Fantasy and SciFi

Fantasy and Science Fiction Book Reviews

Review of My Very UnFairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski

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My Very UnFairy Tale Life
By Anna Staniszewski

Star Rating: 
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/YA Urban Fantasy
Number of Pages: 208

Date Started: March 28, 2017
Date Finished: March 28, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
You know all those stories that claim fairies cry sparkle tears and elves travel by rainbow? They’re lies. All lies.

I’ve spent my life as an official adventurer. I travel across enchanted kingdoms saving magical creatures and fighting horrible beasts that most of you think are only myths and legends. I’ve never had a social life. My friends have all forgotten me. And let’s not even talk about trying to do my homework. So – I’m done!! I’m tired and I want to go back to being a normal girl. But then along comes “Prince Charming” asking for help, and, well, what’s a tired girl like me supposed to do?

Review:
What if you had something you were great at, but the novelty had worn off and you weren’t sure you wanted to keep doing it? Enter Jenny’s UnFairy Tale life. There are so many great messages that this novel gets across. Learning that what you thought you wanted and would make you happy isn’t going to if you have to give up things you enjoy is a great lesson all people can learn from. Relating to others and trying to make meaningful connections is also something that can be difficult when caught up in your own life. Facing your fears can be difficult, but there’s a solution to everything, if you look hard enough. Of course, Jenny’s “kindergarten phrases” as she calls them are usually great life advice that all of us could use a refresher in.

I absolutely love the tie in between Earth with Jenny’s aunt’s love of animals, and Jenny’s love of mini golf, and how that transitions to Speak and trying to defeat the dastardly villain.

Although listed in the teen category, I think this book would fit the perfect niche of 5th grade on, as there is a great story line and a lot of reminders about how to be a good friend, and a good person, for all.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. She was a Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library and a winner of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award. Currently, Anna lives outside of Boston, Mass. and teaches at Simmons College. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time reading, eating chocolate, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. You can visit her at http://www.annastan.com.

Review of The Stowaway Debutante by Rebecca Diem

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The Stowaway Debutante
Tales of the Captain Duke Book 1
By Rebecca Diem

Star Rating: 
Genre: Steampunk (Science Fiction/Fantasy)
Number of Pages: 103

Date Started: March 28, 2017
Date Finished: March 28, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Airships, pirates, and hidden identities…

When Clara dreamed of running away to seek her own adventures, she never imagined that a chance encounter with the legendary Captain Duke might set her life on an entirely different course.

Armed with her wit and charm, Clara can usually talk her way out of any troubles. But first, she has to get back to solid ground…

—
Clara stole a quiet breath of relief when the loud man’s boots retreated toward the stairwell. She could hear the other two moving about the cargo hold, and hoped that her own thudding heartbeat would not betray her position.

She quickly thought through her options: Could she bribe them? Should she fight? Could she run? She made herself as small as possible and waited, every instinct on high alert. The lighter pair of footsteps was getting closer.

A shuffle. A step. He must be less than four feet from her, only the crate she huddled against blocking her from his view. When his voice called out, the blood froze in Clara’s veins.

“Hey, look over here!”

Review:
Lately I’ve been quite into steampunk and gaslamp fantasy. This did hit that niche, but, there was very little plot involved in this novella. There wasn’t a moment when one was truly worried for the characters. Though entertaining, Clara is very much a Mary Sue, naturally taking to every new task assigned to her. The relationships are quite unrealistic, with everyone taking to Clara, despite her reluctance to explain why she’s run away.

The Tales of Captain Duke could likely be condensed to “The Tale of Captain Duke”, with subsections of the three different stories in the trilogy. Given how short the novella is, and how bare the plot appears, it would have been much nicer, and more cost efficient to the reader, to have all three in one, especially for the print book price.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Rebecca Diem is the author of the steampunk adventure series Tales of the Captain Duke.

She grew up in a far-off land known as Chatsworth, ON. It was surrounded by hills and forests and streams and strange metal beasts that tore through the landscape leaving iron in their wake.

Then one day she started to write it all down…

Review of My Fairly Dangerous Godmother by Janette Rallison

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My Fairly Dangerous Godmother
By Janette Rallison

Star Rating: 
Genre: Young Adult, Fairy Tale, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 396

Date Started: March 1, 2017
Date Finished: March 4, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)my-fairly-dangerous-godmother
Some people bomb auditions. Sadie Ramirez throws up during her tryouts on TV show America’s Top Talent. Her performance is so bad, it earns her a fairy godmother through the Magical Alliance’s Pitiful Damsel Outreach Program. Enter Chrysanthemum Everstar: a gum-chewing, cell phone-carrying, high heel wearing fairy godmother in training. She misinterprets Sadie’s wishes and sends her back in time to be a part of The Little Mermaid story and then makes her one of the twelve dancing princesses. Wishes are permanent, and if Sadie wants to get back to her home, she’ll have to strike a magical bargain–one that involves stealing a goblet from a powerful fairy queen. With a little help from a handsome and talented thief, she might be able to pull it off.

