Book Review: Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires #5)

In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, the master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. But Bishop isn't the only threat.

Violent black cyclone clouds hover, promising a storm of devastating proportions as student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against elements both natural and unnatural.

My Review: 

It is war in Morganville as Bishop and his supporters stage a coup and the town burns. A resistance group of humans and vampires sets up in the Glass House as Amelie sets out her plans for defence of Morganville. Shane is sent out as bait with the infamous book that Bishop wants, driving around in the Bloodmobile, to Claire's distress. Michael and Richard lead a group to protect the college students while Claire, Hannah and Amelie go to rescue Myrnin. Eve is to hold Common Grounds against the enemy while Sam's group protect the Founder houses. Everyone loyal to Amelie is working together to stop Bishop.

However, the chaos in the town inspires Frank to lead his anti-vampire forces onto the streets to try and take over the town while Amelie is busy with her civil war. Those like Monica who are seen as pro-vampire are also being targeted by angry mobs. Amelie compels her vampires to come to her to gather her forces but it leads to some walking out in the sunlight and being burned. If this wasn't enough to deal with, a heavy storm is coming to Morganville with a tornado threat and citizens heading to the City Hall bomb shelter are now in danger of being Bishop's hostages. The gathering storm darkens the skies which allows both sets of rival vampires to be out battling on the streets during the day.

It is a tough time for the human residents of Morganville. They are given their assignments in the fight to keep control of their town and each task involves danger and fighting alongside Amelie's vampires. Claire and Hannah, a former soldier, are part of Amelie's team as they go looking for the missing Myrnin. It is up to the humans to seek to rescue Myrnin while the vampires fight off Bishop's people. Others are taking the opportunity to join Frank and hope to be able to overthrow both sets of vampires which is somewhat crazy given the circumstances. Others are keeping their heads down and hiding. It is a crazy scenario with constant fighting between the vampire forces as Amelie moves through the town to find Myrnin.

The vampire war itself was interesting as the reader is rooting for those like Oliver who have been bad guys so far, but who are on the right side of this battle. With the Morganville Vampires split on who to swear loyalty to, the fight is in the balance all the way through the book. There is a lot of action and lots of fights between the two sides. Claire's group are in the thick of it as she is with the main target Amelie, and looking for where Myrnin has been locked up. It is quite a tense mission. The addition of Frank trying to take advantage of the situation just makes matters worse for everyone involved.

I liked the addition of the storm element. The darkening skies allowing the vampires to fight and plot during the day was fun, and as the storm closes in it adds an extra sense of menace to the plot. The town is already trying to protect itself from Bishop and now they have the added fear of a tornado coming their way. By the time the storm actually hits, the battle is at its peak and the humans are just trying to find somewhere safe to wait it out. But of course with vampires preying on people, City Hall is not going to be a safe place at all.

I really enjoyed the fast pace of this book and the way the resistance was prepared and the plans set in motion. There is something happening on every page and with the way the book ended, I had no hesitation in moving staight on to book six!

 
Read April 2017.
5 stars. 

Game of Thrones Gossip #23 Margaery Tyrell

Welcome to my Game of Thrones Gossip, where all of us fanatics get the chance to discuss everything we love about this amazing TV series. I did a few spoiler free posts about the series last year but I found that there were other bloggers out there who were also itching to talk more freely about favourite characters and events without spoiling things for those visiting the blog. So I decided to do a whole series of these discussion posts that let us say everything we want and enjoy every second of it! The topics may talk about a death, an event, a character or be season reviews and so on. Please feel free to comment fully and without restriction!

I have to warn you that it is important that you have seen all six seasons before reading any of these posts because these posts and blogger comments will be oozing and exploding spoilers all over the place. If you haven't watched the series and plan to, be warned that it's a bad idea to be here right now! I take no responsibility if you read on and things are spoiled for you nor do I take responsibility for any mistakes on the pages I link you to.

For those of you who stuck with me through my season one posts, thank you loads! Now I'm going to look at the main characters introduced in season two, what our season one characters were doing in season two and looking at all the bests bits. Enjoy the season two posts! 

