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2013 reading goal:
15 new-to-me authors.
1) Stacy Gail
2) Heather Massey
3) Sidney Bristol
4) Ann Mayburn
5) Thea Harrison
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Showing posts with label Ann Aguirre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ann Aguirre. Show all posts
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Review: Agave Kiss by Ann Aguirre
Agave Kiss
Author: Ann Aguirre
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Roc
Corine Solomon #5
ISBN: # 978-0451465030
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (336 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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Once Corine Solomon only had the touch—the ability to read an object’s past by handling it. Then she inherited her mother’s magick, and that ended up being a hell of a burden. But if Corine can wrestle a demon queen and win, she can bring back her lover Chance after he’s made the ultimate sacrifice. Can’t she? All Corine knows is that she can’t leave Chance behind if there’s anything she can do about it.
But the clock is ticking—and she still has to deal with debt-collecting demons and a maniacal archangel who’s running a recruitment drive. The stakes have never been so high…and this time it’s truly Corine’s last chance to save the love of her life.
What Gikany is talking about:
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Agave Kiss is the fifth, and final, book in the Corine Solomon series. It is a worthy finale to the series and nicely ties up all of the loose ends from the previous four books. All of the major characters that have made an appearance in the previous four books do so again in this one, and their plot arcs are resolved. I really appreciated this touch.
Agave Kiss picks up approximately one week after the end of Devil’s Punch. Corine is trying to figure out how she can go on after the shattering loss of Chance’s sacrifice. To top it all off, she and Shannon are still stuck in London without passports or any sort of documentation. A call for assistance from Booke gives Corine the opportunity to focus on helping someone else rather than wallowing in her own sorrows.
The blurb that the author provided about Agave Kiss suggests that most of it is about Corine rescuing Chance. It’s not. This is the major thread woven into the background of the book and the plot arc that gives it structure, but most of the novel deals with the consequences of Corine’s choices from both the previous books in the series and those that develop as she tries to help Booke. I love that in this series actions have consequences. An example of this is that Corine has lost her ability to use her mother’s white magic because she channeled too much demon magic in Devil’s Punch.
Another theme that runs through the Corine Solomon series is that doing the wrong thing for the right reason does not make it acceptable. Evil done in the name of good is still evil. Corine’s soul has been scarred by her dealings with demons. Why she chose to do so makes no difference. Ignorance also offers no excuse.
I have really enjoyed this series. In preparation for this review, I treated myself to a reread of the previous books and enjoyed them just as much the second time around. All of the books build on each other and I strongly recommend that you start this series with Blue Diablo, the first book.
Gikany’s Rating:
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Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Labels:
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Sunday Snippets #106
Devil's Punch
Author: Ann AguirreCorine Solomon Novels #4
Publisher: Roc
Released: April 3, 2012
REVIEW HERE
By the time Greydusk came back, we had tidied up, Butch was done eating and taking his stroll around the patio, and I was decently covered in Chance's shirt.
The demon paused on the threshold, sniffed, and sighed. "It reeks of copulation in here."
"Fire washed my cheeks. "Hi to you too."
"I suppose one must be thankful you have one another with whom to sate these urges. It would be disastrous if you succumbed to a Luren. Gilder or Lash, for instance."
"Disastrous for whom?"
"Everyone. If you take any native as your lover, you make him - or her - your consort here in Sheol, should you ascend."
"Anyone who tries to touch her comes through me," Chance bit out. "I need better weapons, demon."
His eyes were scary-fierce, primal in intensity; I'd seen the last of my hypercontrolled, calculating ex. That genie was out of the bottle for good. I suspected he'd always had these tendencies, carefully leashed, but something in Sheol - demon magick maybe - seemed to draw it out of him. Neither of us might be entirely ourselves, but I didn't regret what we'd done. Not when I felt so good.
Greydusk studied us for a moment longer and then shook its head. "I was afraid of this."
"What's wrong?"
