Showing posts with label shapeshifters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shapeshifters. Show all posts

7/12/19

Review: The Demon You Know (Others series) by Christine Warren

Format: Mass market
Pub Date: May 2007
Publisher: St. Martins
Length: 344 pages
POV: 3rd, past
FTC: used copy from the TBR, purchase date unknown

Christine Warren is one of those authors who can be hit or miss with me. Some books I really enjoy, and others are kind of meh. This book, however, was actually bad. I almost DNF'd it, but stayed with it out of sheer stubborness.

Abby Baker, a low level employee for a local TV station who is unremarkable in every way except for having eyes of two different colors, gets caught on the street during a riot. While hiding from various violent factions, she ends up getting possessed by a fiend, a sort of evil spirit. NOT a demon, as we're told over and over and over again. Demons good, fiends bad.

Rule, an actual (good) demon, is on the hunt for a big bad fiend. He happens across Abby just as she's possessed by the fiend he's looking for, so he (of course) grabs her and carries her fireman style to an Others-friendly club. Abby considers it kidnapping; Rule considers it protective custody.

Much of the book consists of Abby trying to escape her involuntary confinement. There is a giant parade of secondary characters who don't really add to the story other than to confuse the narrative. Not only is Abby unremarkeable physically, her personality is rather bland as well (except for her determination to escape which constantly puts her in danger). The only interesting parts of the book are where she's arguing with the fiend who possessed her: a pervy, juvenile one named Lou.

8/21/13

Audiobook Review: Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Format: digital download
Length: 15 hrs 6 min
Pub Date: July 30, 2013
Publisher: Recorded Books
Narrator: Renee Raudman

I'm kind of over the whole "Can't wait for xyz book" phase I had when I first started the blog. Don't get me wrong, I love books. I still have my favorites. But with so much overkill on the buzz factor for new books, I've developed a finely tuned filter. Meaning...I don't pay attention. I certainly don't preorder books. This year, I preordered exactly three books: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs, Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh, and Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews. Both the Briggs and Andrews books I also purchased on audio.

When I first read that Ilona Andrews had gone with a different publisher for the new Kate Daniels audiobook, I was disappointed. I love Recorded Books, but I was attached to Renee Raudman, the narrator for the previous installments. I don't know what magic they employed, but somehow, the publisher managed to snag the same narrator to continue the series. With that news, I was on board to listen to the newest installment.