Sea of Red Ink

Amazon Aids & Abets Cyber Bullying

2008-04-30T10:44:00.002-05:00

An author has unleashed a vile, venomous, and uncalled-for attack on a reader, Reba Belle, based on Reba Belle's 3-star review of the author's book. The author proceeded to harrass and bully poor Reba Belle: not only did this author reveal Reba Belle's full name, but also that of her husband, children, and other relatives, and she obtained Reba Belle's address from another author.

Amazon refuses to take action on behalf of Reba Belle and, instead, has punished her by banning her from posting and reviewing on Amazon.

Please read the online petition to Amazon here, and sign the petition. There is no donation necessary: the petition is not related to any donations.

Also, please spread the word and consider boycotting Amazon until this situation has been resolved satisfactorily for Reba Belle.

With much gratitude,

Tea

PS. To find out more fully the controversy, please follow this link to Dear Author.

A Lick of Frost by Laurell K Hamilton

2007-11-08T18:02:00.000-05:00

Some improvement but tale is truncated...

Note: This is not a standalone book.

With A Lick of Frost (Meredith Gentry Book 6), Ms Hamilton has made an effort to bring her storytelling back to focusing on plot and characterization rather than the sex-fests her Merry and Anita series have degenerated into.

The changes pay off for the most part: the various political and legal machinations, as well as Merry's dilemma in dealing with both the Seelie and Unseelie courts, are welcome and interesting enough to carry you through the rest of the book. Unfortunately, A Lick of Frost, like the previous Merry books, ends just when things get really intriguing -- making this book seem more like a weekly TV episode or a serialization of a book rather than an entire tale in and of itself.

A great deal of the book covers the legal entanglement Taranis has brought to bear on Merry and her men. The solution as to how Taranis, the Seelie lady who was apparently raped, Merry, and the 3 accused Unseelie men could all be telling the truth was so simple that I knew the answer long before it was mentioned, so I can't fathom why it took so long for the characters to figure it out.

** MILD SPOILERS BELOW **

The rest of the book deals with the fallout from Taranis's apparent breakdown and the "revelation" of his true colors, no pun intended. The effects of his behavior are felt in both the Light and Dark courts, and the consequences are both hazardous and still to be determined.

Many new characters are introduced and "old" ones are mentioned, but this is pared down and manageable. What's lacking is some of the back story surrounding these characters. For example, it is well known that Merry didn't have a happy time when she lived with the Seelie Sidhe; with the appearance of possible supporters from that court, it would've been nice to have a few lines showing us what Merry's dealings, if any, with these specific Sidhe were like when she was a child.

Cel is mentioned a couple of times, but in passing only, which is surprising as Merry and her men's situation begin to become yet more precarious with both Andais and Taranis. The circumstances become even more dire with the events toward the end of the book.

** MILD SPOILERS ABOVE **

All in all, this was a good but not spectacular read, primarily because it felt unfinished. Of course, this is one in a series, but going back to the TV episode analogy, there should have been more of a resolution than was present. Still, the way Ms Hamilton has chosen to deal with the "problems" of Merry's fertility, who her king will be, and Frost (if he turns out not to make her pregnant) are unusual and somewhat unique. It will be fascinating to find out how these will be tied up (if at all) in the next book.

Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong

2007-11-05T15:29:00.000-05:00

An excellent start to a new series...

Exit Strategy is about Nadia Stafford, an ex-Ontario cop who has had to rebuild her life after she kills a rape suspect. The hook that latches onto you and pulls you inexorably into Nadia's story is that she went from being a cop in a long family line of cops to becoming a lodge-keeper and part-time assassin. Curiosity impels one to find out how and why she's now a killer.

** MILD SPOILERS BELOW **

Female assassins have been done before, of course, but in general, the women have been depicted as passionless (or apparently cold) killers who are solely fulfilling their job (or duty) and who may or may not have superhuman powers. Nadia, on the other hand, is passionate about the jobs she chooses but she's even more passionate about being a lodge-keeper; she doesn't plan to be a killer for hire forever. Her background is also a troubled one; not only is Nadia from a family of cops, she was present at her cousin's brutal rape and murder when both were teens. The trauma and devastation, therefore, was especially sharp for the young Nadia, who had always justice prevailed. She learned differently when her cousin's rapist and murderer got off scot-free.

There are no paranormal or supernatural elements involved in this story, which helps create a very realistic atmosphere. Nadia is an individual with strengths and weaknesses, hangups and flaws. In other words, she's human and she makes mistakes. These traits are also true of her mentor Jack and the team that has been pulled together to track down one of their own, a pro assassin who's apparently turned serial killer for unknown reasons. There's no superhero, no all-knowing and victorious character, and the situations these individuals find themselves in are credible, without the too-stupid-to-live (TSTL) moments that are so prevalent in TV movies and Hollywood films.

There are also subtle and not-so-subtle romance arcs interwoven throughout the story. They fit neatly into the plot, rather than being pointless plot contrivances. You're not quite sure where each romantic tie will end up, but it's fun to watch.

To cap the above pluses, the intricate and dextrously handled hunt for the killer made Exit Strategy an enjoyable and above-average read. The reader is drawn in and becomes a part of the puzzle, turning the page over and over again to see how the clues tie in and even whether the killer will be caught at all. The chapters regarding the victims give a snippet of their lives and their last moments, as well as help to keep you guessing for a long while what the commn denominator is among them. And, in fact, you even find out why one or two don't become victims. The insight into these people and the killer himself were a nice touch, although I can understand that some readers would prefer to travel the journey blind, the way our protagonists do.