"You've chosen him as your consort. That will affect his thinking. He can't help but respond to the ancient magick."
"Is there anything I can do to stop it?" I asked.
"No. Once chosen, the consort belongs to the queen until death."
"But I'm not the queen."
"Near enough."...
Friday, April 20, 2012
Review: Devil's Punch
Devil’s Punch
Author: Ann Aguirre
Release Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Roc
Corine Solomon #4
ISBN: #978-0451464491
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (315 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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The power swelled inside me, burning, hurting, but I let it center me. Pain means I’m still here, fighting. I envisioned it swelling in my hand in a seething rush, gathering, gathering, and then I sent it out on my resolve like a dark and winged thing riding the magickal wind.
As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and learn its history. Her power is a gift, but one that’s thrown her life off track. The magical inheritance she received from her mother is dangerously powerful, and Corine has managed to mark herself as a black witch by dealing with demons to solve her problems.
Back home, Corine is trying to rebuild her pawnshop and her life with her ex, Chance, despite the target on her back. But when the demons she provoked kidnap her best friend in retaliation, Corine puts everything on hold to save her. It’s undoubtedly a trap, but Corine would do anything to save those she loves, even if it means sacrificing herself…
What G & U are talking about:
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Devil’s Punch is the fourth novel in the Corine Solomon novels. Although it starts out a little slow, it burns to an unbelievable emotional wipeout ending.
The story takes place a bit after the last novel, Shady Lady ended. Corine and Chance are starting over in Mexico. Corine is trying to rebuild her life and her business while learning to master the magic she inherited from her mother. She has accepted the repercussions from the sacrifices and choices she made to save and protect those she loves. Her respite lasts only a few weeks before Shannon, Corine’s “adopted” little sister and best friend, is in trouble and needs her help.
Shannon has been kidnapped by a demon. To save her, Corine agrees to follows Greydusk, a demon guide, to Xibalba, a city in the demon realm Sheol. In this novel we discover both Corine’s and Chance’s true natures.
Devil’s Punch was filled with personal realizations for Corine and Chance. It was an emotionally powerful novel for those with a strong connection to Chance and Corine. The ending is brutally realistic, but it is softened with a glimmer of hope. The relationships between the four central characters were gripping. The journey was about more than just saving Shannon; it was about choices and destiny, and sacrifices and prejudices.
The novel dragged a bit at the beginning, but the pace picked up swiftly once Corine and Chance entered Sheol. One of the most interesting parts of the novel is the description of the various demon castes in Xibalba. The portrayals of the various demons and locations within Xibalba bring Shoel to life.
Corine faces a life-changing event in each book. A significant part of her life ends forcing her begin again in the next novel. How many times can you strip a character to only rebuild and strip them again in the next novel before the audience becomes numb or overwhelmed? It would be great to see Corine truly happy and blessed, for longer than a portion of a novel.
We aren’t sure what will befall Corine in the next novel, but we look forward to seeing it. If anything, we hope the snippet of hope we see in the ending means a glorious reunion in the next novel…somehow. With Corine, anything is possible.
Their Rating:
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Liked it - recommend (B+)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Monday, December 26, 2011
Nima's Top Ten List of Authors You May Have Missed
When I escape my real life into the pages of a book, I like to really escape, like into another dimension. As a female reader, however, even the most fascinating time traveler or brilliant spaceship captain better have a love interest to hold mine. I have yet to figure out what the magic formula is that designates one book as “science fiction/fantasy” and another as “paranormal romance.” The cross-over is so common these days that there is virtually no distinction to me except with marketing. It hasn’t shown up in bookstore banners yet, but I have recently begun to see a classification popping up called Science Fiction Romance or SFR. I have found Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changling series under both banners, even within the same chain of booksellers. Maybe it’s a simple matter of shelf space.
