White Jenna

I feel bad about marking this as unfinished. I had started reading right before my mess of migraines hit, and when I picked it up afterwards, I couldn't remember anything that had happened in the story.

When it comes right down to it, my interest in this book wasn't high to begin with. I do like the world that was created but I never found the story itself particularly engaging. It was enough to make me want to keep going, but nothing I would rave about or even recommend to someone. When it got to the point where I couldn't remember what happened the last time I had picked up the book, I decided it wasn't the worth the effort of trying to figure it out.

Dragon Age: The Masked Empire

I'm having trouble figuring out what I want to say about this book other than the fact that I found it enjoyable. I think I got distracted half way through because my husband mentioned running a Dragon Age RPG campaign, and I started thinking about how to make that happen with this story.

I did enjoy getting more insight int Orlais and how The Game is played. I also enjoy getting to know the characters. You meet several of these people in Dragon Age: Inquisition but this book fleshes them out more, which was nice to see.

The only complaint I have is that the ending of the book wrapped up a little too quickly. And many of the character just walked away without much resolution to their story arch - I mean, this is a book companion to the game so of course they aren't going to wrap things up because they want you to play that part. But still, this is a book. And as a book, I just expected things to wrap up a bit more than they did.

That said, I still really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to any Dragon Age fan.

Dragon Age: Asunder

I might be a bit generous in giving this book 5 stars, but I loved it. This the first in the Dragon Age series that felt like its own complete story, not just a book to tie up lose ends. I finished the book in two days and couldn't put it down. The characters were great, and the plot moved constantly. It was a very enjoyable read.

I would definitely recommend this book to someone who hasn't played Dragon Age. And it's a must read for those who have.

Dragon Age: The Calling

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. While it's written by the same author as the previous, the style has improved and is much easier to read. While I struggled a bit with The Calling, this one I had trouble putting down.

The story contains a young Duncan, newly recruited from the Wardens. It's interesting to note the differences from his younger self to the older Duncan we meet in the game, though I honestly find some difficulty connecting the two. The Duncan in this book is more akin to Zevran than the stuffy and distant Warden recruiter we meet in the game. But, Warden life is hard. Perhaps it has worn on him.

I digress. In all honesty, I wouldn't consider Duncan to be the main character of this book as the narrative switches point of view. This is actually done very well, and I was never confused with who I was following. I actually looked forward to the character switches and getting to be everyone's head.

The content of this book spends a lot of time the Deep Roads. And we get more insight into the Architect, which I really enjoyed. The only part I didn't care for was the experience in the Fade. It's a lot like the experience in the game, and I honestly just skimmed that part to get the various character backgrounds and move on. Even without the rehashing of the game, that part of the book has nothing to do with the main plot, so it was rather off putting.

Again, digressing. I still really enjoyed this book. I read it in nearly one day. I couldn't put it down. This is a book I would consider giving to some who isn't familiar with Dragon Age. The style was smooth. The characters were pleasant. I just enjoyed it.

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne

I'm a little obsessed with Dragon Age at the moment. I just love the video game series, so I decided I needed to read the novels.

Basically, this book is okay. I definitely expands on the lore, giving us a first-hand account of Maric and Loghain's friendship and the battle they fought together to free Ferelden from Orlais. For a fan of the video games, I would say this is a must read if for no other reason that to give you a deeper understanding of the world.

That said, the story itself is okay. I found myself having to fight through it a little. It's not bad, but it's not great either. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't already a Dragon Age fan.

Revisit: Serenity: Better Days

Having posted some soundly negative opinions regarding the Firefly comics, I figured it was time I give you one I do actually like. Sorry, not like, love to friggin' pieces.

Now this is what I was expecting from a Firefly comic - material that is just as good as what I'd seen on the TV screen. This comic is wonderful. I cannot sing it's praises high enough. The crew find themselves in a lot of money and take a little vacation, each of them day dreaming what they would do if they had enough money to do anything. It's very touching and provides the kind of insight into the characters and their relationships with one another that was indicative of the show. I love this comic. Go out and read it. Now. Right now. Do it. Stop reading this post, and go do it.

Revisit: Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale

This comic was a severe disappointment. Shepherd Book's backstory was one of great mystery on the show, and I would have expected it to be treated with great care. Unfortunately, it seems to have been nothing more than a second thought.

Book's backstory is given in a haphazard way. We're given the facts and certain scenes of his life, but there's no reason given for why he chooses to do the things he does. There's no emotion given from him or insight into his thoughts as to how he feels or thinks about events. It's presented more like he travels through life "just because."

Book, in the TV series, always appeared to act with purpose. He also seemed regretful and possibly haunted by his past. It would make sense for him to be a reckless youth who grew to realize his mistakes, but the emotionless and mindless Book in the comic provides no connection between the two. Book doesn't "grow" or "change" or "discover," he doesn't anything. He just does, floating mindlessly from one stage of his life to another.

How can this be Book's backstory when it seems so carelessly and thoughtlessly put together? How can the Book in the comic be a younger version of the one in the show when there's no emotional or thoughtful connection between the two? I can read this comic and say "this happened, then this happened, then this happened, and then he ended up on Serenity." But I can't explain the how or the why or Book's motivation for anything. And without that, there's no meaning for anything Book does, rendering this comic practically pointless. I'm quite happy to pretend it never existed. 

Revisit: Serenity: Those Left Behind

Firefly is a TV show near and dear to my heart. I simply fell in love with the characters. And with the show being so short lived, the comics offer an opportunity back into that world. Unfortunately, in my experience, they are a bit of a mixed bag.

This book is a hodgepodge of craziness. For one, agent Dobson is back - you know, the one from the unaired pilot that Mal shot through the head. Apparently, Mal just shot out his eye, which I'm not sure how bullets and the laws of physics work but I'm pretty sure that's not all that realistic. And anyway, Mal shot him through the freaking head! 

I take serious issue when characters who are supposed to be dead, suddenly come back from being dead. It's just lazy, in my opinion. Was there really no other bad guy that could have been created for this comic? We had to resurrect agent Dobson? Really? Not to mention we now have to question anytime Mal has ever shot anyone, but I digress.

The Hands of Blue men are back, but their defeat is so anti-climatic and simple it's almost not worth noting except to bemoan the terrible injustice of it. These guys were some of the most terrifying beings in the series. And they die like that? They deserved something more befitting, not a struggle that begins and ends in a couple frames.

The crew has a job to do, and they find themselves ambushed right before they reach the bounty.They are forced to kill everyone there and then they leave the bounty behind. What the serious F? I seem to remember Mal saying something about "a powerful need to eat" one time, and another time about "I do a job, then I get paid." I shouldn't need to explain how crucial it is that the crew get the bounty from this job. If they'd been running for their lives, it'd be one thing. But they stand their ground, clean out the room, and then once the coast is clear, they leave. They had the perfect opportunity to grab what they came for and go, and instead they leave without it.

This comic wasn't terrible, but it has some serious issues that I just can't get over.

Revisit: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel

There was a lot of hype around Pride and Prejudice and Zombies when it was first released. And I was curious about it but didn't want to read it because I had read Pride and Prejudice once and hadn't found it to be anything special. I mean, there wasn't anything particularly wrong with it, and I read it from beginning to end, but I didn't find anything charming about it or really anything that would make me call it a good book. In fact, while we're at it:

I feel bad giving it such a low rating because I have a friend who loves Jane Austen, and I'm just so "meh" about it. But, the world would be a pretty dull place if we all liked the same things, right?

So, anyway, I hadn't enjoyed the original and I wasn't convinced the presence of zombies would make it any better. So I didn't pick up the novel. But then, I heard there was a graphic novel. Awesome, I could read the story in less pages! And if I hated it, I wouldn't feel like I had wasted hours of my life. Turns out, that was a pretty good call.

I'm now certain I would have never made it through the book. The premise is that zombies have taken over the world (they are rather common), but the world continues on as ever. Elizabeth and her sisters have been trained as ninjas in the art of killing zombies, and they are very good at it. But, even with that spin. The story is still very much Pride and Prejudice, just with a different flair. And, in the end, I didn't find it made that much of a difference at all in my perception of the novel.

Aside from the story itself, I do want to gripe about the artwork (which is not considered in the overall effect of the story). Most of the women are hardly distinguishable from one another, and I absolutely hate it when a graphic novel does this. What is the point of illustrating the characters if the reader can't tell them apart? (Sadly, the Firefly comics fall to this same issue.) Jane and Elizabeth are only distinguishable by hair color. The same can be said for Bingley and Darcy. Mrs. Bennet also changes in age from frame to frame, which is extremely annoying. The zombies are drawn in wonderful detail, and I don't understand why the same effort wasn't put into illustrating the main characters.

This is just "meh" all around.

Revisit: Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo is my all time favorite book. It is a lengthy novel (if memory serves me 1,400 pages). It contains flowery swaths of language, detailed descriptions that go on for pages at a time, and a long enough list of characters as to cause confusion. Any one of those things can be enough for a reader to cast the novel aside and never pick it up again.

And yet the Count of Monte Cristo is a novel that remains immensely human. We follow a young man, Edmund Dantes, who is at the height of his career and happiness, having achieved every man's dream. In one moment it's all taken away from him through jealously by people he had counted as friends. Edmund falls into despair, then anger, then finds new purpose in his quest for vengeance. Through hard study and money he remakes himself to point of being unrecognizable. His revenge is cool and calculated as he tests the potential victims to confirm their treachery and then resolves to make them suffer as equally as he did.

Through his actions, Edmund is certain beyond any doubt that his revenge is right and just, that not even God would deny him (and certainly the reader can't fault him either). Only when an innocent is harmed does his confidence shatter and he realizes he had no more right to meddle in the lives of those who wronged him than they had to meddle in his. He sets out to make right what he can. And then he tries to move forward. He can't go back to man he used to be - the Edmund Dantes from the beginning of the novel is dead. Nor can he any longer be the Count - that vestige of destruction is behind him. But with hope, time, and a little love, he might find joy and happiness again.

Through Edmund's journey the novel covers the full spectrum of human emotion and countenance: joy and innocence, despair and distrust, anger and cool calculated vengeance, doubt and uncertainty, and at last hope and trust in time. If ever a novel can be said to embody the whole of human nature, it is this one. Every fault and virtue of humanity is covered in the spectrum of characters and every emotion is felt as we follow them.

We despair as Edmund's life is taken from him, we relish the results as he carries out his vengeance, and as the novel closes with "All human wisdom is contained in these two words - Wait and Hope" we find ourselves strangely reminded of our own lives - our dreams and triumphs, our failures and betrayals, our choices of action or feelings of helplessness - and we realize the final line of the book couldn't ring more true. There's something satisfying in following the journey of Edmund Dantes and finding it isn't all that different from our own - despite his having a certain flourish.

A more perfect novel, I don't believe can ever be found. But, being my all time favorite, I'm extremely biased.

Revisit: Weather Warden Series

The Weather Warden series follows the story of Joanne, a member of an organization that devotes itself to protecting humanity against mother nature. The idea is that nature is more terrible than man realizes and without the Wardens, the Earth would tear itself apart. The Wardens themselves, have the power to control the elements. It's been a while since I've read these books, so we're going to look at them all at once.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The elemental magic was fascinating, and I liked having the mythology of genies thrown in. Joanne, herself, is on the run. And as she races across country in her car, the power of the wind pushing her faster - it's an exciting adventure and highly enjoyable. If I'd know what the future would bring, I wouldn't have continued the series right here.

Joanne is a genie, that much I remember from this book... but plot, story line ...? Apparently, it wasn't that memorable? You'd think that fact would be enough to give it a "meh" rating, but I continued on to the next book in the series, so I feel it must have been interesting enough to make me want to keep going. Regardless, I don't think giving this book a rating would be fair since I can't remember anything about it on which to evaluate it.

This book, I remember with a passion, and that's a bad thing. This book managed to completely piss me off and make me drop the series all together.

I was warned, through reading reviews of the later books in the series that Joanne starts to make illogical or out-of-character choices for the sake of the plot and that the character stupidity and plot holes get worse as the series goes on. I had prepared myself for that. Still, the issues were painful.

Joanne faked her death in the previous book, and at the beginning of this one she's adamant about attending her funeral so she can watch everyone weeping over her body and then shock the hell out of them by revealing herself. Never mind that would completely undo the point of faking her death. Never mind how bad of an idea it is. Nope, she just wants to do it. (Wha-huh?)

