Monthly Archives: May 2014

Book Review of The Queen’s Wings (The Emerging Queens #1), by Jamie K. Schmidt

I was granted a copy of Jamie K. Schmidt‘s The Queen’s Wings by the good folks of Netgalley.

Description from Goodreads:
Long ago, the Cult of Humanity sacrificed the Dragon Queen, crippling the breeding process. But now Carolyn hears the voice of that long dead queen telling her that she holds the key to breaking the spell that will free all the female dragons.

FBI dragon Reed’s disdain for humans can’t mask the magnetic attraction he has for Carolyn, but when she tells him she’s going to shift into a dragon he thinks she’s crazy. A female hasn’t been hatched, or shape shifted, in over a thousand years.

He’s proven wrong after Carolyn shifts and is named the new Queen on the block. A never-ending line of suitors forms, but she only wants Reed. Too bad he doesn’t want in on the competition. But when the Cult kidnaps Carolyn to sacrifice her in an effort to make the curse against the female dragons permanent, Reed must face his fears—and feelings, racing to save the woman he realizes he can’t live without.

Review: **slightly spoilerish**
In some moments I think I really liked The Queen’s Wings, then I remember that what I liked was what The Queen’s Wings was trying to be…and largely failing. It was trying to be a snarky paranormal romance WITH DRAGONS and Dragon shifters are my absolute favourite type of shifter. I also love witty heroines with a penchant for sarcastic side commentary and self-mockery (within limits, of course). By all accounts I should have loved this book. But I just didn’t.

Don’t get me wrong; I liked some aspects of it. I did like Carolyn’s witty comments and willingness to stand up to all the alpha dragons around her. I loved that she occasionally channelled Kaname Chidori and rolled the metaphorical (and literal) newspaper. I liked her obsession with books. Now, there is a hoard I can relate to! I liked the humor. I liked the actual world created here, where dragons and humans have come to some social accord and live together. I liked the way it played with the concept of power, since the female dragons were both revered and victimized. I liked Reed in the last half of the book and I liked Jack and Niall. So, the book wasn’t a total bust.

However, it also never clicked for me. It didn’t flow smoothly. The writing did. That’s not what I mean. The writing was fine. It was the plot. It just stuttered along, occasionally making leaps and stops. As an example, for 45% of the book Reed was standoffish and even hostile toward Carolyn. Then, in a matter of a paragraph or so, he suddenly got all affectionate. There was nothing to instigate a change in behaviour. It was a TOTAL attitude 180, with no cause. Even worse it was inferred that this might have been some Machiavellian attempt to curry favour and control and that seemed a lot more likely than that he just suddenly decided he liked her. And even though the reader is told it’s not, they even get their happy ending, it didn’t feel natural. Not at all!

I also hated that almost all the other women in the book were villainized. (The few who weren’t were victimized.) It’s like watching any of a 100 Disney movies and finding that anytime you have an older woman in any position of power (the queen, the witch, the sorceress, the step mother, etc) she’s evil. It’s the same old subtle sexist, ‘see, woman can’t be allowed power’ crap we’re fed all the time. Why couldn’t even one of the dragon queens be working toward the good of the species instead of her own comfort?

I’ll grant that they had a pretty crap deal, but in the end, the ‘evil queens’ felt like a cheap and easy plot device. Especially considering the fact that Carolyn, who was set up as a saviour by being the first female to shift in millennia, actually wasn’t the first and none of her subsequent actions did anything to save the species. Crazy xxx’s did that. Yep, one of the baddies, who is also villainized and supposed to be reviled by the reader, actually brought the females back. (But we’re still left with the impression that she was evil for doing so.)

So in the end, I’ll give this a middling rating. I liked what the book was aiming for, I just ended up not much liking what the book was. On a side note, I find the description wildly inaccurate.

Book Review of A Surefire Way (UltraSecurity #1), by J.T. Bock

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I downloaded J. T. Bock‘s A Surefire Way from the Amazon free list.

Description from Goodreads:
UltraAgent Surefire’s plan is simple: Capture the transhuman thief Raven. Win back the respect of her father. Get a raise.

Easy, right?

Except Surefire just broke the number one rule of her employer, UltraSecurity, a niché security firm that solves crimes committed by genetically enhanced humans like Raven. She trailed Raven into a warehouse without backup. And something more powerful than any transhuman is waiting inside.

Raven’s plan is simple: Atone for his past crimes. Return stolen spiritual artifacts to restore the world’s balance. Don’t get caught by UltraSecurity.

Easy, right?

Until a spunky UltraSecurity agent is suddenly on his tail, although Raven wishes she was on … well, never mind … he can’t get distracted from his mission. Because she’s followed him into a warehouse filled with his reclaimed relics, and Raven’s ex-partner in crime is about to unleash a supernatural-sized complication into his plan.

His old partner has accidentally summoned an Aztec god who will destroy the world unless Raven stops this spirit with a superiority complex. To do this, Raven must team up with Surefire and reveal the truth about his powers, exposing her to a force that can either save the world or destroy them both.