Every year romances far out-sell sci/fi, and yet sci/fi readers adamantly refuse to cross the aisle. (Ever notice they’re always next to each other in bookstores?) I have discovered that many romance readers too refuse to venture where they erroneously believe science will over-power the story of relationships and descriptions of technology will make their brains hurt. They’re both wrong! So for you die-hard romance readers, let me offer you my 2011 Top Ten List of Author’s You May Have Missed Because They Were in the Science Fiction Section:
1. N.K. JEMISIN (Inheritance Trilogy)
Description: Gods and mortals. Power and love. Death and revenge. In the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, gods dwell among mortals and one powerful, corrupt family rules the earth. Three extraordinary people may be the key to humanity’s salvation.
Thoughts: Look for an in-depth review of this series in 2012! Some might say that Jemisin’s series is reminiscent of Greek and Roman mythology. Some will draw connections anywhere they can. For me, Jemisin’s style is unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Let me just say that I have no idea why this author and her Inheritance Trilogy have gone nearly completely under the radar, even for sci/fi readers. She has remarkable world-building skills and all three books are completely relationship driven. Perhaps she is too much of both genres to be classified as one or the other. Jemisin’s descriptions are so complete and so creative that if I could, I would love to live inside her head for just a day to see the scope of what she’s imagined before it’s edited and distilled down to the story we have in print.
2. ANN AGUIRRE (Sirantha Jax series)
Description: As the carrier of a rare gene, Sirantha Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace-a talent which makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. Then a crash landing kills everyone on board, leaving Jax in a jail cell with no memory of the crash. But her fun's not over. A group of rogue fighters frees her...for a price: her help in overthrowing the established order.
Thoughts: I love a strong female lead. Over the course of the series, told in first person, Sirantha makes the journey from flawed party girl to seasoned navigator with a maturity born of intense experiences. Aquirre’s writing is witty and insightful. Romance readers will appreciate not getting bogged down in heavy techno-babble, but still enjoy the fantasy of space travel and alien worlds. The final book in the series, End Game, is due to be released in September of 2012.
3. LINNEA SINCLAIR (Dock of Five Universe 1-5)
Description: After a decade of piloting interstellar patrol ships, former captain Chasidah Bergren, onetime pride of the Sixth Fleet, finds herself court-martialed for a crime she didn’t commit–and shipped off to a remote prison planet from which no one ever escapes. But when she kills a brutal guard in an act of self-defense, someone even more dangerous emerges from the shadows. Gabriel Sullivan–alpha mercenary, smuggler, and rogue–is supposed to be dead.
Thoughts: Most romance readers who have read Sinclair all say the same thing, “I don’t usually like science fiction, but I couldn’t put this one down!” Sinclair is convincing in her world-building and still makes her headstrong lead characters sympathetic. It’s not hard to care about their stories until you find yourself sucked in. Told in first person from the perspective of Chas, full of action, don’t pass this series up.
4. LOIS McMASTER BUJOLD (Sharing Knife Series 1-4)
Description: Troubled young Fawn Bluefield seeks a life beyond her family’s farm. But on the way to the city, she encounters a patrol of Lakewalkers, nomadic soldier-sorcerers from the northern woodlands. Feared necromancers armed with mysterious knives made of human bone, they wage a secret on-going war against the scourge of the “malices,” immortal entities that draw the life out of their victims, enslaving human and animal alike. It is Dag—a Lakewalker patroller weighed down by past sorrows and present responsibilities—who must come to Fawn’s aid when she is taken captive by a malice.
Thoughts: I realize that in medieval and even Victorian times it was customary for young girls of fifteen or sixteen to marry much older men. In practical terms, such suitors were established and could provide for a wife and family. A younger bride was more likely to survive childbirth and be more submissive. As a modern reader, however, such unions kinda creep me out. We have such a union in the very first book of the Sharing Knife Series between our hero and heroine. The book held an interesting premise and was very well written, but I honestly wasn’t convinced at first. The first books set-up the next so well that I couldn’t leave the story alone. The second book convinced me the unconventional union was a good idea and I completely indulged myself in the rest of the four-book series.
