"Dark Lycan" is a really good Feehan read. I've seen lots of other reviewers say "Feehan is back" with this one, and I can see why. She has had some i"Dark Lycan" is a really good Feehan read. I've seen lots of other reviewers say "Feehan is back" with this one, and I can see why. She has had some issues with repetition ... both in storyline from book to book ("this alpha-male Carpathian's story sounds very much like the last alpha-male Carpathian's story"), and within stories (I do not need to hear even one more time that she is the light to his dark, ok?)
This book was different, with a new "species mix." Really good, tighter writing. Lots of emphasis on the macro-story, while not neglecting the micro-story, letting us see more in the over-arching saga of the survival of the Carpathian species, without neglecting the main couple in this book. I commented to a GR friend when I started this book that it was about time for Feehan to do a "reunion" novel, so that we could catch up with old friends, and darned if she didn't give us just that. The Prince, Gregori, Jacques, Gary ... lots of old friends. Even more exciting for long time readers, the hero of this book, Fen, is the older brother to Dimitri, and this story set up the LONG awaited book about Dimitri and Skyler. So ... my favorite characters in the Carpathian books are Gabriel and Lucian, the twin protectors of the race. And since Skyler is Gabriel's adopted daughter, I am WAY psyched to see the brothers back in the next book. The Boys are Back in Town! :-)
In fact, EVERYBODY should be back in the next book. The Prince is calling a summit, and all of the warriors have been ordered to come home. I am super-excited for the next book. AND - I enjoyed this one. Dragonseekers, Lycans, lots of Carpathians, history lessons, great action, lots of fights, with ample attention to the main couple's romance and relationship. And we got to see the next generation! Watching the Prince's young son play with Gregori's twin daughters and Jacques' son was very cool, and dates me. I've hung out with this author and her Dark series for a number of years now, and it was a great visit with old friends, and meeting their kids, as well as an enjoyable time making new ones. The Lycans show real promise for breathing fresh life into the Carpathian world. Thanks, Christine Feehan, for still making me want to read more after 23 Carpathian books!
Obviously, I recommend this one to all Feehan fans. If you are just getting started with this author, you can start here and enjoy the book, but you will enjoy it even more if you have a little history wit the series. Dark Prince is a great place to start! :-)...more
I *LOVED* Divergent. AWESOME book: fresh, exciting story concept; well-written; likable protagonists; 3.5 stars (review should be pretty spoiler-free)
I *LOVED* Divergent. AWESOME book: fresh, exciting story concept; well-written; likable protagonists; clearly set up the series.
I was more ... disappointed ... in Insurgent. It felt hastily written, there were a few glaring errors, and I thought the characterizations, especially of Four/Tobias, really suffered.
So ... we arrive at the long-awaited Allegiant. Veronica Roth really opened up a can of worms with this one. :-) It appears that some readers have gone nuts over the controversial ending, and to keep this spoiler-free, I'll leave that there. I thought Allegiant was better written than Insurgent, not as good as Divergent, but in fairness to the author, there was a really high bar for this last book.
The Good:
Roth is reasonably thorough in tying up loose ends. She has introduced a lot of material in these three books, and I think she wrapped most of it up pretty well.
I really liked Christina in this book. She has been one of the more consistent characterizations, in my opinion, and she had a good role in this portion of the story.
I listened to the audiobook (as I did with the first two) and I enjoyed the dual narration. Emma Galvin (a firm favorite of mine) voiced the Tris chapters, and Aaron Stanford (new to me, but a good find) voiced the Four/Tobias chapters. Some readers of the hard copy have commented that it was hard to tell who was speaking from chapter to chapter, but the joint narration made that easy. I thought both narrators were excellent.
The Not-as-Good:
Four/Tobias is really confusing for me, and I think part of that is the fault of inconsistent characterization. I sometimes feel like Roth is trying to find the character as she writes him, or maybe she has a vision of him that she just can't articulate. But wow, he is all over the board and just didn't match up in #2 and #3 to the character I thought I got to know in Divergent.
Roth commits the sin of continuing to talk after I was through listening. The story effectively climaxed, sorted out an ending and then ... kept going. For several chapters. And an epilogue. I actually like the epilogue okay, except it was, like the rest of the book, WAY too heavy on exposition. The chapters proceeding it seemed unnecessary to me and what little meaningful information they contained could have been nicely summarized. Which leads me to the last point I'm going to make ...
