The Haunting of Maddy Clarie

The Haunting of Maddy Clare
by Simone St. James
Rating: ★★★★★
isbn: 9780451235688
Publication Date: March 6, 2012
Pages: 330
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: NAL / New American Library

Wow.

I put this book on my ‘maybe’ list well over a year ago and then promptly overlooked it for ages. I even gave up and removed it from my lists altogether because I figured if I hadn’t bought it yet, I wasn’t really interested.

A recent review here on BL highly rating it brought it back to my attention at the same time I received a coupon from my favorite online bookseller so I just ordered it.

Jeez am I glad I did. I loved this book. This book hit all the right buttons for me: it was scary without being terrifying; it had great sexual tension (I am not going to call it ‘romance’ because there wasn’t any romancing going on, but it was intense); it had a great plot and interesting characters and it was well-written. The writing style reminded me of authors of the past, particularly Phyllis Whitney.

My only complaint is now I’m suffering from a book hangover – right before I leave for a long weekend at the beach.

End of Days (Penryn and the End of Days, #3)

End of Days
by Susan Ee
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 1444778552
Series: Penryn End of Days #3
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Pages: 336
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Hodder Paperback

I don’t actually care for dystopian/post-apocolyptic settings and this trilogy reminded me of that and ultimately reinforced my belief that my tastes haven’t changed over time. If my tastes had changed, or if I’d always been a fan, I’d have probably stuck with my original instinct to rate this more of a 3/3.5. As it is, I’m compensating for taste.

I enjoyed Angelfall, although it started to fall apart for me at the end when the science fiction angle started to show itself. In spite of the dystopian/P.A. theme, I could totally get on board with Penryn and Raphael and their search for his wings and her family. But from book 2, things just got too weird for me; the experiments, the creations, the politics. I was committed to continuing though because I cared about the characters.

So while quite a few others I know are disappointed by End of Days it pretty much met my expectations – I continued to be bored by the science fiction/frankensteinian aspects and was really just in it for the HEA it seemed was inevitable; I mean what else was the author going to realistically do that wouldn’t get her lynched by a teen mob? I also enjoyed the scenes in the pit (perhaps ‘enjoyed’ isn’t the right word; I liked meeting the Watchers and seeing Baliel before his corruption was complete).

I’m satisfied with the trilogy; it didn’t wow me, but I feel like I got what I paid for, more or less.

Dead Heat (Alpha & Omega, #4)

Dead Heat
by Patricia Briggs
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 0425256758
Series: Alpha and Omega #4
Publication Date: September 27, 2020
Pages: 304
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace

I was late to the party for both the Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega series; the upside of this being I got to binge read all of them to get caught up. At the end of it, I was a fan of both series, but the Alpha and Omega series squeaked past Mercy by a hair. Less pack dynamics/politics in the A&O series.

What I loved about both was the strong ties to Native American cultures their respective MC’s have but was frustrated about how little the Native American cultures actually played a part until River Marked gave us more about Mercy’s heritage. Now we’re starting to get a bit more about Charles’ in Dead Heat.

Like others, I enjoyed Fair Game less than the first two books in the A&O series so I was a little hesitant about cracking this one open, worried it might have that same dark tone overlaid with heavy tension between the two MC’s. But we’re back to a great plot and MC’s that work together. Once that was clear, I didn’t want to put the book down; after the scene in the classroom with Amethyst, I was riveted.

I knocked off half a star because I knew who Anna and Charles were looking for from the first scene they had together, but truly, it did not matter one whit to my enjoyment of the story overall.

View Spoiler »

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to reading it again almost as much as I am looking forward to reading the next one.

Vision in Silver (The Others, #3)

Vision in Silver
by Anne Bishop
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780451465276
Series: The Others #3
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Pages: 400
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: NAL Hardcover

This book wasn’t quite as engrossing as the first two, which is both bad and good. There’s nothing like getting sucked into a book so thoroughly you lose all sense of time and place as it pertains to reality. But books like that can be exhausting, and I wasn’t disappointed that I was able to put Vision in Silver down long enough to eat and sleep. That’s not to stay my husband didn’t get an ‘I will hurt you’ glare whenever he attempted to interrupt my reading.

