The other day I realized that I forgot to mention, in my June update, that I read Winter Kiss by Deborah Cooke. I had added the book to the master reading list for 2010, but I failed to update total pages/books read for the year. Winter Kiss brought the yearly book total to 13, and the page total up to 4,275.

I actually devoted some time to reading in August. I re-read Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen). I kept it on my nightstand so I could read a chapter or two before bed, and I took it with me if I went out to eat. I hadn’t read the book since 2006. I remember that my goal was to rotate through the six novels in two-year intervals (three the first year, the other three the following, rinse, repeat). Obviously, it didn’t happen that way: I read three in 2006 and three in 2007, but I didn’t read any of them in 2008 or 2009. I would like to give the goal another try — without the two-year gap between. This means I need to read Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey by 31 December in order to stay on track. We’ll see how that goes!

I mentioned that I had started reading Georgette Heyer’s Why Shoot a Butler? I leave that book at work. I’m making good progress with it (we’ve been having connectivity issues at work and a couple of times it’s brought us to a stand still in the office, so I’ve got more reading time on those days than I normally would have gotten). I’ve thought about bringing it home to finish up, but I recently unearthed In For A Penny, which I started way back on 4 June. I should focus on that book first, so it’s not hanging over my head when Ilona Andrews’ Bayou Moon comes out later this month. I plan to read it as soon as it arrives.

I’m now way behind with my reviews. I don’t know whether to make an attempt to get caught up, or just start fresh with Winter Kiss or In For A Penny. Two books and a short story were read as part of last year’s Fall Read-a-Thon. This year’s is just around the corner.

Speaking of which, I plan to participate in the Read-a-Thon. However, I don’t know how much time I will devote to the on-line portion. My internet service has been wonky lately (digital cable that kicks me off line more than my dial-up service ever did). This write up had to be written in a text program, just in case.  Anyway. . .if for some reason I haven’t gotten the problem fixed, there’s no telling when and for how long I can access the internet. The other issue is the fact I’m no longer surfing wirelessly (yeah, no kidding). My reading spot will NOT be my home office. Not comfortable for reading. I’ll either camp out in the basement were all the books are, or I will park myself on the couch in my living room — a more comfortable spot and close to the kitchen for munchies.  As to what books I plan to read, I haven’t decided yet.  Much will depend on what I finish this month.

2010 Books/Reviews

• Pride and Prejudice (Austen, Jane) — no review planned

The backlogged 2009 reviews posted:

• NONE

What’s still pending:

• Duel of Hearts
• Time Raiders: The Seduction (Cindy Dees)(Nocturne Bite)
• For the Love of Pete
• Three Bags Full
• “Falling for Anthony” (Meljean Brook), Hot Spell(anthology)
• The Battle Sylph (McDonald, L. J.)
• Magic Bleeds (Andrews, Ilona)
• Secretive Stranger (Greene, Jennifer)
• Winter Kiss (Cooke, Deborah) – Countdown

Below is my status regarding the various challenges.

Challenges Completed this month:
NONE

Incomplete (Ended in August):
NONE

2009-2010 Challenges:
101 Fantasy Challenge: 2/6
Countdown 2010: 19/55

2010 Challenges:
Contemporary Romance: 1/10
Harlequin/Silhouette: 1/6
“In Death” Challenge: 0/??
New Author: 3/20
Pub 2010: 6/10
Romance Reading: 2/5
What’s in a Name 3: 2/6
Year of the Historical: 2/12

Perpetual Challenges
Georgette Heyer:

~~ & ~~

Total (Month): 1
Grand Total (Year): 14

Total Pages Read (Month): 482
Grand Total (Year): 4,757

Packing. Moving. Unpacking. And more unpacking. And even more unpacking.

Reading?

Officially . . . no.

However . . .

As I unpack the books, I’ve been known to stop and sometimes read a few pages (or more) of a book that’s caught my eye. I read the first two chapters of Georgette Heyer’s, Why Shoot a Butler?, and decided to take it to work and read it during lunch.

