In the kindle store, the brave new world of self-publishing has changed everything. It is now possible for any semi-literate schlub to upload his unedited, poorly written, derivative John Sanford’esque “thriller” in about fifteen minutes flat, priced at 2.99.
So, from a veteran of the E-book revolution, some tips before you buy:
First, don’t ever pay money to buy a book from an author unknown to you without reading the sample first. Yes, this is inconvenient. However, the sample is generally 10% of the book. If the book sucks in the first 10%, it is not going to get better. It’s just not. Although, honestly, even if the sample is all right, that is no guarantee of quality. Sad to say, there are authors out there who hire someone to edit and polish only the first 10% of the book. Because that is what the prospective purchaser sees when they sample.
Second, the review system on amazon.com is almost completely broken. Five-star-reviews are often not to be trusted. Before you buy a book on the strength of 75 five-star-reviews, ask yourself the following questions: do any of those five-star-reviewers have more than one review to their credit? Do all of the reviews sound like marketing copy? Are there any one, two or three star reviews? Because if there aren’t, someone is probably gaming the system. How do we know this? Look up your favorite book in the whole world. The one that, in your opinion, exemplifies the Most Amazing Writing ever (whatever that book is.
Chances are, it has about 70% 5-star-reviews, about 20% 4, 3 & 2 star reviews, & about 10% 1 star reviews. There has not been a book written that legitimately gets only 5 star reviews. My personal favorite, To Kill a Mockingbird: 1,644 (73.9%) 5-star-reviews; 499 (22.4%) 4, 3, & 2 star reviews, & 81 (3.7%) 1-star-reviews. And this is To Kill a Mockingbird, for crying out loud. Very few books of this level of quality are published & still, 25% of its reviews are less than 5-stars.
Many authors see the review section of their books page as just another place to market their books. They enlist friends & family to provide “reviews” of their book, whether they’ve read it or not, without disclosing the bias. They set up sock puppets and review themselves. There are actually companies that will provide reviews for a fee. All of this is completely dishonest and fraudulent. You can decide for yourselves whether you want to reward this kind of behavior by sending the author your money.
Third, learn to identify publishers. It is helpful to know the names of traditional publishing companies & their genre imprints. This will help you to separate books that are traditionally published from books that are self-published. Many self-published authors understand that self-publishing does not have the best reputation right now. They are publishing their books under “publishers” that they have made up. So, if you’ve never heard of the publisher, don’t assume that it IS a publisher. I could publish a book under the “Harper Dove” imprint, and that wouldn’t mean a darned thing. Because I literally just made it up. It will also be helpful for you to know that PublishAmerica and Authorhouse are generally considered vanity publishers. They will pretty much publish anything, as long as the author pays them to do it.
Fourth, forget that you ever heard the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Because, when you are looking for kindle books, to some degree, you can judge a book by its cover. A cover that is scary, ugly, or just plain amateur hour offers a clue that the prose beneath the cover will be scary, ugly, or just plain amateur hour. The bottom line is: professional authors want their book to look professional. Yes, pretty covers are probably expensive. So are editors. So an author who can’t (or won’t) invest in a decent cover, probably can’t (or won’t) invest in editing, either. It is my vast experience that the professionalism of the cover is directly proportional to the professionalism of the prose that is contained therein.
Finally, understand this: the “slush pile” of yore is the equivalent of the dragon. It is a mythical beast that now exists only in some parallel realm. The “slush pile” has been uploaded to amazon.com, book by book, and is waiting for you there. The gatekeepers are gone, the barriers of entry have fallen. You are your own gatekeeper.
Not all self-published books are bad. Please, do not leave this thread thinking that I am telling you to never buy a self-published book. I’ve read a number of them that were darned good – very entertaining. Beautifully edited. Extremely professional. I’ve also read some that were genuinely dreadful. And, I’ve sampled and deleted more than I care to count.
Caveat Emptor applies here, in the kindle world, just like it does anywhere else. And, if I do nothing else but disabuse new kindlers of a lingering, but false, sense that all of the books that have been uploaded have undergone some sort of “quality control” process then I have done what I intended to do.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Review: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Every once in a while, I find a book that I really, really fall in love with. This is one of those books. John Green is the real deal.
Having been sucked so deeply into this book that finishing it felt like coming up for air, I find that it has continued to weigh upon me many hours later. And, yes, this book made me bawl because it was so freaking sad and beautiful, and even though I could see the end coming, that didn't stop it from being freaking sad and beautiful.
There are some things about the book that are hard to swallow. The teenagers don't talk like real teenagers -- they talk like Rory Gilmore if she had terminal cancer. They talk the way we (and they) wish teenagers talked. But, this book is so good that I can forgive the author that little conceit.
There is little to say that hasn't already been said, and I am reviewing this book only because I swore that I would review every book I read in 2012. Nothing that I can say about The Fault in Our Stars will even begin to say what I want to say as well as John Green already said it. So, I'm going to inflict a few of my favorite quotes on the readers of this review and then I am going to yell at everyone reading this review to GO READ THIS BOOK. Because this John Green guy is totally the bomb. In a pile of dross, he is the gold.
"Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said, Isaac shot me a look. "Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is."
"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you."
and last
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/but in ourselves." Easy enough to say when you're a Roman nobleman (or Shakespeare!), but there is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars.
Read this book. That is all.
Having been sucked so deeply into this book that finishing it felt like coming up for air, I find that it has continued to weigh upon me many hours later. And, yes, this book made me bawl because it was so freaking sad and beautiful, and even though I could see the end coming, that didn't stop it from being freaking sad and beautiful.
There are some things about the book that are hard to swallow. The teenagers don't talk like real teenagers -- they talk like Rory Gilmore if she had terminal cancer. They talk the way we (and they) wish teenagers talked. But, this book is so good that I can forgive the author that little conceit.
There is little to say that hasn't already been said, and I am reviewing this book only because I swore that I would review every book I read in 2012. Nothing that I can say about The Fault in Our Stars will even begin to say what I want to say as well as John Green already said it. So, I'm going to inflict a few of my favorite quotes on the readers of this review and then I am going to yell at everyone reading this review to GO READ THIS BOOK. Because this John Green guy is totally the bomb. In a pile of dross, he is the gold.
"Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said, Isaac shot me a look. "Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is."
"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you."
and last
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/but in ourselves." Easy enough to say when you're a Roman nobleman (or Shakespeare!), but there is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars.
Read this book. That is all.
New author: Kristen Ashley
Well, I've already posted three reviews for Kristen Ashley books -- The Gamble, Sweet Dreams and Lady Luck. Since then, I've read a few more. Since I am 12 reviews behind, & I just can't stand the thought of doing full reviews for all five of these books, I'm going to do a quick and dirty summary/comparison of them.
The KA formula: attractive heroine who has been smacked around by life meets alpha male, probably with law enforcement/commando/bounty hunter/military background and commitment issues, they have lots of good sex, she falls in love, he falls in love, for some reason neither of them (but especially him) can admit it, someone kidnaps the heroine because he is going to kill her/rape her/get back at the hero, hero rescues her & they live happily ever after. Add in a crazy ex-wife or a couple of kids or mafia connections or something like that, lather, rinse, repeat.
The formula works. Sometimes better than others.
Since then, I've also read:
This is a sort of a tribute to The Game of Thrones story of Daenerys & the barbarian warlord. A lot of my compadres on the amazon forums loved this book. I found it utterly mediocre, however. Kristen Ashley does one thing very well -- the contemporary romance with the alpha male hero. Her formula did not translate well to the fantasy setting.
Also:
This was was not my favorite. I really didn't much like the H, Hawk, and I thought that the h, Gwen was a bit of an idiot. I was pulling for her to end up with Mitch Lawson, who is apparently going to get his own book. This would violate the formula, and is clearly not an acceptable resolution, therefore, it is not going to happen.
And:
This one was good, I thought. The formula worked well. I really liked the Hero & really, really liked the heroine. Tess may be my favorite heroine of all of the Ashley books I've read. She owns a bakery & is straight forward and sweet. There is a crazy ex-wife who is a gold digging slut, and a pair of great kids. All in all, a good one.
Two more:
This one is so formula, it defines the formula. It is over the top. Joe, the hero, is monumentally alpha. He's also kind of a dickhead. Add to this a villain who is pure nuts, who has murdered Vi's husband, and is basically a mob killer. We have the obligatory dumping by Joe, and the required kidnapping of Violet. Again, I was sort of hoping for Violet to dump Joe & go for Mike Haines. Again, this would violate the formula. But, Joe was no way good enough for Violet. Again, I had issues with this one.
