Reading is akin to breathing to me. I am one of the few who prefer reading instead of watching tv. I read mostly sci-fi, fantasy and all the sub genres that exist within them.

Though I like writing, I am not a professional writer nor did I take any writing classes. So whatever I post in this blog are technically not reviews but just random thoughts of an avid reader - meaning everything is subjective to my own taste and not based from any accepted/established criteria for reviews.

I went crazy when I first got Shalador’s Lady and read about something happening to Falonar, about him failing as Lucivar’s second in command and Daemon doing something about it. It was all over the conversation between Daemon and Lucivar, Daemon and Surreal. I thought I missed a novella or a story or maybe it was mentioned in The Shadow Queen and I just didn’t pick up on it. But there was nothing (and believe me I know since I’ve reread the 2 Dena Nehele books more than 5 times). Only after a few months did I find out that Falonar’s story will come out in a collection of short stories entitled Twilight’s Dawn. As expected, I got angsty waiting for it.

I read the excerpts so I knew that what Im really looking forward to was Shades of Honor and The Highlord’s daughter. I believe that a lot of fans had a misconception with the title of the latter– thinking it’ll be Daemon and Jaenelle’s daughter. But from what little I read about the synopsis, I had this inkling it wasn’t the case. And I was right. But more on that later.

When I finally got the book (here at work), I started reading Shades of Honor first. Sometimes I wonder if Anne Bishop just decided to change Falonar’s character once she thought of making short stories. Well, it’s her characters so she can do whatever she wants with them and it was possible that Falonar was just hiding who he really was and that Lucivar finally realized the reason behind having Warlord Princes from Terreille serve 5 years instead of just 2 years for everyone else. Still, reading about Falonar in Dreams made flesh made me think that his character did a 180 degree turn.  Storywise, it was everything I expected it to be. And having Chaosti show up added more to my glee hehe. Though I would be happier if the rest of the coven and the boyos made a cameo appearance but we cant always get what we want, can we?

After reading Shades of Honor, I went back to the first story in the anthology then went straight to the 3rd one. Winsol gifts made me cry (the scene between Lucivar and Tersa was really touching). I’m always glad to see more glimpses of Lucivar and Daemon’s childhood. And the ordinary interaction of their family and extended family members. In Family, I loved Tersa ‘Janelle doesn’t cook how did she know it’s just like deboning chicken?’ part. It just goes to show, like it was revealed in Tangled webs, that Daemon didn’t inherit his personality just from his father. These scenes were  both light but serious, heavy but uplifting. Truly, the war has been won but life goes on and small battles still had to be fought, victories and pains still felt. This way of thinking/writing is one of the reasons why the Black Jewels series is one of my all time favorite series and Anne Bishop one of my favorite authors.

Now for The Highlord's daughter. Honestly, I was dreading to read it. I knew that with the difference on their life spans, Janelle and Daemon's separation was imminent. I was torn between wanting and not wanting to know how Daemon can go on after that. At first I thought that Daemon will end up adopting a kid - I dont why but I've always felt he and Janelle wont have any kids. And I've always known he'll be next High Lord of Hell once Saetan decides to follow his Queen to the abyss (since she was the only reason he stayed in the realms anyways). And there was a foreshadowing about Surreal's relationship with Sadi, even from the original trilogy. The hints werent obvious, and things could go either way but I've always felt that if Janelle's not in the picture, Surreal was the only other female he would be interested in. But even with all of these running in my head, I didnt think the author would go ahead with it. I was aghast the first time I finished it. But I couldnt stop thinking about it so I've re-read it a few more times and lo and behold, The Highlord's daughter ended up being my favorite among the 4 stories. I was grateful the author didnt introduce a new character to help Daemon heal his heart. Surreal was really the best candidate for the job and I was relieved it was her and not some new, random character. I think it was a fitting end though I hope Anne Bishop still write stories that happened in between or with other characters in that world.

 

The blurb at the back of the book said it was a story of star-crossed lovers. But to me, it was more of a story of what love is, and what people try to do the people they love because they love them.