Review:
I had this novel sitting around for a while before I finally decided to read it. It was phenomenal! The music take was pretty neat to start, but I thought it would falter when instead of going into a unique fairy tale story, traditional fairy tales were invoked, but the realistic response that Sadie has to everything going on , and her honest revelations about stars, fame, and Jason Prescott, make this book an amazing novel that will resonate with readers forever. Although the opening is rather hard to get into at first, once you’re past Chrysanthemum Everstar’s report, the book becomes pure gold. While many hopefully won’t experience any of the truly turbulent events the heroes face, many can empathize with the struggles of the characters, their desires and motivations. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves fairy tales,  and anyone who loves music/wants to become a musician.

janette-rallisonAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
Janette Rallison is old. Don’t ask how old, because it isn’t polite. Let’s just say she’s older than she’d like to be and leave it at that.

Janette lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, five children and enough cats to classify her as “an eccentric cat lady.” She did not do this on purpose. (The cats, that is; she had the children on purpose.) Every single one of the felines showed up on its own and refuses to leave. Not even the family’s fearless little Westie dog can drive them off.

Since Janette has five children and deadlines to write books, she doesn’t have much time left over for hobbies. But since this is the internet and you can’t actually check up to see if anything on this site is true, let’s just say she enjoys dancing, scuba diving, horse back riding and long talks with Orlando Bloom. (Well, I never said he answers back.)

Review of Soleil by Jacqueline Garlick

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Soleil
The Illumination Paradox 3
By Jacqueline Garlick

Star Rating: 
Genre: Steampunk, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 342

Date Started: February 5, 2017
Date Finished: February 19, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)soleil
Losing her would send him spiraling into darkness.

With Eyelet gasping in his arms and a toxic storm threatening to annihilate the Commonwealth, Urlick must find a way to save his beloved, and fast. Out of the mist appears an unusual man, claiming to possess the power to heal Eyelet. The townspeople immediately label him a sorcerer and call for his death, but Urlick trusts the stranger. He whisks him off to the Academy where it becomes clear Eyelet is running out of time. She must drink her father’s antidote, or perish.

Together, Eyelet and Urlick brave the toxic woods to battle an Infirmed Flossie for the stolen necklace. In a race against time, they embark on a harrowing journey through the hellfires of Embers, where they meet up with the resurrected form of a familiar enemy—now the leader of the Dark World. Along the way, the pair unearth a sinister truth. Could the Vapours really be what they appear to be?
Is this the end of the known world?

Soleil is the third and final installment of the long-awaited Illumination Paradox Series. A swashbuckling, nail-biting, romantic adventure, filled with mechanical beings and puzzling happenings, with a shocking, otherworldly conclusion.

NOTE: This book contains an homage to Lewis Carroll and his infamous characters, especially Alice, who visited me from Wonderland as a child and spurred me on. These scenes are an intended nod to Carroll’s original works (now in the public domain) which I dearly love, continue to be for me, unyielding source of inspiration. To the creator, endless thanks. J

Review:
This book missed the mark. I had been quite excited to see how everything would come together, how everything could be fixed or righted. Unfortunately, this book was a complete change from its predecessors.

I found absolutely nothing wrong with the Wonderland addition of this novel, it fit in seamlessly with the rest of the story, however, it might have been nice to have had a few mentions of Alice being Eyelet’s favourite story in the first or second book, instead of having the knowledge dumped on us towards the end of the third book, in a series that previously didn’t mention other stories.

All the talk of coughing blood, and never once was the idea of tuberculosis brought up! Perhaps it was supposed to be a subtle thing, but with the ravens and Eyelet coughing up blood repeatedly, I had thought it’d be a given.

Without giving anything away, in the end, I felt that everything we’d been through was rather for nothing. The world shifted to work in a way that made little to no sense, utopia found. I had been quite invested in the town that Urlick had only just been sworn king of, and I was looking forward to seeing it saved. In most dystopian style novels, there is active resistance against the government, and a slow rise/change from people (usually young adults, but not always) that attempt to bring the world into enlightment. This book simply left everything behind.

