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REVIEW – Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

Posted on May 9, 2012 by
Discount Armageddon

Discount Armageddon (Seanan McGuire)

Title: Discount Armageddon
Author: Seanan McGuire
Copyright: 2012 (DAW); 344 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-7564-0713-1
Series: InCryptid #1
Sensuality: Subtle/Kisses
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Verity comes from a long line of cryptozoologists. Her family left the Covenant of St. George years ago when they realized that killing every supernatural creature indiscriminately was wrong. Now, they study, protect, and assist the cryptid population. It doesn’t mean they won’t kill one if it because a danger, but it the last resort, not the first.

Even though she’s been trained to handle all sorts of knives and guns, and has had martial arts training, what Verity wants to do most is dance. Ballroom dancing, to be precise. Her family has agreed to allow her to pursue competitive dancing in New York, for a year, as long as it doesn’t interferes with her responsibilities to the cryptid population. And she has to keep her true identity hidden, so she won’t catch the attention of the Covenant.

Verity encounters a Covenant operative, Dominic De Luca, one evening while making her patrol rounds. Dominic’s in New York to ascertain if the city is in need of a purging — of cryptids, that is. This is not something Verity wants to hear, and Dominic is too indoctrinated to listen to Verity’s insistence that not all cryptid are dangerous monsters.

Cryptids start to disappear. Dominic insists he’s not killing them — he has no reason to lie to Verity. He thought she might be smuggling them out of the city to protect them him, but she assures him that she isn’t. They agree to team up because whatever is stalking cryptids, can’t be good for the human population either. While assisting Verity, Dominic sees for himself that not all cryptids are monstrous killers.

Comments: This was a fun read. I really enjoyed the world-building. Though her passion is dancing, it doesn’t take up much of the story. Most of Verity’s time is spent solving the mystery, doing her patrols, and working as a waitress.

The supporting cast was great. I can see Dominic unbending more and more as he starts thinking for himself. He made a lot of progress when he agreed to help. Verity certainly enjoys keeping him off balance.

Verity’s family is crazy, in a good way. They’re a close, loving family who’s members are also highly trained killers (they have to be, if they want to survive an encounter with the deadlier cryptids or Covenant operatives). They’re supportive of each other and I really liked hearing about them.

And one of my favorite things — the Aeslin mice. They can turn anything into a religious celebration. I loved them.

(Note: Cross-posted from Goodreads with some modifications).

Start: 24 March 2012
Finished: 25 March 2012

Rating:

Loved It! Definitely a keeper! Likely to be re-read! This book really grabbed/spoke to/excited me! Living Library, all the way! Not likely to give away or swap. Get your own copy!

Loved It!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
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Posted in 1st Person POV, 5 Stars, Fantasy, Other Supernatural Beings, Reviews, Seanan McGuire | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment
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Monthly Update – April 2012

Posted on May 6, 2012 by

April

April was a mixed bag for me.  I never got around to posting a Reading Has Its Rewards update for March, my team didn’t win bingo — didn’t even come close, and I didn’t do so well during the 24-Hour Read-a-thon.

However, I still read more than 6 books this month and I’ve reached the halfway mark for points and pages in my Reading Has Its Rewards challenge!  I’m so glad I switched the goal totals around — I was felling a bit discouraged about the page total goal until I made the switch.  I feel more confident about my chances of reading the goal by the end of the year — early, even.  I’ve also reached midpoint in the Good Reads Challenge:  33 of 65 books.  And if I do as well in May as I did in April, I will reach the Reading Has Its Rewards‘ halfway point for books read:  40 of 80 books.  This has made me very happy!  Not even half way through the year and already ahead of the game!  If I keep this up, I’ll be able to read at a more leisurely pace starting as early as October — maybe even September!

I’m still doing well with the Off the Shelf Challenge  — I only need 10 more books to complete it.  As for the Mt. TBR Challenge, I’m at the midway point — 20 down, 20 to go.  I’ve been doing well with the By the Dozen Challenge.  As for the rest, I’ll wait until September and see how things look before deciding on whether to abandon any of them.

