This book was a really nice surprise in the paranormal genre. The paranormal element was pretty much in the background with some people having "elemental" powers such as being able to talk to rocks, control fire, wind, water, and such.
The main character is Gin, an assassin otherwise known as the Spider. Although this is the first book in the series Gin is not new to the assassination game. (Spoiler alert) Basically she is hired for a job, where her employer double crosses her and tries to have her killed. Her handler and adoptive father of sorts is murdered brutally instead. So she and her step-brother of sorts, Finn, decide to figure out what is going on. They end of having to joining forces with one of the only clean cops, Donovan Caine. Unfortunately Gin is responsible for killing Caine's old partner, but they call a truce for the time being since everyone else is trying to kill them.
It ends up that the group has to track the power plays through low level stooges and vampires until they realize that one of the sisters of a major company is a high powered elemental who is planning on taking on the biggest player in town, Mab Monroe. Mab is an extremely powerfully fire elemental who pretty much runs everything behind the scenes. Eventually there is a showdown between Gin and the air elemental with Gin just barely winning after she has to use both her rock and ice powers.
Overall the book is very well written with a fast moving plot and interesting characters. There is a quick sex scene between Gin and Donovan with Donovan feeling all angsty and confused about Gin and her profession. The assassination scenes are well thought out and brutal without being overly gory.
I am very much looking forward to reading more books in this series.
I like to rate books from 1 to 10 stars. Sometimes a low rating does not mean anything negative, it just may mean that there was not much of that type of content.
********- 8 stars for the characters
********- 8 stars for action
********- 8 stars for the overall plot
*****- 5 stars for romance and sex
********- 8 stars for violence and gore
-0 stars for werewolf content
**- 2 stars for vampire content
****- 4 stars for other supernatural creatures content
********- 8 stars for the overall book
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Fallen- by Lauren Kate
Fallen is a new addition to the paranormal romance genre. The supernatural element in this book is relatively new and it’s one book where you won’t find werewolves and vampires for a change.
The basic premise is that a young girl, Luce, has to go to a special boarding school after having an “incident” where a young boy is killed in a fire. She is attracted to two boys at the school, but it inexplicable drawn to Daniel. However, there is some reason that she and Daniel can’t be together which you will learn at the end of the book. Cam is the other boy and one of the most interesting characters in the book.
Overall the book is interesting but drags a bit in he middle and is kind of convoluted. From the first chapter you know something weird is going on with Daniel and it’s not hard to see that he and Luce have some kind of history. It didn’t take me long to figure out what the big mystery was, and it was kind of annoying that Luce stays oblivious for so long.
Overall the writing is good and I think the next book could really go someplace interesting. There is a pretty open ending and some of the questions are not really answered, but that makes you want to the read the next book in the series now doesn’t it? .
Fallen would be appropriate from about age 12 and up. There is some kissing but nothing overtly sexual. Some of the scenes could be kind of scary for some younger kids. I enjoyed the book and will read the sequel that is due out in September of 2010. One a side a big thumbs up for the cover art.
I like to rate books from 1 to 10 stars. Sometimes a low rating does not mean anything negative, it just may mean that there was not much of that type of content.
******- 6 stars for the characters
****- 4 stars for action
******- 6 stars for the overall plot
****- 4 stars for romance and sex (no sex in this one)
**- 2 stars for violence and gore
- 0 stars for werewolf content
-0 stars for vampire content
****- 4 stars for other supernatural creatures content
******- 6 stars for the overall book
The basic premise is that a young girl, Luce, has to go to a special boarding school after having an “incident” where a young boy is killed in a fire. She is attracted to two boys at the school, but it inexplicable drawn to Daniel. However, there is some reason that she and Daniel can’t be together which you will learn at the end of the book. Cam is the other boy and one of the most interesting characters in the book.
Overall the book is interesting but drags a bit in he middle and is kind of convoluted. From the first chapter you know something weird is going on with Daniel and it’s not hard to see that he and Luce have some kind of history. It didn’t take me long to figure out what the big mystery was, and it was kind of annoying that Luce stays oblivious for so long.
Overall the writing is good and I think the next book could really go someplace interesting. There is a pretty open ending and some of the questions are not really answered, but that makes you want to the read the next book in the series now doesn’t it? .
