Resolution Reviews
Oct. 11th, 2008 09:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wook77I am appalled at how behind I am. So here goes - a few catch-up reviews. Standard disclaimers apply - spoilers and such are rampant throughout. Books I highly recommend have links so you can get a better description of the plot.
After this? there's only 52 more to go that I've accomplished so far. :/ When I say behind, I really really mean behind.
Books:
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
It was an interesting read. I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it but I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy it. It intrigued me but didn't pull me in or make me want to go out and find more. I thought the POV was too narrow and I found I couldn't put myself in the author/character's shoes. There were times that reading the book felt like trudging through five-foot snowdrifts uphill. There were other points that the story flew by. In the end - I think it was the subject matter. When the story dealt with the little girl and her family/friends/etc - I was able to engage. When it dealt with militant religious tones, I disengaged. I don't like militant religions of any sort whether it's Born Again Christians and the religious zealots of the Religious Right or if it's militant Islam. Extremist POV is something that I cannot get in to and that's my failing, I'm sure.
Final score? 7 out of 10
Silver Master by Jayne Castle
The "Ghost Hunter" series by Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz is one that you know what you're going to get. They're sort of like my cotton candy. The colors might change but the flavor doesn't. I'm not saying that they read all the same as they don't but it's more that you know that there will be some sort of para-ability and there will be Guild Politics and a smoking hot guildman will be the hero with issues.
This book wasn't any different. It's a good, solid book that does the job. I don't think I'll remember it five years down the line as it simply isn't the sort of book that will stick with me. But I did enjoy it.
Final score? 8 out of 10
Child of a Dead God by Barb and JC Hendee
Before the Noble Dead series by Barb and JC Hendee, I could take or leave vampire books. But the first book in this series, Dhampir, grabbed me. Even better - it grabbed my entire family. The series starts off amazingly and it just gets better. There are spots in all the books that drag a wee bit but this one had fewer of those as you FINALLY find out some of the history into Magiere AND Leesil's creations. That they were created to be enemies, Leesil bred to kill Magiere and Magiere bred to kill the world, it was stunningly done. Now, ok, that summation sounds ridiculous but the authors do a fantastic job of making you believe it.
That's part of my problem with most of the books I don't enjoy. I can't suspend disbelief. The authors don't make me buy into the story that they're telling. I'll admit that I can be a hard sell but still... and so I rate most of these books really low when I can't believe the story (which is only fair). However, the Hendees make me suspend disbelief, make me keep reading into the night and going to work with an hour of sleep.
Part of the reason that this book series rocks so much is that it got my sister reading. It engaged her. She has ADD and dyslexia so it's hard to get her to sit down for very long to read as reading is such a tough slog for her. For these books, though, she'll read into the middle of the night and beyond. We fight over the next installment. We go to the website and devour any of the teaser bits. These books are AWESOME.
Final score? 10 out of 10
Chasing Midnight by Susan Krinard
I've always loved Susan Krinard. She has this awesome werewolf paranormal romance Prince of Wolves that is among my top 10 paranormal romance books. So I go in to every one of her books with this set of really high expectations. Unfortunately, the past few books of hers have dashed that rather miserably. I did not enjoy Chasing Midnight. It was boring, tedious and overly melodramatic. The writing was sloppy and the entire story could've done with a good edit.
Final Verdict? 4 out of 10
Lick of Forst by Laurell K. Hamilton
Oh LKH. LOL. LOLOLOLOLOL. Merry Gentry is like a bitch in heat - she gets preggers by like 4 different dudes. Catch? It's supposedly just. one. baby.
I'll give you a minute to absorb that.
Ok, you'll need another minute.
So yeah. The Last time I reviewed a LKH book, I swore off the series. This time, I'm reading just to see how bad THIS series can get and if she can break me like she did with the Anita Blake books.
Final Verdict?A surprising 4 out of 10 (because of the lulz)
Strangers in Death
JD Robb/Nora Roberts has had a few hits and a few misses. This book was definitely a hit. Most of the JD Robb books, you go along for the ride to figure out who did it. This book, you knew from the start that not only did Eve know, but YOU knew who did it. It just took awhile to figure out why and a bit longer to get the killer to justice.
