Our Lady of Poisons

The Chemist by Stephenie MeyerMy rating:  5 of 5 stars
My sister and I listened to this on Audiobook a few years back and I never got to write a review. So we started a re-listen together, but we never got to finish it because our schedules are not at all the same. I ended up finishing listening to it by myself. I loved this book. It was a huge departure from the Twilight series, which I also loved. It was a good idea for Meyer to go in a different direction with her writing, and I found it refreshing.
The Chemist was something completely unexpected. I didn't know much about the story, but I did want to read it because I do appreciate Meyer's writing. And this genre (thriller/suspense) is another area of reading that I highly enjoy. I also liked that the lead character who goes by Alex is a unique kind of character. She's lethal (and I mean literally), but not in the Black Widow kind of way. Her stock in trade is using chemistry to achieve certain goals, hence the name of the book. She's on the run, and the book goes into details about why, even though I won't in this review. But let's just say she got betrayed by her employer. She's been living by her wits for years now, and she's very good at keeping herself alive. When she gets contacted by her former employee, that's when everything changed.

Because I am a romantic at heart, I loved the romance that is part of the core of the book. I mean, it's not the point of the book. The book is about Alex's character arc, about her reclaiming her life and discovering the ability to love and to trust others. I don't think she had that before everything started, not really. Even so, the romance was sweet and very appealing to me. I liked that the romantic angle didn't compromise who Alex was or try to fit her into a specific role that we assume for women in our society, nor for the person she becomes involved with. Their individual curves and angles fit together very well.

While I think the action could have been better described, and even though there are some really edgy aspects to the story and content, Meyer shows a lot of restraint. I would like to see her push that and get more descriptive if she wants to lean into the thriller/suspense elements. I have to confess that I am hugely impacted by the fact that I have glommed the Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz and it's reset my standards for action/thriller stories. I know that not every author has the same way of writing and I respect that. I like that each writer is unique. I am very pleasantly surprised that Meyer choose to write this book and take a huge left turn from the Twilight series.
I think that she has something good here. That's the only reason why I would critique some of the thriller/suspense elements. I think that this genre really needs showing and immersing the reader in the action as it occurs.

I did feel that the use of pronouns was excessive (sentences tended to start with "she" way too much, a weird pet peeve I admit), and that made for a very clunky start to the book.
Despite that, I found The Chemist very well-written and compelling. I am glad that there are plans to make a tv show out of the book. I will watch the hell out of that show. I'm excited to see who the cast. Since Alex is described as having some Asianness to her features, I hope they cast an actress who is Asian or at least part Asian. I hope they don't change the romance, because it was a big appeal for me.

Notes on the Audiobook Narration: The narrator has a pleasant voice and she brings Alex and the other characters to life really well. I think she nails Alex and also does a great job with the male voices. I think she could be a little more dynamic, but I'm being nickpicky, to be honest.

The flaws withstanding, I loved this book so much, I have to give it five stars. Those who really don't like Stephenie Meyer won't like the book, so don't read it if you hate her or Twilight. If the story appeals to you as a thriller/suspense book, it's worth a try. Those who want more Twilight, this isn't it. It's something else and uniquely wonderful.
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Samurai Game by Christine Feehan

Samurai Game by Christine Feehan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

3rd Reread Completed in October 2017.:

I think that Azami is one of Feehan's more complex GhostWalker heroines. She is definitely the most tortured. Like physically and emotionally. Whitney used her for experiments and operated on her repeatedly and then literally threw her away. She rose like a phoenix from the ashes, which is why her tattoo is so appropriate. I love how badass she is. Not only badass, but also very calm and soothing and has a sense of peace that took many years of discipline to cultivate. I think she's perfect for Sam.

Sam is such a sweetie. I love him. He's definitely lethal and capable of kicking butt big time, but he's also like a big cuddly teddy bear. He's so loyal. I was so glad to see he got a good heroine.

I loved how Sam and Azami connected deeply, and one couldn't even say it was because Whitney paired them. They share a history of having grown up in trouble surroundings and being adopted, and a craving for a real sense of family and home. It makes me so happy that they are together.

I like how much of the action in this book is Azami on her mission to cut off Whitney's espionage supply pipeline. She is ruthless about taking out her enemies, but I'm not mad at her.

One thing that bothered me this time as much as the last, Feehan barely mentions that Sam is African American. I would have liked more references to his skin color just as it was important to get a clear image of him in my head. I made up my own image. However, someone who picked up this book first probably wouldn't even know Sam was black.

As always, I love seeing Team One work together and joke around. I like how Feehan takes the time to introduce some characters she hadn't featured before, like Jonas and Kyle. I liked how much Ryland, Gator, Tucker, Nico, and Ian were in this, not to mention the ladies such as Saber, Lily, and Flame.

I never get enough of these book. This completes the reread of the books I have already read at least twice. Now I'm moving onto Viper Game, for my first reread.

2nd Reread Completed in April 2015. I wanted to revisit the GhostWalkers before I read Viper Game. And let's face it, I start getting withdrawal pains when I spend too long away from the GhostWalkers. I'm obsessed.

My thoughts this time around:

I just plain love this book. I mean, it's nothing special amongst the other books, but I really felt the love between Azami and Sam. I think even though they only knew each other for a short period, and they couldn't have been paired on both sides, it was just a synergy between them that made my true romantic heart feel warm and fuzzy. They make such a good pair, and Sam happened to put into words, they just fit together. Their relationship was deeply romantic and appealingly sensual. Those of us who have followed Team One's GWs, I don't think they could be dissatisfied at seeing Sam get his woman.

I love them just as much as individuals. Sam is so fantastic. He's such a good guy. Smart as a whip, lethal as a ninja and sweet as a puppy. That is my kind of combination. This is one of those heroes that I often wish "Why can't I have a guy like that?" It doesn't happen much. I usually view romance as escapism, and it's not wish fulfillment for me, if I'm honest. More than anything, I'm more in love with love. But, yeah, Sam is 100% on my personal compatibility scale. I think out of all the GhostWalkers, he's probably the one I feel like I would be a good match with in real life. But enough of that!

Azami, I have a serious girl crush on her. She's freaking lethal, but elegant and demure. She's highly intelligent, but has no desire to showboat about it. And she's a serious survivor. Out of all the crap that Whitney did in his experimentation with the GhostWalkers, he committed the most atrocities to her. But it didn't break her, she was reborn as a samurai. There is something about a woman warrior that I just love. While I don't have a tendency towards being a warrior in real life, I truly love that aspect of a woman. Yes, I admit I have a secret desire to be a ninja that never went away. Azami's secret assaults on Whitneys organization were long in coming. He things she's thrown away and probably dead, but she's the real ghost who is going to give him his reckoning.

I do believe this book is slightly more action-focused than the previous book. While Feehan goes in detail with some of the operational information, I liked that. I'm sort of geeky about special ops stuff.


I could probably rave more, but I don't want to repeat myself over what I said on my last read. I can say that it definitely stands up to a reread. Sadly, it makes me want to start the series all over again, but I lack the time for it. :)

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Original Review:
I was so sad to finish this book. I love visiting with the GhostWalkers in any capacity, and the arrival of the long lost Thorn (now called Azami) was desperately appreciated. Sam is a sweetheart while clearly maintaining his capable and lethal identity as an enhanced soldier. He is a very calm, together person. I think in some ways, the quiet heart of Team One. From the other books he seemed courtly and down to earth, eminently huggable. It's nice to see more dimensions to him and to see his love story unfold.


Hanging out with Team One again was awesome. And getting to meet the incredibly gifted and advanced Daniel was a real pleasure. He's going to make life very interesting for his parents and the Teams. Also, it was nice seeing Ryland in the field again. I missed seeing him kick some butt. The Team is not just a well-oiled military team, but a close-knit brotherhood/family.

While there is definitely an insta-love vibe between Sam and Thorn, it works for them. I could and do believe in their love. Sam and Azami connect on an intellectual, physical and emotional level. Sam has always kept a part of himself separate from others (despite his tight bonds with the other members of Team One and their wives), and when Azami comes along, she finds her way into the deeper parts of him very quickly. He wants to be her protector, although this lethal woman is more than capable of taking care of herself and others. Sam sees the wounds that Whitney's experiments have left on Azami's psyche and body and it only makes her more beautiful to him, not the broken, unwanted person she fights to leave behind. I loved that Azami is a samurai warrior in every way. I also loved her demure, together, composed demeanor. Despite her calm, she is a very passionate, deep person. She has a lot of strength to survive what she endured from Whitney's heinous experiments, rising like a phoenix from the ashes. The tattoos she wears are very representative of her journey and her psyche. I have to admit, I wish I had gotten to see her go to town with a katana (I'm a martial arts freak, so forgive!), but she proves her lethal skill in many ways, as much as ninja assassin as a samurai (and for a girl who has always thought ninjas were freaking awesome, that worked for me). I liked what I saw of her brothers, and honestly would like to see more.

I am very curious to see where the conspiracy will go next with Whitney and Violet. It looks like there's going to be a game-changer on this front. Azami is going to be a real asset in this arena, with her intel into Whitney, and her resources as a Yoshiie. She probably hates Whitney more than all of the other GhostWalkers combined, and with good reason. Whitney made a huge mistake underestimating her and the other GhostWalker women, not to mention the strong bond between the GhostWalkers. His reckoning is coming, although I don't want to see this series end any time soon.

This book felt too short. I was enjoying it so much, when it ended, I was like, "Oh, no!" I would have been happy with seventy-five more pages, easy. It's like leaving a gathering of your favorite people when these books end, knowing you might not get to spend time together again for a while. I really don't want to wait a year for another installment. It's going to be a long wait. I think I will end up rereading this book to experience more of Sam/Azami's love story and the GhostWalkers yummy goodness.

It's hard to say how I felt about this book, other than loving it and smiling most of the time as I read. The action was hardcore and fierce, and the loving was intense and beautiful, deeply emotional. Despite that satisfaction I felt reading it, I fight a pervasive feeling of sadness because it's over and I don't want to leave this world. I guess I need therapy for my GhostWalkers addiction! That's all I can say right now! Another thumbs up from this die-hard GhostWalkers fan.

*This might be a first draft for this review as my feelings coalesce into something coherent.*

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Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews

Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This was a hard book to rate because the writing is very divergent in the first part versus the last. Very crisp and rather mechanical at the beginning and more descriptive and lush in the last half. I understand why though. Claire goes from being in a gray world in which she is a lethal asset, to living a real life. I think that this is evident in the storytelling.

I can't rave enough about this team of writers, Ilona and Gordon Andrews. Their ability to tell a story with words so well, to convey so many different emotions, and their lack of fear of getting in your face with the violence. And deep down, they are real romantics. I feel like I'm the kind of reader who loves an action/kickbutt story as much as a romance story, and they're great at giving both.

As with Silent Blade, I really like how this is a nod to traditional romance along the lines of Harlequin category books buried in a science fiction action story. In this book, the heroine is in love with and pining for her unattainable boss. She just happens to be a total bad*ss mental assassin who could turn most people's brains into soup with a minimal amount of effort. That was pretty cute, and as a diehard Harley fan, I squeed a little bit. I'll be honest. I liked that Venturo was actually a really nice guy (how cool is it when a hot guy is nice too)? I could feel Claire's conflicted feeling, being in love with him but feeling under his notice. And since it's important to be incognito, she really didn't want to be.

There is a lot of detail given to developing the cultures of the various people, and it's crucial to the story. From Uley to Dahlia, each are very distinctive, and the reader feels Claire's culture shock keenly.

The theme of virtual reality was pretty cool. The descriptions were cinematic and I loved how each psycher saw the landscape differently. I suck at video games, but it reminded me of that andrenaline rush of playing a game and knowing you are going to get nailed to the wall by a better player or the game itself. Of course, Claire had no worries on that score.

This series is so cool. I hope there will be many more books.

Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.



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Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think I sabotaged myself with this book. I got so excited about it. I read too many good reviews. When I finally read it, it couldn't live up to that high expectations.

Fundamentally, Anna Dressed in Blood was a good book. There was really some art in the writing. Full of visually evocative scenes and descriptions, this book appealed to me esthetically and it also made me feel stirrings of unease, pity, and horror. What I didn't feel was a kinship with Cas. Cas is a good guy, a good hero as well. I just didn't connect with him. I have a thing for books with a male point of view. I enjoy reading them and getting inside the head of a male protagonist. With stellar examples of monster hunters like Dean and Sam Winchester from the TV show Supernatural and Cal and Nik Leandros from the book series by Rob Thurman, Cal had some hard acts to follow. I didn't ever get beneath the surface of his sarcastic, wounded by his father's untimely death exterior. I felt like an observer. When I read books, I want to be a part of the story, and feel the emotions of the characters. That can be a dicey thing with this kind of literature, but that's one of the appeals of horror and dark fantasy. If I don't get that engagement, I feel sort of lost.

On the other side, I did feel some emotions for Anna. When we first met, I was really shocked and quite horrified. But that didn't last long (well not as much). As I came to know her, I felt pity and curiosity for her, and a strange sort of sympathy and liking. Now the author did succeed at this. I didn't understand how she could make a love story out of this idea, and she created a very young, fragile seed of one between Cas and Anna. One that I am encouraged to watch grow or at least hope for the best. Other than Cas and Anna, the characterization was sketchy. I did like that Carmel was the 'it girl' with a heart. And I liked Thomas. He's a sweetie who reminded me of my TV husband Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds for some reason.

As far as the suspense storyline, it fell somewhat short. I don't care much for modern horror, with its dependence of shock, gore, and grisly, visceral violence. I like the gothic style, where atmosphere is pivotal. What we don't see feeds our imaginations and escalates the tension we feel to a razor sharp edge. There was some of that beloved gothic appeal, but it was ruined by the injection of teen slasher style horror moments and high school "mean girl/it clique" dross. That's a big turnoff for me. While I don't feel that Blake trivializes the horrible death of teens in this book, I think that going there sort of tarnished this story for me. Also, the climax was too abrupt and I didn't quite get a strong feel or read a strong enough connection between the Anna situation and the one that had steered Cas into his career. I felt like there were embryonic tendrils there that could have bloomed beautifully with more intensive narrative. But not enough in their present form. It felt like voodoo/malevolent entity lite to me. I honestly feel that this book falls into that category of books written for the new generation of tv and movie watchers (and no offense when I say that). The stories have the basic presentation of ideas that reads like a movie, but not in the visual sense. More in the sketchbook/screenplay-basic narrative. Mainly images and snarky comments, but where's the beef fundamentally? While this is not a bad thing in itself, it's not my preferred sort of writing when it comes to novels.

I can see why this book has so much appeal. There are parts that I give an A+ too (namely the imagery and back story of Anna), but they are more sparse than I would like in a book. The overall product is vaguely unsatisfying overall. I give it four stars because of the things I liked about it. I'll keep reading this series because I do like Anna and her relationship with Cas, and Thomas, the teen who befriends Cas, sparkes with his geeky sweetness. I'd like to see what mess they get into next. And I'd like to see if Blake can develop this good idea into something more meaty in the end.

Recommend with some serious reservations.



As much as it pains me, this book turned out to be a very low rated four stars.

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