Review - To Kill a Warlock (Dulcie O'Neil, Book 1) by H. P. Mallory (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy/PNR
Length: 328 KB (ebook)
Publisher: Kindle Digital Services
Release Date: July, 2010
ASIN: B003UNLIOQ
Stand Alone or Series: 1st in the Dulcie O'Neil
Source: Copy from author in exchange for honest review
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the first book in the Dulcie O'Neil series by H. P. Mallory.  I got a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.  I really enjoyed it!  While not the most creative paranormal series I've ever read; this series was light-hearted, fun and very well written.  Think of it as a mash-up of Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series, Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series, and Molly Harper's Jane Jameson series.  You got the fairies and the Netherworld, a murder mystery, and lots of light-hearted snarkiness.

Dulie works as a Regulator for A.N.C. (Association for Netherworld Creatures).  She helps keep tabs on Netherworld Creatures, makes sure they are registered with ANC, and solves cases involving them.  As the book starts she has been turned into a nasty creature while on a case to catch someone selling illegal potions.  Problem is next day the guy she was investigating ends up dead.  So, she is kind of a suspect.  Then suddenly she is pulled off of the case "to protect her" and at the same time the steaming hot Knight comes into her life demanding her help on the murder case; Knight is futher up the A.N.C food chain than Dulcie's boss, so Dulcie is forced to help him out.  Now Dulcie is drawn into a dangerous case, trying to finish writing her first romance novel, dodging her feelings for her boss (Quillan), dealing with an amorous vampire, negotiating with a pain-loving demon, and side stepping Knight's attempts to get romantically involved with her.  Dulcie's life is definitely not going to get boring anytime soon.

This was a fun book.  Dulcie's world is never really explained in detail, but you pick up pieces as you read and it is an interesting world.  I would love to learn more about the Netherworld in the next book.  Dulcie is a likable heroine; with a snarky since of humor, some wicked fairy dust tricks, and a soft spot for hot men.  There are a number of yummy guys written into the story.  In fact it was almost too many.  Dulcie is torn between dealing with Knight, Quillan, and Bram...at some points that seemed like a couple guys too many.  Mallory handled the interactions well though and gave enough depth to their personalities that you could see what Dulcie saw in them.

The book is well-written; very natural sounding and easy to read, hard to put down, and the plot moved at a nice clip.  There are enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. 

Overall this is a great addition to the more light-hearted side of the paranormal genre.  At times Dulcie reminded me a bit of Rachel Morgan; she has a similar job and that same type of innocence that Rachel carries around with her in the beginning of that series.  While not mind-blowing; the world is well thought out, the writing is well done, and this was a fun lighthearted read.  Definitely a fun way to pass the time.  Check it out if you are a fan of lighthearted paranormal romance.

This goes to the following reading challenges:
- Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge Book List
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

 

Classic Review - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (4/5 stars)

This was another classic book, like the Phantom of the Opera, that I had heard a lot about but never actually sat down and read.  It is a pretty quick read, well written, and fairly disturbing...although maybe not by today's standards.

Most of the story is told from the viewpoint of Mr. Utterson, a lawyer who is a friend of Dr. Jekyll's and who observes Dr. Jekyll's strangeness from an outside perspective.  Mr. Utterson has some experience bumping into Mr. Hyde as well and finds Mr. Hyde a most disturbing character.  Most people know the premise behind the story, so the surprise twist at the ending isn't really a surprise.  Basically Mr. Utterson tells you about Dr. Jekyll and how Dr. Jekyll's life is intertwined with the disturbing Mr. Hyde.  Things culminate when Mr. Utterson receives a journal of Dr. Jekyll's that explains Dr. Jekyll's experiment in full.

This is a dark, mysterious read.  If would have been full of suspense had I not already known the story.  From Mr. Utterson's point of view the things that happen to Dr. Jekyll and involving Mr. Hyde are disturbing and upsetting.  It isn't until you read Dr. Jekyll's journal, at the end of the book, detailing his experiments that things get very creepy and a bit spooky.

