A Book Obsession..

Monday Wrapup (159)

, by KT

It's Monday! What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Reviews for the past week:

Heart of Venom by Jennifer Estep (Early Review)

" The intensity has not lost its fervor one bit, and I couldn't be happier as each new installment pretty much guarantees me one heck of a roller coaster ride of entertainment, HEART OF VENOM included. Definitely a must buy for fans of the series!"

Quick Fix by Linda Grimes (Early Review)

"If you are looking for something fresh and unique in this sometimes crowded genre, look no further than the In a Fix series. QUICK FIX is the perfect blend of humor, danger, and fantastic characters to make for a great read you won't want to miss!"

Other Posts:

Authors Are Rockstars: Lauren Miller Guest Post & Giveaway

Book Birthdays featured 5 new releases for this week.

Ritual Magic by Eileen Wilks was featured for Waiting on Wednesday

Upcoming List:

Omens by Kelley Armstrong (Early Review)
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (Early Review)

Kirsten Reviews: Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer

Authors Are Rockstars: Lauren Miller

, by KT

When I saw Lauren Miller's name on the list of authors participating in this awesome event, I just knew I had to pick her. I mean she is this amazing debut author that just came out of nowhere. I absolutely loved her book, PARALLEL!! In fact, you can read all of my gushing in my review here. I just loved how decisions from her past kept irrevocably kept changing her future. It just made me think about how my life would be different if certain events had of been different. Life is funny that way, and I loved how this book showed that. Simply put, the book was AWESOME, and that is why Lauren Miller is my Author Rockstar!

*Where did you get the inspiration for Parallel?

The inspiration came in fits and starts. The moment I remember most clearly was sitting in my law firm office in a high-rise office building in L.A., overlooking a fancy golf course and Aaron Spelling’s ridiculous mansion, staring at my new business cards. “Lauren Miller,” they read. “Attorney.” I’d been married just a few weeks, living in a brand new city with a brand new name and a brand new job and brand new husband. My life felt foreign to me. Not foreign bad, just foreign. And so I asked myself, how did I get here?!? Was it the moment I said, “I do” at my wedding? Was it when my husband proposed? Was it years earlier, when I decided to intern at Entertainment Weekly, the decision that ultimately led me to law school (long story)? Was my life fated to end up like this, or could I have ended up in a different city, with a different guy and a different job? Which parts of my life were “meant to be”? These questions were swirling around in my mind as a story began to take shape. PARALLEL was my answer to those questions!

*Wow, that's one heck of an inspiration! I've been dying to ask this since I read the book, what was it like juggling the two storylines in Parallel?

It was so much fun! My brain really appreciated the challenge of keeping all the details straight. But, honestly, it wasn’t all that difficult because in my mind, it was never really two storylines – I viewed it as a past and a present, and that made it easier for me to keep straight, even though in reality it is two presents (Parallel Abby’s and Abby’s).

*Huh, I never really thought of it as one storyline, but it makes sense. Any chance at a sequel?? If not can you tell us what's in store for you next?

Nope, probably no sequel on the horizon. I feel like I told Abby’s story in Parallel and want to leave the future up to her and her readers! My next novel, FREE TO FALL (another standalone) will be out next spring. It’s very different from PARALLEL in tone, but it has some similar themes and of course some sci-fi elements. I don’t want to say too much yet, but I’ll tell you that it’s a mystery and that it involves the future of technology.

*Major bummer to the no sequel. I would have loved to have seen more from Abby! If your book were to be made into a movie, who would be your top picks for the cast?

In order from top left clockwise:

Bret - Source

Michael - Source

Josh - Source

Abby #1 - Source

Caitlin - Source

Abby #2 - Source

Oooh, I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me this. As I was writing PARALLEL, I pictured Lucy Hale as Abby and Ashley Benson as Caitlin (can you tell I’m a big Pretty Little Liars fan?!?). Now I sort of see Alexandra Chando as Abby (the girl from Lying Game). The guys were more vague in my head, but I guess I’d pick Miles Heizer for Josh (dorky, but adorable) and Robbie Amell for Michael. Oh, and my good friend Alan Ritchson (next seen as Gloss in Catching Fire) as Bret!

