Teaser Tuesday - 1/12

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 is from "Ariel" by Steven R. Boyett.

 

Here it is: "I cast a spell and it works, whether you call it supernatural or different operant physics.  I conjure a demon and it appears." pg. 47

Blood Cross (Jane Yellowrock, Book 2) by Faith Hunter (5/5 stars)

This is the second book in the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter and it was just as awesome as the first book.  It is a fast-paced book with wonderful action scenes and wonderful characters.  I would definitely recommend reading the first book first, if you liked the first book you should like this one.

This book picks up where the last left off.  Jane is still in New Orleans and is still on contract to hunt down the maker of the rogue vampires.  She is joined by the witch Molly and her children.  As Jane tries desperately to track down the rogue maker, she finds out that somehow the witches of New Orleans are involved.  Can Jane track down the rogue maker before Molly and her children are forced into the witchy problems of New Orleans?

Like the first book this book is very densely written and full of action.  Jane very rarely stops to catch her breath, yet despite of all the action the characters are intriguing, are well-developed and have a lot of depth to them.  In this book we finally learn more about Jane's personal history and we also learn a lot more about the Vampires' Curse and their origins. 

Also as in the first book there is a little chemistry going on between some of the characters.  Jane/Beast continue to find Bruiser intriguing, and undercover cop Rick is also after Jane for at least one date.  Jane and Leo, the Master Vampire, of New Orleans have very strained relations as Leo deals with his depression over the death of his son.  Molly and her kids bring a nice element to the story and force Jane to show her soft side some of the time too.  This helps to make Jane a very believable character.

The world Hunter has created is very interesting and different from many of the paranormal worlds out there.  She really broadens the world in this book and gives us insight into how the Vampires tick.  She does a great job at writing a tight plot without a lot of excess fluff.  Jane knows what she wants to do and gets there, most of the time, dealing with the unexpected in unique and interesting ways.

If I have one gripe about this story it would be that Jane almost dies a number of times, sometimes I was left wondering if Jane was such a fabulous vampire slayer how did she get herself almost killed a number of times in less than a couple days?  That being said Jane has the wonderful ability to survive the impossible and it makes for a heroine that is interesting, yet believable.

I am eagerly awaiting the next Jane Yellowstone book.  Originally Hunter was contracted for three Jane Yellowstone book and I hope that she writes a couple more after that (not sixteen more mind you, but a few more would be nice)!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 100+ Book Reading Challenge
- Thriller and Suspense Reading Challenge

Mailbox Monday - 1/11

 Mailbox Monday can be found at: The Printed Page

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

This week I got a lot of books.  Some of it is due to the after Christmas book splurging I end up doing every year.  But most of them are through paperbackswap.com.  


I broke down and finally bought "Into the Woods" and "The Book of Ballads"  I have been wanting these forever and got them really cheap on Amazon.  I also pre-ordered and just got "Blood Cross" because the first Jane Yellowstone book was one of my favorites of last year; so I figured I can pay full price for this series if I enjoy it sooo much.

The rest of the books I got off of my wishlist through paperbackswap.com.  Quite the haul!  Most of them will support my reading challenges in one way or another.  Check out the list and details below.  Hope you all have a happy week!  And I wish you excellent reading :-)

"Silk" by Caitlin R. Kiernan

First Sentence: "Two nights before Halloween, as if it matters to anyone in the house, as if every day in this house isn't Halloween."
From Amazon.com: "To the residents of her small southern city, second-hand store owner Spyder Baxter is crazy. But her friends and followers know better. Something lives within Spyder's brain. Something powerful. Something wonderful. Something dangerous. Pray it never escapes."

"Blood Cross" (Jane Yellowrock, Book 2) by Faith Hunter

First Sentence: "Molly and the kids and I were eating lunch when the lightening hit."
From Amazon.com: "Jane Yellowrock is back on the prowl against the children of the night...
The vampire council has hired skinwalker Jane Yellowrock to hunt and kill one of their own who has broken sacred ancient rules-but Jane quickly realizes that in a community that is thousands of years old, loyalties run deep... "

The Book of Ballads by Charles Vess

First Sentence: "I'm of to school, ma.  You don't go near the well, our boy."
From Amazon.com: "Illustrated and presented by one of the leading artists in modern fantasy, The Book of Ballads gives us some of the great songs and folktales of the English, Irish, and Scottish traditions, re-imagined in sequential-art form, in collaboration with some of today+s strongest fantasy writers.Here is New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman retelling -The False Knight on the Road+; popular mystery author Sharyn McCrumb reimagining -Thomas the Rhymer+; acclaimed children+s writer Jane Yolen with -King Henry+ and -The Great Selchie of Sule Skerrie+; popular novelist Charles de Lint+s contemporary reworking of -Twa Corbies+; comics superstar Jeff Smith with -The Galtee Farmer+; Emma Bull+s version of -The Black Fox,+ and much, much more. A finalist for 2005+s Eisner Award, Ballads is an event in the worlds of fantasy and graphic storytelling alike."