One of my favorite bits of these books are the secondary characters. They're alive, fully fleshed out and awesome. They have their own lives and it's SHOWN not just told about. I <3 these books for that reason alone let alone the thousand and one reasons why Nora Roberts is awesome.
I felt awful for the victim and even worse for the victim's son who, in turn, becomes a sort of victim of his stepmother's machinations. I'm glad that Eve handled that one with care considering that she has an almost callous way of dealing with victims that play into their own victimization.
I also like that these books have moved away from romance with some mystery to mystery with a bit of romance.
Final verdict? 9 out of 10
All Night Long by Jayne Krentz
I enjoy books that I can't figure out who is committing the crimes until the last possible moment. Unfortunately, those books are few and far between. Most times, authors aren't all that subtle with dropping their clues. This book, though, did a fantastic job in keeping the killer a secret until the last possible moment. I never suspected that it was Pamela's grandfather that killed her. I thought maybe her dad, her half-brother, the assistant/pr person but never the grandfather. That right there earns this book a higher rating.
Add in that it's paced just right, keeps the suspense up without going over the top and gives you believable main characters and, well, it's certainly a highly recommended book from me.
Final Verdict? 10 out of 10
Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick
Meh. Srsly, that's the entire review. Meh. It wasn't intriguing, it dragged a bit but not enough to annoy me. It was just a book, one that I've forgotten almost completely other than "meh".
Final Verdict? 3 out of 10
The River Knows by Amanda Quick
This book has a great premise that, unfortunately, falls flat. I think it really could've done with a good editor who would've pointed out where the plot fails and had the writing tightened. Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz is definitely one of my favorite authors for romance novels but this book and the last one... IDK. Maybe she's under a lot of stress to keep pumping out an amazing number of books and, to meet that pressure, has started writing the same story with a slightly different plot line.
Whatever it is, I was disappointed by the quality of the book as it wasn't up to her normal fare. However, if you're not a big reader of the author, I'm sure you'd enjoy it more than me.
Final Verdict? 6 out of 10
The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick
This book, at least, was much better than the previous two. Not quite up to the expectations I have of her but getting there. It was enjoyable fluff, more of the cotton candy sort of book. I'm used to this series having engaging characters and a fluid background and this book almost gave me both.
Here, my problem is with the premise. No single guy would ever, in Victorian England, be able to get away with having a single female as a paid companion. The barely plastered on beard wasn't believable. With not being able to buy the premise of how these two got together, it took a lot of effort to move beyond into the story.
Final Verdict? 7 out of 10
Lie by Moonlight by Amanda Quick
After the disappointment/borderline disappointment of the previous three books, I was quite ready to hate this book. Instead, the premise is unique and the entire book MOVES. It kept me engaged and having a good time from start to finish. When you consider that the premise is that the governess of these four girls were raising them to work in a high-class whorehouse, you'll realize how much the book had to grab me to keep me there. I really don't like rentboy! or rentgirl!fics and it's no different IRL.
However, the story never devolved that far and, instead, kept me going.
Final Verdict? 9 out of 10
After this? there's only 52 more to go that I've accomplished so far. :/ When I say behind, I really really mean behind.
Books:
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
It was an interesting read. I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it but I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy it. It intrigued me but didn't pull me in or make me want to go out and find more. I thought the POV was too narrow and I found I couldn't put myself in the author/character's shoes. There were times that reading the book felt like trudging through five-foot snowdrifts uphill. There were other points that the story flew by. In the end - I think it was the subject matter. When the story dealt with the little girl and her family/friends/etc - I was able to engage. When it dealt with militant religious tones, I disengaged. I don't like militant religions of any sort whether it's Born Again Christians and the religious zealots of the Religious Right or if it's militant Islam. Extremist POV is something that I cannot get in to and that's my failing, I'm sure.
Final score? 7 out of 10
Silver Master by Jayne Castle
The "Ghost Hunter" series by Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz is one that you know what you're going to get. They're sort of like my cotton candy. The colors might change but the flavor doesn't. I'm not saying that they read all the same as they don't but it's more that you know that there will be some sort of para-ability and there will be Guild Politics and a smoking hot guildman will be the hero with issues.