*Very awesome picks! Could you tell us a little about the ups and downs you have experienced in publishing?

So far, there have been no downs! I am waiting for them to happen, as I’m sure they will. My story was really amazing. I wrote PARALLEL while on maternity leave from my law firm job and blogged about the process of writing with a newborn in the house. An agent at ICM read my blog and asked to read my book when it was done. She liked it, she became my agent, and we sold it to HarperTeen – it happened so seamlessly, and so much faster than I expected. Working on both PARALLEL and FREE TO FALL with the folks at HarperTeen has been a dream so far. I think I must be in the honeymoon phase.

*Wow, I can't imagine writing an entire novel with a newborn!! What are some of your favorite books in the paranormal genre?

I actually don’t read a lot of paranormal… ok, none. (Should I not admit that?) In my mind, PARALLEL is more of a contemporary novel with some sci-fi elements (which I know has irritated some readers who wanted hardcore sci fi). Some of my favorite books have this same combo of contemporary-feeling narratives with sci-fi or supernatural aspects, like Lauren Oliver’s BEFORE I FALL.

*I'm a fan of blending the genres myself. If you could tell readers one thing about yourself or your books, what would that be?

The details are important (that goes for me AND my books!)

*Very good advice. What is the craziest or at least most interesting thing you have ever done?

When I was 19 I flew to Italy on a whim to see a boy I barely knew. I don’t recommend this – it was two very long weeks once I got there.

*OOoo that could get tricky for sure. Finish this statement: "You'll like Parallel if...

…you believe life is meaningful and magical, and you don’t mind thinking while you read!

Thanks Lauren!!

About Lauren:

I was born in NYC and raised in Atlanta. I went to college at Yale and law school at Berkeley, then I got married and moved to Los Angeles to practice law.

I liked it. But after about a year, I got the itch to be doing something more creative. The itch got stronger. I found myself typing out random bits of dialogue on my Blackberry (remember those?) and pitching story ideas to my co-workers. One of those ideas became a script for a TV pilot. When it didn’t sell, I wrote another one and another one. Soon, I was ducking out of work to go to pitch meetings at studios and networks. It felt like I was getting somewhere.

Then I got pregnant. Unexpectedly. This freaked me out. Not because I didn’t want kids (I did), but because I was afraid (ok, convinced) that motherhood would zap my creative potential.

To prove myself wrong, I resolved to write a novel in the first 100 days of my child’s life and blog about it, an experiment I called “embracing the detour” (if you’re looking for an embrace the detour fridge magnet, I’m your girl. If you’re looking for old embrace the detour blog posts, click HERE). At the time, it seemed like a brilliant idea. Looking back, it makes me laugh at the childless version of me.

Then again, she’s the reason the current version of me ended up with a two-book deal at HarperTeen. And my very first script sale (but that’s a whole other story).

Thanks to to Kristyn Keene at ICM and Sarah Landis at HarperTeen, my debut novel, entitled Parallel, will hit bookstores (and your e-readers!) on May 14th in the US and June 6th in the UK. Meanwhile, I’m working on my second novel (not a sequel to Parallel), which should be out in May of 2014.

Embrace the detour was my foray into blogging. Over time that morphed into this. Whatever this is. Not a blog exactly. A life log. A place to remember and reflect. And, yes, a place to update readers about my novels. So if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the right place! Please follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook or do whatever it is one does to connect with someone on Google+. Or email directly, which you can do HERE.

Oh - and if you’re wondering: yes, my first baby helped me write my first book, but no, the help of a second baby is not in the game plan for the second one. Yet.

xo Lauren

Find Lauren Online:

Website * Facebook * Goodreads * Twitter

Book Info:

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

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Early Review: Quick Fix by Linda Grimes

, by KT

Quick Fix by Linda Grimes

In a Fix #2

The second installment of the original urban fantasy series starring human chameleon Ciel Halligan.
Ciel Halligan, an aura adaptor with a chameleon-like ability to step into the lives of her clients and fix their problems for them — as them — is working a job at the National Zoo with her boyfriend, Billy, and his ten-year-old sister, Molly. It's supposed to be a quick fix, giving her time to decide if it's wise to pursue the romantic relationship her charming scoundrel of a best friend wants, or if she should give Mark, the CIA spook she's crushed on since hormones first rattled her pubescent brain, a chance to step up to the plate.