The book opened with this passage that kinda hit me dead on:

"The fantasy of unconditional love, the lie of unconditional love is that you can love someone from afar, someone who never even looks at you in return, and it's ok; it's pure and virtuous and noble. But it's not ok. Fuck the fantasy! "

Elfland told the story of the Aetherials, elves in simpler terms, who live among humans in the mortal realm. They go back to other world every 7 years to replenish their life force then come back. But this time, the Gatekeeper sealed the gates, separating the 2 worlds which caused all the Aetherial families to begin their feud with the Gatekeeper, Lawrence Wilder. But the Foxes' and Wilders' story began even before this so was it such a surprise when Rosie Fox and her brothers, Matthew and Lucas discovered that their lives and destinies were intertwined with Sam and Jon Wilder?

The Greeks have different words of love corresponding to the intensity, level or category of it: Agape, Eros, Philia, Storge and all of them had been touched in this book. What I really liked in this book was that none of the romances were shown as smooth or cleanly tied-up. All the characters struggled, and continued to struggle til the end of the book (and after it I imagine) to keep those important to them. They went from naivete, to making stupid choices, living with their stupid choices and the consequences thereof, realizing they were living a mistake, finally accepting they made a mistake, and deciding what to do from there. Will they continue living a lie? Or should they do something about it?

Elfland was truly a touching story. And I will definitely read the sequel. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I've been happy, and grateful, for the past few days for being lucky enough to read one good book after the other. The Lord of the White Hell came highly recommended in all the book blogs I visited. But I always leave it to myself to form my own impressions. They definitely hit this one on the mark.

It is, at its core, a coming of age story. The love story was a major part but Kiram's and Javier's and the other other characters' choices and  growth were more central to whole story. The author explained enough about the world, the myths and the mechanics for the readers to confidently be immersed in the story without making it too technical or overpowering. The characters were alive and had quirks of their own - they made me hate them, love them, shake my head at them, laugh at them. The Haldiim and Cadeleonian cultures were explored enough for the readers to feel the fundamental differences between them in every way that mattered. 

I enjoyed the Hellions and all their antics. The adults were kinda lame except for Kiri's and Nestor's families. The main bad guy was a total rip-off too. But having Kiram and Javier take center stage was enough to balance it out.

This was the first time I willingly bought a book that had gay protagonists in it. Dont get me wrong- I'm not being prejudiced. I have a lot of gay friends and I've read a few books that have gay protagonists in it before and 2 of them were in my top 20 list of all time faves (Vintner's Luck and A Companion to Wolves). But all of those books, I bought without knowing about them beforehand. I am not saying that I wont read or bought it if I've known - my life has been enriched by reading them and I am grateful. I'm just stating the fact. I've been always surprised when I'm already immersed in the book then when I discover that both of them were guys. With The Lord of the White Hell, I went in knowing, and realized, it didnt really affect or change my reading experience at all.

Kiram's and Javier's love story was deftly done. It was poignant, sweet, heartbreaking but also hope inspiring. Even the sex scenes were tasteful (though I hate that Kiram couldnt help but remark on Javier's beauty everytime he sees him. It got tedious after the 1st book). If the author used 2 Cadeleonian men as protagonists, the story wouldnt have been as good nor exciting. It wouldnt have worked. I liked it that if you look at them at first, you'll think Kiram would be the bottom and Javier the top but it was really the other way around. Kiram had always been the stronger of the two, in my eyes. He knew what he wanted and he always thought of other people first before himself. He was in love, yes, but he wasnt ruled completely by emotions. I liked that part in the first book where he decided he wont settle for anything less.

"...For a Cadeleonian a few stolen hours together would be enough. But he wasnt Cadeleonian. He'd seen his uncle and Alizedeh dancing in each other's arms. He'd flirted openly and had been courted by charming men who offered their whole lives to him. He could have so much more than the pittance Javier offered him..."

Alas, it always boils down to it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all doesnt it?

I recommend The Lord if the White Hell to everyone. I give it 4 out of 5 stars

Feeling: 

I visited Pat's Fantasy Hotlist and saw the link for this article where the writer bemoaned the state of the fantasy genre nowadays, basically saying that it degenerated since the time of Tolkien and Howard. I didn't really read all the comments on both sites so I don't know if what I'm going to say was already discussed. But as an avid fantasy reader, I want to throw my 2 cents in regarding this issue.

I understand why the author thought that " ... In the case of the fantasy genre, the result is a mockery and defilement of the mythopoeic splendor that true artists like Tolkien and Howard willed into being with their life’s blood. Honor is replaced with debasement, romance with filth, glory with defeat, and hope with despair. Edgy? Nah, just punk kids farting in class and getting some giggles from the other mouth-breathers..."  With books from authors like Abercrombie, Bakker and Morgan to name a few, that has sex, violence, cuss words and all manner of "dark" deeds that you won't find Frodo, Galadriel or Aragorn doing, who can blame him? But I think that he didn't look deeply enough, nor did he give the work and the author enough credit. Was it because he can't accept that things evolve through time? That nothing stays the same? That like any form of art, the fantasy genre wasn't static? Shouldn't he be relieved it didn't stagnate? Or maybe he was just looking at it with a certain bias - that since he was weaned with Tolkenish fantasy, he can't find it in himself to appreciate other flavors of it?

In my mind, I classify the Fantasy genre into different subgenres, to tell them apart. There's High Fantasy, which includes Tolkien's works, the Belgariad, anything that has the classic fantasy elements - elves, wizards, heroes, villains, quests, secret destinies. But it's mostly defined by the clear cut good vs evil struggle at its core. Next is Dark Fantasy - which is everything High Fantasy is not. If High Fantasy is black and white, Dark Fantasy is the various shades of gray, sometimes leaning more towards the darker spectrum. It doesn't shy away from the truth - that we are equal parts light and dark. Instead it accepts and embraces that dark side of human nature. Sometimes dark fantasy novels don't have a hero but an anti-hero. Sometimes there are no clear bad or good, just 2 opposing sides that have equal justification for their actions. Sometimes, the villains are more interesting and likeable than the protagonists. Under Dark Fantasy there's the paranormal and urban fantasy. Books under the dark fantasy subgenre have been prolific as of late - an indication that authors are trying to not emulate the fantasy stories of old. And for different reasons: boredom, creative license, experimentation, self-expression, rebellion. Whatever it is, it's the author's right to express himself in the way he wants to and we should respect that. And that doesn't mean that the said author wants to soil the "...building blocks and well-known tropes of our treasured modern myths..." Like a son trying to not live within the shadow left by his parent, modern authors are trying to find their own niche, their own writing style. But then again, it all comes down to the matter of taste. One's medicine is someone else's poison sort of thing. Personally, I don't like reading any book that is based from real life (biographies, documentaries, contemporary stories, etc). I am more of a fantasy / sci-fi fan. And in fantasy, I lean more towards dark fantasy. I am one of those people who get bored with the same old stories. But though I don't like reading those books, I don't judge them. I just stay away from them. If you like stories with happily ever afters, a clean resolution to a good vs evil struggle, then keep reading High Fantasy or any variants thereof. There are still authors out there who write clean honest-to-goodness clean or wholesome fantasy.  Michelle Sagara West, Sharon Shinn, Ursula Le Guin, Brian Sanderson, Ken Scholes are just a few that came to mind. I know, since I've read their works and believe it or not, loved them.

For me, the article just boiled down to the author saying he doesnt like dark fantasy. That's all right. Im the other way around as I mentioned-I prefer not to read "tame" fantasy novels (still, there are some good ones. I'm not that totally close-minded about it. I'll give any book a try). I like the ambiguity of moral decisions, the different shades of gray, the nitty-gritty portrayal of day to day lives of the protagonists. But I never thought to attach a certain negative meaning to it nor did I state a generalization that authors who still follow the old school fantasy tropes pioneered by Tolkien and the like were copy-cats or didnt have enough creativity and imagination in them to break free. I stick to the genre I like, sometimes I branch out and whether I liked them or not, I accept them as just another brach in the tree called fantasy and move on to the next one.