Margaery Tyrell is the daughter of Mace Tyrell of Highgarden, though she takes after her wily grandmother Olenna. Her brother is the popular knight Loras Tyrell, who is known to be sleeping with Renly Baratheon at Court. After the death of Robert Baratheon, Renly and Loras flee to Highgarden as Ned Stark is arrested. The Tyrells are happy to throw their weight behind Renly as a future King and he agrees to marry Margaery to cement the union. 

"I want to be THE Queen."-Margaery Tyrell

Margaery is ambitious and beautiful, but she is also intelligent. She has married Renly because she wants to be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and believes that the people would welcome Renly as their new King over his brother Stannis or evil Joffrey, and she would be right. Her family have been in the shadow of the Lannisters for a long time and now they have a real opportunity to rule through her. She also is well aware that Renly is sleeping with her brother and makes it clear to her new husband that she is fine with that arrangement as long as he will give her children to secure the Throne. At his war camp however, she is discovering just how difficult it will be to get Renly to do his duty with her, even when she suggests a threesome with Loras. She is also clever enough to charm anyone she can, being polite and welcoming to Catelyn Stark when she arrives to try and make a deal with Renly. It is a terrible shock to her when Renly is murdered by his brother's dark magic and she is smart enough to get her brother safely away from the scene and back to Highgarden.

Margaery has contempt for Littlefinger and his sly comments but recognises that he has the power to make things happen so it is no real surprise that the Tyrells turn to a new plot to make Margaery Queen. Throwing their lot in with the Lannisters at the Battle of the Blackwater is the turning point in the war, ensuring that Stannis is defeated. This not only gets revenge on Stannis for killing Renly, it gives them the chance to ask for a union of their houses by Margaery marrying Joffrey. The Lannisters are pleased at the idea of having more riches into a joint family and having a Tyrell as Queen ensures their loyalty to the King. It seems like the perfect plan for both sides...but of course nothing ever goes to plan in King's Landing!

Loras Tyrell is a vain but popular Knight at Court who has good jousting skills. He became Renly's squire and then his lover, a somewhat open secret. At the joust in honour of Ned Stark's arrival, he beats The Mountain by using a mare in heat against the bigger man's stallion. The Mountain does not appreciate this tactic and attempts to murder Loras, who is saved by The Hound. He is gracious and grateful enough to declare his feelings to everyone, with the crowd cheering The Hound for his actions.

Loras has always believed that Renly would make a good King and knows that the Tyrell family would back him and suggests that it could happen. Renly does not initially believe him but must warm to the idea as he is ready to take action when Robert is dying. Renly offers his men to Ned to secure Joffrey to stop the Lannisters from taking full control but Ned refuses to act against Robert's wishes while he is alive. Loras and Renly decide to go back to Highgarden to plot from there. This is when Renly declares himself King and marries Margaery.

Renly might be happy to ignore his duties to his wife but Loras is aware that only children will secure their claim, and urges his lover to go to his sister instead. He knows the men are gossiping about the non-consummation of the marraige. He is even less happy to be defeated by Brienne of Tarth in combat in front of everyone, and annoyed to see her given a place of honour in his Kingsguard. He is also somewhat childish in demanding that Robb Stark pay homage himself instead of Catelyn and she is withering in her response about Loras playing at war while Robb fights for real. It does show to me that Loras is a bit spoiled and petulant and indeed in the books, he wants to be the one to ride after The Mountain instead of Beric Dondarrion, sulking when Ned says no. 

I admit that I was unsure whether Loras loved Renly or the power that he could get by being with him, but when Renly is murdered, Loras is distraught and has to be dragged away by his sister and Littlefinger so I do believe his feelings were genuine. It is his thirst for revenge against Stannis that keeps him going and he gets the chance to do that by fighting with Tywin in the Battle of the Blackwater. A grateful Joffrey offers a favour to Loras and he is quick to ask the King to marry his sister. Season Two ends with Margaery taking the place of Sansa as Joffrey's bride-to-be. More on the Tyrell's later.

Book Review: Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires #4)

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Clare Danvers has never been convinced, though - especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister.

