Quit This Book: Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)

Anathema by K.A. Tucker

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Didn't hate it but I just couldn't get into it. It's written well enough but I was bored a quarter way in because nothing has happened except a lot of high-end shopping, two of what the main character thinks are very vivid dreams (where some slightly interesting events take place) & she has a definite crush on dream guy Caden. I don't understand all the reviews saying it's an exciting pace from the first page because it really & truly is not.



I wanted to be swept up in Evangeline's awe of circumstance but I just wasn't engaged. I think the reveals are simply too long in coming & I kind of stopped caring about getting to the point. Maybe I'll come back to finish this some other time.



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Just Finished Reading: Claimed (Brides of the Kindred, #1)

Claimed by Evangeline Anderson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I read this on a recommendation of a friend & overall, it was alright. I was hoping the scifi would save it for me but while it was interesting, there simply wasn't enough of it for it to win the day.

I found Olivia hard to take. I have a problem taking a heroine seriously when it's repeatedly stressed that ALL her former romantic interactions with men have been horrendous because all the men she's aligned herself with have been basically rutting cretins who wouldn't know how to stimulate any woman mentally, intellectually or physically. It makes me wonder about the woman & why in the pantheon of males, she is not only attracting but hooking up with (& getting engaged to!) these losers. It's not a compliment to the woman, that's for sure. Frankly, I thought that it should have been evident to Olivia that since she'd chosen so poorly (repeatedly), she was lucky to be drafted by Baird who required no more of her than willingness & a scent to die for. Nursing degree or not, I can't see that she had anything else redeeming or compelling of value. Honestly, I never bought that after an alien invasion of Earth by the Scourge, single, literate & somewhat educated women would sign up for the genetic draft & not bother to learn all they could about the possible culture they would find themselves in should their number come up. Srsly? All Olivia, Sophia & Kat had any inkling about was the sex & even then it was mostly rumor & spec. Maybe it's just me, I'm a scifi freak so any chance I'd have of even interacting with an alien race & I'd geek right out & learn everything I could.

And then there's Baird. Simply put, I felt sorry for him most of the time because he cared so much & kept trying. It bordered pathetic. I quite liked his scene with the priestess in the garden. I can't hate any guy driven to seek religious intercession on matters of the heart.

The sex scenes were well written & not repetitive or so unbelievable that I was annoyed. I don't recall cringing or rolling my eyes, so I'd say it's all good.

I know that I shouldn't judge this book too harshly because I didn't go into it thinking it was a serious read or anything. But I really do need a bit more to buy into characters & root for their relationships that I feel I received. I will admit that I wasn't so annoyed by Olivia/Baird that I lost interest, so that's worth something. As it stands, I'm more interested in the mains siblings, Sylvan & Sophia. Maybe they're book two. If so, I'll probably read it.



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Just Finished Reading: The Rook: A Novel

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was such a fun & clever read! I'm not really a supernatural or superheroes person (I like aliens, vampires & wearwolves but I've never seen or read X-Men & the like) but this novel was so amazing I may be a convert.

The opening of the story has our heroine, Myfanwy Thomas, having just survives a rather harrowing ordeal & awaking drenched in the park surrounded by dead people wearing laytex gloves. And she has no memory of who she is. The story takes us along as she learns about her predecessor & also becomes her own person. I won't go into the spoilers because I think the story's strength is in the reveals. There was plenty of wry wit to go around & I actually laughed out loud. I found the other characters very compelling. Gestalt is both attractive & squick inducing, from beginning to end & the field ops Myfanwy finds herself on will not be forgotten for some time. The author's descriptions are very well done.

My only departure of thinking this was all-time were two things. As another reviewer mentioned, Ms. Thomas is thirty-one but she seems to have no sense of her own womanhood. I wanted to allow that according to what we read, the first incarnation didn't have any either but the second version seemed to be able to come into her own & break away from the first so much, I didn't understand why she retained the rampant prudishness. No accomplished, 30+ year-old with so much power should repeatedly blush & threaten to lose composure when she simply realizes that a man in the room happens to be handsome. I get that probably she had baggage due to the way the training she endured & has intimacy issues but she seemed pretty keen to embrace completely-unknown-sister, Bronwyn. So quickly & with so little credulity that I was worried it was a ruse. Maybe this was set up to show that it was another break from Myfanwy 1.0 but I wasn't sold. I did like that she & Shantay struck up a friendship. I'm holding on to the hope that the card she finds in the shirt pocket means she'll give the man from the hotel who lent her the shirt a call & get herself a little romance.