I've read almost all the dark fantasy books mentioned in the article (except for the Iron Dragon's daughter). I didn't really like Abercrombie's style and books but I can say that honestly since I read them (and what does that exactly mean that I dont like them when I have all his books, even the latest one Heroes?). I loved the Malazan book of the Fallen and the Caine series . I just want to say to the comment about the Malazan book of the fallen being " pointlessly depressing. . . a lot of death that seems purely random and serving no purpose at all.” “Despair and fatalism dominate". Well it's called the Malazan book of the fallen series so what do you expect?. It's a series about war, and it showed the dark side of it. The author of the article was looking for the "... the elevated prose poetry, mythopoeic subcreation, and thematic richness that only the best fantasy achieves, and that echoes in important particulars the myths and fables of old..."  but if he looked carefully (or if he read any of the Malazan book of the fallen books), he'll find all of that there. He'll find that in most dark fantasy novels out there, albeit mixed in with some blood and gore.

So did modern fantasy truly turned nihilistic? I think only part of it and not really that nihilistic. More like, as we become more aware of our intrinsic nature, it became a more honest mirror to ourselves - one that shows both our strengths with our flaws.

I was supposed to be reading something else but I ended up reading Yours, Mine and Howls last night (but I swear I am reading the book I'm supposed to read now and I should be able to post a review tomorrow). I never thought I'll enjoy it. I was planning on doing some light reading before I get the Crippled God. I thought that with the cheesy title, it'll be just be your ordinary alpha werewolf meets it's mate type of story. But it was so much deeper than that.

I accidentally found the author's online prequel stories for it - the Nanny diaries. Her writing style was fun, easy to read and witty, which made me want to read the full length novel plus the other novella. It's amazing to find an author who is, basically, a good writer (and not just a good story teller). Dialogues had substance, the story well fleshed out and written, the characters had their own personalities, world building and mythos were well constructed. I read from one of her blog posts that they way she marketed her full length novel was by publishing the free ebook prequels online - which I think was smart. Very well done. I got hooked that way so I bet others were too. 

In the prequels, you got a feel on Cade, Michael, Becca and the pack. In the novel, you see hidden depths to them, how they interact with people not part of their pack but thrown in it. Ally, Seth and Dylan were a pack all on their own but they cant live by themselves any longer. I liked it that each character had their own fleshed out personality, that the love story wasnt contrived, the hero and heroine equal parts cool and vulnerable. I cant help but root for them to be together in the end. It has action, romance, angst, humor, a lot of secrets, mysteries and twists, what more can you ask for? Though it's a fairly long book, for the type. Im not sure if she's going to make it into a series but I would really want to revisit that world again.


Feeling:

I never really planned on reading The Fallen: Raziel. Like A Brush of Darkness, I've been reading about it in all the book blogs I visited and I decided that there's nothing new about it. Tortured heroes who need the love of a good woman. their destined mate, to save them are a dime and a dozen in the paranormal / urban fantasy genre so I didnt really feel like reading another one. But again, on impulse, I got it. Lo and behold, I enjoyed it immensely.

I've always been a fan of unique things - I look for stranged-shape jewelry, I like funky music, weird movies and I love crazy shoes. And I live for unique stories, or stories that even if they were the common type, they have a twist to them that make them stand out. The author twisted the Judeo-Christianity lore and wove an interesting tapestry as a backdrop to her world. Angels are the new vampires in fantasy, and there have been a lot of stories about fallen angels - fallen angels who drink blood, who are doomed, who need true love to save their souls and the world. But this is the first time I read of almost all but one of the archangels falling, of the Morning Star being the hope to save mankind and of the heavens being the "bad guys." It kind of reminded me of The Dark Materials Trilogy, without the Dust of course, hehe. It was refreshing. And interesting. I cant wait where the author will take the story to.

I liked how spunky the heroine is. She was vain, noisy, sarcastic & a size 12! Can you believe that? Her internal dialogues and thought processes were witty, funny and cynical. Raziel and the other angels were the typical angel types. They were ok I guess. I read the excerpt for the next book, Demon, and it looked good. I wish June is here soon (or is it July? Cant really remember)


Feeling:

 

I was supposed to read Unseen by Rachel Caine. But I as I was pressing away on my nook and finally reached Chapter 1, I changed my mind. I went to read A Brush of Darkness instead.

I've read about A Brush of Darkness in almost all the book blog sites I visited and honestly, there was nothing about the cover nor the synopsis that caught my attention so I never really planned on getting it. But on impulse, I still did. And as Brystion and Abby said few times in the book, I had "No regrets."

