the ocean at the end of the lane

the ocean at the end of the lane
neil gaiman
fantasy
william morrow books
published 2013

Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

There is something incredibly bewitching about Neil Gaiman's writing and it's only emphasized when you listen to the audiobook read by him.

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane is creepy, haunting, terrifying, sad and magical.  A different kind of coming-of-age tale with the most wonderful of characters.  Lettie and her mother and grandmother were so rich and delicious.  I wanted to be friends with them.  I was desperate for them to come and save the boy from Ursula Monkton.

I loved how the character's names sounded coming from Gaiman.  Ursula Monkton, Lettie Hempstock....and how the narrator, the boy, had no name.

I kept thinking how freaking terrifying the entire experience would be.  How helpless he felt, how strong Lettie was and was heartbroken at the end.  I wanted him to remember.

All in all, a fantastic read (or listen)!

american vampire, vol. 1

american vampire, volume 1
scott snyder, stephen king & rafael albuquerque
graphics/horror
vertigo
published 2011

This volume follows two stories: one written by Snyder and one written by King.  Snyder's story is set in 1920's LA, we follow Pearl, a young woman who is turned into a vampire and sets out on a path of righteous revenge against the European Vampires who tortured and abused her.  This story is paired with King's story, a western about Skinner Sweet, the original American Vampire - a stronger, faster creature than any vampire ever seen before with rattlesnake fangs and powered by the sun.

I'm not a big fan of Stephen King, but love Snyder's work and a friend recommended that I try this one out.  As luck would have it the library had it just sitting there the other day so I picked it up and cracked it open.

I really enjoyed the story, especially Pearl's vengeance driven story line.  I wasn't as fond of the old west story (and not because that was King's part), but I'm just not a big fan of westerns although I did find it entertaining nonetheless.  I'm not sure that I liked the whole thing enough to continue to read through the series (is there more?), but I did enjoy this volume.

maniac killer strikes again!

maniac killer strikes again
richard sala
graphics/horror/comedy
fantagraphics
published 2003

A collection of long out of print stories from the late 80s to the early 90s.  Maniac Killer is full of deformed monsters and secret societies, of a murderous clan of cat-masked villains and simple mad scientists.  In the multi-chapter "Thirteen O'Clock" a serial killer bearing a corkscrew strikes repeatedly while a glowing, disembodied skull talks to the victims.  But the enigmatic detective Mr. Murmur solves the crime and shares the motive, too ridiculous to be explained here.  It combines noir mystery with absurd humor.

There is no other way to describe this collection of stories than to say it is very silly.  Very, very silly.  The end.

revival: you're among friends

revival: you're among friends
tim seeley & mike norton
graphics/horror/mystery
image graphics
published 2013

For one day in rural central Wisconsin, the dead came back to life.  Now it's up to Officer Dana Cypress to deal with the media scrutiny, religious zealots, and government quarantine that has come with them.  In a town where the living have to learn to deal with those who are supposed to be dead, Officer Cypress must solve a brutal murder, and everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.

I think that the problem with reading an ongoing series is that when you start out there is just so much info thrown your way that it gets a little overwhelming and then it just ends.  You either wait for the next volume to come out or you go out and buy the continuing issues.

There are so many unanswered questions and frankly, really confusing aspects that I'm still shaking my head at, but for the sake of a no-spoiler review I won't go into that here.

There was enough interesting meat to the story that I'm interested in continuing, but this has to be said: The premise of this is just too similar to Torchwood: Miracle Day (that I hated, HATED).  Of course, there are numerous differences, but the basics are the same so that leaves me kind of meh about the whole thing too.  Hopefully, I'll get over it so I can see why people rave about this one so much.

locke & key: alpha & omega

locke & key: alpha & omega
joe hill & gabriel rodriguez
graphics/horror
idw
published 2014

It took two lifetimes and countless victims, but Lucas "Dodge" Caravaggio has his terrible prize at last: the key which will open The Black Door.  Disguised in the form of little Bode Locke, Dodge descends into the Drowning Cave, to throw back the door and release the demons on the other side.  Those who have stood against him for so long - Tyler, Kinsey, Scot, Nina, Rufus, and all the rest - take their places as the final tragedy unfolds...a confrontation between decency and hate in the caverns a hundred feet beneath Keyhouse, at the threshold of an evil kept for generations under lock and key.

Oh, it's over and I am sad.  Such an incredibly imaginative series.  The characters are flawed and broken, but are trying so hard to redeem themselves and be better.  Everything is falling apart and many won't make it through to the end.  Joe Hill is an amazing writer.  He's able to scare the crap out of you, gross you out, make you cry, laugh and smile.  It's a huge plus that he has Gabriel Rodriguez to draw out everything so succinctly.  I had no idea where the story would go, nothing was predictable and I loved every panel.

fool moon

fool moon
dresden files #2
jim butcher
read by james marsters
audiobook/fiction/horror/supernatural
orbit
published 2008

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I.  Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans.  That's where Harry comes in.  Business has been slow lately for Harry Dresden.  Okay, business has been dead.  Not undead - just dead.  You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book.  But lately, Harry hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work - magical or mundane.  But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise.  A brutally mutilated corpse.  Strange-looking paw prints.  A full moon.  Take three guesses.  And the first two don't count.  Magic - it can get a guy killed.

When I found out that James Marsters read for the audiobook versions of the Dresden Files I decided to give fiction audiobooks another try.

Marsters has a great voice, no doubt about it and I can fully believe him as the Harry Dresden character.  I was able to get through the whole book, although it took me weeks listening here and there.  I would drift off a time or two and have to rewind a bit, but it wasn't as bad as my previous attempts at fiction audiobooks.

The story itself was okay.  I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.  It reminds me a lot of early Anita Blake.  I do like that Dresden isn't a tough guy.  Except for his magical abilities he's a pretty average guy.  His courage comes from his goodness.  But the pace and the subject matter is very similar to Anita Blake.  I think I would have enjoyed this more had a read it instead of listened to it so I will continue on with the series, but do the reading myself!

the drifting classroom, vols. 3-11

the drifting classroom, vol. 3
the drifting classroom, vol. 4
the drifting classroom, vol. 5
the drifting classroom, vol. 6
the drifting classroom, vol. 7
the drifting classroom, vol. 8
the drifting classroom, vol. 9
the drifting classroom, vol. 10
the drifting classroom, vol. 11
kazuo umezu
graphics/manga/horror/scifi
viz media
1974

Out of nowhere, a Japanese elementary school is transported into a hostile world.  Soon, the students and teachers must struggle to survive in impossible conditions, besieged by terrifying creatures and beset by madness.

It took me two days but I finished the series.  After finishing the second one I couldn't stop thinking about what happened to the kids and had to find the rest of the series so I could read it all.  This is a series that I would recommend getting each volume so you can start the next one after you finish a volume.  Every volume ends on a cliffhanger and you will need to know what happens immediately!

Sho & Sakiko are excellent heroes.  They never gave up and most of all, never gave in.  They weren't out to just take care of themselves, or even just take care of their friends, but they were trying their hardest to try to keep all the children alive.  And even when the adults were losing their shit and trying to kill them Sho did his best to not kill if he had an option.

It is one disaster after the other and every moment of hope is dashed almost right away, but it is gripping and horrifying.  I could not stop reading until I reached the end!

the drifting classroom, vols. 1 & 2

the drifting classroom, vol. 1
the drifting classroom, vol. 2
kazuo umezu
graphics/horror/scifi
viz media
published 1974

In the aftermath of a strange earthquake, an entire elementary school vanishes, leaving nothing but a hole in the ground.  While parents mourn and authorities investigate, the students and teachers find themselves somewhere far away...somewhere cold and dark...a lifeless, nightmarish wasteland in which their school stands like a lone fortress.  As panic turns to terror, as the rules start to fall apart, a sixth-grade boy named Sho and his friends must fight to survive in an alien world....

These books are terrifying!!  The first book merely sets up the story.  A huge earthquake lasting three minutes rips through the town and when it's all over an entire school and everyone in it has disappeared, leaving a giant hole in the ground.  When we next see the students and teachers the school is surrounded by sand with nothing else as far as they can see.

As reality sets in the adults seem to go nuts while the kids hold it together and try to save each other.  By the time the second book comes around it's just simply madness!  Complete edge of your seat, disbelief and horror.  Quite fantastic!

the darkest evening of the year

the darkest evening of the year
dean koontz
suspense/horror/fantasy
bantam
published 2007

Amy Redwing has dedicated her life to the southern California organization she founded to rescue abandoned and endangered golden retrievers.  Among dog lovers, she's a legend for the risks she'll take to save an animal from abuse.  Among her friends, Amy's heedless devotion is often cause for concern.  To widower Brian McCarthy, whose commitment she can't allow herself to return, Amy's behavior is far more puzzling and hides a shattering secret.

No on is surprised when Amy risks her life to save Nickie, nor when she takes the female golden into her home.  The bond between Amy and Nickie is immediate and uncanny.  Even her two other goldens, Fred & Ethel, recognize Nickie as special, a natural alpha.  But the instant joy Nickie brings is shadowed by a series of eerie incidents.  An ominous stranger.  A mysterious home invasion.

And the unmistakable sense that someone is watching Amy's every more and that, whoever it is, he's not alone.

Someone has come back to turn Amy into the desperate, hunted creature sh's always been there to save.  But now there's no one to save Amy and those she loves.

