Category: book review

Sunday Showdown: Fever v. Iced


In case I haven’t made it clear on this blog, I am a huge Karen Marie Moning fanatic, and over my break I finally read her newest novel set in the Fever world, Iced. For tonight’s showdown, I thought I would do something similar to what I did for P. C. Cast’s two very different series, House of Night and Elphame’s Choice: I will give a small summary of both and then give a little more detail about what I liked and didn’t like about Iced. However, the Iced review does contain some Fever spoilers, so it is more geared towards those who have read Fever but have yet to read Iced. The Fever series is going to be a tought act to follow, so I will reserve judgment about which series wins until she’s finished Dani O’Malley’s tale (but so far, so good!)

1. The Fever series follows MacKayla Lane and her transformation from a Southern, carefree blonde bombshell into an ass-kicking sidhe-seer/Fae hunter. In book one (Darkfever), MacKayla departs for Ireland to investigate the murder of her twin sister Alina, who was studying abroad in Dublin, and her journey there (sorry for the cliché) drastically changes her life forever. She gets drawn into a world parallel to our own where the Seelie (light) and Unseelie (dark) Fae courts clash, and becomes the puppet of Jericho Barrons, the enigmatic owner of Barrons Books and Baubles, on his hunt for an ancient tome. And that’s just a brief summary of Darkfever -so much happens in this series that it’s impossible to cram it into one measly paragraph of one blog post. I wouldn’t want to ruin the many twists and surprises Moning has in store for her readers, anyway. I will add though that it’s an expert merging of genres: Fever starts out as a murder mystery until it sweeps the reader up into a world where Irish folklore is real while also incorporating urban fantasy and even science fiction elements. If you haven’t, I highly recommend the Fever series -it rises above formulaic genre fiction (not that there’s anything wrong with formula fiction).

OK, I need to stop myself before I get even further invested in this tangent and move on to:

2. Iced is the first book in Moning’s series dedicated to Dani “Mega” O’Malley, Mac’s volatile fourteen-year-old ex-bff. (If you haven’t read the Fever series yet, I recommend to stop reading this review. Now. OK -I warned you…)

It picks up right where  Shadowfever leaves off: the sidhe-seers have just trapped Cruce, the Unseelie Prince who has absorbed the Sinsar Dubh, beneath their abbey. The charismatic Scottish Highlander Christian MacKelter is undergoing a painstaking transformation to replace the fourth Unseelie prince. And Dani and Mac are on the outs ever since Mac found out that Dani was involved in her twin sister’s death. When Dani isn’t slaying Unseelie with the Sword of Light, you may find her spying on the “sidhe-sheep” at the abbey, hanging out with teenage genius Dancer in one of their many well-stocked hideouts around Dublin, ad avoiding Mac. Dani has also been avoiding Ryodan, the morally ambiguous owner of Chester’s club, ever since he offered her a job -but as we know, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid Ryodan. So in much the same way as Mac started out as Barrons’ Sinsar Dubh tracker in Darkfever, Dani becomes Ryodan’s helper in solving their own mystery: Why are parts of Dublin being mysteriously “iced,” and who is responsible? Is the perpetrator human? Fae? What do these places, if anything, have in common? Again, the mystery, urban fantasy and sci-fi genres merge in Iced.

I would say the most obvious difference between the Fever series and Iced is that Fever was the story of the events that led to the creation of this new world where the walls are down and human and Fae coexist; now, Moning is delving into this world more deeply. Her characters face the problems of living in a post-apocalyptic world (someone is hoarding all of the food that was left in the grocery stores) and encounter new mysteries and enemies, while still trying to keep Cruce confined below the abbey. The book is primarily told from Dani’s perspective, but Christian and the new leader of the sidhe-seers lend their POVs as well. I was worried that Dani’s narration would be entirely written in her accent and slang, which worked in Fever but might get annoying in an entire book, but it’s toned down and very readable. Her grammar is still atrocious (I guess because she’s young and missed out on school?) and some of the slang carries through. In these aspects Moning maintains Dani’s unique voice.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Dani is a very believable character, especially as the protagonist of Iced. It worked when she was simply Mac’s rather reckless sidekick, but I didn’t buy into the whole arrogant, self-absorbed preteen act as much in this book. It’s almost like Moning takes it a bit too far for it to be believable, even though Dani isn’t your average fourteen-year-old. Now that I’m reflecting on it, Dani may be a bit of a sociopath in the beginning (perhaps this is too strong of a diagnosis) since she doesn’t seem to feel remorse or think about how her actions affect other people. However, you can tell she starts to grow out of this, especially where Mac and Alina are concerned.

I also didn’t care for the fact that Ryodan and especially Christian, both adult men, seem to be infatuated with Dani. It’s a little something I like to call creepy. Saying that (sorry, I don’t have the book in front of me, so this is not a direct quote) they can see the incredible woman Dani will be one day does not make it okay. And anyway, it’s pretty clear that their fascination with her doesn’t stop there; there’s a scene when she’s in her underwear and both of them are, uh, clearly aroused. At one point Christian even says to Dani that he isn’t a pedophile, and she isn’t a child -except that she is. (Although Christian is turning into a lecherous Unseelie prince, so perhaps this is all part of his spiral into evil.) I am certainly not saying that I think the author condones pedophilia, just that it was a very controversial and, to repeat, creepy element in the book. (To add to the creepy, I’ve decided that Into the Night is Christian and Dani’s theme song, because everything should have an 80s theme song.) It also becomes clear (if not to Dani, at least to the reader) that Dancer has a thing for her as well, which is decidedly less creepy since he is seventeen.

Now, on Dancer (on Prancer, on Vixen…no, wait…): Dancer is becoming one of my favorite characters in this world. I love that Dani looks up to Dancer, who reminds me of a younger version of Big Bang’s Leonard if he were thrust into Dublin after the walls fell. As Dani narrates, Dancer doesn’t have any “superpowers” like her and Ryodan, but he’s survived the wall crash through his resourcefulness and “super brain.” Moning hints that Dancer has some secrets of his own, which I hope we will unravel as the series continues. As a scientist, it also makes me happy that Moning’s explanations of some of the science-y elements of the book are not totally off the mark. (I’m not proud of it, but I’ve become one of those people who ruins movies for other people when they are scientifically inaccurate. Which is like all the time.)

I also really enjoyed how Moning played with Jo’s character. In the Fever books Jo was supposed to be plain, maybe even borderline dowdy, but in Iced she starts working at Chester’s -Ryodan’s tactic for keeping Dani in line. If Dani screws up, she has to worry about Ryodan taking it out on Jo. Thus, Jo transforms from a plain Jane into a sexy waitress with “glitter between her boobs,” and it all seems kind of glamorous until you remember that she’s dressed up in what sounds like a Catholic school girl uniform catering to Chester’s seedy Unseelie patrons. One image I loved is when Jo watches Ryodan on the staircase nodding to whichever lucky gal he chooses to, um, make love to that night. (I know that Ryodan doesn’t “make love,” but I don’t really feel like using a certain verb today.) I kind of want Ryodan to nod at me, even though he’s not quite Jericho Barrons. In fact, I had a much more vivid image of Barrons in my mind than I have of Ryodan. He has some big shoes to fill.

And throughout the search for whatever is “icing” Dublin, Christian’s obsessing over Dani, Dani’s slaughtering of Unseelie and Ryodan’s nodding at attractive waitresses, Moning still interperses some very humorous moments. One part that had me laughing at loud was when Dani, Jo, Ryodan, Lor, etc. are arguing over Dani’s Ipod playlist. What a great moment Moning dreamed up: Humans and supernatural beings fighting over whether to listen to Linkin Park, Adele or Jimmy Hendrix (and at a point in which they have much bigger things to worry about.)

Finally, unlike some other reviews I’ve read, I didn’t really mind Dani being fourteen for this book, although I hope she grows up in the rest. Then Moning can pursue her relationship with Ryodan without it being so, again for lack of a better word, creepy. I’m sure Ryodan is going to turn out to be the Barrons to her Mac, so to speak. All in all, and despite parts of my above critique, I really enjoyed Iced. Dani’s storyline and the various subplots (I haven’t touched on all of them here) really drew me in; it was fast-paced and had a very creative premise.

by Categories: book review, fantasy, paranormal, romance, science fiction, Sunday ShowdownTags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I Actually Do Read Thought-Provoking Books Sometimes (I Swear)


I know that on this blog I often review “blockbuster” books (I’ve reviewed all three Fifty Shades books) and go off on tangents about YA books I love, usually of the paranormal romance genre. But I have, and do, read books for the fantastical and sometimes disturbing worlds they explore, to understand their dynamic, flawed characters and to absorb their insights about the universe and humanity. I’m particularly fond of science fiction novels (and movies, and TV shows, but we’ll save those lists for another time), so here is a list of my Top Five Six Science Fiction Books:

5. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four

Yes, this book has spawned some pretty cringe-worthy pop culture phenomena, like the name of CBS’s reality show Big Brother. And although the year 1984 was nothing like the dystopia created in Orwell’s book, its themes of privacy, freedom and rebellion are timeless. Orwell also had great foresight, such as the fictional language of Newspeak which basically involves smooshing English words together. Minus the sinister agenda of controlling thought and communication part, this definitely reminds me of how technology is influencing our language and communication today. #deepthoughts

4. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451

This is one of those classics you’re required to read in high school -and you should read it, because it’s awesome. Bradbury is another visionary science fiction writer: In a future in which firemen start fires and burn books, people are glued to their wall-sized TVs and drift off to sleep listening to little shell-like music players in their ears. It’s been awhile since I’ve read this book, but those images have stuck with me. Fahrenheit 451 in part speaks to a fear that technology may threaten our ability and desire to think and communicate and learn, an idea that I don’t really agree with except when shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Honey Boo Boo become popular. It’s also a book that comes to my mind, at least, whenever I hear about a book being banned, such as in a school, or any whisperings of censorship.

3. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World

This book is kind of crazy and is written in a style that suggests Huxley pounded it out after an overdose of coffee (or speed). But I love it. The future that Huxley predicts is absolutely terrifying. Everyone is created especially for their specific station in life, everyone knows their place, and most of the characters are fine with it. Many spend their days popping soma and participating in orgies. Although the novel focuses on Bernard and Lenina in the beginning, it really becomes about the “savage” John and how he confronts the strange world outside of his Reservation. “O! brave new world, That has such people in’t.”

2. Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead

And my top five became my top six, because I couldn’t leave out either of these books. I’m not even sure how to classify Ender’s Game…it’s not quite a children’s book, but not quite a YA book either, reading-level wise. And yet it appeals to older readers as well. It’s both an entertaining book about the trials of a very young, talented boy at the Battle School and an exploration of Ender’s character, who for a young boy is startlingly ambitious and uncompassionate. There’s even a bit of a twist ending.

Ender is a very different man in the sequel, in which he has become the Speaker for the Dead; at funerals, he is tasked with speaking honestly, no sugar-coating, about the life of the deceased. In this book, Ender has an appreciation and empathy for life, both human and alien. Although there are many intriguing characters and subplots in Speaker for the Dead, the main story line is of the mystery of the Pequeninos, the native pig-like but intelligent species of the planet Lusitania, which humans have colonized. (The Pequeninos deliver some surprises at the end.) Card successfully writes another page-turner while also conveying some pretty profound ideas and creating imperfect but (mostly) still likeable characters.

1. Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land

I’m going to throw around the word “profound” again, but seriously, Stranger in a Strang Land is a must-read sci-fi classic. Similar to John in Brave New World, Heinlein thrusts Valentine, who was raised by Martians and only knows of Martian customs and culture, into our society. I like that aspect of both books – writing about our world through the eyes of an outsider. And Valentine’s transformation throughout the book is stunning and perhaps somewhat outlandish. He starts out as this man-boy discovering Earth and what it means to be human, but by the end of the book (spoiler alert?) his Martian “ways” have spread and he’s become the Jesus-like figurehead of a new religion or spirituality. There’s also a fair amount of sex sprinkled throughout the book. Unconventional sex always seems to be a part of our looming dystopian future.

