Book Review: Gates Of Rapture (World of Ascension, #6) by Caris Roane

Book Cover. Ebook.

This review can also appears on my Goodreads profile.

Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5! 

An advance reading copy was provided by the publisher through Netgalley.

The story of Leto Distra and Grace of Albion is the one, that I have to say I liked most in the whole Ascension series, and not just because of the characters- because Jean-Pierre and Fiona win that trophy- but because of the whole, overall picture that was so nicely and entertainingly presented. 

The best part about this book was that it was the most well-developed, well-written and consisted characters you could actually connect and sympathize to. The writing improved vastly compared to the prior books, and I have to say that I adored it. 

For so long, my complaint has been about the use of a somewhat same story-line that shadowed every book— with such slight tweaks here and there, that the concept soon got ancient— and the lousy writing that would emerge without warning in particular scenes. This novel, surprises us with a roundabout look at the breh-hedden and the story which I really, really liked. Also, no one blamed Endelle for anything like the other protagonists had the tendency of doing in the previous books- and since she's my most favorite character in the whole series, I was immensely gratified.

The thing that I felt could be improved was, repetition. Like I said, the plot was more miscellaneous than any of the other books in the series, but the intimate scenes between the main leads has proved to be nigh the same in every book. Not 'what' they do or 'how' they do it, but the writing style, their dialogues, the situation, it's almost as if a broken record playing over and over again. 
I wish the author would remedy that and come up with new ideas to sustain the carnal and emotional relationships between the protagonists because more often than not, I found myself drifting away from the story and just skipping those parts soon after the main leads got past the newness and well, on the price of being crude, have had sex with each other at least once.

You realize the odds of how excruciating it must've have turned, when in a book of 431 pages- a lot of which were laden with these scenes- I've had to skip portions just because I grew weary of them. I'd suggest a refreshment in the language and writing used, although it must be said, that the author came a long way from the initial point where she'd started with Ascension, which if you think about it, is actually quite great.

I also thought that instead of retracing the same steps, instead of having the leads finally come together wholly- near the end- only after they've been hit with something huge and life-threatening, the author could find something new to delight us with.

And can I just say, how anxiously I await for Endelle's novel?

A small tid-bit: For a hardcore PNR ficiton and UF fan, it's easy to categorize and sort through moments that are so convenient and easy in sequence that they, in their complex simplicity, can be utterly ridiculous. Like it sometimes happens in the movies, you know.. the hero to kill the villain even while he's bleeding like the bloody Thames and already limp with a fracture. Ha, don't put any real effort here, just sit there and flex.

So I guess what I've been trying to state is that despite all the negatives, the author has fashioned the story into something a reader can truly relish and thus this novel has yet, proved to be the absolute best in the series(and I've been noticing a consistent improvement in the writing style and plot development from book four, which has lead to this remarkable progress here and now) and has actually prompted me to hold on and sit tight for the next ride. Also, it goes without saying, that I am going to read Endelle's book, so there's that to anticipate.

Book Review: Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson #4) by Darynda Jones

Ebook. Book cover.

This review also appears on my Goodreads profile.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

To start with- this is a good book and I really, truly relished reading it, although it kinda felt like a "base" for me and.. I didn't find it as awesome as the rest.

Now, I'll explain what I mean by base.

You know how we layer a cake with sticky chocolate frosting as groundwork before adding heavy triple layers of different chocolates when making a chocolate truffle cake so that the whole frosting doesn't fall off and has something supporting it?

That first layer is great and tastes heavenly, but the triple frosting on top of it is incomparable, beating down the taste of that first, very important layer. 

Well, this book felt like that first layer of sticky homemade chocolate- delightful but seeming to provide a foundation for the next book in the series and leaving you with a sense that says there's more. I'm pretty sure, that the next book that comes is going to be better than this. If not, then that will be a disappointment.

Now, the things that I didn't like or that made me huff with annoyance in this book:

# Charley Davidson wasn't as bad-ass and lunatic-like in the beginning. I mean, yeah, she's Charley so of course she was awesome but she just didn't kick butt in that I-am-Grim-Reaper-and-I-am-fabulous way of hers and spent every few pages in the book puking her gut out with Reyes coming to her rescue time and time again. Now, I don't have any problem with Reyes- cause dude, sexy, hotter-than-armageddon-flame son-of-satan alert! 



