The Davenports - DNF Review by Voodoo Bride

 

The Davenports (The Davenports #1)

by Krystal Marquis

What is it about:

The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in a changing United States, their fortune made through the entrepreneurship of William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago.

Olivia, the beautiful eldest Davenport daughter, is ready to do her duty and marry. . . until charismatic civil rights leader Washington DeWight sweeps into town and sparks fly.

Her younger sister, Helen, is more interested in fixing cars than falling in love-unless it's with her sister's betrothed.

Amy-Rose, childhood-friend-turned-maid to the Davenport sisters, dreams of opening her own business-and marrying the one man she could never be with, Olivia and Helen's brother, John. But Olivia's best friend, Ruby, also has her sights set on John Davenport, though she can't seem to keep his interest . . . until family pressure has her scheming to win his heart, just as someone else wins hers.

Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, The Davenports follows four determined and passionate young Black women as they discover the courage to steer their own path in life-and love.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

I picked this up thinking it was Historical Romance.

I will confess I soon became worried about the Happily Ever After of one of the characters and I peeked at the ending. That made it clear there was no HEA for everyone in this book and in particular not for my favorite character, so I decided to stop reading as I wasn't in the mood for unfinished drama.

Why should you read it:

This might be a great read if you don't mind it's not a Romance and doesn't have a HEA or HFN

DNF Time

 

Both me and Voodoo Bride were very grumpy and difficult readers the las few weeks and we both DNFed a book we thought we'd love when we picked it up.

For me it was Kingdom of Exiles.

I wanted to love this book, but it was in dual viewpoints of the heroine and hero, and I loathed the hero! What a massive Dick! On top of that it was a total sausage fest with the heroine going on a trip with all MANLY MEN, look how manly we are! So DNF it was.

Voodoo Bride picked up True Love.

She read many books by Jude Deveraux, and loved them, and got this signed copy from Jeffe for her Romance collection. Sadly she DNFed, because she couldn't stand the heroine and her best friend. First they wanted to completely redecorate and overhaul a house the heroine was allowed to live in for a year (live in! Not own!) and then they decided to break into the guest house to snoop through the things of the guy living there!

So we'll be keeping the book, because it's signed, but she won't be finishing it.

Luckily my next read was a winner.

Four and Twenty Blackbirds - DNF Book Review

 

Four and Twenty Blackbirds

(Eden Moore #1) by Cherie Priest

What is it about:

Although she was orphaned at birth, Eden Moore is never alone. Three dead women watch from the shadows, bound to protect her from harm. But in the woods a gunman waits, convinced that Eden is destined to follow her wicked great-grandfather--an African magician with the power to curse the living and raise the dead.

Now Eden must decipher the secret of the ghostly trio before a new enemy more dangerous than the fanatical assassin destroys what is left of her family. She will sift through lies in a Georgian ante-bellum mansion and climb through the haunted ruins of a 19th century hospital, desperately seeking the truth that will save her beloved aunt from the curse that threatens her life.

What did I think of it:

Even though I didn't finish this book it is not a bad book. I just had some issues with it that made me put it aside about halfway through.

It starts out intriguing with spooky and thrilling events. I really liked the mood in the first few chapters. And then... the story seemed to crawl to a halt. Eden goes on a search that is slow and where getting information feels like trying to coax on a snail.

And if I had actually liked Eden I might have sat it out. But to be honest: Even halfway through the book I didn't really feel a connection with her or the people she is close to. So her search and the problems she encounters didn't interest me enough to keep reading.

All in all I liked the mood and the overall idea of the book, but its execution just didn't work for me.  

Why should you read it:

It is an intriguing Paranormal read. 

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Starsight - DNF Book Review

 

Starsight (Skyward #2)

by Brandon Sanderson

What is it about:

All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she's a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing.

Spensa is sure there's more to the story. And she's sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars--and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.

But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself--and she'll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.

What did I think of it:

I really wanted to love this book, because I loved Skyward.