There were some things that kept me wondering, however. It's not stated how Nadia and her cousin were abducted, nor is it clear why, after Nadia takes up her assassin career, she didn't go after her cousin's rapist/killer. I was also somewhat confused as to whether Nadia's scar was truly from a barbed-wire fence mishap or from her abductor. The Helter Skelter killer's motivation was deliberately muddy, but once it seems clear, it becomes a bit convoluted thereafter. Still, these are minor points in what was a pleasurable read.

** MILD SPOILERS ABOVE **

Loose Id Bids on Triskelion's Contractual Assets

2007-10-15T10:12:00.000-05:00

Dateline: 11 October 2007, Las Vegas, Nevada

Earlier this week, a representative of Loose Id, LLC entered a bid in the bankruptcy proceedings of Triskelion Publishing for the contractual assets of the company. If successful in their bid, Loose Id, LLC will release the majority of contracts at no cost to the authors who entered into them.

In a few cases, new contracts will be extended to the author from Loose Id in lieu of the Triskelion contracts. If an author chooses to reject the offer made them, their contract will be released by Loose Id, at no cost to the author.

Loose Id's intentions in bidding on the contracts are fourfold: (1) to facilitate the unencumbered acquisition of works offered to the company by former Triskelion authors; (2) to assist authors in securing release or reversion of rights to their work; (3) to potentially acquire and re-publish top flight manuscripts that match Loose Id's publishing guidelines; and (4) to reassure authors pursuing e-publishing careers of the sound business practices and corporate ethics of reputable e-publishers.

At this time, it is unknown whether Loose Id will succeed in its bid to acquire the Triskelion contracts. If the company is awarded the contracts, Editor in Chief Treva Harte indicates that all contracts to be released will be processed within 30 days of closing the deal and any offers of publication to be made shall be made within 60 days of close. No contract acquired by Loose Id will be held by the company against the will of the
author.

Contact information: help@loose-id.com.

The Royal Mess by MaryJanice Davidson

2007-10-04T13:45:00.000-05:00

Par for the course...

I enjoyed the first book in MaryJanice Davidson's Alaskan Royal Family series The Royal Treatment. The idea of an alternate reality where Alaska became its own principality combined with MJD's trademark snarky humor and idiosyncratic characters worked. However, the 2 books that followed (The Royal Pain, The Royal Mess) were, respectively, somewhat joyless and a rehash.

My chief complaint about The Royal Mess is that although it does tie up some loose ends (rather briefly), Nicole, the illegitimate daughter of King Al that he never knew he had from a 2-week stand, was essentially identical to Christine, Al's daughter-in-law. Yes, Christine appears in the book, and she and Nicole aren't exactly best gal pals and their backgrounds aren't the same, but their prickliness, snarky dialogue, and behavior toward the king are pretty much interchangeable.

In addition, as with Ms Davidson's other books, which I enjoy but I'm not blind to the inherent faults, the characterization and plot are weak, and much of the backstory is left out. For example, we never really understand who Nicole's mother was and why she made the decisions she did; everything is mentioned briefly and in passing. Considering how bitter Nicole appears to be, that's a conspicuous lack. Also, still not clear to me is why King Al remains so loyal to the memory of his ex-wife, someone who was unfaithful to him, whereas he never strayed. In any case, there's no real character growth or development, and the storyline doesn't really go anywhere, despite the relationship between Nicole and royal bodyguard Jeffrey.

Ms Davidson has indicated this book is the final one in the Alaskan Royal Family saga. I'm wondering if this is because her writing schedule is so packed that she doesn't have time to write more (a very real possibility; I'd like to know what happens with the youngest royals, though) or if the sales from this series haven't been as great as the publishers would have liked. All pure conjecture on my part, of course.

My Surrender by Connie Brockway

2007-10-04T11:34:00.001-05:00

Disappointing...

My Surrender should have been a rousing final to the unevenly written Rose Hunter trilogy (My Seduction, My Pleasure). Instead, it is rife with inconsistencies and incredible blindness on the part of both Charlotte and Dand.

Charlotte is the feisty and rebellious youngest Nash sister. Burning with patriotic fervor and buoyed by the heroic actions of her father in saving 3 young Scotsman years earlier, she decides to enter espionage, although in a somewhat peripheral way. Her characterization veers from smart and sassy to morose and TSTL (too stupid to live). An example of the latter: When events conspire to throw her into the path of a suspected traitor, she only realizes on the eve of traveling to his home that she might need to get rid of her pesky virginity -- all after 2 weeks of pretending to be someone else's mistress, namely Dand's. The only "realistic" flavor within the story's setting is when Charlotte comes to understand exactly what it is she's lost in the eyes of society, and possibly her family, when she ruins herself. The scene with her "adopted mother" is poignant in that regard.

The denouement -- the revelation of the betrayer of Dand, Ramsey, Kit, and Douglas in the French gaol years ago -- wasn't much of a surprise given the hints in the book, as well as the previous ones. However, I was still confused at the end as to whether the betrayer acted both before the battle on French soil and in prison. That is, the author wasn't entirely clear about the fact that if he also betrayed them before they landed in France, how and why he did so. And if he didn't do so, then who did betray the battle plans?

All in all, My Surrender was full of plot holes and roll-your-eye moments when it could have been quite a tale and conclusion to the Rose Hunter series.

Dream Thief by Shana Abe

2007-10-04T10:37:00.001-05:00

Not as engaging as The Smoke Thief...

I really enjoyed The Smoke Thief; the characters were well-fleshed out, the conflict and plot arc were well done, and the action was exciting. Unfortunately, The Dream Thief doesn't measure up quite as well.

The Dream Thief, in contrast to the first book, has sketchily drawn characters, and the execution of the plot arc, which could have been fascinating and exciting -- especially given the grown-up Zane and Lia's dream-premonitions -- is very thin.