Finally,
This one was actually a little bit different. In Rock Chick, the hero pursues and the heroine plays hard to get. It had potential, but the heroine, Indy, was so bloody annoying that it just didn't work for me. However, because it had potential, I am going to give the rest of the Rock Chick books a try.
The KA formula: attractive heroine who has been smacked around by life meets alpha male, probably with law enforcement/commando/bounty hunter/military background and commitment issues, they have lots of good sex, she falls in love, he falls in love, for some reason neither of them (but especially him) can admit it, someone kidnaps the heroine because he is going to kill her/rape her/get back at the hero, hero rescues her & they live happily ever after. Add in a crazy ex-wife or a couple of kids or mafia connections or something like that, lather, rinse, repeat.
The formula works. Sometimes better than others.
Since then, I've also read:
This is a sort of a tribute to The Game of Thrones story of Daenerys & the barbarian warlord. A lot of my compadres on the amazon forums loved this book. I found it utterly mediocre, however. Kristen Ashley does one thing very well -- the contemporary romance with the alpha male hero. Her formula did not translate well to the fantasy setting.
Also:
This was was not my favorite. I really didn't much like the H, Hawk, and I thought that the h, Gwen was a bit of an idiot. I was pulling for her to end up with Mitch Lawson, who is apparently going to get his own book. This would violate the formula, and is clearly not an acceptable resolution, therefore, it is not going to happen.
And:
This one was good, I thought. The formula worked well. I really liked the Hero & really, really liked the heroine. Tess may be my favorite heroine of all of the Ashley books I've read. She owns a bakery & is straight forward and sweet. There is a crazy ex-wife who is a gold digging slut, and a pair of great kids. All in all, a good one.
Two more:
This one is so formula, it defines the formula. It is over the top. Joe, the hero, is monumentally alpha. He's also kind of a dickhead. Add to this a villain who is pure nuts, who has murdered Vi's husband, and is basically a mob killer. We have the obligatory dumping by Joe, and the required kidnapping of Violet. Again, I was sort of hoping for Violet to dump Joe & go for Mike Haines. Again, this would violate the formula. But, Joe was no way good enough for Violet. Again, I had issues with this one.
Finally,
This one was actually a little bit different. In Rock Chick, the hero pursues and the heroine plays hard to get. It had potential, but the heroine, Indy, was so bloody annoying that it just didn't work for me. However, because it had potential, I am going to give the rest of the Rock Chick books a try.
Review: Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
I finished reading this:
Although it was a bit of a struggle. Just not very good.
REVIEW (2 stars):
Dystopian is where it is at with Young Adult fiction these days, and this book attempts, without much success, to jump on that bandwagon.
This book is deeply, deeply flawed. That's actually too nice. It is really bad. Let me count the ways.
First off, I do not have any problem willingly suspending disbelief when it comes to fiction. However, if I am going to suspend my disbelief, then the author has an obligation not to insult my intelligence. This book insults my intelligence. There is a massive, monumental, devastating climate change that goes literally unexplained for all three-hundred-odd pages. Weather patterns have changed. In a mere five years, summer has stopped being summer and has become "The Big Wet." Things are submerged. Parts of the U.S. have apparently simply disappeared into the ocean.
Yet, all of this climactic activity has, apparently, no explanation at all. I guess that the polar ice caps have melted. Unfortunately, this is an event that takes half a millenium (or at least a couple of decades) to impact the climate. And we are to believe that all of this happened in less than five years? For this reader, at least, by page 70, I was done (the final straw came at the point that the author had Mt. St. Helen's erupting and burying my hometown of Portland, Oregon, in ash and molten rock. Portland is 70 miles from Mt. St. Helen's, it has erupted in my lifetime, and there was no burying of Portland in ash & molten rock. Part of writing a book is researching it, and part of researching would involve looking at a map, or reading about the actual eruption that occurred in 1980.) There is no reason that melting polar ice caps would cause volcanic eruptions. No scientific reason at all.
This, however, is a small thing when the real problem is the ridiculous story of the virus that ate humanity, which is apparently a version of smallpox. And yet, the author kills off the precise population that would have been immune to smallpox from their childhood vaccinations and has the teenagers survive. It is fine for an author to take some creative license. But when an author uses an actual disease for which people were actually vaccinated 50 years ago, but aren't today, having some of the teens live and pretty much all of the middle-aged ones die is ridiculous. Just wanting to write about remarkably attractive teens living in a devastated world with no parents is no excuse for sloppy plotting. Since I don't want to post spoilers, I'm not even going to get started on the enormous, gaping, quantum-mechanic-esque black hole that is at the center of the whole conflict/villain aspect of the book.
In the end, I'm giving this book 2-stars only because it has obviously been professionally edited, which at this point in history is something that a reader can't take for granted. However, in all other respects, it was an altogether unpleasant stew. I am left wondering what Scholastic was thinking in publishing this one, when there are so many others out there that are better.
Although it was a bit of a struggle. Just not very good.
REVIEW (2 stars):
Dystopian is where it is at with Young Adult fiction these days, and this book attempts, without much success, to jump on that bandwagon.
This book is deeply, deeply flawed. That's actually too nice. It is really bad. Let me count the ways.
First off, I do not have any problem willingly suspending disbelief when it comes to fiction. However, if I am going to suspend my disbelief, then the author has an obligation not to insult my intelligence. This book insults my intelligence. There is a massive, monumental, devastating climate change that goes literally unexplained for all three-hundred-odd pages. Weather patterns have changed. In a mere five years, summer has stopped being summer and has become "The Big Wet." Things are submerged. Parts of the U.S. have apparently simply disappeared into the ocean.
Yet, all of this climactic activity has, apparently, no explanation at all. I guess that the polar ice caps have melted. Unfortunately, this is an event that takes half a millenium (or at least a couple of decades) to impact the climate. And we are to believe that all of this happened in less than five years? For this reader, at least, by page 70, I was done (the final straw came at the point that the author had Mt. St. Helen's erupting and burying my hometown of Portland, Oregon, in ash and molten rock. Portland is 70 miles from Mt. St. Helen's, it has erupted in my lifetime, and there was no burying of Portland in ash & molten rock. Part of writing a book is researching it, and part of researching would involve looking at a map, or reading about the actual eruption that occurred in 1980.) There is no reason that melting polar ice caps would cause volcanic eruptions. No scientific reason at all.
This, however, is a small thing when the real problem is the ridiculous story of the virus that ate humanity, which is apparently a version of smallpox. And yet, the author kills off the precise population that would have been immune to smallpox from their childhood vaccinations and has the teenagers survive. It is fine for an author to take some creative license. But when an author uses an actual disease for which people were actually vaccinated 50 years ago, but aren't today, having some of the teens live and pretty much all of the middle-aged ones die is ridiculous. Just wanting to write about remarkably attractive teens living in a devastated world with no parents is no excuse for sloppy plotting. Since I don't want to post spoilers, I'm not even going to get started on the enormous, gaping, quantum-mechanic-esque black hole that is at the center of the whole conflict/villain aspect of the book.
In the end, I'm giving this book 2-stars only because it has obviously been professionally edited, which at this point in history is something that a reader can't take for granted. However, in all other respects, it was an altogether unpleasant stew. I am left wondering what Scholastic was thinking in publishing this one, when there are so many others out there that are better.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Books I am behind
I owe reviews for:
Golden Dynasty, by Kristen Ashley
Mystery Man, by Kristen Ashley
Rock Chick, by Kristen Ashley
and
Promises Keep, by Sarah McCarty
Promises Prevail, by Sarah McCarty
Golden Dynasty, by Kristen Ashley
Mystery Man, by Kristen Ashley
Rock Chick, by Kristen Ashley
and
Promises Keep, by Sarah McCarty
Promises Prevail, by Sarah McCarty
Review: Lady Luck by Kristen Ashley
So, I've now finished a total of 6 Kristen Ashley books, & I am pretty much done for a while. I will be posting reviews for the other three over the next few days, but this one is for:
REVIEW (3 1/2 stars):
This is the third Kristen Ashley book that I have read, and is probably my least favorite of the three. This doesn't mean that I didn't like it, but reading three of them in a row really highlighted Ms. Ashley's weaknesses as an author.
