What I'm reading now
My count for science fiction reviews over at genrereviews is dipping a little low, so that's what I was supposed to be reading this weekend. I even had a shiny new copy of Endgame
, but as it turns out, that's the fifth book in the series, and even 50 pages in I have absolutely no clue what's going on. Publishers, take note: if the latest offering in the series doesn't work as a standalone novel, mark on the cover that this is part of a series, kthxpls. If a book looks interesting enough, I have no issues hunting down a copy of book one. However, having spent my money on book 5 already, now I'm annoyed and don't really want to be spending the extra time and money it will cost to dig up the rest of the series. Why yes, I am petty like that.
So instead I devoured the Kelley Armstrong novel that's been sitting, patiently waiting for me to have a chance to get around to it. I'm not going to write out a full review for a number of reasons, but if anyone really cares, random thoughts behind the cut.
Ok, brief rundown on my thoughts about No Humans Involved
without bothering to do a plot summary: I've always liked Jamie, so I was more than a little delighted to see her get her own book. She makes me laugh, and I dig her brand of flaky/smart. She's an interesting choice for an urban fantasy heroine, since she's not only older than the norm at 40-something, but she doesn't fight and her powers don't involve kicking evil butt. Mostly she talks to ghosts and is annoyed at how often she finds herself in a position where she needs help from the more physically capable supernaturals. Not that she's a weak character by any stretch of the imagination, she just has a knack for getting herself in over her head.
It was nice to see another side of Jeremy. So far, he's mostly been presented as the smooth, confident alpha wolf, since he doesn't tend to feature largely in the series except from the perspective of Elena and Clay, the wolves under him. And really nice to see him and Jamie on a more equal footing.
The scene near the end with Jamie using her powers on the animals was really powerful, and I think goes to show that she doesn't always have to be the girl who gets rescued from the bad guys. She's not superstrong, and she can't kill someone with a Latin phrase and a gesture, but she's smart and has her own resources. Overall, really enjoyed myself. The book wasn't as strong as Stolen or The Summoning, but I think Jamie might now be tied with Paige as my favourite Otherworld narrator.
Lately I've been doing a bit of hunting for YA sf, actually. With the recent success of Twilight, there seems to be no shortage of dark fantasy and horror clogging up the YA section, and my TBR stack reflects that. I have no science fiction for teens, though, and my mad powers of search on the interwebs seem to indicate that's because there isn't much of it out there right now. Which makes me very sad. I did manage to find a book or two during my last trek to the library, but if any of you have recommendations for YA sf, please let me know. (Vampires and zombies need not apply.)
, but as it turns out, that's the fifth book in the series, and even 50 pages in I have absolutely no clue what's going on. Publishers, take note: if the latest offering in the series doesn't work as a standalone novel, mark on the cover that this is part of a series, kthxpls. If a book looks interesting enough, I have no issues hunting down a copy of book one. However, having spent my money on book 5 already, now I'm annoyed and don't really want to be spending the extra time and money it will cost to dig up the rest of the series. Why yes, I am petty like that.
So instead I devoured the Kelley Armstrong novel that's been sitting, patiently waiting for me to have a chance to get around to it. I'm not going to write out a full review for a number of reasons, but if anyone really cares, random thoughts behind the cut.
Ok, brief rundown on my thoughts about No Humans Involved
without bothering to do a plot summary: I've always liked Jamie, so I was more than a little delighted to see her get her own book. She makes me laugh, and I dig her brand of flaky/smart. She's an interesting choice for an urban fantasy heroine, since she's not only older than the norm at 40-something, but she doesn't fight and her powers don't involve kicking evil butt. Mostly she talks to ghosts and is annoyed at how often she finds herself in a position where she needs help from the more physically capable supernaturals. Not that she's a weak character by any stretch of the imagination, she just has a knack for getting herself in over her head.
It was nice to see another side of Jeremy. So far, he's mostly been presented as the smooth, confident alpha wolf, since he doesn't tend to feature largely in the series except from the perspective of Elena and Clay, the wolves under him. And really nice to see him and Jamie on a more equal footing.
The scene near the end with Jamie using her powers on the animals was really powerful, and I think goes to show that she doesn't always have to be the girl who gets rescued from the bad guys. She's not superstrong, and she can't kill someone with a Latin phrase and a gesture, but she's smart and has her own resources. Overall, really enjoyed myself. The book wasn't as strong as Stolen or The Summoning, but I think Jamie might now be tied with Paige as my favourite Otherworld narrator.
Lately I've been doing a bit of hunting for YA sf, actually. With the recent success of Twilight, there seems to be no shortage of dark fantasy and horror clogging up the YA section, and my TBR stack reflects that. I have no science fiction for teens, though, and my mad powers of search on the interwebs seem to indicate that's because there isn't much of it out there right now. Which makes me very sad. I did manage to find a book or two during my last trek to the library, but if any of you have recommendations for YA sf, please let me know. (Vampires and zombies need not apply.)