If you’ve read the first two books I would recommend finishing the series, since I do so hate to not know how something ends, however, be prepared to reach a conclusion that might not be what you had in mind.

jacquelineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
Jacqueline Garlick is the author of the immensely popular, young adult, steampunk/fantasy series THE ILLUMINATION PARADOX, as well the IF ONLY series, a contemporary, coming of age, romantic mystery. She is also the author of a variety of women’s classic romances including the highly anticipated, upcoming HEARTMENDER’S SOCIETY.

Jacqueline loves strong heroines, despises whiny sidekicks and adores a good story about a triumphant underdog. (But then again, doesn’t everyone?) She has an on-going love/hate relationship with chocolate, grammar, and technology. Jacqueline has been a teacher, professional speaker, and environmental activist, but much prefers her current role as mild manner novelist. To find out more about Jacqueline and to be the first to learn of her upcoming releases, book-related giveaways, and other cool contests and events, sign up for Jacqueline’s NEWSLETTER via jacquelinegarlick.com, to join Jacqueline’s elite Reader’s Group and receive an exclusive FREE READ.

Follow Jacqueline:
twitter @garlick books
facebook: http://bit.ly/jegarlickfb

Contact Jacqueline”
email: garlickbooks@gmail.com

Review of Noir by Jacqueline Garlick

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Noir
The Illumination Paradox 2
By Jacqueline E. Garlick

Star Rating: 
Genre: Steampunk, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 380

Date Started: February 2, 2017
Date Finished: February 5, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)noir
Losing him would make her overcast world one shade darker…

Navigating her way through nightmarish lands devoid of sunlight, Eyelet Elsworth races to free her beloved Urlick Babbit, the first person to understand and accept her—differences and all. Framed for murder and sentenced to execution, Urlick is running out of time. And the Commonwealth’s tyrannical new ruler, Penelope Rapture, is strangely eager to speed up the clock.

Aided by a band of unusual yet loyal associates, Eyelet stumbles upon a startling rumor. And as she unravels a secret that could challenge Penelope’s claim to the throne, Penelope vows to divert Eyelet’s journey—straight to a dark and deadly end.

In Noir, the second thrilling addition to Jacqueline E. Garlick’s Illumination Paradox series, familiar friends struggle against new and old enemies, shocking secrets come to light, and the truth that could save this captivating steampunk world is revealed…if it doesn’t destroy everything first.

Review:
Ever had a book that you couldn’t put down? If you’ve read Lumiere, this will likely be like that. Not only is the reader introduced to other unfortunate people who are far more capable than they are given credit for, but more back story is learned about one of my favourite secondary characters, C. L. While adventuring we also meet a few more unforgettable characters, one named Livinea who I am certain will capture many hearts as she appears to be the embodiment between what people often feel and have to keep private.

I absolutely love the surprise about Urlick, and it wasn’t exactly as I had suspected, but I was quite pleased nonetheless. He seems to take direction well, and while his love for Eyelet is absolute, he does what is necessary for all first.

Now I have to say that the world crafting, the buildings in this particular novel, are genius. Is it magic or is it science? Or is it both? I absolutely love the creativity and medieval inspiration used for the jug and the tortures the characters were threatened with.

While I had an inkling that Eyelet may have contracted a particularly nasty disease because she keeps coughing up blood, I was still devastated by the abrupt uncertainty of the ending, and of course will start book 3 post haste.

jacquelineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
Jacqueline Garlick is the author of the immensely popular, young adult, steampunk/fantasy series THE ILLUMINATION PARADOX, as well the IF ONLY series, a contemporary, coming of age, romantic mystery. She is also the author of a variety of women’s classic romances including the highly anticipated, upcoming HEARTMENDER’S SOCIETY.

Jacqueline loves strong heroines, despises whiny sidekicks and adores a good story about a triumphant underdog. (But then again, doesn’t everyone?) She has an on-going love/hate relationship with chocolate, grammar, and technology. Jacqueline has been a teacher, professional speaker, and environmental activist, but much prefers her current role as mild manner novelist. To find out more about Jacqueline and to be the first to learn of her upcoming releases, book-related giveaways, and other cool contests and events, sign up for Jacqueline’s NEWSLETTER via jacquelinegarlick.com, to join Jacqueline’s elite Reader’s Group and receive an exclusive FREE READ.

