Blue-Blooded Vamp Review

Blue-Blooded Vamp (Sabina Kane #5)
-       Jaye Wells

Publisher: Orbit

E-Arc received courtesy of Netgalley and Hachette Book Group

Sabina Kane is on the hunt. Her prey: Cain, the father of the vampire race and the one who murdered her family and her friends. Unfortunately, Cain is hunting Sabina, too. The one man who holds the key to defeating Cain is, of course, Abel. A mage with secrets to spare and, hopefully, the power to match it. Unfortunately, for Sabina, he's in Rome and may not want to be found. Sabina sets out for Italy with her friends, Giguhl and Adam Lazarus, to track down the only man who can get her the revenge she hungers for. But will he help her or oppose her? And just who is Abel, really? Worst of all, when Sabina figures out the goddess Lilith has a plan for her-she realizes this trip is getting deadlier by the minute.
As they say: when in Rome-SURVIVE

Oh, Sabina! You’ve come so far since we first encountered you as a vampire assassin for your grandmother in Red-Headed Stepchild. Discovering your mage half and embracing friendship and family, fighting your destiny and forging unusual alliances with many creatures – it’s been a real rollercoaster ride. This is your final book and while I won’t giveaway the ending, let’s just say I was more than satisfied!

Sabina, Adam and Giguhl are hunting down Cain, the father of the vampire race who is determined to bring Lilith back to Earth, which would kill all the dark races – mage, vampire, fae and demon. Their mission is a very personal one and Sabina particularly wants revenge. She has that forceful spark that we fell for in the first place, but this time she has a team that she loves. And the fact that they share the mission and fight together is a major step for Sabina, demonstrating just how far she has come since the beginning. Adam and Sabina are brought closer together here having been tested in the past and the fact that Adam could ‘read’ Sabina so well was a great touch. While she may have grown, Sabina still has a temper and tends to speak first and think second. Giguhl still has a smart mouth and some of the best lines, while mage Adam is just a dreamy guy who completely accepts Sabina for who she is now. I want to be part of their group!

Once again the pace is fast paced with solid action mixed with emotional depth. New characters are introduced with plenty of cameos from old friends giving a great range of the dark races world. The stakes are much higher than they have ever been – and yet much more personal than ever before. There is a real sense of perspective with plenty of locations both in the real world and the underworld for our characters to explore.

This really is a series where each books has built on the previous one to develop this world without repeating anything and one I would recommend to all UF fans. I confess it took until the third book for me to completely love it, but now it is one of my favourites.

Recommended for fans of Patricia Briggs and Kelley Armstrong. 9 out of 10.

Guest Review: Rogue

Rogue (Shifters 2)
- Rachel Vincent

Publisher: MIRA

Okay, so cats don't always land on their feet.
I know that better than most. Since rejoining the Pride, I've made big decisions and even bigger mistakes: the kind paid for with innocent lives. As the first and only female enforcer, I have plenty to prove to my father, the Pride, and myself. And with murdered toms turning up in our territory, I'm working harder than ever, though I always find the energy for a little after-hours recreation with Marc, my partner both on- and off-duty.
But not all of my mistakes are behind me. We're beginning to suspect that the dead are connected to a rash of missing human women and that they can all be laid at my feet--two or four, take your pick. And one horrible indiscretion may yet cost me more than I can bear...

My book world would be severely limited without Mel to direct me, and the Faythe Sanders UF series is a perfect example of this. Basically, Mel handed be the first book and said ‘read it,’ then, a few weeks ago, she handed me the second book and said ‘review it.’ And here I am! Oh, it’s a hard life….

This series, by Rachel Vincent, stars the werecat Faythe Sanders, who is the only daughter of the Pride leader, and a rare commodity. Without giving too much away for those who have not read the first instalment in this series – Stray – this novel deals with the repercussions of Faythe’s decision to come home and work for her father, and her relationship with fellow werecat, and Pride enforcer, Marc. That storyline, however, is secondary to that of the murdered werecats being dumped in Pride territory. All murdered without defensive wounds, and all with the same smell on their bodies. Who could take out a healthy werecat without recompense? Why dump them where they’d cause trouble? And what has any of this to do with Faythe’s very human, very ex college boyfriend?

The Faythe Sanders series works because, well, Faythe is a bit of a pain in the arse! Whilst I do love a book where I totally empathise with the lead character, it is refreshing to find one where the opposite is often true. Yes, I definitely chafe along with Faythe (oops, no rhyme intended!) at the limited world she is expected to experience, and in fact, revel in, I wonder at her often self-centered, stubborn, patronising way, and her reluctance to confront her own mistakes. However, before I have you turning away from Faythe (oooo, bad pun now!), these character flaws allow you to really enjoy her growth. By the end of Rogue she is definitely not the finished article, but nor is she the girl she started as, and I for one am looking forward to seeing her develop more in the later novels.

Faythe aside, the family dynamics in Rogue are wonderfully rich and humorous, and the action and suspense well-crafted and well-executed. This is not a perfect series thus far, but I can only see it improving. 

One for fans of Chloe Neill and Karen MacInerney, 7.5 out of 10.

One of Our Thursdays Is Missing Review

One of Our Thursdays Is Missing (Thursday Next 6)

- Jasper Fforde

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

It is a time of unrest in the BookWorld.
Only the diplomatic skills of ace literary detective Thursday Next can avert a devastating genre war. But a week before the peace talks, Thursday vanishes. Has she simply returned home to the RealWorld or is this something more sinister?
All is not yet lost. Living at the quiet end of speculative fiction is the written Thursday Next, eager to prove herself worthy of her illustrious namesake.
The fictional Thursday is soon hot on the trail of her factual alter-ego, and quickly stumbles upon a plot so fiendish that it threatens the very BookWorld itself

This is the sixth book based on Thursday Next and her adventures in the bookworld, but this time the focus is on the written Thursday Next, who appeared as a main character in the last book – First Among Sequels. The written Thursday is a little different from the ‘real’ Thursday – she’s less sure of herself and her skills. She doesn’t know the real world and lacks some of the intuition that Thursday usually has. However, this means she is a little more vulnerable and naïve. With the exception of a short visit to Swindon, the majority of this story takes place in the newly rebuilt bookworld – which is now a sphere but on the inside – so you look up and see other islands of the bookworld.

One thing that you can’t escape is the sheer inventiveness of Jasper Fforde’s worlds. He has so many ideas and witty one-liners that I find it difficult to think of him ever doing anything normal. (I’m willing to bet he brushes his teeth with bark and mint leaves, using a pink elephant to rinse!) And this always makes his book a delightful journey – like getting off a long, boring coach journey to find yourself in a perfect 1950s diner complete with Elvis Presley performing (before he was famous) and the Fonz on a motorbike – it’s familiar, comfortable and yet completely surreal and unexpected all at the same time. I loved exploring the new geographical bookworld and meeting a lot of new characters. The written Pickwick is brilliant, and I loved Thursday’s new butler with the expressive eyebrow. It was fun to see some cameos of the ‘real’ people during a quick visit to Swindon as well, but on the whole this focusses on new characters and internal bookworld politics. This does mean that it is probably more accessible to new reader than other books.

However, as much as I am intrigued and love the bookworld, there is something a little flat about it. I felt the same way with The Well of Lost Plots which was also set primarily within books. I need some of the drama and intrigue from the real world Swindon to fully connect to the book and the characters. I like the bookworld to one of many courses rather than the whole dinner! That said there are some great character developments as the written Thursday has to deal with the shadow of the real Thursday always being held over her and adding some different angles to Thursday who has only ever been a first person narrator before now. I like the depth this gives to the character – both written and real.

Overall this is a fun book with so many different views of books and reading that it will make your head spin if you think too hard. There are some great ideas in the bookworld – the mime-field had me in stitches – and it is always good to spend some time with old friends – even if you’ve never met them before.

Recommended for fans of Tom Holt and Terry Prachett. 7.5 out of 10

My Book Haul/Showcase Sundays

I've decided to join Books, Biscuits and Tea's Showcase Sunday to share my lovely book hauls each week. Have a look back at Vicki's link up to see what everyone is up too!

I came home in a bit of a mood one day this week (train delays + hot weather = horrible commute), to find three big parcels waiting me and that I had won Orion Publishing 20 years celebration. I won 20 books - one for each year! This makes me a very happy girl again. The books a wide variety of genres and types - a couple of which I've already read but plenty I haven't. Needless to say unexpected books = happy reader!

1992 The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy		1992 The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser		1993 The Black Ice by Michael Connelly		1994 Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon
1995 Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder		1997 Black and Blue by Ian Rankin		1997 The Reader by Bernhard Schlink		2000 A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
2000 Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds		2001 Tell No One by Harlan Coben		2003 Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore		2004 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
2004 Himalaya by Michael Palin		2004 Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver		2005 Labyrinth by Kate Mosse		2007 Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday
2008 No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay		2009 Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris		2010 Life by Keith Richards		2011 The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht

 

What did you pick up this week?



Winners!!

I had a couple of giveaways running in May and wanted to annouce the winners!

First up is the winner of Sarah's Birthday Recommendation. I asked you to recommend a book for me to get Sarah for her birthday and after a lot of deep thought and research the winner is ....

Tanja who recommended Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold by saying

It's the first book in the Vorkosigan Saga series. It's one of the best sci-fi series (in my opinion). The main character in the series is Miles Vorkosigan, but the first two books are about his parents. It has action and romance (though romance is more of a sensible kind than romantic kind). So, here's a quick blurb:
Cordelia Naismith is a captain on her first mission, but stuff goes wrong, so she ends up as a prisoner of captain Aral Vorkosigan. They're at an abandoned planet, and they have to rely on each other to survive.
I actually like later books better, but it's a series, so it makes sense to start with the first book.

So why did Sarah choose this book? I'll let her tell you! 

Yay, free birthday book for me, and free winner's book for Tanja (congrats!). This was a really tough decision - my short list ended up being a long list - and a massive thanks to all who entered because my Amazon wishlist is now overflowing with new ideas! In the end though I picked Shards of Honor (despite the horrible American spelling of honour!) because it actually seems like Tanja has found me a well-written sci fi that also contains a decent amount of action, and a well-crafted romance. The critic's and reader's reviews all seem very positive, and the fact that it is the first in a series means should I love it as much as Tanja, then there's plenty more to follow on. A review will follow very soon! 

Thanks again Mel, and Mel-followers :-)

And secondly the winner of the Splash Into Summer Hop is

Tim Green!

Both winners have been emailed!

And for everyone else, thanks for entering - don't forget you can win an ecopy of either Open Minds or Closed Hearts here !

On My Wishlist #89

This is a meme from Cosy Books. There are so many books out there that I want to read that this is the only way I can keep track! I'm having a bit of a fantasy wish this week...

Seraphina - Rachel Hartman 

Publisher: Doubleday (Released July 2012) 

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

I like dragons and this sounds like a good fantasy story were humans and dragons struggle to get along.

The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns 2) - Rae Carson

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (Released September 2012) 

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds...

I adored the Girl of Fire and Thorns when it was released last year so I'm really looking for to this sequel. I have to confess I'm not a huge fan of the cover but I do want to know what Elisa is up to now!

Throne of Glass - Sarah J Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury (Released August 2012)

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

After reading the novellas I can't wait to get my hands on this full length novel with Celaena! I've already pre-ordered it and hope it arrives soon!

What are you wishing for this week? :)

Closed Hearts Review + GIVEAWAY

Closed Hearts (Mindjacker Trilogy 2)

-       Susan Kaye Quinn

E-Arc Received Courtesy of the author – this did not influence my review!

When you control minds, only your heart can be used against you.
Eight months ago, Kira Moore revealed to the mindreading world that mindjackers like herself were hidden in their midst. Now she wonders if telling the truth was the right choice after all. As wild rumors spread, a powerful anti-jacker politician capitalizes on mindreaders’ fears and strips jackers of their rights. While some jackers flee to Jackertown—a slum rife with jackworkers who trade mind control favors for cash—Kira and her family hide from the readers who fear her and jackers who hate her. But when a jacker Clan member makes Kira’s boyfriend Raf collapse in her arms, Kira is forced to save the people she loves by facing the thing she fears most: FBI agent Kestrel and his experimental torture chamber for jackers.

This book leaps straight into the action and barely pauses for breath throughout! Following on from Open Minds this sees how the world has reacted to the existence of Mindjackers – people who can control others in the world of ‘regular’ mind readers. Needless to say most people are paranoid and don’t trust others who can jack them and play with their memories. Kira struggles to continue a ‘normal’ life in the aftermath of the revelations she exposed and when Malloy, one of the mindjackers she betrayed in Open Minds returns, she finds herself swept up with revolutionary mindjackers, with abilities as powerful as hers and the government who want to crack down on all jackers.

Kira is in a difficult position – she doesn’t trust a lot of jackers, but she doesn’t believe the government should experiment on them either. This is  not an easy world with right and wrong clearly defined but with plenty of shades of grey which Kira finds herself struggling to balance. Yes, taking rights away from jackers is wrong, but should jackers be allowed to play with others? It’s a fine line and one that Kira waivers over throughout the book as she is pushed and pulled between jackers, government and her desire for a normal life with her family and the boy she loves, Raf.

There is plenty of double crossing as loyalties appear to be fluid with the betrayers betrayed and at times you never who to trust. All these events happen over a very short period – a week and the pace never lets up. Kira’s father places a bigger role this time round and there are plenty of intriguing new characters introduced – Julian and his sister Anna, particularly leave me wanting to know more about their past and what their plans are.

The writing is smooth and I was fully immersed in Kira’s world – one word of warning though, there is little introduction to the world. It is assumed that you know are aware of the events of Open Minds and have some idea of the world Kira lives in. Even the language like mesh, jack certainly gives this futuristic Chicago a different flavour but might confuse you if you aren't aware. It is a fun ride and I gobbled up the pages wanting to know what will happen next! Can't wait for the third book in thsi trilogy!

Recommended for fans of Veronica Rossi and Jeri Smith-Ready. 8.5 out of 10

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Do you fancy a copy of Closed Hearts for yourself? Or  have you yet to start the fabulousness of Open Minds? Susan has kindly offered me an e-copy to giveaway here  – winners choice of eitehr book + her short story prequel, Mind Games! All you need to do in fill in the form below! Open internationally and ends 9^th June 2012. Good Luck!