Burgundy

A bit disappointed. There's a lot left unexplained and the ending feels like a cop-out regarding the miniaturist. Also I don't understand the choice to keep the names of the real life persons since everyting else is fiction and has no connection with them. 

But still, an enjoyable read. Jessie Burton is an amazing storyteller and I would be interested to check out her future writings.

Nothing new under the sun. This book was not what I expected it to be. Most of all I didn't expected to read a pretty generic zombie book. And so monotonous. I concur with other reviews that pointed out the unnecessary length of the book. I was easily bored. Or maybe I'm just not into zombie books, this is my first foray in the literary genre.

The first couple of chapters (from Melanie's pov) were great and interesting. I definitely liked Melanie's point of view. But since this is a book with multiple point of views, it shifted to other characters for which in the end I cared less. Also it wasn't long before the story gave off a vague sense of déjà vu, and fell into the "another zombie book" category. If this was a short story focused on Melanie for example, I would have given this 4 or 5 stars. Unfortunately the story took a pretty predictable turn and frankly 400+ pages is too long for this kind of story. Read the first 10 chapters and the last 5 or so, and you have your story.

Melanie is endearing and the reader feels for her to some extent but I can't help but compare this book with Angelfall and particularly Melanie with Paige Young (Penryn's little sister). I think what the author tried to do in The Girl with All the Gifts actually gives better results in the Angelfall series even though Paige Young is just a side character and not at all the entire focus of the story. I felt for Melanie but not quite as much as for Paige and her family. Because I need more context; who they really are, their relationships, and their back story in order to belief the characters are real, and to eventually root for them. Unfortunately, I didn't have that with Melanie and co. I couldn't feel Melanie bonding with the others, if she had any fears, was she questioning her situation etc. All I felt was her obsession with Miss Justineau. And although there are some signs of the characters' 'humanity', those are few and far between. I didn't connect with any of the characters. Here it felt like I just met the characters and I already had to separate from them.

The ending was okay, I understand where the author is coming from, but I can see plot holes from miles away. What could have made this book more interesting is to have an epilogue or something with a flash forward that shows us how this new 'species' evolves. Because honestly I'm a bit sceptic about their survival instincts, certainly after they ate all their 'food supply' and they can't technically 'die'.

In the end I enjoyed it on and off and I'm glad I read it, though if this was a series I wouldn't read its sequel. So an okay read that will appeal to readers who aren't tired of post-apocalyptic zombie books.

Some passages were a bit slow. There is a lot of conversations between the characters, and inner reflections by the main character going nowhere interesting. So I was slightly bored a couple of times. Also as a historical mystery it lacked somewhat 'mystery'. I mean the reader could easily guess the murdered and the murderer. Even the motive was plain obvious. Personally when it comes to mysteries I like to form my own list of suspects and hypotheses. In A Morbid Taste for Bones the reader just has to wait until the characters figure it all out by themselves. Nevertheless I really enjoyed the writing style and will give the second book a try.

Nothing makes sense anymore in this instalment. It felt like the author was out of ideas for Kara as a detective, the story took a complete new turn.

- The first 10 chapters or so are descriptions about the Demon realm, its inhabitants, and the magic system. I liked the first chapters and I'm grateful for descriptions when the author brings up a new environment. As long as it happens within reason. Ms. Rowland is going over the top with descriptions. I was often bored during the first half of the book. Then around 40% a "major" plot twist took place, I frankly didn't see coming but disappointed me so much that suddenly the series lost its appeal to me. Also the torture scene was much too long.

- I liked Kara as a detective and honestly I continued the series because of Rhyzkahl (and the smexy times with him). I wanted to know more about Rhyzkahl and I couldn't wait for Kara and him to be an item and see how their relationship would develop. In the end none of that will happen. And I'm disappointed with what the author did with Rhyzkahl. I didn't care for Ryan at the beginning because he's a dull character. And I also didn't care for Manzahl [(aka the initially villain turned love interest) at all. So Kara is sleeping with with 3 demon lords (one of them she calls "Boss"). It's time she makes up her mind. I didn't recognise Kara anymore. I might be wrong because it has been a while since I read book 4, but she felt different.

