Soooo I tried those Hollows waffles! Yup, I added the mayo!
To round out Hollows week, this past Sunday I decided to crack open the Hollows Insider and put that waffle recipe (on page 134) to good use. If you don’t have that book yet, you should get it, but all is not lost if you still want the recipe; Kim has posted it here on her website. If you don’t remember, back in Every Which Way But Dead (Book 3) Rachel and Trent end up eating waffles at his house after that boat explosion. That was a pretty entertaining scene. I wish we saw more of his cook, Maggie, in future books. She seemed like a good judge of character, but I digress…
However, if my memory serves me right Rachel is supposed to be allergic to eggs. It didn’t hit me until I started making this post. That’s a major ingredient for the waffles. I shall inquire about that with Ms. Harrison as I am now curious. Maybe it’s okay because it’s not purely egg? Kind of like how some people can still have dairy products (ie: ice cream, cheese, or yogurt) while not being able to tolerate milk directly. I’m like that, though Silk Almond is delicious so I don’t miss milk at all. Here was a snapshot I took after mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately. I combined them afterwards per the instructions, but I thought that adding the mayo sort of made the wet ingredients look like egg drop soup…
I used vitamin D milk and canola oil. I am not sure if that makes much of a difference, but the end result was very delicious and light waffle. Probably the best waffle I’ve ever had. I plan to make more and toy around with different ingredients. Maybe I’ll even try Silk instead for a batch.
So if any of you have a waffle maker on hand (or you’re fine just improvising and making Hollows pancakes), you should definitely give it a try. On the rare occasion that I’ll eat a waffle (I average maybe 1-2 times per year) I normally get ready-made waffle mix; “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is my motto. But I’ve always been curious about the mayo aspect and after one of our members, Kat, asked me about it, I figured this was the perfect time to experiment. If any of you have tried it or plan to, please let me know! I was quite pleased with the final product. As for what’s next, I’m sort of curious about those brimstone cookies myself…
Kim Harrison Signing Part 2 - Autumn Leaves saved the day! (Pics, video, and sound bites)
Though I got to meet Kim on Friday, one of our fellow members, Autumn Leaves, met Kim yesterday! If any one else will be attending a signing and would like for me to make a post about it I’ll be more than happy to do it.
As for Autumn’s signing. This was held in Atlanta. Thankfully they held the Q&A session this time. She was able to record a couple of sound bites and I have uploaded them here. She was able to address the questions about elves being able to feel cold (they can after a while). A few facts not on the recording (quoted from Autumn):
- When she was signing my book, I asked her the question about Trent being able to read Rachel’s mind - she said it is not so much that he can read her mind, it’s just that he knows her so well. (more…)
Kim Harrison - A Perfect Blood Tour Signing Report (Video and Pics)
I couldn’t even sleep in late today. I woke up at 7am and the first thing I thought of was posting about the signing for your guys. So I guess I’ll start from the top.
Rambling about the commute: I left out around 5pm since the event started at 7pm. It was raining a bit yesterday so traffic was even more horrendous than usual for the DC Metro area (we’re ranked #1 in the whole country for the worst traffic if you didn’t know). Normally a 25 minute trip from my usual route was going to take an estimated 2 hours, so I opted for a slightly longer route in hopes to still get there on time. I-95 traffic was slow but moving until it suddenly turned into a parking lot. I saw emergency vehicles passing on the shoulder so I figured there was an accident. I eventually saw everything fairly close ahead and cars were down to one lane to get through. Since I know fans travel far to her signings (I traveled 3 hours for Black Magic Sanction in 2010 and then flew to San Diego Comic Con last year), I was really concerned that some people wouldn’t make it. (more…)
Kim Harrison signing TONIGHT! Last chance to submit questions
Hi everyone! Just one last reminder to get your questions in. Please reply to the post here:
http://vampirenovelfan.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/kim-harrison-book-signing-i-need-your-help-with-questions/
That will make it easier to scroll and find. I’ll probably leave around 3pm EST so that’s the cut off.
Wright got it right! What an impressive debut effort!