With all this non-reading going on, a couple of incomplete challenges ended this month. Instead of individual wrap-up posts, I’ll take care of that here:

What: Harry Potter Reading Challenge
When: 1 August 2009 – 31 July 2010
Who: Galleysmith
Rules: Read, or listen to, the seven books by the end of July 2010 (Harry’s Birthday!!). She’s giving away box sets of the books, plus other HP related stuff to be determined. Stop by her site and sign up using Mr. Linky.

I really did want to do this one. I could say that I “kinda-sorta” completed this challenge. My mother LOVES listening to these books on CD while she crochets or does needle work. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard Deathly Hollows in the last twelve months. Now that I’ve moved, I might have to invest in the set on CDs, just because I’ve lived with Jim Dale talking about Harry nearly ever night for the last two years. Thankfully, he has a nice voice.

~&~

What: Random Reading Challenge
When: 1 August 2009 – 31 July 2010
Who: Caribousmom
Rules: Randomly select books from TBR and assign a number. Using Random.org, pick a book to read. Visit her site for more precise instructions.

I’ll be doing LEVEL III – 12 Books

1. Duel of Hearts (Diane Farr) — Announced // Reviewed
2. Storm Born (Richelle Mead) — Announced //DNF
3. Secretive Stranger (Jennifer Greene)  — Reviewed

I thought this one would be any easy one to complete. Oh well.

~&~

Now, for some pictures of the progress I’m making with unpacking and setting up my library:

Stuff to the gills

The picture above: the hutch on the right is stuff with Harlequins (Nocturnes, Superromances, Bombshell, Historicals, etc.). All unread. I had my keepers in there initially, but I saw at once that I was running out of room. The all-purpose media rack (center) is the temporary holding area for keepers (less Star Wars novels) and Georgette Heyer trade paperbacks.

Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Jane Austen

Above: Taller of the two cases house my read and un-read Star Wars novels. No attempt was made to put anything in order (other than the keepers stacked on the top). On the top of the shorter shelf is my Harry Potter books (minus the Deathly Hallows). I have two sets: hardcover and the young adult trade paperback. At the time, I hadn’t found either edition of Deathly Hallows. I also have two sets of Jane Austen’s six novels (the red books and the stack under them). When I took this picture, there were still too many unpacked boxes in the middle of the room, so I couldn’t get a decent shot of the shelf in the extreme left hand side of the picture. The case has four shelves, each crammed with three rows of 15 books each, plus what ever else could fit on the end. I have another bookcase (similar in size to the one the SW books are in) plus a small book shelf made by one of my brothers. Once I’ve done more unpacking, I’ll be able to place them with the ones pictured.

View from Across the Room

Above: After I took the middle picture, I turned and took the above picture (I may have had to step a little to the side to get past the boxes).

Since taking these pictures, I have emptied more boxes and moved stuff around. Once I’ve charged my camera, I’ll take some updated photos.

My household goods were delivered on Thursday and I’ve been busy unpacking.  The delivery guy made a comment on the number of boxes of books I had.  He did have to carry them downstairs to the basement library.

I also got cable and internet connection set up.  I was suppose to have that done last weekend, but there were technical difficulties.

The new commute is pretty painless — and it would be even less painful if it wasn’t so hot and humid.  I like the new building and I can live with the new setup.

Have I got any reading done?  No.  Too tired when I’ve had free time.  However, I think I read when I’m doing the laundry, instead of unpacking.  And yet . . . most of the boxes in the basement are full of books — so, who knows?  I haven’t seen some of them in YEARS!  They’ve been in storage.

I began the month of June with the expectation that it wouldn’t be a good reading month, what with the move and all. However, I at least expected to finish In For a Penny by the end of the month. Some days, I just didn’t feel like reading and most of those, I should have been packing, not goofing off.