This book wasn't any different. It's a good, solid book that does the job. I don't think I'll remember it five years down the line as it simply isn't the sort of book that will stick with me. But I did enjoy it.
Final score? 8 out of 10
Child of a Dead God by Barb and JC Hendee
Before the Noble Dead series by Barb and JC Hendee, I could take or leave vampire books. But the first book in this series, Dhampir, grabbed me. Even better - it grabbed my entire family. The series starts off amazingly and it just gets better. There are spots in all the books that drag a wee bit but this one had fewer of those as you FINALLY find out some of the history into Magiere AND Leesil's creations. That they were created to be enemies, Leesil bred to kill Magiere and Magiere bred to kill the world, it was stunningly done. Now, ok, that summation sounds ridiculous but the authors do a fantastic job of making you believe it.
That's part of my problem with most of the books I don't enjoy. I can't suspend disbelief. The authors don't make me buy into the story that they're telling. I'll admit that I can be a hard sell but still... and so I rate most of these books really low when I can't believe the story (which is only fair). However, the Hendees make me suspend disbelief, make me keep reading into the night and going to work with an hour of sleep.
Part of the reason that this book series rocks so much is that it got my sister reading. It engaged her. She has ADD and dyslexia so it's hard to get her to sit down for very long to read as reading is such a tough slog for her. For these books, though, she'll read into the middle of the night and beyond. We fight over the next installment. We go to the website and devour any of the teaser bits. These books are AWESOME.
Final score? 10 out of 10
Chasing Midnight by Susan Krinard
I've always loved Susan Krinard. She has this awesome werewolf paranormal romance Prince of Wolves that is among my top 10 paranormal romance books. So I go in to every one of her books with this set of really high expectations. Unfortunately, the past few books of hers have dashed that rather miserably. I did not enjoy Chasing Midnight. It was boring, tedious and overly melodramatic. The writing was sloppy and the entire story could've done with a good edit.
Final Verdict? 4 out of 10
Lick of Forst by Laurell K. Hamilton
Oh LKH. LOL. LOLOLOLOLOL. Merry Gentry is like a bitch in heat - she gets preggers by like 4 different dudes. Catch? It's supposedly just. one. baby.
I'll give you a minute to absorb that.
Ok, you'll need another minute.
So yeah. The Last time I reviewed a LKH book, I swore off the series. This time, I'm reading just to see how bad THIS series can get and if she can break me like she did with the Anita Blake books.
Final Verdict?A surprising 4 out of 10 (because of the lulz)
Strangers in Death
JD Robb/Nora Roberts has had a few hits and a few misses. This book was definitely a hit. Most of the JD Robb books, you go along for the ride to figure out who did it. This book, you knew from the start that not only did Eve know, but YOU knew who did it. It just took awhile to figure out why and a bit longer to get the killer to justice.
One of my favorite bits of these books are the secondary characters. They're alive, fully fleshed out and awesome. They have their own lives and it's SHOWN not just told about. I <3 these books for that reason alone let alone the thousand and one reasons why Nora Roberts is awesome.
I felt awful for the victim and even worse for the victim's son who, in turn, becomes a sort of victim of his stepmother's machinations. I'm glad that Eve handled that one with care considering that she has an almost callous way of dealing with victims that play into their own victimization.
I also like that these books have moved away from romance with some mystery to mystery with a bit of romance.
Final verdict? 9 out of 10
All Night Long by Jayne Krentz
I enjoy books that I can't figure out who is committing the crimes until the last possible moment. Unfortunately, those books are few and far between. Most times, authors aren't all that subtle with dropping their clues. This book, though, did a fantastic job in keeping the killer a secret until the last possible moment. I never suspected that it was Pamela's grandfather that killed her. I thought maybe her dad, her half-brother, the assistant/pr person but never the grandfather. That right there earns this book a higher rating.
Add in that it's paced just right, keeps the suspense up without going over the top and gives you believable main characters and, well, it's certainly a highly recommended book from me.
