magic Archives - Page 10 of 11

Yzabel / March 26, 2014

Review: Dark Metropolis

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Thea Holder’s mother is cursed with a spell that’s driving her mad, and whenever they touch, Thea is chilled by the magic, too. With no one else to contribute, Thea must make a living for both of them in a sinister city, where danger lurks and greed rules.
Thea spends her nights waitressing at the decadent Telephone Club attending to the glitzy clientele. But when her best friend, Nan, vanishes, Thea is compelled to find her. She meets Freddy, a young, magnetic patron at the club, and he agrees to help her uncover the city’s secrets-even while he hides secrets of his own.

Together, they find a whole new side of the city. Unrest is brewing behind closed doors as whispers of a gruesome magic spread. And if they’re not careful, the heartless masterminds behind the growing disappearances will be after them, too.

Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, this is a chilling thriller with a touch of magic where the dead don’t always seem to stay that way.

Review:

[I got an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. The book not being released yet, some things might be liable to change by the time it hits the shelves.]

3.5 stars. I had my qualms with this novel, but overall it had just the right amount of tension and mystery going to keep me wanting to turn the pages. And, of course, it’s got necromancy. I am always biased towards necromancy. Nothing can go wrong with necro—wait, what am I saying?

Though inspired from Metropolis, I found it to be able to stand on its own, through its mix of 1930-ish atmosphere and magic, the latter not exactly of the nice kind (even the Binding magic has its nasty side-effects). Some scenes bordered on gory and/or disturbing, and could scare younger readers, but they’re also tempered with an overall glitzy darkness, if this makes sense. We’re not given a lot of world-building, only general facts, such as the war that happened a few years ago, food shortages, people having to work in some mysterious factory, the government hiding things; I think this may or may not be a problem depending on the reader. It still worked for me, because it was reminiscent of the historical period that inspired the novel (late 1920-early 1930s Germany), and the feeling I got from this was more important than the absolute need to know everything about that world. Although I would like to know more about what exactly has been happening behind the scenes in other places than the one shown here; maybe in the next volume?

The characters were likeable, but not exceptional. I had the feeling that they were glossed over in parts, and that some events occurred too fast for them to really develop bonds. Freddy and Thea, mainly, barely meet a couple of times before he tells her everything, and this wasn’t so believable. I also found myself rooting for Nan and Sigi more than anyone else, even though Nan is barely mentioned in the blurb and we’re somewhat mistakingly led to believe Thea’s the main heroine. On the other hand, they had touching back stories, and I was still glad to see some sort of closure for them. It made for a bittersweet ending, but I wouldn’t have seen a happy-ever-ending for such a novel.

As for the plot, I found the idea to bring back dead people to life through necromancy brilliant; it’s so simple, it makes so much sense, and at the same time, it’s just so horribly fascinating that you don’t know in the end if you want to hug those people or put a bullet through their eyes, out of mercy, that is. I liked that there was a severe drawback to it, that they needed the serum to function; no magic should go without its price to pay, and Freddie himself was paying it without even knowing it. The other thing I liked about his magic was how it was in fact a good magic, one made to appease people, and not to create undead armies. Arabella’s sacrifice was moving, and helped show that Freddie could also do beautiful things using his powers.

I would however argue that things unfolded a little too quickly and easily in the last part of the book; I would’ve expected more spunk and deviousness from the villains, who went down too fast to my liking. I guess this ties with my comments about events when I mentioned the characters. I’m also rather puzzled about the whole “Guardian of Fate” business; it seemed a bit like a deus ex machina, and could’ve deserved a slightly different approach.

Dark Metropolis is, as said, not devoid of flaws; but its atmosphere and its take on necromancy definitely allowed me to enjoy it.

Yzabel / March 23, 2014

Review: The Wizard’s Promise

The Wizard’s Promise by Cassandra Rose Clarke

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

All Hanna Euli wants is to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself further away from home than she’s ever been before.

As she tries to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he needs Hanna’s help.

Review:

[I got an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. A few things are liable to change in this book by the time it is officially published.]

I can’t say I didn’t like this novel, but I also know it won’t leave me with a lasting impression either. I reckon this is partly because a lot of time in it is spent on sea, travelling on fishing boats, and nothing really happens. There were a few events now and then, but they felt somewhat distanciated, as if they had been put here for something to break the monotony of the journey(s).

The one thing that definitely annoyed me in The Wizard’s Promise was its approach of “mystery for the sake of mystery”, which in one case even led to what I couldn’t help but see as a plot hole. Hanna finds herself on a journey to the north, not knowing why her captain, Kolur, is going there, and merely wanting to go home (understandably: as much as going on an adventure can be exciting, just sailing north without any inkling as to why she’s here, not even having been able to warn her parents about it, isn’t that appealing). This was the first problem: Hanna didn’t know, so she kept asking Kolur, Kolur kept not answering and/or changing topics, so hanna got angsty about it, which in turn make her appear as childish. Rinse and repeat. When at last she gets some answers, of course it’s too late to just turn back and head home.

The second problem was why Kolur brought her with him, and here’s the plot hole for me. There was basically no reason, except “if I had gone back to port to leave you at your parents’ first, I would’ve missed my window of opportunity.” If there was any other reason, then I definitely missed it. Not once did I get the feeling that Kolur needed Hanna’s presence and/or her magic (Frida filled the roles of both sailor and wind witch, putting hanna out of a job, and she went on board early in the story). When Hanna decided to seek work on another fishing vessel, weeks went by, and Kolur never once tried to convince her to come back. So, for me, he didn’t need her at all. Which leads me to ask, why keep her with him? Their first stop, Skalir, was only a few days from Kjora, where Hanna lives with her parents; since Kolur “recruited” Frida in Skalir, why not simply tell Hanna “listen, girl, I shouldn’t have brought you with me, I’m sorry; there’s something I need to do in the north, if you don’t want to come with me, I understand, I’ll put you on the first ship bound for Kjora and you can go back to your parents’.” Then, there’s Isolfr. He needs her, all right, and considering who he turns out to be, it makes sense. Still, it only works because Kolur kept Hanna on board for no reason. Thus, plot hole.

On the other hand, I liked the world developed in the novel. I haven’t read The Assassin’s Curse (by the same author, and set in the same world, from what I understood from the narrative), so maybe a reader who already knows it won’t perceive it the same way I did. In my case, I liked the way magic seemed to work, the way the names sounded (Kjora, Skalir, Isolfr…). Also, the people of Tulja looked overall like decent people, who didn’t make a distinction between men and women as long as one was able to pull his/her share of the work. They would’ve had every reason for throwing Hanna out, yet showed understanding, especially Finnur and Asbera; these two were definitely sweet and welcoming, and provided a good, kind counterpart to the apparent coldness of Kolur and Frida.

Overall, more a 1.5*, but since I did like some of the characters, and found reading about them pleasant, I’m making it a 2.

Yzabel / March 14, 2014

Review: Emilie and the Sky World

Emilie and the Sky World by Martha Wells

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

A Girl’s Own Adventure in the spirit of Jules Verne.

When Emilie and Daniel arrive in Silk Harbor, Professor Abindon, an old colleague of the Marlendes, warns them that she’s observed something strange and potentially deadly in the sky, a disruption in an upper air aether current. But as the Marlendes investigate further, they realize it’s a ship from another aetheric plane. It may be just a friendly explorer, or something far more sinister, but they will have to take an airship into the dangerous air currents to find out.

Emilie joins the expedition and finds herself deep in personal entanglements, with an angry uncle, an interfering brother, and an estranged mother to worry about as well as a lost family of explorers, the strange landscapes of the upper air, and the deadly menace that inhabits the sky world.

Review:

(I got an ARC copy from NetGalley. At the time, the book wasn’t published yet, but it took me some time to get to it. Some things may have changed between the version I have, and the actual, final version.)

One thing I have to get out of the way: I didn’t read Emilie and the Hollow World, the first installment in this series. Although each story seems to be self-contained, it was obvious that some elements from book #1 permeated book #2, partly through brief recapping here and there; and so I may or may have not missed a few things.

This story follows a classical adventure format, its world and themes reminiscent of classical works as well (the—lovely—cover, among other things, made me think of the old Jules Vernes books I had when I was a child). Airships, explorers, scientists with a dash of magic to their craft, and young people wanting part of the big adventure: these can and will certainly appeal to a younger audience. Bonus points, also, for the aether-ship creature, who truly was alien (not humanoid, as in too many novels), and for including the communication/language barrier. I tend to be highly skeptical of “aliens” with whom communicating is awfully easy in every aspect.

