Review: The Shape of Desire by Sharon Shinn

Author: Sharon Shinn
Title: The Shape of Desire
Series: Shifting Circle #1
Pages: 336
Source: Owned

For fifteen years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But despite loving him with all of her heart and soul, Maria knows that Dante can never give all of himself back-at least not all the time.
Every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal. During those times, he wanders far and wide, leaving Maria alone. He can't choose when he shifts, the transition is often abrupt and, as he gets older, the time he spends in human form is gradually decreasing. But Maria, who loves him without hesitation, wouldn't trade their unusual relationship for anything.
Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she's been telling about her life have turned into lies she's telling herself...

I am a huge fan of Sharon Shinn, and have been looking forward to this book for almost a year now. Having read it, it is different from Ms. Shinn's usual work in that it is set in the real world, in present-day Missouri, and reads more like magical realism than fantasy. I enjoyed it very much, but it was different.

Maria Devane has been in love with Dante for fifteen years. Dante is a shapeshifter, and as the years have gone by, he spends more and more time in his animal shape, so that he is human only a few days a month. Maria's whole life revolves around keeping Dante's secret and she lives for the moments she can be with him in his human form.

The story is quite slow-paced, but I think that was the point. It's not an epic tale, or one filled with adventure; not a lot of things happen. It's the simple story of Maria life, her daily routine, and the brief moments of happiness she has with Dante. It's about the strain of keeping his secret, of choosing to be in a relationship, which although it makes her happy, is not entirely healthy and balanced.

In the end, we find out it's also about Dante, his motivations, and the choices he's made; the new choices he can choose to make.

The issues that arise in Maria's life around the choices she makes concerning Dante, and how she reacts to issues in the lives of the people around her provides a lot of food for thought - both for Maria and for me as a reader. There are no easy answers.

It's a slow story. But it is also a simple and heartfelt story, told with grace and stark beauty, with complex characters who have complex motivations, who make difficult choices.

I waited a year for this, and although it was not what I expected at the end of that wait, I was not disappointed at all. Of course I recommend it - it's Sharon Shinn!!

★★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

N/A

Waiting on Wednesday #5

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Jill's blog, and highlights upcoming releases were highly anticipating.





Today's WoW is for one of my FAVORITE authors in all the world, and the very first author who was on my autobuy list before I knew there was such a thing as an autobuy list. It releases on April 3rd 2012. 4 more weeks! To say I can't wait is an understatement. If she wrote it, it's going to be good.

For fifteen years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But despite loving him with all of her heart and soul, Maria knows that Dante can never give all of himself back-at least not all the time. Every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal. During those times, he wanders far and wide, leaving Maria alone. He can't choose when he shifts, the transition is often abrupt and, as he gets older, the time he spends in human form is gradually decreasing. But Maria, who loves him without hesitation, wouldn't trade their unusual relationship for anything. Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she's been telling about her life have turned into lies she's telling herself...

Yayy!! And isn't the cover beautiful?! I am getting this baby in hardcover and on kindle.
Any new releases you're excited for? Leave me a comment or a link to your WoW!

REVIEW: Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane

Author: Stacia Kane
Title: Unholy Magic
Series: Downside Ghosts #2
Pages: 346
Source: Owned

The second book in this edgy urban fantasy trilogy. Chess is a fiercely independent witch and talented Debunker - working for the Church of Real Truth to exorcise ghosts and expose human liars. But she has a dark little secret that is causing her a lot of problems! a drug addiction. Trying to catch a spectral serial killer with a fondness for his victims' eyes is distracting Chess from her day job, and her growing attraction to Terrible is making things worse. Life is getting too complicated and Chess must break the rules to keep her head above water.

Much of the reason I am rating this four stars is Terrible.

Okay. Here are my thoughts:

1.  I am fascinated by the world Ms. Kane has created. Oh I am still confused by a lot of it, but it's still rather unique in terms of UF worlds. It's dystopian (which is commonplace in UF), but the part of the world we see/spend time is not common: the underworld. It's dark, raw, gritty, and an unpleasant place to be. The books are about a high functioning druggie who lives smack in the inner city, who deals with drug lords who run prostitution rings, sell drugs, have their henchmen brutalize people, where street fights kill people, and where most people are victims of circumstances. It isn't a pretty world. The characters are not people you should be rooting for: a drug addict who realizes that her drugs are ruining her life but who still makes no move to try and stop, and an enforcer who, as Mimi puts it, "is a professional bully" for a drug baron. But that is the genius of Stacia Kane. Like Regina says, "[Ms Kane] is able to surprise us with our feelings about Terrible."

2. Terrible is awesome. And Ms. Kane did one of the best jobs in any UF anywhere when she came up with this guy. He's not someone we should root for. He's not your normal hero; or anti-hero. He brutalizes people for a living (never mind that he was a victim of circumstances, the truth is still the truth), he also oversees his drug lord's prostitution business. Seeing him in action as th thug was...harrowing. I hated it. But he still manages to be kid, sweet, considerate..... in some ways he is more than the usual heroes we have in UF: not many people can live the life he has, in the circumstances he has and still be an honorable person through and through. Yet Terrible manages to be believably so. A very big part of what keeps me coming back to this series is Terrible.

3. Chess: again, to quote Mimi, she is not so TSTL as she is TUTL (too unstable to live). She is supposedly a high-functioning drug addict. She is always high and can still solve mysteries while high. If she can do that, I don't see why she can't exercise some of that good sense and NOT hurt Terrible; and NOT make bad decision after bad decision; and NOT decide she needs to get her life together and wean herself off drugs. You see glimmers of growth here and there, but for the most part....oh Chess - get it together, girl!!

4. I still don't get a lot of the ghost mythology and stuff. For example, how the heck big is this so-called City of Ghosts? The spirit of every person who ever lived is kept there? Don't they run out of space? These ghosts are supposed to b incorporeal, but thy act like zombies half the time. Pyschopomps? Huh?!!

5. I am not amused with the way things ended.

★★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. Unholy Ghosts.

 

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
My rating: ★★★★★

I read this for Samuel and only for him.

I also gave this one five stars for Samuel. The rest of the story is good too, but for me, everything took a back seat to my favorite werewolf.

Samuel broke my heart. I spent a good deal of the story with a lump in my throat for him. The conversation he has with Mercy in the X-ray room was so poignant, so sad. :'( And it was interesting too, seeing into the mind of a wolf who was losing control. I am glad Samuel found someone to live for. But I'll miss Sam. I liked the wolf being in control. I raised my eyebrows a bit when Mercy was thinking it was good that Ari had a sense of humor, because she'd only allow someone with a sense of humor to have Samuel. Smh. she complains about how protective he is, but she is also so very protective of him. She really does love him - you know, love that has everything to do with friendship and nothing to do with being in love. That was sweet to see.

And Bran....you gotta love Bran.

Um yes. The rest of the story was good, as stories in this series have always been. Truth be told, I wasn't paying it too much mind: I had eyes only for my Samuel.



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Gift of Magic by Lynn Kurland

Gift of Magic by Lynn Kurland
My rating:★★★

In one word, this book was a disappointing finish to the story of Ruithneadh and Sarah in particular and the tale of the Nine Kingdoms is general.

It's not that the story wasn't well told. It was. The writing was truly beautiful, and the world sprawled out like only epic fantasy can, and the names were right. It is a pet peeve of mine to read fantasy with names that sound fake - it spoils the whole story. Well, the names of people and places in this series, although unpronounceable, fit perfectly. So it was good book. It could easily have been a four or five star book, but it ended up a three because...it was just an anticlimax. Really, it was. The whole epic culmination of the novel was just blah.

In addition, the book had way too much repetition. Since book four Ruith had been whining about his magic. "Oh look at me, poor boy, I am a powerful magician, but my dad was evil. Never mind that everyone else in my family tree is a wonderful noble incorruptible person and I aspire to be like them, my dad was really evil, so I'll be evil too. Woe is me, woe is me." That was Ruith from book #4, when he was introduced, to the final 10% of this book when he realizes that he's nothing like his dad. Duh! And every 15 seconds, we were being reminded that he spent time running around with Miach of Neroche being troublesome and stealing spells when they were 10 years old. Every fifteen seconds. It happened over 20 years ago, and was repeated <i>ad nauseum</i> through the series, even from Miach's section - so that makes 6 books through which we've been hearing this. It became annoying after the 3rd mention in the first book. And we also heard way too much about Miach. This wasn't his book, and he didn't have any substantial part to play. i just didn't see the need to be reminded of him every few pages. Sarah also just spent half the book whining about not having any magic, even though she could dreamweave, and going on and on about not being princess enough for Ruith, even though her mom and dd came from distinguished royal families: every fifteen seconds too. Argh!