Molly has already begun to show signs of being an adaptor herself. She's young for it, but she's always been precocious, so it's not impossible. What is impossible is her taking on the form of the baby orangutan she touches — adaptors can only projecthuman auras. Until now, apparently. Worse, Molly is stuck in ape form. She can't change herself back.

Escaping from the zoo with their new baby orang, Ciel and Billy head for NYC and the only person they know can help: Ciel's brother James, a non-adaptor scientist who's determined to crack the aura adaptor genetic code. But when Billy winds up in jail, accused of attempted murder, Ciel begins to suspect Molly's unusual adapting ability is more than just a fluke. Who's been experimenting on Molly, and what do they hope to gain? And will Ciel survive to find out?

Ciel Halligan has the unique ability to become anyone at anytime. She steps into the lives of her clients for a hefty fee to fix a problem for them that they would rather not handle. But her latest job lands her in hot water when her somewhat boyfriend Billy's little sister, Molly, turns into an orangutan which isn't supposed to be able to happen. No adapter has ever been able to change into an animal, and to make matters worse, Molly gets stuck and can't change back. This leads to a made escape from the zoo with an orangutan in tow. It quickly becomes apparent that Molly's change was no accident, and the ones responsible would do anything to get their hands on her.

At first glance I would say that the adapter element was my favorite part of this series, as the ability to become anyone else at any time utterly fascinates me. But in all honesty it is the family dynamic and character that really make this series soar. Could you imagine growing up in a family with multiple siblings where any of you could change yourself at anytime? You never could be quite sure if you were interacting with the real version or someone else adapting themselves and pretending. Think of all the blackmail or bribery that would be involve to get others in or out of trouble depending on the circumstances. A lot of that played out in QUICK FIX, and I have to admit that this extra added element to sibling squablery make for a rather hilarious read. Even with all the learned tells they have for each other, it still was pretty easy for the others to get dupped and I found myself cracking up left and right.

I have to admit despite the somewhat love triangle going on, I really enjoyed the romance in this book. For the most part it's pretty clear who she is going to with in the long haul, and I don't feel it's a spoiler to say who since it's mentioned in the description. Ciel and Billy just seem right for one another. They both have this spark that only ignites even more when they are together. And not only are their interactions steamy and sexy as hell, but there also is a huge sweet factor that should jot be overlooked. Despite Billy being largely known as a ladies man, he's so tender and different with Ciel. You can really tell how much he cares, unlike Mark, who only started showing any interest once their was competition. Despite Ciel's long time crush on Mark, the two would never have worked due to his constant patronization and ridiculous overprotection. So suffice it to say that whenever Mark tried to make moves or act like he cared romantically in this book, it frustrated me to no end. Luckily there were more than enough yummy moments with Billy to keep me (and Ciel) happy and distracted.

While I will always be a diehard fan of Vamps, Witches, and Weres, even I will admit that it's rather difficult for one of those stories to fell fresh. In this series you will find none of those things, but instead a completely fresh and new idea that will not give you that dreaded been here done that feeling. I absolutely love the world behind this series, as it is Urban fantasy at it's finest without the baggage of 100 other stories just like it. So if you are looking for something fresh and unique in this sometimes crowded genre, look no further than the In a Fix series. QUICK FIX is the perfect blend of humor, danger, and fantastic characters to make for a great read you won't want to miss!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Pre-order:

Other Reviews:

Previous Books:
1. In a Fix (Reviewed for RT Mag)

Waiting on Wednesday (158)

, by KT

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

Our pick this week:

Ritual Magic - World of the Lupi #10
by Eileen Wilks
Publication Date: September 3rd, 2013
Pre-Order:

In Eileen Wilks’s new Novel of the Lupi, FBI agent Lily Yu is about to confront a power even darker than magic…

On her 57th birthday, Lily’s mother suddenly loses all memory beyond the age of twelve. Lily knows her mother was attacked by something more than magic. More . . . and darker.

