My teen daughter LOVED this book and recommended it to me, so I gave it a chance. It's a lesbian necromancer whodunit in space. (What??) I loved GideoMy teen daughter LOVED this book and recommended it to me, so I gave it a chance. It's a lesbian necromancer whodunit in space. (What??) I loved Gideon as a character. Her swagger, humor, generous loyalty, and indomitability were endearing. Everyone else was less interesting to me - and there were a LOT of everybody-elses. This rather long book has a large, confusing cast, with difficult-to-pronounce names. I HATE the fantasy habit of unpronounceable names. On the positive side, the use of necromantic magic was very inventive. On the negative side, the mystery was not solvable by the reader. Instead, the author had big reveals that dumped new info into the mix to move the mystery forward. That's a bit lazy for a mystery writer. By the end, I didn't much care where this book was headed next, which means I'll be asking my daughter for the deets about the next two in the trilogy.
Oh, PS, it's just barely lesbian. Gideon has a chaste crush. That's it. Apparently there's a lot of shipping in the fandom, but it's not really a big part of the story. ...more
I did not get far in this book. I read online that it was supposed to be funny fantasy, but really early on in the book, the first weird thing that haI did not get far in this book. I read online that it was supposed to be funny fantasy, but really early on in the book, the first weird thing that happens involves a gruesomely murdered child. That makes it horror in my book, so I stopped reading. I didn't love the voice of the first person point of view protagonist, either....more
The Wayward Children series is about young heroes, sent to other worlds where they truly belong and do great and important things, but for whatever reThe Wayward Children series is about young heroes, sent to other worlds where they truly belong and do great and important things, but for whatever reason, got sent back here, to our world. They pine endlessly for their true homes in a parallel universe. Jack and Jill are identical twins, one adopted by a vampire, the other by his foil, a mad scientist in their horror-film paradise of the Moors. This one is the continuation of Jack and Jill's story. Jill killed Jack's love in a previous story and was about to be killed by an angry mob for it, and so Jack saves Jill by leaving the Moors to come back to our world, where they lived in the school for children like themselves. Jill kills more people here, so Jack kills Jill and takes her back to the Moors to revive her, mad-scientist style. Much later, Alexa, Jack's love, shows up in our world (also revived) with Jill's body inhabited by Jack's soul. (Jill's master forced Jack's master to switch the bodies so that Jill could be made a vampire - she needed a body that had never died to transition.) Jack enlists the help of his friends to get his body back and to kill his sister once and for all. The magic is imaginative in the extreme, and the inclusiveness that Ms. McGuire is passionate about flows effortlessly through the story. The only challenge with enjoying these stories is how quickly they pass - they are very quick reads. ...more
This is a good series for Rob Thurman fans that would like a touch of humor.
I read the first 5 chapters, then skipped to the end - chapters 11 and 12This is a good series for Rob Thurman fans that would like a touch of humor.
I read the first 5 chapters, then skipped to the end - chapters 11 and 12. There are some moments of humor in the writing (loved the baby kitsune), and the main character (baby vampire) Fort is very likable, but the horror elements turned me off to this series. From a believe-ability perspective, I liked how vampires are made (from a moral perspective, not at all). One item that all vampire writers have to deal with well is "why are there so few vampires when they can live so long?" and this writer came up with a very plausible answer. I hated how the author portrayed Fort's reaction to the brutal murder of his adoptive parents in front of him by his vampire family. That should have completely destroyed him, and instead, there's just a grudging connection between him and his vampire kin. That part was not believable at all. Suzume was a joy to read - she's Fort's kitsune bodyguard - and absolutely hilarious. I also hated the drama of this book - the murder of parents and , rape and kidnapping (and worse) of 2 young girls. I don't like that level of horror in my fun reading. Especially when the vampire family is not lifting a finger to stop it - they just don't have compassion for humans at all. And vampires don't have to kill to feed in this series, so that's very uncomfortable. It's also the premise of the series - Fort is way more human in his feelings than any other Vampire around. There's some secret to how and why that will probably be revealed in a later book, but I can't deal with the horror sections to get there. Sorry Brennan. Interesting, but not for me....more
This is the second book in the Weird Girls series. Read my review of book 1 if you want to know more about the series. I gave it a 3 instead of a 4 beThis is the second book in the Weird Girls series. Read my review of book 1 if you want to know more about the series. I gave it a 3 instead of a 4 because the story frustrated me. I honestly considered stopping reading in the middle, but finished anyway, and am now very curious how the author is going to make the mess right. The writing and story-craft deserve 4 stars, though. This book definitely takes the reader on an emotional and action-packed ride. There is no way to do this review without spoilers, so if you hate spoilers, stop reading when I say to stop.