Into the Woods by Lyn Gardner

First Sentence: "Storm Eden was forbidden to put a foot outside the high walls that surrounded the park at Eden End."
From Amazon.com: "Storm, Aurora, and Anything Eden live in a decaying mansion on the edge of the wilds with their erstwhile father and indolent mother. When an accident leaves them orphaned and at the mercy of the sinister Dr. DeWilde, these three courageous and eccentric sisters are forced to flee into the woods, where they encounter kidnappers, sweets-filled orphanages, mountains of ice, diamond mines, and some ravenously hungry wolves.

Taking inspiration from numerous fairy tales and weaving them into a wholly original story, Into the Woods is a whirlwind of a novel, full of imaginative happenings and dastardly deeds."

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

First Sentence: "Helena," the large mirror beckoned from the east wall, "I have something fo the utmost importance to show you."
From Amazon.com: "Megan’s twin sister Remy died in an accident nine years ago, and she's been haunting her ever since. Knowing how crazy that sounds, Megan keeps this secret to herself and tries to lead a normal life. But when she takes a summer job at Land of Enchantment to keep an eye on her new boyfriend and his lovesick best friend, Samantha, she meets fellow employee Luke who can see Remy, too. Things get even twistier because Megan's new friend Ari is sporting a massive crush on Luke, who seems to be developing a massive crush on Megan... making for a love triangle that’s positively possessed.
Megan wants to keep her distance from Luke, but when Remy’s visions get crazy violent, she knows she needs his help. Because someone's definitely in danger... the only question is who?"

Scones and Sensitbility by Lindsay Eland

First Sentence: "It was upon turning the last delicate pages of my leather-bound copy of Pride and Prejudice" that my transformation into a delicate lady of quality was complete.
From Amazon.com: "Seek tirelessly and you shall not find a contemporary heroine of middle-grade literature as refined and romantic as Miss Polly Madassa. Still swooning over the romantic conclusions of Pride & Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables, twelve-year-old Polly decides her purpose in life: helping along lonely hearts in search of love. Polly's only task this summer is to make deliveries for her parents' bakery, leaving ample time for this young cupid to find hearts to mend--beginning with the kite-store owner, Mr. Nightquist, who will pair perfectly with Miss Wiskerton (the unfairly labeled town curmudgeon). Polly's best friend Fran Fisk is in desperate need of a mother ever since hers ran off with a man she met on the Internet; Polly must find a match for Mr. Fisk. And while she's at it, it wouldn't hurt to find Clementine, Polly's teenaged sister, a beau worthy of her (so she can shed that brute, Clint). Polly's plans are in full swing, so she definitely cannot be bothered by the advances of classmate Brad Barker.

But maybe Polly should have turned her attention to Miss Austen's Emma next, because she quickly learns the pitfalls of playing matchmaker. How will Polly patch up her own relationships, while ensuring that destined love can take its course?"

Darklight (Wondrous Strange, Book 2) by Lesley Livingston

First Sentence: "The old man lay crumpled on the flagstones in front of a Park Avenue brownstone, his lifeblood oozing from five small holes in his neatly buttoned tweed vest like sap from a maple tree tapped in spring."
From Amazon.com: "Faerie can't lie . . . or can they?
Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was a Faerie princess, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved the mortal realm from the ravages of the Wild Hunt. Now Kelley is stuck in New York City, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet and missing Sonny more with every stage kiss, while Sonny has been forced back to the Otherworld and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the remaining Hunters and Queen Mabh herself.
When a terrifying encounter sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful but destined to be cut short. An ancient, hidden magick is stirring, and a dangerous new enemy is willing to risk everything to claim that power. Caught in a web of Faerie deception and shifting allegiances, Kelley and Sonny must tread carefully, for each next step could topple a kingdom . . . or tear them apart.
With breathtakingly high stakes, the talented Lesley Livingston delivers soaring romance and vividly magical characters in Darklight, the second novel in the trilogy that began with wondrous strange."

Nightlight: A Parody by National Lampoon (2/5 stars)

I liked "Twilight", really I did, but you have to admit there is a lot to make fun of in that book. So when I saw that National Lampoon had released a "Twilight" parody book called "Nightlight" I was eager to read it. Although, I have to admit I got this from the library...I knew that it had potential to be horrible as well as awesome. Well, unfortunately, this book fell into the horrible category.

This book is about Belle Goose and her relentless pursuit of computer geek Edwart Mullen. Belle has decided Edwart is a vampire, but he really isn't. Edwart doesn't even really like girls but Bella has decided she is in love with him.

Okay first I will go through the good points of this book. It picks the right things to make fun of and occasionally there are references to the book itself that make you chuckle. Also another good point is that the book is short; it took me maybe an hour and a half to read.

Unfortunately these chuckles are few and far between. I expected this book to be a clever and witty spoof highlighting all the shortcomings of the original. It was not this at all, it was more of a dumbed-down slapstick routine put on paper. If you like slapstick and find immature, stupid characters to be hilarious than you will laugh your butt off. Otherwise you will just be happy this book is short.

