Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Cold Magic (The Spiritwalker Trilogy, #1)Cold Magic by Kate Elliott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow! I thought I can never read a pure science fiction fantasy book. I don't like made up worlds. I love urban fantasy because it puts the fantasy into our world. But, the cover drew my attention in the bookstore. I bought it and kept putting it off. Finally, I started Cold Magic this week and was absolutely floored. Not even halfway through the book I sought out a website for the author hoping she was active on Twitter so I could hear more about the future of the books. 50 pages left in the book and I became desperate to know when the next book would be released. What happens to Cat? What happens to Andevai? I need to know these things. This book is amazing. The characters are exceptionally well developed. There is political intrigue, mystery and thrilling displays of supernatural power. Even now I find myself flipping back to things I read to re-read them. I am anxiously waiting for the next installment in The Spiritwalker Trilogy.



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Deception (Haunting Emma, #1)Deception by Lee Nichols

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book started slow for me. It had a purpose though and it filled it. It was heavier and more full of intrigue than I thought. But, I absolutely could not stand the ending. Not that it was not good. Just the method is one that I dislike. It was full of mystery, I'll give it that. It served the purpose that I wanted, a quick, good read.



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Indulgence in Death (In Death, #31) Indulgence in Death (In Death, #31) by J.D. Robb

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book as I love them all. There was a bit of deja vu to 2 previous books in the series. But, since this is number 31 or so in the series it would be hard for the author not to cross her own path. She did put enough fresh, new aspects in for the investigation to keep it exciting. What really struck me with this one was the barbs and witty banter really increased in this book to the point where I was laughing out loud.



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Venom (Elemental Assassin, #3)Venom by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I am in Montego Bay and only had 2 books with me. This was my last book. I tried to take my time but assassins will not be denied. This book continues the head rush and major love fest I have for this series. Family dynamics, serious history came into play and our favorite Spider did NOT disappoint. I cannot wait for the next one. Umm, exactly when will that be Jennifer Estep?



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Coronets and SteelCoronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Great book! I truly enjoyed it. This book was very rich in history. I have had a hard time investigating regular fantasy books. One thing that I have loved about Urban Fantasy is placing the fantasy in our world allowing me to get a good picture of places and things in the story. It allows me to picture myself seeing the story unravel in person. One thing about Coronets and Steel that I loved was the feeling of regular fantasy in the middle of an urban fantasy. The story was tightly written with a few occasional editing snafu's. But, they did not take away from the story. The introduction of a different type of supernatural story seems to be on the horizon and I really look forward to the next in the series.



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Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles, #2)Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Great addition to the series. I enjoyed seeing more of Ethan and Lena. I do find myself wishing something different happened regarding the introduction of the new librarian. She was a great addition to the characters. I am not at all in love with the new penchant for love triangles in a lot of the books so I'm glad to see characters who made a choice and stood by it and protected it despite the obstacles. Great twists with the regular characters too and I loved seeing more of the town history, Ethan's family, and underground life in the book. Looking forward to the next installment.



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Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, #1)Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Excellent book! I wish I had something new to add to the great reviews other than to say the book is great.



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Siren Song (Bloodsinger, #2)Siren Song by Cat Adams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This sequel did NOT disappoint. I absolutely loved it. Political intrigue and cool supernatural powers abound. Some unexpected changes for sure! I'm in Montego Bay and sitting oceanside reading it and could not put it down until I finished it! Now I can go back and mention a few things that I liked about Siren Song. I like the main character. She is strong but not so much so that she makes you dislike her or not care about what happens to her. There were quite a few surprises and turns in this book and it was quite interesting meeting the siren side of her family. I like that she is just not suddenly full of powers and able to take down anyone and that we actually get to see Celia grow in this series.



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Dead BeautifulDead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really do not know how many stars to give this. I was really enjoying it. I thought the storyline was sad and beautiful. It had some original material in it. But, I am seriously torn about what to do with this rating. Typically I do not rate books that I do not like. But, I cannot say I did not like it. I enjoyed it but hated the ending is the best way to put it. Is it fair to give a bad rating because I disagree with how a book ended? Most likely not. Personal preferences should not cloud how I judge whether it was well written or not. So, in an effort to judge the book on its storyline and how well it was written I will say it is a good read. I will say that readers that enjoy romantic endings will love it. Though it did not fit with my taste. It was nicely done for the genre it was intended. I will call it a book that each person has to read for themselves and judge for themselves and say that I don't believe it is one you should judge by others' ratings.



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Grave Witch (Alex Craft, #1)Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well written and seemed real and Alex is definitely someone I want to get to know better. I did think of something I realized was not answered and wonder if it will be answered in the next book. I am not feeling verbose these days so my reviews are suffering. But, I can say I can't wait to read the next book!



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Behemoth (Leviathan, #2)Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This 2nd in the series was so good! I found myself on Scott Westerfeld's website searching for scraps of information about Goliath. The adventures that Dillan and Alec get into are amazing. The Darwin beasties are fun and make this series stand out. I cannot even remember everything that I forgot about what I learned in my history courses but I am kind of glad that it is not in the forefront of my memory so I do not spend a lot of time poo-poo'ing the things that are not fact. When I was reading Leviathan I spent more time looking things up on the Internet because I could not remember if some of the things actually happened or were just great additions to the story. I only did that one time with this story.



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ViralsVirals by Kathy Reichs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book! I was worried that the author would have trouble breaking away from the Temperance Brennan character after so many years focusing on her. But, I really loved the Virals crew, story and Kathy Reichs take on supernaturals.



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Afterlight (The Dark Ink Chronicles, #1)Afterlight by Elle Jasper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm not sure how I rate this book. I enjoyed it though it feels like it may be heading in a direction I won't like. I loved reading about Savannah, GA. The descriptions were vivid and I could picture all of the squares and the moss from when I visited 2 years ago. Choosing a rating feels like it might not be fair since I cannot choose 1/2 stars. I can say that I thought this was going to be more urban fantasy than paranormal romance. The book was not shelved yet when I picked it up so I had no idea what section it came from. The bookseller retrieved it from the back. I liked it enough to finish it when I have had 4 false starts due to my current reading mood. Absolutely no reflection on the books. I am in a very peculiar reading mood right now and this has never happened to me so I hesitate to give a rating other than to say it was good enough for me to finish it and that is saying a lot right now.



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Misguided Angel (Blue Bloods, #5)Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have a hard time reviewing this book. It felt as if someone other than Melissa de la Cruz wrote this book. I couldn't finish it. I made it through 70 pages and just could not finish it. The conversations between Schuyler and Jack did not feel natural to me. They seemed forced and syrupy and very different from when they spent time alone previously and knew they had feelings for each other. I have not decided how I will proceed with the future books in the series yet.



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The Gathering (Darkness Rising, #1)The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was lucky to obtain a copy of the ARC on this first in the new series. It was great. I loved the introduction to different supernaturals and the slow introduction to a new set of characters in a great new environment. I don't want to give anything away so I'll wait until it is released before I say more. Suffice it to say Kelley Armstrong is like an alchemist with gold.



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The Road to Murder by Camilla Trinchieri My rating: 5 of 5 stars Nico Doyle returns in the fourth book in the Tuscan Mystery series, The ...