On June 28th, the packers came and hauled away my stuff. Most of it anyway. I’ve found a few items like a bag a yarn that should have been packed but I somehow over looked. Then there’s the stuff I didn’t get to go through in time to be pack, plus the things I knew were going with me in the car (paperwork, the laptop, a selection of books), and some personal effects from the office. And approximately $140.00 in new books bought after the packing was done.

This move was a long time coming. I work for the US Army, as a government civilian. The organization I work for was earmarked by Congress as part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission. The command will relocate from leased spaced in Alexandria, Virginia to a newly built facility at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Initially, I wasn’t too thrilled with the move. I have no problem leaving the DC Metro area. I grew up in a military family so the actual moving process is no big deal.  And moving away from family wasn’t an issue either — I got left back in the States when my father got orders to Germany back in the early 90′s (I was over the age of 21 and wasn’t a student), so this is nothing.  It was a transportation thing — which has since been resolved.  Besides, staying in Virginia would mean I’d have to take the first  job I got offered or be separated from the government, and then I would have had to find an affordable place to live (my old room mate and friend moved to Tennessee back in 2007).  Too much uncertainty.

It’s really late — and I spent all day packing so the van could be loaded.  I need to get some sleep.  In a few short hours, I will be on the road — headed west.

And I still haven’t finished Ms. Lerner’s book. 

With the packers coming in less than thirty days and the move itself less than 50, I’m pretty sure I’m not going to get caught up before I leave for Kentucky. That might be good thing, as I really want to do a spoilerific write-up on Magic Bleeds. If I get it posted by Independence Day, I’ll be surprised.

I did better this month as far as number of books and total pages read. The last book, Secretive Stranger, was a random pick. I had finished the Andrews book and I hadn’t decided what to read next. My order from Harlequin come in, and as I was going through the box, I just picked up the book and started reading. I could have finished it in a day, but I put it aside. I kept coming back to Magic Bleeds, re-reading scenes and catching stuff I missed the first time. If it wasn’t for that, I could have squeezed in another book. Maybe.

2010 Books/Reviews

• A Wicked Liaison (Merrill, Christine) — Countdown, Year of the Historical
• The Battle Sylph (McDonald, L. J.) — Countdown, Pub 2010, New Author
• Magic Bleeds (Andrews, Ilona) — Countdown, Pub 2010
• Secretive Stranger (Greene, Jennifer) — Pub 2010, Countdown, Contemporary Romance, New Author, Random Reading, Romance Reading

FROM APRIL

• Demonkeepers (Andersen, Jessica)

The backlogged 2009 reviews posted:

• NONE

What’s still pending:

• Duel of Hearts
• Time Raiders: The Seduction (Cindy Dees)(Nocturne Bite)
• For the Love of Pete
• Three Bags Full
• “Falling for Anthony” (Meljean Brook), Hot Spell(anthology)

Below is my status regarding the various challenges.

Challenges Completed this month:
NONE

Incomplete (Ended in March):
NONE

2009-2010 Challenges:
101 Fantasy Challenge: 2/6
Countdown 2010: 18/55
Harry Potter: 0/7
Random Reading: 2/12

2010 Challenges:
Contemporary Romance: 1/10
Harlequin/Silhouette: 1/6
“In Death” Challenge: 0/??
New Author: 3/20
Pub 2010: 6/10
Romance Reading: 2/5
What’s in a Name 3: 2/6
Year of the Historical: 2/12

Perpetual Challenges
Georgette Heyer:

~~ & ~~

Total (Month): 4
Grand Total (Year): 12

Total Pages Read (Month): 1,173
Grand Total (Year): 3,886

A Wicked Liaison (UK)

Title: A Wicked Liaison
Author: Christine Merrill
UK Copyright: 2007 (Mills & Boon)
UK ISBN: 978-0-263-86237-9
US Copyright: 2009 (Harlequin); pgs. 276
Series: Harlequin Historical #953
US ISBN: 978-0-373-29553-1
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Historical Romance — Regency