Wow, we got talked to death in this book. We spent so much time in Tris' head, and Tobias' head, and so little time DOING stuff. Maybe that is a problem inherent in dual first-person POVs, and I think Roth was trying to show how the thoughts and feelings of the characters were changing as they learned more about their world and themselves, but UNCLE already! Blow something up! Give me a raging cat fight! Heck, just shoot a few more people.
So, a couple words on the controversy around the ending: GET A GRIP folks. Yes, it is the end of a series that a lot of us have put a lot of time into, and I also have a hard time forgiving an author who really lets me down at the end of a series. (I may NEVER forgive Andrea Cremer for the way she ended Bloodrose. Like - NEVER. I can hold a serious grudge for that one!) But petitioning for a new ending? Not cool. Threatening the author on-line or approaching her aggressively at signings? Bordering on arrest territory. Just ... rage to your GR buddies and load your reviews with gifs of Dean Winchester in hell, but at the end of the day, the author delivered her story.
If you've read the first two, you're probably going to read this one. :-) If you haven't, enjoy "Divergent" and take the sequels with a teaspoon of salt....more
Understand that I *love* Darynda Jones' "Charley Davidson" series, and I've enjoyed the first two books in this "Death" series. So, I mean no3.5 stars
Understand that I *love* Darynda Jones' "Charley Davidson" series, and I've enjoyed the first two books in this "Death" series. So, I mean no ill to Ms. Jones when I say the ending of this one took a strange, strange turn. I might have gone a different way, really.
I wanted to know how it ended, and now I do. Bring on more Charley and Reyes, that's all I know to say....more
A creepy, very Southern ghost story - excellent writing, excellent pacing, great attention to cultural details. And the narrator of the audio4.5 stars
A creepy, very Southern ghost story - excellent writing, excellent pacing, great attention to cultural details. And the narrator of the audiobook was fantastic, really giving a great performance and nailing the South Carolina accent. Highly recommended!...more
So ... there is probably a sentimental 1/2 star in that rating ... let's face it, if you are a fan of Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle's "Harmony" seriesSo ... there is probably a sentimental 1/2 star in that rating ... let's face it, if you are a fan of Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle's "Harmony" series, you are going to read this anyway. :-)
I've said it before: one of the things I like about JAK's work is that I know what to expect. I read her under Amanda Quick, JAK and JC, and she is very consistent. Her books are rarely high action, and the tension in the story is rarely between the characters who form the main couple. The stories are good, the characters enjoyable, and there is always enough humor to make the story an entertaining ride. AND - I *always* get her books in audio format, because her narrators ROCK. Joyce Bean is fabulous here in her performance, and the book is worth a listen just for that.
We return to Rainshadow Island on the world of Harmony, and visit with the old friends we made there in previous books. The situation on Rainshadow has been getting progressively dire, and we get some resolution in this story. I think because Castle was wrapping up at least part of the 3-book story arc that got us here (yes, this is billed as Rainshadow #2, but we have had two previous books set there and carried over the previous characters, so in my mind it is #3), there was a LOT of exposition in this book. I wanted to know the information, and we learned a lot more about Rainshadow's and Harmony's history, more about the North and Sebastian lines, and most importantly, more about DUSTBUNNIES! :-) However, there were pages spent on characters just explaining things to each other, or recapping details. It would have been a bit "snoozy" if I weren't so invested in Harmony.
The other minor criticism I would offer is on the story's ending. I noticed that when we reached (what I considered to be) the plot's big climax, I still had an hour of audiobook left. And I acknowledged at that point that there were some loose ends to tie up, but I was pretty sure they didn't need that much time. Castle proceeded to give us what I can only describe as an extended epilogue, although it wasn't billed as such, and, well, I'll stop for spoilery reasons and just say the pacing was a bit strange at the end.
Those notes aside, I really enjoyed the story. Harmony is always a delightful destination for my reading time, and this trip did not disappoint. I want a dustbunny. (I will name it George, and love and hug it and squeeze it and pet it ...) And I say again - Joyce Bean ROCKS this narration! She is one of my favorites....more
"Descendant" was a great follow-up to Starling. The story in this book picks up right where the first one ended, and the pacing is excellent 4.5 stars
"Descendant" was a great follow-up to Starling. The story in this book picks up right where the first one ended, and the pacing is excellent throughout. The audiobook is narrated by the author, and she does a fantastic job with it. The first book set up the story, and this second book seemed to be all about repositioning the players. The ending caught me completely by surprise, and the stage is certainly set for an dynamic final installment.
