Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

Posted on April 8, 2008 by janicu

Ann Aguirre

I think I entered all possible contests for this book, but in the end I bought it (TBR.. um.. 135, not getting smaller). Grimspace is actually the first book in a series, but the story is self contained. This is a book that falls under the science fiction romance category. If you like Linnea Sinclair you may like Ann Aguirre too. Actually, I think Sinclair is one of her beta readers from the acknowledgments I read.

The main character Sirantha Jax is a jumper – someone with a rare J-gene, that allows her to "jack into grimspace" and with a pilot, send a spaceship through a hyperspace jump. At the start of this novel Sirantha finds herself confined and under surveillance by the Corp after a horrific accident which has killed everyone on her ship but herself. The Corp seems to think that Sirantha made a mistake, and she may go to trial for it. Meanwhile, she also feels worried about her sanity (J-gene carriers are known for frying their minds). In steps March, who offers to break her out of her prison – telling her it's either escape or let the Corp break her with their therapy ("They don't want to know what happened; they just want to ensure you're in no condition to talk about it. Ever."). In order to escape March has to replace Jax's dead pilot – which is the equivalent to a forced marriage according to Jax – because in grimspace the jumper and their pilot become so in tune they are practically one person. Once Jax escapes she gets caught up in whatever March is up to and much space action stuff ensues.

Lazy bullet time:

Overall very enjoyable and addictive to read. It delivers what I wanted, which was action, space stuff and some romance.
Each chapter reminds me like a chapter in a Nancy Drew mystery – it tends to end on a "dun dun dun!" note. I thought this habit was a bit odd, not really bothersome, just wasn't sure why it was that way. Also each chapter ended up being very short – there are 53 chapters in all, so I guess you can say there were a lot of – oh what happens next? moments. Lots of action going on.
Although I said this reminded me of a Linnea Sinclair novel, the writing is very different. There is a lot more grit in this – more death, more grey areas, especially with the heroine – she's not always a good person. She would rather look after herself first, while March wants to save everyone. This was interesting.
The book ends with a definite conclusion and it feels like a stand alone, but there is a larger story arc you catch a glimpse of, and so I can see where the author could continue. I'm glad that it does because I think I did say after I finished this – "There should be more" and I double checked and there was. Ann Agguire's website says book 2 is Wanderlust (August 2008), which will be followed by Doubleblind and Killbox. Sounds cool. I do like the covers so far too.
A lot of interesting secondary characters make appearances. Some of them do not stay around for long. They may show up in later books. Some of them I wish I got to know better before they disappeared.
There was an interesting bit about assassins in this that I really want to be followed up on in book 2. Really do.
There was a creepy Jurassic Park bit in this too. Guess I can't say much beyond that without spoiling.
A couple of times the banter incited a laugh out of me (the baby z bit).
Excerpt of Grimspace. Excerpt of Wanderlust.

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Book paraphernalia

Posted on March 27, 2008 by janicu

Alice in wonderland linen book cover by simbiosisbyjulia

A walk thru the woods linen book cover by simbiosisbyjulia

Pink woodgrain book cover by loveevol

I love etsy. I found these really cute book covers over there from loveevol and simbiosisbyjulia. I bought a similar pink woodgrain cover to the one above and this book cover with little deers on it from loveevol and I *love* them to bits. I think they look even better in person than they do on the etsy site. Fits paperbacks and has a nifty elastic closing latch. Very good price too ($8). Meanwhile simbiosisbyjulia has more complex ones – embroidered, different colored linings plus using a few types of material. And she has not only paperback sized ones ($15) but also hardcover book covers ($18). Both of these sellers customize. Just sayin'. I like being able to read in public without people peering to see what I read. And I am very particular about keeping my books in nice condition – these protect the covers while you read them.

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Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas

Posted on March 25, 2008 by janicu

Private Arrangements

Sherry Thomas

I won this book at Dear Author a couple of weeks(?) ago with the promise to post something about the book. I just got it on the 21st and so I've been reading like mad (well first I had to finish Exit Strategy) to post about it before the 25th when it comes out. That's today! I made it!