The middle section of The Dream Thief consists mainly of these two traveling to find Draumr -- all of which forcibly reminded me of the meanderings of Harry Potter, Ron Weaseley, and Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; that is to say, none of it was very interesting because nothing much of import happens. We don't learn anything very deep about either Zane or Lia -- what makes them tick, how have they become the characters they now are -- and events just roll along. When Lia finally Turns, what should be an exhilarating moment is given short shrift and quickly becomes an event that is easily accepted then done. We also barely see Lia's parents, Rue and Christoff. As these 2 had a large role in shaping both Zane and Lia, the essential absence of them seems rather glaring.

The last part of the book reaches a climax, but it comes and goes so quickly, it's almost a "blink and you miss it" event. We're introduced to other drakon and Draumr but don't learn much about them either, what they've done and how they've lived during the separation of the drakon. The section reads more like a "Hi, 'Bye, Later" series of blip-verts. Considering how much appeared to be riding on Draumr, which then led to the other drakon, this was a huge disappointment on top of everything else.

Overall, my take on this second book is that it's more an outline of a story than a full novel. You see the framework of what could have been an amazing story, but it's still bare bones rather than a full-course meal. I hope the next book will follow the model of The Smoke Thief.

Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris

2007-10-04T10:32:00.001-05:00

The best of the 3 so far...

An Ice Cold Grave continues the trend of the well-written Harper Connolly series (Grave Sight and Grave Surprise). I read this in one sitting and agree with many other Amazon reviewers that this book is the best of the three so far. Not only does Ms Harris describe the wintry climate in such a way as to make you actually feel you're right there in the freezing temperatures with Harper and Tolliver and the rest of the inhabitants of Doraville, NC, but you can feel the tension among them as well.

An Ice Cold Grave is definitely darker than the first 2 books in the sense that there are more violence, more bodies, and more graphic descriptions of what happened to the victims. After all, Harper's talent is to find dead bodies, by nature a dark skill, regardless of whether the deaths are natural or not. On the other hand, Harper and Tolliver's personal and business relationship grows apace, and they each come to terms with what it is they want. {My hope is that this series doesn't follow Ms Harris's other two (ie, The Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series, Lily Bard/Shakespeare series), as well as a number of other paranomal/urban fantasy series, in that the "heroine" loves and then leaves or is left by the "hero(s)." There seems to be a trend of such women finding and losing one's lover (sometimes many lovers throughout a series) recently. I can think of 6 series offhand that have done this.}

Another nice thing about An Ice Cold Grave is that, for once, Harper and Tolliver aren't treated with suspicion by every person they meet. Sure, there's skepticism, but at least most of those they come in contact with aren't outright hostile, leading to a wearying tango and tangle with such individuals.

We also meet Xylda and Manfred Berdardo again, and both are colorful as always, but they're also sympathetic and poignant characters here. I can't wait to see what becomes of Bernardo and his psychic skills. Will he be a small talent, as he seems to believe, or as great as or better than his grandmother? And how will his path cross that of Harper and Tolliver in future?

I strongly recommend An Ice Cold Grave -- which can be read as a standalone but would enhance a reader's experience if read in sequence. The book consists of a taut story line, mystery, love, grief, betrayal, and pathos, but in the end, there's hope and compassion.

Poltergeist by Kat Richardson

2007-09-26T10:38:00.000-05:00

Not so much paranormal per se, as mystery with paranormal elements...

Like many of the reviewers here, I enjoyed the first book in the Greywalker series Greywalker. I found Poltergeist disappointing in the sense that the paranormal world at large wasn't explored quite the way I expected.

The blurb on the back cover essentially covers the book content of Poltergeist, which is focused on the factual Philip poltergeist experiment back in 1970s Toronto. Here, Harper is focused on finding out whether the poltergeist phenomenon in Zucker's experiment that parallels the Philip experiment in several ways is real, the cause behind the appearance of the poltergeist (real or not), and the underlying motivations of everyone who is involved with the project, from the participants themselves to those who monitor and observe the group.

Aside from Harper's attempts use the Grey to get to the root of the matter of the poltergeist, which lead her to explore the Grey a (very) little more, as well as to seek help from a witch and vampire (briefly), this story is essentially a straightforward murder mystery with quite a bit of historical background on the Philip experiment and the Seattle area. We see very little paranormal-type storyline outside of Harper's investigation of the poltergeist, and what there is of it is very limited. The vampires are pretty much a side note and Mara's witchcraft is mentioned cursorily. We do see Harper's interaction with some characters, including Quinton, Harper's tech expert; Brian, the child of Mara and Ben; and Phoebe, a used-bookstore owner whose family has essentially adopter Harper, but there's almost no mention of on/off lover Will, and Det Solis acts strictly the homicide cop. All else in Poltergeist leads down the road of who killed the lab assistant and why, and by what means.

The Sharing Knife: Beguilement by Lois Mcmaster Bujold

2007-09-25T10:05:00.000-05:00

Feeling cheated...

With Lois McMaster Bujold's stories, when you first begin, you never know exactly what the world you're entering is going to be or who the cast of characters truly are; however, there's always the certainty that that world and the characters will be well drawn, beautifully written, and warmly entertaining. I read The Sharing Knife: Beguilement in one sitting. However...

This book should not have been split where it was.

I can see why the publishers may have done so, to divide the books as a way to separate the farmer and Lakewalker worlds (I'm trying not to be cynical and think it's a way to get more money, instead), but it left me hanging, and not in a good way. I think Beguilement and Legacy (although I've not yet read the latter), would have done better as 1 book, perhaps delineated as Part I and Part II, or somesuch because, after the initial excitement and adventures, what is left in Beguilement is essentially the mundane world that our heroine Fawn left behind in the first place. We do learn more of Dag and Fawn, and it is true that no matter what horrible things are happening on a grand scale, life does go on (look at the world today). I imagine this is what the author wanted to show.

