Genre: Romance
Subgenre: A wizard, witch and a vampire walk into a bar...
Age Appropriate: Adult, kinda. I mean, it's romance.
Recommended for my sister: Enh.
"Where ever he goes, I go." - King
Seriously, though, Hoyt is a magician/wizard born in the 1800's. He sees his twin brother attacked and "killed" by Lilith, the evil queen of nasty vampires. His twin, Cian, leaves the family to start his new life, but Lilith is far from done with them. Hoyt is then visited by the goddess Morrigan and is sent through the Dance of the Gods, a portal between time and realms to present day. His job is to find the other 5 members of the circle that will help him put an end to Lilith's plan for multi-world domination.
The first person on his list is his vampire brother, Cian. Cian has no interest in the task set before them, other than boredom and a hint of revenge. This first book also introduces the other parts of the circle: Glenna, a Chicagoan witch; Moira, a scholarly type from Gaell; Larkin, her cousin who also happens to shapeshift (dragons are his personal favorite), and Blair, a New Yorker vampire hunter descended from Hoyt and Cian's sister, Nola. Each book of the trilogy pairs up the circle in love matches, and the find the connections they make a strong part of their circle partnerships for defeating Lilith and her vampire legion.
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The Morrigan's Cross, Dance of the Gods triology is a magical romance. I don't want to call it a paranormal romance because Nora Roberts often writes better than I would typically attribute to that genre. This is a fictional romance that happens to have some fun magical traits. I'm enjoyed it as much as I enjoy Nora Roberts' other books. These are pretty much super fluffy, but with an actual storyline. She has a lot of books set in either the states or Ireland and mysteries are found in all of them. Some of them have light violence, and the romance part is relatively tame compared to others in the genre. I guess I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, unless you're really in the mood. I would definitely put a bunch of books ahead in line.
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Less fluffy?: Green Rider series
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Black Wings - Christina Henry
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Subgenre: demons, elves, a gargoyle
Age Appropriate: Adult, or mature older teen
Recommended for my sister: Probably
"You're still Maddy. You're still Maddy Black." - Beezle
Madeline Black works for an agency that oversees the collection and guidance of souls. It was an inherited job through her mother, and includes the trials of dealing with stubborn newly dead and some awesome wings. Along with the job, Maddy has inherited a house guardian - a endless pit of hunger named Beezle. His job is protect the domicile, and includes being a sassy companion for Maddy. The plot of the story is founded in a new discovery in Maddy's life.
Somehow, after losing a dear friend, she's found herself in a strange, difficult relationship with her long-lost father and subsequently fighting against a demon who is terrorizing souls. As in most series in the urban dantasy genre, there is an aspect of romance between Maddy and a pseudo-demonic protector, Gabriel. It's a forbidden romance, on many levels, but that is also a traditional plot device. The meat of the series is in the relationships that develop as Maddy struggles with her internal battles between good and evil, and her external battles between good and evil. Everything goes to hell (harhar) when Maddy discovers her actual bloodline relationships, and slowly gains powers that seduce her to the dark side.
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This isn't the best series I've ever read, but it's consistently entertaining. I think it's probably a positive thing that there isn't a new book every few months, which has become fairly common with some authors. Sometimes, I just stumble on the fact that there is a new one out. The negative is really that I have pretty high expectations sometimes. I think book 4 was a little outside my fun-meter, but the most recent book was pretty up there. I'm not sure how I feel with the way her relationship is developing with Gabriel. I'm kinda over it, really. I'm really enjoying her new relationship with her uncle, though.
I'd recommend it to most who like the urban fantasy, with a little romance, genre. The romance part is not very explicit, which I appreciate in a series like this, but it's definitely necessary to the storyline. You have to be willing to stick with it, though. It's not really a chore, but if LKH or Jacqueline Carey came out with a new book I would probably read those first. I would probably recommend it to my sister, but mostly because sometimes you need something to read.
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Keep it movin'!: Morrigan's Cross series
Subgenre: demons, elves, a gargoyle
Age Appropriate: Adult, or mature older teen
Recommended for my sister: Probably
"You're still Maddy. You're still Maddy Black." - Beezle
Madeline Black works for an agency that oversees the collection and guidance of souls. It was an inherited job through her mother, and includes the trials of dealing with stubborn newly dead and some awesome wings. Along with the job, Maddy has inherited a house guardian - a endless pit of hunger named Beezle. His job is protect the domicile, and includes being a sassy companion for Maddy. The plot of the story is founded in a new discovery in Maddy's life.
Somehow, after losing a dear friend, she's found herself in a strange, difficult relationship with her long-lost father and subsequently fighting against a demon who is terrorizing souls. As in most series in the urban dantasy genre, there is an aspect of romance between Maddy and a pseudo-demonic protector, Gabriel. It's a forbidden romance, on many levels, but that is also a traditional plot device. The meat of the series is in the relationships that develop as Maddy struggles with her internal battles between good and evil, and her external battles between good and evil. Everything goes to hell (harhar) when Maddy discovers her actual bloodline relationships, and slowly gains powers that seduce her to the dark side.