Then about two-thirds of the way through the book things get strange and not at all funny. As Belle suddenly goes to a vampire prom and the story totally deviates from anything we have ever read before. Suddenly what was a slightly amusing slapstick parody turns into just a plain old bad story.

I was really disappointed in this book; especially since I was excited to read it and was looking forward to a night of humor and good laughs. Add to the above the fact that I noticed a number of plain old typos in this book and I began to wonder if it had ever even been proofread.

In summary, look elsewhere for a funny parody of "Twilight"...given all the things you could make fun of "Twilight" for, there has got to be a better parody out there than this one.

This Book Goes Towards the following reading challenges:
- Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge
- 100+ Book Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

The Savage by David Almond and Dave McKean (4/5 stars)

I have previously read "The Skellig" by David Almond and really liked it. So, I was eager to read another book by Almond. When I saw that Dave McKean (illustrator for many of Gaimen's kid's books and graphic novels) had illustrated this I had to read it. The story was interesting but not what I expected.

The story is written in two alternating parts. It starts as a normal printed book with a kid, Blue, talking about how he wrote a story as a younger kid about a Savage in a notebook. He started the story about the Savage right after his dad suddenly died from a heart attack. Then there is a section from the notebook, the story is hand-written with bad spelling (as a little kid would write it) and drawings of the Savage's adventures. These sections alternate back and forth as Blue describes his life as it was then and then shows another story about the Savage. The twist to the whole story is this, it seems that the Savage is not just a story and he may really exist.

When I started the book I wasn't sure I would like it. The Savage is pretty violent and there is some starred out swearing. I started reading it to my young son, and then opted to stop because it was a bit too violent for him. Lots of cutting things apart and thinking about cutting mean people to pieces. Okay for a young adult or pre-teen but not for a young child. Also the mis-spelling in the hand-written portions of the story bugged me...but I understand that we were supposed to be reading the writing of a young child.

As the story continued I really started to like it. Especially towards the end. By the time I finished the book I was thinking, wow, this is a really cool book. It is very creative and has a very deep story and I really liked it!

This book is a quick read; took me maybe 40 minutes to read it or so. I really ended up enjoying it but I would recommend as a read for the pre-teen or older crowd. I got the book from the library and they did have it in the young adult section. I didn't like this book as much as "The Skellig" but it was still a good read. I will definitely be checking out more of David Almond's works in the future.

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

News - Ilona Andrew's Edge Chronicles Book 2, Bayou Moon Cover Art

Okay so Ilona Andrews just posted the cover art for the second book in the Edge Chronicles titled "Bayou Moon". It looks very similar in style to the cover of the first book. "Bayou Moon" has a planned release date in September of this year.  Check out the cover art below :-)

Princep's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 5) by Jim Butcher (4/5 stars)

This is the fifth book in the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. The series is 6 books in length, the last book is "First Lord's Fury". It was not as good as the previous book, but still a very good read.

Tavi is heading off to the Canim's homeland with the First Aleran. There he hopes to return the Canim to their homeland without incident, unfortunately a big sea storm devastates the fleets of ships and plans change. What Tavi and the Canim find upon reaching the shore is horrible and unexpected. Back in Alera the First Lord (Gauis) is dealing with a crisis of his own. As Gauis's health continues to deteriorate he is left dealing with an attack from the Vord. The Vord are an insect-like race that was fought in the first few books in this series. The First Lord calls on Amara and Bernard to, once again, take on a dangerous mission to figure out how the Vord have learned Fury-craft. The last storyline deals with Isana, now the First Lady. Gauis sends Isana to the north in an effort to make peace with the Ice-men there; in hopes that the Aleran forces in the North can leave the fighting on the northern Shieldwall and lend their assistance to fighting the Vord in the south.

As you can tell from above there is a lot of fighting in this book. There is less character development than in previous books, but still a lot of great action scenes. This book was more about Butcher moving the characters around to where they need to be for the final book than anything else. It is very much a transition novel.

That is not to say that a lot of things don't happen, a lot of things do happen. The characters' situation is worse than ever before and there are no great victories in this book. Our heroes continue to pull off feats of imaginable strength and daring; the enemies continue to horrify us. The Vord are definitely a horrible enemy,

Like in the last book, Tavi pulls off one crazy scheme after another and makes it through unscathed...this is a bit unrealistic and irritating. The other down point of this book is that Butcher uses too many words to describe everything. There was just a lot of description that we didn't need to know and at times this slowed down the relentless pace of the story a bit too much.

Nothing is resolved in this book, but all the players are moved into position for a powerful and awesome conclusion in the next book. I would recommend buying the last book with this one so that you don't have to wait to read it. Also you do need to read the previous books in this series to follow what is going on in this book.

All in all it is a great story, with a complicated plot, great action scenes, and wonderful characters. It is just not as great of a story as the last book. I have high hopes for the concluding novel though and am excited to read the next book.

This book goes toward both my 100+ Books Reading Challenge and my Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge.