Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts

Blood Brothers (Sign of Seven trilogy #1) by Nora Roberts
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars

Yay! I finished it!

Thoughts on the Story:

I loved the brotherhood bond between Cal, Gage and Fox. They had been friends for a very long time, and you could see that that bond was titanium and strengthened by their horrific mutual experience and legacy. I liked how they were three very different men, and I could see a distinction in their personalities throughout this book. I loved how the book started in the past, where we see how horrors begin in Hawkins Hollow, but also the three main characters as kids. It made me think of Stephen King's "It", "The Body", and also "Needful Things" and "'Salem's Lot". While I saw sort of an homage to King, I think Nora Roberts distinguished herself very well and gave this story her own stamp.

Additionally, I liked Quinn, Layla (writing this makes me laugh because I always thought of the Black Dagger Brotherhood when I heard their names in the same sentence, which also has a Quinn and Layla, although Quinn is spelled differently), and Cybil. I liked how their characters complemented Cal, Fox, and Gage's characters. While the other characters don't get as much page time, I got a sense for the local color and the world in which the main characters lived, how they related to their friends and family. I am a huge fan of small town fiction, and I think Roberts did a great job with creating this small town which seethes with dark secrets, anguish, but also loving families and friends, who are suffering with a difficult legacy and curse.

One of the best things about this book was the horror element. Roberts spectacularly imbues this book with a dark, horrifying atmosphere. I suppose this is a romance more than anything, but it really stands on its feet as a horror novel. The scary scenes were vivid and quite effective. I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil anyone, but wow! Stephen King would probably give Roberts a pat on the back.

I have to say that the horror aspect engaged me more than the romance. I liked the romance, but I didn't feel any strong bond or connection to Cal and Quinn as a romantic couple. It could be that I like my romance intense and this wasn't that intense. It was more everyday to me, like when you see your friends meet and get together, and eventually get married. Nothing wrong with that. Just not as enthralling as the horror aspect of this book.

Audiobook Impressions:

I had mixed feelings about the narrator. He made some of the characters sound kind of goofy, but I liked how he made Gage's voice really deep, and how he did Giles' Scottish accent. I didn't like the way he did the female character's voices. They sort of sounded like men in drag. I think I might have connected more with the females if they sounded more authentically female. I think he did a good job of making each character have a different voice, so points there. On the good side, I loved the sound effects and music. It added to the eerie feel of this story. I listened to this at bedtime, late at night, and I had a couple moments where I questioned the rationality of that. Since audio is a good way to get a book read and still stay on my reading schedule, I'll probably get the other two on audio as well.

Overall Thoughts:
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I think the horror part makes this a higher rated book for me. As I said above, the romance was sort of average to me. Not a big draw in this book. I did love the bonds between the characters and the small town feel, so that's another plus. I want to see how this series concludes, so I'll keep reading. It was a pretty good way to spend some hours listening.

Overall rating: 3.75/5.0 stars.

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The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Name of the Star was a hit with me.  Maureen Johnson got my attention as an author with her short story, "The Law of Suspects." It was utterly chilling and fantastic suspense. I appreciated how she writes with a respect for the intelligence of her readership, even though they are the YA audience. Like CS Lewis, I believe the best children's book is one that an adult can enjoy.  I knew I was going to follow her after reading this brilliant short story.  So when I saw this book was coming out, I was excited to read another full-length suspense novel by her.  Let's just say that she's now two for two.

Are you into Jack the Ripper?  I mean that in the best way. Meaning, do you have an interest in the mythos and story of Jack the Ripper?  Many people do, so don't be ashamed if the answer is yes. The only reason I ask is because this is a book to check out if you do.

While this book is very thrilling suspense with a supernatural twist, it's also a funny coming of age story. Our heroine Rory is from Louisiana, and she has that sparkling Southern woman vibe that I find irresistible. I love her character's voice, the down to earth way she looks at life, and how she manages to find the wry humor in her situation.  Johnson engaged me as a reader by giving me a protagonist that I started caring about on the first page of the story.  She also pulled the British card, which will get it me almost every time. Through in a modern story with a gothic atmosphere and it makes for an irresistible read.  She goes with a "Sixth Sense" theme, and like that movie, you don't quite catch on immediately, but when you do, it's a natural process.  I can't say much more about that, because as River Song from Doctor Who says, "Spoilers!" 

So yes, this was a hit for me.  Such a marvelous concoction of suspense, humor, young adult emotions and situations, and yes, out and out terror in some parts of the book. Suspense builds wonderfully, adding to that gothic atmosphere until I was anxiously waiting for the next aspect of the story to be revealed. The villain is layered and complex, slowly being exposed to show that a lot more than I thought was going on.  I really appreciated that, that wonderful feeling of finding I didn't have the answers all figured out until the very end when I was supposed to know all those things.

Well, I think I talked myself into giving this book five stars, even though I told myself I was going to be more rigorous about reviewing books and giving five stars.

People I recommend this book to:

*Ripperologists or Folks who are 'into' Jack the Ripper
*Anglophiles
*People who have an obsession with boarding school (like myself)
*People who like Southerners and Southern philosophy on life
*People who like sausage (you have to read to know where I am going with this)
*People who like ghost stories
*People who like 80s new wave like The Smiths and The Cure
*People who like a good, well-written suspense novel
*People who like fish out of water books, specifically Americans in Britain

If any of these things sound like you, read this book!  I recommend it!



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Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


This was a breath of fresh air book.   I've read some disappointing books lately, and I needed a good one.  Plus I was pining for a good UF read.  I loved the easy writing flow, the funny dialogue, and the wonderful, self-deprecating hero, Sam.  Although this was released as a YA book, I think it easily could have been marketed as an adult UF novel.  I believe the older readers will enjoy it as much as teen readers because there is a lot to like in this book.

McBride keeps her world-building simple, but simple doesn't mean lacking.  She has an interesting reality here, with people born with magical abilities, specifically necromancers.  Sam is one, but he doesn't know it, because being one is quite dangerous for him.  His normal, rather boring, letdown life explodes into one of extreme danger and dread as he becomes exposed to a very dangerous, cruel, and evil enemy.  Along the way, he becomes aware of a supernatural world with its own rules.   He finds out that there are a lot of creatures out there that he didn't even know existed. That is one thing I love about UF--the normal is really far from normal when you take a close look around you.

Sam is the everyman that you like and feel protective of.  He has a rough journey in this book, but he weathers it all with grace and takes a lot of crazy stuff in stride.  I respected him for that.  I also liked his friends, specifically Ramon and Brooke.  I liked Brid too. She is pretty darn kickbutt.  Sam's mom is a sweet lady, and I would like to learn more about Sam's longlost uncle. He seems cool.

I think McBride has all the right ingredients in this story, but it doesn't add up to 'formula', but instead a fun, enthralling, sometimes scary and thrilling, and very enjoyable read.    The quote on the cover by Sherman Alexie is so true.  This book is both scary and funny, and a good balance of both.  I am a big fan of snarky dialogue in books, and she does it well. I loved all the pop culture jokes.  They were hilarious! I was quite impressed with how McBride reveals the menace of the villain and his heinous acts without going overboard.  Poor Sam and his friends are truly in jeopardy, but you manage to catch your breath with some good laughs along the way.


I was very satisfied with this book, and even if it's a one-shot, I am still happy. If she continues the series, I'd be even happier, because I do see some threads that I would love to be explored further. Although McBride does a good job of making this a self-contained read that stands on its own (cliffhangers are a freaking enormous pet peeve of mine), I could easily see her going back and writing more in this world.

I do recommend Hold Me Closer, Necromancer to UF fans of all ages. I think they'll enjoy it.

Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.



