The characters were too much like ordinary people, nothing special or different. I wasn’t engaged or pulled in.
STORY BRIEF: Evie is a newspThe characters were too much like ordinary people, nothing special or different. I wasn’t engaged or pulled in.
STORY BRIEF: Evie is a newspaper crime reporter who learned she has cancer and will die soon. James is a vampire who has been watching her for eight months. She is in a car accident. Now she will die from that instead of cancer. So James saves her by turning her into a vampire. He provides food, shelter, and protection while he teaches her about the vampire world.
Slayers are humans who use vampire teeth to kill vampires. There has been a truce for centuries. Now someone is doing things to break the truce, hoping to cause a war between slayers and vampires. Also, someone tries to kill James.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: This sounds like something I would write if I were changed into a vampire - how I would think and talk. That does not interest me. It’s almost reporter like. It’s told in first person and reads like the following.
I’m now a vampire. I just broke a glass, oh I’m stronger than before. I’m hungry. I don’t want to drink blood, but my, it tastes so good. I see my friend Kate. I must fight my desire for her blood. Taking shallow breaths helps. I must control myself. Later: I have a shielding skill. I must concentrate hard to put a shield around the innocents. I am getting a headache, but I must keep concentrating to protect them. (I’m simplifying things, but this was my feeling.)
There is no interesting plotting. The main plot is experiencing what it’s like to be a vampire and fighting a lot. Bad vampires and others keep showing up, forcing Evie and her friends fight them. A human is brought to the group, so the new vampires must fight their desire for the human’s blood. There is a super bad guy out there who is orchestrating attacks on our heros. By the end of the book, the heroes and the super bad guy are still alive and will be continuing their fight in the future. Something missing is we never learn why someone wanted to kill James, either in this book or the sequel. It might have been better to be in the bad guys’ heads - to see their motivations, plans, and actions. A side note, we have all these strange creatures and monsters, but I never felt fear or anxiety.
The characters were too ordinary and all the same. They reminded me of young adults on TV sitcoms and reality shows. And they talk that way. For example, Siska is a Native American several-hundred-year-old vampire, but he talks in a contemporary cool way. He is talking with Nic and Kate (humans) and James a vampire. Siska just told them that he turned Jack into a vampire.
Siska says “Look, I didn’t change him on purpose.” “No?” she managed to give the word a singular tone of menace. “No, I was trying to kill him,” Siska said, his voice a little defensive. Kate stirred angrily. “You were trying to kill Jack?” Surprised by an attack coming from a different direction, Siska swung around. “Yes, I was thirsty.” She shrilled, “Thirsty?” “Hellooo,” Siska said mockingly and pointed at himself “Vampire?” Nic’s voice was rough with anger. “So...what? You somehow decided after all not to kill him? To change him instead? How’d you stop, Siska? Aren’t you always telling me how hard it is to stop once you bite someone?” “I was interrupted, okay?” I bit the guy and everything was going fine...” Siska began. “Fine?” Kate interrupted. “You’re sucking the life out of Jack and it’s fine?” Siska threw his hands in the air and appealed to James “A little help here?” James chuckled. “No way, I’m not getting anywhere near this one.”
I’ve been ok with other authors having 100-year-old paranormal characters learn new languages and speak contemporary slang. So I ought to be ok with Siska sounding contemporary, but somehow it didn’t feel right. It felt weird. Probably because all the characters were the same. A good story needs some intriguing, excessive, or unusual personalities, which were missing. There is a variety of creatures defined but not a variety of personalities.
Relationship development - not enough for me. James apparently fell in love with Evie before she met him. We don’t see that. Now that he changed her into a vampire, he is showing her what the vampire world is about. She argues with him because she doesn’t like the rules. After a few fights with other creatures, she informs James she loves him. Her falling in love was told, not shown. I didn’t get to see any interesting development, other than they were impressed with each other’s fighting abilities. She had trained in martial arts for many years when she was human.
The sex scenes could have used more passion and sensuality. They were mostly descriptive. I skimmed parts of them.
DATA: Kindle count story length: 5,526 (545 KB). Swearing language: moderate. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Setting: current day New York, Canada, Idaho. Copyright: 2011. Genre: urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Ending: happy for now but fighting will continue because enemies are still out there.
Merged review:
The characters were too much like ordinary people, nothing special or different. I wasn’t engaged or pulled in.
STORY BRIEF: Evie is a newspaper crime reporter who learned she has cancer and will die soon. James is a vampire who has been watching her for eight months. She is in a car accident. Now she will die from that instead of cancer. So James saves her by turning her into a vampire. He provides food, shelter, and protection while he teaches her about the vampire world.
Slayers are humans who use vampire teeth to kill vampires. There has been a truce for centuries. Now someone is doing things to break the truce, hoping to cause a war between slayers and vampires. Also, someone tries to kill James.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: This sounds like something I would write if I were changed into a vampire - how I would think and talk. That does not interest me. It’s almost reporter like. It’s told in first person and reads like the following.
I’m now a vampire. I just broke a glass, oh I’m stronger than before. I’m hungry. I don’t want to drink blood, but my, it tastes so good. I see my friend Kate. I must fight my desire for her blood. Taking shallow breaths helps. I must control myself. Later: I have a shielding skill. I must concentrate hard to put a shield around the innocents. I am getting a headache, but I must keep concentrating to protect them. (I’m simplifying things, but this was my feeling.)
