Review - In the House of the Wicked by Thomas E. Sniegoski (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Roc Trade
Release Date: August 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-0451464569
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book in the Remy Chandler series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the fifth book in the Remy Chandler series. Like the last book, this story is told from many different POVs. However for this book it works much better than it did for the previous one.

A woman who is like a daughter to Remy, Ashley, is kidnapped and it is up to Remy to find her. Remy finds that she has been taken by a once-formidable sorcerer who wants vengeance against all who have hurt him. The sorcerer wants to use Remy as a weapon and Remy wants to rescue Ashley..but can he stop the sorcerer without getting Ashley killed?

If you have enjoyed the previous book in this series I think you will enjoy this one as well. This book was similar to the previous book in style; the story is told from a million different points of view. I didn’t really like that in the last book, but in this book it works well.

We hear from characters both in the past and the present. Events is the past are told about a group of formidable sorcerers that ended up creating great evil to extend their lives. These events end up tying in with current events that are happening. The time and POV changes do an excellent job of slowly unraveling and revealing the story.

Remy is struggling a lot in this book. His angelic nature has been pushing more and more to the surface and he struggles over and over to keep it in check. This book looks like it will just be the beginning of his struggles to hold on to some of his humanity.

I really wished that Marlowe and Remy’s girlfriend, Linda, were in the story a bit more...you barely spend any time with either of them. Not having Marlowe there as much sucked a bit of the fun out of the story. This book didn’t have as much humor as previous ones and had a pretty dark and serious storyline.

There are some very interesting new characters introduced though. Ashley is one tough cookie and I hope we get to read more about her in future installments. Detective Steven Mulvehill also plays a part in the story and I am to curious to see what becomes of him in future stories as well. A brand new character named Squire, who is a hobgoblin that resides in the Shadow Realms, added a lot to the story as well.

I loved that we spent some time in the mysterious Shadow realm. There are things revealed about this realm that reflect things that could happen to our Earth. All of this ties into the over-arcing story regarding the Grigori and their quest to end the world.

The book was easy to read and very well written. It was an engaging read and all in all a great urban fantasy story.

Overall an excellent continuation of this series. The story is told from a lot of different POVs, but for this book it worked. Remy struggles against his angelic nature and also uncovers some interesting information about the shadow realm. We meet some excellent new characters as well. This whole series is highly recommended to fans of urban fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Graphic Novel Review - Tall Tales (Bone Prequel) by Jeff Smith and Thomas E. Sniegoski (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Middle Grade

Genre: Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Size: 128 pages
Publisher: GRAPHIX
Release Date: August 1, 2010
ISBN:  978-0545140966
Stand Alone or Series: Prequel to Bone series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the prequel book to the Bone series.  It was a fun addition to the series.  Not as wonderful as the original story, but still fun to read and entertaining.

In this book Smiley Bone tells some younger Bones stories about Big Johnson Bone, the adventurous founder of Boneville.  Big Johnson Bone is a bit outrageous and has a lot of crazy tales attributed to his name.

The artwork is consistent with previous Bone books; it's fun and matches the tone of the story well. The book features little stories about various adventures that Big Johnson was on.  We even get to find out how the Rat Creatures lost their tails!

While I enjoyed the sheer outlandishness of some of Big Johnson's tales, I didn't find him to be quite as endearing of a character as our wonderful original Bone trio.  Still he was funny and his candidness about his adventures was fun to read about.

Overall this is a fun addition to the Bone series.  Just something to tide you over until there is more Bone to read.  The tales of Boneville founder Big Johnson Bone are amusing and entertaining.  Fans of the series should be pleased with this addition, this book also stands alone well on its own and is appropriate for younger readers as well.

This book goes to the following reading challenges:

- 100+ Reading Challenge

- Graphic Novels Challenge List

Review - A Hundred Words for Hate (Remy Chandler, Book 4) by Thomas E Sniegoski (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 320 pages
Publisher: Roc Trade
Release Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0451463777
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in Remy Chandler series
Source: Borrowed from library
Rating: 4/5 stars
 

This is the fourth book in the Remy Chandler series.  It was a wonderful addition to the series and dealt a lot more with Remy's angelic nature than previous books in the series have.

