Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Study #2
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: ★★★½

Magic Study continues where the previous book left off. Yelena is now in Sitia and has a whole new set of issues to face and adversities to overcome. It was a good installment in the study series, I guess. I liked it and it held my attention (which is what good books are supposed to do) but I do think it fell short of Poison Study.

I enjoyed seeing Yelena's parents and how much they had loved her, even in absentia. However, I missed the old crew. I wasn't interested in Dax, or Fisk, or any of the new people Yelena came to know. When she was interacting with those people, it felt wrong to me, and so I spent that time sorely missing Ari and Janco instead. I missed Valek :(.

One thing about the book I loved was that Sitia seemed slightly familiar. Then i realized I had seen Sitia before. There were references to Touch of Power and the events that will happen in that trilogy. It seems ToP took place about a century and a half before the Study series :)

The story picked up substantially when the old crew came back into the picture, but by then, the story was too far gone to bring it to a really good level of awesomeness.




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A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow

A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow
My rating:★★★

I liked it.

At times I forgot I was reading a mystery, because it didn't 'read' like one. It had more of A Day in the Life of Kate Shugak vibe than a searching for a whodunit vibe.

The ending made me a bit sad, though. I liked the person who committed the crime :(

Not a bad introduction to Dana Stabenow's writing.

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Sirantha Jax by Ann Aguirre

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
My rating: ★★★★½

I am sure this is the start of a new and beautiful friendship with Ann Aguirre.

Sirantha Jax is a rare carrier of the J-gene, meaning she can jump through space, a talent which makes her a valuable asset - she can lead the charge in charting space, discovering territories - you know the kind of thing that space ships do. She also suffers from major survivors' guilt over her last jump, which went terribly wrong and killed quite a number of people. She is in prison, waiting for it to all end, when March and his crew appear to break her out. They plan to use her and her ability to help break the monopoly the corrupt Conglomerate holds over space travel.

It was a bit confusing for someone who hasn't read any science fiction in a while, but once I found my feet, everything started rolling and didn't stop until the very end. I could see clearly in my mind's eye Sirantha's interactions with the crew, and her thoughts (obviously, since it was written in first person), and it was fascinating. I think Ms. Aguirre painted the portrait of a badly broken person trying to find her way very excellently, and I felt for and with her throughout the novel.

March - well, does anything need to be said about him? I think I found myself a new dangerous hero to love!

And oh yes, one more thing - the book is written in first person present tense. It is a little thing, but you never realize how used you are to reading 1st person past POV' until you get confronted with something else. I noticed it right away, and it took some adjusting to, but also made the narration a little more unique.

And oh yes - the book also gets extra points for NOT taking the Lord's name in vain. I know many people don't care, blah blah blah, but for once it was so refreshing to not see that! So it gets extra points for awesomeness.

Definitely very highly recommended.

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TGIF @GReads #1

This one is the other meme I'm gonna do. Again, I shamelessly copied joined the meme when I saw Patty do it on her blog here - she does a coupla Friday memes, but this is the one I wanna join!

Okay! This meme is a weekly one, and hosted over at GReads.

Today's theme is Book Recommendations:

Recommend It: Which book from the last 10 you've read 

would you recommend to a friend?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, GReads, I'm really glad you asked that question, lol. I have had a really good reading month so far, and out of my last 15 books, I probably would recommend about 10. 

My two favorites so far of the last ten are 

Silver Borne, the fifth book in Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson series. I love, love, love, this series to bits. This installment was somewhat focused on Samuel, who is my favorite werewolf, and so I was extra invested in his story. And it broke my heart. I spent the book with a big ole lump in my throat for my Samuel. But it was all resolved excellently and he had the beginnings of his own HEA, so I am a happy camper. And no mention of those despicable vampires made the story even sweeter for me :)

Caveat: I do think for full appreciation, this series should be read in order, as the characters build up from book to book, so this recommendation would be to convince a friend to start the series so they can get to Samuel, or hurry up and catch up so we can gush about Samuel!!

I think Neil Gaiman is a master of fantasy and horror. He knows just how to mix it right so that it is entertaining for children and hella creepy for adults. The Graveyard Book is a coming of age story that is told excellently. I can't say enough good things about it. The pacing, the characters, the writing, the life lesson - this book (and Neil Gaiman) is made of awesome!

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012

I am joining in Book Chick City's 100 books in a year reading challenge.  To learn more about it, click the button on the top right corner of the blog :)

The challenge is to read 100 books in the year. I am keeping my tally here. Since we don't have to review the books, this will include books I read but don't review (so basically it will be the same as my Goodreads list) as well as rereads (I don't mark rereads on GoodReads).

Come join the fun!

**Clicking on the links to the books will take you to the GoodReads page for the book :)

January Reads (and/or Rereads)
1. Bone Crossed ★★★★ 2/01
2. Never to Sleep ★★★ 2/01
3. Storm Front ★★★★ 3/01
4. Touch of Power ★★★★★ 4/01
5. Gift of Magic ★★★ 6/01
6. The Inherited Bride ★★★ 7/01
7. The Scandal in Bohemia ★★★★ 7/01
8. Murder at the Vicarage ★★★ 9/01
9. Touch the Dark ★★ 10/01
10.Thunderbird Falls ★★★ 12/01
11.Love, Come to Me ★★★½ 14/01
12.Poison Study ★★★★ 15/01
13.Silver Borne ★★★★★ 16/01
14.The Graveyard Book ★★★★★ 17/1
15.Mr. Impossible ★★★ 19/01
16.Grimspace ★★★★½ 21/01
17.A Cold Day for Murder ★★★ 23/01
18.Magic Study ★★★½ 23/01
19.Ill Wind ★★★ 23/01
20.Under Her Skin ★★★★ 23/01
21.Blood Bound ★★★★ 25/01
22.Spindle's End ★ 26/01
23.For Duty's Sake ★★★ 27/01
24.Bitten ★★★ 28/01
25.A Lot Like Love ★★★★★ 28/01
26.In Bed with a Highlander ★★★ 29/01
27.Fire Study ★★★ 29/01
28.Assassin Study ★★★★ 30/01
29.Coyote Dreams ★★★★ 30/01
30.Magic in the Wind (Drake Sisters, #1) ★★★★ 31/01
31.The Conqueror's Lady ★★★★ 31/01

February Reads and/or Rereads
1. Walking Dead ★★★★ 1/02
2. Blood Cross ★★½ 4/02
3. Extreme Exposure ★★★★ 5/02
4. Glass Houses ★★★½ 6/02
5. On the Prowl ★★★★ 7/02
6. The Dutiful Wife ★★ 8/02
7. Fool Moon ★★★½ 9/02
8. Heartless ★★★½ 11/02
9. Once a Ferrara Wife ★★★★ 11/02
10.Grave Peril ★★★★ 12/02
11.A Bride for Kolovsky ★★★★ 12/02
12.Grave Peril ★★★★ 12/02
13.The Bride ★★★★★ 14/02
14.Demon Hunts ★★ 14/02
15.The Conqueror ★★★ 15/02
16.Heidi ★★★★ 16/02
17.Unholy Ghosts ★★★ 18/02
18.Desert Warrior ★★★ 20/02
19.Unholy Magic★★★★ 20/02
20.Home★★★★ 21/02
21.City of Ghosts ★★★★ 22/02

March Reads and Rereads:
1.Dead Witch Walking ★★ 1/03
2.The Mane Event ★★★ 3/03
3.Summer Knight ★★★ 5/03
**4.Archangel★★★★★ 7/03**
5.Magic Strikes Hot Tub Scene ★★★★ 7/03
6.At Grave's End ★★★½ 9/03
7.Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss ★★ 10/03
8.Home Improvement: Undead Edition ★★★ 11/03
9.Angels' Pawn ★★★★ 12/03
10.The Story of Your Life... 12/03 ★★★½
11.A Lady's Lesson in Scandal 12/03 ★★★
12.Ice Study 13/03 ★★★
13.The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie 13/03 ★★★
14.The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born 14/03 ★★★★
15.Hexed 16/03 ★★★

Waiting on Wednesday #1

Patricia (see her fab blog here) does the most interesting memes.

I decided I wanted to do some of hers, so I think I'll go with the Wednesday and Friday ones.

Here's my first post!



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine and invites us to spotlight upcoming releases we're interested in.

Okey dokey!

One of the releases I am most excited for in this year is Fair Game by Patricia Briggs.  Patricia's webpage and Amazon have it slated for a March 2012 release, while FictFact has it slated for a Feb 7 release. Either way, I get it either right before my birthday, or on Independence Day!

They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.
Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.
Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...


This is the third  story in the Alpha and Omega series, and I can't wait to see Anna and Charles again! *Of course, there is also hope that we'll see a glimpse of Bran, too :D*

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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Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: ★★★★

"I am not a fool," says Yelena, and damn straight she isn't. After all, only fools would turn down the offer of becoming the Commander's food taster in favor of the gallows.

Even so, Yelena finds that being a food taster is far more than she had bargained for. The book chronicles Yelena's life as a food taster, and how she comes into her own and finds love, friends, and alla that jazz.

I like the heroes and heroines Ms. Snyder creates. And the stories she tells. This is my second book by her, and she had me hook, line, and sinker. Never a dull moment. She had me and didn't let me go till the very end. And even there, I wanted more.

After reading about Valek, I need to go find me an assassin boyfriend who can make the wryest, funniest comments with a straight face. His lines were gold.

I knew about this book, but was dragging my feet. Thank you, Sans for reminding me to read this one ASAP.

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Love, Come to Me by Lisa Kleypas

Love Come to Me by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: ★★★½

At times like this I really wish GoodReads would let us use half-stars. This is the perfect example of a book caught midway between three and four stars.

I think this is one of Lisa Kleypas's earliest books - you can definitely tell it was written much earlier in her career because although it is enjoyable, it isn't as masterful as her more recent work. It was a good story, but fairly unremarkable.

My biggest issue was probably Daniel. He was made only as a foil for Heath, so we could see how awesome he is. Daniel was portrayed as a stickler, a controlling person and someone with no regard whatsoever for women. After portraying someone like that, I don't want to see him near any female in the book. I don't understand why we have to pair him up with someone else,a s if it's supposed to be okay that he isn't with the heroine. He shouldn't be with anyone, period. Lots of authors do this too, not just LK :/

Then there was Damon too. Damon was a wonderful character, nuanced in a way neither Lucinda or Heath were. Stickler for duty and honor, with some prejudices, but willing to discard them when confronted with it. I wanted to know more about him, and it is a shame there is no sequel featuring him. he was the best written person in the book. I didn't understand the purpose of making him want Lucy too....

Overall a good read while it lasted, but quite forgettable. Except for Damon, :)

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Thunderbird Falls by C.E. Murphy

Thunderbird Falls by C.E. Murphy
My rating: ★★★

I rated this  3 stars because I felt it was much better written than the first one, and I liked it better. What kept me from liking it even more is that better writing notwithstanding, many of the same problems from the first book plague this one too.

The biggest problem is Joanne herself. In beginners' Spanish class, we learned a phrase: cabeza dura. Joanne tiene cabeza dura. That's the only explanation for how someone can be so dense, so incredibly stupid (her words, not mine. I just happen to fervently agree with her). Literally. Her denseness was not credible. At all. I saw this coming the moment it started! And I never see anything! So if I caught it and she missed it, she is truly, and irredeemably dense! But then if she had caught it ad refused to be a part of the whole coven foolishness, there wouldn't be story now, would there? It also doesn't help that I don't like Joanne. I liked her a bit better in this book, but her attitude, unfunny snark, rudeness, and general childishness, along with her incredible denseness (especially the last two) doesn't make her a likeable character at all. But she is much better in this book, so there is still hope.

The other big problem was the story. Where did Coyote disappear to? That made no sense whatsoever and was another indication that this story's plot was weak. The only way to progress this story as far as it went was to have Coyote, who used to be (and is supposed to be) a constant presence in Joanne's life, vanish for no reason so this farce could take place. Smh.

Even so, like I said, I enjoyed this one quite a bit more than I did the first one. On to book 3 for me.

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