2008 Booklist ; (part II)
2 0 0 8 - B O O K L I S T ; (part II)
Link: go to (part 1) of the booklist. (Books 1-8)
PART 2 | (books 9-20)
09 Before Midnight - Cameron Dokey
10 Sunlight & Shadow - Cameron Dokey
11 The Storyteller's Daughter - Cameron Dokey
12 Cast in Secret - Michelle Sagara
13 General Winston's Daughter - Sharon Shinn
14 Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison
15 The Good, the Bad, and the Undead - Kim Harrison
16 Every Which Way But Dead - Kim Harrison
17 A Fistful of Charms - Kim Harrison
18 Magic Study - Maria V Snyder
19 City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare
20 Interworld - Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
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& Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey ; ☆
Retelling of Cinderella | ...With a twist! Nice Stepmother. Bastard father. Not really much of that classic 'Ella angst. Even her two stepsisters weren't an obstacle. (Grimm had them cutting their toes off and bleeding in the glass slipper-- but Dokey doesn't go for that authentic fairytale "darkness", I guess.) Way too happy of a plot+ending.
& Sunlight and Shadow by Cameron Dokey ; ☆
Retelling of Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" | Enh, the Once Upon a Time tales were getting old for me by this point, so I had a pretty dim view of the book throughout. I kept hoping the narrative would start to pop with the author's previously shown romance and creativity--but, sadly, it never did. It read like exactly what it was-- a retelling.
& The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey ; ☆
Retelling of Arabian Nights | This version was even more straight-laced and traditional-sounding than the previous book. 100% Boring.
& Cast in Secret by Michelle Sagara ; ☆½
3rd book of the Chronicles of Elantra | I can't tell what in the world Sagara is trying to ACCOMPLISH with her series, and it frustrates me as a reader. Maybe she's not trying for anything--maybe it's exactly what it reads like--a pretty average, run-of-the-mill Save the World adventure tale. Again, like I said in the past--she had me interested at the bits with the different races and explaining them; but other than that, I snoozed throughout.
& General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn ; ☆☆☆☆
It takes a lot for me to get hung up/invested in a romance plot nowadays, but this was a really good one. My eyes were aching and I was reading way past my bedtime, but I just couldn't put it down. (Shinn writes romance really well, I'd say-- with the exception of the Samaria novels, those got a bit repetitive.) So, yes, it's a great book. And the twist at the end shocked me, too, that hardly ever happens.
& Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison ; ☆☆½
Rachel Morgan series (Book 1) | I admit, I've been looking for something to replace the Anita Blake books in my life, and perhaps these Rachel Morgan books might be it. Overall, the (early) Anita books are muuuuuuch funnier, and have more interesting murder/monster mysteries--but the Rachel books definitely have some good stuff going for them. I like the world-building the author has done, and the premise for her "magical" world coexisting with the human world.
& TheGood,theBad,&theUndead by Kim Harrison ; ☆½
Rachel Morgan series (Book 2) | Vampire stuff... enh. Vampire stuff doesn't get me too thrilled. (And sorry, but I can't help but think of Kisten as a bit of a toolbox. But then, Rachel is kind of a tool herself...) The 'Master Vampire", Piscary, runs his underworld business out of a pizza restaurant. Umm. Yeah. There've been more thrilling villains in the history of the world.
& Every Which Way but Dead by Kim Harrison ; ☆☆½
Rachel Morgan series (Book 3) | I love everything to do with her struggle/powerplay with the demon that's stalking her soul. Her descriptions of the 'other' world, where magic/magical creatures come from, and where the 'broken demon city' resides--I find that aspect of the plot most interesting of all.
& A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison ; ☆☆
Rachel Morgan series (Book 4)| I just. I'm not usually into femslash. BUT I REALLY WANT HER TO HURRY UP AND HAVE SEX WITH IVY. I mean, geez. Stop wangsting about it, Rachel, and just DO IT. Haha. Other than that, I semi-enjoyed the werewolf goings-on and whatnot. (I like lycans better than vamps, what can I say.)
& Magic Study by Maria V Snyder ; ☆☆½
Sequel to Poison Study | So she reunites with her family, then goes off right away into the big city to learn about magic and stuff. I actually can't discuss much about the book without spoiling it, but overall, I liked it. Her uber-rare, "special" power (which everyone saw coming from a mile away) is actually kind of cool. The author ought to be careful and not make her TOO powerful, though...
& City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare ; ☆☆☆½
WHAT THE FUCK. DID SHE DO TO SIMON. >_< (Seriously, that part was uber-lame. :/ And sooooooo contrived.) Umm-- but I really liked the rest of the book, haha. I felt a lot more love for Jace this time around (though still not much empathy for Clary). I'll definitely read the next book, I'm invested in the story and I want to find out what happens. I also think Cassie has exceptional prose for a YA fantasy writer, which makes the books even more of a pleasure to read. (She DOES abuse descriptions of light and shadows too much, but we'll forgive her.)
& Interworld by Gaiman & Reaves ; ☆☆☆☆
It's GAIMAN. Of course it's friggin' awesome. :D Okay, I don't want to give anything away, because it's important for this plot not to get spoiled. But overall it's just a really fun, interesting, and refreshing coming-of-age/adventure story.
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