There is no interesting plotting. The main plot is experiencing what it’s like to be a vampire and fighting a lot. Bad vampires and others keep showing up, forcing Evie and her friends fight them. A human is brought to the group, so the new vampires must fight their desire for the human’s blood. There is a super bad guy out there who is orchestrating attacks on our heros. By the end of the book, the heroes and the super bad guy are still alive and will be continuing their fight in the future. Something missing is we never learn why someone wanted to kill James, either in this book or the sequel. It might have been better to be in the bad guys’ heads - to see their motivations, plans, and actions. A side note, we have all these strange creatures and monsters, but I never felt fear or anxiety.
The characters were too ordinary and all the same. They reminded me of young adults on TV sitcoms and reality shows. And they talk that way. For example, Siska is a Native American several-hundred-year-old vampire, but he talks in a contemporary cool way. He is talking with Nic and Kate (humans) and James a vampire. Siska just told them that he turned Jack into a vampire.
Siska says “Look, I didn’t change him on purpose.” “No?” she managed to give the word a singular tone of menace. “No, I was trying to kill him,” Siska said, his voice a little defensive. Kate stirred angrily. “You were trying to kill Jack?” Surprised by an attack coming from a different direction, Siska swung around. “Yes, I was thirsty.” She shrilled, “Thirsty?” “Hellooo,” Siska said mockingly and pointed at himself “Vampire?” Nic’s voice was rough with anger. “So...what? You somehow decided after all not to kill him? To change him instead? How’d you stop, Siska? Aren’t you always telling me how hard it is to stop once you bite someone?” “I was interrupted, okay?” I bit the guy and everything was going fine...” Siska began. “Fine?” Kate interrupted. “You’re sucking the life out of Jack and it’s fine?” Siska threw his hands in the air and appealed to James “A little help here?” James chuckled. “No way, I’m not getting anywhere near this one.”
I’ve been ok with other authors having 100-year-old paranormal characters learn new languages and speak contemporary slang. So I ought to be ok with Siska sounding contemporary, but somehow it didn’t feel right. It felt weird. Probably because all the characters were the same. A good story needs some intriguing, excessive, or unusual personalities, which were missing. There is a variety of creatures defined but not a variety of personalities.
Relationship development - not enough for me. James apparently fell in love with Evie before she met him. We don’t see that. Now that he changed her into a vampire, he is showing her what the vampire world is about. She argues with him because she doesn’t like the rules. After a few fights with other creatures, she informs James she loves him. Her falling in love was told, not shown. I didn’t get to see any interesting development, other than they were impressed with each other’s fighting abilities. She had trained in martial arts for many years when she was human.
The sex scenes could have used more passion and sensuality. They were mostly descriptive. I skimmed parts of them.
DATA: Kindle count story length: 5,526 (545 KB). Swearing language: moderate. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Setting: current day New York, Canada, Idaho. Copyright: 2011. Genre: urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Ending: happy for now but fighting will continue because enemies are still out there....more
Personalities, good plotting, and emotional engagement are important to me. Those were weak.
STORY BRIEF: Sephti is a bittern, a creature created by thePersonalities, good plotting, and emotional engagement are important to me. Those were weak.
STORY BRIEF: Sephti is a bittern, a creature created by the fae who goes into unconscious furies when she fights. Bitterns are kept in stables. Sephti was tortured by her keeper Cain. She escaped. Her goals are to kill the evil vampire Phillippe on earth and then return to the fae realm and kill Reiden the evil fae king. This will be a suicide mission which she accepts. While searching for Phillippe, Sephti meets Koda, a Native American guardian with magic powers. He puts binding spells on her to keep her from fleeing. He and his friends also want to kill Phillippe. Koda and Sephti start to fall in love.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: This is a like a lot of other urban fantasy stories where the main focus is creating many different creatures with unusual magic and powers. Most of the conflicts in this book are battles and fighting among the creatures. Additional conflicts occur for Sephti when she becomes weak due to her need for sugar after battles. If she doesn’t get sugar she will go into a coma. She never carries enough sugar, so Koda is the one to save her after each battle by finding sugar for her. Why doesn’t she carry what she will need?
I compare this to another book I’m reading where I am worried and anxious about how the good guys are going to rescue some victims. What will the bad guys do? What will the good guys do? I don’t want to stop reading. I never felt that kind of urgency when reading this book. Maybe being in the heads of the bad guys would have helped. I might have liked seeing some conversations among the bad guys Reiden, Cain, and Phillippe. I wanted to know their motivations and plans. Most of the conflicts here are bad creatures showing up and the good guys having to fight them. The good guys get wounded or weak and then must heal. Most of the creativity is in what new magic or talent will be used.
I wanted to like this, but it didn’t pull me in. Sadly I wanted it to be over which is my definition for 2 stars. But I think there are many urban fantasy fans who will enjoy this.
I thought the first sex scene was interesting. Sephti a bittern must fight and attack during the sexual process. Koda suffered injuries until he was able to grab her in a bear hug with one arm holding both her arms still and both his legs holding her legs still.
THE SERIES: Stealing Time was book #1. It was about two vampires James and Evie. Killing Time is book #2. It would be nice to read them in order, but it’s not a problem to read book #2 by itself. The evil vampire Phillippe is introduced in book #1, but not much is told at that time. He continues in the same role in book #2. James and Evie make a cameo appearance in book #2.
DATA: Kindle count story length: 6550 (661 KB). Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Setting: current day various U.S. locations and Canada, plus the fae realm. Copyright: 2011. Genre: urban fantasy and paranormal romance.
Merged review:
Personalities, good plotting, and emotional engagement are important to me. Those were weak.