Constance Townley, the young Dowager Duchess of Wellford, is in a bind. The small allowance the new duke, Freddy, gives her isn’t enough to maintain her London residence. Freddy would prefer that she retire to the dower house on his estate. Constance, only thirty, hopes to remarry and that requires her to remain in London. Her late husband had the deed to the residence, and all of the furnishings, put in Constance’s name. Unfortunately, Freddy also has the deed and he’s avoiding her. If she could sell her townhouse and find a smaller, more economical residence, Constance could live comfortably until she receives a suitable marriage proposal. Unfortunately, the men who call on her lately are only offering “carte blanche”, to keep her as a mistress. After twelve years of marriage and no children to show for it, it is believed that Constance is barren. Men of the nobility need sons to ensure the family name continues. A woman like Constance is more attractive as a mistress than a wife.

Very few people know how desperate Constance has become.  Unfortunately, one of the few is Lord John “Jack” Barton. He’s unscrupulous and cold. He views Constance as an object, an ornament, to be collected and looked at. He’ll do anything to manipulate her into doing what he wants He’s slowly backing Constance into a corner until she has no other choice than to give into him. Constance has no one to turn to for help. However, unbeknown to her, someone is about to come to her rescue. Someone who’s known and loved her for years.

Anthony de Portnay Smythe is professional thief. In the past, his skills kept his two widowed sisters-in-law, nephews, and niece from the poor house. Thanks to careful investing and the marriage of the ladies, Tony’s talents are no longer required and he’s feeling a little unneeded in that department. However, since making the acquaintance of St John Radwell, Earl of Stanton, Tony’s talents have been called upon for the good of the nation. Stanton has a job for him. A Treasury official has settled a large gaming debt by being blackmailed into handing over engraving plates for the ten-pound note.

Stanton needs Tony to steal them back, if at all possible, before the counterfeiter has the chance put the money in circulation. It has to be done discreetly, too, so as to not destabilize the markets and cause panic. He advise Tony to also search the house of the man’s supposed mistress, just to be sure he hasn’t hidden them there. The would-be counterfeiter: Lord Barton; his supposed mistress: Constance Townley

Comments: I really loved this book. Ms. Merrill, as I’ve said before, is one of my favorite Harlequin Historical authors (I think she might even be the favorite).

My favorite character was Patrick, Tony’s valet. Patrick was a thief once, and he is the person who taught Tony. He’s also Tony’s confidant, knows all about his unrequited love for the duchess, and the one who tells Tony when he’s making a mistake by not revealing his true identity to Connie sooner rather than later. I enjoyed reading their scenes together because they’re usually where Tony is explaining why he hasn’t said anything to Connie and Patrick pointing out the flaws to his reasoning. There is even a face-palm moment for Patrick during one such conversation.

Though he’s a thief, Tony is otherwise a true gentleman — he is the third son of an earl. He’s caring, polite, well-mannered. He’s also funny, witty, and confident when it comes to his “profession”. When it comes to Connie, he’s afraid to tell her the truth of his identity, that he’s someone she’s known since they were children, because he’s afraid of the rejection. I liked him a lot, and I could understand why it was important for him that Connie recognize him without being told. And I love how she figures it out.

I liked Connie very much. I thought she was true to her time. Raised to make the best marriage possible — she did that. When her older husband died, she expected to be provided for (and she really was, if Freddy hadn’t been an idiot) so she wouldn’t have to worry about where her next meal came from. She wanted to remarry, so she played by the rules, remained respectable and keep an eye out for the best possible offer — just like she’d be raised. It’s not her fault that the men only see her as a potential mistress. She does the best she can and she does make mistakes. I like that she tries to stand up to Barton — usually only to fail, but she does try — and that she eventually gets the better of him.

