The Fairy Godmother- Mercedes Lackey

In the Five Hundred Kingdoms, everyone has a role to play, whether it be that of a normal peasant or noble, or something more important. This role is determined by a force called the Tradition. Once the Tradition decides that a person is useful or important, magic will culminate around said person and push them on a path toward their inevitable destiny. However, sometimes the logistics don't always work out correctly. Elena was supposed to be a "Cinderella" in her world. She has the evil stepmother and sisters to boot, but as luck would have it, the prince of her kingdom is eleven and not a viable candidate. So instead, she finds herself apprenticed to the fairy godmother of her kingdom and is poised to take over her position as soon as she learns how to control and use the magic that the Tradition has bestowed upon her.

Overall Merit: This was a fluffy book. It was fun to read and I did enjoy the world that Lackey created. This was my first Mercedes Lackey book so I don't know a whole lot about her writing style. To sum it up in one word: cute. The book was cutesy and headed for an inevitable happy ending, which I guess is to be expected in a world governed by fairytales. It wasn't anything so amazing, but I liked the concept of the world and it was a quick read. If you're looking for intense, well-written fantasy/characters/plot then this probably isn't your book, but I mean it was a very light read--'beachy' if you will (not that I know so much about beaches, Unseelie is sadly deficient)--so I finished it in a few hours. The main gripe I had was the romance. This romantic sequence pissed me off/confused me to the extreme. More on that in 'Blush Factor'. Score- 7

Characters: Not a whole lot of substance here. As I said, the characters weren't very well-written. I didn't get any real emotion from anyone and I didn't particularly care about Alexander or Elena. They weren't annoying characters, which always buys some points in my book, but they were flat. Elena was ho-hum not that interesting and her personality wasn't there. She never expressed any real emotion--same issue with Alexander. Sure, Lackey told me he was annoyed/wanted to throttle Elena, but she didn't show me his frustration. The other characters were basically sketches, thrown in to help the plot along, but they literally had no personality or were so stereotypical that they may as well have been stick figures. Score- 5

Blush Factor: *SPOILERS* Don't even get me started. This was one of the worst romances I have ever seen. First off, you knew that Elena and Alexander were going to get together as soon as she drags him away from his quest to 'punish' him. Then, he tries to sexually assault her, which I find is never conducive to any sort of kind feelings. After, when he becomes more civil, they start having freaky shared sex dreams and somehow along the lines end up falling in love. And finally, out of the blue he asks her if she's been having the same dreams as him and then when she says yes they go up to his rooms and have a weird variation of sex. What the Hell? Score- 3

Structure: I really did like the world, which is why I give some kudos to this book. I liked the pseudo fairytale setting and the magical rules of the world. Lackey gave good definition to her magic and the rules governing the world, which was amenable since so many writers neglect to do that. The story wove in and out of Elena's and Alexander's perspectives, which was standard, but I wished there had been more definition when the perspectives jumped. I got a line break and that was it, just a formatting issue, but still something to note. If you do decide to check out the book, do it for the world structure. Score- 8

Plot: I mean there was a plot, it wasn't a very good plot, but it was a plot all the same. I hated the ending, it was extremely rushed. It felt like Lackey was trying to avoid major conflict, realized that was impossible, and ended up putting it in at the end and sweeping it under the carpet as quickly as she could. The premise was decent, not super strong, but not awful either. Lackey could have done something much more interesting with the world. There really wasn't enough conflict. Elena mastered her magic in what felt like moments, Alexander was helped by fairies, and the final 'epic' battle was over in a few pages. No one died. Everyone lived happily ever after, even though the message that Lackey kept driving home in the book was that it didn't work like that. Score- 6

Vervain Says: "Fairy Godmothers are responsible for quest giving, testing heros, and keeping magic from running amok."

Warbreaker- Brandon Sanderson

This is the story of two princesses, Vivenna and Siri, one of whom is destined to marry the God King of Hallandren. It is also the story of a minor god who hates his job as one of the Returned, and another immortal who is trying to correct his mistakes made centuries ago. In their world, people who die under the right circumstances join the pantheon of the Returned, and live as gods for the rest of eternity. However, the gods need Breath to live, Breath, which is the source of Biochromatic power that every person possesses to a certain extent. A power that will prove to be the undoing of many and the fortune maker of few. Only through the collective efforts of Siri, Vivenna, Lightsong, Susebron the God King, and Vasher the Warbreaker will an inevitable war come to a less than devastating conclusion.

