Changes by Jim Butcher

Changes by Jim Butcher

This is the 12th book in the Dresden series. And when Butcher picks a title there is no fooling around with it. This book marks major changes in the series and has left me wondering what direction the series is going to take.

We start with Harry getting a phone call from Susan saying that their child was abducted by the Red Court vampires. After that statement the action just takes off and if you haven't read the rest of the series then you're going to be totally lost. This book touches on a lot of the events that happened in previous books and has characters in rolls that I'd never thought I'd see them in. It was just a great book.

Though the ending does leave you at one hell of a cliffhanger.

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Harrison is one of those authors I've been reading for years now and I look forward to the new book every year. This is the eight book in her Rachel Morgan series. All of them are great reads that I've actually read most of them more than once. A couple years ago I managed to be able to go to a book signing by her and have 2 of my books signed.

This book picks up just a few months after the last one and continues to fully develop the world that the series takes place in. Rachel is still shunned and is trying to adjust to the restrictions that have been thrust upon her. She's managing, barely, with the help of Ivy and Jenks, when the Coven starts trying to abduct her for their own nefarious plans.

It's a roller coaster of action as Rachel tries to prove she's not a demon, and get her shunning revoked. I highly recommend it to any and all who like some kick ass with their female characters.

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Johnathan Howard

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Johnathan Howard

So I've been a bad girl and have been neglecting to post. I know, but it's not like anyone is seeing this besides me so it's not like my invisible fans have noticed a lack of update. But since I'm back to a place where I can read a portion of my day away I might as well force myself to do updates like I originally promised myself.

So this is a book I read back in February, said I was bad. I noticed it while on a trip to Borders and decided that I didn't feel like spending $25 on a hardcover and opted to get it from the library. While I'm not sure if this would have stayed on the keep bookcase, I am very pleased to say it was one of the best books I'd read in a while.

The story starts by following Johannes Cabal as he storms the gates of hell to make a deal with the devil to get his soul back.  After making a bet with the devil, Johannes is forced to create and run a carnival for a year in order to collect 100 souls for the return of his own. Sounds strange I know, but from start to finish it is almost non-stop laughs. There is a dark humor that has you laughing out loud and making your co-workers give you strange looks.

This is one of those characters that you know you should hate because they're not good people but there is just something about the character construction and the way that they carry themselves that makes you want them to win no matter the cost. 

I recently discovered a second book is coming out in June and while I'm not sure if I'll be buying it or getting it from the library again I know I will be reading it.

The Dresden Files

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

I'm an avid fan of this series. I've been reading them for several years now and always enjoy the new releases.

Basically if you don't know, this series is about a wizard who lives in Chicago and his crazy adventures on the stranger streets of the city. Yes another urban fantasy, but an older one that has stood the test of time and doesn't have fans dropping like flies. There are lots of elements that make this series so great. The characters are always evolving and have long well thought out back stories that are slowly told over time. This is a series that can be read with the books back to back and it doesn't make me need a vacation between books cause you get too bogged down. Dresden moves between being light and dark with ease. The humor making it easy to read through a book much faster than expected.

Rereading these books has been on my list of things to do for a while, but I always manage to get myself into trouble with new books that make it hard to go back. So while waiting for a few books to show up at the library I decided to give in and start rereading rather than start something new get tied up in in while waiting for the books to show up from the library.  Book 12 is coming out in April, and well I'm looking forward to it.

Dragon Avenger (Age of Fire, Book 2)

Dragon Avenger (Age of Fire, Book 2) by E.E. Knight

A suprisingly fast read for me. I read the first book late last year and found it rather enjoyable. So when I found this one at the library while killing time I decided to pick it up hoping that it would be as good as the first one. I wasn't disappointed.

This book picks up with the female hatchling, Wistala, and follows her as she grows up. It is a surprising change from the first book of the series, which seemed to be more of a story of chance. This story becomes more of an elaborate plan of revenge that is supreme in satisfaction. I'd go more into the plot but it'd just ruin it if you decided to read it.

I rather enjoyed the way that this book and the first book build off one another. The beginning of the book is only slightly different from the first book, but quickly breaks off into a story of its own that builds on some characters and places made known to us, if not used, in the first book. The development of Wistala from childhood to adulthood is touching and not what one was expecting. It is clear she is not a human and does not feel or act like one does. Its an interesting look at how the psyche of another species, even if the species doesn't exist.

Sadly the library doesn't seem to own the third installment of the series so I guess I'll have to buy it. That one follows the story of the third of the dragons to grow to adulthood. There are a total of 5 books in the series with the last two combing the stories of the first three books.

The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall

The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall by L.J. Smith

*Sigh* to relive childhood memories. That's exactly what this series is to me, well the first four books are. The original bulk of this series came out when I was about 10 and I devoured them back then as I did now. On the up side I didn't have to wait for the next installment to come out this time.

I really picked this series back up because of the show on the WB. Something was tickling my brain when I saw the title of the series and then the character names sounded familiar. A quick wikipedia check later it dawned on me I'd read this before, before it was cool for teenagers to love vampires.

This installment of the series (spoiler alert if you haven't read the first four books) takes place a few days after the end of Dark Reunion where Elena comes back from the dead, again. I think I was happier with the original ending of the series, cause this book sucked. The author was completely out of touch with her characters this entire book. Damon goes from being lovable bad guy to being a complete jerk that you wish would get staked. Stephan is just kind of there to move the plot along. Elena spends too much time thinking about how special she is. And Elena's side kicks are just more pawns to move the plot.

Then we have continuity issues. The original series was 10 years ago and suddenly in a week everyone has a cell phone with video conferencing abilities. My phone can't even do that. And we suddenly have the internet. Last books we had to go to the library and look things up. A bit of a problem here!

It took forever for this book to get moving. I seriously almost put it down after the first 200 pages several times. Sadly I feel like this book is the biggest afterthought ever and was only written cause the author wanted to make a few more bucks off the characters cause she agreed to allow a TV series to be made.

There will be more Vampire Diaries books from the ending given in this one, but I won't be reading them. Even looking back on the original series it wasn't that great. The characters are hallow and shallow, it's annoying. At this point I will be watching the TV series, I can't believe I'm saying this, it's better than the book.

In the Earth Abide the Flame

In the Earth Abides the Flame by Russell Kirkpatrick

I finished this book in the middle of January, but just hadn't gotten around to posting about it. I'm really trying to like this series since I have the third book for it already, but its making it so hard to like lately. There is a lot of landscape descriptions explaining what the land looks like and how it's so beautiful and it just gets so old.

This book has two story lines to follow, again. There is a division of the main group of character which cause two simultaneous stories to be told. I'd admire that, if the division was even. We start the book in a single group finally, but are split up again. The main bulk of the story follows the hero of the story as he goes on a quest, a smaller part of the book is devoted to making sure you didn't think the other characters had died.

It's a big story arc and I appreciate that, but I'm feeling so bogged down by descriptions and division after division of the characters from one another that its getting hard to care. So I'm taking a break from the series to hopefully enjoy the final installment of the series since I think I overdosed myself at this point.