Bitten to Death by Jennifer Rardin (4/5 stars)

This is the fourth book in the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin. It was pretty much on par with the third book of the series as far as quality goes. I am still enjoying these books but I thought that this book was marginally less great than the other books.

In this book Jaz, Vayl and David return to Vayl's old Vampere Trust. They have an agreement with the leader of the Trust that they hope will lead to the assassination of Edward Samos, the Raptor. Unfortunately when they arrive they find that the Trust has changed leadership and is now in the hands of someone who has a deep connection with Vayl. The new leader has different plans for Vayl and the magic of the Trust seems to be pulling the characters apart from each other. Will Jaz, Vayl, and David survive their stay with the Trust? Will they finally eliminate Edward Samos?

This was a pretty good book. It was action packed and introduced a lot of new magical aspects to the series. Were-creatures join the plotline and we learn a lot more about Vayl's past. All in all it was fast-paced and engaging. Although so far I think it was my least favorite book of the series.

I will restate that this was a really good book but there were some things that bothered me about it. In someways the plot seemed to be rehashing the plot of the third book. Jaz runs around trying to save Vayl from himself again; and Jaz and Vayl's relationship seems to be treading water. I suppose this may be a transitional book, but I thought this book was a bit weak on character development. I am starting to get sick of Jaz's whining that she needs space, when the whole time she is acting the opposite way. I am really hoping that the major flaw in Vayl's character has worked itself out and we don't have to hear Vayl obsessing over his dead sons anymore after this. That was an interesting plot element for a couple books but it is wearing thin and getting old. I also missed that there weren't as many nifty gadgets in this book; there were a few, but Bergman was mostly absent. Also the careening from mission to mission is getting a bit tiresome even for me; does anyone else think maybe Jaz needs a vacation? I don't think the woman hardly ever sleeps. I am beginning to think it would be more exciting to hear about what Jaz does when she's not knee deep in scary terrorists.

This was a good book. I think the next book will probably decide whether or not I keep reading the series. The ending of this book left the next book open to some new plot lines and new ideas; hopefully it will follow through.

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip (4/5 stars)

Sybil was raised on Eld mountain by her father. Her only company was the animals that her father called to the mountain. After her father died she maintained the animals and studied magic to become an unparalleled sorceress. She spends days upon days trying to call the one creature that she thinks can give her complete freedom, the creature called the Liralen. One day she is interrupted by someone at her gate; Coren wants her to take in and protect a baby named Tam. When Sybil accepts Tam into her mountain home she is drawn into a deadly conflict between two factions. Sybil struggles to remain separate from the world of men, but instead is drawn deep into it as Tam grows to manhood.

This book is a very deliberately paced book. It is beautifully written, in an older style but with lush description and very literature-like language. This is very much a traditional young adult fantasy. To be honest I had trouble getting through the first chapter which details Sybil's lineage and how she comes to live on the mountain; I kept falling asleep. After I got past the first chapter however I found myself intrigued by what would happen to Sybil and Tam as they were drawn further and further into man's conflicts. For such a simple story this book touches on many deep philosophies. It looks at living in isolation, the relationship to your mother and father, revenge, fear, peace, and love. The characters, especially Sybil, go through a tumultuous emotional growth throughout the story. The animals that Sybil "keeps" are delightful and represent aspects of human personalities; such as wisdom, fierceness, grace, direction.

This was a great read for children and adults alike. Despite some violence, it is definitely appropriate for younger children. I am always impressed with the beauty of McKillip's writing. I will say her books always make you think and always end up wandering into some deeper aspects of human philosophy.

Fire Me Up by Katie MacAlister (3/5 stars)

This is the second book in the Aisling Grey Guardian series by Katie MacAlister. I did not think that this book was as good as the first book. I thought that the first book was cute, sexy, funny and had some original ideas. This book was cute, sometimes sexy, rarely funny and rehashed a lot of what we already learned in the first book. These are definitely way into the romance category and just slightly into the paranormal.

Aisling travels to Budapest, Hungary to go the GODTAM convention where she hopes to meet other people like herself (That is magical type folk) and to find a Guardian to mentor her. Unfortunately she bumps into Drake and finds out that he is still obsessed with her performing her duties as his mate; some of these duties happen to be attending meetings of the Dragons' that just happen to be at the hotel she is at. With Drake hovering and her demon, Jim, making snarky comments Aisling is having one heck of a time getting a mentor lined up.

Okay I pretty much know what I am getting into with these books. They are definitely not to be taken seriously, you need to leave all your notions about romantic relationships at the door, remember things won't necessarily make any sense, and remember Aisling is a bit of an airhead. Even going into reading this book with these things in mind I was a bit miffed at this book.

First the positive stuff: This was a cute, fun read. It was a quick read and the plot moved along nicely. There were lots of tastefully done steamy sex scenes. I think it is awesome that Aisling is trying to get training for her position as a Guardian. It bugs me to death when a character decides they would rather tough it out, than do the logical thing and get a little help from a mentor. I liked the introduction of the Silver Dragon, Tiffany the professional Virgin, and some of the new Guardians.

Okay now for the negative stuff. Aisling whines constantly, about pretty much everything. She can't make up her mind about anything; she hates Drake, she wants him, she hates him, etc. Her and Drake get in arguments over things that are very childish. I mean come on Drake is how old? You don't think he learned any communication skills in all that time? Aisling seems to have major ADD in this book and can't ever decide what to do next. I can understand Jim's frustration with her. Despite the fact that Aisling blunders through most of the book somehow she is uber-powerful and manages to right things (just like in the first book). Maybe this is supposed to be part of the humor?

It was an okay book, it was light-hearted and amused me. Just, please don't think about the plot or Aisling's intentions too hard or you will hurt your brain trying to make sense of it. This is a book to read quickly, take at face value, and then it's on to another book. I have the next two books in the series and I will read them because I have them.

Fallen Host by Lyda Morehouse (4/5 stars)

This is the book that follows Archangel Protocol by Lyda Morehouse. This book could easily be a stand alone book; although it refers to characters and events that happened in Archangel Protocol the main characters in this book are different. I actually liked this book quite a bit better than Archangel Protocol.

The story is told from the viewpoints of three characters: Morningstar the Adversary, Page the Intelligence, and Ema the Inquisitor. Each chapter takes turns rotating through each of the characters. As the book progresses the characters are eventually drawn together.

With rumors of a possible second Messiah being born, as told in Archangel Protocol, the Apocalypse creeps closer and closer. Morningstar is under increasing pressure to find his Antichrist; who he will need the support of the win the coming war. Page is feeling remorseful for turning in his Maker the Mouse and when Morningstar suggests to Page that Page may be the Antichrist Page is confused. Ema is assigned a dubious assignment from the Pope. She is supposed to determine if the two AIs that now function independently of their makers (Page and the Dragon) actually have souls.

I liked this book much better than the last one. The switching between viewpoints was done very well; each chapter was written in a very distinct way that represented the character speaking very well. The suspense in the books builds as the three characters get closer and closer to each other. There was more action in this book than the last one, which was nice. The plot moved along pretty well. There were some parts with Page that got a little boring, but these were brief. The world was detailed and intriguing; I think we got a better feel for it in this book than the last. I loved Morningstar as a character and I though Page's dilemmas as an independent AI were interesting.

The storyline is complex, but seemed to follow through better than the last book. Things are tied up well at the end of the book, but there is still room for the over arcing story to continue in the next book. Once again, this is not a comfortable read. It details what happens when a world is run by religion and this is disturbing to me. My biggest complaint would be that the religious parallels could be more subtle; really the religious context of this book to today's religious beliefs is repeatedly brought up and forced on the reader.

All in all a very interesting and creative read. I am glad that I read this book, even though I didn't like the first one all that much. This book is more a sci-fi/cyber punk and it fits that genre well; it doesn't seem as confused about what it is as the first book was. I look forward to reading the next book, the Messiah Node.

Nabi the Prototype by Yeon Joo Kim (5/5 stars)

This was another book that I got because the cover looked cool. This manga contains several short stories revolving around a girl who was born from the sky. Supposedly this is a preview of a manga series that is going to be published with these characters.

The illustrations are top notch and beautiful. The writing itself is very mature for a manga; meaning there is a lot of philosophy, deep thinking, and beautiful writing. The characters are extremely well-developed, especially for a mango. I was amazed at how much you learn about the characters and care about them by the end of the manga. This is more of a drama type of manga, although there are some action scenes, they are limited.

Definitely better than I was expecting. The story is engaging, the illustration beautiful. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the start of the manga series.

Biting the Bullet by Jennifer Rardin (4/5 stars)

This is the 3rd book in the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin. So far there are 4 books in this series, with the 5th scheduled to come out Jan'09. Overall the latest I read is that there are 8 books planned for the series right now. This was another great book.

Team Jaz finds themselves shipped over to the middle east to help Jaz's twin brother, Dave, take out a terrorist called the Wizard. Dave has identified a mole in his Special Ops team and it is up to Jaz, Cassandra, Bergman, and Vayl to figure out who the mole is and assassinate the Wizard. There is lots of awesome fighting, lots of reavers, and some new badies. Jaz and Vayl go through a lot of character development both individually and as a pair. A very fast-paced book, the setting in the Middle East is timely and gives incite into the culture there (as if we don't already know a lot about the culture there).

This was a great book. For the most part I think it was executed excellently. I love the characters, I love how they all have histories and interesting personalities. There were a couple of minor irritation in this book. One was Vayl's obsessiveness with the search for his boys, the second is the number of things that are happening at once and how they prevent the story from flowing as well as it could have. These are minor quibbles and overall it was an excellent read.

I am excited to read the next book, but reluctant to read it because then it means I have to wait until the next book is published for more Jaz. I am trying to decide if I should put off reading the next Jaz Parks book so that I can prolong my Jaz-fix :-)

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison (3/5 stars)

I got this book through the Amazon Vine program; it's an uncorrected proof advance reading copy.

This book is about two sisters Jane and Savannah. When Jane unwittingly steals Savannah's boyfriend well, Savannah gets help from an expected source; her "fair" (not fairy) godmother. Savannah's Godmother didn't do all that well at fairy school, so she is stuck doing an extra credit project; that is granting Savannah three wishes. Except the wishes don't really go how Savannah thinks they are going to.

Let me say loud and clear that if you are a typical, young, teenage girl you will probably love this book. This book is cuter than cute and matches the bubble gum pink hair of the fairy on the front. It's all about boys, popularity, and cloths. Then you throw in some fairy tales and suddenly you have a teeny bopper book with a message.

This is a fun book and a cute book. It is not a surprising book and not a particularly creative book. It was enjoyable to read, but not fantastic. My biggest problem with this book is that I think things got kind of contrived and muddled at the end. I mean all of the sudden Savannah is multiple princesses all at once, even though supposedly her first wishes are done. I thought this was maybe a bit of a stretch and could have been better done by the author.

Other than that, this book delivers exactly what you think it will deliver. Cute, cute, cute, fairy, teenage fun. Personally I wouldn't read another book from this author, but it this is your thing this book is well done.