Tuesday, 7 October 2014

Book Review: Dark Descendant by Jenna Black


From the acclaimed author of the Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist books comes the gripping first novel in a new series about a private eye who discovers, to her surprise, that she’s an immortal huntress.

Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can’t die. . . .

Crazy as it sounds, Nikki’s manhunting skills are literally god-given. She’s a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki’s new “friends” include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she’s a spy.

But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal battle of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she’ll surrender without a fight, the gods must be crazy. . . .

My Review:
I had previously read another series by this author so when I saw she had written an urban fantasy series with mythology, I couldn't wait to read it! I so wanted to love it! But I pretty much hated it.

Let me talk about the good parts. I liked that there was no insta-luv or love triangle crap with the MC. Yea, a nice change! I really liked the concept of the book and the melding of so many mythologies. I liked the idea that the fate of man was in the hands of the children of the Gods. But one of the problems was that there just wasn't enough mythology in the book. We don't get the detail that I was looking for. And there were other issues with the book as well.

Firstly the characters. Our MC was ok and I think she is the kind of character that you would like more and more as the book goes on. She is smart, makes the odd mistake but she isn't dumb. It was our so called group of heroes that I totally despised. These are supposed to be the good guys that we root for and love and I HATED them. They are violent psychopaths who are obnoxious with no redeeming features at all. The way they treat Nikki in the beginning is horrific and they wonder why she doesn't trust that they are on the same side? They beat the crap out of her countless times! She gets hurt LESS by the bad guys! Sorry but I don't root for violent psycho asshats.

The repetition is something that I have an issue with this author about. In the Morgan Kingsley series I loved the story but got tired of the body sharing demon trying to seduce her in her head every time they discussed tactics, Morgan constantly fighting with a character and showing disgust over the gay relationship. After two books of that I got tired of it which was a shame because I liked the story. We have the same issue here of Nikki constantly being accused of being a spy, proving herself in some way and accused again. Yawn! OK we get it, no need to keep repeating it over and over again.

This had the potential to be good but making the same mistakes over again in a new series makes me think that the author is going to use this in all her books so I'm not looking at any more.
star rating photo: 1 star orange-1star.jpg
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Book Review: Night Child by Jes Battis


Enter the night world of the OSI... OCCULT SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR
Tess Corday, Occult Special Investigator for Vancouver's Mystical Crime Lab, is used to seeing dead vampires. But there's nothing ordinary about this case. Not the lab results on the cause of death. Not the teenage girl living at the address found in the vamp's pocket, who may well be in thrall to a demon. And certainly not Lucian Agrado, the necromancer who is liaison to the vampire community. Agrado is supposed to be part of the solution, but Tess suspects he might be part of the problem.

Soon she finds herself in the middle of a paranormal conspiracy that will change her life forever... and possibly end it.

My Review:
This was a book that I really loved the sound of and really wanted to like but there were just too many issues with it for me to enjoy it. For me it started off in a confused manner, unable to decide whether it was an urban fantasy novel with a CSI twist or a crime novel with a hint of paranormal. I bought it as urban fantasy but felt it ended up as a crime novel which I do not enjoy.

Next we have to talk about the techical jargon. Yes I get that the author is very clever and intelligent, and knows all these forensic and scientific words, but that does not mean that you must use every one of them in a single novel! Where the author is trying to show that they know their stuff, it just comes across as 'hey I'm smarter than you so I'll show that off to make you feel small and dumb'. Don't get me wrong, I doubt that was the author intention but it felt like that to me every time I had to stop and sigh over another incomprehensible sentence. There are only so many times I will reach for a dictionary before I get bored with it. When I read I want to be entertained, not spend all my time looking up words. There was a complete overdose of jargon in this book and it really put me off. I know a few people who are not into science who had the same reaction. It's impossible to get into a story if it keeps getting hijacked by confusing jargon.

Another down side of all the techical stuff is that it led to my old nemesis, the info dump. The whole first part of the book is totally bogged down in world building info dumps and descriptions. It just got too much when mixed with all the science stuff I had already struggled to digest. The developing plot was lost in this frenzy of information and there was no build up of tension or real excitement. If you stripped the sciene and info dumps away, perhaps a good story would have been uncovered but it was just impossible to tell!