On the other hand, I found the story easily predictable (the missing expedition mentioned in the first chapters of the book was kind of a giveaway), and I think even younger readers would have the same feeling. The chapters leading to getting into the aether currents were too slow to my liking; I guess I wanted the Big Adventure to start faster—that’s why I pick adventure stories. (As I mentioned, I didn’t read book #1, but I suppose someone who has would want things to start faster?)

But those are smaller qualms: after all, sometimes we just want predictable, and in such genres, it’s not that much of a problem per se. The real issue for me were the characters, whom I just didn’t connect with: they felt brushed over, shown on the surface only, when clearly something deeper was going on for some of them, and I would’ve liked to see more in that regard. Emilie struck me as too mean and petulant regarding her brother; granted, they seemed to share history, but they’re still young (Efrain must be, what, 10?), and it was weird, because they somehow felt like they shared twenty years of resentment. As a result, Emilie wasn’t particularly likeable—at least, not like the adventurous, smart and resourceful girl I imagined her to be when I started reading. Same with the Professor and Miss Marlende: the tension between them was never really explained (though I could feel very early who they were), and it would’ve been interesting to know how exactly things became that way.

In itself, it was a fairly nice story, but one I’ll probably forget fast.

Yzabel / March 6, 2014

Review: The Necromancer’s Gambit

The Necromancer’s Gambit by Nicolas Wilson

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

Knight, the sheriff of a local magical government known as “the Gambit,” is called to recover a mutilated body, tainted with magic and dumped at a popular haunt. When the corpse is identified as a close associate of the Gambit, it threatens the safety of the community he protects, and those he cares about most. As the fragile peace amongst the city’s magic-wielding factions disintegrates, Knight must track down a cadre of murderers before his friends are picked off, one by one- with each death used to strengthen the spells cast against the Gambit.

Review:

(I got a free copy of this book through ARR #1665 in the Making Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)

The Necromancer’s Gambit is one of those conundrum books I don’t exactly know how to rate, because it had strong good sides, but also strong points that disagreed with me. Part of me liked it, while another part didn’t really want to go through with it.

Mostly I was really interested in the background it developed, with mages organised in groups (“gambits”) aiming at settling disputes, protecting their cities, and so on. Each gambit has a defined set of members, named after chess pieces, with defined roles: Kings and Queens on the political scene, Rooks as guardians, Knights acting as sheriffs, and so on. These members are also well-versed in different kinds of magic, from tracking spells to necromancy to devising bombs and traps. There are definitely lots of possibilities and combinations here, especially considering the presence of other supernaturals such as vampires in town, and I don’t doubt the series—since this is book #1—aims at exploiting them more later.

There’s also mystery, a noir flavour, murder attempts, murders performed through the use of gruesome magic, necromancy (I’m such a weakling for necromancy)… It’s certainly not a kind world. And the novel plays on enough different aspects, between action and investigation, that a reader will likely find something to his/her taste in it.

However, I found it hard to focus on the story, and it came down to two problems for me. The first was editing. Some sentences had a weird structure, making them hard to follow (punctuation included). Sometimes, it was also difficult to follow who was talking, and who was the POV character for a given chapter (mostly Knight, with forays into Rook’s and Pawn’s sides of the adventure). Also, I think some bits of dialogue should’ve been omitted, as they made scenes a little too long. This ties into the second problem: a serious overload of sexual jokes and innuendos? Now, this is coming from someone whose degree of well-being is measured by her friends by the amount of dirty jokes she makes (I’m worse in that regard than most men I know). Such jokes normally don’t bother me… but there were just too many of them, in situations where they fell flat and disrupted the narrative flow. Almost every character would sooner or later talk about his junk—or someone else’s; more than once I found myself thinking “why aren’t they getting to the point instead of mentioning X’s dick or Y’s boobs or whatever? It’s been going on for ten chapters.” As a consequence of those two issues, I tended to lose track too often, and I bet it prevented me from seeing some of the more subtle sides of the story. (A shame, since betrayal’s involved.)

I’m definitely liking the world those characters evolve in, and I wouldn’t mind discovering more about it. As it was, though, I’d have appreciated it much more without all the asides.

