It’s almost done!

Hi folks! I know, I know, it’s been a while, but not for lack of reading! I’m wrapping up grad school in the next week and beginning life as a librarian.

For those of you who don’t know, the past few years have been an amazing journey personally, intellectually as well as professionally. I feel like a completely different person, though I know I’m fundamentally the same. Transformed with purpose, I guess you could say. I’ve lost my mom, my dad and my favorite grandma, lost 80 pounds and in a week will have a Master’s degree and a new profession, 2 kiddos will be seniors next year and the other a junior. My husband and I joke about being on a 2 year plan now, but it’s really true. In all likelihood, in 2 years, we’ll have one in college, one in a technical school and one on the way to the military. Life surely does look different now than it did 2 years ago.

 

What have I been reading?

I’ve been savoring the final book in the Wheel of Time series, Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. So far, 5 stars and I can’t anticipate changing that. If you want to read a truly epic tale, this is one for your must-read list. I should preface this by saying make sure you have a bit of time though because the series has almost 12,000 pages. The audio books are fantastic if you would rather listen, most of them are between 30 and 40 hours with a grand total of 461 hours.

I read the second Vlad book in the Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost: Twice Tempted. I’ve always loved Vlad and it was fun to meet his love, but I’m really looking forward to reading another Cat and Bones book, which should be out soon. 5 stars. Ms. Frost knocked this one out of the park.

Black City by Christina Henry was another fantastic read. 5 stars.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. 5 stars.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin . 5 stars.

The Color of Earth by Dong Hwa Kim. 5 stars.

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. 5 stars.

Touch of the Demon by Diana Rowland. 5 stars.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. 4 stars.

I’ve read others too, some for my Young Adult Literature class, but these were the ones I really enjoyed and think people who read similar books will enjoy as well. I’ve probably read more that I can’t remember right at this moment, but I can always tell you about them later! Happy reading!

Review: Blood of the Demon (Kara Gillian Book 2)

Product Description

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL, MAN AND DEMON, SHE’S ABOUT TO FACE THE ONE THING SHE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SURVIVE.

Welcome to the world of Kara Gillian, a cop with a gift. Not only does she have the power of “othersight” to see what most people can’t even imagine, but she’s become the exclusive summoner of a demon lord. Or maybe it’s the other way around. The fact is, with two troublesome cases on her docket and a handsome FBI agent under her skin, Kara needs the help of sexy, insatiable Lord Rhyzkahl more than he needs her. Because these two victims, linked by suspicious coincidence, haven’t just been murdered. Something has eaten their souls.

It’s a case with roots in the arcane, but whose evil has flowered among the rich, powerful, and corrupt in Beaulac, Louisiana. And as the killings continue, Kara soon realizes how much there’s still to learn about demons, men, and things that kill in the night—and how little time she has to learn it.

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Review:
 
Blood of the Demon begins a month or two after the end of Mark of the Demon with an apparent murder-suicide.   Kara’s chief assigns her the case which adds to her already full plate.  Her aunt, still alive but in a coma, has a library with lots of answers but Kara encounters numerous problems attempting to get the answers. 
 
I really enjoyed Blood of the Demon.  Ms.  Rowland did an exceptional job portraying the life of a police officer as well as describing Kara’s internal struggle between Rhyzkhal and Ryan.  Kara advances quite a bit as a summoner in this installment as she makes an important discovery.  We learn a bit more about Ryan but are left with more questions than answers, pointing us to book 3.  Rhyzkhal is still a bit of a mystery as well; it will be interesting to see what his end-game is.
 
This isn’t a fast-paced hold on to the seat of your pants kind of book, so if that’s what you’re after, you should try Cassie Palmer, but it’s far from boring, has an intriguing mystery, interesting plot, great characters and a truly likeable heroine.  This book should be read after Mark of the Demon as it builds significantly on the previous book.  I’m looking forward to reading the third entry in the series in January 2011: Secrets of the Demon. 
 
Sensuality:  one brief sex scene, not overly graphic
 
Rating: 4 stars

Review: Mark of the Demon (Kara Gillian Book 1)

Product Description

Cop and conjurer of demons, she's a woman in danger of losing control—to a power that could kill....

Why me? Why now? That’s what Beaulac, Louisiana, detective Kara Gillian was asking herself when an angelic creature named Rhyzkahl unexpectedly appeared during a routine summoning. Kara was hoping to use her occult skills to catch a serial killer, but never had she conjured anything like this unearthly beautiful and unspeakably powerful being whose very touch set off exquisite new dimensions of pleasure. But can she enlist his aid in helping her stop a killer who’s already claimed the lives—and souls—of thirteen people? And should she? The Symbol Man is a nightmare that the city thought had ended three years ago. Now he’s back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he, too, is well versed in demonic lore.

Kara may be the only cop on Beaulac’s small force able to stop the killer, but it is her first homicide case. Yet with Rhyzkahl haunting her dreams, and a handsome yet disapproving FBI agent dogging her waking footsteps, she may be in way over her head...

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Review:
When looking for something a little bit different from the more traditional urban fantasy I’ve read, I found this little gem.  The demons described here are not evil, they simply exist on another plane and can be summoned to our world but the summoner pays a price.  The demon is then honor-bound to do what the summoner requires.  It’s an interesting take on demons and the author did well with creating the world.
 
Kara is a fun character to read, seems normal except for  her ability to summon demons.  She grew up with her wacky aunt, who taught her summoning.  Now she’s a police detective, brand new to homicide, who landed a huge serial killer case.  We quickly meet several people on the force, some FBI guys and a demon lord.   The author did a pretty decent job fleshing out the characters and their relationship to Kara but still leaving room for further development.
 
The mystery part was pretty good; I had fun working out whodunit along with Kara.   I’d recommend this book because it’s a great combination of genres: urban fantasy, murder mystery, suspense, with just a hint of a romance in the wings. It probably wouldn’t interest younger teens, but I'm ready to read the next one!
 
Sensuality: one brief sex scene, not excessively graphic, and some sensual dreams
 
Rating: 4 stars