This book blew me away. I felt completely depressed reading half of it – Lord and Lady Tremaine have a "marriage of convenience", living in different continents, not saying a harsh word about one another, but for all purposes they are strangers – not seen together since the night of their wedding, ten years ago. In between the present story there are flashbacks that explain the past and what happened to make things the way they are now. Gigi betrayed Camden when they were both young and in love because she was desperate not to lose him, but conversely it was that very act that tore them apart. Camden is completely immovable in his decision to leave her and reside elsewhere, no matter how much she begged at first, even though this separation was probably as heartbreaking to him as it was to her (I could have just screamed). When Gigi finally gave up, they both took their own lovers and lead their own lives, far apart.

What brings this situation to a head after ten years of separation is the start of this story. At the beginning of Private Arrangements, London is agog over the gossip that Lady Tremaine has petitioned for divorce, because she want's to marry someone else! Even more shocking is the news that Lord Tremaine himself is in England, and knocking at her door.

Gah. I can't even explain how wretching this was. Their first meeting and talking is shown to the reader in flashbacks, in complete contrast to the present time of the story. They are both engaging and witty characters, clearly well-matched for one another and no one else. And I loved the writing – it had a light, lyrical touch, with a lot of wit. I really felt them falling for each other, I felt how desperate Gigi was, and how devastated they both were over what happened after their wedding. I saw the betrayals on both sides, and the stupid decisions which led to even stupider ones. And worst of all YEARS go by. TEN years, that kills me. I wish it was one year! I could have handled that better, the timeline and all the missed chances in that time just sent daggers into me. I was getting annoyed – the author is toying with my emotions, why is Camden being such a jerk?! Why can't he forgive her? Is this author perhaps EVIL?

But then the more I read the more I understood. It was a different time then, the rules of honor were different, and that played a part in this. The book is set in the 1880's and 90's and it adheres to that well. Dispite his own past decisions, Camden comes back and no matter how calm they pretend to be, the chemistry is sizzling. Not only that, the tables get flipped and Camden begins to realize how desperate Gigi was not to lose him ten years ago. Now it's his turn to contemplate doing all he can to keep Gigi his wife, tied to him always. I was quite pleased when I realized that – Poetic Justice? Good.

But 10 years?! TEN!!! I suppose this is the one thing that kills me with this book since I keep going on about it.

My favorite part was the last 50 pages. A keeper, just to read and get to that part.

Meanwhile there is also another side story that I quite liked – with Gigi's mother, Mrs. Rowland, the pushy mother, hell-bent on her daughter marrying a duke, and then hell-bent on her daughter and son-in-law getting back together. When Gigi files for divorce, and she sees that Gigi may actually go through with it, she looks around for *other* dukes in the neighborhood, which leads to some amusing consequences that I really liked reading about. And she's hell-bent there too.

Here is a excerpt

Here are less ranty about 10 years reviews at Dear Author and The Good, The Bad and the Unread (1, 2)

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Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong

Posted on March 24, 2008 by janicu

Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford Series, Book 1)

Kelley Armstrong

Ah.. this book was delightful because I like a smart heroine. And Nadia Stafford is a smart woman; she has to be, she's a hitman. People just don't last long in that business without a brains. Either you get caught or you get killed.

Nadia, or "Dee" (as she is called by other assassins who don't know her real name), was once a cop, born into a family of cops. After a traumatic childhood event, all it took for Nadia to take things into her own hands was one criminal scumbag who had hurt a young girl. Hardly any of her friends and family stuck around her after that. She had to leave the force, and now runs a hunting lodge, secretly making money on the side for killing people who deserve it. Clearly she has issues brimming under the surface, but it may be her passion that makes her a good hitman. In Exit Strategy, her talent catches the eye of others. Her passion is also what makes her agree to join a team of other hitmen who are going after one of their own. A professional killer has turned into a serial killer, and it has caused a shakedown from the law against the whole profession.