Unfortunately, while I might have been able to accept this within the context of the larger story, the larger story wasn't there. It vanished just when I was ready to leap to the next level, which would have been more of the grounding, blight bogles/malices, mud-men, etc. The pacing of the book slows dramatically, without something to pick up the intensity or the raison d’etre (the sharing legacy) that began the tale.

** MILD SPOILERS BELOW **

Fawn's family was disappointing (and from what I’ve read of reviews for Legacy, it looks like so will Dag’s family be). There was no clear understanding of why the Bluefields so undervalue Fawn, with the exception of the aunt, and why the brothers are such boors to their sister. Not every family is loving, naturally, but the extent to which the brothers, particularly the twins, react, it's almost deliberate and malicious, rather than unthinking. As for Stupid Sunny, ugh. I don't think he was properly punished; what would prevent him from seducing some other unsuspecting girl and then vilifying her? Indeed, why shouldn’t the family know that Stupid Sunny is telling people she’s a slut? At least four of his cronies already knows that he calls her such, and I find it difficult to believe that they wouldn’t share this information. Fawn and Dag are clearly bound together; what does it matter what Sunny says or thinks?

No doubt at some point down the road, the entire series II've read there are another 2 books after Legacy) will be bound into an anthology/omnibus, thus creating the whole of the story rather than a snippet of the tale that trails off unsatisfactorily.

** MILD SPOILERS ABOVE **

The Clan Corporate by Charles Stross

2007-08-29T15:13:00.000-05:00

Bad judgments and Machiavellian plots...

Sadly, in this third book of the Merchant Princes series, we get a lot of political intrigue but no character growth. In fact, the best thing I can say about The Clan Corporate is that it depicts very, very well, in an almost no-holds-barred manner, the realistic politics that would govern a realm such as that of the Clans and the royal court(s), and that which has been proven true again and again of the United States' bureaucracy and the behavior of various enforcement agencies. There's infighting, outfighting, and just plain fighting. And all of it, physical and mental, is quite brutal.

Unfortunately, Miriam has fallen into the abysmal trap of being one of those "too stupid to live" (TSTL) heroines (or heroes, for that matter) who tend to abound in movies and books. Granted, she's unused to the level of intrigue surrounding her, and she's essentially muddling her way through with one hand tied behind her back, but for a supposedly intelligent woman, she makes astoundingly stupid decisions, in essence jumping in blindly. If the first 2 books have shown anything, it's that she can't afford to leap without thinking or looking.

Going back to the character growth issue: while all the intrigue is going on in Miriam's new world and in present-day USA, you don't really see any true understanding in Miriam of what she thinks she's doing, until she literally gets a sucker punch -- but even then, she's still seems confused. At least in The Hidden Family, you see her cleverness and her grasp of how technology and knowledge can be used to transform the 2 other worlds she's discovered. Her business sense and patent knowledge showcase Miriam to a high degree. And then she devolves to a sullen, sulky twit in The Clan Corporate.

I also have to agree with some of the other reviewers who mentioned the deus ex machina issue. There's the (un)happy coincidence of one of her former flames playing a large role in events of the present-day world. Add some more coincidences, and you have him crossing over to the Clans' world and running into Miriam while death and destruction are raining down on them. Miriam's handed an escape route from a virtually new acquaintance, and her groom-to-be is taken care of swiftly.

Once you add in another abrupt ending, you have all the remains of an unsatisfying read.

The Family Trade by Charles Stross

2007-08-28T16:23:00.001-05:00

Initially slow going, then picks up...

I came across this series as a recommendation on Amazon's plog. It sounded interesting so I decided to give the series a try via my public library. I won't go too much into the plot summary as that's been discussed in various reviews here and is on the book jacket.

As others have mentioned, the premise of parallel worlds is not new, but the way in which each series deals with such worlds and how they operate are certainly a continual source of creativity. Then, of course, there are the colorful characters and how they interact.

The Family Trade certainly brings an interesting variation to the alternate universe story. Rather than another world in which the technologic advances are far beyond present-day Earth and the protoganist has to catch up, it is Earth which has advanced much further than the other world, or world(s), as the case may be, and the inhabitants that need to catch up. Throw in one world that appears based on medieval society with uses for the modern world and a giant dash of Mafia politics, then another world in which history deviates from present Earth since the mid 1700s on, and you have the makings of an intriguing story verse indeed.

Unfortunately, in this first of Mr Stross's The Merchant Princes series, the book really doesn't hit its stride till midway, after which the story flow moves much more swiftly and smoothly. The first half deals essentially with Miriam trying to understand and absorb the new world she's discovered. Aside from Miriam's annoying tendency to talk to herself about almost every little thing, this part is serviceable, if a bit flat. There's a great deal of information for both Miriam and the reader to absorb as well.

The pace picks up once Miriam has gotten some of the basics of this new world down and then has to survive pretty much by the seat of her pants. She's intelligent and thwarts multiple assassination attempts without being some sort of superhero caricature. She uses her brains and what weapons she has available to her; these in themselves make Miriam stand out from many other books in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. On the other hand, I do have to cavil at the fact that though she is an investigative journalist, she clearly forgot that data should always be backed up, and if it's hot, as in life-threatening data, always have multiple copies stashed in various places.

The romance element of this story is weak. I think the story could have been made stronger by not including this element at this time or by making it more plausible at least. The author made an attempt to provide a rationale, essentially 2 outsiders who are lonely and understand their isolation come together, but there wasn't really much chemistry between them, for this reader at least, and their relationship went from nil to 60 in virtually no time.

