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?

Hauling Sunday XLIII

As you can see by my lack of post last week, I'm having the blogging blues. As if that's not enough, I also have the reading blues :( It cannot get worst than this, really, sigh. Personally, I blame the gym for it, because it robs away time that I could put to better use LOL... but really, I don't go to the gym 7 days/week so it doesn't explain it all, right ^_^;

Work is okay. The new summer student started this week and I've been training her. A bunch of other students in the department have gotten their response back from med and pharmacy school applications... All rejections ^_^; It was quite bleak at work on Friday :( I say the selection system is rotten anyway.

The good thing though is that I went shopping yesterday and actually bought something :) Woohoo! I need new clothes badly, but seriously... I don't know, everything has gotten so expensive and a lot of it is not worth it ^_^; I'm really looking forward to my trip to NYC to replenish my wardrobe :P

This week, I only got a new book...

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - I first heard of this book at last year's RT convention during one of the YA panels. Then later, Ames read and really enjoyed it, so it sealed the deal for me. By the time Ames read it, the paperback release was really close... so I decided to wait for it :) LOL, I'm impressed at my will this time :P

What good books have you read lately?

Review: Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning

Hmmmm, well this review proves that I'm hopeless when it comes to "plan" my reviews LOL. This definitively was not the review I was planning to write today; however, it's the only book that is inspiring my review muse... So have to go with it, right? :)


Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning
published by Sourcebooks in October 2010

Five stunning guys, one hot woman, and a feverish romance...

For him, life is all music and no play...

When Brian Sinclair, lead songwriter and guitarist of the hottest metal band on the scene, loses his creative spark, it will take nights of downright sinful passion to release his pent-up genius...

She's the one to call the tune...

When sexy psychologist Myrna Evans goes on tour with the Sinners, every boy in the band tries to seduce her. But Brian is the only one she wants to get her hands on...

Then the two lovers' wildly shocking behavior sparks the whole band to new heights of glory...and sin...

Genre: Erotica romance
Series: Sinners on Tour series, Book #1

The Story: Myrna Evans is a professor at Kansas City University with a PhD in psychology and her expertise in human sexuality. She is in Chicago to attend a conference when she meets Brian Sinclair, the lead guitarist of the very popular and successful rock band Sinners - one of her favorites. Unable to resist, Myrna embarks into two days of sex and sin.

Brian was nursing a broken heart when he met Myrna, but she quickly made him forget everything. Not only is the sex hot, but Myrna also inspires Brian. Quickly, Brian realizes that the few days they had together is not enough and he wants more. Unfortunately, Myrna has been burned in the past by a bad marriage and all she wants is having a good time with Brian. Can he change her mind?

My Opinion: Backstage Pass is not a book I would normally pick up - not only because I read very few erotica romance, but also because I'm not much into music and even less into rock music ^_^; However, Sourcebooks was promoting Ms Cunning by offering Backstage Pass as a free e-book and so far, her Sinners on Tour series has received quite a buzz on blogland. So I thought why not? :)

I have to say, I'm really surprised at how much I enjoyed Backstage Pass, because I really didn't think I would. What won me over was Brian and his bandmates :) Their boyish attitudes, their love for music and their enjoyment of life. I really enjoyed the friendship between Brian and the guys, how they teased each other but also how they looked out for each other. The dynamic between them was very interesting and made the book for me. I liked how the guys all welcomed Myrna once they realized she made Brian happy :) Really, their lives are over the top with women (and men) throwing themselves at them and obviously, they indulged themselves. They come across as a bit crude, rough and crazy... and yet at the core of it, they know what's important and values the right things in my opinion.

I also thought Brian was very cute. He was a mix of bad boy, but also cute and naive at the same time, the romantic his friends called him :) The sulking when Myrna had to go away just made me go awwww. Also, he was right when he said he's been the one compromising in this relationship. Very often, he walked a fine line between his attitude being cute or being annoying, but in the end, I really liked him :)

In contrast, Myrna didn't impact me as much as the heroine. She wasn't as cute as Brian as she was the mature one in this relationship and that's okay. The problem for me was just the character herself. Like she is a trained psychologist and specializes in human sexuality and yet, she is still haunted by her ex-husband calling her a whore and such. She enjoys sex a lot, but at the same time, there was a naïveté that didn't seem to match her knowledge. I just felt her character was very contradictory. If she had been anything else than a PhD in psychology with her expertise in human sexuality, then yes, her character would have worked very well... but because of what she is? Then, yeah, to me it didn't make much sense.

