SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

Yay! :D

I should be finished with Queen of Shadows tomorrow.

I picked Kitty because it was one of the shorter books and I hope to have it done by Wednesday. I was in the middle of Master of None and put it aside so I wouldn't get too far behind when the round started. I'd liked to get it finished before the next shelf is called so it can stop looking at me accusingly.

I'm about a third through Iron Crowned, my shifter book. Then I'm going to read Queen of Shadows, my free space book, and be done with that before the next shelf is called. That's the plan.

I have Queen of Shadows on a bunch of March challenges, so I have to read it by the end of the month, but I've been putting it off--I've heard so many good things about it, I kinda don't want to read it. I'm goofy like that--I'm a fan of delayed gratification. Maybe that's why I prefer UF to PNR. Lol. I think I'm really going to like it, and then I won't have it to look forward to. So I keep pushing it back, tackling other March reads, so I can still look forward to QoS.

Do you all think I'm a weirdo now? That's ok. I am. ;)

Laura Lulu wrote: "I'm about a third through Iron Crowned, my shifter book. Then I'm going to read Queen of Shadows,my free space book, and be done with that before the next shelf is called. That's the plan.

I have ..."

QoS is on many of mine, too. I couldn't put it down. I half expected to take all week to read it.

Look at it this way, if you like it, then you'll have book two to look forward to. :-)

And if you don't...well, hopefully there's something else to take it's place. ;-D

Laura Lulu wrote: "I'm about a third through Iron Crowned, my shifter book. Then I'm going to read Queen of Shadows, my free space book, and be done with that before the next shelf is called. That's the plan.

I have..."

No, you're not crazy. I've had Frostbitten since July and haven't read it yet because then I won't have anymore new Clay and Elena. Or maybe we are both crazy...

Diane ~Firefly~ wrote: "Or maybe we are both crazy... "

That works for me. Better that than boring, right? ;)

Laura Lulu wrote: "Diane ~Firefly~ wrote: "Or maybe we are both crazy... "

That works for me. Better that than boring, right? ;)"

normal is pretty boring...

3 Stars to A Certain Wolfish Charm by Lydia Dare.

Shifter Shelf

Miss Lily Rutledge is the aunt and surrogate mother to twelve year old, orphaned Oliver who is Lycan (unbeknownst to Lily). Miss Rutledge is twenty three, unmarried and has been Oliver's caretaker for the last six years. But, Oliver has become difficult to handle. He has hit a major growth spurt, and eats like a horse. Something is going on with him which she does not entirely understand and she attempts to reach out to Oliver's guardian and cousin, Simon Westfield who is known as the Duke of Blackmoor and known is society as a rake. She cannot get him to respond to her written pleas to the Duke; so, she decides to visit him personally to circumvent him ignoring her pleas for assistance with Oliver.

From the time Lily meets up with Simon in his home, the romantic adventure begins. Simon is inexplicably drawn to Lily and she to him. The first half of the story deals with their courtship. The last half of the book deals with Oliver's need to protect Lily from the fact that he, his brother (Will) and Oliver are were-wolves. He is a victim to the full-moon and his circumstance. He is very worried about the Lycan in him hurting Lily irrevocably. Another worry for him is that she will look upon him with disgust. It is the last half of the book that brought the story from a four star read to a three star read. I grew very frustrated with long-drawn out angst Simon caused from keeping his secret from Lily. His ommission created a lot hurt to Lily. And by proxy, Oliver was hurt since he asked Lily to keep the Lycan secret from his adored aunt, as well. I felt the author made the conflict in the second half of the book too drawn out and made the story bog down.

The story was cute; but, I don't feel the driving need to continue with the series. I am not saying I won't read the series eventually - just not in the near future.

Yay! First stamp!

I ended up reading by Nalini Singh and I'm already 1/3 in but since I finished Visions of Heat first I guess that's the one for "Shifters" category.

