Bitten TV Series: First Impressions

I wasn't going to write a post about Bitten or at least, not yet... not just after one episode. However, I got an email from Brie this morning asking me if I was going to watch the show... Ever since the first press release for Bitten, I knew I was going to give the tv series a try because I love the novel and the book series by Ms Armstrong... And I know I'm not the only one :) So might as well discuss the adaptation all together, right?

Apparently, Bitten premieres tonight in the States on the Syfy channel... but it being a Canadian production, seems like Canada will be getting advance viewing as Bitten's first episode was shown on Saturday on the Space channel :) After watching the episode, here are my first impressions... but please keep in mind that 1) I'm a huge fan of the book, the series and Ms Armstrong (although it's been a while since I last re-read Bitten) and 2) I'm not an avid tv series/movie watcher. This means I can be biased in some aspects and totally ignorant in others ^_^; Anyway, here we go...

Overall, I think the first episode was good. It was mainly about introducing the characters and setting up the story and world building and I think they were successful in both aspects. In addition, the pacing was good and the episode, well balanced. It wasn't about just the characters or the world building, but really both and they even started the storyline about the mutt. I also quite enjoyed how viewers got to meet most of the supporting cast - quick, but efficient.

The feel of the series is also quite good in my opinion. I liked the opening credit, I think it fit the mood the series is trying to convey and is not too revealing of what's to come. Also, I don't know if it was intentional - probably not LOL - but I thought it fit with the covers of the Canadian edition of the books. The location/scenery so far seems to be pretty spot-on, especially Stonehaven :) And while Bitten is a Canadian production and I'm quite happy about it, I wouldn't be able to tell at first glance. What I mean is that Bitten doesn't feel like a low-budget tv series or differently from any other American productions - which is a good thing :) The only thing I would like the production to improve is the werewolf special effect. It's not bad, but there's something about it... I like that the werewolves are the right colors, but they could look a bit more real feel like they belong in the scenes more.

I know, I know, all of the above is good and well, but it's not what matters most right? What you really want to know is the cast right? One of the main draws to Bitten is the actress who plays Elena, Laura Vandervoort, because she portrayed Supergirl in Smallville... and I think she can definitively carry the series on her shoulders. So far, she's doing a good job as Elena. The only complaint I can see people coming up with - and it'd be the readers - is that she's a bit too feminine. Elena doesn't care about make-up, fashion and would never be caught wearing high heels! However, I think that Laura Vandervoort's portrayal of Elena right now is good and her femininity works. I mean, Bitten's cast is predominantly male given the world that Ms Armstrong created... so playing up Elena's femininity is a good visual contrast in the tv series and I think it really drives home the point that she's the only female werewolf and what it means to be surrounded by all those males. As for the rest of the cast, they had pretty limited screen time, but I'm pretty satisfied with what I've seen so far - especially Michael Xavier as Logan, Joel Keller as Peter and Greg Bryk as Jeremy (even though he is not Asian). Yes, of course, Logan and Peter had very small roles in the novel, so their casting wasn't very crucial, but still, it's nice they fit. Furthermore, it seems to me one of the important changes that they've decided to make was not to kill off Logan's character (he's credited for the 13 episodes at IMDB), which means his role was expanded. Hopefully, it's going to keep the essence of the book and Logan will be Elena's good friend and confident which is the way it is shaping up. And so far, I like what I see of Logan and Elena :)

Greyston Holt and Paul Greene

While I'm happy with most of the actors and actresses chosen, there are two miscasts in my opinion. The first and critical one is Greyston Holt as Clayton. Clayton was always going to be the most difficult character of Bitten to cast... and unfortunately, the casting is a questionable choice for me. Clay is supposed to be traffic-stopping-gorgeous, almost angel-like, with a sandpaper personality LOL. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but Greyston Holt isn't handsome enough. Even with that classroom full of girls looking subjugated, I didn't buy it ^_^; In fact, he looks too brutish to be Clay... although the moodiness is there. Personally, I would have swapped Greyston Holt and Paul Greene who plays Philip (Elena's boyfriend) roles. Then again, this is only the first episode and Elena and Clay barely had any interaction, so it's a bit early to tell... who knows, they might have incredible chemistry and that would make his casting all right. Oh and for those who wonder, Clay unfortunately doesn't have his accent in the tv series :( Guess it would have been too hard to explain? Or just too hard for the actor to maintain?... The other flagrant miscast is Paulino Nunes as Antonio. Mr Nunes is just not big enough, doesn't have the immovable presence that Antonio is supposed to have. Antonio might not have a big role, but a miscast is a miscast...

My one big complaint from what I've seen of Bitten so far is the amount of sex/nudity. I was actually concerned about this from the beginning, ever since I read "An erotically charged thriller, Bitten..." in the press release. Erotically charged thriller, really?! And seems like my concern was not for naught :( I know that Bitten not being shown on a mainstream channel, it allows the production to push the limits, I know that sex sells and attracts viewers and most of you probably think I'm a prude... but I just don't want the series to be overtaken by those scenes. Personally, the way the show started and how Elena and Philip were introduced, I could have done without. Then again, I'm probably going to be in the minority...

My verdict? I'm a purist when it comes to tv/movie adaptations. I want them to be as faithful as possible and I take the fact that I didn't spend the first episode of Bitten rolling my eyes, fuming or screaming at the screen as a good sign LOL. In all seriousness, the first episode showed promise and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. So far, the changes done to the story have really been minimal and I hope it continues that way. I mean, if they keep to the original storyline as much as possible, combined with good acting, I don't see why Bitten wouldn't be the next big TV hit :) The biggest question mark for me is going to be Greyston Holt as Clayton... guess we're going to find out soon.

What about you? Any plan of watching it? And if you did already, what did you think?

***

Extra: My book review of Bitten

Review: The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

Wow, another week that goes by without a post ^_^; Let's hope I put an end to this right now with this review! Yes, finally a review! LOL. And you won't believe how long it took me to write this one ^_^; However, I'm glad that I've finally managed to finish it because The Rising is a book I've really wanted to share with everyone :) Beware, it's not my best review. I think I'm a bit rusty...

By the way, in case you guys are wondering, no new books this week, so no Hauling Sunday post. Now, ready? Because here we go! :P


***Warning: This review contains spoilers. Read at your own risk***

The Rising by Kelley Armstrong
published by Harpercollins in April 2013

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control.

But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever.

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Series: Darkness Rising, Book #3

The Story: The Rising basically picks up where The Calling left off. Maya, Daniel and Corey are on their own and trying to figure things out - where to go, what to do, whom to contact... and to trust, all the while staying ahead of the Cabals hunting for them. With most of their companions captive and the world thinking they have died in a helicopter crash, their options are scarce. One thing they know for sure; they cannot keep running all their lives nor do they want to... Is there a possibility that life could go back to the way it was? If there is, Maya and her friends will do everything and reach the necessary people for it to happen.

My Opinion: I love Ms Armstrong's writing, but to be honest, the Darkness Rising trilogy hasn't been my favorite work of hers so far. So when I got The Rising, my initial intent was to take a peek and put it aside for later. However, once I took that peek, I was completely hooked - simply couldn't put it down and ended up reading the whole thing LOL.

My enjoyment of The Rising is in large part due to Maya's gang finally meeting up with Chloe's group from the Darkest Powers trilogy. This is something I've been hoping for throughout the trilogy and it finally happening, well it made my day :) I just enjoyed the interactions between the two groups as their circumstances differed a lot. On one hand, you have Maya's gang who all grew in this community of experiment subjects, being monitored without really knowing it. Now on the run, they have to rely on themselves. While most of Chloe's group has been aware of being experiment subjects and have been trying to learn and control their powers. In addition, they can rely on Chloe's aunt and Derek and Simon's father. The contrasting idea between the two projects was also interesting to me. Project Genesis which Chloe stems from was to genetically enhance powers of supernaturals while Project Phoenix which includes Maya was  to revive supernatural beings that have been extincted. But quite honestly, at the end of the day, I just wanted updates of Chloe's group as I personally preferred them to Maya's ^_^; And LOL, let just say Derek's reaction didn't disappoint :)

What I also really liked in The Rising was the resolution at the end. Maya and Chloe's groups have been on the run for a while... Is that all their future holds for them? The answer is no :) I personally really wished that they had gone to the supernatural council. I think Paige and company need to know about them, about these projects... However, as they hadn't gone to the council, I think the person they went to make the best sense: Sean Nast. With Lucas and Sean taking leading positions in the Cabal clans and the emergence of the supernatural council, you can see that things are starting to change... and it's quite exciting to actually see Sean's position in the Cabals solidifying :) Perhaps I'm biased, but I feel Sean is someone that Maya and Chloe can trust. He's the one that going to be the most upfront with them. In any case, as I said, I liked the resolution at the end. Yes, they are still dependent on the Cabals, but at least, they are no longer on the run. They can live a "normal" life with their families. Also, they are now aware of their powers and the choices they will have to make in the future. It's not perfect, but it's better than what they could hope for at the beginning of The Rising.

Now, what about the story of The Rising itself? It was okay. To me, the scenes where Maya and her friends were on the run were a bit draggy. There were also some events that I felt were a bit too convenient such as Maya's twin Ash appearance. Still, there were some good twists and those kept the story going :) And finally, Maya realized her feelings for Daniel! Finally! I've been rooting for Daniel since the beginning and seriously, he's such a good guy... How could Maya not like him? This is one thing that Ms Armstrong hasn't handled really well in my opinion in both trilogies: love triangles. There haven't really been any in her adult books and I know YA books need a bit of drama, but she's just not very good at them ^_^; Perhaps because there is such an unbalance between the two potential love interests. In the Darkest Powers trilogy, she did a better job because Simon and Derek started on an equal footing - they both met Chloe at the same time and as brothers, they knew each other so well. But in Darkness Rising? I think everyone was rooting for Daniel.

At the end of the day, I'm glad the Darkness Rising trilogy is over. Ms Armstrong did her best with this trilogy; however, I think the odds were stacked against her... There were technically two huge flaws to this series. The first one is that being an avid fan of Ms Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, I knew so much more than the characters themselves... So waiting for the blocks to fall into place and the characters to figure things out was just agonizing! The second flaw was the similarities of what Maya and her friends were going through to the events from the Darkness Powers trilogy. Yes, circumstances were different, but in both cases, the heroines found out she was a supernatural and ended up being on the run, having to figure things out. It just took a lot of the thrills out. However, I'm really excited to see what Ms Armstrong has in store for Maya and Chloe in the future! The Women of the Otherworld series is now going on hiatus and so are the characters for these two trilogies... but I would love Ms Armstrong to pick up this world again in a few years and show us what have become of Maya and Chloe and mix them with our beloved characters from the Women of the Otherworld series :) That is going to be really exciting :)

My Grade: B+. This grade is a bit on the high side, but keep in mind that I'm really a fan of the Women of the Otherworld series :) For me, The Rising was definitively the best installment out of three books in this trilogy and it was in large part due to the cross-over and the resolution :) As I mentioned earlier, once I started the book, I was hooked and that deserves recognition, hence the B+. As a whole, the Darkness Rising trilogy might not have been Ms Armstrong's best work, but the doors it opens... I can't wait to explore that!

Review: Forbidden and Amityville Horrible by Kelley Armstrong

Hey everyone! How are you doing? Sorry for the lack of posts ^_^; I've been pretty tired lately - curling, Chinese New Year, hanging out with friends = lack of sleep - and I think it's been affecting my mood, my reading and my blogging :( Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up on my sleep this week!

Today is a two-fer reviews because well, lack of reviews in the past couple of days, but also because both books were written by the same author: Kelley Armstrong. These are novellas that were published back in December with  Subterranean Press. Seriously, I'm really happy Ms Armstrong has decided not to end the series and just go on hiatus :P Anyway, with these two reviews, I'm almost done with 2012! Yay! Then, I'll start tackling 2013, given my blogging muse comes back soon :) However, as my blogging muse seems to be on vacation for now, I gotta warn you that these reviews might not flow really well ^_^; I really had a hard time writing them, it just wouldn't come :( I hope you can still enjoy them though :)


Forbidden by Kelley Armstrong

published by Subterranean Press in December 2012

The team-spirit sign by the side of the highway seems a good omen to loner Morgan Walsh, as he drives to what could be the most important visit of his life — a chance to join the North American Pack. Then he wakes naked in the woods, surrounded by wolf tracks and a ring of suspicious cops. The situation only gets worse when he’s bailed out by Alpha-elect Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers, her terrifying enforcer and mate.

Disappointed that such a promising young werewolf risked exposing them, Elena isn’t expecting anything from the pesky retrieval job except some much-needed alone time with Clay. Instead, she finds a different kind of evil stalking the streets and forests of Westwood, New York. Trapped in town by a snowstorm and sabotage, Elena, Clay and Morgan must find the mysterious threat before it sets its sights on them.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Women of the Otherworld/Otherworld stories

The Story: The synopsis is pretty accurate. Morgan Walsh comes from a family of fishermen in Newfoundland and is a hereditary werewolf. Not interested in his family's lifestyle, he set out to see what the world had to offer. That led him to Anchorage, Alaska, where he tried to live as a wolf, exploring his second nature. It's during that time, eighteen months ago, that he met the American Pack (Frostbitten). They issued him an invitation to visit and perhaps recruit when he was done with his wolf experiment. Interested and intrigued, Morgan has finally decided on the visit. However, his visit starts off on a bad note when during a rest stop, Morgan finds himself in need of Changing and the next thing he knows, he's being arrested, naked in the forest during winter. Then, Elena is called in to bail him out. On their way out, their car's tires are slashed, effectively trapping them in town for the night...

My Opinion: The Women of the Otherworld series is one of my favorite urban fantasy series and so, I always look forward to new additions, whether they are full-length novels or novellas. I was even more excited about Forbidden when I found out it was about Morgan :) Ever since Frostbitten, I've been curious about his character and wondered whether he would join the Pack or not... As such, I'm really glad Ms Armstrong  finally wrote a story that provided me some of the answers.

All in all, I thought Forbidden was an interesting read. First, I always enjoy reading about the Pack and this time was no exception. Packs are one of my favorite elements in series that have werewolves, shapeshifters, changelings, etc. because they are an integral part of the world building and really set the tone, the atmosphere. I also enjoy them because I find the hierarchy fascinating and for the Pack politics and dynamics which are very akin to court intrigues :) In the Women of the Otherworld series, I think Ms Armstrong has created a very unique Pack. Part of it is has to do with the hierarchy which is not as strict and rigid. There's simply less emphasis on dominance and instinct. I mean, I wouldn't consider Clay a beta male, LOL, and Jeremy and Elena were both chosen/elected as Alphas. In that sense, the Pack is more humane and therefore, there is more focus on personalities. However, the reason I find the Pack stands out is its size. At the beginning of the series, the North American Pack was almost decimated and for the longest time, it consisted of only 5 werewolves. Finally though, in the past few books, it's slowly being built back and  new werewolves are joining. It's been interesting to read about the process, especially because because Ms Armstrong has done an excellent job at creating characters with distinct personalities and motives :) For example you have Karl which is really a veteran and has been a lone wolf for so long, but who craved territory. Then, there's been Reese and Noah who are younger and more malleable... and then, Morgan who is more individualist. I really enjoyed reading Morgan's thoughts about joining the Pack, especially his worries about not being up to standard. The nervousness he felt coming down for this visit, because he's evaluating whether he wants to join or not, but he knows he's also being evaluated. Anyway, I'm glad that Morgan has chosen to give the Pack a chance and I'm really looking forward to see how the Pack grows :)

As usual, I also enjoyed re-visiting Elena and Clay and see how they are dealing with parenthood LOL. I wonder what is harder for Elena, being a mother of twins or transitioning into her responsibilities as Alpha? :) However, while it's fun to catch up with one of my favorite pairings, it's pretty much the same as always... there's not much growth or development to their characters. It sounds a bit weird to write this given there are some big changes that have occurred - them becoming parents, Elena taking over Jeremy - but the transitions have been so smooth... Sure Elena has doubts and worries, but then again, she always had had those for different reasons and Clay as always is her rock. Anyway, I guess what I mean is that it's fun to see Elena and Clay again, but not much is happening with them, they just serve as narrators. It wouldn't really be an issue in full-length novels because then, there'd be the plot, suspense and action to detract the attention from them... but as this novella is not focus on them as was Hidden, well it feels like Ms Armstrong is pleasing fans more than anything. Not a bad thing, but more substance would be appreciated.

The plot of Forbidden, aside from Morgan joining the Pack, was okay given the length. That wasn't the reason why I read the novella, so it could overlook its flaws. The fact that it involved a bit of woo-woo made sense - it's urban fantasy after all - but seemed a bit too coincidental to me. Two things though that bothered me about Forbidden. The first is when does the story take place in the series timeline? I was a bit confused because there was a mention about Karl and Hope having a special news and I was wondering if it's the fact that Hope was pregnant in which case, the story took place before Waking the Witch. If that's not the news they were alluding to, then I'm really curious to know what is the special news!! ^_^; And the second thing is the art... I'm sorry, but I really wasn't a big fan of the art in Forbidden. It was a bit weird and the white/black/red color scheme did not help ^_^;

My Grade: B. Plot-wise, Forbidden wasn't the best novella Ms Armstrong has written. However, I got to know Morgan better, revisit Elena and Clay and read about the Pack, so it was still quite enjoyable for me :)

***

Amityville Horrible by Kelley Armstrong
published by Subterranean Press in e-book - December 2012/ in print - January 2013

Jaime Vegas—spiritualist, entertainer and, unbeknownst to her audience, real-life necromancer—swore she’d never do another reality ghost show after the last fiasco. But when she’s railroaded into a charity gig, she finds herself back on the set, this time with a cast of photogenic college kids, an up-and-coming Russian spiritualist, and a tale of missing girls and murder in New England. It’s cheesy, but that’s show business. With her werewolf Alpha lover, Jeremy Danvers, along to keep her nights interesting, it’s not so bad really. Until the bloody ghosts show up. Jaime has never faced spirits like these, and no matter how hard she tries, they won’t be ignored.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Women of the Otherworld/Otherworld stories

The Story: Once again, the blurb is pretty accurate and I'm not going to try to summarize more, because I'd be giving too much away ^_^;

My Opinion: I had absolutely no idea about Amityville Horrible's release until I stumbled across it over at Kobo, so it was a really nice surprise! And given Jaime and Jeremy are another of my favorite pairings of the series, I was thrilled! Lucky for me Amityville Horrible turned out to be as enjoyable as Forbidden :)

Okay, this review is going to be short and sweet since Amityville Horrible was even shorter than Forbidden. All in all, I think Amityville Horrible was a good novella because it was well balanced between the plot and the relationship. I think it helped that Ms Armstrong had a focal point to concentrate on: Jaime. As it turned out, the storyline was actually quite interesting and spooky! And I thought the twist was clever - I did not see it coming. People keep underestimating Jaime and I love that she surprises them, LOL. I also very much enjoyed the outlook we got on Jaime and Jeremy's relationship - how they deal with it and how it works for them. Jaime and Jeremy's relationship is quite unique and it really contrasts from Elena and Clay's. While they are a couple and have a 'HEA ending,' they are not constantly together, attached to the hips. I love that the two of them haven't given up their lives, their responsibilities. Instead, they  compromise and it works. It feels very mature. I also liked that we got a glimpse of Jaime's role in the twin's lives, because I've been wondering :)

My Grade: B. Amityville Horrible turned out to be a very enjoyable novella :) If you are a fan of this series and particularly for Jaime and Jeremy, you won't want to miss this one.

Monthly Reads: July 2012

I'm slowly catching up on my reviews and blogging and re-establishing my blogging pace. Yay! It helps that I've calmed down a bit about the New Bride with White Hair :) I'm still excited and checking for the subbed version every hour, but I'm less giddy ^_^; I know, I know, kind of pathetic, but what can I say LOL. Here is a picture of the series, just because :P Ma Su is so pretty in my opinion, but a lot of people don't think so. I guess beauty is really in the eye of the beholder... But I think many of them are blind LOL.

Oh and I'm also getting used to the new blogger interface. Okay, it's not new, but I didn't do the switch back then and now, I no longer have a choice. Still don't love it, but I can live with it...

Okay, enough of ramblings :) Take a look of my reads for July and what I thought :) Now, only one month behind!


1) A Duchess to Remember by Christina Brooke: B
Upcoming Review.

2) Angelic by Kelley Armstrong: C+

This is one of the novellas, part of the Women of the Otherworld series, that Ms Armstrong published with Subterranean Press. I missed its initial print release, but luckily, it's been released as an e-book. I have to say, that's when I'm really glad for e-books :) Since it's a novella, it goes without saying that the story is short. It features Eve Levine who's ready to put aside her angel duties for 6 months of vacation in the ghost world where her lover, Kris, is. However, the Fates have other plans and Eve ends up investigating some djinns rebellion and it leads her to some surprising findings.

I thought Angelic started off very strongly, but at the end of the day, it was simply too short. Perhaps if Ms Armstrong had only focused on the investigation, it would have been fine... but instead, Ms Armstrong added some personal developments and therefore, there was not enough time to make the mystery as suspenseful as possible. It also affected the resolution of the case which I thought was a bit too rushed. That being said, I wouldn't want Ms Armstrong to take out the personal developments LOL. I really liked the flashback of Kris and Bryce, it explains why Bryce disliked Savannah so much. And while I was not totally sold on Eve's work conflicts, it was interesting to see what Eve's afterlife was like :)


3) Starlight by Carrie Lofty: C-
Upcoming Review.


4) Scandal Wears Satin by Loretta Chase: B-
Upcoming Review.


5) About Last Night by Ruthie Knox: B+


6) Sweet Stuff by Donna Kauffman: B-

I came across this book when I was browsing the bookstore and the cover caught my attention, so I decided to give it a try :) It's the story of Riley Brown who used to be a food stylist in Chicago, but moved to Georgia  with her enormous, clumsy and lovable dog, Brutus, after a particularly difficult break-up. She lives on her friends' boat and has re-invented herself as a house stager. It's during one of her jobs that she meets Quinn Brannigan, a best-seller author who's come to Sugarberry to finish his latest novel and is therefore looking for a quiet place. The two are instantly attracted to each other and their attraction only grows deeper as they get to know each other... However, Riley is still wary and is not ready to risk herself in a new relationship yet... What does Quinn have to do to prove to Riley he is worth the chance?

I know I have a few books by Ms Kauffman in my TBR pile, but Sweet Stuff was actually my first book by this author and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit :) I thought Riley and Quinn had great chemistry together and loved that getting into bed was not their first priority. Each had reasons not to commit immediately, although those reasons were stronger for one of them, and they both respected it. While I was happy that Riley and Quinn did not jump into bed right away - which is often one of my complaints in romance, I have to say that in Sweet Stuff, I felt it took the H/H too much time to get together ^_^; I know, I know, very ironic. It's simply that Sweet Stuff was very character- and romance-orientated, but at the same time, not much happened. It was a lot of wishy-washy attitudes from both parties. It would have been nice to see more lovey-dovey scenes between Riley and Quinn or some action or something. I don't mind low levels of conflicts in romance, but I think in that case, you need a certain balance between the attraction, courting and relationship and in this case, the balance was a bit off. Still, it was refreshing to have a contemporary romance where the H/H didn't get together just for a fling! That is the prevalent theme lately and I'm so over it. Plus, Riley and Quinn were nice and likable characters and I felt their personalities complemented each other :) Aside from the H/H, I loved Brutus!! LOL. He was such a great dog - not smart, but the kind that will always be there for you and that you want to hug when you feel down :) Would have loved to have more scenes of him in the book. I also liked the other secondary characters and thought the Cupcake Club was a lot of fun :) Made me hungry and wanted a cupcake :)

7) Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman: C

I enjoyed Sweet Stuff so much, I decided to go back and read the first book in the series. This book is about Leilani Trusdale, Lani for short, and Baxter Dunne who made an appearance in Sweet Stuff. Baxter is a renowned pastry chef, very popular and in demand at the moment. Not only does he have his own restaurants, but also has a TV show. Lani used to work for him in New York City and had a huge crush on him. However, she gave up her stellar career up and came back to Sugarberry after her mother passed away and her father had a heart attack. She's settled back home and opened her own cupcake shop and has never been happier. Of course, she misses her friends, but not the cut-throat and backstabbing environment of the kitchens... The last thing she needs is for Baxter to come to her neck of the woods to film his next series for his culinary TV show, but that's exactly what he does. Forcing the two to acknowledge their feelings and taking a decision.

Overall, I did like Sugar Rush. Once again, the H/H have good chemistry and I enjoyed their interactions and dynamics. And once again, it was nice that they worked through their issues and problems before becoming a couple. At the same time, it also felt like it took them forever to get together and I just started getting bored. The difference between Lani/Baxter and Riley/Quinn is that Lani and Baxter knew each other. They had a past and both have had feelings for one another for quite a long time. Baxter even came down to the South to film his TV show! They meant something to each other, a lot more than they wanted. As a result, it didn't make sense that it took them so long to sort things out. I simply wished there had been more scenes of the two together as a couple and I think it would have been more interesting to see them work out their relationship and overcome the obstacles than just waffling back and forth. I just wished Baxter had swept Lani off her feet, that there was a bit more passion between the two and they stopped being so logical.

Otherwise, Sugar Rush wasn't a bad book... but because I read it right after Sweet Stuff, I couldn't help comparing the two and I definitively enjoyed Sweet Stuff more. It was nice to see how the Cupcake Club started and to meet the secondary characters. I do wish we'd have seen more of Charlotte and Carlo, they are an interesting couple.


8) Off the Menu by Stacey Ballis: B`

*** 

Balance 
Books bought: + 5
Books read: -8
TBR pile: -3 

Genres
Contemporary Romance – 3
Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit – 1
Historical Romance – 3
Urban Fantasy – 1

***

July was a slow month, both reading-wise and book-buying-wise, but it makes sense since I was on vacation. I really thought I would have had more time to read, but alas. LOL, I underestimate Europe :) Still, at the end of the day, I'm happy with the numbers. It's not half-bad and I did at least manage to read some.

What about you? Do you manage to read when you're on a trip overseas?

Monthly Reads: June 2012

Eeeep, I missed the Week-End's Minis feature again ^_^; I guess I'm still not totally back into my blogging mojo... However, I'm trying! And eventually, I'll get back into it LOL. However, I at least had an excuse: bachelorette party :) It was my friend's sister's bachelorette party and so, we attended a burlesque dance class... It was definitively interesting and yep, I'll never look at some of my friends the same way again LOL.

I did not buy any books this week! Yay! I really need to start curbing my book-buying a bit. Sigh. But that's another story for another day. Since no new books = no Hauling Sunday post, I decided to catch up on things a bit and post my Monthly Reads post for June! So take a look at what I read in June! Post for July should follow shortly... Good news is I was so busy I didn't read much LOL.


1) A Night Like This by Julia Quinn: B-
Upcoming Review.

