Early Review - Devil Said Bang (Sandman Slim, Book 4) by Richard Kadrey (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: August 28, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0062094575
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Sandman Slim series
Source: eGalley through Edelweiss.com
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the 4th book in the Sandman Slim series by Kadrey. I got an eGalley for review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This one started off a little slower than previous books, but really picked up speed as the book went on. I ended up loving this one just as much as previous books. It’s gritty, darkly humorous, and Stark is the perfect anti-hero.

The book starts with Stark down in Hell trying to do his job as Lucifer. When he finds out Lucifer mainly does a lot of paper work he continues looking for a way back to L.A. He gets back to L.A. only to find that a serial killer ghost is on the rampage; if Stark doesn’t figure out how to stop the ghost then L.A. could end up worse than Hell.

This book is kind of like two books, or at least two distinct parts of one story. The first part deals with Stark in Hell as he tries to figure out Lucifer’s job, evade assassinations and find a way back to L.A. I didn’t enjoy this part as much as previous Sandman Slim books. Yeah there is a lot of action, but you also get a lot of Hellion names thrown at you and it gets hard to keep track of all the Generals, etc.

I did enjoy watching Stark run the Hellion administration Sandman Slim style. It was pretty hilarious to watch him smack down all those Hellish administrative types. I also enjoyed the secret and truly deadly weapon that looks like a Magic 8 ball.

Things pick up pace and become much more interesting when Stark gets back to L.A. This goes back to the more traditional “Stark solves a murder to save the world” sort of story line. I loved that all of the great characters from previous books feature. Candy is back in full force and it was great to watch her and Stark kick some butt. The Father is back as well and he has learned some truly awesome and deadly spiritual magic and is backing Stark up with more than just intellect. Brigette makes a cameo appearance too.

As with previous books Stark has to solve a mystery or the whole city (and lots of the world) will bite it. In this case it is a murderous young girl ghost that he is chasing. As he solves this mystery we are introduced to more detail of the ghost realms and some new and interesting characters.

Stark actually develops quite a bit as a character in this book. He has to track down his angelic half and make peace with it, and he is starting to actually care about some of the people around him. He is just as tragic as in previous books but he is changing and growing some. It was great to have some character development here.

The action scenes are awesome, the settings dank and gritty. The dialogue sounds like it feel out of an old black and white noir film and it totally over the top at times; I absolutely love it! This is a gritty and ugly urban fantasy and I absolutely adore it.

Overall an excellent addition to the series. The beginning does drag a bit, but things really pick up in the second half of the book. All of our favorite characters are back and Stark makes some awesome progress in character development. This isn’t my favorite Sandman Slim novel, but it is still an excellent one. This whole series is highly recommended to fans of gritty urban fantasy.

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

Happy 4th of July!

Hope you are all having a Happy 4th of July. The high here in MN is supposed to be 102oF today...should be a nice hot one!

Hope you have great weather and that you can all get some reading in today :-)

Thanks for following the blog!

Waiting on Wednesday - 7/4/12

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week my Waiting on Wednesday book is Endlessly (Paranormalcy, Book 3)  by Kiersten White

.  Click on the image to go to Amazon and read more about this book.



Endlessly (Paranormalcy, Book 3)  by Kiersten White

Release Date: July 24th, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-0061985881

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Try as she might, Evie can’t seem to escape her not-so-normal past. And what was supposed to be a blissfully normal school break is ruined when a massive group of paranormals shows up at her house, claiming that Evie is the only one who can protect them from a mysterious, perilous fate.

The deadly war between the faerie courts looms ever closer. The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its future rests solely in Evie’s hands.

So much for normal.

With a perfect blend of humor and suspense, Endlessly is everything readers could dream of in a conclusion—and the unexpected twists will keep them guessing until the very last page.

Early Review - Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Zombies
Size: 400 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 24, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0062083265
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Something Strange and Deadly Trilogy
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: 5/5 stars

I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was an absolutely wonderful book; I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a wonderful blend of horror/historical fantasy/steampunk/walking undead with a little romance thrown in. The heroine is absolutely wonderful and I loved reading about her. The world is creative and interesting and the plot incredibly well done. The second book, A Darkness Strange and Lovely, is due out in 2013.

Eleanor Fitt has more to worry about than your average Victorian young lady; her brother has gone missing, her family is nearly destitute, and her mother wants to solve the problem by marrying her off to a rich young man. This is nothing though compared to the problems plaguing the city; the dead have started rising and they are hungry. When Eleanor suspects that her brother is somehow involved with the Dead she hunts down the group of Spirit Hunters for help.

