Book Complete: Stalking Tender Prey, by Storm Constantine.
I finally finally finally finished this book: Stalking Tender Prey by Storm Constantine.
It's the first in a trilogy, and I have the second one sitting on my desk so I can start it soon, but let me digress: I finished this book. I've owned it for several years now, after receiving it as a gift from matrixrefugee.
The first time I tried to read it, I got halfway in and well - it wasn't the book I was expecting. I was hoping for something more...eh...action-y and angel-y. Like Archangel Protocol, in a way. (Not that I had read that book by then, or even heard of it.) So I set it down and haven't gotten back to it until this last month, where I grabbed it again and said 'listen, you know better by now. give it another shot!'
So I did, and lo and behold: I enjoyed it! Heavy reading, fantastic writing, fascinating plot - I should explain more here. I get involved with characters very heavily if I can, and Storm often writes well enough that I can. So it's heavy because I am involved and it's not one-hundred percent light and cheerful. That and we'll often delve into the headspace of characters I just don't like - Barbara, for one, and Verity. They grew on me (and I adore Verity now), but initially I just didn't get along with them.
I am amazed at Storm's ability to make a character sympathetic when writing from their viewpoint - Peverel right here. If she's writing from his POV, I think he's pretty cool, if somewhat amoral. If she's writing from someone else's POV - Lily, Owen, Verity - I absolutely despise him, for he is doing awful things.
Fantastic writing: vivid, [great adjective], etc! I like it. If I could write like that I think I'd be happy.
Fascinating plot: (spoiler warning!, from this point 'till the end) it was slow at first, what with Peverel exploring the village and learning the characters (this book is set in a little village in modern day England) and we're discovering that the village has a mysterious past, that Daniel's more important than he seems, etc etc - I admit it, I didn't completely get into the book until after the first few sections of Anika's side story. By then I cared about the characters, and elements were getting fantastical enough that I was more intrigued. (As much as Lovecraft's way of 'everything in this village is creepy and more than it seems but in this story you will only see what lies beneath in a climatic moment and never anywhere else' works, I just don't like it. I like seeing more of the fantastical stuff.)
I admit that I began pairing characters off as the plot went along as well, but I can't sit back and ship 'em until I've read the whole trilogy, as otherwise I might get supremely annoyed or possessive when something else happens. I'm sitting on my fingers due to that, as Peverel was sleeping with everyone at some point. >.< (So glad he's been put on the right path at the end of the book. So glad.)
Now, I'd argue a bit over the exact synching up of my mythology with Storm's use of it here, but she's drawing from different sources and treating the grigori much differently than I would have - and yet it works.
I've adjusted, and I like how it's all portrayed...and I'm rambling now, aren't I?
Can I just say: my favorite part of the book was Lily's journey through Long Eden. Fantastic imagery. I loved Raven by the end of that section, and it worked a whole lot.
Finally, as I turn to read the second book, I have a few notes:
A) I'd rec this book to almost anyone on my flist, so long as you go in prepared. This book does have sex in it, this book does get dark in spots, and it can get weird.
B) Do we get to see more of Anika, Lahash and Taziel in the next few books? Do they get along? I'd love it if they got along. :D
C) The guardians (ala Raven) - will we see anything similar to that? I'd like it if we did.
Onwards! The third book is in the mail and I anticipate having it soon. This is such fun, having good books to read. (especially after the disappointment with Iron Angel. Bah to that book, and the author for hurting the characters too terribly.)
It's the first in a trilogy, and I have the second one sitting on my desk so I can start it soon, but let me digress: I finished this book. I've owned it for several years now, after receiving it as a gift from matrixrefugee.
The first time I tried to read it, I got halfway in and well - it wasn't the book I was expecting. I was hoping for something more...eh...action-y and angel-y. Like Archangel Protocol, in a way. (Not that I had read that book by then, or even heard of it.) So I set it down and haven't gotten back to it until this last month, where I grabbed it again and said 'listen, you know better by now. give it another shot!'
So I did, and lo and behold: I enjoyed it! Heavy reading, fantastic writing, fascinating plot - I should explain more here. I get involved with characters very heavily if I can, and Storm often writes well enough that I can. So it's heavy because I am involved and it's not one-hundred percent light and cheerful. That and we'll often delve into the headspace of characters I just don't like - Barbara, for one, and Verity. They grew on me (and I adore Verity now), but initially I just didn't get along with them.
I am amazed at Storm's ability to make a character sympathetic when writing from their viewpoint - Peverel right here. If she's writing from his POV, I think he's pretty cool, if somewhat amoral. If she's writing from someone else's POV - Lily, Owen, Verity - I absolutely despise him, for he is doing awful things.
Fantastic writing: vivid, [great adjective], etc! I like it. If I could write like that I think I'd be happy.
Fascinating plot: (spoiler warning!, from this point 'till the end) it was slow at first, what with Peverel exploring the village and learning the characters (this book is set in a little village in modern day England) and we're discovering that the village has a mysterious past, that Daniel's more important than he seems, etc etc - I admit it, I didn't completely get into the book until after the first few sections of Anika's side story. By then I cared about the characters, and elements were getting fantastical enough that I was more intrigued. (As much as Lovecraft's way of 'everything in this village is creepy and more than it seems but in this story you will only see what lies beneath in a climatic moment and never anywhere else' works, I just don't like it. I like seeing more of the fantastical stuff.)
I admit that I began pairing characters off as the plot went along as well, but I can't sit back and ship 'em until I've read the whole trilogy, as otherwise I might get supremely annoyed or possessive when something else happens. I'm sitting on my fingers due to that, as Peverel was sleeping with everyone at some point. >.< (So glad he's been put on the right path at the end of the book. So glad.)
Now, I'd argue a bit over the exact synching up of my mythology with Storm's use of it here, but she's drawing from different sources and treating the grigori much differently than I would have - and yet it works.
I've adjusted, and I like how it's all portrayed...and I'm rambling now, aren't I?
Can I just say: my favorite part of the book was Lily's journey through Long Eden. Fantastic imagery. I loved Raven by the end of that section, and it worked a whole lot.
Finally, as I turn to read the second book, I have a few notes:
A) I'd rec this book to almost anyone on my flist, so long as you go in prepared. This book does have sex in it, this book does get dark in spots, and it can get weird.
B) Do we get to see more of Anika, Lahash and Taziel in the next few books? Do they get along? I'd love it if they got along. :D
C) The guardians (ala Raven) - will we see anything similar to that? I'd like it if we did.
Onwards! The third book is in the mail and I anticipate having it soon. This is such fun, having good books to read. (especially after the disappointment with Iron Angel. Bah to that book, and the author for hurting the characters too terribly.)