One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis

Title: One Step Too Far

Author: Tina Seskis
Publisher: Krik Parolles
Pages: Kindle ed
Rating: 3/5 Stars

It's always good to broaden ones horizons and One Step Too Far is definitely a departure from my normal choice of books. There's nothing supernatural or macabre about it and it's not YA, which is what I've been reading a lot of lately. One Step Too Far is one of those genre defying books that would be shelved in the fiction/literature section of the bookstore. At least, that's where I'd put it.

One Step Too Far presents itself as a mystery of sorts according to the description and in a way, that is accurate. Tina Seskis reveals the details of Emily's past, as well as the event that sent her existence into a tailspin and prompted her to leave her happy marriage/home, very slowly. In terms of keeping me interested and engaged, Seskis definitely succeeded. Although, I didn't relate to the characters' lives, I was fascinated by what could be so horrible that Emily felt she had to leave everything and start over.

I glanced at some other reviews to remind me of everything that happens in this book which is something I don't normally do. I like to write my reviews strictly from my own perspective, without any outside influence. That said, in this case, I was reminded of the moment when all of the drama crossed the line from "believable story of a woman's battles with a traumatic experience" and into "tv-movie of the week" territory.

Event #1: Caroline and her boyfriend being involved in an explosion. The night Caroline's life is finally about to come together after an entire lifetime of disappointment and struggle, she is at a restaurant with her boyfriend when an explosion out on the street literally ruins everything. She loses the baby she finally decides that she wants and her anger with her boyfriend for the way he doesn't pay all of his attention to her (and possibly the fact that I think he's gay) lead them to go their separate ways. She always miscarries her baby.

Event #2: Emily gets trashed/high at a club, goes home with a famous footballer who just happens to bear a strong resemblance to the husband that she still loves, gets high again, spends the night with him and wakes up next to his naked dead body. She proceeds to get arrested in connection to his death and because he's famous, her face is splashed all over the news, leading her husband to find her and bail her out of jail, thus reuniting them.

There's also the bizarre circumstances of Emily's new best friend Angel's life, but she's a side character and meant to be the antithesis of Emily's life 'before', so I didn't have as much of a problem with that.

The above events, however, didn't sit well with me. They just seemed so over the top and impossible to believe. Books create certain worlds, certain contexts and even though the story is up to the creative mind of the author, there are certain things that just feel wrong. The magic of Harry Potter, for example, would feel all kinds of wrong in if it was used to save the day in a John Grisham novel. The violence of the explosion as well as the sudden death of the footballer just felt wrong. Rather than simply being shocked and saddened by what happened, I was left shaking my head and thinking "no one's life is actually like this."

Seskis is a fine author. Her grasp of language and the elements of writing is good and there was nothing technical that took me out of the book - even when she would bounce between first and third person depending on whether the story was in the present or the past. Plot-wise, however, this book became a little too fantastical for me to really enjoy in terms of the story it presented. Caroline had been anorexic and/or an alcoholic for much of her life, she could have easily miscarried without the explosion outside of the restaurant. Emily was doing a LOT of drugs and not handling it well which could have very easily led to her arrest and subsequent discovery by her husband. I don't think that the death of a famous sports hero was necessary.

I did enjoy reading the book and I was satisfied with the explanation of why Emily ran as well as the actual ending of One Step Too Far, but I feel like Seskis either needs to work on balance or she needs to re-evaluate the type of story that she wants to tell to be truly successful.

The Maid of the White Hands (Tristan and Isolde #2) by Rosalind Miles

Title: The Maid of the White Hands (Tristan and Isolde #2)

Author: Rosalind Miles
Publisher: Broadway Brooks
Pages: 352
Rating: 3/5 Stars

Oh, Tristan and Isolde. There's a reason your legend isn't as well known as Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot's.

Sigh.

I love Rosalind Miles. Love her. Her writing is evocative, lush, vivid...I could wax poetic with superlatives all day, but suffice it to say I'll read just about anything she writes even if the actual subject matter isn't engaging me as I'd like it to.

And Tristan and Isolde's love story is not engaging me.

The Maid of the White Hands picks up shortly after Isolde, Queen of the Western Isle ends. Isolde has married Mark, King of Cornwall, thus uniting Ireland and England. Tristan is her knight and the two of them are able to carry on their love affair in secret.

Well, sort of in secret.

All of the wrong people seem to know what's going on between the two of them and it puts their happiness as well as their very lives in danger.

When the Queen of Ireland dies, Isolde is called back to her home country and in order to keep up appearances, Tristan stays in England.

These two should never be separated. Seriously, the majority of their problems would go away if they'd just stick together.

A lot of drama unfolds. A lot of political intrigue, presumed betrayal, imprisonment, uprisings, lies and angst goes down in the plot of this book and Tristan and Isolde are apart for most of it. I won't go into a detailed description of the plot, but suffice it to say that Miles throws just about everything she can at these two lovers and it nearly works in destroying them both.

I'm determined to finish this series, but unlike the Guinevere trilogy that I want to read again someday, I won't feel the need to revisit Tristan and Isolde. I just don't like them that much. Isolde is awesome. I do love her. She's strong and fights her own battles. She understands the price that she has to pay for being queen, the things that she has to give up to serve the people that she's sworn to lead.