I gave the book 3 stars. I find the world of Psy and Changelings very interesting and I'd like to learn more about it so I'll probably read the next book in the series but possibly not that soon. The romance tends to get on my nerves sometimes what with it being so unrealistic and out of the blue. I enjoy the books, but at times the way the heroes fall so deeply in love with the heroines that they'd do everything for them and vice versa after knowing them for (O.o) a few days kind of annoys me.

All in all, the book was fun to read and the Psy-Changeling world is unique and well built.

Go team go! ;)

Thenia, I'm not a big PNR reader at all, but I like the Psy-Changeling series. The next one, #3, is one of my faves. :)

I'll be reading The Man Within by Lora Leigh for the shifters book.
I still haven't decided on the free space book...

{Team Stats Updated}

Laura Lulu wrote: "I'm about a third through Iron Crowned, my shifter book. Then I'm going to read Queen of Shadows, my free space book, and be done with that before the next shelf is called. That's the plan."

Yikes. I said this 3 days ago. And now I'm about 2/3 through Iron Crowned. :sigh:. This book is killing me. I can say with complete certainty that this will be the last Richelle Mead book I ever buy, and probably the last book of hers I'll ever read, period. I am done with this Dark Swan series, and I will wait until Georgina is complete and see what the consensus around GR is before I read more of that one. If Georgina ends up with Seth, I have no urge to finish that series either.

My problems with Iron Crowned are this: I hate Eugenie. That is all. ;) I read about 5 pages 2 nights ago and had to put it down (or throw it across the room). Then I had to make myself pick it up last night. I don't mind the story, once I start reading I get into it, but at this point, every single thing Eugenie says or thinks raises my hackles. I am now yelling at her in the book, "You are such a bitch/idiot/whore/moron/baby/fill-in-the-blank." Did I mention that I am done with her? Ugh.

She is so selfish and immature, she is like Rose from VA grown up, but 10 times worse, because she isn't grown up. I always gave Rose some leeway in her selfishness & immaturity because she was a teenager and those traits are acceptable and expected in a teen. But in an adult? I want no part of it.

I shall finish this book tonight, after American Idol--I do have my priorities. :) But baring some crazy 11th hour lobotomy or massive case of amnesia for Eugenie, don't expect a glowing review. Lol.

Thenia, do you want me to change your Free Space book to Magic Bleeds? It's on the group bookshelf, so you might as well use it. :)

Free Space - 1/8 completed

Laura Lulu Queen of Shadows
Laurie Shadow Game
✔Diane Pleasure Unbound finished March 6 ★★★
Lili
Christina Queen of Shadows
Sarah Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Jen Shadowfever
Thenia Shadowfever


Part-Of-A-Series, G1 - 8/8 completed - Stamp Awarded!

✔Laura Lulu Unwind finished March 7 ★★★★★
✔Laurie Silver Borne finished March 12 ★★★★
✔Diane The Iron King finished March 8 ★★★
✔Lili Halfway to the Grave finished March 6 ★★★★★
✔Christina Paying the Virgin's Price finished March 12 ★★★★
✔Sarah The Dead-Tossed Waves finished March 12 ★★★★★
✔Jen Bonds of Justice finished March 8 ★★★★
✔Thenia Mockingjay finished March 6 ★★★★★


Shifters, I5 - 2/8 completed

Laura Lulu Iron Crowned
✔Laurie A Certain Wolfish Charm finished March 14 ★★★
Diane Morrigan's Cross OR The Demon You Know
Lili The Man Within
Christina Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Sarah River Marked
Jen
✔Thenia Visions of Heat finished March 14 ★★★

Laura Lulu wrote: "Thenia, do you want me to change your Free Space book to Magic Bleeds? It's on the group bookshelf, so you might as well use it. :)"

Oh, sure! I hadn't thought of that!
Shadowfever will probably take me some time to finish anyway, so it would be better to change it.

So, since we're doing that, I should probably give a review of , too.

I gave it 5 stars and was a little disappointed that I couldn't give it more!