STORY BRIEF: Sephti is a bittern, a creature created by the fae who goes into unconscious furies when she fights. Bitterns are kept in stables. Sephti was tortured by her keeper Cain. She escaped. Her goals are to kill the evil vampire Phillippe on earth and then return to the fae realm and kill Reiden the evil fae king. This will be a suicide mission which she accepts. While searching for Phillippe, Sephti meets Koda, a Native American guardian with magic powers. He puts binding spells on her to keep her from fleeing. He and his friends also want to kill Phillippe. Koda and Sephti start to fall in love.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: This is a like a lot of other urban fantasy stories where the main focus is creating many different creatures with unusual magic and powers. Most of the conflicts in this book are battles and fighting among the creatures. Additional conflicts occur for Sephti when she becomes weak due to her need for sugar after battles. If she doesn’t get sugar she will go into a coma. She never carries enough sugar, so Koda is the one to save her after each battle by finding sugar for her. Why doesn’t she carry what she will need?
I compare this to another book I’m reading where I am worried and anxious about how the good guys are going to rescue some victims. What will the bad guys do? What will the good guys do? I don’t want to stop reading. I never felt that kind of urgency when reading this book. Maybe being in the heads of the bad guys would have helped. I might have liked seeing some conversations among the bad guys Reiden, Cain, and Phillippe. I wanted to know their motivations and plans. Most of the conflicts here are bad creatures showing up and the good guys having to fight them. The good guys get wounded or weak and then must heal. Most of the creativity is in what new magic or talent will be used.
I wanted to like this, but it didn’t pull me in. Sadly I wanted it to be over which is my definition for 2 stars. But I think there are many urban fantasy fans who will enjoy this.
I thought the first sex scene was interesting. Sephti a bittern must fight and attack during the sexual process. Koda suffered injuries until he was able to grab her in a bear hug with one arm holding both her arms still and both his legs holding her legs still.
THE SERIES: Stealing Time was book #1. It was about two vampires James and Evie. Killing Time is book #2. It would be nice to read them in order, but it’s not a problem to read book #2 by itself. The evil vampire Phillippe is introduced in book #1, but not much is told at that time. He continues in the same role in book #2. James and Evie make a cameo appearance in book #2.
DATA: Kindle count story length: 6550 (661 KB). Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Setting: current day various U.S. locations and Canada, plus the fae realm. Copyright: 2011. Genre: urban fantasy and paranormal romance....more
Buy the physical book, not the audiobook - unless you like a high-pitched Irish accent.
There are two narrators for the audiobook: Phil Gigante and NatBuy the physical book, not the audiobook - unless you like a high-pitched Irish accent.
There are two narrators for the audiobook: Phil Gigante and Natalie Ross. Natalie has a good voice for Mac, but a terrible voice for Dani. She uses a high pitched Irish accent for Dani. I couldn’t take it. I quit after the first Dani chapter.
I don’t know if the story was good or not, so I’m using an average of 2 stars: 3 for the story, 1 for the Dani narrator....more
This is book 9. I feel like the author has nothing left to write about. It’s lots of conversation about very littlI was bored. I wanted it to be over.
This is book 9. I feel like the author has nothing left to write about. It’s lots of conversation about very little. When bad guys appear, Rachel solves the problem by pulling on a ley line and using magic.
My biggest problem is I don’t like Rachel. She doesn’t show humility. She acts like a bratty snotty teenager. Most of the time she argues, gets angry, and threatens. There is a lot of “You did this? Well I’m going to do that to you.”
Trent enthrals two assassins so he can ask them who sent them. The enthral only lasts a couple of minutes. Rachel is furious and argues with Trent because his enthral used “black magic.” She wasted time instead of asking the assassins who sent them. Finally Jenks and Ivy interrupted Rachel’s rant and asked the assassins who sent them. I was not interested in watching Rachel do this.
The author used contrivances to create suspense which annoyed me. For example, someone tells Rachel to plead guilty, go to jail, don’t worry, I have a plan. But he doesn’t tell her the plan. So for a long time Rachel is worried and there is a lot of angst. I would rather just see how the trial and things worked out instead of someone saying “I have a plan, but I’m not going to tell you.”
More contrivance examples. Rachel rushes in yelling “they took him...they took him.” After a minute Trent gets out of the shower and says “took who?”
Rachel makes statements like “It didn’t work.” A minute later the reader hears that it did work.
The word clench was over used. I felt like it was used on every other page. There is teeth clenched, jaw clenched, gut clenched, fingers clenched, hands clenched, my heart seemed to clench, worry clenched my chest, we both clenched in pain, stomach clenched, clenched my eyes, my gut unclenched as it grew quiet.
I listened to the first 15 hours and couldn’t take any more. So I jumped to the last chapter and was glad to be out.
THE HOLLOWS (RACHEL MORGAN) SERIES: As of 2013 there are 11 books in the series. Sadly it’s not for me, but I gave it a try. The three I read are: 3 stars. Dead Witch Walking, Book 1 2 stars. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, Book 2 1 star. Pale Demon, Book 9
DATA: Narrative mode: 1st person Rachel. Unabridged audiobook length: 17 hrs and 54 mins. Swearing language: strong but rarely used. Sexual content: none in the first 15 hours. Setting: time similar to current day various U.S. locations. Book copyright: 2011. Genre: urban fantasy....more
Heroine’s recklessness and mistakes get her into trouble which is too close to stupidity for me.
If you like to lose yourself in an urban fantasy worldHeroine’s recklessness and mistakes get her into trouble which is too close to stupidity for me.
If you like to lose yourself in an urban fantasy world, this is a good one. But I want stories where character and plot are the main draws. Here not much happens to support the plot. The setting has a wide variety of paranormals: witches, vampires, pixies, elves, werewolves, and demons. I like the way they live, work, and interact with each other and humans in current day.