Other than those two little things, I think it was outstanding & very much enjoyed this.



And yes, I'm still crocheting & dreaming up new things for the 'tique. I've just missed reading & am on a serious jag right now. Happy reading! xoxo



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Just Finished Reading: Aftertime

Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I had been searching for a good dystopian novel that wasn't YA & I mean, high & low. I love the YA novels but being an adult, I like to also read about people who've lived a bit longer & have grown up problems & issues. Even if they aren't problems or issues I've had, I like the peer/parity thing. I happened to see a post on Twitter recommending this book & I can't even say how thrilled I am for that. It was well worth the read & I have already bought the second in the series to read shortly.

The writing style is smooth & descriptive without being maudlin. The characters are extremely well drawn & not overdone to the point that you're not still deeply curious about them. Cass was phenomenal & I thought there was something wonderful about following her as a recovering alcoholic when the situation is rife with reasons to want or need to deaden ones senses. Smoke (or Ed) is a well crafted enigma & I need to know more! The portrayal of the Beaters is sometimes less frightening than the state of things with uninfected people & some of the best storytelling is to be found in those parts. I could go on & on but I don't want to give anything away. It's so good you need to experience it on your own.

If you're like me & have been craving an adult story after the great catastrophes & the zombies roam & you need less Y & more A, treat yourself to this series.



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Just Finished Reading: Delirium

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Thoroughly enjoyable! The characters were engaging & the world-building so well done, that I believed it. All of it. The epigraph device was sheer brilliance & added so much texture to the story.



Lena was a very good lead & she had a clear voice that was sustained throughout. I loved Hana & when she was missing for long stretches, I missed her. Alex was very well done & was written in such a way that he didn't seem to just be in the story because Lena needed a love interest (honestly, Alex made me cheer for the romance aspect of the story. He was that worthwhile a character & I was pleasantly surprised). Grace was adorable & I smiled often reading about her. I even felt empathy for Carol & Rachel, who've had this thing done to them & are in a sort of zombified state. I am seriously pulling for Lena's mother to turn up in the next installment & thought that though absent, she was a striking part of the story.



I was so caught up in the emotion of it all that I found myself chanting "Come on, Lena! Save yourself!" when we near the end of the story. It goes without saying that I'll be reading the next in the series. Even if the preview didn't come with the edition I have, the story was so engaging & unputdownable, I have to know what's coming next.



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Just Finished Reading: Decades

Decades by Ruth Harris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Vintage soapy fabulosity! This is one of those books that I remember my mother having on her bookshelf when I was a child. There were lots of period references (published in 1974 & the story spans the 40s through the early 70s) that I didn't get (like names of popular shops, things that were on television & accidents or cases that took place at the time) but that didn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying this. It was very easy to connect to the characters & just fall into the flow of the story. I believed every character & the tragic nature of the lives they led. I plan on reading the rest in this series.



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Just Finished Reading: Fated (Dark Protectors #1)

Fated by Rebecca Zanetti

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I should likely begin by saying that I'm not one who spends a lot of time in the romance genre. The covers rarely captivate me enough & neither do the summaries. This looked interesting to me so I gave it a try.



Oddly enough, I found the parts in this book that I liked the most were the secondary characters (all the Kurjans, Katie, Talen's brothers, Emma) the science & the action sequences. All of that was intriguing & really where I think the story shines. The romance between Cara/Talen was minimally decent. Honestly. it wasn't so much romance as clinical-type conversations interspersed with sex. I will give that some of their most relevant emotional connecting took place during sex & that was credible to me as a sort of romantic bonding. Since they're "Fated" I guess they don't need to waste time on things like getting to know one another or foreplay. Cara was a bit bland when she was around Talen, in general & came off as never having bothered to figure out who she was as a person before he arrived in her life. It's not necessarily bad, but I need better than that from heroines that speak to me & make me cheer. Talen was a bit bland because... I don't know why really. He's perfectly handsome, way alpha-possessive, will protect until his last breath & is crazy-expert when it comes to sex. M'kay. Not surprising given the genre but he didn't captivate me in the wish-fulfillment department. It probably didn't help that Cara vacillated between arousal & fear of him & I'm not into the "I didn't do as he instructed & now he's really pissed & I'm afraid he might actually hurt me & I'm all into the danger of it" thing. To be fair to the story, it is made clear that Cara has abusive Daddy issues, so maybe that's part of it. I don't know. I liked it when he had moments to impart his family history & all that was going on between the different factions. None of that ever came off as an info-dump by the author. It was well executed & quite enjoyable. I don't usually have much tolerance for precocious & "specially destined" children but I did warm to Janie. She's still no Alia Atreides. I did find it rather ridiculous that Cara could be away from her child for weeks at a stretch but when she's finally reunited with her daughter for a mere hour, she's all craving, needy & missing Talen. I'm not a mother but as a woman all I could say was "What?!" & also "Girl, Please! Get a damned grip!"