When Lily and Rule discover that others suffered the same, mysterious loss—at the same time on the same night—their investigation into the darkness begins. Joining them is someone Lily never thought she’d see again: Al Drummond, who once tried to destroy her. He also happens to be dead. But the mysterious attacks were caused by a power strong enough to affect matters beyond the world of the living.

With some victims losing years of memory and others their lives, Lily must discover what on earth—or beyond—connects them.

Book Birthdays: New Titles This Week (47)

, by KT

Releasing 8/5-8/11

Biting Bad by Chloe Neill
Chicagoland Vampires #8

Merit has been a vampire for only a short while, but she’s already seen a lifetime’s worth of trouble. She and her Master, centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, have risked their lives time and again to save the city they love. But not all of Chicago is loving them back.

Anti-vampire riots are erupting all over town, striking vampires where it hurts the most. A splinter group armed with Molotov cocktails and deep-seated hate is intent on clearing the fanged from the Windy City come hell or high water.

Merit and her allies rush to figure out who’s behind the attacks, who will be targeted next, and whether there’s any way to stop the wanton destruction. The battle for Chicago is just beginning, and Merit is running out of time.

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Guardian Demon by Mejean Brook
The Guardians #8

The new novel in the Guardian series from Meljean Brook, bestselling author of the Iron Seas novels...

After a terrifying encounter in Hell destroys her trust in Michael, the Guardians’ powerful leader, former detective Andromeda Taylor is ready to call it quits as one of the angelic warriors and resume her human life again. But when demonic forces threaten her closest friends and she uncovers a terrifying plot devised by Lucifer, Taylor is thrown straight into Michael’s path again…

To defeat Lucifer, Michael needs every Guardian by his side—and he needs Taylor more than any other. The detective is the key to keeping his own demonic side at bay, and Michael will do anything to protect her and keep her close. And when Taylor manifests a deadly power, her Gift might tip the scales in the endless war between Heaven and Hell…or it might destroy them both with a single touch.

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Infinityglass by Myra McEntire
Hourglass #3

No time like the present.

No time in the present.

No time left.

From the moment the Hourglass group violated the rules of the space time continuum to rescue a murdered loved one, time has been in flux. People from other centuries slide into our time, intruding into our space, threatening our world.

Frantically seeking a way to turn back this tide, the Hourglass begins a search for the legendary Infinityglass, tracking it to the city of New Orleans, a place where the past rests easily with the present.

Quiet, reliable Dune, the group's favorite geek, is selected to travel to the Crescent City and somehow retrieve the renowned object.

But there's a problem.

Because the Infinityglass is not an object, it's a person.

A beautiful, headstrong dancer named Hallie, a girl so enticing Dune can't take his eyes off her.

And time is not on her side.

Amazon The Book Depository

Terminated by Rachel Caine
Revivalist #3

In New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine’s latest Revivalist novel, Bryn Davis’s problems quickly turn from dead to worse…

Already addicted to the pharmaceutical drug that keeps her body from decomposing, Bryn has to stop a secretive group of rich and powerful investors from eliminating the existing Returné addicts altogether. To ensure their plan to launch a new, military-grade strain of nanotech, the investors’ undead assassin—who just happens to be the ex-wife of Bryn’s lover Patrick—is on the hunt for anyone that stands in their way.

And while Bryn’s allies aren’t about to go down without a fight, the secret she’s been keeping threatens to put those closest to her in even more danger. Poised to become a monster that her own side—and her own lover—will have to trap and kill, Bryn needs to find the cure to have any hope of preserving the lives of her friends, and her own dwindling humanity…

Amazon The Book Depository

Under a Spell by Hannah Jayne
Underworld Detective Agency #5

Sophie Lawson was seriously hoping life at the UDA would get back to relative normal now that her boss Pete Sampson has been reinstated. Unfortunately, her new assignment is sending her undercover into a realm where even the most powerful paranormals fear to tread...her old high school. Being a human immune to magic is no defence against soulless picture-perfect mean girls - or a secret witch coven about to sacrifice a missing female student. And Sophie's Guardian, uber-proper Englishman Will, is determined to convince Sophie he's the kind of temptation she should indulge in permanently. Now as the clock ticks down to apocalypse, he and Sophie will have to summon every trick in the book to battle devilish illusion, lethal sorcery - and betrayals they'll never see coming.

