Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate #1)

Soulless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Forget everything you thought you knew about vampires and werewolves in the 19th century. Throw it right out the window, because this is the good stuff.

Appropriate societal behavior in the 19th century was very serious business. Manners were paramount in order to avoid offending a lady's "delicate sensabilities." Set it as the backdrop for a comedic romp with paranormal creatures and you get the magic that is Soulless.

Gail Carriger has taken the romantic trope of "I hate you but wait, I love you" and created characters to adore. They are what makes this book really shine. Alexia Tarabotti is a spinster - 26 years old and unmarried - and has olive skin and generous curves. She likes to eat. She is a person who is very self-assured, confident, and unwilling to accept that she has no value in society. That said, she has fallen victim to her family's perception of her as old, fat and ugly and has learned to compensate with aplomb. She is instantly relatable as a "real" person. We meet her as she is attacked by a rogue vampire and kills him by mistake.

Which then introduces us to her love interest, Lord Maccon, head of the police agency that handles the affairs of the paranormal folk. Carriger immediately reins us in by making the situation far more about the social impropriety of the situation rather than the details of the murder. Who cares about a murder victim when the alleged murderer was a woman alone in a library having tea? During a party? Unchaperoned? It is simply not done!

Lord Maccon is a Scottish werewolf, the combination of two "barbaric" qualities. The fun starts with the banter between he and Alexia when he comes to investigate the murder, setting the stage for the mystery and romance. Along with Maccon is his assistant Profession Lyall, who is sort of the Dr. Watson to Maccon's Sherlock. Lyall and Foote, the butler, are the "straight men" and provide part of the reason the two main characters are so funny. Ivy Hisselpenny is Alexia's honest and loyal but clueless friend. The villains are sufficiently evil and devious, there's a steampunk automaton and an American scientist. And the vampire Lord Akeldama completely steals the show with his flamboyance.

The plot isn't overly intricate here, just interesting enough to keep us reading. There were parts that slowed down but were necessary information for us. There was more romance in the story than I was expecting - and adult romance at that. While things don't get overly explicit, it is clear that these are adults behaving as such. The innuendo makes it both palatable and engaging. There is kidnapping and torture and a sort of mafia mentality with the groups of vampires and werewolves and their heads. Even the Queen Victoria makes an appearance.

On audio, the book is narrated by Emily Gray. Her voices for the characters were excellent, but the phrasing was slow. Because the language is such that you really have to pay attention to get the full effect, this made things boring at the start. Speeding up the narration to 1.5 or 2 times normal is advised to get the full ambience of the story.

This was just delightful. I cannot wait to get into the rest of the series and see just what mischief Ms. Tarrabotti gets herself into next.
View all my reviews

Burn Out

Burn Out by Kristi Helvig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When the synopsis of this books says that Tora needs to "get the hell off the earth," it isn't kidding. This stubborn main character is going to die if she doesn't leave immediately. So she does leave, kicking and screaming, and what an adventure it is.

There was so much to love about this book - the characters, the plot, the non-stop action. It didn't cross the line into "amazing" territory, it almost got there. Tora, the main protagonist, is a gritty orphan with a chip on her shoulder. She's realistic about her prospects and living situation; she's pretty convinced she's going to die soon because of the conditions on the earth. The sun has gone supernova and has burned up most of the earth. What is habitable is either underground or in domes created for people until a new planet was found for them. Everyone has left when we meet Tora - her mother and sister died from exposure to the elements and her dad was murdered.

So she's alone in this bunker her dad built, trying to survive. Her dad's partner Markus shows up to rescue her, but he has a price. When she turns him down, he leaves and comes back - with friends. And the adventure begins with Tora defending her turf and then agreeing to leave the planet with this group of mercenaries.

The action here is palpable. It is fast-paced and relatively believable as science fiction goes. There's a lot of skulking about and people who come around corners shooting. There are crashes and escapes and rescues. It definitely holds interest.

But the real appeal of this book is the characters. They are such a diverse group and even better, who is on who's side? Who are the good guys among the bad guys? Are they really bad guys? Things get muddier and muddier in terms of who to trust. This made for some riveting plot turns.

But the book isn't perfect. There are some places where the actions of the group are somewhat questionable. Feelings among the group members tended to change quickly and sometimes without cause. One character tries to murder another and shortly thereafter are friends and compatriots. It pushed the limits of believability.

Even with its flaws, the book is a great read. On audio it is narrated by Suzy Jackson, who is quite good. Her voice for Tora is authentic and as a voice actor in general she was great.