In this book, the point of view remains Celia, the tiger-shifter sister. In the beginning, she and Aric start dating for real. On one of the early dates, the discover newborn demon-spawn, which ties into the action-packed part of the story. There are also male corpses showing up drained of blood, adding to the mystery. The main point of the book, though, is the Celia-Aric relationship. Everything looks like it's headed to fated mates territory, then (BIG SPOILER NOW!!! LAST CHANCE TO STOP READING!!!!) Aric ends up one of the last surviving pureblood werewolves and allows himself to be pressured to break up with Celia and get engaged to another pureblood werewolf. Only he already did the mating ceremony with Celia without even telling her. He IS her fated mate, and you don't get confirmation until the end of the book, and EVEN THEN the out is SO FRICKING OBVIOUS I want to strangle the writer. Two of the four sisters work on a maternity ward, for *&^$#'s sake! Someone should have spoken up! The most effective way for him to contribute to the re-population of weres in the world is not a joyless marriage, it's sperm donation to use in IVF procedures. If the surviving pureblood females also donated eggs and they implanted the zygotes into volunteer non-pureblood weres, the entire population could be restored in under 20 years, instead of 20 generations. The author even showed a were woman giving birth in a normal human hospital in this book, so there's no reason to think were's don't use human medical interventions in this story-verse. I HATE when authors leave story holes you could drive a truck through! It's completely absurd. The only reason she did it is to give Celia time with Misha and make the romance sufficiently messy for urban fantasy standards. Ugh! For shame, Ms. Robson!! You cut a corner, and it pisses me off!
On the plus side, I actually cared about the outcome, and the other three sisters came across more as real people and less as caricatures in this novel. Emme needs a lot more work though. She's still very one-dimensional. ...more
It's books like this one that restore my belief that there's always something else out there you're going to love reading. I'm reviewed over 1,100 booIt's books like this one that restore my belief that there's always something else out there you're going to love reading. I'm reviewed over 1,100 books so far on Goodreads, most of them in some sort of fantasy sub-genre. I've been pretty jaded recently, feeling like the creative brainpower behind good fantasy has been lured away towards dystopian fiction. The urban fantasy heyday post-Twilight couldn't last, but it's still my literary love, and when I read this, I fell in love anew.
This is a great book: irreverent, quirky, slightly political but not overly so, bloody violent, and wildly creative. Great story line that I've never heard before, and boy were these characters developed - over 700 tightly packed pages of development. I loved how the author turned my urban fantasy expectations on their head. Refreshing and really well done. The orcs and elves are particularly entertaining. Bravo!