What are your favorite sci-fi/dystopian novels?

by Categories: book review, science fiction, Thank God I'm a Fan-girl (TGIF)Tags: , , , 2 Comments

P. C. Cast Series Showdown


I finally, finally finished reading one of P. C. Cast’s books set in Partholon, Elphame’s Choice. So tonight’s Sunday Showdown is more of a book review and comparison/contrast of her Partholon books and vampyre saga The House of Night. I’m not really picking a winner since they are two very different series, but feel free to share your favorite in the comments. But if you haven’t gotten around to exploring either world, read on to find out a little more about these books.

(Also, on an unrelated note: I’m still working on my next Once Upon A Time fanfiction adventure, so please click here to take my poll of your favorite potential couples!)

And now, on to the showdown:

1. House of Night

The House of Night world is much like our own, except vampyres exist alongside humans, and everybody knows it. Those human adolescents that already have vampyre DNA are marked by Trackers, which begins their transition into adult vampyrehood. This is what happens to Zoey Redbird, who transfers to a high school for vampryes, the highly esteemed House of Night. But Zoey isn’t just a normal fledgling; she has been chosen by her goddess to be a leader among her kind. The first two books (which unfortunately is all I’ve read so far) follow Zoey’s adventures with her new group of friends, unresolved issues with her old life, and battles with new, supernatural enemies. These books are cowritten by P. C. and her daughter Kristin. If you enjoy young adult vampyre books, you’ll enjoy the House of Night books. They’re a satisfactory mix of  Egyptian-based mythology, dark vampyre lore and quirky humor.

2. Elphame’s Choice

When I picked up this book, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. I had  never read one of P. C.’s Partholon books, and the cover and tagline were vague. (And misleading. The tagline makes it sound like there are vampyres in the book. It’s a similar idea, but they are blood-sucking, winged demons. And the girl on the cover doesn’t look like what Elphame is supposed to look like.)

One similarity between this book and the House of Night series is that Elphame is another young adult that has been especially favored by her goddess, in this case Epona. It’s refreshing that P. C.’s societies are matriarchal. As a fawn and Epona’s Chosen, Elphame has always felt like an outsider, until she travels to MacCallan Castle and works to restore it to its former glory. At her new home, she befriends Brenna, a Healer disfigured from a tragic accident, and the centaur Huntress Brighid, and she finally starts to feel like she’s a part of something rather than just a distant symbol to be worshipped. In the forests surrounding MacCallan Castle, she also meets her soulmate, Lochlan, a human-Fomorian demon hybrid. She struggles with how to present her forbidden lover to her kingdom, which drove the Fomorian species from Partholon hundreds of years prior.

Overall, I enjoyed Elphame’s Choice, although if you’re familiar with the House of Night series you must prepare yourself for a completely different P. C. Cast. This book has an omniscient narrator, which I sometimes found annoying since it jumps between perspectives rather abruptly, and the prose is very formal and long-winded. But P. C. creates very complex and sympathetic characters. My favorite was Brenna, the tiny Healer who captures the heart and soul of Elphame’s dashing brother. (Although, as P. C. constantly describes the meek Brenna as letting her hair fall over the disfigured part of her face, she sometimes started to sound like Emo Brenna, but that is neither here nor there.) I also really liked the human-Fomorian hybrids and would have liked to have seen a lot more of them. Also, as Elphame’s Choice was published by Harlequin Teen (which I didn’t even know existed until now), things do heat up in several parts of the book…which I’m totally ok with, but I know that some people don’t like.

Really, the biggest criticism I have of any of P. C.’s books is that they never completely draw me in. I never feel like the worlds she creates completely engulf me so that I cannot put the book down. But as I said, it was pretty enjoyable, and I would recommend it to fans of fantasy and paranormal romance.

by Categories: book review, fantasy, high school, paranormal, romance, Sunday Showdown, young adultTags: , , , , , , 4 Comments

Book Review: Into the Dreaming


In case I haven’t mentioned it before (but I know I have!), I am a HUGE aficionado of Karen Marie Moning. Her Fever series is one of the best series I have picked up since Harry Potter and trumps all of the other book series that have hit mega-popularity in recent years (Twilight, Fifty Shades, even The Hunger Games). Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten around to reading her Highlander novels yet, although these are on my to-read list (time traveling sexy Scotsmen? Heck yes!). But Into the Dreaming was my first taste into the world of her Highlanders, and although its novellas didn’t hook me as much as the Fever books did, they were still enjoyable, fast reads.

In the forward, Ms. Moning talks about how, upon writing Into the Dreaming, she first realized there was a darker story that needed to be told involving the Seelie/Unseelie mythology. This, of course, led to her MacKayla Lane novels. Into the Dreaming tells the story of Aedan, a Highlander who allows the Unseelie King to keep him in captivity for five years in exchange for the safety of his family. What he doesn’t know is that five years really means five years in Fairy, equal to 500 Earth years. The centuries in Fairy eventually breaks Aedan, and he becomes the Unseelie King’s minion, Vengeance. However, the Seelie Queen has a plan to free Vengeance/Aedan and sends Jane, Aedan’s soul mate back in time to Scotland to remind him what it means to be human and love.

Other treats in Into the Dreaming include a proposal for a book she never ended up getting published called Ghost of a Chance, an excerpt from Kiss of the Highlander, and what Moning calls The Dark Highlander – Lite. Lite is the first draft of this particular Highlander novel that didn’t meet Moning’s dark vision for the story. There are elements of a darker story in the Lite version; however, the interactions between Dageus and Elisabeth are adorable if anything else. If Dageus is even sexier and more dangerous in the published version, I can’t wait to read it!

In general, I love how Moning’s books are centered around strong, female characters. Although I haven’t read the full versions of the above Highlander novels yet, their main female characters are both successful in academia. (In Kiss, Gwen is a prominent physicist, and in Dark Elisabeth is a graduate student in psychology at Harvard.) And of course, the Fever series follows blond bombshell MacKayla Lane’s transformation from a carefree bartender into a bad ass, street-wise sidhe-seer and Unseelie slayer.

So basically: Strong female lead + insanely sexy man from overseas + sex + Irish folklore + sex + plot twists and turns + sex = Karen Marie Moning. Read all of her books. Now.

…But before you do, if you haven’t taken the time to do so yet, please help me pick a name for my character Jimmy’s band in The Wild Ones by taking the poll here.

by Categories: book review, currently reading, fantasy, fiction, paranormal, romanceTags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Book Review: Fifty Shades Freed


As I was reading Fifty Shades Freed, the last book in E. L. James’ bestselling Fifty Shades trilogy, I wondered what on earth I would want to talk about in this book review. The first two books were pretty hot, entertaining and over-dramatic (in a fun way). This book was…eh. But, I’m not going to tell anyone not to read. Especially if you’re like me, and you’ve read the other two books, your borderline OCD  will compel you to read this last one and finish off the series.

(If you haven’t read the first two books, I’d suggest to stop reading this review unless you want spoilers.)

Freed starts out with Christian and Anastasia on their honeymoon and jumps between their sex-filled romp through Europe and Anastasia’s flashbacks to fill in the gaps between where Darker left off and this book begins. I guess E. L. James was trying to mix things up, but really I found this jumping back and forth to be unnecessary and just annoying.

To be honest -and I usually have good retention -I can’t even really remember anything that happened between those first fifty pages or so of the honeymoon and when the book finally starts to pick up -around page 300. Most of the middle is filled with them Mr. and Mrs.-Greying each other. Anastasia also reveals some jealousy and animosity toward the blond bombshell Gia Matteo, the architect working on their new home. One nice touch by James is the emergence of Anastasia’s “inner bitch” when she warns Gia that Christian isn’t interested in her. I suppose this is James trying to show Ana becoming a stronger woman – but is an envy-driven confrontation really a show of strong character? I’m not convinced. I was really hoping that Ana would have more sit-downs with Christian’s shrink, Dr. Flynn, but James seems to have totally abandoned this relationship in Freed.

One scene I devoured was a sexy dance between Ana and Christian when they go to a nightclub with Elliot, Kate, Mia and Ethan. It wasn’t anywhere near as explicit as their other sexual encounters, but it was a very sensual moment between husband and wife. In Freed, Ana does start to own her appeal, her sexuality, which I think makes her a more even match for Christian.