Even the characters were ruined by these two flaws. Every character seemed to be spouting jargon at every opportunity like an uber intelligent Blue Peter presenter, describing everything they were doing in minute detail for children to copy at home. Only this was a lot more complex than scissors and stickyback plastic!

And can someone please come up with a new original name for their supernatural character instead of Lucian??? I've lost count of how many urban fantasy novels have Lucian or something very similar. It is annoying and frustrating you can't get authors being creative enough to use different names! There are plenty million to choose from after all.

Overall, pretty disappointed and won't be reading the rest of the series. 
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Reading with Chuckles #7


Welcome to Reading with Chuckles! This is where I fill you in on what I'm reading each week-what it is, where I got it or heard about it, what I think of it, if I'm continuing with it or abandoning it and any special offers I'm aware of where you can try the book yourself. Comments are welcome but no spoilers please! It's not fair to other readers!

This has been a much better week for reading. I decided to go back to my Kobo and tackle some of the free books that have been on there for about a year. So I have looked at a few books with pretty mixed results so far.

I'm told the dead are all around us. I see only the violently slain. I've come to terms with that. In fact, I've made a career out of it. They never, ever, forget the face of their killer. We live side by side with the Otherworldy. I call them demons. I'm trying to find a missing boy whose mother was murdered. Or was she? To complicate the case, Clarion PD gave me a partner I would rather shoot than work with. I can't tell them he's a demon. I'm Tiff Banks. Welcome to my world. 

Hmmm. It started out well enough but I hated her ghost roomies Mel and Jack who acted like annoying five year olds all the time. Then we got the cliche romance with the demon whose touch makes her melt against her will. I've read that tired and annoying plot countless times and it bores me now. I hate this male character trend where he will have you whether you want him or not.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6569426-along-came-a-demon 

Abby, 13, is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that bacteria from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults. She must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her--adolescence.

This one was a decent enough read, well enough written as apocalypse books go but it just lacked that something to really grab and excite me. I felt this book was just too young for me and was certainly aimed at the younger side of YA readers. That's not to say that it was a bad book or not one that adults can enjoy. I just wasn't interested in everyone having crushes on each other when all the adults were dead and the world was never going to be the same! It just lacked the meat of a great apocalypse novel for me.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15772644-night-of-the-purple-moon 
John Fairbrother: prophet, madman, magus. After years in limbo, he's returned with a mission: Collect Human sacrifices. Artemis has an easy life. With no material wants, she can  drift through the days...until a violent encounter with John forces her to join his bloody crusade. You see, John needs her help. He can't create the Knife Lake alone...

Graphic, shocking, and surreal, Knife Lake is a full-throttle horror novel in the tradition of Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, and Richard Laymon.

I found this full of fancy descriptions, strange plot and weird characters. It was a bit confused and did not flow so I was never engaged with it. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12732801-knife-lake


After her sister is captured by slaverunners, Brooke teams up on a rescue mission with with another survivor, Ben, whose brother was also taken. What follows is a post-apocalyptic, action-packed thriller where they will have to make some of the hardest choices and sacrifices of their lives.

This one had great potential story-wise but the opening was very slow and I didn't quite find the story real enough. When you don't believe the unfolding plot it is difficult to connect with the characters and what is happening. This is not a bad book, it isn't badly written but it just wasn't what I was looking for when I grabbed it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13451182-arena-one 

In a world where magic crashed to earth in a rusty spaceship full of starving blood suckers, it’s not easy being a reanimated dead guy. Pete has been murdered by a mentally unhinged one night stand. He’s been reanimated for reasons unknown by persons unknown. This makes him an Animate without an owner, the human equivalent of a stray dog. Afraid of who his owner may be and what they have planned for his undead ass, Pete goes on the run. The King’s Guard are Scotland’s primary recruiters for Animates so Pete knows he has to leave Edinburgh. The portal to Las Vegas could be his only hope or his biggest mistake...
The language is adult but I felt it was overdone and not necessary. I didn't like the MC either. Not a badly written book but just not to my taste. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18332843-raised 

Donovan Scott witnessed a crazed animal attack his mother when he was a child, and his family has not been the same since.

As an adult he comes to learn that the animal is a demon from a hellish world beneath our own, and that it wants to be free to walk among mankind. In order to do so, however, it needs a host, and it has chosen Donovan's family for its terrible plans.