I really like Ilona Andrew's writing. The story is fast paced, Kate is a smart-mouth which really amuses me and last but definitely not least, the story is 'realistic'. Yes, yes, I know the books are about magic and in a fictional paranormal world, but still, it's realistic. Everyone has to fight for what they earn, the bad guys kick the heroes' asses more often than not, the romance isn't annoyingly naive and based on nothing but physical attraction and the characters actually have backgrounds! People act the way they do for a reason and not because it would help the story move along. They make mistakes because they're human (or close enough) and they deal with the consequences. The things they want don't drop from the sky and their romantic interest doesn't fall on their feet after the first day or two of witty banter.

All in all, I think the Kate Daniels' books are solid and definitely worth reading, not to mention immensely satisfying and entertaining.

Recommended to everyone!

Great review! I agree, wholeheartedly. :)

My fave part:

People act the way they do for a reason and not because it would help the story move along.

Isn't it sad that you actually have to say that about a good book? Shouldn't they all be that way? It just seems like a no-brainer to me, but I'm just a reader. :)

Great review, Thenia! I cannot wait for Magic Slays!

Free Space: Finished Queen of Shadows on 14 Mar 11.

I finished The Demon You Know on 3/16/11 for the shifters shelf. I gave it 3 stars (barely).

Review:
Abby's brother, Noah, and the fiend, Lou, make this book. I didn't really care that much about Abby and Rule. Abby's stubbornness leads her into TSTL territory. See here for the full review.

Babbling AKA Christina wrote: "Free Space: Finished Queen of Shadows on 14 Mar 11."

Looking forward to your review. Hope you liked it. :)

{Team Stats Updated}

Just finished The Man Within by Lora Leigh and gave it 3 stars.
I kinda liked it but wasn't thrilled about it... I don't have much to say about it so I'll just copy/paste my review.


It was an OK read, better than the first one but nothing great.
ummm... I don't know what is it about this series that just doesn't do it for me.
The sex scenes were great but they were so many I got so very tired of them... and have you noticed Leigh is the only author who uses "vagina" as part of her dirty talk?... ppff... why not use "penis" too?

Shifters

finished March 16 ★

Ugh. Where to begin. I'm not a great reviewer, I don't usually give a synopsis of the story, or break down the book in a nice, rational way. And I don't always leave reviews for books. Often, I feel my star rating says enough. My reviews are usually just based on how the book made me feel. So I tend to leave more reviews for books I loved, and books I greatly disliked.

This one falls into the latter. Ugh. Where to begin? Most anything I rant about will be spoilers, but suffice it to say I am completely disgusted with Richelle Mead. I felt like the last Vampire Academy book was completely lacking, and this book compounded my ire. Her series started out great, but now it's like she's milking her money maker, putting out rubbish to cash in on her current popularity. Three series at one time? A book a year from each one? Truly, when you think about it like that, how can there be any quality to her work?

Anyway, back to Iron Crowned. I was completely exasperated by Eugenie's actions throughout this entire book. It got to the point where, truly, I think I hate her. Every single thing she said or thought made my blood boil. And she does something early on in this book that greatly added to that dislike. (view spoiler)[I hate cheaters. I hate reading about cheaters. I especially hate reading about cheaters who don't even torment themselves over the cheating. Who have no guilt, who actually justify their actions to themselves. How in the world could an author write a main character who behaves that way and then expect the readers to actually still like that character? (hide spoiler)]

She is selfish. She is immature. She is impulsive. She is a whiner. She goes on and on about how broken up she is about the war, how much it pains her that people are dying because of her. Then she gets in a tricky situation and is so damn impulsive that she's ready to destroy a huge group of people, just to ensure she gets away.

She acts like she doesn't want power, that she never asked for this and just wants her normal, human life back. Then in the next breath she's bragging about how much more powerful she is than everyone else. She's all "Do you know who I AM?" and "I am the Thorn Queen, beware my wrath!" Make up your damn mind.