Another issue I had with Backstage Pass was that Ms Cunning introduced a lot of conflicts, but they were all half-developed or too easily resolved. For example, Brian has been playing music since he was in his teens and had always wanted recognition from his legend of a father and never gotten it... and then, just a few words from Myrna and voila, papa is very proud. Trey actually being in love with Brian, Myrna's ex-husband, etc. In my opinion, it would have been better if she'd introduce only a few and really focused on them. In this case, it just feels like Ms Cunning is throwing conflicts in just for the kicks of it ^_^;

All in all though, I enjoyed this book much more than I expected :) As I said, I loved the boys - they're the ones that made the book for me :) I also liked the behind-the-scenes feel, what it's like for a rock band on their tour - the bus, the fast food, the number of people involved. LOL at the Sinners being slobs - why doesn't that surprise me? Them "reserving" the bedrooms in the buses was cute. It was simply a fun book, one that you read without thinking about it too much... and the sex was definitively HOT :)

My Grade: B-. I'm debating whether to read Rock Hard or not. I really want to see more of Sed and the boys, but I'm not sure about the heroine ^_^; Whenever Trey, Evan and Jace have their books out though, I'm picking them!

Hauling Sunday XLII

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

to everyone!!

How was everyone's week-end? Me? Same old, same old. I sound like a broken record and it really bothers me :( I had all those plans and best intentions and ended up not doing much except reading. Not that reading is bad, but I wished I could have at least blogged a little. My problem is that I'm still having vertigos :( It's been much better than what it was a couple of months ago (can you believe that, a couple of months ago!), but it still won't go away completely and that really annoys me. I suspect the cause now is the way I sleep ^_^; I've tried raising my head higher, but I still end up sleeping on my "bad" side most of the time... Changing the way you sleep is hard!! Yep, that's my life now. Sigh, depressing isn't it?

So of course, to keep me happy, I buy books LOL.

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison - I wanted to wait for RWA, but come one... there was way too many good reviews out there for me to wait. Plus, it was released on my birthday... so it was my gift to myself LOL

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean - Again, got too impatient because of the good reviews this book has gotten :)  What made me finally cave though is the 25% off coupon...

Lady Amelia's Secret Lover by Victoria Alexander - Okay, it doesn't look like it, but I think I've been doing okay in the buying-book department, especially waiting for RWA to get some books. Okay, looking back at the Hauling Sunday posts, it'd be a fail for most people... but we're talking about me, so it's really different standards LOL. In any case, if I'm not reading the new releases, I need to replace those by other books. I've been reading more from my TBR pile... but it's also the perfect opportunity for buying the books that I've put off buying... such as Lady Amelia's Secret Lover. This book by Ms Alexander was released only in e-book format a few years ago... So now, I got it :P

And voila :P What do you think?

Review: Dark Descendant by Jenna Black

First, I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes! It was great and really precious :)

The week has been pretty busy so far. I've gotten together with my friends on Monday evening; also, it was election day in Canada. On Tuesday, I ate with my family and invited over a friend as well, so I spent the evening watching TV: Masterchef Australia - the third season just started (woohoo!!) and The Voice. And yesterday, I went to the gym with my sister... So all this has been playing havoc with my reading, blogging and blog-hopping!! Especially since it's been raining the whole time and I swear, rain makes traffic horrible!!! Hopefully though, I settle back into my routine soon enough :)

As it is, I've had very really time to work on my monthly reads post and as I've read a lot last month, it's really going to take me forever ^_^; So instead, I'm going to focus on more reviews :) Enjoy!


Dark Descedant by Jenna Black

published by Simon & Schuster

From the acclaimed author of the Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist books comes the gripping first novel in a new series about a private eye who discovers, to her surprise, that she’s an immortal huntress.

Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can’t die... Crazy as it sounds, Nikki’s manhunting skills are literally god-given. She’s a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki’s new “friends” include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she’s a spy. But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal battle of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she’ll surrender without a fight, the gods must be crazy...

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Dark Descendant series, Book #1

The Story: Dark Descendant takes place in a world where gods - from all pantheons - not only exist, but used to walk around, having kids with mortals. Then, when they left, they gave each of their children a seed from the Tree of Life that made them immortal. These immortals were called Liberi and what they did not know till too late is that anyone with divine blood - their children and descendants - could steal away their immortality by killing them.

Nikki Glass is a private investigator who was abandoned when she was four years old and later adopted by the Glasses. As such, she had no idea she was a descendant of Artemis till she accidentally kills a Liberi - descendant of Hades. Now immortal, Nikki also has to deal with some new powers as she's suddenly become a crack-shot. However, it's Nikki's ability to track down people and find objects that has two rivaling factions vying for her. Circumstances the way they are, Nikki must choose side and quick: on one hand, there is the Olympians whose goals are to run the world and kill all the descendants as they can steal their immortality and on the other hand, a group under the leadership of a guy named Anderson who can offer protection to Nikki's adoptive family. The choice should be simple, except that some members of Anderson's group are suspicious of Nikki since she killed one of theirs... and what are Anderson's true goals?

My Opinion: I picked up Dark Descendant because of its great cover, interesting blurb and also because I've been wanting to try Ms Black's writing, but felt her Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist series didn't suit me. So I was happy she had a new series coming out and I knew right away that the Dark Descendant series would better suit to me :)

Dark Descendant turned out to be a really quick and enjoyable read :) What I liked the most was the writing style as it was simple and breezy. Ms Black has an engaging voice and it helped the readers getting immersed into the storyline, but also process all the information more easily. For some reasons, I thought the world building in this series would be complicated, but it wasn't. Oh, it does have its complexity, but it's subtle and surprisingly straightforward and so readers don't have to go through pages and pages of world building information and decipher was is important and what is not. I think that all this combined allowed Ms Black to focus a little bit more on the heroine and the storyline :)

Nikki was a nice heroine. I liked how she was able to remain calm and think about what her next steps were to be, analyze the situation. She was also one smart cookie as she didn't fall into denial and ignore all the danger, but also didn't take everything she was told at face value. Instead, she was cautious and thought of consequences. A level-headed heroine who doesn't put up a kick-ass, tough chick front, but who instead acknowledges and deals with her vulnerabilities. I also like the fact that if she has secrets or is somehow special, she doesn't know it herself.

The storyline was also interesting. It was fast-paced and had some action, but at the same time, it allowed readers to learn about Nikki, the secondary characters and the world building. There were also some surprises and those are always interesting :) Ms Black did take some direction that surprised me, but that's all good since it means it doesn't fall into the predictable route.

For those who are wondering, there was no romance in Dark Descendant; however, I didn't miss it. There was some hints for the future and if really Ms Black takes that direction, it'll be really interesting - talk about an unlikely pair! All in all, Dark Descendant felt like a setting up book. It introduces us to the players, to the conflict and is setting up for the rest of the series; however, not only it does its job efficiently, but also enjoyably :) I'm definitively going to pick up the next installment in the series as I'm curious to see how it will all turn out :)

My Grade: B+. A solid, enjoyable first book in a series that reminds me a little of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, but the grown-ups version LOL.

Review: Warcry by Elizabeth Vaughan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to TRACY and ME!!

LOL, I love having the same birthday as someone else - makes it easy to remember! Tracy, I hope you have a great day today and all the best in all your endeavors!!

This year, I'm really excited for my birthday, because it falls on a Tuesday which means new books!! LOL, I know, I'm such a bookworm!! What can I say? Seriously, there's nothing better than having books being released on your birthday, especially when it's books that you really want LOL.

So to celebrate, I'm reviewing one of today's new release which I've been very excited about and really looking forward to... Warcry by Elizabeth Vaughan! Enjoy!


Warcry by Elizabeth Vaughan
published by Berkley in May 2011

Atira of the Bear is a fierce Plains warrior who lives for battle - and values freedom above all else. But when she encounters a former enemy from the land of Xy, she finds herself wanting something more than her own independence.

