I'd do nothing but reading if I could (ok, maybe eat some great food, buy some fancy shoes between two books...oh, and spend some quality time with the gorgeous guy I married while I am on reading-break anyway...)
The first half was brilliant.
After the big revelation it got a bit OTT, but still a very good read and I enjoyed it - it felt a bit more fantastic than UF normally does, but it was well written and the characters were interesting and likable.
The love interest was also quite good - not Currran-level good, but still yummy enough :)
Biggest weekness for me was the budding romance to be honest. It was quite uninteresting, and I don't even know why exactly.
The whole PI thing was set up well, the back story of her client as well, although the big conclusion was for me quite anticlimactic. It was against all odds, and actually it wasn't very original, it felt like a bad 90ies psycho thriller.
All in all it wasn't a bad read, but it didn't really feel motivated to pick up the next installment.
But I was out after the female protag was described by a friend to herself:
"on you the colour only makes your skin look creamier and those darn clear grey eyes of yours glow. Seriously, big deal, that you're six foot six, you have a supermodel pout and hair the colour of fire-lit rubies."
Fire-lit rubies? Seriously???
I am out of here.
I just couldn't bear the stupidity any longer.
I didn't feel with the heroine, she came across as stupid and immature and also too emotional.
The whole story line didn't work for me.
It had a very strong YA/NA feel to me - heroine is 19.
And I had to laugh internally every time I read the big bad baddie's name: Montes Lazuli - that sounded like a bad play on a semi-precious stone...also, just for the record: THAT IS NOT A TYPICAL FRENCH NAME.
Anyway, I was disappointed, liked "pestilence" a lot, but this wasn't for me.
But it just couldn't catch my interest.
It had an original set-up with the soul that wanders from body to body to catch supernatural killers, but somehowit didn't work for me.
I only read the first 10 or 20% before I gave up.
Not quite happy.
As for the last installment, it kept me reading and interested, although I don't really know why.
I am not really interested in any of the characters. And there are plot holes galore (e.g. why use Danyael's looks as genetic template for Galahad, the perfect human being, if the creator has seen Danyael last when he was two or three years old. Pretty todlers can become not very pretty adults...and the whole explanation that Danyael's genes were somehow his father's ticket to immortality didn't make any sense...)
So.
Still a recommended read, if you don't want to think too much, just some action packed UF story about genetics and mutants...
It has the same weaknesses as the others, Danyael is still too good to be true, the story comes across as artificial, some characters and plot lines were introduced and then abandoned (e.g. the telepathic doctor who regularly stole Danyael's blood - it was to explain Danyael's shild in the first installment - it somehow vanished from the story...)
I still don't like Zara, still don't see why she needs to be so unearthly beautiful and seductive.
Galahad is more and more just a template, not a real person, he changes according to what is needed to further the story.
But still.
It kept me reading.
It still has all the things I didn't like, first and foremost Danyael being the victim, TGTBT, being manipulated etc.
I really dislike Zara, I don't see how anyone would like her, and this whole "to Danyael's empathic eyes, she is a gliterring jewel" - she is a selfish, mean and cold person, distrustful and without any sense of humor. WHY??? Why would her soul be glittering?????
Anyway.
There are many many plotholes, especially around this whole empath-topic but also Galahad as a plot device instead of a person, and the world-building is bent to serve the story line a lot, but it somehow still is a good read.
We'll see how this goes on.
This was well written and had a solid world-building and story flow.
It unfortunately doubles with "Mirija" - I would not recommend to read both, because that is boring. It is the same story, partially word for word, just told from another PoV, but without any new or exciting insight.
What I didn't like: Danyael is to good to be true and Zara got on my nerves quite quickly.
She sounds like an A**. Not sure why Danyael would give her the time of the day, or why the soul of a unlikable mercenary and killer would sparkle to the eyes of an Empath. That does not make any sense. And I do not like when characters in books are unearthly beautiful - and have violet eyes.
With Galahad and Danyael it makes a certain sense because the genetic thing is bascially the core of the story, similar for Lucien.
I found it quite sad - how Danyael was the beaten puppy all the time.
I took a sneak peek into the next few installments and it doesn't look like his life will improve...started the second one, but I think this will be it for me with Danyael's tragic heroic life.
What I didn't like: the insta-soul-mate stuff. Made the romance really boring.
It felt a bit off through out the whole story, disjointed pieces, not quite sure about the whole world-building with the goblins and elves and all this.
For me the werewolf part was totally unnecessary and did not in any way support the plot or the characters. It didn't add to the story. It would have been enough to have a drifter date a handicapped person and all the ensuing emotional development. The werewolf aspect was pretty boring to me. All in all it was a good read, but not fantastic. |
I have read Lupine Road by Cal Matthews, Wraith by Helen Harper and just started Perfection Unleashed by Jade Kerrion.
Couldn't find them on here, so I won't add them here, just on Goodreads.
This was a DNF for me - didn't happen to me in some time!
I couldn't bear the heroine much longer.
Also the writing was a bit clunky for my taste, so I am not interested.
Good introduction into the world-building.
Couldn't really identify with the protag, but the world sounded interesting so that I started the series.
It wasn't badly written, but it basically consistet of a few dramatic scenes and a lot of sex.
The romance part was in the past, as the main couple is already married, was separated through his imprisonment in South America, and then was re-united.
And had sex.
A lot.
The End.
So that was more or less boring.
The first third was actually a bit boring.
Then it went back to the whole "Ronan" story line. Which has become very repetitive over the last 5 books...
But it made me laugh out loud - the banter was that good.
So, a solid read if not fantastic.