This has been a nice week weather wise with lots of sun early in the week but it got windy towards the end. It also got cool again so no 70's this week. I read a book and part of another and started Allegiant. With the movie coming out this weekend I figured it was time to read the third book and see what the deal is. St. Patrick's Day was also this week and I hope it was a great day for anyone who celebrated it. This week I discussed urban fantasy and got a lot of great recommendations. I'll be posting discussions on Tuesdays going forward as I take a break from Top Ten Tuesday- feel free to stop by and join in. I'll still do a Top Ten here and there, just depends on the topic. I also reviewed The Passenger.
This is amazing and one of the best items I saw all week. A Stormtrooper in Love.
PULP COVER OF THE WEEK:
NEW ARRIVAL/ UPCOMING REVIEWS: BOOKISH LINKS Fantasy of the Silver Dragon asks how many reviews do you post a week. Debbish.com reviews Missing, Presumed- a twisty thriller. Cornerfolds talks about impacts of author interactions. Rinn Reads has Part 2 of her Fellowship of the Ring readalong. Have questions about The Lord of the Rings? This FAQ is huge and covers a lot of ground. And here's more Star Wars goodness -stormtrooper target practice. Especially hilarious at the 4:32 mark
This weeks Spotlight is Panic by Lauren Oliver. I just like this cover, not sure why- but between it and the title I was wondering what this was about every time I saw it. So I guess it's effective in that sense.
The Passenger is an interesting book. We start off with Tanya leaving town after the death of her husband- it seems he fell down the steps. Tanya doesn't have an alibi and isn't sure she won't be charged, so she leaves. Oh and Tanya is not really her name either. She was someone else before she was Tanya- and over the course of the book she will assume several different identities as she runs from her past. It turns out that Tanya has a dark past wholly unrelated to her current circumstance- and with the help of a shadowy benefactor she makes a new start.
It's never really that easy though and it's not long before her past threatens to catch up to her. Tanya likes her bourbon and in a bar somewhere she meets Blue, a bartender with a past of her own. Her and Tanya become friends and soon Tanya is caught up in Blue's sordid past as well. Things from there escalate and we follow along for the ride as Tanya tries on new identities and tries to stay alive as well.
I have mixed feelings about this book, it's entertaining enough and has some nice twists and turns, but at the same time I often felt like I was reading the same thing over and over- Tanya (or whoever she is at the moment) keeps moving on, trying to stay ahead of trouble, and becoming more and more hardened all the time. I didn't find her particularly likable until the end when we see the bigger picture and understand just what she has been through. This is one of those books where it's almost twisty for the sake of being twisty- the whole object of it is to keep you guessing because of course you don't have enough information. I like books like that though, and this one kept me reading, it's just missing something
Some things also didn't ring true, just a few things that didn't really add up for me. It's a good thriller with a few shocking moments, some nice surprises. Tanya has a habit of hitting the bar wherever she ends up, and sometimes that's not a good idea. She does meet someone in one of her stops and that has a big impact on the story- and at the same time her desperation drives her to do things that I didn't really feel sold on. So it was a mixed bag for me.
One thing I really liked was the hints that we get into her past. She maintains a somewhat tenuous connection to someone from way back, and little bits of info are dispensed as the story moves along- not enough to piece it together but hints are there. I always like setups like that- and the epilogue was great , wrapping the story up very nicely. I smiled at the end and even though the ride was uneven for me, it had a great conclusion.
This week we have episode 8- Terms and Conditions. Bellamy and Pike are advised that a recon patrol hasn't made it back- they encountered grounders. This one's on you Pike. Two riders come to warn the Skycrew about the blockade, and to deliver what's left of the recon patrol. They want Pike, to atone for the massacred Grounders. Of course they're not getting them- but then Bellamy shoots both messengers. Wha????? Am I the only one who cries foul here? Yeah Bellamy's going to be pissed- but I never thought Bellamy would out- radical Pike.
