You'll probably see this cut/paste opinion in a few of my were-hunter reviews but I'm not liking the spin on weres in this series, and I can't see mucYou'll probably see this cut/paste opinion in a few of my were-hunter reviews but I'm not liking the spin on weres in this series, and I can't see much else when I'm reading the were books. Their story doesn't read all that cohesive with the Dark Hunter world. Dark Hunters have limitations on their powers and can't just do whatever they want, whenever they want, but weres get to bend and shape time and the world around them, even though they are not nearly as evolved as Dark Hunters are. Disappearing clothes? Really??? Teleporting with no real need (i.e. for their own wants and not because they could use it for fighting like the DH would) Time jumping all over the place with no huge Butterfly Effect? Yeah...I don't like it.
Oh, how convenient it is to be able to still visit the future when you want to, even though you've chosen to live in the past. Whatever. The rules seem to be bent and broken with every book (yes, I've read ahead before jumping back to this story). I have trouble taking this author seriously. ...more
I was a freak, but at least I was a meticulous freak.
Get. Your. Freak. On. This is the book for any 3.5 stars. Another day, another death.
I was a freak, but at least I was a meticulous freak.
Get. Your. Freak. On. This is the book for any person who (as a kid) took their Star Wars, G.I. Joe, and Thundercat toys out into the backyard and found a way to invent a new world where they would battle each other. Unless you were me, and had to make due with a Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Ponies, and a generic She-Ra doll (hey, I was a sheltered kid. I only got to play army men and Star Wars at my friends' houses).
Who was I? Why couldn't I remember anything before a year ago? Why didn't I stay dead?
Katanas, guns, wands, and staves. Gargoyles, dragons, lie-detecting ticks, and evil overlords. Strap on your seat belts, kids. This ride's about to get bumpy, especially when the man driving the bus has no clue who he is.
(btw - I think I was more scared of a lie-detecting tick than anything. Too many years spent at summer camp gave me a phobia of those horrific little shits.)
I hate to classify Urban Fantasy into either of the dreaded "romantic" vs. "action" categories because almost all (non-PNR) UF will have a fair amount of action and pseudo-fantasy happening. Some of my favorite UF series provide an equal dose of ass kicking and sexual tension. However, this book landed closer to the "action" side of the spectrum. Fans of grittier, darker Urban Fantasy are going to be more likely to gravitate toward Dying.
The last few male-driven UF series I've read have been somewhat snarkier. The tone of this book was firmly rooted in the mystery surrounding our main character and the obstacles he had to overcome on his path to finding out who he is. While humor isn't a strong element in Dying, there were random moments which amused me. When I stumbled across these moments, I smiled the smile of a person who got to be part of an inside joke. Either you'll find yourself amused, or you'll sail right on by, never the wiser.
It's hard to write about the characters because they were hard to get to know at first, due to the fact that the main voice had absolutely no clue what was going on, but that sort of lent itself to the fun. I wanted to know why this person had landed himself in the middle of New York's seediest and scariest happenings, so I was willing to tag along and find out where we wound up.
My one complaint would be that I wish there'd been more of a focus on a select group of paranormals, instead of this story being yet another version of paranormal stew. My shelf categories blew up again with the addition of this book. When there are too many things in a story which need to be explained, you tend to start tuning some of it out. A little more focus on a specific theme would take this series from good to great.
Even so, I'm in!
This book provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted from the final copy.
[image] Leto's side :Three matches. Keep her alive. Then his comatose younger sister would be protected forever.
Nynn's side :Leto was the alpha she n[image] Leto's side :Three matches. Keep her alive. Then his comatose younger sister would be protected forever.
Nynn's side :Leto was the alpha she needed in order to survive. To get her son back.
WOMEN ARE DRAGON KINGS. BAD-ASS.
There's so much to love about Caged Warrior. Aside from the "women can be kings" angle, there's the whole "cage match" thing going on. Leto and Nynn have their own reasons for needing to fight, and much of their interactions revolve around Leto training Nynn to become the strong warrior that she was born to be. In theory, this should be the type of heart-pumping action which would normally hook me, and it did...up to a point. I wasn't fully grasping why the training went on...and on...and on. At least a small portion of the training could have been hinted at happening off-page. The dragon ancestry and lore should have been more developed in favor of cutting back some training scenes.
Leto is one of those characters who should tick all of the boxes for being a dynamic male lead, but his jackassery at the start left me feeling lukewarm to his appeal until extremely late in the game. I don't care how tough a trainer needs to be in order to break through to the person they're training, when I see a passage in which the male lead thinks nothing of grabbing an abused female by the crotch, I'm going to be turned off. As well, the scene in which he (look only if you want to know) (view spoiler)[taunted a man to take Nynn sexually, just to prove a point (even if he wouldn't have allowed it to happen) (hide spoiler)] was something that took "pushing someone to their breaking point" way past a place that I wanted to see. Just because you need to be hard on someone in order to get through to them, it doesn't mean it has to happen in that specific way.
It took far too long for Leto to show that he could be a hero worth cheering for. I wanted to know more about this "god bent on laying waste to cities" than we were shown.
When they stepped into a Cage together, they moved and breathed as one. Unified and deadly. He didn't want that - not permanently. But to feel it just once?
