Review: Mortal Ties by Eileen Wilks

MORTAL TIES (A Novel of the Lupi)
By Eileen Wilks

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLISHED: 14 February 2013

GENRE: Fantasy / Paranormal Romance

FBI Agent Lily Yu is living at Nokolai Clanhome with her fiance, lupi Rule Turner, when an intruder penetrates their territory, stealing the prototype of a magical device the clan hopes will be worth a fortune - if a few bugs can be worked out ...

But the prototype can be dangerously erratic, discharging a bizarre form of mind-magic - and it looks like the thief wants it for that very side effect. Worse, whoever stole the device didn't learn about it by accident. There's a Nokolai traitor in their midst.

As they race to recover their missing property, they find Robert Friar's sticky footprints all over the place. Robert Friar - killer, madman, and acolyte of the Old One the lupi are at ware with ... an Old One whose power is almost as vast as her ambition to rock the entire world.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the 9th installment of Wilks' Lupi series and I LOVED it! I was hooked from the opening sentence:

"Lily Yu hadn't planned to visit a graveyard at sunset. It just worked out that way".

The tone and writing was consistent. The characters were wonderful and the story was convincing and moved along nicely. 

But far and away the best thing about this book was Lily and Rule's relationship. I'm so used to reading about relationships in fantasy novels where the couple are opposites or one of them has more power than the other that it was really wonderful reading about Lily and Rule. Their relationship is balanced and one of equals. They work well together and are understanding and respectful of each other. I actually felt like it was a relationship to aspire to.

There were some great moments in this book and some lovely subtle humour. I also enjoyed the references to Chinese culture, even  though I still don't know the difference between a friend of the fifth degree and a friend of the third degree! 

Here's one of my favourite quotes:

"Lily didn't ask if any of those outside had survived. Tigers, Grandmother had said once, see no point in disabling an enemy".

The only problem I had was that I kept forgetting the prototype wasn't a type of magical raygun! That was the image that kept popping into my head whenever it was mentioned and as a result, I found it hard to picture the prototype as it should be, contained within a skull. That is such a minor, minor point though!

I had never heard of the Lupi series before I read this book but I will definitely be reading the series from the very beginning now.

I really do think everyone should have a bit of Lily and Rule in their lives.

Review: Shadow Rising by Yasmine Galenorn

SHADOW RISING (The Otherworld Series)
by Yasmine Galenorn

PUBLISHER: Jove

PUBLISHED: 14 February 2013

GENRE: Fantasy / Paranormal Romance

We're the D'Artigo sisters; savvy half-human, half-Fae ex-operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch with three sexy husbands. My sister Delilah is a two-faced werecat and Death Maiden. And me? I'm Menolly, a jian-tu turned vampire in love with a wildly hot werepuma. Unfortunately, life is about to get very, very nasty ...

Nerissa and I can't decide what we want to do for our promise ceremony and we're bickering like an old married couple. My sisters and I head to Otherworld for a meeting with Queen Asteria. Once there, we discover that Shadow Wing has dispatched Telazhar - a malevolent necromancer - to reignite the Scorching Wars. And as soon as we return home, we find Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts, waging a battle to control the magical beings over Earthside. Caught between two terrible enemies in a battle spanning two worlds, we can only hope we're in time to stop all-out annihilation.

MY THOUGHTS:

I had my first brush with Yasmine Galenorn's writing when I was given the chance to review Night Seeker (Indigo Court #3) last year. Having thoroughly enjoyed jumping into the middle of her Indigo Court series, I wasn't overly concerned that my first encounter with Galenorn's Otherworld series was not going to be from the very beginning and I'm pleased to say I was not disappointed.

I soon noticed there are a LOT of characters to remember and as a total novice to the Otherworld, I did find this tricky. There were also references to characters and terminology which would have had more meaning to those readers that have been with the series from the beginning but which I did not always immediately understand. But, never fear, Galenorn has very helpfully provided a cast list and glossary at the back of the book! I only wish I'd realised that sooner!

I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone so all I'll say is that a lot happens! For me, it didn't always flow naturally but considering it's set in a well-established World with a variety of strong characters; each with their own strengths and weaknesses, I was happy to overlook this.

As much as I enjoyed reading the story from Mennolly's point of view, I have to admit I quickly tired of the terms of endearment that her and Nerissa seem to use in every sentence that they speak to each other. Describing each other as "love" and "my sweet" didn't work for me, as I don't think anyone refers to their other half in this way, do they? It certainly sounded awkward to me. Anyway, I realise that probably sounds quite petty but I think it's why I didn't feel particularly invested in their relationship. I wonder whether I would feel the same if I had read the previous books first?

There are a whole host of other characters, not just the D'Artigo sisters themselves, and one of the stand-outs for me was Carter, half-demon, half-Titan, and Leader of the Demonica Vacana Society. But there really is such a mix of characters that I imagine everyone will have someone different that spikes their interest.

And finally, just as with Night Seeker, I can't review this book without mentioning the sex scene with a bitter-sweet ending between Mennolly, Nerissa and Roman. Although to be honest, I am more interested to see how the relationships will evolve now that Mennolly has ties to Blood Wyne herself, and not just Roman.