But I just felt that we've been four books into this series, don't you think it's time that Badass Davidson got acquainted with at least some of her supposedly wondrous powers? I mean c'mmon! How long are you going to keep us guessing and building the suspense (that's starting to wilt a little by the way) and preventing Charley from going all insanely mad, bad and powerful on demons' asses? 

# Garett Swopes was a no-show for a long time, and when he did appear, he wasn't really who he used to be. 



I MEAN I REALLY LIKED THAT GUY, YA KNOW? HE WAS FUNNY AND AWESOME AND.. (in a small voice) made a great scape-goat, with such good grace and all. THIS JUST HURTZZ SO MUCH. 

*sniffles back tears*

He had a very specific role in the novel and I'm thinking that it might be possible that when he does come back in all his suspicious glory, well he's gonna be a huge pain in the backside.

# This is one of those books with an impossible love story, you know with a little Romeo-Juliet those-two-can't-ever-unite underling, only with a legal, mature couple but kind-of forbidden, if-you-meet-the-world's-gonna-end, only the author meant it literally here. Anyway, I don't actually really dislike this part, but I just thought that I should mention because it made an appearance in my thoughts while thinking about what to write in this review.

# This seems like a futile point but ghosts weren't that much in attendance as before, except for her Aunt Lillian and Mr.Wong who stood like constants (I love those guys for that) and of course the ones you'll find out about when you read the story- but that's it. I mean really, a Grim Reaper without any crazy ghosts flying around? That is just a little heartbreaking. And cruel.

The novel was well-written, entertaining and funny of course and I enjoyed reading it. There seems of be a sound of "but.." ringing around in my mind, but I'll let it got since I already made clear about how I felt. As far as reviews go, I know this was not my best. Anyway, I'm hoping for a mind-blowing sequel, really hoping, so let's see. 

Book Review: Devil's Bargain (Red Letter Days #1) by Rachel Caine

Ebook. Book Cover.

Rating: 3.7 out 5 stars.

An advance copy was provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

'Tis true, what they say- Deals with the devil never go well..

Emotionally tortured by the iniquitous condemnation of her partner with the charge of murder, and his resulting arrest, Jasmine aka Jazz Callender never expected life to turn out the way it did. At least, the psychic mumbo-jombo part she never imagined.. she already new life as a conniving bitch.

Approached by an enigmatic lawyer, James Borden, with an outrageous business offer and a check with a damning amount, she finds herself getting tangled deep into an unbelievable world where nothing is as it seems.

The first thing that disconcerted me about this book was that it wasn't the paranormal romance I was expecting it to be. I mean, I'd anticipated a hefty chunk of the story to be filled with paranormal gore and suspense, but what I found was a mystery/suspense with a paranormal underlining. Not exactly disappointing, but slightly restive nonetheless.

I also thought that the romance was lacking. Intending no demerits to the characters- as they were pretty much up to it- I just thought that there could've been more intimate or romantic scenes between the leads.

Lastly, I couldn't really pinpoint some particular fault that finally sealed my opinion, but I just believed that there was quite a room for improvement with the suspense and romance. Especially with the suspense, cause more often than not, I found myself getting so engrossed in the criminal, ass-kicking parts(cause hello, they were made to shine into an almost perfection), that I didn't even care what the mystery about those red-envelopes was. 

Although, I would like to mention, the story was good.. sometimes really good. I loved the criminal parts most, you know where either Jazz shot someone or someone else shot Jazz or when Lucia and Jazz chased someone. Very interesting, that, hehe.

Anyway. The writing..

The writing was clean, flowing and meticulous, totally suiting the theme and characters. It gave the descriptions a sort of intimate tone with an undertone of a clipped and well-informed voice, totally befitting the main leads' personalities.

Let's talk about the characters now.

James Borden. I like him. I mean when the fight broke out in the pub and he got pummeled, I thought- okay so not my type, can't even hold his own, but then his character was made to stand in light, and we see that he's an attorney-at-law, and easy to like. I don't know, there's something immediately engaging about that guy, of course after you get over his introduction that began with a creaky 1000$ leather jacket and no bad-boy vibe which is actually pretty easy to do once you focus on the washboard abs and the high-wattage smile and oh, the kind eyes.