I think this might be the end of the <u>Nine Kingdoms</u> series, in which case I'm sad to part with a great cast of characters and a good epic story; but this ending didn't do it's characters or the series much justice at all.

ETA: No it's not the end of the series I hear tell Ms. Kurland  is working on a set of books for Runach! So we'll see them again.
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Never to Sleep by Rachel Vincent

Never to Sleep by Rachel Vincent
My rating: ★★★

It should be 2.5 stars, really.

Ms. Vincent can write some wonderfully nuanced characters. Unfortunately, she failed in this attempt. Sophie is still the self-centered jerk she has always been. Sure, she's resourceful and assertive, but that is to be expected. Most girls don't get to be one of the most popular girls in their cliques by being just a mean girl.

Luca is a new character that was introduced in this novella, and it seems he'll play some sort of role in Before I Wake. But I am glad for Sophie's little adventure in the underworld. It's about time she got introduced into the family business.

I also had to laugh when she thought Kaylee could never have handled the underworld! if only you knew, Ms. Sophia, if only you knew!

All in all, I think you can skip this novella and not be the worse off for it.

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Divining Without Seeds by Iruka N. Okeke

Divining Without Seeds by Iruka N. Okeke
My rating: ★★★★

When I heard Dr. Okeke was publishing a book about the importance of microbiology and diagnostics in Africa, I knew I was going to buy it as soon as it came out. Well, I did buy it, and it's some of the best money I've spent all year.

In this book, Dr. Okeke outlines a very strong case for streamlining medical practice in Africa, and integrating it with diagnostic services, like it is in places with good and effective medical systems. She also spends time unpacking the myths about why diagnostic services are unnecessary/too expensive in Africa. She debunks very popular myths AND also proposes solutions.

What I love about this book is the simple and sure way it unravels the untruths surrounding why diagnostics are thought not to be a feasible part of medical practice in Africa. So easily, you "see the light" really quickly, LOL! That's why this book, to me, is so important. It provides a completely new paradigm, a new way of conceiving medical practice for a continent that is sorely, sorely in need of new paradigms when in comes to medical practice.

However, the reason this book gets four stars instead of five is that although it is geared towards laymen and professionals alike, the material makes for very, very heavy reading. It is a LOT of food for thought, wrapped up in quite a heavy technical package. Granted, the nature of the subject is very highly technical, but at times, my head felt like exploding, there was so much information.

Speaking of information - Dr. Okeke's bibliography is very, very extensive and takes up a good chunk of the book. If I find myself some time, I will go through her sources and look for some of the papers cited in there, it's so filled with useful information.

This is not a book for the fainthearted, it's not a book to keep to yourself, it's' not a book to read once only, it's not a book to read in one sitting, or even two or three or five. Each section bears very important food for thought. Even if one doesn't agree with everything in this book (and I do), it opens up a new avenue of debate about the direction of medical practice in Africa. And that perhaps, is the most important function/niche this book has filled.

I can't recommend this one enough.

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Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

Guild Hunter #4
Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh
My rating: ★★★

Okay. I bought this immediately it came out, but it's taken me so many months to read it.

I did like the story. Ms. Singh's storytelling works for me. It was moving in parts, but fell flat in others. Most of the characters, well all the ones that mattered in this tale, anyway, fell flat for me.

I have never been fond of Dmitri. After having read his story, I'm still not fond of him. I still think he's unnecessarily cruel, and something of a bully.

Honor didn't do anything for me, and I have no feelings toward her either way (you know, like, dislike, etc).

Sorrow didn't do anything for me either. Or Venom.

Not my favorite Guild Hunter story; not my favorite hero or heroine; not my favorite love story; not my favorite story, period.

Nevertheless, it is a good tale, an intriguing and rather unusual one, with some poignant moments.

Oh, and the cover is nothing to write home about either. 

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If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Soul Screamers #5
If I Die by Rachel Vincent
My rating: ★★★★★

This is not going to end well.

You have to hand it to Rachel Vincent. She can write fabulously. I ran the gamut of emotions reading this book - from exasperation, annoyance, anger, foreboding, anticipation, triumph, sadness, defeat, expectancy, to disappointment - and it has left me exhausted. So I can't NOT give this one five stars.

This is probably the best book in the series. The story was well-told and held my attention from beginning to end. I love how consistent the rules of Ms. Vincent's world are. No second chances. You die a second time, you die. And she didn't change that for Kaylee. I loved that

I have never been a fan of Nash - right from the very beginning, I thought him shallow, rude, arrogant, spoiled and selfish, egotistical, idiotic, hypocritical, horrible, unpleasant; I see nothing redeemable in him. He had never done anything without selfish intent. Even his reactions to Kaylee choosing Tod proved me right. There was one tiny moment where I felt sympathy for him, and then he had to make a string of bad decisions that just show how selfish, uncaring, and self-centered he is. I will NEVER be TEAM NASH or support anything he does because he is such a horrible character. But even he didn't deserve this, this...triangle. Having your girlfriend break up with you because of your dead brother is just..incestuous and horrible. Ugh! I hate Nash!

Kaylee. In this book, she grew up. Finally. I guess news of your own very imminent death does that to a person. Rachel Vincent did a fantastic job of showing Kaylee's maturity here, and I was surprised to find myself rooting for her in this one.

Tod was a shining star in this one, the foil to his horrible brother. Of course he has his flaws, and his selfish motives, but he genuinely cares about his family and his friends, genuinely loves them, and genuinely wants to see them happy. Not perfect, but his heart is truly in the right place. Basically a decent human being and then some. But still, not like this. Tod! What were you thinking?!

Sabine is a witch with a capital B. Amoral. Just as horrible as Nash, and those two deserve each other.

Dammit Tod, Dammit Kaylee!!! This isn't going to end well.



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Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews

Kinsmen #2
Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews
My rating: ★★★★

Silver Shark is a novella and the second in the Kinsmen novella series. If it is not too obvious by now, I love Ilona Andrews' work. It is always well thought out and even if I don't like a story, I can't dispute the quality of their output.

I am really happy to say I enjoyed Silver Shark very much. The reason I gave it four stars instead of five, is that like Silent Blade, the first Kinsmen novella, I did not particularly like the heroine. Even given her extenuating circumstances, I felt she did not act with honor at all times,and that the hero was a better/more honorable person. That's just my one pet peeve. Great novella!

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Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews

The Edge #3
Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews
My rating: ★★★★½

★★★★½


Hot Damn.

This was some pretty excellent reading, and made my day very well-spent.

Audrey and Kaldar are beyond awesome as characters - two skilled thieves trying to score one for the good guys. And as I've said elsewhere, if I wasn't too old, and if I lived in the world of The Edge, and if bigamy wasn't against the law, I'd marry them when they grew up. And if Gaston was human, him too. Yep, I want them all.

But I will say this. I defintely think FATE'S EDGE is the best of the Edge books, but ON THE EDGE REMAINS my favorite. (If you care to know, I didn't like Cerise and William's story). Fate's Edge felt a bit like theirs for me (Cerise and William, that is, not Rose and Declan's). The writing was perfect, and Kaldar and Audrey were perfect for each other. But they...didn't bring it. I don't know how to explain it, because I would be the first to say the story is excellent, the tension nearly gave me a heart attack, and I was giggling like an idiot during the moments of levity. It worked for me; it worked very well for me. But still.

The love. That was one of the factors that didn't "bring it." I mean, I felt the love, and I saw the love, but it just passed the screen. It didn't come out of the blue, but then it wasn't developed fully. Argh! This is too hard to put in words.

It's a great book. I loved it. I loved all the characters; I can't WAIT for the villains to get their comeuppance; Kaldar and Audrey are great; George and Jack and Gaston are excellent; Rose and Declan light up my life.

Highly recommended. What else can I do? It's an Ilona Andrews book. Of course it is excellent. It goes without saying.

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Magic Graves (anthology) by Ilona Andrews and Jeaniene Frost

Magic Graves: One for the Money / A Questionable Client by Jeaniene Frost
My rating: ★★★★★

Magic Graves is an anthology that features an already-published work each from Ilona Andrews and Jeaniene Frost. Both stories are excellent.

A Questionable Client - 5 stars

This features a prequel to the Kate Daniels series; it is the story of how Kate met Saiman. I liked the younger Kate, and I liked the mythology in the novel. Saiman is still Saiman, as amoral as ever. It was a fun treat to look inside their first meeting.


One for the Money - 5 stars

This novella features Cat and Bones on bodyguard/whodunit detail, and it was a good read. Be warned though, this novella is like #3.5 in the Night Huntress series, so for someone like me, who'd read only the first book, there are MAJOR spoilers in there. I was quite sad to be so spoiled. Oh well, serves me right, I guess. But it's also great.