My Review: 
Amelie's father Mr Bishop has arrived at the Glass House, demanding to see his daughter. More troubling to Claire is that he has two human hostages-her parents-who Amelie has brought to Morganville to ensure that Claire does what she is told. Eve is forced to call Oliver for help as they don't know what they are dealing with. It becomes clear that Bishop is not impressed by Amelie's interactive experiment with vampires and humans and wants to get back to the old ways of vampires hunting the living.

Amelie has no option but to host a welcome feast for her father, where a vampire chooses a human guest to go with him or her and the human cannot say no. Eve is upset when Michael chooses to invite Monica, and a deranged vampire of Bishop's, Ysandre, has taken an interest in making Shane her latest toy. Amelie has banned Claire from going for her own safety but she is desperate to keep an eye on her friends especially when Eve engineers herself a surprise date with Oliver. Myrnin is convinced that Bishop could be the key to a cure for the Morganville Vampires illness, and he decides that he has to go to the party...with Claire as his date. It is only when the humans are presented to Bishop for approval that they start to realise that they are really being offered as snacks...

There are a lot of emotional issues for our friends to deal with in this book. Claire is already feeling the time pressure in helping Myrnin to come up with a cure as his own mental deterioration is hampering their efforts. The shock of discovering that her parents have been brought to town by Amelie feels like a betrayal and now she has to worry about their safety especially with Bishop looking to take over and change the rules. Her parents don't greatly approve of Claire living with two boys and want her to move home. Ysandre likes to torture her toys so Claire is worried sick when she chooses Shane as her reluctant date. Now she has Myrnin's latest crazy plan to deal with.

Eve is expecting to be Michael's date but is gleefully told otherwise by a delighted Monica. Eve has no idea that the humans will be paraded for Bishop as food and that Michael is protecting her by not taking her along, instead taking someone that he doesn't care about. Despite her troubled relationship with her father, his seriously ill health is affecting her more than she expected it to. She is also worried about what Jason might be doing. Shane is disturbed by Ysandre's attention and wants to refuse to go but the consequences of not going could be fatal. Michael is putting Eve first by taking Monica as his date but not telling her why has made her more determined to go to find out what is happening. Miranda has declared that a disaster is going to happen at the feast which has everyone on edge.

The feast itself is quite tense. Amelie has to observe the rules of hospitality but is well aware that her vampires will refuse to give fealty to Bishop and that the humans will not appreciate being snacked on. Myrnin's crazy plan is being put into action and even Claire doesn't know what to expect, while Bishop is ready to make his move to take over the town. Who will remain loyal to Amelie and who will serve Bishop?

The build up to the feast is tense with our four friends all facing different challenges over their families and relationships. The town itself is holding its breath as it waits to see what Bishop is going to do and how Amelie is going to respond. The actual Feast is interesting as the plans start to play out and battle lines are starting to be drawn. Now the vampire residents of Morganville must choose a side and fight for it along with or against the human residents.

The series keeps a high standard with this book!
4 star. 

Can't Wait Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at http://www.wishfulendings.com/ to spotlight and discuss books we're excited about but haven't read, which may not even be released yet. 

This Week...the latest offering from Kevin Hearne!

This addictive and wildly imaginative series stars hero Atticus O’Sullivan: a handsome, tattooed Irishman who looks like a young rock star, but is in actuality a 2,000-year-old Druid with extraordinary magic powers. In Besieged, Atticus’ adventures throughout history are told in a collection of nine new and original short stories. 

It's the new anthology of Iron Druid stories and it is to keep us going until the last book in the series is published next year *sob* This book is due for release early July so thankfully I don't have long to wait to get my hands on this pre-ordered little beauty!