Not to break up the Hollows party or anything, but I figured I should throw in a new review ~_^.
Review: Kenya Wright’s Fire Baptized pleasantly surprised me! Just when I start to wonder if I’m just reading too much Urban Fantasy, I run into a fantastic story like this one.
There are no secret supernaturals here. Since the ’70s humans have isolated these species to live in restricted areas. Think District 9 with a little less slum…in some parts of town. They identify all of the different species with brands on their foreheads. Of course there is a class system within their kind, with mixbreeds being on the bottom. Our main character, Lanore, is one of these mixbreeds. Armed with the power of fire, she is far from helpless, but she doesn’t really look for trouble either; it merely finds her.
She ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time when she witnesses a grisly murder, eventually making herself a target for this satanic killer. The biggest fear is of the unknown. And to stop this killer she has to team up with a couple of hunky-but helpful-friends as she investigates the murder herself and tries to stay alive.
The world building is fantastic, intriguing, and easy to follow. Some of the characters and the monsters are awesome too, if not a bit sympathetic at times. The story is a shorter read than most, but it still qualifies as a novel and I felt that it was the perfect length. Because of this, I can honestly say that I wasn’t bored for a second. I would say that it’s a lighter Urban Fantasy with some dark elements to it because I did find myself laughing a good deal of the time.
Lanore is an African American character so I thought it was awesome to change it up from what we usually see (not that I don’t love that too). It’s just great to see diversity in this genre. I also really liked the descriptions of how she uses her fire power.
I don’t like love triangles and this one didn’t change my mind. That is pretty much the only harp I have with this book, so I grinned and beared it. Though there is interracial romance, the racism and discrimination is a species-based issue and it gets pretty ugly, making you really question “humanity” or the lack thereof.
Overall I am truly impressed, especially considering that this is Wright’s debut novel. It kicks off strong and never lets up. It was a very imaginative world and I am eager to read the next book. While this book solves the mystery, there is definitely a larger overarching plot that is developing, so we have a lot more to look forward to.
And on one last note, I must say that I love love love the subtlety of the cover. I think it looks great!
*ARC provided by the author
HAPPY HOLLOWS DAY!
Just couldn’t resist ~_^. This is one of the best days of the year! Ebook lovers may already have their heads burried in A Perfect Blood, but I hope everyone else will plan to stop by the book store (or in my case anxiously check the mail when I get home).
Once your done, make sure you tell me about any questions you’d like for me to ask Kim at her signing this Friday.
I’ve also decided to temporarily sticky my review for the book.
I can’t WAIT to hear what you guys think!
One Lovely Blog Award
Your Urban Fantasy was recently selected for this award by Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. This award is designed to recognize fellow bloggers and show appreciation for their work. It was also created for people to pass these awards along to deserving blogs so we can discover new and great blogs. I’m quite honored. Thank you!
Kim Harrison Book Signing - I need your help with questions and comments!
Hi again, guys! So Kim Harrison is coming to the Washington, DC area for a signing next Friday, February 24th to promote A Perfect Blood! I plan to tweet, facebook, take pics and record some bits, so if you have any questions that you’d like me to ask her directly I’ll be more than happy to do it…and I’ll record it for you. Or heck even if you have comments about your favorite characters, ships, plot lines or whatever I’ll tell her. Sure, you could just ask her yourself on her blog, but it’d fun to see her speak it too, no? A little help here people! ~_^.
A Perfect Blood Giveaway! Winners have been selected BUT
Hi everyone! Well it looks like we have our two winners! But as I entered the names in my spreadsheet in order, I noticed several users share the same name and one of our winners happens to be one of those people (ie: we have more than one “Tiffany”). So to avoid any confusion I won’t announce them here at this time, but the winners have been contacted and they are free to comment on this post about it. I am floored that over 100 of you entered! I am so happy to have a bunch of Hollows fans around! I started loving this series when there wasn’t a lot of fandom so it’s good to have a sense of community.
Anyway, I want to thank every one of you for following Your Urban Fantasy and I am really excited that the book is going to come out in the few days! You all know that I practically love Hollows everything so there will definitely be future giveaways of this series and more. I’m particularly looking forward to her anthology later this year with Trent/Jenks’s side story from Pale Demon called “Million Dollar Baby”. If you don’t know, it’s about Trent and Jenks’ HUGE secret mission from that book. There’s no way I can resist reading about that bromance.
Also, if you guys would like me to do a giveaway for the paperback of A Perfect Blood I’ll arrange that too. We’ll see what’s going on later in the year.
I’m really pumped that the release is so close and I’d love to hear what you all think when you get your hands on it! I’ll “sticky” my review for a few days starting Tuesday if you have any 2 cents to add ~_^.
Graphic Novels + Poll
So I’m not sure how many of you enjoy reading graphic novels, but volume 2 of Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson is out and available (forgive me for being a couple of weekend behind). I have volume 1 myself which I enjoyed a lot, but now is the time that I wish I had a physical bookstore nearby so that I could thumb through this new one. I’m curious as to how Stefan will look. I met Ms. Briggs at San Diego Comic Con last summer and she said that we’d finally see him in this volume.
Of course it made me think a bit about graphic novels in general. I honestly don’t think I am a huge fan of it in most cases. Usually the characters for the series I read are set in my mind and someone else’s interpretation can’t capture it for the better, especially not something in comic book format. There were only a couple of instances where it has been right on and so far it’s only been through fanarts.
Take Rachel Morgan and Trent Kalamack:
http://valliantcreations.deviantart.com/art/Rachel-Morgan-Fan-Art-99707031
http://valliantcreations.deviantart.com/art/Kim-Harrison-Fan-Art-Trent-143340714
Let’s also forget how nice it is that Trent is coincidentally facing her.
Or Anita Blake’s Jean Claude (too many good ones to pick out, so you all can have at).
I can guarantee that they don’t look nearly as great in the graphic novel or even the world book, but these artists make them look even better than I’d imagined (well, Trent at least. Rachel is spot on). So I just wonder how you guys feel as readers when it comes to changing mediums. Television/movie adaptations are a whole other can of worms altogether that I won’t discuss at this time, but I have pretty strong opinions there too. Either way, nothing feels quite as rich as its written novel counter parts and I think I’d prefer that the authors keep writing more books than to take that valuable time away to branch out to the graphic novel realm.
I used to be an avid reader of Japanese manga, but I guess I didn’t mind it there because that was that is how we’re usually introduced to the characters (not to mention the Japanese attention to detail and making the characters look attractive are bar none).
So what do you guys think?
Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood #2) - Slowly but surely catching up
I finished the first book of this series, Dark Lover, without really understanding what the fuss was all about with this series. I was told to keep reading so I did. J.R. Ward’s Lover Eternal is definitely an improvement, though I’m still not in love with the series yet.
Each book focuses on a specific character. This installment centers on Rhage, the most beautiful yet cursed brother of them all as he must co-exist with an inner beast that unleashes once he reaches his limits. To sate himself and keep this demon at bay, he must fight often and have a whooole lotta sexy time with very compliant female partners. Lucky for him, there are normally plenty of both around. Though beautiful, he hates his playboy ways, longing to find a real partner. And he may have found one in Mary Luce, a human cancer survivor with a good heart even though life hasn’t been to kind to her. Even now she must face that her disease may have returned, but he handles it with pride. Becoming involved with him only puts her in more danger, making her a potential target for enemy hunters. Rhage will do anything he can to protect her and Mary finds that she feels the same.
This series is growing on me, but it may partially be because it’s so easy to poke fun at it. From the baby powder villians to the rappers to the dates at TGI Fridays. I mean, TGI Fridays? Really?! That’s like a glorified McDonalds! Don’t get me wrong, I love both places but that’s far from impressive for a first date, especially for The Brotherhood. A girl’s gotta have standards! And I am a fan of rap music myself, but for me it’s just funny knowing these characters are too.
Overall I did like Mary and felt like she was a good person, so I was rooting for it to work out between her and Rhage. But now I wonder if happily ever afters are the plan for every book, so I’m not quite sure what else there is to anticipate. The brothers all sound fantastically gorgeous, but it’s kind of hard to keep up with who’s who so I guess it’s good that each character gets a book so that we can familiarize ourselves with them.
This series is definitely paranormal romance, but the sap wasn’t quite as cringe-worthy and out of character as the first book which helped me connect to the characters a bit more. This series is in third person and it cuts away to different scenes that signal what will be the focal points of future books. It’s good to for breaking up the melodrama, but I am still not interested in the perspective of the villains, though the author tries to make them intriguing. But as far as I’m concerned, they’re dead and it shows. I definitely found myself skipping over it a lot. Whatever they do we know the Brotherhood will take care of them.
The most important reason that I can imagine anyone reading this series is for the smut. If you want your smut you’ll get your smut in spades. I like a little more vampiric behavior involved since they are vampires. I personally found that lacking. Since Mary is a human she can’t sustain Rhage, but I still wanted for them to try! He certainly fed off enough human woman in the past.
There are books I’ve loved better, but I can at least say that I liked Lover Eternal and I plan to read the next book which is widely lauded by many readers.
A Perfect Blood (The Hollows Book #10) - A Near Perfect Blend of Old School and New School Hollows
Can this girl ever catch a break? Even cutting herself off from the demon collective and having a new bodyguard can’t save our favorite itchy witch from problems. Rachel tries to adjust to being a borderline civilian (as she still works to solve cases after all) but her secret is out and that has made her the perfect target for a pretty serious hate group, HAPA, led by a group of sadistic humans. Their public enemy #1 is the Inderlander community and they will stop at nothing to be rid of them all, even if they must use Inderlander powers to do so. Of course we would have no story if Rachel wasn’t exactly what they needed. She tries her damnedest to take them on the good old-fashioned demonless way, but she soon finds that it may not be enough.
She can’t do it alone which results in the unlikely but very anticipated partnership with none other than Trent. And this partnership certainly doesn’t disappoint. It’s a new day for the new dad as we see a completely new but believable side to our favorite elf (well, he’s my favorite at least). Their teamwork really is the heart of this book though other familiar faces, Ivy and Jenks, are still around.
Since Book 3 Rachel has liked to drive home that she and Trent look so good together, yet they’re apart. But by the end of this book, you start to wonder why. Though she denies it, to me Rachel’s actions clearly indicate growing affections towards him. As Trent embraces his magic, they seems a lot more compatible than one would initially think. If I spilled the beans about some of the revelations for his character, it would seem as if Harrison pulled it out of thin air. But she backs it up with several references from past novels, making one wonder if she was thinking about these threads all along. A lot of scenes are stark contrasts to what we’ve seen before, most notably her interactions with Trent in his home and office. Key moments throughout the series (though few and far in between) have taken place in those locations, so the evolution is meaningful.
While there wasn’t a lot of Al, he certainly makes it count for the scenes he’s in, managing to be his usual hilarious, yet terrifying self. I’m sure he will be a large presence in the next novel, so I’m looking forward to that. Jenks is funny as always, saying the most inappropriate things at the most awkward times. Ivy is stable and more of a presence than I was expecting based on Harrison’s comments about her going away and then coming back in the last book. We’re introduced to a few new supporting characters as well. Wayde is a Were bodyguard hired to look out for Rachel. Nina is a living vampire often being controlled by a master-vamp, making her really vulnerable. Both of those characters were okay—I could take them or leave them—but I really took a liking to Winona, a Witch prisoner that Rachel befriends as she takes on HAPA. She’s a sympathetic character, just a normal person wanting to live her life. But the events of this book make her shine for her adaptability and practicality. I thought she and Rachel worked really well together.
I’m not sure if it’s because it’s fresh, but I LOVED this book…dare I say better than Pale Demon in a lot of ways. I liked Rachel’s self discovery that she can hide but she can’t run. She truly accepts who she is as a demon and the animosity between her and Trent is over too so now it’s just the building process that you really hope pays off.
If I don’t like a Hollows book, I will say so. I’ve been with this series since 2005, so I’ve been through all of the ups and downs. While I read many urban fantasy novels, I pick up The Hollows and feel like I’m saying hello to an old friend. It still manages to be really exciting, so knowing that there are only two books left (with a thirteenth as a possible continuation) makes me a bit sad. But for some reason, I didn’t get the same vibe like I did from Pale Demon where it was really obvious how much the story was winding down. I guess that’s a signal for filler, but at least it’s good filler. The mystery aspect made me flash back to book 2 and the times when Rachel had gruesome mysteries to solve, so it gave me a feeling of nostalgia. This book isn’t perfect but all in all I found it to be a satisfying entry to The Hollows series, so I gave it 4.5 stars.
Needless to say, I recommend this!
Giveaway: A Perfect Blood - A gift I just can’t stop giving! (Winners’ choice - hardcover or ebook)
So the bulk of you are very aware of my giveaway this past December for the ARC copy of the latest Hollows release. Well with the official release soon approaching, I’ve decided to give away TWO copies, that’s right, TWO copies of A Perfect Blood! The winners will have their choice of either the hardcover or the eBook. I am ending the giveaway and contacting the winner on Friday, February 17th. If anyone is like me, waiting is not an option. So to make sure that the winners to receive it on release day, I am ending the giveaway two business days early. This will give me time to pre-order the hardcover (if that’s your choice) so that you’ll receive it on February 21st. Gotta think ahead, right?
I will post a review of the book on Wednesday (I’ve been having computer trouble, so I wanted to at least make sure I got the giveaway going for your guys ~_^). So if any of your are interested, please see below:
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!
Divergent - A good read if a little familiar…
A little help here, Dystopian fans. While I haven’t read very many books in this genre aside from the 3 Hunger Games books and now this, I noticed quite a number of similarities that took away from the originality factor for me. In Dystopian novels should I:
1) Expect teens to be ripped away from their families and forced into some Darwinist-based event thanks to some sick tyrannical government power trip?
2) Expect something horrible to happen to the main character’s loved ones a la Disney?
3) Expect the main character to start out really sucky and weak and then eventually find something they’re good at to give them the upper hand?
4) Expect a war?
We get all of that in Divergent for sure. The story centers on Beatrice Prior and the city of Chicago. The city has been divided into 5 factions that all separately contribute to society: Abnegation (signifying selflessness), Amity (signifying peace), Candor (signifying honesty), Dauntless (signifying bravery), and Erudite (signifying intelligence). Once sixteen, all of the teens undergo tests to determine which faction suits them best. It’s not always the faction where one was born and raised. And the right faction is not always so cut and dry.
Of course this little complication applies to Beatrice, but she chooses another faction anyway and must keep this complication to herself to stay alive. Like every other initiate, she must leave her old life behind and completely devote herself to her new faction. All initiates have to fight in tournaments to prove their worth, undergoing brutal physical as well as mental trials, and not all will make the cut. We follow Beatrice through these trials as she faces downright nasty adversaries, trying to break her down as much as they can. She doesn’t go through this alone as she bonds with Four, the mysterious and handsome trainer for her new faction. And through these trials the course of her life and their society will change forever.
Could it be that if I’ve read the best I’ve read the rest?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Hunger Games purist of any sort. If anything, if I cared enough I’d be a Battle Royale purist since I saw that movie and knew of that manga about 12 years ago and couldn’t help but notice The Hunger Games’ eerily similar premise. I mean, I enjoyed the series anyway (well, the first book at least) but that was always in my mind.
It may just be that I’m not as in love with this genre as I once thought I could be. Heavens knows I love Urban Fantasy/Paranormal books and notice plot points and characters that I believe are an unspoken requirement now for the genre, but I still tend to find something unique that I love and enjoy within my favorites.
All around there really aren’t many dull moments. It is a quality book with solid storytelling and world building. I was fairly engaged and read it in a couple of days. But overall I wasn’t blown away, though I’m apparently of the minority on that one. Will I read the second book? Likely so, but I’m not in a huge rush.
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