Amazon The Book Depository

Monday Wrapup (158)

, by KT

Reviews for the past week:

Under a Spell by Hannah Jayne (Early Review)

"I had hard time staying interested in this book as it just couldn't seem to hold my attention. Between my annoyance with Sophie and the really messed up love triangle and the plot that never seemed to end, this was a very frustrating read for me."

Biting Bad by Chloe Neill (Early Review)

"It was a fast paced read that kept me thoroughly engrossed from the very start. Between the high stakes, the intense romance, and the fabulous cast of characters, I cannot recommend this book any higher! Run, do not walk, to snatch this puppy up. Trust me, you won't regret it."

Kirsten's Book of the Week:

The Millennial Sword by Shannon Phillips (Review)

"All things being told, the book sets up a character who doesn’t spend all her time wringing her hands about her destiny, and instead acts. If, in future books, Viveka does more on her own without being told what to do, and there are more opportunities for the other characters to have lives and plots of their own, the series will be even more interesting. "

Other Posts:

The Thing About Weres Blog Tour Stopped by

Book Birthdays featured 10 new releases for this week.

Blood Bond by Jeanne C. Stein was featured for Waiting on Wednesday

Stacking the Shelves July Edition: 31 books received

Upcoming List:

Heart of Venom by Jennifer Estep (Early Review)
Quick Fix by Linda Grimes (Early Review)

Kirsten Reviews: Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer

Early Review: Biting Bad by Chloe Neill

, by KT

Biting Bad by Chloe Neill

Chicagoland Vampires #8

Merit has been a vampire for only a short while, but she’s already seen a lifetime’s worth of trouble. She and her Master, centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, have risked their lives time and again to save the city they love. But not all of Chicago is loving them back.

Anti-vampire riots are erupting all over town, striking vampires where it hurts the most. A splinter group armed with Molotov cocktails and deep-seated hate is intent on clearing the fanged from the Windy City come hell or high water.

Merit and her allies rush to figure out who’s behind the attacks, who will be targeted next, and whether there’s any way to stop the wanton destruction. The battle for Chicago is just beginning, and Merit is running out of time.

Even though Merit's tenure as one of the undead has been for a relatively small amount of time, she's been through an incredible amount in that short time. Despite their best efforts to live in harmony with the living citizens of their beloved Chicago, not everyone is happy to have them in their city. So, it's not much of a surprise when vampire hating riots start popping up and destroying vamp friendly areas one location at a time. So, Merit and the rest of the Cadogan house are stuck in a scramble to find out who is organizing these strikes before all of Chicago burns, humans and vamps alike.

Something I've really grown to love about this story is that each book has it's own plot and current "mess" for the vampires going on. However, there also is the larger overall plot with the GP going on as well, which I think really ties the series together strongly. Most of the book is taken up by that main plot, in this case, the vampire riots, but interwoven into things is the political problems with the GP. And boy let me tell you, this time they ended on a doozey, that will surely make things rather interesting in the next installment, I'm sure. But getting back to BITING BAD's main plot of the riots, I was impressed with the pacing of this issue. In some of the previous installments it did feel like the plot/investigations dragged at times, but this time around, the wild goose chase seemed to be greatly lessened, which made for a much smoother and evenly paced read.