And don't get me started on her love life. And I use the word "love" very loosely. But Eugenie doesn't. No, she throws the word "love" around everywhere, but it is all telling me--never showing. And no, sex does not equal love. I think someone needs to tell Eugenie that.

It just baffles my mind that an author would write a main character that is so unlikeable.

But then...then... then! I get to the end, only to discover that the thing Eugenie did that aggravated me so, the thing that made me decide I probably hated her...ended up being a flipping PLOT DEVICE. And a very obvious one, at that. Mead writes like a damn paint-by-numbers. I'm done.

Thenia's review yesterday on Magic Bleeds couldn't have been more timely for me. And I think it's comical that the part of her review I liked the most--and totally agree with when it comes to Magic Bleeds and all the Kate Daniels books--is also what made me hate this book.

People act the way they do for a reason and not because it would help the story move along.

Not in Iron Crowned. This entire book was just one big plot device. Did I mention I'm done with Mead? Just making sure. :)

Noooo! This is sad indeed. Are you sure that the book you picked up was Iron Crowned?
Sorry you didn't like it :(

Josie wrote: "Noooo! This is sad indeed. Are you sure that the book you picked up was Iron Crowned?
Sorry you didn't like it :("

Lol! I'm sure. ;) It's got a 4+ star rating, so not everyone feels the same way I do. But now I have lowered your expectations, so you will enjoy it more.

You're welcome. ;)

Free Space - 2/8 completed


Laura Lulu Queen of Shadows
Laurie Shadow Game
✔Diane Pleasure Unbound finished March 6 ★★★
Lili
Christina Queen of Shadows finished March 14 - awaiting review
Sarah Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Jen Shadowfever
✔Thenia Magic Bleeds finished March 15 ★★★★★


Part-Of-A-Series, G1 - 8/8 completed - Stamp Awarded!

✔Laura Lulu Unwind finished March 7 ★★★★★
✔Laurie Silver Borne finished March 12 ★★★★
✔Diane The Iron King finished March 8 ★★★
✔Lili Halfway to the Grave finished March 6 ★★★★★
✔Christina Paying the Virgin's Price finished March 12 ★★★★
✔Sarah The Dead-Tossed Waves finished March 12 ★★★★★
✔Jen Bonds of Justice finished March 8 ★★★★
✔Thenia Mockingjay finished March 6 ★★★★★


Shifters, I5 - 5/8 completed

✔Laura Lulu Iron Crowned finished March 16 ★
✔Laurie A Certain Wolfish Charm finished March 14 ★★★
✔Diane The Demon You Know finished March 16 ★★★
✔Lili The Man Within finished March 17 ★★★
Christina Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Sarah River Marked
Jen
✔Thenia Visions of Heat finished March 14 ★★★

Laura Lulu wrote: "Josie wrote: "Noooo! This is sad indeed. Are you sure that the book you picked up was Iron Crowned?
Sorry you didn't like it :("

Lol! I'm sure. ;) It's got a 4+ star rating, so not everyone feels ..."

Lol, doubtful, since I didn't particularly like Eugenie anyway. I thought she wasn't too bad in Thorn Queen but obviously she went backwards. Ah well, at least I haven't bought it :)

Laura Lulu wrote: "My fave part:

People act the way they do for a reason and not because it would help the story move along.

Isn't it sad that you actually have to say that about a good book? Shouldn't they all be that way? "

I know!! I find myself 'eye-rolling' lately a lot because of that. I prefer getting annoyed with a character in a book for his/her idiocy than with the obvious push he/she got from the author to act that certain way so the puzzle pieces fit together in the story as a whole.

Sorry you didn't like your book :(

Hey, is it Sunday, yet??