2) Bedding Lord Ned by Sally Mackenzie: C-

Eleanor Bowman has been in love with Lord Edward, second son of the Duke of Greycliffe, forever and is still carrying a torch for Ned, despite the fact that he married her best friend and is now a widower. But as the years go by, Ellie realizes that she wants a family of her own and as such, needs to put an end to her infatuation. This year, at the Valentine's house party hosted by the Duchess of Greycliffe, also known as the Duchess of Love due to her matchmaking skills, Ellie is determined to marry one of the eligible men the Duchess has invited for her. However, this is easier said than done, especially when Ned has decided it was time to marry again.

I was really looking forward to Bedding Lord Ned because the cover and the blurb had both caught my attention. However, I was quite disappointed because I feel the blurb was misleading. The way it was worded, I thought Ellie would actually be bold enough to go after Ned and seduce him. Instead, Ellie and Ned spent their time denying their feelings and attraction for each other and then, being jealous or trying to make the other jealous. At the end of the day, I simply did not see any chemistry or connection between Ellie and Ned and didn't care much about their romance - which is very unfortunate. I felt frustrated at Ellie, spending years pining after Ned and letting her life slipped through her fingers... And seriously, how dense is Ned?!? I mean, everyone knew of Ellie's feelings for Ned... Sigh.

There were some positive elements in Bedding Lord Ned and they included Ned's family and the cat LOL. The cat was a good way to infuse some humor :) I liked Ned's brothers and their friendship with Ellie. I also liked Ned's parents, although I found it a bit weird we saw more close-doors sex scenes from them than Ellie and Ned ^_^; In any case, I'm not ready to give up on Ms Mackenzie yet and will be digging through my TBR pile to find her books :)


3) Crazy People by Jennifer Crusie: B


4) Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson: C++


5) Chaos Burning by Lauren Dane: B


6) Larkspur Road by Jill Gregory: C


7) Jacked Up by Erin McCarthy: C


8) Never a Lawman by Jo Goodman: C+


9) No Tan Lines by Kate Angell: B+


10) More Than a Stranger by Erin Knightley: B-


11) Perfectly Matched by Heather Webber: B
Upcoming Review.


12) Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep: B-
Upcoming Review.

13) Haunted by Kelley Armstrong: B-

I'm actually not sure whether I've read Haunted or not ^_^; If I remember correctly, I picked up Haunted just after I finished reading Industrial Magic... And most probably, what happened, is that I skimmed through it - more interested in Eve and Kris relationship than the intrigue. This time around, I decided to pay attention to the storyline LOL.

So in Industrial Magic, in order to help Paige and Lucas, Eve broke some rules and owned the Fates. Well in Haunted, they have decided to call in their marker. Basically, they need someone unconventional like Eve to capture Nix, an evil spirit which has escaped from hell. This spirit has a past of haunting humans who have an evil core, pushing them through their threshold and turning them into serial killers. The Fates have sent many angels after the Nix, but she has eluded them all... which is another complication for Eve. In order to stop Nix, Eve will need an angel's sword which can only be yielded by angels. Thus, she is given the choice of becoming one... However, that will mean giving up the ghost dimension in which Eve and Kris are finally reconnecting.

While Haunted didn't turn out to be one of my favorite books in the Women of the Otherworld series, I have to say I'm glad I finally gave it another go :) I enjoyed getting to know Eve better and I have to say, I simply love Ms Armstrong's writing style :) There are many popular authors whose style I just don't click with, but Ms Armstrong is definitively not one of them :P Anyway, as a whole, Haunted was an interesting book. As I said, I liked getting to know Eve better. Is she my favorite heroine in this series? No, but she's different. She's a mother who is still trying to help and protect her daughter and so, her priorities are not the same. Her relationship with Kris was also very interesting. I wished we've seen more of them together, but I think that's the romance reader in me talking LOL. Still, no matter what or when, Kris had Eve's back and I admired that. It was also interesting to see Kris and Eve work through their issues, past and current.

The intrigue of Haunted was interesting and you had a nice amount of action in the storyline. I especially liked Eve meeting Dantalion, a high-ranked demon and also her uncle. However, I can't say I was engrossed in the plot and I think it's because some parts of it were long and draggy and there was a lot of things going on. Perhaps Ms Armstrong should have streamlined the story a bit. And then, you add in Eve's dilemma - whether she would become an angel or not. It was an interesting dilemma that Eve had to face, but at the same time, her reaction and the resolution were a bit obvious and not different than similar dilemmas in other series.

At the end of the day though, I still enjoyed Haunted. I also thought Ms Armstrong did a good job at integrating other characters of the series in the storyline and foreshadowing.

14) Slow Summer Kisses by Shannon Stacey: B

Slow Summer Kisses is a straight contemporary romance novella about Anna Frazier who's been laid-off her work in the financial industry. In order to save money, she's decided to stay at her grandparents' cabin while hunting for a new job. During her stay, she gets reacquainted  with Cameron Mayfield with whom she used to play with as a kid when she visited her grandparents. Cameron is now living permanently at the camp in New Hampshire, doing some handiwork and checking on cabins. He was headed for a great career, but working too hard... and when his father passed away from a heart attack, Cameron realized he needed to slow down and enjoy life. It's exactly what he's doing and he isn't very happy to have Anna come and disturb his peace - especially since she has not changed: always on the go with tons of lists and always talking. However, Cameron feels obligated to help her out and the more time they spend together, the more he wonders whether he should strangle or kiss her :P

I think Ms Stacey did a good job with this short story as it was a very enjoyable read :) It was a sweet romance with two interesting characters. I liked that Ms Stacey focused on them and their lives, what made them ticked and what made them happy. I very much enjoyed Anna and Cameron as characters, but also their interactions. As usual, Ms Stacey infuses a good amount of humor and her writing is as solid as ever. The story is low in conflict and that's exactly how it should given the number of pages. Finally, I liked the resolution to the conflict, I liked that Anna took a chance on their relationship :)

***

Balance
Books bought: + 20
Books read: -14
TBR pile: +6

Genres
Contemporary Romance – 6
Cosy Mystery  – 1
Historical Romance – 4
    --> ( Regency - 3/Western - 1)
Urban Fantasy – 1
Paranormal Romance – 1
YA – 1

***

Overall, not bad numbers, but I admit I'm a bit disappointed ^_^; I really feel like I should be reading more - I'm so behind on my reading objectives ^_^; But not much I can do about it. I guess I should remember that what matters is that I enjoy myself and what I'm reading :) And yep, a lot of work ahead of me when it comes to reviewing. That sucks a bit because I was doing so well for the first half of the year... Ah well, another thing I can't do much about.

Did you read any of the books in this list? Did we differ in opinion? :) How was your month of June? Is the summer and vacation time getting in the way of your reading?