I didn't like the way this book was written. The reader was being told everything that was happening instead of being showed. Stephen said this. Stephen did that. And there were lots of time jumps which didn't help the story to flow. The story itself was ok if a bit confusing at times but it just wasn't for me.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14743349-the-devil-s-demeanor 

THE ZOMBIE PLAGUES: Book One What if the world ended tomorrow? What would you do? Would you be able to survive? The Zombie Plagues books follow a small group of men and women as they struggle to survive on a vastly changed earth, where the dead sometimes do not remain dead. Mike, Candace, Patty and Ronnie, along with the people that keep the Nation safe, Bear, Beth, Billy and Pearl... The first book follows the beginnings of the Plagues and introduces you to some of the survivors who hope to survive the Zombie Plagues and make it out of Harlem...

There was a distinct lack of zombies and action in the book and far too much of jealous women fighting over the available men, and the men getting annoyed when the women they fancied preferred someone else. If you're looking for an action packed zombie novel with blood and gore, look elsewhere.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18836561-the-zombie-plagues-book-one 

An average couple suddenly find themselves in a not-so-average situation after an odd thunderstorm leaves them with psionic abilities. As they begin to discover what new things they can do, they bring in three friends to help them experiment. When attempts to share these abilities meet early failure, frustration and impatience take over and one of the friends turns out to be not as reliable as they had thought. He decides the military should control these powers, and he doesn't care what that means.

This book had so much scientic jargon and theories that it made my head spin. I found it too technical, too longwinded and too much delving into how scientists examine a problem. It just wasn't exciting or tension filled and it didn't really explain why things were happening.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13451908-discovery  

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Book Blitz: Krymzyn by BC Powell


Krymzyn by BC Powell
Publication date: October 4th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Science Fiction

Synopsis:
Chase was twelve the first time he arrived in a strange land where dark, ominous clouds never move, ancient trees violently spring to life during Darkness, and people seem to live without emotion. Doctors tell him they’re hallucinations, but he knows his visits are real. She’s there-Sash-and she’s more real than anyone he’s ever known.
His visits stop but, as years pass, the memories haunt Chase. Without warning, the young man suddenly finds himself again in a world called Krymzyn. Arriving during Darkness, he’s rescued from death by the extraordinary, beautiful but terrifying young woman he first met when he was twelve.
When Chase is thrust into the war of balance against vile creatures who threaten all who live there, Sash helps him understand his purpose in Krymzyn. A dark secret from the beginning of time reveals he might be able to stay there forever. To prove he belongs in Krymzyn and be with the only woman he can ever love, Chase will have to risk his own life in the ultimate battle.


Purchase:

AUTHOR BIO:
BC Powell is a fantasy author from Los Angeles, CA. "Krymzyn" is his debut science fiction fantasy novel, the first book in a series titled "The Journals of Krymzyn."
Powell has a diverse background, having held several creative positions in the entertainment industry, including executive roles at ABC-TV and Technicolor. In recent years, he's authored several non-fiction works, primarily educational books and training programs for trading the financial markets. He dual majored in journalism and philosophy at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
Writing fiction has been his lifelong passion and goal. "Krymzyn" is his first published novel and represents, in his words, "finally finding the story I want to tell with characters that are able to bring that story to life." He's an avid reader and lists Ernest Hemingway, Frank L. Herbert, Stephen King, Jane Austen, and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. as his favorite authors.
Brad, as he prefers to go by in personal communication, lives with his longtime girlfriend, three sons from a previous marriage, and their rescue dog and cat. He enjoys hiking, ocean kayaking, spending time at Southern California beaches, movies, and reading.

Author links:

Where did the idea for “Krymzyn” come from?

I was working on another fantasy novel I’ll eventually finish after I complete this series. I often look at photos to describe characters as I write, so I was browsing pictures on the Internet. I stumbled across a photo that really hit me in the pit of my stomach and made me ask the question, “What would make a person have that expression on their face?” It was a close-up of a young woman who looked sad but angry at the same time, incredibly lonely, and either terrified or terrifying—I couldn’t figure out which. As I tried to imagine the emotions behind that facial expression, the world of Krymzyn came together in my mind. I quickly knew who the characters were, their struggles and triumphs, and immediately put the other manuscript aside and started writing. As the story evolved, my reaction was, “This is the story I always wanted to tell,” which is the most incredible feeling a writer can have.