In each of the first two books, the stories each centered on one big, mounting crisis that resulted in a showdown towards the end between humans and others. This book felt more like a bridge used to setup a much larger conflict that will carry through into future books. We get a lot of information (sometimes repetitively – a first for this series), a lot of background and learn more about how the hierarchy of the others works. We find out what the HFL’s larger purpose is, although I don’t understand how any human with a brain in their heads thought they would accomplish it. We’re also given reason to think that perhaps not all the cassandra sangue are doomed to a life of cutting.

I frankly missed seeing the Elementals bring down their wrath, although Fire was impressive as a character. The final conflict in this book sneaks up on you; there’s not really any build up to it at all, and the results of that conflict are rather anticlimactic compared to the first two books, but the result of the others finding out what humans have been doing to each other in order to defeat the others leaves a curious tension for future books: no pressure on the Lakeside community or anything. Nope, no pressure at all.

Anybody hear anything about the fourth one yet? 😉

[PopSugar 2015 Challenge: A Book with a color in the title.]

Seventh Grave and No Body (Charlie Davidson, #7)

Seventh Grave and No Body
by Darynda Jones
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9781250045645
Series: Charlie Davidson #7
Publication Date: October 4, 2014
Pages: 322
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Disclaimer: This review will be biased and unbalanced. I have love for this series and my objectivity suffers proportionally. I truly left off 1/2 star just because I’m certain there are probably flaws (all books have them) but my love for Charlie and the gang have blinded me to whatever they might be.

So a couple of days ago I was feeling rather sorry for myself. I injured my back – nothing serious, truly; just enough to put a hitch in my gitalong and make me feel mopey and old. My husband came home and put a book package on the coffee table. After I pointed out the cruelty of putting a new book on a surface that was just out of my reach (can’t bend down, of course), he handed it to me and upon opening it discovered my copy of Seventh Grave and No Body. Proof that God takes pity on me, because I NEVER get my pre-ordered books on release day; living on the tail end of the world means everything always takes days later to arrive than it does for the U.S./Europe.

Suddenly my back injury was a spend-all-day-reading free card, and boy howdy did I use it.

So in the last book prophesies about Charlie’s existence and her role in the final battle became clearer. In this one, Charlie starts finding out what she’s truly capable of. Reyes always told her she was more powerful than any other being, but Charlie always seemed to view it as rhetoric. Now she finds out it isn’t, but that she can still get her ass handed to her when she leasts expects it. Circumstances are also forcing her to confront her immaturity too; big changes are coming and she can’t keep living in the shallow end of the maturity pool. I always loved Charlie – even when her sass and snark were obvious coping mechanisms – but I quite like the (only slightly) more mature version too. She still hides behind sarcasm and smart-ass banter, but she’s also utterly selfless and has a firm grip on what’s important.

As with all the books, there are several story lines running simultaneously; human mysteries as well as mythical ones. I like this style – it keeps things moving and avoids that mid-book bogging down that sometimes happens. My only complaint: one of the story lines (a small one that has no meaning to the overall plot of this book) doesn’t get wrapped up and I wanted to know what happened. The sub-plot setting reminded me of the X-Files episode ‘Closure’ and I was sorry not to find out how it ends.

I’m not going to say more – although I could babble ad naseum – because I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. Things happen. Big things. Suffice it to say that I loved reading it, I’m sorry it’s over, and how many days until book 8?

Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson

Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson
by Patricia Briggs
Rating: ★★★★★
isbn: 0425265005
Series: Alpha and Omega #0.5
Publication Date: September 9, 2014
Pages: 450
Genre: Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace

You know how anthologies are, there’s almost always a gem or two, a handful of mediocre stories, and a few complete duds. Stories the authors must have phoned it because they barely qualify as stories.

Not this one.

This is the best anthology of short stories in one book I’ve yet read. A collection for Mercy Thompson and Co. fans, and every one of these stories is outstanding. Nothing here has been phoned in: the writing is excellent, thoughtful – it feels like the author spent time getting these right. Even the outtakes at the back are, while definitely not stand-alone stories, vividly written scenes that instantly transported me to time and place.

I’m not sure if I can pick a favorite or not, but Silver and Roses in Winter certainly were stories I enjoyed immensely. But I find myself far more intrigued by Bran, Charles and Asil than I am about any of the characters in Washington State, so that bias might lend a bit of weight to these stories for me. But mostly we’re talking about small degrees of difference. Every single story was good – great even. There isn’t a single one I’d rate less than 4 stars, so I’m just going to go ahead and 5 star the whole book.

Thanks Ms. Briggs for the wonderful stories.