First for the strengths, though. The two protagonists of Lady Luck are younger than the protagonists in the first two books I read (The Gamble and Sweet Dreams). I thought that Ms. Ashley captured them very well, and I enjoyed getting to know Ty and Lexie, and I enjoyed the further adventures of the Carnal, Colorado crowd. Both Ty and Lexie are interesting in that they have both experienced more than their fair share of the bad side of life, and as a reader, I was rooting for them find happiness. There is no doubt but that they deserved it. As always, the plot was fun, convoluted and fast moving. The secondary characters were great.
Now, for the weaknesses. I understand from Ms. Ashley's blog and from what I have read about her that she writes fast, and gets her books uploaded at light speed. This makes for, at times, writing that is rough and choppy. She has a casual, breezy style that is mostly enjoyable, but sometimes veers into annoying. I do not get the sense that she does a lot of editing to her work, and, while this breezy style is sometimes charming, it can also grate at times.
In addition, Lexie's constant description of things -- whatever they were -- costing "a whack" grew tedious. Actually, in general, the extremely materialistic bent of each and every heroine so far has grown tedious. While I've not yet reviewed them, I've also read Mystery Man, Rock Chick and Golden Dynasty, and the heroine's obsession with *stuff* has been a constant in each of these books. Lexie was not my least favorite heroine (I'm going with Indy for this title), but, just once, could she write a heroine who isn't totally clothing obsessed? Her heroine's definitely tend towards shallow, which is not a strength so far as I am concerned. And, while I'm at it, could we get through a book without having the heroine kidnapped by an insane bad guy?
Nonetheless, with the exception of Golden Dynasty, I have enjoyed her books. Although, at this point, it is definitely time to take a break from the Ashley formula. If amazon would let me give 1/2 stars, this would be a 3 1/2 star read, but since they don't, I'm rounding up.
REVIEW (3 1/2 stars):
This is the third Kristen Ashley book that I have read, and is probably my least favorite of the three. This doesn't mean that I didn't like it, but reading three of them in a row really highlighted Ms. Ashley's weaknesses as an author.
First for the strengths, though. The two protagonists of Lady Luck are younger than the protagonists in the first two books I read (The Gamble and Sweet Dreams). I thought that Ms. Ashley captured them very well, and I enjoyed getting to know Ty and Lexie, and I enjoyed the further adventures of the Carnal, Colorado crowd. Both Ty and Lexie are interesting in that they have both experienced more than their fair share of the bad side of life, and as a reader, I was rooting for them find happiness. There is no doubt but that they deserved it. As always, the plot was fun, convoluted and fast moving. The secondary characters were great.
Now, for the weaknesses. I understand from Ms. Ashley's blog and from what I have read about her that she writes fast, and gets her books uploaded at light speed. This makes for, at times, writing that is rough and choppy. She has a casual, breezy style that is mostly enjoyable, but sometimes veers into annoying. I do not get the sense that she does a lot of editing to her work, and, while this breezy style is sometimes charming, it can also grate at times.
In addition, Lexie's constant description of things -- whatever they were -- costing "a whack" grew tedious. Actually, in general, the extremely materialistic bent of each and every heroine so far has grown tedious. While I've not yet reviewed them, I've also read Mystery Man, Rock Chick and Golden Dynasty, and the heroine's obsession with *stuff* has been a constant in each of these books. Lexie was not my least favorite heroine (I'm going with Indy for this title), but, just once, could she write a heroine who isn't totally clothing obsessed? Her heroine's definitely tend towards shallow, which is not a strength so far as I am concerned. And, while I'm at it, could we get through a book without having the heroine kidnapped by an insane bad guy?
Nonetheless, with the exception of Golden Dynasty, I have enjoyed her books. Although, at this point, it is definitely time to take a break from the Ashley formula. If amazon would let me give 1/2 stars, this would be a 3 1/2 star read, but since they don't, I'm rounding up.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
What I'm Reading Today
So, I am about 80% through with
which is the third in a series of Western historical romances that are extremely steamy, but not very historically accurate. There have been more than a few eye-rolling moments. High entertainment, though. And I'm certainly not struggling to finish the book.
I am also still bogged down in
and for some reason I have a really hard time DNF'ing a book. Although at this point, I am at 81%, and I've committed so much time to it that there is no way I'm not going to finish it. It's not like Agents of Innocence is a bad book. It is just not really what I want to be reading, and it drags. It started with a bang -- a bombing -- but since then, it has been lots of spycraft, but not the derring-do kind of spycraft. The recruiting agents, building relationships, long-term intelligence kind of spycraft. Jason Bourne is not in this book. So, I WILL finish it, and I WILL finish it this week, but dang, it is a bit of a slog.
I am also reading
and I am at 18%. I am sure hoping that it picks up speed. It is a YA dystopian book in a post-avian-flu-wiped-out-99%-of-humanity-world. I don't really understand the whole "climate change" aspect of the book, since the likelihood of a major health catastrophe coupled with a global catastrophe that puts much of the Eastern Seabord under water seems, well, farfetched. But then again, I suppose that the end of the world as we know it will seem farfetched if it happens.
which is the third in a series of Western historical romances that are extremely steamy, but not very historically accurate. There have been more than a few eye-rolling moments. High entertainment, though. And I'm certainly not struggling to finish the book.
I am also still bogged down in
and for some reason I have a really hard time DNF'ing a book. Although at this point, I am at 81%, and I've committed so much time to it that there is no way I'm not going to finish it. It's not like Agents of Innocence is a bad book. It is just not really what I want to be reading, and it drags. It started with a bang -- a bombing -- but since then, it has been lots of spycraft, but not the derring-do kind of spycraft. The recruiting agents, building relationships, long-term intelligence kind of spycraft. Jason Bourne is not in this book. So, I WILL finish it, and I WILL finish it this week, but dang, it is a bit of a slog.
I am also reading
and I am at 18%. I am sure hoping that it picks up speed. It is a YA dystopian book in a post-avian-flu-wiped-out-99%-of-humanity-world. I don't really understand the whole "climate change" aspect of the book, since the likelihood of a major health catastrophe coupled with a global catastrophe that puts much of the Eastern Seabord under water seems, well, farfetched. But then again, I suppose that the end of the world as we know it will seem farfetched if it happens.
Review: Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley
Review (4 stars):
Sweet Dreams is the second of the Colorado Mountain series, and was the second book that I read after discovering her books through the Amazon romance forums, where she is very popular. In the last week, I have read all three of the Colorado Mountain series -- The Gamble, Sweet Dreams, and Lady Luck.
The upside: Kristen Ashley writes highly immersive books. She seriously sucked me in deep. Sweet Dreams is not set in Gnaw Bone, the town where The Gamble is set. It is set in Carnal, Colorado, Gnaw Bone's rough-around-the-edges neighbor and biker town. The heroine, Lauren, is extremely likeable -- a woman who has been scorned by her husband, betrayed by her best friend, a little overweight and a lot disillusioned, looking for a home. Tatum Jackson, the hero, is Ashley's best male character so far -- strong and protective. The romance between the two of them is completely believable. The secondary characters in this book are, as they were in each of the three Ashley books I read, wonderful and well-developed. There is a lot going on in Sweet Dreams, including family drama, ex-husband drama, ex-girlfriend drama, rape, murder and police corruption. It is flat-out a great story.
The downside: However, Ashley's strengths as a writer, in some ways, also represent a weakness, because this book, like the three others was bloated and badly in need of trimming. There are certain aspects to each of these books that are downright irritating. In Sweet Dreams, again, the descriptions of Laurie's clothing just about killed me. Description can be good. It brings the reader into the writer's world. Ms. Ashley took this to an extreme. She described clothing, right down to the underwear, bracelets and other accessories, hair, furniture, shoes, boots, shopping trips, landscapes, restaurant meals, and anything else that might be even remotely relevant, in excruciating detail. I got to the point that as soon as a paragraph relating to someone's attire began, I skimmed through it. This is not a good thing -- it pulled me out of the story. And Sweet Dreams is a really great story.
From a technical perspective, Ms. Ashley also could really use the services of a good proofreader and editor. I am not especially sensitive to typographical errors, but this is a common complaint with respect to her books. However, I am sensitive to clunky language, and Ms. Ashley does have a problem with clunky language. I can totally see how a reader would find it difficult to read any of Ms. Ashley's books if technical deficiences really bother them.