My biggest problem is that I don’t enjoy Rachel. She is reckless, impulsive, jumps to wrong conclusions, and makes mistakes. Those character traits are the source of her troubles and conflicts throughout the book. Some of it is stupid. In one scene she tells Trent she doesn’t like him because he is a thief (and other things). Well, Rachel is a thief in this book which bothered me. A thinks B stole a fish. Rachel is hired to steal it back which she does. Then she finds out A was mistaken and B did not steal the fish. So I think Rachel should return the fish to B. She does not. She keeps the fish for herself. Yes ornery characters can be fun. In fact I love some of them in other books, but this didn’t work for me. I couldn’t like her, and therefore I could not enjoy her escapades.
Other Rachel examples: A wants to take one of Rachel’s books. Rachel says “Let him have it.” After A leaves, B tells Rachel now she cannot do the spell she needs because it was in that book. Rachel says “Oh.”
Rachel is in a dangerous situation and needs to do a chant. She gets distracted in the middle of the chant and says “Oh my God,” then she forgets the last word of the chant, but she has already interrupted the chant, then several moments later she remembers the last word.
Another problem: In every crisis, someone else comes along to save Rachel - at least in the first two books. She may do something weird trying to save herself, but it doesn’t finish the scene. It reminds me of “deus ex machina” (a god comes in to move the story forward when the writer can’t think of another way out).
The narrator Marguerite Gavin was ok.
THE HOLLOWS (RACHEL MORGAN) SERIES: As of 2013 there are 11 books in the series. Sadly it’s not for me, but I gave it a try. The three I read are: 3 stars. Dead Witch Walking, Book 1 2 stars. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, Book 2 1 star. Pale Demon, Book 9
DATA: Narrative mode: 1st person Rachel. Unabridged audiobook length: 14 hrs and 22 mins. Swearing language: moderate but rarely used. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: one briefly referred to. Setting: time similar to current day Cincinnati, Ohio. Book copyright: 2005. Genre: urban fantasy....more
Weak 3 stars. The first half was not doing it for me, but a couple of things made it better in the second half.
The biggest problem is the heroine RachWeak 3 stars. The first half was not doing it for me, but a couple of things made it better in the second half.
The biggest problem is the heroine Rachel. She is not good at things. She doesn’t sweat the details. She isn’t successful. Sometimes there are reasons she isn’t successful, like her boss sabotaging her. (Actually seeing details of her boss sabotaging her could have been good, but that wasn’t shown.) She is reckless and jumps to wrong conclusions. She doesn’t plan well. She gets caught while spying on a bad guy - three times. There’s a contract on her with assassins attacking her. Each time she doesn’t do anything smart to get away. Luck or someone else rescues her. When she does get around to doing a witch-like thing, it’s not impressive. She wanted to make a potion to turn into an animal. But she’s in a hurry and uses a mouse hair because it’s convenient. As it turned out it was a mink’s hair not a mouse hair, so she turns into a mink. I like to watch someone do something well or in an interesting way. But I wasn’t interested in watching Rachel do mediocre things.
But I loved one part. Rachel is in mink form and cannot change back to human. She has been captured by a bad guy who plans to kill her by entering her in the rat fights. Trained rats fight to the death. What happened during the fight and after was very entertaining. It was the best part of the book. It had to do with meeting and interacting with another creature.
The narrator Marguerite Gavin was ok, but at times she talked too fast. I would have liked occasional dramatic pauses.
The Hollows (Rachel Morgan) Series: As of 2013 there are 11 books in the series. Sadly it’s not for me, but I gave it a try. The three I read are: 3 stars. Dead Witch Walking, Book 1 2 stars. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, Book 2 1 star. Pale Demon, Book 9
DATA: Narrative mode: 1st person Rachel. Unabridged audiobook length: 13 hrs and 14 mins. Swearing language: moderate but rarely used. Sexual content: none. Setting: time similar to current day Cincinnati, Ohio. Book copyright: 2004. Genre: urban fantasy....more
I wanted it to be over. I wanted more change during the story, either characters or things.
STORY BRIEF: Heroine Chess is a flawed drug addict. She is bI wanted it to be over. I wanted more change during the story, either characters or things.
STORY BRIEF: Heroine Chess is a flawed drug addict. She is barely competent at her job. Sometimes she can’t think clearly - either because she needs drugs or she’s affected by them. She sniffs a cocaine-like-powder. Throughout the day she pops pills. One day she finds a blue pill on a dead guy. She immediately takes it just because it’s rare. It causes her to be sexually interested in a coworker. Frequently throughout the book, angst is provided by Chess in pain. Examples: a cut on her hand is infected, she stumbles and hurts her foot, itching due to magic, withdrawal of needing drugs.
The fantasy world: In 1997 ghosts of the dead rise and kill 2/3 of the earth’s population. One church is able to stop them and sends them to a place where they cannot harm the living. The church uses magic. Chess is a witch who works for the church. The church is the new government. If someone has a ghost in their home, the church will send a witch to get rid of the ghost and then pay money to the person for their trouble. Therefore some people fake it and claim they have a ghost, just for the money. Chess is a debunker. Her job is to prove they are faking it. I don’t understand why the church pays money to people who have ghosts. I suppose it is like a finder’s fee. They want to get rid of ghosts, so they pay for information about where ghosts are? That is my guess. It wasn’t clear enough for me.
The plot is two-fold. 1. Chess owes money to her drug supplier Bump who will forgive the debt if she does a job for him. 2. Some humans have summoned a powerful ghost - the dreamthief. Chess is trying to figure out what it is, who summoned it, and how to get rid of it. Several times either the dreamthief or other bad guys are trying to kill Chess.