As an urban fantasy tale, it has all the right or shall we say, usual components - the heroine, the dark, brooding stranger, angels, faeries and werewolves. And with the inclusion of the incubi and sucubbi, it kinda reminded me of Richelle Mead's Succubus series. But that's where the similarity ends. I was glad to see an urban fantasy tale that encompassed a different magical system than the ones I've read before. The story was partly based from the story of Thomas the Rhymer but everything else was original to the world Ms. Pang created. The characters were all likeable, which was really the big selling point to me. I cant reiterate enough that as long as I care about what will happen to the characters at the end, I dont care how many plotholes there are, I will finish and like the book. Not that Im saying there are a lot of plot holes in the book. WIth all the characters running around and the things that Abby didnt really have any knowledge of, the story was as good as it was going to get, in my opinion.

Though I like the characters, I cant help feeling that all of them were so... tame. Everyone loved and helped each other out. They were all buddies (there might be 2 exceptions to that but still) . There were kidnappings and betrayals, true, and some fistfights but I didnt feel the sense of real danger, of real evil. Even the main bad guy and his sidekick were a bit lame. Likeable but still lame (is there such a thing?). Maybe it was just me and Im so used to reading dark fantasy that I expect real good villains in everything I read :)

Dont get me wrong - I still enjoyed the book and I recommend it to every urban fantasy fan out there. My favorite character in the book is Phineas. I read Diana Peterfreund's Rampant so I already knew about killer unicorns. But a mini, horny unicorn that humps legs like a dog, likes to bites ass (or poke them with his horn) and lives in an underwear drawer? That is original. And funny. It's as cool as the killer bunny slippers in 50 ways to Hex my lover. I also like Talivar, who didnt really come out until the last chapter of the book. But I read the excerpt for the next book and seems like he'll have more screen time. I dont know when the next book will be out or how many books there'll be in the series but I can't wait to read to it.


Feeling:

It's been a while since I last posted. More than a year to be exact. It wasn't that I stopped reading - that's impossible. Nor did I stop having opinions about the books I've read - far from it. I just wasn't feeling the urge to write down my thoughts. I have read a lot of both good and bad books this past year, with some so-so thrown in between. But I dont think I will blog them all here. What I'll do is start fresh.

I ordered 3 books from Amazon which I should be getting by Tuesday - Elfland, and The Lord of the White Hell Books 1 & 2. I should start there. Then I should be getting my preorder from Amazon.uk of th Crippled God by Steven Erikson on the 25th or 26th. That one will be a doozy. So I should be able to review the last book and the whole Malazan Book of the Fallen Series. I hope ::crosses fingers::

New Year, new reads :)

Kitty and the House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn - Kitty Norville Book 7. It's aptly named coz it felt like a setting for a horror movie. I liked the way the author made Kitty go out of her comfort zone by being away from Ben and her pack but still be in her element. There were familiar characters mixed with new faces and more of the players and the Long Game were unveiled. it's the right mix of everything which made it a satisfying read.


Beneath the Skin by Adrian Phoenix - Book 3 of the Maker's Song. I am usually confused when it came to which is which with all those government agents running around so I skip them and go straight to Dante, Heather, Von and the rest of the crazy angels.  There was a lot of things going on, with Dante going more insane everyday and people discovering his existence and wanting to control him - vampires, humans and angels alike. Geez, cant a guy get a break? If I were him, I'll just let go and kill everybody. Oh well. But I feel like it's getting longer than it should be with all the unnecessary things and  people coming and going. I am not the author and all and I dont know what she plans on doing with the story (it really is convoluted ) but I assume she should be able to finish her series in 3 books (if it's as thick as a regular fantasy book) or at most 5 if it's this length.


Nice Girls dont live forever by Molly Harper - Jane Jameson Book 3. Again, it was a barrel of laughs. Jane and the cast are just downright irresistible. Most of the plot threads from the first book were wrapped up nicely here so the author has more ground to maneuver in making up new plot lines for the next books. I really hope there are next books. 


Well, there's another book that I've read last year that I forgot to include in my 4 parts hiatus reviews. it's 50 Ways to Hex your lover by Linda Wisdom. It's the first book of the Hex Series. It's same old, same old, except with the inclusion of a pair of bloodthirsty, monster bunny slippers. Which made it a hoot! That's the only thing pushing me to read the next books.


Feeling: