Sunday, October 31, 2010

Why do authors do this???


So, last night I was looking for a good book while waiting for Trick or Treaters to come by. I wanted something a little spooky but not too intense. After browsing Amazon, I decided on An Ice Cold Grave, book #3 in the Harper Connelly mysteries, by Charlaine Harris.

Now. I've read one of the Sookie Stackhouse books and it was just way too sexy for me. But the Harper Connelly books weren't too bad. At least, from my memory they weren't. I remembered them as great mystery stories, great main character, complex plots, some swearing, some hints at affairs, but no deep descriptions.

Safe read for a yummy Halloween night. Right? I downloaded it to my Kindle with great anticipation of losing myself in a good story.

Oh, I was soooo wrong!

Yes, the characters were amazing. 5 out of 5 stars.

Yes, the plot was wonderful. 5 out of 5 stars.

Yes, the writing was captivating. 5 out of 5 stars.

But...

The shockingly erotic, embarrassingly descriptive, play-by-play sex scenes put this book into the XXX category for me and effectively dropped it to a 1 star book (and that is only because everything else was so amazing). Add to that the swearing (think f-bomb) and level of violence (serial killer) and I was so disappointed. I can't recommend it to anyone.

Unfortunately, Charlaine Harris and the Harper Connelly series now goes on the list of great writers/series I will never read again because they're just too gross.

© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Ghost Town by Rachel Caine



Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires, Book 9)
by Rachel Caine

YA Paranormal
352 pages, hardcover
Target Reader: 14+

NAL
978-0451231611
Release Date: October 26, 2010



From the publisher:
While developing a new system to maintain Morganville's defenses, student Claire Danvers discovers a way to amplify vampire mental powers. Through this, she's able to re-establish the field around this vampire-infested Texas college town that protects it from outsiders.

But the new upgrades have an unexpected consequence: people inside the town begin to slowly forget who they are-even the vampires. Soon, the town's little memory problem has turned into a full-on epidemic. Now Claire needs to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment- before she forgets how to save Morganville...

Read Chapter 1

Series books: Glass Houses (book 1), The Dead Girls' Dance (book 2), Midnight Alley (book 3), Feast of Fools (book 4), Lord of Misrule (book 5), Carpe Corpus (book 6), Fade Out (book 7), Kiss of Death (book 8)
I've been counting down the days until this book was released! I loved it!!

Great plot. Some of the past books have been so twisty with intrigue that the plot and motivations have been hard to follow. This one was twisty enough to be captivating, but not so obscure in places that I got lost trying to follow it.

The characters are so wonderful. Claire is still a brainiac, but she's getting stronger, more confident and more willing to take risks. Shane is settling down somewhat. The interplay between him and his father is great. Michael and Eve have smaller parts in this book, but when they bring it, they bring it! I love Amelie and Oliver. Oliver is so hard to figure out—sometimes he's good, sometimes he's bad. Just when you decide one way or the other, he surprises you—and that's what makes him such a compelling character. Even with the surprises, his behavior is totally believable. And then there's Myrnin. Sometimes he steals the show with his heartbreaking schizophrenia—one moment kind and vulnerable, the next a raging killer vampire. In this book, he's looking for a human brain to hook up to a machine—and Claire's looks pretty good to him.

Loved it.

The only thing I don't love about these books is the "R" rating. There is swearing and a physical relationship between Claire and Shane, and between Michael and Eve. While low level on the description most of the time, it's still very clear that these teenagers are in a physical relationship. For that reason, I can't recommend this series to teenagers. Since it's aimed at them, I have to drop the overall rating stars.


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Cover: They're getting better. I like this one much better than some of the previous covers.



Content Ratings

Language: Some swearing. Drops the "f" bomb once.

Violence: Not as much grisly vampire stuff as in some of the previous books, but still—vampires can be violent.

Drugs/Alcohol: Teens drink beer.

Immorality: The teenagers have an intimate relationship. We don't get a full description but there's some pretty steamy make out scenes. Not recommended for teen readers.

Values/Themes: Well, it's vampires.

Age Appropriate: Due to language and intimate content, I'd recommend 18 and older.

Writing Mechanics: Engrossing! Wonderful!


© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Friday, October 15, 2010

The Limit by Kristen Landon


The Limit
by Kristen Landon

Middle Grade Dystopian Future
304 pages, hardcover
Target Reader: Ages 10+

Aladdin
978-1442402713
Release Date: September 7, 2010



From the publisher:
An eighth grade girl was taken today . . .

With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn't let up for a moment. In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt’s family over their limit—and to change his reality forever.

Read an excerpt.
This is an excellent book for middle grade boys who like some suspense set in a slightly futuristic world.

When Matt's family goes over their debt limit, he's forced to work in a government facility to help pay down the debt. Matt is one of the lucky ones who is smart enough to land on the top floor, where he gets special privileges. At first, it's pretty cool—other than the fact that he misses his family. But then he finds out there's a catch—one that makes it nearly impossible to pay off his family's debt.

When his sister shows up on one of the lower floors, having a seizure right in front of him, Matt decides he must find out what's really going on and get help for all the kids.

The pacing is a little slower, than say, the Alex Ryder series, but it's not bad. You're not on the edge of your seat every single second, and that gives you time to think about what's happening, but there's plenty of suspense to keep the reader involved, especially the second half of the book.

While there's some implied violence and adults who hold the kids captive, it's not over the top at all. I'd feel comfortable with kids as young as 9 reading it, if they were good enough readers to follow the story line.

The Limit deals with a pretty timely topic—uncontrolled personal debt. It's not at all preachy, focusing more on the suspense of what's really going on at the facility. It does make you wonder if something like this might happen in our not-too-distant future...

I think boys and girls from 12 and up will really like this book.

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Content Ratings

Language:

Violence: Very mild.

Drugs/Alcohol:

Immorality:

Values/Themes: Personal responsibility. Find ideas for discussion/activities here.

Age Appropriate:

Writing Mechanics:



© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare


Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1)
by Cassandra Clare

Young Adult Fantasy
496 pages, hardcover
Target reader: ages 14+

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
978-1416975861
Release date: August 31, 2010



From the publisher:
Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Read an excerpt.

I loved Cassadra Clare's Mortal Instruments series (City of Bones, City of Glass, City of Ashes), and since this series is a prequel to that series, I thought I'd check it out.

It was not what I expected.

While those who are familiar with Mortal Instruments will recognize some family names, and one of the characters, there's really no cross-over between characters in the two series. You don't have to have read Mortal Instruments to read and enjoy this series.

Set 150 years earlier than Mortal Instruments, this book definitely has a Victorian flavor to it—in pacing, in style, in manners. It also has a bit of that steampunk feel to it, with animated machines made of clockworks.

It took a while for me to get into this book. A couple of times, I almost stopped reading but I kept on because I believed it would get better. I'm glad I was persistent. Once I let go of the expectation that it would be like Mortal Instruments and adjusted to the Victorian-style pacing, I really, really liked it.

I liked the characters—even though they do sort of mirror the characters from Mortal Instruments (Tessa = Clary; Will = Jace; etc.). At first it was a bit annoying, but then I found I didn't mind it. They were different enough that I grew to like these new characters almost as much as I liked those in Mortal Instruments.

We have a love triangle in the making, strong characters, weak characters. Tessa is very well-written and I could relate to her despite some of her Victorian attitudes. Will and Jem are awesome—I don't know which one I like best. I really liked watching how the women Shadow Hunters dealt with the constrictions of the society they lived in. Jessamine is totally the Victorian helpless female, hating to fight, expecting men to rescue her and make her life wonderful—except when she is pushed to the edge. Charlotte takes the opposite tack, embracing her Shadow Hunter skills and even *shock* wearing pants! Tessa is trying to find her own way and also discover her heritage, which is unusual and not completely resolved at the end of this book. Magnus Bane shows up in this series. He's not as flamboyant and apparently liked women at some point. Tessa's brother bugged me—I didn't find him completely believable.

The plot was involved and intricate. There were many unexpected twists and turns, lots of surprises, with the bad guys staying one step ahead through most of the story. I was surprised at the end by who the bad guy really was—and perhaps a little disappointed. There were times throughout the book when every male character was in question. At the big reveal, I felt there hadn't been quite enough foreshadowing for the evil being that he turned out to be.

Overall, I liked this book and will definitely read the next two in the series. But I think I'm more excited about reading City of Fallen Angels, book #4 of Mortal Instruments, which comes out in April 2011.

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Content Ratings

Language: Mild swearing

Violence: Some of this is pretty intense. Demons, possession, vampires, clockworks people who try to kill you. Some secondary characters are killed in a graphic manner.

Drugs/Alcohol: One of the main characters has to deal with an addiction that was forced upon him.

Immorality: Some reference to secondary characters being lovers, but nothing descriptive.

Values/Themes: Evil is everywhere; can't trust others. On the good side, keep trying, fight the darkness, do what is right.

Age Appropriate: I'd say 16+

Writing Mechanics: Good for the genre—Victorian Steampunk Paranormal.



© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Altared Plans by Rebecca Talley


Altared Plans
byRebecca Talley

LDS Romance
250 pages, 5.5x8.5, softcover
Target reader: LDS Women/Young Adults

Cedar Fort
978-1599552804
Release Date: June 5, 2009



From the publisher:

The perfect day. The perfect marriage. The perfect groom. What could go wrong?

Caitlyn has been preparing for her perfect wedding all her life. But when her fiancé abandons her at the altar, Caitlyn vows she ll never love again.

Going to BYU doesn't make that easy, however, and avoiding all social contact can only last so long. When her bishop calls her to be the mom of her family home evening group, Caitlyn is suddenly thrust into surprising circumstances that leave her flustered the attention of two unwanted suitors.

Travis, the FHE dad, has plans to woo Caitlyn by using his cowboy charms while Chase has his own ideas for dating her. Will Travis or Chase change her mind about love? Or will it be deja vu?

Read Chapter 1.

View book trailer.

Getting stood up for a date is bad. For a wedding, it's even worse. But for a temple wedding? Devastating.

Altared Plans is a fun little romance that takes place mostly at BYU in Provo, Utah. Caitlyn's heart has been broken; she's been hurt and healing slowly. She meets Travis and there's an immediate interest that she tries to deny. Hurt again, she turns to Chase, the safe guy. We've all been there, haven't we? Do we go with what's safe or what's exciting?

A light, clean romance with some comic scenes, this is not the type of book I normally choose to read, but I know Rebecca and I won a copy in a contest, so I gave it a read on a slow Sunday afternoon. I would have liked to see more of a relationship developing over time between Caitlyn and Travis. I felt like it moved too fast, especially after the way she'd been hurt by her previous fiancé. I wasn't fully convinced by some of the other characters.

The plotting and pacing were fine, although, as I said, I felt the romance developed to quickly with little depth to base it on. Dialog was good. Ending was good. Nothing spectacular but it was good. To truly make me love this book, Travis' ex-girlfriend would have had to be a psycho killer who kidnapped Caitlyn and tortured her and... oh wait. Wrong genre. (Sorry)

But for what it is—a light romance—it was okay, a fun afternoon of reading escape—and it didn't make me feel like I had to wash my brain out with soap when I was done. Fine for teens of all ages. Nothing that will embarrass you if your mother reads it.

If you like light clean romance, you'll like this book.



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Cover: I thought it was great!



Content Ratings

Language:

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Drugs/Alcohol:

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Age Appropriate: Nothing in here I wouldn't let 12+ year olds read.

Writing Mechanics: A few little glitches, but not bad.


© 2010 It's a Book Affair