And David, who is a freaking genie and could have magicked her to the bed or something to stop her from going decides "Well, I can't stop you." (Excuse me?!?!) And then, while they are at the funeral, they get approached by someone who says it's very important they all talk. The chapter ends about there, so you'd think the next chapter would be them going into some room and talking with this person, right? Nope, the next chapter is a few days later and the guy is like, "Well, I did want to talk to you, but you forgot all about me, and now it's too late and all hell has broken lose." (What?!?!)

But I digress, the plot holes and character stupidity I might have been able to overlook for another book or two (depending on how ridiculous they got). What really put the nails in the coffin for this series for me is the way the men in Joanne's life treat her.

There's a magical barrier that Joanne needs to get through but nothing alive can do so. Lewis comes up with the idea to kill her, which would let her pass through, and have her revived on the other side of line. Sounds like a perfectly logical plan ... except that Lewis doesn't tell her about it. He simply walks up to her and guns her down. And the reader get's to listen to Joanne's confused and terrified thoughts as she looks up in the eyes of her best friend and wonders why he's murdering her. And David, who she's romantically involved with, impregnates her through some genie ritual to "protect" her, again without explaining his plan or asking for her consent.

You'd expect Joanne to be pissed. She isn't. In fact she barely spends any thought on these actions once they are revealed, except to marvel at the idea of her and David's future child. Her body has been violated by both of these men. They have demonstrated the complete lack of faith they have in her mental reasoning and their complete disregard for her right to make her own decisions. Constantly, through the novel the men are asking her to trust them, but never once do they actually trust her. Constantly it is pointed out how rash and impulsive Joanne is perceived to be. These men profess to love her, and yet they couldn't have demonstrated more clearly how little respect they have for her. She is not treated as a grown woman with the right of making her own choices or the capability of even talking through the situation with the men. She's treated as a child that needs constant supervision and protection and for whom they have to make decisions for. And Joanne and the reader are supposed to be okay with this?

No. This is wrong and disgusting and abhorrent. These are not how people who love you and respect you act. These are not healthy relationships. And to put them out there with no consequence, as though these are not serious acts of betrayal and violation, is unacceptable. I quit.

I would still recommend the first book in the series, but I wouldn't go any further than that.

Lady Knight

Wow. I've been gone for a while, haven't I? I apologize. I've been having medical issues. Let's pick things back up with a familiar series.

Total shocker, right? What the heck happened? Well, part of it might be due to the fact that I was battling daily migraines at the time I was attempting to read this. But the other part of it, quite honestly, is that the plot of this book just kind of sits there.

Kel is knighted and given her first assignment at a refugee camp, an assignment she isn't happy about. She's been having visions about the mastermind behind the killing machines that have been roaming the country, and she'd much rather be battling them and bringing the man responsible in. Though, the camp itself has it's own issues that she has to navigate.

We begin the book on this premise. Over half way through the book, we are still on this premise. Kel is still at the camp, she is still having visions, she is still wishing there was more she could do. The plot has not moved forward in the slightest. I skimmed the majority of this book, and then finally gave up.

I was faced with the prospect that the plot might not pick up until the final chapters of the book, and that just wasn't worth waiting for. I'd read enough about Kel and her issues at the camp. I was ready to move forward into the "real" struggle and had no indication of when that would happen or if it could even turn my opinion of the book around when it did.

Perhaps it's an unfair rating given the personal struggles I was facing at the time. But I just got to the point where I need to call quits.

Moon Called

That cover is terrible, isn't it? I mean, you'd think this was erotica or something. And there's actually no sex in the book at all. Also Mercedes is half Native American and I'm pretty sure that cover is going for sexy white girl.

Terrible cover aside, I actually found this book enjoyable. How many urban fantasies feature "strong" female characters with a tough look and tough jobs who become useless the moment trouble starts, throw themselves at the new guy they know nothing about, and make unintelligent decisions that endanger their lives and contradict whatever mission their on? Mercedes isn't like that. Sure, she's tough, but she isn't perfect. And yes, she makes some questionable decisions, but she usually has a good reason.

I also enjoyed the story's mythology. The book has shapeshifters, werewolves, vampires, and fae, and they all have their own behaviors, magic, histories, and family groups.

