tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70617398681767246942024-03-14T02:26:32.901-04:00Book Addicts Anonymous Hello! Do you enjoy reading? Do you enjoy discussing what you're reading? Of course you do! Then, please, come enjoy these entertaining (I hope) reviews and discussions about books I've read or am reading. There may be spoilers, so beware. These aren't intended to be synopses, but I can't guarantee I won't give anything away either. Also, it may not always be SFW. Please comment and discuss. The more feedback I get, the better the reviews will be.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-47907521641453034872014-03-23T15:15:00.001-04:002014-03-23T15:15:31.072-04:00What book are you?<div dir="ltr">
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So, I'm feeling better. It's been a long road, but I'm getting there. The plan is to start writing again soon, so keep an eye out. Until then, <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/isaacfitzgerald/what-type-of-book-are-you">here's something fun for you</a>:<br />
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<header class="post2 super_format bf_dom c" id="post-3059339" rel:advertiser="0" rel:bf_bucket="track" rel:data="{"buzz_id":"3059339","type":"super","uri":"what-type-of-book-are-you","form_id":"20","category":"Books"}" rel:owner="isaacfitzgerald" rel:partner="0" rel:ptool="true" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #111111; float: none; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" track="{"c":"7CR08U7","u":"74E9VQ7","buzz":"what-type-of-book-are-you","user":"isaacfitzgerald","types":[100],"queries":[]}"><div id="buzz_header" rel:gt_cat="[ttp]:header" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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<hgroup style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><h1 id="post-title" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 36px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 10px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
What Type Of Book Are You?</h1>
<div class="description" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 11px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">You are what you read.</span><span class="buzz_datetime" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; margin: 4px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">posted on <time datetime="2014-03-19T16:59:10Z" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">March 19, 2014 at 12:59pm EDT</time></span></div>
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<div class="quiz not_numbered personality_quiz" rel:id="21597" rel:question_count="6" rel:quiz_type="personality" rel:swap="1" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 0px solid rgb(208, 208, 208); float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px auto; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; width: 625px;">
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<li class="quiz_question image quiz_v2" rel:id="912623" rel:question_type="image" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 50px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; width: 625px;"><div class="quiz_question_header" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px 0px 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 625px;">
<div class="headline-1" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #121212; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div class="quiz_img_and_source " style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<img class="quiz_img" src="http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-03/tmp/webdr06/18/16/552e30066786da6cb05715ab35b9159a-2.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span class="sub_buzz_source_via buzz_attribution" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #999999; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Via <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #999999; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">flickr.com</a></span></div>
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<li class="quiz_answer quiz_shadow has_quiz_answer_text" rel:correct="0" rel:gt_act="quiz-answer" rel:gtrack_id="quiz-answer" rel:id="912624" rel:personality_index="7" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; clear: left; display: table-cell; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 200px; outline: 0px; padding: 9px; vertical-align: top; width: 180px;"><div class="quiz_img_and_source" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<img src="http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-03/enhanced/webdr04/5/16/enhanced-buzz-7482-1394056709-14.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 180px;" /><span class="sub_buzz_source_via buzz_attribution" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; max-width: 164px; outline: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; padding: 1px 8px 2px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">Via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; font-size: 10px !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">amazon.com</a></span></div>
<span class="quiz_checkbox_wrp" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="quiz_checkbox quiz_shadow" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; float: left; height: 18px; margin: 12px 9px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 18px;"></span><span class="quiz_answer_text" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold; line-height: 20px; margin: 12px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 141px;">Goodnight Moon</span></span></li>
<li class="quiz_answer quiz_shadow has_quiz_answer_text" rel:correct="0" rel:gt_act="quiz-answer" rel:gtrack_id="quiz-answer" rel:id="912625" rel:personality_index="6" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; clear: left; display: table-cell; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 200px; outline: 0px; padding: 9px; vertical-align: top; width: 180px;"><div class="quiz_img_and_source" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<img src="http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-03/enhanced/webdr03/5/17/enhanced-buzz-15502-1394058326-27.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 180px;" /><span class="sub_buzz_source_via buzz_attribution" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; max-width: 164px; outline: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; padding: 1px 8px 2px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">Via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; font-size: 10px !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">amazon.com</a></span></div>
<span class="quiz_checkbox_wrp" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="quiz_checkbox quiz_shadow" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; float: left; height: 18px; margin: 12px 9px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 18px;"></span><span class="quiz_answer_text" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold; line-height: 20px; margin: 12px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 141px;">In The Night Kitchen</span></span></li>
<li class="quiz_answer quiz_shadow last has_quiz_answer_text" rel:correct="0" rel:gt_act="quiz-answer" rel:gtrack_id="quiz-answer" rel:id="912626" rel:personality_index="8" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; clear: left; display: table-cell; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 200px; outline: 0px; padding: 9px; vertical-align: top; width: 180px;"><div class="quiz_img_and_source" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<img src="http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-03/enhanced/webdr06/5/17/enhanced-buzz-26993-1394058556-37.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 180px;" /><span class="sub_buzz_source_via buzz_attribution" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; max-width: 164px; outline: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; padding: 1px 8px 2px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">Via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; font-size: 10px !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">amazon.com</a></span></div>
<span class="quiz_checkbox_wrp" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="quiz_checkbox quiz_shadow" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; float: left; height: 18px; margin: 12px 9px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 18px;"></span><span class="quiz_answer_text" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold; line-height: 20px; margin: 12px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 141px;">Extra Yarn</span></span></li>
</ol>
<ol class="smallImgAnswers" style="background-color: transparent; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 12px 0px; border: 0px; clear: both; display: table; float: left; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: lower-latin; margin: 10px 0px 12px -12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="quiz_answer quiz_shadow has_quiz_answer_text" rel:correct="0" rel:gt_act="quiz-answer" rel:gtrack_id="quiz-answer" rel:id="912627" rel:personality_index="5" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; clear: left; display: table-cell; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 200px; outline: 0px; padding: 9px; vertical-align: top; width: 180px;"><div class="quiz_img_and_source" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<img src="http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-03/enhanced/webdr06/5/17/enhanced-buzz-26943-1394059099-12.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 180px;" /><span class="sub_buzz_source_via buzz_attribution" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; max-width: 164px; outline: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; padding: 1px 8px 2px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">Via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; font-size: 10px !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">amazon.com</a></span></div>
<span class="quiz_checkbox_wrp" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="quiz_checkbox quiz_shadow" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; float: left; height: 18px; margin: 12px 9px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 18px;"></span><span class="quiz_answer_text" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold; line-height: 20px; margin: 12px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 141px;">The Snowy Day</span></span></li>
<li class="quiz_answer quiz_shadow has_quiz_answer_text" rel:correct="0" rel:gt_act="quiz-answer" rel:gtrack_id="quiz-answer" rel:id="912628" rel:personality_index="0" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; clear: left; display: table-cell; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 200px; outline: 0px; padding: 9px; vertical-align: top; width: 180px;"><div class="quiz_img_and_source" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<img src="http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-03/enhanced/webdr06/5/17/enhanced-buzz-4447-1394059635-8.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 180px;" /><span class="sub_buzz_source_via buzz_attribution" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; max-width: 164px; outline: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; padding: 1px 8px 2px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">Via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; font-size: 10px !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">amazon.com</a></span></div>
<span class="quiz_checkbox_wrp" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="quiz_checkbox quiz_shadow" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; float: left; height: 18px; margin: 12px 9px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 18px;"></span><span class="quiz_answer_text" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold; line-height: 20px; margin: 12px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 141px;">Everyone Poops</span></span></li>
<li class="quiz_answer quiz_shadow last has_quiz_answer_text" rel:correct="0" rel:gt_act="quiz-answer" rel:gtrack_id="quiz-answer" rel:id="912629" rel:personality_index="2" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; clear: left; display: table-cell; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 200px; outline: 0px; padding: 9px; vertical-align: top; width: 180px;"><div class="quiz_img_and_source" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<img src="http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-03/enhanced/webdr07/5/17/enhanced-buzz-604-1394059947-11.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 180px;" /><span class="sub_buzz_source_via buzz_attribution" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; max-width: 164px; outline: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; padding: 1px 8px 2px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">Via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; font-size: 10px !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">amazon.com</a></span></div>
<span class="quiz_checkbox_wrp" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="quiz_checkbox quiz_shadow" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; float: left; height: 18px; margin: 12px 9px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 18px;"></span><span class="quiz_answer_text" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold; line-height: 20px; margin: 12px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 141px;">Corduroy</span></span></li>
</ol>
<ol class="smallImgAnswers" style="background-color: transparent; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 12px 0px; border: 0px; clear: both; display: table; float: left; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: lower-latin; margin: 10px 0px 12px -12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="quiz_answer quiz_shadow has_quiz_answer_text" rel:correct="0" rel:gt_act="quiz-answer" rel:gtrack_id="quiz-answer" rel:id="912630" rel:personality_index="1" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; clear: left; display: table-cell; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 200px; outline: 0px; padding: 9px; vertical-align: top; width: 180px;"><div class="quiz_img_and_source" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<img src="http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-03/enhanced/webdr07/5/18/enhanced-buzz-1216-1394060549-15.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 180px;" /><span class="sub_buzz_source_via buzz_attribution" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; max-width: 164px; outline: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; padding: 1px 8px 2px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">Via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; font-size: 10px !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">amazon.com</a></span></div>
<span class="quiz_checkbox_wrp" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="quiz_checkbox quiz_shadow" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; float: left; height: 18px; margin: 12px 9px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 18px;"></span><span class="quiz_answer_text" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold; line-height: 20px; margin: 12px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 141px;">The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck</span></span></li>
<li class="quiz_answer quiz_shadow has_quiz_answer_text" rel:correct="0" rel:gt_act="quiz-answer" rel:gtrack_id="quiz-answer" rel:id="912631" rel:personality_index="3" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; clear: left; display: table-cell; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 200px; outline: 0px; padding: 9px; vertical-align: top; width: 180px;"><div class="quiz_img_and_source" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<img src="http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-03/enhanced/webdr05/5/18/enhanced-buzz-20169-1394061539-12.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 180px;" /><span class="sub_buzz_source_via buzz_attribution" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; max-width: 164px; outline: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; padding: 1px 8px 2px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">Via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; font-size: 10px !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">amazon.com</a></span></div>
<span class="quiz_checkbox_wrp" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="quiz_checkbox quiz_shadow" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; float: left; height: 18px; margin: 12px 9px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 18px;"></span><span class="quiz_answer_text" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold; line-height: 20px; margin: 12px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 141px;">The Wonderful Wizard of OZ</span></span></li>
<li class="quiz_answer quiz_shadow last has_quiz_answer_text" rel:correct="0" rel:gt_act="quiz-answer" rel:gtrack_id="quiz-answer" rel:id="912632" rel:personality_index="4" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; clear: left; display: table-cell; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 200px; outline: 0px; padding: 9px; vertical-align: top; width: 180px;"><div class="quiz_img_and_source" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<img src="http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/2014-03/enhanced/webdr05/19/13/enhanced-buzz-2575-1395250035-7.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 180px;" /><span class="sub_buzz_source_via buzz_attribution" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaRegular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; max-width: 164px; outline: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; padding: 1px 8px 2px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">Via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(219, 219, 219) !important; font-size: 10px !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">amazon.com</a></span></div>
<span class="quiz_checkbox_wrp" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="quiz_checkbox quiz_shadow" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; float: left; height: 18px; margin: 12px 9px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 18px;"></span><span class="quiz_answer_text" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: ProximaNovaSemibold; line-height: 20px; margin: 12px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 141px;">The Berenstain Bears Go on Vacation</span></span></li>
<li class="quiz_answer quiz_shadow last has_quiz_answer_text" rel:correct="0" rel:gt_act="quiz-answer" rel:gtrack_id="quiz-answer" rel:id="912632" rel:personality_index="4" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgb(191, 191, 191) 1px 1px 0px; clear: left; display: table-cell; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 200px; outline: 0px; padding: 9px; vertical-align: top; width: 180px;"><div>
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</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-81182242798770656512014-02-25T23:05:00.000-05:002014-02-25T23:05:00.531-05:00Groan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://mirabiledictudotorg1.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/vintage-sick-woman-with-book.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://mirabiledictudotorg1.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/vintage-sick-woman-with-book.png" height="320" width="263" /></a></div>
I'm dying.<br />
<br />
OK, not really. But I have been pretty ill lately.<br />
<br />
So, there may be some delay in my reviews. They'll start back soon though.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-31727457543902889642014-02-24T20:12:00.000-05:002014-02-24T20:12:00.557-05:00Acheron, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350570l/2299110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350570l/2299110.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
Holy shit balls, Batman! I did <i>not</i> see this pairing coming!!<br />
<br />
Wow. Ok, a lot to cover here. I've been waiting for this book.<br />
<br />
As you can probably guess, this is Acheron's book. And it is a doozy.<br />
<br />
So, lucky for us, Kenyon takes pity and doesn't make us relive the vast majority of Ash's horrific life. Most of the worst part is through his sister, Ryssa's point of view. She only finds out about what happened to him from 7 to 17 once she rescues him at 17. Thank god we don't have to experience it with him.<br />
<br />
It's super sad and hard to deal with regardless.<br />
<br />
For one, every time his sister, Ryssa, tries to help him, she makes it worse. You know she loves him and wants desperately to save him, she just can't seem to make it happen. Being a woman doesn't help either.<br />
<br />
For Apollymi too. I can't imagine a mother having to deal with the loss of a child like that. Not giving him up, exactly. Or at least not <i>only</i> that, but not wanting to and knowing there's no way you'll never see him again. Never hold him again. I can almost forgive her for wanting to destroy the world. Almost.<br />
<br />
But here's my holy shitballs moment: Ash's love is Tory!!<br />
<br />
OK, you have no idea who Tory is. I know.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Remember Greary and Arik from Dream Hunter? Greary's teen cousin was Tory. I honestly thought Ash would end up with someone entirely new. I never even considered a 14 year old.<br />
<br />
Obviously, she's not 14 anymore. Remember Dream hunter was in 1996. As you will remember Greary gave up the hunt for Atlantis once she knew what was at stake. Of course they didn't tell the teen genius what was really going on, so now Tory's all grown up with her own hunt.<br />
<br />
Ash discredits her at a speech and she hates him for it. Then he helps translate one of Ryssa's journals, after he reads it and makes sure there's nothing that could expose his tormented past. I can't blame him for wanting to keep it a secret, but I do hope he finally understands that it's not his fault and he shouldn't be ashamed of it. Abuse isn't something anyone likes to shout from the mountain tops, but a victim should never be ashamed of people finding out. The people who abused should be the ones ashamed.<br />
<br />
If we learn about Ash's past, that has to include Artemis, too. You do feel kinda bad for her. She's abused by her brother, Apollo. And no one really seems to care about her. but that just does <i>not </i>excuse her behavior. When they first meet, there is love between them, but it's like junior high love: selfish. Well, at least for Artemis it is. Ash only gives, never takes, never asks.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately it's a junior high relationship lasts forever and stays in it's immature state. They're stuck together. And not just by Kat. Artemis tied Ash to her when she brought him back from the dead. Now he has to have blood to survive and not turn into a bloodthirsty demon - literally. And of course she's the only one he can get it from.<br />
<br />
Speaking of Kat, I was kind of disappointed that she's never tried to help Ash. She might be the only person Artemis might listen to, and she's never gotten involved. I might have been able to understand that when she was a child. Or even when she was still naive about Artemis' character, but she knows now. And she <i>must</i> know how Artemis treats her father. She's over 11,000 years old! I think she can stand up to her mother. Or at least try.<br />
<br />
Loving someone doesn't mean you don't stand up to them.<br />
<br />
Nick makes an appearance as well. Satara kidnaps Tory in an effort to get one of Ryssa's journals back. Ryssa had written about Apollo and Artemis and how they could be killed (apparently - I'm skeptical). Satara encourages Nick to rape Tory. Nick ends up killing Satara and helps Tory escape, along with Styxx's help. Nick's still pissed at Ash, but he clearly hasn't lost his morals. At the end Artemis asks him to be her "friend," just as she asked Ash once upon a time. God, that's a train wreck waiting to happen.<br />
<br />
Wouldn't a Nick/Artemis couple blow your mind?!<br />
<br />
Artemis is obviously pissed about Tory. And if Ash is tied to her by blood, it makes it even worse. So, how do they get around it? Well, Tory becomes a goddess of course! She also gives Artie a bit of a smack down. Artemis' finally play? She tells Ash that she'll never free a Dark Hunter again. She almost gets him with that one - he hates the suffering of others - but Tory is there to tell him they'll find a way.<br />
<br />
I'll be happy to see how they do that.<br />
<br />
And I do hope Artemis finds love and happiness.<br />
<br />
As Ash would say, everybody deserves it.<br />
<br />
Tory becoming a goddess supports idea of Ash's pantheon. For refugees. Like the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CCsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FRudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer_(TV_special)&ei=0N_VUtu6CIf4oASsxICwBQ&usg=AFQjCNHjVFtppAN0jHq6JkLQD9vIaw1_ug&sig2=84d38fJW3id2knXKcUzoFQ&bvm=bv.59378465,d.cGU">Isle of Misfit Toys</a>! Look, you have Sin and his brother who don't have any one else from their pantheon; all the dream gods (Arik, Xepher, Leta, the M's we've met in passing) w/ emotion; Apolites; daimons who don't prey on innocents; the Were's who want peace (Vane, Fang, Amiee, Wren); immortals he's created/helped (Kyrian/Amanda/family, Valerius/Tabitha, Zarek/Astrid, Talon/Sunshine, Wulf/Cassandra, Ravyn/Susan). There's a ton of 'em! And really, someone needs to put Zeus and some of the other Greeks in their place and on their ass.<br />
<br />
One thing I considered was if Stryker was Ash's nephew. Ryssa was the mistress of Apollo killed by the Apolites to get them cursed. She and her son. But I thought the story went that Apollo replaced his son in the womb and had his son raised in his temple. So, I thought maybe Stryker was the son who was removed. However, I think now maybe the son that was removed was the one born to the Atlantean queen who ordered Ryssa's death. That still makes them slightly related though. But it would have been an awesome twist for Ash to be Stryker uncle!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5585300-acheron">Acheron, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-70682115448647807552014-02-21T17:25:00.000-05:002014-02-21T17:25:00.536-05:00Dream Chaser, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We got another dream god here.<br />
<br />
So, when Kat and Sin were fighting the demons in Devil May Cry, they got help from a dream god, Xepher, who was killed and sentenced to eternal torture by Hades. Kat makes a deal in exchange for his help.<br />
<br />
He was sentenced because he supposedly tortured and killed people with his powers. Remember I said some dream gods could become addicted to the emotions they siphon from humans? Well, Xepher was one of those.<br />
<br />
Only thats not really what happened. Satara, Stryker's sister, manipulated him into killing for her. Ok, she seduced him. Straight up. He was willing to take the fall for her, but she was supposed to wipe out his existence completely so Hades couldn't torture him. Only she doesn't. Of course not. That would be too nice for her.<br />
<br />
So, now, the deal. If Xepher helps Kat et al, which he definitely does, he gets a month of freedom. If he doesn't show his humanity in a month, then he goes back to eternal torture. His plan? To kill Satara. If he's going to be tortured for eternity, he wants her to be right beside him.<br />
<br />
That doesn't happen of course. Satara hears about his plan and devises one of her own. She uses a pair of bracelets that tie the life energy of two wearers to each other.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
Who does Xepher get attached to? Simone, a psychic medium with a ghost for a best friend. She helps Tate, the local coroner and squire, with the weird bodies he gets. When it's not a daimon kill, he calls her in to help out.<br />
<br />
We learn a bit more about the demon world, particularly a new character: Jaden. Jaden is knows as "the broker." He works for the "primordial source" of the universe and can only be called by demons. He makes deals, but doesn't seem evil per se. In fact, at the end, he's getting punished for not quite following his masters wishes. I'm sure we'll learn more about them both in a future book.<br />
<br />
Also, demons can infect others with their bites. Well, some demons can. Simone gets bitten and starts to turn. Xepher calls Ash to help her. Only she's not really turning, the bite just let her natural powers out. She's half demon. Her father was a demon and killed himself to protect her.<br />
<br />
