I find that I cannot move onto another non fiction book until I finish all the books in the Lux series, I need to know what happens. Things continue to progress nicely in regards to the overall plot, but the ever frustrating, chemically charged friendship-would-be-relationship between Katy and Daemon moves at a snails pace. I blame this mostly on Daemon. There are several occasions in the story where there is a misunderstanding, or Daemon sees something that he doesn’t like or agree with, and Katy is always ready to explain everything to him. But he doesn’t give her a chance, he either interrupts her, talking over her before she can even get a chance to explain, or he dismisses her, simply tells her he is done and then walks away. He is just plain mean. One of the new characters does contribute to the conflict between Katy and Daemon, and if he hadn’t been introduced into the story I think things would have moved past where they are at the end. There is also a twist towards the end, one that I think a lot of people will have seen coming, and a welcome surprise in the last chapter. My next fiction read will definitely be the third book in this series, Opal, if you want to read along.
Tag: Fiction
Gutshot by Amelia Gray
This book is something else. It is a collection of short stories divided into five parts. I don’t know how to describe it. The stories are disturbing, nonsensical, and I am under the impression that they all have a hidden meaning or message, but I haven’t discovered what any of those might be. It’s a good read if you like the unusual. It’s also a great read if you find yourself unable to read for long periods of time, the length of the stories makes for a lot of good stopping points. If you are a new reader, or trying to get back into a rhythm of reading more, I wouldn’t suggest this, it might turn you off. This is definitely a book for the open minded.
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
As much as I love to expand my mind and learn new things, I also love a good guilty pleasure teen romance. I love it even more when there is a supernatural factor. The Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout provides me with what I need to get my fix for a romantic, easy read. There are so many frustrating moments between the main characters Katy and Daemon, you are literally waiting until the near end of the book for something to happen. You aren’t satisfied with what happens though, at least I wasn’t, but it really makes you look forward to the next book. You’ll have plenty to look forward to in fact, there are five more books following Obsidian, a prequel, and additional spin offs. There is good strength of character in Katy, she doesn’t let herself get pushed around by the overbearing Daemon, but she is only a teenage girl. She does show weakness in the face of his good looks and flirtatious, teasing personality, but it’s impressive how much she is able to resist. I’m also proud of the decision she made at the end of this book, she won’t settle for the bare minimum and she won’t make compromises on what she believes she deserves. I think my next nonsense read will be the next book in this series, but next week I’ll be reviewing something with more substance.
Scent of Darkness by Christina Dodd
Shapeshifting romance novels are currently very trendy. There seem to be so many of them in existence right now, indeed, it seems more are being published every day, that you would have no problem finding one at any bookstore or second hand book selling site. If this is the type of story you are interested in, consider the Darkness Chosen series if you find yourself overwhelmed with choices and are open to suggestions. Scent of Darkness fulfills the craving for someone who is looking for a book in the human to animal transformation combined with a love story genre. The first book in this four part series sets the premise for what we can expect to happen in the form of a prophecy, parts of which are already fulfilled by the end of this book. I predict that all parts of the prophecy will become reality by the end of the series, and I’m going to continue reading just so I can see if I am correct. This wasn’t the most captivating book I have ever read, but I wasn’t entirely disappointed, I didn’t think it was a waste of my time, and I do want to see what happens. Also, the spicy bits in it certainly helped me to enjoy it. If you are someone who lacks patience, the spice happens pretty early on, but then you do have to read for a while before you get to the next racy bit.
Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder – Chapters 18-36 and final thoughts
Fire Study comes to a clean conclusion, but not without a great deal of turmoil leading up to it. While I was reading, there were many passages I came across that made me feel similar to the way I felt when I was watching Infinity War. I just kept thinking, this isn’t going to end well, there is no way the people I want to live are going to survive. But somehow, some of the people I wanted to live do survive, but there are the expected casualties. Even with the deaths, I was left feeling satisfied, not desiring more from the story but I would of course welcome more.
I will say, the story moved a little fast for me. It seemed like there was a lot crammed into this one book without there being enough down time, time for the reader to breath and absorb what they had read. I enjoyed the book, but I would not have minded it being slightly longer so it could have had some moments for the characters to relax. The journey that the characters go on needs to be completed in a certain amount of time due to the dangers involved, and the pace definitely induces anxiety, which is what I imagine the characters would be feeling, so maybe this is intentional.
There are companion books to the series, another trilogy, along with three short stories. I think I am going to take a break from Yelena and the adventures she has in Sitia and Ixia, and begin a new series for next week’s blog. If you have been reading my entries and want to continue the series, the next book to read is Shadow Study. The short story, Assassin Study, follows Valek and takes place after the events of Poison Study and before the reunion of Valek and Yelena in Magic Study.
Nonfiction and Nonsense 