Following Raven into that warehouse throws Surefire into a surreal world filled with moody gods, day-glo skulls, dizzying dimensional portals, maniacal half-roach magicians, and a sexy thief who is more than he appears under his snug t-shirt. Is Raven a criminal, or is he working for a higher power? Surefire needs to be certain, because if she joins him on this mission, she’ll have to surrender everything she believed in for a surefire way to save the world, discover her destiny and find true love.

Review:
Just ’cause it is annoying my at the very moment I’ll indulge myself and give a quick gripe about that ridiculously long description. Why do authors do this? As a reader, I’d have rathered it ended after the second ‘easy, right’ and left me with a little more mystery. Oh well, just my opinion. Moving on.

A Surefire Way is a well-written, well-edited genre non-specific read. It falls somewhere between sci-fi and urban fantasy (With romance thrown in, but I’d call it supernatural as opposed to paranormal, so I don’t know if I’d classify it as a paranormal romance.) Yeah, I kinda feel sorry for the author who has to find the proper niche for this thing, must be frustrating. Either way, it was enjoyable.

It takes Surefire and (peripherally) a group of X-men-like genetic mutants (many of which will feel very familiar to the reader) with skills ranging from never missing a target (Surefire), to fire (Inferno), to shrinking fairy-sized (Pixie), to space/time manipulation (TimeTrap), etc and throws in a little ancient Aztec god-magic to form an entertaining ‘we have to save the world’ type of adventure.

I think it’s set in modern America. It’s never stated, but there are a lot of contemporary media references and I never got the impression it was supposed to be in the distant future. So, I’m going with the here and now for setting. I might have liked a little more clarity here, as well as a little more actual world-building. For example, with so many transhumans about, with SERIOUS powers how were people largely unaware or, if not, what was the human/transhuman situation (beyond the Department of Defense’s involvement)?

The MCs were both sarcastic and relatable. I especially liked Surefire’s need to be successful and Raven’s emotional self-awareness. Watching them fight and eventually give in to their love was a pleasure.

The whole thing did get a little ridiculous at times, going back in time to play ulama, for example. It just stretched it’s own credibility a bit too far. It began to feel like having a Transhuman with a convenient power/skill to solve a given problem became a bit of a plot crutch. However, this was made up for by some of the really remarkable side characters. Pax and Oracle (alone and as a pair) were a favourite and St. John was amazingly revolting. All this without even mentioning the god and goddess.

For a fun, if somewhat slap-stick read this one is worth picking up.

Book Review of Last Impressions (The Marnie Baranuik Files, #3), by A. J. Aalto

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Wendy, from BookTrope sent me an ARC of Last Impressions, by A. J. Aalto. It’s due for publication on June 13th. You can see my review of the previous Marnie Baranuik books here.

Description:
When an FBI Internal Affairs investigation lands the Preternatural Crimes Unit in a bureaucratic spank-fest, it feels like the perfect time for Marnie Baranuik to skip town and lend her expertise to a bear-sized Canadian cop who doesn’t want her help with his case, his love life, or his car stereo. Back in her childhood stomping grounds, Marnie leaps into action, facing an exorcist in skinny jeans, a slap-happy specter, and an old friend up to new tricks. Are ghosts behind a string of unusual deaths? Why didn’t her revenant companion, Lord Harry Dreppenstedt, tell her he had a Combat Butler? Can she survive dinner with her parents? With a shifty man of the cloth offering her soul’s redemption, and a revelation that could change the future of her love life, she has her gloved hands full. She may not make a great first impression, but no one makes a Last Impression quite like Marnie.

Review:
Ms. Aalto is consistent if nothing else. I find that I could cut and paste my review of this series’ previous two books here and have them make perfect sense and be wholly accurate. But what fun would that be? The points may be the same, but I’ll make them again.

I love Marnie—Marnie’s foul mouth, Marnie’s lust crazed mind, Marnie’s sarcasm, Marnie’s need to do the right thing, Marnie’s selfish idiosyncrasies, Marnie’s ability to always come out on top, Marnie’s amazing ability to thrive in and on utter chaos, Marnie’s relationship with Harry (who is also fabulous). I love all of this. Every time I read one of the Marnie Baranuik Files I simply roll with laughter. I can’t help it.

It’s all over the top. Undeniably, it is. Marnie takes time to make smart aleck comments on the brink of certain death, she destroys more personal property than you can shake a stick at, she’s brash and has no mental-to-verbal filter. No one could really survive in such a state. You have to accept that as part of the fun though. And I do.

The only real complaint I’ve ever had, still have, and find it’s getting stronger with every book of the series I read, is the way Marnie is infantalized by the men in her life. They treat her like a favoured child and she in turn behaves like one—saying anything she likes with no regard for decorum, using ridiculously juvenile words (in and amongst all of her creative cursing), immaturely taunting people and circumstances, wearing children’s accoutrements, sulking, blowing raspberries at people, throwing tantrums, allowing the men (grownups) to talk over, around and about her in incredibly condescending ways (even if it is meant to be teasing), etc. In small doses, as in the first book, it was tolerable. But I find it’s starting to grate.

But honestly, that’s my only real issue with the book/series and it’s one I’m more than willing to put up with for the rest of the enjoyment I get from it/them. Looking forward to more.