Early Review - Pale Demon (The Hollows, Book 9) by Kim Harrison (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 448 pages
Publisher: Eos 
Release Date: February 22, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0061138065
Stand Alone or Series: 9th book in the Hollows series
Source:  ARC through Librarything's Early Reviewers and NetGalley.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the 9th book in the Hollows series by Harrison.  Last I heard Harrison is contracted for twelve books in this series.  I got an advanced copy of this book both from Librarything's Early Reviewer program and an e-book copy from netgalley(dot)com.  I have to admit I wasn't big on the previous two books in this series so I was a bit worried about where this book would take the series.  Well, I shouldn't have worried!  This was an absolutely excellent book in the series. 

Rachel has cut a deal with the Coven, if she comes before them and apologizes for using black magic then her shunning will be revoked.  Only Trent has other ideas.  Trent is going on an elf quest of sorts and wants Rachel to help get him to the west coast since she is already going there for her trial.  Rachel is reluctant to agree but after the Coven prevents her from flying it looks like a road trip with Trent might be her only option.   So...it's time for a crazy road trip.  What happens when you get Ivy, Jenks, Rachel, and Trent in a car together...well lots of crazy stuff of course! Will Rachel's shunning be revoked?  Exactly what is Trent up to?  Will the fact that all witches are just stunted demons finally be revealed?

This was an absolutely wonderful book.  We finally have our old Rachel back.  I was not impressed with the 7th (White Witch, Black Curse) and 8th (Black Magic Sanction) books in this series and was worried that the series was going to get worse.  Well it didn't it got better.  There was a lot of the things I love about this series in this book and none of the stuff that was annoying me.

Finally we are back to the main plot (no strange side stories about banshees) and Rachel is dealing with her shunning and with the realization that all witches are demons.  We get to learn a lot more about Trent in this book and that is a wonderful thing.  He has always been a mysterious character and you learn more about him and his past than ever before.  You also get to learn a lot more about Rachel's demon tutor Al; some awesome things are revealed about the Everafter and the demons who dwell there.

Gone is the whiny, indecisive Rachel that plagued the previous two books.  The Rachel in this book is the Rachel of old, but smarter.  She can kick-butt (and does quite often in this book), she is focused, smart, and not ashamed of who she is.  It was great to see Rachel finally find her feet in this book and get back to the things that mattered.

I was also relieved that Ivy and Rachel don't dwell on their relationship (I feel like that has been hashed and re-hashed in this series).  They work great as a team and have learned how to keep things in balance.  This book feels like the series is on the edge of some major changes for all of the characters.  Things are changing with how the characters interact and what we know about them.

The ending wraps up the main storyline well, but still leaves you yearning to read more...just like the earlier books did.  This book was full of all of my favorite characters and lots of action; it was very hard to put down and very well written.

Overall an absolutely stellar addition to this series.  If you thought the previous couple books in the series were lackluster, fear not, this book redeems the series.  All of our favorite characters are back, Rachel is ready to deal with her life again like a big girl, and we get to learn a lot more about Trent and Al.  Loved it and cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

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

Graphic Novel Review - The Cloud Searchers (Amulet, Book 3) by Kazu Kibuishi (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 208 pages
Publisher: GRAPHIX
Release Date: September 1, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0545208857
Stand Alone or Series: Book 3 in the Amulet series
Source: Amazon Vine
Rating: 5/5 star


This was the third book in the Amulet series by Kibuishi.  It was an excellent installment in the series; the beautiful artwork and fantastic storyline make it a pleasure to read and very engaging.

Emily, Nevin, and crew set out to find the forgotten city of Cielis in hopes of finding the other Stonekeepers and saving the land from the evil Elf King's rule.  Trellis, the Elf King's son, joins the team after being declared a traitor by his father.

This was a wonderful read.  The story deepens even more in this installment.  A lot is learned about the history of the world and about how the Elf King came to power.  Like the previous books there is a lot of adventure.  When the characters set off in an airship to find the lost city of Cielis they are attacked by Wyvern's and have to battle a furious storm. 