OPINION: During the first part I was being patient, waiting for it to get good. Later I was impatient, wanting it to be over. It did not get better. I wanted someone to do something smart or interesting, but that didn’t happen. Throughout the book Chess is confused and guessing and fleeing. Even during the major climax, her spell is not working, she’s interrupted, the fire spills, she has to fight, she’s hurt and in pain again, then she manages to grab something magic which helps. She is a flawed heroine who is not in control, but she manages with luck to do a job. She does not change. Nothing changes other than a couple of bad guys are dead.
Not enough details about ghosts or magic. I wanted to be inside the bad guys’ heads or the ghosts’ heads. I never understood anything about them. They are one-dimensional bad guys trying to hurt Chess. Also I would have preferred more interesting magic to fight them. Chess’ weapons are drawing with chalk, touching an item, and saying Latin words. It’s typical witch spells done by authors everywhere. Nothing unique.
The most interesting part was Chess developing relationships with two men. Terrible was a thug/enforcer for Bump. Lex was a drug-dealing-gang-leader, Bump’s competitor. I liked those relationships. I would have liked more about them.
Although it added color and texture, I did not like the street talk. It was hard to follow. Examples: “We gotta get straight ere you do all you might think again on later.” “I gots men all over that edge, yay? Tell they I say let you be.”
DATA: Narrative mode: 3rd person. Kindle count story length: 4,820 (1,911 KB). Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one briefly described. Setting: current day unspecified location. Copyright: 2009. Genre: urban fantasy....more
3 ½ stars. Some parts repetitive and slow. I rounded to 4 stars because it’s part of an excellent series.
This is book 4 in the series. You need to rea3 ½ stars. Some parts repetitive and slow. I rounded to 4 stars because it’s part of an excellent series.
This is book 4 in the series. You need to read all five books together. It’s one long story with cliffhanger endings at the end of each book. There are slow parts and repetition in the last three books, but it’s still an entertaining story.
There was too much filler in books 3 and 4. I think the series would have been better if shortened to three books.
In this book 4 some interesting things happen. I especially liked the scenes with Jayne and later the guardian demon. But some parts were slow. I’m tired of Mac asking so many questions, yet everyone is evasive. No one gives her answers. That was fine in the first three books, but it’s becoming repetitive. It’s time for answers, but we don’t get them until book 5.
I was particularly annoyed when Mac asked Rowena some questions in front of the entire group of sidhe-seers. The group was interested in answers. Rowena claimed she was not allowed to answer those questions without approval from The Haven (High Council of sidhe-seers). And The Haven was not available to give approval. Rowena chooses members of The Haven from the group of sidhe-seers - so their not being available did not make sense. If some were off site, Rowena could have promised a time to “get back to you on this.” But she didn’t. The subject was dropped, again. I was annoyed.
Mac has been damaged causing her to be addicted to sex. So there is a lot of sex during her healing process. But it is not explicit.
I talk more about the author and the series in my review of the first book Darkfever http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... I don’t want to duplicate things here.
DATA: Narrative mode: 1st person mostly Mac with some Dani in the beginning. Story length: 498 pages. Swearing language: religious swear words but not often used. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 6 or more . Setting: current day Ireland. Copyright: 2009. Genre: urban fantasy.
THE SERIES: The five books in order are Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever, and Shadowfever. Book 6 is Iced. It starts a new series with Dani as the heroine....more
3 ½ stars. Not a lot happens and there are some slow parts. I rounded to 4 stars because it’s part of an excellent series.
This is book 3 in the series3 ½ stars. Not a lot happens and there are some slow parts. I rounded to 4 stars because it’s part of an excellent series.
This is book 3 in the series. You need to read all five books together. It’s one long story with cliffhanger endings at the end of each book. There are slow parts and repetition in the last three books, but it’s still an entertaining story.
Mac continues asking a lot of questions and gets no answers. This book isn’t as good as the first two, but it continues the story and has some good things. It’s still a fun adventure and I’m enjoying it. There is one rape scene, four men one woman. It was vaguely done, not explicit.
I talk more about the author and the series in my review of the first book Darkfever http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... I don’t want to duplicate things here.
DATA: Narrative mode: 1st person Mac. Story length: 391 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words but not often used. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4 . Setting: current day Ireland. Copyright: 2008. Genre: urban fantasy.
THE SERIES: The five books in order are Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever, and Shadowfever. Book 6 is Iced. It starts a new series with Dani as the heroine....more
This is book 2 in the series. You need to read all five books together. It’s one long story with cliffhangThe story continues and I’m still loving it.
This is book 2 in the series. You need to read all five books together. It’s one long story with cliffhanger endings at the end of each book. There are slow parts and repetition in the last three books, but it’s still an entertaining story.
The best part is the relationship between Mac and Barrons. There’s a lot of tension and conflict, and it’s well done. I’m also enjoying the action and events. So far there is no romance. If you’re debating about whether to try this series, see my review of book 1 Darkfever http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... I don’t want to be repetitive and duplicate things here.
Some readers complain that the heroine is an air-head Barbie doll type. But she becomes smart and strong in later books. Her changes are a good part of the story. I love the way she stands up to Barrons and others more powerful than she. He won’t tell her things she wants to know, so she reciprocates by not telling him things. This also happens with other characters. There is no one she can trust.
DATA: Narrative mode: 1st person Mac. Story length: 350 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 1 . Setting: current day Ireland and Wales. Copyright: 2007. Genre: urban fantasy.
