Books update
#127, Skinned by Robin Wasserman. A modern Frankenstein story. In this very post-apocalyptic world, if your body is broken beyond repair, there are alternatives. Lia Kahn finds this out first hand. Lia was the queen bee of her high school. She set the fashion, she set the vids, if you were anyone, you followed her. But when a tragic accident forces her brain into a mechanical body, she is no longer the Lia she was, at least not on the outside. But perhaps not on the inside either. Called Skinners, they are hated, feared, misunderstood. Even her own family, the ones who forced this change on her, can't stand what she's become. It's a fabulous story of self-discovery that begs for a sequel but it's not a cliff-hanger. It's just that the story isn't done yet. It would have rated 5 stars had it not ended so abruptly. But it's definitely worth reading. 4 stars.
#128, Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder. Snyder's Glass series has a lot in common with her Study series. It's set in the same world with some familiar characters. That's a plus. It makes it easy to slip back into her world. Opal Cowan is a "one trick" magician. A glass maker, she creates glass animals that enable communication between magicians. When she's asked to help the Stormdancers discover what's breaking their glass orbs, she's drawn into a web of deceit that makes her doubt everything except her ability with glass. The romance between Opal and Kade and Ulric is well done, if not a little light. If you don't want to learn glass blowing after reading this, you weren't paying enough attention to the art. 4 stars.
#129, Kabbalah: A Love Story by Lawrence Kushner. When I tried to read this the first time, more than a year ago, I thought it was poorly written, boring and not worth my time. After listening to my book club discuss it, I decided to try to read it again. Eventually. It turned out that I enjoyed it. I'm not into mysticism so the whole Kabbalah theme was rather lost on me - the importance of the text just didn't interest me. But the love story did. Rabbi Kalman Stern sees himself as a failure but a confluence of events provides him with a new sense of self. Solving the mystery of a page bound into a cover of book that was given to him under unusual circumstances finally brings him deeper within himself so that he is able to give himself outwardly. It's a story within a story within a story. It still isn't brilliantly written but there is a lot within its pages. Glad I ended up reading it. 3 stars.
#130, Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This book was first published in 96 but it was written 10 years earlier when futuristic romances were big on romance and small on the future. This shows glimpses of Kenyon's skill as a story teller. In fact, you can see where she developed scenes from this book for use in Acheron. Others have described the heroine as too stupid to live. That's not exactly true. Kiara's annoyingly naive and self-centered. She's really too innocent for the hero. Nemesis has been abused his whole life. Trained to be an assassin, he's the best at what he does. Kiara touches him in ways he thought dead. The ending comes too quickly and too easily. Not enough build up to the scenes that negate his entire past as though a pat on the head can changes years of torture. The reader for the audio is brilliant. Although her accents were slightly non sequiturs, she made it possible to identify every character no matter how many were on stage. A neat and impressive talent. But not Kenyon's best work, not by a long shot 2 stars.
#131, Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder. I was disappointed in this sequel. It took too long to get anywhere. No one believes Opal that Ulrick and Devlen have switched bodies, not even Yelena. And that changes Opal. She trusts no one, not even herself. It takes the book nearly 2/3rds of the way through to really start going anywhere. Once it did, it got interesting, but it meandered. I'm looking forward to the 3rd book in the trilogy. It's an interesting world. But this one didn't have a plot sufficiently engaging for me. 3 stars.
#132, Starcross: An Intergalactic Adventure of Spies and Time Travel by Philip Reeve. The second adventure of Art Mumby and his sister Myrtle takes them to the asteroid Starcross. Supposedly a wonderful vacation opportunity with a beach, it's really a breeding ground for something far more sinister. Art and Myrtle must battle Moobs for control of the universe. And it's a very close call. This book has less world building than the first book so it's easier to get into the story. All the main characters from the first book make appearances and the villains were great. 3 stars.
#133, Blood Game by Iris Johansen. Johansen takes the cliffhanger ending of the last book and runs with it. There were three names on Montalvo's list. Kistle is dead. Now it's Jelak's turn. Because one of these men had Bonnie. Jelak is a vampire-wannabe and is certain that drinking the blood of his victims will get him what he wants. He couldn't have known that killing Nancy Jo Merrill would be his demise. Nancy Jo comes to Joe as a ghost and while he doesn't want to believe, he finds it easier to believe in Nancy Jo than in Bonnie, who has also been coming to him. It's about to destroy his marriage if he doesn't start to accept it. Great new characters were introduced, some additional paranormal elements through Renata's "family". Fast-paced and enjoyable. 4 stars.
#134, Dust to Dust by Heather Graham. This book had such potential but it required that you had read her other books that deal with the Alliance. Scott has a chance meeting with an old man (whose life is he trying to save) and the old man says some things that make Scott superhuman. He meets up with Melanie while trying to use his powers for good. (Don't mean to be snide. Up through this point, the book was terrific.) It was even interesting while trying to solve the 2012 Mayan prophecy. But the relationship between Scott and Melanie didn't seem to be based on anything and the story didn't feel particularly suspenseful. Did make me want to read some of the Alliance books but I'm not sure that was the point. 2 stars.
#135, All Other Nights by Dara Horn. This was an interesting book about the Jews and the Civil War. Jacob, running from an unwanted marriage, becomes a Union Spy. First, he murders his uncle who is planning on assassinating Lincoln, then he marries a young woman running a Confederate spy ring. It's not an easy novel. None of the characters are particularly likable, though I think that is the nature of wartime. But so much happened in a very short time. I think Jacob is 21 when the book ends. It's a lot of life to live. I'm also not entirely sure of the point of the story. It was interesting to discover what role Jews played during the Civil War but the story itself was never very exciting. 3 stars.
#136, Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong. I loved where Armstrong took the story. Elena is the most developed of her characters and despite the fact that Elena is married and the mother of two, she hasn't become weak. In fact, Jeremy has made her next in line for succession, something she's not entirely sure she's qualified for. She and Clay are following some man-killing mutts in Alaska and they find way more than they bargained for, including some possible new pack recruits, and a new (to them) supernatural creature. Fast-paced and well tied together, every time I thought the story was coming to a close, a new threat popped out - not from nowhere but from earlier in the story. Very satisfying. 4 stars.
#137, To Tempt a Scotsman by Victoria Dahl. If you're expecting a traditional romance, you'll be very disappointed. Alexandra may be young, but she knows she wants more than stifling society. She wants to explore life. Unfortunately, she explores her budding sexuality with the wrong man and the ensuing scandal leaves her in her brother's home with no prospects. She's okay with that until Collin Blackburn shows up looking for the man who killed his brother over a duel over her. It doesn't take Collin long to figure out Alex isn't the harlot he expected but he hates himself for wanting her. Alex has never been attracted to any man like Collin and since she's already ruined, why not act the part. It was not what either expected. The story had a more modern feel to it, with Alex being unexpectedly in touch with her sexuality and not ashamed of it. But that made it refreshing. The characters were likable and the misunderstandings mostly acceptable. I want to read the sequel. A fun and light romp. 4 stars.
#128, Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder. Snyder's Glass series has a lot in common with her Study series. It's set in the same world with some familiar characters. That's a plus. It makes it easy to slip back into her world. Opal Cowan is a "one trick" magician. A glass maker, she creates glass animals that enable communication between magicians. When she's asked to help the Stormdancers discover what's breaking their glass orbs, she's drawn into a web of deceit that makes her doubt everything except her ability with glass. The romance between Opal and Kade and Ulric is well done, if not a little light. If you don't want to learn glass blowing after reading this, you weren't paying enough attention to the art. 4 stars.
#129, Kabbalah: A Love Story by Lawrence Kushner. When I tried to read this the first time, more than a year ago, I thought it was poorly written, boring and not worth my time. After listening to my book club discuss it, I decided to try to read it again. Eventually. It turned out that I enjoyed it. I'm not into mysticism so the whole Kabbalah theme was rather lost on me - the importance of the text just didn't interest me. But the love story did. Rabbi Kalman Stern sees himself as a failure but a confluence of events provides him with a new sense of self. Solving the mystery of a page bound into a cover of book that was given to him under unusual circumstances finally brings him deeper within himself so that he is able to give himself outwardly. It's a story within a story within a story. It still isn't brilliantly written but there is a lot within its pages. Glad I ended up reading it. 3 stars.
#130, Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This book was first published in 96 but it was written 10 years earlier when futuristic romances were big on romance and small on the future. This shows glimpses of Kenyon's skill as a story teller. In fact, you can see where she developed scenes from this book for use in Acheron. Others have described the heroine as too stupid to live. That's not exactly true. Kiara's annoyingly naive and self-centered. She's really too innocent for the hero. Nemesis has been abused his whole life. Trained to be an assassin, he's the best at what he does. Kiara touches him in ways he thought dead. The ending comes too quickly and too easily. Not enough build up to the scenes that negate his entire past as though a pat on the head can changes years of torture. The reader for the audio is brilliant. Although her accents were slightly non sequiturs, she made it possible to identify every character no matter how many were on stage. A neat and impressive talent. But not Kenyon's best work, not by a long shot 2 stars.