Lazy bullet time:

This is NOT a paranormal, even though Kelley Armstrong is well known for her paranormal series, the Women of the Otherworld. I looked at the author's website and book 2 *looks* like it is coming out in September this year and will be called Made to be Broken. I'm not sure about this because Amazon UK has a whole list of authors under that title; maybe it's an anthology?
Almost everyone in this book: is the strong silent type. Even Nadia. When she's chattering, she's usually playing a role. It's interesting how subtle the communication is between assassins. Facial expressions and head movements mean more than words. Actions speak loudest.
The whole profession: REALLY interesting to read about. Especially things like trying to retire or having a family. No one trusts anyone, everyone has a hidden real identity, everyone's motives are suspect.. most people never retire: they die. And almost no one has a family, they are all loners – trying to have a family never seems to work out. So passing things along to the new generation usually happens in a mentor-mentee relationship, not through children.
The book is in a mostly first person point of view, with the attention mostly on Nadia. But sometimes the focus shifts to the killer or his victims. This could fall flat, but in Exit Strategy, it was powerfully done.
Finally, there is a very subtle hint of a romance (I am thinking love triangle) in this book. It is barely even there, it's all in the silent communication. One of the men is clearly interested, the other one is so subtle about it that even smart Nadia is oblivious. That's my take. I really want to know what happens in book 2.
Excerpts: Chapter 1, Chapter 2

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Prom Nights from Hell by Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer, Lauren Myracle

Posted on March 23, 2008 by janicu

Prom Nights from Hell

Meg Cabot

I read this book sometime last year but I was so disappointed with it I didn't even bother to review it. Everything felt like it lacked effort. Anyway, I've had this nagging unfinished feeling about not reviewing so here goes. This is a anthology of prom stories with some kind of paranormal aspect to them.

The good thing about this book is that a portion of the proceeds goes to firstbook.org, which is a charity I like. Um.. otherwise, it was in the average to meh range for me.

The Exterminator's Daughter by Meg Cabot – This was a story of a vampire slayer's daughter, trying to track and kill the son of her mother's killer (that would be Dracula, naturally). Each chapter was told from the point of view of Mary, this girl, or of Adam, another teen involved. Well this seemed very predictable. Teen + paranormal + prom, let's just have a vampire slayer going after a vamp at prom. Add a dash of back story, some other teens for perhaps a romantic angle. The end. This lacked kick and I didn't understand the point of switching narrators so much (to show how they liked each other? not really that necessary).

The Corsage by Lauren Myracle – Well there's a warning on the front of this story that this is inspired by "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W Jacobs, and talks about being careful what you wish for. This was definitely in the creepy camp, and the most memorable story in the book. The narrator is a silly teen girl with foot in mouth syndrome, who, just to get the boy she likes to take her to the prom, makes some really dumb decisions involving a bad voodoo-vibe object – an old corsage. I could have smacked this girl, but I still felt sorry for her after what happened.

Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper by Kim Harrison – well this girl was another one I could have happily smacked. Another one who didn't listen to other's advice and made rash decisions out of spite, then other rash decisions out of fear. But there was an interesting paranormal aspect about dark and light reapers, and about the protagonist's role in the future. The reapers reminded me of the shinigami in Full Moon o Shagashite. I felt like this could be the start of an interesting series, and there seemed to be more detail and thought to this world than some of the other stories. And I hope if this is the start of a series, that Madison starts acting after thinking. I would really like a teen protag that I do not want to smack. Why are they lacking in recent young adult fiction?

Kiss and Tell by Michelle Jaffe – Ok, so a protag (Miranda Kiss) who is a princess with special powers, hiding out as a town car driver. She befriends a girl (Sibby) who she drives from the airport. A special girl who has some other powers herself. Miranda decides to rescue her from a cult, some actiony stuff ensues, but the suspension of disbelief I had was hard to maintain. Not badly written, but too many leaps in logic to get the story going.

Hell on Earth by Stephenie Meyer – This was about a junior demoness spreading despair and unhappiness with mental nudges at a school dance, but she can't seem to get everyone unhappy because a boy at the dance seems unsucceptable to her powers – he's just full of goodness and light. Not only that, he senses the darkness in her and wants to help her. Not a bad idea, has a sort of open ended conclusion, but it also felt somewhat predictable to me. And a little sappy.

Sighh. I am old I think. Old and crabby about young adult books now.