I haven’t forgotten the goal to complete/catch up on two long-running series (this goal is part of the Rewards Challenge).  Since the guidelines I set up required that the series had at least 3 books, not counting 2011′s release, Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changelings was disqualified — I only had two books to read and one was the 2011 release.  I would love to catch up on either the Midnight Breed series or the Dirk & Steele.

Books Read

Note: All books count toward my personal “Reading Has Its Rewards ” challenge. Exceptions will be noted.
  • Fantasy Lover (Sherrilyn Kenyon) {6 Apr 13} – Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR
  • Magic Unchained (Jessica Andersen) {8 Apr 12} - By the Dozen
  • Armed & Magical (Lisa Shearin) {14 Apr 12} – By the Dozen, Bingo, Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR
  • Play of Passion (Nalini Singh) {15 Apr 12} – Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR, Bingo,
  • The Glass House (Ashley Gardner) {21 Apr 12} – What’s in a Name, By the Dozen, Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR
  • Kiss of Snow (Nalinia Singh) {22 Apr 12} – Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR, Bingo,
  • The Shadow Reader (Sandy Williams) {27 Apr 12} – Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR
  • Sweet Revenge (Andrea Pendrose) {29 Apr 12} – N/A


Challenges Completed this month:
NA

Incomplete (Ended in April):
NONE

♥ = Will complete; ♠ = Maybe; X = Won’t

2012 Challenges:
By the Dozen (personal) – 15/36
Fairy Tales Retold – 0/3
Harlequin/Silhouette Reading Challenge -3/6
Harry Potter Reading Challenge – 0/7
Mount TBR Reading Challenge – 20/40
Off the Shelf Reading Challenge – 20/30
Romance Reading Challenge – 2/5
Sci-Fi Reading Challenge (6-10) – 2/?
What’s in a Name 5 Reading Challenge – 4/6

2012-2013 Challenges:
Year of the Dragon Reading Challenge(personal/GoodReads) – 1

Perpetual Challenges:
101 Fantasy Challenge (Month): 0
101 Fantasy Challenge (Year): 0
Grand Total since 2009: 6
~~ & ~~
Georgette Heyer (Month): 0
Georgette Heyer (Year): 1
Grand Total since 2008: 5
~~ & ~~
In Death (Month): 0
In Death (Year): 1
Grand Total since 2010: 1
~~ & ~~
Reading the RITAs (Month): 0
Reading the RITAs (Year): 1
Grand Total since 2011: 3

Totals (Monthly/Yearly)

Total Read (Month): 8
Total Heard (Month): 0
Grand Total w/o Audiobooks (Year): 33
Grand Total w/Audiobooks (Year): 33
~~ & ~~
Total Audio Hours(Month): 0
Total Audio Hours (Year): 0h, 0m
~~ & ~~
Total Pages Read (Month): 2,635
Grand Total w/o Audiobooks (Year): 10,891
Grand Total w/Audiobooks (Year): 10,891

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Reading Has Its Rewards – March & April 2012

Posted on May 5, 2012 by

For a full explanation of how the points are determined, please visit the challenge page here.

Money Raised March: $21.00
Money Raised April: $16.00

Book Points – March: 3,550

  • The Restorer (Amanda Stevens): 50 (year) + 200 (pages) + 25 (series) = 275 pts.
  • Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos (Donna Andrews): 300 (year) + 100 (pages) +75 (series) = 475 X 2 (original copyright) = 950 pts.
  • Flashfire (Deborah Cooke):  25 (year) + 200 (pages) + 200 (series) = 425 pts.
  • Oracle’s Moon (Thea Harrison): 25 (year) + 100 (pages) + 100 (series) = 225 pts.
  • Doppelgangster (Laura Resnick): 100 (year) + 200 (pages) + 50 (series) = 350 pts.
  • Storm Kissed (Jessica Andersen): 50 (year) + 300 (pages) + 200 (series) = 550 pts.
  • Practice Makes Perfect (Julie James): 150 (year) + 100 (pages) = 250 pts.
  • Discount Armageddon (Seanan McGuire): 25 (year) + 100 (pages) + 25 (series) = 150 pts.
  • Mad About the Earl (Christina Brooke): 25 (year) + 100 (pages) + 50 (series) = 175 pts.
  • Flowerbed of State (Dorothy St. James): 25 (year) + 100 (pages) + 25 (series) = 150 pts.
  • “Crystal Skull” (Jessica Andersen), On the Hunt (anthology): 50 pts. (year)