I gave 3 stars for the slow first half, the weak romantic thread that would have been better served to be cut, and the very, very abrupt ending.

Blacklisted by Gena Showalter

2007-08-24T08:48:00.000-05:00

A great sequel to Red Handed (Teen Alien Huntress) (see my review here)...

Blacklisted is an exciting and gritty follow-up to Red Handed. Most of the main characters from Red Handed make a peripheral appearance; the focus here is on Erik, who has apparently turned from A.I.R. agent into an illicit dealer in Onadyn, a drug that is used by oxygen-intolerant aliens to live -- and by human drug addicts.

Ms Showalter does an excellent job in several areas:

- in showing how 1 decision can change a person's life in major ways. This applies to both Erik and Camille, albeit they each made separate, unrelated, life-altering decisions at different times that have led them into a somewhat harrowing adventure together.

- in making believable the reasons behind the decisons Erik and Camille made

- in describing the lengths to which female teens might go to in order to pursue those they're infatuated with

- in the pacing and suspense of the story

- in reintroducing some of the main characters we saw in Red Handed

- in showing that "the authorities" can be just as brutal, unsympathetic, and unjust as the criminals they pursue

I did enjoy this book and would recommend it. However, the reason I gave only 4 stars for Blacklisted was due to a combination of things, almost all tied to loose ends:

** POSSIBLE MILD SPOILERS BELOW **

- It's difficult to believe that having known and trained with Erik for so long that no one at A.I.R. -- including his former peers and instructors -- seems to question why or delve deeper into the reasons Erik has done what they think he's done. I don't really count the negligible protest by Cara, Erik's former flame because it was only a brief protest. The fact that she may have second-guessed herself is implied, but even so she's still the only person who appears to have at least thought about whether her assumptions about Erik might have been wrong.

- As a corollary to the above point, A.I.R. comprises several aliens among its staff and students. It's been mentioned in both Red Handed and Blacklisted that there are aliens who are telepathic to the extent that they can mind read humans. Since A.I.R. is willing to resort to violence in their interrogations, why weren't they willing to find a mind-reading alien who could probe their thoughts? (Clearly, it had nothing to do with the rights of Erik or Camille, and of course, this would likely have shortened the story considerably, but at least a reason why this option wasn't explored by A.I.R. should have been explained.)

- Erik mentions to Camille at one point that her actions hadn't made much of a difference to what occurred at the club ("the Ship") because his past had caught up to him. That wasn't really explained, although one might attribute it to the fact that his former peers have shown up at the club and indicated they're watching him.

- Camille and her friend Shanel have lied to their parents about their whereabouts and it's clear later that they have no money, yet they're able to order drinks at the club's bar. The inference seems to be that the drinks are charged somehow... which would likely show up in an invoice/statement somewhere their parents would end up seeing.

- After a whirlwind sequence of events, the ending is very abrupt. After all the things the A.I.R. agents have put Erik and Camille through, the denouement is without fanfare, Camille's parents are suddenly in agreement with Camille's actions, and that's it. The issue of Silver is left hanging as well.

** POSSIBLE MILD SPOILERS ABOVE **

Hunting Diana by Doreen Orsini

2007-08-21T12:25:00.000-05:00

Intriguing premise but tighter editing needed - MILD SPOILERS

I received Vampires of Mina's Cove: Hunting Diana (Book 1) as a freebie and generally enjoyed the story. The basic background premise on how Mina's Cove was settled is intriguing and certainly a diversion from other vampire tales. I won't go into the plot and summary as others have already done so.

The author's writing style is engaging and fairly straightfoward, and the plot is simple and easy to follow. There were some things that detracted from Hunting Diana, however.

- There were several mechanics and wrong word-choice issues, all of which threw me out of the story. Although not terribly numerous, there were enough instances of commas appearing for no reason or in the wrong spot to be distracting. The use of "accept" instead of "except," "their" instead of "there," etc, also showed up.

** MILD SPOILERS BELOW **

- The change of heart of Diana's father toward his mother and Damian was overly simplistic and not believable. It was also never explained how and where he recruited his crew to capture and kill vampires (eg, how did he convince them vampires exist?)

- One of Diana's defining life moments was when her mother apparently abandoned her. The truth behind that situation was dealt with essentially in a few sentences and no other information regarding the outcome of Diana's mother's life is given.

- It's never quite clear why the Elders forced Damian to mate with Olympia, or why they chose to ignore her obvious predilection to lie and create problems.

- How did Olympia find so many virgins to supply Lucian? And what happened to Olympia's minions, the twins?

- The settling of the town/village outside the city where the Slashers (partially turned humans) are dumped seemed convenient. Given the entire island's location is not too far from NYC, it's hard to understand why the place hasn't been discovered, especially if helicopters come by every now and then to drop off more Slashers.

** MILD SPOILERS ABOVE **

My verdict: 3.5 stars

The Twilight Lord by Bertrice Small

2007-08-21T11:54:00.000-05:00

First and last foray...

Despite the author's well-recognized name and long, award-filled career, I had never actually read one of Ms Small's books. I received The Twilight Lord (World of Hetar, Book 3) as a freebie and decided to give this author a try, even though I'd essentially be starting in the middle of an established series.

Given Ms Small's many, many awards for her historical fiction stories, I'll have to assume that she is truly a wonderful writer. Unfortunately, I only have The Twilight Lord to judge by, and it was not what I would have expected given the author's reputation.

No doubt someone will point out that it's hardly fair to judge Ms Small based on one book, and that one not the first book in a series. I can only point out the following issues do not rely on a book's order in a series:

- The author and editor should have cut out the numerous, numerous repetition and redundancies in the book, especially in those instances where the characters themselves were already aware of X, Y, and Z.

