Grave Witch (Kalayna Price)

Title: Grave Witch
Author: Kalayna Price
Copyright: 2010 (ROC); 325 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-451-46380-7
Series: Alex Craft #1
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Urban Fantasy

From Goodreads.com:  As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself — who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans — nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around . . .

To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something — though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex — but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life . . . and her soul.

Comments: Another case of “I wish I could remember what prompted me to get this book” syndrome. I can’t remember if it was a review, bookshelf bingo, or some meme that brought it to my attention. However it happened, I’m glad I picked it up.

The back blurb is accurate, and I want to avoid spoilers, so there is no need to re-hash the plot.  Instead, I decided that I will talk about the things I liked.

The world building — Nekros City sounds like a normal US city.  It’s not.  The magic opened up folded areas, and now the US has four more states.  Magic and the fae are tolerated, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any discrimination.  Some of the non-magical have even formed a political party, called Humans First Party

Alex — I liked her a lot.  She has her small circle of friends for support, and her dog.  Death hangs out with her sometimes, which can be a bit awkward because she can’t always be sure if he’s just visiting, or if he’s there to do his job. I liked her power.  Morbid, and comes with a price, but can be handy for solving murders — only if there wasn’t such resistance to the idea.  In fact, at the start of the book, Alex is scheduled to assist with the first-ever testimony of a shade at the trial of her suspected murderer.

Falin Andrews — Mr. Grumpy Pants.  It’s his murder investigation that Alex is poking her nose into.  If he isn’t yelling at her and threatening to have her arrested, his saving her life and feeding her.  Yes, feeding her.  The man can cook.  And clean.  She should keep him.

I really enjoyed the story.  Some things I guessed right off — like I knew who would be the killer’s last intended victim, but not the why.  There are a few things that I’m hoping will be addressed in a future book — the soul collectors, for instance.  And is Roy really sticking around?  He’d be great at surveillance and she wouldn’t have to pay him!

I have the second book and I plan to read it soon.

Start:  1 January 2012
Finished:  5 January 2012

Rating:

Liked It A Lot!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

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Flying Blind (Deborah Cooke)

Title: Flying Blind
Author: Deborah Cooke
Copyright: 2011 (NAL); 309 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-451-23388-2
Series: The Dragon Diaries
Sensuality: Kisses
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

From the Back:  Zoë Sorensson is perfectly normal — well, as normal as a girl obsessed with drawing dragons can be.  The thing is, she’s always been told she’s special and destined for great things.  It’s not just because of her good grades, either.  Zoë is the Wyvern of the Pyr — the one female dragon shape shifter with special powers.  But Zoë is at the bottom of the class when it comes to being Pyr, and her powers are AWOL.  Worse, there’s no reference book to consult, and the last Wyvern is dead.  Everything changes when Zoë’s best friend is bullied and Zoë reacts.  Before she can blink twice, her inner dragon is loose, and she’s suspended from school and headed to a shape shifter boot camp with guys she’s known all her life.  But soon she’s doubting her powers — and even some of her friendships .

~&~

1. Reason for choosing this book:
One of my favorite paranormal romance series is Cooke’s Dragonfire series. When I heard that she was doing a Young Adult spin-off featuring Zoë on her journey to become the new Wyvern, I was excited. The Dragon Diaries a trilogy, with the second book due in December and the third in June 2012.

2. Reasons for liking/disliking this book:
I thought the author did a great job with Zoë. She’s a smart girl, but she’s still insecure about things — particularly her near-absent Pyr abilities. But she also thinks, and worries, about the type of things an ordinary 15 year-old girl would be concerned with. Zoë’s not perfect, nor is she the most popular or prettiest. She isn’t one of the cool kids and I like that about her.

Can the trilogy stand alone (separate from the adult series)?  Probably. But there are some things about the Pyr world (that are known to the readers of the adult series) that Zoë is unaware of, despite being raised by her both parents. Though it’s understandable that her father, Erik, can’t teach her how to be the Wyvern, but what about the recent history of the race and more of its lore? For instance, Zoe doesn’t know why there could never be anything between her and Nick Shea, Donovan and Alex’s son. New readers learn along with Zoë.