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Dead Sexy by Tate Hallaway

Posted on March 20, 2008 by janicu

Dead Sexy (Garnet Lacey, Book 2)

Tate Hallaway

I've had this window opened for a long time and I just haven't felt like reviewing anything. So I think it's a quick review for Dead Sexy:

This is book two in the Garnet Lacey series. Garnet is a sort of quirky, cute seeming goth looking girl who is a Wiccan and runs a book store and new age type of shop. You'd never guess she is harboring a goddess (Lilith, who slumbers within Garnet's womb), who Garnet called when she was attacked by some Vatican witch hunters. Those witch hunters died under Lilith's wrath, Garnet was left with the bodies and has been hiding from the law ever since. While Garnet's behavior is considered eccentric by normal people, she's really a witch who can see dead people and read auras and has vampire boyfriends. In this book the law may be catching up with Garnet and there seem to be an unusually high number of zombies about.
If you read book 1, this was close to the same level as that for me. Actually, maybe better because in book 1 I kept feeling exasperated at how impulsive Garnet would act over a man. Here were less cases of me saying "Garnet don't be an impulsive idiot" as I read this. Also some relationship developments which made the series move forward nicely for me.
I called Garnet "cute" but she never crossed the line into saccarine or Mary-Sue. I feel like I must clarify that.
I liked the secondary characters in this, especially Garnet's friends. They weren't cliched, they seemed real – not always doing the right thing and always being there when the main character needed them, but still family none-the-less.
This was written in the first person point of view.
You could probably read this without book 1, but it might be a bit confusing. Garnet does summarize some of what happened in the first book, but I would recommend reading this series in order.
I find these covers very cute. Especially the little cat.
So.. fun read. An entertaining narrative, some romance, zombies, friends and magic.
Excerpt of book 2
Book 3, Romancing the Dead comes out in May 2008.

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The Down Home Zombie Blues by Linnea Sinclair

Posted on March 10, 2008 by janicu

The Down Home Zombie Blues

Linnea Sinclair

Yes I AM reading all the books Linnea Sinclair has ever written. This is the newest one – came out end of last year. And it's about zombies. Unintentional – but I've read three books with zombies in them this year! This is one, then there's Happy Hour of the Damned by Mark Henry, and finally – Dead Sexy by Tate Hallaway (which I have to review on here). Are zombies becoming a trend? I thoughtfully stroke my chin.

So basically – what I usually think about Sinclair's books - lasers, spaceships, sci-fi, action fun stuff which I seem to love right now. Space opera, yay! This is totally that. Oh and kissing, as you see on the cover.

In this book the zombies are this alien hybrid created in a lab – half machine, half tenticle-y animal, they move in a pack, guided by the zombie leader (C-Prime), they jump out of portals and suck out people's lifeforces by clamping onto their heads with a big tentacle (braiiinnn). I was a bit confused about the mechanics of the lifeforce-sucking until I figured out they used the tentacles. Liked the alien-zombie angle. Anyway, Jorie Mikkalah is a Guardian Force commander trying to kill all the zombies on the "nil" planet Earth, while Theo Petrakos is a divorced cop who gets caught up in the crossfire, eventually joining up with the Guardians to help save the planet.

I had a good time reading this. There were some interesting dynamics in here (a love triangle and some bad exes), and there wasn't a silly misunderstanding between the two characters – no silly drama, just a real worry about how they are literally from different worlds. I liked the romance (but my favorite is still Games of Command), and it was balanced well with the plot of the zombie invasion problem. I liked how the language differences were overcome (Jorie realizes that English is like the alien language of Vekran) and they do kind of get to know each other as they improve their communications. Still, I was a bit disappointed to find out that some Vekrans were stranded near Earth at some point, because *I* wanted a tongue in cheek reference to the movie "Galaxy Quest". Theo jokingly mentions warp speed and Jorie asks him how he knows what that is and I totally thought of "Galaxy Quest"! But it was not meant to be.