Favorite Quote:
“Did you find the deed?”
“What? No ‘Hello, Tony. So good to see you. Lovely dancing this evening. . .’ No preamble. Small talk? Chit-chat?”
– Constance, Tony

Started: 21 April 2010
Finished: 3 May 2010

Rating:

LOVED IT !!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

Demonkeepers by Jessica Andersen

Title: Demonkeepers
Author: Jessica Andersen
Copyright: 2010 (Signet); 448 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-451-22957-1
Series: The Final Prophecy #4
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Possible Spoilers for first 3 books!

From the Back: All his life Lucius has been an outsider. He yearns to be strong, to be a warrior like the Nightkeepers. And when the Prophet’s magic begins to change him, Lucius finds himself becoming the sort of man he’s always wanted to be. Held back by her lack of a warrior’s magic and the strictures of her bloodline, Jade longs to break out of her supporting role. Determined to prove her worth among the Nightkeepers at any cost, she won’t let anything stand in her way — especially petty matters like love.

Comments: Back when I wrote about Nightkeepers, I made the comment that I thought Lucius would play a larger role in future books. Well, I was right. A lot has happened to him since then, and his continued existence was questionable over the course of the succeeding books; in fact, he was nearly killed in the previous one. The Nightkeepers performed the Prophet spell on him in the hopes that they could save his life and gain access to their missing/hidden library at the same time. Being demon-possessed and nearly decapitated has taken its toll, even without the other changes brought on by the Prophet’s spell. The once tall, lanky beanpole of an academic has transformed into someone who looks like a Nightkeeper. The new Lucius even begins to see things Jade’s way, particularly her view on relationships. By the start of Demonkeepers, Lucius hasn’t had any luck accessing the library using blood magic.

If blood magic isn’t doing the trick, the next step is sex magic. Jade is the only unattached female Nightkeeper left at Skywatch. Knowing the possibility might arise, she has willingly offered herself for the task. Jade and Lucius had a brief, but intense, affair during the time the mages were researching the Volatile and Lucius was on a quest to find Sasha Ledbetter. At the time, Lucius was hoping there was something more to the encounter, but Jade informed him that she doesn’t do relationships: friends with benefits, that’s it. Even so, she hasn’t forgotten their time together, and she does care about him more than she’s ready to admit to.  I found it a little hard to warm up to Jade.  Her character was the most reserved of all the Nightkeepers. Shandi, her winikin, was not an affectionate person. She raised Jade to be “dutiful, diligent, and decorous”. Learning a bit of Jade’s, and Shandi’s, history helped to understand her better, however.

Lucius and Jade’s inability to tap into their magic stems from their fear of — reluctance to — fall in love. And if you’ve been reading this series from the first book, you know that opening themselves up to love is key to accessing their power. Their first attempt to find the library sends them on a detour before it allows Lucius to enter it. Unfortunately, things are more complicated then everyone was led to believe. The library isn’t the type you can just peruse a card catalog until you find what you need, and come and go as often as you please. Once again, it’s another set-back for the Nightkeepers.

As for the rest of the gang . . .

I really like how Rabbit is becoming more mature and responsible. He’s a far cry from the pissed off kid back in the first book. However, I’m not getting the warm fuzzies about Myrinne.  I’m beginning to wonder if she’s the right person for him after all.

Patience and Brandt’s book is next, so there is some set-up going on in this book in preparation.

Speaking of set-up, Sven is seen/heard from more in this book than any other so far.  I have my suspicions as to who his romantic interest will be. And Snake Mendez’s — the author said there will be nine books, so unless some Nighterkeepers magically appear, one of the future books will theoretically be about him. So, let’s see: Book 5 is about Patience and Brandt and that leaves four books. Rabbit, Sven, Anna, Snake (not necessarily in that order). I’m looking forward to seeing what Ms. Andersen has in store for us.

It’s really getting difficult to talk about the books in this series since so much could be considered a spoiler as events move closer and closer to the  end date in 2012. I had a hard time writing this for that reason.