More Atticus! More Owen! More Oberon!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!  http://www.brokeandbookish.com/   

TTT is taking a break until August so now I need to think up my own topics which is not going to be easy. I'm starting this week with the first part of an urban fantasyfest:

Best Urban Fantasy Series part 1
 

1) James R Tuck-Deacon Chalk
Deacon Chalk is a badass slightly enhanced monster-killer taking on evil vampires, helped by a Catholic Priest bartender, computer whizz girl, strippers from his club and a variety of shifters. There is a ton of action, humour and emotion with hints at a future romance but no instaluv or tropes. I love this series and can't wait for the next one! You can get the Prequel free online-That Thing At The Zoo.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11843017-blood-and-bullets

2) RL Naquin-Monster Haven
Zoey discovers she is an empath who attracts various monsters looking for guidance and sanctuary. With her super baking Closet Monster roomie Maurice, she tries to help brownies, Skunk Apes, djinn, sea monsters, harpies and all kinds while tracking down an incubus serial killer who threatens all women in the town. Great humour and I LOVE Maurice so much! He cooks, he cleans and he is adorable!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14624355-monster-in-my-closet 

3) Kendra C Highley-Matt Archer Monster Hunter
Matt defends his uncle from a Sasquatch attack on a camping trip with what turns out to be a magic knife and becomes part of his uncle's secret monster hunting military team. The kids are mature, no dumb tropes, there is action, death, monsters and humour and a LOT of twists and shocks. I totally love this series and if you like kickass urban fantasy with mutant monsters and a close knit group of hunters, then grab this series!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15773126-matt-archer 

4) DD Barant-The Bloodhound Files
Jace tracks dangerous mentally unbalanced killers but is suddenly taken from her reality to a world ruled by vampires and shifters, where all the rules have changed. Her new vampire boss wants her and her golem parner Charlie to find a deranged human who is murdering supernaturals. I loved the first book with its action and humour and the character of Charlie with his fedora hat is brilliant!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6295913-dying-bites 

5) Kelley Armstrong-Women of the Otherworld 
We start with the werewolf pack but soon meet witches, demons of various kinds, an avenging angel, clairvoyant and vampires, all strong women who are trying to defeat the forces of evil including magical mafia cabals and deadly humans. The book has lots of action, some romance which does fit nicely, humour and lots of good plot twists. I particularly love the Pack! Lots of magic and great male characters as well. What more do you want in your urban fantasy?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/910153.Bitten

6) Sonya Bateman-Deathspeaker Codex 
When Gideon helps a werewolf escape from a group of supernatural hunters, he discovers he is part Fae and needs to learn to use those powers to evade capture. When fellow supernaturals are taken, he has to assemble a motley crew of monsters to attempt a rescue. This had good humour, characters you care about and lots of action.  
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28920576-wrong-side-of-hell 

7) Patricia Briggs-Mercy Thompson  
Mercy is a mechanic and coyote, living next door to a werewolf pack, in a town full of Fae, vampires and other beasts. When the Alpha is injured and his daughter is kidnapped Mercy must find Jesse and use the powers of her friends and the Pack to rescue her. I love this series so much! It has everything urban fantasy lovers could want-action, humour, great characters and believable romance.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10125367-moon-called 

8) Rachel Caine-Morganville Vampires 
Claire has just discovered that her new town is run by vampires and you don't go out alone after dark. With her half ghost landlord Michael, roomies goth Eve and fighter Shane, they try to live with the vampires, look after the town and solve crimes and mysteries. This is for more than YA readers-great mix of good and evil vampires, great chemistry with the four MCs and a pile of action and humour to enjoy.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6667618-glass-houses 

9) DelSheree Gladden-Someone Wicked This Way Comes 
The Roth family have a secret, a terrible hunger that makes them commit brutal violence they can't control, preventing a normal life. Now Van and Zander face new arrival Ivy who seems determined to test them both. Van wants to keep her away from her brother but Zander wants to love AND murder Ivy...this four part urban fantasy has heartbreaking emotion, great characters, evil bad guys and a battle between good and evil. Classed as YA it is also dark and has mature characters adults will enjoy.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18191070-wicked-hunger 

10) Nicholas Olivo-Caulborn 
Vincent is a supernatural secret agent and in another dimension he is a God, whose subjects prayers keep his magic topped up. With help from gadget obsessed newbie Megan, German gremlin Gearstripper (think Dobby!) and stone girlfriend Petra, he must find kidnapped supernaturals, avoid the Four Horsemen, The Grim Reaper and the God of Oaths, and save his worshippers. Loved the non stop action, the characters and the humour. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12816949-imperium