’ve been torn apart so completely or are now so badly decomposed that it is difficult to tell whether they’re clothed or not. Some are men and others are women and not a few children. I can smell them even through the incense, and I might cover my nose and mouth. I might begin to gag. I might take a step back towards the stairs leading up to the long corridor and the bloodless desert night beyond. And she blinks at me like a hungry, watchful owl.
“I cannot expect you to understand,” she says.
I cannot explain or describe the plot of this story – if I tried I would only belittle its content. I can tell you that it is narrated by a male pianist and features a female vampire who sits on benches in central park. We never learn their names, and we certainly never see their relationship progress to anything I would call a “romance” – but with Kiernan, there’s no need. They will remained etched in your memory because of it.
Bottom line? Quite possibly the most beautiful piece of UF I have ever read. Caitlin R. Kiernan has just jumped to the top of my MUST WORSHIP list.
by Kay | Aug 5, 2010 | Reviews |
Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
Series: Weather Warden #1
Published by Allison & Busby
Pages: 337
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased myself
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Also in this series: Heat StrokeJoanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life...
Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful warden known. Unfortunately, he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn-making him the most wanted man on earth. Still, she's racing hard to find him-before the bad weather closes in fast.
Thoughts: I am a hardcore, unapologetic Rachel Caine fan. Her Morganville series? Pretty much the most addictive YA series ever written. In short, Rachel Caine = Awesome.
Ill Wind proved to me that Caine’s awesomeness does indeed translate over into adult fiction. It has plenty of action, fast cars, biblical storms and some brilliantly 3D characters. Although not as addictive as her Morganville series, I have high hopes for the rest of the Weather Warden books.
Jo is feisty as hell and has no less than three guys after her heart. She drives a mustang and can start a hurricane – she’s on the lam, but she ain’t no sheep.
One of the things I love about Rachel Caine is her ability to write smart characters who still make plenty of mistakes. Jo is smart – she has to be. Because, unlike other superpowers, being a weather warden is not just about having the talent – you have to learn how to use it. And what does that mean? Well, it means an awful lot of atmospheric physics! *swoons*
Despite Jo’s obvious book smarts, she is still fallible. She makes mistakes and misjudges people – she’s only human! Unlike a lot of authors, who have the token genius who never makes a mistake, Caine writes realistic smart people. Just because a character has an IQ of 150 doesn’t mean they have to be boringly predictable – Caine lets her smarties get into trouble.
And go to the beach.
Bottom line? Ill Wind has it all: action, mystery, romance and rain. Pick it up if you are looking for some UF without all the traditional baddies.