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Kiss of Snow, by Nalini Singh

Psy-Changeling, #10
Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

My rating: ★★★★★

I'm not going to go into plot details because other reviewers have done that better than I could have.

I think this might just be my favorite of the whole series, right up there with play of passion. It is not just because Hawke is my absolute favorite character (how can you NOT love the hotness that is Hawke?).

See, Kiss of Snow isn't perfect. At all. In fact it has a lot wrong with it. for example the story (Sienna and Hawke's) was fast. I felt like i didn't have time to savor it. And there were a lot of things going on in the story at the same time, making it feel choppy and episodic.

But the things that were wrong with the book were also what made it special. In many ways this book isabout precious moments, cherished moments, moments stolen from busy, chaotic, choppy days.

It was about the little moments that made up Sienna and Hawke's courtship; it was about finding precious moments to nurture love in the midst of upheaval.

It was about moments with friends, and about family bonds, friendship bonds, loyalty, love... all in busy times, moments stolen from the day.

It was about the ties that bind.

At the beginning I wasn't sure this was going to be my favorite book. but it's definitely in my top 3 of this series. I LOVE it! the many moments Hawke and Sienna had and the last 25% of the story made up for everything else.

And Hawke is a man after my own heart. he is simply awesome (anyone that says different is a huge liar, lol) and one of my favorite heroes in fiction. One of the things I love most about his character is how flawed he is. Unlike many of the heroes in this series, he is hugely flawed, with real flaws too (none of the "noble, admirable" flaws crap).He is not at all perfect, and in many ways Sienna is more 'perfect' than he is. I immensely enjoyed learning what made him tick, his history and his imperfections too.

Sienna is awesome. Many times i forgot she was only 19. She is much more mature than any 19 yo (she is more like Indigo than Evie) and more than a match for Hawke. She could hold her own against him. She's a force to be reckoned with in her own right. And I LOVED their love story, if that's not obvious by now. I also really enjoyed seeing how much-loved Hawke is, how much his pack loves and admires him, and just how much of himself he gives to his pack, how much he loves them, how hard he works to deserve their love and admiration. I only wish there has been more time to spend with Hawke and Sienna and the SnowDancer pack.

The interactions of the Lauren family were also great to see (Toby and Marlee need their own book, hehe). Kiss of Snow is not your most perfect story out there, but it is an amazing love story and well worth the wait (I see you amazon.com, making me wait till past three am to get my hands on this book).

Now all that is left is to make Hawke a daddy!!!!

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Dragon Bound, by Thea Harrison

Elder Races #1
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

My rating: ★★★★★

THIS BOOK!

LOVED IT!

Well, not so much the first half - that was just meh. The writing was good, but I just could not get into it. Pia was annoying, but Dragos (insert besotted smile here) was cute from the very beginning.

The second half however, is gold, pure gold. I could not stop giggling while i was reading it. it was funny and sweet and cute.

Pia was actually a very worthy heroine. She was kick-ass, smart, funny, and snarky while still managing to be gentle, and sweet and cute (those three words again). You don't get a winning combination like that often. I thought she was annoying in the beginning, but she's truly charming. I take back everything bad i said about Pia, lol. My one pet peeve is that I HATED it when she called Dragos "Big Guy". The heck? All this great writing and Thea Harrison couldn't come up with a better pet name for Dragos? smh.

Dragos is one of the best heroes I've had the pleasure of reading in a while. He is your typical "alpha-male",take-charge, gruff, dangerous, primal, untamed, wild... alla that good stuff, and he is at the same time endearing and sweet. I mean, how many 'uber-male, he-man-type' heroes do you know of who have no trouble saying "sorry" and meaning it? (I can't tell you how much I loved it when he offered sincere apologies to Rune and Pia). Right from when I read about him, I loved him.

The plot:
Like I said before, it dragged in the first half, but man, oh man was I sucked in during the second half. Many times I found myself going back to read the pages I'd complained were dragging, lol.

when i remembered getting to the end that Pia and Dragos had only known each other a week or two, I was actually surprised. I felt like we had been with them ages, watching them grow with each other, so I must say that their love story worked very, very well for me.

The supporting cast was great: Tricks was cute, but Rune and Graydon were my favorites. I liked Rune immediately I read about him, but Graydon took a while. I fell head over heals for him the moment he said "that was goddamn balletic, Pia" on the excercise mat, after she'd thrown Rune down. I mean, how cool is that? Who says "balletic" - I HAD to love Graydon after that. I hope he gets a book (I know Rune and Tricks get theirs).