-I apologize for the vague and patchy synopsis. However, given the contents of the story I had little to work with. Here's an interview with Sanderson that might clarify things a bit.

Overall Merit: First off, the cover is gorgeous, but that's through no merit of the author. I think this book disappointed me more than it would someone else because the Mistborn Trilogy was just fantastic. For some reason, Sanderson was able to capture all of his literary prowess in those books, but fell far from the mark in this standalone novel. I do have to give credit where it's due and say that Sanderson is a genius at creating new worlds. The world in Warbreaker was intrinsically fascinating and thrilling, but the rest of the story, plot, characters, etc fell flat. Score- 7

Characters: Often times when there are a lot of perspectives going on at the same time, a reader will favor one perspective over the other perspectives. In fact, I've yet to find a multi-perspective book where this hasn't been the case for me. Then again, this is all relative because I found nearly all the characters to be annoying. Vivenna was bratty and spoiled and Sanderson kept talking about how she was 'so well controlled', but I never really saw it. Okay, I sort of did, but only through a really annoying plot device that he exploited far more than he should have. Vivenna and Siri, as royal princesses of Idris have the ability to change their hair color based on mood. Sanderson used this as a copout because instead of giving us other indicators as to how the girls were feeling it would just be like "her hair flared red", "her hair bleached", etc. Siri was also annoying because for such a 'rebellious' girl, she really didn't do anything all that rebellious. I don't know, Vin and Elend (Mistborn) were more real for me and I actually liked them as people. Score- 5

Blush Factor: This was a presence in the book, somewhat. I mean it's weird, Mistborn was uber chaste and then Sanderson spends a good deal of time talking about just how big Mercystar and Blushweaver's (two of the Returned) breasts are. Then there's the whole weird thing going on with Susebron and Siri (horrible name choice by the way). I don't know, I mean the Siri x Susebron thing wasn't bad, it was kind of sweet actually so kudos for that, but then he tried to do something with Vivenna and Vasher. The whole book was all over the place. This wasn't a terrible aspect, but neither was it that important. Solid, I guess. Score- 7

Structure: There were too many perspectives and I didn't enjoy reading most of them, in fact I kind of skimmed all the chapters that didn't involve Siri and Susebron--the only side story I found moderately entertaining. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that I didn't really care about most of the characters, but Susebron, the God King intrigued me and I actually somewhat wanted to find out what happened with him, even though I could care less about the rest of the story. Score- 6

Plot: Ok, this was really, really contrived. There were way too many things going on and I even though the book was very long, it wasn't nearly long enough to flesh out all the details Sanderson was trying to cram into 600 pages. To be honest, all I got was there was some kind of conspiracy with the God King and a war was on the horizon. There were about 20 different rebel factions and it was nigh impossible to keep track of. Things were going on with Vivenna and some other things with Lightsong. Like I said, the only chapters I actually liked reading were the ones with Siri and Susebron. Score- 5

Vervain says: "Read the Mistborn Trilogy, but avoid this book unless you're absolutely desperate to read something else by Sanderson."

Masques- Patricia Briggs

Aralorn is a noblewoman turned spy/assassin. She realized early on that she was not cut out for court life and left home to pursue a more fitting occupation. One day, she rescues a dying wolf who turns out to be a powerful mage in disguise. He becomes her companion and after four years eventually learns to trust her. Aralorn has been given a new assignment: spy on the ae'Magi, the powerful and charismatic leader of the mages. With shapeshifting magic of her own, she accomplishes this task, but also learns how cruel the man is behind his charming facade. Few dare speak ill of the ae'Magi as mages are to be respected and feared, but Aralorn sees the evil in him and makes it her mission to see him destroyed. Only with Wolf's help and a great deal of magic will this be a successful endeavor.

A quick note: This book is pretty obscure as in, there weren't that many copies printed. Should you want to read it, I think you'll be hard pressed to find a copy.

Overall Merit: This is very different from Briggs later work (see the Alpha and Omega series). It is unpolished and at times hard to follow. I like her character work so kudos for that. Because this was her first novel and written at the age of 20 nonetheless, I have to cut her some slack. I liked the concept and the relationship between Aralorn and Wolf, but she spent a lot of time describing unimportant things instead of focusing on the plot. There were a lot of extraneous characters and events and I think if the story had been taking in a different, more succinct direction it would have been stronger. Score- 7

Characters: This was the one aspect that Briggs did the best with. I liked Aralorn and Wolf. Wolf's personality and backstory was the stronger of the two, but Aralorn didn't annoy me in the way that so many fantasy heroines manage to do. She was legitimately independent and although her personality didn't smack me in the face with strength, she was solid and more importantly, not irritating. I mean there was no uber strength here, but the characters were enough to make me want to continue on and read the sequel even though I didn't absolutely adore this book or anything. Score- 8

Blush Factor: You can often tell a lot about an author (age, religion, political views) based on how they handle the romance in a novel. That may not sound very plausible, but if you look hard enough, patterns emerge. Look for things like, the presence and usage of homosexuality, waiting until marriage, etc. This romance speaks of an author who is young and worried about being too explicit or too offensive and errs on the side of caution. It was sweet and I'm glad that she exercised restraint instead of throwing Wolf and Aralorn into a head-over-heels smoldering romance. However, there were times where the romance might have been too subtle and easily missed by a careless reader. Score- 6.5

Structure: This bothered me a bit because Briggs switched in and out of perspectives using page breaks, a technique that annoys me at the best of times. It's really more personal preference than anything, but it makes it less confusing for me if the author breaks perspectives up by chapters, rather than having a very long chapter with multiple perspectives. Chapter changes allow the reader to fully depart from one perspective and transition into another whereas page breaks can leave the reader stranded, straddling two perspectives and wondering why the story suddenly changed. Also, her transitions were a bit muddled and often I couldn't follow where the story was going or why she had chosen that specific place to break off. Score- 5

Plot: Yes, this was cliched, but when I started the book I didn't expect anything more. If you can accept the cliches and read without being too critical then the book isn't that bad. If you're a stickler for banalities then you'd best steer clear. I mean there have been several iterations of "kill the evil mage". This story didn't bring anything super new to the table. I gave this book the score I did because it didn't irritate me. I wasn't a phenomenal story and there wasn't anything new here. Score- 6

Vervain says: "Aralorn uses 'green magic', which she inherited from her mother. This means she has the ability to shape shift, but not as effectively as if she were full-blooded instead of half human."

Bloodring (Rogue Mage #1)- Faith Hunter

In a post-apocalyptic world ruled by Seraphim, neomages like Thorn are relegated to luxurious "prisons" called Enclaves. However, when Thorn came into her powers she realized that she could hear the thoughts of all the others in her New Orleans Enclave. Between going insane and living as a fugitive in the human world, she chose the latter and has lived in fear of discovery for the past ten years. However, her life of faux-normalcy is shattered when her ex-husband Lucas is kidnapped by dark forces, Thorn knows that it is not long before they come after her. Then there is the issue of the kylen (part human, part seraph), Thaddeus, who shows up at her doorstep and starts asking questions. She is strangely attracted to him in spite of the knowledge that any misstep will result in her being killed by the humans or shipped back to her Enclave--either way her death will be inevitable.

Overall Merit: I loved the premise behind the book so I forced myself to slog through it and it did get better by the end. However, for the most part it was remarkably slow and filled with unnecessary characters. I did like Thorn's powers, stone mages are not common, most authors opt for all-around powers or elemental magic, so Hunter's innovation was a plus. I really wanted to like this book and was so disappointed that I couldn't bring myself to enjoy reading it. Usually a 350-some-odd-page book will take me about 3-4 hours to read tops, so about a night or two worth of reading. This book dragged on for a good four days and often put me to sleep early. If I'm really into a book I will push through the exhaustion and read into the wee hours of the night. I could not do that with this book, even though I desperately wanted to. I mean the characters weren't bad or anything and the romance had potential, but the story dragged and there was not enough action by a long shot. Score- 6 (for premise)

Characters: Thorn was a solid character, I really did like her, but I felt like the others were not fleshed out enough, especially Thaddeus (Thadd). He showed up at random intervals during the story and Thorn seemed way more focused on her cheating ex-husband, Lucas. The other characters like Jacey and Rupert didn't do all that much and then there was the random kid, Ciana who showed up and didn't do much but serve as a bad plot device. The same things could have happened without her. Audric might be the only one who got any fleshing out other than Thorn and that was probably only because he shared a secret with her. Score- 4

Blush Factor- What blush factor? No really, it kept going on about how Thorn was "in heat", but nothing ever happened. Yes, she suffered with her intense sexual desire, but again nothing happened. There was no romance, no chemistry between any of the characters. If Hunter hadn't told me that Audric and Rupert were a couple there was no way in Hell I could have guessed it for myself. I was promised a nice romance sequence between Thorn and Thadd and I got nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Mushy-gushy fans, don't waste your time. Score- 2

Structure: I loved the idea of the post-apocalpytic society ruled by Seraphs. It was lovely that the world nearly ended after a series of horrific plagues. And people getting branded for cursing? Beautiful. Eternal winter/mini ice age? Gorgeous. So where was the story to go along with this imaginative new world? I'm still looking for it, I'm afraid. One of the main problems is that there were a zillion things going on at the same time. There was the thread with Lucas and the one with Ciana and then there was something going on with a weird amethyst at the same time. For a moderately short book, way too much. I got lost and confused, I mean that might have had something to do with the fact that I was skimming, but I skim a lot of books and still manage to keep up with the plot. Score- 5

Plot: This was so promising. I read the back of the book and got excited. I do give Hunter credit for doing her research, as most of the factual basis, including the names of the Seraphim, were spot on. The story though was lacking at a fundamental level. She stretched it in too many directions instead of focusing on one main plot line. I wanted to follow Thorn on her adventures, and potential budding romance with Thadd, instead I was reading about things I didn't care about. It's nice that the people have a picnic on a day that the sun chooses to shine, but how the Hell does that relate to the story? If she had focused her plot and honed in on the important details, it would have been a much more solid novel. Score- 4

 Vervain says: "Neomages have a special glow about them so Thorn has to use amulets to dampen her glow and blend into the human world."





In summation: I was disappointed.

Vengeance Born (Light Blade #1)- Kylie Griffin

Annika is a half-breed demon (Na'Chi) and in her world this puts her lower than even the lowest caste of demon (Na'Reish). She is abused and punished for her lineage and spends most of her time hiding and treating injured prisoners in the dungeons. Through her mortal blood she inherited an unparalleled gift  for healing, which she hides because on the flip side it also allows her to kill. Annika thinks she will spend the rest of her life in her miserable existence until one day she discovers that the newest prisoner is a Light Blade, a warrior of the mortals' Goddess, named Kalan. They make a pact: Annika will help Kalan safely out of Na'Reish territory and Kalan will protect Annika once they reach the human realm. The two embark on a perilous journey that they will only survive if they can learn to trust each other.

Overall Merit: I enjoyed several aspects of this book and for the most part it was a very solid read. Griffin does a good job with the characters at the beginning, but their strength seems to fade as the book goes on. I thought the structure and characteristics of Na'Reish society were interesting and I would have liked more of a background. There weren't any radically new ideas in the book, but Griffin took a pre-established story and wove it into a world of her own making. Some aspects definitely seemed a little too cliched, but I mean while there wasn't anything stunning in the book, it was a quick read and I didn't have any major issues with it. I'd say it's worth checking out if you want a pretty standard romantic fantasy. Score- 8

Characters: I'm all for character change, but this felt way too fast. Over the course of maybe a week Annika goes from being fearful for her life to trusting Kalan absolutely. I mean this is a pretty common issue in novels where romance is present, but I just felt like their relationship was very rushed. Annika is interesting and I liked the way her Na'Chi characteristics presented (color changing eyes, body markings, etc.), but I felt that as she got closer to Kalan her personality got watered down. Kalan was hmm I wouldn't call him an alpha or a beta, maybe somewhere in between? I'm having a difficult time deciding because his personality wasn't very strong in either direction. He needed some serious fleshing out and I felt like he made a lot of threats, but didn't actually do anything. Score- 6

Blush Factor: Ok, if you read this genre you know the deal. This was a basic fantasy smut novel. The sex scenes didn't overpower the rest of the book, but they were definitely a presence. There was the whole "Oh Annika's a virgin, let's take it slow" (but not really). Pretty standard sequence here. If this is your thing then enjoy. I really don't have a whole lot to say or rant about. Score- 7

Structure: For this category, I feel like all the pieces were there, but Griffin didn't utilize them to their full potential. I very much enjoyed learning about Na'Chi and Na'Reish abilities, but I felt kind of jilted because they weren't spelled out enough for me. Yes, I got the body markings and some of the abilities, but I felt like I was missing something. The main problem was that Griffin didn't keep Annika's powers consistent, or maybe she didn't explain them very well. For example, apparently Annika is super strong, but I wanted to know how strong. Like can she lift two men? Five? Laying out the parameters for supernatural powers is essential because otherwise it leaves the reader wondering whether or not they could have used said powers to get out of a difficult situation. Same goes for the Light Blades. I know they're talented with weapons, but is that it? I've said this before and I'll say it again: A reader can't possibly know what's going on in a writer's head. So writers, please spell it out for us. Score- 5

Plot: This gets kudos because it actually existed. Finally, someone remembers to include a plot along with the other elements of a story! I liked that it wasn't just Annika's story, but that we also got to see a side plot weaving in at the same time. I think this really helped the book along because it gave more substance to the story whereas if it had just been about Annika and Kalan, it would have pretty much only had the romance to go on and that would definitely not have been enough. Score- 8

Vervain says: "Annika's eyes change color depending on her mood."

