Book Review: Hell's Revenge by Eve Langlais

Review: Hell’s Revenge
Series: Princess of Hell – Book 3
Author: Eve Langlais
No of Pages: 80
Release Date: 3 October 2011

I am literally going to kill my mother.

To say I have mommy issues is putting it mildly. The woman who abandoned me has a lot of nerve to just saunter back into my life without warning and drop a bombshell of atomic proportions. I tried to kill her as way of resolving my inner Freudian issues, but my damned boyfriends stopped me. Spoilsports.

As if wanting to strangle my birth mother isn’t enough, once again, someone is messing with my life and a new player steps in to save me. Did I mention my dark knight is tall, gorgeous and fanged? Just don’t tell my lovers because apparently they’re not willing to share me with the undead.

The final showdown with the mysterious figure—also known as the major pain in my ass—fast approaches. I don’t care how powerful they are. They screwed up big time when they took something precious of mine. It’s never a good idea to piss off this Princess of Hell because revenge is my middle name.

My Thoughts:

Hell’s Revenge was a compelling finale to this fantastic trilogy.

Muriel is pregnant, and the child has two fathers…literally. But when her mum shows up to try and claim the child for herself, Muriel, who has never thought about ever having children up until now, refuses to relinquish her baby. Then the being who has been messing with Muriel for the last two books shows up to also stake a claim on the child, because if given the right upbringing it will have the power to destroy the world.

Muriel was once again an amazing character, she is strong but also has a way of seeming completely vulnerable about certain issues, and her character doesn’t ever mould to fit the scenario which is what I love about Langlais’ writing. Muriel is confronted with her mother, someone who she hasn’t known since she was five years old, and whom she has no memory of. Simultaneously she hates her mother for abandoning her and wants her love without ever showing it.

Langlais’ writing was masterful yet again. Her way of weaving the story, the relationship dynamic of a threesome and later foursome plus all of the comedy brought in by the hellish characters had me finishing this story way too quickly, her comedy writing rivals her smut with its laugh out loud quality. People like Muriel’s sister, Bambii, had only the single purpose of comic relief but it didn’t take away from their character at all, although Bambii only appeared for about a page, her story still has a way of sticking with you and making you want to read more into her life. For such a short appearance she had a very well-rounded character.

I will say once again as I have said before, that the whole idea of a permanent threesome relationship doesn’t really work for me, as addressed in the story numerous times Muriel’s soul mate is Auric, which leaves me feeling a little bad for the other two. That imbalance grates on me a little and I’m not completely sold on the concept, but the sex that Langlais wrote including the other two men was completely hot. If it was just that and no relationship part I’d love it.

For a novella I felt that this story had all the elements balanced perfectly, we weren’t bombarded with smut yet the story maintained a quick and action packed pace without missing out on any key fights or information.

Hell’s Revenge was an amazing read and a beautiful end to this whirlwind of a trilogy. Langlais has earned a spot on my watch list and I am making an effort to read everything she comes out with now because of this series.

Also in this Series:
Lucifer's Daughter
Snowballs in Hell

Book Review: Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead

Review: Succubus on Top
Series: Georgina Kincaid – Book 2
Author: Richelle Mead
No of Pages: 314
Release Date: 1 January 2008

Georgina Kincaid’s job sucks. Literally.

Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid. If she so much as kisses Seth Mortensen, the shy, sexy, incredibly gifted Seattle writer she’s been dating, she’ll drain his life force. Georgina is a succubus – a demon who draws her power from other men’s pleasure. Admittedly, the shapeshifting and immortality perks are terrific, and yes, Georgina did choose to join the ranks of hell centuries ago. But it seems completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can’t get hot and heavy with the one mortal who knows and accepts her for who she is…

It’s not just her personal life that’s in chaos. Doug, Georgina’s co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behaviour, and Georgina suspects that something far more demonic than double espressos is at work. She could use help finding out, but Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, is preoccupied with corrupting an ultra-conservative talk radio star – and giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes. Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one – and fast because soon, Doug’s life won’t be the only one on the line…

My Thoughts:

Although I am not quite sold on the romantic storyline yet, the mystery, comedy and friendship dynamic in this story are amazing.

Georgina Kincaid is Seattle’s top succubus. In keeping with her promise to her demon boss she has been corrupting good souls left right and centre, so much so that she has even earned an award. Although the succubus part of her life is going well, the rest is a bit more complicated. She can’t touch her boyfriend for fear of sucking out his life force, her work colleague and close friend Doug is acting strangely, not to mention work in general has been all consuming of late. So when her old friend Bastien the incubus arrives in town Georgina rejoices at the prospect of some old time fun, until she finds out he wants her help too, in seducing a religious zealot.

Georgina provides one comical situation after another in this book. She once again infatuated me with her quirky way of thinking, her sense of loyalty – especially when she gets riled up over the thought of someone messing with one of her humans – and her occasional social awkwardness even though she is supposed to be a master in the art of seduction.

What kind of got me with Succubus on Top was the Seth/Georgina relationship. I don’t understand the point. Sure they’re doing it for love and this may just be my cynicism kicking in, but why voluntarily go through the kind of torture they’re putting themselves through? Sitting in a room playing scrabble when all they really want to do is jump one another’s bones. Seth seems to rein himself in quite a bit better than Georgina does, but then it’s Georgina’s head we’re in so we get her personal torture all laid out for us.

I am a firm believer of sex not equalling love, but taking it out of the equation entirely, when both parties want to do it, why do that to yourselves? Georgina spent most of the book wondering if she really loved Seth, and if she could even feel love anymore. If you’re not that far in yet and there is already a problem that you are having huge difficulty living with, on top of that there is no foreseeable cure. GET OUT NOW.

Why stay and put yourself through that? For love? There will be another and another and most likely being immortal, another one after that.

Perhaps this is why I am continuing this series, I want to see what Georgina does to fix this mess, or if she gives up. Perhaps she thinks loving Seth is a good enough reason not to give up, perhaps I am just too jaded to see the point. The relationship doesn’t work for me though; friends would be fine take the sexual component away completely. But I don’t see the point in self-inflicted torture, considering the fact that she has to sleep with other men constantly to get a power fix.