- What bothered me the most is the new cast of characters. It was already difficult to remember and warm up to the original characters -- I gradually got to know them a bit better in book 4 -- but in Touch of the Demon the author introduced us to a bunch of new characters with names I couldn't even pronounce correctly.

I'm glad I read this series because I had an enjoyable time with the first 4 books, but I won't read the next book. The romance disappointed me, at this point I don't care for the characters anymore, and the plot is all over the place.

This series keeps getting better and better! Indeed, I found my new favourite series for this year. I love the shift to Hero Jarvis as main character AND as new love interest (which I secretly hoped would happen in the previous books). I'm enjoying this series so much with all the twists and turns. I also like the surgeon Paul a lot. I find nineteenth-century forensics really interesting, which is why I have a preference for historical mysteries.

This book upgrades the series in my eyes. Highly recommended.

Note: I read the series up till book 8 and I must make a side note overall on the series. The author's writing style doesn't change neither does her way of telling the story, well the investigation change, which means that it becomes pretty formulaic and can be for some readers off-putting. Personally I like it, it's a bit reminiscent of crime series on tv. But I admit sometimes I wish the author would approach her storytelling a bit differently. It always starts with a body found and then Sebastian going from one place to another and repeatedly asking (the same) questions. In the last two books the mystery became a bit too intricate and thus difficult to follow. In the future I should take notes while reading intricate mysteries.

I just can't bring myself to look past the writing style. The characters talk in a sort of street dialect. Sometimes it was difficult to understand what the characters meant to say, in the end it didn't make much sense to me. Or rather it took too much effort on my part.
I will put it aside for now and might pick it up later.

There's a lot of telling instead of showing. The reader has to wade through a compilation of infodumps. Especially in the first half of the book, it gets progressively better towards the end. But I rather have infodumps to be spread over the story than all told to me in one go without a moment to breathe. Because of this action scenes were not well written and confusing. In the middle of the action the author would abruptly give us explanations of the magical system etc. Multiple times I had to scroll back to the previous pages just to remember where the author left. And because of all the telling I didn't have the chance to really get to know the characters. 

I desperately tried to ignore the butchering of the history of France and Carcassonne in particular but I couldn't. A couple of months ago I had a discussion with a friend concerning historical accuracy in literature (fiction). He told me he's not capable of reading a book that distorts historical events, if he encounters an historical inaccuracy he will abandoned the book. I'm not that strict concerning loose interpretations of historical events in literature, after all I like to read historical romances. It doesn't bother me as long as it is done well and I have a good time. I'm not a purist but I do have a limit. Combining seventeenth century historical personages as Louis XIV etc and the mystery of the man in the iron mask with Carcassonne makes me cringe. Carcassonne is mostly known as 'la cité médiévale', the author could easily have used the cathar crusades and the inquisition in her book, no need the invent new historical events or fall into anachronism. History in itself is already fascinating enough. That's only my opinion of course. 

*spoiler*

I'm a bit disappointed about what happened with Tomas. I didn't see it coming but it felt like he wasn't supposed to fulfil that role initially when he was created. He gets introduced very early in the story and only completely changes in the last 10% as if suddenly the story needed another villain and had totally another purpose for the Tomas.

I still kind of enjoyed it and will probably read the next one but I hope it will improve.

Rating: 2.5

I'm dropping this series because of two reasons: first the lack of mystery/suspense, second Lily Bard. 

- There's way too much descriptions and telling what Lily is going to do from Monday to Sunday. It's always the same routine anyway. Than she will eventually find a dead body, speculate while working or making out with Jack and just getting nowhere. All the while the reader exactly knows who did it because the culprit is just so obvious, but only in the last chapter does Lily find out and do we get some action. At first I paid attention to the descriptions and Lily's daily life since I thought there was a purpose to it and there might be clues. Nope, just there to fill pages. 