So, to sum up: the strengths of this book were in the plotting and the characterizations. The weaknesses were in the overblown descriptive detail and sometimes clunky language. This would be a stronger book if it were between 50 and 100 pages shorter, and if someone knowledgeable took an editor's pencil to it. Overall, though, I genuinely enjoyed it.
Review: The Mugger by Ed McBain
REVIEW (4 stars):
I really enjoyed this book, so I am pleased that there are 54 more of them available. Recently, 35 of these 87th Precinct mysteries were the Kindle Daily Deal. Which means that I bought 35 books for $35.00. Which is a bargain by any reasonable measure.
The Mugger is the second of the 87th Precinct books, and was published in 1953.. At the time that this book was written, fingerprinting existed, but modern forensics had not yet been fully developed. There was no DNA evidence. No fiber comparisons. Crime scene photography was in its infancy. Nonetheless, scientific evidence did exist, and Ed McBain relied upon in telling the story of this investigation. Because although police officers, especially detectives, relied primarily upon witness interviews and street sense to solve crimes, often it was street sense that solved crimes, and science that confirmed the truth of the solution.
The Mugger is two intertwined crime stories. The first is the investigation into the title character -- the mugger -- a man who assaults women while he robs them, completing his crime by bowing and saying "Clifford thanks you, madam.". The second is the murder of a very troubled young woman which is attributed to the mugger, although it is way outside of his usual signature.
In many ways, The Mugger reminded me of Homicide, Life on the Street, one of the best television shows ever produced for American television. The Mugger is more than the sum of its parts, it is more than a crime story. It is an introduction into Ed McBain's world, the world of Isola, the mythical city of the 87th Precinct, of patrolman Bert Kling, 24 years old and fresh out of the Korean conflict, of men who work hard and solve crimes. As Baltimore became a character in Homicide, so Isola becomes a character in The Mugger. McBain is an old school author, who writes clear, occasionally surprisingly lyrical, prose, and tells a good story.
Review: The Gamble by Kristen Ashley
I have several reviews to write, and several to post, so I'll get started with:
REVIEW: 4 stars
Kristen Ashley writes highly immersive romantic fiction. The Gamble is the first of the Colorado Mountain series, and was the first Kristen Ashley book that I read after discovering her books through the Amazon romance forums, where she is very popular. In the last week, I have read all three of the Colorado Mountain series -- The Gamble, Sweet Dreams, and Lady Luck.
The upside: When I say that she writes immersive books, I really mean it. These books suck a reader in deep. In The Gamble, the main character, Nina, has traveled half-way around the world, from England, for a "timeout" from her English fiance. She arrives only to find her rental occupied by its owner, Max, immediately becomes extremely ill with the flu, and the story is off and running. Ms. Ashley packs her books full. There are a lot of characters, and there is a lot going on with all of the characters. The secondary characters are well-described and contain depth. I think that this is why her books are addictive -- Gnaw Bone, Colorado, (great name, by the way) feels very real. Everyone, from Nina and Max, to Mindy, Damon, and Bitsy, feels complete. Heck, even the dead guy has been more completely developed that the secondary characters in a lot of novels. I suspect that Ms. Ashley could answer any question, no matter how random, about just about any of her characters. These are tremendous strengths.
The downside: However, this strength, in some ways, also represents a weakness, because each of the three books that I read were bloated and badly in need of trimming. There are certain aspects to each of these backs that are downright irritating. In the Gamble, in particular, the descriptions of Nina's clothing just about killed me. If I had to read one more description relating to the neckline of Nina's sexy top, I thought that I might scream. Description can be good. It brings the reader into the writer's world. Ms. Ashley has taken this to an extreme. She describes clothing, hair, furniture, shoes, boots, shopping trips, landscapes, restaurant meals, and anything else that might be even remotely relevant, in excruciating detail. I got to the point that as soon as a paragraph relating to someone's attire began, I skimmed through it. This is not a good thing -- it pulled me out of the story. And it was a really great story.
The second complaint I have about The Gamble is that I really hated Nina's mother. She was intended to be quirky and fun, but, in the end, she was just extraordinarily annoying. Anyone with a mother that was that intrusive, that overdone, that flaky and irritating, would have been driven batty in short order.
From a technical perspective, Ms. Ashley also could really use the services of a good proofreader and editor. I am not especially sensitive to typographical errors, but this is a common complaint with respect to her books. However, I am sensitive to clunky language, and Ms. Ashley does have a problem with clunky language.
So, to sum up: the strengths of this book were in the plotting and the characterizations. The weaknesses were in the overblown descriptive detail and sometimes clunky language. This would be a stronger book if it were between 50 and 100 pages shorter, and if someone knowledgeable took an editor's pencil to it. Overall, though, I genuinely enjoyed it.
REVIEW: 4 stars
Kristen Ashley writes highly immersive romantic fiction. The Gamble is the first of the Colorado Mountain series, and was the first Kristen Ashley book that I read after discovering her books through the Amazon romance forums, where she is very popular. In the last week, I have read all three of the Colorado Mountain series -- The Gamble, Sweet Dreams, and Lady Luck.
The upside: When I say that she writes immersive books, I really mean it. These books suck a reader in deep. In The Gamble, the main character, Nina, has traveled half-way around the world, from England, for a "timeout" from her English fiance. She arrives only to find her rental occupied by its owner, Max, immediately becomes extremely ill with the flu, and the story is off and running. Ms. Ashley packs her books full. There are a lot of characters, and there is a lot going on with all of the characters. The secondary characters are well-described and contain depth. I think that this is why her books are addictive -- Gnaw Bone, Colorado, (great name, by the way) feels very real. Everyone, from Nina and Max, to Mindy, Damon, and Bitsy, feels complete. Heck, even the dead guy has been more completely developed that the secondary characters in a lot of novels. I suspect that Ms. Ashley could answer any question, no matter how random, about just about any of her characters. These are tremendous strengths.
The downside: However, this strength, in some ways, also represents a weakness, because each of the three books that I read were bloated and badly in need of trimming. There are certain aspects to each of these backs that are downright irritating. In the Gamble, in particular, the descriptions of Nina's clothing just about killed me. If I had to read one more description relating to the neckline of Nina's sexy top, I thought that I might scream. Description can be good. It brings the reader into the writer's world. Ms. Ashley has taken this to an extreme. She describes clothing, hair, furniture, shoes, boots, shopping trips, landscapes, restaurant meals, and anything else that might be even remotely relevant, in excruciating detail. I got to the point that as soon as a paragraph relating to someone's attire began, I skimmed through it. This is not a good thing -- it pulled me out of the story. And it was a really great story.
The second complaint I have about The Gamble is that I really hated Nina's mother. She was intended to be quirky and fun, but, in the end, she was just extraordinarily annoying. Anyone with a mother that was that intrusive, that overdone, that flaky and irritating, would have been driven batty in short order.
From a technical perspective, Ms. Ashley also could really use the services of a good proofreader and editor. I am not especially sensitive to typographical errors, but this is a common complaint with respect to her books. However, I am sensitive to clunky language, and Ms. Ashley does have a problem with clunky language.
So, to sum up: the strengths of this book were in the plotting and the characterizations. The weaknesses were in the overblown descriptive detail and sometimes clunky language. This would be a stronger book if it were between 50 and 100 pages shorter, and if someone knowledgeable took an editor's pencil to it. Overall, though, I genuinely enjoyed it.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Review: Promises Linger by Sarah McCarty
I picked this one up for 5.99 after seeing it recommended on amazon's romance forum, & I am glad I did. Really good, really hot romance. Sarah McCarty's characters have chemistry. This is not your mother's romance -- & mom, if you read this -- you don't want to add this book to your kindle. It will make you blush!
REVIEW (4 1/2 stars):
I love Western Romance, although I read far less of it than Regency & Medieval Romance. Sarah McCarty, with this single book, has convinced me that I need to read more of it.
I loved this book. The characters are wonderful. Asa, the hero, is a hot gunslinger in a cowboy hat. He is all honor and protectiveness and is pure alpha male to the bone. Elizabeth, the heroine, hasn't met too many men like Asa. He's the real deal. The ones she's known in the past were fool's gold.
The book begins with Elizabeth in a tavern, where Asa gets her out of a rather significant scrape. He agrees to marry her on the strength of a few minutes meeting. She needs a husband to save her ranch. He has been feeling a yen for a wife, and some children, and wants to settle down on his own spread. The rest of the book chronicles the rather delicate dance of building a marriage between these two. Elizabeth has major trust issues, and was educated at a finishing school back east, so she has some pretty set (read: silly) ideas about what it means to be "ladylike." Asa has a heart of gold, is fascinated by his pretty wife, and plans to protect her with all of his not inconsiderable strength..