The book didn't end on a true cliffhanger but it did leave me wanting the next book in the series. I'm in - I can't wait to see what happens to Tora next!

View all my reviews

If We Survive

If We Survive by Andrew Klavan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dude, that was intense.

This is the story of Will Peterson, an average 16-year old sophomore in high school. He goes on a mission trip with his school and church friends to build a wall for a school in Costa Verde, a fictional country in Central America. On the last day of their trip a revolution breaks out. What follows is their struggle to stay alive and get back home.

Klavan is smart to tell the story through Will's narrative. He begins by describing each member of the team. This works especially well because Will's perception of each character changes through the course of events. One is a jerk until he's a hero. One is calm and mature under stress until she's giggling like a schoolgirl. One is an idealist until he begins to see what's really happening. One is a pacifist believe he will be heard until he is not. One is a shallow valley girl until she gets over herself.

There is suspense and real danger here. It is believable for the most part, at least in a fictional story sense. It is also Christian but not overtly so. Will has a rudimentary faith that gets expressed mostly in general way - like "please God get us out of here." The book isn't preachy at all. Rather, Will comes to appreciate the beauty of things amid the evils of men. His faith and general world view become much broader.

On audio, the book is narrated by Jeremy Johnson. He did a great job, but his phrasing was a bit too slow for my liking. Speeding it up by twice kept me riveted.

This is a scary book because it is possible and has even happened in some cases. Life is a dangerous business. It's a great suspenseful, action-packed read and I highly recommend it.

View all my reviews

Where You Are (Between the Lines #2)

Where You Are by Tammara Webber
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emma, Graham, Reed and Brooke are all back again. The cast of School Pride continues on as the movie premiere approaches and things get a little bit sticky. And once again we have an innocent girl and a responsible boy vs. two really screwed up kids with entirely too much money and celebrity.

This is essentially the story of the romance between Emma and Graham. In the first book, we met Emma Pierce is a young ingenue. She gets a big break to star in a movie opposite Reed Alexander, the current hunk of the moment. In this sequel, she has decided to leave her successful film career behind and attend college at NYU. Having survived a failed romance while shooting the movie with Reed, she runs into Graham Douglas while visiting NYU. They had been friendly during the filming of the movie and upon meeting, quickly decide they feel a lot more than friendship. A romance ensues, complicated by Graham's young daughter Cara.

The story is told from four alternating points of view: Emma, Graham, Reed and Brooke. Reed is the spurned superstar, unbelieving that any girl could turn him away. Graham has always considered Brooke a good friend, saving her from disaster at times. When Brooke decides that she and Graham are meant to be despite Graham's disinterest, she enlists Reed's help to sabotage Graham's relationship with Emma. Things get interesting from there.

While this was supposed to really be Graham's story, he didn't take center stage. Instead, the focus is the struggle for honesty between he and Emma despite circumstantial evidence to the contrary. Brooke is devious and spiteful. While her actions are understandable, they are not sympathetic. Reed just wants to have what he can't have and freely admits how shallow this makes him. All these relationships are complicated. Even so, Webber is able to untangle the mess beautifully. The plot never lags and although things get a little crazy, well, it could happen, right?

On audio this book was made fabulous by Kate Rudd and Todd Haberkorn. These two are spectacular narrators. Haberkorn especially was able to give Reed a cocky swagger that would never have translated from the page to my brain. The turn of the phrase, the interpretations of the sentences, these were all acted rather than simply read. It was voice acting at its finest.

This is a full-on soap opera that just gets better. It will be interesting to see what Webber does next with the character of Brooke. Oh, the secrets we will uncover!

View all my reviews

Unleashed (Uninvited #2)

Unleashed by Sophie Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sophie Jordan has taken some chances here and for some of us, it's paid off.

Unleashed is the sequel to Uninvited. This is a dystopian based on the idea that scientists have discovered a gene that is a marker for homicidal tendencies. Those who have the gene are segregated, imprisoned, branded and often killed. There's an evil corporation behind it all and the government is backing it. Davy, our protagonist, has escaped her circumstances in Uninvited and now is headed to Mexico to escape with her friends and her boyfriend Sean.

From the outset this romance is questioned. It's uncomfortable but understandable. When Davy gets separated from the group things change dramatically. We get to see a new side of things, a resistance group who has formed an underground railroad of sorts. We also get to see some characters who really are homicidal maniacs. It was nice to know that not everyone was mistakenly tagged. Davy is very clear in her view that everyone with the gene is either apt to commit violence or seriously dangerous. There was no whining here about how things weren't fair.