- Lily Bard's point of view is quite hypocritical. She doesn't hesitate to inflict upon others what she has been through. For example her behaviour vis-à-vis Deedra Dean (and women in general): In Lily's point of view Deedra is a slut. She has casual sex and leads a 'risky life'. It's not even out of concern for Deedra because Lily doesn't like Deedra because of her lifestyle. Never mind the fact that sexual intercourse takes two people. The woman is pointed with the finger and called slut, while the man is not mentioned and seen as desirable if he sleeps around. 

Also up till this book, to my knowledge Deedra has been sleeping with Marcus (the ex-neighbour) and that's it. Meanwhile, suddenly after 4 years Lily seems to be the most desirable women in town and had 6 potential love interests. And can have sexual intercourse after 5 minutes meeting a random guy in a supermarket. I don't care about Lily's relationship with Jack at all. 

In Shakespeare's Christmas, Lily desperately tries to validate herself and wants people to recognise her as a strong woman. Physically. 
She's also persuaded that everybody knows her past and will behave accordingly. This stretched credibility. It has been 7 years. Meanwhile people come and go. Yes people talk but people also forget or don't care or don't talk to each other. 

I'm not invested in this series. I prefer the Harper Connelly series, which I recommend. The Harper Connelly series is more mysterious, darker, and the romance is believable. 

Omens is a contemporary thriller/crime series. What you will find are some references to popular belief and superstitions mainly out of Celtic folklore, nothing else. Also Omens heavily focuses on the legal aspect of crime/murder and not so much on the medical (forensics) part of it which I prefer and find interesting mainly in historical mysteries.

Some random thoughts:

- The pacing was too slow and the book is much too long. It's easily 100 pages or so too long.

- Boring and repetitive. After Olivia arrival in Cainsville the scenes alternate between Olivia's life in Cainsville and interaction with the locals and investigating/interviewing witnesses with the arrogant jerk of a lawyer Gabriel.

- Olivia is likeable and I really hope she doesn't end up with Gabriel in future books.

- In the end I was only interested in the part where Olivia interacts with her biological mother and finding out the truth behind the murder. But it took so long to arrive to the conclusion. 

Maybe I will try another series by Kelley Armstrong but I won't continue this one, even though I really want to read about Olivia's reunion with her father. I recognise the potential of this series and the book started really well since I was immediately hooked but I can't cope with boredom while I'm reading.  

Short series overview

I'm kind of sad it's over, reading this series was relaxing in way. It made me want to read more mysteries series. I liked them because the writing is straightforward, and they really read like a crime tv series. Nothing too convoluted.

I recently read the first book in Charlaine Harris' new series starting with Midnight Crossroad. Since I've been told that the recurrent characters in that book made their appearance in Harris' earlier mystery series, I decided to try them and picked up the first in the Harper Connelly series. Even though the series is nothing exceptional and the plot kind of predictable sometimes (I could easily guess the guilty party), I did have a great time reading them. It was nice to just follow Harper and Tolliver's on their reluctant crime solving missions.

I didn't find Harper and Tolliver's relationship particularly repulsive so I don't really understand why the author is making a big deal about it. It's like a longstanding friendship that blossoms into a serious romantic relationship. No problem there.

Just one minor complain; the ending felt kind of rushed. I would have liked to see what Harper and Tolliver have become. And each book had a lot of repetition from the previous book. I'm fortunately not suffering from Alzheimer (yet) so after book 2 that annoyed me a bit.

Anyway, I will definitely try another of C. Harris mystery series.

I just finished the book and I'm torn about the rating. If it wasn't for the ending I would definitely give this a 4 stars without hesitation (despite the book's other flaws). I liked it but Magic Breaks is definitely not my favourite of the series. Even Magic Rises (#6) was better than this (I'm fairly sure I'm in the minority on this). It might seem like I didn't really enjoy the book because I'm going to rant a bit, but that's untrue. Kate Daniels is my all time favourite series and I care about it or else I wouldn't bother to write all this down. 

*Possible spoilers*

Just some random thoughts and observations: 

- I enjoyed the first half better than the second. Because first I could enjoy the banter between the side characters, the awesomeness of Kate, oh and there was all hail Desandra! I demand a spin-off series with her. That woman! Like Ascanio said 'I think I'm in love'. I found my replacement for Aunt B. 
Also Curran was mostly absent for the first half of the book and really it didn't bother me. But at the other hand I had an overdose of him in the second half, I don't know why exactly. I think I had an overdose of the lovey-dovey stuff in general. About Kate's pining; I know you love Curran, yes we know that from the previous books already and saying you love him every minute is tiresome.