#131, Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder. I was disappointed in this sequel. It took too long to get anywhere. No one believes Opal that Ulrick and Devlen have switched bodies, not even Yelena. And that changes Opal. She trusts no one, not even herself. It takes the book nearly 2/3rds of the way through to really start going anywhere. Once it did, it got interesting, but it meandered. I'm looking forward to the 3rd book in the trilogy. It's an interesting world. But this one didn't have a plot sufficiently engaging for me. 3 stars.
#132, Starcross: An Intergalactic Adventure of Spies and Time Travel by Philip Reeve. The second adventure of Art Mumby and his sister Myrtle takes them to the asteroid Starcross. Supposedly a wonderful vacation opportunity with a beach, it's really a breeding ground for something far more sinister. Art and Myrtle must battle Moobs for control of the universe. And it's a very close call. This book has less world building than the first book so it's easier to get into the story. All the main characters from the first book make appearances and the villains were great. 3 stars.
#133, Blood Game by Iris Johansen. Johansen takes the cliffhanger ending of the last book and runs with it. There were three names on Montalvo's list. Kistle is dead. Now it's Jelak's turn. Because one of these men had Bonnie. Jelak is a vampire-wannabe and is certain that drinking the blood of his victims will get him what he wants. He couldn't have known that killing Nancy Jo Merrill would be his demise. Nancy Jo comes to Joe as a ghost and while he doesn't want to believe, he finds it easier to believe in Nancy Jo than in Bonnie, who has also been coming to him. It's about to destroy his marriage if he doesn't start to accept it. Great new characters were introduced, some additional paranormal elements through Renata's "family". Fast-paced and enjoyable. 4 stars.
#134, Dust to Dust by Heather Graham. This book had such potential but it required that you had read her other books that deal with the Alliance. Scott has a chance meeting with an old man (whose life is he trying to save) and the old man says some things that make Scott superhuman. He meets up with Melanie while trying to use his powers for good. (Don't mean to be snide. Up through this point, the book was terrific.) It was even interesting while trying to solve the 2012 Mayan prophecy. But the relationship between Scott and Melanie didn't seem to be based on anything and the story didn't feel particularly suspenseful. Did make me want to read some of the Alliance books but I'm not sure that was the point. 2 stars.
#135, All Other Nights by Dara Horn. This was an interesting book about the Jews and the Civil War. Jacob, running from an unwanted marriage, becomes a Union Spy. First, he murders his uncle who is planning on assassinating Lincoln, then he marries a young woman running a Confederate spy ring. It's not an easy novel. None of the characters are particularly likable, though I think that is the nature of wartime. But so much happened in a very short time. I think Jacob is 21 when the book ends. It's a lot of life to live. I'm also not entirely sure of the point of the story. It was interesting to discover what role Jews played during the Civil War but the story itself was never very exciting. 3 stars.
#136, Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong. I loved where Armstrong took the story. Elena is the most developed of her characters and despite the fact that Elena is married and the mother of two, she hasn't become weak. In fact, Jeremy has made her next in line for succession, something she's not entirely sure she's qualified for. She and Clay are following some man-killing mutts in Alaska and they find way more than they bargained for, including some possible new pack recruits, and a new (to them) supernatural creature. Fast-paced and well tied together, every time I thought the story was coming to a close, a new threat popped out - not from nowhere but from earlier in the story. Very satisfying. 4 stars.
#137, To Tempt a Scotsman by Victoria Dahl. If you're expecting a traditional romance, you'll be very disappointed. Alexandra may be young, but she knows she wants more than stifling society. She wants to explore life. Unfortunately, she explores her budding sexuality with the wrong man and the ensuing scandal leaves her in her brother's home with no prospects. She's okay with that until Collin Blackburn shows up looking for the man who killed his brother over a duel over her. It doesn't take Collin long to figure out Alex isn't the harlot he expected but he hates himself for wanting her. Alex has never been attracted to any man like Collin and since she's already ruined, why not act the part. It was not what either expected. The story had a more modern feel to it, with Alex being unexpectedly in touch with her sexuality and not ashamed of it. But that made it refreshing. The characters were likable and the misunderstandings mostly acceptable. I want to read the sequel. A fun and light romp. 4 stars.