As a chemist I have to say that the chemistry described in the book and it's affect on Dr. Jekyll is ridiculous.  I realize this is a work of fiction however and choose to ignore that, although I had to mention it.

Stevenson's writing is very readable; and the mystery and gloominess pervading the story is distinct.  The story is very engaging and I found myself hard-pressed to put the novel down.  At times the language is dated and a bit wordy, but I expected that.

Overall I am happy that I read this.  It was nice to get the full version of the story and see what all following works were based on.  It is a good piece of literature and an enjoyable read.  Dr. Jekyll's journal at the end brings up some deeper questions about duplicity of personalities and the good and evil that dwells in all humans; so from that aspect it also gives the reader some food for thought.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges;
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

 

Review - Valentine: Episodes 1 and 2 by Alex de Campi (Author), Christine Larsen (Illustrator) (4/5 stars)

I was eager to see how reading a comic worked on my Kindle and it works pretty darn well.

The pages are in landscape mode so you hold your Kindle on the side to read it.  The pictures are beautifully drawn and I was impressed with how well you can see the detail with the e-ink as well as with the detail itself.

As for the story it looks like it could be pretty good.  It is about some soldiers after the war of 1812.  Two of them stumble upon some strange conflict and Valentine ends up with a mysterious package that he is tasked with delivering.  Very mysterious and interesting.

My only complaints are that the two episodes are very short...took maybe 10 minutes to read.  I understand it is only $0.99, but I felt a bit cheated still.  Maybe if 5 episodes were sold together it would seem more worth it.  Also at times I had a bit of trouble telling who was who with all the male lead characters that were in a few of the frames.

Overall it was beautifully drawn and looks like it is leading to an interesting story.  Very short though, so I will probably wait to see what other people say about the follow up episodes before purchasing them.

 

Classic Review - Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (4/5 stars)

It's hard to believe this book was written in 1931, Huxley is awfully accurate on some of his futuristic visions of how society could end up.

This book basically describes a society that appears to be Utopian at first glance.  Humans are made at certain genetic intelligence and caste; they are conditioned to be grateful for their place in life.  Of course humans being humans there are occasionally those who divert from the norm.  The story focuses mainly on Bernard Marx, an Alpha who is born too short, and as such ostracized and isolated in a society based on community and on Lenina a woman who is a fairly average society girl who agrees to travel with Bernard to Reservation.  At the reservation they meet a Savage named John who travels back with them to "proper" society.   What ensues is basically disaster.

The kind of creepy thing is that Huxley is pretty spot on about some of the things in his Utopian society.  There is a lot genetic engineering going on, subliminal messaging, regulated drug use to promote serenity, etc.  The beginning of the book is the most shocking because they explain how they modify the chemical make up of the fetuses to make them smart or stupid, strong or weak.  This is followed by a discussion of how they condition the infants to like or not like certain things based on what function they will have in society.  It is a society where everyone is equal but no one gets to make any decisions.

The people in the society are encouraged to be somewhat infantile in their decisions; time not working is spend playing games or engaging in sexual activity.  Despite the society being depicted as somewhat British the members are encouraged to give into their baser natures whenever they want...emotion makes for unhappy people so it is best to not think about it too much.

What happens when John, a Savage raised by a (gasp) mother, a man who loves and hurts is brought into this society is fascinating but predictable.  He has a hard time making sense of a society where "mother" is an indecent word and love is a foreign concept.

The book is very readable and well-written.  The story is engaging.  I am sure at the time this book was written it was ground-breaking.  Unfortunately most of the factors of society that are discussed in this book I have read discussed in more current books.  For me what set this book apart from other dystopians was the fact that it was written so long ago, also the fact that Huxley didn't pull any punches on the human conditioning...they are pretty ruthless, and lastly how reasonable he makes the set-up of such a society sound.  There is a portion towards the end of the book where the Controller explains to John how their society evolved to what it is today; the Controller explains what they tried and what actually worked.  The Controller's argument sounds disturbingly reasonable and almost makes you understand how a society set-up like the one in this book might work out well for a large amount of people.