- The second half (it happened during the whole book actually but it felt more obvious then) was all over the place. Nobody is thinking clearly or takes the time to stop and think about the situation for a while and consider the next step. It felt like people running about in random directions and each individual doing their own thing. I mean 'woman who got rescued by Kate & co in Roland's prison' aka 'deus ex machina 1' why in the bloody hell do you go and fetch a cart to pick up Kate and Curran at the Swan Palace. Am I the only one who think it's weird that woman goes to pick up a cart and knows were Kate and Curran were. And nobody thinks about giving her an update that no she can't go in Roland's territory because he might go ballistic about it. 

- A lot of minor characters from the previous books make their (short and random) appearance. Just like the woman mentioned above I didn't quite remember them and scratched my head placing them in the story. 

- There were some wtf moments were everyone lost their bloody mind and then they're surprised they caused a bloodbath.

- The mole in the Pack was obvious, even though I'm glad it was no character I cared about.

- Okay next, the fight between Hugh and Curran is nothing compared to the epic battle between Kate and Hugh in Magic Rises. I wanted to see Kate in full battle mode again and Magic Breaks only provides us one of those scenes (when Kate fights her way to the dais to her father).

- First meeting with Roland was awesome. The second scene with Roland right after that was fine. Then we get a third scene with Roland right after the second and well it's a bit too much, all crammed in those last chapters. 

- I'm speechless about the ending. It's the kind of action two doomed lovers would take in a romance novel or something. Escaping in the midst of the night even though we know very well that for Roland it's just a game and it doesn't matter. I remember when it had been hinted at in the previous books I dreaded this moment already. I feel for Jim and Barabas. It has been hinted at that Jim doesn't want to inherit the pack. It seems that the Pack accumulates reluctant leaders. I'm also a bit annoyed that the pack would throw shit to Kate while she put her live in danger multiple times for them. Anyway they're leaving some big mess behind, I'm curious how all this is going to turn out.

* Andrea is pregnant so I thought we would see a bit more of Raphael but no. He was absent during the whole book. 
* What about the woollen sweater the witches of the Oracle gave to Kate.
* Why so few scenes with Roman. I wanted more of him.
* Why Sarrat aka 'deus ex machina 2' suddenly. Why did Slayer break? 
* In the end what happened with Doris Davis or something.

I'm glad this is not the last book in the series or else I would be a disappointed fan. It supposed to end the story arc but there were a lot of unresolved issues and loose threads. And I miss the whole Pack. I hope the series won't solely focus on Kate and Curran from now on. 

Enough with the whining, now for the good stuff. I got four names for you: Desandra, Derek, Ascanio and Hugh . 

Desandra kicks ass and she's ruthless and fearless or nuts (it depends how you want to see it). The banter between Ascanio and Derek were priceless. They will end up best friends. And Hugh, I like him and how Desandra described him is pretty accurate; he's kind of hot in a sick way. Every time he does something utterly despicable I want Kate to make him pay for it but silently I like him as a character. I'm glad he's still a character in the series because it guarantees for more epicness to come. 

And lastly about Roland: I'm happy with what we have seen of him up until now. I don't know how Kate will handle him because he's clearly always a step ahead. I liked the note he left in the apartment. 

To end this review with style and epicness, a quote from Kate: 

- "Now remember, Kate." Barabas leaned over to me, grinning. "You are the Consort. Be the Consort." He stretched "be" into a three-syllable word. "Think like a --"
- "Open the door or I'll punch you right in the face," I growled.

You got to love Kate when she's in full diplomatic mode. 

And now I'm getting psychologically ready for the agonizing wait for book 8.

Rating: 3.5

The Greyfriar was a quick, light read. It successfully combined various genres and could partly be classified as pulp fiction. What worked for me is the alternative Victorian setting and the interesting take on vampires. Vampires are predators and not your cute love interest. 