Beside making it more accessible to new readers, there is a possible “in-story” reason for Zoë’s lack of  knowledge.   Eileen, her mother, is not happy about Zoë’s supposed destiny as the Wyvern and may have forbidden Erik and the others from revealing too much. Mother and daughter have the following exchange early in the book:

“Well, you father will be pleased, at least.”
Really?
I might live to tell about this after all. I glanced up in time to see her turn away in disgust.
“I thought it was my destiny,” I dared to say.
My mom was impatient with the idea. “Well, you can’t blame me for hoping that destiny might pass you by, that you might just be a normal teenager.”

Having knowledge of the Pyr world can work against you. I found it a little disconcerting to learn about the mages, as if they had been around for a while. They don’t play a role, so far, in the adult series.  There has been some interesting tidbits in Whisper Kiss and Darkfire Kiss that could be paving the way for expanding the world building. I’m even more interested than before to read the next Dragonfire book as well as the second book in Zoë’s trilogy.

3. Reasons for recommending this book:
Readers who like dragon shifters and who enjoy reading Young Adult.

Started: 9 October 2011
Finished: 11 October 2011

Rating:

Liked It A Lot!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book. ETA:  I also won an ARC of this book in a charity auction.

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Kindling the Moon (Jenn Bennett)

Title: Kindling the Moon
Author: Jenn Bennett
Copyright: 2011 (Pocket); 360 pgs.
ISBN: 978-1-4516-2052-8
Series: Arcadia Bell #1
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Arcadia “Cady” Bell is a magician who co-owns a successful demon bar and frequently helps her elderly, Earthbound-demon neighbor lady with her pesky imp problem. She has a few friends, but because of what happened with her parents, she doesn’t let anyone get too close — she’s hiding out and she can’t tell them the truth about her past: Cady’s parents were accused of murdering several people and they are on the run from the law. Cady believes it was a set up, but proving it has been difficult. Enola and Alexander, her parents, are powerful magicians. Though the regular people (called savages) just think it was an occult killing, the magical community believes it was a power struggle between rival organizations.

When her parents are unexpectedly spotted in Texas, the Luxe Order– a major occult organization — demands that Cady’s former order surrender her parents, or give up Cady in their place. With a deadline looming, Cady needs to find the demon that was supposedly a witness to one — or more — of the murders with the hope that it can prove their innocence. The problem: the information she has is sketchy and her resources are limited.

Cady is introduced to Lon Butler, someone who might be able to help her, by a mutual acquaintance. Lon has the mother lode of demon reference books in his possession. He’s famous photographer (though Cady’s never heard of him) and a bit of curmudgeon — which is understandable, once you learn about his “knack” (Lon is an Earthbound demon). Lon is also a single father to a 13-year-old son, Jupe. Initially, it seems like he is unwilling to help, but he eventually agrees and begins researching her mystery demon while Cady tracks down someone who might have useful information about one of the murders.

Comments:  I really enjoyed this book. Cady is likable — well-adjusted for someone who’s life has been mostly lies. Lon’s a frustrating mystery to Cady at first, but he’s a great guy — a devoted father and he does care about Cady. What we learn about him hints of a wild past. Jupe is a bundle of boundless energy and enthusiasm, and he and Cady hit it right off the bat.

There are two types of demons in this book: Earthbound and Æthyric. Earthbound are almost as harmless as your average psi. Some low-level Æthyric demons got stuck in human bodies a couple centuries back. They reproduced with each other over the years, so there as still “pure” Earthbound demons — human/Earthbound pairings produce human children. Their knacks range in usefulness — minor healing, lock picking, empathy. Æthyric demons are potentially more dangerous.

I plan to continue this series and I’m looking forward to the next book.

(cross-posted from Good Reads)

Started: 28 August 2011
Finished: 2 September 2011

Rating:

Liked It A Lot!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

Bound by Shadow (Anna Windsor)

Title: Bound by Shadow
Author: Anna Windsor
Copyright: 2008 (Ballantine); 412 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-345-49853-3
Series: Dark Crescent Sisterhood #1
Sensuality: Hot
Genre: Paranormal Romance

From the Back: Riana Dumain is a fully trained Sybil, a warrior priestess battling evil whose practical magic keeps her grounded in earthly science — and desires. She knows that gorgeous NYPD detective Creed Lowell is dangerous and possibly a foot soldier of the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate power. Creed’s low-profile Occult Crimes Unit pulls Riana and her two sister Sybils into the case of a politician’s son murdered in a ritualistic sacrifice. Soon Riana’s instincts prove true. Creed, the hottest half-human she’s ever known, a demon in bed and out, is guarding a trapdoor to hell. And unless Riana can find a way to tame her mystery man’s treacherous inner self (and her heart), all of Manhattan may be enveloped in darkness.

