author: Kelly Armstrong
genre: Paranormal
grade: B-
status: library book
A personal pet peeve for me is a heroine who thinks she is all that and then tends to require endless rescuing by others. That seemed to me to be a theme in Armstrong's debut novel "Bitten" and to me it continued here.
In book one we learned that Elena Michaels was turned werewolf without permission. It complicated her relationship with fiancee at the time Clayton, who did the turning, and "Bitten" deals with many of the issues between them. At the beginning of book two Elena is back with Clayton and living with him and Jeremy his father (who is also pack alpha) in the Pack's estate in New York. Elena has resumed her original position with the Pack of checking out werewolf sightings to determine if they are a) legitimate and b)a danger to the Pack and werewolves in general. Werewolves are deep in the closet in these novels and woe betide the "mutt" (non-pack, independent wolf) that risks their hidden status. Naturally, Elena's tool of choice is the World Wide Web and through believe.com she makes contact with a Paige Winterbourne who sounds as though she has some legit intel to sell. The Pack can't allow that intel to fall into the wrong hands and Elena is off to make sure it doesn't.
When Paige and Elena meet the encounter seems to go wrong from the start. The girly tea shoppe chosen as their trysting place has acoustics which allow people to dip in to your conversation at any time. Since this is not good for their secret agent style meet Paige brightly offers her hotel room as an alternate setting and since Elena is confident her werewolf nature will protect her (cause, you know, that didn't go wrong last book)she traipses right in to a trap. Get used to this, I don't think Elena knows how else to do things. The trap is actually rather benign and yields the startling information that the wolves aren't alone in the supernatural world ;-). In rapid order Elena meets with witches, half-demons, and vampires. It is as the Pack reluctantly becomes involved in this world that the real adventure takes off for it seems that someone is hunting the supernaturals . . . .
Armstrong is a powerful story weaver and I found myself sucked into the tale despite my misgivings. One of the great things about her is that she pulls no punches with her villains -- they tend to be people who not only deserve being eliminated but frankly, are sometimes begging for it. She doesn't bog down the tale in useless information but she does sketch quickly and competently just what you need to know on every page. Her characterizations are clear, concise and consistent, adding a good depth to the story telling that makes it just that much more compelling.
There is a touch of romance here but the relationship was established in "Bitten" and Armstrong is not a romance writer per se. She captures the nature of a relationship that is intense but not new very well though, imo. I especially enjoyed seeing Clay handle a comeon from a new character. Interesting to see his handling of it and even better to watch Elena's reaction to it.
The book is not a light, fun read but certainly if you have read Kim Harrison, Patricia Briggs or Moning's Fever series (and if you haven't, what are you waiting for???) you aren't going to pass out from the action here.
What dropped the book to a B- for me is that the wolves did not seem to learn from their experiences in the last book. Elena's overconfidence, especially when she waltzed right into the initial trap, began to rub me wrong. Mistakes are natural, we all make them but while many characters in my favorite books make them and learn from them this is something the characters in this series find beyond them. I find Jeremy an exceptionally incompetent Pack leader and know that all that is keeping him alive is the fierce loyalty of Clay and Elena, his two warriors. That drops my opinion of them though because he is so clearly unfit to lead.
I will probably continue to read this series. The really nice thing about it is that unlike other series, where I am rabid to tear into book after book, this is one where I am like "Well, I'll put it on my pile and when I get there I get there." It's a nice feeling to have a good but not great book waiting for you.
Tea: How about a bit of Raspberry Zinger? Sweet enough to get you through the tough bits and soothing enough to carry you through the scary bits.
tea time
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Dreamcatcher Series
By: Lisa McMann
Books so far: Wake, Fade
Grade: B+
Status: Library books
Janie is just 8 yrs. old when she first gets sucked into the dream of a stranger on a train. By the time she is 17 she is quite thoroughly sick of it. She has seen them all -- dreams where she falls endlessly, dreams where she joins classmates who are standing in front of the class/at an assembly/on a football field naked. And the endless sex fantasy dreams that she does NOT want to know go on in her friends' heads. But it is as she is driving down a street to school that she truly learns how freaky and dangerous her dreams can be. For right in broad daylight she is pulled in to a nightmare so powerful she almost wrecks her car.
Meeting the dreamer changes Janie's life in many ways. She gets a new job, a new friend, and begins to discover just what she is and what she can do to effect the world with her powers.
Janie is a very engaging character. Although she has life hard -- her mother should have been caught by social services years ago -- she is upbeat and determined. She is someone who grapples with what life throws at her, who gives it her best bat every single pitch. I liked the aura of mystery to the stories and the way the impending sense of doom creeps up on you. I also like how the author really looked at what Janie does as having real difficulties attached to it-- if Janie is not seated when someones dream sucks her in, she falls. If she is doing something, such as driving, she wrecks. And many dreams are just darn unpleasant for her to be in. She learns things about people she would just as soon not know and she realizes it affects how she treats them in real life -- and that is a touch unfair.
And Janie is not universally popular -- she has friends but not everyone loves her. She is a good student but she has to work at it.
My complaints with the books is that they are short and therefore not as in depth as I would wish and that the author tries hard to be PC, including every thing that can possibly happen in a big city high school. I found those bits jarring.
Still, overall a recommend it read for those into the whole paranormal scene.
Tea: Hot and sweet, take your pick!
Books so far: Wake, Fade
Grade: B+
Status: Library books
Janie is just 8 yrs. old when she first gets sucked into the dream of a stranger on a train. By the time she is 17 she is quite thoroughly sick of it. She has seen them all -- dreams where she falls endlessly, dreams where she joins classmates who are standing in front of the class/at an assembly/on a football field naked. And the endless sex fantasy dreams that she does NOT want to know go on in her friends' heads. But it is as she is driving down a street to school that she truly learns how freaky and dangerous her dreams can be. For right in broad daylight she is pulled in to a nightmare so powerful she almost wrecks her car.
Meeting the dreamer changes Janie's life in many ways. She gets a new job, a new friend, and begins to discover just what she is and what she can do to effect the world with her powers.
Janie is a very engaging character. Although she has life hard -- her mother should have been caught by social services years ago -- she is upbeat and determined. She is someone who grapples with what life throws at her, who gives it her best bat every single pitch. I liked the aura of mystery to the stories and the way the impending sense of doom creeps up on you. I also like how the author really looked at what Janie does as having real difficulties attached to it-- if Janie is not seated when someones dream sucks her in, she falls. If she is doing something, such as driving, she wrecks. And many dreams are just darn unpleasant for her to be in. She learns things about people she would just as soon not know and she realizes it affects how she treats them in real life -- and that is a touch unfair.
And Janie is not universally popular -- she has friends but not everyone loves her. She is a good student but she has to work at it.
My complaints with the books is that they are short and therefore not as in depth as I would wish and that the author tries hard to be PC, including every thing that can possibly happen in a big city high school. I found those bits jarring.
Still, overall a recommend it read for those into the whole paranormal scene.
Tea: Hot and sweet, take your pick!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The Nacissim Epidemic
Author: Jean M. Twenger, Ph.D.
W. Keith Campbell, Ph.D.
Grade:B
Status: Library Book
The subtitle to this book is "Living in the Age of Entitlement" and that pretty well describes what it is about. Today in America, like never before, we encounter people who really do live their lives with the idea that it is all about them. The authors show, through a massive amount of research, just how that has lead to a generation that has poor work ethics, low morals and a growing love of materialism and celebrity. Is America's failing economy directly linked to the "I deserve it all" mentality of the people currently living here? The authors point out that could very well be.
Taking us step by step through the way self-esteem can give way to narcissism and showing us detailed evidence of just what narcissism is the authors show how this growing trend is changing the very reality in which we live. They address all the things which they feel are fueling the epidemic == from cute t-shirts declaring "I'm a little princess" to parents paying for plastic surgery as a high school graduation present; naked or airbrushed pictures on myspace and the reality that much of what we do to stay connected has turned into an opportunity to show off our materialism -- from flashy phones to flashier web pages.
The final chapter deals with what we can do to reverse this trend -- by spending more time teaching community and charity and less time teaching people how to help themselves.
The credibility of this book is very high because of the meticulous research standards utilized. What kept it from being a perfect A for me is that in some ways I felt there was too alarmist a reaction to some what we are doing. I don't think teachers and parents trying to make children feel special and loved is what is behind this so much as the fact that parents often spend more money than time with kids. I also disliked how the current 20-somethings get blamed for their behaviors. If young women are receiving breast implants or nose jobs as graduation gifts (a specific example from the book) is it their fault or their parents? If kids are wanting to work fewer hours for less pay who did they receive the idea to do that from? Much of the behavior complained of can be traced back several generations. I also would have liked to have seen the authors talk more of what has happened as a result of women in the work place. Much of the greed they spoke of has occurred since families discovered two working professionals can own more than one. The subject was hinted at but the authors (one of whom is a working mom) carefully didn't cover it. Much can be said about bad stay at home moms -- growing up I knew several who had their kids outside from 8-5 who handed lunch out the back door-- but I think it is important to look at what exactly affected the changes we see in parenting. Simply blaming it on the kids doesn't work for me.
Overall I would recommend the book. It could help all of us to look at ourselves and ask the question "just how much am I living only for me?"
Tea: I always think of black tea as a serious tea. My favorite advise for making a good pot of tea was from a Scottish lady who ran a tea shop -- a teaspoon per cup plus an extra for the pot.
Enjoy !