*minor spoilers*

Some aspects of this book rubbed me the wrong way, especially the romance. The romance in The Greyfriar progressed really slowly, which I actually prefer, still the male love interest is smitten with princess Adele from day one. I don't know why exactly. And Adele as well is instantly attracted to Greyfriar who's virtually a stranger. At the end they professed their love and it felt contrived because I've never felt their connection and they had few intimate moments throughout the book. 
I liked Greyfriar but I didn't like Gareth. In the end he behaved like a lost child or Adele's lapdog due to his blind infatuation with her. And again I don't know why, except that the only thing they have in common is that he's a prince and she's a princess and they're both heir(ess) to the throne. 

The plot was kind of repetitive. Adele is captured and gets tossed from one camp to another. Practically the whole book she's on the run or captured. Also I could do with a little more explanation about the world building and why the vampires suddenly have the upper hand after centuries of staying underground. Maybe secondary characters could be a bit more integrated in the story and provide us more background story or something. 

All in all The Greyfriar was an enjoyable read but in the end I'm still not convinced. My favourite character in this book was Flay. I enjoy reading about characters who are really determined and want things so badly they will do the impossible. They are most of the time unlucky in their one-track minded mission but they are interesting to read about. On the other hand I'm unsure about Adele and Gareth.

The whole book is just about the characters figuring out that Cinder is in fact princess Selene. 'The plot twist' the reader could guess in the first half of Cinder. Still the plot and characters are simplified to such an extent that for characters as Thorne or Kai and even Scarlet, Cinder Linh remains a huge unsolvable mystery. 

It bordered on the ridiculous, so much I laughed out loud when Cinder revealed her true identity to Thorne and Iko around page 400. I'm seriously questioning Thorne's (actually every character's) intelligence in this series. Cinder practically told Thorne she was the princess and he's still completely mystified.

And I finally found out why: there are huge communication problems in this series. Sometimes on purpose. Characters would ignore each other, not listening what the other has to say (Cinder & Scarlet). Or they would just tell the other to shut up about it because what said person is about to say is not deemed important (Scarlet & her grandmother). Also Scarlet's mind is constantly clouded when she has to remember something crucial as associating Cinder with the cyborg girl mentioned in the news headlines or with princess Selene.

Cinder as being Lunar/cyborg/princess is the central character of the series and (with)holds all the essential information. Information that could further the plot if she would share it with her entourage

I had the same issue with Cinder but in Scarlet it takes epic proportions. 

At first it was interesting to follow Scarlet's relationship with Wolf until it took a strange turn at the end of the book and they proclaim each other's soul mates after knowing each other for two days. I liked the fact that Scarlet kept her distance when Wolf first showed up. She didn't trust him right away and kept being distrustful towards Wolf for half of the book. Then Wolf betrayed/lied/tried to kill her and although we learn that he was being controlled, Scarlet goes from despising him for what he did to declaring her eternal love. 

About Kai: I don't know what he's doing. He is telling himself multiple times that he's an idiot but he never does something to prove he isn't. Actually his decision at the end of the book confirms he is indeed an idiot. I can't understand his logic.

Let's say that the romance and the love interests in this series are not the reasons why I come back for more. I think it more interesting to see how M. Meyer handles the retelling of fairytales set in the futuristic world she created. I like the idea and want to see where she goes with it. 

So nope, in my opinion, Scarlet isn't better than Cinder since the same issues come up again and new ones are adding. Also, the story picked up around page 270, nothing exciting happened until then and my mind wandered often.

I guess book three (Cress) will be about Kai figuring out that Cinder is princess Selene. And I'm sure he will be shocked when he does. The only way to find that out is for me to read the next book *sigh*.

I like a good story set in Louisana. It seems that UF series and Louisana go well together. Here are a few if you are looking for UF set in Louisiane: Mark of the Demon, Skinwalker, Black Dust Mambo and of course Dead Until Dark.
The setting, the historical undead (an undead pirate), voodoo, Baron Samedi, Old New Orleans,...all this should have made this book work for me and it didn't. 