Remy is called to investigate something by the Sons of Adam; these are the actual descendants of Adam who have a facility where they keep Adam's body alive.  The Sons of Adam want Remy to find the Key to the Garden of Eden so that when Adam passes he can be laid to rest there.  There is also a Guardian of Eden that is killing various people and for reasons of his own he also wants to obtain Adam and open the Garden.  Meanwhile Francis struggles in Hell; gaining back memories and finding out who he really is/was.  Somehow all of this is tied together an unless Remy can figure out how..and fast the Garden of Eden may unleash horrible creatures onto Earth.

This book was an excellent addition to the series.  Remy is forced to work with his Seraphim side and struggles be at peace with it.  Remy also reenters the world of dating and finally seems willing to start living his life again.

We learn a ton about the version of the creation myth in this world and are given a lot of back story especially about Francis.  Where previous books have focused mainly on an investigation with some angelic aspects; this book focused almost entirely on Remy's angelic aspect.  It was a change of pace and an excellent one.  The plot was complex, moved fast and was fun to read about.

We meet some new characters and they were good ones.  I especially liked Remy's new love interest, although I wish she had been in the story more.

There was only really one thing I didn't like about this book and that was the fact that the viewpoint changed so often.  We basically read the story from more than five viewpoints; Remy and Francis are the main ones but there are many other characters we hear from as well.  This was okay but there were many viewpoints per chapter and that made the story a bit fractured and made it harder to get into the story.

As with previous book Sniegoski ends things with a huge angelic battle, similar to the formula he has used for previous books.  I am curious to see what he does next with these characters, especially with Francis.

Overall a solid addition to the Remy Chandler series.  I enjoyed that so much time was spent with the angels and that we got to delve deep into their history.  The book was fast-paced and engaging and the new characters introduced intriguing.  I did not enjoy the rapid changes in viewpoint, I thought it broke up the story too much.  That being said this has been an enjoyable and solid fantasy series and I look forward to reading future books in it.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge

 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week my teaser comes from A Hundred Words for Hate (Remy Chandler, Book 4) by Thomas E. Sniegoski.

Here it is: "The first of humanity lay as if dead in the cool semidarkness of the underground chamber and dreamed of another time - of the Garden, of what he had lost to the poison of original sin. It had been so very long ago, but the memories lingered, as sharp as a viper's tooth and three times as venomous." Pg. 1

Review - Where Angels Fear to Tread (Remy Chandler, Book 3) by Thomas E. Sniegoski (4/5 stars)

This is the third book in the Remy Chandler series; the most recent information that I can find says Sniegoski was contracted for four books in this series. This book was a great addition to the series.

Remy gets contacted to work a missing child case; only this missing child is drawing prophetic pictures in crayon and is more than she seems. Deliliah, cursed to forever live without love, is also looking for the child. Samson gets pulled into the mess in an attempt to help Remy fight Deliliah, as he has been tasked by God to destroy her. Drawn into the mess is also an ancient god Dagon, who is trying to use the child to be reborn.

There are some interesting characters in this book but they aren't necessarily the strong point of the story. What really distinguishes this book (as well as the first two) from others in the genre is the tight plot and great action scenes. Sniegoski does an excellent job of weaving a tight and engaging mystery/plot that doesn't waste space. Remy always has a clear goal and follows a logical path to get there. I just love that there is no rambling in these books or any sense of Sniegoski not knowing what he wants the characters to do.

Those who were hoping that this book would expand on the changes that happened in Hell in book 2 may be disappointed. Though the reformed Hell is mentioned in passing, it is not a focal point of this story. In fact this book could be read without reading the first two (although you would be missing some of Remy's background); in general it is a very contained story.