Josie wrote: "Ah well, at least I haven't bought it :)"

And that's where you have the advantage over me. That might have made it a 1 star instead of a 2 star for me--buyer's remorse. ;)

Thenia wrote: "Sorry you didn't like your book :("

Thanks. :) But I did enjoy trashing it in my review--it was cathartic. Lol. The whole time I was reading it, I was like, "Hey, remember that when you write your review!" I should have taken notes, I'm sure there were a ton of things that bugged me that I forgot about. ;)

Laura Lulu wrote: "Thanks. :) But I did enjoy trashing it in my review--it was cathartic. Lol. The whole time I was reading it, I was like, "Hey, remember that when..."

Maybe I should start writing more reviews... :P

Laura Lulu wrote: "Shifters

finished March 16 ★

Ugh. Where to begin. I'm not a great reviewer, I don't usually give a synopsis of the story, or break down the book in a nice, ration..."


Wow!
I didn't think my shifters book was great but you really really didn't like yours!
Sorry about that... hope the next one is awesome!

Last year I read Storm Born and didn't think much of it, after your review I don't think I'll be reading the next one in the series any time soon.

I truly never leave 1 star reviews. This is my first out of 472 books read. I kid you not. Even if I don't like a book, I feel bad giving an author 1 star--it's like telling someone their kid is stupid & ugly. ;)

But this book has a 4.18 rating, and I'm disgusted by that. You'd swear it was a YA book--one of those horrible ones with a boring TSTL heroine and rude immortal angel/vampire/fae boy. But all the teens give it 5 stars because he is sooooo dreamy.

Richelle Mead needs a wake up call, and although my measly rating won't make that happen, I still needed to do it just on principle. I don't feel like I'm telling Mead her kid is stupid & ugly, because this kid was made out of some playdoh and a couple popsicle sticks. ;)

LOL!!!! Laura, you always make my day. Love the playdoh & popsicle sticks ;)

Sandra wrote: "LOL!!!! Laura, you always make my day. Love the playdoh & popsicle sticks ;)"

And you just made mine. :)

Josie wrote: "Noooo! This is sad indeed. Are you sure that the book you picked up was Iron Crowned?
Sorry you didn't like it :("

LOL! Is it crazy that I'm still holding out hope that I might like this one?

Laura Lulu wrote: "But now I have lowered your expectations, so you will enjoy it more.

You're welcome. ;) "

LMAO!

Steph wrote: "LOL! Is it crazy that I'm still holding out hope that I might like this one?"

No! Lots of people gave it a good review. And you are a kinder reader/reviewer than I. I do not suffer fools, or foolish books lightly. You have a bit more tolerance in that department. :)

Yeah, that's true. I'm a softy. :)

OUR NEXT SHELF IS ..... '_paranormal'
DIRECT LINK: '_paranormal'

Happy Reading, Everyone!!

Well.... crud... I completely forgot that new shelves would be announced weekly, not every other week. Sorry to be behind, guys!

For Shifters, I'll be reading Eat Prey Love by Kerrelyn Sparks

For Paranormal, I'll be reading Night Star by Alyson Noel.

For the Free Space slot:

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning ****/5 03.19.11

Trying not to spoil anything for anybody... I really enjoyed this one, but I thought she tried to jam too much into 1 book, and that it might have suffered a bit for it. I'm not sure I like where she went with how all the major questions of the series were answered, but I'm definitely looking forward to the next series set in the Fever world.

Jen (jlkish) wrote: "Well.... crud... I completely forgot that new shelves would be announced weekly, not every other week. Sorry to be behind, guys!

For Shifters, I'll be reading Eat Prey Love by Kerr..."

Don't worry about it, there are only 3 shelves and free space so far, so no one can get bingo yet. :)

Yep Jen, what Diane said. We're doing good. :)

That paranormal shelf is a sweet one--over 15,000 books. Which means that pretty much any UF or PNR you want to read will be on there. Those are awesome Bingo shelves to get toward the end of the month, when the pile of books you need to read for monthly challenges is small. :) Thanks random.org!