Posting Late this Week

I apologize to my imaginary readers for my sloth. I've yet to go to the library this week so you'll have to be patient and wait for me to find something to review. In other words, I'm not giving you a choice but to be patient because if you start rioting I'll feed you to Vervain. Capisce ('capeesh', for all those who cannot spell)? Excellent.

The Trouble With Spells (Of Witches and Warlocks #1)- Lacey Weatherford

Portia thinks she is a normal teenager until she reaches her sixteenth birthday and is informed point blank by her grandmother that she is in fact a witch. She also discovers that high school bad boy Vance Mangum is a member of her coven and that they are inexplicably linked. The two begin a passionate relationship, which is soon threatened when Vance's dark past threatens to catch up with him. Portia must harness her budding powers to protect the one she loves and keep him from falling to the same darkness that consumed his father.

First an apology: This book is going to take the brunt of my ranting about YA Paranormal, even though it was not inherently that terrible. I've pretty much had it up to my ears with this genre and I need to yell about it or I'm going to end up snapping at Vervain and losing an eye in the process.


Overall Merit: This book was definitely a mushy teen romance, so if that's your thing then go for it. I mean it wasn't terrible, my feelings are just very lukewarm. There was nothing new done in this book, all the same motifs were rehashed in exactly the same way they've been before. To add to the lukewarm factor, Portia and Vance were not all that interesting and Vance had a major Edward Cullen complex going on (brooding, stalkerish, etc.). If you have nothing else to do then go for it, I guess. It won't make your eyes bleed or anything, but it's pretty bland and lacks the novelty and characters to keep the trite story afloat. Score- 5/6

Characters: In Vance, Weatherford promised me a bad boy. However, she spent a ton of time telling me how he was so badass instead of showing me. Riding a motorcycle and wearing a leather jacket does not make someone a badass. Portia was nothing special. Yea, she had a weird mental connection with Vance that was never properly explained, and yea she turned out to be super powerful, but making the protagonist powerful is not a substitute for giving her a personality! They weren't horrible characters, but again, nothing worth taking note of. Score- 6

Blush Factor: Ok this might actually be the thing to make me go completely mental. Why is it that in EVERY SINGLE FREAKING YA PARANORMAL there's some ridiculous scenario in which the girl wants to have sex and the guy makes up some lame-ass excuse as to why he won't have sex with her. Unless you make it clear that the guy is very religious or that he'll spontaneously combust if he has intercourse out of wedlock, I'M NOT BUYING IT! First off, it makes it seem like teenage girls are all super horny and want to screw and that teenage boys are all saints who want to respect the girl and wait for marriage. I'm sorry, but we do not live in Jane Austen Land! This is 2012 and the average age a girl loses her virginity is SEVENTEEN. Would it kill an author to have the girl be the one to say no? Making the female protagonist into a little nympho is NOT ORIGINAL! Score- 4

Structure: Ok, why the Hell sixteen? I'm getting so, so, so sick of that being the magical age. What's wrong with seventeen? Eighteen? I feel like sixteen works because it makes it socially acceptable for the female to be in a serious relationship (which is wasted if you refuse to make it a proper relationship to begin with). Nothing new here, standard, I'm magically in love with you after 24 hours, when can we get married and spend eternity together? Also, Weatherford definitely should have put more effort into the magic system. It seemed very slapped together almost laissez faire and would have helped the book instead of hindering it if it had been more solid. Score- 5

Plot: Eh. This was sketchy. So much effort was focused on the irritating romance that the plot sort of fell by the wayside and resurfaced when it was convenient. I did not like the ending, I thought it was predictable and kind of stupid. The problem with this genre is that the conflicts seem to have such easy resolutions that it's laughable. This category was a little bit pathetic and I didn't buy it for the most part. Weatherford should have focused on making a stronger story, rather than relying on the mediocre romance to keep the novel going. Score- 4

 Vervain says: "The weird thing about the magic in this book was that it was very self-determined. For example, when Portia wanted to design a spell for protection she pretty much got to make up the entire thing, which didn't ring entirely true."