Discussion: Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong's covers

Okay, so this isn't going to be a real discussion, but I have a dilemma and I need your opinions. I was browsing the Chapters/Indigo website, figuring out my next orders. I've taken the habits of pre-ordering the hardcovers and trade paperbacks that I want, just because the prices are so much better online and also comparing it to Book Depository to get the best deals... and I came across Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong. Now, I've seen the US and UK covers, but I think the Canadian cover is really recent and this was my first time seeing it. Below are the covers: US, UK and Canadian respectively...

What do you think of the Canadian cover? Honestly, I don't really get it and it turns me off a little ^_^; Guess I won't be getting that copy ^_^;

Now's the real question though... Which one should I get then? The US or the UK one? My problem is that the last three books of the Women of the Otherworld series: Waking the Witch, Spellbound and Thirteen are a trilogy. I wished my covers would fit together... I actually had the same dilemma when Waking the Witch came out. The Canadian cover wasn't great, so I went with the US one - although that one changed. Then, when Spellbound was released, I went with the Canadian cover... Sigh, I wished I was psychic and knew what the subsequent covers would look like.

US:

UK:

CDN:

Also, is it me of none of the editions has a continuous thread for the three covers... I mean, the first two covers match, but the one for Thirteen seems to be coming out of nowhere!

So now, I have the following:

What do you think?

Review: Hidden by Kelley Armstrong

Hidden by Kelley Armstrong

published by Subterranean Press in December 2011

Hiking through the snow, holiday baking and playing board games by the fire – what’s not to love about an old-fashioned family Christmas?

Werewolves Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers want to give their four-year-old twins, Kate and Logan, something their parents never had: a nice, normal holiday. No Pack responsibilities, no homicidal half-demons or power-hungry sorcerers to deal with – just the four of them, alone, at a chalet outside Ontario’s Algonquin Park.

Then a strange werewolf shows up at their door…while the town is buzzing about a young man, back from college, found half-eaten in the woods. And there’s the missing little girl…

With all the signs pointing to a rogue mutt with a taste for human flesh, Elena and Clay have no choice but to investigate. But are they the hunters – or the hunted?

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Women of the Otherworld, Book #10.4

The Story: It is pretty much as the synopsis describes. In Hidden, Elena and Clayton have planned to celebrate Christmas with their twins, Logan and Kate, at a cabin in Ontario. Unfortunately, plans are disrupted when it appears there is a mutt in the neighborhood and they must assess the threat.

However, what worries Elena the most is a personal problem. As the twins are growing up, it's becoming increasingly hard to hide their werewolves nature from the twins and Elena is faced with the dilemma of revealing the truth or continuing the charade.

My Opinion: The Women of the Otherworld series holds a special place in my heart :) It's one of the first urban fantasy series I've read and also one of my favorites! I love the world and the characters Ms Armstrong has created. Although, I admit that in the past couple of years, I've dropped the ball a little bit ^_^; Basically, it's because Ms Armstrong is wrapping up the series with a trilogy featuring Savannah... Savannah has never been my favorite character and I figure I'd stack up the deck by reading the whole trilogy in one go instead of waiting a year in between book :) However, when I heard that Ms Armstrong was coming out with a novella featuring Elena, Clay and the twins? There was no doubt that I'd move heaven and earth to get my hands on it!

Not surprisingly, I really enjoyed Hidden :) Where to start? LOL. I looooved seeing Elena and Clay as parents and their interactions with the twins! It was just so sweet! We've witnessed Elena and Clay's relationship evolved throughout the series, from Elena and Clay's reconciliation to Elena's concerns about them becoming parents and up to this point. I have to say, I'm really glad Ms Armstrong took this step with this relationship and the way she developed it. Yes, it was the natural and logical next move in their relationship, but I don't think it was an easy one to execute and therefore Ms Armstrong was very brave. And execute she definitively did :) As I mentioned, I loved seeing Elena and Clay as parents. It's hard to be good parents, but it's even harder when you're werewolves! It's especially hard for Elena as she became an orphan at a young age, was moved from one foster home to another and therefore, didn't have a great childhood. I find her insecurity very realistic, but she doesn't let it show when she interacts with her children and with the support of Jeremy, both she and Clay are formidable parents in my opinion :) I also love that parenthood has strengthened their love as well :) I think it was great to see them wanting each other as much as they did in the beginning, perhaps even more. All in all, I think Elena and Clay have achieved the ultimate HEA ending and I'm glad for them!

We've seen glimpses of Kate and Logan in the past, but Hidden was really a treat :)  Obviously, the twins are a bit precocious, but I think, overall, it worked LOL. They do remind me a lot of Clay! I also liked that Kate and Logan each had their own personality. I thought once again Ms Armstrong did a great job with the characterization, but for me, it was really the bond between the twins. The ribbing between siblings, the subtle rivalry, the chemistry and connection :) You can see that even as such a young age, their bond is unbreakable :)

I was really surprised to find out that Elena and Clay had not told the twins about being werewolves. It was definitively interesting to see Elena's feelings and approach to the dilemma and as it was explained, it was totally understandable. I assumed that Logan and Kate would both turn into werewolves... but it's true that Clay and Elena were both bitten and Elena is the only female werewolf, so nothing is guaranteed. As such, I can understand why she's so cautious and worried. I think this was definitively the most interesting storyline of the book. As for the mystery, it was okay. It wasn't particularly suspenseful or as strong as what we're used to with Ms Armstrong, but then again, Hidden was quite short. Plus, it really wasn't meant to be the focus of this book. Another element that I enjoyed in Hidden was the Pack. We got to see the new dynamics of the Pack with the inclusion of the twins and the two new members, Reese and Noah. Reese and Noah are two young werewolves and I feel that's exactly what the Pack needed. And it was great to see Nick in the role of a big brother :) By the way, still love the connection between Elena-Clay-Nick.

My only complaint about this book would be the publication itself. Hidden was published by Subterranean Press and as such, is not cheap. I didn't mind the price so much, because I'm really a hardcore fan and I think that's the audience the author and publisher had in mind. Also, I think this is a good length novella and the binding of the hardcover is good quality... but, I was expecting more illustrations. Ms Armstrong's website indicates 6 illustrations and there were 4. I wonder if it's because I got the hardcover copy as opposed to the leather-bound one. Also, if the publisher has gone to such length, it would have been cool that the illustrations coordinate with the text.

My Grade: A-. I really, really enjoyed Hidden. I think it was a great book and I simply loved re-visiting Elena and Clay and the Pack. Throughout the story, I picked up little references to the past and it really made me want to go back and re-read the series, especially Savage. Clay will never, never, never live down the guinea pig!! LOL! I also loved reading more about the twins and discovering the new dynamics :) This book was definitively meant to be for the fans and please them... and it pleased me enormously. It was a real joy to read Elena and Clay's HEA ending and it really tied up some loose ends... for now :) I definitively hope that Ms Armstrong will be re-visiting this series in the future. For now, if you are a fan of Clay and Elena, do not miss Hidden :)

Review: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Finally, I'm done with this review! I planned to have it up late April, early May... but for some reasons, just couldn't come up with anything. Hopefully, now that I've plowed through it, my reviewing muse will come home :P What do you think?