Overall, and I know I said this last time, I can honestly say I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely read more from Yasmine Galenorn.

 

Read this if: ... you've read the previous books in the Otherworld series, you like your fantasy with more than just vampires and werewolves, and you like stories which include a strong family dynamic

Don't read this if ... you object to same-sex/polygamous relationships, or if you like a more light-hearted form of fantasy.

Game of Thrones: Season 3: Episode 9: The Rains of Castamere

*WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS*

Oh Game of Thrones, you have broken my heart! Never has a tv series taken me on such an emotional journey in one episode and never have I been left with no idea of what can possibly happen next.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that knew, as soon as Robb Stark's wife told him she was pregnant, and it was apparent what joy the news brought him, that something terrible was going to happen to him. Then when Melisandre appears to use her magic to curse Robb, Balon Greyjoy and Joffrey Baratheon, it was clear his fate was sealed.

But even that knowledge couldn't prepare me for this week's episode:

• Talisa brutally stabbed over and over in her stomach. 

• Robb, wounded by crossbow bolts, distraught, lost and finally stabbed.

• Catelyn, desperately trying to save her oldest son only to be driven mad by grief and pain, before her throat is slit.

• Grey Wind, Robb's direwolf, caged and killed.

• The Northern Army destroyed.

• Arya, who sees everything but can do nothing, and had been so close to being reunited with her mother and brother.

 

It was horrifying, vicious and brutal. I held my breath from the moment the doors to Walder Frey's banquet hall closed until the three Starks lay dead. When Grey Wind took his last breath, looked at Arya, and then closed his eyes, I finally started to cry. The fact that thinking about it a day later still makes my eyes well up is a testament to how truly fantastic this show is. Seriously, if you don't watch Game of Thrones, you should be.

So all you Jon Snow lovers, look away now while the rest of us take a moment to indulge in a few pictures of the delicious Richard Madden and his alterego, Robb Stark:

 

Stacking the shelves

I recently discovered the Stacking The Shelves meme that was launched by Tynga's Reviews back in 2012. It's all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, whether they are bought from an actual shop, online, are borrowed from friends or the library, have been given to you for review or as a gift and also includes ebooks!

As you can already find a list of books that I'm in the process of reading for review purposes here, I've decided to share the books that I've bought for myself over the last, erm, 8 months and which I'm sure I'll find an opportunity to read soon!

Top of the list, and by one of my all-time favourite authors, are:

 

 Then it's anyone's guess which order I'll be reading these in:

I think I read a Rachel Vincent book a few years back but apart from that, I have no experience of any of these authors. I'm particularly looking forwards to Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, which sounds like it will be a very British version of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and also to John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things because I genuinely have no idea what to expect from it.

If you want to take part in Stacking the Shelves, I've included the guidelines set by Tynga's Reviews below:

Guidelines:

• Create your own Stacking The Shelves post. You can use the official graphic or your own, but please link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!

• You can set your post any way you want, simple book list, covers, pictures, vlog, the sky is the limit!

• Visit Tynga’s Reviews on Saturday and add your link so others can visit you!

• Don't forget to visit the other participants and see what's on their shelves.

How do you write your blog posts?

I realised earlier today that I could post a lot more on here than I actually do. 

When I take the time to stop and think about it, there have been days where any number of things have caught my attention - news items, something I've come across on Youtube, a song, a memory - and in my head, I'm turning them over, silently chatting to myself and thinking I really must remember to post about this. So what happens? Early evening comes, the boys are in bed, all my jobs are done, and out comes my trusty old laptop and ... it's too late. All those interesting thoughts from earlier in the day are gone. 

*Sigh* All those potential posts wasted.

Probably the biggest obstacle I face when it comes to blogging is that I very rarely have anything to hand on which to scribble my thoughts. At heart, I'm very much a good old fashioned pen and paper kind of gal, but it's hardly convenient and not particularly feasible to carry around a notepad and pen all day. Anyway, in this day and age I should probably be making better use of my smartphone but I'm not a fan of posting from there because I can't seem to format my post so it's consistent with the rest of my blog. 

The second obstacle I face is trying to get out of the mindset that I can only post once in a day. I don't have to choose just one idea to write about - I can write about it all and if I don't want to post everything that day, I can schedule some of them for another day. I don't know why that never occurred to me before. I guess I can be a bit slow on the uptake at times!  

So how do all you other bloggers and writers do it? Please come and share your top tips with me and if I find any out, I'll share them back.

Review: Black Lament by Christina Henry

BLACK LAMENT
by Christina Henry

PUBLISHER: Ace US

RELEASE DATE: 14 February 2013

GENRE: Fiction/Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black deals with loss every day. But when tragedy touches her own life, Maddy will have to find the strength within to carry on ...

Devastated and grieving, Maddy unexpectedly finds hope with the discovery that she is pregnant. But her joy is short-lived when Lucifer informs her that he wants the baby., hoping to draw on the combined power of two of his bloodlines. Maddy is determined that her grandfather will never have her child, but she's not sure what she can do to stop him.