Monthly Bonus Points – March: 700
Bonus for 7 or more books: 50 points X 4 = 200 points
Milestone Bonus Points for 25 Books by 20 April = 500 points

Total Monthly Points- March: 4,250

~&~

Book Points -April: 3,700

  • Fantasy Lover: 300 (year) + 100 (pages) = 400 X 2 =  800 pts.
  • Magic Unchained: 25 (year) + 300 (pages) +200 (series) = 525 pts.
  • Armed & Magical: 50 (year) + 100 (pages) + 50 (series) = 200 pts.
  • Play of Passion: 50 (year) + 100 (pages) + 200 (series) = 350 pts.
  • The Glass House: 300 (year) + 100 (pages) + 75 (series) = 475 x 2 = 950 pts.
  • Kiss of Snow: 50 (year) + 300 (pages) + 200 (series) = 550 pts.
  • The Shadow Read: 50 (year) + 100 (pages) + 25 (series) = 175 pts.
  • Sweet Revenge: 25 (year) + 100 (pages) + 25 (series) = 150 pts.

Monthly Bonus Points – April: 100
Bonus for 7 or more books: 50 points X 2 = 100 points

Total Monthly Points- April: 3,800

~~ & ~~
Grand Total Money Raised: $67.00
Grand Total Points: 15,000
Grand Total Books: 33
Grand Total # of Pages: 10,891

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24 Hour Read-a-thon Wrap-up: April 2012

Posted on April 22, 2012 by

Well, I threw in the towel at 4:30am EST.

I think I would have done better this time had I not been distracted by the bingo game on Good Reads. I was prepared for this read-a-thon in every other way except what I was going to read. I also do better when I stay off the computer. After I got up Sunday morning, I started reading Kiss of Snow and spent the rest of the day reading it, not once going on-line until I finished it. I did much better after the challenge was over than I did during it. My goal for October is not be distracted by other challenges.

Completed:
The Glass House (Captain Gabriel Lacey Mystery #3) (Ashley Gardner) – 21 Apr 12

Started Reading:
Kiss of Snow (Psy-Changeling #10) (Nalini Singh)

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24 Hour Read-a-thon: April 2012

Posted on April 21, 2012 by

I’m not sure exactly how much I will be reading today.

Currently Reading:
Kiss of Snow (Psy-Changeling #10) (Nalini Singh)

Completed:
The Glass House (Captain Gabriel Lacey Mystery #3) (Ashley Gardner) – 21 Apr 12

Update #3: Finished a book! Yay! Shelf announced and it’s not one my team needs for bingo. :( It was a fun round anyway.

Still snacking on the veggies and some chips. Might heat up some pizza later, if I get hungry for something more.

Music — I meant to mention this in the last update. I’ve had music playing in the background while reading. At first, I was just replaying a couple of albums I saw on Amazon — Classical Music for the Reader. I liked them. Not distracting at all. I’ve since let iTunes to play the next album, whatever it is, on my list. As long as it doesn’t start an audiobook, I think I’ll let it continue. So far, it’s not been distracting.

Update #2: Almost 4pm EST, and still no shelf announcement. Hopefully, in the next hour or so –the group hostess is in Japan, it’s Sunday morning. I should be close to finishing my first read by then.

I’ve been munching on a veggie tray I picked up yesterday. I wish there were less carrots and more celery or broccoli. I used to love raw carrots, but I must have over-done it at some point because now I have to drown them in ranch dressing.  I just made myself a cup of tea.

Update #1 – Haven’t read anything yet. Rainy day outside, so it’s going to be a good day for reading. I’ll order a pizza for lunch.