I want to read this one for the paranormal shelf, but I lent my copy to my brother. I need to read it this month for some March challenges anyway, it just depends on whether I go get it from him this weekend, or later in the week--



And if I don't get it from him this weekend, I'll read this for the paranormal shelf. It's really more sci-fi, but someone shelved it as "paranormal", so I thank them. ;)

Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn - 19 Mar 11 ★★★★

I really liked this book. I liked the fact that life is messy for Kitty. She's trying to have a life she wants while still remaining with the pack. Carl's pack isn't a healthy environment for this type of behavior. Her actions seem to challenge his authority and causes a lot of turmoil for her. Things might have been different had someone else been alpha.

I read the sneak peak for book 2 and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next for Kitty. I've already ordered the next two books in this series.

Laura Lulu wrote: "Yep Jen, what Diane said. We're doing good. :)

That paranormal shelf is a sweet one--over 15,000 books. Which means that pretty much any UF or PNR you want to read will be on there. Those are awes..."

You know, I was going to read but I think I will change it to .

It counts toward more challenges than A Taste of Magic does.

I will probably read Valley of Silence for the paranormal shelf as I'm in the middle of the second book right now.

Shadow Game read for Free Space

1 star

Review:

Lily Whitney is a brilliant, psychically gifted woman who is called in by her father (Dr. Peter Whitney) to consult on a on a case he has been working on. Dr. Whitney has been experimentally enhancing the telepathic gifts of a group of military trained men. The group of soldiers have been cruelly imprisoned and separated. Lily is stunned to learn that her father has been experimenting on these men. When Lily meets Ryland Miller, leader of the elite squad of soldiers, they share an instant attraction to each other.

After Lily's father is murdered, Lily discovers that her father harbored some horrific secrets. Even though Dr. Whitney may have done some monstorous things, Lily still loves her father and want to discover who his murder is and bring to justice any one who was involved in the conspiracy of her father's murders. Ryland and his men help Lily in her endeavors to uncover the mystery.

Hmmm... what to say? I have read all of the Dark series up to Dark Peril and was slowly becoming bored of those. I think I have become a jaded Feehan fan. I was hoping for more originality in the Ghostwalker series. But, no such luck for me. Ms. Feehan seems to have a formula she writes from and it is getting on my nerves. I will not be reading further in this series. :(


I am reading Dreamfever for the paranormal shelf.

{Team Stats Updated}
Great picks, Ladies! Happy Reading!

Hope you all enjoy Song of Scarabaeus. I thought it was a good start to what should be a fun new Sci-fi series.

Posting for the Paranormal Shelf



4 Stars!

Dreamfever begins where Faefever ends. Mac is in the sexual clutches of three Unseelie princes thanks to the Lord Master's conniving actions. She is rescued by Dani and eventually Barrons intervenes. He is able to cure Mac of the sexual addiction she contracts from having sex with the three Unseelie princes. She surfaces from this experience stronger than she was before.

The story continues with the search for the Sinsar Dubh in the wake of the devastation caused by the walls falling between Faerie and the mortal world. Mac also has to confront Rowena and her purposes toward the Sidh Seers. Dani and Mac forge a partnership to hunt the Unseelie that have infiltrated the world with weapons of power. They also dig for information on the Sinsar Dubh with the help of a faction of the Sidh Seers.

The Lord Master declares a challenge to Mac in order for her save her parents back home in Ashford, Georgia. To get there, Mac has to travel through the mirrors. Traveling through the mirrors is an unknown since one cannot be sure they will end up where they are intending to travel. This mode of transportation lands Mac in places unknown. The ending of this book takes your breath away. Leaving your psyche screaming "OMG....no! NO! No!"

Karen Moning continues this story with her talent for melodic prose. She paints a story from the point of view of Mac with a few glimpses into the thoughts of Dani. Mac's internal musings lend themselves to thoughts that invoke deep thought on behalf of the reader. Moning's aptitude for weaving an unforgettable tale is profound and does not disappoint in this addition to her "Fever" series.

Happy Reading!