As I said, the book starts to pick up eventually with the reappearances of a few old enemies, including a brief one by the woman that seduced Christian when he was fifteen, Elena Lincoln. There are also some tense moments when Ana has to pretend she’s leaving Christian in order to save someone very close to them. (I couldn’t decide if she was being brave or stupid.) I hope I’m being sufficiently vague -if you are going to read the book, I don’t want to totally spoil it for you. There are a few surprises James has up her sleeves for her characters. Although Christian and Ana once again have many ups and downs in this book, Freed does have a happily-ever-after ending, so don’t fret.

I was also disappointed with the lack of Jose, Ana’s photographer friend who still harbors feelings for her. Although he makes a few appearances in Freed, I find it strange that James seems to abandon him and their friendship.

I have to say, my favorite part of the book was actually after the epilogue, where they included a few extras: first, a chapter from a very young Christian’s POV during his first Christmas with the Greys; second, the scenes from the first book where Christian and Ana first meet and when he “runs into her” at Clayton’s Hardware Store, written from Christian’s POV. Although the rewritten scenes are somewhat over the top, it’s entertaining to learn how Christian was assessing Ana during their first interactions. In fact, I wouldn’t mind reading Fifty Shades of Grey entirely from Christian’s POV, but I have no idea if James intends to write such a book.

In any case, I hope she doesn’t have any completely new material with Christian and Ana. I think she has explored these two far enough for my taste. What would come next, anyway…Fifty Shades and Baby?

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Book Review: 50 Shades Darker


After I wrote the 50 Shades of Grey review, I realized that I forgot to mention a few things, but they still hold true for the sequel. But first, a quick recap of 50 Shades Darker.

I’m not sure what is “darker” about this sequel. We do find out more about Christian Grey’s dark childhood and the reasons behind his sexual tastes. (He is, truly, “50 shades of fucked up.”) But the series up to this point isn’t actually about an innocent young woman getting ensnared by a handsome, rich control-freak that likes kinky sex. Instead, it becomes the story of how is starting to change when he’s with her, realizing that he wants different things from life. (If you’ve read 50 Shades of Grey, you know that Ana leaves him at the end. I hope it’s not too much of a spoiler to say that they get back together in this book. It happens only a few pages in.)

But besides the ups and downs (and there are many) of Chanastasia’s relationship (ok, my attempt at smooshing sounds kind of awkward) and all the sex, which there is also a lot of, 50 Shades Darker does have more suspense and intrigue than the first book. We get to meet Elena Lincoln, a.k.a. “Mrs. Robinson,” the woman who used Christian as her submissive starting when he was only 15. Ana is also stalked/harassed by one of Christian’s ex-submissives, Leila, who looks disturbingly similar to Ana. Meanwhile, Ana also has to fend off her lecherous new boss, Jack Hyde. Although the book starts off a little slow, midway through it picks up with a deliciously dramatic confrontation between Christian and Ana, and from then on I couldn’t stop reading. Also, most of the sex scenes are really hot, although a little overdone. Every ten pages it’s like “they’re doing it AGAIN? REALLY?!” I do not need to be jealous of book characters.

I should have also mentioned for my first 50 Shades review tha I enjoy E. L. James’ personification of Ana’s subconscious and “inner goddess.” Although I don’t think she’s that great of a writer, I thought that this was pretty clever. I also can’t help but love the emails between Christian and Ana. Too. Adorable.

A few grievances about the writing: Why does Ana think Oh my every freaking time she’s turned on? Oh my! OH MY! Just…just stop. It’s also impressive that E. L. James can describe characters without really describing them at all. All we really know about Christian is that he has copper highlights in his hair, gray eyes and is super effing gorgeous. Which I guess covers it, except it really allows her to avoid using actual writing skills to really describe him in detail. Same with Ana, really. She’s a slim brunette with big eyes. Um, ok. Also, sometimes the expressions/phrases she uses sound odd, both in the narration and in the dialogue. In fact, they sound British – I mean, I know E. L. is British, but she should be a good enough writer to make her characters sound more American since they, uh, kinda are.

I REALLY liked that she incorporated some dialogue between Ana and Christian’s shrink, in which Dr. Flynn asks her why she doesn’t think she’s worthy of Christian. Thank you Dr. Flynn! Although they don’t delve into it here, I hope they do in the next book. Maybe Ana will transform into a strong female character, which would be nice.

