Steal The Dragon by Patrica Briggs

Some one please keep me out of half price books. No really the employees are starting to look at me funny. Anyway I was in there the other day and I picked up this book on pure whim. That and the fact that the Mercy Thompson series by Briggs is my all time favorite series.

Sadly this book was disappointing. I am under the impression that it is perhaps her first publish work after that one about the Hob i swear i am going to read one of these days. It shows in the writing, its flat short ans dull. I cant really tell you much about the characters besides that there is a red head empath who was a slave and now trains horses, there is a guy that perhaps is decedent from trees, a rapist prophet, and a drunk or two. The story is about trying to end slavery in a Kingdom we know nothing about that has been at war with another Kingdom we know nothing about.

I actually book the book down and read four other things and went back to the middle and wasn't that lost. Its just very early writing kind of stuff. I would not recommend buying it, but if a huge Briggs fan i would say go to the library.

Demon From The Dark by Kresley Cole

I love the Immortals after dark series. Why? Here is why:
Consistent references to technology and lifestyle elements that are relevant to this time period.
Broad use of mythology and workings of mythological creatures from all walks of the world.
Women that always kick ass.
Batshit crazy friends that make things better.
Heroes that look great naked.
Characters come back in later books to help newer leads.
Previews of the next leads in current books.

Cole is one of those authors I stalk. Not kidding. Her homepage is bookmarked, I check the site once a week at least no matter what. I have reread every one of her books that I own.

The latest installment follows a witch Carrow who is from the same coven as Mari from Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night. At the end of the last book we saw that immortals around the world were being kidnapped by humans (slightly predictable for a series about immortal creatures that coexist with humans, but it came so late in the game i was not prepared.) Carrow is bribed to go into a demon universe to seduce a Dempire or Vemon (depending on if you ask Nix or some one else.) The bribing is done using her niece, who's mother was killed off screen. Carrow goes and meets Malkom the dempire/vemon she is to seduce. He is very unsocialized and they dont speak the same language which means this is a very dialogue light book for about half of the plot.

They play nice for a while then some demons come. There is struggle, they go back to our plane of existence get recaptured. And from there on you have to read to find out. Not telling.

I loved the book, I really did. The writing is just as good as the previous installments (something that cannot be assumed with most writers) and the characters work well. I was sad that while other characters from the series are in the book the well known ones have about what adds up to four minutes of screen time, while a few characters I forgot existed got moved to main position side kicks. I was stoked to realize that I get Reign's book next seeing as I have been waiting for it for a while now ( I finally got over the pain the wait for Garreth's book caused.)

My one concern or complaint. The sex or lack there of. Romance novel means that I will be getting at least three solid sex scenes in a book. Cole has a habit of making her Heroine's not give it up the first time the guy jones for it, which I appreciate. Some times heroines in these things are just plain slutty. But after this many installments I am starting to get annoyed. The two real sex scenes were it went beyond oral seemed lack luster and rushed in to fit the plot. The plot is great it really is but cutting a few paragraphs here and there of internal dialogue and sex can have its time on stage.

My suggestion, follow Nalini Singh's example in Branded by Fire and give us a treat early on. That could mean having characters that know each other from previous books have a one night tryst that turns into something. But after reading ten books were its nothing but hand jobs and dry humping until the last quarter is getting on my nerves.

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

I got tricked into reading this book. I really did. The nook was given it away for free and I will never turn down a free book. So I open it up thinking that because the description says its about dragons in the Napoleonic wars that I am going to get some pretty awesome action and stuff. I was tricked I say.

In steady I spent a good couple chapter with a ship captain and a very bored dragon. And there was a lot of nonsense boredom in the middle two. The ending came way too quickly and I had trouble following the action when it did happen.

The really annoying part is I couldn't put it down. I read the whole thing. In about one night. I am not one to keep reading if I dont like things.

At first I was very bored with the open. The book begins when a British Naval ship wins a battle with a French Naval ship. The British boards to find that the French are trying to smuggle a dragon egg to France. It is quickly apparent that this is the time of Napoleon's war in Europe as well as the fact that in this universe there are dragons. In Europe dragons are used for war and have to be put in a harness almost the moment they are born, if they do not take a harness they are considered wild a not good for anything but breeding. Later it is revealed that in Asia and the Americas dragons are treated very differently.

The story is told from the point of view of Laurence the captain of the British naval ship. He is completely honor bound, and never questions his loyalty to the crown. He has been raised as the perfect British gentleman of his time, which means he is boring and dull.

A good deal of the book is dedicated to teaching the dragons maneuvers and waiting for an attack from Napoleon. Laurence also spend a decent amount of time either shocked or confused by what the areal corps are like.

In the end I read it, and the next book as well. I have yet to try the third and fourth books but I shall see.

Suggestion: pick it up at the library just in case you need excitement in your books to keep you reading.

White Cat by Holly Black

Some might know Holly Black for her modern fairy tale series or Spiderwick series. So when I saw there was a new series by Black I thought I would give it a try. I have never read any of her other work so I was going into the book with a blank slate.

The back of the book didnt really give me that much to go on but quickly I picked up on the story. Firstly it takes place in modern day but in what might be called an alternate reality. In this reality there exists people with the ability to "curse" you just my touching. There are simple curse workers that can do luck, or emotions, there are also more complicated ones that can curse you with pain, memory loss or kill you.

The main character is Cassel, the only member of his family that is not a curse worker. The book starts off with him waking up on the roof of his boarding school. We also learn that Cassel believes he murdered his best friend when he was in middle school. After the roof incident occurs he is sent home for a few weeks were he spends time cleaning out his old family house, and starts to really think about what has happened to him in the past.

It took me a lot longer than it should have to put together the fact that curse workers needed to touch some one, and thus people wore gloves all the time. Black chose to write in a style that makes the reader pick up on facts over time because the story is being told by Cassel and we don't learn anything until he thinks about it. It made me a frustrated when I was first reading. The one thing that gets me is I am unsure as to how the next book will proceed after how the book ends.

On the bright side the book is an original idea and seeing as the market is currently be flooded by nothing but vampire trash I am excited for anything new and original.

It might not be a buy book, but it is something to pick up or borrow.

Time to buckle down

Okay so I have really been ignoring this place and that needs to stop. I promised myself I would get back in the habit of writing more often. Because I am the writer, I am the one who longs to write books and spend the rest of my days surrounded by books. But two days ago my best friend put up on facebook that she wants to write as well. Its stupid and petty but I feel like that is stealing my identity, because I am the writer.
So new agenda. Post every day. And write at leas three paragraphs for one of my possible novels.

Awesome.
Lets do this