This installment is paced wonderfully, introduces the readers to new wonders, and progresses the story quickly leaving it at a good point.  The artwork is just..well..it is absolutely spectacular.  There is so much beauty and magic in the artwork that goes with the story; together they are just absolutely magical and wondrous.

Overall an excellent installment.  Fans of the first two books will love this one.  The artwork is spectacular, the story deepens as we learn more history, and I just can't wait to see what happens next.

 

DNF Review - Magic Lost, Trouble Found (Raine Benares, Book 1) by Lisa Shearin (2/5 stars)

I am going to be honest, I am not sure I should even be writing a review for this since I only got 70 pages into the book...but I guess that says something about the book, right?  I was excited to read this book; it was supposed to be a fantasy with an urban fantasy flavor to it and sounded right up my alley...well it wasn't.

The book drops you right into the middle of the action, but I just couldn't get into it.  The action scenes weren't all that well done.  The characters did not interest me in the least.  Right off the bat there were three characters, including Raine, but I didn't like any of them.  I also didn't enjoy the writing style, what I read did not have a tight plot and didn't present an interesting world.

Truth be told each page, starting with the first one, was a struggle for me to read.  I just wasn't in the mood to fight the struggle for another 300+ pages.  So I set it aside, then never picked it up again.

This was a series I wanted to love, but just couldn't.  It reminded me a bit of Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra, but was not nearly as engaging.  This may be one of those books that grows significantly better as you get into it, or possibly has characters that are more engaging as the series continues.  But, I just did not like it even a little bit...and I have too many books to read to spend time on ones I don't like; especially when the book is supposed to be a light and fluffy fun read (as I hoped this one would be).

Overall, I just couldn't get into it, struggled through each page.  The writing style, the characters, the world, I just didn't like any of it.  I won't be picking up any more books by Shearin.  If you want a good fantasy with that urban fantasy mystery and flare I would recommend The Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara over this one; that one's very well written and an overall great series.

 

Review - Chasing the Dragon (Quantum Gravity, Book 4) by Justina Robson (4/5 stars)

This is the fourth book in the Quantum Gravity series by Justina Robson. I know a fifth book "Down to the Bone" is planned for a 2010 release, I couldn't find any information on how many books overall are planned on this series. This book was a good addition to the series and started to tie together a lot of the loose ends that appeared in books 2 and 3.

A lot is happening in this book. It starts where the 3rd book left off; with Lila showing up on the beach 50 years after she went into fairy. In the mean time Teazle has taken over half of Demonia, Zal is still missing/dead, and Mal is leading up a branch of the agency. Ghosts are appearing with increasing frequency in Otopia. Lila is offered a position heading up the AI branch of the Agency. There is a lot to sort out, both personal and political. Lila is armed with an ever changing dress/armor that is more than it first seems to be and with an..uh...ink pen that has powers she could have never imagined.

This book was a good addition to the series. It brings together some of the plot elements that seemed somewhat random in the previous book. Finally we begin to understand how the Ghosts are all tied together with the Fates, Zal, and Lila...and how all of that is tied to the stability of the universe. The pace of the book is pretty good, although the action is not as non-stop as it was in book 2. Again if book 1 was about the elf world, book 2 about the demon world, and book 3 about fairy...then this book is mostly about the realm of the dead...although it does a good job of bringing all the realms together.

This is a complex story-line and there are still points at which I am not completely convinced that Robson knows what she wants to do with everything that is going on. The book switches viewpoint a lot...going between Teazle, Lila, Zal, Mal, and Tath. So, sometimes the story gets a bit fractured from all the viewpoint changes. Also the story gets a bit metaphysical with Lila in Thanatopia/Void and although Robson makes a good effort at describing it, sometimes it is a bit hard to picture exactly what is going on. The discussions between various characters (for example Tath and Mal) can get a little crazy and drawn out as they debate the cause of various metaphysical aspects of the parallel realms. I am also a bit confused on how in the previous book the worlds were on the edge of destruction and now here it is fifty years later and they are still on the edge of destruction...it's like nothing really happened so maybe destruction wasn't as imminent as it was portrayed in the last book....