W. Keith Campbell, Ph.D.
Grade:B
Status: Library Book
The subtitle to this book is "Living in the Age of Entitlement" and that pretty well describes what it is about. Today in America, like never before, we encounter people who really do live their lives with the idea that it is all about them. The authors show, through a massive amount of research, just how that has lead to a generation that has poor work ethics, low morals and a growing love of materialism and celebrity. Is America's failing economy directly linked to the "I deserve it all" mentality of the people currently living here? The authors point out that could very well be.
Taking us step by step through the way self-esteem can give way to narcissism and showing us detailed evidence of just what narcissism is the authors show how this growing trend is changing the very reality in which we live. They address all the things which they feel are fueling the epidemic == from cute t-shirts declaring "I'm a little princess" to parents paying for plastic surgery as a high school graduation present; naked or airbrushed pictures on myspace and the reality that much of what we do to stay connected has turned into an opportunity to show off our materialism -- from flashy phones to flashier web pages.
The final chapter deals with what we can do to reverse this trend -- by spending more time teaching community and charity and less time teaching people how to help themselves.
The credibility of this book is very high because of the meticulous research standards utilized. What kept it from being a perfect A for me is that in some ways I felt there was too alarmist a reaction to some what we are doing. I don't think teachers and parents trying to make children feel special and loved is what is behind this so much as the fact that parents often spend more money than time with kids. I also disliked how the current 20-somethings get blamed for their behaviors. If young women are receiving breast implants or nose jobs as graduation gifts (a specific example from the book) is it their fault or their parents? If kids are wanting to work fewer hours for less pay who did they receive the idea to do that from? Much of the behavior complained of can be traced back several generations. I also would have liked to have seen the authors talk more of what has happened as a result of women in the work place. Much of the greed they spoke of has occurred since families discovered two working professionals can own more than one. The subject was hinted at but the authors (one of whom is a working mom) carefully didn't cover it. Much can be said about bad stay at home moms -- growing up I knew several who had their kids outside from 8-5 who handed lunch out the back door-- but I think it is important to look at what exactly affected the changes we see in parenting. Simply blaming it on the kids doesn't work for me.
Overall I would recommend the book. It could help all of us to look at ourselves and ask the question "just how much am I living only for me?"
Tea: I always think of black tea as a serious tea. My favorite advise for making a good pot of tea was from a Scottish lady who ran a tea shop -- a teaspoon per cup plus an extra for the pot.
Enjoy !
Friday, August 21, 2009
Why Doesn't Anybody Like Me?
Author: Hara E. Marano
Status:Library Book
Genre: Nonfiction
Grade: F
No, I have not become totally insecure. This is the actual title of a book with a subtitle "A Guide to Raising Socially Confident Children".
Like most Moms, I want my kids to have the best of everything. When I saw this book in the library it intrigued me. Being the mom of a preteen I know what it is like to live with someone who is not socially confident and I figured any tips I could pick up to help would be welcome.
Unfortunately, this book is a bit of a joke. Ms. Marano is not a teacher, psychologist, doctor or other specialist. She is the editor of Psychology Today magazine but that is as far as her credentials go. That would have been all right if she had written the book as a mom's guide, doing a mother to mother exchange of information. She didn't. Instead she makes sweeping "factual" statements (Being nice makes you popular!) and pulls out nothing to back them with. She will admit that "Although I am witness to only small scenes from a playground and know nothing of the rest of these children's lives" she will go on to say ""I have learned to see what is going on in these seemingly trivial transactions." This would have been a good segue in to where she learned this but she doesn't go there.
She does site research in several chapters of the book but it was not relative to what her subject matter was supposed to be.
The research dealt with the dangers of lack of socialization but really didn't go into depth as to how "to raise a socially confident child". The advice she did give -- don't call your kid a loser sticks out in my mind -- was a bit ridiculous. I couldn't believe any parent interested enough in a subject matter like this ever would do such a thing.
In the end I found the book unhelpful and not as well laid out as I am used to in a self-help style book.
Tea: Don't waste a good cuppa on this stinker.
Status:Library Book
Genre: Nonfiction
Grade: F
No, I have not become totally insecure. This is the actual title of a book with a subtitle "A Guide to Raising Socially Confident Children".
Like most Moms, I want my kids to have the best of everything. When I saw this book in the library it intrigued me. Being the mom of a preteen I know what it is like to live with someone who is not socially confident and I figured any tips I could pick up to help would be welcome.
Unfortunately, this book is a bit of a joke. Ms. Marano is not a teacher, psychologist, doctor or other specialist. She is the editor of Psychology Today magazine but that is as far as her credentials go. That would have been all right if she had written the book as a mom's guide, doing a mother to mother exchange of information. She didn't. Instead she makes sweeping "factual" statements (Being nice makes you popular!) and pulls out nothing to back them with. She will admit that "Although I am witness to only small scenes from a playground and know nothing of the rest of these children's lives" she will go on to say ""I have learned to see what is going on in these seemingly trivial transactions." This would have been a good segue in to where she learned this but she doesn't go there.
She does site research in several chapters of the book but it was not relative to what her subject matter was supposed to be.
The research dealt with the dangers of lack of socialization but really didn't go into depth as to how "to raise a socially confident child". The advice she did give -- don't call your kid a loser sticks out in my mind -- was a bit ridiculous. I couldn't believe any parent interested enough in a subject matter like this ever would do such a thing.
In the end I found the book unhelpful and not as well laid out as I am used to in a self-help style book.
Tea: Don't waste a good cuppa on this stinker.
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Doomsday Key
Author: James Rollins
Genre: Thriller
Status: Library Book
Grade: Tough to say, let's give it an A
Three murders on three continents occur in rapid succession leaving behind only one clue-- all the victims are branded with a Druidic pagan cross. The horrific murders thrust Sigma Force -- an ultra clandestine unit working for the US Government -- into a battle of wits and wills with an organization determined to unleash a centuries old horror on mankind. As Director Painter Crow and Commander Gray Pierce attempt to put the pieces of the puzzles together before it is too late they find themselves jumping continents, raiding ancient relics and watching everyone around them to determine just who is friend or foe. Because they know someone on the inside of their little group has leaked information to the enemy. But just who is that traitor? And will this betrayal prevent them from ultimately discovering The Doomsday Key?
TDK is book 6 in the Sigma Series that Rollin's began with "Sand Storm". In the tradition of thriller writers like Alistair MacLean, Tom Clancy,Dan Brown and George Lucas (the mastermind behind Indiana Jones ;-) Rollins combines fast paced action and ancient mysteries to create a suspenseful, edge of your seat style read. One thing that puts Rollins at the top of the game is the absolute excellence of his research. The books are worth reading for the author's note alone. He also has the perfect writing style for this type of work -- being able to include his information into the text that doesn't result in an info dump that readers simply skip over. Good thing cause we need the info to solve the mystery.
And the mystery is what makes these books. I mentioned Indiana Jones specifically because that is what this series is most like. The mysteries being solved go all the way back to very ancient times. Much time is spent in crypts, in caves, going to restricted areas in museums -- you get the picture. It is not just people with guns but smart people with guns. There is almost always a professor involved -- normally two or three. In this case they are trying to solve the riddle of a modern day food farm massacre, an ancient plague, mysterious saints and their journals and how all that ties in to the Druidic cross.
We are introduced to a couple of new characters in this book, though not any that really impact the plot. One of them is clearly thrown in just for the PC aspect but again, no real impact on the plot. Somebody needs to wear a red shirt to keep things real, right? ;-) Old favorites like Painter, Gray, Kat, Monk, Rachel, Seichen are all there. This novel was less of a character growth book than those in the past, though. The characters pretty much kick butt, take names and have time for nothing else. Makes sense although he has been able to pull off both in the past before but maybe this book just got away from him.
One of the problems with reading a series book in which you have read all the preceding books is that you don't really know if it would work as a stand alone. I am going to say both yes and no. Yes, it would work but really you wouldn't get the full experience. And the preceding books are so good why deny yourself the pleasure?
Preceding Books:
Sandstorm
Map of Bones (personal fave)
Black Order
The Judas Strain
The Last Oracle
The Tea: Using tea leaves: A friend in Scotland told me a trick that has always resulted in a good pot of tea -- add one for the kettle. So when making your pot, add a teaspoon of leaves for each cup of water and then add an extra teaspoon for the pot.
Genre: Thriller
Status: Library Book
Grade: Tough to say, let's give it an A
Three murders on three continents occur in rapid succession leaving behind only one clue-- all the victims are branded with a Druidic pagan cross. The horrific murders thrust Sigma Force -- an ultra clandestine unit working for the US Government -- into a battle of wits and wills with an organization determined to unleash a centuries old horror on mankind. As Director Painter Crow and Commander Gray Pierce attempt to put the pieces of the puzzles together before it is too late they find themselves jumping continents, raiding ancient relics and watching everyone around them to determine just who is friend or foe. Because they know someone on the inside of their little group has leaked information to the enemy. But just who is that traitor? And will this betrayal prevent them from ultimately discovering The Doomsday Key?
TDK is book 6 in the Sigma Series that Rollin's began with "Sand Storm". In the tradition of thriller writers like Alistair MacLean, Tom Clancy,Dan Brown and George Lucas (the mastermind behind Indiana Jones ;-) Rollins combines fast paced action and ancient mysteries to create a suspenseful, edge of your seat style read. One thing that puts Rollins at the top of the game is the absolute excellence of his research. The books are worth reading for the author's note alone. He also has the perfect writing style for this type of work -- being able to include his information into the text that doesn't result in an info dump that readers simply skip over. Good thing cause we need the info to solve the mystery.
And the mystery is what makes these books. I mentioned Indiana Jones specifically because that is what this series is most like. The mysteries being solved go all the way back to very ancient times. Much time is spent in crypts, in caves, going to restricted areas in museums -- you get the picture. It is not just people with guns but smart people with guns. There is almost always a professor involved -- normally two or three. In this case they are trying to solve the riddle of a modern day food farm massacre, an ancient plague, mysterious saints and their journals and how all that ties in to the Druidic cross.
We are introduced to a couple of new characters in this book, though not any that really impact the plot. One of them is clearly thrown in just for the PC aspect but again, no real impact on the plot. Somebody needs to wear a red shirt to keep things real, right? ;-) Old favorites like Painter, Gray, Kat, Monk, Rachel, Seichen are all there. This novel was less of a character growth book than those in the past, though. The characters pretty much kick butt, take names and have time for nothing else. Makes sense although he has been able to pull off both in the past before but maybe this book just got away from him.
One of the problems with reading a series book in which you have read all the preceding books is that you don't really know if it would work as a stand alone. I am going to say both yes and no. Yes, it would work but really you wouldn't get the full experience. And the preceding books are so good why deny yourself the pleasure?
Preceding Books:
Sandstorm
Map of Bones (personal fave)
Black Order
The Judas Strain
The Last Oracle
The Tea: Using tea leaves: A friend in Scotland told me a trick that has always resulted in a good pot of tea -- add one for the kettle. So when making your pot, add a teaspoon of leaves for each cup of water and then add an extra teaspoon for the pot.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Red's Hot Honky Tonk Bar
Author: Pamela Morsi
Genre: Women's Fiction
Status: Library Book
Grade: B
One phone call can change your entire life. Before Red Cullen took the call that was to change hers she was a red hot honky tonk owner, a 40 something with a toned, tattooed bod and a fiddle playing boy toy. After the call she was a grandma with 9 yr old Olivia and six year old Daniel in tow, shocked at the news that her daughter Bridge is in Iraq with the army, Abuela who normally cares for the kids while she is overseas has had a stroke and no longer can and that Red is actually listed as the next of kin on Bridges notification forms. Right from the beginning Red shows just how unprepared she is for the way her life is about to change when she goes to pick the children up in a two seater sports car without a seat belt -- or even seat-- for the youngest child -- and the base security guard refuses to let her off base till she has both. As she sits and waits for Cam, her boy toy, to come help her out she wonders just what else about her life will prove to be totally incompatible to two young children -- and will Cam be one of those things when he finds out she not only has a kid but grandkids?
I love Pam Morsi's writing and the way she focuses her work on "regular folk" who are unique individuals. Red, a bar owner in San Antonio, TX may be a tad different than most people but she is very grounded in today's world. She has to worry about bills, she has to work, she has relationship problems and trust issues -- in short, she is unique but also "just folk". Morsi captures Red beautifully, slowly introducing us to the many layers that are Red and bringing nuance to a character who (because of her career and background) would have been very easy to have be all show and no substance. She does this with each character in turn, painting Olivia (Livvy) and Daniel vividly enough that they aren't just central casting kids but again, alive, unique individuals who are the type of people you expect to meet at your local playground. In fact, Morsi cuts no corners in creating any character, making them all step off the page even if they are only on it for a moment or two.
This is Red's story and we get it almost exclusively from her point of view. It would be easy to call it "women's fiction" with all that entails but in many ways it is a very untraditional coming of age story. As the story unfolds Red learns all the lessons of coming of age -- that no one truly stands on their own but that learning to live within family and community as a full functioning member are what adulthood is all about, that love leaves you vulnerable and that in the end life isn't about how little help you need but about how much help you give. She learns that little about the future can be set in stone, no matter how hard we work to make that the case and that life affects us all this way -- rich, poor, young or old it offers none of us guarantees. It would be easy to think that Red's not knowing these things mean we meet an immature woman at the beginning of the book but we don't. Red had a tough road to traverse with many obstacles on it and she has traversed it and conquered it. But she traveled so hard and so fast that this is the first moment she has ever really been forced to look at who all was traveling that road with her. She doesn't waste that opportunity.
So why isn't this book an A? Does it have a perfect, happy ending? No. The whole point of the book is that life can come at us sideways and Red at the end of the book has the shadow of several of those "sideways" looming over the future. My complaint was with how very smoothly the problems that crop up are handled. All the things that Red needs to bridge her lifestyle to that of the kids appear. The children themselves might initially treat her with some well earned disrespect and skepticism (she is clueless as to what is expected from the modern parent) but they quickly settle into being model school children. They excel at school -- no learning disabilities or adjustments for the fact that they have been in numerous schools in their young lives are needed. More, Red is easily accepted into a community that you wouldn't expect her to be embraced by. When altercations occur with significant players -- even physical ones -- they are forgiven. Even Red's past is brought to a point where there is some closure and some small (far too late and far too little) rectification is made. Don't get me wrong, in many ways that was great. No downers or pesky, unhappy realities to deal with. But it also made me question a bit why the author went down this path to begin with. It seemed unrealistic to take us to the edge of a cliff only for us to find that it was only a two foot drop -- and we didn't even twist an ankle on the way down. Yes, the future is uncertain but that is the reality all of us face. Most of us face it without warning so even in that sense Red has one over on the rest of us.
I would recommend this book still. It is a great read, just a bit on the sugary side. And hey, who doesn't need sugar every once in a while.
The tea: Anything sweet will work but sweet iced tea is the best for dealing with that San Antonio sunshine!
Genre: Women's Fiction
Status: Library Book
Grade: B
One phone call can change your entire life. Before Red Cullen took the call that was to change hers she was a red hot honky tonk owner, a 40 something with a toned, tattooed bod and a fiddle playing boy toy. After the call she was a grandma with 9 yr old Olivia and six year old Daniel in tow, shocked at the news that her daughter Bridge is in Iraq with the army, Abuela who normally cares for the kids while she is overseas has had a stroke and no longer can and that Red is actually listed as the next of kin on Bridges notification forms. Right from the beginning Red shows just how unprepared she is for the way her life is about to change when she goes to pick the children up in a two seater sports car without a seat belt -- or even seat-- for the youngest child -- and the base security guard refuses to let her off base till she has both. As she sits and waits for Cam, her boy toy, to come help her out she wonders just what else about her life will prove to be totally incompatible to two young children -- and will Cam be one of those things when he finds out she not only has a kid but grandkids?
I love Pam Morsi's writing and the way she focuses her work on "regular folk" who are unique individuals. Red, a bar owner in San Antonio, TX may be a tad different than most people but she is very grounded in today's world. She has to worry about bills, she has to work, she has relationship problems and trust issues -- in short, she is unique but also "just folk". Morsi captures Red beautifully, slowly introducing us to the many layers that are Red and bringing nuance to a character who (because of her career and background) would have been very easy to have be all show and no substance. She does this with each character in turn, painting Olivia (Livvy) and Daniel vividly enough that they aren't just central casting kids but again, alive, unique individuals who are the type of people you expect to meet at your local playground. In fact, Morsi cuts no corners in creating any character, making them all step off the page even if they are only on it for a moment or two.
This is Red's story and we get it almost exclusively from her point of view. It would be easy to call it "women's fiction" with all that entails but in many ways it is a very untraditional coming of age story. As the story unfolds Red learns all the lessons of coming of age -- that no one truly stands on their own but that learning to live within family and community as a full functioning member are what adulthood is all about, that love leaves you vulnerable and that in the end life isn't about how little help you need but about how much help you give. She learns that little about the future can be set in stone, no matter how hard we work to make that the case and that life affects us all this way -- rich, poor, young or old it offers none of us guarantees. It would be easy to think that Red's not knowing these things mean we meet an immature woman at the beginning of the book but we don't. Red had a tough road to traverse with many obstacles on it and she has traversed it and conquered it. But she traveled so hard and so fast that this is the first moment she has ever really been forced to look at who all was traveling that road with her. She doesn't waste that opportunity.
So why isn't this book an A? Does it have a perfect, happy ending? No. The whole point of the book is that life can come at us sideways and Red at the end of the book has the shadow of several of those "sideways" looming over the future. My complaint was with how very smoothly the problems that crop up are handled. All the things that Red needs to bridge her lifestyle to that of the kids appear. The children themselves might initially treat her with some well earned disrespect and skepticism (she is clueless as to what is expected from the modern parent) but they quickly settle into being model school children. They excel at school -- no learning disabilities or adjustments for the fact that they have been in numerous schools in their young lives are needed. More, Red is easily accepted into a community that you wouldn't expect her to be embraced by. When altercations occur with significant players -- even physical ones -- they are forgiven. Even Red's past is brought to a point where there is some closure and some small (far too late and far too little) rectification is made. Don't get me wrong, in many ways that was great. No downers or pesky, unhappy realities to deal with. But it also made me question a bit why the author went down this path to begin with. It seemed unrealistic to take us to the edge of a cliff only for us to find that it was only a two foot drop -- and we didn't even twist an ankle on the way down. Yes, the future is uncertain but that is the reality all of us face. Most of us face it without warning so even in that sense Red has one over on the rest of us.
I would recommend this book still. It is a great read, just a bit on the sugary side. And hey, who doesn't need sugar every once in a while.
The tea: Anything sweet will work but sweet iced tea is the best for dealing with that San Antonio sunshine!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Darkborn
Darkborn Alison Sinclair
Characters C-
Originality C
World Building A
Readability/Writing Style A
Overall Grade comes out to a B/B-
With something like this I fall back on the old GPA system, adding the grades together and then coming up with the overall grade by using the average. I posted everything because this is one of those uneven books that is almost impossible to recommend or NOT recommend.
Here is the blurb about the book from Amazon.com:From Publishers Weekly
Quote:
A mysterious curse puts unusual limitations on the cast of Sinclair's slow-moving but intriguing paranormal romance, the first of a trilogy. The blind Darkborn of Minhorne can't survive in the light, while the Lightborn will perish without it. The peaceful lives of Dr. Balthasar Hearne and Lady Telmaine Hearne, magically gifted Darkborn, are disrupted when Tercelle Amberley, once betrothed to Bal's long-missing brother and now engaged to duke-to-be Ferdenzil Mycene, shows up to ask Bal's help in delivering her illegitimate—and Lightborn-fathered—twin boys. She promptly deserts the infants, and an assassin seeking them takes the Hearnes' daughter hostage as further complications ensue. Sinclair (Cavalcade) raises too many unanswered questions, mostly regarding the origins of the curse and the characters' Regency-style manners, but the political intrigue is mostly enough to sustain readers' interest. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Alison Sinclair is an accomplished writer with a smooth style and knows just how much info to dole out at a time. The book is very, very readable.
But it did have flaws. The main problems came with the characters -- I would have to get into spoiler territory to fully describe them but they tend to be huge contradictions -- traditional but completely unconventional, mild mannered but not etc., etc.. Where in Gardner's "The Neighbor" I was awed by the complexity, in this one it was more contradiction than complexity. The characters behavior and actions simply didn't flow out of who they were. One critical scene that involved the rescue of a kidnap victim was first delayed unnaturally and then handled unnaturally. I didn't like the love quadrangle that sprang up either -- it added a confusion to characters already confusing enough.
In terms of originality, one piece of it was VERY familiar to me from previous fantasy series. I realize the writer was giving her own spin on a classic tale but my complaint was that she didn't dress it up enough for me not to recognize the tale. On the other hand, Lost the TV series and Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" both did dress it up enough for me to be awed by their handling.
But the world building was AWESOME. The light and dark born were really intriguing and I didn't trip over any contradictory facts, etc.
Overall, if you like fantasy novels I recommend getting this one from the library. It is well worth a read and I am looking forward to following the series.
Tea: Lemon Zinger, a bit otherworldly but also capable of being sweet when you add sugar, tart without.
Characters C-
Originality C
World Building A
Readability/Writing Style A
Overall Grade comes out to a B/B-
With something like this I fall back on the old GPA system, adding the grades together and then coming up with the overall grade by using the average. I posted everything because this is one of those uneven books that is almost impossible to recommend or NOT recommend.
Here is the blurb about the book from Amazon.com:From Publishers Weekly
Quote:
A mysterious curse puts unusual limitations on the cast of Sinclair's slow-moving but intriguing paranormal romance, the first of a trilogy. The blind Darkborn of Minhorne can't survive in the light, while the Lightborn will perish without it. The peaceful lives of Dr. Balthasar Hearne and Lady Telmaine Hearne, magically gifted Darkborn, are disrupted when Tercelle Amberley, once betrothed to Bal's long-missing brother and now engaged to duke-to-be Ferdenzil Mycene, shows up to ask Bal's help in delivering her illegitimate—and Lightborn-fathered—twin boys. She promptly deserts the infants, and an assassin seeking them takes the Hearnes' daughter hostage as further complications ensue. Sinclair (Cavalcade) raises too many unanswered questions, mostly regarding the origins of the curse and the characters' Regency-style manners, but the political intrigue is mostly enough to sustain readers' interest. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Alison Sinclair is an accomplished writer with a smooth style and knows just how much info to dole out at a time. The book is very, very readable.
But it did have flaws. The main problems came with the characters -- I would have to get into spoiler territory to fully describe them but they tend to be huge contradictions -- traditional but completely unconventional, mild mannered but not etc., etc.. Where in Gardner's "The Neighbor" I was awed by the complexity, in this one it was more contradiction than complexity. The characters behavior and actions simply didn't flow out of who they were. One critical scene that involved the rescue of a kidnap victim was first delayed unnaturally and then handled unnaturally. I didn't like the love quadrangle that sprang up either -- it added a confusion to characters already confusing enough.
In terms of originality, one piece of it was VERY familiar to me from previous fantasy series. I realize the writer was giving her own spin on a classic tale but my complaint was that she didn't dress it up enough for me not to recognize the tale. On the other hand, Lost the TV series and Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" both did dress it up enough for me to be awed by their handling.
But the world building was AWESOME. The light and dark born were really intriguing and I didn't trip over any contradictory facts, etc.
Overall, if you like fantasy novels I recommend getting this one from the library. It is well worth a read and I am looking forward to following the series.
Tea: Lemon Zinger, a bit otherworldly but also capable of being sweet when you add sugar, tart without.
Bewitching Season
Author: Marissa Doyle
Status: Library Book
Grade: I'm giving it a C -- but I'm not firm on that decision, LOL!
Tea: There are books that call for Earl Grey. This is one of them.
Persephone and Penelope Leland, Pen and Perse to friends, are the young daughters of Viscount Lord Asherton. It is the year of their "coming out" and the two girls have been hard at work learning all they need to know for the season -- dance, conversation, etiquette and magic? Even though being a witch or wizard is still a burning offense in the Kingdom, young witches and wizards are tracked and trained quietly by existing wizards and witches. It is all very hush, hush but the training ensures that young, untrained magical folk don't accidentally give the existence of magic away to the general public.
Miss Allardyce, governess extraordinaire, who has been training the girls in magic as well as decorum goes ahead of the Leland family to their London townhouse to get it ready for the Season. While there she is to begin ordering the girls gowns and accessories, as well as visit her own family who owns a very special bookshop. The girls are fond of "Ally" as they call her and when they learn she has gone missing after visiting her family they involve themselves in trying to find her as well as carrying out their own duties as members of Society during the Season.
The book had a bit of a feel of "Sorcery and Ceceila" by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. The world building was the same, although this one takes place in the early Victorian Era. While "S & C" is an extraordinary work by two talented authors this work is much sketchier than that effort.
The book is mostly about Perse, the shyer sister who really just wishes she was a boy who could retire to the country and study magic and Greek. She has little clever conversation and so is surprised when her ability to smile and simply say yes! and how interesting! make her extremely popular with the young men of the Season who are actually more anxious to talk at her than with her. Soon she is juggling several beaux as well as desperately working to gain the attention of the handsome Lochinvar and find her missing governess.
Several times I almost didn't finish the book. Perse could act very young and it was more than a little disconcerting to think she would be married soon. She just didn't have a clue what that meant. She was also more than a bit careless with others feelings. Not to add careless with using her magic in a climate that was supposedly hostile to it. It's not that I disliked her so much as she came across as just very, very immature. There were plot twists that made little sense and I felt the author tried to include a bit too much. While I really appreciated that the history was far more than just back ground noise I wish she would have found a way to include it that could have been more naturally wrapped into the plot.
Overall the book just felt a bit too youthful and foolish for me to really enjoy it.
Status: Library Book
Grade: I'm giving it a C -- but I'm not firm on that decision, LOL!
Tea: There are books that call for Earl Grey. This is one of them.
Persephone and Penelope Leland, Pen and Perse to friends, are the young daughters of Viscount Lord Asherton. It is the year of their "coming out" and the two girls have been hard at work learning all they need to know for the season -- dance, conversation, etiquette and magic? Even though being a witch or wizard is still a burning offense in the Kingdom, young witches and wizards are tracked and trained quietly by existing wizards and witches. It is all very hush, hush but the training ensures that young, untrained magical folk don't accidentally give the existence of magic away to the general public.
Miss Allardyce, governess extraordinaire, who has been training the girls in magic as well as decorum goes ahead of the Leland family to their London townhouse to get it ready for the Season. While there she is to begin ordering the girls gowns and accessories, as well as visit her own family who owns a very special bookshop. The girls are fond of "Ally" as they call her and when they learn she has gone missing after visiting her family they involve themselves in trying to find her as well as carrying out their own duties as members of Society during the Season.
The book had a bit of a feel of "Sorcery and Ceceila" by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. The world building was the same, although this one takes place in the early Victorian Era. While "S & C" is an extraordinary work by two talented authors this work is much sketchier than that effort.
The book is mostly about Perse, the shyer sister who really just wishes she was a boy who could retire to the country and study magic and Greek. She has little clever conversation and so is surprised when her ability to smile and simply say yes! and how interesting! make her extremely popular with the young men of the Season who are actually more anxious to talk at her than with her. Soon she is juggling several beaux as well as desperately working to gain the attention of the handsome Lochinvar and find her missing governess.
Several times I almost didn't finish the book. Perse could act very young and it was more than a little disconcerting to think she would be married soon. She just didn't have a clue what that meant. She was also more than a bit careless with others feelings. Not to add careless with using her magic in a climate that was supposedly hostile to it. It's not that I disliked her so much as she came across as just very, very immature. There were plot twists that made little sense and I felt the author tried to include a bit too much. While I really appreciated that the history was far more than just back ground noise I wish she would have found a way to include it that could have been more naturally wrapped into the plot.
Overall the book just felt a bit too youthful and foolish for me to really enjoy it.
What I Saw and How I Lied
Genre: Teen, general fiction
Status: Library Book
author: Judy Blundell
Grade: A, with reservations
"He might have been a thief, a liar and a cheat but he was a good person."
When I think of the 1940's I think of women in high heels, swanky suits and that bright red lipstick. I think of men in suits and ties and stylish hats. I think black and white, big band and film noir. "What I saw and How I Lied" perfectly evokes every one of those images to give us a sleek, stylish thriller told in a quick but intense 280 pages.