Overall I enjoyed the book and I am glad I read it.  None of the ideas really blew me away and the story was engaging, but not absolutely incredible.  It is a book that makes you think; especially when think of the time frame in which it was written.  The topics discussed are something which will make you take pause but some of the ideas presented aren't that far away from where we are today (genetic engineering, etc.).  Definitely something to read and something easy to relate to.

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

 

Novella Review - House of Immortal Pleasures by Katie Salidas (3/5 stars)

I got this book as a digital copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Overall this was a pretty good book.  It is a quick read at 50 some pages, takes a little over an hour to read.  It is a romance/erotica novel with light paranormal elements.  Definitely intended for an adult audience.

Daphne is kidnapped by her friends and brought to the House of Immortal Pleasures (a vampire brothel).  Her friends are trying to help her get over an ex-boyfriend who was a jerk to her.   Meanwhile Connor has been sentenced to work at the House of Immortal Pleasure as punishment and this is his last night there.  Will Daphne succumb to peer pressure and decide to sample the wears at the House of Immortal Pleasure?  Will Connor be released from his punishment there?

Okay so if the above sounds a bit corny as a plot...well it is.  Daphne's friends are colossal jerks and I hope I never have a friend like any of hers.  The whole purpose of the story is to get to the parts where Daphne and Connor have hot steamy sex.  Oops...did I give away part of the story?  Not really, did you really have any doubt the the brooding punished alpha male and the suppressed and hurt beautiful woman would get it on?

Salidas's writing style is very readable and engaging; I actually like the style of her writing quite a bit.  She puts in all the necessary elements for your typical paranormal erotica romance novel.  You have the alpha male, the hurt female, hot steamy scenes, and the inevitable falling in love of the two.  Salidas does it well enough, but it is something you have read before.

The characters are very stereotypical and the story goes exactly like all the other stories in this niche do.  So no surprises really.  Salidas treats vampires the same way most paranormal authors treat them; there wasn't anything really all that creative or groundbreaking about her representation of them.

The sex scenes are kind of standard.  Nothing too creative or interesting.  From the cover it looks like there is bondage involved, but the sex is your standard run of the mill stuff.  Which is fine, but from the description and the menu the girls go through in the restaurant I was expected something less....normal.  Daphne and Connor do have some chemistry together; so they are engaging just not outstanding.

Overall if you want a quick hot steamy read about vampires then this is the book for you.  It is written well and easy to read.  Just don't expect anything out of the ordinary; the characters are stereotypical, the plot predictable, and the sex pretty uncreative.  It would be a great quick summer read and if you are fan of vampire erotica you might want to check it out.  Overall an okay book.  It does make me want to check out her urban fantasy Immortalis Carpe Noctem since I liked the writing style and am more of an urban fantasy fan anyway.

For a hot and steamy paranormal novella that is incredibly creative and has characters with unbelievable chemistry I would recommend reading Silent Blade by Ilona Andrews instead.

Review - Wildthorn by Jane Eagland (4/5 stars)

I got a digital galley of this novel from netgalley.com.  I am glad I did it was a very interesting read and I enjoyed it a lot.

Louisa Cosgrove is sent away from her family to serve as a Governess, but she doesn't arrive at their house.  Instead she finds herself arriving at Wildthorn an asylum for the mentally handicapped.  She is told her name is Lucy Childs and that she is mentally sick.  Louisa protests but the more she denies, the more the caretaker insists that her denial is proof of her illness.  Things start out okay in the First Galley of the house and Louisa tries her best to figure out why she was deposited in Wildthorn.  As she comes to realize there must be a plot against her she plans escape.  But can Louisa remember who she is and survive the treatments long enough to follow through on her escape?