Finally, I’ve started listening to and am currently pretty obsessed with HIM, and I’ve decided that “Right Here In My Arms” reminds me of Chanastasia. The music video is below – enjoy! Laters. 😉

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Book Review: 50 Shades of Grey


Ok, so I’m sure that almost everybody has an idea of what this series is about, even if you haven’t read it yet: Recent college grad Anastasia Steele meets young, sexy entrepreneur/gajillionaire Christian Grey and, despite his not-so-subtle warnings to stay away from him, gets lured into his world of über kinky sex.

The book blossomed from some Twilight fanfiction by the author, E. L. James – and Twilight’s influence on the characters and their relationship is pretty clear. Like Bella, Ana is a slightly awkward, clumsy brunette who seems to have zero self-esteem and is the only person that doesn’t realize how lovely/alluring she is. Christian is Edward minus the being-a-vampire thing: Ridunkulously handsome, charming, wealthy and disturbingly controlling. His need to control everything and everyone also infiltrates the bedroom (or, in his case, what Ana calls his “Red Room of Pain”): Christian gets off on dominating women during sex. And I don’t mean a little role-playing here and there; until Ana comes into his life, it’s the only way he knows how to have sex. Even though Ana isn’t entirely comfortable with all of Christian’s kinky tastes, she can’t stay away from him, and he is also completely and maybe a little inexplicably drawn to her. (I don’t mean inexplicably because Ana doesn’t deserve a hot, rich boyfriend; I’ll get to that in a bit. I mean because she’s rather innocent and may not be able to fulfill all of his darkest desires.)

My feminist sensibilities want me to not like this book – not because of the kinky sex, but because Christian is such a control-freak in all aspects of Ana’s life, at times reaching stalker levels. This is the same way I felt about Edward in the Twilight books (Team Jacob, all the way). So why do women like reading books about  controlling men? I think it’s because it speaks to our fantasy of being able to change a man, even leading him out of his darkest days. As long as any woman who reads 50 Shades keeps in the back of her mind that this type of situation does not translate into a desirable, real-life relationship, it is an entertaining book, even if Ana is a really annoying character.

So, about Ana: What is with some female authors writing such weak female main characters? It’s fine if Ana is supposed to be a “normal” young woman who falls for an extraordinary-sounding guy, but why does she have to be so self-deprecating? “Oh, I don’t deserve him, but he’s so hot and rich and I’m crap” – what is that? Get some self-esteem. This is not a good mindset to have in any relationship or interaction, not just a sexual one.

That rant probably makes it sound like I didn’t like the book – honestly, I did, and I’m going to finish the series. Christian has a dark past and lots of secrets that I can’t wait to unravel. It just concerns me that anyone even a little bit impressionable that reads a book like this or Twilight will get the wrong idea about relationships and sex. As I said, what makes a juicy book does not necessarily make good reality.

Now, on to something a little more fun. Since I believe they are making at least the first book into a movie, I thought about who visually reminded me of these characters. For Christian Grey, Simon Baker from “The Mentalist” came to my mind. I don’t even watch that show religiously, although it is good when I do get around to watching it. This is just who popped into my mind when I read her description of Christian Grey (although he’s supposed to be a little younger than Simon Baker probably is).

For Ana, because of the “big eyes” description, the first actress that came to me was Amanda Seyfried, if she dyes her hair brown. Later, I thought of Emmy Rossum, who gave off a similar innocent appeal in the most recent Phantom of the Opera movie.

 

 

 

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Book Review: Betrayed (House of Night Book #2)


This blog is only about a month old, and already I’m starting to slack. I haven’t had the time to prepare anything of my own to post (I guess that comes with being a scientist by day, aspiring smut writer by night), but for now here is another book review.

I enjoyed the second House of Night book, Betrayed, much more than the first. The first one was entertaining, but it had to set everything up so it didn’t exactly pull me in. But Betrayed had a lot more action in, and the Casts weren’t afraid to push their characters in new directions. You start seeing characters you hated in Marked in a different light, and characters you loved turn out to have a more sinister side. I love it when authors can blur the boundary between good/evil, instead of having clear sets of heroes and villains. Although the House of Night books aren’t quite there yet, the Casts start to play with this in the sequel.