Evie Spooner is 15 yrs. old when her step-father comes home from the war. She is thrilled to have him home but she feels all the awkwardness of that age where she is starting to notice boys but they are not really noticing her. It is not made easier by the fact that her mother is "a dish" -- a gorgeous, curvaceous blond who makes Evie look even drabber in comparison. But all that gets pushed from Evie's head when after getting a call from a man looking for someone else Evie's step-dad suddenly decides to take his little family on a whirlwind trip to Florida.
The book is told in the first person, which frankly is the only way it would have worked. As we move inexorably toward the moment when Evie will have to lie we, the reader, pick up all the clues telling us why her world is about to do a complete 180. In a third person tale missing these hints would have made Evie look like a complete idiot but because we see them all through Evie's eyes we know why she was misinterpreting them, what she was thinking and feeling as she did so and that saves the book. It also gives it its air of mystery and doubt, giving it that unique noir feel that is so impossible to catch in a third person story.
My reservations come in under two points -- one is that this is marked a teen novel but the subject matter feels very adult to me. One of the biggest points of the novel is that moment when we all realize that the adults in our lives aren't saints or perfect but all too human. Many teen books have this but this goes far beyond the norm and introduces a world so cynical even a long time Law and Order veteran watcher like myself had to shake her head a bit at it all. This is a testament to Blundell -- she makes her characters very real, very much regular people in a seemingly regular situation which quite suddenly turns on them. Her timing and the sense of the growing of the mystery is exquisite, it was a perfect noir pace. But that also makes it a book which really doesn't read "teen" and more, I'm not sure many modern teens would be able to relate to it.
The second reservation dealt with one of the characters. She acted very much out of character or at least, according to Evie, what we knew of her character and a great deal of the plot hinged on that. I would have liked to have seen the author explain it a bit more, show us if Evie had misjudged her previous character of if a change of location is what caused the change in behavior.
Overall this is a fantastic read. It is a "National Book Award Winner" and most assuredly deserved that. I recommend it -- but maybe mom's will want to read it before passing it on to teens.
The Tea: The strongest black tea you have or cheat a bit and make it coffee. Drink it straight or with a strong dose of sugar and regular cream (no flavoring!). It will go perfectly with the spirit of the book.
Status: Library Book
author: Judy Blundell
Grade: A, with reservations
"He might have been a thief, a liar and a cheat but he was a good person."
When I think of the 1940's I think of women in high heels, swanky suits and that bright red lipstick. I think of men in suits and ties and stylish hats. I think black and white, big band and film noir. "What I saw and How I Lied" perfectly evokes every one of those images to give us a sleek, stylish thriller told in a quick but intense 280 pages.
Evie Spooner is 15 yrs. old when her step-father comes home from the war. She is thrilled to have him home but she feels all the awkwardness of that age where she is starting to notice boys but they are not really noticing her. It is not made easier by the fact that her mother is "a dish" -- a gorgeous, curvaceous blond who makes Evie look even drabber in comparison. But all that gets pushed from Evie's head when after getting a call from a man looking for someone else Evie's step-dad suddenly decides to take his little family on a whirlwind trip to Florida.
The book is told in the first person, which frankly is the only way it would have worked. As we move inexorably toward the moment when Evie will have to lie we, the reader, pick up all the clues telling us why her world is about to do a complete 180. In a third person tale missing these hints would have made Evie look like a complete idiot but because we see them all through Evie's eyes we know why she was misinterpreting them, what she was thinking and feeling as she did so and that saves the book. It also gives it its air of mystery and doubt, giving it that unique noir feel that is so impossible to catch in a third person story.
My reservations come in under two points -- one is that this is marked a teen novel but the subject matter feels very adult to me. One of the biggest points of the novel is that moment when we all realize that the adults in our lives aren't saints or perfect but all too human. Many teen books have this but this goes far beyond the norm and introduces a world so cynical even a long time Law and Order veteran watcher like myself had to shake her head a bit at it all. This is a testament to Blundell -- she makes her characters very real, very much regular people in a seemingly regular situation which quite suddenly turns on them. Her timing and the sense of the growing of the mystery is exquisite, it was a perfect noir pace. But that also makes it a book which really doesn't read "teen" and more, I'm not sure many modern teens would be able to relate to it.
The second reservation dealt with one of the characters. She acted very much out of character or at least, according to Evie, what we knew of her character and a great deal of the plot hinged on that. I would have liked to have seen the author explain it a bit more, show us if Evie had misjudged her previous character of if a change of location is what caused the change in behavior.
Overall this is a fantastic read. It is a "National Book Award Winner" and most assuredly deserved that. I recommend it -- but maybe mom's will want to read it before passing it on to teens.
The Tea: The strongest black tea you have or cheat a bit and make it coffee. Drink it straight or with a strong dose of sugar and regular cream (no flavoring!). It will go perfectly with the spirit of the book.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Aliens, baby! Yeah!!!!
The Hidden Worlds
The Cold Minds
The Dark Reaches by Kristin Landon
Status: Library Books
Grade: C
Tagline: After the Earth was destroyed by ruthless machine intelligences known as the Cold Minds, the remnants of the human race sought refuge on the Hidden Worlds.
I miss science fiction. Sure, I love fantasy but watching the new Star Trek movie this year reminded me of how much I love S/F and how little I've been getting of it lately. Movies are doing a good job of getting the message out -- Transformers, Iron Man, Escape from Witch Mountain, Aliens in the Attic -- but there's nothing like sinking your teeth into a good s/f novel. Unfortunately, this experience isn't quite that.
Now, before I start tearing these books apart and telling you where the author went wrong I want to emphasize that C means average. It means the author may have made mistakes that keep things from being an A but she did enough right that I am not trashing her work. It means she kept me reading in spite of flaws. It means there is good in these books along with the bad and that they aren't a total waste of time. Just saying.
Plot: Linnea Kiaho is nineteen and looking at a really bad future if she can't find a way to fix things. Her home world is a backwater, hostile planet that barely ekes out an existence for its inhabitants when things are going well. And right now, things ain't going well. To save her family Linnea breaks the greatest taboo of her people and accepts an indenture on the godless, decadent planet of the Pilot Masters hoping she will be able to blackmail one of them with an old family secret. This secret is apparently worth a great deal of money. The only problem? She doesn't have a clue what the secret is -- just what the container it is in looks like. She has to hope that information will be enough to trigger fear in the man she is about to tell it to.
The man to whom she is about to tell it to, Ian van Paolo, has problems of his own -- one of them being that he never agreed to take on an indentured servant and another being that he is in danger of losing his position. Not to add that he has no clue what the container she is talking about holds! Knowing that Linnea can only be a trap set by his enemies, Ian ignores advice from all sides and tries to find out how Linnea got there and just what it is that she doesn't know that could hurt him.
But this is hardly the time for any of this because after six centuries of hiding the cold minds have finally found them . . . . . .
Solving the riddle of the secret and working to save their world will take Linnea and Ian to places they never expected to go and give them a love that can cross galaxies.
The Nitpicking: I am probably hampered from understanding the following because I am a woman but here it is: Why do people assume that women will get to outer space and decide that freedom isn't for us and we want to give up every right we have ever earned? I mean, really? I won't want to vote, own property, or have the right to work to feed myself? Is the air out there too thin or something???? What really amazes is that this tends to come from the pens of women sci-fi writers-- men expect us to be able to do everything and look hot doing it; women seem to expect that we will want to redo the work of Ms. Anthony. The world Linnea comes from has women as very sub-standard citizens which just struck me as . . a touch stupid. I could understand if it had been explained that these people were the Amish, still sticking to their traditions even out there in space after several hundred years (and good for them if that is the ever the case) but they aren't. They are religious (I would guess some form of Anglican from what I read)but it makes no sense as to why the women would have no rights. To add to that I am confused as to why they landed on this world and then promptly threw in the towel. It did not sound like they tried to make the best of the place at all.
Another point which is not isolated to this particular series is the assumption that mankind will get to outer space and cease to be innovative. I don't buy that for a minute. Our technology is replaced every five years right now -- I think the more techno dependent we become the more we will crave better and better machines. It's just our nature. I buy that whole situation turning on us but I don't buy the idea that we won't be innovative.
I don't like "other space" or whatever people name it. The idea that we somehow have to mentally navigate some form of non-existence to travel the outer reaches of space hasn't worked for me since Dune and didn't work for me here. (Now see Dune made sense -- those people worked hard to make something of that planet but I digress.)
I also don't get humanity setting up a colony on a world where there are no resources and death is inevitable without outside help. A colony indicates a decision and I would think that decision would be more thought out.
In later books when we get to find out just who and what "The Cold Minds" are the revelation seems rushed and almost swept over like it is of no significance. It also carries on an ongoing theme, in a sense, of these books which is that survival trumps problem resolution. One of the themes I love in s/f is that problem resolution equals survival, so I find this a bit off putting. That could just be me though.
In fairness to Ms. Landon these "mistakes" (if indeed they are that) are common errors in the entire genre, not just her book. But that doesn't completely exempt her either - I would have appreciated at least a halfhearted attempt at explaining some of this.
In the end this was a really hard review to write. I don't want to completely discourage people from reading the books because they are, I think, worth at least a try. On the other hand, I don't want to encourage people to think they are precisely great reads either -- they aren't perfect and might fall apart under intense scrutiny.
The Tea: Any "Celestial" Seasonings tea has a nice spatial theme to it. Enjoy!
The Cold Minds
The Dark Reaches by Kristin Landon
Status: Library Books
Grade: C
Tagline: After the Earth was destroyed by ruthless machine intelligences known as the Cold Minds, the remnants of the human race sought refuge on the Hidden Worlds.