What comes first for you: story or character?

Characters, without a doubt. I think so much of the story evolves naturally by knowing your characters in depth. Their reactions to different situations have to be consistent with who they are, and future events develop out of that. I don’t really do more than a general outline of key events in the story before I sit and write, but I do know everything there is to know about the characters and their lives. This allows the story to flow spontaneously because of who they are and progress because of how they react not only to the events in the story, but to one another. Nothing is more important to me than the emotional attachment I hope the reader feels for the characters, so the characters’ emotions are always integral to the story.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Every minor detail in the world of Krymzyn had to eventually come together in a coherent manner so that the world and people there have valid reasons to be the way they are. There are several events, both on Earth and in Krymzyn, that will come back in later books of the series, so I had to track all of those and make sure I didn’t unknowingly leave a “gotcha” that messes me up in a later book. It was a bit of a logistical nightmare for both me and my editor, Mickey Reed, who did a great job of paying attention to these details.

You have a truly striking cover. Who was the designer and how did you choose that person?

I saw the portfolio of a UK-based designer named Ravven on Deviant Art and instantly fell in love with her work. I wanted this cover to have a surreal feeling with certain aspects of fantasy, but at the same time, evoke enough realism that it didn’t appear adolescent. Ravven’s covers have amazing detail while always maintaining a central point of focus that really draws me in. As we started on the cover, I quickly learned that Ravven is fantastic to work with and immerses herself in the project. She just completed the cover for the second book and it blew me away. http://www.ravven.com for those interested in her work.

What would you say sets this novel apart from others in the genre?

I really believe the story is fresh and something we haven’t seen before, partially because the world is unlike any other. There are certainly elements of familiarity, but in the end, the world itself is unique. That allows the story, conflict, and character arcs to evolve in a way that is new and different. Challenges the characters face are sometimes inherent to Krymzyn because of the way the world is, while other struggles are more universal. I honestly think both the story and the world are unlike anything readers have experienced before, and that will become even more evident in future books.

What do readers who continue with the series have to look forward to?

I’ll try to answer that without giving away too much or spoiling the first book. The big unanswered question is, “Why was our protagonist taken to Krymzyn in the first place?” Throughout the series, that question will gradually be answered in a way I don’t think readers have ever seen or could even imagine. There’s a huge twist about two-thirds of the way through the series that, I hope, is just kind of mind-boggling and explains why everything has happened the way it has. We’ll also see a much more in-depth look at the antagonist and what drives his actions as well as an expansion of the world of Krymzyn. Not only what the world encompasses, but what the world really is and why it exists. And, of course, we’ll see a much more intimate look at the true depth of the love and connection between our heroine and hero.




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Book Blitz: Bound by Duty by Stormy Smith


Bound by Duty by Stormy Smith
(Bound #1)
Publication date: July 24th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult

Synopsis:
Amelia grew up in a world of half-truths. She knows she’s an Elder but has no idea what that means. Her father reminds her daily that she must maintain control but he refuses to explain why. Even worse, she’s betrothed to the prince of the Immortals and she doesn’t even know his name.
Finally breaking free to live a few normal years at a community college, the last thing Amelia expects is to find her best friend in a cheeky Southern girl and to fall for a self-assured human who sees her for who she is and not what she’ll be.
As she learns more about herself, Amelia realizes the line between love and duty is a thin one. As her power continues to increase exponentially and her questions are slowly answered, Amelia must make the ultimate choice. The question is, will her head or her heart win the battle?


Purchase:
On sale for 99 cents October 5 – 11. In your blitz posts, please mention the sale and feel free to use the enclosed graphic. 


AUTHOR BIO
Stormy Smith calls Iowa’s capital home now, but was raised in a tiny town in the Southeast corner of the state. She grew to love books honestly, having a mom that read voraciously and instilled that same love in her. She knew quickly that stories of fantasy were her favorite, and even as an adult gravitates toward paranormal stories in any form.

Writing a book had never been an aspiration, but suddenly the story was there and couldn’t be stopped. When she isn’t working on, or thinking about, her books, Stormy’s favorite places include bar patios, live music shows, her yoga mat or anywhere she can relax with her husband or girlfriends.

Author links:
 
 

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