World After (Penryn and the End of Days, #2)

World AfterWorld After
by Susan Ee
Rating: ★★★
isbn: 1477867287
Series: Penryn End of Days #2
Publication Date: January 1, 2013
Pages: 438
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Skyscape

I couldn’t wait for the paperback; I had to see what was going to happen next. iBooks wasn’t selling it and I gave in to weakness and bought it from Amazon. Ultimately, I should have just waited and bought it in paperback.

If you haven’t read Angelfall and you think you might want to, beware there might be spoilers here for you

World After, for much of the first half of the book, was just too Science Fiction for my taste. All those scorpion/locust chimera’s and Angels performing science experiments. Not for me. The whole thing just felt too contrived. While Angelfall didn’t feel like a book written with the YA demographic specifically in mind, World After did. It was still a good read; I just felt like some of the suspension of disbelief needed in this book would be easier for someone closer to that age group.

View Spoiler »

I really liked the way the author used Raffe’s sword to share with Penryn and the reader Raffe’s POV and some of his long backstory. Also, the sword’s way of using those memories as training exercises for Penryn – not that she ever used the lessons as far as I could tell. Once past the halfway-ish mark, the story started pulling me in again. It’s no coincidence that it’s also about the same time Raffe makes his re-appearance in Penryn’s life. The two of them together are a more intriguing story to me than they are apart.

There’s a soupçon of humour in this book that was all but missing in the first one. I’m still shaking my head over “Pooky Bear” but can totally appreciate the naturalness of how the name came about. Put me in the same scene in place of Penryn, and I’d have responded in much the same way to Dee/Dum. Though I’d have probably said “Twinkle Toes” or something equally obnoxious.

Generally, enjoyable.

 

Why would Angels need science if they have magic?  Why would they need human doctors?  Human-derived technology?  None of this is explained in either of the two books so far.

INSERT SPOILER TAG HERE

I really liked the way the author used Raffe’s sword to share with Penryn and the reader Raffe’s POV and some of his long backstory.  Also, the sword’s way of using those memories as training exercises for Penryn – not that she ever used the lessons as far as I could tell.  Once past the halfway-ish mark, the story started pulling me in again.  It’s no coincidence that it’s also about the same time Raffe makes his re-appearance in Penryn’s life.  The two of them together are a more intriguing story to me than they are apart.

There’s a soupçon of humour in this book that was all but missing in the first one.  I’m still shaking my head over ‘Pooky Bear’ but can totally appreciate the naturalness of how the name came about.  Put me in the same scene in place of Penryn, and I’d have responded in much the same way to Dee/Dum.  Though I’d have probably said ‘Twinkle Toes’ or something equally obnoxious.

I read somewhere that 5 books are planned for this series.  If that’s the case, I predict, even though this book ends with the tides seemingly turning against the Angels, that they will rally in the third book.  It’s hard to imagine stringing this out for more than 3, 4 books at the most, but I’m sure the author has much more in store for everyone.

Just please don’t let it be more science fiction.

Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days, #1)

AngelfallAngelfall
by Susan Ee
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 0761463275
Series: Penryn End of Days #1
Publication Date: January 1, 2012
Pages: 284
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Skyscape

I think this is a 4 star read.  I reserve the right to change my rating after the story has settled in a bit.  It’s certainly one that will stay with me for awhile.

I find Angel mythologies fascinating.  Paradoxically, I rarely read fiction involving Angels, because I’m rather picky.  Most fiction I’ve run across involving angels portray them as pure, pull of love.  Automatons, or more kindly, one-dimensional and without free-will.  Being raised in a rather old-school but highly academic Catholic environment (firmly team Evolution here) I grew up hearing my mother tell of the battles the Angels raged, and how ultimately, one angel built his army and chose to stand against God.  Angelfall indeed.

I hadn’t even heard of Angelfall until I started seeing all the reviews on Booklikes talking about what an excellent story it told.  I read the synopsis and thought ‘Oh, this sounds good, but wait – Post-Apacolyptic? No, thanks, not a fan’.  But still the reviews came and I got intrigued.

I’ll say this: the story sucked me in well and truly.  So many elements of it disturbed me, especially towards the end, obviously.  I prefer not to be disturbed, generally speaking.  I also felt like the ending veered rather sharply away from UF and stuck it’s toe into Science Fiction, which I’m also not a fan of.  But sucked in and firmly hooked I was.  To the point of cranky snappishness whenever I was forced to stop reading for mundane things, like, say, eating.

