Guilty Pleasures - Book Review

Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #1)
by Laurell K. Hamilton

What is it about:
Anita Blake is small, dark, and dangerous. Her turf is the city of St. Louis. Her job: re-animating the dead and killing the undead who take things too far. But when the city’s most powerful vampire asks her to solve a series of vicious slayings, Anita must confront her greatest fear—her undeniable attraction to master vampire Jean-Claude, one of the creatures she is sworn to destroy...

What did I think of it:
Another book I read back in 2011, but where the story was deleted by my brain. As a friend gave me 12 books in this series I decided to do a reread of this book.

And this first book is... problematic.

The world building, setting, and Anita's profession are promising, but not fully realized in this first book. And once again this is a first book where I felt that it started at the wrong place. There seemed to be a history and connection between Anita and Jean-Claude that I apparently just had to fill in myself. It also felt like there were important things missing from the story at times.

Still I was entertained enough to keep reading. Anita wasn't making it easy though: she's a bigot and quick to judge those who are different. Luckily I was told by several people that the books get better, and there is significant character development ahead, so I kept reading and only grumbled softly at Anita.

Overall this a nice read. I'll pick up the next book soon to see if Anita will indeed shape up, and to read more about Jean-Claude, because he seems interesting.

Why should you read it:
It's a nice Urban Fantasy read.


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Teaser Tuesdays - Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

His words caused my pulse to quicken, my breath to shorten. The only thing that wanted me, the only animal Reyes would hunt, was a demon.


(page 74, Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones)


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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Mass Effect: Annihilation - Book Review

Mass Effect: Annihilation (Mass Effect: Andromeda #3)
by Catherynne M. Valente

What is it about:
An official tie-in to the hit video game Mass Effect: Andromeda.

As the Quarian ark Keelah Si'yah sails toward the Andromeda galaxy, it carries 20,000 colonists from several races including the Drell, Elcor, and Batarians. Along the way a routine check reveals that many of the Drell colonists have died in their cryopods, and a pathogen is discovered. It begins to jump species, then the ship's tech begins to fail, making it clear that this is no accident. It's murder, and the perpetrator is still on board.

The ship's systems rapidly degrade, and panic spreads among the colonists. To make matters worse, the virus yields a terrible swelling of the brain that causes madness, hallucinations, and leads to violence. If the ship's crew can't restore their technology and find a cure, the Keelah Si'yah will never make it to the Nexus.

What did I think of it:
I loved Mass Effect Andromeda and for a long time after finishing the game I held hope there would be DLCs. One of those could have been about the Quarian ark, as at the end of the game it is revealed the Keelah Si'yah is in trouble. Alas: EA decided to pull the plug and I didn't get a Quarian ark DLC. So you bet I preordered this book as soon as I knew it was about the Keelah Si'yah.

And this is a really great book. Even better than Nexus Uprising.

The Quarian ark is travelling through space, all its occupants in cryosleep when three sleepwalkers (specialists who wake up once in awhile to check the ship) are woken up off schedule, because the ship detects an anomaly. The three of them soon realize there is trouble and they need to act fast or the whole ark may be lost.

The three specialists are the viewpoint characters in this book, and I especially loved Yorrik: an Elcor doctor who dreams of being an actor once the ark reaches Andromeda. He has to work on finding a cure together with a Hanar who doesn't like him. Yorrik's chapters were my favorite, and I rooted for him to save the day and realize his dreams.

Then there is Senn, a Quarian who loves machines and VI's. He's not your typical Quarian, and I very much liked him as well. He is levelheaded, and open to change and creative solutions.

The last viewpoint character was a Drell detective and she was the least interesting to me. Most probably because she keeps lying and adapting herself according to who she is talking to, so you don't really get to know her. Luckily the characters she gets teamed up with - a Batarian and a Volus - are interesting.

The story is suspenseful and tense. I couldn't put the book down, I had to know if they could catch the culprit and save the ark. There were some really heartbreaking moments, and the ending was bittersweet. If it was impossible to get this story as a DLC, this book is certainly the next best thing. I might need to do another playthrough of the game soon.

Why should you read it:
It is a suspenseful and beautiful SF read


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Diamond Fire - Book Review

Diamond Fire (Hidden Legacy #3.5)
by Ilona Andrews

What is it about:
Nevada Frida Baylor and Connor Ander Rogan cordially invite you to join their wedding celebration. Summoning, weather manipulation, and other magical activities strictly forbidden.

Catalina Baylor is looking forward to wearing her maid of honor dress and watching her older sister walk down the aisle. Then the wedding planner gets escorted off the premises, the bride’s priceless tiara disappears, and Rogan's extensive family overruns his mother’s home. Someone is cheating, someone is lying, and someone is plotting murder.

To make this wedding happen, Catalina will have to do the thing she fears most: use her magic. But she’s a Baylor and there’s nothing she wouldn't do for her sister's happiness. Nevada will have her fairy tale wedding, even if Catalina has to tear the mansion apart brick by brick to get it done.

What did I think of it:
I loved the first three books in the Hidden Legacy series, so was eager to give this novella a try.

And while it has nothing of the suspense and danger the other books have, this is a fun and entertaining read.

I liked Catalina, she is capable and level headed. I can understand why people put her in charge of things. Why people also let her younger sister help is a mystery however. She has annoyed me since the start of the series.

Events in this book were predictable in my opinion, but I didn't mind. Even with the predictability it was an entertaining story. There was information that Catalina discovered during the story held back for the big reveal at the end, but that was a minor annoyance.

All in all a quick and fun read. I will most probably read the next book as well once released.

Why should you read it:
It's an enjoyable UF Mystery read


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Girls of Paper and Fire - Book Review

Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire #1)
by Natasha Ngan

What is it about:
Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honor they could hope for...and the most cruel.

But this year, there's a ninth girl. And instead of paper, she's made of fire.

In this lush fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it's Lei they're after--the girl whose golden eyes have piqued the king's interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but stifling palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit being a king's consort. But Lei isn't content to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she does the unthinkable--she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide just how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.

TW: violence and sexual abuse.

What did I think of it:
*spoiler about love interest*

So I'm going to give a spoiler about the love interest, because it was what made me interested in this book. Lei falls in love with one of the other Paper Girls. I loved how this romance unfolded, and rooted for both of them to be able to be together, and to escape their gilded prison and the king.

I also really loved the interaction between all the girls. There is friendship, jealousy, competition. I liked how Ngan showed the different ways people can react to the same situation depending on background, character, and things like that.

The setting and the worldbuilding was beautiful. It is inspired by Eastern cultures and Ngan's writing painted a clear picture of the opulence of the palace, which starkly contrasted with the small village Lei grew up in.

I was a little annoyed by Lei being special as she isn't part of the normal selection, but gets added to the girls at the last minute. For a while it even looked like she was one of those special YA heroines who are so special that they miraculously manage to escape the horrors that happen to all the other girls around them, but luckily Ngan didn't make that mistake.

The violence and sexual abuse was handled well I think. There were some brutal scenes, but the abuse was mostly kept of page and mentioned instead of shown. Still I can advice to stay clear of this book if you're easily triggered.

All in all I loved this book and was hooked from the start to the end. The way the end was written makes that it can be read as a standalone, but it also makes me eager for the sequel. You bet I'll keep an eye out.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful (YA) Fantasy read.


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Teaser Tuesdays - Guilty Pleasures

Another reread, because I got 12 books in the series from a friend, but can't remember much about this book.


The hair at the back of my neck crawled. I could meet her gaze, but evil has a certain feel to it.


(page 56, Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton)


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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Once Bitten, Twice Shy - Book Review

Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Jaz Parks #1)
by Jennifer Rardin

What is it about:
I'm Jaz Parks. My boss is Vayl, born in Romania in 1744. Died there too, at the hand of his vampire wife, Liliana. But that's ancient history. For the moment Vayl works for the C.I.A. doing what he does best--assassination. And I help. You could say I'm an Assistant Assassin. But then I'd have to kick your ass.

Our current assignment seemed easy. Get close to a Miami plastic surgeon named Assan, a charmer with ties to terrorism that run deeper than a buried body. Find out what he's meeting with that can help him and his comrades bring America to her knees. And then close his beady little eyes forever. Why is it that nothing's ever as easy as it seems?

What did I think of it:
I've read this book before in 2011, but couldn't remember a thing! Usually this is a bad sign. My brain has the habit of blocking books and movies I hated. Still, my review from back then didn't sound ranty, and I even stated being willing to try a second book in the series. As I could get the first 5 book in this series for a steal at the charity shop I decided to give this series another chance and reread this book.

And this is an enjoyable read. My brain must have decided to also forget reasonably nice reads.

The book starts with Jaz being told she's going to work with Vayl, and then immediately switches to six month later. I will confess I wish I got the story of their first six month working together as well. Still I really like Jaz and Vayl. The tension between them is interesting and promising.

The story itself is suspenseful, but at times a bit chaotic. I'm not sure if it's the writing or that the plot might be too convoluted. A small annoyance was the fact that Jaz as narrator didn't reveal information she had, but kept eluding to it: "I haven't been the same since.... THE THING!!!" Ok, I'm paraphrasing here, but mention like that were many before we finally were informed about what happened in the past.

That aside the story was entertaining enough that I'm curious about the next book, and want to see how the relationship between Jaz and Vayl will develop. I'll be picking up book two one of these days.

Why should you read it:
It's a nice Urban Fantasy read


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