I miss science fiction. Sure, I love fantasy but watching the new Star Trek movie this year reminded me of how much I love S/F and how little I've been getting of it lately. Movies are doing a good job of getting the message out -- Transformers, Iron Man, Escape from Witch Mountain, Aliens in the Attic -- but there's nothing like sinking your teeth into a good s/f novel. Unfortunately, this experience isn't quite that.
Now, before I start tearing these books apart and telling you where the author went wrong I want to emphasize that C means average. It means the author may have made mistakes that keep things from being an A but she did enough right that I am not trashing her work. It means she kept me reading in spite of flaws. It means there is good in these books along with the bad and that they aren't a total waste of time. Just saying.
Plot: Linnea Kiaho is nineteen and looking at a really bad future if she can't find a way to fix things. Her home world is a backwater, hostile planet that barely ekes out an existence for its inhabitants when things are going well. And right now, things ain't going well. To save her family Linnea breaks the greatest taboo of her people and accepts an indenture on the godless, decadent planet of the Pilot Masters hoping she will be able to blackmail one of them with an old family secret. This secret is apparently worth a great deal of money. The only problem? She doesn't have a clue what the secret is -- just what the container it is in looks like. She has to hope that information will be enough to trigger fear in the man she is about to tell it to.
The man to whom she is about to tell it to, Ian van Paolo, has problems of his own -- one of them being that he never agreed to take on an indentured servant and another being that he is in danger of losing his position. Not to add that he has no clue what the container she is talking about holds! Knowing that Linnea can only be a trap set by his enemies, Ian ignores advice from all sides and tries to find out how Linnea got there and just what it is that she doesn't know that could hurt him.
But this is hardly the time for any of this because after six centuries of hiding the cold minds have finally found them . . . . . .
Solving the riddle of the secret and working to save their world will take Linnea and Ian to places they never expected to go and give them a love that can cross galaxies.
The Nitpicking: I am probably hampered from understanding the following because I am a woman but here it is: Why do people assume that women will get to outer space and decide that freedom isn't for us and we want to give up every right we have ever earned? I mean, really? I won't want to vote, own property, or have the right to work to feed myself? Is the air out there too thin or something???? What really amazes is that this tends to come from the pens of women sci-fi writers-- men expect us to be able to do everything and look hot doing it; women seem to expect that we will want to redo the work of Ms. Anthony. The world Linnea comes from has women as very sub-standard citizens which just struck me as . . a touch stupid. I could understand if it had been explained that these people were the Amish, still sticking to their traditions even out there in space after several hundred years (and good for them if that is the ever the case) but they aren't. They are religious (I would guess some form of Anglican from what I read)but it makes no sense as to why the women would have no rights. To add to that I am confused as to why they landed on this world and then promptly threw in the towel. It did not sound like they tried to make the best of the place at all.
Another point which is not isolated to this particular series is the assumption that mankind will get to outer space and cease to be innovative. I don't buy that for a minute. Our technology is replaced every five years right now -- I think the more techno dependent we become the more we will crave better and better machines. It's just our nature. I buy that whole situation turning on us but I don't buy the idea that we won't be innovative.
I don't like "other space" or whatever people name it. The idea that we somehow have to mentally navigate some form of non-existence to travel the outer reaches of space hasn't worked for me since Dune and didn't work for me here. (Now see Dune made sense -- those people worked hard to make something of that planet but I digress.)
I also don't get humanity setting up a colony on a world where there are no resources and death is inevitable without outside help. A colony indicates a decision and I would think that decision would be more thought out.
In later books when we get to find out just who and what "The Cold Minds" are the revelation seems rushed and almost swept over like it is of no significance. It also carries on an ongoing theme, in a sense, of these books which is that survival trumps problem resolution. One of the themes I love in s/f is that problem resolution equals survival, so I find this a bit off putting. That could just be me though.
In fairness to Ms. Landon these "mistakes" (if indeed they are that) are common errors in the entire genre, not just her book. But that doesn't completely exempt her either - I would have appreciated at least a halfhearted attempt at explaining some of this.
In the end this was a really hard review to write. I don't want to completely discourage people from reading the books because they are, I think, worth at least a try. On the other hand, I don't want to encourage people to think they are precisely great reads either -- they aren't perfect and might fall apart under intense scrutiny.
The Tea: Any "Celestial" Seasonings tea has a nice spatial theme to it. Enjoy!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Made to be Broken
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Grade: A
Status: Library Book
Prior book: Exit Strategy. Don't need to read but it helps set up the characters. This one stands alone fine though.
Plot: Nadia Stafford's taxable income comes from running a nature lodge in Canada. But her non-taxable income is what makes Nadia unique: She's an ex-cop turned professional hitman. But this time around it's Nadia's legit business that gets her in trouble -- a teenage mom and sometimes employee of Nadia's has gone missing with her young daughter. While most of the town is convinced that the girl has simply gone on to warmer climes Nadia's instincts scream that there is more to the story. As she begins to investigate just what that more could be she pulls friends from her "other" job into a problem that grows more complex every time she turns around and soon Nadia finds all her worlds colliding -- past, present and possibly even future-- as she finds out that some people will do anything for what they want but should never have.
Characterization: Nadia is so well drawn it is frightening. Normally I wouldn't love a heroine who was a hitman, nor have warm feelings towards two possible love interests that share that same profession but I do. Nadia, Jack and Quinn are all three layered sufficiently that you don't just judge them by their profession -- these are very real people who are (mostly) given very good reasons for what they are and the decisions they've made. You don't feel drawn to exonerate them -- they wouldn't ask that of you -- but you don't feel drawn to judge them either. I love the fact that they don't excuse themselves by trying to make out they are somehow better than the mafia moles and drug dealers they are often hired to eliminate; many authors would fall into that trap but not Armstrong.
Readability/Writing Style: Armstrong is a strong writer able to evoke poignant images with her prose. Many characters and locations leapt off the page for me.
All around a great, can't-put-it-down sort of read.
Tea: The plot is chilling so the tea called for needs to warm you up! My fave: Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger, a decaf tea you can drink all night (trust me, the book will be more than enough to keep you awake).
maggie b.
Grade: A
Status: Library Book
Prior book: Exit Strategy. Don't need to read but it helps set up the characters. This one stands alone fine though.
Plot: Nadia Stafford's taxable income comes from running a nature lodge in Canada. But her non-taxable income is what makes Nadia unique: She's an ex-cop turned professional hitman. But this time around it's Nadia's legit business that gets her in trouble -- a teenage mom and sometimes employee of Nadia's has gone missing with her young daughter. While most of the town is convinced that the girl has simply gone on to warmer climes Nadia's instincts scream that there is more to the story. As she begins to investigate just what that more could be she pulls friends from her "other" job into a problem that grows more complex every time she turns around and soon Nadia finds all her worlds colliding -- past, present and possibly even future-- as she finds out that some people will do anything for what they want but should never have.
Characterization: Nadia is so well drawn it is frightening. Normally I wouldn't love a heroine who was a hitman, nor have warm feelings towards two possible love interests that share that same profession but I do. Nadia, Jack and Quinn are all three layered sufficiently that you don't just judge them by their profession -- these are very real people who are (mostly) given very good reasons for what they are and the decisions they've made. You don't feel drawn to exonerate them -- they wouldn't ask that of you -- but you don't feel drawn to judge them either. I love the fact that they don't excuse themselves by trying to make out they are somehow better than the mafia moles and drug dealers they are often hired to eliminate; many authors would fall into that trap but not Armstrong.
Readability/Writing Style: Armstrong is a strong writer able to evoke poignant images with her prose. Many characters and locations leapt off the page for me.
All around a great, can't-put-it-down sort of read.
Tea: The plot is chilling so the tea called for needs to warm you up! My fave: Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger, a decaf tea you can drink all night (trust me, the book will be more than enough to keep you awake).
maggie b.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Burn
Burn by Linda Howard B-/C+
Status: Library Book
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Characterization C
Plot C-
Readability/Writing Style A
Plot: When Jenner Redwine wins a large lottery she sheds the confines of working class life in Chicago for the hot, rich lifestyle available to wealthy in Miami. Jenner is not surprised she doesn't fit perfectly into the world of socialites and trust fund babies and she doesn't really care -- she is satisfied with the challenge of managing some of her own money and sweet hearted heiress Sydney Hazlett is all she really needs in terms of friends. Together they make the rounds of charity events and dance clubs gripping about boyfriends and trying to find true love in a world where many men look at them and see only dollar signs.
It is as they are preparing for one of these charity events -- a cruise on a luxury liner complete with balls, art auctions and snorkeling in Hawaii -- that they find themselves not in the warm waters of the pacific but in the hot waters of the world of intrigue. Sydney is whisked away to a hotel room while Jenner is forced to share their cruise cabin with a decidedly grim kidnapper. Told to cooperate or she risks Syd's life, Jenner is forced into a world where missteps are final steps, masks are not worn only at charity balls and the only allies you have may be the very people who got you into this mess in the first place. In spite of herself Jenner finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into this fascinating new world and deeper and deeper into a relationship with her kidnapper, the enigmatic, captivating Cael.
I had a couple problems with the plot. One was the long set up -- we are with Jenner when she wins the money and learn all about what it is like to be a lottery winner. I've seen this before (one memorable "Cold Case" dealt with a lottery winner turned victim) and I just didn't need it in that much detail. My second problem was the sheer unbelievability of it -- spying is sneaky work and I just find this completely unreal, over the top, and frankly, at some points, down right silly.