In the end, Xepher chooses to give up his revenge on Satara to save Simone's life. That fulfills the bargain with Hades. Of course Simone doesn't know that and calls Jaden to save him. She sells her soul for it. Xepher gets back just after the deal is done. Only, Jaden did it for a good reason: so Xepher and Simone could be together. It's one of the things he's punished for at the end.<br />
<br />
One more thing, that battle from Devil May Cry? Yeah, one of the demons did escape. She's turned up with Simi's brother as her husband. She's preggers. They run a bar. Super cute.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1746470.Dream_Chaser">Dream Chaser, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-29646717271322392032014-02-18T15:21:00.000-05:002014-02-18T15:21:00.510-05:00Upon a Midnight Clear, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div>
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Yay for Christmas!<br />
<br />
Really this is a 2-in-1.<br />
<br />
Our first story is very Scroogesque.<br />
<br />
Aidan is a human actor who has been royally screwed over by everyone he trusted, even his family. Especially his family.<br />
<br />
Now said family is out to kill him. To do so, Aiden's brother has called on the god of pain to kill him.<br />
<br />
Leta, a dream god, has set out to save him.<br />
<br />
The long and short of it is that Leta dies and then comes back as human and they live HEA. We do see Zeus for the first time and my previous assessment is accurate: ass hat.<br />
<br />
Our second story is more interesting as far as the <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/search/label/Dark%20Hunter">series</a> goes. We get to see where all the characters are over the holidays.<br />
<br />
There are 2 groups of weres. The Sanctuary gang and the non-sanctuary gang. After Unleash the Night, Wren and his friend weren't exactly welcome at Sanctuary, nor did they really want to be. Except Fang. He and Aimee are still star crossed. Though Aimee's father does indicate that if she chooses Fang, he'll still love and support her.<br />
<br />
All the ex-hunters are together, too. Kyrian, Julian, Valerius, Zarek and families. Nick is there, too, looking in the window, but doesn't go in. Stryker can see what he sees and Nick won't do that to his friends.<br />
<br />
I feel so bad from him.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
The last is Ash's Christmas. He's with Alexion, Danger, and the demons at home. Styxx is there, too. Briefly. If you remember from <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2014/01/night-embrace-sherrilyn-kenyon.html">Night Embrace</a>, Styxx is Ash's human brother. He hated Ash and wants to kill him, but at the end of the book Artemis imprisons him and sentences him to live Ash's life as Ash lived it. To see it from his point of view. To see the things as they were, not clouded by Styxx's hatred. Now Styxx is trying to make amends. And failing. But he is genuinely trying.<br />
<br />
Ash then goes to Olympus to be with Kat and Sin. Artemis is there obviously, but that not who he goes to see, of course. (As a side note, I read this one before Devil May Cry and it seriously threw me off. But that's neither here nor there.) Kat is very pregnant and Sin teases Artemis about being a grandmother. She freaks and stomps off.<br />
<br />
Worth it!</div>
<div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/490403.Upon_the_Midnight_Clear">Upon a Midnight Clear, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a></div>
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-75170435106498447322014-02-14T14:02:00.000-05:002014-02-14T14:02:00.578-05:00Devil May Cry, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div>
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So, I read this one out of order by mistake, just 2 books off, but still. I'm reviewing it in it's proper place, but hopefully I don't let my foreknowledge get the better of me and mess with the review.<br />
<br />
So, we finally learn all about Kat!<br />
<br />
I'm still surprised.<br />
<br />
She's Ash's <i>daughter</i>! With Artemis'.<br />
<br />
I really did not see that coming. I still think she thought about Ash in non-fatherly terms before. Not in a creepy way, but...I donno. It just seemed like she was...pining for him.<br />
<br />
Which doesn't necessarily make it romantic. I know. You can pine for a father. But this <i>is</i> a romance series.<br />
<br />
So, yeah, daughter. Ash doesn't find out until this book. Artemis made a half ass attempt to tell him when Kat was born, but Ash thought it was a child Artemis had taken from her mother to try to replace his nephew. That's how the gods got servants back in the day. Well, that and having parents leave the kid as an offering. Whatever. I would explain what happened to his nephew but I have no idea. We haven't been told yet.<br />
<br />
However, instead of making sure he understood, she lashed (physically and verbally) out at him and kept Kat from him. She let her pride get the better of her. Needless to say, he was not too pleased when he does finally find out. Poor Ash, every time he turns around, Artemis has something new to hold over him - a new way to hurt him.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
To be fair to Artemis (against my better judgement), she never talks bad about Ash to Kat. And she never tried to keep his identity a secret from Kat, either. Which, given how she demeans Ash, is pretty surprising.<br />
<br />
However, she wasn't exactly mother of the year either. She never acknowledged Kat as her daughter publicly. Just as she never would acknowledge Ash. She used Kat to get Sins powers (more in a bit). And she used Kat as an ace in the hole over Ash. I'm sure there are many more moments. She's selfish, using is what she does.<br />
<br />
We actually do see the...soft side of Artemis a bit here. I can't say the good side, 'cause she's too selfish for it to be that, but softer, sure. Kat even thinks Artemis wants to let Ash go. I don't know that <i>I</i> believe that, but... She knows that their relationship is not ok. There's this one flashback where Artemis is crying and holding Kat when she's a child. She's crying about all the mistakes she's made with Ash. Thing is, she keeps making the same mistakes. So, crying about it means jack. And she's not sorry for Ash, she's sorry for herself. It's all about <i>her</i>.<br />
<br />
It doesn't work if you say sorry but keep doing the same thing over and over. Sorry means nothing if you don't correct what you're sorry for. Or at least sincerely try.<br />
<br />
I know Artemis is Greek, not Christian, but they must have had some version of "Pride goeth before the fall."<br />
<br />
She needs to sit up and listen.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this is Kat's book and she meets her love, Sin. Sin is a Sumerian ex-god. Ex, you say? How can someone be an ex-god? Well, you get your powers sucked out of you by a greedy, selfish bitch-goddess (cough-Artemis).<br />
<br />
Only to make it worse, as I alluded before, Artemis coned Kat into taking Sin's powers for her. She tells Kat that Sin tried to rape her and would kill her first chance she got. Kat was still young enough to think her mother wouldn't lie. At least not about that.<br />
<br />
Luckily, when Artemis comes to her present day and asks her to kill Sin, Kat knows better than to just take her at her word. She decides to do a little investigating. She figures out that he's actually a good guy out to save the world from demons.<br />
<br />
See the other Sumerian gods created an army of demons, who then couldn't be controlled. So, they imprisoned them, but every so often, they have to reseal the prison. Only Sin and his brother are the only Sumerian gods left. Sin is without powers (thanks, Artie) and his brother is missing. So the demons are getting free.<br />
<br />
Sin gets his powers back. There's a major battle, but the good guys win. Kat and Sin get married and all is right in the world. Oh and Artemis is a grandma! Muwahahahaha!<br />
<br />
It's interesting how similar Sin and Kat's relationship is to that of Ash and Artemis. Obviously it's way healthier, and they're both working to make it a good one, but it is similar. The key? Neither are as horrible and childish as Artemis.<br />
<br />
Since Kat wasn't romantically involved with Ash, I wonder who he'll end up with. Every time Artemis shows some remorse or compassion, I think maybe... But I can't believe it. She beats him. We haven't seen it, only the aftermath, but we know it happens. I can't see that being ok. Ever. Kat asks Ash at one point if he's forgiven Artemis, Ash says he doesn't know. That as soon as he thinks he's past one betrayal, she does it again. Or he learns about another one. So, Kat asks if he still loves Artemis. He says that you can't hate to the degree he does if you've never loved them, but whether there's love underneath all that hate, he doesn't know.<br />
<br />
Regardless, no matter how much the love each other, love is <i>not</i> all you need (thank you very much, Beatles). </div>
<div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2227031.Devil_May_Cry">Devil May Cry, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a></div>
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-59911526758358022782014-02-11T22:13:00.000-05:002014-02-11T22:13:00.734-05:00Dream Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div>
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So, this one threw me off a bit.<br />
<br />
It takes place way before any of the other books, in 1996 to be exact. But I definitely think this is the place to read it. It's written in a way that I think if you did try to read it in chronological order as the first book, you'd be really confused. I think you'd miss some of the most important tidbits.<br />
<br />
So, as I said, it's set way back in time. We actually see Nick as a teen, but I'll come back to that.<br />
<br />
We meet Greary and Arik in Greece. Greary's family has been searching for Atlantis for generations. Unfortunately, it's ended in death mostly. After her father dies, she takes over the search.<br />
<br />
Arik is a dream god who finds Greary in her dreams and wants to see her in the human world. But here's the problem, all the dream gods were punished by Zeus and stripped of all their emotions. Arik wants to be with her, but doesn't understand the feelings he has. Dream gods should only have feelings in dreams, when they siphon off from the humans who dreams they've invaded. Sometimes, they get carried away and end up addicted to the emotions. Like any addict, the can destroy in an effort to feed that addiction.<br />
<br />
Arik was turned into one of those. Think incubus. Anyway, Zeus' curse is weakening, and their getting their emotions back, but Arik doesn't know that. It's a big secret. So, he doesn't realize the feelings he has are his own. He doesn't understand <i>what</i> they are either. So, being the emotionless psycho that he was made, he makes a deal with Hades to be human in exchange for Greary's soul.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
Now, obviously, he doesn't follow through. He quickly realizes he loves her. Unfortunately, to save her, he has to die. And die he does. He comes back and is 100% human though, so all is well though.<br />
<br />
Now, what about the meat and potatoes here...<br />
<br />
Kat is back for one. We learn a lot more about her. We've seen her in Kiss of the Night helping Cassandra and in Seize the Night where she appears briefly to help save Ash. This was her assignment from Artemis before protecting Cassandra.<br />
<br />
Her goal is to keep Atlantis hidden at all costs. For one, finding it could inadvertently release Apollymi. Secondly, it would hurt Ash, and she'd never let that happen. Again, "why" is the question. What is her connection to Ash? She clearly loves him.<br />
<br />
We also find out more about Apollymi and Kat's relationship. Kat gets into an argument with Artemis after Artemis blows up the research boat, almost killing the crew and Greary's family. Totally unnecessarily. Artemis accuses Kat of being unloyal because she went and made a deal with Apollymi. They don't say what the deal was, just that Artemis "knows why [Kat] had to."<br />
<br />
So confused! It must be something about Ash, but...<br />
<br />
It does show that Apollymi isn't all bad. Yes, she's the Goddess of Destruction, and if she were free, she'd destroy the world, but, as Kat says, she's a good friend.<br />
<br />
Kat is also outed as a goddess. A strong one. Stronger than Artemis.<br />
<br />
Arik also admits to having been in a few of Ash's dreams. He indicates/confirms that Ash is Apollymi's son and that he helps keep her calm when she's freaking.<br />
<br />
So, about Nick.<br />
<br />
Sigh.<br />
<br />
We see him when he's 18. It's an interesting interaction all around.<br />
<br />
One of the head sleep gods, M'Adoc, goes a little nuts about Arik. In order to help him and avoid Zeus finding out their emotions are coming back, the other head gods send him to Ash. Ash wants him to help Zarek - obviously before Zarek's book, but after he gets banished to Alaska. Ash meets them at Kyrian's house, which is where Nick comes in.<br />
<br />
Nick is on his way to walk him mom home. Kyrian says that Nick will be the death of her. Ash says that <i>he'd </i>be the death of her before Nick would, and that Nick would die for her. M'Adoc seems to know exactly what will happen with Nick and Ash, but says it's not "his place" to say anything. Which seems to mean that maybe it was supposed to happen the way it has. I don't know.<br />
<br />
Ash also says that if M'Adoc can help Zarek, that Ash will owe him.<br />
<br />
Seems there going to be more to that story.<br />
<br />
I wonder if Ash is going to end up with his own Pantheon. When Kyrian and Amanda were killed, he makes them all immortal. Valerius and Zarek are both gods now. And I don't see Zeus forgiving the dream gods and allowing them to keep their emotions. Honestly, we haven't seen much of him, but he seems like a real ass hat. I feel really bad for the dream gods.<br />
<br />
I don't know. I don't mean that Ash is <i>planning</i> to have his own Pantheon, I think it's probably the last thing he's want, I just think that's kinda where it's headed.<br />
<br />
Though, I do think he's planning something...<br />
<br /></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84132.The_Dream_Hunter">Dream Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-33608870589030286902014-02-07T17:32:00.000-05:002014-02-07T17:32:00.189-05:00Dark Side of the Moon, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div>
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Oh, Nick.<br />
<br />
So.<br />
<br />
A lot happening here.<br />
<br />
