Prince: Legacy of Darkness | Phoenix Garrett Wright

*Book and image provided by NetGalley

Summary:

This book follows the story of Lucifer (a separate entity from Satan) the first vampire, and former seraphim. In the 2060's, a decade or so after the War of Immortals, the witches become bolder in their attacks on the vampires who, led by Lucifer, prefer to be left in darkness and out of humanity's reality, except for when it's time to feed. Lucifer must keep his fledglings in line in an attempt to show a united front against the army of witches and humans with UV light based weapons.

Review:

This is a very long book. If you intend to read it, be sure to set enough time aside for it. To be fair to Wright, I'm not sure how this book could have told the story he wanted while being a shorter book. There is a lot of content here with a fairly good balance between exposition/story telling and action.

Fair warning about the action, this book is not for the feint of heart or stomach. Several scenes involve copious amounts of blood. Then there are the depictions of Hell that left me feeling nauseated. I won't go into details, but  you have been warned. 

I have to admit, I probably won't read the next installment. I read all 600+ pages of this book and never felt emotionally or intellectually invested in any of the characters. The entire book is told from the perspective of Lucifer and it's no surprise he used to manage the Gate of Pride in Hell. He's arrogant and prideful to a fault, but clearly such is the nature of the character. I never feel that any one group, humans, vampires or witches are in the right. They all seem like they're doing the wrong thing, especially when the story is from the perspective of someone who thinks they're all inferior anyways.

Probably my biggest complaint about this book is that there are so many typos and punctuation errors. It may have just been the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) I received, but there were so many spelling and editing errors that need to be cleaned up. 

To be honest, I can only give this book 2.5 hoots. I appreciate what the author was trying to do, and the first half or so of the book was plenty entertaining, but after that it was just all downhill and I just wanted the book to end.

            Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoo

Whitechapel Gods | S. M. Peters

Summary:

Victorian London has been taken over by two gods, Grandfather Clock, whose law iron, and Mama Engine, whose law is fire. Anyone who acts against the gods is either destroyed by the Boiler Men, soldiers of Grandfather Clock who gave their souls for bodies of iron, or they are taken directly to Grandfather Clock and made a part of his machine. Even those who don't act up are infested with a disease that replaces human parts with machines or they choke to death on the fumes of the machines of the gods. A group is devising a way to kill both of the gods and free London, but there are humans going against gods. 

Review:

Overall, this was a good, engaging read. I certainly wasn't expecting it to be as dark as it was, but the feel fits the form. You could not write a world like this, where the sun is blotted out, and not have a dark story.

The characters in this world are quite interesting. I appreciated that intelligence was the order of the day with three of the main characters. Intelligent characters make for more interesting stories and at no point did I feel any of the good guys were being dumb. Most of the characters were level-headed enough to handle surprises and make sure the obvious was expected.

That said, the ending was a little predictable and there were a handful of typos that took me out of the story. But it was still an entertaining read.

                Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoot! Hoo

Down the Wormhole by Ana Franco

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. And you know me, I prioritize honesty.

Overall, Down the Wormhole is a good book. It's barely 100 pages, so Franco does not waste pages with anything unnecessary to the story, which I am always appreciative of, especially if sequels are promised.* The rapid-fire pace of events did take a little getting used to, but once I had my brain trained on this speed, I was able to keep up with the story events pretty well. I also liked the blending of Celtic, Norse and Egyptian mythologies, though I do agree with the main character, Kitty, that some explanations are needed.**

I've admitted several times in the past that love stories aren't my thing***. Fortunately Franco is able to give plenty of focus to each of the events of the story that need to take place. She has allotted each essential part of the story enough time that the entire book remains well balanced.

Probably my biggest criticism of this would be the sheer number of typos. They were pretty common and caused me to be distracted while reading. But, this is an ARC, so hopefully another round of proofing/editing will take care of them.

I have to admit, this book is good. With some proofreading it could be great. For now I'm giving it 4 hoots and I look forward to seeing the finished project.

           Hoot!Hoot!

           Hoot!Hoot!

*I know Ana Franco is writing more books whether they are sequels to this one, I'm not so sure.
**Sequel?
***Which is probably why I ended up more interested in the one character that was not part of a couple, Andrew/Anubis.

The Poison Secret by Gregg Loomis

I'm not sure if any of my readers remember, but a while back,  I had completely given up on thrillers. They just weren't for me. They didn't thrill me. I needed to take an extended vacation from them. Then I was asked by a publisher to at least take a look at The Poison Secret. I read the description and figured, why not give it another try. That being said, I had a great time reading this book!

Though I have not yet read the previous books, I never felt like I needed to in order to understand this one. The main characters clearly have a history, but once Loomis establishes their relationship, there really is no need for back-story or excess exposition. Loomis clearly writes his books with all readers in mind, not just his regular audience.

The Poison Secret is a very fun adventure with great characters. The plot requires a little stretch of the imagination, but definitely not an uncomfortable one.* At no point did I want to put this book down. The exposition is well paced with the action.The dialog is natural. I happily give The Poison Secret by Gregg Loomis 4 hoots!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!Hoot!

*Especially after it's established that the main characters have a LOT of money.

Darkness Concealed by D. Emery Bunn

Once again I am left yelling at the author, demanding the sequel now even though the current book was only JUST published. Fortunately the digital copy I received came with the promise of a sequel and the author's website promised a trilogy. 

For all of my complaining, though, Bunn does something that few authors I have read lately have been able to do. He prepped me for the story to end so that I was accepting of it. Previous authors have ended their books in such ways and at such times that I felt I had missed something or I couldn't believe they ended their books there. Bunn, however, does a masterful job of leaving me wanting more, but also leaving me satisfied with the ending.  

Darkness Concealed is a book that could easily be a D&D campaign. I even posted a few jokes about that on twitter. But it really does work for this story. How else are you going to get a thief, a warrior, a scholar and a farmer to go on a quest? And what a quest it is! Find the source of the Darkening, a mysterious even that happens every 149 years when everything goes pitch black and terrifying creatures reign supreme, killing everyone they come across in terrible ways. 

I had so much fun reading this book! I'm disappointed in the fate of the Library of Antiquities, but this book is definitely the start of something awesome. At no point did I ever want to put this book down. I had some concerns about the character development, but that was mostly caused by empathizing with the characters and being able to notice the changes in the behaviors. 

Overall, I am happy to give Darkness Concealed 4.5 hoots out of 5 and happily encourage you to buy your own copy and help me cheer Bunn on to continue writing.

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoo

***This book was provided in digital format, free of charge, from the author. This does not affect my review.

Autumn Fire by Tom Wither

My reaction at the end of Autumn Fire is very similar to my reaction at the end of it's precursor, The Inheritor: There had better be another book in the works!

Autumn Fire picks up where the The Inheritor leaves off. The American East Coast is without power in millions of homes and offices. Aziz is still pulling all the strings and is close to completing his plans. Thompson of the NSA is having issues dealing with the self-imposed guilt from providing incorrect information that cost many lives. Agent Johnson of the FBI is being called back to Saudi Arabia to follow up on the arrest of the man they interrogated. And The Wraiths are stationed in the States to help train National Guardsmen. Then the next attacks hit!

This book hits you with problem after problem in a way that makes you empathize with the feelings of helplessness that the main characters feel. Once that is established, Wither makes sure you also feel their pride when they accomplish something, their relief when they succeed, etc. The characters in Autumn Fire are easy to relate with, even the lesser characters. At one point I was actually yelling because I was worried that one of my favorite characters was going to die.*

Like The Inheritor, Autumn Fire also gives more insight into the workings of Saudi Arabian politics and culture. Little things that we may consider innocent, asking how one's family is doing, are considered rude "Family is an intensely private matter here, spoken of only among other family members."** While other things we consider rude, such as invading a person's personal space, is seen as customary "[t]he last thing he needed now was to appear evasive or give the appearance of having something to hide by backing away..."*** Moreover, it is the establishment of respectful relationships that results in what success the main characters to achieve.

Probably my biggest concern with this book was that there seemed to be significantly more detailed violence than in the first book. This could be because there were more deaths in this book, while The Inheritor had more focus on the actual energy infrastructure, but some of the details about the effects of the specialized Wraith weaponry seemed...excessive. They definitely got the point across about Wraith weapons being more powerful than standard issue weapons. They also served the purpose of showing how dedicated the Jihad's were to continue in spite of these grievous wounds, but it was a bit much for me. The only other problem for me was that, because I received a digital proof and not a final copy, I came across several spelling errors that were distracting from the story, but I trust Turner Publications to have these corrected for the final product.

There were several times, while reading, that I had to tell my husband not to bug me because I did not want to stop reading. The ending itself left me wanting more, hence my reaction stated above. I greatly enjoyed Autumn Fire and wish it well in its upcoming release, September 9, 2014. I also encourage you to pick up your own copy, especially if you have read the first book, The Inheritor. If not, please see my earlier review. All in all, I give Autumn Fire 4 hoots and cannot wait for the next book!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!Hoot!

*Whether (s)he did or not, I will not say. I don't deal in spoilers.
**Page 363 in the digital proof.
***Page 325 in the digital proof.
****This book was provided, in digital format, by Turner Publishing. This does not have an effect on my review.

Grimm Hearts by JD Fitzegerald

Grimm Hearts by JD Fitzegerald is the story of a 471 year old reaper, named Jonny, who is dissatisfied with his un-life. Unfortnately, because reapers only experience the emotional gamut of morose to merely annoyed, he's not entirely sure what to do or how to fix this situation. There are rumors in the reaper world of a reaper dying twice, by falling in love, you become alive again. But these are only rumors. The most he remembers of his life before being a reaper are flashes he gets when he eats food that would kill a living person. Then he sees a woman who makes the world around disappear and whose life force he cannot read. She is his polar opposite. And in this case, opposites attract. 

I'll admit, I picked up this book because I thought it would be more comedy than love story. I was proven wrong, but I still managed to get several good laughs. I finished this book in a matter of hours because I didn't want to stop reading. Admittedly a lot of it was more out of fascination for the reaper world and rules than to figure out what happens next; but if the story hadn't held together, the mechanics of the world wouldn't have been so interesting. 

The characters in the story are well developed and feel real to me. We all have this time in our lives when we feel like something is off, but we don't know what. Some people, like Jonny, go searching for answers. When we find our answers, the transition can be painful, but finally knowing helps to make peace with the pain of becoming alive again.

That being said, I did come across a bunch of typos. But as the book is still in production, it's not too surprising. Other than that, I have no problems with this book. 

It saddens me to hear that the publication of this book has been stalled. I get that Cat's Southern accent wasn't well represented, but to hear that people didn't like the ending? It was one of the most beautiful endings I have read in a contemporary book. It was not a surprise. No aspect of this ending came out of the blue. I LOVE this ending and shame on people for demanding a different one. Fitzegerald did a masterful job on bringing the book to a close in a beautiful, peaceful way. I give it 5 Hoots. And I recommend getting yourself a copy when it becomes available.

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!

Disclaimer: E-Book was provided by the publisher.