What sets this book apart from other western romance is the building of this relationship. This book is hot. There is a great deal of graphic, erotic sex in Promises Linger. If you like your romances sweet and clean, this is definitely not the book for you. Asa is imaginative in bed (and a number of other places, as well) and is intent upon satisfying his woman. Sometimes it does devolve into a tiny bit of farce -- having ridden a horse before, the thought of engaging in marital relations on horseback made me giggle a bit -- when I wasn't savoring the passion between these two characters. They have real chemistry.
I also really enjoyed the story. Sarah McCarty took a rather careworn plot -- the marriage of necessity -- and made it fresh and new. I loved the two secondary characters of Clint and Cougar, and am delighted to see that they each received their own books. Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy the follow-ups right now. But payday is a mere week away.
REVIEW (4 1/2 stars):
I love Western Romance, although I read far less of it than Regency & Medieval Romance. Sarah McCarty, with this single book, has convinced me that I need to read more of it.
I loved this book. The characters are wonderful. Asa, the hero, is a hot gunslinger in a cowboy hat. He is all honor and protectiveness and is pure alpha male to the bone. Elizabeth, the heroine, hasn't met too many men like Asa. He's the real deal. The ones she's known in the past were fool's gold.
The book begins with Elizabeth in a tavern, where Asa gets her out of a rather significant scrape. He agrees to marry her on the strength of a few minutes meeting. She needs a husband to save her ranch. He has been feeling a yen for a wife, and some children, and wants to settle down on his own spread. The rest of the book chronicles the rather delicate dance of building a marriage between these two. Elizabeth has major trust issues, and was educated at a finishing school back east, so she has some pretty set (read: silly) ideas about what it means to be "ladylike." Asa has a heart of gold, is fascinated by his pretty wife, and plans to protect her with all of his not inconsiderable strength..
What sets this book apart from other western romance is the building of this relationship. This book is hot. There is a great deal of graphic, erotic sex in Promises Linger. If you like your romances sweet and clean, this is definitely not the book for you. Asa is imaginative in bed (and a number of other places, as well) and is intent upon satisfying his woman. Sometimes it does devolve into a tiny bit of farce -- having ridden a horse before, the thought of engaging in marital relations on horseback made me giggle a bit -- when I wasn't savoring the passion between these two characters. They have real chemistry.
I also really enjoyed the story. Sarah McCarty took a rather careworn plot -- the marriage of necessity -- and made it fresh and new. I loved the two secondary characters of Clint and Cougar, and am delighted to see that they each received their own books. Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy the follow-ups right now. But payday is a mere week away.
Final Catch-Up: Double Edge
The final catch-up post for the blog! I picked this one up as a holiday freebie. Robert Walker had a huge list of his books available for free.
REVIEW (3 stars):
This was my first Robert Walker book, although I have downloaded a number of others to my kindle. In spite of the weaknesses of this book, I expect that I will try a few others.
On the plus side, the book was free. It was also interesting, and fairly well written. There were few typographical errors. The story made sense and did not contain multiple plot holes or other issues. I found it sufficiently entertaining that I didn't quit reading. Lucas Stonecoat, the main character, is Native American and I quite enjoyed the explanation of his backstory and history.
However, I found some fairly substantial negatives. First and foremost, I found the dialogue contrived, wooden and unconvincing. This presented a major problem for me, as it frequently pulled me out of the story. In addition, the relatiionship between the two main characters, Lucas and Meredyth, was not believable to me. Not because they were poorly matched, but because they are obviously attracted to one another, and Meredyth's professed reasons for not pursuing the attraction made her seem shallow and unlikeable. I don't think that the author intended her to be shallow and unlikeable.
I don't know how much of the negative impression is related to the fact that this book involved a great deal of psychic detection. I really didn't like that aspect of the story. I am a fan of the police procedural, which is what I expected when I picked up the book, so the whole pyschic angle turned me off. I felt that it provided a cheap and easy solution to what would have been a complex and difficult investigation. A different reader may feel very differently about this aspect of the book.
It is certainly not my intention to pan the book. I picked the book up for free & it is the second of the series. I wonder if I would have felt differently about it had I not jumped into the series at midpoint. I am interested enough in Lucas Stonecoat that I plan to buy the first book in his series.
I would recommend this book for fans of John Sanford's Lucas Davenport series.
REVIEW (3 stars):
This was my first Robert Walker book, although I have downloaded a number of others to my kindle. In spite of the weaknesses of this book, I expect that I will try a few others.
On the plus side, the book was free. It was also interesting, and fairly well written. There were few typographical errors. The story made sense and did not contain multiple plot holes or other issues. I found it sufficiently entertaining that I didn't quit reading. Lucas Stonecoat, the main character, is Native American and I quite enjoyed the explanation of his backstory and history.
However, I found some fairly substantial negatives. First and foremost, I found the dialogue contrived, wooden and unconvincing. This presented a major problem for me, as it frequently pulled me out of the story. In addition, the relatiionship between the two main characters, Lucas and Meredyth, was not believable to me. Not because they were poorly matched, but because they are obviously attracted to one another, and Meredyth's professed reasons for not pursuing the attraction made her seem shallow and unlikeable. I don't think that the author intended her to be shallow and unlikeable.
I don't know how much of the negative impression is related to the fact that this book involved a great deal of psychic detection. I really didn't like that aspect of the story. I am a fan of the police procedural, which is what I expected when I picked up the book, so the whole pyschic angle turned me off. I felt that it provided a cheap and easy solution to what would have been a complex and difficult investigation. A different reader may feel very differently about this aspect of the book.
It is certainly not my intention to pan the book. I picked the book up for free & it is the second of the series. I wonder if I would have felt differently about it had I not jumped into the series at midpoint. I am interested enough in Lucas Stonecoat that I plan to buy the first book in his series.
I would recommend this book for fans of John Sanford's Lucas Davenport series.
More Catch-Up: Tairen Soul Series
I am inclined to shove all of the reviews for this entire series into a single post. I read the whole five book series, by C.L. Wilson, at a rather extraordinary clip, as I was on vacation, and they were amazing! I am a fan of romantic fantasy, & this series is the exact reason I love it so much -- deeply romantic, gorgeously written, hot Heroes, & magic! What woman could ask for more in a romance?
Book One is Lord of the Fading Lands:
Gorgeous freaking cover, by the way! All of the books in this series have beautiful covers.
REVIEW (4 1/2 stars):
As an active reader of the community forums, I had seen many recommendations for this series before I picked up this book for my kindle. It took me a while to work this book to the top of the reading list. Once I started it, I could not turn off the darned device, reading late into the night to get to the end. Since I finished this book, I have bought the rest of the series, which I am holding at the top of my reading list for my vacation, beginning tomorrow. I am over the moon with excitement at the prospect of immersing myself in Wilson's world again.
Fantasy, even romantic fantasy, is a crowded genre. So, why would a reader pick this book over others? I would call this book superior in a couple of areas. First, the world building is interesting. This is not another urban fantasy series, set in an alternate U.S. city. Don't get me wrong, I love UF, but the market is flooded with it. This is genuine fantasy, with a completely separate world. I liked the world, and even more, I liked the mystery. Even at the end of this book, I have very little idea what the Fading Lands genuinely look like. The author has allowed the world to unfold at a leisurely pace, and allows the reader to learn about the world as things become important. I always find myself enjoying "immersive" fantasy much more than "explicative" fantasy.
I also like the heroine, Ellysetta. She has secrets, and these are secrets that she herself doesn't even fully understand. With this first book, it is clear that there is much, much more to her story. I cannot wait to find out the rest. C.L. Wilson has beautifully crafted a story that provides both suspense and anticipation. And, of course, the Hero, Rain, is delectable, or, as one of the characters in the book put it, "magnificent."
This book comes very close to being a five star read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and highly recommend it.
Book 2 of the Series is called Lady of Light and Shadows:
REVIEW (4 1/2 stars):
Lady of Light and Shadows is the second of the presently 5 book Tairen Souls series. In the last two weeks, I have read the entire series from beginning to end, losing myself in the world of the Fading Lands and the Fey. I cannot praise this whole series highly enough.