THE SERIES: The five books in order are Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever, and Shadowfever. Book 6 is Iced. It starts a new series with Dani as the heroine....more
I was absorbed from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to get to book 2.
You need to read all five books together. It’s one long story with cliffhangI was absorbed from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to get to book 2.
You need to read all five books together. It’s one long story with cliffhanger endings at the end of each book. There are slow parts and repetition in the last three books, but it’s still an entertaining story.
I can’t believe how many times I made notes of interesting conversations, ideas, and things that made me chuckle. I loved the scene where Mac and Barrons had an angry conversation with their eyes (page 230). What I liked best about the book was the relationship. They didn’t like each other but they had something the other needed which forced them to be together. I enjoyed watching them keep secrets and lie to each other. I frequently don’t like lying when it doesn’t fit the character. Here it fits and is entertaining. There is no romance or sex in this book (other than two brief scenes - not with Barrons). Don’t read this if you’re looking for romance, but there is some romance in the last two books. Read this if you want a good suspense story with great relationship tension.
I like the idea that Mac is a contemporary woman from a small town in Georgia. She travels to Ireland and finds inhuman creatures who glamour themselves to appear human. They kill and hurt humans. Mac can see through their glamour. She can see their true form. I enjoyed identifying with Mac. I like the contemporary-here-today-among-us element.
READERS WHO DID NOT LIKE THIS: I noticed several reviewers did not like the heroine and claimed she was stupid. I’m quick to anger when a smart heroine does something stupid to move the plot. But I did not see that here. Mac is not doing the smartest and most logical things, but I felt her thinking fit her character. I see her as Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde. She’s the Barbie doll type, into clothes and fashion. She lives with her parents, works part-time as a bartender, enjoys an easy-lazy-no-stress life, and she’s happy. She never needed to be smart or fight. Now she is thrown into a world of death and survival. Her initial reaction is to not accept what she is seeing. She becomes smart and strong in later books. Her changes are a good part of the story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I was unhappy with the author’s first two books in the Highlander series. One main character hurt and rejected the other throughout the book with inaccurate assumptions, lying, and stupidity. They weren’t good stories - for me. I decided not to read any more of this author. Then a Goodreads friend talked me into trying the Fever series. (Thank you Madame X!!!!)
UNDESIRABLE THINGS FOR ME THAT ARE OK IN THIS SERIES: I’m intrigued that several things are going against it, but I still liked it. 1. I prefer third person; this is first person. 2. Urban fantasy is not my first choice genre. 3. Cliffhanger endings at the end of each book. 4. The author changed! I didn’t think an author could change so much. This feels like a different author from the Highlander series.
DATA: Narrative mode: 1st person Mac. Story length: 347 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: moderate/strong. Number of sex scenes: 2 . Setting: current day Georgia and Ireland. Copyright: 2006. Genre: urban fantasy.
THE SERIES: The five books in order are Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever, and Shadowfever. Book 6 is Iced. It starts a new series with Dani as the heroine....more
Weak 3 stars. Characters are neat, but the plot and events didn’t do anything for me.
I was pleased and enjoyed the first book in the series. It had frWeak 3 stars. Characters are neat, but the plot and events didn’t do anything for me.
I was pleased and enjoyed the first book in the series. It had fresh ideas. But I wasn’t pulled into this book. My mind wanted to wander. I liked the characters. The problem was the plot. Bad guys are killing highcaps. Justine goes back and forth trying to decide if using her skill is the moral thing to do. She only used it once or twice in this book. I wanted more zinging. That was my favorite part in book 1. In this book Justine keeps a secret from someone who make a big deal out of it. Didn’t do much for me.
This book does not have a finished ending. You need to read the sequel “Head Rush” to finish the story.
OTHER BOOKS: The Disillusionists series: 4 stars. Mind Games 3 stars. Double Cross 2 stars. Head Rush (not read) “Kitten-Tiger and the Monk” in the anthology “Wild & Steamy”. Novella about Sophie and Monk, other disillusionist characters.
DATA: Narrative mode: first person Justine. Story length: 326 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 2. Setting: the near future in Midcity on Lake Michigan (similar to Chicago). Copyright: 2010. Genre: urban fantasy....more
Very enjoyable. One part was a little slow, but for most of it I didn’t want to stop reading.
Urban fantasy is not my preferred genre, so I was surprisVery enjoyable. One part was a little slow, but for most of it I didn’t want to stop reading.
Urban fantasy is not my preferred genre, so I was surprised I liked this. It’s different. It’s something new. I chuckled several times. The heroine is a hypochondriac, worried and fearful about her medical issues, not trusting doctors, technicians, and nurses, and second guessing what they really mean when they say things. Then she learns how to “zing” all that fear into an enemy. And now the enemy is crippled with fear about their own medical issues. It’s clever.
In many urban fantasies, I’m frustrated or impatient wanting the guy and girl to get together which usually doesn’t happen until a later book. I did not feel that frustration here. Justine has three potential romantic relationships. I was content with what was happening. And I didn’t mind waiting for the next book to see what would happen. Although I was eager to read the sequel and ordered it immediately after finishing this book.
I liked the strengths and weaknesses within the characters. Justine appears to be a normal human with severe hypochondria. She visits emergency rooms on a regular basis. When her boyfriend suggests they go to Belize for a vacation, her initial reaction is “trying not to picture dirt-floor clinics and bright tropical bugs darting across rusty surgical instruments.”
Packard has strong psychic abilities. Another psychic imprisoned him in a restaurant. He can never walk out the door, but others can come and go. So he conducts his business from within the restaurant with others coming to him.
I was surprised and liked how a major conflict was resolved at the end.