***Warning: There might be spoilers in this review. Read at your own risk!***

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

published by Harpercollins in April 2011

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel... different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Series: Darkness Rising trilogy, Book #1

The Story: Hmmm, I've been trying to write a synopsis for The Gathering for weeks now and it's just not coming together ^_^; I think that the blurb has it right for the first half, but the second half is a bit melodramatic. That's why I'm going to give it another try, but don't expect too much ^_^;

Maya has lived in the little town of Salmon Creek on Vancouver Island with her adoptive parents since the age of five. Her father being the park warden, she grew up in the nature, surrounded by wilderness, and loving it. Maya definitively has an affinity with the animals, which comes in handy when taking care of them when they are injured.

Maya is about to celebrate her 16th birthday and is looking forward to it after a difficult year. She's still trying to figure out how her best friend, Serena, captain of the swimming team, drowned and what she could have done to save her. When a reporter comes into town asking questions about the teenagers and their hobbies, Maya starts to wonder if what happened to Serena didn't involve foul play... Then, there is Rafe Santiago, the newbie, who's been flirting with one girl after another and it seems Maya's number is up. Maya's determined not to get involved, but that's before she sees the cracks in Rafe's bad boy imagine... Finally, the cougars seem more agitated than usual and Maya seems to have developed some unusual abilities... What on earth is happening?

My Opinion: It's not a secret on this blog that I'm a big fan of Ms Armstrong and the Women of the Otherworld series. When Ms Armstrong jumped on the YA bandwagon, I followed and it was really worth it as I enjoyed the Darkest Powers trilogy a lot. I liked the idea and how it was connected to the Women of the Otherworld series... The Gathering is the start a new trilogy and I was quite disappointed that we'd start all over again with new characters and a slightly similar plot, i.e. the Genesis project where they are trying to "breed" superiors supernaturals. Still, it's Kelley Armstrong right? So I went ahead and picked it up :)

It's hard for me to describe my feelings concerning The Gathering, because I'm not exactly sure how I feel ^_^; But let me try, otherwise, why write this review, right? :P From the get-go, what I can say is The Gathering was not a wowzer to me. It didn't keep me on the edge of my seat, didn't make me jump up and down or bemoan the fact that the next book is only coming out next year. However, it isn't without merits. As usual, I enjoyed Ms Armstrong's writing and I liked the characters. I think Ms Armstrong did a good job developing them, especially Maya as she's the heroine. I like that Maya's voice is very different from Chloe's - I think that's really important when the books are first person POV. Maya was very confident and knew what she wanted and where she was going. I also liked the friendship between Maya and Daniel, as they have known each other since they were kids. They definitively know each other well and have each other's back and trust each other. I'm already rooting for their romance and really am crossing my fingers! I like the cast of secondary characters and am wondering how they will come into play.

For me, the downfall of The Gathering was the pacing and the storyline. The storyline was actually quite interesting, but things started to happen too late in the book for me to get engaged. I feel Ms Armstrong spent too much time introducing the characters and the environment to the readers through the characters' daily routines. This translated into a slow pacing and a lack of action that's quite uncommon to Ms Armstrong.

Something else that bothered me was the lack of connection between The Gathering and the world of the Women of the Otherworld series, or at least to me. I think the main reason for the disconnection feeling is that all the important characters were unaware of the supernaturals, but as a reader, I wasn't. While reading The Gathering, I kept looking for clues, mentions of the world that I know. The St. Clouds, the Nasts, the Cabals, etc. Anything I could get and I wonder if that didn't detract me from the story even more ^_^; Also, throughout the book, I kept wondering what supernatural beings Maya and her friends were. I was disappointed that we didn't find out about Daniel and cie, although I have a few guesses... At least, we found out what Maya was... and I have to say, I was quite disappointed at it too. It turns out that Maya is a skinwalker... I'm not thrilled at this turn of events because it increases the disconnection feeling as this race of supernaturals has never been mentioned in her books before. I know that Ms Armstrong likes to introduce and play with those rare races, so it doesn't come too much as a surprise, but it still burst my bubble a little... because I was really looking forward to something more related to what we've known. Something else that bothers me is that the skinwalkers will always make me think of the Mercy Thompson series by Ms Briggs ^_^; So it makes me a little uncomfortable.

Overall, I think The Gathering was an okay book.  It had nice characters and set the trilogy up quite well, especially near the end when the action finally picked up. The last quarter of the book was quite exciting and it feels like anything could happen in the second book! However, beware those who don't like cliffhangers!

My Grade: I was hesitating between a B- and C+ and in the end, I have to go with the lower grade, C+. The Gathering was just not engaging enough for me. Still, if Ms Armstrong plays her cards right, with the elements she put in place at the end of The Gathering, the next book could really be awesome!

Also, I'm throwing this out for those who have read the book... Do you think that the adults in Salmon Creek are all in on the project? Obviously, Daniel's "father" is... but what about Maya's parents, the director, the sheriff?

Women of the Otherworld series and Canadian Book Pricing...

Sigh. I'm really frustrated and tired :( Tell me, why is it that everything always happens at the same time?!? Why?  As if my presentation was not enough work, my co-worker's great-grandmother is at the hospital and that means we don't know how long my co-worker will be absent. Then, they've been doing some work on the building where I work since November (yes, yes, why do it during the winter?!?) and it hasn't been fun. Because of that, they've been having difficulties controlling the temperature and that means we've got extremely cold and warm temperatures, our pipes have frozen and burst, dust, etc. Now, I'm being told I have to clear the windows (they've been boarded up by the way, so no sunlight since October) so they can start working on it. So I have to clean up the area around which is not much, but where am I going to put all that stuff, no idea.

The worst though? The kitchen faucet at home :( We've noticed some problems with it on Wednesday... it was working for hot and cold water, but not warm (I have the kind of faucet with only one valve, so it swings from left to right) and if we opened too much, it leaked. I figured we could live with it for a while before getting someone to repair it... but I was wrong. Yesterday, it stopped working completely as in we couldn't shut the water anymore... Called a plumber who didn't want to come (fine!), then tried to change the faucet ourselves and seriously, I have no idea how it's been attached, but it doesn't look like I can fix it myself (not fine!). Arrghhh. So right now, I'm trying to track down the man who did the renovations on our kitchen recently and I'm crossing my fingers it can be resolved soon.

Okay, thanks for reading my rants. Enough about it though because I actually have real book news.