This second book is a transition book. When it begins, truemates Rain and Ellysetta are still in Celieria City, and are still struggling to get through the wedding ceremony that Elly's mother and father are demanding. There is a great deal of tension in this book, and the fate of their wedding remains poised on the razor's edge until the very end of the book. It is actually possible to stop reading this series after this book, although I cannot personally imagine why anyone would want to stop.
I am not going to provide a plot synopsis, because the product description does that well enough, and I don't want to inadvertently spoil the book for anyone. I read a lot of high fantasy, and I genuinely love the world that C.L. Wilson built. Her magic is fascinating, with the weaving of the 4 elements of earth, air, fire and water and the 2 elements of spirit. Ellysetta begins to come into her own in this book, and will eventually leave behind the gawky woodcutter's daughter persona that has defined her for these two books. Rain is a marvelous hero, strong, protective, and deeply loving. I love the concept of truemating, and the mate bond. This is absolutely one of the most romantic books I have ever read. The courtship scenes between Rain and Ellie are beautiful.
Wilson's writing is also beautiful. She has a talent for figurative language that is compelling without being annoying. The only tiny little criticism of these books is her constant description of the twin's hair as being "mink brown." And, actually, I am generally annoyed by Elly's twin sisters Lillis and Lorelle. While they are only children, they are two of the most annoying children ever put to paper in fiction. However, as I said, this is a small criticism and did not impair my enjoyment of the book at all.
The only advice I have to give relating to this book is that anyone who begins it had better have an extra $25.00 laying around so that you can buy the next three books in the series. Because you are going to want them in your hand before you finish the Lady of Light and Shadows.
Book 3: The King of Sword and Sky.
REVIEW: (4 1/2 stars):
King of Sword and Sky is the third of the presently 5 book Tairen Souls series. In the last two weeks, I have read the entire series from beginning to end, losing myself in the world of the Fading Lands and the Fey. As a whole, I cannot praise this whole series highly enough.
This book begins the second cycle of the series. Rain and Elly are wed, and intend to return to The Fading Lands, behind the Faering Mists. C.L. Wilson begins the slow process of revealing to her readers the Fey Queen, Ellysetta, who supplants the gawky woodcutter's daughter, Ellie Baristani. There has been a great tragedy in the preceding book, and most of the Fey, as well as Ellie's family, flee the Celierian court for the safety of the border between Celieria and the Fading Lands.
Again, I will not provide a plot synopsis for fear of accidentally posting a spoiler. This third book begins the long, slow climb to the climactic events contained in the fifth book. Rain and Ellysetta, Feyreisen and Feyreisa, begin to forge their truemate bond, and the High Mage of Eld contains his evil plotting to steal Ellysetta's soul. There is a great deal of tension in this book, as Ellysetta tries to see her purpose clear as Rain's truemate and the savior of the Tairen. We also, for the first time, meet the Tairen themselves. They are wonderful characters -- fierce and beautiful.
Again, I absolutely loved this whole series. I was sorry to see it end with the Crown of Crystal Flame.
Book 4: The Queen of Song and Souls
REVIEW (4 1/2 stars):
Queen of Song and Souls is the fourth of the presently 5 book Tairen Souls series. In the last two weeks, I have read the entire series from beginning to end, losing myself in the world of the Fading Lands and the Fey. I cannot praise this whole series highly enough.
This book is the penultimate entry in the series and sets up the tremendous battle that occurs in book 5, Crown of Crystal Flame. It ends very sadly, even tragically, with some deaths that are deeply affecting. In this fourth book, Ellysetta and Rain visit the Elves, in order to deepen their understanding of Ellysetta's powers. The High Mage continues to exploit mortal umagi to dig a deeper foothold into Celieria in preparation for a war that he does not intend to lose, that will drive the Light from the world forever. The bond madness begins to take hold of Rain. This whole book is a gathering and a drawing together, in preparation for the end of the tale to be revealed in book 5.
As such, it is not, perhaps, as much fun to read as some of the others. It is similar to The Two Towers, in the Lord of the Rings series, in that sense -- much of what the reader does in this book is wait and learn and deal with the tension created by not knowing how the series will end. Fortunately, I had Crown of Crystal Flame ready to read once I reached 100% in this kindle book.
There is so much emotion and drama contained in this series. It is romantic and beautiful, as well as beautifully written.
Book 5: The Crown of Crystal Flame
REVIEW (5 stars):
This is the fifth, and last, book that tells the story of truemates Ellysetta and Rain Tairen Soul. I devoured all five of these books in a period of about three weeks. I cannot recommend this series highly enough.
The Crown of Crystal Flame is an intensely affecting wild ride. C.L. Wilson has successfully built so much dramatic tension that it is literally impossible to read this book fast enough. From the beginning of the book, to the ending, I read nearly nonstop.
I loved this series so much. The secondary characters are terrific. While the two primary characters, Rain and Elly, are wonderful, they do not accomplish their tasks alone. This was one of the things that I really liked about this series -- Elly is powerful, but she is more powerful when she is helped by others. As a result of Wilson's wonderful character development, there are several Fey warriors who are more than deserving of their own books. I understand that Wilson does plan a return to the Fading Lands at some point in the future.
Ms. Wilson has become an automatic buy for me with this series. In my opinion, it provides a nearly perfect example of how to write a fantasy romance series. All to often fantasy authors refuse to wrap up a popular series, continuing to write books well after the point that the books are enjoyable. The Crown of Crystal Flame is an ending to Rain and Ellysetta's story. There is no cliffhanger. There are plenty of stories left for C.L. Wilson to write, and few threads left loose, but for the most part Ms. Wilson respected my desire for a conclusion, and, yes, a happy ending, to this series. And she did it so beautifully that my eyes filled with tears at the end of the book.
Book One is Lord of the Fading Lands:
Gorgeous freaking cover, by the way! All of the books in this series have beautiful covers.
REVIEW (4 1/2 stars):
As an active reader of the community forums, I had seen many recommendations for this series before I picked up this book for my kindle. It took me a while to work this book to the top of the reading list. Once I started it, I could not turn off the darned device, reading late into the night to get to the end. Since I finished this book, I have bought the rest of the series, which I am holding at the top of my reading list for my vacation, beginning tomorrow. I am over the moon with excitement at the prospect of immersing myself in Wilson's world again.
Fantasy, even romantic fantasy, is a crowded genre. So, why would a reader pick this book over others? I would call this book superior in a couple of areas. First, the world building is interesting. This is not another urban fantasy series, set in an alternate U.S. city. Don't get me wrong, I love UF, but the market is flooded with it. This is genuine fantasy, with a completely separate world. I liked the world, and even more, I liked the mystery. Even at the end of this book, I have very little idea what the Fading Lands genuinely look like. The author has allowed the world to unfold at a leisurely pace, and allows the reader to learn about the world as things become important. I always find myself enjoying "immersive" fantasy much more than "explicative" fantasy.
I also like the heroine, Ellysetta. She has secrets, and these are secrets that she herself doesn't even fully understand. With this first book, it is clear that there is much, much more to her story. I cannot wait to find out the rest. C.L. Wilson has beautifully crafted a story that provides both suspense and anticipation. And, of course, the Hero, Rain, is delectable, or, as one of the characters in the book put it, "magnificent."
This book comes very close to being a five star read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and highly recommend it.
Book 2 of the Series is called Lady of Light and Shadows:
REVIEW (4 1/2 stars):
Lady of Light and Shadows is the second of the presently 5 book Tairen Souls series. In the last two weeks, I have read the entire series from beginning to end, losing myself in the world of the Fading Lands and the Fey. I cannot praise this whole series highly enough.
This second book is a transition book. When it begins, truemates Rain and Ellysetta are still in Celieria City, and are still struggling to get through the wedding ceremony that Elly's mother and father are demanding. There is a great deal of tension in this book, and the fate of their wedding remains poised on the razor's edge until the very end of the book. It is actually possible to stop reading this series after this book, although I cannot personally imagine why anyone would want to stop.
I am not going to provide a plot synopsis, because the product description does that well enough, and I don't want to inadvertently spoil the book for anyone. I read a lot of high fantasy, and I genuinely love the world that C.L. Wilson built. Her magic is fascinating, with the weaving of the 4 elements of earth, air, fire and water and the 2 elements of spirit. Ellysetta begins to come into her own in this book, and will eventually leave behind the gawky woodcutter's daughter persona that has defined her for these two books. Rain is a marvelous hero, strong, protective, and deeply loving. I love the concept of truemating, and the mate bond. This is absolutely one of the most romantic books I have ever read. The courtship scenes between Rain and Ellie are beautiful.