The above being said there are some great character additions to this book. Temple Greer, the new head of the Agency, is an awesome character. He brings a lot of humor to the story and a wit that really lightens the whole plot. Lila's crazy dress/armor was also an awesome addition to the story and added a lot of fun.

I am impressed with the creativity in this book and with the depth of the worlds that Robson has created. The plot is getting increasingly complex; I am hoping that Robson has a reason for all these plot elements and that in the end they weave a wonderfully complex, yet complete story. The characterization is good; Lila starts to come into her own as she spends less time doubting herself and more time looking out for her interests. I also enjoyed Teazle's development as he exercises the new powers he gained in fairy.

You definitely need to read the previous books to follow what happens in this book. Robson does not dumb down her writing to remind readers of things that have previously happened. Things happen quickly and every word counts; so this book is a bit of a harder read than some. Still overall the complexity of the world intrigues me and I have grown attached to the very interesting characters Robson has created. This was a great addition to the series and I hope the next book has clear path forward.

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

 

Going Under (Quantum Gravity, Book 3) by Justina Robson (3/5 stars)

This is the third book in the Quantum Gravity series by Justin Robson. There are supposed to be at least 5 books in this series. The fourth book "Chasing the Dragon" came out in August of 2009. This was a decent book, I liked it better than "Selling Out" book 2, but there are still some things that are a bit crazy about this book especially towards the end. I listened to this as an audio book and the quality was okay but not the best I have heard.

The book start with Lila Black in Demonia. Right away we find out she has married both Zal and the demon Teazle and they are honeymooning in Demonia. The honeymoon consists primarily of fighting off various demon assassins to prove herself worthy of her husbands. Then Malichi shows up and tells Lila that her and the boys are needed in Otopia to deal with the Moth Crisis that is going on. Lila and Zal end up being pushed into fairy before they are ready and then the whole gang is suddenly dealing with events in the realm of fairy that are way bigger than they are. Lila is also continuing to change as her machine and natural body parts become less and less separate.

This was an interesting book. If the first book in the series was about the elven world and the second was about Demonia, then this book is about the fairy realm. As has been the case with these books there is a lot going on and it seems like Lila (Or maybe Robson) looses site of what the main story plot is. The book is a bit slow to start as we get to watch Lila, Zal, and Teazle "relax" in Demonia. Once they get pulled into the Fairy Realm then things really pick up pace and get very interesting. This book is more linear than the last book was and doesn't switch viewpoint as much.

The biggest strength in this series is the world building. The characters are also very interesting. The biggest thing I have a problem is with the plot; it kind of skitters around everywhere. There are so many things that are mentioned but never really addressed. For example the worlds cracking apart is talked about but never really dealt with, getting rid of the Moths appears to be a major goal of the stories but is dealt with in passing, Lila and Zal's Game is brought up once but never really dealt with, etc. etc. I am still unsure about how I feel about Robson's writing style. It takes me a bit to get used to, but after I get used to it I am okay with it.

The usual cast of characters is brought into the book and sometimes I found them overwhelming. Now we are not just dealing with Lila and Zal, but Lila, Zal, Teazle, the imp, Malichi, and Tath...not to mention all the side characters. I guess I just feel like this book could have been tighter and a bit better planned. I won't include any spoilers but the end of the book left me kind of confused and dissatisfied, not to mention it didn't really sum up anything.

Overall, I am still fascinated by Robson's world and her characters. I am disappointed in the plot and how it goes all over the place bringing up a million new issues but resolving none of them. Will I read the fourth book? Probably. This is a very creative and intriguing series and that draws me to it, but I may not read any more after that it the plot is still scattered.

This book went towards the following reading challenge:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

Curse of the Spider King (Berinfell Prophecies, Book 1) by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper (5/5 stars)

I have The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson at home to read; I have heard wonderful things about it.  When I saw this book on my Amazon Vine newsletter I was excited!  So, I got this book through the Amazon Vine program.  There are supposed to be at least three book in this series; the second book "Venom and Song" is due out August 2010.  This was a fabulous book!