5. JESS GRANGER (Realms Beyond Series)
Description: After five years behind enemy lines, Captain Cyani is ready to retire to her homeworld of Azra as one of the Elite—the celibate warrior sisterhood that rules the planet. But first she must complete one final mission to rescue her fellow Union soldiers. The last thing she expects to find is a prisoner, chained and beaten—but radiating feral power and an unbroken spirit.
Thoughts: I had the pleasure of meeting Jess Granger at Lori Foster last May. This quirky new author, only having released two books so far, shows great promise with books a little heavier on the romance than the science. This series is probably more of a cross over into romance for sci/fi readers. Nevertheless it has no shortage of exotic alien worlds and cultures.
6. C.J. Berry (Unforgettable Series 1-5)
Description: Life on Earth was just getting interesting for Tess MacKenzie. She’d postponed her singing career to support the family business and after eight long years, she finally earned her chance to shine. Her band was hot, her songs were rocking and Tess was on her way to becoming a star. Things were definitely looking up. That is until Cohl Travers, alien extraordinaire, swoops out of the night sky and snatches her off her planet. When he says he desperately needs her voice for a dangerous cosmic mission and the fate of two planets hangs on her song, she figures one of them is in for some serious therapy.
Thoughts: You’ll need a non-descript dust jacket for these painfully cheesy covers. It definitely reads more romance, smutty in a good way, than science fiction. The first book is not as strong as those that follow, but all are excellent adventure stories.
7. ROBIN McKINLEY (Blue Sword/Sunshine/Beauty)
Descriptions: The Blue Sword - This is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who becomes Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman has wielded since the Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle.
Sunshine - Rae, nicknamed Sunshine by her stepfather, is the baker at her family's coffeehouse. She's happy getting up at 4 am to make cinnamon rolls for the breakfast rush, and dealing with people and food all day. But one evening she needed somewhere she could be alone for a little while, and there hadn't been any trouble out at the lake for years. She never thought of vampires. Until they found her.
Thoughts: I have largely found Robin McKinley slated into the young adult section, when I can find her at all, where there are generally no distinctions made between genres at all. Her fantasy books have a fairytale flair to them, especially her re-telling of the classic “Beauty and the Beast.” (I wonder if Disney didn’t pull from this 1978 edition in the making of their 1991 award-winning animated feature. It is being re-released in 3D on January 13th.) As YA books, they are not as explicit as adult romances, but let me assure you the relationships are intense because McKinley’s writing style is intense. It is one that you mentally chew on more than flow through. She demands that you think and so the escape comes not in being consumed by the romance, but being consumed by the art of her words. Some readers will find her tedious. I love words so I loved her writing style.
8. AUDREY NIFFENEGGER (The Time Traveler’s Wife)
Description: A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant.
Thoughts: You may or may not have already seen the movie. As a book snob, I have to admit the movie was remarkably well done, but if you haven’t read the book, let me assure you it’s completely worth it. I was given a copy of this book long before the movie was even in production and I was stunned by its construction. You start out reading a story that jumps around all around through time and about half way through its hefty 560 pages, you realize it is, in fact, being told in chronological order. I was so in love with Clare and Henry’s romance that I was crying by the climax. I’m stunned that this was written by a first time author.
9. ANNE McCAFFERY (Acorna Series 1-7)
Description: The Acorna series is a lesser known series, written in collaboration with two other authors. Acorna is found in an unusual escape pod by three galactic miners, Gill, Rafik, and Calum. Raised by the three unlikely fathers, Acorna, a unicorn girl, matures almost to adulthood within three years. While she is growing up, the miners discover that their 'daughter' has magical powers such as the ability to clean air and water, heal the sick, and detect the slightest scent. Furthermore, she is extraordinarily smart, picking up everything quickly. However, her unique looks and special powers make her an object of desire by many, be it for scientific studies or a rare-item collection, or sex.