Wilson's writing is also beautiful. She has a talent for figurative language that is compelling without being annoying. The only tiny little criticism of these books is her constant description of the twin's hair as being "mink brown." And, actually, I am generally annoyed by Elly's twin sisters Lillis and Lorelle. While they are only children, they are two of the most annoying children ever put to paper in fiction. However, as I said, this is a small criticism and did not impair my enjoyment of the book at all.
The only advice I have to give relating to this book is that anyone who begins it had better have an extra $25.00 laying around so that you can buy the next three books in the series. Because you are going to want them in your hand before you finish the Lady of Light and Shadows.
Book 3: The King of Sword and Sky.
REVIEW: (4 1/2 stars):
King of Sword and Sky is the third of the presently 5 book Tairen Souls series. In the last two weeks, I have read the entire series from beginning to end, losing myself in the world of the Fading Lands and the Fey. As a whole, I cannot praise this whole series highly enough.
This book begins the second cycle of the series. Rain and Elly are wed, and intend to return to The Fading Lands, behind the Faering Mists. C.L. Wilson begins the slow process of revealing to her readers the Fey Queen, Ellysetta, who supplants the gawky woodcutter's daughter, Ellie Baristani. There has been a great tragedy in the preceding book, and most of the Fey, as well as Ellie's family, flee the Celierian court for the safety of the border between Celieria and the Fading Lands.
Again, I will not provide a plot synopsis for fear of accidentally posting a spoiler. This third book begins the long, slow climb to the climactic events contained in the fifth book. Rain and Ellysetta, Feyreisen and Feyreisa, begin to forge their truemate bond, and the High Mage of Eld contains his evil plotting to steal Ellysetta's soul. There is a great deal of tension in this book, as Ellysetta tries to see her purpose clear as Rain's truemate and the savior of the Tairen. We also, for the first time, meet the Tairen themselves. They are wonderful characters -- fierce and beautiful.
Again, I absolutely loved this whole series. I was sorry to see it end with the Crown of Crystal Flame.
Book 4: The Queen of Song and Souls
REVIEW (4 1/2 stars):
Queen of Song and Souls is the fourth of the presently 5 book Tairen Souls series. In the last two weeks, I have read the entire series from beginning to end, losing myself in the world of the Fading Lands and the Fey. I cannot praise this whole series highly enough.
This book is the penultimate entry in the series and sets up the tremendous battle that occurs in book 5, Crown of Crystal Flame. It ends very sadly, even tragically, with some deaths that are deeply affecting. In this fourth book, Ellysetta and Rain visit the Elves, in order to deepen their understanding of Ellysetta's powers. The High Mage continues to exploit mortal umagi to dig a deeper foothold into Celieria in preparation for a war that he does not intend to lose, that will drive the Light from the world forever. The bond madness begins to take hold of Rain. This whole book is a gathering and a drawing together, in preparation for the end of the tale to be revealed in book 5.
As such, it is not, perhaps, as much fun to read as some of the others. It is similar to The Two Towers, in the Lord of the Rings series, in that sense -- much of what the reader does in this book is wait and learn and deal with the tension created by not knowing how the series will end. Fortunately, I had Crown of Crystal Flame ready to read once I reached 100% in this kindle book.
There is so much emotion and drama contained in this series. It is romantic and beautiful, as well as beautifully written.
Book 5: The Crown of Crystal Flame
REVIEW (5 stars):
This is the fifth, and last, book that tells the story of truemates Ellysetta and Rain Tairen Soul. I devoured all five of these books in a period of about three weeks. I cannot recommend this series highly enough.
The Crown of Crystal Flame is an intensely affecting wild ride. C.L. Wilson has successfully built so much dramatic tension that it is literally impossible to read this book fast enough. From the beginning of the book, to the ending, I read nearly nonstop.
I loved this series so much. The secondary characters are terrific. While the two primary characters, Rain and Elly, are wonderful, they do not accomplish their tasks alone. This was one of the things that I really liked about this series -- Elly is powerful, but she is more powerful when she is helped by others. As a result of Wilson's wonderful character development, there are several Fey warriors who are more than deserving of their own books. I understand that Wilson does plan a return to the Fading Lands at some point in the future.
Ms. Wilson has become an automatic buy for me with this series. In my opinion, it provides a nearly perfect example of how to write a fantasy romance series. All to often fantasy authors refuse to wrap up a popular series, continuing to write books well after the point that the books are enjoyable. The Crown of Crystal Flame is an ending to Rain and Ellysetta's story. There is no cliffhanger. There are plenty of stories left for C.L. Wilson to write, and few threads left loose, but for the most part Ms. Wilson respected my desire for a conclusion, and, yes, a happy ending, to this series. And she did it so beautifully that my eyes filled with tears at the end of the book.
Still Playing Catch-Up: The Spirit Ring
This was a kindle daily deal that I got for 99 cents! A bargain & a pretty darned good book at that. It's regularly priced at $6.99, which is a reasonable price for a book of this quality. I am interested in reading more by this author.
REVIEW:
I picked this book up as one of the kindle special offers, for a mere 99 cents. Prior to reading this book, I had never read anything by this author, though I have looked at several of her books. I am a fan of a good fantasy, and I also enjoy books written for young adults. This book, to me, felt very much like it would be marketed as a YA book. It was a very quick read, and definitely kept my attention. I finished it in a few hours.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Spirit Ring. I especially liked the setting of Renaissance Italy. This is out of the norm for a fantasy novel, as most fantasy novelists seem to set their books in very medieval worlds. This one included elements of science, as we would expect for a book set during the Renaissance, which was a hotbed of scientific exploration. I also enjoyed the main character, Fiametta, a young woman. The young male lead, Thur, is left somewhat underdeveloped, in my opinion, but I did like the character. He shows a rather surprising streak of resourcefulness for one who appeared so stolid and ordinary for most of the book. In fact, the resourcefulness displayed by both Thur and Fiametta was one of my favorite parts of the book.
With respect to things that I thought were weak, I really felt that the "magic" part of the book was left underexplained and underexplored. The final "battle" was also a bit over-the-top. The ending was nice, but not extraordinary.
I would give this book somewhere between three and four stars, but closer to three than four. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it, but with some reservations. Someone who only enjoys very detailed, gritty fantasy would likely find this book lacking. Someone who enjoys a lot of romance might also find it underwhelming. The most logical audience for this book, to me, is a reader of any age who enjoys clean, young adult, fantasy.
I do plan to pick up the first book in one of Ms. Bujold's series, as I very much enjoyed her writing style.
REVIEW:
I picked this book up as one of the kindle special offers, for a mere 99 cents. Prior to reading this book, I had never read anything by this author, though I have looked at several of her books. I am a fan of a good fantasy, and I also enjoy books written for young adults. This book, to me, felt very much like it would be marketed as a YA book. It was a very quick read, and definitely kept my attention. I finished it in a few hours.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Spirit Ring. I especially liked the setting of Renaissance Italy. This is out of the norm for a fantasy novel, as most fantasy novelists seem to set their books in very medieval worlds. This one included elements of science, as we would expect for a book set during the Renaissance, which was a hotbed of scientific exploration. I also enjoyed the main character, Fiametta, a young woman. The young male lead, Thur, is left somewhat underdeveloped, in my opinion, but I did like the character. He shows a rather surprising streak of resourcefulness for one who appeared so stolid and ordinary for most of the book. In fact, the resourcefulness displayed by both Thur and Fiametta was one of my favorite parts of the book.
With respect to things that I thought were weak, I really felt that the "magic" part of the book was left underexplained and underexplored. The final "battle" was also a bit over-the-top. The ending was nice, but not extraordinary.
I would give this book somewhere between three and four stars, but closer to three than four. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it, but with some reservations. Someone who only enjoys very detailed, gritty fantasy would likely find this book lacking. Someone who enjoys a lot of romance might also find it underwhelming. The most logical audience for this book, to me, is a reader of any age who enjoys clean, young adult, fantasy.
I do plan to pick up the first book in one of Ms. Bujold's series, as I very much enjoyed her writing style.
Playing Catch-Up: The Lincoln Diary
I read this as my first self-published book-of-the-week. As the cover would suggest, it was simply dreadful. I picked up for free, although the author wants $5.99 for it now!
