Written in Red - Anne Bishop [The Others]

Written in Red - Anne Bishop [The Others]
Source: Kindle
Originally Reviewed on Goodreads: January 6, 2016
Rating: ★★★★☆

Umm... wow.

I've been a fan of Bishop's for years. I was introduced to her Black Jewels Trilogy back in 2002, and was hooked on that from page one. After I finished her first round, I went on immediately to The Pillars of the World of the Tir Alainn Trilogy, and following those, absolutely inhaled Sebastian of the Ephemera trilogy.

To say I'm a fan of Bishop's by this juncture would be a bit of an understatement. She has a distinct style that's apparent through all her books, and yet each series she produces is unique. She has either done quite a bit of research on all things Fantasy, or she's just an amazing genius.

Then again, some of the things she manages to tie together absolutely baffle me in their brilliance.

Take Meg, for instance. We quickly learn that she's got some seriously powerful blood. The kind that can make or break businesses - which is why she's running away from someone we eventually get to know as the Controller. What I wouldn't give to get behind that name and find out who our antagonist really was! But alas, he appears to be little more than a plot device. So sad.

Then we get into the fact that humans are considered little more than "meat" - at best, "monkeys." Yet somehow, this Meg manages to weasel her way into a very secretive, close community of Others. Even before they find out about her special blood, and the fact that she is very, very different from other humans. So, there's a lot to Meg. She kind of reminds me of Jarod, from The Pretender back in the day. Used and abused for her special abilities, and then used those special abilities to escape and forge a life for herself elsewhere, with a chosen family of people that would destroy everything they had built with the humans without a second thought, in order to keep her safe.

Aside from the Controller, there really didn't seem to be a clear antagonist. It's obvious that Meg is being hunted, that she has been bred/raised to cut to produce prophecy. She fought back against a system that treated her like a commodity, something to be sold. In fact, the true antagonist in this series doesn't really start to become clear until A Murder of Crows, and even then, it's very ephemeral, and you kind of have to read between the lines to get it.

I'm a picky reader. I read a lot, yes, but 90% of the books I start reading go unfinished (thank the gods for Amazon.com's sample feature!) Plus, Bishop set the bar pretty damned high with her the BJT. Her world and character building skills are second to none, and she skates the edge of the dark like one wrong step is the difference between the razor cutting and passing harmlessly over skin.

Not to Criticize, but...
Her world building in this group of books... lacking. Considering what she did years ago with the BJT, and Tir Alainn and Ephemera? It absolutely does not hold up to the intricate and delicate back and forth developed in the lands of those books. I get that this may have been simple creative license to help us focus more on the characters and events of the story - but after reading the second book, I just don't buy it. There simply wasn't nearly enough time invested in creating a world to support the story she wrote.

So far, the story seems fragmented. We do eventually start to understand the fierce protectiveness the Others feel for Meg, but it's glossed over by the characters almost as an afterthought. I mean, they're so secluded, so anti-human, and the fact that they would destroy an entire city of humans to keep her - another human - safe, doesn't seem to strike them as odd enough to give serious thought to. Very... "eh, it is what it is."


The culmination of Written in Red... what can I say? It vibrated. It resonated with something in me so hard my heart literally fluttered for a solid minute.

Seven Years - Dannika Dark [Seven]

Seven Years - Dannika Dark [Seven]

Source: Kindle

Originally Reviewed on Goodreads: January 3, 2015

Rating: ★★★★★

There is a lot I could say about this book. A ton. Really, don't doubt me. I could probably ramble all day about it. That'd involve a lot of spoilers, though, and that's not what I'm about. Not here.

What I will say is I was beyond impressed. Shifters seem to be one of those plot elements that just about every paranormal or urban fantasy author is using these days, and they can get tiring, quickly, if they're not done well. Dannika Dark has done something wonderful with the Shifter device. There's something refreshing and interesting about it that makes me want to keep reading, pick up the next book, and read some more. And more, and more, and more.

The imagery in a lot of the scenes, both intimate and not, was amazing. I don't often highlight things in fiction books, but this book is now chalk-full of them because I don't want to forget my favorite scenes, and it's not just enough to bookmark. I want to remember specific moments that took my breath away, made my heart melt, my stomach muscles clench or made me just go "awwe!"

There was one moment towards the end that had me completely melting, and absolutely jonesing for Denver's story:

Austin had warned me Denver's wolf had a vicious and unpredictable nature, one that couldn't be trusted.
Except with a six-year-old little girl who adored him.

Seriously. Read the book if only for that scene alone. For the interactions between Denver and Lexi's little sister. Fan-fucking-tastic.

The Characters

Lexi, I love. She's sharp, witty, strong - but not so strong as to be beyond reasonable. She may start off as being uber irritated with Austin, but she's not above admitting when it was good for him to show up. The mental dialogue and, well, actually most things involving her and her wolf are a total crack-up.

Austin... okay, it takes him a while. A long while. I just couldn't warm up to him, because things having to do with Lexi aside, I didn't see much of a man out of him. Not to say that's a bad thing, but he's supposed to be an Alpha. Alpha's can't be Alpha's only when there's a woman around, human or other. In general, he doesn't have much that interests me, but as a partner to Lexi, he's perfect. Just wish that wasn't all he was perfect about.

Some Notes:

Okay, I have one serious, serious gripe about this book: What's up with all of the random guys groping Lexi? I mean, it'd be one thing if it was chalked up to human guys getting caught up in the whole Heat thing, or if these random guys happened to be Shifters as well, but... throughout the book they're just random guys that happen upon Lexi and try to grope or otherwise sexually assault Lexi.

I couldn't put this one down. Seriously, it was gripping and I kept wanting to know what would happen. It had everything I wanted in a book. Despite Austin's shortcomings, his character with Lexi more than made up for it. The interactions and roles of the other characters made me crave their stories, find out what made them the people and wolves they became in Austin's pack. Anybody who enjoys books with a thick plot, supernatural elements, and lots of fun will absolutely love this.

The Coveted - Laura Thalassa [The Unearthly]

The Coveted - Laura Thalassa [The Unearthly]
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
Originally Reviewed on Goodreads: January 28, 2014
Rating: ★★★★☆

As required:
I received this book through one of the Goodreads giveaways.

Now, for the good stuff.

I haven't read the first one. Haven't even LOOKED at the first one. But after reading this, I want to. It's next on my "to buy" list.

When the "vampire" aspect was brought in, I admit I rolled my eyes - I'm not a big vampire book fan. However, Laura Thalassa definitely put a spin on the whole world that made it an enjoyable read. Seers and Witches and Fairies and... shifters? Point being, it included different types of "supernaturals" or "mythologicals" than just the requisite vampires and shifters and other "baddies" you often find. I mean hey, if you're going to go creative on one aspect of the supernatural, why not just assume they all exist as well and have as much fun as possible?

Now, while it's apparent that the heroine could be considered a young adult, this doesn't necessarily read like a YA novel, which was a VERY pleasant surprise. I find her closest friends to be a good balance for her and actually bring something to the story.

There's not a lot I can criticize about this book. I wasn't hopeful at first, but as I read I found myself engaged and unwilling to put the book down. I was worried about the relationship between Gab and Andre, but was pleasantly surprised with their interaction. For the situations they were in, the situation I picked up on them leaving just a few months ago, and for Gab's headspace, it had just the right amount of tension without going overboard and shattering that element.

I am interested in following this story futher. I want to know why the Devil is after her - and I definitely want to know about this whole "vampire/siren" thing. And what's up with the fates involvement? There are questions left unanswered that intrigue me, and I definitely want to find out more.