"Descendant" is told from multiple points of view, and I think that adds to the story. The action is taking place on several fronts, and we begin to understand how complex this web of plots, power-brokering, and temporary alliances really is. The major characters from "Starling" are back in various forms, and several new players are introduced who have the potential to be game-changers.
I had not read any Lesley Livingston before "Starling" and "Descendant," but I am now going to have to go back and look at her Faerie trilogy (Wondrous Strange, Darklight and Tempestuous), just to get the background story on the Fennrys Wolf. Apparently several of the characters we meet in "Descendant" are old friends of Fenn's from those earlier books, and I am now intrigued enough to go back and pick them up. Well played, Ms. Livingston. :~)
Really, really enjoyed this one! Amanda Quick is reliably good, but sometimes a bit too formulaic. "The Mystery Woman" delivered the usually good AQ eReally, really enjoyed this one! Amanda Quick is reliably good, but sometimes a bit too formulaic. "The Mystery Woman" delivered the usually good AQ experience, but felt a bit fresher that her last couple of books. That quality might be attributed to this being the second book in this series, so the story felt more focused - we weren't distracted with setting up the next three books or introducing a bunch of characters that we won't see again until the next book. A fast, enjoyable read, and audiobook narrator Justine Eyre is totally in her element here with a spot-on performance. Definitely recommended!...more
LOL - I do love Magnus Bane. LOVE the witty writing, and Clare always sneaks in a few incredibly profound moments. Narrator did a good job - enjoyableLOL - I do love Magnus Bane. LOVE the witty writing, and Clare always sneaks in a few incredibly profound moments. Narrator did a good job - enjoyable hour spent listing to this!...more
If you aren't reading Darynda Jones' "Grave" series, well ... you should go and do that. :-) Now is fine. I'll wait. Yes, I know that once you read FiIf you aren't reading Darynda Jones' "Grave" series, well ... you should go and do that. :-) Now is fine. I'll wait. Yes, I know that once you read First Grave on the Right you are going to have to immediately read the next four. That is perfectly okay, and I understand completely. We can talk about them all when you get back. I'll be right here, with a "was I right, or was I RIGHT?!?!" smile on my face.
In fact, go ahead and just start with the audiobooks. Lorelei King, the narrator, so completely captures every nuance of every character, I can't imagine a Charley Davidson book without Lorelei in my ear.
Book 5, like the first four, ROCKED. These books are "auto-buys" for me, and they never disappoint. I never get enough of Charley's snark, Reyes' heat, Uncle Bob's uncle-ness, Garrett's abs, Cookie's heart ... this cast is SUPERB. And this book did a great job of advancing the on-going storyline. I recommend this, unreservedly, to anyone old enough for an adult book (for my younger friends ... wait til college, please!) :-)
And now, if you have read this one, I'm going to dish behind the cut on why I gave it 4 stars and the best/worst parts ... If you haven't read this, I'm not sure why you are still here and not out acquiring it! :-)
(view spoiler)[ I gave this one 4 stars because I think there are a couple of things that are getting a little tired ... does Charley really have to get smashed to pulp in every one of these? The scene in this book where she was beaten ... well, that one felt like too much, especially given what she has been through in the last couple of books. I don't think the "torture Charley" device is necessary in every book, and for some reason, that scene felt like it crossed my personal "whoa" line. I also thought some of the sections on Cookie going for concealed weapons training felt ... preachy? That's probably too strong, but it seemed at times like the author was doing a lesson on gun safety.
Those are minor complaints beside all of the stuff I LOVED. I am so excited that we are finally seeing Charley and Reyes interact in person. For most of the past four books, he's been incorporeal, ticked off, unconscious, absent or otherwise not available in person. The "hot scenes" are hot, but I also really wanted them to TALK to each other, and we got some of that here. Garrett showed up with some exposition, and it helps to be reminded of the deets on the war with hell, but it was even better to realize how far Reyes is going and has gone for Charley, working against his father. And that last scene - AWESOMESAUCE! :-)
LOVE Uncle Bob! Putting him and Cookie together is golden. I was also glad to see how Gemma and Charley's dad got worked into this one. I think the police chief following Charley around has the potential to be a great plot device, and I liked how Charley's knowledge of ASL got worked into the case.
I will pick up Book 6 the moment it is available, and I can't wait to see how Charley responds to Reyes' last post-it note. :-)