REVIEW (2 stars):
This book was a chore to finish, although I did finish it. I picked it up for free, and I am glad that I did, because it is extremely poorly written, with structural issues as well as issues of language.
First, in terms of the structural issues, the pacing is terrible. The book is very slow moving at the beginning, and while it does pick up near the end, it doesn't pick up enough to deliver an interesting read. In addition, dialogue is difficult to get right for even the most proficient authors. Mr. Fowler's dialogue is wooden and unconvincing. His characters never rise above stock, sterotypical characterizations. More specifically, in more than one area, he indulged himself in some fairly obviously anti-Conservative rants. The fact that I agree in principle with the content of the rants notwithstanding, their presence in this book was a cheap plot device to convey the "badness" of the character.
Second, the word choice is often wrong, or weird. Other reviews have noted his constant mispelling of b-line, instead of beeline. In addition, a small smattering of some of the weirdness included "But that didn't stop Sarah's questions from having minds of their own," "she had to fold herself up like a pretzel to slink down the aisle," windows that were "batted" down, and "long, poised strides." None of these images make any sense at all. Questions don't think. No one slinks like a pretzel. Windows are battened down. Strides can certainly be long, but they aren't poised. People are poised.
Finally, in terms of the content, this book has almost nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln, except for a few Lincoln facts that are scattered as total non-sequiturs throughout the book. It is a standard, if poorly written, murder mystery with an amateur sleuth who plays lacrosse and is, of course, way smarter than the "Keystone Kop" detective who is actually investigating the homicide. The police procedural aspects of the book are inaccurate and, at times, silly.. One of the reasons that I selected this book was because I am a bit of a history dork, and I thought that the historical aspects of the book might make it interesting -- sort of National Treasure-ish, if you will. It has almost nothing to do with the actual content of "Lincoln's Diary."
Overall, I cannot recommend this book, even for free. There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of books available for the kindle that are much better than Mr. Fowler's freshman foray into publishing. While I suspect that this review will be poorly received given the number of five-star reviews that were submitted by individuals who are not verified purchasers, I did buy this book, and I did read it in its entirety, as difficult a task as that turned out to be.
REVIEW (2 stars):
This book was a chore to finish, although I did finish it. I picked it up for free, and I am glad that I did, because it is extremely poorly written, with structural issues as well as issues of language.
First, in terms of the structural issues, the pacing is terrible. The book is very slow moving at the beginning, and while it does pick up near the end, it doesn't pick up enough to deliver an interesting read. In addition, dialogue is difficult to get right for even the most proficient authors. Mr. Fowler's dialogue is wooden and unconvincing. His characters never rise above stock, sterotypical characterizations. More specifically, in more than one area, he indulged himself in some fairly obviously anti-Conservative rants. The fact that I agree in principle with the content of the rants notwithstanding, their presence in this book was a cheap plot device to convey the "badness" of the character.
Second, the word choice is often wrong, or weird. Other reviews have noted his constant mispelling of b-line, instead of beeline. In addition, a small smattering of some of the weirdness included "But that didn't stop Sarah's questions from having minds of their own," "she had to fold herself up like a pretzel to slink down the aisle," windows that were "batted" down, and "long, poised strides." None of these images make any sense at all. Questions don't think. No one slinks like a pretzel. Windows are battened down. Strides can certainly be long, but they aren't poised. People are poised.
Finally, in terms of the content, this book has almost nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln, except for a few Lincoln facts that are scattered as total non-sequiturs throughout the book. It is a standard, if poorly written, murder mystery with an amateur sleuth who plays lacrosse and is, of course, way smarter than the "Keystone Kop" detective who is actually investigating the homicide. The police procedural aspects of the book are inaccurate and, at times, silly.. One of the reasons that I selected this book was because I am a bit of a history dork, and I thought that the historical aspects of the book might make it interesting -- sort of National Treasure-ish, if you will. It has almost nothing to do with the actual content of "Lincoln's Diary."
Overall, I cannot recommend this book, even for free. There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of books available for the kindle that are much better than Mr. Fowler's freshman foray into publishing. While I suspect that this review will be poorly received given the number of five-star reviews that were submitted by individuals who are not verified purchasers, I did buy this book, and I did read it in its entirety, as difficult a task as that turned out to be.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Playing Catch-Up: The Lost Duke of Wyndham
REVIEW:
I love Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series -- at least the first 5. I have enjoyed some of her other books, as well. This book is definitely not her best work. If you are considering buying your first Julia Quinn, do yourself, and Ms. Quinn, a favor. Purchase The Duke and I instead, and read the Bridgerton series from there. You will find much more to enjoy.
Ms. Quinn's strength, in my opinion, is in her dialogue. She has an unerring ear for convincing, fluid and witty conversation between her characters. I also always enjoy her characterizations. In this book, as in her others, her Hero and heroine are interesting, flawed, well-drawn individuals.
It is true, as well, that Julia Quinn's mediocre effort is better than the best work of many romance writers. The Two Dukes of Wyndham was perfectly acceptable. The Hero is charming, rakish and handsome. The heroine is beautiful, genuine and likeable. Nonetheless, this book simply falls short given the author's capabilities. I found myself more interested in the anti-hero, Thomas who is apparently the hero of the second book of the duology, Mr. Cavendish, I Presume. I also found the villain, the Duchess, simply too unlikeable, too over-the-top unpleasant, and too unredeemably mean-spirited. No one is that terrible to everyone all of the time.
I would give this one a pass. If I had spent more than the $1.99 on it than I did, I would have been annoyed.
Edited: upon further reflection, I feel that two stars is too harsh for this book. I am changing it to three-stars. While Ms. Quinn is capable of better, as an objective measure, this book equals 3-stars in comparison to the efforts of other authors.
Playing Catch-Up: Millie's Fling
I don't read a lot of chick lit. I picked this book up for two reasons: first, I found it, among several others by Jill Mansell, on dailycheapreads for an incredible bargain price (1.79 for kindle). Second, I loved the cover.
Like much chick lit, to enjoy this book requires a willingness to engage in a hefty dose of willing suspension of disbelief. Our positively ordinary, everywoman heroine, Millie, somehow finds herself befriended by a best-selling author and a fabulous, famous hearthrob. Every man she comes into contact with is devastatingly handsome.
I really did enjoy this book. It is sort of like eating a palmier cookie -- buttery, decadent, and insubstantial. The one complaint that I have, although it is a bit of a biggie, is that Millie's leading man, her crush, her hero, so to speak, does something to her that is simply awful. It's so terrible that, for me, it cast a pall over the rest of the book. I simply could not see forgiving him. I have seen heroines forgive greater in romance novels, but this is chick lit, set in the modern day. No matter how wonderful he was, I just can't see any self-respecting modern woman with options trusting him after his behavior.
I snagged a boatload of Jill Mansell's books at the bargain price. I genuinely did enjoy this book, in spite of the hero's bad behavior. I am certain that I will read them all, and I hope -- sincerely -- that I find more to love in the subsequent male leads.
Like much chick lit, to enjoy this book requires a willingness to engage in a hefty dose of willing suspension of disbelief. Our positively ordinary, everywoman heroine, Millie, somehow finds herself befriended by a best-selling author and a fabulous, famous hearthrob. Every man she comes into contact with is devastatingly handsome.
I really did enjoy this book. It is sort of like eating a palmier cookie -- buttery, decadent, and insubstantial. The one complaint that I have, although it is a bit of a biggie, is that Millie's leading man, her crush, her hero, so to speak, does something to her that is simply awful. It's so terrible that, for me, it cast a pall over the rest of the book. I simply could not see forgiving him. I have seen heroines forgive greater in romance novels, but this is chick lit, set in the modern day. No matter how wonderful he was, I just can't see any self-respecting modern woman with options trusting him after his behavior.
I snagged a boatload of Jill Mansell's books at the bargain price. I genuinely did enjoy this book, in spite of the hero's bad behavior. I am certain that I will read them all, and I hope -- sincerely -- that I find more to love in the subsequent male leads.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
As I posted in the sidebar on "The Streak" we listened to the audiobook of The Hunger Games coming and going on our vacation. It i...
-
So, my amazon prime borrowed book of the month was: It is short, and sort of expensive for the length at $5.59, but I've heard good ...
-
I am a wife, a mother, a lawyer, and a reader, but long before I was any of those things, I was a reader. I've been a reader since, as m...