On to other topics brushed in this book, the addition of Bastien however brief was absolutely marvellous. A succubus and an incubus together, two beings who completely understand each other’s nature makes for a great pairing, especially when they have to go to work together. Bastien was like the egotistical male version of Georgina and together on the page they had me in stitches.

Unfortunately many of the other characters kept to the background in this book, but it was Carter’s – the angel that hangs around with a bunch of demons – presence once again that had me sighing every time he appeared, if however briefly. His contrast to the cast of demons is so touching that it makes his angelic goodness seem all the more amplified, yet he is still so cool which can sometimes be lost in stories like these where demons reign supreme.

Mead swept me up in yet another fantastic book; Succubus on Top has left me wanting more. Although I am conflicted on where I stand with Georgina’s relationship, her world has me entranced and I must read Succubus Dreams as soon as possible.

Also in this series:
Succubus Blues
Succubus Dreams
Succubus Heat
Succubus Shadows
Succubus Revealed

Book Review: Warrior by Marie Brennan

Review: Warrior
Series: Doppelganger – Book 1
Author: Marie Brennan
No of Pages: 395
Release Date: 1 August 2008

When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. But what happens when the doppelganger survives?

Mirage, a bounty hunter, lives by her wits and lethal fighting skills. She always gets her mark. But her new mission will take her into the shadowy worl of witches, where her strength may be no match against magic.

Miryo is a witch who has just failed her initiation test. She now knows that there is someone in the world who looks like her, who is her: Mirage. To control her powers, Miryo has only one choice: to hunt the hunter and destroy her.

My Thoughts:

Warrior was absolutely amazing.

Miryo is in an unusual predicament, as a witch, to gain control of her powers, she must kill someone who looks just like her, who is her. Someone who should have died when she was very young. Miryo has to kill her doppelganger, the other part of herself.

Mirage is on a mission to find out who killed a powerful witch, being wary of witches for most of her life she was uncomfortable with the contact she needs to have with them, but being the best at what she does, she is perfect for the job.

Mirage was by far my favourite of the two girls; she was the typical kick ass fantasy chick. She was a knife wielding, combat expert who people either feared or respected greatly. She worked hard to get where she was and had to fight for it every step of the way because she was different, much as she hated them, she looked exactly like a witch because of her flaming red hair.

Miryo on the other hand was a bit scared, highly intelligent but sheltered and sent off on a mission that she really shouldn’t have been sent off to.

Warrior was a predictable book, but the way it was told, the world it was told in made it something completely new to experience. Brennan’s writing was seamless in her execution of the two characters, each was completely individual, had their own voice.

Brennan crafted a wonderful world incorporating not only magic but assassins which has to be two of my favourite fantasy subjects ever; it was indeed a match made in heaven. Brennan’s writing was impeccable, her fight scenes were some of the best I’ve read in quite a long time, no skimming over details or coping out using phrases such as “I don’t know how it happened, but all of a sudden he was under me and I knocked him unconscious”, Mirage and even Miryo had to work during their fights, Mirage especially, her fight scenes were so detailed my leg started moving without me realising it as I read about her kicking her assailants in the head.

Warrior was also very realistic – well, as much as a fantasy novel can be realistic – things weren’t handed to the characters, there were no short cuts, nearly everything was hard. Mirage and Miryo may have been the best at what they did, but nothing came easy.

Warrior, in it’s mythology, was a little hard to understand at first, what with all the different hands and heads and hearts and elements. I found myself getting quite baffled when reading in Miryo’s point of view for a large portion of the front of the book, but once I understood it, which didn’t happen until about halfway through I found it to be some of the most unique mythology I have read in a long time. Two created from one, all the magic and singing spells kind of got lost in the rest of the story, which I am glad of because I wasn’t a huge fan of the idea, but the baser Witch mythology was very intriguing.

Warrior was a fantastic start to this duology, it left me thinking about it for days afterwards and I am eager to get into the next instalment, Witch.

Also in this series:
Witch

Book Review: Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington

Review: Emblaze
Series: Violet Eden Chapters – Book 3
Author: Jessica Shirvington
No of Pages: 409
Release Date: 11 October 2011

The games are over. Now, the battle begins.

Violet Eden knows her life will never be as it was. Phoenix, the exiled angel who betrayed her, is back and he’s willing to do anything to get what she has.

With the help of surprising new allies, an ancient Scripture is deciphered and a destination set. All that is certain – a brutal battle looms. With innocent lives at stake, Lincoln and Violet must work together, denying their soul-crunching desire for one another.

Seemingly holding all the power, Phoenix is always one step ahead. And when he puts the pieces of the terrifying prophecy together, he realises exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

My Thoughts:

Can this series get any better?

Violet has some huge choices to make in this book. Where she stands with Phoenix, how much she should be telling her father who is getting increasingly nosy, how she can better protect the friends who know about her life as a Grigori, and probably the most important one, how does she stop Phoenix from freeing one of the most evil people ever known to walk the earth.

Violet once again stuns with her depth and emotion. She feels so alone after she figures out that Lincoln, her soul mate, his not only distancing himself from her because of their connection, but is shielding himself from her as well. They are growing ever apart and it hurts Violet more and more each day she sees him and it’s driven home once again that she can’t have him.

Shirvington has done such a good job in building this story that one can completely see where Violet is coming from. Usually when teenage girls feel that they have no choice but to do something stupid if they had just talked to someone about it everything would have been solved in the first ten pages, and I am normally so frustrated I want to slap them or throw the book across the room. But Violet really doesn’t have anyone she can talk to when it comes to the crunch in this book. Lincoln has for all intents and purposes rejected her, Griffin her leader and mentor is in a different country and if she doesn’t make a decision people she loves and who are helpless, will get hurt.

The one thing that did start to grind on me though towards the end was her continuous mentioning of her soul hurting. Yes, we know Lincoln is your soul mate. Yes, we know you can’t be together. Stop whining about your stomach ache because you have a broken heart and get on with it. It was mentioned just a few too many times for me especially towards the end. It probably grinded a little more because I am still on team Phoenix and still don’t like Lincoln that much.

I will admit, Lincoln grew on me a bit in Emblaze, but only in the “oh, so he is a person with feelings” way. Lincoln is too aloof for my tastes whereas Phoenix shows his vulnerability and his bad boy charm for Violet to see. Phoenix also has his heart in the right place, he may eventually kill Violet, but he does still care in the fact that only he is allowed to kill her, and he will kill anyone else who tries, I like that in a man.

Once again I loved the history woven into this story. The integration of Lilith and historical events that Shivington has linked back to the Angels, everything is so seamless and seems so effortlessly part of the story that it makes everything about the world she has created that much more believable and grounded.

I really can’t say too much more about Emblaze without falling into squee territory, it is absolutely fantastic. Shirvington once again drew me in with her incredibly emotional yet action packed writing. She once again left me with a two day book hangover because I just can’t get this series out of my mind. October 2012 is far too long to wait for Endless but I will still be waiting with eagerness.

Also in this series:
Embrace
Enticed

Book Review: Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: Bloody Bones
Series: Anita Blake – Book 5
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 370

Here’s a job to strain even Anita Blake’s capabilities: raising an entire graveyard of two-hundred-year-old corpses.

My Thoughts:


Bloody Bones was yet another whirlwind instalment in this series.

When people start showing up cut in half and missing bits of their bodies Anita gets called in in the place of the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team who are already dealing with their own vampire issues.

This case however is going to be a tricky one, not only does Anita need to figure out what it is that is killing the local population because vampires don’t use swords, but she also needs to content with the local sheriff who is a secretive career climber convinced that Anita will steal all of her glory so she isn’t sharing all of the details.

The one thing that I am loving about Anita so far is that she doesn’t lose her uniqueness, she is such a strong character and yet she still has that vulnerability. Her stomach still turns when she sees a mutilated body, she doesn’t just waltz through and get to it, she still sometimes needs to compose herself.

The love triangle is starting to grind on my nerves a little though. Anita reckons she can’t stand Jean-Claude so why doesn’t she just end it with him, she keeps hiding behind the excuse that he would hurt Richard but not only can Richard take care of himself, Anita could take care of him as well.

I did enjoy the dive into the mysteries surrounding the fae. It’s one of the things I love about this series, we aren’t just focusing on vampires and werewolves, we get all manner of supernatural creatures coming out of the woods.

The fight scenes were as always masterfully written although I would have enjoyed more of a fight from Raw Head and Bloody Bones when he came onto the scene, it feels like he was only there for a few pages and then he was gone and yet the entire plot revolved around how dangerous he was.

As always though I enjoyed Anita’s attitude and the extremely graphic horror that Hamilton so expertly writes, I can’t wait to get into the next instalment The Killing Dance.

Also in this series:

Guilty Pleasures

The Laughing Corpse

Circus of the Damned

The Lunatic Cafe

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cerulean Sins

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The Harlequin

Blood Noir

Skin Trade

Flirt

Bullet

Hit List

Book Review: Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney

Review: Bloodthirsty
Author: Flynn Meaney
No of Pages: 234
Release Date: 5 October 2010

Attention, all girls reading this:

We get it. The message is coming through loud and clear: You think vampires are hot. Your little sister thinks vampires are hot. Your mom thinks vampires are hot. Every single female on the face of the earth thinks vampires are hot. Girls love vampires, and I love girls. Unfortunately, girls don’t seem to love me.

So I’m making a change. For all the guys reading this, say a little prayer to the high school dating gods for me. Here’s hoping that girls think fake vampires are hot, too.

My Thoughts:

Bloodthirsty was a non-stop laugh for me, purely because it was so true.

Finbar is for want of a better word, a loser. He is painfully awkward in social situations, doesn’t have the looks or charm of his twin fraternal brother, Luke, and just to make his life that much worse, he’s allergic to the sun.

Finn was an amazing character for me; he wasn’t a whinger which took some expert writing on Meaney’s part. His plan to turn himself into a vampire to break away from his life time of social ineptness made for one of the funniest books I have read in a long, long time. His ability to laugh at himself through some of the more cringe-worthy experiences with girls was refreshing for me, as usually main characters want us to feel sorry for them and their horrible life.

Finn’s family was also completely hilarious. His dad didn’t play a huge role in the story, but made for some of the funnier moments – especially getting excited that Finn had been in his first fight and wasn’t in the hospital. His germ phobic mother constantly cleaning and leaving him notes to boost his confidence and being sneaky in her ways of finding out what the boys were up to.

Most of all I loved Finn’s brother Luke, he had Finn’s back no matter what, whether it be helping him to enhance his vampire abilities or letting Finn think he was getting away with going to the library instead of exercising, Luke had what Finn thought was everything and still cared. Yet, Finn also understood Luke in the way he was completely hyper and unable to sit still for more than five minutes.

The humour in Bloodthirsty wasn’t nasty in any way; it was just plain funny which was what I loved so much about this book. Meaney was able to poke fun at the characters and make it funny without being malicious. Making fun of the boy’s mother about cleaning without being mean or putting anyone down for being different.

This story walked a fine ledge of hilarity, cringe worthiness and horrific failure; I bow down to Meaney for pulling this off so perfectly. The perfect balance of laugh out loud funny and feeling bad for Finn whilst at the same time occasionally slapping one’s head for his awkwardness was ingenious.

Bloodthirsty worked for me because it is so close to the truth. People are so caught up in the vampire craze (even me) that they will believe close to anything that gets them closer to their fantasy coming true, even if that means a guy whose allergic to the sun and walks around trying to be aloof becomes so popular it nearly gets him staked by fake Buffy’s.

Bloodthirsty was a fun read, I enjoyed every second of the book. Sure it’s silly to think about a guy getting girls because he’s a fake vampire, but Meaney wrote it so incredibly well that everything about it worked and left me with laughing pains.

Book Review: The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: The Lunatic Café
Series: Anita Blake – Book 4
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 369
Release Date: 1 March 2005

Anita has fallen for the leader of a local pack of werewolves. She’s survived a lot, but this love thing may kill her yet…

My Thoughts:

Everyone seems to believe that this book signifies the end of horror in this series, but I can safely say that this book was still pretty horrific.