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Long After Dark by Greg F. Gifune

Long After Dark by Greg F. Gifune
My rating: 2.58 of 5 stars

The writing in this book was very good. A dark vision, like nightmares that blended into nightmares. I'm not sure I understood what was going on after all, and that's hard to swallow. Sometimes it's good to question and ponder, but in this case, it was unsettling and unfulfilling. If the reader wants a story that is more about fears, regret, and doubt, with a pervasive sense of nebulous menace, they will probably appreciate this. For a complex mix of horror and emotional angst that ultimately makes no sense, this will qualify. If the reader wants a more coherent story that makes some sort of sense and has a point to it, instead of a sense of futility, then this won't do. At least it didn't quite do it for me.

My rating is complicated, so I am going to get mathematical here:

Writing quality: 4.25/5.0 stars
Coherency: 1.5/5.0 stars
Reader fulfillment rating: 2.0/5.0 stars

Overall rating: 7.75/15 = 51.7% ---------> 2.58/5.0 stars.

Thanks to my friend for letting me borrow this book!


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12.21: A Novel by Dustin Thomason

My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars


12.21 was an entertaining read.  I never got bored, that's for sure.  I'm not big on the whole Mayan Prophecy thing, so I normally wouldn't run to read this sort of thing. However, Random House offered a giveaway for the Action/Adventure Aficionados group, so I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did.

What I liked:
* I love medicine, so medical dramas in various incarnations almost always appeal.  The whole concept of an epidemic illness arising out of a connection to an ancient Maya tomb and civilization, and related to the Mayan Prophecy was a unique approach. I liked the characters' race to find out what the etiology of the infection was and how to combat it.  There was a real sense of urgency and I felt my pulse racing as I read.  History is another favorite subject, so there's a good combination here.
* This was quite readable.  The narrative was cohesive between modern day and flashbacks to the ancient Maya times (900AD),  and there was a sense of steady progression in this story that I appreciated, especially for a suspense-driven book. 
*I like that the author didn't slow down the story too much with excessive explanations, but the Maya cultural elements seemed well-researched and the science was fairly credible (except one heinous element below that I must rant about).
*Sadly, I knew little about the indigenous Maya descendants of Guatemala. That was very interesting to read about their thriving community in LA (assuming that it's real).  Also, I wasn't aware of the situation with the indigenous people in Guatemala.  It's always good to learn about different peoples and their struggles, and it will make me more sensitive about their plight.

What could have been better:
*Okay, I have a mini rant. The scene with the slaughterhouse/meat processing factory is so unrealistic it's insulting and laughable. The things that occur in that facility would never happen. I know for certain.  They had serious food safety issues going on, including commingling of meat ingredients and use of products that definitely are not approved for meat production or use in the United States. Then the author made a point of saying that kids eat that product. A lot of inspectors work very hard to make sure that products safe for consumption make it on the shelves, and that was offensive to the hard work they put in and the many safety checks that meat plants have to follow in their food safety system.  One could argue that maybe that facility was not under government oversight, but the author made a point of mentioning the USDA, so I know it was. And let's be clear that is not going to happen in a federally inspected facility.  I don't mind the line between fiction and reality blurring in appropriate settings. This wasn't one. For a medical science drama, I expect more realistic and credible use of information in a story.  Fortunately, I was able to get over my disgust with this and keep reading the book, but it affected my rating without a doubt.
*I didn't feel a heavy sense of connection to any of the main characters.  The storyline itself was more interesting to me.  Towards the end, the sense of urgency for their situation did hit me, but I can't say I fell in love with anyone in this novel. 

Overall Thoughts:
*A pretty good, readable, suspenseful novel. I liked the mix of ancient civilizations and treasure hunting with modern medical science.  There were a couple of pitfalls that lowered my rating, but overall, it was a worthwhile read, especially for those interested in the Endtime Mayan Prophecy and Meso-American ancient civilizations.  For a quick-read medical suspense story with some ancient connections, this is a pretty good one to pick up.


Overall Rating: 3.75/5.0 stars.

A special thanks to Random House for the opportunity for members of the Action/Adventure Aficionados to read this novel.




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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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