I loved the narration of this, and the sound fx were just right. The story is presented in a series of connected short stories which I think will l4.5
I loved the narration of this, and the sound fx were just right. The story is presented in a series of connected short stories which I think will lend itself quite well to television although I don't know if this adaptation could be considered a peek at the approach for the coming show. We shall all have to wait and see.
I also enjoyed some of the cameos of other DC characters. It was fun. McAvoy makes a good Morpheus....more
This one was more difficult for me than the first due to the subject matter. I think it would more rightly be called "scifi-horror" but you must underThis one was more difficult for me than the first due to the subject matter. I think it would more rightly be called "scifi-horror" but you must understand that the most heinous monster I can imagine is the Borg. Hive mind, community mind, total assimilation sorts of stories horrify me. Nothing is scarier to me.
And so this is a horror story as far as I'm concerned....more
In fairness I listened to this while in the hospital and taking a lot of morphine, so I probably missed a lot of it. It was pretty good, but 3.5 stars
In fairness I listened to this while in the hospital and taking a lot of morphine, so I probably missed a lot of it. It was pretty good, but I thought the ending was a bit weak, particularly since it was the end of the series, and could have been less abrupt.
I still found myself rolling my eyes at all the relationship angst. The entire relationship through out this series is nuttin-but-angst punctuated with the occasional reason to root for them.
I really enjoyed this one a lot. The story was exceptionally creepy on many different levels, not the least of which was the creep factor in findi3.75
I really enjoyed this one a lot. The story was exceptionally creepy on many different levels, not the least of which was the creep factor in finding out about her history.
Small points off for the angst over Devlin. I'm already sick of hearing about him, I roll my eyes every time she waxes poetic about him, and I can't wait until they either do the deed or get the hell over it. Insta-love that is unrealized is a really ugly premise for a slow burn romance and this is book 2 of it. Every time she started carrying on about how she ached for Devlin I found myself thinking "For fuck sake, you only kissed twice, get over it already."
I'm also starting to get a bit frustrated with her repeating over and over her father's rules when all the old man told her was to pretend it wasn't happening. Seems to me the man could have given her some protection skills other than the Scarlet O'Hara "I can't think about that right now" trope. It's pretty insipid and I'm hoping she'll outgrow daddy's orders asap and acquire some skills.
I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. It's got the bones of a really good story and an interesting take on the supernatural elements, and that's w3.5ish
I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. It's got the bones of a really good story and an interesting take on the supernatural elements, and that's why I'll read/ listen to the next one. The author and the narrator do an admirable job of placing the story such that the location is a breathing part of the story. I could feel the humidity.
The supernatural elements and the approach to the story makes it more of a suspense/thriller/horror/ghost kind of story than an urban fantasy story, although there are certainly supernatural elements and it seems to me that the world is just beginning to open up and may prove to have more. For now, however, I've tagged it.
The romance in the story is a very slow burn romance and has potential but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I rolled my eyes a lot. I hope we will soon get beyond the "I can't think when he looks at me with those smoldering eyes" stage. I'm still trying to decide if I actually like the heroine. She's got potential, but I'm not invested yet.
I am open to it, though. Like I said, it has the bones of a very good series here....more
When my friends at Edensbookshelf asked if I was interested in reviewing an ARC of the newest urban fantasy offering from Clay & Susan Griffith, I squealed an enthusiastic “YES!” I am admittedly an ardent fan of the Vampire Empire series and hoped for a new series from these authors that I would enjoy at least as much as I had it. I was not disappointed in the first offering in the trilogy. In fact, I had no time to consider comparisons as I read because the world, the characters, and the story swept me up and carried me away.
The Shadow Revolution is set in Victorian London and features a gritty, slightly steampunk landscape in which the worst of the worst have been unwittingly released from imprisonment in the Bastille when it was stormed and are now, apparently, looking to recreate their niches and dominance in the world. But these are no ordinary bad guys, these are magic practitioners and monsters so vile they were long secreted away in the Bastille, locked away for so long they had come to be considered myth by most. Rather than spending much time in world-building the book jumps right into action, monsters, and magic use in the very first chapter. Be prepared because the monsters are decidedly nasty, the bad guys are exceptionally inventive, and the results are quintessentially macabre. Don’t be disheartened by all this nastiness, however, because the good guys are all slightly broken in their own unique ways, well-meaning, and very good at what they do. More, they are each endearing in their way and even the grumpiest of them will draw you in and make you their friend, rooting for their victory. There are a few who will leave you wondering what they are about, though, and a few that will break your heart such that you will keep turning the pages needing to know what will happen next.