Being pregnant is stressful enough, but Maddy suddenly finds herself at odds with the Agency, which forbids her from meddling in the affairs of the supernatural courts. When a few of her soul collections go awry, Maddy begins to suspect that the Agency wants to terminate her employment. It should know by now that she isn't the sort to give up without a fight ...

MY THOUGHTS: 

This is the fourth book in Henry's Black Wings series. It picks up immediately after the events in book 3 and I can easily believe readers will have a love/hate relationship with it.

There are Agents of Death, Angels, the Devil, a gargoyle, the fae, vampires, trolls, a strange preying mantis creature and much more. That's a lot of paranormal beings in one book and it's arguable whether this added to the storyline or was a bit overkill. 

I have to confess I'm not the biggest fan of characters like Titania, Oberon and Puck being used as for me, they will forever be associated with Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and I find it hard to transpose them anywhere else. Saying that, Henry clearly has her own plans for Puck and hints at what could be an interesting and original backstory for his character. I am definitely looking forwards to learning more about him.

Just as there are a range of different creatures in Black Lament, there are also several storylines running through it. We have Maddy trying to come to terms with Gabriel's death, the shock news of her pregnancy, the realisation that she will have to take drastic action if she wants to be able to protect her baby from not only her enemies but also her family, and trying to fit in her day job with the Agency. That's a lot for anyone to have to deal with but alongside that, and just for good measure, vampires are acting strangely, the Agency sends the Retrievers after Maddy and the rules of the game as she knows them are about to REALLY change. 

There's no getting away from the fact that there's a whole lot of action in this book and for the most part, it works, but there were 2 things that let the story down for me.

Firstly, Maddy's in her first trimester of pregnancy, she should be absolutely exhausted and ridiculously emotional, but she's not, she's fighting a duel with Oberon, battling Charcarian demons, rescuing kidnapped Agents, facing down her father and taking on the Agency. I just couldn't believe she was capable of all of that. I wanted more emotion; more grief, more turmoil, but it wasn't there.

Secondly, Maddy is too perfect. All the men are either in love with her or want to protect her. She can seemingly defeat anyone in a fight. She has just the right set of magical abilities. Does she actually have any flaws? Even the usual - she doesn't take orders well, speaks her mind and has no diplomacy - aren't actually flaws because Maddy actively embraces them. It's actually quite grating that she doesn't even try to avoid getting into fights - how is she going to grow as a character if she always acts/reacts the same way? Surely that will just lead to more of the same?

In spite of the above gripes, I enjoyed Black Lament. It was fast paced. I liked the characters and I thought it had a good ending. Would I read more in this series? Yes. I think the key is to go into it with the right expectations. Think of it as the literary equivalent of The Fast and The Furious; high on action and adrenalin, and you won't go wrong.

Read this if ... you  want lots of action and a quick and easy read

Don't read this if ... you want emotional depth and lots of descriptive passages

Look what I made! AKA 6 sewing tips for beginners

Remember when I challenged myself to sew something before 8 May 2013?  Well, I did it! Before the deadline and everything! I can't believe it!

I agonised for ages about what to make. I have a tendancy to pick something completely unsuitable for my skill level only to then give up part way through, so I was determined not to do the same this time. The problem is, all the beginner's projects I found were so BORING! No, I don't want to make a cushion cover, or coasters, or another bag! 

In the end, I settled on making an apron using a kit that I'd received when I'd subscribed all those years ago to Sew Magazine; mainly because I knew it contained everything I would need for the project and I could get started straight away.

Not that I did though. Get started straightaway I mean. But when I did, I was really surprised to find I was able to finish the apron in about 3 - 4 hours. And I was on such a high when I did! I actually finished a project! I did something I never thought I would actually do! 

And you know what, if you don't look too closely at the stitching, it's GOOD! It's wearable - even if it's absolutely not my style! And I would make another! Or something else. The sewing world is now officially my oyster!

So readers, I introduce you to my very own home-sewn apron :

And for all you other beginners out there, here are 6 sewing tips that I'd like to share with you and which are based on my experience of sewing my apron:

1. Make sure you have everything you need in one place and ready for use. It's much easier to work on your project if you have somewhere to work and all your bits and pieces to hand.

2. Iron your fabric before you measure and cut your pattern out. Trust me, it's much easier this way than if you leave your fabric in its "i've been stuck in a box for a long time and am now very crumpled" state.

3. Don't rush the pattern cutting out stage. Take your time and double check your measurements. Once you start cutting, there's no going back.

4. Become best friends with your iron. In the past, I've rushed the simple tote bags that I've made and not bothered with pressing the seams before I sew them BUT it really does make a difference.Your end project will look better for it and you will find it easier to sew along a pressed seam than a seam you've just folded over but isn't really staying in place.

5. When it comes to the actual sewing, take your time! Faster isn't necessarily better. Go a little slower and you can focus on creating straight lines, removing pins as you go along, and not stitching one random part of your project to another!

6. Sewing is, I feel, very meditative so whenever you can, work on your projects when there are no other distractions.

If you joined in with my challenge, please do let me know how you got on and what you made.

Now, what shall we make next?