Fallen would be appropriate from about age 12 and up. There is some kissing but nothing overtly sexual. Some of the scenes could be kind of scary for some younger kids. I enjoyed the book and will read the sequel that is due out in September of 2010. One a side a big thumbs up for the cover art.
I like to rate books from 1 to 10 stars. Sometimes a low rating does not mean anything negative, it just may mean that there was not much of that type of content.
******- 6 stars for the characters
****- 4 stars for action
******- 6 stars for the overall plot
****- 4 stars for romance and sex (no sex in this one)
**- 2 stars for violence and gore
- 0 stars for werewolf content
-0 stars for vampire content
****- 4 stars for other supernatural creatures content
******- 6 stars for the overall book
Friday, May 16, 2008
A Bit About Carrie Vaughn
So a little bit about the author Carrie Vaughn…
Her own website can be found at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/CLVaughn/.
She currently (as of May 2008) has four books out in the Kitty series with two more on the way in 2009. From the site you Carrie’s email address and can sign up for email updates. There is a link to find out when her books tours are, her own personal blog, and even some short stories you can read online.
The books are in order…
Kitty and the Midnight Hour, 2005
Kitty Goes to Washington, 2006
Kitty Takes a Holiday, 2007
Kitty and the Silver Bullet, 2008
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand, 2009- exact date not released yet
Kitty Raises Hell, 2009- exact date not released yet
Her own website can be found at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/CLVaughn/.
She currently (as of May 2008) has four books out in the Kitty series with two more on the way in 2009. From the site you Carrie’s email address and can sign up for email updates. There is a link to find out when her books tours are, her own personal blog, and even some short stories you can read online.
The books are in order…
Kitty and the Midnight Hour, 2005
Kitty Goes to Washington, 2006
Kitty Takes a Holiday, 2007
Kitty and the Silver Bullet, 2008
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand, 2009- exact date not released yet
Kitty Raises Hell, 2009- exact date not released yet
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Review
In homage to the blog’s name the first book and series I am going to review is Kitty and The Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn. This was a very entertaining paranormal fiction novel where the main character is a woman named Kitty Norville that happens to be both a late night radio DJ and a werewolf.
Vaughn introduces us to her main heroine in this book, who is just coming into her own both as a woman and as werewolf. One of the male leads is Cormac, who is a bounty hunter who often goes after supernatural creatures. There is a relationship between Kitty and Cormac that is reminiscent of Laurel K Hamilton’s Antia Blake and Edward, but it works.
There are several side stories going on during the book, which are left open for future novels to deal with. The main story is how Kitty is dealing with her new celebrity life and the radio show versus her submissive position in the local werewolf pack. There is plenty of action and intriguing characters. One of my favorite parts of the book was the background of radio calls and interesting conversation with those who claimed to be supernaturals and those who just want to believe in them.
I like to rate books from 1 to 10 stars. Sometimes a low rating does not mean anything negative, it just may mean that there not much of that type of content.
*******- 7 stars for the characters
******- 6 stars for action
*******- 7 stars for the overall plot
*****- 5 stars for romance and sex
*****- 5 stars for violence and gore
*******- 7 stars for werewolf content
****- 4 stars for vampire content
**- 2 stars for other supernatural creatures content
*******- 7 stars for the overall book
Summary
OK- That was my review and this is my summary, so I will have to give a spoiler alert after this point. If you have not read the book and want to be surprised stop here.
The story starts off with Kitty starting her shift as a late night radio host in Denver. She asks her audience if anyone had seen the Bat Boy who is always in the tabloid newspapers and gets a caller who wants to know if she believes in vampires. Kitty answers that question and a few others from callers who either believe or claim they are part of the supernatural community. Soon she has a large following of fans and her show has official become a success.
Then we find out a bit more about Kitty’s personal life. She belongs to a local pack that is ruled by a guy named Carl. TJ is her loyal best friend and protector, and after finding out that her show is being picked up nationally Kitty convinces him to take her out to one of the local clubs to celebrate. Carl manages to interrupt Kitty night of fun, and for the first time she feels some anger towards him and her situation in the pack.