Characterization: I found Jenner a bit cold hearted. I could totally understand her feelings toward her father, her feelings toward her dead beat loser of a boyfriend and her bruised sense of being used. But I also felt she never gave her friend Michelle a real chance and was far too wary of all the men around her being after her for her money. I felt like she would never have gotten with Cael if he hadn't been rich and that bugged me. It is one thing to be able to look after yourself, it is another to be paranoid and judgmental of others. If Jenner had earned that money I might cut her more slack but she won it (yes, she wisely invested it rather than blowing it on cars or whatever but still, she won it). Her attitude to those less lucky just struck me as something of a character flaw.
I also felt Cael was sketched rather than fully drawn. I didn't really get to know him and I wished I had.
Readability/Writing Style: The book didn't seem to take itself very seriously and that helped me over look its flaws and just go with the flow. Howard is a very experienced writer and is easy to read, even in the sections that turn into info dumps about lottery winning. I think this makes a good summer, sitting in the lawn chair and don't really want to think read. Is it as good as old Howards? No. I returned it to the library with no qualms. But did I like it? Not enough to buy it but to read it and relax, yes.
Caveat: The names were darn distracting. I think authors try for too much creativity in this area. Really, when a character is well drawn and likable you can name them anything -- even something ordinary like Harry, Bella or Edward or Elizabeth or Darcy.
Tea: The only tea to drink in a lawn chair on a hot summer day is Southern Sweet Tea. I do the lazy thing and use six to eight bags of Lipton Ice Tea blend in the Iced Tea Machine I have. Then I add sugar (to taste although technically I use Splenda) OR I sometimes buy DaVinci Sugar Free Peach Syrup and DaVinci Sugar Free Raspberry Syrup and add about 1/4-1/2 cup each to the mix. This tastes very much like Bellini Iced Tea from the Olive Garden. The syrups are available online or at Cost Plus World Market.
Status: Library Book
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Characterization C
Plot C-
Readability/Writing Style A
Plot: When Jenner Redwine wins a large lottery she sheds the confines of working class life in Chicago for the hot, rich lifestyle available to wealthy in Miami. Jenner is not surprised she doesn't fit perfectly into the world of socialites and trust fund babies and she doesn't really care -- she is satisfied with the challenge of managing some of her own money and sweet hearted heiress Sydney Hazlett is all she really needs in terms of friends. Together they make the rounds of charity events and dance clubs gripping about boyfriends and trying to find true love in a world where many men look at them and see only dollar signs.
It is as they are preparing for one of these charity events -- a cruise on a luxury liner complete with balls, art auctions and snorkeling in Hawaii -- that they find themselves not in the warm waters of the pacific but in the hot waters of the world of intrigue. Sydney is whisked away to a hotel room while Jenner is forced to share their cruise cabin with a decidedly grim kidnapper. Told to cooperate or she risks Syd's life, Jenner is forced into a world where missteps are final steps, masks are not worn only at charity balls and the only allies you have may be the very people who got you into this mess in the first place. In spite of herself Jenner finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into this fascinating new world and deeper and deeper into a relationship with her kidnapper, the enigmatic, captivating Cael.
I had a couple problems with the plot. One was the long set up -- we are with Jenner when she wins the money and learn all about what it is like to be a lottery winner. I've seen this before (one memorable "Cold Case" dealt with a lottery winner turned victim) and I just didn't need it in that much detail. My second problem was the sheer unbelievability of it -- spying is sneaky work and I just find this completely unreal, over the top, and frankly, at some points, down right silly.
Characterization: I found Jenner a bit cold hearted. I could totally understand her feelings toward her father, her feelings toward her dead beat loser of a boyfriend and her bruised sense of being used. But I also felt she never gave her friend Michelle a real chance and was far too wary of all the men around her being after her for her money. I felt like she would never have gotten with Cael if he hadn't been rich and that bugged me. It is one thing to be able to look after yourself, it is another to be paranoid and judgmental of others. If Jenner had earned that money I might cut her more slack but she won it (yes, she wisely invested it rather than blowing it on cars or whatever but still, she won it). Her attitude to those less lucky just struck me as something of a character flaw.
I also felt Cael was sketched rather than fully drawn. I didn't really get to know him and I wished I had.
Readability/Writing Style: The book didn't seem to take itself very seriously and that helped me over look its flaws and just go with the flow. Howard is a very experienced writer and is easy to read, even in the sections that turn into info dumps about lottery winning. I think this makes a good summer, sitting in the lawn chair and don't really want to think read. Is it as good as old Howards? No. I returned it to the library with no qualms. But did I like it? Not enough to buy it but to read it and relax, yes.
Caveat: The names were darn distracting. I think authors try for too much creativity in this area. Really, when a character is well drawn and likable you can name them anything -- even something ordinary like Harry, Bella or Edward or Elizabeth or Darcy.
Tea: The only tea to drink in a lawn chair on a hot summer day is Southern Sweet Tea. I do the lazy thing and use six to eight bags of Lipton Ice Tea blend in the Iced Tea Machine I have. Then I add sugar (to taste although technically I use Splenda) OR I sometimes buy DaVinci Sugar Free Peach Syrup and DaVinci Sugar Free Raspberry Syrup and add about 1/4-1/2 cup each to the mix. This tastes very much like Bellini Iced Tea from the Olive Garden. The syrups are available online or at Cost Plus World Market.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder
Book 3 in the Study Series
Genre: Fantasy
Grade: C+
Status: Library Book
This will be short because Fire Study is a continuation of the first two books and almost everything in it is a spoiler for Poison or Magic.
In this novel, Ylena is continuing her studies but things go wrong almost right away. That is to be expected -- what are fantasy novels for but for things to go wrong ;-) What brought the grade down in this one is that when Ylena figures out there is a spy in her camp, she immediately turns on what I felt was the least likely candidate. In addition, the primary villain of the piece has been obvious from book two but Ylena seems surprised by finding out who it is as do several others, leaving them to fight a battle for several hundred pages that could have ended much more simply, imo. Finally, the book hinges on a secondary character going from good to bad to good again. That could have worked if the character had been a mercenary and pulled a Han Solo or just plain been a mercenary and either been paid more by the good guys or seen the battle going in their favor and decided to switch coats for self-preservation. He could have had a catalytic experience that showed the villain killed his father (or in the ever popular copy Star Wars style learned the villain was his father.) None of that happened. He just kept switching back and forth with no real cause that I could see.
Despite the above, I would recommend this book. Yes, there are errors but the first two novels more than make up for the mistakes in this one. The world is still interesting and by this point you are invested in the characters and want to learn what happens to them. Anyone experienced with fantasy trilogies knows that final books can be hard to pull off -- they wrap up the stories and often the plot gets bogged down in trying to explain everything. This book falls right in the middle of trilogy writing and for a freshman effort that is no bad place to be.
Genre: Fantasy
Grade: C+
Status: Library Book
This will be short because Fire Study is a continuation of the first two books and almost everything in it is a spoiler for Poison or Magic.
In this novel, Ylena is continuing her studies but things go wrong almost right away. That is to be expected -- what are fantasy novels for but for things to go wrong ;-) What brought the grade down in this one is that when Ylena figures out there is a spy in her camp, she immediately turns on what I felt was the least likely candidate. In addition, the primary villain of the piece has been obvious from book two but Ylena seems surprised by finding out who it is as do several others, leaving them to fight a battle for several hundred pages that could have ended much more simply, imo. Finally, the book hinges on a secondary character going from good to bad to good again. That could have worked if the character had been a mercenary and pulled a Han Solo or just plain been a mercenary and either been paid more by the good guys or seen the battle going in their favor and decided to switch coats for self-preservation. He could have had a catalytic experience that showed the villain killed his father (or in the ever popular copy Star Wars style learned the villain was his father.) None of that happened. He just kept switching back and forth with no real cause that I could see.
Despite the above, I would recommend this book. Yes, there are errors but the first two novels more than make up for the mistakes in this one. The world is still interesting and by this point you are invested in the characters and want to learn what happens to them. Anyone experienced with fantasy trilogies knows that final books can be hard to pull off -- they wrap up the stories and often the plot gets bogged down in trying to explain everything. This book falls right in the middle of trilogy writing and for a freshman effort that is no bad place to be.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
Book 2 in the Study series.
Grade: A
Status: Library Book
Genre: Fantasy
If you read my previous post you know I gave the first book in this series an A as well. This book has the same strong world building, fascinating characterizations and intriguing plotting that made the first book a win for me.
When we left Ylena at the end of "Poison Study" she was setting off for the next phase of her training to the neighboring land of Sitia. While Ixia, under the Commander, is more of a socialistic/communistic regime, Sitia is under a council based on magical ability and birth rights. There is an interesting contrast between life in Sitia and life in Ixia that I thought added to the book. The differences between the two governments is underlined by Cahil, someone Ylena grows to know over the course of the book who feels that he is the rightful leader of the Ixian people. I definitely formed an opinion as to which was the better way of life but I didn't feel the author really had Ylena do that -- and that was a good thing. Her neutrality forms a back drop for the individual reader to decide what they like best (or if they even care).
I don't want to give away much of the plot since it would include spoilers for "Poison Study" so I will say: Read Poison Study first. This is most definitely a book two and while it may stand alone it will certainly be a more confusing experience than it needs to be if you read book one. Also, most of the back ground information on the secondary characters is contained in book one and that information is needed to keep them from looking one dimensional.
What I can tell you about this book is that Ylena, an orphan, learns a great deal about her family back ground in this novel. It is less of an ordeal than Ylena fears and yet it is definitely rife with challenges of its own. As she struggles to discover who she is and who her friends (and enemies) are in this new environment she is also struggling to learn the basics of her new course of study, namely magic. A point in Snyder's favor as a writer is that she walks the line between too much and too little information very well. She doesn't overwhelm us with the how and why of Ylena's abilities but she does fill in what we need to know.
New characters are of course introduced and a challenge is presented that eerily mirrors something that Ylena had a taste of in book one. We don't spend as much time as I would have liked with characters from Poison but they definitely make an appearance. This book has more action and some of the new characters don't add much to the overall story but I was still very impressed with this sophomore effort.
If you like poison study you will not be disappointed in its sequel.
The Tea: I've made a surprising discovery. After years of drinking Celestial Seasonings Chai offerings I have become a lover of all things Lipton. I especially enjoy their basic decaf blend which serves as a nice conduit for my International Delight creamers. Unlike the Chai, which has a flavor of it's own, Lipton Decaf is a subtle taste that blends well with just about any creamer flavor -- especially the Hershey's rich chocolate. Enjoy!
Grade: A
Status: Library Book
Genre: Fantasy
If you read my previous post you know I gave the first book in this series an A as well. This book has the same strong world building, fascinating characterizations and intriguing plotting that made the first book a win for me.
When we left Ylena at the end of "Poison Study" she was setting off for the next phase of her training to the neighboring land of Sitia. While Ixia, under the Commander, is more of a socialistic/communistic regime, Sitia is under a council based on magical ability and birth rights. There is an interesting contrast between life in Sitia and life in Ixia that I thought added to the book. The differences between the two governments is underlined by Cahil, someone Ylena grows to know over the course of the book who feels that he is the rightful leader of the Ixian people. I definitely formed an opinion as to which was the better way of life but I didn't feel the author really had Ylena do that -- and that was a good thing. Her neutrality forms a back drop for the individual reader to decide what they like best (or if they even care).
I don't want to give away much of the plot since it would include spoilers for "Poison Study" so I will say: Read Poison Study first. This is most definitely a book two and while it may stand alone it will certainly be a more confusing experience than it needs to be if you read book one. Also, most of the back ground information on the secondary characters is contained in book one and that information is needed to keep them from looking one dimensional.
What I can tell you about this book is that Ylena, an orphan, learns a great deal about her family back ground in this novel. It is less of an ordeal than Ylena fears and yet it is definitely rife with challenges of its own. As she struggles to discover who she is and who her friends (and enemies) are in this new environment she is also struggling to learn the basics of her new course of study, namely magic. A point in Snyder's favor as a writer is that she walks the line between too much and too little information very well. She doesn't overwhelm us with the how and why of Ylena's abilities but she does fill in what we need to know.
New characters are of course introduced and a challenge is presented that eerily mirrors something that Ylena had a taste of in book one. We don't spend as much time as I would have liked with characters from Poison but they definitely make an appearance. This book has more action and some of the new characters don't add much to the overall story but I was still very impressed with this sophomore effort.
If you like poison study you will not be disappointed in its sequel.
The Tea: I've made a surprising discovery. After years of drinking Celestial Seasonings Chai offerings I have become a lover of all things Lipton. I especially enjoy their basic decaf blend which serves as a nice conduit for my International Delight creamers. Unlike the Chai, which has a flavor of it's own, Lipton Decaf is a subtle taste that blends well with just about any creamer flavor -- especially the Hershey's rich chocolate. Enjoy!
Monday, August 3, 2009
The Study Series by Maria V Snyder
The Series: Poison Study, Magic Study, Fire Study
The Author: Maria V. Snyder
My Grade: Books 1 and 2 A, Book 3 C
Poison Study: I loved this beginning to the Study series. As it indicates, the series is about a student about to embark on a most unusual course of study. When book one begins, the poison checker for the Commander, leader of Ixia has just died and as dictated by law the position is offered to the next prisoner in line for execution: Ylena Zaltana. Ylena's joy at her reprieve is cut short as she quickly realizes that she will be lucky to survive the training period, never mind worrying about the actual job! Her very first day in she is poisoned -- and advised that she needs the little vial of antidote held by Valek, her trainer, on a daily basis or she'll be dead in forty eight hours. Just his little way of keeping his poison checker in line. Then the study begins as Ylena learns -- sometimes by being poisoned herself -- just what each possible threat looks, tastes and feels like. As Ylena learns her position she begins building tentative relationships with the others who work in the Commander's headquarters. Is Valek, her trainer, friend or foe? Is Rand really just a friendly cook whose meals are akin to art? What about the soldiers Aro and Janco? And what about her self -- she is discovering she has some mighty peculiar talents in a land where magical abilities come with an automatic death sentence. As Ylena learns all about life at the top of the food chain in Ixia we learn all about the fascinating, multi-layered world Ms. Snyder has created. I found it deep, rich and interesting.
Ixia was interesting for a fantasy world because it challenged what we have always come to expect -- a feudal system built around kings and nobility. I don't want to give too much away but it is clear that Ms. Snyder thought out the aspects of government and the benefits what might attach to one form over another when creating her world. The Commander, as leader of the new world order, is a complex character. While we only get glimpses into who he is they are well thought out, nuanced glimpses which give us a guide to who he is and why he set up the government he did.
Valek, Ylena's trainer, is a familiar character in the fantasy landscape but for all that a very interesting individual and a good foil for our heroine. The roles he plays with her of tutor, challenger, and possible ally or enemy add depth to the book.
What worked for me in this book was that Snyder blended perfectly the craft of character and world building. She didn't become so fascinated by her novel form of government that she forgot to always let us see it through the character's eyes and he it affected them. And unlike many recent offerings I read she did not feel the need to explain magic, poison or the military to me ad nauseam. She gave enough glimpses into each that showed she had thought things out without getting bogged down in the details.
Her characters were all well nuanced and very likable. I especially liked the balance she used with Ylena -- while she is action oriented as she should be, she is also wise enough to always test the waters as she needs to, and always willing to ask for instruction as warranted. Not everything comes easily to Ylena, which always adds a nice sense of balance and reality to a character. If I had a quibble it was not with this character but the fact that several of the minor characters were so well reasoned out -- everyone had a purpose for doing something, no one seemed mean just for the heck of it. Unfortunately, life isn't quite that perfect but really, that is just one very minor quibble.
I raced through this book in an afternoon. It has a light, easy, reading style and Ylena's voice is highly enjoyable. I liked the characters and the action and mystery kept me turning the pages.
For: Fans of any paranormals.
Romance: Light but definitely there.
Tea: The perfect tea for this book is a mint tea. Candy Cane Lane, a green tea with the perfect hint of peppermint by Celestial Seasonings is my favorite but if you can't get that try adding a few sprigs of peppermint to a tea of your own choosing.
The Author: Maria V. Snyder
My Grade: Books 1 and 2 A, Book 3 C
Poison Study: I loved this beginning to the Study series. As it indicates, the series is about a student about to embark on a most unusual course of study. When book one begins, the poison checker for the Commander, leader of Ixia has just died and as dictated by law the position is offered to the next prisoner in line for execution: Ylena Zaltana. Ylena's joy at her reprieve is cut short as she quickly realizes that she will be lucky to survive the training period, never mind worrying about the actual job! Her very first day in she is poisoned -- and advised that she needs the little vial of antidote held by Valek, her trainer, on a daily basis or she'll be dead in forty eight hours. Just his little way of keeping his poison checker in line. Then the study begins as Ylena learns -- sometimes by being poisoned herself -- just what each possible threat looks, tastes and feels like. As Ylena learns her position she begins building tentative relationships with the others who work in the Commander's headquarters. Is Valek, her trainer, friend or foe? Is Rand really just a friendly cook whose meals are akin to art? What about the soldiers Aro and Janco? And what about her self -- she is discovering she has some mighty peculiar talents in a land where magical abilities come with an automatic death sentence. As Ylena learns all about life at the top of the food chain in Ixia we learn all about the fascinating, multi-layered world Ms. Snyder has created. I found it deep, rich and interesting.
Ixia was interesting for a fantasy world because it challenged what we have always come to expect -- a feudal system built around kings and nobility. I don't want to give too much away but it is clear that Ms. Snyder thought out the aspects of government and the benefits what might attach to one form over another when creating her world. The Commander, as leader of the new world order, is a complex character. While we only get glimpses into who he is they are well thought out, nuanced glimpses which give us a guide to who he is and why he set up the government he did.
Valek, Ylena's trainer, is a familiar character in the fantasy landscape but for all that a very interesting individual and a good foil for our heroine. The roles he plays with her of tutor, challenger, and possible ally or enemy add depth to the book.
What worked for me in this book was that Snyder blended perfectly the craft of character and world building. She didn't become so fascinated by her novel form of government that she forgot to always let us see it through the character's eyes and he it affected them. And unlike many recent offerings I read she did not feel the need to explain magic, poison or the military to me ad nauseam. She gave enough glimpses into each that showed she had thought things out without getting bogged down in the details.
Her characters were all well nuanced and very likable. I especially liked the balance she used with Ylena -- while she is action oriented as she should be, she is also wise enough to always test the waters as she needs to, and always willing to ask for instruction as warranted. Not everything comes easily to Ylena, which always adds a nice sense of balance and reality to a character. If I had a quibble it was not with this character but the fact that several of the minor characters were so well reasoned out -- everyone had a purpose for doing something, no one seemed mean just for the heck of it. Unfortunately, life isn't quite that perfect but really, that is just one very minor quibble.
I raced through this book in an afternoon. It has a light, easy, reading style and Ylena's voice is highly enjoyable. I liked the characters and the action and mystery kept me turning the pages.
For: Fans of any paranormals.
Romance: Light but definitely there.
Tea: The perfect tea for this book is a mint tea. Candy Cane Lane, a green tea with the perfect hint of peppermint by Celestial Seasonings is my favorite but if you can't get that try adding a few sprigs of peppermint to a tea of your own choosing.
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