Book: The Lady is a Vamp (Argeneau Vampires)
Author:Lynsay Sands
Genre: Paranormal Romance
If you have not read any of this series and area romance fan, then you are missing out. I would not suggest starting with this book, though they are all stand alone. If you start from the first books in the series you will pick up on the world more easily. This one just came out this month, and I was happy to buy it at the grocery store, as you get 25% off the bestselling authors!
Background: In the world of Sands vampires, - they prefer to be called immortals - vampirism is actually the result of science. Immortals originate on Atlantis - yes, Atlantis - as a result of advanced medical technology. The Atlanteans developed nano robots that lived in the blood stream and repairs damage. They reproduced themselves and used blood as fuel - given through transfusions. It was meant as a cure to diseases like cancer or internal injuries, but the nanos saw the environmental and age damage done to the body as something to fix, so they never went away. They constantly repair the body and so never shut down. This of course gives the immortals un-ending life and healing. Of course they can be burned or beheaded - apparently sprouting a new head is beyond even nanos. After the fall of Atlantis, the immortals had no way to get blood transfusions due to the primitive culture of the rest of the world, so the nanos gave them fangs, speed, and mind control among other things in order to be able to get blood to fuel themselves. The stay out of the sun as it forces them to need more blood due to the UV damage.
The Argeneau family is one of the most prominent families in the immortal world, and the series focuses on different members of the family finding life mates - the one person they cannot control or mind read. The are rules in this world - such as only one child every hundred years, and only turning one person for each immortal. This latter rule of course causes issues in every book in one way or another.
The Story: In this installment of the series, our characters are Jeanne Louise Argeneau and Paul Jones. Both are scientists workings for Argeneau Industries, which deals in bagged blood, and researches solutions to various immortal problems. Paul Jones is human, but knows about the immortals as he works on projects for them. Jeannie has worked there for 75 years on an immortal medical issue she is trying to cure. Paul, a widower and single father, kidnaps Jeannie in order to convince her to turn his daughter into an immortal, knowing nothing about the rules, because she is dying of cancer. Jeanne Louise cannot read Paul and realizes he must be her lifemate, so she decides to stick around for a while. This is complicated by the fact that the immortal police force - the Enforcers - are hunting for them and will most likely kill Paul for kidnapping one of their own. The story follows the development of their relationship on the run, with Paul's daughter and dog along for the ride.
The Good and the Bad: The world in Sands' series is more interesting and believable than any other vampire series that I have read. Her characters are strong and well developed. Most of her books have wonderful plots in which romance is important, but other issues are in the forefront, keeping the book from getting boring. I would have to say that this is my least favorite of her books so far. While there is the issue of the cancer, the romance takes the front seat, and the end is rather predictable of course. I was not sucked into this one as much as the others, nor did I feel so strongly about the main female character. The main male character is more interesting and likeable in this book, as we really just don't know too much about the heroine. We don't know much about her past, her interests beyond science, her friends, or her relationship with her family. All those aspects are what has contributed to her better characters in the past. This story lacks the action and excitement of her other books. There is only one moment that provided that, and that is in the last fourth of the book. I feel like this book is stretching to continue her series focusing on the family. Maybe it is time for her to move away from the family and bring up some of the side characters or go to a new family entirely. I would like to read more in the world, and I hope that the subsequent books are not a disappointment like this one.
Overall Opinion: I would suggest Sands' Argeneau series highly, but start from the beginning and don't feel too rushed to go out and get this one. Maybe check it out from the library or borrow it from a friend. I am one of those people who likes to have complete series, so I am glad I read and own it, but it will not be one I am eager to re-read for quite some time.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Seven Realms Series
For my first post I will be reviewing a series I have been reading rather than an individual book. Please bear with me as I get into the swing of blogging and work on developing my blog style!
Series: Seven Realms
Books: The Demon King, The Exiled Queen, The Gray Wolf Throne
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
I waited for over a month to check out the first book in this series, The Demon King, from the library, as I prefer to check out rather than buy when I try out a new author. It was worth the wait, and in fact I accrued some fines from the library on this book, as I did not start reading it till the day before it was due and it had other holds on it, but I was enjoying it so much that I could not return it until I finished. I immediately checked out the remaining books in the series, and spent several nights staying up later than I should to finish them. They are the kind of books that you just do not want to put down, as they move at such a great pace.