Arturo, the head vampire in Denver, has contacted Carl and wants Kitty to stop her radio show, because he is afraid of the exposure of the supernatural world. They argue about the show, but in the end we find out that Kitty gives Carl half of her earning so he is won over by the promise of more money if the show does well.
Carl and Kitty drive off to a remote area and change into their wolf selves, and Vaughn gives us a glimpse of the she-wolf’s mind. We find out the part of being in the pack is being available for Carl’s sexual pleasure. If Kitty is willing to stay a cub and dependent then Carl will be there to protect her. Like so many other woman she is coming to a point where she has to choose between freedom and becoming her true self and safety and protection.
Back on her show Kitty gets a question from a werewolf named James who wants to know that it is alright for him to not be a part of a pack. We then gets glimpse into Kitty’s history and the fact that she was attacked and turned against her will, but found by the local pack and taken care of. Later she gets another call off the air from a gentleman claiming to be part of the governments Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology. It is obvious that some people have become curious about Kitty’s show and who she really is.
We get a quick peek at Kitty’s family life when her mother calls and we find out that her family does not know about the supernatural side of her life. Rick, one of the upper levels vampires who Kitty actually likes, comes to Kitty to see if she knows anything about a Reverend Elijah Smith. Smith has a nomadic church and claims that he can cure paranormal creatures and save their souls. One of Arturo’s vampires had left to see Reverend Smith and had not been seen since.
Zan, the werewolf who attacked and turned Kitty, bothers her in his usual manner at a pack meeting but Kitty stand up for herself for the first time. This leads to a challenge and surprisingly Kitty wins. We also met Meg, the alpha female at this gathering and find that she helps Carl hold the pack and its hierarchy together.
The next night Kitty gets a call in the middle of her show from Cormac, who is a bounty hunter that specializes in werewolves. He calmly tells her that he is in the building and coming to kill her. Kitty keeps him on the line and admits on the air that she is a werewolf, but manages to convince Cormac not to kill her right then. The cops finally arrive and a detective Jessi Hardin takes Kitty down to the station for some interesting questions.
Rick gives Kitty some evidence that Arturo was behind the hired hit on her, she keeps trying to find out some information about Reverend Smith, and Detective Hardin calls her in to consult on a murder case. Kitty realizes that a werewolf is responsible for mutilating and killing a prostitute, but she does no recognize the scent as being part of her pack.
Kitty goes to tell Carl and Meg that there is a rogue werewolf in there territory and we find out that Carl is not getting along anymore with Meg. He shows Kitty some evidence that Meg is the one who helped convince Arturo to order the hit on Kitty, and he want Kitty to challenge Meg for her place in the pack.
Some time passes and Kitty get a call from Estelle, who ends up being the vampire who left Arturo for Reverend Smith. She is on the phone and trying to escape Smith, but manages to go onto some detail on air about the church, its cure, and its price. By the end of the scene Smith, Arturo, and Cormac have found Estelle but she chooses to end her life rather than going back to having any type of master.
There is another mauling and murder that Kitty is asked to consult on by the police, and she even gets a late night visit from Arturo thanking her for trying to help Estelle. On her way home she is attacked by Zan again. TJ comes to her rescue but ends up killing Zan. Kitty does not know what to do, so she calls Cormac who comes over. He helps clean up her injuries and a romantic kiss ensues until Cormac remembers that Kitty is what he hunts. However, she ends up telling him the full story of her attack and transformation into a werewolf.
Hardin shows up to investigate the dead body outside of Kitty’s apartment and she and Cormac are taken to the police station. There we met Ben O’Farrell, who is Cormac lawyer and agrees to represent Kitty also. Kitty is released and she goes back to see TJ. They both agree that either Meg or Carl put Zan up to attacking and killing Kitty. TJ wants Kitty to tell the police that he killed Zan, and then TJ would turn wolf full time and run off.
Kitty gets another call from James the lone werewolf, and she starts to piece it together that he might be the rogue wolf who is murdering people in Denver. Cormac and Kitty find James address and go to his house. James is there and is at first very happy to met Kitty. They loose James in a chase so Kitty decides to turn wolf in order to hunt him down. She manages to track James down and kill him, but Cormac and the police scare the wolf off.