My prediction : fans of traditional PNR are going to be split down the middle about this series. There is a strong sexual element present, but romance is not really the focus. I felt that the direction of the story was focused mainly on character growth and discovery, with some raw primal urges thrown in to make the it fit within the parameters of PNR.
There was almost an old-time Gladiator feel to the presentation. Even though magic and dragon-lineage was the explanation given for the abilities and talents, we were shown fight training and survival tactics more than the magic itself. While Nynn did get a chance to grow into her magic, the execution of her completion was a feeble addition to the bigger picture.
I do love when genre lines get blurred and readers get to experience a mix of writing styles. The fantasy-meets-apocalyptic survival clash was excellent, but going back to my point from earlier, this could have been so much better with a stronger infusion of the lore and character personalities.
What will make me keep reading on in the series is that curiosity to want to know more about the racial characteristics and lifestyle outside of the fighting system. In terms of uniqueness, the setup is genius. Now I just have to wait for win to happen.
This book provided from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All quotes taken from the pre-published copy and may be changed or omitted from the final copy.
3.5 stars Don't let the cover fool you. This is not a girly romance book. This is fun Urban Fantasy all the way! Guys, you can come out of hiding!
Anyw3.5 stars Don't let the cover fool you. This is not a girly romance book. This is fun Urban Fantasy all the way! Guys, you can come out of hiding!
Anyway...*cue dramatic sigh* We've probably all been where I'm at right now. I've managed to avoid it for a while, but I finally hit the dreaded reading-slash-reviewing slump. I'm going to chalk it up to summer coming to an end and me realizing that there's still a bunch of summer-type things I want to do which don't involve reading and reviewing. Here's my half-assed review.
Charming was a lot of fun. I'll be wanting to check out book 2 when it's available.
Actually, my complaints are fairly minimal. Charming probably had enough moments to make it more of a 4 star book than a 3 star book, but something held me back from rounding up. Come to think of it, the amount of world and character information really didn't bother me as much as it did my buddy reading partner. I'm guessing that this might have something to do with me being a huge fan of Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series, so I'm sort of used to this style of writing.
I could EASILY throw out a good twenty or so quotes from the book because the wit is fabulous. And there's a good chance I could sell you on the book just from the wit alone. The chapter headers were silly in a fun way, ranging from gems like Blood, Bath & Beyond to Which One of You Ordered the Stake? And the banter was just the way I like it (One second you're sounding metrosexual talking about coffee preparation, the next you look like you're going to rip my heart out and eat it).
So here's a quick rundown. Charming was :
Cram-packed with sarcastic humor.
Filled to the brim with crazy antics.
Absolutely full of offbeat lore.
Overflowing with unique characters.
Who would I recommend this to?
Fans of Kevin Hearne (the writing style is VERY similar).
People who are tired of flowery writing.
Anyone who likes to roll with the punches.
Who would I not recommend this to?
People who need instant gratification when it comes to any sort of romance.
Sigh. I'm not sure what to say. I have the worst trouble trying to figure out what to write for longer (epic/high) fantasy book reviews. Will think upSigh. I'm not sure what to say. I have the worst trouble trying to figure out what to write for longer (epic/high) fantasy book reviews. Will think upon this and hopefully have more to say at a later date.
Loving the series!
*fast forward to December* Later came and I still am stumped for what to write but I'm back for an ending re-skim so I can queue up book 3 before season 3 starts.
Loving the book and show. Going to try to do one book per season because I don't really want to go too far ahead. Loving the book and show. Going to try to do one book per season because I don't really want to go too far ahead. ...more
I'm not going to give an in depth review because to be fair, it's very hard to rate a book when you read it a chapter at a time.
What I should have donI'm not going to give an in depth review because to be fair, it's very hard to rate a book when you read it a chapter at a time.
What I should have done is put the book down and come back to it later when I was in the mood to read some epic fantasy. I already know my reading moods and I know when I'm in the mood to read EF, and when I'm not. Still...something made me keep reading because I knew that the book was going to be good. And it was.
But, because I didn't sit down and read it through like I usually do with most books, it became harder to "love" it. Most of the book was good but not grabbing me until the very end. I really wanted to see more action earlier on in the book. My attention span as of lately has been shot, so slow world building just doesn't do it for me the way it might have a few years ago.
However, the last few chapters were exciting and had me in rapture. Something about finally getting to see Eon become Eona changed my feelings toward the book. I may not be in a hurry to pick up Eona, but I definitely plan on it at some point....more
Firelight ranks right alongside a basic fairytale retelling. It's a simple and cute story about love and the struggles that go along with it, but therFirelight ranks right alongside a basic fairytale retelling. It's a simple and cute story about love and the struggles that go along with it, but there isn't much new or unusual here. We've seen much of the premise in other recent popular fiction, but the addition of dragons and dragon hunters made the story fun and fresh.
I recommend this book for fans of 'true love' or 'soulmates' type fiction. If you're looking for non-stop action, in depth plotlines, or strong female protags, this probably isn't going to be your thing. Taking the book for what it was, I enjoyed it. If I wanted to read something more in depth, there are plenty of other books on my shelf that will fit the bill....more
Stacia (the 2010 club)
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