Tristan, on the other hand, drives me nuts. I understand that nobility and honoring one's promises/word was basically all that these knights had to call their own, but could Tristan be a little less whiny about it? I should take into account that the man is injured or sick through about 80% of this book, and therefore prone to dramatics, I suppose, but still. I don't think it's a good idea for the hero of a sweeping and epic love story to come across as a whiny, weepy, lovesick puppy. Either honor your vows as a knight or honor your vows to Isolde. Pick one and quit all of this quibbling.

I'm going to try to read the third and final book soon because I know that I waited far too long between the first and second.  I will never not recommend Rosalind Miles to people who enjoy excellent writing and epic storytelling, but I doubt that this trilogy will be the one I tell them to try.

Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel’s Kiss (Guilt Hunter #2)

Author: Nalini Singh

Publisher: Gollancz

Pages: 323

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Archangel's Kiss had been sitting on my bookshelf for a long time when a March Challenge to dig into my TBR pile finally prompted me to read it. I feel bad only giving the book three stars as Nalini Singh is one of my favorite authors, but three stars equals "I liked it" and that is the truth. I liked this book. Archangel's Kiss was a quick, engaging read that I definitely enjoyed, but it by no means knocked me off of my feet.

I read Archangel's Blood three years ago, so I had a hard time remembering all of the details of that book. They came back to me as I read and I was reminded why I'd made sure to pick up Archangel's Kiss and the next book in the series, Archangel's Consort. Nalini Singh creates characters and worlds that are vivid and engaging - very, very close to the world we currently live in, but different in subtle ways that really matter. Even if I didn't like Raphael, Elena, Illium and Dimitri, I'd be tempted to read Nalini's books just for the world building.

Archangel's Kiss picks up almost right where we left off in the previous book - newly minted angel Elena has woken up in Raphael's home, far from her native New York and the Guild Hunters she considers family. Given that Elena and Raphael are almost dysfunctionally (in the best way possible) in love with each other, Elena's new surroundings aren't as much of a problem as one might think.

What is a problem is the fact that the angel community is not happy with Elena's transformation and she might just be too weak from her injuries to stay alive. Raphael's Seven - his band of loyal angels/vampires - have a major problem with their boss making himself vulnerable because of Elena. They see her as a weakness that Raphael's enemies will exploit and make no secret of the fact that they don't trust/respect her - which is a testament to how deep their resentment goes considering Raphael's less than forgiving nature at having his decisions questioned. The lone exception, of course, is Illium, which is more dangerous than noble as I'm pretty sure the blue-winged angel is in love with Elena.

That won't end well.

Raphael and Elena's burgeoning relationship is framed by two distinct threats - a ball hosted by the oldest (and arguably most detached from reality) Archangel Lijuan and a power play by an unknown enemy to bring about a war among the Archangels. Raphael is adamant that Elena regain her strength quickly - if she doesn't, it could mean death for both of them.

As with the Psy-Changeling series, family - and more specifically children - are at the heart of everything. Protecting one's own is the motivation for nearly every character in both series and that's very apparent here where an otherwise acceptable series of political maneuverings becomes a matter of life and death when an angel child is attacked. The attack brings memories to the surface for nearly every character and as a result we learn a lot more about Elena - what caused the rift between her and her father, as well as her sisters/mother's deaths - and Raphael's past.

For all of the build up to Who's Trying to Star A War and What is Lijuan Up To, the actual denouement happened fairly quickly. That's not a complaint, really, as Nalini's books have always been more about the relationships of her characters than the plot, but it's worth noting.

I'm still having issues with the wings. I just keep thinking about how awkward it would be to cart the damn things around. I did enjoy how Nalini explained the way the angels adapted their clothes to fit around the giant extra appendages protruding from their backs. I commend her for making the wings a very real, very permanent part of the angels. While it may have been more to my tastes if the angels were somehow able to "put their wings away" when not in use, I also think it would have been something of a cop-out to do so.

Oh, since this is a romance novel, I will also say that the sex is pretty damn hot - wings and all. I expect nothing less from Nalini.

So, there it is. A review of a book that I definitely liked, but can't really gush over. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

Hopefully it won't take me another three years.

The Demon Catchers of Milan

Title: The Demon Catchers of Milan
Author: Kat Beyer
Publisher: EdgmontUSA
Pages: 288
Rating 3/5 Stars


I want to start this review by saying that I enjoyed The Demon Catchers of Milan and I intend on reading the sequel. I liked the world that Kat Beyer created. Her love of Italy and the level of research she did to present Milan as accurately as possible was clear from the first page. I'm no expert on exorcisms, but Beyer's research there seemed equally thorough.

The Demon Catchers of Milan is a plot driven story, rather than character driven. It seems that Kat Beyer had an idea about a family of demon catchers, generations steeped in tradition who provide an age-old service, and created characters to fit that idea after the fact. As a result, the book lacks depth. The characters - while likable and relatable - aren't interesting or unique. The main character, Mia, is an average sixteen/seventeen year old girl. That's both good and bad. On the one hand, I was glad that I didn't have to suffer through an entire first person narrative that was riddled with crippling self-doubt or overwrought teen angst.

On the other, Mia is SO average - everything about her, from her circumstances to her family to her outlook on life is average to the point of being boring. Rather than calling attention to the extraordinary circumstances she finds herself in, Mia's averageness just makes her dull. Within the realm of demon catching she's apparently special and particularly astute, but that idea is only hinted at in this book.

Another problem is that Beyer doesn't let a chapter go by before diving into the action of the story. I appreciate that we hit the ground running, but Beyer is in such a hurry to get to Italy that I have no idea who Mia is or what she was like before the demon possession that prompts her trip to Milan. I know only the bare minimum about her family and I'm allowed only a glimpse of her personal interactions with them before Mia is whisked away to Italy.

Originally, I gave The Demon Catchers of Milan four stars because I really did have a pleasant experience while reading it. Upon writing the review, however, I have to amend that rating to three stars. The book just needs more of something and even will all of my talk above I'm not sure that it's only character depth that is lacking.

Fade by Lisa McMann

Title: Fade (Dream Catcher #2)

Author: Lisa McMann

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 248

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Fade, like Wake, was a ridiculously fast read. Author Lisa McMann dives directly into her narrative and moves at a quick pace all the way through the denouement without letting up for a second. I liked that, as the continued tension kept me turning pages when I might have been tempted to put the book down. While I enjoyed Fade, I didn’t like it as much as Wake.

I didn’t really like the case Janie and Cabel were working on – or rather I didn’t like how it was handled. While the stakes were high with the student/teacher date rape issue, I was disappointed that the antagonists were ferreted out so quickly. Obviously at 248 pages McMann simply doesn’t have the time for a record number of plot twists or red herrings, but Janie identified her main suspect without any missteps and it’s essentially smooth sailing from there. It’s not that I didn’t think it was plausible that she could do it, I just…wanted more of a challenge for her, I guess. Especially given that this was only her second case working as a Dream Catcher with the police.

Where Fade excelled was in exploring more about Martha Stubin and her life as a Dream Catcher. I loved the tragedy in the price she paid for the lives she helped and the signs that Janie’s already headed down the same path. McMann gave the readers and Janie hope in some very practical and logical words from Captain Komisky, but nonetheless, Janie’s future doesn’t look bright.

Janie and Cabel are a great couple. At times, Cabel became too emotional for my taste, but that’s a personal preference. Their relationship was very well-rounded – running the gamut from uber angst to silly hilarity – especially for two people with as many emotional and physical scars as they had. I haven’t even read the back cover for Gone, so I may be jumping the gun here, but I’m pleased that McMann doesn’t go the way of many YA books by introducing a third party into the relationship. I love a good triangle, but I also love stories that buck the norm.

From a technical standpoint, McMann’s writing style in Fade was identical to Wake. Very sparse, occasionally jarring and every once in awhile confusing – and not in a good, keep-them-guessing kind of way. The stylistic specificity works for her I’d say…97% of the time, but sometimes I lost track of who was speaking or doing something and I’d have to go back and reread. I read fast, but I’m not a speed-reader, so I don’t think the issue was mine alone.

While I was a little disappointed in some aspects of Fade I’m still excited to read Gone. In fact, I almost picked it up and read it right away, which is something I rarely do. I like to space out my visits to worlds I really enjoy, so that’s a testament to Lisa McMann’s storytelling right there.

Far Escape Review - Wake

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

Title: Innocent Traitor
Author: Alison Weir
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 416
Rating: 3/5 Stars

I know a lot about Tudor England - both the fantasies created by historical fiction authors and Hollywood, as well as the factual history of the time. I'm by no means an expert, but my working knowledge made me pretty well-versed in Lady Jane Grey and her lamentably short reign as Queen of England before I began reading Innocent Traitor.

This book took me awhile to read, partly because of personal stuff and partly because I didn't find the first half particularly compelling. There was little besides my own determination that prompted me to turn each page and see what happened next. I hate to blame that on the author, though, because I really don't want to fault her for the fact that I knew the subject matter. That said, I think the fault does lie within the subject matter.

Lady Jane Grey, though incredibly smart and well-educated, was boring. Tragically boring. She was used as a puppet from the day she was born until the day she was executed. Because of her sex, her faith, her age and her station, she had no control over anything. She was utterly powerless. Her entire life was one, big, disappointing tragedy and what I will say for Ms. Weir is that she does an excellent job of hammering that point home. Where Elizabeth Tudor used her intelligence to navigate what could easily be described as the most perilous heritage and early life imaginable, Jane does very little to direct her own course, differing instead to her religious convictions and duty to obey - her parents, her sovereign, her elders, her faith. Jane's faith is her guiding light and as admirable as that was, it was also infuriating how it kept her from ever taking any personal action on her own behalf. There were times I almost put down the book because I just couldn't deal with her anymore. She suffered her trials like the Protestant martyr she later became, but that's all she did, and knowing how it would all end, it nearly became too much.

Reading Innocent Traitor has made me question my future reading habits. I'm going to think very carefully about whether or not I'll pick up the next novelization of an actual historical figure - especially one who has a tragic end. There is merit in Jane's story. Her unwavering faith is something to be admired regardless of religious affiliation and her grace in the face of death is inspiring.

But it is the injustices and the frailities of the human race that leave the lasting impression and I'm not sure how often I really need to be reminded of how cruel we can be to each other. Even taking into account that Innocent Traitor is a work of fiction, the sad truth is, Jane was executed. Ms. Weir may have taken creative license with the steps that brought her to the chopping block on February 12th, 1554, but steps were taken and I have no trouble believing that Ms. Weir came close to reality. Lady Jane Grey died as she lived, a political pawn in a game she wished no part of.

Since, I don't want to end this review on a dire note, from a techincal standpoing, I liked how Ms. Weir used a shifting first person narrative. Every major player had the opportunity for their viewpoint, their voice, to be heard and it made for a fairly well-balanced story. I am not inclined to ever sympathize with Queen Mary, but it was hard to hate her in this novel, despite her actions.

I'd really like to give this book 3.5 stars because it is a thoroughly researched and vividly imagined novel. Subject matter aside, I enjoyed Ms. Weir's style and I will definitely try her other works.

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Title: The Girl in the Steel Corset
Author: Kady Cross
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 473
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

The Girl in the Steel Corset was my first foray into the world of steampunk. I haven’t the slightest idea if it’s a good representation of the genre or not, so bear that in mind.

I enjoyed Ms. Cross’s world. I’ve been anxious to explore steampunk because the idea of a world in which the industrial revolution was fueled by steam, rather than coal fascinates me. I love the clothes, the culture, the technology…did I mention the clothes?

I very much enjoyed Finley. Coming on the heels of the last book I read where I really couldn’t tolerate the heroine by the end, I especially enjoyed Finley. Ms. Cross struck a perfect balance between Finley's fascination and fear of her darker self without going overboard in either direction.

All of Ms. Cross’s characters were enjoyable, although I never warmed to Cordelia. I know Griffin was able to appreciate the fact that his aunt only had his best interests at heart, but I’ve never warmed to the idea that acting out of concern for others gives one license to be horrible without recompense.

Speaking of Griffin, he ended up being a very capable, natural leader and romantic interest for Finley. While I enjoyed Jack and Finley's potential more than Griffin and Finley, I found both matches believable.

The Girl In The Steel Corset seemed to take a lot of cues from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in that there’s an element of the fantastic in both the characters abilities as well as the technology. Finley was a well-balanced version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, capable of amazing strength and fighting ability, Emily was able to talk to machines, Sam was inordinately strong and half automaton, Jasper had superspeed and Griffin was able to contact and bend the Aether to his whim. Cordelia was also a particularly skilled telepath - a talent that she used rather brazenly considering her class.

As far as technology was concerned, I found myself thinking “oh, that’s convenient” more than I would have liked. Personal telegraph devices, – basically cellphones – tiny ear pieces that amplify sound, and hand torches run by “power cells” made things just a little bit too easy for my taste. I would have either liked to learn more about how those things worked – many with the help of the amazing Organites that enhanced the characters special talents – or preferred the author to cut down on the number of ways she “modernized” the world.

Although, I had no problem with the velocycles. Must be my love of all things fast.

Getting used to the etiquette of Victorian England was a challenge at times because I wanted the characters to be a little harder, a little dirtier and a little more realistic. The good guys are so good, so noble and I prefer my characters to operate in the grey.

I supposed that’s why I enjoyed Jack Dandy so much.

I would have also liked the stakes to be a bit higher. I finished the book thinking that it read a bit young, although that might be the point. I don’t know what reading level it is.

All in all, The Girl in the Steel Corset passes my most important test in that I enjoyed it and am intrigued enough to read another of Ms. Cross’s novels – especially if she returns to these characters and this world.

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

Title: Personal Demons
Author: Lisa Derochers
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 365
Rating: 3 Stars

I really wanted to give this 3.5 stars. Personal Demons started out really, really well and I was reading it super fast - always a good sign. I enjoyed Frannie and loved Luc. I'm a sucker for a leather jacket and a pierced eyebrow. ;p The fact that he registered emotions as scents was a little odd and could have been awkward in its obvious attempt to be 'different', but for the most part it worked.

Although, I've never thought of ginger as being particularly lustful.

Lisa Desrochers walked the fine line of being a book about religious themes without becoming a religious book and I appreciated that. The only character that ever preached at me was Frannie's younger sister Grace and she was supposed to be zealous, so it worked.

I kind of felt like the switches between Luc and Frannie's first person POV were cheating a little, but I really liked getting into both of their heads, so I let it slide.

The only problem I had with the book was Gabe. I understand why his character was important. There needed to be a player from Heaven in the mix, not only to give Luc a little competition, but to save Frannie. As much as I like the badboy, this was not a book where Hell was some misunderstood place for castoffs and outsiders. It was Hell in every sense of the word. Frannie did NOT belong there.

The issue comes with the fact that I never got a clear picture of Gabe's feelings for Frannie until I was told - by Luc - that yes, he was in love with her and yes, he'd risk his wings for her. That's all well and good and I was expecting as much, but having to be told something I should have been shown is never good. I think Ms. Derochers made a mistake with Gabe in one of two ways - either he shouldn't have really fallen for Frannie or she should have written from his POV as well.

I was hoping it would come out that while Gabe sincerely cared about Frannie and wanted her safe, the way he made her feel was all a ruse - that Gabe was pushing his power on her to woo her like Luc did to humans. Given the fact that we don't get a Gabe POV, I think this would have been the better way to go. In the sequel, Ms. Desrochers could have delved into Gabe's love for Frannie and surprised everybody with the fact that he really was in love with her.

Ms. Desrochers writing style was very accessible and easy to read. Personal Demons had quite a few references to Top 40 Pop which is fine, but it will date the book in a couple of years - it kind of already did - and I'm not sure that's worth the risk, so to speak.

While I'm not surprised there's a sequel, the book ends in a very satisfying way, so I'm curious where the next installment will take us. I'm assuming we'll learn more about how Frannie is supposed to use her Sway and how Luc deals with being human - a plot point I'm rather 'meh' about, but I'll deal with it as long as he doesn't lose his edge.

Review: Hex by Ramona Wray

Title: Hex: A Witch and Angel Tale
Author: Ramona Wray
Publisher: CreateSpace
Pages: 254
Rating: 3/5 Stars

I give this book 4 Stars for story and 2.5 Stars for technical merit. Once the plot well and truly thickened I liked Lucien/Lily/Ryder's story very much. In fact, I stayed up until 3am to finish reading the book. Wray created some colorful characters and a very interesting setting for her story.

Technically speaking, there's room for improvement. Wray is a good author, but I felt that the beginning of the book moved a little too quickly. Lily's inability to touch people certainly went a long way in explaining why she fell for and trusted Ryder so quickly, but I still wanted it to take longer. I'm a sucker for watching two people fall for each other, so perhaps this a bit of personal preference.

Wray overuses simile and metaphor. They are useful parts of speech but when I actually notice their frequency...that's a problem. Lily also has an extensive wealth of information that comes in very handy at various times in the novel, but I don't believe for a second the random teenager would know. It was a bit jarring when she was able to name the man who originally said "absolute power corrupts absolutely" or when she went off on a rant that the mid-20th century song that spawned the idea that you hurt the ones you love the most. If there had been some justification made as to why she knew these things, I would have gone with it, but there wasn't.

I think Wray has it in her to write some really amazing fiction, so I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA novels. I'll keep an eye on Wray and give her other work a try.

Review: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Title: American Psycho
Author: Bret Easton Ellis
Publisher: Vintage
Pages: 416
Rating: 3/5 Stars

Another book I don't know what to rate. Some sections of the book are so depraved they tap-danced on even my threshold of decency. Anybody who knows me understands how big a deal that is. Most of it, however, was absurdly hilarious and psychologically disturbing just as I expected.

I approached American Psycho thinking "god, I really hope I get this book." And then as I read it "I think I get it this book." Now that I've finished, I do think I "got it." Honestly, I think I try too hard sometimes to get books that others have heeped meanings upon, but that's a conversation for another day.

So, American Psyhco. Not for the faint of heart or easily offended. Our 'hero' as it were, is quite literally a psychotic asshole. Patrick Bateman is racist, sexist, agist, greedy, gluttonous, shallow, arrogant,and sadistic. He teases bums on the street, orders them to 'get a job' and then drops hundreds of dollars a night on dinners, drinks and drugs. He consistently cheats on his longtime girlfriend with other women, although Evelyn's so incredibly vapid and self-centered it takes a collossal slip up on Patrick's part for her to even consider the idea that he's been unfaithful. He spends more time at the gym than in the office and as he so exactly put it to a lunch date that he later tortured and murdered he "wants...to...fit...in."

That compulsive need to fit in is the whole point and the amazing thing to me is that even though Patrick is a reprehensible human being, Ellis manages to infuse him with this yearning for the ever illusive something meaningful that you almost feel sorry for him in his inabilty to connect, to feel. As a reader I didn't forgive him for what he did, but I had no trouble understanding what drove him. Patrick's tragedy is that to him, there's only one way of life - the Wall Street way, the way of excess - and not only is he unable to recognize this, he is incapable of considering there's anything else. So he exists in a state of depression and homicidal rage which, fueled by drugs and alcohol, has only one logical conclusion. The hilariously and sad absurdity of it all is that Patrick is barely trying to hide his true nature. He's just surrounded by so many equally shallow and self-centered people that no one notices.

The excess of the 80s is on full display here and our narrator's earnest, detailed descriptions of his morning hygiene routine, his gym workout, meals he orders at restaurants, the decorating in every house he enters and especially what he and his companions in a given chapter are wearing is endlessly amusing. Everything is designer and everything is expensive. In fact, if it doesn't cost enough, Patrick and his fellow Wall Streeters aren't interested. What's new and hip is discussed excessively and the ability to get a reservation at Dorsia's - the #1 hot spot - is an ongoing cause of distress. My favorite chapters were actually the ones that felt like they were ripped right out of Rolling Stone as Patrick waxed poetic about the superb talents of Genesis, Whitney Houston and Huey Lewis and the News. Drum machines, sax solos, soaring, overwrought ballads - things that are so uniquely and detrimentally identified with 80s music - are highly praised in a way that twenty years later endlessly amused me.

If the word 'scathing' wasn't used to describe Ellis's work, it should be. It's the best adjective I can come up with to summerize what I got out of American Psycho. It is a scathing look at the heart of the 80s yuppie world, Wall Street, and how soulless the mindless lust for wealth and material possessions often is, what it turns people into when they don't know why.

Upon reading some of the other reviews I realized I glossed over the violence, although this was not done on purpose. I'm not going to go into detail on it because there are plenty of other reviews that do - often to exhausting extremes. Bottom line: the descriptions of violence against human beings in this book are incredibly graphic and sadisticly imaginative. For some they completely overshadow anything else the book is trying to say. In my opinion, that is a reflection upon the reader, not Mr. Ellis. Far too many readers want to pin their personal reactions upon him, blame him for writing something that is too this or too that. So, take that as a warning and read at your own risk.

Review: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Title: Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars #1)
Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages 304
Rating: 3/5 Stars

Given that I watched the entire first season of the tv series based on PLL, I knew the twists and turns before the girls knew they were coming. The show follows the plot points of the first book very faithfully. That said, I very much enjoyed the book and will be reading Flawless.

PLL is a quick read, perfect mind candy and although the girls get up to some underage drinking/drugs, near/implied sex (with some, ahem, older boys), shoplifting and, as the title implies, a lot of lying/secret keeping, it felt youngish - written for the junior high crowd about the high schoolers they'll most likely idolize. Case in point, in the first chapter, when the girls had just finished their 7th grade year, I was surprised at how mature they seemed. Then three years pass, the girls are now juniors, and now I felt they weren't quite mature enough.

While the way Shepard namedrops designers can be a bit jarring at times it actually does wonders in creating the world inwhich Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily exist. Rosewood is as upper crust as you get without being on the Upper West Side. While their struggles with looks, identity, belonging, parental and peer pressure is universal, the world in which they exist is far removed from your average young adult reader. I think that adds to the appeal and also allows the author to push the envelope with what the girls get away with.

The parents are charicatures, adding to the generation gap and the isolation that leads the girls to keep their secrets and lies. Surprisingly - because one doesn't usually say this about the book to tv conversion - the parents are more fleshed out and have more depth on the small screen.

To sum up, this book felt like a prelude to the rest of the series. A 275 page set up. Again, that could have been because I have watched the series, but it's not really an insult so much as an observation. Set up needs to begin somewhere and as this was obviously written as the first in a series as opposed to a stand alone novel, there's nothing wrong with the way it breaks down.

Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Title: I Am Number Four
Author: Pittacus Lore
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 480
Rating: 3/5 Stars

First person, present tense. A very challenging writing style that can pay off if done well and Pittacus Lore manages to hit 'well' most of the time. The story of I Am Number Four is good. Not as compelling as The Hunger Games - another YA series set to reach the big screen - but I cared about the characters and what happened to them. I think that, unlike The Hunger Games, even as I get further from I Am Number Four, I will still like the characters. I want to know more about the Lorien Legacies and their destiny. Lore drops clues and doles out information very judiciously and as a result I want to read the next book in the series.

The prose is interesting and reminded me of Hemmingway. Not that it's the same, but there is something very distinct about Lore's use of words and attention to detail. Sometimes too much detail as more than once I caught myself rolling my eyes and mumbling that I don't freaking care if he had to open his bedroom door to enter the room - all I need to know is that he's in there. But that attention to detail results in a distinct voice that is Lore's alone and I feel that's an accomplishment worth noting whether I loved it all the time or not.

At times I enjoyed the dialogue. At times I felt I was being preached at or the fifteen and sixteen year olds were emmulating Dawson's Creek and using verbage that no teenager would use. Just little things. A certain sophistication and proper grammar that I don't think people really grasp until they are older. I didn't feel any character had a truly distinct personality, except maybe Henri. And that might only have been because I could so clearly picture Timothy Olyphant playing the role.

Originally I gave this book four stars. I've now amended that to three. Pittacus Lore has me for the next book, because I'm interested in the mytery of the Lorien Legacies and the first two chapters of The Power of Six included with my copy of the book have me ready for more. If I could, I'd give this three and a half stars.

Review: Ruined by Paula Morris

Title: Ruined
Author: Paula Morris
Publisher: Point
Pages: 309
Rating: 3/5 Stars

I had this book figured out fairly early on, but that didn't make the journey less enjoyable. The plot was a bit slow to start, but sped up quite quickly in the last third. I do wish the expositiony bits had been spread out more, rather than having three or four solid chapters where the characters did nothing but talk at me.

Speaking of, I liked the characters a lot. I felt that although the characters are 16-17 years old, the novel reads a bit young, more for the junior high set than actual 16-17 year olds. Rebecca was a sympathetic fish-out-of-water protagonist and managed to avoid overt self-pity. Lisette was really interesting because despite what happened to her, she wasn't a vengeful spirit. She wasn't purposely causing death and distruction, she was just a cog in the greater supernatural machine. Even the Mean Girls weren't really mean so much as scared and desperate. The Bowman's, Sutton's and Grey's were the villians of the piece, but I think the story would have been richer had they been written in more shades of grey.

Anton was done a bit of a disservice because while Rebecca heard and witnessed the traditions and deep familial obligations associated with the Garden District families she never really understood them and I don't think that's fair. Yes, Anton was Rebecca's friend, yes, he should have stood up for what was right, but he had also been friends with these other classmates for much longer than he'd known her. There's right, there's wrong and then there's the sticky middle ground where you know what's right but in order to do it one must surmount ridiculous obstacles and sometimes throw out everything they've ever known. That is scary stuff for a seventeen year old kid and Anton's struggle shouldn't be disregarded.

Ruined is technically a ghost story, but it's not a spine-tingling page turner. Racism, classism and the sins of the past are the truly chilling aspects of this novel.

I'd also like to note that the vivid descriptions of a post-Katrina New Orleans are particularly interesting and add great depth to the atmosphere of the book.

Review: Enigma by Robert Harris

Title: Enigma
Author: Robert Harris
Publisher: Arrow
Pages: 464
Rating: 3/5 Stars

I found Enigma a compelling page turner. I was able to spend large chunks of time reading which is a plus. Harris weaves a very intriguing mystery into the greater struggle of breaking the Enigma machine. Like Jericho and Hester I really wanted to know what happened to Claire - even if I didn't like her much. I'll never understand the appeal and loyalty these bitchy, self-centered characters demand, but that's another story. I really did want to know not only where she disappeared to, but why and because of whom. Like Jericho, as soon as that mystery was solved I felt a sense of release and was able to move on. I didn't need to know more.

I gave the novel three stars because Harris' writing style felt a little...dry. That's not quite the right word, but will suffice. Also - and this is my fault, not his - my brain is not wired to comprehend code breaking and math on the level required of these cryptanalysts. The sections that dealt heavily with exactly how the Enigma machine worked and how codes were broken did little for me and I think my eyes glazed over a bit until I arrived at the punchline.

I think this book's biggest strength is the picture it paints of every day life in England during the war. This isn't about the devastation of the Blitz or the trauma of serviving an attack. This is the toil of surviving, every day, under the strain of the black outs, the food rationing, the lack of basically everything. What I took away most from this book is what I always take away from anything having to deal with WWII - the people who lived it and fought in it are fascinating and inspirational.

Review: Marked by P.C. & Kristin Cast

Title: Marked (House of Night #1)
Author: P.C. & Kristin Cast
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 306
Rating: 3/5 Stars

My roommate reads these House of Night novels the way I read Twilight - i.e. constantly wondering why I'm wasting my time with such poorly written, yet so-addictive-it's-like-crack YA fiction. She likens this book to bad fanfic and while I agree to a point, I have read too much actually horrific fanfiction to disparrage this book like that.

Anyhoo, now that I'm done slamming it, I will say I enjoyed reading Marked. I liked all the characters and since I already started with the Twilight comparisons, I will add that I found Zoey so much more entertaining than Bella. Mostly because Zoey doesn't suffer from soul crushing self esteem issues. I felt for Zoey in the way family and friends shunned her after the mark appeared (btw, how feaking cool that it's like a tattoo? The descriptions sound incredibly beautiful), but she was resilient enough that the feeling didn't veer over into pity.

Zoey's new friends are a lot of fun, although the Twins are a touch much. As with Twilight, I really enjoy the twists on the vampire/vampyre mythology. The Change taking four years, the arts world being dominated by vamps, the fact that it's like an alternate reality where vamps have been part of the known world forever. Very cool.

Marked was a fun read and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series.

Review: The Awakening by L.J. Smith (Rant included)

Title: The Awakening (The Vampire Diaries #1)
Author: L.J. Smith
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 320
Rating: 3/5 Stars

I liked this book, but it's a warm-up for the real story that is coming in the rest of the series.

Stefan was too weak for my taste. In this mythology vampires can drink from their victims without draining them. Stefan refuses to drink human blood and abhors himself for even craving it. I don't understand that. Yes, he's kind of a parasite, but he doesn't have to kill anybody to get what he needs (unlike in the Twilight series where the vamps drain their victims. That I understand) so why does he hate himself so much? Silly.

I wasn't sure how I would like Elena given how she seemed to have no redeeming qualities in the beginning, but she actually does have depth and while she's got a very high opinion of herself, she doesn't go around deliberately hurting people. She's not a Mean Girl, she's just knows who she is.

Damon wasn't in it enough to really form an opinion, but I'm inclined to like the bad boys.

Katherine was ridiculous. Apparently, it wasn't just the aging process that was stunted when she became a vamp, her emotional maturity ceased to develop as well. I do not think she's worth all this strife between the brothers at all.

Bonnie and Meredith are good friends to Elena and bravo to them for calling her on her secrecy regarding Stefan.

I don't have much to say about the story. Like I said, it's a warm-up for the real drama. I will be reading the next book.

7/11 Update: I read this...February 2010 and at the time I did intend on reading the whole series. In light of the fact that L.J. Smith was fired by HarperCollins last winter/spring because her vision wasn't what they wanted, I will not be reading any of the other books.

Let's get this out of the way first, L.J. Smith will not be winning any awards for her prose. She's not that talented a writer. As my friend at The Irish Banana Review put it: the demands of her audience matured, her writing style did not. So, my boycotting of the books has nothing to do with L.J. Smith's talent.

What pisses me off is why she was fired. Yes, she was hired to write a series for HarperCollins and technically they own it, but I think it's bullshit that they can interfere in her artistic vision. She made The Vampire Diaries a marketable entity and put it in a position of being popular enough to be brought to the silver screen, thus bringing in even more money making opportunities for HarperCollins. Now, after all that, they want to dictate to her what she can do with the characters she created? Good for her for saying no. Bad on them for firing her over it.

I have no interest in reading something I know was mandated by a publishing company. Whether it happens elsewhere is irrelevant. This is a case of ignorance being bliss. When I read a book I want to live under the assumption that the plot has been created by an author, not dictated by some suits in an office who don't give a crap about words, plot or character and only about numbers on a page.

Of course, there's also the little fact that the publishers demanded the triangle between Damon/Elena/Stefan go the opposite direction of what I want. I won't deny that, but even if that weren't the case I'd have a hard time enjoying the plot knowing that it wasn't the original author's intention. It would seem a hollow victory.

So...farewell Vampire Diaries books. I'll stick to the tv show.

Review: Nevermore by Keith R.A. Candido

Title: Nevermore (Supernatural #1)
Author: Keith R.A. Candido
Publisher: Harper Entertainment
Pages: 352
Rating: 3/5 Stars

I've had this book - along with two other SPN tie-in novels - sitting on my shelf for years and finally decided to give one a try. I got them more out of a freakish obsession with all things connected to the show than an attraction to the plot, so it's really no surprise I never ventured beyond the pretty, pretty covers. ;p That being said, in the spirit of lightening the burden my bookshelf carries I decided now was the time to read them or just put them up on pbs and be done with it.

I don't think I need to tell you which one I went with.

Nevermore is a mediocre book. No two ways about it. DeCandido's prose is not going to win any literary awards. As such it's no wonder that he writes a lot of tie-in novels for tv shows with a built in audience that will probably give him a try because he's writing about their favorite characters/show. I'm morbidly curious to see if he'd have any luck creating his own completely original material.

DeCandido's main job in Nevermore is having a solid grasp of Sam and Dean Winchester and for the purposes of this novel mostly succeeds. The main problem with this and other tie-in novels - as the other Nerd pointed out to me once upon a time- is that they have to fall within the timeline of the show. That means, there can be little or no real character development. As a result we're given charicatures of Sam and Dean rather than fully fleshed out characters. Dean is the wise-cracking, perpetually on the prowl, classic rock and beer loving badass, while Sam is sincere, focused on the job, the font of all knowledge and haunted/conflicted about his life as a hunter. The one moment in Nevermore where Sam tried to get all deep fell incredibly flat because, like Dean, I didn't have the slightest freaking clue what point he was trying to make. I don't know if DeCandido did either. It was simply an attempt to inject Nevermore with a poignant, emotional 'chick-flick' moment that Dean claims to hate but are a staple of SPN.

Sam and Dean's interactions as brothers are very basic and only scratch the surface. Again, it's not really a surprise because character development has to remain static to still be a tie-in novel and not veer into fan fiction territory - an incredibly fine line. They tease each other mercilessly, work very well together as a team and tend to bicker a lot. At the beginning of the book I was concerned we were going to get a Sam-centric POV that only gave us the most extreme aspects of Dean's character, but I was happily proven wrong. Dean gets his due as well and both brothers are written as the heroes they are.

The case the boys are working is servicable, although I was disappointed that the ritual being used was left as a hoax. It would have been cool to see the boys surprised when the Big Bad pulled off the resurrection of Edgar Allen Poe. I wasn't surprised when the identity of the said Big Bad was revealed as I knew he was the guilty party from the first time he was mentioned, but that didn't hurt my enjoyment of the novel any more than it would on the show. I don't need to be surprised all the time. Often the real fun is in watching Sam and Dean (or any characters) get from point A to point B. The side plot with Manfred Afiri, Scottso and the dead Roxy Carmichael was the true supernatural event and DeCandido does a good job of keeping you guessing as to who Roxy was really begging to love her. I thought it was novel to have the boys actually crash in a house for once.

The way DeCandido incorporated the show's famed classic rock soundtrack was cool, if not incredibly original. Dean's aversion to NYC traffic was amusing and a believable detail. I appreciated Dean and Sam learning more about their reputations as hunters and always love when someone tells them they're better hunters than John - much as I love Big Daddy Winchester.

Nevermore isn't a waste of time for the casual fan who wants an extra helping of the Winchester Bros doing what they do best - saving people and hunting things. For the more, ahem, obsessive fan this book and it's lack of depth will fall flat. I won't be reading any more of the tie-ins but I won't discourage anybody from checking them out.

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Title: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 452
Rating: 3/5 Stars

This book was a solid 4 (out of 5) stars until the last 4th. Then it slipped into 3 star territory. Kate's characters are engaging and likable, the world of Swords & Cross intriguing and the mystery kept me turning pages.

The ending, unfortunately, left me disappointed, and not simply because as the first book in a series there were some loose ends. I like loose ends. It gives me a reason to anxiously await the next book. What was lacking for me was a solid sense of satisfaction at the threads that were tied up. There just weren't enough of them. Luce solved the who and what of Daniel, found out why Molly, Cam, Roland, Arrianne and Gabbe were all so chummy/hostile toward each other and that was basically it. I would have liked to know why Daniel fell at the very least, although I'm not blind to the implied idea that he was booted from Heaven for falling in love with a mortal.

I realize that events happened quickly and given the story is told from Luce's POV without it actually being a 1st person narrative, it makes sense that she didn't have time to adequately process everything. But I wanted to process more. I wanted more time for certain reveals to sink in, allowing more reveals to materialize.

Kate has me for the 2nd novel. She successfully created a world and characters that make me want to learn more. But I really hope her pace improves with the next novel. If my questions are answered later, I'll probably forgive the way this book ended. If they're not then I probably won't stick around for the 3rd book.

M