Tag Archives: too stubborn for their own good
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
First of all, I have never enjoyed an audio book as much as this one. At least half a star is for that alone. The story was quite the exciting romp through the world of the Gentleman Bastards. I don’t know how to say much without spoiling the book for people, but suffice it to say that if you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora you will most likely enjoy Red Seas Under Red Skies. Jean & Locke are definitely up to no good and it doesn’t always work out for them. Still, to paraphrase one of Jean’s more memorable lines, they’re the biggest, baddest motherfuckers in the room.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, adventure, badassery, book, book review, books, boozy, fantasy, gentleman bastards, have some more wine, jean tannen, locke lamora, questionable motives, review, scott lynch, star-crossed lovers, sweet sweet luuurve, swordplay, too stubborn for their own good, up to no good, you're a kitty | posted in Words
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
I don’t even know how to express just how much I loved Small Gods. I really, really, really enjoyed reading this. Sure, that may have been because my boyfriend’s great love of turtles has rubbed off on me. It may have been a devious glee at the thought of a petulant little god who never considered that he should do anything for his believers. The great library and the hilarious stereotype of the philosophers in Ephebe certainly didn’t hurt. Nor did the penguin. Or the history monk. Vorbis was creepy as hell, which added a slight touch of reality. Seriously, go read this. Now. Go!
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Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, book, book review, books, crazy deities, discworld, fantasy, humorous, libraries are awesome, magical creatures, review, small gods, terry pratchett, too stubborn for their own good, turtles | posted in Words
Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
Magic Slays has a poignancy and genuine darkness that was a change from the preceding books in the series. Unfortunately,it also has some problems, for instance the complete ignoring of everything that happened in Magic Dreams. That being said, Kate shows vulnerabilities and weaknesses that made her a far more believable character. The villain was of a sort I had been waiting to see since the main construct of the series was introduced. The tension between Kate & Curran was more believable than in the past. Overall, perhaps less enjoyable because of the afore-mentioned darkness, but a better book. 4 stars just for that.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, atlanta, badassery, curran, down south, drinkers of blood, fantasy, ilona andrews, kate daniels, magic slays, magical creatures, re-read potential, sweet sweet luuurve, swordplay, that is not natural, too stubborn for their own good, vampires, witches & wizards, wolves of the were persuasion | posted in Words
Hexed by Ilona Andrews
This is a review of Magic Dreams, #4.5 of the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. Unfortunately, there is not a standalone version, hence the review of this anthology.
Magic Dreams was sad. I like Dali’s character and it turns out her life is more sad than I thought. The villain was the saddest I have seen in this series to date. Even Jim was sad, although that could have had something to do with, well, spoilers. Anyway, sad. I enjoyed it overall and was quite angry that it was in no way acknowledged in the fifth book. Also sad. It’s all sad.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3.5 stars, atlanta, badassery, dali, down south, drinkers of blood, fantasy, ilona andrews, kate daniels, magic dreams, magical creatures, re-read potential, sweet sweet luuurve, that is not natural, too stubborn for their own good, witches & wizards, wolves of the were persuasion | posted in Words
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
I remember really enjoying Magic Bleeds when I first read it. A month later, I had to work hard to remember what happened during the first 2/3 of the book and why I liked it so much. I suppose that might sum up my feelings on the book best. It started out very exciting, became repetitive, then had a badass ending. One thing that I did appreciate very much was the change in Kate’s relationship with the Order. Her relationship with the chief villain was also well done. Unfortunately, this book has proven too forgettable for the 3.5 I would like to have given it. Still glad I read it.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3 stars, andrea nash, atlanta, badassery, curran, down south, drinkers of blood, fantasy, ilona andrews, kate daniels, magic bleeds, magical creatures, re-read potential, sweet sweet luuurve, swordplay, that is not natural, too stubborn for their own good, vampires, weres, witches & wizards, wolves of the were persuasion | posted in Words
Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Magic Mourns is probably my favorite of the Kate Daniels novellas. Andrea Nash is not a character to whom I paid much attention prior to this read. In addition to watching her try to come to grips with some stuff in her life, we also see her chasing down Cerberus. With the assistance of Raphael the sexy werehyena and Thanatos, Angel of Death, who happens to be a guy living in a trailer park named Teddy. How could that not be awesome?
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, andrea nash, atlanta, badassery, cerberus, curran, down south, drinkers of blood, fantasy, hera's apples, ilona andrews, kate daniels, magical creatures, re-read potential, sweet sweet luuurve, swordplay, thanatos, that is not natural, too stubborn for their own good, witches & wizards, wolves of the were persuasion | posted in Words
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
Magic Strikes is my favorite of the Kate Daniels novels to date. I chalk this up to really liking Derek’s and Dali’s characters. Derek in particular gained more dimension in this installment. Dali was really funny, while also plucky. At risk of spoilers, all I am going to say is that there are gladiator games and Kate & Curran end up on opposing sides of an issue in a much more concrete way than they have before. Simon also receives an interesting treatment. Overall, I enjoyed this read quite a bit.
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1 comment | tags: 4 stars, atlanta, badassery, book, book review, down south, drinkers of blood, fantasy, ilona andrews, kate daniels, magic strikes, magical creatures, re-read potential, review, sweet sweet luuurve, swordplay, that is not natural, too stubborn for their own good, witches & wizards, wolves of the were persuasion | posted in Words
Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews
If anything, I enjoyed Magic Burns more than Magic Bites. As I was told it would be, it was clarified that Curran is a lion, so I was glad of that, but obviously that was not all. Kate developed a little bit more dimension than in the first book, and overall I found the plot more compelling. Some of my favorite supporting characters of the series appeared. There was an epic battle. There was also an annoying child, but you can’t have everything. Overall, a solid book that led to me reading the remainder of the series in less than a week.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3.5 stars, atlanta, badassery, crazy deities, curran, down south, drinkers of blood, fantasy, ilona andrews, kate daniels, magic burns, magical creatures, morrigan, old gods, paranormal, re-read potential, sweet sweet luuurve, swordplay, swords, that is not natural, too stubborn for their own good, urban fantasy, witches & wizards | posted in Words
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
A friend highly recommended this, so another friend & I decided to buddy read it. I have to say, I enjoyed it, although there were definite flaws, hence the 3.5 rating. To get them out of the way first, the flaws: too much talk about badassery at the beginning of the book but not enough actual ass kicking and far, far too much talk about her braid and lack of beauty. I don’t care what she looks like, damn it. *sigh* Losing argument, I know. As for the things I enjoyed: the fact that she seemed to slightly change her mind about some other people but not drastically, the fact that she’s not even remotely invincible, and the fact that she fucked up the relationship with the doctor rather than it being revealed that he’s just drastically inferior to Curran, speaking of whom, does not sound like a lion in the books so why is he a lion on the covers?
If you even remotely like urban fantasy with female leads, give this a shot. It’s neither steampunk nor a romance.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3.5 stars, atlanta, badassery, book, book review, books, curran, down south, drinkers of blood, fantasy, friend review sparked interest, ilona andrews, kate daniels, magic, magic bites, magical creatures, re-read potential, swordplay, swords, too stubborn for their own good, vampires, witches & wizards, wolves of the were persuasion | posted in Words
Best Books Read in 2011
1. Room by Emma Donoghue
Not many authors can write well from a child’s point of view, especially when writing for an adult audience. In Room, Emma Donoghue does precisely that. She conveys a haunting tale with beauty and wonder and terror. I was skeptical when I picked up this book. After putting it down seven months ago, I still think of it regularly. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Original Review
2. The Christ-Haunted Landscape by Susan Ketchin
3. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
4. The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
5. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
6. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
7. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
8. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
9. A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
10. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
1 comment | tags: 5 stars, best books read in 2011, bloody spiders, book review, books, contemporary fiction, emma donoghue, heartwrenching, intriguing review, review, room, too stubborn for their own good, you think your family has issues | posted in Best Books Read in 2011, Lists, Words