I’m in the US — Kentucky, specifically. I haven’t created a list of books. I want to finish the mystery book I started, but after that, my next read will be determined by what shelf gets called in the game of bookshelf bingo I’m participating in on Good Reads. I might be re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, if our winning shelf is called — but beyond that, I have no idea.

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Monthly Update – March 2012

Posted on April 4, 2012 by

March

It was a very good reading month for me!  I finished 10 books and 1 short story.  And, because I read that many books, I reached a Milestone Goal a month early:  read 25 books by 30 April.  I am very pleased with this because I know that my reading tends to slow down around the holidays.  I have a better chance of actually reaching 80 books by the end of the year if I do well early.

I’ve made a couple of changes to the Reading Has Its Rewards Challenge.  First, I changed the goals for pages read and number of points.  The new goal for pages read is 20, 000 pages.  The new goal for points is 30,000.  My reasoning:

Reached 10,000+ points on 25 March. Though I’ve been reading older books, the books haven’t been longer ones. If I continued this trend, I would easily have reached the points goal, but fall short of the page goal. Switching them gives me a better shot at reaching them both by the end of the year.

I also modify the rule for short stories, Did Not Finish, and audiobooks. I think I would have modified the rule during the planning stages, but I was so caught up with deciding point values based on other factors, that I barely gave it a second thought. Reading short stories takes time and should count for more. And so should DNFs, especially if I get well into the story and realize it’s not working for me.

The RITAs nominations were announced and I’ll be extending the Reading the RITA challenge indefinitely. In other words, it will be a perpetual challenge for me. I’ve already read some of the nominees, but they won’t count.  More about that later.  I completed the Men in Uniform and the Speculative Fiction Challenges and I will do wrap posts later.  I’m at the halfway mark with the Off the Shelf, Harlequin, and What’s in a Name challenges.

In April, I will be participating in the 24 Hour Read-a-thon.  If the Bingo game hasn’t ended by then, my primary goal for the read-a-thon will be to read whatever book I need for the game. Either way, I’m not planning on checking in hourly — only when I feel I need a break from reading.

Books Read

Note: All books count toward my personal “Reading Has Its Rewards ” challenge. Exceptions will be noted.
  • The Restorer (Amanda Stevens) {1 Mar 12} – Men in Uniform, Harlequin (title),
  • Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos (Donna Andrews) {3 Mar 12} – Mt. TBR, Off the Shelf. By the Dozen
  • Flashfire (Deborah Cooke) {6 Mar 12} – Bingo, Year of the Dragon, By the Dozen
  • Oracle’s Moon (Thea Harrison) {13 Mar 12} – By the Dozen, What’s in a Name, Spec Fiction
  • Doppelgangster (Laura Resnick) {18 Mar 12} – Mount TBR, Off the Shelf, Men in Uniform, Bingo
  • Storm Kissed (Jessica Andersen) {19 Mar 12} – Mount TBR, Off the Shelf, Bingo
  • Practice Makes Perfect (Julie James) {23 Mar 12} – Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR
  • Discount Armageddon (Seanan McGuire) {25 Mar 12} – Bingo, By the Dozen
  • Mad About the Earl (Christina Brooke) {29 Mar 12} – By the Dozen
  • Flowerbed of State (Dorothy St. James) {31 Mar 12} – What’s in a Name
  • “Crystal Skull” (Jessica Andersen), On the Hunt (anthology) {18 Mar 12} – N/A

The backlog — whether from last month or last year.

Note: Audio “pages” will be counted separately.
  • NONE


Challenges Completed this month:
Men in Uniform Reading Challenge (1-5) – 5/5
Speculative Fiction Challenge – 6/6

Incomplete (Ended in March):
NONE

♥ = Will complete; ♠ = Maybe; X = Won’t

2012 Challenges:
By the Dozen (personal) – 11/36
Fairy Tales Retold – 0/3
Harlequin/Silhouette Reading Challenge -3/6
Harry Potter Reading Challenge – 0/7
Mount TBR Reading Challenge – 15/40
Off the Shelf Reading Challenge – 15/30
Romance Reading Challenge – 2/5
Sci-Fi Reading Challenge (6-10) – 2/?
What’s in a Name 5 Reading Challenge -3/6

2012-2013 Challenges:
Year of the Dragon Reading Challenge(personal/GoodReads) – 1

Perpetual Challenges:
101 Fantasy Challenge (Month): 0
101 Fantasy Challenge (Year): 0
Grand Total since 2009: 6
~~ & ~~
Georgette Heyer (Month): 0
Georgette Heyer (Year): 1
Grand Total since 2008: 5
~~ & ~~
In Death (Month): 0
In Death (Year): 1
Grand Total since 2010: 1
~~ & ~~
Reading the RITAs (Month): 0
Reading the RITAs (Year): 1
Grand Total since 2011: 3

Totals (Monthly/Yearly)

Total Read (Month): 10
Total Heard (Month): 0
Grand Total w/o Audiobooks (Year): 25
Grand Total w/Audiobooks (Year): 25
~~ & ~~
Total Audio Hours(Month): 0
Total Audio Hours (Year): 0h, 0m
~~ & ~~
Total Pages Read (Month): 3,563  3,558
Grand Total w/o Audiobooks (Year): 8,256
Grand Total w/Audiobooks (Year): 8,256

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REVIEW – Doppelgangster by Laura Resnick

Posted on March 26, 2012 by
Doppelgangster

Doppelgangster (Laura Resnick)

Title: Doppelgangster
Author: Laura Resnick
Copyright: 2010 (DAW); 386 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-7564-0595-3
Series: Esther Diamond #2
Sensuality: N/A
Genre: Fantasy

Esther Diamond is an actress. When the play she’s in closes due to poor ticket sales, Esther has little choice but to go back to waiting tables at Bella Stella’s until her agent can get her another gig. Waiting tables at Stella’s isn’t too bad. For one, Stella requires her waitstaff to sing when requested by patrons. Stella considers them actors, making it very easy for Esther to ask for time off for auditions. Secondly, the tips are pretty good, especially since Esther has a decent voice.

However, Stella’s is a hangout for the Gambello family and their “friends”. Esther doesn’t have a problem with that, unless the guys gets grabby. Fortunately, she can now claim that she’s seeing a cop. It affords her an odd bit of protection. The last thing a bunch of wiseguys want is to bring themselves to the attention of a cop, especially one that just started working on the organized crime task force. Detective Connor Lopez, the cop in question, isn’t happy about Esther working at Stella’s. He’s worried about her safety. Esther assures him she’ll be fine. The fact that his new job will allow him to keep an eye on her mollifies him somewhat.

Despite Esther’s many assurances that it is perfectly safe, someone kills Chubby Charlie right in front her. The problem? She didn’t actually see it happen (crazy, but trust me, she didn’t). Just prior to his murder, Charlie had been going on about seeing his perfect double, which he said marked him for death. He was highly agitated, so Esther thought he was having a medical problem and tried to convince him to see a doctor. Charlie had been acting odd the day before, as well: he came back to the restaurant after already dining and acted as if it was the first time he’d seen or talked to her that evening, as if he hadn’t been there less than an hour before.

The forensic evidence doesn’t make sense, Lopez’s boss thinks Esther is hiding something, and Lopez is worried that she’s become a target. Charlie’s behavior and the forensic evidence prompts Esther to pay a visit to her friend, Dr. Maxmillian Zadok, the wizard assign to combat Evil in New York. She’s accompanied by Lucky, the semi-retired hitman she befriended, who’s been tasked by Don Gambello to find out who put the hit on Charlie. It has been relatively peaceful between rival families. If it was the Corvinos, the Gambello’s main rival, then things could become an all out war.

Max suspects that someone created a doppelgänger, a perfect double. Why, how, and who aren’t as easily answered. But at least that would explain Charlie’s strange behavior the day before he died. The question is, which version of the chubby capo was the doppelgänger and when was it created? When Lucky gets word from another member of the family who witnessed similar behavior in a member of the Corvino family, he suspect that someone is trying to start a war between the rivals.