I’ll not cover old, worn out ground by providing a synopsis.  I’m not going to gush about the characters either since I feel oddly ambivalent about most all of them except Josiah.  And, I guess, Raffe.  Ee wrote a tragic character there, but one I found myself invested in.

Again, I think I’ll have to let the story sit with me for awhile.  The ending just got a little too weird for me.  I’ll definitely be reading the next one though.  Well and truly hooked.

Night Broken (Mercy Thompson, #8)

Night BrokenNight Broken
by Patricia Briggs
Rating: ★★★½
isbn: 9780425256749
Series: Mercy Thompson #8
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Pages: 341
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace

When her mate’s ex-wife storms back into their lives, Mercy knows something isn’t right. Christy has the furthest thing from good intentions—she wants Adam back, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get him, including turning the pack against Mercy.

Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. As the bodies start piling up, she must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.


2021 Update: On re-reading, I still think that first scene is way over the top – even more so than River Marked.  I actually dinged it another .5 star on my second read because of this.  The rest of my original review is absolutely spot on.

Original review: I’ve been avoiding my computer all day, because I knew I’d have to write this review (well, ok, I don’t have to, but I’m willingly committed to saying something about each book I read).  And I don’t really know what to say – I liked the book, but I’m a bit conflicted.

I would definitely count myself a fan of the Mercy Thompson series and Patrica Briggs’ writing in general, and, make no mistake, I devoured this book and enjoyed it.  I’d tell anyone who has read her books that this one is a worthy entry.  If asked about it, I guess this is about what I would say:

A really good read.  This book felt like it had a bit more humour that most of the others in the series; one-liners or dialogue that are funny but not comedic.  We get to see Mercy struggle with being the better woman when Adam’s ex-wife comes to town.  We find out more information (although not much) about Coyote and another walker is introduced.

But two things I’d mention about the story.  The first one is a bordering-on-eye-rolling thing.  The first scene where we meet Christie’s stalker reminded me a bit of the over-the-topness from some of the final scenes of River Marked.  I really love how Ms. Briggs weaves different myths and cultures into the Mercy universe and this one is no different.  She had me going to Wikipedia to learn more.  I just felt like that first scene was overdone.  The final scene was fantastic though; really, really well written.

The second struggle I have is an on-going one with the whole series.  It is a testament to Ms. Briggs excellent writing and subtle (most of the time) handling of difficult or dark issues that keeps me coming back, book after book.  But I can’t stand reading about anyone hurting animals.  Hate, hate, hate it and normally I just close the book and get rid of it when I stumble across one that includes animal cruelty/sacrifice/anything-that-isn’t snuggly.  But the Mercy books (and at least one Alpha & Omega) include animal death.  It isn’t dwelt on, or detailed (much) and it’s usually after the fact, but it’s still really difficult for me to get through and it diminishes my enjoyment of the books.

If Ms. Briggs granted me one wish, it would be that future story lines wouldn’t include bad things happening to good animals and a solemn oath that nothing will ever happen to Medea.  Because I have serious angst about that sweet cat and her continued safety.

But Ms. Briggs doesn’t know me or have any reason to grant me wishes, so I’ll keep on reading, keeping my fingers crossed for the critters, and focussing on all the great things that make this series worth reading.

Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7)

Frost BurnedFrost Burned
by Patricia Briggs
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780441020010
Series: Mercy Thompson #7
Publication Date: March 4, 2013
Pages: 342
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace

After a traffic accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack. They’ve all been abducted. Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related to the political battle the werewolves have been fighting to gain acceptance from the public—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outmatched and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.


I was late to the Mercy-love, and was only convinced to try this series a few months ago.  I LOVE it when that happens, as it means that there are lots of delicious stories just waiting for me to gorge myself on.  And even though the series is darker than I usually like in my books, a bit more gory, a bit more creepy and violent, gorge is exactly what I did.  I totally fell for all the characters:  Mercy is someone I’d choose to be friends with – she’s neither butch, nor victim, nor susie-mary-sunshine.  Adam, while not my personal type (Samuel comes closer) is a good mate for Mercy.  Stephan and his Scooby Van?  Priceless!

I held off ordering Frost Burned hoping that I could string out the reading to get me closer to the March release of the new book, but when push came to shove, I couldn’t leave it any longer on the TBR pile.