Final Verdict? 10 out of 10
Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick
Meh. Srsly, that's the entire review. Meh. It wasn't intriguing, it dragged a bit but not enough to annoy me. It was just a book, one that I've forgotten almost completely other than "meh".
Final Verdict? 3 out of 10
The River Knows by Amanda Quick
This book has a great premise that, unfortunately, falls flat. I think it really could've done with a good editor who would've pointed out where the plot fails and had the writing tightened. Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz is definitely one of my favorite authors for romance novels but this book and the last one... IDK. Maybe she's under a lot of stress to keep pumping out an amazing number of books and, to meet that pressure, has started writing the same story with a slightly different plot line.
Whatever it is, I was disappointed by the quality of the book as it wasn't up to her normal fare. However, if you're not a big reader of the author, I'm sure you'd enjoy it more than me.
Final Verdict? 6 out of 10
The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick
This book, at least, was much better than the previous two. Not quite up to the expectations I have of her but getting there. It was enjoyable fluff, more of the cotton candy sort of book. I'm used to this series having engaging characters and a fluid background and this book almost gave me both.
Here, my problem is with the premise. No single guy would ever, in Victorian England, be able to get away with having a single female as a paid companion. The barely plastered on beard wasn't believable. With not being able to buy the premise of how these two got together, it took a lot of effort to move beyond into the story.
Final Verdict? 7 out of 10
Lie by Moonlight by Amanda Quick
After the disappointment/borderline disappointment of the previous three books, I was quite ready to hate this book. Instead, the premise is unique and the entire book MOVES. It kept me engaged and having a good time from start to finish. When you consider that the premise is that the governess of these four girls were raising them to work in a high-class whorehouse, you'll realize how much the book had to grab me to keep me there. I really don't like rentboy! or rentgirl!fics and it's no different IRL.
However, the story never devolved that far and, instead, kept me going.
Final Verdict? 9 out of 10
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 01:30 pm (UTC)Anyway, I'm just happy I found another JDRobb reader :)
no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 05:52 pm (UTC)The first few books start out more as a romance novel and less as mysteries. Though - if you like romance novels, they're not that bad :D. I got my mum into reading them and she hates romance novels.
Have you checked amazon.com? They have a ton of used copies of her books for like 2 bucks each.
And
no subject
Date: 2008-10-16 06:11 am (UTC)Also, I want to read the first few because it gives the setting of what made Eve Eve and Roarke Roarke. And the other characters as well. I'm currently nearly done with Portrait In Death. I find the book really interesting (and I'm planning to make my own pinhole camera because of it, hehe) and also because it says a lot about Roarke's mam and history, and an implication (or silent admission) of Summerset's part in the killing of his da. So, yeah. :) I've been going out of my way, going to different places, just to find her first books. They're only available on books who sell used copies. Hehe.
Really happy to have met another reader. What's the title of the new book? :)
no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 03:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 05:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 05:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 04:12 pm (UTC)♥
no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 05:12 pm (UTC)and here's where I admit that I own all of the books save maybe one or two and am slowly making my way through The Harlequin
no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 05:59 pm (UTC)They're not just pr0n, they're poorly written het that promises that it isn't a PWP but it really is. I stopped when I got so pissed that I threw the book. That lady really cannot write, whether pr0n or no.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 05:24 pm (UTC)Also, I wrote an h/d ficlet and blamed it on you. It's posted on my lj. <3
no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 06:01 pm (UTC)I read them at lunch and at various breaks at Fry's. If I didn't read, I think I would kill myself.
I read it, I just haven't commented cause I fail and suck like that. I really enjoyed it and I'm amazed that you were able to come up with that from my prompts :D but I'll leave a better comment over there --->.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 08:09 pm (UTC)lol, I fail at a lot, don't feel alone. And that's one of the reasons I like the vagueness of asking for three prompt words instead of actual prompts, it's a lot easier for me to come up with something b/c I have a lot of wiggle room. <3
no subject
Date: 2008-10-12 06:40 pm (UTC)of course it really makes no difference because the lulz are still there.
i still feel vaguely dirty from reading the books but not enough to stop reading them. Still reading the anita blake. I need to get quality literature. seriously!