- There were several instances of rape, which, inconceivably, were portrayed for the most part as being pleasurable for the women involved. Not only was this offensive and cavalier, it didn't even serve the purpose of making the villains out to be more villainous.

- Several of the plot points didn't make internal story sense.

- The characterizations of the main characters were unlikable. They were by turns self-centered, cruel, and immature. It was hard to imagine what redeeming characters they had.

- Despite the big "Lara has a Destiny" plot line and the constant avowal of her powers, the only powers you really see her evince is transporting herself from place to place.

- Many of the sex scenes were repetitive and served no real purpose. Sex in a story is great, but only if it furthers the plot. The only sex that furthered the story in this book was the one that involved the prophecy of the Twilight Lord.

Sometimes, when I start a series in the middle, I'm intrigued enough to want to read the entire series and try other books by the same author. Alas, neither is the case here.

Thin Air by Rachel Caine

2007-08-16T15:23:00.000-05:00

A fast read but a bit of a let down...

I've enjoyed the unique, intriguing, and well-written Weather Warden series from the beginning and wholeheartedly recommend this series, as well as Ms Caine's other series (Red Letter series: Devil's Bargain, Devil's Due; Morganville Vampires series: Glass Houses (Book 1), The Dead Girls' Dance (Book 2), Midnight Alley (Book 3)).

Unfortunately, Thin Air is a little bit of a let down from the other books in the series, even though this book starts off with a blast, and the action rolls on from there pretty much without a stop. The excitement of learning how Joanne has come to lose her memory and why spurs the reader to continue reading. Along the way, we see much more of the interaction among the Wardens, among the Djinn, and even between David and Lewis and the perpetually sulky teen, Kevin. All of which is good.

So why the disappointment? you ask.

The notion of the evil twin, as also commented by other reviewers, is a long-established one. That's not to say old ideas can't be given new life, of course. Alas, Thin Air doesn't really take the idea and run with it. In fact, once I read how and why the evil twin came to be and its purpose, I was strongly reminded of the shapeshifter in Patricia Briggs's book When Demons Walk. The creature in Ms Briggs's story had essentially the same reasons for why it did what it did as the evil twin in Ms Caine's book.

In addition, while I was overjoyed to discover the resurrection (so to speak) of a character, I wasn't so enamored of what that brought: Joanne's new power. That did seem somewhat convenient.

The one true twist was the entire scenario involving Eamon and Sarah. I confess I was never a big fan of the these characters (well, yes, of course that's the point; what I mean is the reappearance of these 2 unlikable people seemed out of the blue and didn't appear to serve much of a purpose except to throw a wrench in the works and to showcase Joanne's new power), but it looks like we'll be seeing more of them next. I'm hoping both Sarah and Eamon will be dealt with in a somewhat permanent manner.

Burning Bridges by Laura Anne Gilman

2007-08-16T15:01:00.000-05:00

Not as engrossing as the previous books...

This 4th book in the Retrievers series isn't terrible but it isn't very interesting, either. Mostly, it seems to serve as a bridge (no pun intended) between the previous book and the next.

As other reviewers have commented, the main reason for the serviceable read is due to the concentration of the story arc on the politics among the "major" players in the series, namely the Fatae, Lonejacks, Cosa, and Silence, and the increasing tension due to the escalation of attacks by Nulls against anyone who has, or who appears to have, magic. To be fair, this political situation does have a key role to play in the plot as it also drives what's happening; the problem is that rather than making the information succinct, the various unproductive political meetings take up too much of the story. The various factions don't get very far in their dealings, and neither do we, as the reader.

The situation between Wren and Sergei, played up on in the book's synopsis, doesn't really have much twists and turns as was hinted, until the end of the book, just like the intriguing prologue. A hint of a connection to the prologue appears but it's so subtle that it might as well not be there. In any case, by that point, one has either forgotten about the prologue or one has torn one's hair out wondering what role it plays in the story.

In essence, there's a lot of exposition but not much action.

The Silver Moon Elm - MaryJanice Davidson & Anthony Alongi

2007-08-16T14:50:00.000-05:00

Jennifer begins to grow up - somewhat...

The Jennifer Scales series is contracted for 4 books, which is a good thing as the ending of The Silver Moon Elm (Book 3) opens up a host of plot arcs that beg for a resolution (in a good way).

That said, while I enjoyed this 3rd installment of Jennifer's story, I also found that I didn't enjoy it as much as the first 2 books. Part of this is unavoidable as the book is somewhat more grim than the previous books, despite the presence of Jennifer's snarky humor. Issues of love, friendship, loyalty, family, death, betrayal, and more are raised, and for the most part, dealt with fairly well. On the other hand, Jennifer's whining was annoying in several instances, which, admittedly, is typical of kids (and adults), as was her dealings with her friends, ranging from loyalty to insensitivity.

2007-08-16T11:23:00.000-05:00

A Many-Pronged Tale...

The Creatures is ostensibly a young adult novel that deals with change, prejudice, and conviction. A pair of teens, Vector and Harmony, belonging to a somewhat Utopian colony and called Persons become aware of their growing feelings for each other, which is one in a chain of events that lead to unforeseen consequences.

Outside the Colony of Persons live native inhabitants of the planet called Creatures. Unlike Persons, Creatures are not held in high esteem; lack adequate jobs, housing, food, and health care; and feel strong emotions, including love, anger, resentment, etc. Straddling the 2 groups are the Guards, who have risen from their Creature antecedents to manage virtually everything in the Persons' Colony. The inequality of the lives of the Creatures is gradually brought to bear on the pair of teens and their lives are forever changed.

