A friend asked me last night what I've been reading lately. I laughed guiltily. So here's my one and only defense... I was sick. In my extreme exhaustion, I couldn't even be bothered to change channels on the TV and focus on the constantly moving images. So I read a whole bunch of short, fluffy, not-serious novels.
If this list looks really confusing now that you have read that caveat, it is because it includes books that I read while I was hanging out at my parents' house over the Christmas holiday as well. Don't worry, you'll be able to tell the difference.
Ransomed Dreams by Sally John
The Story:
Sheridan is an ambassador's wife who is now living in a remote village in Mexico after she and her husband were attacked. She still suffers PTSD and he was seriously wounded and is disabled in addition to the PTSD. She has to travel back to Chicago because her father is dying and her carefully built world and safe haven crumble.
The Review:
I liked this story. It was an easy read, the characters were interesting, it's got a good plotline. But it was just lacking a little something. Like the author could have done more and just didn't. It was an enjoyable read, but not one that I emphatically recommend.
***
The Chicagoland Vampire Series
Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill
Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill
Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill
Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill
Drink Deep by Chloe Neill
The Story:
Merit is a graduate student in English Literature when she is turned into a vampire. In this "vampire reality," the vampires in Chicago have come out of the closet and told the humans about their existence. With that awareness, the vampires have some really strict rules, including that someone has to give permission to be turned, which Merit didn't. So she struggles with her new vampire status, but joins one of Chicago's three vampire Houses -- Cadogan House and it's Master Ethan Sullivan. She is named Sentinel, a guard for the House, and spends each novel fighting to protect the House and the vampires in it.
The Review:
I read the first two when my flight home for Christmas was cancelled. And then I read the other three when I was sick last week. While I'm not big into the whole Twilight/vampire crazy -- ok, not at all into -- I liked these books. They have a vibe like the Dresden Files, perhaps because they are set in Chicago or just the kind of irreverent way they deal with the supernatural.
In addition to the good tone, Merit is a good heroine. She's hardcore, not whiny or afraid or subservient. She's an enjoyable character to read and root for.
All that said, I do just have to say, seriously? How many love triangles can a girl be a part of? For real. And also ... ok, I can't figure out how to say that one without major plot spoilers. So ... I'll leave it.
Besides those issues, my major problem with the series is that it feels like Neill is writing just to keep the series going. It has felt like there are books where nothing has happened. And I think that is one of the huge flaws with a series in general. If they are like Harry Potter and each book can have a distinct, fully-contained plot that functions as part of the larger good-versus-evil plot, series can be amazing. But when some books are just to set up the action that is coming in a later book, it gets a little frustrating.
I'd recommend these if you like good heroines and the supernatural.
***
Falling for Mr. Darcy by KaraLynne Mackrory
The Story:
A rewrite of Pride and Prejudice. Instead of spinning their preconceptions and misunderstandings out until they cause major damage, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have a few moments early on to come to an understanding.
The Review:
I enjoyed this book. It did a good job of keeping the characters who they were while seeing what would have happened if the situation had been changed. Of course, changing the situation means that they missed the entire point of Pride and Prejudice, but it was still a fun read.
***
The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey
The Story:
A retelling of the Arabian Nights -- well, a retelling of the frame story of the Arabian Nights. Why she decides to marry the king who will kill all his brides and how she tells him stories.
The Review:
This was a good read. Young Adult fiction, so simpler, but entertaining.
***
Room by Emma Donoghue
The Story:
The narrator, Jack, is a five-year-old boy who lives inside a shed with his mom who was kidnapped when she was 19. He is the result of her abuse by her kidnapper and he is her reason for living.
The Review:
This was complex and layered, it was dark and also beautifully loving. And that is just how conflicted I still feel about it. It's a stirring story of a mother's love, and hope, and overcoming. But I was disturbed by the five-year-old narrator and his experiences.
I absolutely recommend this book.
***
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
The Story:
Yunior tells about the women in his life and how he lost them.
The Review:
Book club pick. And I hated it.
Yunior is Dominican and has the machismo attitude of a player who treats women as completely disposable. And it's really annoying. And then he is destroyed by a woman who dumps him when she finds he has cheated. I just had a really hard time getting interested in such a jerk of a character. He had no redeeming qualities, and I just couldn't find any reason to be interested.
I don't recommend this book.
***
Radical Forgiveness by Colin Tipping
The Idea:
The s--- we carry around happens in patterns and causes a whole host of problems as we continue to lug the baggage. Here's a way to release it.
The Review:
Love the concept. Tipping does a good job of keeping the explanation interesting by including real stories of real people, including his sister. Definitely recommend it.
***
Firespell by Chloe Neill
Hexbound by Chloe Neill
The Story:
Lily is packed off to an all-girl boarding school in Chicago. As soon as she arrives she realizes that her roommate Scout is up to something weird. She follows and gets tangled in a battle between Adepts -- those who have magic, but practice it only until they are 25, and the Dark Elite -- who suck the life out of people in order to keep practicing magic.
The Review:
After I finished Book 5 of the Chicagoland Vampires, I realized that the online library doesn't have any more of that series that I can check out for free and read on my Kindle. Seriously disappointing. So I moved to this other series by the same author.
This series is intended for a younger teen (preteen?) audience, so it is more about the struggles of the high school popularity contest and what you do when the cute boy looks at you (because of course there is an all-boys boarding school nearby). That said it was cute. But it still has the same issues of being a multiple-book series. I finished each of these books and thought, was there a plot? Did something really happen? Because it felt like mostly set up.
Maybe I'll just recommend it for younger readers.
***
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
The Story:
Mac (short for MacKayla) has just learned her sister was murdered in an alley while she was studying abroad in Dublin. When the police close her case with no leads after 3 weeks, Mac flies to Ireland and discovers a whole world of the Fae that she never knew existed.
The Review:
I just finished the second book in the series, and I am kind of conflicted. First, I do like the books, they are entertaining. Mac is proving to be an interesting character with more redeeming qualities than the first image of her would lead you to assume. However, it is really dark. Much darker in tone that either the Chicagoland Vampires or the Firespell. And dark and scary are really not the reason I read books like this (is that surprising or weird?). Yeah, I'm really in it for light-hearted escapism. And the other reason I am conflicted is because the ending of the second book took a turn that I am really not sure I like and I am not sure I am interested in how it will play out for the rest of the series.
I can't fully recommend until I've read more of them. So this is just on hold until I can get more from the online library.
***
Turned by Morgan Rice
The Story:
A girl discovers new powers.
The Review:
This was so bad that I read 100 pages and quit. When I got to about page 100, the girl (yeah, don't remember her name) had just ripped open an opera singer's throat. So so not interested.
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