Seven kids with very different lives find out they all have one thing in common; their human parents are not their real parents and they themselves are not human.  Tommy, Autumn, Johnny, Jimmy, Kat, Kiri, and Jett are all on the brink of turning thirteen years old.  They come from different parts of the world and different walks of life but they are all about to be brought together.  They are all elven lords from an alternate world and as they approach thirteen their gifts are starting to become active.  Suddenly they are being hunted by manlike creatures in grey trench coats and they are each given a book of Elven history that literally comes to life when they touch it.  Will the elven Sentinels find all of the elven lords before the Spider King does?  These kids, now elven lords, are the only people who can keep the Spider King from annihilating the elven race.

This was an excellent book.  For the first third of the book it alternates between scenes of the children living their current lives and scenes from the elven book of history.  There is a lot of setup to do in this book.  You have to bring seven different kids together.  All of the kids live in different parts of the world and have completely different lifestyles.  It took about 200 pages to introduce us to all of the kids; but surprisingly the introduction of the characters was so well done it was a pleasure to read.  The writing styles between the current scenes and the history scenes varies significantly and I wonder if the two authors wrote those parts separately.

Batson and Hopper introduce the characters in a way that is intriguing and engaging; I never felt like the story was bogged down by all the characters.  All the different Sentinels and their elven lords can get a little bit confusing (Tommy, Jimmy, and Johnny are easy to mix up because of name similarities, I personally would have picked more varied names) but there is a nice index in the front where you can look up each character if you do get confused.

The characters are amazingly well-developed and fleshed-out; especially considering how many of them there are.  The enemies are truly evil and the heroes are heroic.  The plot clips along at a fast pace, with excellent tension as you wonder if the Elven Lords will ever meet up and travel to their home world of Allyra.  The world-building is amazing and the breadth of the story impressive.  I enjoyed every part of this book.  The writing style is a pleasure to read with a good balance between description and action; the dialogue flows very well and sounds natural.

All the above being said I think this is going to be an immense series.  There are so many characters and so many things happening; that the story will be a big one.  So, far I have heard at least three books for this series...but I wouldn't be surprised if there are more.  This was a wonderful example of great middle grade/young adult epic fantasy and I think adults will enjoy it too!

I really loved this book and cannot wait to read the next one.  The strong points of this book are the wonderful characterization, excellent world-building, and intricate yet engaging plot.  The only weak point is that there are a lot of characters to keep track of; but the authors did a good job of lending a hand in that area by providing an index in the front.  After reading this book I am even more excited to read The Door Within Trilogy.

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

 

Selling Out (Quantum Gravity, Book 2) by Justina Robson (3/5 stars)

This is the second book in the Quantum Gravity series by Justina Robson. I liked the first book really well, but I wasn't as impressed with this book. The plot was too hacked up, and the storylines that the different characters followed seemed unrelated. Despite that, the world is still really intriguing and the characters re-joined at the end of the book making me want to read more about them. I listened to this on audio book, and while the audio book was okay, it wasn't the greatest reading I've ever heard. The reader had trouble doing male voices without making them sound annoying.

Lila Black is sent to Demonia on a mission to find how Zal became part demon. Meanwhile Zal gets stuck in the elemental realm (after having words about Lila with Malichi over an odd game of cards) and spends time there trying to get out. Malichi journeys to the Interstitial realm to learn more about ghosts. Eventually they all end up back together, but how all this is related to the problem of the cracks in the six different worlds is all a mystery to me.

I had some trouble understanding what this book was getting at. Lila didn't do much in Demonia besides get into trouble and meet an imp; okay so she gets into *a lot* of trouble. Meanwhile Zal (who is on his way to meet her) ends up in the Elemental Realm and spends a lot of time there trying to get back out without dying. Zal's part was kind of boring and dreamy and really only had one important reason for happening as far as I could tell. Totally unrelated to all of this Malichi ends up in the in-between Interstitial space learning about ghosts. If all of this stuff sounds unrelated, well, it pretty much was. I am fairly certain that everything that happened will play a major part in later books, but for this book it was mainly just disconnected and random.