I loved this book. It was fast-moving, had a wonderful plot, wonderful characters, and was very creative. There is witty banter and humor woven throughout the story that made it a lot of fun to read. The walking dead in this novel aren’t the result of a strange infection but are instead the result of necromancy. They don’t spread infection but they are still incredibly hungry for human flesh.

Eleanor is an absolutely wonderful character. She tries to be a proper lady and even goes along with her mother trying to hook her up with the rich Clarence. Still she is determined to find her brother (who is also her best friend) and she will stop at nothing to find him. She ends up sneaking in visits to the Spirit Hunters in between her normal errands and house calls.

As the story progresses Eleanor really shows her metal; she throws herself into everything she does, takes risks to save those she is loyal to and is so much more tough than she seems in the beginning. She really grows a lot as the book continues. She is one of those rare heroines that really takes a lot of physical damage throughout her escapades; she doesn't heal supernaturally but just pushes through to do what she can. I love seeing a heroine actually take realistic damage and have to deal with aftermath; it just makes the story more real to me.

The Spirit Hunters aren’t your average ghost busters (although they do use a mixture of strange steampunkish technology and electricity to deal with their spirits) there is also an element of magic to it all. Of course one of the Spirit Hunters is the young and handsome mechanical genius Daniel. Daniel and Eleanor drive each other crazy in both a bad and a good way; this adds a little romance to the story as they have great chemistry together.

The plot is incredibly well put together, it was a bit predictable, but still very well done. The elements of Eleanor’s missing brother, an evil Spirit, the Walking Dead, and the Spirit Hunters are all nicely tied together as the story progresses.

Overall I absolutely loved everything about this book. Great world, wonderful writing, excellent characters, and a fast-paced plot. When reading this book you can’t help but compare it to Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel; I liked this book quite a bit more than that one. If you do like Dearly, Departed by Habel I think you would really enjoy this book as well. I would also recommend this book to adult readers who are fans of the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. This was an excellent steampunk/zombie/historical fantasy. I can’t wait to read the second book, A Darkness Strange and Lovely!

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

Review - Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11) by Charlaine Harris (2/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Release Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0441020317
Stand Alone or Series: 11th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 2/5 stars

This is the eleventh book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I put off reading this book because I didn’t enjoy the last couple books before this. But with the end of the series (book 13 is supposed to be the last one) looming around the corner, I decided I should just go ahead and read it. I was seriously underwhelmed, but I do want to know what happens.

Sookie is trying to learn to deal with her bond to Eric but then gets caught up in other events when Merlotte’s is firebombed. Initially Sookie and Sam think it is because Sam is two-natured, but then Eric and Pam reveal that they are in a silent war with Victor. As Eric’s wife (in vampire law) she ends up drawn into the whole mess and has to help figure out a way to get rid of Victor forever.

There are a ton of little things going on in this book which makes it very unfocused. Sookie also has Claude and co stopping by quite often, so those faeries are definitely up to something. A bit more is revealed about the fairies and how it further ties into Sookie’s past.

There isn’t a ton of talk about repercussions from the two-natured (shapeshifters) coming out. It is mentioned in the beginning and then kind of goes away. Although there is a lot of worry about the lack of business at Merlotte’s because of Victor’s two new competing bars.

There are a ton of other small things woven into the story as well. Baby showers, attic refinishing, Bill and his current SO, and Pam’s drama with her current SO. Just a lot of little stuff going on that I am not sure really has a purpose.

The majority of the story focuses on Victor and what Pam and Eric have to do to deal with him. Of course Sookie is sucked into all of this because of her closeness to Eric. Still the story felt scattered like a lot of little things are being thrown together.

The heat between Sookie and Eric is lacking; they are at odds for vast portions of the book. Much to my disappointment Bill is creeping back into the picture; I wish we could just settle on one guy and let Sookie have some peace. I mean seriously. Many of the characters just feel tired and feel like they are going through the motions.

The quality of writing is similar to the last couple books, but seriously worse than the beginning of the series. There are a number of places where there is awkward sounding dialogue. I had to go back and re-read a few places in the book to figure out what was even being said...again this points towards poor editing/writing for this book.

This story never grabbed me, I finished it but the whole time just kind of felt blah about it all. This book didn’t have the energy, the mystery, or the creativeness of earlier books in the series. Basically reading this book reminded me why I stopped reading this series. It has gone seriously down hill in the last few books. Really if you liked this book you need to go back and reread the earlier ones and compare...because these last couple books haven’t been near the quality of the earlier ones in this series.