Thoughts: Famous for her Dragon Riders of Pern series of over 20 books, McCaffery is not exactly unknown to romance readers—or to anyone who’s been in a book store in the last thirty years. I’m including her here because she passed away late last month. She was the first female author to receive both the Hugo and Nebula awards for her writing. In a 2004 interview with science fiction magazine Locus she said, “I have always used emotion as a writing tool…The thing is, emotion — if it's visibly felt by the writer — will go through all the processes it takes to publish a story and still hit the reader right in the gut. But you have to really mean it." McCaffery was probably the first of the paranormal/fantasy cross-over writers. She co-wrote the last five Pern books with her son and perhaps, we can hope for more titles from the McCaffery family.
10. JULIAN MAY (The Saga of Pliocene Exile)
Description: When a one-way time tunnel to Earth's distant past, specifically six million B.C., was discovered by folks on the Galactic Milieu, every misfit for light-years around hurried to pass through it. Each sought his own brand of happiness. But none could have guessed what awaited them. Not even in a million years....
Thoughts: The Saga of the Pliocene Exiles is the first of two linked series covering nine volumes. They should absolutely be read in order, but the first book, The Many Colored Land, is now out of print. You should still be able to get it from your local public library. I’m including in this list for two reasons, first because it was released in e-book form this year (with some pretty harsh criticism over lack of proofing) and secondly it’s just outstanding science fiction that paranormal readers have the ability imagine and enjoy.
May follows a group of people who are irrevocably exiled back in time to the Pliocene era during the period between the extinction of the dinosaurs and the rise of homo sapiens, six million years ago. She was one if the first proponents of the ancient alien astronaut theory of human evolution made so famous now by Eric Daniken and his book and subsequent movie Chariots of the Gods. If you’re inclined to try some straight, make you think science fiction, try this series. It takes readers on an amazing journey from the distant future to the distant past, using unexpected routes all along the way.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Review: Daybreak
Daybreak
Author: Ellen Connor
Release Date: Dec. 6, 2011
Publisher: Berkley
Dark Age Dawning #3
ISBN: #978-0425243404
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format(s): Paperback (312 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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Their mission was to save the world.
Their destiny is to fall in love.
Their destiny is to fall in love.
It’s been twelve years since the Change, and Penelope Sheehan is one of the few still practicing magic for the good of humanity in this dark, dangerous world. Determined to infiltrate the notorious O’Malley organization, she poses as an abducted girl–until a furious lion thwarts her mission. When the beast turns into a devastatingly handsome man, she recognizes in him the troubled boy she once knew.
Since becoming a skinwalker, Tru Daugherty has allowed his animal nature to take over. Aloof and cynical, he takes no interest in making the world a better place. He’s a creature of instinct and impulse, living only to satisfy his senses–ignoring the scarred heart nobody has ever reached. He’s also the best man to help Pen bring down the O’Malley crime ring.
Fighting alongside the last holdouts of humanity, they unleash a passion that tempts them to risk everything for love. But if they succeed, Tru and Pen hold the power to brighten the Dark Age for all time.
What G & U are talking about:
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Gikany and Una are so honored that we were able to be on the fabulous ride that is the Dark Age Dawning trilogy. As in many really well done trilogies, we are both thoroughly satisfied with the ending and yet a little sad that it is over. If you haven’t read this series yet, you can jump in and read Daybreak, but we highly encourage you to read all three books. Each novel in this trilogy illustrates a very distinct point in time along the change from a technologically based world to one that functions solely on magic. Though the characters Tru and Pen, the story is truly brought full circle. This story does not have Happily-Ever-After ending, but implies that people and the world will continue and thrive.
The Dark Age Dawning world is rich and intriguing. The way the “Change” occurs and what it does to the world in wiping away technology and introducing magic is incredibly fascinating. How the different characters in the three different books are affected and how they survive is gripping. The characters are engaging and jump off the page. The world is vividly described and we found ourselves lost in it. We particularly enjoyed we seeing “our” world transformed by the Change. The extent of these changes is made humorously clear in a scene where Tru is talking with Adrian, a boy who was too young to remember “our” world. Tru is talking about a moment that occurs during Midnight (review HERE) when he was off on his own. This is a snippet from Tru and Adrian’s conversation from Daybreak:
“I wasn’t thinking about them. I just wanted to see the world. Find my place in it. And it’s not like I can just call home.”