So then they're talking strategy and they decide to start rationing food, since they can't send hunting parties out. Pike doesn't want to engage the grounders until they deal with Kane, so he tells Bell to restrict access to the prisoners, and wants to keep the whole camp under surveillance. He knows info is getting to Kane somehow, and he's right as Kane is listening at that moment! Along with Harper (she needs to do more) and that other guy. Pike wants Kane and his people caught, and Kane says we can play that too. Quote of the day:
"Or we could just shock-lash Pike's fascist ass and hand him to the Grounders." That's from Harper. I am now officially in love with Harper. Full stop.
Kane says they're not there yet (yes you are Kane) and the other guy (what's his name?) says maybe they need to be. Brass tacks people. Meanwhile asshole alpha (aka Jaha) is telling Raven they need to make ALIE stronger. Pike confiscated their chipmaker so Jaha says we need it back. Who would be crazy enough to try that? Well... there's ole Jasper being an ass cause he can't get alcohol. Cha- ching!
Kane talks to Pike and they disagree of course- Pike isn't backing down. Raven recruits Jasper to break into Pike's office- only thing is, he needs to deal with security. Jasper says he's in. Kane meanwhile meets with Harper and the other guy and they listen to Pike again talking about how they don't have enough bullets. Maybe he should have thought of that before he started a war? But wait... he's talking about an attack but it's for Kane's benefit they found the listening device...
Kane falls for it and wants to disable the Rover. Sinclair is with him but Monty and Bellamy are watching - Sinclair gets arrested but doesn't talk. We have some silly drama where the writers want us to think for a minute that Pike might shoot him- but even Pike's not that bad. They lock him up, while Raven and Jasper are trying to think of Monty's password. ALIE is coaching Raven, and they crack it. Jasper wants a chip (no you don't Jasper, you just don't know it). Sinclair is thrown in lock up and has a message for Lincoln- get ready. Hey maybe Kane outsmarted Pike, eh?
Kane and Bellamy meet and neither convince the other (man it's all about intrigue this week, isn't it?) Then the shit goes down- Kane and Pike meet and Bellamy goes to get Sinclair's confession. We switch back and forth as the tension rises- Lincoln and Sinclair trick Bellamy into opening the cage, Kane shock- lashes Pike (yeah!) and there's an all-out battle at the lock up. Harper kicks some ass but Monty tips off Bellamy- Kane is taking Pike to the grounders. Yikes! Bellamy stops Kane- I thought they were going to pull it off. I almost wanted Kane to run Bellamy down at that point.
So... the aftermath. ALIE is lamenting that Raven was able to resist her, and Jaha says maybe he can do something about it. Someone shoot Jaha. Pike sentences Kane to die (I will enjoy it when Pike buys it in this show) and Bellamy has a crisis of conscience (really? A little late). He and Monty refuse to turn over Harper and Miller though when Monty's mom asks, so... I think this is it. Bellamy has had enough. He's going to draw the line at Kane getting executed, and I think he and Monty are going to turn.
Good episode. No Clarke or Octavia in this one, we see that ALIE is not invincible, and Bellamy is FINALLY seeing the light. Lincoln has spent half the season or more in lock up and... Where's Abby?
Welcome to my A Dance with Dragons re- read. This week we are reading Jon X and Daenerys VIII. Last time Jon had just received Alys Karstark at the Wall- she was fleeing her uncle Cregan, who wants to marry her so he can get his hands on Karhold. And Dany is newly married to Hizdahr. So let's take a look... There's a wedding taking place at the Wall! Alys Karstark is marrying the new Magnar of Thenn. And Melisandre is officiating. Why is this happening? Well Alys' uncle Cregan is after her to marry him so he can inherit Karhold, so by marrying the Thenn she nixes that. After the ceremony Jon talks to Melisandre, and she says that Patchface is dangerous. Also she is looking for Stannis but sees only snow- same when she looks for Mance. She tells Jon his danger is very close now, but he still doesn't heed her. At the feast Jon and Alys get along well, remembering a visit she made to Winterfell with her father when she was young. He gets a letter from Eastwatch informing him that eleven ships have sailed for Hardhome, and that Ser Glendon Hewett is in charge at Eastwatch in Pyke's absence. Jon remembers the man was a friend of Alliser Thorne. Then Axell Florent pesters Jon about Val and a horn blows. Val has returned- with Tormund Giantsbane. MY THOUGHTS: So Val is back... setting the stage for Jon's allying with the wildlings. I think it curious that Melisandre doesn't like Patchface- he may be no big deal but I suspect there's more. What will happen with Cregan, and will Alys Karstark play a role in future events? I rather like her. DAENERYS VIII Dany is at her wedding feast and is not having a good time. She is miffed that the Yunkai'i who have come to her wedding are flaunting their slavetrading in front of her, and the fighting pits have been reopened to celebrate. This rankles her also. It seems like everything she fought for has to be sacrificed for the peace, and it doesn't sit well. The mercenary companies are represented as well, and Brown Ben Plumm is there. She had to send hostages outside the city to guarantee safe passage. Daario was one of them. Dany runs into Plumm and he mentions that he bid on a gift for her (that would be Tyrion from his last chapter) but the price went too high. She's not happy he left her service and talks to Barristan about possibly turning some of the other mercs. She orders him to set Pretty Meris free and send her back to the Tattered Prince, to feel him out on possibly coming over to Dany's side. She then asks to see Quentyn and takes him down to see the dragons. "My marriage need not be the end of all your hopes. I know why you are here." "For you," said Quentyn, all awkward gallantry. "No," said Dany, "For fire and blood." MY THOUGHTS: Not a lot happens here other than we see that Dany is dissatisfied with the terms of the peace, and she has no intention of taking Quentyn up on his offer, telling him he should go home. Again all set up for the confrontation that is to come...
Let's talk about urban fantasy. I've wanted to branch out into UF for a while but finding the right book or series has been kinda tough. When I think of urban fantasy I think of a city at night, the moon shining down, and paranormal creatures on the prowl. Vampires versus werewolves in the heart of the city, a bar that (knowingly or unknowingly) caters to a shifter crowd, or a weakening of the barrier between our plane and the fae realms. There are so many possibilities and urban fantasy doesn't have to be all cities, right? I mean, portals to Faerie would be in the natural world and many mystical creatures would be found in wild places wouldn't they? One thing about urban fantasy that appeals to me are the creatures. Brownies, banshees, shapechangers, merfolk- even will o' wisps, perhaps drawing someone to their doom in a lost swamp- the possibilities are endless. One of the reasons I want to try Seanan McGuire's Incryptids is because it looks like she has a lot of different creatures in them. What about vampire/ wizard hunters in the modern day or elementals (seriously, where are the elemental books?) Know any good ones? I've read a few books that kinda skirt the edge of urban fantasy, or share some similarities. Tides for example goes into selkie lore, and I've read some that have fae elements. But I don't think they're really UF per se. Most of these are YA books with UF elements. I've enjoyed all these to some extent, but I wonder if it's the romance element or the age group of the protagonists that distinguishes them from urban fantasy.
Cover Characteristics is a meme by Sugar and Snark- every week a characteristic is selected and we post 5 books with that week's theme. This week's pick- Doorknobs This weeks topic was a little different- not too hard to find but perusing some old mystery covers definitely made it easier. It's funny how some weeks I tend towards different genres or cover styles- I look for something mundane a lot differently than, say, creatures. Anyway this week is skewed towards mysteries for me... which one is your favorite?
I'm sensing a pattern with a lot of these pulp covers.
Does a car door handle count as a doorknob? Probably not, but I like this one.
More of a door latch I guess...plus urban fantasy nursing??
This one is bright and whimsical. Where was this one when I needed butterflies? Anyway it's got nice colors, a good one.
I think this one is my favorite... I like the steps, the crumbling door, the sense of mystery.
