Lady of the Storm (The Elven Lords #2) – *Le Sigh* and the magic is gone
I came into this story already expecting that I would not to enjoy it as much as its predecessor, The Fire Lord’s Lover, and unfortunately it didn’t exceed my expectations. Kathryne Kennedy’s Lady of the Storm has all of the pieces, but I was honestly left wanting to simply go read The Fire Lord’s Lover all over again.
We have a new hero and heroine in this tale, both elf/human half-breeds. The story centers around Cecily, who we meet as a child in the first book, and Giles, her sworn protector. In the first book we learn that Cecily inherited exceptional power from her Imperial Lord Elven father of Dewhame to control water and weather elements. This made her a target, so she had to flee into hiding in order to remain safe. At the start of this book we see that she’s managed to live in secrecy for about ten years until the Imperial Lord’s soldiers show up at her door. She is forced to go on the run again, but there’s no more running away. It’s her time to fight back with Giles at her side.
Everything that felt new and fresh with Fire Lord’s Lover felt a bit bland here. I don’t doubt Kennedy’s imagination and world building abilities, but I guess her story-building abilities come into question. There were times where the plot felt completely formulaic:
Beautiful elves? Check
Virgin heroine? Check
5+ love scene quota? Check
1 super magical love scene? Check
A silly development for relationship conflict that you know will be resolved? Check
I felt like this book had more love scenes than the first one and it took a lot longer to get to that point, so it was a bit condensed. Also, whereas I liked the magical love scene in the first book, this one wasn’t nearly as interesting, though the author tried to be creative and original. I think this series would have benefited from focusing on Dominic and Cassandra instead of shifting to new characters. Dominic and Cassandra do make appearances a few times in this installment, but it only served to make me wish the POV would switch to them every time.
There’s nothing particularly likable about Giles or Cecily. I didn’t feel a lot of personality with them like I did with their book 1 counterparts. They are heavy on the angst and emotionally weak. I was also disappointed with the lack of development for her Imperial Lord father as opposed to the first book. I like for the villains to be well-developed. The final showdown was really anti-climatic and I wasn’t invested in it at all; it only sealed this book’s fate as forgettable. I just wanted it over so that I could skip to the preview for the next book. I hope that the author rebounds, but I won’t be quick to read this next one, which sounds like it could potentially be the last one. I haven’t heard one way or another as to whether this series will be a trilogy, but if she can’t turn things around then the sooner she ends it, the better.
Giveaway winner selected and February plans
The Excel gods have spoken! And the Mind Games novel will go to…
Deb Novack!
Congrats, Deb!! Let me know how you like it! Please check your email and twitter so that we can get in touch regarding your contact information.
Again, I want to thank you ALL for your continued support of Your Urban Fantasy! I’m still a bit new at this, so thanks for letting me work out the kinks. I’ll keep my monthly giveaways going and next month is definitely no exception. I think a large number of us know that February is going to be a VERY exciting month! I’ll let you all take one wild guess as to why ~_^. I’ve got a lot in store and will need your help, so stay tuned!
Love is Fear (Valerie Dearborn #2) - Even better than the first book!
“He was on the ground, unmoving, bloody ropes of intestine surrounding him. He needs those, she thought stupidly and rushed to him, trying to stuff them back into his stomach.”
In the latest Valerie Dearborn novel by Caroline Hanson, Love is Fear, we’re finally delving into the supernatural world that we merely heard about in the first book. The playing field evens out as Lucas, Rachel, Valerie, and Jack are thrust into the land of the Fey where vampires are even more vulnerable. This is actually Lucas’s plan as he desires to bring them back and restore balance because he feels that vampires have become too powerful. Of course, there’s the small issue of him being responsible for their near extinction and current dormancy in the first place, so they likely won’t be chummy with him upon their return. Not to mention the amount of tension that’s bound to flare up among our 4 “heroes” all trying to work together without killing one another. That proves to be a difficult enough task in itself.
