May 19, 2009

Review--Storm Glass


The Glass Series!

Maria V. Snyder has done it again with another brilliant series. For those who may not know, Maria wrote the Study Series which followed a young woman, Yelena, who discovered she has magical talent. Well, since I am talking about the new series, I don't want to get too into that one. If you stop by her website, you can find information and book descriptions for her first three books from her first series.

http://www.mariavsnyder.com/books/

Her new series still takes place in the same world as Yelena. A few years later, Yelena even stops by in the last few chapters. Along with a few other characters from her first trilogy.

Storm Glass brings us into Opal's world, a young glass maker that we met in the first trilogy. It is not necessary to read the first three books in order to know what is happening. Any details you need to know about how Opal connects to Yelena are mentioned in the book, although, I HIGHLY recommend reading the Yelena books. Those are Poison Study; Magic Study; Fire Study

Those are really GREAT reads. Maria's books brings you into this whole other magical world. All books draw you into their world and most of the time, the ones that I read, are already in our current world and time, things are just different with vampires lurking about. There are no vampires in this series, this is a strictly magical series.

Going back to the Glass Series, Opal is a glass-maker and a magician in training, but she feels like maybe she is only a one trick magician, meaning she can only do one thing really well. Opal has the power to do amazing things with glass blowing, she is even able to trap bad guys' souls into them or create glass object so other magicians can communicated to one another from long distances. No need for cell phones!

But something is going wrong with the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, powerful magicians are dying. The clan needs Opal's help, especially with her particular talents. But the things go wary when she reaches the clan and naturally things are a lot worse than she was originally led to believe.

Opal soon discovers that she has a different kind of power within her and that it can be dangerous, to the people around her and to herself if the wrong people were to find out about it. So now she must keep a secret from her most trusted adviser and few friends.

To make things even MORE interesting and intriguing there is a conflict of love interests going on the book. Opal is torn between two men, both who have the power to steal her heart. She cannot determine who would not break it if she were to hand it over and the results are shocking! You will never see it coming, unless you look (read) very closely. I caught on pretty quickly and was mostly right about the turnout. I won't delve further into my guesses because then that would ruin the book for you.

Maria's books are wonderful and exciting to read. I can't get enough of them. To top it off with every book there is a contest, where you must answer trivia questions regarding the book to win a signed bookplate and then your name is put into a drawing for a signed copy of the book. There are ongoing contests from her previous books as well to win signed bookplates and a chance to win a signed copy of the book as well. So if you read the book or one of her past novels or want to win a signed bookplate and the chance to win an autographed copy of one of her books, check out her contest page on her website:

http://www.mariavsnyder.com/contests.php

Maria is a wonderful author and I love reading her books. I even had the pleasure of meeting with her last year at the Romantic Times Book Convention 2008. I was able to talk with her about her writing career and how she got started since I want to be a writer myself someday soon. She had to go through several rejections before finally getting published by Mira books. Determination is the key, you have to keep going for your dream no matter how many rejections you get. I have taken this advice to heart and think about it constantly as I am trying to write my first novel. I again say, that she is a wonderful and thoughtful person who I still talk to through email every now and then.

So go now, read her books!!

Did you know?


HBO's True Blood series is actually based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mystery Series?

It is probably common knowledge by now, what with the DVD release today and Season 2 kicking off next month. I don't have HBO but bought the DVD today and plan on watching it all tomorrow since I don't have to work.

I already know, from hearing others talk about what it's like that it is really like the books. Some of the characters are vastly different in the show than they are in the book. I heard someone mention Tara being really "crazy" on the show and in the book, she is nothing like that. She was once into the whole vampire thing, but after a serious incident she steered clear of them and went back to being plain old human Tara, instead of the Tara who hangs out with vampires.

Why is it that Hollywood, to put it in basic terms, always messes with the book when making it into a TV show or movie? I understand editing scenes out for time purposes, although, I can say for myself if the movie would be exactly like the book, keeping in all the important and not-as-important scenes, I would stay in the theater no matter how long the movie is. Everyone knows by now that the Harry Potter movies are nothing like the books, I mean come on where the hell has Dobby been since the second movie? He has a critical role in the last book, a whole chapter is dedicated to him. What is it going to be Neville instead?

But that's Hollywood. I am fully prepared for there to be extreme differences from the actual series, which are wonderful to read by the way. If you loved the show, check the books out, they are fabulous. They even have a pack of the first 7 books in paperback. Charlaine is up to book 9 that released just a few weeks ago. There is to be another set of paperbacks releasing books 1-8 later this year. Or if you really love the show, they are revamping the covers to have pictures from the show on it instead of the cartoon drawings that are currently on the covers.

Speaking of vampires and televison shows along the line of books, since this is a reading blog, there is very vague news that L.J. Smith, another fantastic vampire author, this one for YA, who wrote the Vampire Diaries which had recently been republished with a brand new book starting a new Vampire Diaries series, so to speak, called The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall. This series is supposed to focus more on the character Damon, apparently. At least that was what I heard. I read the series years ago, back when they were 10 years old and now they're over 20, wow! It's a good series, high school and vampires pre-Twilight. I read this long before I read Twilight, and I liked Twilight.

Anyway back to the news, there is supposedly a possible TV show in the making of this book series. The CW is up for making the pilot to pitch it to the people on top, whatever that means, and if it goes okay, we might have ourselves another vampire television show based on a vampire book series! Yea! I am super excited to hear about this and hope whoever it is that makes the BIG decision gives it the okay. There's a chance it might since Twilight has become so big. Ian Somerhandler is supposed to be playing Damon, the bad guy. I think he's perfect for that role, because he does have a sort of rugged bad boy look. Don't ya think?



May 16, 2009

Review--At Grave's End


At Grave's End

Again if you haven't read the first or second one yet, do NOT read this post any further for there are more spoilers!!!

The third and current installment in the Night Huntress Series. The fourth novel is due out this July. Yea!

In this one Cat and Bones celebrate the holidays, with a battle that takes place in the dead of night. Zombies attack! Seriously!

A woman from Bones' past has come to reek havoc on his life and those around him. Which puts Cat into danger and not even her training she learned as a special agent can save her. She is going to have to embrace the vampire half of her life.

On subplots this book is pretty good. Cat and Bones are married in the eyes of vampires, and Bones is now set to make the union legal in the eyes of humans. Yes, Cat and Bones are planning their wedding, although the plans are put on hold when chaos erupts.

Tate, once Cat's best guy pal, is still vying for her affections despite Bones' many warnings and despite the fact that she loves Bones and is married to him, in one way. Tate takes on certain obstacles and changes his life around in order to make himself more appealing to Cat. He is determined to win her affections once and for all.

While reading the book, you can tell what Cat is going to decide. So be prepared. Cat's father makes another appearance in the book and the results from that are shocking. Not to mention the fact that Cat must tell her mother, who hates vampires with a fiery passion, that she is going to marry Bones.

Her mother has a better role in this novel than she did in book 1. We see more of her as Cat feels she would rather be the one to protect her at her side while this thing with the woman from Bones' past takes place.




Destined for an Early Grave

Out on shelves on July 28!

Taken from Jeaniene Frost's website:

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.


Now for a little extra news:

Jeaniene is running a contest to win an ARC of Vicki Pettersson's newest book in the Zodiac Series on her Live Journal Blog. Here is a link to get to the site:

http://frost-light.livejournal.com/


All you have to do to enter is email her, it's real simple. I have read and loved Vicki's Zodiac series, I just have not gotten to posting about it since I have read them so long ago. Hers is a fantastic series that has an ongoing battle with the Shadows and Light, members of each Zodiac battle against the other. Check out Vicki's website for immediate details about the series at:

http://www.vickipettersson.com/home.html?p=index

Review--One Foot in the Grave

One Foot in the Grave

Okay if you haven't read the first book, don't continue reading this, for there will be some spoilers.

This second installment of the Night Huntress series takes place a few years after the first one. Cat has joined up with the special unit in the FBI and hunts down more of the bad vampires and other supernatural bad guys. Although she still cannot forget the vampire that she loved and left behind in order to protect; Bones.

It doesn't help that Tate, one of her men on her team is starting to show more affectionate feelings towards her. She doesn't want to be romantically involved with him, but he is determined to win her.

When Cat attends a wedding of one of her friends, who does she standing across from her on the groom's side. Why none other than Bones. Cat begins to panic, wondering how he was able to find her after so long.

But that is nowhere near the beginning of Cat's problems. Someone wants her dead. Permanently. And they're willing to pay big for it. Bones is there to protect the woman he loves who left him without a word.

Cat and Bones' relationship grows stronger than ever when an old flame comes to aid Cat at Bones' request. Cat learns some things about Bones' past. She is also introduced to a large group of vampires and takes part in an important ceremony among the vampires. She also comes face to face with her father.

While a whole lot more happens, I do not want to tell the whole story here. Even the last bit might have been too much of a spoiler, but never fear, I end my rambling here.

Review--Halfway to the Grave

Halfway to the Grave

Okay so I am super behind on blogging on my favorite books and such. I've been busy.

So I want to talk about some books I have read and this is one of them. Halfway to the Grave is the first in the Night Huntress series and is a fabulous read!

In it is Cat who we learn right away is half vampire and half human. Her mother was raped by a newbie vamp and it left her mother hating vampires. Vampires are still a secret to the majority of society and when Cat learns of her father's true identity she begins hunting vampires. She was only a teenager when she killed her first one and is determined to hunt down her father and kill him for what he did to her mother.

Along the way she kills any vampire she can get to. Her mother is pleased by this. But then there is one vampire, Bones, who outsmarts her and is about to kill her, but then he discovered her secret, that she is half vamp. The two then form a union of sorts to hunt down a different vampire that is bad, obviously, but Bones promises that he will use his sources to find her father.

Since this is found in the romance section of the bookstore, you can probably guess what happens between the two. The ending is the ultimate shocker, one that I will not reveal. You'll just have to buy the book for yourself!