I really wanted to like this book after reading some peoples' comments in the Amazon book Forum and the other review posted there. Unfortunately, I found Vector dislikable with little to redeem him despite the challenges he faces and overcomes; Harmony, on the other side, seemed too empathetic. They seemed very 1-dimensional. There was also a very unfinished feeling toward the end of the book with some unanswered questions. Of course, given how the tale ends, a lot is deliberately left unaswered, which is fine, but part of what has brought the ending to bear wasn't entirely clear, which was rather frustrating.

Lucinda, Darkly by Sunny

2007-08-16T10:58:00.001-05:00

Author's writing is still in transition...

Sunny's Children of the Moon Monere series (Mona Lisa Awakening (Book 1), Mona Lisa Blossoming (Book 2), "Mona Lisa Three", "Mona Lisa Betwining") is heavily derivative of Laurell K Hamilton's work, but she does manage to put some of her own spin on it. The plots aren't particularly complex, but they do serve to pull the story forward without getting too bogged down in the details.

Lucinda, Darkly: The Demon Princess Chronicles is an offshoot of the Children of the Moon series wherein some characters of the other books appear peripherally. I won't go into the plot or reveal spoilers, but essentially Lucinda has become somewhat jaded over centuries of existence and drifts about, not belonging completely to the world from which she originated (the Monere world) nor the world she now belongs (the demon world). After encounters with 2 rogue Monere warriors (those no longer serving Monere queens, exiled, and on the run), Lucinda begins to "wake up" to the possibilities of "living" again.

The author's writing is still uneven across the stories she's penned thus far. In general, the tales are simplistic and too reminiscent of LKH. In particular, the author appears to be trying too hard to mix in sensuality, erotica, lyricism in her descriptions. In the beginning chapter of Lucinda, Darkly, there are literally pages of overly poetic writing that became tiresome to read, especially when 1 or 2 sentences with a few descriptors would create a much larger impact.

Cast in Secret by Michelle Sagara

2007-07-30T10:29:00.000-05:00

Complex and intriguing as always...

The Cast series is not an easy series to read. The world and themes are extremely complex, as are the characters who populate it. Each book requires careful reading (skimming or a fast read isn't really possible, at least not for me) and a lot of thought about what's happening at any given time. Of course, some things are more straightforward than others. I find that I have to reread each book to catch things that I either missed or didn't understand the first time, but I think the endeavor is worthwhile for the most part, although much continues to puzzle me.

This third entry, Cast In Secret, doesn't have as much "action" per se as the previous two books (Cast In Shadow, Cast In Courtlight), but it continues to expand on the relationships among the major characters, chiefly Kaylin and Severn, Kaylin and Nightshade, and Kaylin and the dragons. The Barrani do not play a prominent role, but their presence is keenly felt.

We learn some more details about the struggle that was caused by Kaylin's arrival as a young child in the Courts of Law between those who argued for her survival and those who felt she was too dangerous to live. We see some of the workings of the dragon court, and learn much about the Tha'alani as well as the Oracles, each intricately and deftly woven into a fascinating whole.

I may be wrong, but I think the next book will likely deal with both the interaction between Kaylin and Nightshade and Kaylin's appearance in a more formal fashion at the dragon court. I can't wait!

The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner

2007-07-29T21:52:00.000-05:00

Trademark humor but lacking some sense...

Julie Kenner's brand of humor is clear throughout the book, and she's got teenage angst and dialogue down pat (which is true of her Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series as well). Which would seem to make this a shoo-in for at least 4 stars. On the other, though many parts of this book made me laugh, others didn't make sense to me.

**SOME SPOILERS BELOW**

For example, even though the teen protagonist, Beth, herself admits she wasn't quite thinking when she got suckered by Stephen Mills and his pals, there are many instances when she seemed incredibly stupid. All the signs were there that things weren't what they seemed to be when the Queen Bitches invited her to join their squad, but those were discarded. And what bad guy (or good guy for that matter) wouldn't have a product tested before use, esp if it meant a gruesome death if the product didn't work? That is, blind faith probably wouldn't happen. That should have occurred to Beth early on... why would she think that Stephen would use the cream without having someone else test it... which would have been bad news for Beth. Then, when Nelson was unconscious in the gym, that would've been a good time to take care of him, but the thought never occurred to her and she was left with a witness who disappeared. There are several instances of commonsensical things like that that just slipped.

Someone also needs to do some fact-checking. Regardless of whether Beth's dad is a doctor or not, and whether or not Beth has a part-time job in a hospital lab, all blood products in a hospital blood bank are tightly regulated. There's a chronic blood shortage in the USA and elsewhere, each unit of blood is labeled and entered into a database, and whenever the units are removed from the blood bank, they have to be signed out with various forms. Maybe 1 unit of blood (unlikely, but let's be generous; maybe the blood is unusable for whatever reason) could be given out for a student project but several? A dozen?

A "routine" operation can require 6 units of blood or more. Think of how many units would be needed for a trauma patient or a major surgery. No hospital can spare so many units for non-patient care, much less a purported project. Questions would definitely be asked.

Regarding vampires and college. NYU was mentioned. Well, like so many universities, NYU does offer night classes. While it's not the way many students would like to attend college, the opportunity is there. I admit I don't know what reasonable excuse a student like Beth who's going to graduate high school (as opposed to a working adult or one with family) could give for wanting to attend night class rather than regular day classes, but I'm surprised that that option isn't even raised.

There were also loose ends that may have been deliberately left out and might be addressed in the sequel, one of which involved college boys Kevin and his brother. Who are they really and how did they know what was going on at Beth's school and the club where Beth first meets him? The same with Clayton and his grandfather. How did they know about vampires, etc?