Yzabel / February 20, 2014

Review: His Lordship Possessed

Disenchanted & Co., Part 2: His Lordship Possessed by Lynn Viehl

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

The second half of Disenchanted & Co.—the thrilling conclusion. In a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolutionary War, Charmian (Kit) Kittredge makes her living investigating magic crimes and exposing the frauds behind them. While Kit tries to avoid the nobs of high society, as the proprietor of Disenchanted & Co. she follows mysteries wherever they lead.

Lady Diana Walsh calls on Kit to investigate and dispel the curse she believes responsible for carving hateful words into her own flesh as she sleeps. While Kit doesn’t believe in magic herself, she can’t refuse to help a woman subjected nightly to such vicious assaults. As Kit investigates the Walsh family, she becomes convinced that the attacks on Diana are part of a larger, more ominous plot—one that may involve the lady’s obnoxious husband.

Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of nefarious deathmage Lucien Dredmore and the unwelcome scrutiny of police Chief Inspector Thomas Doyle. Unwilling to surrender to either man’s passion for her, Kit struggles to remain independent as she draws closer to the heart of the mystery. Yet as she learns the truth behind her ladyship’s curse, Kit also uncovers a massive conspiracy that promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a supernatural battleground from which no one will escape alive.

Review:

(I got a copy of thie book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Click here for my review of Part 1.)

I still liked the world developed in this story. It fels solid and sturdy, with lots of building behind the scene, even though we’re not to see everything yet (which is normal); anyway, the important part for me is that I could feel it).

The characters remain likeable and interesting. There’s more to Lucien than what he allows himself to show: far from perfect, but not the dark villain kind either. Kit is still her savvy self, doing her best to get herself out of predicaments (and her best does work), learning from past “mistakes” (ah, good old drugged cups of tea), as well as refusing to give up in spite of the odds clearly being against her. Thomas, although a little too bland to my taste, tries to help, and genuinely cares for Kit. And I like Rina and her girls.

I couldn’t enjoy this book more, though, because of the way the story moved. At some point, I felt it started to unwind too fast, with too many new elements introduced all at once, especially in terms of the world’s mythology. As I mentioned, this world’s interesting, but some of its most secret parts would’ve been easier to stomach if they had been unveiled more gradually. Some links seemed to be missing: for instance, I didn’t really saw how Kit came to the conclusion that “the real culprit behind all this is X”.

And I’m really not satisfied with the ending. It paves the way for Disenchanted & Co. (as a business), but the way it unfolded was a device I don’t like, too close to a deus ex machina, that negated many of the hardships the characters went through. Sure, it saved the day, but at a heavy cost plot-wise, at least in my opinion. I’d have preferred things to take a darker direction, as painful as it would have been for the characters.

Yzabel / September 26, 2013

Review: A Study in Darkness

A Study in Darkness by Emma Jane Holloway

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

When a bomb goes off at 221B Baker Street, Evelina Cooper is thrown into her Uncle Sherlock’s world of mystery and murder. But just when she thought it was safe to return to the ballroom, old, new, and even dead enemies are clamoring for a place on her dance card.

Before Evelina’s even unpacked her gowns for a country house party, an indiscretion puts her in the power of the ruthless Gold King, who recruits her as his spy. He knows her disreputable past and exiles her to the rank alleyways of Whitechapel with orders to unmask his foe.

As danger mounts, Evelina struggles between hiding her illegal magic and succumbing to the darker aspects of her power. One path keeps her secure; the other keeps her alive. For rebellion is brewing, a sorcerer wants her soul, and no one can protect her in the hunting ground of Jack the Ripper.

Review:

(I received an ARC e-copy of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

This second installment in the “Baskerville Affair” series takes a darker turn for its protagonists, in a good way. The author keeps on developing an interesting society, dominated by manipulative steam barons who all seek to move their pawns and take new ones in the process. She also weaves unsolved elements from the first book into this one, allowing to make more sense of what happened then, and introduces a few more questions that pave the way for volume three… not to mention two cliffhangers at the end, regarding the fate of two characters.

Evelina is now faced with harsher choices, partly due to her own mistakes, the latter being as many opportunities to make her fall. However, she does her best to keep her head high, and do what she must do while trying to find a solution to her predicament. Some of her decisions may seem rash or stupid, but much less so when remembering she’s only 19, and pitched again people twice her age (at least), who have had much more experience in the great game of manipulation. There’s potential here for some huge comeback on her part, as well as for temptation of the darkest kind, and I sure want to know what she’s going to do in the last part of the series.

The romance aspect remains present, in a more interesting way than the somewhat feeble triangle from book one. Evelina seems to make a decision in that regard that suits her personality much more, although it’s a source of problems in and of itself. Here, too, lie more opportunities for the author to exploit later, and I hope this will be the case. I like what Nick has become: he’s going about his new life and decisions with gusto, and although he’s on the wrong side of the law, he’s probably one of the more decent people in all that, along with Imogen and, surprisingly, Alice Keating (who was given the short end of the straw, yet seems to be able to fall back on her feet in the future).

No ties with canon Sherlock Holmes cases this time; on the other hand, it’s the fall of 1888, and a lot of scenes are set in Whitechapel… This period, setting and characters imply another cameo, of course, and this time the murderer is in my opinion quite unexpected, although logical when considering the big picture.

I wasn’t too thrilled with the characterization of Holmes in this book, but he doesn’t appear that much, and he’s not the main focus of the story, so it didn’t bother me as much as if everything had revolved about him.

Yzabel / September 23, 2013

Review: The Cypher

The Cypher by Julian Rosado-Machain

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

GUARDIANS INC.: THE CYPHER is two stories in one. A glimpse into a multinational company that is in reality the oldest of secret societies, one that spans close to seven thousand years of existence, weaving in and out of history, guiding and protecting humanity from creatures and forces that most of us believe are only mythology and fairy tales.

The other is the story of Thomas Byrne, a young man thrust into secrets he shouldn’t be aware of and dangers he shouldn’t face, but that he ultimately will, for he is a Cypher. The only one who can steer humanity’s future.

The ultimate conspiracy theory is that Magic is real. Kept in check by technology, but every five hundred years the balance can shift and, if it does, technology will fail and those creatures we’ve driven into myth will come back with a vengeance.

To protect the present, Guardians Incorporated needs to know the future.

Review:

(I got an ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

This novel was likeable enough, but in the end, I’ll probably forget it quickly, in spite of its good points.

You don’t get bored with the story: there’s always something happening. It is also rife with good ideas regarding magic, its role in shaping the world, elementals, various fantastic creatures, and basically lets us see a world close to our own, yet fundamentally different no matter what. Most of the characters all have their distinct features, and pave the way for more development later on. The concept of the Cypher, too, was fascinating: it’s kind of like being a super-librarian and super-translator at once, and as someone who likes both those fields of work, well, of course I would like that! Same with how the author included the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and various books supposedly never published for common people, yet available in the special Guardians’ library.

On the other hand, even though the story was interesting, I found myself dragging through it. I wasn’t sure why at first, but I think it had to do with the discrepancy between the main character and the style, among other things: although Thomas is in high school, the book reads more like a middle-grade novel, and this became strange after a while. I’m sure I’d have liked it a lot more when I was 13, but not at 17-18 (which seems to be the intended audience). Furthermore, while it’s indeed packed with action, sometimes things just moved too fast, and I had to pause and flip back to see if I hadn’t missed anything in between. A downside to this is that the characters don’t get fleshed out as much as they could have in other circumstances—Thomas especially appeared as somewhat ‘flat’ compared to others. Finally, I also wondered several times at some of the decisions made by the adults in the book (I would’ve expected them to be more clever).

All in all, “The Cypher” will likely please readers from the middle-grade crowd, but perhaps not older ones.

Yzabel / September 9, 2013

Review: A Study in Silks

A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

Evelina Cooper, the niece of the great Sherlock Holmes, is poised to enjoy her first Season in London’s high society. But there’s a murderer to deal with—not to mention missing automatons, a sorcerer, and a talking mouse.

In a Victorian era ruled by a council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch, and sorcery the demon enemy of the empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines—something Evelina has secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest of Her Majesty’s secret laboratories. What’s a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she’s never found out?

But then there’s that murder. As Sherlock’s niece, Evelina should be able to find the answers, but she has a lot to learn. And the first decision she has to make is whether to trust the handsome, clever rake who makes her breath come faster, or the dashing trick rider who would dare anything for her if she would only just ask.

Review:

(I got an ARC ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

For once, I’ll say I liked this story better than I expected to. I can be a terribly grouchy fan of good old Sherlock Holmes, and among the few other books I read in which he makes an appearance, only two really managed to grip me (one because the author managed to emulate Doyle’s style and narrative as much as possible, and the other for totally different reasons, with a very different Holmes, too). The reasons behind this reluctance of mine are usually of three kinds: character betrayal, easy Deux Ex Machina and badly disguised fanfiction, complete with self-inserts. I don’t think “A Study in Silks” fell into those pitfalls, or so little that it didn’t impede my reading pleasure.

Evelina is definitely the main character here, and stands her ground as a strong young woman, even though she commits mistakes and is clearly not on par (yet?) with her uncle in terms of investigating. But then, could anyone be, especially someone as young and yet to learn much more from life, especially in a society such as hers, and torn as she is between two worlds? Considering her circumstances, I thought she actually did quite a good job with the hands she was dealt. Besides, while I’m not always a big proponent of the romance aspect, I find it to be quite à propos in Victorian-like settings, women being expected to either marry or earn a living through a limited range of jobs only (governess, school teacher, maid…). In that regard, Evelina’s problems and on-the-side “errings” make sense.

Add magic (banished and rejected!) and lobbying, powerful steam barons who can disconnect people, both directly (cutting gas supplies) and indirectly (being without lighting means Society understanding you’re a reject), and you’ve got a complex world in which to navigate. Clearly it wasn’t described entirely here, far from it, but I got enough to form a proper vision of my own, and to wish to read the next installment in order to learn more about it.

The book shifts through several points of view, not only Evelina’s, which is a little unusual at first for a mystery novel: it cuts on potential culprits fairly quickly, since when we switch to their POV, we know they’re not guilty (and conversely). However, in the long run, the technique worked; the plot is complicated enough as it is, and using only Evie’s POV may have forced the author to resort to other tricks to have everything solved, which in turn may have seemed too convenient. As for Sherlock Holmes himself, although he wasn’t on the same level as the original character (can any be?), he was far from being the worst, too. I liked how he was tied to canon happenings (Bohemia, Irene Adler…), which allowed for him to have an influence on the story as a whole, without intervening too directly, yet without being shoved aside “just because” either. Though he helps to solve the mystery, he doesn’t do all the work—and there are things himself doesn’t know, and that his niece won’t tell him about, thus leaving her with the ace of magic under her sleeve.

While the main story gets wrapped up, the ending is an open one: not a “how frustrating!” cliffhanger, but with enough things left unsolved, and enough new elements, to allow, I think, for a second book with more than just a couple of leads to chase. As for the love triangle, at first I wasn’t convinced (they’re so common nowadays!). Nevertheless, both love interests have a darker side. Both end up in shady deeds. Neither is totally black or white, and Evelina isn’t blind to that, keeping her wits about her and not melting as soon as she sees them, although part of her sure wishes to. Things didn’t pan out as I expected them to, and this was a nice surprise, leaving open roads here as well.

If one thing, I think the book might have been a trifle too long, or perhaps dwellt a little too much on some aspects (marriage prospects, romance for more than one character…) to my liking. But, again, this fits within the Victorian-like setting—much more than it fits in many contemporary ones, to be honest.

Yzabel / August 29, 2013

Review: Earth Power

Earth Power by Adam J. Black

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

EARTH POWER introduces an extraordinary team of paranormal investigators. Led by Raphael Drake and Sam Watkins, partners in the London-based Aquarius Agency, the team includes Tarot reader Gemini Quinn, young newspaper reporter Denny Finch, and a three-hundred pound English Mastiff named Doctor Dee.

When insurance salesman Harry Gill dies in a freak accident on a route the newspapers call ‘The Road to Hell’, no one can explain the cause. But Harry’s death is only the latest in a string of unexplained events in the North of England. Crops have been destroyed, cattle are stampeded, and a family is terrorised by a violent poltergeist.

The situation calls for the unique sensory powers of Raphael Drake, and the investigative abilities of his partner, ex-Metropolitan Police detective Sam Watkins.

With bizarre incidents becoming more frequent and increasingly dangerous, the Aquarius team travel north to investigate. Who, or what, is causing escalating levels of death and mayhem in one small part of rural Derbyshire? What is the purpose of the massive concentration of destructive energy focussed on the market town of Castlebridge? And how real is the threat to their own lives suggested by a series of ominous warnings?

Raphael, Sam and their team race to find the answers in time to avert an impending disaster. But mysterious forces are already gathering, determined to stop them.

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ReadIt & Reap 177 in the Shut Up & Read group, in exchange for an honest review.)

This book is based on interesting premises, using the theme of natural energies being gathered for a purpose, as well as people (and/or their deaths) playing a role in it. I liked the diversity of characters, each of them having their own significant traits, including strengths and witnesses and even, for some, potential for complications later on, especially in trems of relationships. I also liked how the author depicted the small town and the countryside where the investigation takes place; it had all the charm of what I imagine to be a typical English town, and even though some might say those things are cliché, they still allowed me to picture the setting very easily. The same kind of detailed description was given to death scenes, making them pretty vivid (as paradoxical as this choice of words may seem!) and pulling me in.

The story itself, alas, proved hard to read in the long run, probably because its pacing felt rather uneven, with disjointed scenes and point-of-view jumping. While Sam and Raphael found their right place as far as roles were concerned, they also seemed to overshadow the other characters in terms of development, which in turn made me feel like said other characters weren’t really needed. I think what bothered me the most, in fact, was how in the end, lots of things were left unexplained, and not only the ones that were clearly kept in store for a next novel (Sam’s family, for instance): I would’ve wanted to read more about the paranormal aspects. Another weird thing was how everything unfolded, leaving the main characters confused as to what happened, and I as a reader wondering what was actually the point of having them investigate at all if it was to have the whole mess solved by a third party.

It’s the kind of book I usually tend to enjoy, and I wished I had liked this story more. I really do. But I prefer to be honest here, even though there were interesting elements in “Earth Power”, and I think those can be appreciated no matter what.

Yzabel / August 6, 2013

Review: Water

Water by Terra Harmony

My rating: [rating=1]

Summary:

Elemental powers in the palm of her hand…and it won’t be enough to save her. When Kaitlyn Alder is involuntarily introduced to a life of magic, she becomes part of an organization hell-bent on saving the Earth. Just as her new-found life holds promises of purpose, romance, and friendship, the organization divides and a rogue member holds Kaitlyn hostage. Now one of the most terrifying men the human race has to offer stands between her and Earth’s survival.

Review:

(I got this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

I’m honestly not sure what I’m supposed to think of this book. On the one hand, the idea of a group of people gifted with elemental powers, and who use them to protect the Earth, is interesting in itself, when humans in general become more and more aware of environment-related problems. On the other hand… the way this group goes at it is definitely flawed and dysfunctional. And not “dysfunctional, yet still efficient”—rather the contrary, in fact, considering how blind most of them seem to be to the one who’s going to betray them.

Come to think of it, those characters often behaved inconsistently, be it the leader or the heroine, Kaitlyn (who is badass in some ways, but definitely annoying in many others). The love story thrown in almost from the beginning felt placed there because… I’m not sure why, actually. Just like I kept on questioning the Seven’s methods. Abduction? Check. Giving you a choice that isn’t one, because if you choose the wrong pill, you’re not given back to freedom? Check. “Training” that involves attempted rape and other close to torture measures? Check. I’m all for training in harsh circumstances, but this was pushing it too far, leaving me with the feeling that the only interest behind it was to objectify the feminine character. It didn’t empower her in any way, at least not in my eyes.

And then Kaitlyn still forgives that crap, not to mention how the other characters react to it in a “deal with it, it’s no biggie” manner. Uh, guys? Attempted. Rape. Get it? I can read about such themes—they do have their place in literature—only here, the conclusions they lead to are seriously screwed up. As a woman myself, it’d be almost like telling me “if you don’t want to be molested, then you shouldn’t have a vagina.” I wish men in this story had been portrayed as being more human, all that simply.

I don’t know, but I’m not sure I’d like to know the saviours of the Earth are that kind of people. It seems that if you’re a woman, working with them means nothing but trouble, abuse, and getting discarded once you’ve outlived your usefulness. Rather… distateful.

Also, why the two third person point of view shifts, when all the rest was in first person? I could have understood more of them, or going first-person only, or going third-person all the way. But this was just weird, in terms of writing.