And it has a lot of good things. There's cool action, and interesting new species and characters. What's lacking for me though is Spensa thinking about things and reflecting on what she's learned at the end of Skyward.

She loves to make humanity the victim of 'the evil aliens!', but lacks the ability to investigate the past. What did the humans do? Are they really just victims, or were the aliens right or even partially right? I wanted Spensa to question things, but instead she just blunders on convinced everyone is just being mean.

Maybe later in the book things will get more clear, or Spensa will finally stop and think, but it wasn't happening soon enough in my opinion, making it so that I just couldn't sympathize with her. With this missing emotional link to Spensa I just wasn't invested enough in the story, so I Did Not Finish, and cast the book aside.

Why should you read it:

It's a cool SF story

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No Life But This - DNF Rant

No Life But This (UniCorp #2)
by Anna Sheehan

What is it about:
Rose spent most of her life asleep. Otto spent his as an object.

Rose Fitzroy woke from her long sleep to a changed world and new life. Her friend Otto watched her from afar, longing for what he felt he couldn't have. But just when things seem to be going right, his own biology backfires, sending him into a deathly spiral that neither of them can stop. His only hope lies on the distant ice moon of Europa, where an experimental treatment might bring him back from the brink.

But Europa is in a state of revolution, and Otto's brother Quin is tangled up in it. With Otto going slowly insane, and Rose haunted by ghosts of her old life, more than one world may soon be destroyed around them.

What did I think of it:
*Warning: I will spoil the crap out of at least two events in this book, one that made me throw this book aside*

So I really enjoyed A Long, Long Sleep and this book was about my favorite character from that book: Otto.

At the start of this book it turns out Otto is desperately in love with Rose. He knows she doesn't feel that way about him, because when he touches people he can read their surface thoughts. He has a code of ethics that makes him stop to delve further in people's minds. On top of his feelings for Rose, he is feeling unwell, and might be dying from a condition that others like him have died from in the past.

So far, so good. It started to go wrong for me when Otto invites Rose into the pool to show her why he usually doesn't swim with other people. Here it is revealed that because of the water he feels Rose and her thoughts and emotions all over his body. I will confess this squicked me out a bit. Not what he feels, but that he only tells Rose this once she's in the water with him. It felt like a huge intrusion of her privacy. I know I wouldn't like someone to feel my emotions all over his/her being/body without me knowing about it and having chosen to share something so intimate.

A bit leery of Otto by this I read on.

Then the thing happened that made me toss the book:

Otto is getting worse and needs to travel to Europa in hope for a cure. He needs to be put in stasis, a procedure that might kill him. Rose volunteers to stay with him until the moment he's put in stasis. Otto is feeling very sorry for himself, because he might die, and because his feelings for Rose aren't mutual.

So what does Otto do?

He uses his telepathic powers to convince Rose's subconsciousness that he is her boyfriend from before she was put into stasis for 62 years, so he can kiss her (and maybe more)...

WTF!?

I don't care that Otto tries to tell himself it's ok, because conscious Rose supposedly knows it's Otto and not her old boyfriend! I don't care he thinks it's unfair he's going to die! I even don't care if he might feel sorry for this mind rape later! Because: Yes, this is Mind Rape!

I put the book down right there and then. Maybe I'm being unfair. Maybe Otto will grovel for the rest of the book to make it up to Rose. Still: I just wasn't interested in finding out what happened to Douche Canoe Otto after this second huge breach of privacy and trust. You just don't do this kind of shit to people! Ever!

You bet this book is not a keeper and will be donated to the charity shop asap.

Why should you read it:
Maybe you want to find out if Otto can redeem himself.


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DNF Time

It's that time again to tell you about some books I tried to read, but just could't finish.


The Young Elites by Marie Lu
I really didn't like the lead character Adelina, so couldn't care less what happened to her.


Furyborn by Claire Legrand
This being an ARC I got as an extra in a FairyLoot box, it was a difficult choice to DNF. I wanted to like this book so much: the worldbuilding was interesting, and the writing was really good. Sadly enough again I really disliked one of the main characters.


Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
I wanted more killer unicorns and less teen angsting and romance.

To DNF or not to DNF - Getting Wilde

Getting Wilde (Immortal Vegas, #1)
by Jenn Stark

What is it about:
Using her well-worn Tarot deck, magical-artifacts hunter Sara Wilde can find anything—for a price. And the price had better be right, since she needs to finance her own personal mission to rescue several young psychics recently sold on the paranormal black market.

Enter Sara’s most mysterious client and occasional lover, the wickedly sexy Magician, with a job that could yield the ultimate payday. All she’ll have to do is get behind Vatican walls… and steal the Devil himself.

But play with the Devil and you’re bound to get burned.

Pressure mounts for Sara to join the Magician’s ancient and mysterious Arcana Council, as militant forces unleashed by even darker powers seek to destroy all magic—including the young psychics Sara is desperate to keep safe. The Council may be their only hope. . . but it could also expose Sara’s own dark past.

From the twisting catacombs of Rome to the neon streets of Vegas, Sara confronts ancient enemies, powerful demigods, a roiling magical underworld about to explode… and immortal passions that might require the ultimate sacrifice. But oh, what a way to go.

No matter how the cards play out, things are about to get Wilde.

My thoughts:
Right from the start there's a big jerk wanting things from Sara and Sara being a push over.

I will confess I didn't read much further then the first 20 to 30 pages before picking up another book. Still I feel like I should give it another chance if only because of the pretty cover.

Anyone read this and can give me advice?


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To DNF or not to DNF - Rampant

Rampant (Killer Unicorns #1)
by Diana Peterfreund

Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns...

Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. Fortunately, they've been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.

Or not.

Astrid had always scoffed at her eccentric mother's stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend—thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to the prom—Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.

However, at the cloisters all is not what it seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from the crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to—perhaps most dangerously of all—her growing attraction to a handsome art student ... an attraction that could jeopardize everything.

My thoughts:
I've been picking this up, reading a bit, and putting this down a few times now.

The premise of this book is cool: killer unicorns! And some of them are even the proper goaty kind of unicorn. The story however feels much too slow and too focused on Astrid trying to get laid to escape her destiny. I want more killer unicorns!

I keep saying to myself to give it another try in hope there will be more unicorns if I just read a bit further, but maybe I should just give up and consider this book a DNF.

Anyone read this and can tell me if it's worth slogging through all the teen angsty stuff?



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Missing - A DNF

Missing
by Kelley Armstrong

What is it about:
Reeve's End is the kind of place every kid can't wait to escape. Each summer, a dozen kids leave and at least a quarter never come back. Winter Crane doesn't blame them - she plans to do the same in another year. She'll leave behind the trailer park, and never look back. All she has to do is stay out of trouble.

But then she has a chance encounter with a boy called Lennon, injured and left for dead in the woods. Her discovery has Winter questioning everything she thought she knew about her sleepy town. And when Lennon vanishes and his brother Jude comes looking for him, things take a sinister turn.

Someone wants Winter out of the picture. Can she trust Jude? Or will he deliver them both into the hands of a stalker?

What did I think of it:
This is the first book by Armstrong I just could not finish.

The book started out intriguing, and I was engrossed in the story until Jude arrived.

What a self righteous, condescending, pompous jerk!

I disliked him from the start and really tried to read on, because I did like Winter and was curious about what was going on, but every time Jude opened his mouth I felt my blood-pressure rise.

Maybe I gave up too soon, maybe he stops acting like a gigantic jerk later on, but if so it wasn't soon enough for me. I couldn't stand another page of his jerky, condescending attitude.

Why should you read it:
Maybe you don't mind teenage alpha jerks.