The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy, #3)

The Book of Life
by Deborah Harkness
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9780670025596
Series: All Souls #3
Publication Date: July 15, 2014
Pages: 563
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: Viking Books

I have previously proclaimed my irrational love of the first two books in this series, so it will come as no surprise to anyone that this one gets 5 stars from me.

There are few books out there I find myself truly immersed in; the kind that when I’m interrupted, I’ll look up from my book, but I’m not really there. My eyes might be a bit glassy and I’ll stare blankly at my own DH as though he’s a stranger. This is such a book.

I’ll admit I was expecting a war; at the very least, a massive battle. I prepared myself to hate the author for killing off a character, or characters that I had become attached to. For a few dozen pages, I was certain it was going to be a specific character. Luckily, the story was not as predictable as all that.

While reading, I picked up on shades of Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus, as well as more common themes of tolerance, acceptance and fear of that which is not understood. The twist at the end is only a twist because it is so obvious. Of all the beliefs humans cling to throughout history that have proven to be illusory over and over again, the idea that we control anything must surely make the top 5 list.

But what it all boils down to for me is that I just love this whole story: its characters, its plot, its settings – it all just clicks for me. Some have likened Diana to whatshername in Twilight but I don’t see the Mary Jane – I just saw a character – a very intelligent, strong and independent one – trying to get a grip on a massive amount of change happening in a short amount of time. I never got the victim vibe from her. I don’t pretend to understand the all consuming love she and Matthew apparently share, but it’s thankfully not so soppy and mushy I feel the need for insulin.

All the major plot points of the three books are wrapped up at the end of this one, but, vexingly, a lot of characters’ stories are…unfinished. They aren’t cliff-hangers, and the story could easily end here and Ms. Harkness could disappear back into the history stacks never to be heard from again in fiction. But she has left a number of openings for a return should she choose to do so. A lot of secondary characters are left with their stories still ongoing. At least one of them – Gallowglass – I’d be the first in line to read more about. I’m more than a little half in love with him.

Whether Ms Harkness every writes another word about these people or not, I’ll at least be able to re-read and ‘see’ them all again.

Sixth Grave on the Edge (Charlie Davidson, #6)

Sixth Grave on the Edge
by Darynda Jones
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9781250045638
Series: Charlie Davidson #6
Publication Date: May 4, 2014
Pages: 326
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Most girls might think twice before getting engaged to someone like Reyes Farrow—but Charley Davidson is not most girls. She's a private eye and grim reaper who's known to be a bit of a hell-raiser, especially after a few shots of caffeine. Her beloved Reyes may be the only begotten son of evil, but he's dark and sultry and deeply sexy and everything Charley could hope for. Really. But when the FBI file on Reyes' childhood happens to land into her lap, she can't help herself: She opens it...and then the real fun begins.

First, Charley finds a naked corpse riding shotgun in her car. Then, a man loses his soul in a card game. Throw in a Deaf boy who sees dead people, a woman running from mobsters, and a very suspicious Reyes, and things can't get any worse for Charley. Unless, of course, the Twelve Beasts of Hell are unleashed…

The covers of the Charlie Davidson series always have a quote on the front comparing them to Janet Evanovich’s books. It’s a particular pet peeve of mine, because it seems every other book with any humour in it at all has a Stephanie Plum comparison quote on it’s cover. And they are never anything like the Stephanie Plum books. However, if anyone comes close it’s Charlie Davidson. But she is oh, so much more. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Plum novels, they’re a hoot, but I think it’s a bit of a backhanded compliment to compare Charlie to Stephanie.

Charlie is a P.I. and the grim reaper –a portal to heaven. She’s in love with the son of Satan himself; created and sent to Earth for the sole purpose of destroying her. Only the son has his own agenda; he’s in love with Charlie and has been for centuries. She just barely juggles both jobs and in spite of herself, manages to make a difference.

I love these books and I loved Sixth Grave… Ms. Jones hasn’t yet written a bad book, imo. They are first and foremost entertaining; Charlie’s thoughts and dialogue are written as an almost continuous stream of jokes, but it’s not just about the funny. There is a lot of pain, a lot of violence, a lot of empathy, a lot of mythology, and some –not a lot– scorching love scenes (pun sort of intended). The series’ premise is steeped deeply in biblical mythology, and belief and faith are strong themes without bringing religion into it. I enjoy this part even more than I enjoy the humour. Sixth Grave just hit all the right buttons for me.