Book 2 is even better than the first one. Valerie starts to come into her own a bit more as an empath—the defacto mediator between supernatural creatures—and I must admit that I quite enjoyed the power play between her and Lucas, especially since it is a part of her nature. Their relationship goes from hot to scorching!
There are a lot of huge developments that make this installment a must-not-miss. Everything is turned upside down as character dynamics drastically shift and secrets are revealed. I don’t know whether I should he happy that Hanson didn’t waste a lot of time getting to the good stuff or upset because we didn’t get more settled into the the former way of things.
Shippers, start your engines! Somebody somewhere determined that love triangles and quadrangles and polygons are a must-have for urban fantasy books and Hanson is certainly following suit, much to my personal chagrin. But I am enjoying the series so much that I will muddle through it…somehow…someway… Alls I know is that I’m Team Lucas. 9 times out of 10 I side with the vamps when it’s a viable option (the exceptions being The Hollows and maybe the Cassie Palmer series). Of course, that shouldn’t be very surprising when you see my username. All of her suitors (yes, it is now “all” instead of “both”) have their a-hole ways, so I’ll settle on the one with the most chemistry. It’s only the second book after all and it’s very obvious that the author as a lot more in store for Valerie Dearborn’s world. I am expecting that to include a lot of evolution and character growth.
I was hoping that with a slightly higher price tag of $3.99 the author would fix the spelling, formatting and grammar errors, but they are just as rampant as they were in the first book. I guess they won’t be fixed until the books are printed.
Errors aside, while we only get a taste of the new (though traditional) supernatural beings that will be thrown into the fray, it still makes for a satisfying read. Like the first one, expect plenty of action, plenty of smut (which one could argue is its own kind of action), and—most importantly—plenty of laughs with a good story somewhere in between. Along with the likes of The Hollows and Kate Daniels, this is definitely a quotable series! I have high hopes for Book 3 which I hope will be released later this year. You’ll know when I know!
Fire Lord’s Lover (The Elven Lords #1) - I’m on a roll!
The Fire Lord’s Lover by Kathryne Kennedy is yet another FABULOUS ebook cheapie at $1.99! This was on my to-be-read (tbr) list for the longest, so I was really glad to finally get around to it. It was so good that I read it in one day…and then I read it again!! Yep, I read it TWICE!
In an alternate universe during the middle ages, England endures the reign of Elven Lords—powerful and magical beings from Elfhame who entered the human realm seeking war and even more power. Unable to return home, they decided to make themselves comfortable in the human world, acquiring slaves and servants to maintain their palaces and lands. While stunningly beautiful, these humanoid creatures are evil and self-serving—mating with humans solely to produce formidable champion warriors.
Most English citizens comply out of fear; however there is the Rebellion, a large number of people secretly working together to put an end to their tyranny. Lady Cassandra is one of them. She is a secret assassin raised to be the wife of General Dominic Raikes, the champion son of Imperial Elven Lord Mor’ded. They are to produce a new champion for Mor’ded, giving her a perfect opportunity to infiltrate his court and assassinate him. On the flip side, Dominic works hard to conceal his growing power from his father. Of course nothing goes as planned for neither Cassandra nor Dominic as they try to fight their growing feelings for one another. But they soon learn that Mor’ded is way too ruthless and powerful for either of them to take down alone.
I have totally fallen in love with Ms. Kennedy’s world and her characters. Next to vampires, elves and fae are a not too distant second as my favorite supernatural species. I love love LOVE her imagery! I truly looked forward to any scene where magic was involved because she makes it very intriguing and fun. I adored Dominic and Cassandra and their evolving relationship over the course of the book. While it follows a similar pattern of other romances, it doesn’t feel cliche so I really invested in this part of the story. It’s really fresh…or as fresh as you can expect for a historical setting. I’ve read many a love scene in my large library of books, but this novel contains a scene that is probably up there with my all-time favorites. It’s super tasteful, magical, and well-placed while remaining really hott.
I never tired of any of the characters or the story which is a testament to Ms. Kennedy’s writing ability. It’s just the right length, so the story doesn’t drag. Usually towards the middle of a book I will get bored, but for this book the middle is my favorite part, keeping me the most engaged.
I’m a little concerned about the mixed reviews for the second book, but I will give it a chance. It is an ongoing series. I’m super disappointed that the next book won’t center on Dominic and Cassandra, but I will give it a chance because the world building is as good as it gets. Another one that I highly recommend, and for $1.99 you have nothing to lose, or a least not a lot.
Love is Darkness (Valerie Dearborn #1) - I think I’ve found a new series that’s *dear* to me!
Correction, I think I must thank Val for throwing it in my face how good this series is. This is the best 99 cents I’ve spent yet! Of course the price has increased to a whopping $1.99, but I can assure you it’s worth breaking the bank for this one.
Valerie Dearborn has spent her life trying to avoid her destiny. As a child, she watch her mother meet a tragic end at the hands of a vampire. That unfortunate turn of events changed her life forever. Her father, with a help of Jack—a young man left orphaned after a vampire slaughtered his family as a child—have made it their life’s mission to hunt these evil bloodsuckers. They’re pretty good at it too! Or so they think. Except one night they bring Valerie along and she meets Lucas, a 1600 year old vampire King who knows that Valerie is no ordinary human. She is part Empath, a believed-to-be extinct species that makes vampires vulnerable to their emotions. Using her family as leverage he recruits Valerie to help him on his quest to find others like her, as well as werewolves and fae, who were supernatural adversaries to vampires long ago. He also really really wants to get in her pants because he’s been emotionless for so long and wants to “feel” again. Let’s not stray away from that not so little plot point. Of course Valerie wants a normal life, but it is obviously not in the cards, or this book would be really boring.
Valerie as a heroine is pretty cool. I have no real complaints since I understand that this is the first novel and she hasn’t yet gone down the road of self-discovery. I sense a lot in store for her as the books continue. This series is not in first-person tense, but Valerie’s own humor and personality shine through in a number of scenes.
I admit that for a while I just hadn’t been coming across super sexy badass vampires. If they weren’t of the “emo” variety then they merely talked the talked. Well, Lucas walks the walk. He has a valid reason for his attraction to Valerie. None of that “I have lived for 900 years and never met a strong, fearless woman who speaks her mind!” and similar lame, unbelievable crap. It’s attraction on a cellular level, literally. Their chemistry is all kinds of crazy. I was liking Jack in the beginning, but after Lucas it just doesn’t compare for me. I think what really impressed me was his display of complete power and dominance against enemies. He is King and he knows it, he doesn’t doubt it, and it’s his way or the highway. He could be as ruthless or as gentle as the moment calls for and he makes no apologies.
As for the writing, while I love Caroline Hanson’s style, there are a number of spelling and formatting errors which interrupts the flow for me at times. But this tends to be pretty common for the cheap or free Kindle books.
There isn’t a whole lot of story, but I see a lot of promise. The character interactions are very intriguing and there are a number of action-pact scenes to keep things moving while not being overbearing. While Love is Darkness not surprisingly has “dark” undertones, there’s a lot of humor as well which is always a plus for me.
There are a few sex scenes as well so this is certainly NOT of the YA variety, but if you’re in the mood for a more mature story (or about as mature you can expect a college girl moving abroad to be) then this one may be for you. Favorites don’t come easy for me, but I really connected with this series and was left wanting more…a lot more. Highly recommended.
Giveaway + Review: Mind Games - A Solid Start to This Trilogy
Giveaway Details:
It’s that time of the month! As I am gearing up to read the final book of the Disillusionist Trilogy I figured I could do a little house cleaning. Up for grabs is my copy of Mind Games, Book 1 of this great series. The giveaway will last until Thursday, January 26, 2012. The winner will be announced and contacted on Friday the 27th. If you participated in my prior giveaway you might know the drill, but please see below as I have tweaked a couple of things.
How to Enter (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY): This giveaway is only open to followers of Your Urban Fantasy. In order to enter YOU MUST COMMENT ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT POST! If you’re a new member, sign up on the right panel to follow my blog via email and/or Twitter. (Make sure you check your email to confirm your subscription. You should receive a notification immediately, so check your spam folder if you don’t see it right away). Current followers can just say so in their post and your entry will be added. Overall, there are up to 3 chances to win:
- Follow this blog via email (THIS IS REQUIRED)
- Follow me on Twitter (bonus entry)
- “Like” Your Urban Fantasy on Facebook (bonus entry)
While I do appreciate RSS subscribers, I cannot confirm your status as a follower so your entry will not count (sorry!); however, you are welcome to sign up by email and Twitter or Facebook. Winners are randomly selected through a raffle. I ship to international winners!
—————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Review:
Mind Games, Book 1 of the Disillusionist Trilogy introduces us to Justine Jones. She’s a bit of a hypochondriac-to put it mildly. She freaks out that she’s going to die any day now and it affects her life and interactions with those around her in so many ways. That is until she stumbles into a bar, meeting this mysterious bar tender named Packard. He seems to have all of the answers to solve Justine’s little problem. Little does she know what she is getting herself into when she takes him up on his offer. It turns out Justine can use her neurosis as a weapon, passing her fear into criminals instead with a process called “zinging”. Better them than her, right? She joins Packard’s vigilante crime fighting team that uses their own powers to re-program these bad guys and make them into more upstanding citizens. But of course nothing is that easy, right? Is the law usually on the side of vigilantes? And exactly how bad ARE these bad guys? (I’ll give you a hint: VERY bad)
There’s a fair amount of originality here. It’s definitely interesting to use people with heightened senses more so than the usual super natural creatures like vampires, werewolves, demons, etc. It’s quite difficult to stand out in the urban fantasy genre with those staple species, though I admit those are usually my preference when well done.
I also want to forewarn you to be prepared for first person present tense. It is an extremely jarring adjustment to make and I found it distracting for most of the book, though I finally adjusted towards the end. Considering that this is a modified review I can say that initially I planned to avoid this style like the plague, but after reading several titles in this tense more recently, it’s no longer an issue.
While there is some gore, overall this book has a lighter urban fantasy feel to it, which is usually more up my alley. It’s plenty descriptive and there is plenty of suspense as Justine isn’t a seasoned crime-fighter and all of these experiences thrust upon her are new, so it’s up to her to use her wits to figure out how she’ll survive. I’m usually pretty sensitive to annoying protagonists, but Justine wasn’t so bad. She’s a little quick to jump in the sack, but I think that she more or less handles the situations as best as she can at the time. She’s definitely no Mary Sue.
Considering that this isn’t your everyday run-of-the-mill urban fantasy tale, I’m not sure if this is what every fan would be looking for, but if you’ve read lots of stories and want to give something different a try, this is worth the time.
Everneath - Forced to finish this one
The cover suggests a slightly more mature theme, even within the YA genre. It can happen. I just finished reading a book where it happened. But 99% of the book is spent with her outside of this “Everneath”, resulting in a fairly uninteresting read. I read it quickly so I didn’t waste too much time on it, but I really don’t like it when covers are so deceptive.
Nikki is the central character of the story. 6 months ago she was taken to the Everneath by Cole, an immortal who used her life force to sustain his own and his Queen’s. She spends 100 years literally attached to Cole as he feeds from her. Once the feeding is done it is discovered that Nikki is a unique case, surviving it as most others wouldn’t. This suggests that she has a special power, making her very attractive to Cole. She has a choice to stay in the Everneath with him, but she decides to go back home to be with her family and her boyfriend, Jack, who was her biggest motivation to remain alive. However, going back to the real world puts her on a countdown to destruction, destining her to spend an eternity in the Underworld. She tries to live her life (or what she has left of it) but Cole is an obvious interference, desperately trying to convince her to be with him and rule the Everneath. But her heart is with Jack, putting her in a predicament and forcing her to look for any alternative she can find. And therein lies the story.
I didn’t really like how 100 years in the Everneath is only 6 months in the real world. That was too convenient. There is a lot of time jumping (showing POVs from past to present to past, etc. ) while counting down to the climax, but the build up isn’t intense. It’s very “day in the life”. The beginning ropes you in in hopes that you’re in for a super cool roller coaster ride, but then it turns into an unoriginal high school teen drama; I would have avoided this book had I known to expect that. In terms of characters, I preferred Cole simply because he was actually interesting and that was an actual challenge. Don’t get me wrong, he’s manipulative and a horrible love interest, but as a character I would have liked to have seen more. I like my villains to be more than one-dimensional. I started skimming the scenes with Jack after a while, though I got the point. This book was more teen romance with a dash of paranormal lore. Overall, if they took out the lore most of the book would be unaffected.
The best parts were the brief mythology references. While it seems as if the next book could focus on a little more adventure, I’m not taking the bait. There are two other potentially interesting worlds that we merely hear about: the Everneath and the Underworld, and I wanted Nikki to get explore both. This was the chance for the series to stand out to me and it didn’t. It’s got pretty good ratings overall though, so maybe it’s just me. I might be willing to read the second book if she does explore these worlds in future books, but I’m not waiting with bated breath for it.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley
Touch of Power - Engaging all throughout
Maria Snyder is off to an excellent start with Touch of Power, Book 1 of The Healer series. The book centers on Avry of Kazan, a young woman with special power to heal those around her while she absorbs their ailments. One would think that this would be a revered power, but instead it puts a huge target on her back. Suspected of creating the plague that wipes out a significant part of the population, Healers are now persecuted and murdered. Against her best interests Avry secretly continues to heal those in need, often exposing herself. To survive she must lead a nomadic and lonely lifestyle.
This all changes when she ends up abducted by a rebel group who needs her power to heal their leader who has been M.I.A. There’s a hitch of course; healing this leader will cost her own life. Their leader, Kerric, is a prince himself though unconventional with a set of magical powers all his own. Against her will, she treks on a journey with them facing off against mercenaries, the undead, and nature itself. She begins to bond with them much to her chagrin, and re-evaluates who the enemies really are.
There’s a lot of action, adventure and magic in this series that I really enjoyed. The character development is well done, keeping it fairly realistic in this fictional setting. They aren’t as one dimensional as I was fearing, so I really connected with the story. I would put Avry in the “strong heroine” category. She’s not too badass but she’s not a fool either, taking a lot of initiative and being extremely brave when necessary. Overall, I like her.
I think the magic was very interesting without being too confusing. I look forward to how that evolves over the course of the series. The villain was slightly on the predictable side, and I sort of predicted how this would ends since I know it’s the beginning of a series, but I still enjoyed it and look forward to where things go next.
I may start reading more YA series again. For a while I haven’t been enjoying them as much as their adult counterparts, but it seems as if YA books centered around adults is as good as anything for me. Avry is twenty, and many of the adult novels are centered on twenty-somethings too, so the overlap works. I definitely recommend this one.
*ARC provided by NetGalley
Updates for Your Urban Fantasy
Hi everyone! I was pretty busy over the weekend adding a few things to the site. You might want to check it out:
1) The Hollows Corner – I decided to create a whole section dedicated to The Hollows. This will be ever evolving as I blog about my reviews, upcoming signings (which will include pics and video), and maybe add a discussion page (you’ll want it after you read A Perfect Blood, I promise ~_^). Stay tuned! I’m really excited about this one.
2) Your Urban Fantasy on Facebook - I have added a Facebook page for any regulars there. Please “like” Your Urban Fantasy, and post as often as you’d like!
3) Grab Button - for any interested fellow bloggers, I have included a button to grab and post on your blog as well. If you just scroll down, you will see it on the right panel. Once I have collected a few buttons myself, I will get a blog roll up.
4) Giveaways – I have created a giveaways page to keep you guys (and myself) up to date for what I’ve done and what I will do.
5) A new review will be posted tomorrow for Touch of Power.
Hope you all have a wonderful week!
Magic Gifts - there’s Naked Curran…’nuff said
So now that I have your attention…
There IS naked Curran, but there’s always more to say when it comes to a Kate Daniels story. I initially didn’t even read the synopsis because Kate gets an insta-click. The cover is really cool, making me wonder if covers for future novels are in for a style change.
This story takes place after Magic Slays (Book 5) and runs simultaneously with Andrea’s upcoming novel, Gunmetal Magic. Kate and Curran just can’t seem to catch a break as their dinner date goes horribly wrong. I swear this is probably the most quotable series. Kate sums it up perfectly:
“Best date ever. Well, until people died and vampires showed up. But before that it was awesome.”
It turns out the source of the trouble is a magical necklace that kills whoever wears it. The first victim was a navigator. The second potential victim is her kid brother. Well, he will be unless Kate and Curran can figure out how to get it off without killing him. This of course segues into a fast-paced, action heavy adventure for our favorite duo.
It’s fun to see Kate and Curran working as a team. They bicker, but you know the love is there. Aside from that, there are plenty of laughs along the way, a couple of sad moments, and one HUGE development! I was expecting all filler, but there is a major spoiler within this story, making me want to read Gunmetal Magic ASAP. While Magic Gifts is a novella, it is very substantive, resulting in a satisfying Kate Daniels fix for me. I’m up for Kate and Curran anytime, but I’m a fan of Andrea too so I’m really looking forward to reading her novel.
This story was a wonderful surprise and holiday treat from the Andrews team, so I’m just another fan expressing my thanks!
Hellbent - A Hell of a Good Time!
Say it ain’t so!! So I find a series that I genuinely enjoy. No mopey heroine (okay, maybe she’s a little obnoxious, but at least she’s fun about it), no emo vampires, just lots of action and fun. While it wasn’t a cliffhanger, I finished this book thinking there would be more in store. Well unfortunately Cherie Priest was only contracted for two books, meaning this may be the last we see of Raylene and friends unless the books sell more. So I guess I’m doing my part and recommending you guys read this one if you enjoy light urban fantasy series.
I read Hellbent (Book 2 of the Cheshire Red Reports) before the first and I believe it works well as a standalone. Raylene, our favorite professional vampire thief, is settling in well at her new digs after her old warehouse/home was raided by the Feds. She’s picked up a couple of new roomies too: blind vampire Ian Stott and my personal favorite Adrian deJesus, ex-Navy Seal and Drag Queen extraordinaire. While unconventional, a sense of domesticity is established as Ian helps mentor the orphan siblings Pepper and Domino who we met in Bloodshot. Adrian is still primarily focused on finding his sister who had been abducted along with Ian for that top secret government experiment that left him blind.
There is more development with that plot point, clearly establishing it as an overarcing storyline in the series. Aside from that, the master of Ian’s house has been murdered and he’s slated to take his place. This doesn’t sitting right with his brother whose been waiting in the wings to take control. Ray must protect Ian from the target on his back while taking on a side quest to collect powerful ancient artifacts.
While the books feel like more of the same, I actually think I liked the second book a bit more than the first. The characters are becoming more familiar with each other and beginning to settle into a dynamic. Who am I kidding, I liked that there was more Adrian. He’s a great sidekick for Raylene and even though she’s more powerful as a vampire, his skills, wits, and determination, allow him to keep up with her fairly well. The series doesn’t have a lot going on in the romance department, but it seems like the author wants to test the waters between both Adrian and Ian. Though her chemistry with Adrian is even stronger in this book and almost non-existent with Ian.
The vampire politics were interesting and ended up being the center of some of the best action. The humor is as strong as ever and I found myself laughing out loud a number of times. The characters are all likable in their own way…even Ray’s new kitty cat. The ending is predictable, but it makes sense. Overall, Hellbent is and enjoyable ride, but what bring the series down a bit is that it should have been structured as a duology if there was a risk that so many loose ends would be there when it’s all said and done.
If there is a book 3, I want it right away. But if there isn’t I do plan to follow Cherie Priest’s steampunk series because she’s a good writer and I like her style.
*ARC provided by NetGalley
Follow YOUR URBAN FANTASY
ErikaT on 
kittybelle103108 on 
slcurwin on 