The primary protagonists, Simon Archer and Kate Anstruther, are both a bit unusual for the time period. Simon, a bit more typical of the times, poses as a rake to hide his magical abilities from society at large and from other magic practitioners. Kate, a “modern” woman that has found herself the matriarch of her family, is less concerned with the opinions of society than with caring for her family, doing the right thing, and facing whatever comes. The daughter of a renowned explorer she is not only an accomplished alchemist but also a surprisingly competent fighter. The two meet in this, the first installment of the trilogy, and after a bumpy start find that circumstance and their own attractions bring them together. Those of you who wish for immediate romance won’t get it here, but those of you who are quite happy with a slow burn romance will find Simon and Kate’s blossoming relationship compelling. The relationship does take a distant back seat to the rest of the story and is more alluded to than actualized, leaving one with the sense of more to come.
At first blush it seems that the fight will be against werewolves, but I assure you that is just the tip of the iceberg. Kate’s younger sister is kidnapped and the process of trying to rescue her peels back a story that gets increasingly macabre and shudder-worthy as it is revealed. These are not romance hero monsters.
Things that stood out for me over and above the story, and perhaps a bit in comparison to the Vampire Empire series, is that the story brought you along and allowed the world to build as the story did, rather then spending any significant amount of time in world building alone. Also a stand out is that there was character growth even in this, the first book of the trilogy, with characters brought to face personal misconceptions and practices that may have previously stunted their growth. They are forced to stretch beyond their comfort zones to achieve their goals. I think it only fair that I tell you I am currently reading book 2 in the series and, happily, this is a trend that continues even with the captivating secondary characters.
I did not want to leave this world and these characters when I closed this book. Those of you who know me know that I have been called sensitive to cliff-hangers. It’s true, I loathe them. I can not tell you that all things are resolved in this entry to the series, but I can tell you my wish to stay in the world had more to do with just enjoying the immersion and wanting more of it than it did with the parts of the story that are ongoing. Even though the book ends knowing that it is just the beginning of the conflict and many crises from the book do not get resolved, there is still a satisfying and tightly written end to the book arc that did not leave me feeling as if I had been toyed with. Further, I was joyous to learn the entire trilogy is set to be released within a two month period. Book 1 is set to release on June 2nd, book 2 is scheduled for a June 30th release, and book 3 is set for release a month later on July 28th. Who can complain about near instant gratification?
Bottom Line: This is very nearly a perfect urban fantasy with a splash of steampunk. You won’t want to leave the world either....more
It took me a long time to read this, and I ended up listening to other books and found myself easily diverted to doing otherWell that was interesting.
It took me a long time to read this, and I ended up listening to other books and found myself easily diverted to doing other things. This book never really called to me until towards the end.
Yeah, it's a vampire story but it's nothing like you'll find in current urban fantasy offerings. It leans more to horror and there's no feel-good to be had in it. In fact it's a slightly uncomfortable read, at least it was for me. I never connected with the primary protagonist nor empathized with him, and the style of writing was of a narrator telling a story so it was all telling instead of showing by default. I find that sort of thing difficult to be immersed in.
Then consider that the narrator was pubescent and there were a lot of "children" in the story and my natural aversion to the very young made it even more uncomfortable. The entire time I was reading it I remember thinking that it wasn't bad, but I couldn't imagine giving it more than 3 or so stars.
The end, however, was delightfully unexpected. Enough so that I am rating up a full star for the ending....more
I am sorry to say that I just did not enjoy this book. Not only was the subject matter disturbing, which normally isn't a big deal but some things I aI am sorry to say that I just did not enjoy this book. Not only was the subject matter disturbing, which normally isn't a big deal but some things I am just too socialized to deal with, but much of it was also very unbelievable.
I had trouble with suspension of disbelief throughout. I hate to say this because I have long been a Piers Anthony fan, but I did not enjoy this book any more than he apparently enjoyed writing it....more
Good story about Lev and where he ends up in the missing time in book 1. I think it was probably a set up for book 2, as well, but I haven't read bookGood story about Lev and where he ends up in the missing time in book 1. I think it was probably a set up for book 2, as well, but I haven't read book 2 yet so we'll see.
Well, it was dark and gritty, that's for sure. The vampires are not nice people at all, they are unapologetic for it, too. The hero is an anti-hero anWell, it was dark and gritty, that's for sure. The vampires are not nice people at all, they are unapologetic for it, too. The hero is an anti-hero and he's one of the best of the bunch. He's redeemable but it's too little, too late in general.
The heroine is just too stupid to live and I never really cared if she made it through or not. She started out falling into his arms and I didn't understand why and that only got worse, and every time she did I liked her less. At the end she kind of came into herself a bit but by then didn't really have a chance to develop her skills and the way the ending was written I suppose the next book will be her opportunity for that, perhaps primarily in the "real" world instead of the Vamp City world.