Heath of Xy has traveled to the Plains to serve his Queen - but also because he cannot resist the hunger he feels for Atira. Now that the Queen and her Warlord are returning to Xy, he has one more chance to convince this beautiful, proud warrior to share her life with him.

But all is not well in Xy. There is a faction of nobles who are plotting against the Queen and her barbarian warlord. As cultures clash and tempers flare, Heath and the fierce Plains warrior woman Atira of the Bear must come together to fight the conspiracy... and to search their hearts for something deeper than raw passion.

Genre: Fantasy, romance
Series: Chronicles of Warlands series, Book #4

The Story: At the end of Warlord, Xylara was proclaimed warprize; however, Keir lost his status of Warlord. Although he was allowed to reclaim his status through the spring trial, Keir had to postpone his plans as Lara is pregnant. Following the Xyian customs, the birth of the heir to the crown has to be witnessed by the lords and thus, Lara and Keir along with those who remain loyal to him have to make their way back to the Kingdom of Xy.

Among their entourage are Heath, the son of the seneschal and Lara's childhood friend, and Atira of the Bear, a fierce warrior of the Plains. Atira was summoned for the warprize's confirmation and Heath had followed her and journeyed to the Plains to aid Lara... but in truth, he has succumbed to Atira's charm. Unfortunately for him, while they have enjoyed each other's company, he has been unable to convince Atira to marry/bond with him... not only because Atira treasure her freedom and independence, but also because of their different backgrounds.

Uniting these two different cultures, bettering their lives is Lara and Keir's goal, but not everyone can see it. While happy for peace, it has come at a cost and the people of Xy have yet to forget... and Keir's loss of status feels like a betrayal towards the warriors who have stayed behind. Each side has its lot of unhappy people, factions plotting and ready to make a move against the crown at Lara and Keir's first misstep. Thus,  the Queen and Overlord of Xy must maneuver carefully, with the help and and support of their friends. Can Atira grasp what Lara and Keir want to achieve and can she set the example?

My Opinion: It's no secret that I love and enjoyed the Chronicles of Warlands series and I was soooooo happy when I learned that Ms Vaughan was writing more books in this series!! At the same time though, I was a bit surprised that the H/H of Warcry would be Heath and Atira and didn't really know what to expect. So, it's with a lot of excitement, but also trepidation that I picked up Warcry.

My first thought when I held Warcry for the first time was disappointment because the book is actually a bit thin. It comes at just under 300 pages and I just wanted more already LOL. However, once I finished reading Warcry - which by the way, only took me a day, I was really pleasantly surprised because Ms Vaughan managed to tell quite a complex but also very satisfying and complete story in such a short amount of time :) And in the end, I really loved this book :)

As I said, with Heath and Atira as H/H, I didn't really know what to expect. I noticed that in the whole series, Ms Vaughan avoids mentioning age completely and so, the way the characters behave, their actions, their thought process "speak" even louder, have even more impact when shaping the characters in the readers' mind. For some reasons, I always felt Atira was a bit older and so when reading Warcry, I had to re-adjust my perception of her and it was quite interesting. I think that Ms Vaughan did a great job with Atira's character. Not only was she an interesting character, but also quite complex. I love the fact that although she's loyal to both Keir and Lara, she's not quick to throw away all her beliefs and upbringing. For example, she's still uncomfortable with Marcus and Amyu's presences, with Lara's request that Keir lives on if something happens to her, etc. She really shows to the readers how difficult it will be for Lara and Keir to change both their peoples and their ways of thinking. As for Heath, I liked him a lot and he turned out to be much more than I expected :) The guy is clever, cautious and responsible. While he followed his love, it doesn't mean he forgot about his duty or responsibilities or others' feelings. Heath's been raised to follow in his father's footsteps and really, I have no doubts that Lara has acquired an efficient right-hand man. Also, Heath was very passionate and good for him not wanting to just settle for sex. He wanted more from Atira and demanded it and didn't let her belittle what they had. Personally, Heath and Atira's romance was a bit secondary for me; however, I cannot argue against the fact that the two had a lot of chemistry and some very hot scenes :) I like that the passion and anger came from both parties and neither let the other get away or walk away. Also, I have to say, Atira's grand gesture at the end? It made their whole journey worth it! :)