I liked the concept of mottos which I haven’t seen before (that I recall). After careful thinking Justine defines her motto as “I promote freedom and transformation.” I liked the way it applied to her friends and enemies.
The sex scenes did not overwhelm the story. They were short and slightly surprising. I liked the effect.
OTHER BOOKS: This is book 1 in The Disillusionists Trilogy. Books 2 and 3 are “Double Cross” and “Head Rush.” The author wrote a novella titled “Kitten-Tiger and the Monk” in the anthology “Wild & Steamy”. It’s about Sophie and Monk, other disillusionist characters.
DATA: Narrative mode: first person Justine. Story length: 371 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: none other than the f word. Number of sex scenes: 3. Setting: the near future in Midcity on Lake Michigan (similar to Chicago). Copyright: 2010. Genre: urban fantasy....more
Ok for urban fantasy, but it was easy to put down. I didn’t enjoy it enough to want to read the sequels.
STORY BRIEF: Kate is human with magic abilitiesOk for urban fantasy, but it was easy to put down. I didn’t enjoy it enough to want to read the sequels.
STORY BRIEF: Kate is human with magic abilities and a magic sword. She doesn’t want to be a member of any group, but the Mercenary Guild sometimes hires her.
The Order is a governing body that wants Kate to work for them. She declines, preferring to be independent. Kate’s guardian is Greg who has magic powers and works for the Order.
The People are necromancers who pilot vampires. For example, a vampire is moving and saying things to Kate, but the vampire is a puppet for the necromancer who is speaking through the vampire. If the vampire is killed, the necromancer may die or suffer damage. Nataraja is ruler of the People.
The Pack consists of shapechangers (all types of animals). Curran is the Pack King. He shifts into a lion. Jim is a member of the Pack Council, a werejaguar, and Kate’s sort-of-friend.
A new type of creature enters the picture killing Greg and some vampires. Kate begins investigating. She discovers the creature has also killed some shapechangers. She is joined by others in her search for this new creature.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: This is the first book in a series about Kate Daniels. It’s typical urban fantasy. The reader must learn and remember the various creature definitions and their abilities – also learn about the environment where magic levels fluctuate causing mechanical devices not to work when magic levels are high. It was good, but I wasn’t really pulled in or excited. It was easy to put down to do other things. I didn’t feel much emotion about things. I was a little confused about who the members of the Guild and the Order were. Kate succeeds in her quest which provides a positive ending.
One thing I found odd was that a couple of times there was a fight and I thought a character might have died. But the next scene shows that character alive. It wasn’t a problem but it felt disjointed. (It’s like “something happened and then oh, that didn’t happen after all.”)
Another thing bothered me: the bad guy won’t go to where Kate is because she is with too many others. Instead the bad guy kidnaps someone to make Kate come to him. Kate and two others go to the bad guy to save the victim. But now the bad guy has a large number of creatures fighting Kate and her helpers. Why didn’t she take more fighters with her? She only took two. She could have taken more.
There is no romance in this book which is acceptable. But there is a developing co-working relationship with someone helping Kate.
I liked the following excerpts. Page 17: the knight-protector said to Kate “You know anything about investigative work?” Kate said “Sure. Annoy the people involved until the guilty party tries to make you go away.” Then she says “I’ll find who or what killed him.” He says “And then what?” She says “I’ll burn that bridge when I cross it.”
Page 37: Kate is thinking “When in doubt and in need of information, find a snitch and squeeze him. That was one of the very few investigative techniques I was aware of. As a matter of fact, that and the “annoy principals involved until the guilty party decides to kill you” pretty much summed it up for me. Move over, Sherlock.”
DATA: Story length: 260 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual content: none. Setting: a future time in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Copyright: 2007. Genre: urban fantasy....more
Ok as a mystery, but some parts were confusing. I didn’t like Joe getting beat up all the time – too much of a victim.
STORY BRIEF: Joe is a vampyre livOk as a mystery, but some parts were confusing. I didn’t like Joe getting beat up all the time – too much of a victim.
STORY BRIEF: Joe is a vampyre living in New York City. His vampyrism requires him to drink blood which he usually purchases but sometimes takes directly from humans without killing them. He also drinks and eats human food. The vampyres have divided Manhattan Island into several geographical areas. The vampyres north of 14th street belong to the gang called Coalition – ruled by Predo. Other vampire gangs are Society, Dusters, and Enclave. Terry rules the Society. Joe used to work for Terry but quit and is now a rogue, but his home is in the Society area.
A shambler (called the Feeder) is infecting people with a flesh-eating bacteria. The victims of this bacteria kill other humans by eating their brains. Joe wants to find the Feeder and kill it.
Predo calls Joe with a “request” that Joe help Marilee Horde. Her fourteen-year-old daughter Amanda is living on the streets and won’t go home. Joe agrees and gets beat up a lot as he travels into different gang territories.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: I want to be entertained, but this was more of an “ugh” “ow” feeling than entertainment. I wasn’t captivated. I wasn’t drawn to the characters. Although I was intrigued with Lydia (a minor character later in the book) and could have been drawn to her if she had been developed more. Too many characters were mean and brutal to each other. This is not a genre for me.
The book is narrated in first person by Joe. He has good motivations, but he acts like an uncaring tough guy. It has the sound of the hard-boiled private detective noir fiction. As I listened to him speak I kept trying to define his style/attitude. The words I came up with are cynical, hard-swearing, annoyed, resigned, I don’t care, whatever, tough guy. The Washington Post describes Joe as “shades of Raymond Chandler, Hunter Thompson, and Quentin Tarantino.” The environment is urban grittiness.