When Kitty wakes up in human form, Cormac is there to take her home. They are intercepted by Hardin, who reluctantly lets her go. Kitty realizes it was Meg who had made James and was raising him up to challenge Carl, so she could have full control of the pack. However, when James ended up being too unstable she abandoned him and that is when he started killing people.
In the final climatic scene Kitty goes to confront Carl and Meg. She tells Carl what Meg has been up to and challenges Meg. Carl sides with Meg and attacks Kitty. TJ comes just in time to save Kitty again and makes a deal with Carl that he and Kitty would leave the territory. As soon as TJ releases him, Carl attacks TJ and kills him. Carl gives Kitty one day to leave Denver.
The book ends with Kitty doing her radio show from various cities around the country. Hardin calls her to close up the cases and she hears an announcement about Dr. Paul Flemming and his Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology. The government is now even confirming the existence of vampires and werewolves and Kitty life is never going to be the same.
So have you read this book or series- feel free to call (I mean write) in and tell me your thoughts on this book, author, and what paranormal creatures you might think are out there.
In homage to the blog’s name the first book and series I am going to review is Kitty and The Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn. This was a very entertaining paranormal fiction novel where the main character is a woman named Kitty Norville that happens to be both a late night radio DJ and a werewolf.
Vaughn introduces us to her main heroine in this book, who is just coming into her own both as a woman and as werewolf. One of the male leads is Cormac, who is a bounty hunter who often goes after supernatural creatures. There is a relationship between Kitty and Cormac that is reminiscent of Laurel K Hamilton’s Antia Blake and Edward, but it works.
There are several side stories going on during the book, which are left open for future novels to deal with. The main story is how Kitty is dealing with her new celebrity life and the radio show versus her submissive position in the local werewolf pack. There is plenty of action and intriguing characters. One of my favorite parts of the book was the background of radio calls and interesting conversation with those who claimed to be supernaturals and those who just want to believe in them.
I like to rate books from 1 to 10 stars. Sometimes a low rating does not mean anything negative, it just may mean that there not much of that type of content.
*******- 7 stars for the characters
******- 6 stars for action
*******- 7 stars for the overall plot
*****- 5 stars for romance and sex
*****- 5 stars for violence and gore
*******- 7 stars for werewolf content
****- 4 stars for vampire content
**- 2 stars for other supernatural creatures content
*******- 7 stars for the overall book
Summary
OK- That was my review and this is my summary, so I will have to give a spoiler alert after this point. If you have not read the book and want to be surprised stop here.
The story starts off with Kitty starting her shift as a late night radio host in Denver. She asks her audience if anyone had seen the Bat Boy who is always in the tabloid newspapers and gets a caller who wants to know if she believes in vampires. Kitty answers that question and a few others from callers who either believe or claim they are part of the supernatural community. Soon she has a large following of fans and her show has official become a success.
Then we find out a bit more about Kitty’s personal life. She belongs to a local pack that is ruled by a guy named Carl. TJ is her loyal best friend and protector, and after finding out that her show is being picked up nationally Kitty convinces him to take her out to one of the local clubs to celebrate. Carl manages to interrupt Kitty night of fun, and for the first time she feels some anger towards him and her situation in the pack.
Arturo, the head vampire in Denver, has contacted Carl and wants Kitty to stop her radio show, because he is afraid of the exposure of the supernatural world. They argue about the show, but in the end we find out that Kitty gives Carl half of her earning so he is won over by the promise of more money if the show does well.
Carl and Kitty drive off to a remote area and change into their wolf selves, and Vaughn gives us a glimpse of the she-wolf’s mind. We find out the part of being in the pack is being available for Carl’s sexual pleasure. If Kitty is willing to stay a cub and dependent then Carl will be there to protect her. Like so many other woman she is coming to a point where she has to choose between freedom and becoming her true self and safety and protection.
Back on her show Kitty gets a question from a werewolf named James who wants to know that it is alright for him to not be a part of a pack. We then gets glimpse into Kitty’s history and the fact that she was attacked and turned against her will, but found by the local pack and taken care of. Later she gets another call off the air from a gentleman claiming to be part of the governments Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology. It is obvious that some people have become curious about Kitty’s show and who she really is.
We get a quick peek at Kitty’s family life when her mother calls and we find out that her family does not know about the supernatural side of her life. Rick, one of the upper levels vampires who Kitty actually likes, comes to Kitty to see if she knows anything about a Reverend Elijah Smith. Smith has a nomadic church and claims that he can cure paranormal creatures and save their souls. One of Arturo’s vampires had left to see Reverend Smith and had not been seen since.
Zan, the werewolf who attacked and turned Kitty, bothers her in his usual manner at a pack meeting but Kitty stand up for herself for the first time. This leads to a challenge and surprisingly Kitty wins. We also met Meg, the alpha female at this gathering and find that she helps Carl hold the pack and its hierarchy together.
The next night Kitty gets a call in the middle of her show from Cormac, who is a bounty hunter that specializes in werewolves. He calmly tells her that he is in the building and coming to kill her. Kitty keeps him on the line and admits on the air that she is a werewolf, but manages to convince Cormac not to kill her right then. The cops finally arrive and a detective Jessi Hardin takes Kitty down to the station for some interesting questions.
Rick gives Kitty some evidence that Arturo was behind the hired hit on her, she keeps trying to find out some information about Reverend Smith, and Detective Hardin calls her in to consult on a murder case. Kitty realizes that a werewolf is responsible for mutilating and killing a prostitute, but she does no recognize the scent as being part of her pack.
Kitty goes to tell Carl and Meg that there is a rogue werewolf in there territory and we find out that Carl is not getting along anymore with Meg. He shows Kitty some evidence that Meg is the one who helped convince Arturo to order the hit on Kitty, and he want Kitty to challenge Meg for her place in the pack.
Some time passes and Kitty get a call from Estelle, who ends up being the vampire who left Arturo for Reverend Smith. She is on the phone and trying to escape Smith, but manages to go onto some detail on air about the church, its cure, and its price. By the end of the scene Smith, Arturo, and Cormac have found Estelle but she chooses to end her life rather than going back to having any type of master.
There is another mauling and murder that Kitty is asked to consult on by the police, and she even gets a late night visit from Arturo thanking her for trying to help Estelle. On her way home she is attacked by Zan again. TJ comes to her rescue but ends up killing Zan. Kitty does not know what to do, so she calls Cormac who comes over. He helps clean up her injuries and a romantic kiss ensues until Cormac remembers that Kitty is what he hunts. However, she ends up telling him the full story of her attack and transformation into a werewolf.
Hardin shows up to investigate the dead body outside of Kitty’s apartment and she and Cormac are taken to the police station. There we met Ben O’Farrell, who is Cormac lawyer and agrees to represent Kitty also. Kitty is released and she goes back to see TJ. They both agree that either Meg or Carl put Zan up to attacking and killing Kitty. TJ wants Kitty to tell the police that he killed Zan, and then TJ would turn wolf full time and run off.
Kitty gets another call from James the lone werewolf, and she starts to piece it together that he might be the rogue wolf who is murdering people in Denver. Cormac and Kitty find James address and go to his house. James is there and is at first very happy to met Kitty. They loose James in a chase so Kitty decides to turn wolf in order to hunt him down. She manages to track James down and kill him, but Cormac and the police scare the wolf off.
When Kitty wakes up in human form, Cormac is there to take her home. They are intercepted by Hardin, who reluctantly lets her go. Kitty realizes it was Meg who had made James and was raising him up to challenge Carl, so she could have full control of the pack. However, when James ended up being too unstable she abandoned him and that is when he started killing people.
In the final climatic scene Kitty goes to confront Carl and Meg. She tells Carl what Meg has been up to and challenges Meg. Carl sides with Meg and attacks Kitty. TJ comes just in time to save Kitty again and makes a deal with Carl that he and Kitty would leave the territory. As soon as TJ releases him, Carl attacks TJ and kills him. Carl gives Kitty one day to leave Denver.
The book ends with Kitty doing her radio show from various cities around the country. Hardin calls her to close up the cases and she hears an announcement about Dr. Paul Flemming and his Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology. The government is now even confirming the existence of vampires and werewolves and Kitty life is never going to be the same.
So have you read this book or series- feel free to call (I mean write) in and tell me your thoughts on this book, author, and what paranormal creatures you might think are out there.
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