Review: Biting Cold (Chloe Neill)

Biting Cold: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel by Chloe Neill
Publisher: Gollancz (2012)
Format: Paperback | 337 pages
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Description (GR): "Turned into a vampire against her will, twenty-eight-year-old Merit found her way into the dark circle of Chicago’s vampire underground, where she learned there was more to supernaturals than met the eye—and more supernaturals than the public ever imagined.

And not all the secrets she learned were for sharing—among humans or inhumans.

Now Merit is on the hunt, charging across the stark American Midwest, tailing a rogue supernatural intent on stealing an ancient artifact that could unleash catastrophic evil on the world. But Merit is also the prey. An enemy of Chicagoland is hunting her, and he’ll stop at nothing to get the book for himself. No mercy allowed. 

No rules apply. No lives spared. The race is on."

WARNING: some spoilers for earlier books.

So, what went wrong? I was liking the series well enough (although Neill's plots are pretty easy to figure out. I figured out who was the villain in all the books. The world building is also nothing to write home about, but I like the fact that these books are light and somewhat funny.

This latest book... was not so good in my opinion. Why? The biggest reason is Ethan. He's back and he's having exactly the same attitude towards Merit he had before (avoidance, let's break up because of... reasons and all that crap). It's the same situation again and I kind of got tired. It does help that I never understood the chemistry between Merit and Ethan. It also helps that Ethan never fully developed into something more than a stereotype.

So Ethan... go away. You're annoying (I doubt that will happen but oh well).

This series isn't exactly characterized by inventive plots and deep mysteries. Every single time I knew who the villain was quite early. Person behind the drugs in book 4? Yeah, figured it out. Person behind the black magic in book 5? Very easy, knew it. Seth Tate's identity? Since he was revealed to be a supernatural I had a suspicion about which type he would be. I kid you not. I'm being totally honest here.

So why, you ask, did I keep reading? Because Neill seemed willing to take some risks with her characters. I mean what happened in book 3 and book 4. Sadly, she always fixes these "dramatic events". And that really annoyed me and made me dislike this book. The events in books 4 and 5 would have been great ways for Merit to grow as a character... but she doesn't because these huge, traumatic events are... fixed and everything is alright and back to normal in the end.

Overall, this book was pretty boring. The world building is rather cliche and not very detailed, the mystery was too simplistic and the romance felt flat (as it has felt since the beginning). I lost interest in reading the rest of the series, at least for now.

View all my reviews

Monthly Keyword Challenge 2013 - fevereiro

Já devia ter publicado isto mais cedo, mas tem-me faltado vontade. Enfim, resumindo, o Monthly Keyword Challenge de fevereiro foi um fracasso total. Não consegui ler nenhum livro que se inserisse numa das palavras-chave da lista. A ver se março corre melhor.

Para março tenho, para além do Monthly Keyword Challenge, uma leitura conjunta do livro Em Parte Incerta (Gone Girl), juntamente com a Whitelady e a Diana. Por isso, se se concretizar, poderão ver mais um post como aqueles das leituras conjuntas do ano passado. :) Ou não, logo se vê.

Aquisições da semana (33)

Trabalho, Internet lenta, preguicite aguda... tudo é um entrave e o pobre do blogue é que sofre. Enfim. Aqui vão mais algumas aquisições. Os primeiros três livros são de uma série que ando a ler e da qual estou a gostar bastante, nem sei bem porquê. Dos outros dois, ouvi falar bem, apesar de estar um bocado de pé atrás com o "Easy". Vamos ver.

Drink Deep - Chloe Neill 

Biting Cold - Chloe Neill 

House Rules - Chloe Neill

Easy - Tammara Webber

Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire-Saenz

EDIT: como é que me esqueci disto! Mais uma aquisição!

Tomb Raider (2013)

Baseado na rubrica In my Mailbox.

Review: Magic on the Storm (Devon Monk)

Magic on the Storm by Devon Monk
Publisher: Roc (2010)
Format: Mass Market Paperback | 344 pages
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy

Description (GR): "Allison Beckstrom is committed to her work tracing illegal spells. Now, there's an apocalyptic storm bearing down on Portland, and when it hits, all the magic in the area will turn unstable and destructive. To stop it from taking out the entire city, Allie and her lover, the mysterious Zayvion Jones, must work with the Authority-the enigmatic arbiters of all things magic-and take a stand against a magical wildstorm that will obliterate all in its path..."

WARNING: SPOILERS!

I've been meaning to post my rant (ahem) review about this book/series for a while now. I've written a bit in my book journal (I was that frustrated) about the chosen direction of this series and what I like and dislike about it. Since the series is complete at nine books I guess there is no changing its direction (not that I think I could change anything, since I am not the author, ahah), but still, these books have so much potencial that it is frustrating (here's that word again) to see it wasted (in my opinion).

I was thinking of buying the 3 books I still don't own, but after book 4 I reckon I won't. I cannot muster enough interest in the characters even though the world is interesting enough.

Allie is "tolerable I suppose" in the famous words of Mr Darcy, but she has yet to reach her full potential as a character. As for the rest of the characters, they are not good "enough to tempt me" to keep reading. Let's hope I am not making a big mistake, as Mr Darcy did with Elizabeth Bennet at the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, but considering this is book 4, I doubt it. I doubt Zayvion will get more interesting (and stop being a stereotype for tall, dark and handsome) or that Allie will stop being uber-special and possibly a bit Mary-Sue-ish. I doubt the "Autority" will stop being far-fetched.

My problem here is that the thing that interested me in these books - the magic system and the world building - has taken a turn I don't much like. That is, of course, a personal issue. It just sounds all too far-fetched and very "cloak and dagger". Magic stopped being dangerous and unknown, almost alive... humans have regained control of it by dividing it into disciplines/types that are never fully explained.

Zayvion continues to be the most boring male lead ever. His presence is barely "felt" during the books (ok, so he was in a coma for most of books 3 and 4, but even if he wasn't... I wouldn't miss him) and he was revealed to be a boring super human (I was hoping for sexy Sumerian god or something, but alas, no. The characters with the most potential (Stone and Stotts) don't get nearly enough airtime.

Overall, the elements that made me like this series seem to have disappeared. I never warmed up to the characters, the romance always felt flat and even the magic system got boring. I still have book 5 on my shelves but unless there is a gigantic twist, I'm not that interested in reading more. A pity, since the concept was pretty cool.

View all my reviews

Só Ler não Basta #2.2 - Leituras Confortáveis

Fui convidada para participar no Só ler não basta, uma rubrica conduzida pela Carla, Telma e Diana dos blogues Este meu Cantinho, Ler e Reflectir e Papéis e Letras, respectivamente. O tema deste mês foram as "Leituras confortáveis"... não sei porquê acharam que eu era especialista nisso. Hmm... não percebo. Foi uma ótima experiência. :)

E eis os livros que foram mencionados durante a galhofa... xD
A Night Like This de Julia Quinn
Livros da Julia Quinn
Livros da Jane Austen
Livros da Meljean Brook
Sputnik, Meu Amor de Haruki Murakami
Dawn of Avalon de Anna Elliott
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter de Carson McCullers
Claimed de Evangeline Anderson
Saga Brides of the Kindred de Evangeline Anderson
Saga Fifty Shades de E. L. James
Livros do Dan Brown
Livros do Tom Clancy
Livros do Konsalik
O Anjo dos Esquecidos
O Vale dos Cinco Leões de Ken Follet
Saga Harry Potter de J. K. Rowling
Jane Eyre de Charlotte Brontë
2666 - Roberto Bolaño
Fall of the Giants de Ken Follet
Saga Outlander de Diana Gabaldon
Livros do Bernard Cornwel
Monte dos Vendavais de Emily Brontë
The Count of Monte Cristo de Alexandre Dumas
Les Miserables de Victor Hugo

Review: Magic In the Blood (Devon Monk)

Magic In the Blood by Devon Monk
Publisher: Roc (2009)
Format: Mass Market Paperback | 358 pages
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy

Description (GR): "Working as a Hound-tracing illegal spells back to their casters-has taken its toll on Allison Beckstrom. But even though magic has given her migraines and stolen her recent memory, Allie isn't about to quit. Then the police's magic enforcement division asks her to consult on a missing persons case. But what seems to be a straightforward job turns out to be anything but, as Allie finds herself drawn into the underworld of criminals, ghosts, and blood magic."

I've read book 1 of this series way-back-when so I wasn't really clear on the details. I knew there was a heroine who uses magic and I remember liking the magic system in these books because in Monk's world everyone (as far as I can tell) can use magic (some are more talented than others, though) but magic requires a price and that makes most people think twice about using it. It can be a simple headache but it can also be something a little more serious.

Anyway... I remember (I went to check my review, ahah) liking the world building but not being crazy about the stereotypical characters. Still, I bought some more books of this series a while back so I decided to give it another chance.

This second book was fast-paced and there was a lot happening at the same time.

I was enjoying this book immensely (a lot more than the first) but the ending was rushed and the mystery underdeveloped. I mean, Allie is a Hound, she should be investigating and drawing conclusions but I felt the book was too focused on her and that too much happened to her. The mystery plot suffered because of it. We arrive at the climax with only vague ideas about what is going on and the way everything was resolved just didn't seem... plausible. The villain was almost absent until the end, also due to this. The author gave us no time to feel anything for him.

On the other hand there was a lot more world building and character development in this one. Allie was a lot more likable; unfortunately Zayvion Jones is still a walking stereotype. But... there is no love triangle in sight, which is great.

So, overall, it was a nice read, better than the first one but I feel it still needs more. There's too much and too little happening (I know I sound confusing but that's how it seemed to me) and some things were explained in a really implausible manner.

I will be reading the rest of the series though, since Monk got me interested in her world and her magic system (again).

View all my reviews

Aquisições da semana (32)

O pobre do blogue tem sido negligenciado nestas últimas semanas, mas aqui está mais uma edição do Aquisições da semana. Gostaria também de agradecer à Jen do Cuidado com o Dálmata pelo selo do Liebster. Thanks girl!

A Perfect Blood - Kim Harrison 

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

The Diviners - Libba Bray

A Madness of Angels - Kate Griffin 

Baseado na rúbrica In my Mailbox.