I don’t want to summarize the book too much because it always ends up sounding like the pitch on the back of the book, but I will say that Betrayed is part paranormal romance, part murder mystery. Human teenaged boys are winding up dead, their blood sucked dry. They are also all boys that Zoey has some connection to. The unresolved subplot from Marked becomes one of the main focuses in Betrayed: Zoey finds out the truth about the “ghosts” of the supposedly dead vampyre fledglings. Through clues revealed through the first person narration that Zoey doesn’t even quite understand, the reader connects the dots faster than she does.

 You’ll either love or hate how the Casts try to distort your opinion of Aphrodite. Ok, I’m going to make another Harry Potter comparison…Aphrodite reminds me of the female Draco Malfoy, and not just because they’re both blonde. Like Malfoy, Aphrodite has affluent, control-freak parents, and although she has some moments of brief redemption, she’s basically mean and weak. I wonder how much this will change as the series progresses.

Also, Betrayed is waaaaay sexier than Marked. Zoey has THREE young men in her life: vampyre fledgling/actor Erik Night, her human ex Heath, and now Loren, vampyre Poet Laureate and part-time professor. Although Zoey is only 16, not gonna lie, the Loren and Zoey subplot was my favorite. He’s everything you could want in a book crush: Mysterious, sexy…yeah, basically those. But I kept switching back and forth between Team Loren and Team Heath. Since Heath is a human, he and Zoey have that forbidden-love thing going on. Although Erik Night sounds like the perfect boyfriend, his character is too bland for me to really root for him.

So, in general it was an excellent read. However, there’s still something missing from this series that I can’t put my finger on. I guess I’ll just call it the “epic” quality. The books don’t have that epic feel to them that some authors are able to create.

Anyway, I’m taking a break from this series to finally read the 50 Shades trilogy…almost done with the first one.

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Book Review: Marked (House of Night Book #1)


Well, I’m back from a fantastic week-long beach vacation, over which I finished Marked, the first House of Night novel written by the mother-daughter writing duo P.C. and Kristin Cast. The book sets the stage for an alternate reality in which humans and vampyres coexist (and in which, apparently, some famous country stars are vampyres). Fledgling vampyres are humans whose vampyre DNA gets triggered during adolescence; they are Marked by a Tracker vampyre and must leave the life they know to be guided through the change by adult vampyres. However, not all fledgling vampyres are guaranteed to make it through the transformation and will die.

The book follows Zoey Redbird, a teenager experiencing some typical high school problems as well as some troubling family problems, who is Marked and transfers to the House of Night, a school for young vampyres. In a nutshell, at her new school Zoey clashes with Aphrodite and her powerful clique the Dark Daughters, crushes on the handsome budding actor Erik Night and fends off her obsessive human ex-boyfriend. Although her distinctive Mark initially sets her a part from the other newest fledglings, she ultimately finds a place for herself at the House of Night with a group of genuine and loyal friends.

In general, I really liked this book, although it didn’t suck me in like other series in the same genre have. Also, not gonna lie, my initial reaction to the whole vampyre school thing was that it sounded like a Harry Potter copycat. But I decided later that this is an unfair judgment – J. K. Rowling most certainly borrowed from other sources, and Harry Potter is so ingrained in our culture now that it would be hard not to think of it when reading another “school for [insert fantastical human/creature here].” And they’re obviously very different books. The House of Night sounds more like a typical American high school (you know, except for the part where they’re all going to be vampyres, and go to school at night – which was an awesome touch). The authors do an excellent job of incorporating pagan elements and rituals into their vampyre culture (I’m not describing them as “pagan” to mean something bad, that’s just the only word I can think of to sum it up). Although in my first post I wasn’t enamored with the first person narration, it definitely grew on me, although I’m still not entirely convinced that teenagers really sound like that. But it’s engaging and funny, and Zoey is a likeable, believable character. (Her favorite cereal is Count Chocula, which she realizes now is quite ironic – another nice, humorous detail the Casts include.)

So, if you’ve read The Vampire Diaries, Twilight or any similar books, I definitely recommend giving Marked a chance. I’m excited to have a new young adult paranormal series to, uh, sink my teeth into for the rest of the summer (cliché intended).

 

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