This was a very engaging novel and very hard to put down.  You are constantly wondering at the mystery of how Louisa ended up at Wildthorn and whether or not she will escape.  The beginning of the book alternates between stories from her past and scenes about what is currently happening to her.  From her past you learn that Louisa is a very intelligent girl that wants to follow in the footsteps of her doctor father.  Louisa is also very obstinate about following the traditional roles set forth by society.  As time goes on we find she has an extremely intense liking of her cousin Grace.

This novel was very well done.  It does an excellent job of showing the powerless position of women in the represented era.  The injustices that happen to the women at the asylum are horrible and disturbing (but appropriate for young adult readers).  The fact that Louisa's assertiveness and intelligence are withering away in this mental asylum is maddening at times.  Eagland does an excellent job of portraying the panic that Louisa feels upon being trapped in this horrible place.

Eagland doesn't stop at tackling the issue of women's rights but also tackles some politics around same sex relationships.  Most of the moral issues discussed deal with the powerlessness of women, but there is some about the scandalous nature of same sex relationships at the time.  It did bother me a little that Eagland turned Louisa into your typical woman right's stereotype...

Eagland's writing was very readable, at times I wished she would give a little bit more in depth description.  I also thought that her description of mental asylums was perhaps a bit too nice, but I don't know that for sure.  The book ends on a positive note and in a way that is really too good to be true.  Although a bit unrealistic, I did enjoy the happy ending.

Overall this was an enjoyable book that was easy to read.  It was interesting to read a historical fiction novel that tackled a different subject matter.  I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, mysteries, or just about any young adult.  It is very interesting and does a good job of portraying the troubles that faced women in that era.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- The Debut Author Challenge
- The Young Adult Reading Challenge
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge
- GLBT Reading Challenge
- Summer Romance Reading Challenge

 

Review - Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa (4.5/5 stars)

I read The Iron King and loved it.  Then I got an advanced digital copy of the Iron Daughter and loved that as well.  So when I saw Kagawa had released a short story that takes place in the time that passes between those two books I was excited!  This was a great little story.  I got my copy of this story through netgalley.com

This story tells about what happens to Ash and Meghan after they leave her house but before they get to the Winter Court.  Ash and Meghan are being hunted by something dark, determined, and evil.  Can they make to the safety of Winter's Realm before it catches them?

If you liked The Iron King you will like this story. Kagawa writes it in the same action-packed, edgy, and engaging style that she her previous book.  This book also fills out a little more about what happens between Ash and Meghan to makes things super tense when they are in the Winter Court, in The Iron Daughter.

I really enjoyed the story.  I read it on my Kindle and it was a great read.  It is just a novella though and, at 60 some pages long, only takes an hour or two to read.  Still it is a nice interlude to hold you through until you can read The Iron Daughter.  Which by the way is an excellent book too.  I am very impressed with Kagawa's writing, I love how she leaves all the bad, gritty things in fairy with all the good.


You can read my review of her next book, The Iron Daughter, here.

Classic Review - The Legend of Sleepy Hallow by Washington Irving (4/5 stars)

My first experiences with this Halloween story were on old Halloween records my parents had and of watching the old Disney video in elementary school for Halloween.  I realized though that I had never actually read the story itself.  So I downloaded the free version on my Kindle.

Everyone should know this story, or at least have heard of it.  It's about Ichabod Crane, the schoolmaster of Sleepy Hollow, and his run-in with the evil Headless Horseman.

This story is very well-written and enjoyable even after such a long time.  I was surprised to find that the Disney version was extremely accurate; so if you watch that short movie you will get a very good representation of the story.

Most of the story is spent setting things up and some of the descriptions can get a bit drawn-out and boring.  At the same time some of the descriptions are also rather amusing and humorous. 

All in all an excellent story that made for an interesting read.  Might get a bit boring at parts for kids, but I was impressed at how funny some parts of it were too.  If you get a chance to watch the Disney movie Sleepy Hollow, it is a great movie and really stays true to this story.

This free Kindle version had some slight formatting problems in a couple places, nothing too horrible but I did notice them.