The premise of the story is that the government keeps monsters under wraps from the public and that private companies hunt the monsters for bounties. Owen is recruited into one such company after fighting off a werewolf. The job suits him, and his boss is H-O-T. Eventually, it comes down to his team to save the world from destruction. ...more
I read the first chapter, then jumped to the last 50 or so pages. I've read the whole series up to this point, and the last couple books were painful I read the first chapter, then jumped to the last 50 or so pages. I've read the whole series up to this point, and the last couple books were painful slogs. I didn't want to spend that much time on this book, but I did want to see what happened to save the world. As I write this I've paged through the middle, and there were some good scenes I missed, but I don't feel cheated. I'm glad I got to see Dublin restored and the Dark Court at least temporarily retired. I especially like the end of Jada and the reappearance of Dani. I liked Dani and Dancer getting their moment together. Didn't love Cruce or the Sinsar Dubh possession, but it's not like I was suppose to. Loved meeting Shazam finally. If you're in love with this series, there's clearly room for more at the end of this book - an epic battle between Cruce and Barrons, and Dani ending up with Ryodan. Christian having some big role, as well as Shazam serving some important purpose. And don't forget that the fae need to be governed, and now Mac is smack dab in the middle of those politics. ...more
This is the 4th and (sniff, sniff) final book in the Horngate Witches dark urban fantasy series. I'm heartbroken. It took me a month to work up to reaThis is the 4th and (sniff, sniff) final book in the Horngate Witches dark urban fantasy series. I'm heartbroken. It took me a month to work up to reading this book because I just didn't want the series to be over. I love this series! I can't get over how WRONG it is to end with this book. There are so many under-utilized characters in the series that should have been developed and woven into more of the story. Scooter, Spike, and the Grims, for example. And the sunblades - all of them. Not to mention Max's relatives. How about developing the witches and angels more as characters? There is still the potential of Horngate itself - when will all the people start filling the halls? There's almost no one so far, and the initial promise of the series is that hundreds of people will join Horngate and make a thriving community that will survive the apocalypse. Instead, we only get 4 books that make it to the beginning of the first winter of the apocalypse. That's just not enough! There are so many characters in this book that SHOULD be invited to move to Horngate, but the author doesn't even hint at the future by taking that small step.
I also hate the shift from the Scooter story in book 3 to the story in book 4. Book 3 seems so unnecessary - why have Max go on an adventure on another world at all? That's the kind of thing an author does when she's running out of ideas to freshen up a long series. She didn't need to send Max on an inter-dimensional field trip if that field trip wasn't going to have a huge impact on the books to come.
And the Alexander love story subplot seems clumsy - not quite believable, an afterthought - but maybe this author doesn't have the experience with romance writing that she has with fantasy and violence.
It seems likely that the author was forced by her publisher to wrap up the series earlier than she intended, but I read a few online interviews and the author didn't say that at all. I'd feel better about the faults in this book if I knew the author was forced to collapse several books of ideas into one final volume. It would explain the loose ends.
Anyway, I still LOVE this series and HIGHLY recommend it. This story has Max and Horngate getting involved with the locals. A band of crazies led by a witch preacher have targeted witches for death and bring their fight to Horngate. The preacher is unbelievably powerful and the outlook is dire. One of the shadowblades dies. Eventually, the angles wake from their comas. ...more
It took me exactly 12 pages to realize this is not a book series I want to read. It's suspense and horror - zombies and a town curse. Not my thing at It took me exactly 12 pages to realize this is not a book series I want to read. It's suspense and horror - zombies and a town curse. Not my thing at all. The writing is good, I just don't like the premise. ...more
I'm really glad I got over my initial dislike of this series. The character depth and development is great. I don't like the heroine's choices or lifeI'm really glad I got over my initial dislike of this series. The character depth and development is great. I don't like the heroine's choices or lifestyle, but I understand how she got there and don't blame her, and feel compassion for her, which is quite a trick on the writer's part. The world is extremely interesting and feels real. I love this series now.
In this one, Chess is assigned a top-secret case with the Black Squad, and sworn to secrecy with a spell that will kill her if she tells anyone what's going on. Turns out there's a lot more going on than her employers ever guessed. It's a really complicated story involving black magic, death, psychopomps, and a lot of emotional distress over her love life that she's completely screwed up. Against the odds, she doesn't die by the end. Nice trick....more
Book 4 in the Downside Ghosts urban fantasy series. This is DEFINATELY a series you must read in order. There is no way at all that this novel works aBook 4 in the Downside Ghosts urban fantasy series. This is DEFINATELY a series you must read in order. There is no way at all that this novel works as a stand-alone, so don't try it. It took me a while to get into this series. It's extremely dark writing, and the heroine Chess is not likeable. In fact, I came to pity her in this book, which is a lot better than disliking her for her drug addiction. Previous books hint at the horrific abuse she suffered as a child in an overloaded foster care system, but this book finally spells some of it out, and frankly, it gave me nightmares, perhaps because I have a 7 year old daughter myself. They mystery and interpersonal drama in this book is very well done - probably the best of the series so far. Or maybe I think that because you really get into Chess's head in this book, which I always like.