The only negative notes for me, and the reason it’s a 4 star instead of 5 is the repetition of a couple of pieces of information that felt more like someone forgot they’d already been mentioned than just refreshers, and the ending. The ending, although it feels like the inevitable evolution of the mythology Ms. Jones has created, has me worried.

Worried or not, I can’t wait for Seventh Grave’s release. Ms. Jones owns me at this point. If you like Urban Fantasy that straddles the PNR line (or crosses it – I could argue either way), can handle some non-gratuitous violence and love wise-cracking, kick-ass heroines who have the power and strength to save the world, you might enjoy these books and I highly recommend checking them out.

Murder of Crows (A Novel of the Others, #2)

Murder of Crows
by Anne Bishop
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9780451465269
Series: The Others #2
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Pages: 354
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: ROC Hardcover

Thank god that’s over! Let me explain:

This weekend in Melbourne we had an Indian Summer. (For those of you not familiar with the American term: Indian Summer: a period of unusually dry, warm weather occurring in late autumn.) I know this only in the vaguest sense because honestly, I couldn’t freaking put the book down long enough to look outside. Laundry didn’t get done. DH was resoundingly ignored. Luckily he cooks or we’d have both gone without eating. I’m not exactly sure what I did eat, come to think of it – he put a plate in front of me and I ate whatever was on it. I do remember chewing… I’m sure it was delicious…

Thankfully books like this only come around a couple of times a year. The compulsive need to keep reading is, I think, something that’s best enjoyed in small doses.

Murder of Crows was just as good as Written in Red. Tess and the Elementals are still my favourites, and I still enjoyed the swift and devastating justice that is consistently delivered by the Others. That sounds blood-thirsty doesn’t it? But the world Ms. Bishop has created is a very black and white world in terms of morality. The Others control all the land, all the resources, and where humans are allowed to live and how much of any resource can be used. Clear cut rules exist for other/human interaction, (although the Others prefer no interaction at all). Following the rules brings peace, or at least detente. Breaking the rules means death. No warnings, just death.

Meg is what happens when you introduce gray to this black and white world. Human, but not prey, she doesn’t judge and treats everyone, Other or Human, with kindness. This book starts to explore just what kind of changes are possible when one person/other, and then another, and another choose shades of gray.

The immediate plot of Murder of Crows is the continuation and resolution of one started in Written in Red as well as The Controller’s ongoing campaign to bring Meg back to his facility. Instead of a slow build up leading to a final climax, this book is a series of smaller climaxes each bringing the story closer to an end. While I’d rather not wait for the third book, at least the story ended with at least as much satisfaction as anticipation.

Written in Red (Book of the Others, #1)

Written in Red
by Anne Bishop
Rating: ★★★★★
Series: The Others #1
Publication Date: May 3, 2013
Pages: 448
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: NAL Hardcover

The minute I read the last line of this book I shut it and said to DH, ‘Yeah, I have to read the second book right now.’

When I came here to mark the book as read, I commented again to DH, ‘I just don’t even know what I’m going to write…’ and he suggested that I write (and he was laughing when he said this, understand), ‘sorry everyone, but f*ck off, I’m sitting down to read the second book, and I’ll update this review when I have time.’

Tempting only because I absolutely have to go crack open the second book. I wasn’t ready for this one to end and I need more. But if I actually say that, I’ll end up mixing up what happened in which book, and possibly lose a couple of BL friends in the process. 😉 So I’m going to write this as quickly as I can, probably not proofread it right away as I always do, and get back to the Others.

I’m only going to say what most everyone else is saying about this book. It’s excellent. There wasn’t a thing I didn’t thoroughly enjoy about it. The writing is crisp, clear, descriptively vivid – the only thing I had a hard time seeing clearly was the Liaison office. Everything else was perfectly laid out.

I liked Meg, and that the author gave us enough information without dumping, and at a pace that mimicked getting to know a new friend. I liked all the Others too, although my favorites were the Elementals, Tess and Henry. I know someone who reminds me of Henry. I was very unhappy about Hurricane.

There isn’t just one plot running through the book. The one meant to wrap up in this book did so spectacularly and heaven help me I really liked the Others sense of justice (in a fictional world where all the bad guys are clearly bad guys). I really enjoyed the bursts of humour sprinkled throughout the book too – I found myself laughing out loud more than a couple of times.

Now my need to go read ‘Murder of Crows’ is overcoming my desire to write a coherent review. I’ll come back and edit this later; but as Meg must cut, I must read.