This books are also starting to get a bit formulaic for me. They always start with Remy getting a case, they always end with Remy having to yield to his angelic nature in order to save humanity from destruction. I am not saying this is bad; in general the books in this series have been quick, fun reads that are well written and enjoyable.

Overall I thought this was another solid addition to the Remy Chandler series. I was a little disappointed that the main story arc involving the reformation of Hell wasn't dealt with much; in fact many of the side characters from previous book were missing. Still, it was an entertaining read. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next book in this series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge
- Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge

 

Review - Dancing on the Head of a Pin (Remy Chandler, Book 2) by Thomas E. Sniegoski (4/5 stars)

This book is the second book in the Remy Chandler series by Sniegoski.  Last I heard four books were sold in this series.  The third one "Where Angels Fear to Tread" was released Mar. 2 2010.  I liked this book more than the first one; it was more witty and the action scenes seemed tighter and more well written.

In this book Remy gets a call from an antique collector whose antique weapons have gone missing.  Remy struggles to work on the case because he has been struggling with keeping his humanity (and repressing his angelic side) since his wife Maddie passed away.  When Remy goes to meet with the antique dealer he finds that the weapons missing were extremely powerful weapons called the Pitiless.  At the same time Remy and Francis have found that someone is selling angel parts on the black market.  Now Remy needs to find out how these weapons are tied in with the Nomad angels and how all of this ties in with the increased activity in Hell.  Of course, if he can't figure it out the world as we know it will end.

I liked this book better than the first book.  Remy has a bit more wit to him and is not so depressed.  Sniegoski does an excellent job of keeping the plotline sleek and fast-moving.  There isn't a whole lot extra in this book, all of it deals with the main plotline directly which I liked.  I thought Sniegoski also did a better job with the fight scenes; they seemed more crisp than the first book and grabbed my attention more.  If you are looking for a lot of romance in your story, then you should look elsewhere.  Other than pining after his deceased wife, there really isn't any romance here...which suited the story just fine.

I love that Sniegoski deals with the angel and demons in a practical way and doesn't get too bogged down in religion.  He also did a good job in bringing mythos from a variety of places into play in this book. 

All the side characters are well developed.  This book did a good job of wrapping up the main storyline it followed, but left another storyline open to continue into the next book.  Reading the first book would be helpful but not absolutely necessary to enjoy this book.

Overall this was a great read.  It is a quick, engaging, and fast-paced story that really grabs the reader.  I think it was an improvement over the first book, and I am looking forward to reading the third book.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge
- Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge

A Kiss Before the Apocalypse (Remy Chandler, Book 1) by Thomas E. Sniegoski (3.5 stars)

I read a short story with Remy Chandler in it and was intrigued by the character. So, I decided to pick up the first book in this series. It was a good book with an interesting premise.

Remy used to be Remiel part of the Seraphim host. He decided to suppress his angelic nature and live with humans. Now his lives with his dog Marlowe, his wife (who is in a nursing home) and runs his own PI agency . On a investigation that should have been a straight case of infidelity things go awry when the man being investigated shoots himself in the head and dies, but then regains his pulse. Something weird is going on, people all over the world are getting fatal injuries but not dying. Remy finds out that the Angel of Death is missing. The Seraphim want Remy to investigate and try to find the Angel of Death. Time is definitely not on Remy's side because as hospitals fill with people who should be dead, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse are getting restless. If Remy can't find the Angel of Death it could mean the end of the world.

Overall this was a good book. Remy is an interesting character. Sniegoski does a good job of dealing with angelic and demonic nature without getting too weird about all the religion behind it; which I really appreciated. There is a lot of action in this book and the plot moves along quickly. The world being on the edge of destruction really propels the book forward. There is some humor, but more heartbreak in this book than I was expecting. The side characters are well filled out and were interesting to read about. The writing is straight-forward, nothing exceptional but very easy to read and engaging. I also liked that Sniegoski dealt with how these disasters were affecting the whole world and not just Remy's little corner of it.