I also liked how Jorie is independent and can take care of herself – she's better what she does than any other guy in the story, so thing that nagged at me was how often Theo would try to save her. He'd throw himself at her while they were shooting in order to get her away from some tentacle. But he's the zombie-killing novice, not her. Yes, he loves her and wants to protect her, but I thought it would be cooler if he didn't feel the need to be all "I am man and shall save you my woman!!". He should be all: "Oh look at her killing things, I'm so proud" and just watch her back, no throwing himself at her to shove her from harm's way. At least she saves him too, but she sensibly shoots things instead of shoving him. Other nit – Jorie thinks to herself about other women who haven't snapped up Theo and wonders if they are "blind and unsexed" like three times at least throughout the book. Nothing against the phrase, but it's unique enough that I noticed when it was reused.

I need to buy more Sinclair books but I must hold myself back because of the TBR. I also want Ann Agguire's Grimspace because it's supposed to be in this genre. I went to B&N and it wasn't there!! WHY.

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Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi

Posted on March 9, 2008 by janicu

Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace (A Jennifer Scales Novel, Book 1)

MaryJanice Davidson

OK, finished this one a week ago. I liked the first book of the Undead series and this series had good reviews on Amazon so I picked it up through paperbackswap.

It didn't really work for me. The protagonist is a teen girl who discovers that her parents never told her that she's half weredragon. And her race has an ancient feud with were-arachnids and beaststalkers. While I could suspend my disbelief with the paranormal aspects of this story, I had a problem with the characters and their interactions. Jennifer often acted like a brat, lashing out at her parents over everything, for example – her dad not being there because of his job. Jennifer takes out on her mom just because she was there. Okay, teen angst, sure, but more than I have patience for, so when she kept doing it I wasn't enthused. At one point Jennifer said something "insightful" but it backfired, because I thought it was just a backhanded way of telling her mom that she was spineless.

Meanwhile, her parents alternated between saying nothing and just letting Jennifer rant, and snapping back beyond the point I thought an adult should. Her dad got so annoyed, he just dropped Jennifer off at her grandfather's, said something nasty, doesn't let her know what's going on, and leaves. I was thinking: what kind of parenting is this? I also don't understand why they never told her what she was. The "protecting her" excuse seems very flimsy. The communication in this family is disfunctional! Her parents let Jennifer believe what she wanted without setting her straight and then revealed she was very very wrong and should feel bad (is this supposed to teach her something? Becuase I thought it was passive aggressive on her parents part). On top of that some of the other people seemed to act out of character (I couldn't really buy the ending and how forgiving somebody was). And finally; there were people who added nothing to the plot at all - I said to myself - why were they there?

I know. I sound ranty. I think I expected more is why. The writing wasn't bad, the world wasn't bad, but I didn't like the characters. I'm past the young adult audience, but sometimes young adult books transcend age groups. This one is just for teens though, not targeted at practically 30 year old me. So I don't think I'll be looking for the rest of this series. I've been disappointed by quite a few young adult books in the past year – am I maturing? Or maybe I need to stop just trying to read everything willy-nilly and think more about if I'll really want to read books before I get them. TBR is huge anyway. It's at 131..still.

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Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco

Posted on February 29, 2008 by janicu

Unshapely Things

Mark Del Franco

Cover: I find it interesting how many covers this cover model, Nathan Kamp is on. I think it's over 400, many of them romance novels, and now he's on an urban fantasy. He's everywhere! And yes, I recognize his face now, as I suspect many readers do. Oh and there is a blog that tracks this. Let me find the link…. I see, only on the top of the list when I google his name – here. This fascinates me. Maybe I should add a tag – Nathan Kamp cover, along with my butt-shot cover tag… I like this cover by the way, I think it hints at what the book's about pretty well.

What's going on in this book: Connor Grey is an ex-druid mage. He used to be a big shot in the Guild, catching criminals left and right, and not really treating people he worked with really nicely because he was too caught up with being a rising star. But – a magical injury that blocks most of his power lost him his job, his apartment, and most of his friends, and Connor becomes suddenly and uncomfortably aware of what type of person he was. Now he lives off his pension and a small stipend he receives from the police department for helping them with cases related to fae that the big-shots at The Guild can't be bothered to take. The latest case involves a string of nasty murders against some fairy prostitutes.

Why I got it: This is book of the month over at the league blog, and a new to me author (actually this is his first novel).