Now Esther must help prevent a mob war, find the person behind the doppelgängers, and get an audition for popular cop show all while trying to spend some romantic time with Lopez, who thinks Max is crazy, doesn’t believe in magic, and wants her in protective custody out of fear for her life.

Comments:  I read the first book back in May 2007 and enjoyed it so much, I was looking forward to the follow-up. Unfortunately, the author’s contract was canceled before the second book was published. She finally sold it to the current publisher and Doppelgangster was released in 2010. The first book will be re-issued, but it is not necessary to read it to enjoy this book. The prologue explains what happened and how Esther met Lopez and Max.

I’ve forgotten how much I liked Esther. She is funny and I think she’s a very confident person. She’s also tough. When they finally catch the guy creating the doppelgangers, Esther really lets him have it.

Max was his delightfully eccentric self. His attempts to sound like a wiseguy were quite funny. Max acquires a familiar in this book and it doesn’t go exactly as planned.

I really liked Lucky. He’s open-minded about the magic because of his Sicilian grandmother, so having him on their side made it easier for Max and Esther to prevent the families from going to war. He’s smart, too, and I can see why Don Gambello would rely on him.

As stated above, Lopez doesn’t believe in magic, which creates a rift between him and Esther. He cares about her a great deal and doesn’t have a problem with her being an actress. He’s also pretty cool about canceled and interrupted plans. Esther even tells him that’s one of the things she likes about him. Lopez is a good guy and a good cop, so the things he does to protect Esther from being hauled off to jail weighs heavily on his conscience. Until he can accept what Esther and Max tells him, their relationship is doomed. Changing his perception might be possible, but it will take some time: Lopez does something that causes Max to believe he has some unrealized power.

I will be continuing with this series.

(Cross-posted from Goodreads.com, with some changes)

Start:  13 March 2012
Finished: 18 March 2012

Rating:

Really Liked It A Lot! Great read! May keep it, may give it away/swap.

Liked It A Lot!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
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REVIEW – Seduced by Shadows by Jessa Slade

Posted on March 25, 2012 by
Seduced by Shadows

Seduced by Shadows (Jessa Slade)

Title: Seduced by Shadows
Author: Jessa Slade
Copyright: 2009 (Signet); 378 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-451-22828-4
Series: Marked Souls #1
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Ferris Archer is a talyan — a human man who was possessed by a repentant demon, called teshuva. Demons are fallen angels and the teshuva are those who “seen the error of their ways” (so to speak). They possess humans — mostly men — who’s souls are already a bit tarnished or have a weakness that can be exploited. The path to redemption for both the teshuva and the human is to die in battle against non-repentant demons. Since demonic possession confers rapid healing and incredible strength and reflexes, dying in battle can take some doing. A talyan can live a very long time if he has a strong teshuva.

The talyans primarily face off against the lesser demons. However, the counterparts to the teshuva are the djinn — the fallen who are happy to remain so. Djinni are hard to kill, so the talyans try to eliminate newly-possessed djinn-men before the demon can fully ascend (full possession). There are angel-possessed humans, but they stay out of the fight. Hosting a heavenly agent doesn’t grant the individual the same dubious advantages the demon-possessed have — but then again, their souls aren’t in jeopardy either and they can have a somewhat normal life.

The talyans band together in the major cities and those groups are called leagues. Archer nominally belongs to the Chicago league, but he’s a loner, so he rarely hunts with his fellows. However, he got a vision of an impending possession and tracks the demon to its intended target. It leads him to Sera Littlejohn. Because of the vision, Archer is responsible for either training her, or killing her if it turned out that her demon is djinn. He’s not happy about any of it, of course.

As Sera is adjusting her new life — and still trying to hold on to parts of her old one — things start happening that point to her being targeted specifically. The lesser demons are behaving oddly and even the leagues headquarters comes under attack. It seems that Sera’s possession was engineered by someone who was trying to breach the veil that separate the demon realm from the human one.

Comments:  This book has been in my TBR pile since it was released. The blurb caught my attention and I’m happy to say that I did find the world the author created an interesting one.

I don’t think I ever read a book where one of the characters is a thanatologist — a person who helps the dying and the terminally ill during their final days. That’s what Sera was before the car accident. She’s a resilient, compassionate person. She seems like the sort of person who should have been angel-possessed. Instead, she becomes the first female to be demon-possessed in a very long time — as far as league records can determine anyway. Nobody knows why the teshuva stopped possessing females.

As for Archer, he’s tired of existence. He’s been around for some time and he’s lost all hope. The battle against the demons is unending and, ultimately, un-winnable as long as there are humans and free will. Everything that has mattered to him was lost a long time ago and he doesn’t want to form any new attachments because he’ll only loses those, too. Sera makes him feel again.

There were times when I felt I was missing something. I thought the author did a good job of trying to avoid information dumps, but occasionally I thought she was being too vague. I thought the story moved at a good pace.

The next two books look like they follow the same pattern, but with the recently released 4th book, it looks like the author shook things up some. I was planning on continuing anyway, but this last fact was an extra incentive.

(Cross-posted from Goodreads.com)

Start: 25 February 2012
Finished: 29 February 2012

Rating:

Really Liked It A Lot! Great read! May keep it, may give it away/swap.

Liked It A Lot!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
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Monthly Update – February 2012

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

February

Bookshelf bingo started again at Goodreads.com on 5 February. Five of the nine books were for the game, and I was happy that I could squeeze in a few extra between shelf announcements. Plus, I managed a bit of variety, too.  There was a glitch during my reading. One of the books I picked had pages missing in the middle!  I had to choose another book for the game while waiting for a replacement copy.  I completed it at the beginning of March.

As I stated yesterday in my monthly Reading Has Its Rewards update, I haven’t done as well as I hoped with page totals, but I’m pleased with the points tally so far.  I’m not sure I’ll make 80 books by then end of the year, but I’m confident that I will make reach the lower goal of 65 I’ve set for Goodreads.  Something I noticed after I posted the update:  I’m pretty sure I will meet the “25 books by 30 April” milestone goal.

Since bingo requires some type of write-up/review in order for the teams to get their stamp, I’ve been pretty good about cross-posting those here, so I don’t have the same issue I had last year.  I’ve fallen a bit behind with the cross-posting, but that’s nothing compared to what was left unwritten at the ending of last year.

I’m still happy with my progress with the various challenges.  Once bingo ends, I will assess my status and try to wrap up some of the shorter ones early.  At the end of March, I will official make the RITA challenge a perpetual one.

Books Read

Note: All books count toward my personal “Reading Has Its Rewards ” challenge. Exceptions will be noted.
  • A Warrior’s Desire (Pamela Palmer) {3 Feb 12} – By the Dozen (2012), Spec Fiction, Men in Uniform
  • Paranormalcy (Kiersten White) {6 Feb 12} -  Mt. TBR, Off the Shelf, Spec Fiction, Bingo
  • The Iron Duke (Meljean Brook) {12 Feb 12} – Bingo
  • Footsteps in the Dark (Georgette Heyer) {17 Feb 12} – By the Dozen (Heyer), Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR, Bingo, Georgette Heyer
  • Shadow Touch (Marjorie M. Liu) {20 Feb 12} – By the Dozen, Mount TBR, Off the Shelf, Bingo
  • Murder on Washington Square (Victoria Thompson) {21 Feb 12} – By the Dozen, Mount TBR, Off the Shelf, Men in Uniform
  • Winter’s Edge (Anne Stuart) {22 Feb 12} – Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR, What’s in a Name, Harlequin (weather)
  • Talk to Me (Jan Freed) {25 Feb 21} – Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR
  • Seduced by Shadows (Jessa Slade) {29 Feb 12} – Bingo, Off the Shelf, Mt. TBR, Spec Fiction, Romance

The backlog — whether from last month or last year.
  • NONE

Note: Audio “pages” will be counted separately.
  • NONE


Challenges Completed this month:
None

Incomplete (Ended in February):
NONE

♥ = Will complete; ♠ = Maybe; X = Won’t

2011-2012 Challenges:
X Reading the RITAs – 3/24

2012 Challenges:
By the Dozen (personal) – 7/36
Fairy Tales Retold – 0/3
Harlequin/Silhouette Reading Challenge -2/6
Harry Potter Reading Challenge – 0/7
Men in Uniform Reading Challenge (1-5) – 3/?
Mount TBR Reading Challenge – 11/40
Off the Shelf Reading Challenge – 11/30
Romance Reading Challenge – 2/5
Sci-Fi Reading Challenge (6-10) – 2/?
Speculative Fiction Challenge – 5/6
What’s in a Name 5 Reading Challenge -1/6

2012-2013 Challenges:
Year of the Dragon Reading Challenge(personal/GoodReads) – 0

Perpetual Challenges:
101 Fantasy Challenge (Month): 0
101 Fantasy Challenge (Year): 0
Grand Total since 2009: 6
~~ & ~~
Georgette Heyer (Month): 1
Georgette Heyer (Year): 1
Grand Total since 2008: 5
~~ & ~~
In Death (Month): 1
In Death (Year): 1
Grand Total since 2010: 1

Totals (Monthly/Yearly)

Total Read (Month): 9
Total Heard (Month): 0
Grand Total w/o Audiobooks (Year): 15
Grand Total w/Audiobooks (Year): 15
~~ & ~~
Total Audio Hours(Month): 0
Total Audio Hours (Year): 0h, 0m
~~ & ~~
Total Pages Read (Month): 2,947
Grand Total w/o Audiobooks (Year): 4,698
Grand Total w/Audiobooks (Year): 4,698

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Reading Has Its Rewards – February 2012

Posted on March 11, 2012 by

Read several books that I’ve had for some time, or were older (like Georgette Heyer).  If I continue this trend, I will reach my goal of 20,000 points long before the end of the year.  I’m beginning to think that I should have switch the page number goal and the points goal.  Based on what I’ve already read in March (as of this writing) I could end the month with at least another 2,500 points, which would bring the total for the year, so far, over 9,000 points.  If I’m lucky, I could end the month with 10,000 for the years so far — and that’s half way to goal with nine months left!

I foresee me not making the page total goal, as most of the books I’ve been reading tend to be less than 400 pages.  To make goal, I would need to read between 2,500 – 3,000 pages a month.  Ideally, I should have read, so far, at least 5,000 – 6,000 pages by the end of February.  Instead, my page total for the year so far is 4,698.

For a full explanation of how the points are determined, please visit the challenge page here.

Money Raised (Month): $18.00

Book Points: 4,350

  • A Warrior’s Desire: 25 (year added) + 100 (pages) + 100 (series bonus) = 225 points
  • Paranormalcy: 50 (year added) + 100 (pages) + 25 (series bonus) = 175 points
  • The Iron Duke: 50 (year added) + 200 (pages) + 25 (series bonus) = 275 points
  • Footsteps in the Dark: 100 (year added) + 100 (pages) = 200 X 2 (pub year bonus) = 400 points
  • Shadow Touch: 50 (year added) + 200 (pages) + 50 (series bonus) = 300 points
  • Murder on Washington Square: 300 (year added) + 100 (pages) + 100 (series bonus) = 500 X 2 (pub year bonus) = 1,000 points
  • Winter’s Edge: 300 (year added) + 100 (pages) = 400 x 2 (pub year bonus) = 800 points
  • Talk to Me: 300 (year added) + 100 (pages) = 400 x 2 (pub year bonus) = 800 points
  • Seduced by Shadows: 150 (year added) + 200 (pages) + 25 (series bonus) = 375 points

Monthly Bonus Points
Bonus for 7 or more books: 50 points X 3 = 150 points

Total Monthly Points: 4, 500

~~ & ~~
Grand Total Money Raised: $30.00
Grand Total Points: 6,950
Grand Total Books: 15
Grand Total # of Pages: 4,698

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