Despite the fact that this is technically a well-written novel I had a bit of trouble getting into the characters. The characters had depth, but they were a little fuzzy around the edges. The action scenes were well-written but didn't really grab me and make me feel like I was there. So, I guess, everything felt a little softer than it should have been and didn't have the hard definition that I expect from an investigative novel. I also expected more witty banter and humor than I got, really most of this novel deals with heartbreak. Remy is a character who deals with love in the toughest forms. The novel wasn't very uplifting (not that I expected it to be), I was almost in tears a number of times.

So, I guess this was a paranormal PI novel with heart. Unfortunately I wanted something with a bit more humor and well-defined action. For me this was one of those books that I kind of like, but was kind of disappointed in. I wasn't exactly sure what was missing but I have described it as well as I can above. I do think this could be an excellent series; this book may just be suffering from the first book syndrome a lot of paranormal books seem to suffer from. It was an easy read and engaging; so I will be picking up the next book to read and see how I like that one.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 1st in a Series Reading Challenge
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

Mean Streets by Jim Butcher, Simon Green, Kat Richardson, and Thomas Sniegoski (4/5 stars)

This included four novellas by wonderful authors. I was very excited to read both Butcher's and Green's stories since I love those series. I also was interested in reading Richardson's and Sniegoski's series since I really want to read those series. Overall I found the stories I expected to like were nothing special; the best of the bunch was Sniegoski's "Noah's Orphans." I think I was a bit disappointed with this book because I expected it to be really awesome.

The Warrior by Jim Butcher
This story was about Michael and Harry trying to keep Michael's family safe from someone who wants to steal the two Holy Swords that Harry has been keeping hidden. Overall the story was okay, but seemed a bit tired to me. It was interesting to hear a bit more about why Harry has the holy swords. As a huge Dresden fan, I didn't think this was the best Dresden story I've read but it was kind of interesting. (4/5 stars)

The Difference a Day Makes by Simon Green
This novella was set in the Nightside. John Taylor and Dead Boy were the main characters and are approached by a woman who wants Taylor to find a days worth of memories that she's lost. I realize that not everyone reads the Nightside series so a lot of the back story stuff was necessary. Still, a lot of the general description of the Nightside was taken word for word from other books. John Taylor spent a lot of the story ranting about how dangerous the Nightside is. I also didn't think that the characters were very engaging. Even Dead Boy was kind of disengaged for most of the story. An okay Nightside story but nothing awesome here. (3/5 stars)

The Third Death of the Little Clay Dog by Kat Richardson
I have been interested in starting to read Richardson's Greywalker series. I was hoping this novella would give me some insight on how I would like her as a writer. This was another okay story but was nothing spectacular. Harper gets a black dog statue from an old woman's will; the old woman wants her to put the statue on a grave in Mexico and Harper doesn't know why. Of course there is more involved than Harper originally thinks. I thought Harper's ability to see into the Grey was kind of interesting, but not all that creative (reminded me of many other character abilities). The plot of the mystery got a bit confusing with a whole bunch of names involved where the reader never meets the people. Definitely not an action heavy series. Again an okay story, but didn't sell me on the Greywalker series as something I will love (3/5 stars)

Noah's Orphans by Thomas E. Sniegoski
I have also been interested in reading Sniegoski's first Remy Chandler book "A Kiss Before the Apocalypse". This story was a Remy Chandler story and gave me a great feeling for Sniegoski's writing style. In this story Remy is approached by a dark angel who tells him Noah (yes, the arc guy) has been murdered. There is more to the story though Noah was trying to save the race that existed before humans, the race that God sent flooding to wipe out. It looked like God may have not succeeded though. Remy has to embrace his angelic nature against his will to solve Noah's mystery and possibly save humanity.
This was a great story. I couldn't believe how complex and interesting all of the characters were. The plot line was mysterious, interesting, and intricate. Remy was a character that I wanted to know more about. In my opinion this was the best story in the book and saved this anthology from being mearly blah. Great story, may offend the zealously religious though. (4/5 stars)