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Borrowed Souls - Why I DNFed

Borrowed Souls (Soul Charmer #1)
by Chelsea Mueller

What is it about:
Callie Delgado always puts family first, and unfortunately her brother knows it. She’s emptied her savings, lost work, and spilled countless tears trying to keep him out of trouble, but now he’s in deeper than ever, and his debt is on Callie’s head. She’s given a choice: do some dirty work for the mob, or have her brother returned to her in tiny pieces.

Renting souls is big business for the religious population of Gem City. Those looking to take part in immoral—or even illegal—activity can borrow someone else’s soul, for a price, and sin without consequence.

To save her brother, Callie needs a borrowed soul, but she doesn’t have anywhere near the money to pay for it. The slimy Soul Charmer is willing to barter, but accepting his offer will force Callie into a dangerous world of magic she isn’t ready for.

With the help of the guarded but undeniably attractive Derek—whose allegiance to the Charmer wavers as his connection to Callie grows—she’ll have to walk a tight line, avoid pissing off the bad guys, all while struggling to determine what her loyalty to her family’s really worth.

What did I think of it:
I DNFed (Did Not Finish) this book at 25%.

I will confess I was a bit reluctant to do so, because I was enjoying the worldbuilding. The story certainly had possibilities as well, and I liked Derek.

But... I hated Callie!

Callie is narrow minded and prejudiced. I tried to ignore this, but every time I was just getting back into the story she would think something again that made me angry at her. Added annoyance: She's blind to clues as big as jumbo jets as well.

So at 25% I asked myself: Will Callie maybe change? Can I stand Callie until the end of this book if she doesn't? The answer to those questions was that I didn't see a big change coming soon enough for me to stick with the story to see it happen.

Why should you read it:
The Setting and story are both very interesting.


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Firstlife - A DNF Rant

Firstlife (Everlife #1)
by Gena Showalter

What is it about:
ONE CHOICE.
TWO REALMS.
NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she’s drawn to isn’t home to the boy she’s falling for? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision…

What did I think of it:
I should have known there was a large possibility I would not like the characters in this book. I didn't much care for the characters in Showalter's Alice in Zombieland after all. But the premise sounded intriguing enough that I wanted to give this book a try.

And soon I ran into my first major grumble.

Ten gets a roommate: a girl named Bow. If Bow had actually been a girl she might have been interesting. But the snarky emails that start this book made it clear that Bow is a boy named Archer who has been given a female body to get close to Ten. Knowing this I didn't like Bow/Archer. He's a horny jerk who grabs his own boobs, because: "Look Mommy, I suddenly have boobs! I'm so hot I'd do myself if I could."

Yeah... Moving on.

And as if Bow wasn't annoying enough: soon another boy gets introduced. Killian apparently is Irish, even though the worldbuilding doesn't mention the world this story is set in is our world. Killian doesn't care about that and throws out a "Lass" every opportunity he gets. Yes, Killian, we get it. You're handsome AND Irish. Forgive me that I don't swoon over your overuse of that word. People have names you know. Use those! (And yes: I will confess this is a personal pet peeve.)

Then Ten and Killian get set up for a date and they start making lame jokes about food-babies...
Ten: "I'm eating a lot because I want a food-baby."
Killian: "Then it's a good thing I used my fork to make holes in the chocolate cake."

......

This is when the book got tossed and I decided I didn't care enough about the premise to stand another second of Ten, Boob Boy and Lass Lad.

Maybe other people won't be so annoyed by these characters, but I'm done with Showalter's YA books for now. I still might give Lords of the Underworld a try, because I already have the first book somewhere in my TBR pile.

Why should you read it:
The premise does sound intriguing.


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Dust - A DNF Ramble

Dust (The Resurgam Trilogy #1)
by Joan Frances Turner

What is it about:
What happens between death and life can change a girl. Jessie is a zombie. And this is her story . . . Nine years ago, Jessie was in a car crash and died. After she was buried, she awoke and tore through the earth to arise, reborn, as a zombie. And there are others--gangs of undead roaming the Indiana woods, fighting, hunting, hidden. But when a mysterious illness threatens the existence of both zombies and humans, Jessie must decide whether to stay and fight or flee to survive . . .