What took a serious turn here was the romance. Jordan took a big risk by separating the two romantic leads and introducing another guy. There was really no love triangle. Instead we got Davy being conflicted but committed to bigger issues. The world does not treat her well in this book. She is sympathetic but not someone to pity. In fact, she's pretty much fed up with the whole situation.

Caden, the new love interest, is a great guy. He's a leader of the resistance and hard not to like. His character develops slowly through his interaction with Davy and the other resistance leaders. There's a clear bad guy with his gang of thugs. There are rivalries. There is a lot of chest-pounding and sword rattling. The problem is that there is no real clear reason why. A lot of questions weren't answered with regard to why some of the characters had a problem with Davy. And the ultimate villain had such a poor reason for being a villain, making the plot somewhat disappointing.

That said, it still worked. The story was engaging. The characters were likable. And the ending worked. There have been other books where this sort of thing completely flopped - but somehow Jordan pulled it off. Everybody was happy in the end.

On audio this book is narrated by Rebecca Gibel. She embodies Davy beautifully. Her voices for the other characters were also well done.

Overall this is a good dystopian duology that is worth reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.


View all my reviews

Red Queen

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two things this book wins on without even trying: the cover and the main character's name, Mare Barrow. These promise great things and boy does this book deliver.

The premise here is set in a fantasy world of haves and have nots. The haves are Silvers, people with silver blood and super powers. They are the ruling, upper class. The have nots are Reds, those with red blood and no superpowers. They are the lower, working class, treated with disdain. Mare Barrow is a Red, a pickpocket who is anticipating following her brothers into the army as a conscript. One evening she runs into a guy who gets her a job as a servant at the palace. An accident happens during the selection of the next princess and Mare discovers she has powers of her own.

This sets up the story for a whole lot of intrigue, politics, cat-and-mouse and overall good vs. evil. There is a bit of a romance, but it is greatly overshadowed by rivalries and a secret rebellion. The plot is intricate but not really that complicated; if you read this stuff regularly you could see the plot twist coming a mile away. That said, the villains just got more and more wicked, making any triumph of the good guys all the more satisfying. The fight scenes with the Silvers using their powers was great. The ending was fantastic.

Mare as a character was someone I alternately liked and then didn't like. She wasn't clever. It is never good when the reader is smarter than the main character. She was used by the other characters like a pawn when she was smart enough to know better. I liked her best when she was fighting, because it was then that her intelligence won out.

Cal, the love interest, was Prince Charming. He's a good soldier, gets along with his dad the King and takes becoming the next King seriously. He was likable without truly becoming a cliche. But his younger brother Maven, Mare's betrothed, is much more dimensional. He's relatively easy to figure out and yet Aveyard is able to portray him as such a study in contrasts. Maven was the one keeping things interesting.

Probably the best part about this book is that the heroes are really good and the villains are really bad. There is a fair amount of ambiguity with The Scarlet Guard (what a cool name for a rebel group!), but things are pretty much black and white when it comes to morals and motives. It wasn't hard to choose a team here. Ordinarily this would make the plot predictable and boring. But, there are enough secrets here to keep things moving along. The plot twist at the very end was a nice setup for the next book in the series.

Amanda Dolan narrates this on audio and does a great job. She is able to bring life to the characters and distinguish them nicely. She made the book all the more enjoyable.

Overall this book didn't wow me like I thought it would. It fell a bit short with regard to predictability and the likability of the main character. But it is a fantastic story and well told. This series promises only to get better.
View all my reviews

Seed

Seed by Lisa Heathfield


This book is seriously disturbing.

Set in the UK, it is the story of Pearl, a member of a cult community. As expected, it is run by a madman. It dances just to the edge of religion, but pulls back into new age mysticism in its belief system. Members are deceived and controlled. And Pearl, an innocent young girl just starting to grow up, is asking questions and getting unsatisfactory answers.

It was a difficult book to read. At first it was difficult to keep so many characters straight. But as the story progressed, it became easier. The key players emerged and the plot became the story of whether Pearl can and/or wants to get away from the only community she's ever known. Villains are well-defined, but there are no real heroes here. There is a lot of tragedy, widespread blindness to reality and difficult decisions.

This isn't entertainment as such. But it is a good, fictional look at the way a cult can arise and entrance a community. Ultimately it is the story of the way that power corrupts. And unfortunately, this is an all-too-often occurrence in contemporary culture. I'm not sure how to rate it, so I am not giving it a star rating. It seems more suited to a story that is required reading in schools. Overall, I didn't enjoy it, but I do think it is an important book that addresses some important issues.
View all my reviews