The way Robson switched between Lila, Zal, and Malichi was hard to follow. She stopped at odd places in one character's story and then switched to another character. I just found the switches to be unnatural and, at points, it made the story hard to follow. I also got kind of sick of Lila's constant whining. It was crazy how she followed what the Agency told her blindly; although this is finally explained late in the book. Zal and Lila barely see each other the whole book and that was also disappointing. Another odd thing was that the game between Zal and Lila (which took up a good portion of Book 1) was rarely mentioned in this book.

There was also a lot that was done well in this book. The descriptions of Demon culture were very interesting. Where "Keeping it Real' focused on the Elven world, the majority of this book is about Demonia. Also you get to learn a lot more about both Zal's and Lila's past. It was great to finally meet some people from their past and learn more about what shaped their backgrounds and drives them. Teesil was an awesome addition to the story, as the lead assassin of Demonia, and I look forward to him being a bigger part of the next book.

The ending of the story was absolutely fantastic; I was impressed with how Robson brought the characters together and set things up for a great book 3. Really the ending was the most exciting part of this book and is the only thing making me interested in reading the next book of the series.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. Some things were awesome, some things not so much. I will read the third book because this book seemed to be setting things up for a great story in the third book.

Keeping it Real (Quantum Gravity, Book 1) by Justina Robson (4/5 stars)

This is the first book in the Quantum Gravity series by Justina Robson. So far there are four books in the series with a 5th being planned for future release. I wasn't able to find the number of books actually contracted for this series. Anyway, I really liked it. It is a great first book in the series and I want to learn a lot more about both the world and the characters.

A quantum bomb exploded in 2015 ripping a hole in reality and revealing five other realities; an elven realm, an elemental realm, a demon realm, the realm of death, and Otopia (Used to be known as Earth). Zal is an elf that has abandoned his homeland and become half demon; he then entered Otopia and started performing as a rock star. The elven community wants him dead and Lila Black is the one assigned to guard him. Lila is not quite human. She got into a horrible accident and the only way to save her life was for her to agree to be part of an experiment. Now she is part AI, part cyborg, and part human. Initially she thinks that she is guarding a rock star...then she finds the plot goes much deeper and wonders how deep into Elven territory it will take her.

This was a very creative book. I loved the five realms (with a possible sixth somewhere) they were awesome. We really only get to visit Otopia and the Elven realm, Alfheim, in a lot of depth and I am eager to visit the other realms. The characters are very engaging. All of them have their heroic points and their flaws. Lila and Zal both struggle with being different in a world where things are more bizarre than ever before. The dialogue was witty and funny most of the time; Lila in general is a kick butt character always ready with a quick jibe and tease.

The plot is complex and densely packed. There is a ton of action and Robson does a very good job writing the action scenes. Robson's writing style is pretty straight-forward, there is not a lot of flowery language here or over-description, the writing style fits the story well so it all works out.

There were some small problems with the book. The whole world (actually five worlds) are a lot to throw at a reader all at once; it can get a little bit confusing. I thought this was handled okay. Also most of the book is written from Lila's viewpoint, then suddenly in the second half some chapters are from Zal's point of view. This was a bit odd; although it worked okay, it took me a few moments to figure out what was going on. The last problem was that a lot hinges on The Game that Lila and Zan are bound up in. I never really understood what a Game was or how it got initiated; I understand it happens through Wild Magic but I though that aspect of the plot could have been clarified better.

Other than the above, I thought the complicated world and plot was handled pretty well. The characterization, world-building, and action scenes were fantastic. I am really, really looking forward to reading more books in this series. I stumbled upon this series in a special display at a bookstore and I am wondering why this series isn't getting better coverage. It is a good series. People who have described it as Dragonlance meets Star Trek are right on. I can't wait to see what the next book holds.