What did I think of it:
Once again I got my trotters on a book because it had zombies, without reading the blurb carefully...

So when I picked this book up as my Orphaned read for this month I discovered that it was written from the zombie perspective.

I tried! I really tried, but I gave up on this book after only a few pages. I just do not like zombie books where the story is told from the zombie perspective. Yes, there are a few exceptions, where the zombie is a thinking zombie, like Diana Rowland's White Trash Zombie books, or Rachel Caine's Revivalist trilogy, but overall the zombie perspective doesn't work for me.

I want my zombies mindless, craving brains, and as antagonists. I'm sure this book is brilliant, and different, and worth all the raving reviews it got back when it got released, but it only reminded me that I need to check the blurb more carefully next time.

Why should you read it:
If you like the zombie perspective this might be a book for you.

True Blood - DNF Book Review

True Blood
by Patricia Waddell

What is it about:
She's a diplomat…
Danna MacFadyen of the League of Planets is assigned to investigate the explosion of a space freighter. She must use her psychometric skills to determine whether this was an accident or terrorism -- but for Danna, the hardest part of this assignment is working with Korcian Enforcer Cullon Gavriel.

He's a warrior…
Fighting isn't just in a Korcian's blood -- it's in his very soul. Cullon Gavriel already knows the freighter explosion was terrorism -- targeted at the Korcian prince traveling incognito aboard the ship. Cullon's single goal: to discover who is killing Korcian True Bloods. He never expects to become enchanted with a beautiful Terran female who has the ability to step into the past.

As the pieces of an explosive puzzle fall into place...
Danna and Cullon realize they have uncovered a conspiracy that stretches across the galaxy. The trail leads to the capitol city of the Korcian Empire, where shocking secrets lie hidden-- and where the lines between politics and love cross unexpectedly.

What did I think of it:
Another SF where all the aliens are basically humans (well, ok: there are dwarves as well), but I'm used to that by now, so I went along with that.

I had a hard time getting to like any of the characters. Danna is a bit bland and easily impressed by looks, while Cullon is an alpha asshole. The only character I even liked a bit was the dwarf, but he was friends with the alpha asshole, so I didn't really trust him because of that.

The story felt a bit static and didn't really draw me in. The interaction between Danna and Cullon felt stilted as well. When for the gazillionth time Cullon was being a jerk again, and Danna was still swooning over his feline/viking good looks, I threw the book across the room and decided it wasn't for me. I just couldn't stand either of them any longer.

I do have the second book in this series (True Deception) in my TBR pile. I understand it's about two different people, so if I ever feel in the mood for SF and have nothing else on hand, I might give it a try to see if its as infuriating as this book or not.

Why should you read it:
Maybe you like über alphas being jerks.

Under a Graveyard Sky - DNF Book Review

Under a Graveyard Sky (Black Tide Rising #1)
by John Ringo

What is it about:
A family of survivors who fight back against a zombie plague that has brought down civilization.Zombies are real. And we made them. Are you prepared for the zombie apocalypse? The Smith family is, with the help of a few marines.

When an airborne “zombie” plague is released, bringing civilization to a grinding halt, the Smith family, Steven, Stacey, Sophia and Faith, take to the Atlantic to avoid the chaos. The plan is to find a safe haven from the anarchy of infected humanity. What they discover, instead, is a sea composed of the tears of survivors and a passion for bringing hope.

For it is up to the Smiths and a small band of Marines to somehow create the refuge that survivors seek in a world of darkness and terror. Now with every continent a holocaust and every ship an abattoir, life is lived beneath a graveyard sky.

What did I think of it, and why didn't I finish it:
This book starts out really cool.

Steven and his brother are a sort of Doomsday preppers, so when the first news about an airborne zombie-virus hits, Steven and his family bug out and get to safety.

There's also accounts about how other people fare against this new plague, and how people are trying to find a cure. So far so good. i was really enjoying myself.

Then the two daughters, Sophia and Faith are called in to help out at the lab. I must say my first grumble began here. I found it hard to believe that a 16 year old girl really was best person to help out with looking for the cure. And taking her younger sister along, who had no skills to help out whatsoever didn't make sense as well.

Of course Faith, the younger sister, gets herself in trouble. I grumbled a bit about that, but decided that Faith being a young teen, it fit her age and character.

Then their parents turn up, and the whole family went to an illegal concert. Of course zombies turned up, lured by the lights and sounds of the concert...

What?

Here I gave up on the book.

I just couldn't believe that the same family who was so smart to bug out when the shit hit the fan, would actually go to the most unsafe place to be during an airborne outbreak of a zombie-plague. I just didn't care for any of them anymore.

I'm guessing Ringo wanted to add some zombie action, but I wish it was done in another way than this, because I was enjoying the book up until that point.

Maybe I'll give one of Ringo's other books a try sometime, but I'm done with the Smith family.

Why should you read it:
If you don't mind illogical behavior, you might find this a cool read.

Some DNFs

Time to list a couple of books I tried to read, but put aside without finishing. In other words: DNF = Did Not finish.


The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa
Although I love Kagawa's Blood of Eden series, this book couldn't grab my attention. I felt no connection with the lead characters.


Life on the Preservation by Jack Skillingstead
Another book where I just didn't connect with the characters enough to care about what was happening.


Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi
The writing felt a bit pretentious, but worse was the political flavor that was stamped all over the world building. But it might just be me, I will confess I was in a grumpy mood when trying this book.

The Reapers Are the Angels - DNF Book Review

The Reapers Are the Angels
by Alden Bell

What is it about:
Zombies have infested a fallen America. A young girl named Temple is on the run. Haunted by her past and pursued by a killer, Temple is surrounded by death and danger, hoping to be set free.

For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

What did I think of it:
I tried really hard to like this book.
It's got zombies, a dark view of the future and there's one really cool character in this book.

But I had to put it down about half way through, because I couldn't take it anymore.

First there's the writing:
Present tense and in a way that kept dragging me out of the story. Add the fact that there's no use of quotation marks or colons when someone is speaking to that and I can tell you the writing really annoyed me.

Then there's Temple.
I did not like her!
And as she's the main character there was a lot not to like. She also isn't very bright. She didn't give her real name to people, but instead she kept giving the same fake name everywhere, hence nullifying the disguising effect the fake name could have.

No positive things?
Well....
There is one really cool character who I liked from the moment he was introduced. Guess what: he turned out to be the bad guy of this story.....

In the end I just wasn't able to get through this book and if I ever see a book by Bell that sounds interesting, I will make sure it's not in present tense and has proper quotation marks before I decide to give it a try.

Why should you read it:
It has zombies and an intriguing bad guy.

Some DNF Books

There have been books I picked up and didn't finish.
(The so called DNF (Did Not Finish) books)
Here's three of them and my thoughts on them.


Raven's Shadow (Raven Set #1)
by Patricia Briggs

What is it about:
Seraph is a Raven mage who left behind her responsibilities for the love of the ex-soldier Tier. But when Tier disappears, Seraph must use her magic?and fulfill her ancestors? oath to protect humanity from destruction.

What did I think of it:
I read this book only for 25% and then put it down.

The story isn't bad, but it's a bit slow and stilted. The lead character Seraph didn't really interest me and neither did any of the others. They didn't feel very real to me. I wasn't invested in either the characters or the story.

A shame because I love most anything else Briggs has written.



Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters #1)
by Jessica Shirvington

What is it about:
Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

What did I think of it:
Sometimes I read other people's reviews about a book and feel like I've read a totally different book than they did.

Embrace is such a book.

I really tried reading it, because most reviews I read were lyrical about the battle between good and evil.

I made it close to the middle of the book and all it was about to me was a girl being thorn between a nice, but dull guy and a typical bad boy. Yup, the ever returning love triangle.

