Book Review Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch

My brain hurts. I feel like I need a week to recover from this. I also feel disappointed and kind or sad, to the point that I have given in and accepted the fact that the only way to come back from this mess is to read Game for Thrones.

Back when I read the first Gini Koch alien book I was smitten. It was this spunky and fast sci-fi book that made me happy. I found the entire thing tons of fun. I realize now I was wrong. So wrong. I need to be punished.

Some books spend over 300 pages dedicated to solving a single or maybe two mysteries. These books cover one in a chapter. Its ruff. There is a climax ever could of pages. The fact that most of the main character can super speed is used to do so many things so quickly.

I am not going to explain the plot, frankly because I cant. I have no idea how I am supposed to ever sum up what was going on.

On top of that insanity no one ever fucking dies. Ever. This is the opposite of George R. R. Martin's camp and firmly in the Stephanie Meyer camp of writing. Where every major character not only gets to live but gets to have a nice tied up love story. I am sorry but not everything works that way. These books have so many characters that they compose an entire division and a half in an organization and not a single one of them bites the bullet or stays injured for long.

One guy dies, and he was in the first chapter for like a hand full of pages and then died off screen in the middle of the book.

I am angry with these books. They cheated me. I thought they were my friends but now that I have spent more time with good books lately I see them for the impostors they are.

Book Review: Lothaire by Kresley Cole

At first I was like "no." And then I was like "okay maybe." And now I am like "but there were so many things that could have been cooler!"

This is what I call the bad guy pitfall book. It happens eventually in a series like this, where every character eventually gets a true love. For some reason authors get it in there head that this character they have setting himself against all the other main characters needs a true love as well.

The issue here is I think Cole knew she was going to give Lothaire a girl from day one because the guy never really seems that evil. I mean yes he does do some mean stuff but never anything crazy evil. True he is a bit crazy but really what character in this series isn't? I mean he has yet to kill anyone we care about or hurt children or helpless women really. He just kind of threatens the main characters a bit in every book and then kills some one off screen. But the good guys kill plenty of people so I don't really see the difference.

Also. Mother Fucking Stockholm Syndrom!

In similar news why do all of these immortal creatures act like teenagers? I mean honestly I am going to be twenty four soon and even I don't have this much emotional retardation going on.

It was good but not great and I feel like it is just going to blend into the background of this series. The characters did nothing of interest the entire book and the ending just sort of came out of no where.

Book Review: Archon by Sabrina Benulis

I want to hit myself for this one. I really do. First off I read a review, I think on All Things Urban Fantasy but not sure. The review said mean things, which is kind of like saying that some one just made fresh cookies to me. I don't know why I feel the need to read books that sound awful. Then to make matters worse the author thanked God first in the acknowledgements. I don't really have anything against The Flying Spaghetti Monster in all his forms but I worry when He is the first person thanked by some one. It sets me on edge for reasons I don't really want to get into but begin and end with the day I learned there was no Santa.

So this book is about angles. But also it is about bitchy teen girls that some how go from being fussy about boyfriend to murdering half the college. Well not half, but anyone that cuts of a priest's head is kind of hard core. Also this my be years of Catholic education speaking but some of the things in this book gave me hives. I mean the writing is complete shit and she is clearly working of some kind of religious complex in this book. But to top that off the male lead is a priest.

I mean really. I have years of bad images and scandals burned into my brain about that. And suddenly there is a sexy young priest boinking all these young girls. Not one of the publishers was ever like "not to be weird but do you have penis envy of the little boys? Because this is strange." And yes hot priest guy is have Jinn, which in this incarnation are demons not magical creatures in bottles or their almost pokemon-like incarnation.

The angels were really weird. I mean I think that was on purpose but I am still really unclear if the head angel was doing it with the two smaller ones (who I for some reason pictures in chibi anime form) or if they just had some daddy issues with him. Also how the devil was he preggers? And was it being hinted at that he had been preggers for a couple thousand years? You know on top of that whole being in love with his younger brother.

Are you getting the hives yet?

This book went on forever to boot. Half way through we reached what I thought was a really good kind of climatic scene. And then it just kept going. It was painful by that point because I just was not sure what was happening. Was the demon trying to put her adoptive daughter on the throne of hell or not? Was the priest dude work for the devil or not? Was anyone actually working for the devil because apparently the demons all locked up Lucifel because she was so scary. How is a tree an angel and why is that brushed over so quickly.

How are this many people being murdered or dying on an island owned by the Vatican and no one is freaking out? That was the weirdest part. The serial kill plus the fact that people just die there all the time for like no reason except you know that water got into their homes and drowned them. Everyone mentions that it is a dangerous place, and yet it is a university.

Also what the fuck is up with the only two scenes that take place in a class room they are reading Dante's Inferno. I mean honestly? If you make this much crazy shit up with the rest of the book have the decency to at least do something original with the only class room part.

This book tried to do something with the three head angels having a big fight. One turned into the devil,  one died, and one went a bit bonkers and might have killed God. (one of the many things that is vague.)  It tried and it failed.

But if you are in the mood for a book about gods in a set of three I would recommend whole heartedly "A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms".  I have no idea what I said about it when I reviewed it back in the day, but the book is a solid read and does much better with that premise. It also has the added bonus of basically being like "you know how humanity started out in Africa, don't you think god would be black if we were made in his image?" Which at first I was not behind, but the more I think about it I find it to be a really interesting F-You the author snuck in there. And I kind of love her for that.

So yes. Don't really this book.

Book Review: Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

I am not really sure what I want to say about this book. I was super excited to get it because the end of the last book made me throw it. I think there were a lot of really fun elements that had not been in the previous books because of that fact that Dresden was a ghost the entire story. (spoiler warning) I really loved the whole thing with Uriel and that fact that Murphy's dad talks back to him. I mean I giggled for some time about that.

The sad fact is that now I am completely caught up with the entire series, so now I have to wait for the next release because there are no more for me to request at the library. Which is just very sad for me seeing as the majority of things I read are now like that.

The characters were kind of what got to me in this book. I mean there was like no Thomas at all, and I loves him and all his silly ways. I wish we had seen more of him in some way. Murphy being all paranoid kind of was depressing as well, I don't know I wanted it to be more like the fan fictions I have read (I can't believe I just said that, some one get me and MRI!) where she is at least on board with what is happening and talks to him. But she spends the entire book doubting him and I feel like she misses out on closure, but of course I also know that he is not really dead so it doesn't count.

Butters and Bob being friends on the other hand is crazy fun for lots of reasons. Molly going off the deep end is sorta not as much fun and I really wanted to  know what was happening with the Wardens. I mean I need to know what is going on with them.

Then end is what has me on the fence. This is the second cliff hanger ending in the series. I am just not sure if I am a fan of putting tension that the end of the books this way when it was never done before. I mean most of the early books wrapped up with either something funny or sort of a thought provoking idea. But this mid action stop is different, and it makes me crazy because I really want to know what happens next. I mean I am freaking out just a bit, which I suppose is better for Mr. Butcher because I now stalk his website but It makes me twitchy when there is a cliff hanger end.

I loved the book, don't get me wrong I finished it in about a day. But I am sad that I have to wait now. Also it was sorta of weird to have a book where Dresden wasn't really able to be Dresden.

Book Review: Dark Taste of Rapture by Gena Showalter

Those of you that read this blog (of which there is one) will know that a few months ago I reviewed the previous book in this series.  The alien huntress series to be exact. I think I pointed out that the end was a bit of a cop out. And I would like to say that I hold to that statement because it is clear to me that Showalter can write endings where a near all powerful father doesn't appear out of no where to help the main characters.

This book is about Noelle and Hector in the alien force. I was kind of surprised when that pairing was said because during Ava's book it was hinted at that she might sleep with him but it seemed weird. It seemed like he didn't care. I don't really know because that time line might have been tampered with. The issues is I am not sure how much of that invading alien parasite group was wiped from everyone's memories when McKell's daddy zapped them away. Or did he not do the magic mind trick? See I forget these things. Because I feel like they should have at some point talked about the aliens seeing as they were the main bad guys and plot of the last handful of books.

Anyway Hector can make his arms into human torches, which sounds awesome but has some bad stuff attacked to it because he is not super great with the control. I really enjoyed the ending and how it worked his powers and the big issue of the plot into the finale.

On the other hand there was this big deal that Noelle didn't have pain receptors but it like barely came up. Although it was hinted at that it made sexy time hard on her she seemed fine in all the scenes. I guess I wanted a scene where Hector had to work extra hard to make her happy. But that's me.

Of the alien huntress series this one had the best consistency of character actions and plot moment. It had the least aliens which I find odd given the name of the series but I figure every series does not have the same intensity in each book.

I was glad when Hector stopped shaving his head because I find it really hard to get into a bald guy. Because I mean how hot is that cover art? Smoking right? And I didn't really want to spend time trying to figure out how he would look like with no hair. I like my men with luscious hair, you should see my boyfriend's hair.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I have liked some of Showalter's work more but this one was about in the middle. I don't love this series the same way I love Lord of the Underworld.

Mini Book Review: Moon Cursed by Lori Handeland

About four chapters in I just yelled "Selkie." And pretty much yeah. There is some other stuff but I guess I know just a little too much about folk lore to ever be surprised. Its good enough. Also the guy on the cover bugs me.

Book Review: A Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh

Okay I am just going to get this out there, this book combines kidnapping and memory loss in order to create a relationship. Anyone else see something strange about that?

Anyway, this is probably my least favorite of the series. There are no changelings in it, yes the make an appearance but I was kind of expecting more of them seeing as they are a focal point of the series. This and the book following are basically here to a) show characters that are not part of the packs and what is going on with the world and b) had filler before Hawke because the chick he dug was still kind of illegal there for a bit. You think I am joking but I am not.

The romance in this book worries me. More than a little bit. I don't really have much more to say. There was a god deal of side plot and information that was not relevant to the main characters. They fail to assassinate the dude. Then she all most dies, but some kids fix her brain before they take her off the feeding tubes. Which is not explored or explained in depth. That worries me and seems way more interesting than what ever else happens.

Book Review: Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh

Alright I am going to come out and say it, I don't feel the romance in this series. I feel the sex, oh yeah. But there doesn't really seem to be the right kind of emotions from both characters. Elena seems to be defending herself a lot or trying to get things done her way. And mr. angel spends all his time talking about how weak she is and how is scares him.

I don't know if I believe them to be a couple in the truest sense. I mean he turned her into and angel because he loved her so much, but he hardly ever does anything that makes sense. And yes i get the fact that supposedly him being immortal and having thousands of years to be set in his ways means something. I am sorta disappointed because I have seen Singh write tough love stories where there are issues with people feeling emotion.

Also I am getting the feeling that the fault with this series is that it is a series.  I have been going back in her other series and I have found that I like it a lot better. I think the issue is that she doesn't have the experience writing the depth of character it takes to carry one set of characters through several books. Both of them feel very surface level. She is pretty much drawing out what she normally would have in one book and turning it into several. She doesn't really introduce new characters or situations, its pretty much the same-ish plot in three books.

Book Review: Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison

First off the font in this book was huge. Well at least the digital version had huge font. Which is why I can say there really wasn't a whole lot going on in here. In fact the romance in this story kind of comes out of left field.

Basically the guy that is the grim reaper comes to our world to bang a chick and while he does that a demon gets lose in the world. The demon creates wraiths which are humans that now can't die. But Mr. reaper had a daughter with the woman and when she screams he can come through the veil between worlds to kill wraiths. The first part of the book was establishing all of this and then getting underway into explaining that this dude Adam wants to stop the wraiths.

And then like all of a sudden Talia, the main girl, and Adam are in love. It happens over the span of like a few sentences. I mean like a chapter before they still didn't trust each other. I was just like, well who needs foreplay in a romance?

I will say that while there are some really interesting concepts here they are not fully formed. Everyone just starts calling Talia a banshee after she screams once and no one investigates. And why is death a fairy? I mean like explanation. Also there are hellhounds near the end but that never comes up either. The story is interesting but underdeveloped. I think the large font was to bolster the page length because this book felt crazy short.

Book Review: Unholy Magic y Stacia Kane

I have taken to calling this series 'the adventures of towlie.' Mostly because this is what a book would be like if Towlie was the main character. This book is even more confusing than the last because a few things simply don't make sense for a good deal of things.

First off we have dead hookers and then there is a fake haunting happening as well. I still want to punch a third of the characters for speaking with such insane broken English. I get that its the slums, I do, but it hurts my brain. Also dragging around a guy with a gunshot wound doesn't sound like the best help when trying to stop a bunch of murdering ghosts.

Anyway I am going to read the third book soon and try and figure out how much I actually like this character. Self destructive doesn't even begin to cover it.