Our main characters are Susan and Ravyn. Susan is a reporter who used to be renowned for her investigative reporting. She was disgraced and now works for a trashy tabloid. The kind that writes about bat boys and alien invaders.<br />
<br />
The catch? It's run by a squire! If you don't remember squires, they're the human helpers of the Dark Hunters. They help care for them during the day to allow them to focus on protecting humans against the Daimons.<br />
<br />
Ravyn, he's a rare were-Dark Hunter. See, if you remember the creation story of weres, you'll remember they were created by a king to save his Apollite sons from dying at 27. That makes the weres and Apollites cousins of sorts. So, becoming a hunter isn't something that weres really do or appreciate.<br />
<br />
His backstory, like all Dark Hunters, is pretty sad. As a were, he received the mate mark. If you remember from the other were stories, were's get one fated mate. It's the only person they can procreate with. And it's all on the women to choose to stay with her mate. Ravyn's mate was a human. His mother encouraged him to tell her the truth about them, that if she loved him, she would accept him.<br />
<br />
Well, she didn't love or accept him. She ran and told her village about them. Her village then attacked his and killed all the women and children. Everyone who was in the village was slaughtered. The men were out hunting when it happened. Some were bonded with their mates and died when the women did. That's how the group knew what was happening. They rushed back, but it was too late.<br />
<br />
Ravyn's family has blamed him ever since.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
With Maggie's help, the family comes to some understanding, and the process of forgiveness starts.<br />
<br />
But there's way more important things happening here.<br />
<br />
One, I loved the fact that Ravyn doesn't stop being a Dark Hunter. He wants to keep doing it, wants to stay immortal, wants to bond with Susan so she lives as long as he does. They seem to ignore the down side that she's still vulnerable, but now if someone kills her, they kill him, too. Or maybe it's that he wouldn't want to live without her. Fair point, but still. We'll let that slide, though. She also becomes a squire.<br />
<br />
Another hunter here, Cael, is in love with Appolite. When the baddies attack, she accidentally becomes a daimon. Cael is dying, so she gives him daimon blood as well. He becomes...something else. We don't really know what, or what it means. We do know Ash knows it's going to happen. So, I'm sure we'll see more about that later.<br />
<br />
Nick is also back. Kenyon worked in the events of Katrina really well. As well as the horror and loss those who love New Orleans feel. Nick hates Ash even more because of it. He blames Ash for not stopping the storm, or making sure it never started. He clearly doesn't understand how Ash's powers work. But I'm sure he will.<br />
<br />
There was something else. When Nick was ranting about Ash, he said he saw Kyrian near the River Styx. Here's the issue with that: Ash said the reason he could bring Kyrian back was because he hadn't moved on - he stayed with his wife and daughter. As did his wife. But Nick says he sees Kyrian in the afterlife and Kyrian is freaking because Amanda, not being an ancient Greek, didn't go to the same afterlife realm. But that poses the question: why was Nick there? He's not an ancient Greek either. And even if you can say that it's because Nick serves Artemis in a way, then it still doesn't explain how Kyrian was there, yet refused to leave his body. Either Ash or Nick is wrong. I tend to think Nick was being tricked. But maybe not.<br />
<br />
So, Ash asked Savitar to train Nick, since Nick isn't super happy with Ash. Savitar drops him with Ravyn to train him here. Nick seems way to pissy to be trained by anyone though. You have to be willing to learn to be trained.<br />
<br />
Now, for my "Oh, Nick." Satara, Stryker's sister and a (disgruntled) Artemis servant, tricks Nick. Well, she and Stryker <i>do</i> trick him, but Nick is kind of willing to be tricked. He's so angry at Ash that when a daimon offers to help him, he never even considers this might be the same daimon who killed his mother. Seems pretty foolish to me. But he's obviously not thinking clearly.<br />
<br />
I have no idea what's going to happen with Nick or Cael. Nick I think will come to understand Ash and, if not reconcile, will be able to give up his anger and vengeance. While Ash does have Nick's soul, Nick still needs to find his love to get it back. One interesting thing Ash says in passing is that Nick was supposed to marry at 30 and have a house full of kids, but his future wife ended up dead on her shop floor. I think that's a reference to Amanda and Tabitha's sister who died the same night as Nick's mom. What that means going forward, I have no idea.<br />
<br />
It does highlight what Ash says about one decision changing so many fates.<br />
<br />
As for Cael, I got nothing. We'll just have to wait and see. </div>
<div>
<br />
<a href="http://dark%20side%20of%20the%20moon%2C%20sherrilyn%20kenyon/">Dark Side of the Moon, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a></div>
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-87004720523926278142014-02-04T15:47:00.000-05:002014-02-04T15:47:00.687-05:00Unleash the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div>
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This was kinda a feel good story. The backstory is still really hard, as they all are, but the ending kinda gives of the warm fuzzies.<br />
<br />
It's the first time we see things set right to a degree. In past books the characters find the ability to live with their bad pasts because of the love they find. Here, that happens and the past is rectified to some point, too.<br />
<br />
So, here we meet Wren and Maggie. We've seen Wren briefly in the past as a resident of Sanctuary, the were-bear owned bar and hostel. He helped save Bride in Night Play, but he mostly doesn't talk to anyone.<br />
<br />
Maggie is a human and daughter of a senator, who is kinda a jerk. I know, I know: A jerk senator? Who'da thunk it?!<br />
<br />
Ok, so the good stuff: we get more info into the were world. There's a were council, refereed by Savitar. Now, I don't think I've mentioned him before. He taught Ash how to use his powers. He's referred to as a human, but he has powers that scare the gods. And absolutely zero patience.<br />
<br />
We also get more of a glimpse into the Peltier's life, those were-bear's who run Sanctuary. In the past they've been portrayed as a kind, giving family who just doesn't want anymore fighting. Here they're seen as a selfish group who grudgingly puts up with invaders to their home to stay protected. Well, Mama Lo, the matriarch definitely, the others less so, and Aimee not at all.<br />
<br />
Mama Lo wants Wren out, so she goes to the council, along with his cousin, to get an execution warrant for Wren killing his parents. Vane and Fang are both on it and try to keep Wren safe, but they're out voted. The only thing to save Wren is to prove he didn't kill them, so he and Maggie travel back in time to find that proof.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Nothing goes as planned of course, but all goes as it should. Turns out his father killed his mother in self defense, but he never died. Wren saw his uncle's body and, as a traumatized child, thought it was his father.<br />
<br />
That's what I mean about it being set right. Wren's mother wanted to kill him, but his father loved him. So, when he finds out his father didn't die... It felt like things got set right.<br />
<br />
His father also turned Maggie into a were-tiger. Apparently, it's not something that's done, it's not even talked about, but it's possible. Wren's grandmother gave his father her powers to help protect him from Wren's uncle until his father came into his own powers. Wren's father then passed those powers onto Maggie, converting her.<br />
<br />
On a side note: Aimee and Fang's relationship was outed when the helped save Wren and Maggie from the other Peltiers. <br />
<br />
Ok, so except for that one small thing, it was a feel good book. But I know they'll make it eventually.</div>
<div>
<br />
<a href="http://unleash%20the%20night%2C%20sherrilyn%20kenyon/">Unleash the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a></div>
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-69268823637622298102014-02-01T14:32:00.000-05:002014-02-01T14:32:00.190-05:00Sins of the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div>
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So, this one had a lot of good backstory. Not just about the Dark Hunters, but specifically about Ash.<br />
<br />
Here we meet Alexion, which seems to be more title than name, but they use it like a name. His real name is Ias. He was the third hunter ever created. He's also the one who got the "get your soul back" out clause established for all the hunters.. He paid for it by becoming a shade, which is basically a sadder form of ghost.<br />
<br />
Yeah, his bitch wife intentionally dropped his soul.<br />
<br />
But Ash hates the idea of his hunters suffering. He tries to save Ias, but wasn't familiar enough with his powers and kinda fucked it up. Since then, if a hunter dies in the line of duty, Ash takes them to a special island where they can be as content as shades can be. He even gives them some kind of form. He doesn't tell others because he worries they'll be more reckless if they know they can come back from it. Sorta.<br />
<br />
A fair point given the attitudes of most hunters.<br />
<br />
Anyway, as I said, Alexion is a title. Basically he's Ash's #2. Apparently over the past eleven thousand years, a pattern has developed. Every couple thousand or so, a bunch of hunters get their souls and go free, and another bunch decide to mutiny. When that happens Alexion goes in and saves those he can, and executes those who insist on fighting Ash.<br />
<br />
I should clarify that those who revolt do so with the idea that the should rule humanity and prey on them. Its not just a pissed off Ash.<br />
<a name='more'></a>This particular revolt has a partner: Stryker. Posing as Ash's brother, he manages to convince a few hunters Ash is keeping all the power for himself. He does look like him, and has the same eyes as Ash.<br />
<br />
Our heroine, Danger (nope, not a typo - she's French, what do you want from me? I didn't make it up), doesn't really believe Ash is what they say, but they make enough good point to wonder. It takes her a while, but she eventually trusts Alexion enough to help him in his mission.<br />
<br />
They of course fall in love, but what's a shade to do? One of the things he likes about trying to save the hunters is he gets to be semi-human for a while. Its a limited experience - he can't taste food for example. But touch works. Can you image never feeling a touch?<br />
<br />
Its a pretty impossible relationship. Until Stryker kills Danger. Ash tells Alexion that to save Danger would have screwed up the future for the rest of the world too much, but that he could bring her to their home realm as a shade so she and Alexion could be together.<br />
<br />
So where is this home realm? Well, its the Mount Olympus of the Atlantean gods. While the words haven't been said, its basically confirmed that Ash is Apollymi's son. If he dies or goes to see her, she gets free and ends the world. Pretty sucky. It also confirms that he did in fact curse Nick causing him to commit suicide.<br />
<br />
I hope we will, and I can't imagine Kenyon leaving us hanging, but I hope we will see Nick and Ash reconcile and Ash find love and peace, and acceptance. </div>
<div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84135.Sins_of_the_Night">Sins of the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a></div>
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-49568853957633471982014-01-31T16:09:00.000-05:002014-01-31T16:09:00.434-05:00Seize the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yay!! Valerius is back!<br />
<br />
OK, you have no idea who that is.<br />
<br />
So remember Zarek from Dance with the Devil? This is the brother that I mentioned. I wanted he and Zarek to reconcile.<br />
<br />
And Kyrian from Night Pleasures? Well, this is the grandson of the guy who crucified him (No, I don't mean that as a figurative crucifixion. I mean literally.) and who also looks exactly like his grandfather.<br />
<br />
Oh, and don't forget Kyrian is married to Amanda now, and her twin is Tabitha, our heroine.<br />
<br />
One big happy family, right?!<br />
<br />
Maniacal laugh, maniacal laugh, maniacal laugh!<br />
<br />
OK, I'm done.<br />
<br />
So, Val's story is one of the easiest to read. He certainly hasn't had an easy time of it, and you feel bad for him, but for some reason it just didn't hit me like the others have.<br />
<br />
And he does act like a dick. A big one. It's intentional, a defense mechanism to keep people away, just like Zarek acts crazy, but Val does a seriously good job of being a dick. <br />
<br />
He and Kyrian come to a truce, if not a friendship, and Zarek moves to accept his brother - even making him a god like he is. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but we find out in Kiss of the Night that Zarek takes great pleasure in messing with Val using his new god powers. Well, now the sibling rivalry is on equal footing.<br />
<br />
So, what happens? Well, everyone dies.<br />
<br />
No really.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
OK, so Ash brings (some of) them back, but I got you to click on the "tell me more" link, didn't I?<br />
<br />
So, the Daimon that Kyrian and Amanda defeat in <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2014/01/night-pleasures-sherrilyn-kenyon.html">Night Pleasures</a> is back as a ghost-like thing. We'll just go with ghost. He's working with Stryker, the Daimon leader.<br />
<br />
Being the Dark Hunters don't have souls, ghosts tend to find them excellent for possession. Which is exactly what happens. The Daimons also mess with the phones like they did with Talon and Sunshine in Night Embrace. That basically leaves Amanda, Kyrian, one of Amanda's other sisters, Nick, and Nick's mom dead. And the hunter who was possessed of course.<br />
<br />
Ash is crippled by the screaming of all the souls the Daimons take while out to kill that group. Really, they're after Kyrian and Amanda's daughter - she's got some special powers. Will be interesting how Kenyon moves forward with her.<br />
<br />