I can’t believe anyone interested in UF hasn’t already read this book, but in the interests of thoroughness, Frost Burned starts with Mercy and her step daughter Jesse are in a car accident during a midnight shopping spree on Black Friday.  Calling for assistance, Mercy finds that everyone in the pack is missing: no one is answering their phones and a cryptic message from the Marrok indicates that phones are not safe to use.  Mercy needs to find her mate, find her pack and figure out who’s behind the mass kidnapping and what they hope to accomplish.

It’s obvious from my rating that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so when I say that I found the structure of the story to be a bit different, that’s a good thing.  As many books as I read, I sometimes find myself a bit bored by the tried and true path most fiction takes: introduction, conflict revelation, build up of tension as the conflict is worked through, climax, and the wrap up.  It’s a cross-genre structure and it works, but it adds a bit of predictability to any book, no matter the plot line.

So, when the book starts off with the pack’s abduction, my first thought was ‘ok, I’m now going to read 20 chapters of Mercy searching for her mate and pack, fighting off random attacks from bad guys, going down blind alleys and chasing down false clues until she finally finds the pack and engages in a final battle to free them’.  Hah!  Frost Burned surprised me – Ms. Briggs tweaked the formula; this is a book that has at least two sets of conflict/buildup/climax arcs, offering a story that is quick to action.  It felt like the book and plot were off and running well before I expected it to be, and what I thought was the major plot point was resolved almost immediately, which means I was thoroughly sucked in because I wanted to know what was going on?!  It also means this was a very intricate, complex plot that left me in a completely different place at the end from where I expected to find myself.

 

Also, KUDOS! to Ms. Briggs for having Mercy contact the police and tell the truth about what was happening!  I love that she did not make the plot more convoluted or complicated than it had to be.  Bringing the goals of the kidnappers out in the open and publicly announcing them to the press is exactly what a very smart, very clever strategist would do and I just ate it all up like a custard donut!

INSERT SPOILER TAG HERE

Why not 5 star?  That last star was lost because as Machiavellian as the villain was in this book, I felt like a few things that were front and centre at the beginning of the book were lost at the end.  The plot was just a bit too twisty without a more thorough explanation of a few points at the end; I was left wanting at the wrap up stage.

 

There was a very, very big deal made for the first half of the book about the plotted assassination of the senator.  By the end it’s completely dropped but I was left wondering:  what was Frost’s purpose with the assassination?  Did he hope to accomplish something?  Was it all for show?  Was the assassination plot even real?  He was trying to take over all the vampires in the country the way the Marrok ran the weres, but how did kidnapping Adam and his pack further that aim?  Did it? or was it more smoke and mirrors and if so, why?  If all he wanted to do was leave Marsilla vulnerable, I have to say, it was all a bit overkill.

INSERT SPOILER TAG HERE

I’ll wrap up by mentioning that Frost Burned picks up after Fair Game in the Alpha & Omega series, so if you’re picking up Frost Burned but don’t read A&O or aren’t current, there are events mentioned and repercussions to live with, that won’t be familiar to you.  It’s not a show stopper, but I can see how it might leave people confused at the beginning.  If you haven’t read the A&O series, it’s a good read; not as good as Mercy IMO, but well worth it’s place in the TBR pile.

Death and the Girl He Loves (Darklight Trilogy #3)

Death and the Girl He LovesDeath and the Girl He Loves
by Darynda Jones
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780312625221
Series: Darklight #3
Publication Date: October 8, 2013
Pages: 255
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

WARNING:  If you haven’t read the first two books in this trilogy – there are spoilers ahead.  But no spoilers for this book.

I don’t read a lot of YA – usually only if someone I trust highly recommends it and if it’s paranormal.  But I picked up the first book in this trilogy based solely on the author, Darynda Jones.  I love her work.  I LOVE her snark.  She writes some of the best snarky banter around (Chloe Neill – also a favourite).

This trilogy didn’t disappoint.  If the fact that I choose paranormal didn’t give it away, I’m not looking for the realistic portrayal of teens.  All that angst and melodrama – Yuck!  These are teens I can thoroughly enjoy reading – smart asses every one of ’em!  But all thicker than thieves.

The trilogy, in a nutshell, focuses on Lorelei – she’s the last in a line of very powerful prophets, the one foretold to stop the end of the world before it starts.  She has a nephilim to protect her and the Angel of Death by her side along with her two best friends.  She has no idea how to stop the end of the world before it starts.  Adventures are had and information is gleaned.  Much snark and witty banter is exchanged.

I didn’t know until I finished this one and went searching for information that this was, in fact, a trilogy.  But the book ended in such as way that it could be the final wrap up or it could continue.  It was only when I turned to Google in confusion that I saw references on her site to it being a trilogy.  Boo and hiss.

I read through this final instalment in a day – I stayed up too late on a work night because no way was I going to put this book down.  It starts of a tiny bit slow – Lorelei is attending a boarding school in Maine, hoping to hide out from the chaos and forestall the inevitable until she can figure out what she’s capable of.  It picks up pretty fast though – she can run but apparently she can’t hide.  I was happy to find that the gang is only separated for a short time, and once they were reunited I became completely absorbed in the book.

It’s a fast, fun read with a final showdown that isn’t kind to anyone, but ultimately fulfils the prophecies.  The aftermath took me a bit to figure out – the transition was very abrupt and so left me feeling disoriented (which might be just what the author intended…) for a few paragraphs before I had my Ahhhh…. moment.  After that – fun.

And that last chapter…  it left me hoping….

Fair Game (Alpha & Omega, #3)

Fair GameFair Game
by Patricia Briggs
Rating: ★★★½
isbn: 0441020038
Series: Alpha and Omega #3
Publication Date: March 9, 2012
Pages: 293
Genre: Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace

While still a great read, probably my least favorite of the three (and a half) so far in the series. A crises of faith, of sorts, is visited upon Charles and the readers are the spectators as he makes every obvious, clichéd mistake on his path to enlightenment.  Fortunately, while this is a main theme in the story, it’s not constantly front and center – there’s too much of the main plot going on for Charles’ crises to feel cloying.

The plot was amongst the darkest I’ve read of Ms. Briggs books. Torture, the feeding-off of pain, misery and agony. Very distasteful themes. The ultimate villain was immediately obvious to me, but it didn’t detract much from the story, because I was reading the book for the characters: Charles and Anna. Without these characters, written as well, and as likeable as they are, I’d never have started this series.

Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega, #2)

Hunting GroundHunting Ground
by Patricia Briggs
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 0425269590
Series: Alpha and Omega #2
Publication Date: September 27, 2020
Pages: 286
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace

A very good read. The characters are what sucked me in – I really liked reading about Charles; how his Native American heritage plays out in his daily life, how he works to balance power and morality. Anna’s struggles are less interesting, but still worth reading about. She adapts quickly, and I appreciate the minimum amount of wallowing the author allows (practically none) a character with such a dismal, black experience in her past.

Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega, #1)

Cry WolfCry Wolf
by Patricia Briggs
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9781440630811
Series: Alpha and Omega #1
Publication Date: September 27, 2020
Pages: 321
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace

I’m a fan of the Mercy Thompson series, but I really had no interest in the Alpha and Omega series, since weres aren’t my favorite paranormal species.

But I found myself unspeakably bored at work yesterday and nothing on my kindle for mac app appealed. Until I stumbled across Cry Wolf and thought reading more about Bran and Charles sounded like a great idea

.An excellent read, although I’ll still maintain that I prefer the more diverse world of Mercy’s. It was a bit tough figuring out what was going on at first, since this book takes place pretty much right after the novella ‘Alpha and Omega’ – so if you’re looking to get into this series, start with the novella – it will make the beginning of this book so much more sensical.

After figuring out what was going on though, I really liked the dynamic between Anna and Charles and I appreciated the amount of time spent on them before launching into the action. The action itself, while not gory, was hard to read at times and I’ll admit, I passed right on over anything having to do with hurting animals. It makes up a small, very small part of the story, but those few sentences were more than I could bear. Otherwise, the subjugation of one person by another (I won’t say human, as I don’t think it applies in this case) is a big theme in the story and I thought Ms. Briggs did a very good job with it – reading it made me uncomfortable, as it was meant to.

I don’t know if I’ll read the next or not, but I’ll certainly be checking it out.

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned, #1)

A fun, somewhat amusing way to pass time when you’re stuck at work with nothing to do (not even legitimate work!).

 

The premise of the story reminds me a lot of the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson. With Prada. The story is told to entertain, with a few sex scenes to make it a bit steamy, and eccentric characters galore. Also, chock full o’ girl power.

 

Cotton Candy comes to mind when I try to make a comparison: fun, sweet, in swirly bright colours, it gives you a rush when you first consume it, but it doesn’t stay with you long.

 

The story leaves off with a cliffhanger, so there’s definitely another book in the future. If I’m still looking for an entertaining way to kill time, I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading it.