This promising new series by Elisabeth Staab, Chronicles of Yavn, pits Wizards against Vampires. In King of Darkness, the first book in the series, Vampire King Thad Morgan must find his mate or risk dissension amongst his subjects. In an interesting twist Vampires are hunted by Wizards who kill and dissect them to steal their magic. Thad’s magic has not manifested and a prophesy he received at birth suggests that the only way for him to acquire his magic, and rule successfully, is to find his destined mate.
Isabel Anthony is NOT the kind of mate that Thad has been looking for, but she is his mate. She hangs out at clubs, drinks wine—which is like ecstasy for vamps, and dresses like a naughty school girl, pigtails and all. Isabel isn’t too keen on Thad either. In the Vampire world not having powers means you are mistreated and Isabel doesn’t have powers. To protect her Isabel’s parents isolated her from the rest of Vampire society so she doesn’t want to be their Queen and is instantly on guard around Thad.
The beginning of the novel was clunky for me. There was nothing compelling about Thad or Isabel. Part of it, I think, is there really wasn’t anything endearing about either of them. There was much more drama and emotion in the early scenes revolving around Anton so he was the initial reason I kept reading. Once Thad and Isabel left for his estate in Michigan Thad’s growing feelings for Isabel and insecurities about ruling the Vampires makes him more interesting and complex and easily readable. While Isabel’s emotional baggage causes the quintessential relationship foibles consistent with romance novels, her inner strength saves the reader from being utterly annoyed by some of her stupid and predictable mistakes.
Staab does a great job of introducing the plots that will undoubtedly be explored throughout the series in upcoming novels and seamlessly weaves in and out of scenes that involve future main characters like Anton Smith, half Wizard, half human son of the evil Wizard Master and Tyra Morgan, half human, half Vampire sister of King Thad.
Alexia is Isabel’s human roommate and best friend. She is fiesty and endearing and I hope we get a story featuring her and Thad’s right hand man, moody and insulting Vampire Lee Goram—who is becoming fixated on Alexia despite his best efforts. aversion to humans, and deep heartbreak over an ex-mate. I was hoping that their story was next, but in January 2013 (sad face) we will be reading about Anton and Tyra. (I’m not completely sad. I think Anton and Tyra’s story will be great. I just wish we could read about Lee and Alexia first.)
Although my fiance would die if he heard that Vampires were the victims in a novel, I think it is an interesting plot change. It is also interesting for vampires to have magic and I like that the Wizards are the evil entity. Thad and Tyra were ultimately a great pair to read about, but they were often overshadowed by the secondary characters in the novel. I would recommend reading King of Darkness so that you aren’t behind when the second book comes out, but it may be better to start with the second book in the series and skip the first all together.
Snark meets sass in Thea Harrison’s latest Elder Races novel Oracle’s Moon. We first met Grace Andreas in Serpent’s Kiss when Carling and Rune seek her assistance. Grace is a witch and an oracle, The Oracle, and has inherited the power from her sister who was killed, along with her husband, in a tragic car accident. Oracle’s Moon takes place right after Carling and Rune have spoken with the Oracle and confronted the Elder Tribunal.
Grace was also in the car accident which severely damaged her knee and now she is in constant pain and walks with a limp. She is also the guardian of her sister’s two children Chloe and Max. The gift, or curse, of the Oracle is only passed down to the women in her family and throughout the novel Grace struggles to gain control of her new found abilities, hoping to find a way to stop them from being passed down to Chloe. She wants to be the LAST Oracle.
Djinn prince Khalil of the House Marid swore to protect Chloe and Max—we first met him in Storm’s Heart—and as a Djinn he is bound by honor. Djinn are part of Demonkind and behave somewhat like genies. They are made up of energy and can create a solid form, but don’t look quite human. In his solid form Khalil has diamond-like eyes, manly muscles, and long dark hair that he wears bound in a leather tie. We learn that Djinn trade favors for favors, but just like genies, if you don’t word your request right you could end up not receiving exactly what you want, and still owing a Djinn, which they can collect at any time. We also learn that Djinn are bound by honor and if they owe you a favor and do not pay it in kind they are considered pariah.
Initially Khalil finds Grace unintelligent, naive, and incompetent, but protects the children—and ultimately her—because he lost his own daughter,Phaedra, when his old mate Lethe trapped her (which for Djinn is traumatizing).
Grace finds Khalil patronizing, arrogant, and intrusive, but his obvious affection for Max and Chloe leads her to lower her guard allowing Grace and Khalil to exchange banter and match calculating mind to calculating mind.
As Grace and Khalil grow closer he comes to admire her wit, drive, strength, and power while she begins to see him as more than just a nuisance, but as a caring, damaged, and honorable soul.
At the background of their love story is the shifting dynamics between the Elder Races and the witches, some of whom see themselves as humankind and feel that the Elder Races have too much Power in the mortal world. As Grace comes to understand and embrace her Powers Khalil is by her side protecting her from menacing forces and opening his heart in a way he never has in all his immortal life.
I am increasingly impressed with Harrison’s ability to build the world which she created in her first Elder Races novel Dragon Bound. I find that Dragon Bound is still the best by far and most compelling and I am glad that we will be getting another dose of Dragos and Pia in Lord’s Fall, the next installment in the series.
While Dragos and Pia are my favorites there is something that resonated with me about Khalil and Grace as well. Maybe it was his devastation at being unable to protect his daughter, or the instant family they formed with Chloe and Max, but I found the exchanges between the two exciting and entertaining. I hope to see them again, perhaps in their own book, as I am curious as to what Grace will make of her Powers.
Another great job from Harrison. I recommend the entire series, but you can read any book in it as a one off. If you don’t want to read all four definitely read Dragon Bound and Oracle’s Moon.
In Edie Ramer’s novel Dragon Blues, dragon Noah Long has lived as human for over 1000 years. His bluesy, saxophone playing soul was wounded millennium ago by a pretty woman. To his utter shock her reincarnated-self, Izzy Walton, walks into his Nashville shop, Dragon’s Lair, to rob him. When the robbery goes awry, it is another surprise that Izzy comes back to plead for Noah’s help. Her partner in crime is actually her abusive, junky boyfriend and she wants David to help her. Despite his distance from his humanity Noah can’t turn away the battered Izzy and when she goes into withdrawal he phones her sister Lila.
Martial Arts wielding Lila Fox is a leggy blond whose been protecting herself from all men, especially abusers, since she was a young six-year-old who had to witness her stepfather beating, and then later paralyzing, her mother. When Lila gets the call from Noah it is fortuitous, as she was in an altercation that requires her to flee her home in California. So, despite her reservations about Izzy’s sincerity Lila runs to Nashville to aid her sister. Soon after it is clear that Izzy is pretending to want help and that a sinister man, Carter Fromm, wants Noah and his blood to help Carter heal from a degenerative disease. Once tragedy befalls Izzy and her addict boyfriend Lila sets out to get revenge and Noah is by her side.
With a strong kick ass heroine who never needs to be rescued, and a sexy, bad ass hero who appreciates a strong woman and doesn’t let his innate desire to protect her override his knowledge that she can, and needs to, protect herself Ramer delivers a novel with well-matched and easily likeable characters. It is Noah’s ability to appreciate and respect the warrior that Lila is, never wanting to change her and only ever wanting her by his side, that makes the brooding dragon uber-sexy.
Noah and Lila both have baggage that they need to work out and through the course of the novel, as they get to know each other, they learn that it is okay to not always be strong, to trust someone else, and to allow yourself to feel pain when you are hurting.
There are a few issues with the novel: I never felt a sense of urgency. Usually, I can finish a novel in a day, day and a half, but it did take me a week to make it through Dragon Blues (I even stopped halfway through to read Oracle Moon by Thea Harrison); it also isn’t clear how Noah was able to turn into a human, and the issue became even more confusing once he speculated that the other dragons might have turned into predatory birds. Are dragons shape shifters? What gave him the ability to morph into human? While I was able to let the curiosity pass it still niggled me after I finished the novel.
Despite these few minor nuisances, Dragon Blues was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. Especially if you love dragons!
Last week I read the first novel in the Darkest London series by Kristen Callihan. Firelight is the story of Miranda Ellis and Lord Benjamin Archer. It is a historical paranormal romance, with elements of the supernatural. Miranda Ellis is one of three daughters of Hector Ellis, a man of questionable morals. When the family falls on hard times Hector marries off his two eldest daughters Poppy and Daisy, one ultimately ending up in a love marriage and the other ending up with a much, much older gentleman. Miranda blames herself for the outcome of her sisters. If she hadn’t accidentally caused a fire in one of her father’s warehouses with her pyrokinetic abilities, then her sisters would still be safe at home. Because of their hard times Miranda begins stealing to bring in income.
A chance meeting with a younger Miranda leads Lord Benjamin Archer to make a bargain with Hector—Miranda’s hand in marriage. Archer carries a heartbreaking secret—that requires him to wear a mask and gloves to cover his skin—and constantly distances himself from Miranda, but his quiet nobility, intellect, and sweetness draw her and the reader in. There is also some sexy brooding!
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This has nothing to do with books. I just love pictures of kitties looking ridiculous!
Bucket my British Blue. Ready for Anything :)
I know I’m behind the times. As soon as I made my commitment to a year of women writers only I was hired on as a Book Reviewer at Publishers Weekly. I have been reading and reviewing about two books a month for them and haven’t had much time for my own free reading. I plan to change that! I am currently reading His Own Where by June Jordan and Hiroshima in the Morning by Rahna Reiko Rizzuto. I will have my thoughts on the novel and memoir posted by the end of the month.
Amy Koppelman’s, “ A Mouthful of Air,” deals with the taboo subject of post-partum depression. In the opening chapter we meet Julie, days after a failed suicide attempt. She is pushing her son, Teddy, down the street reflecting on the permanent scars on her wrists that will haunt her as marks of shame. She wants to feel grateful for her life, for the security she has from the picture perfect world she has created with her husband Ethan, but we find that Julie is not at all okay with being just a housewife. She isn’t sure what exactly it is that she would be okay with, or what she even wants, and is never given the time by the author to discover it. We are shown Julie’s slow recovery, her set-backs, her husband’s silent, hands-off approach to the seriousness of her illness, her mother’s search for eternal youth and beauty, her father’s damaging behavior, and Julie’s own internal struggle to be normal, or what is considered normal for a middle-class, stay-at-home mother. Although Julie’s struggle with depression is very realistic, her character is unsympathetic; Julie comes across as more of a privileged whiner, instead of the sad, lonely, lost, insecure women she should be. The tragic ending may come as no shock, but the author’s daring attempt to show depression through the eyes of the sufferer makes her novel a worthwhile read.
In “Foreigner” Iranian born Nahid Rachlin explores the complexities of family, home, and cultural identity. Feri has been away from her home country of Iran since high school and is now married to a Westerner, Tony, and teaches college. Upon her arrival we are quickly introduced to her stepmother Ziba, father Akbar, and Stepbrother Darrius who has an uncomfortable attraction towards Feri. We soon realize that what drove Feri from Iran is the disappearance of her mother. Rachlin doesn’t lead us around on an over abundant exploration of Iranian culture. Instead she gives us a nicely paced narrative—it is very early in the novel that Feri meets with her cousin Simin to find out the truth about why her mother left—and a narrator with the refreshing ability to self-reflect. This novel isn’t just about the acceptance of ones origins or even the melding of two cultures, but the family secrets we keep, why we keep them, and the transformation that they cause when we find out their truths. By the end of the novel Feri is torn between the life she left behind in the U.S. and the life she discovers in Iran. Rachlin does a great job of showing us the cultural differences of Iran without judgment and making us believe in the possibility of Feri’s potential permanent adaption to life in Iran.