He's smart. I guess that's a word especially tailored for him. Adorable with the uncertainty and the quiet caring. Not to forget the beguiling fact that he's sharp as a shark's molar(if they have one.. they do, right?), and slick as a seal with business dealings. I say that's a guy who knows how to work it, in and out of a bed.

Jasmine Callender. Hmmm.

I gotta admit.. the girl is bad-ass. Like, hell yeah bitches! I liked her. From the beginning. And then fell halfway in love with her when she kicked the sexist, biker-guys tattooed fat ass. And that was all in chapter one. What comes next, is nasty, hardcore, I-mean-business, we're-all-badass-here pages of "Fuck, this is great" moments.

Later on, as the story progressed, I realized that apart from being totally awesome, she was also a person who appreciated justice. But the downside of this placement of faith was that she ended up being a little narrow-minded towards the paranormal. Not wrong, not exactly, but still insular.

Lucia Garza was an amazing character- beautiful and dangerous, isn't that a combination we all love? I loved her sharp professionalism along with her loyalties that soon came to lay with Jazz. And did I mention how kickass she was with that attitude that said, "I kick ass like I was born doing it".

The rest of the supporting characters, Manny, Ben and Pansy provided a nice backing, if slightly cliched.

    

Till the very last minute I was sure I was going to give it a 3.7 stars, I mean really- you know all the faults that I found with it, but the ending somehow pushed it to 4. 

I am like, wow. O-kay.

But then I slept over that decision and I realized, no.. It has to be 3.7. It lacks the certain.. awesomeness of 4, and like I mentioned before, has quite some room for improvement.

Overall, quite an interesting plot(that would've been more interesting if the story had delved more into the paranormal, but oh well) and a good book, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for paranormal, suspense reads. 

This review can also be read on my Goodreads profile.

Book Review: Shadow Sight (Ivy Granger #1) by E.J. Stevens

Book Cover. Hardcover copy. 

This review can also be read on my Goodreads profile.

Rating: Somewhere along a 2.5 stars and 2.7 out of 5 stars for me.

An okay-okay sorta book, I can't say I am too happy with it, which is in itself quite depressing since I had quite a few hopes sub-consciously bookmarked to this novel even before it's release. 



Sorely lacking in the butt-kicking, badass section. *grim face*

Note: The heroine had a spine of steel and didn't shy away from defending herself and anyone she loved- so make no mistake of that- but what I mean by saying "very less butt-kicking, badass" scenes is that there were very little of 'em. I just felt there should've been something.. I don't know.. more. Narrows it down, doesn't it?

Ditto for romance.

Ditto for drama.



So. 

What the heck, here goes. 

I liked the overall concept, and the writing was okay- nothing special- but the book had potential: If only the author worked on the drama and the writing a bit, I'm pretty sure it'd have at least made a dent in 3-4 stars sector.



A little disappointing, I'd hoped for a much better read. Even though there were horrendous sea monsters eating people up and leaving their livers floating in the water, demons making deals, witches and kelpies and what-not going around and trying to get all their shit together, you know what I felt lacking? The importance of all that shit and drama. Makes sense? No?

Let me explain.

Interesting stuff happened. Like really. But the writing was so bland, the drama was so flat, that even a kidnapped kelpie king- who was supposedly gorgeous and totally hot by the way- chained and tortured, and deprived of his will didn't make me feel anything. No remorse, no nothing. 

Ya get whatcha mean?



I KNOW! Cool pic, right? 

Damon does not approve. Well neither do I. Huh.

Anywhooooo, even though I'm very dejected and a lot disappointed, I'm still going to read the sequel when it comes. 

Answer to your obvious look of surprise: No I'm not a masochist. 

Reason for the decision? No matter the lack of drama and romance and a little blandness in the the writing, the book has potential. Like I mentioned earlier, I liked the concept, the story.. It might turn out to be really good, you never know. Also, as I've learned with experience, quite a few times- first books of fantasy series tend to not be as awesome as the rest of the series. So, I'll be reading the next book, hoping that it just might turn out to be really great.