Bottom line, though I wasn’t very fond of Jade, I still loved the story and I love visiting the Nightkeeper world. Looking forward to the next visit.

Started: 11 April 2010
Finished: 20 April 2010

Rating:

LOVED IT !!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

Has this ever happened to you?

Your browsing through your feed reader (or whatever) and you come across a book cover for a book that’s not out yet, but the couple on the front looks just like/reminds you of characters from a totally different book??

It happened to me recently.  I was just minding my own business and suddenly, there they were:

The hero had short blond hair and well-muscled.  The heroine had long brown hair and it looked like she could wield a sword.   It was them. . .

Kate and Curran.

The cover reminded a little of the scene in Magic Strikes, near the end of Chapter 27. They just defeated a silver golem and both are wounded. Kate chews him out and Curran swoops her into his arms and asks if she had been worried about him.

Here’s the book cover. Cassie Ryan’s Seducing the Succubus. Added to the wishlist.

“Kiss me and I’ll kill you,” [Kate] warned.
“It might be worth it,” [Curran] said softly.

One-quarter of the year has come and gone, so let’s see if I’ve accomplished any of my goals yet:

• Get back to reading Star Wars novels — In 2009, I did not read a single book. I have a huge backlist of the novels. UPDATE:  read one in April!
• Try to read more than one Georgette Heyer this year — I bought a few of her mysteries, so maybe I read one of each (romances and mysteries)
• Finish the backlog of last year’s reviews — I have several left to do. I posted one earlier today, here, with a new format. I’m going to try using this new format for all reviews.  UPDATE: I was making progress with this until recently.
• Finish re-posting the “lost posts” from the last time I tanked the blog — Yeah, that’s still not done.
• Fix, again, the Author Index — goes in hand with the above.
• Track number of pages read — includes remembering to annotate the page # I stop at when I decide a book is DNF. UPDATE:  Yes!!
• Try to read more than one “In Death” books — I will never get caught up with this one if I don’t
• Use my Sony Reader more — I bought it mainly to stash books/short stories for the time of the move.
• Look at my “books read” list from 2006-2008 and see if there’s a author I’ve been meaning to read again — and do so.
• Do not get behind on 2010 reviews — even if it means not working on a 2009 backlogged one UPDATE:  I was doing so good there for awhile.
  

Not as good as I had hope. When I set up this post in the beginning of April, I was thinking that I would have posted a least one backlogged review and be caught up with the current month’s by the end of it. I didn’t, and things aren’t likely to improve this month either. The moving company will be coming by to get an idea of how much stuff I really have (majority of which is in storage) and I be packing. Most of what I have to pack is books. One of the important tasks will be putting aside a few to have on hand through July, once the packers come to haul it all away in June.

2010 Books/Reviews

• Darth Bane: Rule of Two (Karpyshyn, Drew)  — Countdown
• Demonkeepers (Andersen, Jessica)  — Countdown, Pub 2010, Romance Reading

The backlogged 2009 reviews posted:

• NONE

What’s still pending:

• Duel of Hearts
• Time Raiders: The Seduction (Cindy Dees)(Nocturne Bite)
• For the Love of Pete
• Three Bags Full
• “Falling for Anthony” (Meljean Brook), Hot Spell(anthology)

Below is my status regarding the various challenges.

Challenges Completed this month:
NONE

Incomplete (Ended in March):
NONE

2009-2010 Challenges:
101 Fantasy Challenge: 2/6
Countdown 2010: 14/55
Harry Potter: 0/7
Random Reading: 1/12

2010 Challenges:
Contemporary Romance: 0/10
Harlequin/Silhouette: 1/6
“In Death” Challenge: 0/??
New Author: 1/20
Pub 2010: 3/10
Romance Reading:  1/5
What’s in a Name 3: 2/6
Year of the Historical: 1/12

Perpetual Challenges
Georgette Heyer:

~~ & ~~

Total (Month): 2
Grand Total (Year): 8

Total Pages Read (Month): 768
Grand Total (Year): 2,723

Darth Bane: Rule of Two

Title: Darth Bane: Rule of Two
Author: Drew Karpyshyn
Copyright: 2008 (Del Rey); 320 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-345-47749-1
Series: Star Wars Expanded Universe
Sensuality: None
Genre: Science Fiction
ERA: Sith/Republic – 1,020 years before the Battle of Yavin (Star Wars: A New Hope)

Spoilers for Darth Bane: Path of Destruction

Rule of Two picks up where Path of Destruction left off. The Brotherhood of Darkness is no more, completely destroyed by a thought bomb. The Army of Light has suffered huge losses, including its general, Jedi Master Lord Hoth. They are under the impression that no Sith survived. However, there is a lone survivor, Darth Bane, and he wants the Jedi to keep believing the Sith are extinct.

The book started off slow for me. Bane and Zannah, his newly acquired apprentice, spend much of the first nine chapters still on Ruusan, or trying to get off it. To be fair, the author had to set both Johun Othone — Hoth’s former padawan — and Tomcat — Rain’s cousin — on their respective paths before the main story could move forward. Johun is convinced that at least one Sith survived. He wants to pursue this, but the new leader of the Jedi — Jedi Master Farfalla — finds no credible evidence to suggest there were survivors. Instead, he gives Johun a different mission. As for Tomcat, having failed both as a Jedi and a Sith, he has no idea what to do with himself. He survives a run-in with Zannah and Bane and is left to make his own way on Ruusan. Both young men will encounter the Sith years later, with tragic results.

The story jumps ahead ten years. Bane has Zannah carrying out missions while he works on creating a Sith Holocron. On his orders, Zannah infiltrates separatist groups and convince them to strike out against the Republic before they are ready, thereby ensuring that they fail, but still draw the attention of the Senate and the Jedi. Zannah’s current mission is on Serenno, a planet known for its radical separatist groups. Though she carries out her tasks, Zannah questions the logic behind them. Bane has assured her that the time isn’t right:

“The Republic keeps the Jedi in check. It maintains control and imposes order across thousands of worlds. But if the Republic falls, a score of new interstellar governments and galactic organizations will rise. It is far easier to manipulate and control a single enemy than twenty.

That is why we must seek out radical separatist groups, identify the ones that have the potential to become true threats, then encourage them to strike before they are ready. We must exploit them, playing them off against the Republic. We must let our enemies weaken one another while we stay hidden and grow strong.

“One day the Republic will fall and the Jedi will be wiped out,” he assured her. “But it will not happen until we are ready to seize that power for ourselves.”

Even so, Zannah is still concerned. Ten years ago, when Bane first set out to learn the mysteries of the Sith Holocron, he became infested with a parasite. The orbalisk, as they are called, seemed to be a boon initially, giving Bane enhanced healing abilities and strength, and a body armor that blocks even lightsabers. But Zannah feels that the long exposure to them is taking its toll on Bane’s judgment. He’s failed several times to create a Holocron and he’s gone into destructive rages. Bane has much yet to teach her, and if dies before she’s reach her full potential, the Sith may truly be lost. Eventually, Bane agrees with her and Zannah’s new mission is to find a way to remove the parasites without killing the host.

I really enjoyed the story once it made the ten-year jump; it really pick up for me. Zannah is smart, but not overconfident as her future “descendants” (Maul, Dooku, Anakin). In fact, it was kind of refreshing to read about a Sith apprentice that knows she has a lot to learn, isn’t arrogant to the point of stupidity, and is patient. She can think on her feet — a couple of times she finds herself in less-than-ideal situations that she has to turn to her advantage and hope that Bane doesn’t think she’s betraying him. Her final dealings with her cousin are chilling. Even so, I actually liked her — but not as much as I liked Bane in the first book.

Started: 25 March 2010
Finished: 10 April 2010

Rating:

Enjoyed it!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.