If you've read my reviews of the previous books in this series, then you know that I am 100% Team Merit and Ethan. In fact, Hard Bitten was one of the hardest books I've ever read due to the devastation. So, even though Ethan came back four installments ago, I'm honestly still waiting for Chloe Neill to pull the rug out from under us again. Granted, it doesn't do good things for my nerves, but I will admit that it keeps me more on my toes, and makes the danger feel more real. However, that being said, I don't think I could handle another devastation like that, so I'm just going to hope my worry is unfounded and enjoy the time between the two of them. And let me tell you, the time between them is absolutely amazing in BITING BAD. They've passed that new couple stage, and now are becoming more comfortable around each other and starting to think about the long haul. I'll admit that the beginning of love is exhilarating, but my favorite fictional romances are the ones we get to see mature over time, and that is exactly the case here. Of course, it does help that Ethan is completely swoon worthy and now has no problem showing his affection for Merit. In fact I cannot count the number of times Merit and myself let out a sigh of swooning over this vampire. There's very few paranormal characters that I would brave their worlds for and Ethan is one of them.

Considering this is the 8th book in the series, I find it rather impressive that things have not gotten stale at all. In fact, almost the opposite is true as each new installment, once finished leaves me incredibly desperate to get my hands on the next book. BITING BAD is no exception. It was a fast paced read that kept me thoroughly engrossed from the very start. Between the high stakes, the intense romance, and the fabulous cast of characters, I cannot recommend this book any higher! Run, do not walk, to snatch this puppy up. Trust me, you won't regret it.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Pre-order:

Other Reviews:

Previous Books:
1. Some Girls Bite
2. Friday Night Bites
3. Twice Bitten
4. Hard Bitten
5. Drink Deep
6. Biting Cold
7. House Rules

Kirsten Reviews: The Millennial Sword by Shannon Phillips

, by KT

The Millennial Sword by Shannon Phillips

Viveka Janssen isn't a dragonslayer. She's a practical Midwestern girl brought to San Francisco by the prospect of an entry-level PR job, and her greatest ambitions involve finding an apartment and making a good impression at work. But Viv's sensible nature is shaken when she comes into possession of the legendary sword Excalibur, and finds herself thrust into the front lines of a shadow war against the immortal armies of Morgan le Fay.

Ancient and malevolent creatures hunt the streets by night. Monsters out of fairy tales lurk in subway tunnels. Only Excalibur—and Viv—stand between human civilization and the forces of wild magic.

And the dragons are hungry...

The Millennial Sword by Shannon Phillips begins with a premise that many people can identify with: moving to begin a new job. Along the way, Viveka, the protagonist, has to find affordable housing, and take care of her moody cat.

This all seems like enough to deal with, but then a woman gives Viveka a sword and dashes off. To make it even more bizarre, nearly nobody can see: Excalibur. Viveka has been inducted into the ranks of those chosen to be a Lady of the Lake. Her duty is to do her best to protect the citizens of San Francisco from Morgan Le Fay, who fantasy lovers will know is the queen of the fairies, and who has a habit of terrorizing people, and kidnapping their children. Viveka may want to stay out of trouble, especially when she’s not even sure what she should be doing with a sword, but she isn’t going to stand around while kids are being stolen. This, on top of the almost required ‘messy love life’ of a fantasy heroine, and a steep learning curve.

Phillips builds the world, the mythology, and characters fairly strongly, and it’s easy to understand Viveka and what she’s going through. However; from there the story doesn’t feel as if it comes together very strongly in places.

Viveka isn’t an unlikeable character, or even hard to identify with, but she doesn’t go out and look for answers. The sword is given to her without explanation, she is approached by people who can give her information that will help her in finding answers and defeating her enemies, and overall, it’s like being in a study group for fantasy destinies. In other words, it’s not that Viveka doesn’t act, but she has to be given instructions first.

There are a lot of interesting characters, and it should be mentioned that not all of them are straight men, which is a nice change from some genre trends, and the world is given a strong foundation, but both the setting and characters could use some development. Introducing interesting secondary characters only pays off if they have bigger roles both in the life of the protagonist and the plot overall, and that’s one area where this book suffers.

All things being told, the book sets up a character who doesn’t spend all her time wringing her hands about her destiny, and instead acts. If, in future books, Viveka does more on her own without being told what to do, and there are more opportunities for the other characters to have lives and plots of their own, the series will be even more interesting.

(Received a copy from the Author:

Rating: