My mom gave me this book a while back on the pretense of it being a ‘just because’ present.  The truth was that she wanted to read it, but felt guilty spending the money on herself.  I bugged her about that just a little bit, but I love her lots.

Anyway, it started off that I was a bit uncertain about how it was going to be.  I’ve read my fare share of  Urban fantasy books and it seems to be a tough genre to get into without just coming out cheesy.   I think that every writer secretly wants to be the next Stephanie Meyer, but the truth is that a lot of people will say that even she didn’t do a very good job of it.    So, when I read the book description I was prepared to be disappointed, I have to admit.

The beginning of the book was a bit slow, and I thought that Harkness approached the whole “I’m a witch, my family are witches” thing a bit awkwardly, and yes with a fair amount of cheese.   I found it a bit cringe worthy, to be honest, but soldiered ahead hoping that plot would make up for what the characterization lacked.  I was relived when it did!

I’m a big fan of vampires and Deborah handled his personality a lot better than she did the silly witch’s.  I wasn’t too thrilled with the way she handled the idea of demons, though.  However, I suppose if Meyer can make vampires sparkly “vegetarians” then Harkness is allowed to make demons hipsters with ADD.

The deeper I got into the novel, the less awkward it became.  The plot sailed along, becoming romantic, exciting and intriguing.  I loved the relationships developed between the characters and the brief glances of history brought into the story.  Before I knew it, I was approaching the end, and there was not nearly enough pages left to tie everything up neatly.   I started to feel a little wary of how this was going to end.   I read the last page and at the very last sentence cried out, “NOooooo!”  just like Darth Vader, when it said the next novel would be out in 2012.   I really didn’t want it to end, I was so upset!   I certainly didn’t want to have to wait over a year to read the next one.  This is the exact reason why I much prefer to read completed series, I am not a fan of delayed satisfaction.

The novel ended so well that I can’t wait for the next one.  I think  it’s going to be along the lines of an historical novel, which is my favorite genre.  Combined with witches, vampires and demons I think it’ll be a hit.

In the mean time, I recommend this one as a fun, girly read.   You can get it here: A Discovery of Witches

Welcome to a new feature!   I’ve had it in mind for a while now to have a feature on books turned into movies, because, lets face it, everyone wants to see their favorite novel, when turned into a movie, represented in the best light; very rarely does that happen.   How often do you hear, “the book is much better”, compared to “the movie was better than the book”?  To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard the latter before.

So, to begin this feature, I’m going to tackle the very controversial ‘Twilight Saga’, seeing as how the third, ‘Eclipse’ opens in theaters tomorrow.   The first issue to delve into is, why is it controversial?  Well, it starts with the fact that for every novel discussion forum there is either one of two topics:  Twilight Lovers or Twilight Haters.     Basically, you either love the books oryou hate them, it seem that there is no in between.   So, why is that?

The haters have said such things as “Stephanie Meyers is a hack”.  They  point out that the writing is horrible, the characters shallow, vampires horribly misrepresented, and that the message sent to teen girls is dangerous.

The lovers on the other hand, of which I am one, I have to admit, love it because the shallowness of the characters allows the reader (girls, mostly) to assume the roll of heroine.    The criticizm made by the haters that the author created a blank slate of a character that could fit any average teenager, is exactly the point, and it’s what helps to sell the book.  Every girl can imagine herself as Bella, an awkward, average, girl with low self esteem who  is loved by a beautiful mystical creature.    Once the reader becomes that girl, having all these new experiences and feelings, it’s like experiencing a first love all over again.

The action and suspense in the novels are as intense as the romance and conflicts between characters, and the culmination of everything that happens is intensely satisfying and left me wishing there was more to read.  I found the writing to be compelling and completely absorbing, each page leading me on and needing to see what happened next.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t translate to movie form.    I loved the novels and have read the saga at least three times, devouring the novels in quick succession.  I’ve watched the movies because I love seeing my favorite novels in movie form.  I love seeing the characters come alive in front of my eyes, and play out what I imagined.  These movies, however, are horrible, horrible movies.   The acting is completely lacking in any emotion, except for a constant brooding.  There is absolutely no chemistry between the characters, and the story plods along.   The most exciting parts of the novel just hit the screen with a dull thud that makes it obvious that the director is both male and didn’t read the books for himself.

The director seems to  feel that what brings the girls in are images of Jacob and Edward without their shirts on.   While this is undeniably hot, guys without their shirts on do not a movie make.   If anything, all it does is point out that vampires sparkle, which just outrages vampire fans, without giving any context as to how or why.  Never mind the fact that vampires are a fantasy creature and open to interpretation; just because Dracula was written one way, doesn’t mean they all have to fit the mold.

Anyway, so I am planning on going to see ‘Eclipse’ in the next couple days, and I expect it to be just as horrible as the other two.   I can’t stay away however, because I want to relive the story, and even as it’s hacked to bits on screen, at least I can imagine it as how it should be.

If you want to read the books, which I do recommend, because they’re awsome (quiet, you haters!), you can find them here:

Twilight Saga

If you insist on watching the movies, as I do, you can find those here:

Twilight, New Moon

For those of you not up to date, “Changeling” is the second book in the ‘Sisters of the Moon’, or ‘Otherworld’ series, by Yasmine Galenorn.  I previously reviewed the first book, and pessimistically predicted that I wouldn’t enjoy the rest of the series.

Well, I am very happy to report that I’m glad I gave this series another shot.  I’m going to chalk up my previous reaction to uncertainty over something new.  I haven’t read any other books, besides hard core romance novels, that use R-rated language, and I think that it really threw me off.   It pushed me out of my reading comfort zone, because, I have to admit, those words almost never cross my mind in real life.  Being a mother has seriously cured me of any potential for potty mouth; in my own R-rated life, I can’t talk dirty without getting a serious case of the giggles.

The novel itself was engaging, exciting and new characters were intriguing and in some cases, very creepy.  (I hate spiders, and it never fails that when you read something creepy with spiders, you find one lurking near by.)  Despite my earlier fears that the change in narrator would distance me from the story, that never happened.  I should have known better, honestly.  I’ve read, and thoroughly enjoyed, series with multiple narrators before (Kelley Armstrong’s “Otherworld” series comes to mind) and it’s never thrown me off. If anything, I’m now more interested in reading more about the character.

Maybe I was just feeling bitchy the day of my previous review, or maybe it took until the second novel for Ms. Galenorn to really get into the grove.   This story certainly felt more comfortable and more sure of itself, and the characters didn’t feel like they were just getting to know each other.  I enjoyed the second novel, and certainly won’t give up the chance to read further into the series.  I’m especially interested in reading from the perspective of the Vampire sister.   I was even disappointed w hen the story was over and read the preview from the next novel, so I could get just a little bit more.

That doesn’t mean that there weren’t things about the novel I didn’t like.  Once I got used to the language and adult content, I realized it was actually a relief to read something on the adult side of the scale, considering I spend my days inundated with children and childish pursuits; crayons, cartoons and Dr. Seus.  However, there are some things that will always make me  uncomfortable, but maybe I’m just a prude, or old fashioned.  I just can’t identify with the characters having multiple romances; I am very pro-monogamy.   I had this same problem with Anne McCaffrey’s “Freedom” series, remember?   Having a main character switch between sexual partners just makes me feel icky.

The only thing holding me back from ordering more ebooks in the series, is that there’s still a bunch unpublished.   So, I might just wait until I can get my hands on all of them at once, and then spend an entire week, or two lost solely in the series.

For a full synopsis, publisher information or to give this novel a try, you can find it here:

Changeling

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I’ve wanted to read something by Yasmine Galenorn for quite a while, because I’ve spent some time in a forum chatting with her  and reading her posts;  She’s a fun, smart lady with a good sense of humor.

This book is the beginning of a series of eight books, as well as four more planned for release, according to her website, known as the “Sisters of the Moon”, or “Otherworld” series.   The novels take place in a world that interacts with the world of Fairie, with supernatural folk coming and going through portals and interacting in society.  The main characters are half human, half Fairie sisters, one a witch, one a werecat, and the other a vampire.

I’m not a fan of books that drop me in an unfamiliar universe without explaining any of the rules, so this book was a bit difficult for me to get into.   It could have been because it was written in the first person; explanations took place in awkward and unnecessary conversations, in the vein of “remember when our sister became a vampire and how it happened?”

Once I got past the introductory stage and the story began to move along, I liked the writing a lot better and it began to grab my attention more.   However, just when I thought I understood the story, the character dropped the first ‘F-bomb’ and next thing I know there’s graphic sex going on.   The sudden switch from PG to R rated fiction seemed out of character with the characters as they were already established, and with the established feel of the prose.  Once I got used to the idea, though, and knew to expect it, I handled it a lot better and could sink into the story again.

It was a good book to pass time with, I enjoyed the characters, their relationships,  and the variety of creatures they encountered.   There was enough excitement to keep me interested, however not enough to make me eager for the next book.

I have the second book, “Changeling” on hand and will read it, because it’s there.  However while the first novel is told by the witch, Camile, the second is told by the werecat, Delilah.   I’m a bit worried that the change in story teller may interrupt the flow between novels; I’m already not very invested in the series and if doesn’t get more interesting, I probably won’t bother tracking down the rest of the books.

To read a synopsis, get publisher information or give this book a try, you can find it here:

Witchling

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