**SOME SPOILERS ABOVE**

Things such as the above made what should have been an easy, fun read less smooth than they could have been. I'll be checking out the sequel, Good Ghouls Do, from the library.

See MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi's Jennifer Scales series as an example of humorous young adult books that work (Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace, Jennifer Scales and the Messenger of Light, The Silver Moon Elm).

My recommendations for other great young adult books (albeit they're darker tales) are Holly Black's A Modern Faerie Tale series (Tithe, Ironside, Valiant), Herbie Brennan's The Faerie Wars Chronicles (Faerie Wars, The Purple Emperor, Ruler of the Realm, and the upcoming Faerie Lord), Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series (Glass Houses, The Dead Girls' Dance, and the forthcoming Midnight Alley), and Gena Showalter's Teen Alien Huntress series (Red Handed, Blacklisted).

The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton

2007-07-25T08:05:00.000-05:00

Somewhat on a better track...

Just like many readers who have commented have done, I've stopped buying Ms Hamilton's books and simply borrow from the library.

As has been the case with the past several of LKH's Anita Blake books, the author creates intriguing plots and characters in The Harlequin, as well as brings back some "old" ones, but she doesn't quite follow through what could be a brilliant and exciting book. There's no question that Ms Hamilton has a seemingly neverending fount of fascinating ideas; unfortunately, the execution needs polish, lengthening, and tightening.

One thing I was happy to see was that Anita's ardeur wasn't the bulk of the story; in fact, this particular storyline was tamed down quite a bit. I'm not fazed about sex (I also edit erotic romances), but sex for no reason - sex that doesn't further the plot - is a waste of story space and the reader's time. Fortunately, that wasn't much of an issue here.

The idea of the Harlequin, essentially the police/assassins for vampire society, was a great one. Rather like the Borg, from the Star Trek: Next Generation series: serious bad-ass foes - that is, until the Borg got wimpified. Here, the mystery and suspense of who and what the Harlequin are, and why they're in St Louis starts off well enough and then seems to gradually fade into a whisper.

Richard's storyline continues to be a tiresome one: he makes an effort to fit with Anita's new life, he can't deal, he and Anita go back and forth, and nothing changes... which is the same treadmill to nowhere they've both been on for umpteen books. There's a suggestion that this relationship is reaching some sort of conclusion, but while I can understand many of the reasons for why each behaves the way they do, I just wish they'd just get on with their lives, either together or apart.

Nathaniel turns out to be a bit of surprise initially. He's become bolder in speaking his mind and desires, and Anita is listening. I'm really hoping that he doesn't turn into another version of Richard.

Edward appears; although a little more of his "Ted" life is discussed, we don't really see him in action all that much. And going back to my comments about the Harlequin as badasses but tapering down - Otto is called in, which would seem to tie into the whole "need evil to combat evil" idea, but which was also a let down.

Again, there many great themes and new plotlines , but a flat and fast conclusion. The Harlequin would have done much better to explore more of the ideas and characters rather than cram it all in for an unsatisfying overall read.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

2007-07-24T11:05:00.000-05:00

NO SPOILERS

Sadly disappointed.

I read the book on Saturday in one fell swoop, and although end products seldom live up to the hype, I had hoped that The Deathly Hallows would be one of the exceptions. It was not. Despite the fact that I enjoyed the HP series very much and the world building is fascinating, comparisons to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien's works, among others, seem overexuberant and exaggerated.

Parts of The Deathly Hallows were exciting and touching, but at the very least, the middle one third to one half could have been removed and not much would have changed. The story and plot didn't move forward and, thus, we were left with a meandering and plodding chunk of book. In fact, I had the lowering feeling as I read that Ms Rowling was attempting to reprise Sam and Frodo's journey to Mount Doom from The Lord of the Rings. However, though the middle of the book was dreary, the last portion seemed rushed. Many of the creatures and characters brought up in the other books got but a cursory mention - and primarily at the very end.

I admit to needing tissues for at least 2 spots, and some of the questions that were raised in previous books were answered, but not all. Much has been made of the epilogue, which was interesting in its way, but that raised yet more questions - and not just of the characters but of the Muggle and Wizarding world.

Overall, what was a highly anticipated read became almost an exercise in futility.

Addendum: 7/26/07 - In an interview with NBC's Today show, Ms Rowling acknowledged that book 7 doesn't tie up all the loose ends:

"It would have been humanly impossible to answer every single question that comes up, because I'm dealing with a level of obsession in some of my fans that will not rest until they know the middle names of Harry's great, great grandparents."

The quote comes from here.

Safe Harbor, Christine Feehan

2007-07-20T10:13:00.000-05:00

A bit of a let down.

The Drake sibling stories I most wanted to read happened to be the 4 youngest (Libby, Hannah, Joley, Elle). I liked Libby's story, but Hannah's was very disappointing.

Safe Harbor started off well with an action-packed, adrenaline- and fear-filled opening, but then it sort of meandered and fell apart. The sisters' reactions to the events surrounding Hannah seemed muted, Hannah and Jonas's relationship progressed in a rather superficial fashion, and there was virtually no interaction by the girls' parents, which was never explained. A measly 3 mentions of mom and dad, tops! In addition, if not Jonas, then certainly Jackson should have come to the correct conclusion long before the truth came out. The clues were there.

On the other hand, the set-up for both Joley and Elle's books was intriguing, but given how much I anticipated Hannah and Jonas's story and was let down, I'm rather wary about the final books in the Drake Sisters series.

I think all of Ms Feehan's books need tighter editing. There's a great deal of repetition within each book itself and among the books and series; the constant head-hopping (ie, point-of-view [POV] switches) is rather jolting, and the plot holes need fixing.