The story brings together several wildly different characters. First we have the Princess Raisa, the heir to the queendom of the Fells. Han Alister, called Cuffs due to the mysterious silver cuffs on his wrists, is a former leader of a street gang with ties to the clans of the Spirit Mountains. Micah Bayar is wizard in training from a powerful family with ambition. Amon Bryne is the son of the Captain of the Queen's Guard and a childhood friend of the princess, though a commoner. Hayden Fire Dancer is a mixed blood clan member who dreams of crafting amulets.There are many other interesting character with backgrounds that make for some complicated relationships with the series.
The series follows the characters as they deal with personal and political problems as they are thrust into adulthood and responsibility. In the queendom, the throne has passed from mother to daughter for over a thousand years. There is a precarious peace that has held in the queendom since a catastrophic event called the Breaking, in which the Seven Realms, ruled by the Gray Wolf Queens, fractured into individual realms due to an internal war between wizards. The clans, who are somewhat similar to Native American Tribes, control the making and selling of the amulets that wizards need to use magic. The wizards are no longer allowed in the Spirit Mountains where the clan holds power, but they are powerful in the Queen's Court. The queen is forbidden to marry a wizard to avoid a wizard king. The wizards of course are not happy about the restrictions placed upon them and hate the clan folk for it. In the city, crime is rife and the Queen's Guard, the policing force, abuses power and people. People are starving due to civil war in the neighboring country Arden, from which they import food. There is a huge gap between the rich and the poor and prejudice from all groups in the kingdom against the others. The current queen, Marianna, seems weak and under the influence of the High Wizard, Bayar, though she is married to Lord Averill from the clans.
Princess Raisa has been sheltered from knowledge of politics and the reality of life in her country, though she lived with the clans for three years. As she is turning 16, she becomes eligible for marriage and all the problems of the country descend on her. She and the other characters will have to learn to deal with the problems they have inherited and figure out how to balance their personal desires and political necessities in order to survive. I won't go into more detail to avoid spoiling anything for you and that is how each post in this blog will be, but read on for my analysis of the book and comparisons to other books!
The Good and The Bad: This is a very well developed book. When reading a fantasy novel, what really shows an author's skill is the world itself. It should feel like it could be a real place, magic and other fantasy elements aside. Chima has created a world with it's own history, religion, geography, culture, and politics. Like any good fantasy book, these elements are not thrown in your face, but rather integrated naturally into the storytelling with no explanations needed. As you read, you learn more about how the different kingdoms interact with one another and the queendom. You learn what the beliefs of the various cultural groups are, and what they think of the other groups. You get a feel for what life is like in the Fells for clanfolk, the poor, wizards, nobles, and outsiders. The geography seems to follow real world principals - such as rivers beginning in the mountains, the weather following the geography, and the results of pollution on the environment. The story telling goes back and forth between the point of view of Han and Raisa, so you get a two different ways of looking at the events and characters. The characters are well developed and understandable to an average person. These books are quite well written, so the biggest negative I can name is that the story and characters are rather familiar. I know these characters already. There flaws are predictable. They are traditional characters that you often see in fantasy novels, as are the challenges that the characters face. The cultures are reminiscent of real world cultures like Native Americans, and the religion is seems similar to a Christian religion. This can be positive to make it more understandable to the reader, but I would rather read about an interesting religion or culture that is completely new to me. The story is also predictable and you can see where it is going. That might mean that Chima is talented at setting up her story and that it has a great flow, but it also means that she is not thinking out of the box as much as she could be. It also means that the reader will not have those moments of 'Wow I did not see that coming!' The first book has a bit of a slow start as you get to know the characters and the situation. The second and third books do not have this problem.
Overall Opinion: I really liked these books and look forward to reading more from this author. The people who will most enjoy this book are those looking for a traditional, well-written fantasy novel. Make sure not to start these books when you do not have time to read, because they flow so well that you will not want to stop.
Similar Books: These books remind me strongly of the style of Tamora Pierce, the young adult author. If you like her work, I believe you will like Seven Realms.
Series: Seven Realms
Books: The Demon King, The Exiled Queen, The Gray Wolf Throne
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
I waited for over a month to check out the first book in this series, The Demon King, from the library, as I prefer to check out rather than buy when I try out a new author. It was worth the wait, and in fact I accrued some fines from the library on this book, as I did not start reading it till the day before it was due and it had other holds on it, but I was enjoying it so much that I could not return it until I finished. I immediately checked out the remaining books in the series, and spent several nights staying up later than I should to finish them. They are the kind of books that you just do not want to put down, as they move at such a great pace.
The story brings together several wildly different characters. First we have the Princess Raisa, the heir to the queendom of the Fells. Han Alister, called Cuffs due to the mysterious silver cuffs on his wrists, is a former leader of a street gang with ties to the clans of the Spirit Mountains. Micah Bayar is wizard in training from a powerful family with ambition. Amon Bryne is the son of the Captain of the Queen's Guard and a childhood friend of the princess, though a commoner. Hayden Fire Dancer is a mixed blood clan member who dreams of crafting amulets.There are many other interesting character with backgrounds that make for some complicated relationships with the series.
The series follows the characters as they deal with personal and political problems as they are thrust into adulthood and responsibility. In the queendom, the throne has passed from mother to daughter for over a thousand years. There is a precarious peace that has held in the queendom since a catastrophic event called the Breaking, in which the Seven Realms, ruled by the Gray Wolf Queens, fractured into individual realms due to an internal war between wizards. The clans, who are somewhat similar to Native American Tribes, control the making and selling of the amulets that wizards need to use magic. The wizards are no longer allowed in the Spirit Mountains where the clan holds power, but they are powerful in the Queen's Court. The queen is forbidden to marry a wizard to avoid a wizard king. The wizards of course are not happy about the restrictions placed upon them and hate the clan folk for it. In the city, crime is rife and the Queen's Guard, the policing force, abuses power and people. People are starving due to civil war in the neighboring country Arden, from which they import food. There is a huge gap between the rich and the poor and prejudice from all groups in the kingdom against the others. The current queen, Marianna, seems weak and under the influence of the High Wizard, Bayar, though she is married to Lord Averill from the clans.
Princess Raisa has been sheltered from knowledge of politics and the reality of life in her country, though she lived with the clans for three years. As she is turning 16, she becomes eligible for marriage and all the problems of the country descend on her. She and the other characters will have to learn to deal with the problems they have inherited and figure out how to balance their personal desires and political necessities in order to survive. I won't go into more detail to avoid spoiling anything for you and that is how each post in this blog will be, but read on for my analysis of the book and comparisons to other books!
The Good and The Bad: This is a very well developed book. When reading a fantasy novel, what really shows an author's skill is the world itself. It should feel like it could be a real place, magic and other fantasy elements aside. Chima has created a world with it's own history, religion, geography, culture, and politics. Like any good fantasy book, these elements are not thrown in your face, but rather integrated naturally into the storytelling with no explanations needed. As you read, you learn more about how the different kingdoms interact with one another and the queendom. You learn what the beliefs of the various cultural groups are, and what they think of the other groups. You get a feel for what life is like in the Fells for clanfolk, the poor, wizards, nobles, and outsiders. The geography seems to follow real world principals - such as rivers beginning in the mountains, the weather following the geography, and the results of pollution on the environment. The story telling goes back and forth between the point of view of Han and Raisa, so you get a two different ways of looking at the events and characters. The characters are well developed and understandable to an average person. These books are quite well written, so the biggest negative I can name is that the story and characters are rather familiar. I know these characters already. There flaws are predictable. They are traditional characters that you often see in fantasy novels, as are the challenges that the characters face. The cultures are reminiscent of real world cultures like Native Americans, and the religion is seems similar to a Christian religion. This can be positive to make it more understandable to the reader, but I would rather read about an interesting religion or culture that is completely new to me. The story is also predictable and you can see where it is going. That might mean that Chima is talented at setting up her story and that it has a great flow, but it also means that she is not thinking out of the box as much as she could be. It also means that the reader will not have those moments of 'Wow I did not see that coming!' The first book has a bit of a slow start as you get to know the characters and the situation. The second and third books do not have this problem.
Overall Opinion: I really liked these books and look forward to reading more from this author. The people who will most enjoy this book are those looking for a traditional, well-written fantasy novel. Make sure not to start these books when you do not have time to read, because they flow so well that you will not want to stop.
Similar Books: These books remind me strongly of the style of Tamora Pierce, the young adult author. If you like her work, I believe you will like Seven Realms.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)