In a way, I wish the next books were not going to focus on other characters, I'd have loved to see more of Dragos and Pia. They're that cool.

I will be waiting to read the other books. But this book is gold. It is lovely, funny, witty, charming...all the superlatives you can think of. Well the last 50% anyway. Skip the first half if you can :D

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Storm's Heart, by Thea Harrison

Elder Races #2
Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison
 ★★½


(Disclaimer: if it seems ranty, please note that i was hungry and sleep-deprived (and possibly moody) when i set out to write this review :O)

In a nutshell: Tricks has to leave the Wyr to go off and become the Dark Fae Queen. Tiago is sent with her for her protection. Things happen. Tricks (now known by her real name, Niniane) and Tiago fall in love. More stuff happens.Then comes their Happily ever after.

The characters:
Tiago in one word: brutish. and rude. and crabby. and always running roughshod over things/people. All the time, and mostly for no (justifiable) reason. He is all the things we hate about so-called alpha male heroes, with none of the endearing qualities that makes us gloss over forgive their worst faults. I did not like him at all. The only scene where he made me smile was when he was thoughtful enough not only send for clothes for Niniane, but also to request some chocolates and magazines and earrings for her. That was sweet. There were also a few moments here and there when he was not a complete jackass. The rest of the time, he was plain unlikeable; crude also(it was NOT sexy). I felt his behavior was inexcusable, being old and primal be damned. Heck, Dragos is even older and more primal, but he happened to be endearing. Tiago is not. Irksome is what he was. Running around like a petulant child throwing tantrums when things don't go his way and just generally being a pain (ick!) I did not think he deserved Rune's friendship, nor Dragos, nor any of the Wyr. What he mostly deserved was to have some sense and manners chuck-norris-roundhouse-kicked into him.

Niniane in one word: Hmm - I don't quite know a good one. Mebbe simpering(?) I saw a different Niniane than we had met before in Dragon Bound, when she was Tricks. Tricks was funny and spunky and take-charge; Niniane was flaky, tantrum-prone, and rather shallow (not a good combo). In short, she was a ninny (hah! I amuse myself, lol). For me she was not a very empathetic character. Even the extenuating circumstances could not garner sympathy. I was more like "get it together woman and get serious. you effing have a job to do, do it!" Actually, i wish they had another candidate for queen, because I don't think Niniane has what it takes, nor did I get the feeling she would be a good queen (ie what the Dark Fae need, not one who is liked/loved by 200% of the people, which seemed her primary purpose in life). And oh yes - it really bugged me that all it took for Niniane to start doubting the Wyr (read: Dragos and the sentinels) was a few statements from Carling. Really? No matter how stressed you are, you do NOT doubt the people who have taken you in, treated you as family, and protected you when your own wanted to kill you -people who gave you safe haven for what, TWO HUNDRED YEARS?! and ESPECIALLY when the seeds of doubt are being sown by someone you a) don't trust/know that well, and b) who would have a stake in you not getting along with said people who took you in. I would think by now you know without a shadow of a doubt that they got your back. But no. we doubt them and then chalk it all to stress. smh.

The secondary characters: Dragos and Pia made me smile the scant times they were on; Rune was cute as always. Aryal I found slightly more endearing in this one than in Dragon Bound. So in a sense, it was only the old supporting cast that I enjoyed seeing. None of the new characters were memorable/people i think i would enjoy/care reading about some more. Carling I didn't like one bit (why oh why is she going to be my darling Rune's mate?), nor Arethusa or whatever her name is. Just... no.

The Plot: The "love" between Niniane and Tiago didn't do it for me. Additionally, I ended up skimming rather large portions of this book because I found it hard to keep interested in the Dark Fae elements and the "mystery" aspect - ie, who was interested in killing Niniane. Heck, I wanted to kill Niniane. And Tiago. Most especially Tiago.

Ms. Harrison's quirky and fun writing is what ultimately makes this book likeable.

But I was sorely disappointed with the story and even more so with the characters. I will not be re-reading this one. I will be continuing with the series, because the writing is good, and I love Rune, so I gotta read his book :).


Favorite Quotes:

"I know. I'm sorry. I was scared too. I was so scared. Thank you for coming after me. Thank you so much for finding me" - Niniane to Tiago.

"I will have every part of you, until I live with you underneath your skin" - Tiago to Niniane


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