I will definitely read the next in the series to see what's next (cause it's already waiting for me on my Kindle). Maybe I'll find more depth & enjoyment in the mains & lots more on the secondaries. Overall, I think it was an okay book. It kept me turning the pages & whenever I was ready to give up ("stars exploding" euphemisms, overkill of eye color descriptions, the word "mate" used ad infinitum as a term of endearment until it creates a bindspot in the reading & way too much post-sex blushing/flushing from Cara, especially after weeks of the deed with Talen (gmab, please)), I was pulled back in by something interesting & cool (hierarchy, treachery, faction/family histories & genetics chatter). I'm all in for the world the author has created.



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Just Finished Reading: His Last Duchess

His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


With most books that I love (& by love, I mean rate with 5 stars) & recommend, I tend to say the least. Possibly because I've little to complain or criticize with the story & execution & if given the chance, I'd divulge every beautiful detail & plot point spoiling it for anyone else looking to read it. I will say this is a beautifully & vividly crafted story. I felt like I was there from the first page to the last. When you're reading & realize that your breath is hitched because the tenor of the scene has coiled taut around your neck like piano wire (or in this case, that cord of red gems), you know you're caught up in the story. I will definitely be reading more from Gabrielle Kimm & she will now be on my list of "always read historical fiction". Margaret George has been all alone on that list for a while now. LOL



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Just Finished Reading: Inside Out

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Quite enjoyable. The action really picks up at to 50% mark. I did find the sector recitations a bit difficult to keep straight & could have done with a schematic to visualize it. The mention of sector & quadrant designations meant virtually nothing since I couldn't work it out spatially. But in some ways, not having it did help to keep me as in the dark about Inside, Gateway, the Gap areas & how all these pieces fit, as the characters trying to work it out.



Trella was a great character & narrator who truly grows as the story proceeds. I wanted her to trust earlier but it was easy to understand that given her experiences & world, she was doing so on pace. After I accepted that, I settled right in & went with it. The secondary characters are well drawn for the most part, except our "villans". I'm assuming this is because we are following Trella's POV but I hope that we're given something more than "Travas want ultimate power & are evil" as the ultimate reason for their actions, as the series progresses. Most of the guys in the book are written well, Cog, Riley, Jacy & Logan, but I very much wanted Trella & Anne-Jade to forge at least a closer working relationship. I thought that there was room for more than just one chica doing very plot-relevant things & all the good bits Trella skipped didn't need to be the just domain of the guys. The ending was exciting & the cliffhanger makes me want to read the next in the series.



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Book Review: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher:  Feiwel and Friends

Summary:   Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.

Book Review: Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Summary:   One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.

Book Review: Post-Human (Post-Human #2) by David Simpson

Post-Human by David Simpson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Summary:   The future should have been perfect. Microscopic robots known as nans could repair any damage to your body, keep you young by resetting your cellular clocks, and allow you to download upgrades like intelligence, muscle strength, and eyesight. You were supposed to be able to have anything you wanted with a simple thought, to be able to fly without the aid of a machine, to be able to live forever. But when a small group of five terraformers working on Venus return to Earth, they discover that every other human in the solar system has been gruesomely murdered. Now, James Keats and his four companions must discover what happened to the rest of humanity and fight back if they wish to avoid the same, horrifying fate. Welcome to the post-human era.

Book Review: Downbelow Station (Company Wars, #1) by C.J. Cherryh

Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher: DAW

Summary:   A legend among sci-fi readers, C.J. Cherryh's Union-Alliance novels, while separate and complete in themselves, are part of a much larger tapestry--a future history spanning 5000 years of human civilization. Downbelow Station is the book that won Cherryh a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1982. A blockbuster space opera of the rebellion between Earth and its far-flung colonies, it is a classic science fiction masterwork.