Anyway. Ash is able to bring Kyrian and Amanda back because their souls hadn't moved on. Their souls wouldn't leave their daughter. Amanda and Tabitha's sister had moved on already, so she's gone.<br />
<br />
And then there's Nick. Oh Nick. So, Ash has a demon. Not a daimon, but a demon he considers a daughter. She acts like a child mostly- meaning naive, but physically, she's about Nick's age. Tabitha and Simi, the demon, see Nick and, thinking Nick knows who Simi is, Tabitha lets Nick escort her to meet Ash. Only, Nick doesn't know and acts like Nick usually does, ending up having sex.<br />
<br />
Ash is furious. For some reason, Simi was never supposed to have "carnal knowledge" and now Ash will "never have peace." <br />
<br />
Yeah, I don't get it either. I don't think we're really supposed to.<br />
<br />
Anyway, Ash is pissed and speaks in anger. He tells Nick he should kill himself. Well, it appears whatever Ash says, happens (still don't get it). By cursing Nick, his best friend (although are they, if Nick never knew about Simi?) to kill himself, Ash changes Nick's whole destiny.<br />
<br />
I think.<br />
<br />
Not sure how entirely, though. I'm sure we'll find out since the one part I do know is that Nick is now a Dark Hunter. I'm sure he'll get his own book.<br />
<br />
What I don't know is if Ash brings Nick's mother back when he finds out she was killed. Ash is surprised when he learns of her death, but it doesn't appear he does bring her back. We'll have to wait for the next book for confirmation.<br />
<br />
Another good read by Kenyon. It was hard to see so many characters bite it. And of course I'm glad they're back. I'm so sad for Nick and Ash. While this is of course slightly more fantastical, it is like us regular people in that you can lose something that's so important to you in just a moment if you speak in anger.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I really like Val and Tabby. Tabitha's a great character and their relationship is sweet. We see Artemis a little more in this one and god! is she a bitch. She stands there and mocks Nick while is mother's body is next to him and he's begging to be a hunter for revenge! She does give Ash Nick's soul. So, there's that.<br />
<br />
Oh! one other thing. Kat is back. I don't think I talked much about her, but she was Cassandra's bodyguard in Kiss of the Night. We only get some bits and pieces about her then. We know she works for Artemis, but she also works for Apollymi, the goddess of destruction they're trying to free in Night Embrace. What those split loyalties mean at this point is anyone's guess. She has some mad powers though.<br />
<br />
So, she returns here to help save him. Simi goes to get her to help Ash when he's....poisoned is the only way to really describe it. She saves him, but neither he nor anyone else remember seeing her. He can't know she's there for some reason. She's forbidden to see or touch him. Makes me wonder.....<br />
<br />
Then, Artemis needs Apollymi's help saving Ash another time and barters "the blond servant," who must be Kat, as payment for help. Apollymi then says she would have done it anyway. *eye roll*<br />
<br />
So, who is Kat?! And what is she to Ash that she's forbidden to see or touch him and have him remember. And if she can keep him from remembering, then what else is missing from his memory?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/869924.Seize_the_Night">Seize the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-88231667096473889932014-01-28T15:15:00.000-05:002014-01-28T15:15:00.603-05:00Night Play, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, back in Night Embrace, we meet Vane and his brother, Fang, very briefly. They were wolves who could take the form of humans. Vane helped Talon by protecting Sunshine during the day when she needed to be out.<br />
<br />
We find out later that in return the Daimon's attacked his pack and killed a bunch of the women and children, including their sister and her new litter.<br />
<br />
As punishment for the decision that lead to the Daimon's attack and, therefore, their sister's death, their father (gleefully) sentences them to death. Something he's been wanting to do since they were born. To ensure he gets rid of them, he also sends some Daimon's after them.<br />
<br />
Vane manages to fight them off, but Fang is seriously wounded and goes into a coma.<br />
<br />
Now, present day, Fang is still in a coma and he and Vane are staying at Sanctuary. Hiding really. Their father is still out to kill them, after all. Well, once he confirms they are in fact alive.<br />
<br />
Anyway. Back to Night Embrace. When Vane was protecting Sunshine a friend of hers, Bride, comes to chat. Vane is immediately attracted to her, but doesn't make a move because a) he's busy protecting Sunshine, and b) Bride is human and Vane is a wolf.<br />
<br />
Only he's not.<br />
<a name='more'></a>If you remember, the Weres are of 2 types. Animals who can become human, and humans who can become animal. But Vane is different. He started life as an animal, but at puberty, when he should have developed the ability to become a human when he wanted, he actually became human. His "base" form became a human and he could become a wolf when he wanted.<br />
<br />
Not exactly a safe thing to be when you live with wolves who hate humans.<br />
<br />
So, now, Vane sees Bride in her shop when he's on his way back to Sanctuary. He gives in to his desire to see and talk to her. Bride is his mate and they fall in love. They defeat his father and Vane finds out he has another brother who, like him switched at puberty. Only Fury (yes, Fury) went from being a human to a wolf. Just as would have happened to Vane had his father discovered his change, Fury's mother (well, both <i>their</i> mother) tried to kill him. Fury ran off and joined his father's pack without telling anyone who he was.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed Bride and Vane. Oh, and Fang does come out of his coma at the end. When we've seen Fang previously, he's been a smart mouthed dork, so I'm glad he's back up and running. Plus, Acheron says Fang and Fury have both met their mates. I look forward to those stories.<br />
<br />
It was a sweet story, but I don't know that it took the overall plot of the world forward much. But that's ok. It doesn't always have to. Generally, I'm really liking this series.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84151.Night_Play">Night Play, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-90779757594026449612014-01-23T21:27:00.000-05:002014-01-23T21:27:00.085-05:00Kiss of the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was very confused at the beginning of this one.<br />
<br />
So, this is the story of Wulf. Wulf is Talon's best friend and he enters Talon's story (Night Embrace) by phone. What threw me off was at the start of this one, Talon is single. At first I thought I'd messed up the order, but a quick check confirmed the order.<br />
<br />
Then Talon and Wulf have a phone conversation and I realize it's the <i>same</i> conversation as in Night Embrace. Just from Wulf's point of view.<br />
<br />
This book takes place at the same time as Night Embrace and Dance with the Devil.<br />
<br />
Once that was established it was all good.<br />
<br />
So, Wulf is a Norse hunter - think Beo<i>wulf</i> - who was cursed so anyone not of his bloodline forgets him after he leaves their presence. How sucky is that? He also never got vengeance.<br />
<br />
How does that work, you ask? Well, Loki tricked him and exchanged his soul for another hunter's. It was never his choice to become a Dark Hunter.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the reason I enjoyed this one so much was that we learn so much more about Apollites and what their lives are like. And how they view the Daimons.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I feel the need to insert my opinion about them here. Look, 27 is super young to die. I don't disagree with that. And it's a horrible, painful death. But 100 when compared to an immortal is super young, too. As is 50 when compared to 100. It's not food. They're not protecting themselves. They're artificially prolonging their lives by stealing someone elses. However horrible your lot is, you don't have the right to make someone else's worse.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I liked the humanity, for lack of a better word, that was added to the Apolites. Up until now, we've only heard about them as Daimons. As bad guys. Killers. This shows them before they make that choice. In fact, we learn that some Daimons only take souls of criminals. The downside being that taking a soul can change yours, so it's dangerous to do it that way. A perfectly good Apollite can become a serial killer after taking a few criminal souls.<br />
<br />
Remember I said Zarek's book, Dance with the Devil, was really sad? Well, learning about Apollites is really sad, too. Their lives are sad. I still think Zarek's is worse, but that's not really relevant here.<br />
<br />
Anyway, Wulf and Cassandra, a half Apollite, end up together. And have a baby. They find a loophole on his soul and her life expectancy. Everyone but Cassandra and his bloodline still forget him, but he doesn't care that much about other people. So, they live happily ever after.<br />
<br />
I guess.<br />
<br />
My favorite part? Talon, Kyrian, Julian, and Zarek come to help Wulf out. Kyrian and Julian have told their wives they're on a "hunting" trip. *eye roll* Too bad Kyrian's wife is a strong psychic. :) Even better? Astrid, Zarek's wife, told him to come so he can make friends! Love it.<br />
<br />
I hope we get more reunions in the future.<br />
<br />
Oh, there was one issue. There's one part that seemed a bit homophobic. There have been parts in the other books that had made me wonder, but there was no wondering here. I hope this doesn't continue. It would really disappoint me.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/626688.Kiss_of_the_Night">Kiss of the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-67843249465118405772014-01-17T14:24:00.000-05:002014-01-17T14:24:00.727-05:00Dance with the Devil, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, at the end of the Night Embrace review, I mentioned Zarek and the cliffhanger. Luckily this book clears that up.<br />
<br />
So, during Night Embrace, Zarek turned Sunshine over to the baddie trio. Then he changed his mind and protected her. For betraying the trio, and therefore helping to thwart their plans, they've decided to kill him. At the end, it looks like that's just about to happen.<br />
<br />
Of course it doesn't.<br />
<br />
So, Zarek was banished to Alaska 900 years ago when his village was destroyed. Truth be told, he's always thought <i>he</i> destroyed it. So did the other hunters. His memories are vague and disconnected though. No one really knows why he wasn't just executed for such a horrible crime. Turns out he didn't do it, but that's besides the point.<br />
<br />
As horrible as the stories for Julian, Kyrian, and Talon were - as sad - this was worse by far.<br />
<br />
Zarek was a Roman slave when he was alive - a whipping boy for his 1/2 brothers. You read that right, his father beat him into blindness as punishment for what his other sons did. His <i>Roman </i>sons.<br />
<br />
That's bad enough, but now as a Dark Hunter he's alone, despised. Killing those you're meant to protect is the worst of crimes for the hunters. His fellow hunters treat him as a pariah. A rabid dog. He can't go out in the sun, so during the summer months in Alaska when the sun doesn't set, or sets only briefly, he can't go get food, so he starves. But immortals can't die of starvation.<br />
<br />
Not to mention the emotional starvation.<br />
<br />
Like I said, sad.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
So, now he's pissed off a god. A god who also framed him for another murder of a human. Not to mention he had to defend himself against some cops which exposed the hunters to publicity. Another no-no. So, Artemis has decided it's time for that execution.<br />
<br />
Remember back when I said they didn't sell their souls to the devil? I might have been wrong. Artemis seems fairly devilish. Or at least bitchy. I mean, God! You gotta hate her!<br />
<br />
Acheron doesn't want Zarek dead, so he proposes a deal: send a nymph to judge him on behalf of the goddess of justice. With a little "debate," Artemis agrees.<br />
<br />
Zarek passes with flying colors. He and the judge fall in love. He doesn't get his soul back because he never lost it. He finds out about what really happened to get him banished to Alaska - ironically the last hunter killer Artemis made wiped out his village. And he becomes a god. No really, a god! (a god can't kill another god)<br />
<br />
I really want to see more of Zarek. He has a lot of development left to go. He's still fairly prickly and I want him to reconcile with his 1/2 brother, who's also hunter. (Right?!)<br />
<br />
These are getting better and better. I'm interested to see how things progress. Artemis needs to get bitch slapped. At least. We learn more about Acheron and the Dark Hunter world here and I want to keep learning. And there's not vampires!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84145.Dance_with_the_Devil">Dance with the Devil, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-72840953661807289542014-01-14T14:25:00.000-05:002014-01-14T14:25:00.131-05:00Night Embrace, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Book two in the Dark Hunter series finds us with Talon and Sunshine.<br />
<br />
Yes, Sunshine. Her brothers are named Storm and Rain. To be fair, their father is a Native American shaman.<br />
<br />
Anyway, Talon is our Dark Hunter. He worked with Kyrian to police New Orleans up until Kyrian got his soul back. Talon is an ancient Celtic warrior who pissed off a god of the Gauls. The god cursed him so that every human he loves will die.<br />
<br />
The important thing to realize there is that Celtic and Gaulic gods are just as real as Greek gods. I love that. It opens up the storylines - though I'm still not entirely sure where the gods fit in.<br />
<br />
Sunshine, as it turns out, is the reincarnation of Talon's long dead wife. They're soulmates.<br />
<br />
She's also friends with Selena. Selena, if you remember is best friends with Grace (Fantasy Lover). She and Sunshine share a workplace, of sorts. They each have sidewalk displays, Sunshine for her art, Selena as a psychic.<br />
<br />
Beyond the fact that all the pantheons of gods are valid, I liked this one because it doesn't end the same way as Kyrian's story. Kyrian gets his soul back and gets to live his happy human life. I expected the same basic story. Sunshine gets Talon's soul back and they live happily ever after.<br />