Follow Jacqueline:
twitter @garlick books
facebook: http://bit.ly/jegarlickfb

Contact Jacqueline”
email: garlickbooks@gmail.com

Review of Lumière by Jacqueline E. Garlick

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Lumière
The Illumination Paradox 1
By Jacqueline E. Garlick

Star Rating: 
Genre: Steampunk, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 400

Date Started: January 29, 2017
Date Finished: February 2, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)lumiere
Even in a land of eternal twilight, secrets can’t stay in the dark forever.

Seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth has only one hope left: finding her late father’s most prized invention, the Illuminator. It’s been missing since the day of the mysterious flash—a day that saw the sun wiped out forever over England.

But living in darkness is nothing new to Eyelet. She’s hidden her secret affliction all of her life—a life that would be in danger if superstitious townspeople ever guessed the truth. And after her mother is accused and executed for a crime that she didn’t commit, the now-orphaned Eyelet has no choice but to track down the machine that was created with the sole purpose of being her cure.

Review:
I’m uncertain how long I’ve had this novel before I finally decided to give it a try. The beginning was hard, difficult to get into. Although I suppose it could be seen as corky, it took me quite a while to get used to the name “Eyelet”. While it was likely to set the mood and time period, I found myself spending a portion of the first section wishing, in some ways, that the author had gone with Violet instead, or had explained the name in some way. Perhaps the most jarring was the thought that Eyelet having the ailment she does would make her a prim candidate for an asylum or even death.

I found part one rather jarring as we went between the new vocabulary of setting the steampunk scene, learning the land, and trying to figure out the science and balance the magic as well– with Valkyries being mentioned lightly in passing. After catastrophe struck the story became a bit easier to follow, and I became more and more intrigued.

While reading several other stories were called to mind: The Birthmark, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Beauty and the Beast were the most prominent. Though they may have helped shape the novel, that was in no way a negative thing, and the further I read the more I appreciated the story on its own merits. Eyelet is a wonderful protagonist, and while she does have a reason to be afraid beyond being a female, she doesn’t let anything or anyone stop her, and she won’t let anyone tell her what she can’t do because she’s a girl.

I am  intrigued, and have already purchased the second book to start on once I’ve finished this review.

jacquelineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
Jacqueline Garlick is the author of the immensely popular, young adult, steampunk/fantasy series THE ILLUMINATION PARADOX, as well the IF ONLY series, a contemporary, coming of age, romantic mystery. She is also the author of a variety of women’s classic romances including the highly anticipated, upcoming HEARTMENDER’S SOCIETY.

Jacqueline loves strong heroines, despises whiny sidekicks and adores a good story about a triumphant underdog. (But then again, doesn’t everyone?) She has an on-going love/hate relationship with chocolate, grammar, and technology. Jacqueline has been a teacher, professional speaker, and environmental activist, but much prefers her current role as mild manner novelist. To find out more about Jacqueline and to be the first to learn of her upcoming releases, book-related giveaways, and other cool contests and events, sign up for Jacqueline’s NEWSLETTER via jacquelinegarlick.com, to join Jacqueline’s elite Reader’s Group and receive an exclusive FREE READ.

Follow Jacqueline:
twitter @garlick books
facebook: http://bit.ly/jegarlickfb

Contact Jacqueline”
email: garlickbooks@gmail.com

 

Review of Of Fate and Phantoms by C. J. Archer

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Of Fate and Phantoms
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 7
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating: 
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 128

Date Started: January 25, 2017
Date Finished: January 27, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)of-fate-and-phantoms
As Charlie and Lincoln’s lives settle into a harmonious pattern, a new threat arises that could have far reaching effects for the royal family and Lincoln’s parents. When a seer warns the Prince of Wales that his life is in danger, only Charlie and Lincoln take her seriously. After all, what sensible person would believe a gypsy who claims the danger will come in the form of the prince’s dead father? A meeting at the palace sets them on a path that takes Charlie back to her old haunts in the London slums, on the hunt for a man who can change his appearance. The new threat is their most dangerous yet, but for Lincoln, the biggest concern isn’t confronting the shape-changer or meeting his parents for the first time, it’s whether Charlie will put his engagement ring on her finger.

Review:
Ah, my favourite literary couple, how I get to join your life once more. This book, like the others in the Ministry of Curiosities series, was wonderful. There were a few editorial errors but that in no way diminishes from the storyline.

I loved that we got to see more of Gilly’s wife and see how Lincoln and Charlie would try to help someone who is different, like them, yet in a horrible position. I absolutely loved getting to see Charlie in action again, doing the boyish things she once did, even though she’s put on some weight so she isn’t quite as slender as before, and that no matter what’s happened, Charlie still cares about her gang and wishes she could do more for them. There were a lot of secondary characters and side plots going on, but I felt that added to Lincoln and Charlie’s dynamic.

It is great to see Lincoln trust Charlie’s judgments and allow her to help him on cases. While it is nice to see Lincoln become more man and less mechanic, in some ways it seems he is becoming a completely different person altogether. It would have been nice for them to have a few more scenes of development, but I was quite pleased with the interactions between the two throughout the novel, and I quite love the ending.

cj
Author Biography: (From Amazon)
C.J. Archer has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two. She has at various times worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart has always been a fiction writer. While she has written historical romance in the past, she now writes exclusively in the historical fantasy genre (with a large dose of romance). She has several series which occur in the same Victorian-era “world”, one after the other. Each series can be read alone, but it’s more fun to start at the beginning with THE EMILY CHAMBERS SPIRIT MEDIUM TRILOGY. Follow that up with all 9 FREAK HOUSE books, then the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES series. GLASS AND STEELE, her newest series, is set in an entirely different alternate Victorian London.

Subscribe to C.J.’s newsletter to be notified when she releases a new book, as well as get access to exclusive content and subscriber-only giveaways. Join via her website: http://www.cjarcher.com

She loves to hear from readers. You can contact her through email cj@cjarcher.com or follow her on social media to get the latest updates on her books:
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Review of Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

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Dead Ever After
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 13
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 368

Date Started: January 24, 2016dead-ever-after
Date Finished: January 25, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
When a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, Sookie will learn that what passes for the truth is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough…

Review:
Insert random series of events that rip Eric and Sookie apart. Oh, look, suddenly all the humans care about Sookie and she’s considered human again. While I did enjoy seeing Amelia and the household full of people, I would have liked it better if that was the main plot and shoving Eric on a bus wasn’t the second major decision of the novel.

How did the ending of the book make you feel? I’m glad you asked. I saw from the beginning that Sookie would end with the person she did, but I am more frustrated than anything that, after seeing her run from guy to guy, get swept up in the romance and such, that she decides that she doesn’t want to “go fast” and has to “take it slow” which, from the look of the epilogue, essentially kills all romance whatsoever, really. We heard way too much about “not that anyone asked me to marry them” and “I WANT BABIES” in subtext for the epilogue to be even a touch satisfying.

At least Pam got what she deserved. That’s something.

 

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

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Deadlocked
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 12
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 352

Date Started: January 23, 2016
Date Finished: January 24, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)deadlocked
Felipe de Castro, the vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It’s the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric Northman’s front yard—especially the body of a woman whose blood he just drank.

Now it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s set out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.

Review:
Eric’s becoming more and more engrossed in vampire politics while Sookie tries to hold on. As always, Sookie has more enemies than we are aware, and there is a definite friction between Eric and Sam like there is between Sookie and Jannalynn.

While Sookie is trying to figure out her future she’s also learning more about herself, that she can be devious and ruthless, and that she’s smarter than she’s usually given credit for.

Unfortunately, things are not well in Sookie relationship land, and Sookie refuses to do anything to try to solve it. I get that before Bill she had no relationships, but seriously, between having had a few in the past years of the book series, having female friends to chat with, and being able to buy a Cosmo magazine like any other girl (not to mention the supposed long list of romance novels Sookie has read) one would expect she would have some idea how things were done, and not act like a prepubescent girl.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

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Dead Reckoning
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 11
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 368

Date Started: January 23, 2016
Date Finished: January 23, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)dead_reckoning_novel_cover
With her knack for being in trouble’s way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte’s, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover, Eric Northman, and his “child” Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows…

Review:
This novel is starting to get the series back on track, and I love it for that. I love the continued work on relationships between Sookie and others, particularly the development of her friendships with Sam and Pam. I was glad to FINALLY see Bill again, since we heard about him in the last couple of novels but it was more a passing mention. I’m not certain Bill actually loves Sookie or is more infatuated with the idea of her, but we’ll see in the long run.

I love the fae connections in this novel, though I wish we had gotten to see more of them and learn whatever they are up to, which is likely the plot of the next novel.

I was quite disappointed that Sam’s brother’s wedding, which has been mentioned in I believe three books, was completely glossed over and nothing said about it except a few brief mentions that Sookie went with him.

While I think Sookie still has to do quite the bit of introspection to figure out who SHE is and what she feels/thinks/believes, it was nice for her to be there for Tara and to have a really human moment, and it was especially nice to see that some supernaturals can appreciate those basic life moments too.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.