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This isn't the best series I've ever read, but it's consistently entertaining. I think it's probably a positive thing that there isn't a new book every few months, which has become fairly common with some authors. Sometimes, I just stumble on the fact that there is a new one out. The negative is really that I have pretty high expectations sometimes. I think book 4 was a little outside my fun-meter, but the most recent book was pretty up there. I'm not sure how I feel with the way her relationship is developing with Gabriel. I'm kinda over it, really. I'm really enjoying her new relationship with her uncle, though.
I'd recommend it to most who like the urban fantasy, with a little romance, genre. The romance part is not very explicit, which I appreciate in a series like this, but it's definitely necessary to the storyline. You have to be willing to stick with it, though. It's not really a chore, but if LKH or Jacqueline Carey came out with a new book I would probably read those first. I would probably recommend it to my sister, but mostly because sometimes you need something to read.
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Keep it movin'!: Morrigan's Cross series
Saturday, January 11, 2014
The Lions of Al-Rassan - Guy Gavriel Kay
Genre: Alternate History-type Fiction
Subgenre: re-named regions and historical events
Age Appropriate: Teens
Recommended for my sister: Um, YEAH
"...it always rains upon the Kindath." - Proverb-type saying
Jehane is a Kindath doctor who lives in the Kindath quarter of her city, Fezana. The Kindath people are looked down up, have higher taxes, and regulated to live only in their own area. Jehane is becoming known as an excellent doctor, partially due to her father's teachings and reputation. While she's struggles to pull out of the prejudice of being a female doctor, she has a harder time dealing with being Kindath. Due to her circumstances, she joins the calvary company of Rodrigo Belmonte as his company doctor. Ammar ibn Khairan is the illustrious poet/mercenary dealing with his exile and joins the strange group as something to do. The background events reflect the culmination of historical events that should put strong lines between Jehane, Ammar and Rodrigo, but their individual relationships bring a new perspective to their roles in the greater world.
The Lions of Al-Rassan takes a fictional look at a "fictional" event with fictional characters from "fictional" regions in the world. Fictional because one needs to know a little something about history to draw the correct parallels in the story. It doesn't make much of a difference in these story line, but adds a little interest. Knowing those parallels adds an additional layer of hidden social commentary on the time period, as well as a look into the current climate.
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This is one of the only books that I've read that has made me cry. Seriously, at least one tear down my face. It's not that other books aren't moving, but I'm not generally a crier for books or movies. It is amazing powerful, and frankly I'd recommend it to most anyone. I think I'm going to try to get my parents to give it a try. I will say, though, that if you're looking for my teary-eyes point, you'll have to finish the whole book. I admit that I was proud of myself when I figured out the historical parallels, which is partly why I didn't reveal it (though it's not a hard conclusion to reach).
It's really the characters that get to me. Usually, I identify with the main protagonist, which isn't unusual, but in this story I find myself feeling for each character. The story is primarily told from the view of Jehane, but it's third person enough that there are some additional parts that enhance the story from far away. The story has a good, hidden social commentary that might be applied to today's cultural issues. I've read this book a number of times, and when I needed a new one, I had to find one online. Try the internet if you want to find it, because it's not available as an e-book yet (from what I've found to date) and I can almost guarantee you can't find it in a normal bookstore. Really, though, read it. It's not urban fantasy or romance. I really would recommend it to anyone.
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Forward: Black Wings series
Subgenre: re-named regions and historical events
Age Appropriate: Teens
Recommended for my sister: Um, YEAH
"...it always rains upon the Kindath." - Proverb-type saying
Jehane is a Kindath doctor who lives in the Kindath quarter of her city, Fezana. The Kindath people are looked down up, have higher taxes, and regulated to live only in their own area. Jehane is becoming known as an excellent doctor, partially due to her father's teachings and reputation. While she's struggles to pull out of the prejudice of being a female doctor, she has a harder time dealing with being Kindath. Due to her circumstances, she joins the calvary company of Rodrigo Belmonte as his company doctor. Ammar ibn Khairan is the illustrious poet/mercenary dealing with his exile and joins the strange group as something to do. The background events reflect the culmination of historical events that should put strong lines between Jehane, Ammar and Rodrigo, but their individual relationships bring a new perspective to their roles in the greater world.
The Lions of Al-Rassan takes a fictional look at a "fictional" event with fictional characters from "fictional" regions in the world. Fictional because one needs to know a little something about history to draw the correct parallels in the story. It doesn't make much of a difference in these story line, but adds a little interest. Knowing those parallels adds an additional layer of hidden social commentary on the time period, as well as a look into the current climate.
-----
This is one of the only books that I've read that has made me cry. Seriously, at least one tear down my face. It's not that other books aren't moving, but I'm not generally a crier for books or movies. It is amazing powerful, and frankly I'd recommend it to most anyone. I think I'm going to try to get my parents to give it a try. I will say, though, that if you're looking for my teary-eyes point, you'll have to finish the whole book. I admit that I was proud of myself when I figured out the historical parallels, which is partly why I didn't reveal it (though it's not a hard conclusion to reach).
It's really the characters that get to me. Usually, I identify with the main protagonist, which isn't unusual, but in this story I find myself feeling for each character. The story is primarily told from the view of Jehane, but it's third person enough that there are some additional parts that enhance the story from far away. The story has a good, hidden social commentary that might be applied to today's cultural issues. I've read this book a number of times, and when I needed a new one, I had to find one online. Try the internet if you want to find it, because it's not available as an e-book yet (from what I've found to date) and I can almost guarantee you can't find it in a normal bookstore. Really, though, read it. It's not urban fantasy or romance. I really would recommend it to anyone.
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Forward: Black Wings series
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Mercy Thompson - Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Subgenre: weres, vamps, walkers, an elf or two
Age Appropriate: Mature Older Teen
Recommended for my sister: Yep.
"'I killed a werewolf in my garage.' That will get a quicker response than spending 20 minutes explaining." - Mercy
Mercedes Thompson turns into a coyote. As opposed to werewolves, she's a walker. Her mother love a Native American cowboy and Mercy came of it. Her father died tragically in a car accident shortly and so Mercy ended up with her mother. Until something strange happened, of course. Mercy ended up moving to Montana to be with her werewolf uncle and the Marrok's pack. She grew up and moved out, ended school and became a VW mechanic. That's right, Mercedes the VW mechanic. An old joke made frequently throughout the series.
Mercy has a number of new and interesting friends that either a direct effect in all of the shenanigans, or somehow pulled her butt of out the fire in each. Only Mercy would end up working for a metalsmith gremlin, being courted but the local Alpha, fixing up cars and vampires and wrapped up in Fae affairs. Her mystical abilities make her to focus of interesting people, and often ends up in lot of trouble all the way around. That's the whole basis of her books - watching her get out of these bonkers situations with the help of her unlikely set of friends.
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I have a lot of fun with this series. Of course there is some romance, as with most Urban Fantasy novels (particularly with female authors but it still well away from the Paranormal Romance genre. It's almost like Anite Blake-light. Mercy gets into tons of accidental situations where she has to take on a hero role. The "light" part is that she's no serious vampire hunter with dangerous assassin friends, just werewolves and a strange vampire. It is comparatively lighthearted. Half of the time I'm just shaking my head at how she manages to get into some of these situations. There are some serious parts, though. It's not completely fluffy. In one of the books, there is actually a pretty difficult ending - fair warning. I'm going to recommend it, though. It's good light Urban Fantasy reading. Right now, there are 6 books in the series - which is why I've put in less review. (Anita has about 23 books, hence the longer review.)
I will mention that there is a spin-off series (Alpha & Omega)with some good friends/family of Mercy & Company. It's definitely more on the romance side of the spectrum, but they're pretty good. If you decide you're going to be adding those in, it might be good to see if Patricia Briggs has a chronological timeline somewhere, as the books are interspersed with the Mercy books.
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Next time!: The Lions of Al-Rassan
Subgenre: weres, vamps, walkers, an elf or two
Age Appropriate: Mature Older Teen
Recommended for my sister: Yep.
"'I killed a werewolf in my garage.' That will get a quicker response than spending 20 minutes explaining." - Mercy
Mercedes Thompson turns into a coyote. As opposed to werewolves, she's a walker. Her mother love a Native American cowboy and Mercy came of it. Her father died tragically in a car accident shortly and so Mercy ended up with her mother. Until something strange happened, of course. Mercy ended up moving to Montana to be with her werewolf uncle and the Marrok's pack. She grew up and moved out, ended school and became a VW mechanic. That's right, Mercedes the VW mechanic. An old joke made frequently throughout the series.
Mercy has a number of new and interesting friends that either a direct effect in all of the shenanigans, or somehow pulled her butt of out the fire in each. Only Mercy would end up working for a metalsmith gremlin, being courted but the local Alpha, fixing up cars and vampires and wrapped up in Fae affairs. Her mystical abilities make her to focus of interesting people, and often ends up in lot of trouble all the way around. That's the whole basis of her books - watching her get out of these bonkers situations with the help of her unlikely set of friends.
-----
I have a lot of fun with this series. Of course there is some romance, as with most Urban Fantasy novels (particularly with female authors but it still well away from the Paranormal Romance genre. It's almost like Anite Blake-light. Mercy gets into tons of accidental situations where she has to take on a hero role. The "light" part is that she's no serious vampire hunter with dangerous assassin friends, just werewolves and a strange vampire. It is comparatively lighthearted. Half of the time I'm just shaking my head at how she manages to get into some of these situations. There are some serious parts, though. It's not completely fluffy. In one of the books, there is actually a pretty difficult ending - fair warning. I'm going to recommend it, though. It's good light Urban Fantasy reading. Right now, there are 6 books in the series - which is why I've put in less review. (Anita has about 23 books, hence the longer review.)
I will mention that there is a spin-off series (Alpha & Omega)with some good friends/family of Mercy & Company. It's definitely more on the romance side of the spectrum, but they're pretty good. If you decide you're going to be adding those in, it might be good to see if Patricia Briggs has a chronological timeline somewhere, as the books are interspersed with the Mercy books.
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Next time!: The Lions of Al-Rassan
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