<br />
Only this vengeful god makes it a little more complicated.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Even if Talon gets his soul back. Even if he can get around the rules of being a Dark Hunter. Even if everything else goes according to plan, there's not much you can do about a god who wants your continued misery. And Talon knows it will be Sunshine who pays with her life.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the vengeful god has teamed up with a "retired" Greek god and Acheron's twin.<br />
<br />
OK, so, Acheron is the Dark Hunter leader. He interacts directly with Artemis on behalf of the hunters - though it's highly implied that he's not happy with that part of the arrangement. He also has some serious powers.<br />
<br />
So, this unholy trio has decided to let out an Atlantian god called the Destroyer. If she gets free, she will end the world. In order to do that, they have to kill Acheron, the last Atlantian.<br />
<br />
This leads up to find out a few things about Acheron's past. Basically, he did <i>not </i>have a happy life. His brother gets his though. :)<br />
<br />
Anyway, so the apocalypse is thwarted, and Talon gets his soul, but what then? Sunshine will still die because some god wants vengeance. Right?<br />
<br />
But, ah-ha! Talon's Celtic god created an out. See, Talon's wife is reincarnated as Sunshine, the Celtic god's granddaughter, and Talon drank her blood. That makes them both the god's family and therefore the Gaulic god can't attack them.<br />
<br />
Loophole!<br />
<br />
So, we're learning more about this world and the characters in it. I'm really curious about Acheron. Also, there's this guy, Zarek, who appears peripherally, I'd like to know more about. At the end, it's implied he's going to die. It's actually a bit of a cliff hanger. Acheron is also in limbo having promised Artemis 2 weeks of "servitude" to get Talon's soul from her. There's also there's this passing comment about Julian (Fantasy Love) being an oracle. Not sure what exactly that means. Or when it happened. Or what part it plays, if any, in the series.<br />
<br />
So....<br />
<br />
Onward!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84140.Night_Embrace">Night Embrace, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-71109035504720715292014-01-11T11:42:00.000-05:002014-01-13T22:24:31.775-05:00Night Pleasures, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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OK! I'm finally seeing how these work!<br />
<br />
Ok, so Julian, in<a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2014/01/fantasy-lover-sherrilyn-kenyon.html"> Fantasy Lover</a>. Back before he was cursed, his best friend was Kyrian of Thrace.<br />
<br />
Remember Grace? Julian's love? Her best friend Selena is a psychic and is the one who found Julian's book and got Grace to call him out. Selena's sister is Amanda.<br />
<br />
This is Amanda and Kyrian's book.<br />
<br />
Amanda's family is like Selena, except for Amanda. She's the only "normal" one. That even includes a vampire hunter. Really.<br />
<br />
For real.<br />
<br />
Kyrian is the first <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/search/label/Dark%20Hunter">Dark Hunter</a> we meet and I finally know what they are! OK, a Dark Hunter is a warrior who has sold his/her soul for 24 hours to exact vengeance. Nope, not the Devil - Artemis. In payment, they become immortal hunters of Daimons. Daimons are Apollites who have decided to extend their lives by killing and eating the souls of humans.<br />
<br />
None of those words make sense, do they?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
So, back in the day, Apollo and Zeus were arguing about who had the better people. Apollo thought he could make a better race than humans and did, the Apollites (there's no arrogance there *eye roll*). Apollo was setting up the Apollites to take over the world and subjugate the humans. Before he could, he got some other woman preggers and pissed off the Apollite queen. She killed the mistress and child and tried to make it look like an animal killed them. Apollo was pissed (even though it was pretty much his fault to begin with) and cursed all Apollites. One, he never wanted to see them again. Being the god of the sun, that meant they weren't allowed out in the day. The sunlight burns them. Two, because they tried to make it look like a wild animal killed the mistress and child, he cursed the Apollites with animal characteristics, like fangs. Three, because they were so blood thirsty, they can only survive by drinking each other's blood. Finally, he cursed them to die at the same age as his mistress, 27. On their 27th birthday, they will age and die all in 24 hours.<br />
<br />
Sounds kinda familiar, huh?<br />
<br />
To escape this fate - well, the death part - Apollites start taking the souls of humans, becoming Daimons. As long as they're taking souls, they live. Once the gods realize the Daimons aren't going to just lay down and suffer the consequences for a choice they didn't make, they create the Dark Hunters to keep them in line. AKA to kill them.<br />
<br />
Dark Hunters have no soul in part to protect them from Daimons taking it. They can be freed from their contract with Artemis if a loved one, aka lover, takes the hunter's soul and holds it over Artemis' mark. The catch? The soul isn't meant to be held in mortal hands so it burns. The past few attempts have failed. Once the lover takes the soul, he/she can't let it go. If he/she does, the hunter is cursed to wander the world in a state of wanting. Hunger, thirst, physical needs, emotional needs, they feel all of that, but can't interact with the mortal world. They'll never fill those needs.<br />
<br />
Amanda passes the test, of course and Kyrian is freed.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I really didn't want another vampire series. While I liked this book for the most part, I don't know that I want to keep reading about vamps at this point. There were a lot of good aspects. The god angle was not something I expected and leads me to believe there might be more going on here than vampires. While it's heavy on romance, it does give some good plot points with the connection with Julian and Grace, and other characters. And as I said, the gods. Plus, I just really liked Kyrian and Amanda.<br />
<br />
I'm going to keep going. I'm still not entirely sure where the series is going, so, I'll keep going if for no other reason that curiosity.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/626686.Night_Pleasures">Night Pleasures, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-34589374035686416302014-01-08T01:11:00.000-05:002014-01-08T01:11:00.049-05:00Dragonswan, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, this is the next instalment of the Dark Hunter series...and the series hasn't even officially started yet!!<br />
<br />
So this is listed as "0.5." It's another prequel in the series, though it does seem to give more info on the substance of the series.<br />
<br />
So we meet Channon and Sebastian at a museum where they're both admiring a tapestry. They go to dinner and instantly hit it off. They share an intended one night stand, but Sebastian finds he's been mated.<br />
<br />
Oh, did I mention he's a dragon? ;)<br />
<br />
So, Sebastian is a were-hunter. Weres, or shifters, were created as a way around a curse. I think. I was a little confused. Regardless, their creator had 2 sons. He wanted to save them, so through alchemy he spliced them with animals. Only, as such things normally do, it didn't go quite according to plan. It split the 2 boys, creating 4 - 2 with the heart of a human and the abilities of animals, 2 with the hearts of animals and abilities of humans.<br />
<br />
If that's not clear, think of it this way: humans that can become animals and animals that can become human. <br />
<br />
With the power to travel in time.<br />
<br />
A little scary.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Sebastian is a human who can become a dragon. The weres are pretty much immortal, and the humans and animals are at war. Or maybe "feud" is a better word.<br />
<br />
Anyway, as a were, Sebastian can become mated without his knowledge or consent (quite the difference from the <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/search/label/Dark">Dark series</a>, huh?). The were weakness is a sensitivity to electricity. It messes with their abilities to maintain a form. For most weres it's not too much of an issue. It's not entirely out of possibility to see a wolf roaming around where it shouldn't be. A dragon on the other hand...<br />
<br />
So, Sebastian has to get back to his home (in medieval England) but can't leave Channon alone because her status as his mate leaves her in danger. So, he kidnaps her.<br />
<br />
Seems fair.<br />
<br />
*eye roll*<br />
<br />
His decision does have some logic to it. He needs to get back, but knows trying to explain it to her will be near impossible. He doesn't have time - his abilities are compromised in the present, and his brother is being held hostage waiting for Sebastian to save him. But when you wake up in medieval times, the whole "you're insane" thing loses it's juice.<br />
<br />
Anyway, some danger and love ensues, and Channon chooses to stay in the past with Sebastian. They do make some trips back to the present - one trip being to help further discredit the idea that dragons might have actually exist. Gotta keep that a secret.<br />
<br />
While this book does give a little more insight into the series, I'm still fairly lost. Sebastian mentions 4 types of hunters, each tasked with a different mission. Dark hunters were one type, but their mission is still a bit vague.<br />
<br />
Overall, I like this one, even if it leaned heavily on romance, but I'm still wondering what the hell this series is about!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84134.Dragonswan">Dragonswan, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-30450807500975686612014-01-05T19:01:00.000-05:002014-01-05T19:01:00.361-05:00Fantasy Lover, Sherrilyn Kenyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is another paranormal romance series. I started it before Christmas - before things got all wonky.<br />
<br />
A lot of times when I start these, I've gotten interested by a book later in the series. I see that one, think it looks interesting, and being a little OCD, go find the first of the series and start reading.<br />
<br />
This is one of those.<br />
<br />
Honestly, if I'd read the back of this one first, I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought.<br />
<br />
I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about it.<br />
<br />
So this is a prequel or companion novel to the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40350-the-dark-hunterverse">Dark Hunter</a> series. In it we meet Julian and Grace. Julian is a Greek Demi-god, son of Aphrodite, cursed by his 1/2 brother to be trapped in a book. Whenever someone says his name 3 times (Beetlejuice anyone?), he comes out of the book and must serve the person who called him for a month as a sex slave.<br />
<br />
Grace is a straight laced teacher with a still mending heart.<br />
<br />
Let's just set aside the whole "sex slave" as entertainment (ours not Grace's) for a second. I'll just say sex trafficking and slavery is very much an ongoing issue and shouldn't be trivialized.<br />
<br />
Moving on...<br />
<br />
Setting that aside, it was just ok.<br />
<br />
Julian's story is heart rending, so that gives it a little help. Just gave it a little more dimension. Grace is strong and smart. If you like romance, I think you'll like this one. For me, I'm just not sure. I enjoyed it, and I'm going to keep on in the series mainly because I don't know where this series will go from here - Dark Hunters weren't even mentioned, so I don't even know what they are. So my curiosity will keep me going, but I think my initial reaction would have been accurate: Not a second thought.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84136.Fantasy_Lover">Fantasy Lover, Sherrilyn Kenyon</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-66302206096700064832013-12-22T23:24:00.001-05:002013-12-22T23:24:24.438-05:00Happy Holidays!<span style="font-size: large;">Hey kids! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you're all enjoying whatever holiday you celebrate. As the holiday's are typically chaotic, so too are my reviews. I'm still reading though, have no fear, but don't expect to see anything new for for a while. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I will see you all in 2014!! </span>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-15269274582550313202013-12-22T23:22:00.000-05:002013-12-22T23:37:42.432-05:00Strindberg's Star, Jan Wallentin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a Swedish book translated into English. It takes place in Europe as the main characters travel around in search of the truth.<br />
<br />
Sorta.<br />
<br />
Ok, so our main character, Don, is arrested for the murder of a diver who found a body while diving in a mine. The body is perfectly preserved by some trick of the mine, so it's super old, and appears to be the victim of either an accident or a suicide. So, there's no crime there. The diver, however, took a few things from the cave where he found the body, got caught up in the notoriety, and never told anyone about them. He invites Don up to take a look, since Don is a symbology expert.<br />
<br />
Don obviously finds him dead, hence he's arrested.<br />
<br />
Oh, Don is also a prescription drug addict.<br />
<br />
Eva, is his lawyer. This is where I think maybe some plot points are lost in translation. Don is in interrogation and Eva just shows up and volunteers to be his lawyer. She says she was in the station for another reason and heard about him. I admit I thought it was weird to begin with, but what do I know from Swedish police procedures?<br />
<br />
Don gets out of the local station, but only as a transfer by the Swedish federal (?) police. They take him to the home of a German. A home that's part of the embassy, so technically part of Germany. The German tells him a fantastical story about the real reason for the 1897 Andree Expedition to the North Pole. He claims they were actually searching for the location indicated when an ankh found by the diver is combined with the still missing Egyptian star. A mystical location.<br />
<br />
When it becomes clear the German's aren't going to take "I don't know" for an answer, Don and Eva escape. This starts the adventure to find the star and clear Don's name. Or does it....<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
There are a couple things I want to comment on.<br />
<br />
Like I said, there seems to be somethings lost in translation. Not enough where the story goes wonky, but I think we miss some of the nuance. Things that might be obvious to a native reader are harder to grasp for the non-native. And some of the wit in the witty banter gets lost, as well.<br />
<br />
The other thing is the historical influence. Don's Jewish and his grandmother was a Holocaust survivor. There is some detail about the horrors inflicted upon her and other Jews by the Germans. Don is profoundly affected by it, leading him to his drug induced spiral. Not having experienced it directly, I think we in the Americas see the Holocaust from a greater distance. We know it happened. We know it was the greatest of evil horrors. But the details tend to be glossed over. It's probably similar to how Europe teaches/views American slavery or the Salem witch trials. This definitely doesn't allow for distance. That's not a complaint, there's nothing wrong with starring a horror in the face. Just an observation.<br />
<br />
Finally, this book reminded me of Stephen King. Most people think of King as scary, and at times he is, but more often, his stories are...subtle. His stories are about people. About how people behave and react in insane situations. If you've read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6320534-under-the-dome?from_search=true">Under the Dome</a>, you know that. This book has a similar subtle feeling. I didn't even equate it with King until page 316! There is some paranormal aspects which add to the King vibe, but it's really that human aspect that gives me that feeling. On page 316, Don makes an association between the Nazi paraphernalia he'd found in his grandmother's house, the paraphernalia that started his fear and obsession, and entering the North tower of Himmler's castle in Germany. That kind of tie in was just what made it pop for me.<br />
<br />
Once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it.<br />
<br />
Over all, I would recommend this book. It wasn't one of the junk books I sometimes read - and enjoy <i>thoroughly</i>. Whether it's because of the language and culture gap, or because of the King-esque story, this one takes some focus.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13173303-strindberg-s-star">Strindberg's Star, Jan Wallentin</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-15941050059720031402013-12-17T23:23:00.000-05:002013-12-17T23:23:00.117-05:00The Lost Years, Mary Higgins Clark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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OMG. So. Bad!<br />
<br />
This is the first Clark I've ready, but I've heard her name more than once. She's supposed to be a great mystery writer, so I thought I'd try her out.<br />
<br />What could go wrong?<br />
<br />
I could not dislike this more.<br />
<br />
Ok, in all fairness, there are elements of this I did like. It kept me guessing, for one thing. One big thing. Gotta like that.<br />
<br />
It's just not enough.<br />
<br />
Ok, so Mariah's father is killed over a parchment he believes, and is, a letter written by Jesus. We're not talking about Jesus' words written by his disciples. We're talking in his own hand.<br />
<br />
Mariah's mother has alzheimers and the police think she killed her husband because he was having an affair. He was, but she definitely didn't kill him.<br />
<br />
He'd gone to his friends for authentication of the letter and one of them wanted it for themselves.<br />
<br />
And there's always the horrible mistress, she could have done it. And she is horrible.<br />
<br />
I had a strange sense of deja vu with this one. Again.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
See, there's a character, a lottery winner, friend of the family, and amateur detective. She carries a recorder in her broach to catch people incriminating themselves. She helps Mariah get the baddie. The cops kinda seem superfluous, the be honest.<br />
<br />
In the end the bad guy gets caught in a dramatic showdown and the the good guy gets the girl. But as simplistic as that seems, it wasn't my real issue. I hated the writing! I can't believe how much I hated it! Just the narrative and how the characters think to themselves. I know that sounds redundant, but I don't want it mistaken for the character's thought processes. They literally explain things to themselves as if they're explaining it to outsiders.<br />
<br />
I knew I was not going to like this book on page six. Six! Mariah is thinking about her father and what's been transpiring recently. It goes like this "I was so furious that he (her father) actually had her (his mistress) in the house when we had his other friends, like Richard, Charles, Albert, and Greg, over for dinner." The pronoun explanations are obviously mine. But seriously?! Who thinks like that?! Listing out the names of friends like that? As if you're explaining them!<br />
<br />
Look, it's a necessary set up for the story, but it is unbelievably clumsy and takes the reader right out of the story.<br />
<br />
I can't say I would <i>ever</i> recommend this book. And I doubt I'll ever read another Mary Higgins Clark.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12553276-the-lost-years">The Lost Years, Mary Higgins Clark</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-86687220478852595892013-12-14T22:06:00.000-05:002013-12-14T22:06:00.293-05:00Altar of Eden, James Rollins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Love.<br />
<br />
I'm a fan of Rollins, particularly his <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/search/label/James%20Rollins">Sigma </a>series, but I've gotten a little...bored with Sigma. I still like it and I'll keep reading it, but the past few books have just been a bit...melodramatic? Unbelievable? No, I don't like unbelievable. All the stories are fairly fantastical. I can't really put my finger on it. Melodramatic is probably the closest.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the point is, this was like old school Rollins. The characters are interesting but they don't take over. There's a good balance between the story and the actors in it.<br />
<br />
Though, I could totally see Sigma wanting to snap these two up. Maybe if they did, we'd see them again. We could take some focus of Gray and the books would start moving again....<br />
<br />
Anyway, so, here we have Jack and Lorna. Jack is a border patrol agent, and Lorna is a veterinarian.<br />
<br />
Sounds kind of mundane, huh?<br />
<br />
Well, Jack finds a ship full of strange animals and calls in Lorna. They grew up together, she and his younger brother were high school sweethearts. Over the course of the book, we find out that the brother died and Lorna was blamed, but Jack was party to the car accident that killed his brother too. See, Lorna was being attacked while the brother was passed out, Jack busted in and saved her. Without understanding the whole situation, he told her to drive. She crashed and the brother died.<br />
<br />
They've kept the secret of what really happened all these years. Stupidly.<br />
<br />
While the interactions between Jack and Lorna are great, what I like best is the actual progression of the adventure.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
One of my favorite things about Rollins is the way his stories take facts and combines and twist them to make such interesting adventures.<br />
<br />
This is all about genetic manipulation. The animals they find are enhanced in such a way that being together increases their brain function, making them smarter than your average animals. So, investigating this leads to an island. On the island are humanoid people who are similarly networked together. Along with some animals.<br />
<br />
The idea is to create super soldiers. Of course. Why else do people do these things? *eye roll*<br />
<br />
Only, it goes terribly wrong, as these things do.<br />
<br />
They end up torturing/experimenting on their subjects to the point of a violent psychotic break. Added to that, they kidnap the children and keep them separated, physically and psychically. I think most parents would be fairly pissed. The idea is that by isolating them they're keeping the animal element away and therefore keeping them "pure" and non-violent.<br />
<br />
Yeah, they don't get the idea that they <i>caused </i>the violence. If you haven't noticed.<br />
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All's well that ends well. Lorna and Jack escape the island with the children. The adult experiments choose to take out the bad guys and stay on the island. Which is exploding.<br />
<br />
I'd love to see a follow up book. The children age quickly. The age of maturity is like 10. Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but just a bit. Jack and Lorna keep the kids a secret, but how long can they keep it that way? I'd like to see a sequel that takes place in 20 years or so. It would be a couple generations of the kids, I think. I'm not entirely clear if their lifespans are short, or they just mature quickly. Jack and Lorna would have been married for about that long. Maybe have kids of their own. Older kids, even. What if someone found out or knew about the kids? Maybe someone involved in the experiments wasn't on the island. Or a descendant? Relative? I don't know.<br />
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Basically, I just want to know what happens next - the mark of a good story.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6287290-altar-of-eden">Altar of Eden, James Rollins</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-25507145371591076122013-12-13T23:35:00.000-05:002013-12-13T23:35:00.070-05:00Dark Series in Reivew<div dir="ltr">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">So I tweaked it a little, but the chart shows all our combos with the books they're in. It's pretty much the same chart that's in the books</span></i>.<br />
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OK, so where shall we start?<br />
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Despite the terrible covers and the mostly terrible titles, I mostly liked the <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/search/label/Dark">Dark</a> series. Is it a favorite? Nope. Not even a favorite romance. However, it's close. There were just a few things, small by themselves, that bring it down.<br />
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If I was comparing it to another series, it'd have to be the <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/search/label/Troubleshooters">Troubleshooters </a>series, mostly based on the structure - that kind of ever expanding circle of friends and family. Unfortunately, it's just not as good. Granted Troubleshooters isn't paranormal, but you'd think that'd give the Dark series more to work with. Instead it's the basics are the same every time.<br />
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This is my first complaint: at times, it was really repetitive. Maybe I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't binge read, but I did. We're talking language and overall themes. "Sinful mouth" came up a lot. And just the descriptions of sex. And then there's the basic premise of male Carpathian meets human woman. Something horrible happens, then they fall in love. It's not like I don't like the formula, but it does seem to be a formula. It definitely gets better in later books, though.<br />
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However, I have to say, just when I start getting bored, Feehan throws in something new to keep me interested. The stories start getting deeper as well. Characters have more to deal with, they start growing and becoming..."more."<br />
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And here's another complaint: I wished the characters interacted more. In Troubleshooters, old characters still pop up and interact with the newer ones. With the exception of <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/11/dark-celebration-christine-feehan.html">Dark Celebration</a>, you don't really get that here. And there are times it'd really make sense for it to happen. There are times, when it is just incomprehensible that the characters don't call for help. As a precaution at the least.<br />
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This could have been helped by a more overarching plot. There were a few books there in the middle that had it, and those were better. The overarching plot just added that bit of something. I donno. Depth? Substance? Interaction? Development? I'd like to see more of that.<br />
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Now, I hinted at some of the problems as far as sexism goes, but I avoided going into them too much because it'd just get repetitive. There are issues though, and I feel I have to acknowledge them. First the whole issue of consent. The men can bind the women with the ritual words without the women even being aware. They can even enact the conversion without consent, fogging the mind so they exchange blood. This is obviously a big no-no.<br />
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What kinda saves it is the idea that they're not human. They're humanoid, but not human. The point is made repeatedly. We don't expect animals to act like us, and there's every indication that in some ways Carpathians are a lot like animals. However, it still reinforces the idea that the man knows best. Even if the woman doesn't want something, she really does and he knows she does.<br />
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*eye roll*<br />
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This brings me to the idea that the women, with a few very minor exceptions, are afraid of the men, how they feel about the men, or what it means to be with the men. The men are always ready to commit. And they have to right? They need them. They need the women way more than the women need the men. That's why they're imprinted with the binding words. But the women are always reluctant.<br />
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This reinforces that old "blushing bride" idea. That women can't somehow be sexual on their own, for themselves. That women should resist even when their interested. That virginal role is really irritating. What's wrong with <i>wanting </i>to be in a relationship, have sex, and/or fall in love? I don't get it.<br />
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Another thing is the protectiveness of the males. What saves this is Feehan's acknowledgement of the issue. Well, sorta. They have that meeting about if women should be fighting. Unfortunately it's never really settled. They seem to be leaning toward leaving it up to the lifemates - though they should just leave it up to the women. She still needs her man's permission. Sigh. OK, maybe that's not fair. Couples should discuss and make decisions together. But what someone does, how they behave and what they do with their bodies, is ultimately up to them alone.<br />
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Feehan doesn't seem to shy away from these issues, which really helps it from just being annoying. I'd still like to see more challenging of the Carpathian mores. As I said in the<a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/10/dark-prince-christine-feehan.html"> Dark Prince</a> review, a gay character would be great. We're challenging the mores by having vampires with lifemates, and Zacarias' odd issue with his lifemate. So why not that? Why not a female Carpathian and a male human? <br />
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I'll definitely keep reading this <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/search/label/Dark">series</a>, and I'm looking forward to it. Despite the issues, it is enjoyable to read. I like the twist on vampires. I just hope to see some more advancement.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/41089-dark">The Dark Series, Christine Feehan</a></div>
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-19931310538897405852013-12-11T20:18:00.000-05:002013-12-14T02:45:23.333-05:00Dark Storm, Christine Feehan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I didn't know what was next, but this was certainly not even in the running.<br />
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We meet another ancient. Dax ran off the fight a vampire named Mirto. They were pretty evenly matched, so they were sealed in a volcano by Arabejila, Dax's friend.<br />
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The kicker? She's also Mitro's lifemate.<br />
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So, remember those questions and theories I had in my <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/12/dark-predator-christine-feehan.html">Dark Predator</a>? Well, this just makes it all more confusing.<br />
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OK, Mitro is a psycho. Legit. Entitled. Always thinking he's better than everyone else, just no one can see his genius.<br />
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Dax is a hunter who has a talent for seeing someones darkness and predicting who will turn vamp. He and Arabejila's family were friends.<br />
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Arabejila had very strong earth powers. Mitro hated her because he believed lifemates made the men weak. He ends up killing her family before running off. He tries to kill her, but can't quite kill his lifemate. Instead, he does something worse: he binds her.<br />
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So, as we know, being physically separated from ones lifemate is very difficult. Meanwhile, the lifemate can typically feel/experience the things the lifemate is going through. So, all the horrible things Mitro does, Arabejila knows. He makes sure of it.<br />
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Riley and her mother, Arabejila's descendants, are traveling the Amazon to ensure the volcano with Dax and Mitro inside stays sealed. They don't know about Dax and Mitro, but they make the trip every year.<br />
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This year, it is not going well.<br />
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This year, their guide is sick and they have to pool with a bunch of other groups. And who should the run into? Gary and Jubal (<a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/10/dark-magic-christine-feehan.html">Dark Magic</a>, <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/11/dark-descent-christine-feehan.html">Dark Descent</a>)! And of course it's De la Cruz territory so there's some of that going on too. Actually, it looks like Jubal and Jasmine (<a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/11/dark-hunger-christine-feehan.html">Dark Hunger</a>) have a little somethin' somethin' goin' on. Or they want to. She's about ready to have her baby. He's trying to convince her to return to the Carpathian Mountains where she doesn't have to worry about the jaguar males. There are still some causing problems even after Solange took out her father.<br />
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So, obviously Mitro gets free. Now, they were ancient when they were sealed, and Zacarias was the only De la Cruz old enough to hunt. So, they've been in this volcano a <i>long </i>time. I'm talking like...mayans and aztecs long. So, there's a bit of a learning curve, but they make it up fast. Gary and Jubal help Dax.<br />
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Riley looks so much like Arabejila, and feels like her psychically, that Mitro and Dax initially think it is Arabejila. Dax figures it out quickly, but Mitro is so nuts, he thinks it's his lifemate till the end. Dax and Riley are obviously the lifemates here.<br />
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Before the seal fails, Dax comes across a dragon in the volcano and merges their spirits. Later, when Riley is converting, the dragon binds their spirits too. I think that means that they can <i>both </i>become dragons - I know Dax can. Not the <i>form</i> of a dragon, like other Carpathians, but full dragons. With the strength and ferocity of real dragons. <br />
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They do their thing and fight Mitro. He's killed. Dax has some serious trust issues - not surprising when you can see who's evil before they fully commit. They plan on going back to the Carpathian Mountains. So we might see some stories there. My hope is that we see some interaction with Syndil (<a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/11/dark-challenge-christine-feehan.html">Dark Challenge</a>). See, I have this theory. Remember I said Mitro killed Arabejila's family? Well, her mother was pregnant when she was killed. They barely managed to save the child, a girl. The baby's name is never said, but I think it might be Syndil. They couldn't figure out what family she'd come from, and she has those earth powers that are so similar to what Arabejila had.<br />
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I'd like to see Syndil find some family.<br />
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And that's all she wrote. I've got to wait a bit for more books. So, we'll just have to wait and see what happens next...<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16056374-dark-storm">Dark Storm, Christine Feehan</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7061739868176724694.post-81995069828695568372013-12-08T00:00:00.000-05:002013-12-14T02:45:23.425-05:00Dark Predator, Christine Feehan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This one was weird.<br />
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We finally get Zacarias' story, but it raised a few questions.<br />
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So, at the end of <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/12/dark-peril-christine-feehan.html">Dark Peril</a>, the vampire coalition was going to test their attack plan for the Prince, against the De la Cruz family. After that, Zacarias was going to end his life feeling his brothers were ok without him.<br />
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We start here at the end of the battle, the good guy having won, of course. Zacarias decides to leave to go die, not even bothering to heal his wounds. His brothers try to stop him, but he's determined. He leaves to go "home," suddenly determining that home is the estate in Brazil. If you'll remember Dark Peril took place in Brazil. That's where the vamp attacked and injured the woman Zacarias saved.<br />
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So of course that's who saves him. Against his will.<br />
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So, he gets there, and he sees Margaurita, the woman he saved, riding her horse. He doesn't immediately know who she is. Watching her makes him happy, gives him peace, so he decides to sit out in the sun watching her and waiting for death. She sees him as he's starting to smoke, literally, and drags him inside to his lair.<br />
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He. Is. <i>Pissed</i>.<br />
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Once he wakes, he shows her exactly how pissed. Scares the crap out of her. She thinks he's turned. She realizes why he was trying to die, how close he was/is to turning. He thinks maybe she's in league with vampires or mages. That maybe she wants him to turn.<br />
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So, here's where the questions start. Every other couple has immediately known that they've found their lifemate.Why doesn't Zacarias immediately recognize Margaurita? My original theory was that it was because she couldn't talk. When she's attacked in <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/12/dark-peril-christine-feehan.html">Dark Peril</a>, she's left mute. However, this doesn't hold much water when they start communicating telepathically. That should have the same effect. It has in the past. Though, not every time. Still, he sees muted colors, feels muted, distant emotions.<br />
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Finally, he accepts Margaurita is his lifemate and he has the same "deficiency" his father did. His father apparently couldn't feel without his lifemate being completely merged with him. It's actually really heartbreaking to learn about. Zacarias' mother was killed by a vampire. His father, without a lifemate to anchor him, turns vamp. Zacarias is then responsible for killing his father. While his mother's body lays nearby. Ever since, he's been the leader and protector of his brothers.<br />
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It's really sad.<br />
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But here's where my questions come up again. It seems confusing about what happens when one loses a lifemate. The women never have the risk of turning randomly. In <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/12/dark-slayer-christine-feehan.html">Dark Slayer</a>, Ivory's brother asks her to join them, so it's not impossible. If a woman kills while feeding, it would create the same effect, I'd think. But they don't run the risk men do. We know that once there's a lifemate, and they've been bonded, the male loses the risk of turning. But when a male loses his lifemate, it seems he can go either way. He either dies with her, though it doesn't have to happen immediately, or he turns vamp. The factors on which will happen are pretty murky. Maybe how close they were to begin with? Or maybe it just goes back to the way it was before the bond. Maybe it's honor and will that keeps them from turning, just like before they found their lifemate. But then it seems odd Zacarias' father turned.<br />
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I actually had a mini theory that he tricked Zacarias into thinking he'd turned. Confronted with his lifemate's death, he wanted to follow her into death, but he wasn't sure Zacarias was ready to take over the family. His final test was to see if his son could kill him. It's cruel, to be sure, but it just seems to make most sense to me. The only person he could have killed while feeding was the vampire who killed his wife. So it's not impossible, it just didn't feel right to me. All the other books have harped on the idea that it's a choice. It seems an odd choice for a father to make. Even if he needed his lifemate to feel emotions for his children (which isn't true based on the deleted scenes), the memory of those emotions would be super fresh in his mind. He might not be able to actively feel them, but he could remember feeling them and know they were genuine.<br />
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I don't know. I <i>am </i>a softy, so it's entirely possibly it's just wishful thinking. Certainly nothing in the book indicates that's what happened.<br />
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So, back to Zacarias and Margaurita. They overcome their mistrust. She knows he's not a vamp, he knows she's his lifemate. However, he's a bit of a mess. He basically keeps her locked up for a bit. They slowly come to an understanding.<br />
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Until he converts her.<br />
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See, some human puppets/drug addicts break in and take Margaurita and her friend hostage, demanding they reveal Zacarias' resting place so they can kill him. Margaurita of course refuses to give them the location. Zacarias is once again seriously pissed off. They escape and all is well, but he converts her without warning. He calls it a consequence.<br />
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She is madder than any other lifemate. She won't even let him help her with the pain. This is the biggest fuck up since Nicolas chained Lara to him in <a href="http://booksaa.blogspot.com/2013/11/dark-curse-christine-feehan.html">Dark Curse</a>. Zacarias didn't realize the conversion would be so painful. He also did it in the most aggressive way possible. He manages to apologize and finally understands what a lifemate means. She forgives him and lets him help her through the conversion.<br />
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All is right in the end, and Zacarias is reunited with his brothers. In fact, there's a a fabulous jousting scene (deleted) at the end with all of them. It's entertaining.<br />
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What's next?<br />
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No friggin' idea. With the De la Cruz brother's are mated. And Dominic's plan is finished. I've got no idea. Unless we jump in time, Skylar is still too young. So....We'll just have to wait and see.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13542900-dark-predator">Dark Predator, Christine Feehan</a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951013316599741002noreply@blogger.com0