People from the local were community have started to go missing, and when one of the missing people’s husbands come to her place of work for help, Anita seems to get dragged in from there. It’s not until a man who has literally been skinned alive shows up that Anita can seem to piece what’s going on together.

Anita is still tough as nails and I loved this book in the series. She opened up to Richard her new beau about some of her troubles and we continued to get a deeper look into who she is and why she stands for what she does romantically.

The addition of Richard as a love interest kept this series alive for me; it added another dimension to an already fantastic book. Whilst we still get the mind-boggling crimes that could only be found in Anita’s world, her relationship with Richard and the fear and uncertainty that entails was thrown into the mix.

I felt a little sorry for Richard, because it is clear that Anita has a bit of a problem with him being a werewolf. Although Richard is a perfect man in his human form, the fact that he turns furry once a month is seemingly not good enough for Anita. I want this relationship to work so badly because even though they are so different, they balance each other and that is what I reckon Anita needs.

Anita sleeps with a gun, Richard has most likely never even held one. Anita distrusts people until they give a reason to trust them and even then it’s tentative whereas Richard lets people in. Richard loves unconditionally, Anita doesn’t. Richard tries to defuse situations before they get out of hand but Anita is almost always raring for a fight.

That balance could do so much for Anita, but she is just too hard-headed to see that. Richard could also take a lesson in Anita not needed to be protected, but hey, it’s better than him throwing her to the wolves so to speak.

This series is still amazing me with every book and I am now avidly reading and cheering on Team Richard.

Also in this series:

Guilty Pleasures

The Laughing Corpse

Circus of the Damned

Bloody Bones

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cerulean Sins

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The Harlequin

Blood Noir

Skin Trade

Flirt

Bullet

Hit List

Book Review: Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin

Review: Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Series: Jaz Parks – Book 1
Author: Jennifer Rardin
No of Pages: 335
Release Date: 8 October 2007

I’M JAZ PARKS. MY BOSS IS VAYL,

Born in Romania in 1744. Died there too, at the hand of his vampire wife, Liliana. But that’s ancient history. For the moment Vayl works for the CIA doing what he does best – assassination. And I help. You could say I’m an assistant assassin. But then I’d have to kick your ass.

Vayl and I have to take out a Miami plastic surgeon with ties to terrorism. But the assignment gets complicated when it turns out he’s in cahoots with a supernatural nasty powerful enough to bring America to its knees.

My Thoughts:

Once Bitten, Twice Shy was a great start to what is shaping up to be a promising series.

Jaz is a CIA assassin who has recently been partnered with Vayl a vampire assassin who is the best the CIA has got. Jaz and Vayl are sent on mission, a mission to derail a Pakistani plastic surgeon who has been very naughty, funnelling money in a terrorist bank account.

Jaz is definitely my kind of girl; she is witty, intelligent and surprisingly down-to-earth for being a high profile assassin. Jaz has a traumatic past, being part of an assassination group that hunted vampires and losing her entire team in one night has scarred her deeply, and is the reason why she is a kick-ass hunter now and why she works alone. When given the opportunity to work with the best of course Jaz wouldn’t turn it down, but she also has to content with blackout periods and memory loss. After losing her fiancé, who was part of the team that was murdered that night, Jaz feels increasingly guilty as she falls for Vayl.

Vayl is everything a vampire should be and more, not only is he refined and extremely intelligent, but after 300 years of watching people, he is very good at reading the meaning in peoples actions. He seems to really get Jaz even though Jaz doesn’t want to be understood.

Vayl and Jaz’s working relationship is a strong one, and although there is a lot of pent up sexual tension, I’m glad they haven’t pursed a romantic relationship as yet. We really got to see more of Jaz’s past and the mission at hand rather than focusing on nookie.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy was beautifully written and drew me in instantly. Once I started I just couldn’t stop no matter how much I should have. I finished it quickly but the story was one that stayed with me for a while after purely because the characters are so deep and I couldn’t get Jaz out of my head, her trauma and her strength.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy was a superb start to a series I want to dive back into as soon as possible.

Others in this series:
Another One Bites the Dust
Biting the Bullet
Bitten to Death
One More Bite
Bite Marks
Bitten in Two
The Deadliest Bite

Book Review: Earth Blend by Lori Pescatore

Review: Earth Blend
Series: Blend Trilogy – Book 2
Author: Lori Pescatore
No of Pages: 184
Release Date: 1 July 2011

Earth Blend is the second book in the Blend trilogy and the sequel to Human Blend. In this instalment, the mysteries of the Blends and the Earthlings are revealed. How can Julie live a normal life when she is anything but normal? Her relationship with Austin is complicated by emerging abilities in them both. Trust is hard to come by as lies and secrets hinder them at every turn. Is the past destined to repeat itself as the Earthlings once again rush to save them? The ensuing chaos breeds fatal consequences.

My Thoughts:

Earth Blend was a brilliant follow up to Human Blend

Julie and Austin are still coming to terms with Austin’s emerging powers and Julies near kidnapping. They are trying to settle in to a life not only together but come into their own as individuals. Austin is devastated to learn that his mother isn’t his biological mother and Julie is forced to watch his grief without being able to help.

Julie was once again a strong character, sometimes I would say she is too mature for her age, but that wouldn’t be fair on her, also because in actuality she is a lot older than what she looks – like 50 years older because of the slow ageing process – so with that in mind at times she can almost be immature for her true age.

Julie doesn’t really follow through with things until they come to a head and that is the only real thing I don’t like about her, she lets questions go unanswered for a while because she is constantly being distracted by Austin or work or friends, at times it made me want to shake her and tell her to focus but I love Julie in every way she is intelligent and kind hearted, she only ends up in bad situations because of bad people and not due to her own stupidity which is really refreshing.

Austin is a character I just cannot like. He is a complete whinger and so impulsive that I don’t see how anyone could love him like Julie seems to. I am shamelessly on team Eli when it comes to this love triangle. Austin causes issues for everyone around him by running off and jumping in far too soon. Instead of listening to his elders who have fought in battles and found missing people and who actually know about his powers he insists on throwing tantrums stomping his feet and insulting people before running away. The way he treated his mother was absolutely appalling, she raised him, cared for him and loved him and he just threw it back in her face because she wasn’t blood, it was absolutely despicable and it cemented my dislike for him in this novel.

Earth Blend was written differently to any other story I have read before. For the first half of the book we got the back stories of the various characters, flashes of their lives and important moments in their history that have helped lead them to where they are in the story today and the significance of each of them being there.

At first I was wary of this style for two reasons; no one I’ve read has ever done it before, and there is a potential for massive information overload.

I thought it was fantastic, it was like short stories in each characters life and it worked so much better than characters info dumping in the middle of an action scene. I devoured the first half of the book in an hour and I was amazed at how detailed yet relevant each story was. I finally knew each character and why they were the way they were, not just from Julie’s perspective but from theirs as well, I got into their heads and it was amazing.

I will admit that the dialogue was once again awkward, at first it detracted a little from the story but once I got into the rhythm of what was going on again and I was too engrossed in the story to care, it wasn’t an issue. The dialogue for me reads as though it was written on paper rather than coming from a characters mouth, like lines in a soapy with bad actors and too much Botox.

I love Pescatore’s general writing style though, it’s to the point with enough detail and flowery prose but not too much that you start to get bored. If a detail doesn’t have to be there it’s not and yet the way it’s written, giving the reader that freedom, I had a perfect picture in my head of the characters and their surroundings with no one interfering in that picture with “the vase on the table that doesn’t really matter was over there”

Earth Blend was even better than Human Blend and if that’s anything to go by, I want the rest of this series on my shelf as fast as Pescatore can write them.

Also in this series:
Human Blend

Book Review: Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Molly Harper

Review: Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever
Series: Jane Jameson – Book 3
Author: Molly Harper
No of Pages: 324
Release Date: 29 December 2009

UNEXPECTED UNDEAD BREAK-UP

Nothing sucks the romance out of world travel like a boyfriend who may or may not have broken up with you in a hotel room in Brussels. Jane Jameson’s sexy sire Gabriel has always been unpredictable, but the seductive, anonymous notes that await him at each stop of the international vacation, coupled with his evasive behaviour over the past few months, finally push Jane onto the next flight home to Half Moon Hollow – alone, upset, and unsure whether Gabriel just ended their relationship without actually telling her.

Now the children’s-librarien-turned-vampire is reviving with plenty of Faux Type O, some TLC from her colourful friends and family, and her plans for a Brave New Jane. Step One: Get her newly renovated occult bookstore off the ground. Step Two: Support her best friend, Zeb, and his werewolf bride as they prepare for the impending birth of their baby…or litter. Step Three: Figure out who’s been sending her threatening letters, and how her new hostile pen pal is tied to Gabriel. Because this nice girl, surviving a broken heart is suddenly becoming a matter of life and undeath…

My Thoughts:

Jane just keeps getting better.

Jane gets off the plane after possibly, maybe being broken up with by her boyfriend Gabriel, but she’s not entirely sure if they have officially called it quits yet. What spurred her final decision was the need to get back to her shop which has been broken into and trashed, Gabriel’s lack of interest only made it that much easier. Now she has to deal with her best friend’s pregnant wife, and an extremely irritating relative of Dick and Mr Wainwrights.

Jane continues getting better and better. She swoons, and she isn’t ashamed of swooning, but she refuses to be a doormat, and actually follows through with that unlike so many women in fiction who are getting walked all over without even realising it and spouting about how they are emancipated beings and all that. Jane says no to Gabriel and although she has all of the normal reactions in crying, bingeing on junk and sappy girl movies she doesn’t go running back to Gabriel as soon as he snaps his fingers and I absolutely love it.

Dick is also only getting better as we see more of him, he is tender hearted and treats Jane like a sister, but still is able to turn around and make jokes at her expense – come to think of it, like a sister – he is also the one who really helps Jane through her breakup by identifying her male tendencies, so he takes her out to get blind drunk and in a fight which is exactly what I would do. Dick is also showing another side of himself when around Andrea and although we are seeing through Janes eyes, we can clearly see how much he loves her in his actions.

Harper’s writing is only getting funnier as far as I am concerned, I had more laugh out loud moments with this book than I had with the previous two, only not by much. Harper’s writing is consistently good, drawing you in with wit and feeding you enough drama so that you won’t let go.

I also love how Jane’s world is kept within Jane’s world, the scene has been set in Half Moon Hollow and the story stays there, Janes vacation was out of the picture and we only re-joined the story after she got back, it makes for easy reading because I already have the layout in my head rather than creating a whole new set.

Jane’s stories are comfortable and funny. I know I can dive in and be faced with life threatening situation in an easy, hilarious way. There is no heaviness that comes with this story, you go in feeling like crap and you come out happy, you go in happy and you still come out happy which is exactly why I can’t wait for the next book in this series because Jane Jameson is good for a laugh.

Also in this series:
Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs
Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men

Book Review: Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer

Review: Bloody Jack
Series: Bloody Jack – Book 1
Author: L. A. Meyer
No of Pages: 290
Release Date: 1 June 2004

ADVENTURE AND DECEPTION ON THE HIGH SEAS!

Life as a ship’s boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and daring sailor as the crew hunts murderous pirates on the high seas.

There’s just one problem: Jacky is a girl...

My Thoughts:

Bloody Jack has potential to rival Captain Jack Sparrow, she is that good.

Jacky wasn’t always called Jacky; she was once called Mary, living on the streets of London after That Dark Day when her parents and sister were claimed by the plague. The first part of our story details some of Mary’s adventures on the streets of London, begging, stealing and reading for pennies but when the boy who has been her gangs leader for four years dies she decides it’s time to move on with her life, and pursue her dream of sailing on the water. Because as Jacky says doesn’t matter if you die by hanging or die by drowning, you’re still dead, so she may as well give sailing a go.

I absolutely loved Jacky in every way, her scallywag nature, her adventurous mind and her caring heart. In many situations that most people would have stood back and saved their own necks, Jacky stepped forward and did what was right. Sure Jacky also causes quite a bit of trouble as she gets older, but all of it is good natured and well meaning.

What I loved most about Bloody Jack though – apart from Jacky of course – was the writing. It’s the sort that isn’t overly detailed but one still has the perfect picture of what is going on. The writing flows and reads fairly quickly. I also loved the style of Jacky’s language as she recounted her days in London and on the Dolphin. She literally wrote how she spoke with all of the:

“Methinks meself to bes a proper lady what gets married to some handsome man some day, or so methinks in me dreams and such, I knows I’m not a proper lady, but hopefully someone will takes me good-natured heart and all.”

One would think that may get a little annoying but it was so well done that it only added to the picture being painted. Jacky was no lady, and she never pretended to be, but she did have dreams and those dreams were quite big.

Bloody Jack was also split into five parts which I absolutely loved as well. We weren’t overloaded with plotlines, because Jacky can only do one thing at a time and have one thing on her mind at one time. Five different plotlines weren’t played out through the story but as each part came to a close so that part of the story was over and the next part began. It was marvellous to read because it let me keep track of everything that was going on and fit perfectly with the story.

Add into the masterful writing the plot and you have a perfect piece. Nothing about Jacky’s adventure was ever dull, but you still got time to breathe. Jacky got all the important information across without dumping it on us and still made room for witty remarks and engaging monologue.

I cannot fault Bloody Jack in anyway, the storyline was brilliant, the characters were flawless and Jacky is so loveable that I absolutely cannot wait to revisit her world as soon as possible.

Others in this series:
Curse of the Blue Tattoo
Under the Jolly Roger
In the Belly of the Bloodhound
Mississippi Jack
My Bonny Light Horseman
Rapture of the Deep
The Wake of the Lorei

Book Review: Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

Review: Wizard’s First Rule
Series: Sword of Truth – Book 1
Author: Terry Goodkind
No of Pages: 764
Release Date: 1 January 1995

One man, Richard Cypher, holds the key to the fate of three nations, to the fate of humanity. But until he learns the Wizard’s First Rule his chances of succeeding in his task are slim. And his biggest problem is admitting magic exists at all…

A novel of incomparable scope and brimming with atmospheric detail: this is a world where heart hounds stalk the magical boundaries between countries, and worlds, for unwary human prey, blood-sucking flies hunt on behalf of their underworld masters, and where artists can draw more than just your likeness.

There is nowhere to hide, nowhere is safe. Here magic makes love twice as sweet, and betrayal and loss twice as bitter.

My Thoughts:

Wizard’s First Rule was epic, in more ways than just the page count.

Richard’s life is turned upside down after his father’s death and his encounter with a strange woman in the woods. Lifelong friends reveal lies that have been told to him since birth and a journey ensues to stop a madman from taking over the world as Richard knows it.

Where do I even start with Goodkind's tale of epic adventure... Wizard’s First Rule felt like three or four books in one, journeys to the mudflats, secret dwellings, dragons lairs and kingdoms surrounded Richards journey, all accompanied by beautiful scenery and a plethora of interesting and well developed characters.

Richard is a charming character. He is kind-hearted good willed and genuinely sweet. Kahlan is a strong stubborn woman who is the most powerful confessor in history and one of the highest ranking officials in Midland. And Zedd is not only comic relief but a powerful First Wizard who helps keep Richard safe and out of trouble by supplying information.

Wizard’s First Rule is a magical tale filled with dragons, epic journeys and quests as well as little spin off stories that Richard encounters along the way. Wizard’s First Rule is never dull even though it is meticulously detailed. I had a perfect picture in my head the entire time because of the scenery and detail being layered around the story.

One doesn’t want for anything with Wizard’s First Rule; it has romance, torture, action, adventure and a lot of logic thrown into the mix. The romance forming between Richard and Kahlan was sweet, it wasn’t lustful or committing it was a companionship that had an underlying tone of passion.

Sure Wizard’s First Rule was a little formulaic you could tell where we were going to end up but I loved the journey that we took to get there. The winding pathways that Richards’s character takes in this book though keeps it interesting. Was I expecting him to be captured by a Mord-Sith (BDSM evil chick who tortures people using their own power against them and breaks their will.)? No. Those kinds of off shoots really kept me going in this, it was the massive twists an plot forks that keep Wizard’s First Rule interesting.

I absolutely cannot wait to dive back into Richard’s story in Stone of Tears to revisit the world Goodkind has created and find out what further adventure’s Richard will encounter.

Others in this series:
Stone of Tears
Blood of the Fold
Temple of the Winds
Soul of the Fire
Faith of the Fallen
The Pillars of Creation
Naked Empire
Chainfire
Phantom
Confessor
The Omen Machine

Book Review: Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper

Review: Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men
Series: Jane Jameson – Book 2
Author: Molly Harper
No of Pages: 376
Release Date: 25 August 2009

FOREVER A BRIDESMAID, NEVER AN UNDEAD BRIDE

Once a devoted children’s librarian, Jane Jameson now works at a run-down occult bookstore. Once a regular gal, she’s now a vampire. And instead of a bride, she’s an eternal bridesmaid – which leads her to question where exactly her relationship with her irresistible sexy sire, Gabriel, is headed. Mercurial, enigmatic, apparently commitment-phobic vampires are nothing if not hard to read. While Jane is trying to master undead dating, she is also donning the ugliest bridesmaid’s dress in history at her best friend Zeb’s Titanic-themed wedding. Between a freaked-out groom-to-be, his hostile werewolf in-laws, and Zeb’s mother, hell bent on seeing Jane walk the aisle with Zeb, Jane’s got the feeling she’s just rearranging the proverbial deck chairs.

Meanwhile, Half Moon Hollow’s own Black Widow, Jane’s Grandma Ruthie, has met her match in her latest fiancé. He smells like bad cheese and has a suspicious history of dead spouses. But Jane’s bitting her tongue. After all, would a nice girl really think she has a future with a vampire?

My Thoughts:

Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men was a hilarious follow up to Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs.

Jane is helping out with Zeb and Jolene’s upcoming wedding preparations, not only does she have to wear the ugliest dress in history to comply with the don’t outshine the bride on her wedding day rule, but she also has to attempt to keep the peace between Jolene’s family and Zeb’s mother.

Jane was once again side-splittingly funny. Her antics in Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men were hilarious, from her nail-polish concoctions to her pot-pie hoards. I was a bit disappointed in her when she nearly gave up on the book store though, and loudly expressed my relief when she went back again.

Gabriel was in a way, a disappointment for me. He was a typical male. Solving problems with sex and being all-round distant, he was keeping secrets and being a little rude. Then turning around and telling Jane that he loves her. It was almost like a normal relationship, and in a way it infuriated me because there was no stability in that relationship. I want to read about people that don’t have to worry about whether or not the guy is going to call back, and yet at the same time I’m thanking Harper for writing the romance this way because it shows us that vampires have normal uncertain relationships as well.

Dick once again played a huge part in the way of comic relief, he also provided Jane with a sense of stability in her life through his friendship and I’m glad Jane recognized that instead of taking advantage of it.

Although Jane’s world is full of vampires, werewolves and ghosts who have as normal a dating scene as what the living seem to, her life is still surprisingly normal. Jane goes about her everyday life which really hasn’t changed that much, as she pointed out when she spent a whole night watching DVDs on her couch with no one to talk to. She still has money woes occasionally and family issues with her insanely meddlesome family and absolutely psychotic sister she has a boyfriend who she wants to trust but can’t quite seem to because of his weird absences and of course her friend who is normal most of the time, but sometimes has lapses in judgement like any normal male.

Harper’s writing is consistently good in Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men, not only was it absolutely hilarious, but it also flowed and drew one in to the point that you didn’t want to come back out, I want to go and live with Jane her world is so vivid. I want to work in her shop and talk with her and her friends.

Harper turned what could have been a boring or even absurd situation with Zeb’s wedding and turned it into something engaging and witty. I absolutely cannot wait to start Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever.

Also in this series:
Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs
Nice Girls Don't Live Forever
Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbours

Book Review: Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: Circus of the Damned
Series: Anita Blake – Book 3
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 329
Release Date: 24 September 2002

When a powerful centuries-old vampire hits Anita Blake’s town, a battle of the undead ensues.

My Thoughts:

Mrs Hamilton, you have done it again.

Once again I was absolutely enthralled by the continuation of this series. Anita is once again thrown into the deep end by her vampire connections. Some very shifty characters come to town to challenge Jean-Claude and the limits of Anita’s loyalty are tested.

Anita was once again a magnificent heroine. She always thinks with her head and never gets too flustered by her situation. Anita continues to be one of my favourite characters ever purely because her morals and values aren’t compromised by vampires. She doesn’t start out as a “normal person” who inevitably falls for the incredible charms of the nearest vampire, she keeps fighting them and no matter how much attention she is paid by them, she never gives in.

I am a little worried though by her new acceptance of werewolves though, she went from hating them at the start of the book to being mildly tolerant, I suppose it’s understandable given the fact that she was surrounded by vampires so by comparison the werewolf looks pretty good, but I hope she continues sticking to her convictions.

I love how this series isn’t overly romantic, Anita didn’t show her loyalty to Jean-Claude because she loves him or lusts after him, she stays loyal because she is a good person (well as good as a necromancer can be), and tries to help the right people out. She doesn’t help Jena-Claude because she wants to sleep with him, and her helping him doesn’t lead to it either, she does it because she wants to and because she considers him somewhat a friend.

This series is only getting better; there is a decent amount of mystery mixed in with absolutely phenomenal ideas. Maybe I just haven’t been around long enough, but a million year old vampire? That is just cool.

Anita continues to be a strong heroine who keeps me coming back for more, she doesn’t fall for the charms of man but rather makes her own decisions about what she wants, she is a fighter yet still knows when to back down, but most of all, when she realises a mistake, she tries to rectify it rather than covering it up or hoping it will go away.

I absolutely cannot wait to get to the next book in this series, The Lunatic Café.

Also in this series:

Guilty Pleasures

The Laughing Corpse

The Lunatic Cafe

Bloody Bones

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cerulean Sins

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The Harlequin

Blood Noir

Skin Trade

Flirt

Bullet

Hit List

Book Review: Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper

Review: Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs
Series: Jane Jameson – Book 1
Author: Molly Harper
No of Pages: 355
Release Date: 31 March 2009

UNEMPLOYMENT SUCKS

Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children’s librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed twenty-five dollars in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that’s sure to become Half Moon Hollow legend. On her way home, she’s mistaken for a deer, shot and left for dead. And thanks to the mysterious stranger she met while chugging neon-coloured cocktails, she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood.

Jane is now the latest recipient of a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, and her life-after-lifestyle is taking some getting used to. Her recently deceased favourite aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing and endure daytime hours to avoid coming out of the coffin to her family. She’s forced to forgo her favourite down-home Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy mercurial vampire sire keeps running hot and cold. And if all that wasn’t enough, it looks like someone in Half Moon Hollow is trying to frame her for a series of vampire murders. What’s a nice undead girl to do?

My Thoughts:

Jane Jameson is probably one of the funniest protagonists I have ever read.

Jane has just been fired from her beloved library, so she does what any despairing bookworm would do – she goes out, gets completely hammered and strikes up a conversation with the guy next to her.

If becoming a vampire isn’t enough within her first few weeks Jane is accused of murdering another vampire by setting him on fire which lands her in deep trouble with the vampire council.

Jane is one of the funniest heroines I have ever read I think, her mannerisms are so relatable (well to me anyway) and she is an all-round genuinely good person. Her biggest issues in her life are trying to keep her mum off her back for living alone and not being married, and of course, overdue library books.

Her antics as a newly turned vampire are hilarious. It’s not often that I find a book that has that new vampire smell, they are always old and powerful and rich. Jane is young, poor and has a tendency to cling to ceilings.

Harpers’ writing is absolutely incredible; everything is completely seamless from Jane’s transition to vampire and keeping a consistent running dialogue in her head full of funny quips and witty observations. Harper wasn’t at all jerky or awkward and amazingly she pulled off being absolutely hilarious and putting Jane in completely ridiculous situations and just carrying on as if the reader isn’t rolling around laughing.

The plethora of secondary characters only complemented the hilarity of the situation. Gabriel the vampire sire whom Jane had a simple – non eternally committing – relationship with, her mother who is the perfect incarnation of many over-bearing, controlling mothers, Zeb the cute best-friend who helps Jane test out her abilities by convincing her to jump off her two storey roof and Dick Cheney (not the real one) put in for purely comedic relief and occasional information was the perfect complement to Jane.

Jane’s story was simple, at first I didn’t know where it was going, how can you make a story out of a new vampire? (I hadn’t read the back of the book at the time) And even with the vampire investigation going on as well as Jane trying to adjust to her best friend occasionally trying to kill her to test out her new abilities nothing was too over the top. You don’t have an incessant need to get to the end to find out whodunit but rather you just enjoy the story each time you delve into its pages. Jane’s story is a journey, not an ending, and even the ending is simple and short lived.

I absolutely loved Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, it was funny, simple and well written and I can’t wait to get my hands on Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men.

Also in this series:
Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men
Nice Girls Don't Live Forever

Book Review: Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Review: Dead as a Doornail
Series: Sookie Stackhouse – Book 5
Author: Charlaine Harris
No of Pages: 295
Release Date: 25 April 2006

Sookie Stackhouse enjoys her life, mostly. She’s a great cocktail waitress in a fun bar; she has a love life, albeit a bit complicated, and most people have come to terms with her telepathy. The problem is, Sookie wants a quiet life – but things just seem to happen to her and her friends. Now her brother Jason is about to turn into a were-panther for the first time. She can deal with that, but her normal sisterly concern turns to cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local shifter population.

She’s afraid not just because Jason is at risk, but because his new were-brethren suspect Jason himself may be the shooter. Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks – unless the killer decides to find her first.

My Thoughts:

This series just keeps getting better.

Sookie has more than one mystery to solve this time around with not only someone murdering shifters and seemingly blaming Sookie’s brother Jason for doing it, but an appeal from Alcide the werewolf also arises to help his father in his bid for pack master.

Sookie just keeps getting better and better, and she is so real as well. I was a little disappointed in her when she considered being with Bill again – I mean come on, he cheated on her! – But in a way, it was her first love; there is a bond there that for her at least, will never be broken. Her jealousy over Bill’s new girlfriend was hilarious, and I am sure that many have felt the exact same way when we were confronted with ex’s and their new partners as well.

Although I loved Alcide in Club Dead and really wanted him and Sookie to get together, in this I was really disappointed with him. He was manipulative, pushy and just plain rude at times. There was no courtesy regarding what Sookie might be feeling or if she really consented to being involved with the pack like she was, he only cared about his father. Which is far enough in a way, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of those you supposedly care about. He came on way too strong in Dead as a Doornail, sure Sookie was in need, but wanting her to live with him and barely knowing her is a bit much, even for a supernatural creature. I am proud of Sookie when she kept her head straight with regards to Alcide and his advances, people may think Sookie to be dumb, but she is actually incredibly intelligent when she has her moments, which only adds to her character.

Eric was as lovably scary as always, doing favours for Sookie in exchange for information about their time together when he had amnesia. He may be a conniving, manipulative fiend but as he plainly stated to Sookie, unlike others at least he’s honest about it. It’s what makes his character that much more likable, sure he’s a bad guy in some ways, but he’s upfront about the fact and he’s not afraid or ashamed of getting what he wants by using any means necessary.

This series is consistently good. Going in you know what to expect, you know there will be vampires, werewolves, death and a lot of blood, but Harris writes this series with a light heart. You don’t go into Sookie’s world and come out feeling like crap because of all the bad that’s happening. You come out with Sookie’s attitude of keeping a smile on your face and continuing on, but this series isn’t heavy anyway.

For the massive amount of death and destruction you don’t get depressed, you just keep reading and know somehow it will be better. It’s comforting and safe and that’s why I love this series so much.

I cannot wait to get into Definitely Dead, the next book in this series.

Others in this series:
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and GoneDead in the Family
Dead Reckoning

Book Review: The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: The Laughing Corpse
Series: Anita Blake – Book 2
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 293
Release Date: 2 August 2005

Vampire Hunter is about to discover that some secrets are better left buried – and some people are better off dead…

My Thoughts:

Back into the world of Anita Blake and it was just as good the second time around.

Anita is still holding down two jobs, her animating job working with raising zombies for people and as insider knowledge for the police department. Anita gets offered a job that she doesn’t want to accept though, she has been requested to raise a 300 year old corpse which involves human sacrifice, not something she is comfortable with.

Anita continues to be a complete kick-ass heroine. I really cannot fault her. She hates vampires and is continuing to struggle with her feelings for Jean-Claude, she is blossoming into a powerful necromancer, which is completely cool, and she is a smart and sarcastic. The cast of characters once again was well put together and completely fit with the story.

The Laughing Corpse is gory and horrific, perfect in my opinion. It deals with the deeper side of Voodoo, delving into darker techniques and giving us an insight into the hierarchy of the Voodoo community, which Anita wants no part in. The Laughing Corpse details stomach churning monsters put together with all sorts of spare parts, human and animal included. It also deals with what happens to our souls after we die, and what happens if people steal them.

The ideas presented in The Laughing Corpse and in Anita Blake in general are nothing like I have ever seen. I absolutely loved the gory details of this book. Who even comes up with putting a soul inside a zombie? Or putting together a multi-limbed multi-mouthed beast.

Laurell K Hamilton is a master when it comes to the weird and wonderful world of paranormal horror and I cannot wait to continue what is shaping up to be a fantastic series.

Also in this series:

Guilty Pleasures

Circus of the Damned

The Lunatic Cafe

Bloody Bones

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cerulean Sins

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The Harlequin

Blood Noir

Skin Trade

Flirt

Bullet

Hit List