Let's start with the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. This is one of my favorite series - although I still haven't read Waking the Witch ^_^; Anyway, in her most recent newsletter, Ms Armstrong has announced that Women of the Otherworld series is going on hiatus. All the details are here, but the gist of it is that she was considering ending the series after Book #13 - which would also end Savannha's trilogy, but still had more stories to tell. However, she didn't want to reach the point where she or the readers were sick of the characters. So what Ms Armstrong has elected to do is writing those stories as novellas or perhaps coming up with a full-length novel or two eventually in the future. However, for now, the series is going on hiatus.

I don't exactly know how I feel about this news. Women of the Otherworld series is one of my favorite UF series and hearing that it goes on hiatus, my initial reaction was: Oh NOOOO! But then, hiatus is better than permanent end, right? Also, I've always wondered how Ms Armstrong would end this series... The difficulty of Women of the Otherworld series is the number of characters... They are so many and at different age/stage of life. I mean, personally, did I want to see Cassandra die? No, not really. Did I want to see Jamie grow older than Jeremy? Not particularly. Personally, I don't think Ms Armstrong could wrap up everything in a neat, nice bow. Well okay, she could, but would it be really realistic? Nope. So I think Ms Armstrong chose the best option. I'm also happy to hear that she's going to compile all her short stories from different anthologies and include new material :) If there was one complaint I had about this series in the past few years is that it was really spread around and that not all novellas were accessible. So yeah, overall, I guess I'm happy :)

The other news I have concerns the Canadian readers... Prices of books are finally coming down!! Woohoo!!  It seems that starting late April, some publishers have finally adjusted the price, given that the CDN$ is on par (even higher) than US$. Avon books will be 10$ instead of 10.99$ and Berkley books, 8.99$ instead of 9.99$. Okay, it's not much, granted, but it's better than nothing right? Other publishers have already started a while back (Grand Central Publishing, New American Library)... In any case, I hope it's there to stay :)

So that's it for today :)

Review: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Finally, a review!! LOL, you don't know how much I've been itching to write a review, but I thought it'd be better to write the recaps of the RT convention before I forgot. Then, my monthly reads list, because hey - I was already late! Hopefully, now that I'm starting to review again, I hope my muse won't take a vacation...

Today is TBR Day, part of Keishon's TBR challenge... Unfortunately, I haven't completed the challenge this month ^_^; Been too busy to and also, I have all these new, shiny books. Let just say I've been working hard at keeping my TBR pile at bay by reading the new precious! And if I might add, I've been doing a good job so far :D Although I just thought of something... TBR can also stand for "To Be Reviewed" no? I have plenty of books in that pile as well LOL - not as much, but still... Something to think about :)

***Warning: The review most probably contains spoilers as this is the last book of a trilogy***

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
published by Harpercollins Publisher  in April 2010

Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I'm on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We're hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We'll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we'd left behind and take out the Edison Group... or so we hope.

Genre: YA, urban fantasy
Series: The Darkest Power, Book #3

The Story: This is the last book in the Darkest Power trilogy where Chloe finds out that she's a necromancer. Not only is she a supernatural, but she was part of a genetic experiment done by the Edison Group whose goal was to diminish her powers... Let just say it didn't work. Now, Chloe and her new friends Tori (a witch), Simon (a sorcerer) and Derek (a werewolf) are on the run from the Edison Group and have hopes to reunite with the boys' father. For now though, they have found refuge with another group of supernaturals who have banded together in order to dismantle the Edison Group. Thus, the teenagers are given a reprieve and also the chances to learn about their powers. Too bad the reprieve is not long as Chloe and company quickly find out that all the adults have their own agendas, which does not bode well for any of them....

My Opinion:  Wow! I was really looking forward to The Reckoning. In fact, I was planning to wait till RT to get it, but it turned out that I needed some cheering up (first half of April was very rough reading-wise...) and so I caved... and it was a great decision! I really enjoyed The Reckoning and thought it was a great way to end the trilogy. The book is everything you expect from Kelley Armstrong: plenty of action and twists and
 a strong romantic element :)

I was very pleasantly surprised with the plot of The Reckoning. There were not many hints from The Awakening or the back blurb to know where Ms Armstrong was going with the storyline and characters and so, pretty much everything was possible. I really enjoyed the events in The Reckoning. Yes, the characters were given a reprieve, but it doesn't mean it was boring. Oh no, there was plenty of action! And let's not forget about all the twists :D Like I said, so many things I did not expect! It was really exciting and I couldn't help from wanting to find out more. Also, I think that Ms Armstrong did a good job wrapping up all the loose ends.

I love seeing the relationship between Chloe and Derek getting stronger. For me, there was no doubts from the beginning that Chloe and Derek were a pairing... However, while it's obvious for the readers, it's not always obvious for the people involved. I was really dreading the love triangle between Chloe, Derek and Simon and I was wondering how Ms Armstrong would resolve it. I was really satisfied with the outcome and how the characters handled it :) Poor Derek - so clueless... but even more, poor Chloe!! LOL, it was really cute when she was wondering why she had to fall for the rude guy! LOL. Even though the characters are young, I'm happy :D

One of my favorite scene is when Derek undergoes his first complete change. I didn't like Chloe's behavior when Derek asked her to accompany him - granted, she was pissed at Derek for his attitude before that, which is understandable... However, Derek asked for her help for one of the biggest event in his life. I thought she could have put aside their difference for a while... It just felt like Chloe was being a bit childish and stubborn... I mean, Derek deserved the attitude, he should have to grovel, but perhaps better at another moment. Anyway, still, I like the fact that Chloe was there for Derek's first change and how she wasn't afraid of him in his wolf form. It was cute to see them enjoy each other company and play :)

One thing that did surprise me though is everyone's reaction to Derek, because he is a werewolf. I think because the Women of the Otherworld series started off with Elena and the werewolves, readers are used to them and don't see how isolated and separated they are from the other supernatural races. They are definitively quite feared and little is known. I guess it makes sense given the number of them... Anyway, I liked this little insight... It definitively adding more to the world building. I hope we get to see about vampires in the future :P

Okay, I realize that my review isn't very helpful, but it's because I'm trying not to give too much away ^_^; Also, it's hard to review The Reckoning only, given that the story is a continuous one that spans the three books: The Summoning, The Awakening and The Reckoning. I think that Ms Armstrong did a great job with the storyline, but also with the characters. She introduced a group of characters that complement each other well. I liked that they used their brains LOL, and didn't simply rely on their powers. I'm happy to see where the trilogy ended and I'm looking forward to see Chloe, Derek and the others in the future. I definitively wish that one day, the YA series will cross-over into the Women of the Otherworld series. That would be great, not only seeing Chloe being properly mentored, Derek accepted by Pack... but also because I think this is something the Council should be aware of and get involved in.


My Grade: A-. Seriously, if you enjoy the Women of the Otherworld series and Kelley Armstrong's writing, you gotta read this trilogy. The writing is excellent, it's full of action and the plot is as complex. The only real difference between the two series is that the characters are younger... I'm definitively looking forward to her next trilogy - once again set in the same world, but new cast of characters. If only there weren't a year apart!