What I thought: Well this was a police procedural first of all, except with some unusual types of people as the victims (male fairy prostitutes), the murderer, and the people after him (Connor and his cop friend Murdock). What was most interesting to me was that Connor is going through a rebirth – he's weak and handicapped now and you feel his frustration at not being able to do things he used to do, but he's learning how to deal with this. He's learning how to treat people better as well. Several of the secondary characters point out that he burned bridges when he was powerful, and now he has to rebuild them. This redemption was a strong storyline and something I want to see more of in the next books. Also because of it, I think we have some strong secondary characters that interact with Connor (ex-coworkers, his mentor, his partner Murdock, his flit friend Joe). It seems to me like his fall is an opportunity to get to know these people who are still sticking by him better and we start to see that. I would love to see this continue.

The other thing I liked is the strong sense of the place that everything happens. A gritty Boston that I had no problems visualizing (even though I don't find Boston this dark in real life!). Alleyways and bars and slums in a section friendly to the fae called The Weird, where tourists like to go and gawk at the locals. I could see it clearly in my mind reading this book.

And now my complaint! There is so much focus on Connor and it IS from his point of view that we see very little of the villian of this piece. In the end I saw a glimpse of who he was and what he was trying to do, but it was confusing and fleeting compared to how well Connor was drawn. I think there was some opportunity to really show a compelling picture of this bad guy but there wasn't really enough time. Everyone else was very well written and two dimensional, maybe this is why I even noticed, but I think it would have made this book stronger. So much was focussed on Connor and his past that the rest of it – finding the bad guy, wasn't in the forefront, and this made the pacing slower for me. I can see this as being a good foundation of what's to come though.

Book 2 is Unquiet Dreams and it came out in January 2008. There's a little hint of whats to come from book 1 so I'd like to see how things go with Connor.

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Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland

Posted on February 27, 2008 by janicu

Star of the Morning: A Novel of the Nine Kingdoms

Lynn Kurland

This is a fantasy novel by an author who usually writes romance. I hear she has some popular time travel romances out. I think I was curious to read this because I liked her voice in the The Queen in Winter anthology. There's a little half-teasing tilt to it, especially when the characters banter with one another.

So this is a straight fantasy, with a little romance (not really in your face). Adhémar, king of Neroche has suddenly lost his magic powers, his magical sword doesn't work anymore, and he's very put out by it. His youngest brother Miach, who is also the archmage, suggests that he travel to the most unlikely place to find someone who can wield the sword. At the same time, a mercenary named Morgan who has been asked to bring a magical dagger to the king. They cross paths but Adhémar can't reveal his identity or the reason for his quest and Miach can't reveal why she's going towards the palace or that's where she's headed. Miach pops in to check on his brother and starts tagging along because he's interested in Morgan even though he's supposed to be monitoring the kingdom's borders. There's some light banter between the brothers (king – grumpy, archmage – deflecting grumpiness with practiced ease), and also humor from Morgan's belief that the king is a huge jackass who should keep his mouth shut. She proclaims this any chance she gets. The conflict here is that Morgan loathes magic but Miach is a mage so he worries about what she thinks when she finds out. At the same time Morgan is very troubled by her quest and about learning that she has an affinity for magic.

The book started out amusing – I really liked the beginning, but after a while it went into the usual fantasy quest route and I started to lose interest. There wasn't anything very urgent or compelling going on that would keep me glued to the page, the pacing was quite relaxed. Perhaps too relaxed. I almost walked away from this book even though I only had 50 pages left, I just wanted to skim the end and had to make myself read it (and that's where more interesting things started to happen). I'd recommend this for readers who don't generally read fantasy and want something light and wholesome to read. I also had the random thought that this story lends itself to being easy to read out loud. I was thinking – "I bet my grandmother could read this out and it would be ok, because this book has nothing really dirty in it". Maybe some cursing and graphic violence would give it some pizzaz, but I don't think that's the author's thing, and it wouldn't fit into the rest of the story anyway. Oh well – it wasn't a bad read, but to me, a bit tame after what else I've been reading lately. This is the first book of a trilogy; the second book is The Mage's Daughter and continues this story.

P.S. My fiance didn't like this cover. Hmmph! I ignored him. The only thing I have to say about the cover is – she should be wearing pants. She's supposed to be a mercenary.

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