What made the story fall flat for me was how everything ended. For one, it was too easy for Adam to take control of the opposing wolves. They were moon called and under the power of the alpha male, neither of which were explained, so they just laid down in front of him. And it was all very anti-climatic.

Then there's the main antagonist who turns out to be doing all these terrible things just to save his father's life. This guy we only met at the story's resolution, and he only gets about a paragraph or two of dialogue before he's killed. And we only meet his father for one short section of a chapter, and later only a paragraph describing his death. The whole situation is very tragic, and it is treated very casually, like a simple plot element. I don't feel the story delivered the emotional connection that the situation demanded.

Finally, I wasn't buying the date. Throughout the book, Merci never gives any indication that she is interested in Adam. While it is a bit of a set up in that Jesse tells Merci it's a group date and then flakes out so her father and Merci can have time together, that doesn't warrant a passionate kiss on Merci's front porch or Merci's decision to give it time to see what is going on between them. It all just comes out of nowhere.

So, I came out of this one with mixed feelings. I had been enjoying it, but all ended too weirdly. I could chalk it up to first-book syndrome and give the next book a try, but I'm not feeling very enthusiastic about it.

Goblin Hero

This was a bit of a disappointment from the previous book. We still have Jig and all his wonderfulness. He also has a great new set of companions. But the book divides itself, going back and forth between Jig and new goblin, named Veka, who also wants to be a hero, and she... leaves something to be desired.

My husband did not like Veka from the beginning, and was not crazy about the chapters we were forced to spend with her. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but by the end of the book she wasn't a character I had grown to care much about. If I decided to reread this book, I would skip all of Veka's chapters and just read Jig's. After all, it's Jig who made the first book as great as it was. He's where all the humor and enjoyment comes from.

I'm hoping the third and final book might redeem Veka's character a little, but this might turn out to be another series where only the first book is worth reading.

A Discovery of Witches

It's hard to judge a book fairly when having listened to it on audio. For one, the book opens on some every-day boring stuff. The main character, Diana, is off doing research for a paper, going to yoga, and rowing on the lake. Can I say the novel takes these boring tasks and makes them interesting? Unfortunately, all I can say is I enjoyed the narrator of the tape, so I stuck with it.

If you can get past the boring stuff at the beginning, this is a pretty interesting novel. It's full of human history as well as witches, demons, and vampires. The world building is done very well, and I really like the idea of vampires operating on a wolf pack mentality, diet, and sensory range. I also greatly enjoyed the cast of secondary characters.

The relationship between the two main characters can be a little... disconcerting at times. Mathew can come across as overbearing and demanding and Diana can seem needy and weak. And the keeping of secrets between the two of them is a constant source of frustration. Though, for the most part, their relationship comes off well.

I did enjoy this book, but from what I've seen from reviews of the next two books, I'm not sure I'll be continuing with this. But I would say it's worth a try for anyone who might be interested.

Squire

As Kel ages, each book in the series ages, making each one better than the last.

In this book, Kel is undergoing her final training and test before she will finally becoming the first female knight in a decade. Kel even finds love in this book, and I have to admit the relationship surprised me and I was uncertain at first of Kel's true feelings on the matter. All of Kel's previous relations and struggles and are expanded upon here, creating a more and more enjoyable read.

Goblin Quest

Goblin Quest is a beautiful parody of every Dungeons & Dragons adventuring party. If you haven't played any table top RPGs or enjoy epic-fantasy adventuring novels, than the point of this novel is going to be lost on you. On the other hand, if you have...

Jig is the runt in a tribe of goblins. He's not strong and he's half blind. But, Jig is also rather intelligent for a goblin, having been gifted with common sense. Jig is forced to act as guide for an adventuring party consisting of an arrogant prince, a power hungry wizard, a war eager dwarf, and a reluctant elf thief.

Jig is the hero of this tale, and though he'd much rather find a nice hole to hide in, it's Jig who is often the voice of reason among the adventuring party. And he saves their lives on more than one occasion, much to the chagrin of the arrogant prince.

Part of what made this book such a joy was reading it aloud in the car to my husband and having him laugh along with me. That and the sheer humor in this book made it a joy to read.