The end isn't a cliff hanger but it was a set up for a longer arc, and the book arc was satisfactorily closed although it was on a reveal that just continued an established trend about the anti-hero and confirmed my already firmly established opinion of him. I might read the next installment but I'll be reading in the hopes of seeing everyone finally get their comeuppance, not because I like anyone enough to wish them a happy ending or am rooting for them.
3 to 3.5, mostly for the macabre world building....more
This one is kind of hard to label. There aren’t any of the current tropes of the urban fantasy genre in heReview at http://paperbackdolls.com/?p=11586
This one is kind of hard to label. There aren’t any of the current tropes of the urban fantasy genre in here, that’s for sure. There are no werewolves or vampires or demons or angels. Steeped in ancient Egyptian lore that is brought to a contemporary South African urban setting, the story was original and engaging, providing just enough “realism” to leave me thinking “can you imagine if that really happened?” Seriously, imagine dying as one gender expecting to eventually be reincarnated as an infant of the same gender only to wake up as an adult of the opposite gender. In fact an adult jackass with lots of enemies, no resources, and no friends – and all that’s on top of your own situation being completely hosed, too.
Perhaps what was most interesting about the story was the lore itself. Nerine Dorman creates a very believable and seamless melding of the living world with the ancient Egyptian afterworld (one that’s nearly pronounceable to the average Western reader), making it very easy to believe that the notion of “as above, so below” applies in more ways than one.
The characters were all pretty broken, even the heroes. So I found myself both rooting for and disappointed in them in equal measure. Just about the time I thought I’d developed a nice comfortable box to put one of the characters in Dorman would prove they are human and mix it all up again in a frustratingly human way. Ash is a bit of an anti-hero, but we’re never sure if we’re rooting for the Ash who is the previous resident of the body who was the jackass who happened to be a rock and roll god wanna-be, or the new resident of the body who is a bit of a supernatural bad ass but perhaps a bit more narcissistic than she’s willing to own up to while she fools herself with her delusions of altruistic grandeur. Or are we rooting for them both?
It’s a stand alone book and I don’t know if there are any plans to make a series of it, but after I’d finished the book I found my mind wandering back to the characters and wondering about their continued stories and what might have happened to them, so I guess that speaks to my investment in the story and the believability of the characters.
I don’t have a lot of experience with writers who are based in South Africa but there were regional nuances in the dialog and location descriptions that made the location sing to me, and had me at Google and Youtube in curiosity.
If I had any negative feedback it would be that the book needed a bit more copy-editing but I was reading an ARC so it’s possible that the version I was reading was not the version that went to final publication. Even with that there was nothing so jarring that made it a significantly less pleasurable read.
If you’re looking for something that’s still “supernatural” but somehow different this might be just the ticket. I gave it four of five stars and would enjoy reading a second installment to the storyline if she decided to continue the story, but don’t feel at all cheated if she doesn’t, and that’s really a wonderful and talented way to end a book....more
I just finished this book and am only going to put a few quick things down for now while I let my thoughts simmer a bit. I enjoyed this book3.5 stars.
I just finished this book and am only going to put a few quick things down for now while I let my thoughts simmer a bit. I enjoyed this book but it was not as enthralling as I had hoped. I was a bit disappointed that the lore for these vampires completely sublimates lust into the bite, in fact it's not even the bite but the act of sharing the blood. The author's prose tries to elevate the experience to a spiritual event but instead calls attention to the lack of candor used in its description.
Also, there were several transitions in the story line that were some what jarring. Where the heroine learned the hero was a vampire and took the news without question or concern played havoc with my suspension of disbelief. In several places rather than allowing the reader to see how a situation was handled to resolution the author chose to just advance the story and leave the reader to believe that the previous outstanding issues were handled. These would be my marks off for the story.
Still, the historical world was very believable. I was immersed in the 18th century Paris ton with all its fashion, finery, and frivolity. I also carried through out the story the sense of danger inherent in the time for things that involvement with alchemy, Satanism, vampirism, and just being a willful female with more of a mind and opinion than is deemed seemly would bring to anyone of that day. The plot was engaging, the villains horrifying and deliciously easy to abhor, the characters were well enough flushed out that even rarely seen secondary characters had personality and a hope to see them in future books.
So, it was a bumpy start that I did not love nor did I hate. I will read more of them to see how it goes as I am curious about the characters. The end was a book closure but certainly left room for more story without being called a cliff hanger.
Actually read an ebook of this but there is no ebook option on GR....more