My biggest confusion was about the gang names (Coalition, Society, etc.). That wasn’t clear to me until after I finished the book and saw the map on Amazon’s Look Inside the book. I didn’t know they were all vampyres and the names were gang names. I thought they might be different “types of paranormal creatures” which they were not. That’s the downside of listening to the audiobook and not seeing the map (as opposed to reading the book).
Someone steals Joe’s stash of blood so he is starving for blood and in pain. His pain is like torture, cramps, and drug withdrawal. For much too long, the story keeps getting interrupted by Joe’s terrible pain. For example A says something. Joe thinks about his pain. B does something. Joe thinks about his pain. The result was interrupting the story too much and for too long which annoyed me.
Joe gets beat up frequently as he travels in the different gang territories. He can’t fight back because he’s outnumbered wherever he goes. He’s resigned to it and just suffers through it. I guess that’s the nature of being an independent rogue. But it isn’t a fun storyline for me. Throughout the story he was reacting to things rather than making things happen. Wherever Joe went he was a helpless victim at the mercy of the gangs. I’d prefer seeing someone walk into a gang territory and win once in a while – whether he wins by smarts, weapons, or other buddies helping him, doesn’t matter. I just don’t like hanging with a guy who keeps getting beat up. Yes he survives it all and has success at the end, but it wasn’t a fun trek for me. Also part of his success was due to luck, not of his making, again the reactionary method.
Daniel is a member of the Enclave. I was confused about Daniel’s interactions with Joe. I wanted to know more about Daniel’s motivations and Joe’s nature relating to that. It’s possible that may be developed in the sequels.
DATA: Unabridged audiobook length: 9 hrs and 5 mins. Narrator: Scott Brick. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 2 brief scenes, 1 male-male, 1 male-female attempted rape. Setting: current day New York City. Copyright: 2005. Genre: paranormal mystery crime fiction (possible urban fantasy)....more
2.5 stars. Ok, but not a hit. The last half was too drawn out. The beginning was missing.
STORY BRIEF: Anna was turned into a werewolf three years earli2.5 stars. Ok, but not a hit. The last half was too drawn out. The beginning was missing.
STORY BRIEF: Anna was turned into a werewolf three years earlier by a member of Leo’s pack. Leo was the alpha leader of the Chicago area pack. He ordered his pack members to rape and beat Anna for three years until his death. Bran was the leader of all werewolves in the US. When he learned about Leo, Bran sent Charles to kill Leo. Charles meets Anna and knows she is his mate. Anna and Charles leave Chicago and go to his home in Montana. Something evil is happening in the wilderness nearby. Bran sends Charles and Anna to investigate and stop or kill it. Charles is an alpha werewolf and Bran’s son. Anna is an Omega werewolf which means she is not affected by orders from alphas, she doesn’t have to follow them. She also has a calming effect on other werewolves.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: I normally do not read urban fantasy. I prefer romance genres over straight fantasy genres. Therefore, my reviews may not be appropriate for die-hard urban fantasy fans. I’ve loved some stories which are not romance, for example: Harry Potter, but Cry Wolf didn’t rate as high for me. It had some interesting parts. It was an ok story.
The first half was good, but the last half was too drawn out. The last half was about Anna and Charles searching for the evil in the wilderness. I was impatient for things to happen during the last half.
I wish the author had written more about the three years Anna spent with Leo’s pack. The book starts with Leo’s death and only has a few flashbacks about what Anna went through. I wanted to know more about why Leo turned her, and why he had his pack brutalize her. What did they do to her and how did she respond? Apparently the pack couldn’t disobey Leo, but someone disobeyed enough to tell her she could call Bran. When did this happen and why didn’t it happen sooner? What did she say to Bran when she called for help? I was curious about many things from that time and wish the author would have shown it.
Guess what? I just learned that the story about these previous three years was told in the anthology “On The Prowl.” I kept my previous paragraph as is, because it shows how I reacted without knowing there was a prequel. I definitely think readers should read the prequel first. The prequel was not listed anywhere in my paperback book. I thought “Cry Wolf” was the first in the series. It is not.
DATA: Story length: 294 pages. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: one scene, 2 pages long. Setting: current day Chicago, Illinois, and Montana. Copyright: 2008. Genre: urban fantasy....more
2.5 stars. A mystery with too many conveniently vague clues. Not enough emotional pull for me.
STORY BRIEF: Lethe awakes in a hotel room with three dead2.5 stars. A mystery with too many conveniently vague clues. Not enough emotional pull for me.
STORY BRIEF: Lethe awakes in a hotel room with three dead men on the floor. She has no memory of anything that happened in her life up until that moment, not even her name. She sees a note pinned to her clothes saying “run.” She does. She is barefoot and covered in blood and trying to steal a car. Lannes sees her and helps her. He travels with her to help solve her mystery. Lannes is a gargoyle who uses magic to give him a human appearance.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: Ok but I wouldn’t recommend buying it. The first half was pretty good, but I was losing interest during the last half. The characters and plot were interesting. I was intrigued with the mystery around Lethe, which gets solved in the end. But I didn’t like the way people left clues for Lethe to travel somewhere, when they could have just given her some answers. A second problem was the way all the different characters were connected or related in the end, too contrived for me. And last, there not enough emotional pull. I didn’t feel anything. Mystery fans and urban fantasy fans will like this more than I did. I prefer feeling something rather than satisfying my curiosity over the mystery.
DATA: Story length: 306 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one, 4 pages long. Setting: current day Chicago, Illinois, various towns in Indiana, Kentucky and Maine. Copyright: 2008. Genre: urban fantasy, mystery, paranormal romantic suspense....more
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