Friday, March 26, 2010

Review ~ Shalador's Lady by Anne Bishop


TITLE: Shalador's Lady
AUTHOR: Anne Bishop
COPYRIGHT: 2010
TYPE: Fantasy
PAGES; 448
SERIES: oh yeah
1. Daughter of the Blood
2. Heir to the Shadow
3. Queen of Darkness
4. The Invisible Ring
5. Tangled Web
6. Dreams Made Flesh (read 2 of the 4 in this anthology)
7. The Shadow Queen
8. Shalador's Lady

REASON FOR READING: I fell in love with the trilogy and had to read everything that has to do with the characters I’ve grown to love

SUMMARY: {From goodreads}
For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, forbidding their traditions, punishing those who dared show defiance, and forcing many more into hiding. And even though the refugees found sanctuary in Dena Nehele, they have never been able to call it home. Now that Dena Nehele has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, makes it her duty to restore the land and prove her ability to rule. She knows that undertaking this task will require all her heart and courage as she summons the untested power within her, a power capable of consuming her if she cannot control it. And even if Lady Cassidy survives her trial by fire, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see visions within their tangled webs that something is coming that will change the land—and Lady Cassidy—forever…

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
Okay first off let me just say I started this book at midnight and did not put it down until 7am I was so enthralled I literally got no sleep b/c I could not put it down. I loved this book it let me get a glimpse of the main characters in this book as well as the older characters.

Things I enjoyed:
Let me just say I love how Cassie's has grown and matured in this book. I love that she finally became the woman and queen she needed to be to rule the Shalador people and all of the people who needed her. I also like that my least favorite character got his come upins if you will.
The first court in Cassie's circle is great and they really surrounded her and made sure that she was taken care of. I love that she had to learn to heal from mental and verbal scars as her men did.
And I have to say that Grey's growth is fantastic he did a wonderful job.

Things I didn’t care for:
I didn't like Theran in the first book and I have to say that I am so happy he finally got what he needed. However, I really didn't like the way he treated Cassie for as long as he did. I still think Cassie should've fried him on the spot and I wish that Deamon would've taken care of him like he deserved. However, without giving away any of the book I will say I am statisfied on the results.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Review ~ On the Edge by Ilona Andrews


TITLE: On the Edge
AUTHOR: Ilona Andrews
COPYRIGHT: 2009
TYPE: Fantasy
PAGES; 309
SERIES: yes I believe it will be

REASON FOR READING: I absolutely love Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniels Series so I had to see what this one was about.

SUMMARY: {From goodreads}
Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.

Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn't turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).

But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them, or the beasts will devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .


THOUGHTS/OPINION:
I really enjoyed this book. It was hard for me at first due to Rose and her hard external shell. I just couldn't get past her rough edges through half the book until things started becoming apparent as to why she acted the way she did. I did love that Rose managed to grow throughout the entire book.


Things I enjoyed:
I love that both characters grew through out the book. I hate when I read a series and the characters remain the same book after book. In this book both Declan and Rose grew to be the people they needed to be in order to survive and love each other.

I love that the romance happened very slowly just like in real life. I actually feel as if this story could've happened in real life in the right amount of time (minus the whole magic thing)

I love how Ilona and her husband really think about the advantages of magic and the disadvantages. The rules are clearly drawn in this world and they don't wavier to make it easy for the characters.

The world that was created here was just simply fanastic I couldn't have asked for more details. Things were explained just enough to know where you where and what you needed without extra. Very nice

Things I didn’t care for:Just b/c I feel like I'm beating a dead horse I will not talk about Rose. I didn't like the villian for some reason it just didn't feel good enough or I guess evil enough for what he was doing. And honestly I didn't understand why he unleashed the hounds on the edge and not in the weird but I think that could be b/c I rushed through the book so quickly when reading.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? This will be a keeper

Monday, March 1, 2010

Re-read Review ~ The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

OLD REVIEW in black new thoughts in Purple

TITLE: The Shadow Queen
AUTHOR: Anne Bishop
COPYRIGHT: 2009
TYPE: Fantasy
PAGES; 448
SERIES: oh yeah
1. Daughter of the Blood
2. Heir to the Shadow
3. Queen of Darkness
4. The Invisible Ring (need to read)
5. Tangled Web (currently Reading)
6. Dreams Made Flesh (read 2 of the 4 in this anthology)
7. The Shadow Queen
8. Shalador's Lady (coming out real soon!!!)

REASON FOR READING: I fell in love with the trilogy and had to read everything that has to do with the characters I’ve grown to love (Since the newest book is about this story with Cassie and Grey I thought I should re-read it to catch up that and b/c I just rec'd this book in the mail!)

SUMMARY: {From goodreads}
Dena Nehele is a land decimated by its past. Once it was ruled by corrupt Queens who were wiped out when the land was cleansed of tainted Blood. Now, only one hundred Warlord Princes stand—without a leader and without hope.

Theran Grayhaven is the last of his line, desperate to find the key that reveals a treasure great enough to restore Dena Nehele. But first he needs to find a Queen who remembers the Blood’s code of honor and lives by the Old Ways. The woman chosen to rule Dena Nehele, Lady Cassidy, is not beautiful and believes she is not strong. But she may be the only one able to convince bitter men to serve once again


THOUGHTS/OPINION:
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed catching up with J and D. I loved seeing S & L and learning where they were at in life. Aymless has a review posted that I tend to agree with. While I enjoyed reading and catching up with old friends their story tended to interfere with the new story revolving around Gray and Cassie. Whom I totally adore and what to know more about, I felt their story was rushed at the end and could have been a totally separate book from the others. (My thoughts are still the same I throughly enjoyed this book. I did feel as if D and J took up a lot of the story simply b/c that is who we know in the series the best! Really though they could've left that out and focused more on Cassie's story it was interesting enough to stand alone.)

Things I enjoyed:
Like I stated above it was really nice getting to see where the old friends where in life and seeing little flashbacks here and there of their lives previous to the trilogy. However, I would have liked either a book about them or a separate book. Or I would have even enjoyed another short story book like Dreams Made Flesh to catch up.
I liked seeing Cassidy and Gray interact and felt there wasn’t enough of that interaction. I loved watching Gray struggle with his past to be the man that Cassidy needed in order to heal herself and I felt that in a way that was missing b/c we kept going back to D & J’s relationship.
I did however, like how all the men from Sadi and Lucivar as well as the other warlord princes interacting with Cassie. Showing her how she should be treated as a Queen but never letting her get to big of a head. However, knowing Cassidy that wouldn’t have been a problem she was damaged not in the same way as Gray but still hurt bad enough that she needed healing too.
(I loved watching Grey advance from a hurt scared child into a Warlord Prince. I really did enjoy the dinner scene where Grey explains that he has scars to Daemon and Satean and they understood. It is true had Grey not been tortured Theran would be completely over shadowed by him and I am beginning to think that is already happening.
One of my favorite scenes that I didn't mention last time was the fight scene with Cassie and the non-bloods she attempts to protect. B/c of her standing up to a warlord prince she brings the people together even more. I really admire how she stood up for what's right and didn't except the fact her lower jewel might loose the battle.)

Things I didn’t care for:
I did not, under any circumstance did I, enjoy Theran he was a complete and total ass through out the whole damn book. Is seriously kept hoping Lucivar would kill him. My God what a horrible person and try as I might I just couldn’t like him. He didn’t do anything that made me want to like him and if it wouldn’t have broken up her court I would have continued to wish him dead till the end. Hell even at the end I don’t feel as if he changed all that much. If there’s another book I hope it involves his death and his replacement. BLECH
(YEP Still hate him I tried really hard to see his side and yet still couldn't. I hated that it took Cassie finding a treasure that explained to him that she was the only way his land would be cured for him to realize what an excellent treasure she was. The whole time he kept going on and on about how disappointed he was that her jewel was so light and how weak she was. Hell he didn't even help her when she was battling to protect the non bloods b/c they weren't good enough for him. I really hope in the new book that comes he grows a little more and possible matures.)

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Sadly enough folks this was a library book but it is going on the To Be Bought pile as soon as it comes out in paperback. (I um own it now so yeah for sure keeping!!!)


Anything Else: .You do not have to read the series to understand this book. HOWEVER, in order to fully appreciate the richness of the world Ms. Bishop has created you really should start at the beginning. (I sort of lied about this b/c at the time I hadn't read The Invisible Ring now that I have I highly recommend you read that one first so that you understand what treasure is being discussed and Lia and Jarod who are the main characters in the ring book. They are the ones who Grey and Therian are related to and to know the history really enriched this book for me.)