In this book Chess is assigned a case investigating a haunting in Slobag's (drug kingpin)territory, so she ends up talking to Lex (his son and heir, her ex) even though she's dating Terrible, Lex's rival and the enforcer in Bump's territory. (Bump is her dealer). Chess loves Terrible but is very damaged emotionally. The case gets complicated and extremely dangerous, eventually unsettling the entire Downside underworld. ...more
Two books into this series, I'm hooked. It's a dark urban fantasy with realistic moments of horror -mostly the horror that real down-on-their-luck peoTwo books into this series, I'm hooked. It's a dark urban fantasy with realistic moments of horror -mostly the horror that real down-on-their-luck people experience, with a little supernatural horror thrown in. Chess is a drug-addicted witch who works for the Church of the Real Truth (the only church left; it also runs the government.) Her job is debunking fake ghost hauntings and banishing real ghosts. In this book, her Church assignment is investigating a celebrity's house haunting. Meanwhile, her drug dealer has her investigating magically murdered hookers. She finally gets her head around her romantic feelings for Lex and Terrible, only to havethe situation blow up in her face. She barely escapes the ghost showdown at the end alive, and if the Church ever found out what she did, she'd be executed. ...more
It took me forever to warm up to the premise of this series, but once I did, I really liked it. I had a horrible time accepting a drug addict as the hIt took me forever to warm up to the premise of this series, but once I did, I really liked it. I had a horrible time accepting a drug addict as the heroine. So much so, I set the book aside for several months after reading the first few chapters. I picked it up again last week to give it one last chance and found myself really into the story after reading a few more chapters. The tone is dark, and I grew to appreciate Chess's internal narrative, depressing as it is.
In this alternate America, ghosts invaded our world and killed at least a third of the population before a little-known religious sect banished the ghosts to an underground "city"/prison. Soon that sect took over all government and replaced all religion. We enter this world a few decades later. Chess is a witch who works for the church, banishing escaped spirits and investigating (false) claims of haunting. The great big complication in her life is a pill addiction - I think to painkillers - and her habit gets her in deep with her dealer, who then manipulates her into working for him behind the back of her real employer, the Church. She could get in huge trouble with the Church for any one of her sins. Adding to the complication, a rival drug clan manipulates her into a little sabotage, and she ends up sleeping with the enemy and maybe attracted to someone else who could easily be assigned to kill her. The case her dealer wants her to take involves a haunted airport, and she soon discovers it's so much worse than a simple haunting. There are some gruesome scenes - not for the faint of heart! ...more
This is Southern gothic style contemporary fantasy set in the hills of North Carolina featuring werewolves - the not-so-friendly kind. The point of viThis is Southern gothic style contemporary fantasy set in the hills of North Carolina featuring werewolves - the not-so-friendly kind. The point of view shifts among different characters, so you know what's coming, and yet there's still a lot of suspense. My only complaint was the Epilogue. I wonder if it was an afterthought to set the stage for a sequel, because it didn't make complete sense given what was written in the rest of the book. The author should have gone back and adjusted a couple scenes a bit to make it logical. Bad editor!
The premise is that Ivy Cole, dog trainer, is finally setting down roots in the small town of Doe Springs, near her only living relative, her aunt. She's a werewolf with a sense of justice, so she's only willing to kill people who have it coming. Something else has been attacking animals, driving farmers out of business, and eventually threatening her friends. Complication: there's a sherriff deputy who's smitten with her. Much of the story is from the point of view of the police who are trying to solve this bizarre serial murder mystery that has the town in a panic every full moon....more
I read the first 80 pages of this book then gave up. The vampires in this story are often very evil, so there's a significant vein of horror in the boI read the first 80 pages of this book then gave up. The vampires in this story are often very evil, so there's a significant vein of horror in the book that doesn't appeal to me. The set-up is just depressing - a medical resident is turned into a vampire by accidentally ingesting vampire blood during an attack, and discovers that if she doesn't join the society for the voluntary extinction of vampires, they will put her down like a rabid dog. I don't see any light at the end of this tunnel, and I prefer happy endings, not the dread I feel reading this one. I've got too many books on my to-read shelve to bother with one like this....more
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