My favorite part of Warcry was re-visiting this world and its characters. I love seeing Lara, Keir, Rafe, Prest, Marcus, etc. again. They're all great characters, but at the same time, they did not steal away Heath and Atira's spotlights. Also, I love, love, love the contrast between the Xy and Plains people and cultures. I think this is really what makes this series stand apart. To us, readers, the two cultures aren't foreign - one is sedentary with a city, houses, forests and values and beliefs pretty similar to the medieval era and the other is nomadic with tents, deserts, clans with more freedom and liberty, but also more pragmatism in their beliefs and way of thinking, and the idea of these cultures coming together is not mind-blowing or new... but to actually read about it and witnessing it, it's much more complex in practice than in theory. Like when Atira saw the forge for the first time and realize that the Xyians actually made and bent metal and crafted weapons and jewelry... It's Ms Vaughan's attention in these little details, in her world building that makes these books so enjoyable and wow :)

As for the overall storyline, I loved it :) I love court intrigue and really, Ms Vaughan did not disappointed. She found the perfect balance to complement everything going on in the book. The storyline has its share of surprises and twists, was not overly complex, but at the same time, not too simple that it was too easily solved and rendered anti-climatic. I also loved Keir's ambitions to become warking, hinting a little at what there is in store for us in the future and tying up some loose ends from the first trilogy. Also while not explicitly mentioned, we know that the events in Destiny's Star will come into play in the future books and that will be interesting to see. Also, something very interesting about the whole series is the number of possibilities for the future that Ms Vaughan has set into place. I mean, I'd be happy to read about Keir becoming warking of course... but I wouldn't be against reading the adventures of the trade routes being re-opened or about Liam and Marcus relationship... or simply the Xyian life from a Plain warrior's POV or the changes happening in the kingdom of Xy from a Xyian POV. There is a lot of possibilities to this series and I can't wait to see what Ms Vaughan chooses! By the way, for those who don't like cliffhangers, no need to worry :) The hints are all very subtle, it doesn't feel like Ms Vaughan is trying to sequel-bait us at all, and she also does a good job at wrapping up Warcry's storyline satisfyingly :)

I feel that every element that made the Chronicles of Warlands series a winner for me was present in Warcry as well. The characters, the world building, the fast-paced storyline, the court intrigue, the humor, the action and the emotions... it's all there. If you enjoyed the first three books, you'll enjoy Warcry as well :)

My Grade: A-. It feels that all I did in this review was gushed, but really, I loved and enjoyed this book a lot. I am extremely happy that Ms Vaughan's return to the Chronicles of Warlands world is a winner and I can't wait for the next book!!

Hauling Sunday XLI

Another week is over, time really flies!! And May is upon us!! Woohoo!!

So nothing very new this week except for the fact that I signed-up to the gym and have been working out and am all sore ^_^; It's really sad how out of shape I am, especially compared to how sporty I was in my teens ^_^; Also, since the presentation, I've been feeling pretty much lethargic and unmotivated. Sigh. Hopefully, the nice weather we're having is going to last and pull my out of the blues.

One thing that has sustained me is books :) My reading was pretty good and my book-buying, pretty exciting :) Want to know what I got?

A Growing Passion by Emma Wildes - This is a very short novella available in e-format only. I've become a fan of Ms Wildes' historical romance and so, there was no question I was getting it :) Hopefully, this short story will tide me over till RWA where I plan to get Ms Wildes' new release, One Whisper Away.

Warcry by Elizabeth Vaughan - Wooohooo. I love, love, love Ms Vaughan's Chronicles of Warlands series and so happy that she's re-visiting this world :) I'm hoping for many more books in this series!! Please, please, pretty please Berkley!

Hounded by Kevin Hearne - New urban fantasy series. I was first attracted by its cover, I think it looks great! Then, I learned that the hero was a druid and I was sold :)

So there you have it, my new books for the week :) What about you? Any new good books?