Overall definitely not the best book in the series. Pretty much on par with the last couple books; the plot is scattered, the characters are tired, and the quality of writing is poor. I do enjoy these characters, but I wish that Harris would just end it and stop dragging the characters through these poorly put together stories.

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

Sunday Showcase and Mailbox Monday - 7/2/12

Hello and welcome to Showcase Sunday. Inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and the Story Siren, the aim of Showcase Sunday is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

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 three books.  You can see them below.  The first two were e-books for review.  The last was the new Jane True book which I got from the library.

No video this week as I am at a water park in WI Dells!  Hope you all got great books and have a wonderful week of reading :-)

For Review:

Cast in Peril (Chronicles of Elantra, Book 8) by Michelle Sagara
Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond by Kim Harrison

From Library:

Tempest's Fury (Jane True, Book 5) by Nicole Peeler

June 2012 - In Review

This month I read 21 books.  A couple of my favorite books were Every Day by David Levithan and Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas.  So make sure to check those books out when they release!  

You can see all the books I read this month listed below.  I also have my favorites from the month and my reading challenge updates listed below.  Hope you all had a great month of reading.

I started the following series:
- The Taken (Celestial Blues, Book 1) by Vicki Pettersson (4/5 stars)
- Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas (5/5 stars)
- Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 1) by Stacia Kane (4/5 stars)

I finished the following series:
- The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles, Book 3) by Rick Riordan (4/5 stars)
- Kind (The Good Neighbors, Book 3) by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh (3.5/5 stars)

My Favorite Books of the Month Were:
- Insurgent (Divergent, Book 2) by Veronica Roth (5/5 stars)
- Wolves (Fables, Book 8) by Bill Willingham (5/5 stars)
- Moonglow (Darkest London, Book 2) by Kristen Callihan (4.5/5 stars)
- Monster Hunter Alpha (MHI, Book 3) by Larry Correia (5/5 stars)
- Sons of Empire (Fables, Book 9) by Bill Willingham (4.5/5 stars)
- Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas (5/5 stars)
- Every Day by David Levithan (5/5 stars)
- Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (4.5/5 stars)
- Binky Under Pressure by Ashley Spires (5/5 stars)

Here are the stats on the reading challenges I am participating in:
- Graphic Novel Challenge (24/12 read) complete!
- Dystopia Reading Challenge (11/10 read) complete!
- Zombie Reading Challenge (5/12 read)
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge complete!
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge (124/150+ read)
- Debut Author Reading Challenge (14/12 read) complete!
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge (32/50 read)
- Steampunk Reading Challenge (7/12 read)

The full list of books that I read this month are shown below.
1.   Arabian Nights (and Days) (Fables, Book 7) by Bill Willingham (4/5 stars)
2.   Silver by Rhiannon Held (2.5/5 stars)
3.   The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles, Book 3) by Rick Riordan (4/5 stars)
4.   Insurgent (Divergent, Book 2) by Veronica Roth (5/5 stars)
5.   The Taken (Celestial Blues, Book 1) by Vicki Pettersson (4/5 stars)
6.   Wolves (Fables, Book 8) by Bill Willingham (5/5 stars)
7.   The Lunatic’s Curse (Tales from the Sinister City, Book 4) by F.E. Higgings (3.5/5 stars)
8.   Halt’s Peril (Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 9) by John Flanagan (4/5 stars)
9.   Moonglow (Darkest London, Book 2) by Kristen Callihan (4.5/5 stars)
10. Monster Hunter Alpha (MHI, Book 3) by Larry Correia (5/5 stars)
11. Monster by A. Lee Martinez (2/5 stars)
12. Sons of Empire (Fables, Book 9) by Bill Willingham (4.5/5 stars)
13. Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas (5/5 stars)
14. Hunchback of Notre Dame (1/5 stars)
15. Every Day by David Levithan (5/5 stars)
16. Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 1) by Stacia Kane (4/5 stars)
17. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (4.5/5 stars)
18. Kind (The Good Neighbors, Book 3) by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh (3.5/5 stars)
19. The Golden Lily (Bloodlines, Book 2) by Richelle Mead (4/5 stars)
20. Binky Under Pressure by Ashley Spires (5/5 stars)
21. Devil's Kiss (Billi SanGreal, Book 1) by Sawat Chadda (3/5 stars)