“You’d have to live right next door.”
Wow. That was how the world had altered in a generation. Chills washed over him. In Tru’s time, the word “call” meant phones. In Adrian’s, it meant yelling for somebody, or maybe a magical thing like they did from the island to contact the mission. No technology anymore. He and Pen were among the last bridges, joining what had been lost to what would come after.
One aspect that we loved in Daybreak is the reunion of Tru and Pen. They were children in the first book, Nightfall, not seen in the second book, Midnight, and reappear as adults in Daybreak. If you did not read Nightfall, you won’t realize the true depth of maturation and growth that occur in Daybreak. Both of our main characters are deeply scarred by witnessing the Change and seeing the transformation of the world. Tru also bears scars from his poor family situation prior to the Change. Though Tru and Pen are adults, they haven’t finished maturing by the time they are reunited. Through the course of this book much needed healing and emotional growth occurs. What we truly loved is that neither character had to change, but their transformation comes from within and the choices each makes. Once they make these decisions and learned what being an adult truly is, the bond between them solidifies.
If Gikany and Una were able, we would give Daybreak a 4.75 stars rating, however we do not have that option, so we are giving it a 4.5. The trilogy overall is a 5 star, it is certainly a must read. Please go out and pick up the Dark Age Dawning books: Nightfall, Midnight, and Daybreak. Trust us, it is so worth it! And if this review doesn’t convince you, come back on and catch our Sunday snippet from it!
Their Ratings:
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Daybreak Rating:
Trilogy Rating:
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Review: Aftermath
AftermathAuthor: Ann Aguirre
Release Date: August 30, 2011
Publisher: ACE
Sirantha Jax #5
ISBN: #978-0441020782
Genre: Science Fiction
Format(s): Paperback (320 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book: |
DEAD HEROES GET MONUMENTS. LIVE ONES GET TRIALS.
Sirantha Jax has the right genes—ones that enable her to “jump” faster-than-light ships through grimspace. But it’s also in her genetic makeup to go it alone. It’s a character trait that has gotten her into—and out of—hot water time and time again, but now she’s caused one of the most horrific events in military history…
Sirantha Jax has the right genes—ones that enable her to “jump” faster-than-light ships through grimspace. But it’s also in her genetic makeup to go it alone. It’s a character trait that has gotten her into—and out of—hot water time and time again, but now she’s caused one of the most horrific events in military history…
During the war against murderous, flesh-eating aliens, Sirantha went AWOL and shifted grimspace beacons to keep the enemy from invading humanity’s homeworld. The cost of her actions: the destruction of modern interstellar travel—and the lives of six hundred Conglomerate soldiers.
Accused of dereliction of duty, desertion, mass murder, and high treason, Sirantha is on trial for her life. And only time will tell if she’s one of the Conglomerate’s greatest heroes—or most infamous criminals…
What Nima’s talking about: |
I finished Ann Aguirre’s Aftermath with a long sigh; a sigh that was contentment, a sigh that wished for more, a sigh that was a wish I had read the first four books in the series! The aptly named book is all about “what happens next.” Like Paul Harvey’s famed radio broadcast And Now For the Rest of the Story, Aftermath follows main character Sirantha Jax as she faces the consequences of choices she’s made throughout the series to this point.
As book five in Aguirre’s Sirantha Jax series begins, Aguirre doesn’t waste time or space retelling the first four books. There is enough detail present to follow the action and catch on to the rules of her universe, but the reader has to work for it when coming in cold. The author honors those who have kept up with series by making no apologies for diving straight into the “aftermath”. It is possible to pick it up here as I did, but I would recommend starting with book one, Grimspace.
I like science fiction and read a fair amount of it. It allows me the luxury of escaping to another world when I mentally leave the one to which I’m bound. Aftermath is not casual science fiction. In my opinion, this series is on par with Frank Herbert’s Dune. Readers of books like The Host and The Martian Chronicles will not find Aftermath immediately approachable, but they would do well to make the attempt. Ann Aguirre’s storytelling is carefully crafted to actually tell a story and lovingly develop her characters, not just string together romantic interludes in space. In fact, Aftermath has only one which is not overly long or explicit.
As its title would indicate, Aftermath is reflective by nature, different than the action which characterized the Morgut War in previous books. I dog-eared several pages as I read just because I liked the way some of Jax’s musings made me think. Without giving anything away, here are three of my favorite quotes:
I made the choices every step of the way because the consequences would have been worse if I hadn’t. But I miss the woman I was, even as I learn to accept the new creature I’ve become.
I don’t kid myself it will change any of the harm I’ve inflicted, but it will comfort the soul Adele taught me to believe in, the quiet, smoky thing that lives at the heart of me and occasionally whispers at me that I can do better.
'Always’ is a word that carries both magic and despair. I clutch it to my heart like a bladed fan.
We get background in this book that readers who already know and love these characters will drink up. I most relished coming to know Vel. How did a bug-like, cool, hard chitin-covered alien become one of my favorite characters? He is solid, loyal, dependable and entirely loveable. His appearance and the fact that he has wide, side-set eyes drops away under the power of his presence. Aftermath becomes a book of love told both in letters across the emptiness of space and the intimacy of challenges faced together. It is intrinsically humanly relatable in a completely alien universe. Ann Aguirre nails it as she sets us up for multiple possibilities in the final installment.
Don’t be reluctant to start this series, even if science fiction isn’t “your thing”. It is worth the time and effort. You won’t be disappointed. All I have to do now is pace the floor until the last book in the series, Endgame, is released.
Nima’s Rating: |
Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday Snippets #54
ROC Publishing
April 5, 2011
“What are you waiting for?” Maury demanded, as I trickled salt atop my chalk circle. This demon wasn’t going anywhere unless I willed it.“Almost finished. But I need her name now.”
He pronounced each syllable with great care, as if caressing his absent lover. I found it oddly endearing. “Dumah Porai Valyonatha.”
“It’s been a long time since you’ve seen her.”
“Only by your standards,” he muttered. “But I have been away longer than I expected. She will be missing me.”
I tried to sound casual as I finished spreading the salt. “You could go back. I could send you.”
“I think not. Your people call my world hell for a reason.”
“Very well.” Using my athame, I cut a narrow slice in my palm and let the blood drip inside the pentagram. I was careful not to break the circle, however. “By fire, earth, wind and rain, I call you forth, Dumah Porai Valyonatha. I offer sacrifice in your name. As I will, so mote it be. In the name of Solomon the Binder, whose blood I carry, you must obey.”
Unlike the spell I had used on Morales, this one required focus and repetition. My mother had once said: There are no true magic words, only your will behind them. Power sizzled through me, far more than I’d ever held before- more than it took to read a house or a patch of dirt. It felt as though my heart must cook inside my chest. I sent it to the circle and the salt ate it, blackening beneath the heat.
I don’t know how long I chanted, but the air churned inside the pentacle. Not like Caim’s manifestation, but it grew dark with smoke that writhed with signs of life. I saw a glimmer of eyes, a suggestion of a face.
“She’s here,” the demon breathed beside me.
Maury started to go to her, only to be brought up short by the power of my wards. I smiled “My part of the bargain is fulfilled, and you are repaid.”
“That wasn’t the deal!”
“In fact, it was. You specified I had to summon her, not set her free.”
“No, I wouldn’t consent to that. The last part was implicit in the agreement.”
And now I gambled everything. “If you have the power, if I have invalidated our deal, kill me now. Take the knife from my wound. I’m willing to risk it.”
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Review: Shady Lady
Shady LadyAuthor: Ann Aguirre
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Publisher: Roc
Corine Solomon Novels, Book #3
ISBN: #978-0451463258
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (336 pgs), e-book
We received a copy of this book from the PUBLISHER for the purposes of an honest review.
From the author’s website:
I’d spent my whole life settling, trying not to attract attention, and generally doing whatever it took to keep other people happy. I didn’t want to do that again. Not when I was finally comfortable in my own skin. Sure, there were certain challenges, like a drug lord who wanted me dead, and the fact that I owed a demon a debt that he could call due at any moment. But everybody’s got problems, right?
Whenever Corine Solomon touches an object, she immediately knows its history. But her own future concerns her more and more. Now back in Mexico, she’s running her pawnshop and trying to get a handle on her strange new powers, for she might need them. And soon.
Then former ally Kel Ferguson walks through her door. Heavily muscled and tattooed, Kel looks like a convict but calls himself a holy warrior. This time, he carries a warning for Corine: the Montoya cartel is coming for her—but they don’t just pack automatic weapons. The Montoyas use warlocks, shamans, voodoo priests—anything to terminate trouble. And Corine has become enemy number one…
What Gikany & Una are talking about:
First, we are back as a team on this book. Yay!
Secondly, I, Una, read this book as a standalone, because Twimom asked me to review it. However, because Gikany is just as obsessive/compulsive as me (and had the time and money) read the first two books in the Corine Solomon Novels before reading Shady Lady. It made a huge difference! We both strongly recommend that you read this book after reading the first two. It seems, as poor Una found out, much from (especially the first book) previous books are referenced, implied, alluded to, etc. Goodness, poor Una got very confused and frustrated during the first half of this book because of carried over plot lines and romantic entanglements.
As Gikany filled in Una, there is quite a lot that takes place in Corine’s (for those, like Una, who didn’t the first book, her name rhymes with Doreen) life prior to the third book. However to know any of it, you have to read the first two books. So coming into this story without that basic background was profoundly annoying. Una was grateful that Gikany read the previous books because she was able to glean the information from Gikany so that the book made more sense.
Enough of Una’s whining…
This is a very intriguing and fun series. Corine is a complex and down to earth character. She’s taken some hard licks in her life but continues to bounce back. Corine also surrounds herself with gifted and genuinely good people as her distanced support group. The world she lives in nuanced, there is no true black and white; good versus evil. It is a world of varying shades of grey. This aspect is most notably shown through Kel, the “hand of God.” Corine, in order to defeat the greater evil, finds herself making deals with lesser evils. Choices that she consciously knows she will have to live with and may come to regret.
One element that we both greatly enjoyed in this novel that we have seen in other series (like the Allie Beckstrom series) is that magic has a price. Nothing supernatural comes without exacting a price; maintaining a balance in the world. This helps to anchor the characters and the story, giving the novels a foundation and realism necessary to keep the reader hooked. The other element that we both found quite positive is the minor characters. Corine’s supportive friends are the family she has created to replace the blooded family she lost long ago.
The humor and the flow of the story are excellent. The darker elements in the storytelling are balanced out by the clever wit of Corine and the funny banter between her and her friends. That being said, we both were frustrated by the ending, as we say, beyond irritated. As Gikany explained to Una, the first two books did not end with so much left unresolved nor with the feeling of uncharacteristic acceptance by Corine at how things were left. Without giving away the ending, Corine seems to accept a loss that may not be demanded by the fates. The ending was abrupt and somewhat contrived. Corine deserves better and would not just “bend over and take it” (sorry, this is our best way to describe the feeling). We feel cheated that she didn’t try to fight for what was lost. Overall, we enjoyed Shady Lady and will read the next installment when it comes out next year.
Gikany’s Rating (Someone who read the series):
Really enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Una’s Rating (Someone who didn’t read the series):
Liked it a lot - recommend (B+)
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