- I enjoyed the dialogue; I picked some interesting quotes here and there. Drusilla Jaco gets two thumbs up for her initial reaction towards one of the love interests: Body of an Adonis, brain of an anchovy. Yes, there's a love triangle but no instant love. 
-The historical undead was a nice concept. Characters as Jean Lafitte, Marie Laveau and Louis Armstrong play prominent roles.
- In Drusilla's world there are elves, goblins, shapeshifters, vampires, pixies, wizards, zombies etc. Maybe too much? But why not.
- During the whole book Drusilla is looking for clues to find her missing guardian Gerry.

Anyway enough is going on. Unfortunately Royal Street was extremely dull. Some passages were much too long. I wasn't invested in the story at all. There was not enough to make me come back for more. The characters were so-so, the plot was meh. Also I didn't feel the connection Drusilla had with Gerry. The whole time Drusilla was looking for Gerry and I didn't care. And most of all Drusilla wouldn't recognise a clue if it hits her. 
Alex said he wasn't a were but he had ties with the were community so he's a shapeshifter. Alex and Gandalf are never seen together therefore Alex is Gandalf. Gerry couldn't be found on Earth in the 'real' world because he's in Old New Orleans. Etc. Come on Drusilla, get a clue.

I give this book three stars but honestly the book leans more towards "it's okay" than "I liked it". I might pick up the sequel.

Note; this is the first book I read that takes place during hurricane Katrina & Rita and its aftermath. The author tried to represent and show the backlash to the natural disaster. 
[...] I tried to imagine it two weeks ago, escaping from home on a boat like this one, floating so high, knowing your whole life lay immersed beneath you.

In this instalment the reader follows Agatha's adventures in the Wastelands with a travelling show/circus group.

I'm having so much fun with this series. The vivid writing style, the eccentric characters, the humour and lots of adventure makes me want to come back for more. I realized that one of the parts I enjoyed the most is when the Jägermonsters make their appearance. The Jägermonsters talk with, what I think, some sort of heavily German accent. It's downright hilarious. Still despite the humorous undertone of the series, there's still a dark vibe to the story. 

The footnotes are a must read. If you read the ebook version, just ignore them while reading since it isn't practical on an ereader. But definitely read them, they are worth it. One of my favourite 53. The Fifty Families are a coalition of those families that used to rule Europa. Their ancestors were brigands and thugs who were so good at killing people that the remaining people started giving them things so they'd stop. This made them Royalty. These days their descendants never mention this, as it seems entirely too much like honest labour.

On a side note, it's quite clear (especially in this instalment) that the series is based on a webcomic series. There's still a main plotline but the series focuses on various subplots/arcs before reaching the climax and solving the central issue of the story (quite like the episodic aspect of graphic novels). Agatha H and the Airship City ended with a cliff-hanger but the reader has to read over 300 pages to finally get the answers. The story introduces us to a broad set of new characters and I kept forgetting their names while reading. I like Klaus' personage, he's one of my favourite characters but made surprisingly little page appearances. Also certain passages were a bit slow, some conversations and descriptions could easily be shortened. But all in all still good. 

The authors' website for more adventures with Agatha and co. Or if you want to check out the web comic. 

The difficult beginning aside, where it took a while to adapt to the alternating point of views, once I hit page 50 I was hooked. 

This is how I like my steampunk. The steampunk elements aren't merely incidental but rather the central part of the story. This book promises lots of retro futuristic science, odd inventions and constructs going out of control. It's young-adult without all the familiar tropes. I recommend this series to anyone seeking a light, fun, and fast-paced read with loads of humour. There were quite some times I laughed out loud. 

I liked every character in this book. The supposedly villain in this story is quite an odd man, I can't seem to place him in one particular camp.

One of the characters in Agatha H is a talking cat! Krosp the cat is hilarious: [...] he stood and placed his right paw upon Agatha's forehead. "I accept your fealty," he said. "Next time, don't forget the milk." I hope we will read more of him in the sequel.

This is the novelisation of the graphic novel series of the same name. I haven't read the graphic novel yet. Personally, I thought its translation into a narrative novel was a success. The writing was evocative, the images were defiling before my eyes like a movie. I will need to check out the graphic novel in the near future.