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[review] DEADER STILL by Anton Strout

20 February 2009 · Leave a Comment

deaderstill-1

DEADER STILL
Simon Canderous Series, Book 2
Anton Strout
Penguin/Ace, 2009

Plot Summary: It’s been 737 days since the Department of Extraordinary Affairs’ last vampire incursion, but that streak appears to have ended when a boat full of dead lawyers is found in the Hudson River. Using the power of psychometry—the ability to divine the history of an object by touching it—agent Simon Canderous discovers that the booze cruise was crashed by something that sucked all the blood out of the litigators. Now, his workday may never end—until his life does. [Amazon].

Creature Feature: Humans with powers, zombies, vampires.

Originality: Although the police/detective style of Urban Fantasy may not be original, Strout’s take on it certainly is.  It’s humorous without being schlocky, irreverent without being insulting and poignant at times as well.  I also admit that I love the goofy names for the courses on the D.E.A. pamphlets too.

Characterization: Simon is definitely tested as his relationships with his past, girlfriend, partner and standing within the Department of Extraordinary affairs are all strained in one way or another.  But even with wounded pride, ego or psyche, he forges ahead to do what he thinks is right to protect the city of New York and those he care about most.

Believability: Mr. Strout uses a geek-centric vernacular, setting (Comic Con) and the city of New York to set the stage for the mystery of what or who killed all of those lawyers on their ill-fated cruise.  These elements are used well in delivering humor, creepiness factor and most of all, believability to the story.

Storytelling: Mr. Strout uses a lot of atmospheric detail by way of dialogue and using key locations in New York as the backdrop for the story.  He pokes at life, bureaucracy and relationships with a witty stick.   His prose is smart, economical and funny.  I found it unique and refreshing.

Badass Factor: Many of Simon Canderous’ friends and foes alike are pretty badass, including his girlfriend Jane.  Simon, himself, isn’t really badass.  He is just a guy with psychometric power and a bat who wants to set things right and that makes you want to root for him.

Too Stupid To Live Moments: It is that aforementioned need to set things right that sometimes has him barreling into situations with little or no backup but he somehow manages to survive but not always unscathed.

Notable Quotes: I like this how this exchange highlights Mina’s flavor of crazy.

“Pay well, does it?” she said.  “Playing Sanford and Son?”

“I make my rent,” I said with a dismissive shrug.

“This allows you to pay rent?” she said, not believing me.  She shook the shark as she spoke and the tiny garbage fell out of its mouth.    Its jaws snapped shut.

“Please put that down,” I requested, not wanting to sound too desperate.

“Sure, Candy,” she said all rainbows and sunshine now.  I wondered if I had been this bipolar back then as well.  “No problem.”

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy.  Deader Still is a fun, interesting and witty read.  It is something a little different with a male protagonist, tongue in cheek attitude and interesting mystery.  I would definitely recommend reading Dead to Me first.

Anton’s Website

League of Reluctant Adults

Lisa Trevethan

Categories: Anton Strout · B Reviews
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[review] ROAD TRIP OF THE LIVING DEAD by Mark Henry

9 February 2009 · 3 Comments

henry_roadtrip2ROAD TRIP OF THE LIVING DEAD
Amanda Feral-Celebrity Ghoul, Book 2
Mark Henry
2009, Kensington

Plot Summary: Celebrity party girl Amanda Feral is back from the dead, and hungrier than ever for a good time. With her zombie gal pal Wendy and vampy gay sidekick Gil, this stone cold fox is dressed to kill, on the prowl, and ready to take a big juicy bite out of Seattle’s supernatural nightlife. But what’s a zombie chick to do when her ‘Mommie Dearest’ gets sick? If you’re Amanda Feral, you can either ignore the wicked old witch – or bury the past by visiting Ethel before she kicks it. Amanda’s not thrilled about the idea of crossing three states just to be criticized. But Wendy, who’s always looking for fresh meat, is up for the adventure. And Gil, who just launched his ‘luxury’ resurrection business, needs to disappear because a pissed-off client is out for his blood. First, they pack their stiletto pumps and plasma into a skeevy rattrap on wheels that used to be a Winnebago. Then, with a little help from a Korean-ghost hood ornament, a masochist named Fishhook, and a slew of ‘moderately accurate’ psychics, they hit the highway – their way. Of course, they’ll have to navigate past some neo-Nazi skinheads, a horny dust devil, a hunky werewolf cop (who could pass for an underwear model) and an unsightly horde of supermarket shoppers. But for this glamorous gang of ghouls this trip is about to take a dangerous detour that could give road kill a brand new meaning. [Amazon]

Creature Feature: Zombies, vampires, werewolves and ghosts.

Characterization:  In Road Trip, we get some deeper insight into Amanda’s past and see a bit beyond her steely facade to someone who has obviously had some hard knocks in life.  But she is determined to lock those moments away and rise above by using her intellect to solve life’s puzzles and her snarky attitude as a protective mechanism.

Originality:  Non-shambling, fashion forward, gainfully employed zombies?  I think that is pretty original.  I am also a fan of the footnotes and insets.  Because this is a memoir, I think they lend an Amanda-as-confidante and tour guide quality to the narrative.

Storytelling:  Mr. Henry excels at setting and description using all of the senses to punctuate the funny, gross and scary moments.  The plot meandered a bit but this is a much more character driven than plot driven series and the characters are certainly interesting enough.

Badass Factor:  With a taste for flesh and an unhingeable jaw, Amanda is inherently badass although not indiscriminate about her meals.  She usually hunts derelicts and the indigent unless cornered and needs to kill in self defense.

TSTL Moments (Too Stupid to Live):  Amanda is too aware of her surroundings and too savvy to really have TSTL moments.  Usually the mayhem is brought upon her by her friends or circumstance.

Notable Quotes:  There are too many for me to pick just one, so I picked one of my favorite chapter quotes instead.

Chapter 13 Road Games and Gamey Discussion

Genuinely weird celebrities are rarely among the undead.  You’d imagine Tim Burton might be hiding a zombie secret, or his wife, Helena Bonham Carter, for that matter.  Not so, or at least, not yet.

Celebrity Gas Chamber with Lola LeGrave

Buy/Borrow/By-pass:  Buy.  Mr. Henry is writing some of the most unique and satirical work in the genre.  Road Trip of the Living Dead is a detour from the usual fare that will have you simultaneously laughing and cringeing all the way from Washington to South Dakota.  Installment number three, Battle of the Network Zombies, is scheduled for release in March, 2010.

Mark Henry’s Website

Mark Henry’s Blog

League of Reluctant Adults

Lisa Trevethan

Categories: B Reviews · Mark Henry
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[review] WHITE WITCH, BLACK CURSE by Kim Harrison

2 February 2009 · 7 Comments

wwbcWHITE WITCH, BLACK CURSE

The Rachel Morgan Series, Book 7

Kim Harrison

Copyright 2009, Eos Publishing

Plot Summary: Some wounds take time to heal . . . and some scars never fade.

Rachel Morgan, kick-ass witch and bounty hunter, has taken her fair share of hits, and has broken lines she swore she would never cross. But when her lover was murdered, it left a deeper wound than Rachel ever imagined, and now she won’t rest until his death is solved . . . and avenged. Whatever the cost.

Yet the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and when a new predator moves to the apex of the Inderlander food chain, Rachel’s past comes back to haunt her.

Literally. From Amazon

Creature Feature: witches, vampires, werewolves, demons, pixies, fairies, gargoyles

Worldbuilding: Set in an alternate Cincinnati, Harrison’s myriad of supernatural races are out in the open and living amongst humans. Each race has their own well thought out mythology and quirks that lend themselves to the believability and originality of the world.

**Reviewer’s Note**

This book could have been called Revelations.  There are quite a few things that are revealed in this book and because we are a spoiler-free blog, it is making it extremely hard to review this book  in a plain spoken, cohesive manner.  Please forgive any cryptic allusions and feel free to come back to this post and talk about your thoughts on the book once you’ve had a chance to read it.

Storytelling:  Harrison’s ability to pull you into her world never ceases to amaze me.  A scene where Rachel recalls  a pivotal event was so heartbreaking and beautiful, it left me in tears.  Unfortunately, I had issues with several major plot points in this book that I  have included in a spoilers portion in white text.

**Spoilers [I wasn't really happy with the way Rachel's brother Robbie's character was developed.  He seemed to be a supportive older brother in the beginning but when things got bad for Rachel he not only didn't support her but convinced her mother to move out to California with him.

I also didn't like the way her relationship with Marshal ended.  He was saying in one sentence that nobody can tell him what to do and that he is own man and leaving her due to community pressure in the next.  I know the story dictated that her relationship with him did not continue but it just seemed contrary to his nature for him to leave her the way he did.

Lastly, I was disappointed in the identity and condition of Kisten's killer.  We waited a long time to find out and it wasn't anyone important to the storyline and because of the condition they found this person in, the whole thing is done.  Rachel and Ivy will never really have closure.] End Spoilers**

Badass Factor:  Rachel’s nature pretty much consists of grabbing her splat gun and busting in spells a blazin’.  Usually because someone she cares about is in trouble or because she simply feels the driving need to do the right thing at any cost.  She is sometimes afraid to confront the bad guys but it never really stops her.  Rachel’s tenacity is what makes her badass in my opinion.  Mia and Holly’s ability make them bad ass opponents as well.

TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) Moments:  While it was necessary, it wasn’t the smartest thing for Rachel to go back after the antagonist(s) while she was still physically compromised from their previous encounter.  But she did it for the right reasons.  I do have to give her credit that she does weigh the consequences of more of her actions now and shows evolution but is often still ruled by emotion.

Notable Quotes:

Jenks flew ahead to get the elevator, holding it by hovering at the sensor.  Ivy wheeled me in and around.  The doors shut, and the tragic wisdom of the children’s wing was gone.  I took a breath, and my throat tightened.

“I didn’t think you would understand them,” Ivy said softly.  “They really like you.”

“Understand them?” I said raggedly, my throat still holding that lump.  “I am them.”

Buy/Borrow/By-pass:   Buy. Kim Harrison is a master storyteller and even though I had some issues with the directions some of the plot threads took, I still love her writing.  There were many tense, tender and revealing moments in the book.  Even this far in the series, her characters are still learning, growing and revealing themselves.

Lisa Trevethan

Categories: B Reviews · Kim Harrison
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[review] TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer

5 January 2009 · 16 Comments

We’re trying something different with our reviews. We’ve broken it down into categories so you can quickly scan for the specific information you want to know. Tell us what you think of this new format in the comments and you’ll be entered to win a copy of TWILIGHT (mass market paperback edition). If you don’t want to win but still want to talk about the review format, you can use the handy poll at the end of the review. Contest closes 15 January 2009 at midnight EST.

meyer_twilight_mmpbTwilight
The Twilight Saga, Book 1
Stephenie Meyer
Copyright 2005, Little Brown & Company

Plot Summary: Bella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear. [Amazon]

Creature Feature: vampires, werewolves

Worldbuilding: Since Meyer’s vampires twinkle like they’re wearing neon glitter when in sunlight, I like that the story is set in Forks, WA, the rainiest place in continental USA. It makes sense. As does the reasoning behind some of the vamps having “super-powers”. The world-building was well thought out.

Originality/Believability:  I didn’t find the characters to be “true” teenagers. They didn’t quite behave the way teens do. There were a few times when I thought the story just might get to the truth, but it remained nothing more than a fairy tale– a fairy tale with blatant allegory for saving sex for marriage.

Storytelling: You know the kind of books that are hard to put down? The kind that are never far from your fingers? The kind that make you burn water on the stove? TWILIGHT was one of those books for me. I was glued to the pages for two days. I admit it– I have a weakness for characters who knowingly do stupid things.

However, there are problems in this book that a good editor or better first reader should have picked up on. 1) Why doesn’t Bella faint when she’s at the hospital and sees Tyler all cut and bleeding? She doesn’t even feel woozy or anything. 2) For the entire novel, we’re lead to believe that Edward wouldn’t be able to stop himself if he gets a taste of Bella’s blood, but when it happens, he stops himself and the only explanation we get is that it wasn’t easy. I needed to see more of this. It was built-up to be a crucial moment in the book. I needed more than “it wasn’t easy”. I would have loved it if Bella had to witness Carlisle physically removing Edward from her. She should have seen his monster. I feel the story fell short of its potential. 3) A lot of the names were really close, and I think that could have been better planned: Bella/Billy, Edward/Emmett/Esme, Jacob/Jasper/James/Jessica, Carlisle/Charlie, Alice/Angela, Lauren/Laurent.

Badass Factor: In a romance, there’s usually a bad guy/girl who opposes the relationship or represents opposition to the relationship, but TWILIGHT lacked such a villian. Although Rosalie and Billy oppose Bella’s relationship with Edward, they don’t *do* anything about it. Billy confronts Bella, but doesn’t take it any further. Rosalie avoids Bella altogether. I would have liked more opposition from these characters. I wanted a confrontation between Rosalie & Bella. I wanted Billy to confront Bella’s dad, Charlie. I feel TWILIGHT could have benefited from a clear bad guy. Bringing in a bad guy for the climax didn’t heighten the stakes for me the way it could if the bad guy had been a character who was close to either Bella or Edward.

TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) Moments: There are two that stand out: Bella falls in love with Edward for no good reason than he’s there, and then later Bella goes off to meet the dangerous bad guy by herself. (But like I said, I’m a sucker for heroines who knowingly do stupid things.)

Notable Quotes: “I can’t always be Lois Lane,” I insisted. “I want to be Superman, too.”

Buy/Borrow/By-pass: If I was a teen, I’d put these books on my Buy list, but as an adult, I’m afraid they’re Borrow.

Despite all the problems with the book, I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series, New Moon. TWILIGHT was a light, easy read, a nice distraction from the everyday.

Categories: B Reviews · Stephenie Meyer
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[REVIEW] Rogue – Rachel Vincent

22 September 2008 · 2 Comments

Rogue

series: werecats, Book 2

Rachel Vincent

Mira Books, 2008

Someone’s been killing stray werecats, and during the course of the investigation, Faythe Sanders and Marc (her lover, investigative partner, and her father’s chief enforcer) stumble onto serial kidnappings. Someone’s been taking strippers in the same towns 24-hours before strays show up dead. Who’s doing the kidnapping? Who’s doing the killing? When Faythe seems to be connected to it all, will her relationship with Marc survive?

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My thoughts behind the cut. (more…)

Categories: B Reviews · Rachel Vincent

“Unstable Environment” by Marcia Collette

22 September 2008 · Leave a Comment

Author: Marcia Collette
Title: “Unstable Environment”
Pages: 250
Publisher: Parker Publishing
Misc: Marcia’s Blog & MySpace & FaceBook

Among shapeshifter literature the werewolves have been proclaimed as platinum superstars since the very beginning for their popularity in medieval lore as being cursed and torn between humanity and primal instincts. However demands in literature want a fresh angle, something fresh and a tad different. It’s high time cats take their spot in the limelight and Marcia Collette sides in her novel “Unstable Environment” with a new breed: werecheetahs.

Sinclair Duval’s life could never be defined as easy. With an alcoholic sister, Sinclair has sacrificed her career as a pilot to be a surrogate mother to her niece Nahla. Due to an accident in the amusement park “The Jungle Kingdom” Sinclair and Nahla are in a critical condition. The Triangle Coalition of werecheetahs, owners of the park, wants to cover up the whole mess to avoid publicity. Rio Velasquez, the healer for the Triangle Coalition, is called, but the only way to save Nahla is to turn her into a werecheetah herself. And so Sinclair is dragged into the world of shapeshifters and stuck in the middle of a conflict between the Triangle and Charlotte Coalitions. Nahla’s turning however is more complicated than anticipated since no one has ever turned a human so young. Back in the reality Sinclair has to prove herself as a better parent than Mina, her sister, avoid social services, nosy doctors and the police, all the while fearing that she might lose Nahla. Amidst all of this the chemistry between Sinclair and Rio is undeniable.

“Unstable Environment” is written in third person, the focus being mainly on Sinclair and Rio. Collette has defied the usual formula for a title in the paranormal romance or urban fantasy for that matter. For starters Sinclair unlike many other heroines in the same genres is a pilot and has nothing to do with law enforcement. Further on, again unlike most heroines Sinclair has no supernatural powers, heritage or skills for survival and has to learn to play the game, the hard way. Her best quality is the endurance of her mind and spirit during her clash with a whole new world, which is represented more as a horror show than something wondrous and enchanting.

Speaking of character design, Collette does something else altogether. The majority of heroines are fair, while Collette makes Sinclair Afro American. Yes, to some people that may be superficial, but the Afro American community has a specific mentality, way of talking and acting, subculture if you will and if that is too strong for people then a nuance of difference that can make a character truly unique. Since in literature that is the point to make a character a living individual in a reader’s mind and individuals are unique. Sinclair’s marital status is also interesting, she is a single mother-aunt figure and that is also not commonly used. The accent falls on the scorn of a mother figure and her strength in enduring the worst for the sake of her child. Plus children are usually left out in such dramatic scenes and plots, so this is also something new.

Another plus is the connection between the real world and the fantastical introduced into the novel. Sometimes authors put too much work into world building and their plots are sucked and focused primarily on the supernatural, when these genres should use the mundane to contrast to the fantastical and power it up. Collette does exactly this by throwing serious problems we deal in our life like having abusive and self-destructive relatives, doing one’s best to raise a child and interact with the police.

However the novel feels underdeveloped, hard to get into because of that and understand fully the author’s intentions. 250 pages for such a dynamic concept don’t contribute as much and act against it. The novel reads too fast and it’s too dense. Main issue is the transition between Sinclair’s and Rio’s point of view. The shift happens somewhere between paragraphs and it occurs indistinguishably. There were times I felt lost about who was telling the story. The lack of length also leaves the characters underdeveloped as well. Not to mention how much tension is lost due to the same issue. 100 extra pages could have contributed nicely to digging deeper in the characters, follow how their relationship is born and grows from physical to emotional and indestructible.

“Unstable Environment” is a wonderful novel in its own right and it had promise, but a standard length for the titles in this genre (circa 350 – 400) would have improved the overall effect on the reader and increase the enjoyment from the experience.

Categories: B Reviews

[REVIEW] Glory in Death – J.D. Robb

31 July 2008 · Leave a Comment

I know we pretty much decided J.D. Robb not being true urban fantasy because she doesn’t write about fantasy/mythological creatures/monsters, but I think the futuristic romance genre crosses over enough to at least warrant a quick book review now and then.

GLORY IN DEATH

In Death series, book 2

J.D. Robb {aka Nora Roberts]

Berkley Publishing Group, 1995

Glory in Death is the second of Robb’s In Death series, following the investigations of Lieutenant Eve Dallas. The first victim was Prosecuting Attorny Cicely Towers. The second was Emmy-winning actress Yvonne Metcalf. Both victims led high-profile and interconnected lives. Their deaths garnered lots of media attention. It’s up to Eve Dallas to find the glory-seeking killer, going so far as to offer herself up as bait.

As always, Robb serves up the perfect summer read. Glory in Death is breathtaking with action, hot romance, and a gripping suspense story.

More opinions behind the cut.

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Categories: B Reviews · J.D. Robb
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“Awaken Me Darkly” by Gena Showalter

8 July 2008 · 3 Comments

Author: Gena Showlater
Title: “Awaken Me Darkly”
Pages: 384
Publisher: Downtown Press
Misc: Gena’s Blog


Ah, so this is my first post officially at the “Urban Fantasy Land”, which is so cool in a way and I decided to feauture a new review of an older title by Gena Showalter of 2005 “Awaken Me Darkly”. I was introduced to her through her newest installment of the Alien Huntress series “Savor Me Slowly”, but I decided to acknowledge my quirk for chronology and started with the first book of the series. For someone new on the scene, this is a great way to start.

Mia Snow is a special agent in the New Chicago Police Department, working in the A.I.R unit (Alien Investigation and Removal). The setting is in the near enough future to have your typical American mentality and yet far enough to see that water has been excluded from showring and that cars don’t need steering and that aliens of all kinds have nestled on Earth, but without all the hysteria about it. Given the new circumstances justice, legal justace had to adapt and AIR is what the humans came up with. But enough with the pre-word, let’s move on to the plot.

While investigating a new strand of serial murders Mia Snow stumbles into big trouble as what seems like an usual psycho alien on the loose, turns out to be a large scale illegal operation that has a lot more to do with Mia than she actually realizes. In the mix we throw a sexy alien, who is a primal murder suspect, Kyrin en Arr, to whom Mia is very sexually drawn; a hidden scheme; mystical abilities that manifest themselves and leave Mia asking questions. When Dallas, her partner and the only man, who can stand her, lies down with a lethal wound that has him dying slowly, Mia is forced to work with Kyrin behind the back of her boss in order to help Dallas and hep clear Kyrin’s name, although she doesn’t believe him.

In order to avoid spoilers I will not mention the ending, but be sure that Mia confronts a part of her past, which she hadn’t known, but she could have gone without. When it all comes down to her, can she handle the strain and could she remain herself with what she knows? Quite the tease, aren’t I? In order to find out, you would have to go read the book and that is what I urge you to do.

I have to admit that being a starter novel, this book definitely had to set the stage, so it wasn’t was interested as I had anticipated after reading “Savor Me Slowly”. The plot is at first glance not that special, since we have a female cop getting herself into trouble, which the TV is full of. However it’s the amazing skill of Gena Showalter to strap a well known plot on the surgery table and give it a new look. What starts simple enough spins out of control like a mutating puzzle with every block sealing Mia’s choice to act any other way than she did. Of course we have Mia of course, who I think is tough without being haughty or overestimatuing herself like some heroines in the same genre are. Thus we believe her. When she tells she can make someone’s life a living hell we don’t snort and wave her off as another emancipated daddy’s little girl, although she does have her issues with her father.

As a conclusion I just have to say that this novel is a very promising first novel of a series, which has sky rocketed so far with five titles situated in the same world. You couldn’t possibly go wrong with this novel, look at the title.

Categories: B Reviews · Gena Showalter

[REVIEW] One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

28 May 2008 · 5 Comments

ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE

Jeaniene Frost

Series: Night Huntress, Book 2

Avon [April 29, 2008]

One Foot in the Grave, the second installment of the Night Huntress series, starts four years after Halfway to the Grave left off. Cat is now a special agent, has a team of her own and is not just slaying vampires for vengeance but for the government.

Cat’s first assignment is to kill a vamp named Liam Flannery. Turns out this particular vamp is special to Bones and because sentiment stops her from killing him, the huntress becomes the hunted. It’s a decision she may not live to regret.

At a most unexpected time and place, Bones reenters her life and is single-minded in his determination to have her back. Cat struggles with her feelings for Bones, ghosts from both of their pasts and revelations from the present as danger mounts and the clock ticks.

(more…)

Categories: B Reviews · Jeaniene Frost
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[REVIEW] Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong

29 April 2008 · 3 Comments

PERSONAL DEMON

Kelley Armstrong

Series: Women of the Otherworld, Book 8

Bantam Spectra [March 25, 2008]

In Personal Demon, Hope Adams, a tabloid reporter for supernaturals, has been recruited by Benicio Cortez to infiltrate a gang that he believes presents a problem to his cabal. Benicio is the head of the Cortez Cabal and by enlisting Hope is calling in a favor she owes to him. The Cabals are akin to the Mafia, so it’s an offer she really can’t refuse. Hope is unique in that she is an Expisco half-demon who can read thoughts and see events that happen as a result of chaos. But the energy rush she receives from these events can become addicting and when she is in the midst of a chaotic situation, her world narrows down to the sensation of the emotions caused by the events, which is Hope’s Personal Demon. Benecio hopes to use her unique talents to find out what the gang is ultimately planning and if it involves his cabal.

(more…)

Categories: B Reviews · Kelley Armstrong
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