OK: she supposedly was the offspring of angels, but that trope wasn't really used very well in my opinion. Maybe it changed and got really good after the point where I put the book down, but I didn't have the patience and fortitude to stomach anymore of the teen angsty love drama to find out.



Alchemystic (The Spellmason Chronicles #1)
by Anton Strout

What is it about:
Alexandra Belarus is a struggling artist living in New York City, even though her family is rich in real estate, including a towering Gothic Gramercy Park building built by her great-great-grandfather. But the truth of her bloodline is revealed when she is attacked on the street and saved by an inhumanly powerful winged figure. A figure who knows the Belarus name…

Lexi’s great-great-grandfather was a Spellmason—an artisan who could work magic on stone. But in his day, dark forces conspired against him and his, so he left a spell of protection on his family. Now that Lexi is in danger, the spell has awoken her ancestor’s most trusted and fearsome creation: a gargoyle named Stanis.

Lexi and Stanis are equally surprised to find themselves bound to each other. But as they learn to work together, they realize that only united can they save the city they both love…

What did I think of it:
This book is based on a short story Strout wrote in Spells of the City. I picked this book up because I really liked that short story and wanted more.

Yeah...

The gargoyle Stanis is really cool and I kind of liked the story idea, but I seriously disliked Lexi and her friends.

They were bratty and annoying and in Lexi's case even obnoxious at times. I put this book down around page 118 when I realised I really wanted to punch Lexi and her friends.

Although I will confess I'm curious about what happens to Stanis, I really don't feel like reading more about Lexi.



Why should you read these books:
All three of these books do have their moments and my dislikes might not be yours.

World War Z - DNF Review

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
by Max Brooks

What is it about:
The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

What did I think of it:
I didn't finish this book, but put it away about half way through.

It's not because of the story:
The story is really cool and believable. Brooks did a great job in describing how people would react when the zombie apocalypse would be upon us. It's realistic, gritty, grim and the zombies are the proper kind of zombies in my opinion.

It was the writing that really started to bug me.

Each chapter of this book is narrated by someone else. It's set up as if one person went to talk with survivors of World War Z and wrote down their oral accounts. And that's were it went wrong for me: All narrators sounded the same. Whether it was a military commander, a civilian or a doctor: they all had the same narrative voice. This resulted in all those different stories blending together. At one point I couldn't remember if I had already reached a new narrator or not.

So that's why I decided to put this book aside.

I might try picking it up again one day to finish it, because, as I said, the story is really cool and I am curious how it will end. But for now I do not have the patience for it.

Why should you read it:
It's a very realistic take on the zombie apocalypse.

Darkness Descending - DNF Review

Darkness Descending (Vampire Armageddon #1)
by Devyn Quinn

What is it about:
Fallen angels in the form of vampires are infecting humans one by one, creating an army fit for Armageddon. Jesse Burke, driven by vengeance to destroy the vampiric angels, has been protecting New Orleans from the onslaught, unaware that she has a much greater destiny awaiting her in the face of the oncoming apocalypse...

What did I think of it:
*spoiler ahead*
I did not finish this book!

It started out a bit slow, but ok. I had some minor grumblings, like the superhuman sentinels being named Palindromes (come on, it made me think of literature lessons in high school instead of immortal protectors) and the fact that I thought that Reyen, the Native American sidekick of Maddox was more interesting than Maddox himself.

But then about half way in and just when there was finally some action one of my pet peeves happened:
The hero and heroine have sex and right after the hero runs off to have intimate dealings with another woman!

That's when I decided to put down the book. I just didn't want to read the drama and whatnot that would unfold between Maddox and Jesse (Jesse of course saw him run off with the other woman just to make things juicy) and only get a mildly enjoyable paranormal action storyline to go with it to take the edge of the drama.

I might read another book in this series, but only if it's about Reyen and I will toss it aside without any problem if again the drama is of the same kind as in this book.

Why should you read it:
It's a nicely written PNF if you can handle two-timing drama.