~&~

1. Reason for choosing this book:
I picked this book because it fit a requirement for bookshelf bingo I was participating in on Good Reads. The remarks below are cross-posted from my comments about the book during the game, the only difference being that I thought this book was more of a 3 1/2-star read. However, since I only rate in full stars, I “rounded up”.

2. Reasons for liking/disliking this book:
Fist off, what I liked. I liked the idea of the Dark Crescent Sisterhood – triads of women who can manipulate the elements (earth, fire, air). Their Motherhouses are in Russia, Ireland, and Greece respectively. The triad this trilogy focuses on is headed by earth Sybil Riana Dumain. Cynda Flynn is the fire Sybil and Merilee Alexander is the air. They battle demons. The Sybils operate completely under the radar, thought Riana’s triad has befriended NYPD cop Andrea “Andy” Myles, who doesn’t know the truth about them. She and her partner Creed Lowell work for a small, specialized section known as the Occult Crimes Unit. She’s approached Riana, in the past, to help her on cases, though she’s never brought Creed along before now.

I really liked Andy’s and Creed’s partnership. They definitely got each others’ backs. More than once during the book each has jumped in to defend the other. Andy’s not afraid to threaten a house full of Sybils who want to eliminate Creed for what he is, regardless of the fact he’s done everything to help the Sybils in their efforts against the Legion.

Creed’s not completely human. And that’s a problem for the Sybils. Up until he meets Riana, all he knows is that he’s got this “other” he keeps hidden. He and his twin, Dominic, have always been that way. I liked Creed. He’s protective of Andy, but not in a domineering way. He didn’t tell her about the “other” for fear of her reaction. He’s also honest about his feelings towards Riana — whether it was lust or love. He wasn’t afraid to tell her he loved her.

Now for what I had problems with — even though there was a lot of action in this book, at times I felt it was dragging.

But that was minor compared to some of the confusion caused by a few overlooked errors. For instance, a character was being sent to one of the Motherhouses. I think the author originally intended to send the character to Russia, but changed her mind and sent the person to Ireland. Not all the references got switched. The scene in question had a lot going on involving all three houses, so I can see how it could have been overlooked in a rush — but still. Confusing, and I had to re-read the scene because I thought I was missing something.

Something I wished had been addressed but hadn’t — what caused the “other” to be less of a threat to Riana, especially during the finial confrontation with the bad guys. Did it have something to with Creed being in love with her (him declaring it, her own confession/acknowledgement). That’s my take, but it would have been nice have it confirmed.

None of my nitpicks have deterred me from reading the rest of the series. I DO plan to read them..

3. Reasons for recommending this book:
The “power of three” dynamics of the Sybils. Strong female characters.

Started: 7 April 2011
Finished: 11 April 2011

Rating:

Liked It A Lot!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

Blood Spells (Jessica Andersen)

Title: Blood Spells
Author: Jessica Andersen
Copyright: 2010 (Signet); 443 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-451-23165-9
Series: The Final Prophecy #5
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Possible Spoilers for first 4 books!

From the Back: Trained from birth to fight with fists and magic, Patience White-Eagle knows that she should focus on the coming war for souls. But she isn’t just a warrior — she’s a wife and mother, too, which leaves her loyalties divided between the Nightkeepers and her family. Brandt White-Eagle broke the rules when he married Patience and fathered their twin sons — and now he’s paying the price. Torn between his magic and his marriage, and separated from his ancestors’ wisdom by a curse he can’t remove, Brandt is fighting to his life back together. When an Ancient Aztec god-king arises, Patience and Brandt must set aside their problems and team up as a mated warrior pair. But as they race to prevent the Nightkeepers’ enemies from enacting a terrible ritual that could tear apart humanity, the threat turns even more personal, becoming a deadly test of their powers. . .and their love..

~&~

1. Reason for choosing this book:
Blood Spells is the 5th book in The Final Prophecy series.   It is one of my favorite series.

2. Reasons for liking/disliking this book:
One of the things that made this one stand out from the others is the fact that the main couple were already in a relationship prior to the Nightkeepers banning together to prevent doomsday. It’s a relationship that started to fall apart not long after the talent ceremony way back in book 1. And to make things worse, their twin sons Harry and Braden have gone into hiding with the winikins Woody and Hannah. Even though she knows it’s for their own safety, Patience — at a very low point — lied to Strike and went behind her king’s back in an attempt to make contact with them.

I also like that we continue to see things from Rabbit’s perspective.  In this book, we learn a little bit more about his mother’s people — and it’s pretty significant.  Things also start to improve between him and Strike — something that’s very important to Rabbit, since Strikes always been like a older brother/young uncle to him.  The only one not psyched by the healing of the rifts between Rabbit and the others is Myrinne.

Though their luck has improved, the Nightkeepers still suffer a personal setback, but it still ends on a positive note.  I couldn’t help but smile, when the jeep drove away from Skywatch.

3. Reasons for recommending this book:
To those already reading the series:  We learns some important things about Iago and the Order of Xibalba.

Started: 7 February 2011
Finished: 20 February 2011

Rating:

Liked It A Lot!

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Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

Magician's Gambit (David Eddings)

Title: Magician’s Gambit
Author: David Eddings
Narrator: Cameron Beierle
Length: Unabridged (11 h, 33 m)
Published: 2003 (Books in Motion)
Genre(s): Fantasy
Start: 15 January 2011
Finished: 28 January 201l
Source: Library

From Audible.com: Ce’Nedra, Imperial Princess of Tolnedra, is confused. Everyone knows the tales of the Orb protecting the West from the evil god Torak are just silly legends. But here she is, forced to join a dangerous quest to recover that stolen Orb. No one believes in sorcery, but Garion’s aunt and grandfather seem to be the fabled sorcerers Polgara and Belgarath, who would have to be thousands of years old. Even young Garion is learning to do sorcery. He’s just a farm boy, totally unsuitable for an Imperial Princess. Yet for some reason, she has the urge to teach him, brush back his tangled hair, and comfort him. But he is going to a strange tower in the center of all he believes evil, to face some horrible, powerful magician, and she can’t be there to watch over him. She may never see him again! Thus continues The Belgariad, an epic prophecy still unfolding..

Why this book?
It is the third book in the Belgariad, a favorite series of mine that I’m re-discovering in audio format. Since I’m very familiar with the story and characters, this is more my thoughts on the audiobook experience than a review of the story.

Notes:
My notes for Magician’s Gambit are sketchy. I didn’t take time to write much down. Mostly, I noted I’ve been pronouncing Taiba wrong (it sounds like TIE-ba).

This book also differs from the others in the fact that we see some of it through the eyes of Ce’Nedra.

The major characters introduced:  Aldur’s other disciples, Beldin and the twins Beltira and Belkira; the Holy Gorim of Ulgo and Relg; Taiba, the Marag slave woman; Adara;  the gods Aldur, Mara, and UL;  Errand; Ctuchik; Taur Urgras; Yarblek, the wily Nadrak trader is briefly introduced, and just like in the books, he’s one of my favorite side characters.

Significant events — birth of the colt in the special cave; the death of Brill; confronting Ctuchik.

Ratings
Story: 4 Stars
Overall Reading: Very Good
Characters: Good

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For 2011 “pages read”: 305 pages (own a paperback copy of book)

Queen of Sorcery (David Eddings)

Title: Queen of Sorcery
Author: David Eddings
Narrator: Cameron Beierle
Length: Unabridged (12 h, 44 m)
Published: 2003 (Books in Motion)
Genre(s): Fantasy
Start: 3 January 2011
Finished: 13 January 201l
Source: Library/Own

From Audible.com: Legends tell of the evil god Torak coveting the power of the Orb of Aldur, until he was defeated in a final battle. Prophecy also speaks of a time when he will again awaken to seek dominance over all the world. Now the Orb has been stolen by a priest of Torak, and that time is at hand. Belgarath the Sorcerer and his daughter, Polgara the arch-Sorceress, are on the trail of the Orb, seeking to regain it before the final disaster. With them goes Garion, a simple farm boy only months before, but now the focus of the struggle. He had never believed in sorcery, wanting no part of it. Yet with every league they travel, the power is growing within him, forcing him into acts of wizardry that he can’t accept. His fate is inextricably woven into the fabric of an unfolding prophecy for glory or doom.

Why this book?
It is the second book in the Belgariad, a favorite series of mine that I’m re-discovering in audio format. Since I’m very familiar with the story and characters, this is more my thoughts on the audiobook experience than a review of the story.

Narrator: Cameron Beierle
Once again, Mr. Beierle narrates the story. It was during this reading that I realized that he made Belgarath sound a little like Sean Connery. Or, I should say, that’s who he sounded like to me.

The group gain a few additions to their party. The first two are Arends, Lelldorin and Mandorallen. I was a bit surprised by their voices. Though, looking back, I really shouldn’t have been — at least, not as far as Mandorallen is concerned. He has always reminded me a little of Lancelot, so the French accent Mr. Beierle gave him shouldn’t have thrown me. Lelldorin, on the other hand, I had always pictured more of an Englishman.

My favorite new character is Ce’Nedra. She has a very girlie, lightly Italian-accented voice that I thought was adorable. I thought he nailed the little Imperial Princess’s personality perfectly, whether she’s screeching at Garion or using a wheedling voice to get what she wants. And the accent makes sense: Tolnedra is modeled after Imperial Rome.

Speaking of Ce’Nedra, I’ve always had a problem with how her name was supposed to be pronounced. When I first read the series in the 80s, I pronounced it “See-Nee-Dra”. I eventually realized “Sa-Ned-ra” was probably a more accurate pronunciation. Mr. Bieirle, probably taking into account how an Italian would would pronounce a “c + vowel” word, gives it a soft “cha” sound. It’s not an unreasonable assumption: Italian for hello/goodbye is “ciao”, which is pronounced “chow”. I found it interesting.

As for Silk and Durnik — I think Durnik’s accent has been more consistently Australian than anything else. And Silk’s is still all over the place — but it stands out from the others, oddly enough, and really doesn’t distract. I’m beginning to think it fits his personality.

I think Mr. Beierle did a good job with the Dryads — all those female voices, and Salmissra’s court — all those hissing lisps, petulant-sounding eunuchs, and Issa the Snake-God. To me, it sounded like he had fun with them.

Miscellaneous Notes:
I ended up buying a copy of this audiobook. My library check-out time expired before I finished the book and it wasn’t available for re-check out. This series seems to be very popular at the local library.

I’ve also noticed, when I was researching when the Belgariad audiobooks were published, that I was using the date it was added to my library’s “stacks” or when it first became available in Audible.com’s catalog — instead of when it was produced by Books in Motion. I think 2003 is a more accurate date for this series, since it is the copyright date for the back-blurb used on Audile.com’s site.

Ratings
Story: 4.5 Stars
Overall Reading: Very Good
Characters:  Very Good

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For 2011 “pages read”: 327 pages (own a paperback copy of book)

Black Wings (Christina Henry)

Title: Black Wings
Author: Christina Henry
Copyright: 2010 (Ace); 295 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-441-01963-2
Series: Madeline Black #1
Sensuality: NA
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Madeline Black escorts the soul of the recently departed to the Door, the portal to the Here-after. Being an Agent of Death comes with wings and some magical abilities, yet Maddy rarely has to call on those abilities. And the only type of fighting she, occasionally, engages in is the verbal type — some of the dearly departed aren’t keen on leaving and will exercise their freedom of choice by refusing to be escorted. This is frowned upon by management and it is considered a failure on the part of the Agent.

Maddy’s life is pretty routine: discharging her duties as an Agent; butting heads with her boss J. B.; worrying about whether or not she can get a tenant so rental money will start coming in again; working on articles as a freelance writer; hanging out with her best friend Patrick; and spending quality time with her gargoyle, Beezle. Things start to look up, or so Maddy thinks, when a good-looking guy shows up to view her rental. Beezle doesn’t like him, but he won’t tell Maddy why. Other than his asking a few odd questions, Gabriel seems harmless, and Maddy is confident that Beezle would tell her if he was a threat to her.

But shortly after Gabriel’s arrival in Maddy’s life, chaos erupts. She’s attacked by demons. The death of a fellow Agent makes Maddy question what happened to her mother and if there are other Agents who’s deaths are suspicious. Her boss doesn’t believe in demons, so he thinks she’s nuts and won’t help her investigate (vampires, werewolves, and the fae exist, but not demons as far as J. B. is concerned). Secrets come to light and Maddy finds herself tapping into powers she never knew she had and she has no idea how to control. And to top it all off, she finds herself in the middle of the political machinations of the fallen angels.

Comments:
Despite her flaws, I really liked Maddy. She sometimes acts or speaks without thinking, but I can understand why she does what she does at times. Her life is completely up-ended. She’s trying to fight enemies stronger than her — and if she does succeed in destroying them, she’ll be in big trouble with the fallen angels. She’s being manipulated by others with hidden agendas and she resents how some of them are trying to run her life.

Of all the males in Maddy’s life — not counting Beezle — Gabriel is the only one who I think truly cares for Maddy for herself, and would have her best interest at heart, regardless of his situation. And because of his predicament, any relationship between them is at a stand-still. A LOT of things have to change in their world for them to be together.

The world building is pretty interesting. I like the concept of the Agents. I’d like to know more about how and why the whole business of soul-collecting ended up a bureaucracy, and I hope the author gives us more back story on this.

I also liked Beezle. I wonder how many other readers thought of the gargoyles from Disney’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” whenever Beezle was in a scene.

The story is nearly non-stop action. I found it hard to put down at times because I was caught up in what was going on and I wanted to know what would happen next. I will definitely be reading the next book.

Start: 1 January 2011
Finished: 4 January 2011

Favorite Quote:
“And where does Lucifer live?”
“Los Angeles.”
“Of course he does.”
– Maddy, Gabriel

Rating:

Liked A Lot

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

Pawn of Prophecy (David Eddings)

Title: Pawn of Prophecy
Author: David Eddings
Narrator: Cameron Beierle
Length: Unabridged (10 h, 24 m)
Published:  September 2007 (Books in Motion)
Genre(s):  Fantasy
Start: 4 December 2010
Finished: 15 December 2010
Source:  Library

From Audible.com: Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil god Torak sought dominion and drove men and gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe. That was only a story, and Garion did not believe in magic dooms, even though the man without a shadow had haunted him for years. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved, but did not truly know. For yet a little while, his dreams of innocence remained safe, untroubled by knowledge of his strange heritage. For a little while… thus begins The Belgariad, an epic fantasy of immense scope set against a history of 7,000 years. It tells of the struggles between ancient gods and mighty Kings, and of men in strange lands facing fated events, all bound by a prophecy that must be fulfilled.

Why this book?
I first discovered this series in the mid-80s, when we were stationed in Heidelberg, Germany. The Belgaraid was my first exposure to this type of epic fantasy — the Chronicles of Narnia was the closest I’d ever got before this.  David Eddings told a complete epic story in five books, all under 400 pages apiece. After attempting to read Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time books in the late 90s, I realized that Eddings had spoiled me for longer epics like Jordan’s. I can’t remember which book I finally gave up on — I just remember feeling frustrated with keeping track of what was going on with various characters and what the ORIGNIAL goal was in Jordan’s series. In five books of the Belgariad, the mystical object is recovered, the lost king is revealed, Light triumphs over Dark, and the hero gets the girl.

Eddings went on to write the Mallorean, a five-book sequel to the Belgariad, two more books connected to the series, and publish his series’s “bible”. Yet, the reader does not have to read any of them. The Belgariad stands on it’s own.

The Narrator: Cameron Beierle
I was excited to learn that this series was available in audiobook format. However, the first time I heard a sample of Mr. Beierle’s reading, I was a bit worried. It sounded a little mechanical to me. After listening to samples from other narrators, I realized it might not be a problem with the Mr. Beierle, since several others sounded a bit tinny. I checked it out of the library and took a chance.

Mr. Beierle has a pleasant reading voice. I think he has an accent because, even though he carefully enunciates his words during the narrative parts, a word will sound a little off occasionally and a bit of his natural speaking voice comes through. Some people might be turned off by this, but I don’t think it detracted from the overall listening experience.

I also thought that Mr. Beierle did a great job on some of the voices and accents. I particularly liked his Mister Wolf. I could picture the old man and I thought the voice fit him well, regardless of which guise he was in. I also liked that the narrator made the Chereks sound Nordic, as they are modeled after the vikings. Their “J”s have a “Y” sound, so Jarvik — which I’ve always mentally pronounced as “JAR-vik” — was pronounced “YAR-vik”. I though it added a level of authenticity to the story.

However, when it came to other characters like Silk and Durnik, he wasn’t always consistent with his accents, even in the middle of a conversation. With Silk — my favorite character — one expect the little thief to change his speech patterns and accent to fit whatever roll he is playing at the time (Ambar, Kheldar, etc.), but not in mid-sentence.

My love of the book, and my familiarity with the characters and the story allowed me to enjoy the experience, despite the accent quirks. I plan to continue listening to the rest of the series, and I plan to purchase my own copies some day.

Ratings
Story: 4.5 Stars
Overall Reading: Very Good
Characters: Good

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For 2010 “pages read”: 258 pages (own a paperback copy of book)

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Bleeds
Author: Ilona Andrews
Copyright: 2010 (Ace); 349 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-441-01852-9
Series: Kate Daniels # 4
Genre: Urban Fantasy
**** SPOILERS ****

From the back:  Kate Daniels works for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, officially, as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle — especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community. When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar on the border between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years — and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father. This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Beast Lord, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family.

**** SPOILERS ****

1. Reason for choosing this book:
I chose this book because it’s my #1 favorite Urban Fantasy series.

2. Reasons for liking/disliking this book:
The characters. Kate’s a strong person, but she still can be hurt, both physically and emotionally. Same with Curran — Gordon’s Curran POV for this book illustrated how much Kate means to him.

Some observations/thoughts:

• After reading the prologue, way back before the book came out, I speculated that the reason Curran was a no show was due to loups. It was the first thing that made any sense to me. I never believed for a moment that he’d stand her up on purpose: he won a bet involving food and a scantily clad Kate — he’d been hauling rocks for weeks and he’s had plenty of time to fantasize about the evening. Nothing short of his duty to the Pack and injury/death would keep him from attending.
• Did Mahon have a hand in the two challenges that prevented Curran from going to Savannah? I can’t see him deliberately goading his people into challenging Curran — that would be throwing aways lives, plus one might have gotten REALLY lucky and beat Curran (I know, impossible, but still…). Yet, it seems too coincidental to be a random, unrelated thing.
• Even if Curran had gone to Savannah, some variation of the breakfast table conversation that takes place later in the book would have occurred — and with the same results.
• It’s good to know that I wasn’t wrong about Roland targeting the Pack because they’ve become too powerful. Makes me even more interested to know the details behind why and how Greg gained Friend of the Pack status. Did he know about Curran’s background?
• Aunt B explains it all. Again!! One of my favorite scenes in the book.
• Some interesting new characters: Barabas, Jezebel, and Naeemah. I wonder if we’ll be seeing Naeemah again in future books. And Grendel.
• Still don’t like Saiman. Still don’t trust him.
• Good to see Dali again.
• Great antagonist! And what a hoot. The scene in Kate’s apartment is great. Calling the apartment a hovel! Giving relationship advice. Too funny.
• Looking forward to seeing what happens with Andrea and the Order.

3. Reasons for recommending this book:
There’s a little of everything in it: action (okay, maybe more than a little of this), romance, humor, great characters (as I type this, I can’t help thinking about Peter Falk’s character in The Princess Bride movie — the book gets a number of mentions/references in Magic Bleeds)

Favorite Quote:
“We should clap or something,” Curran said. “She’s trying so hard.”
“Maybe we could scrounge up some panties to throw.”
– Curran, Kate

Rating:

LOVED IT !!

Started: 16 May 2010
Finished: 16 May 2010

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Other books in the Series:

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Disclaimer: I purchased this book.