In most of Dean Koontz's recent books I've read there is an autistic or child with Down's and a dog that has some uncanny sort of understanding of humans.  Most of the time I love it, but the way that the child was treated in this book was hard to read.  I mean, really hard to read.

The whole story is very slow.  He's building suspense and trying to lay out the story, but this time it didn't feel suspenseful and when the resolution is coming to and end it happens in about 4 pages.  After 10 years of being tormented by this woman there is no confrontation it's just over.  And the outcome is so 'magical' that I just couldn't get into it.  In the end, I just didn't care who lived and who died.

night film

night film
marisha pessl
fiction/mystery/thriller/horror
random house
published 2013

On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan.  Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise.  As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley's life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova - a man who hasn't been seen in public for more than thirty years.

For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence.  Though much has been written about Cordova's dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself.

Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova's eerie, hypnotic world.

The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career.  This time he might lose even more.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up Night Film.  It was one of those books that I first saw in the emails the library send out of book recommendations.  I'd never heard of Marisha Pessl.  I'm not sure that her acclaimed first book Special Topics in Calamity Physics (despite being described as a murder mystery) is a book I would necessarily pick up and enjoy, but the synopsis of Night Film intrigued me.  Then reader friends began reading the book and saying only vague mysterious bits of praise.  So I got the book on my Kindle and promptly forgot about it.  When it came time to compile my TBR lists for 2014 I decided I would get down and read Night Film and see what all the fuss was about.

Although....you don't really hear too much.  It's not a mainstream book.  It's not side-by-side with the James Pattersons and John Grishams.  It didn't even hit the type of frenzy that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo did.  It's odd.

Nonetheless, on to the review.  Reading Night Film was like experiencing A Clockwork Orange for the first time.  You're not entirely sure what's happening.  What is real and what is fantasy.  You're only sure that something is fucked up.  It reminded me of stories of Alfred Hitchcock.  I remember being pretty young and reading about Alfred Hitchcock giving a 6-year-old Melanie Griffith a wax doll replica of her mother Tippi Hedren in a wooden coffin as a Christmas or Birthday present.  It was the creepiest thing I'd ever heard of.  During the entire book I pictured Cordova as Hitchcock.  I spent much time wishing the movies Cordova made were real so I could run out and watch them.

And the book was terrifying in that you have no idea what's going on.  Like black and white horror movies where you don't actually see the monster eating the victim because it's off camera, but you know it's happening and somehow that's more terrifying than seeing it.  About two thirds into the book I was captivated by the insanity, worried I would have nightmares when I went to sleep.  (For the record I didn't, but I did read until 2 a.m.)

Of course there were things that bugged me.  If you've ever read my reviews of James Patterson books I hate unnecessary italics.  Marisha Pessl loves them.  They are everywhere and in the beginning I could barely get past it.  And then there were the obvious things that were happening that McGrath didn't pick up on.  Inez Gallo's nickname, the effects of the greenhouse & the repercussions of McGrath's missing research.  But I suppose with everything that was going on in McGrath's life at that moment things just got past him.

When I got to the rather abrupt ending it made mention of the Night Film app.  I wish it had mentioned that in the beginning so I didn't have to search through my ebook to find the places where I could interact with the app.  But I found the extra content to be kind of dull and cheap compared to the book.  The voice acting was awful and just ridiculous.  There is a 'diary' though that was quite a gem.

I'm not sure if this makes me a Pessl fan, but maybe someday if I see Special Topics in Calamity Physics at a used bookstore I might pick it up.

ruined

ruined
ruined #1
paula morris
ya/horror
point
published 2009

Rebecca Brown couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to live while her dad is away on business.  She's staying in a creepy house with her aunt Claudia, who reads tarot cards for a living.  And at the snooty prep school, a pack of filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible.  Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda.

Then one night, among the oak trees in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend.  Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to show Rebecca the nooks and crannies of New Orleans.  There's just one catch.

Lisette is a ghost.

A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle.

As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend - and as she begins to trust Anton Grey - she also uncovers startling truths about her own history.  Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

There was something about this book that held me back from completely enjoying it.  It could be that Morris spent 4 pages describing the Mardi Gras parade route.  Or the walk that Lisette and Rebecca take to Tremé that is a four mile walk and we read about every. single. mile.

It was parts like that.  Unnecessarily long passages that added very little, if anything, to the story.  I found myself not caring, a lot.  And,

*****SPOILER*****

It bothered me a little that it was supposed to be okay for the other girl to die just because she 'looked down' on Rebecca.  I mean sure, she was a snob but she didn't go out of her way to make Rebecca's life miserable she just most pretending like Rebecca didn't exist.  So for that, we're relieved that she's the one who is going to die?  I don't know.  The closest person to an antagonist is Toby and nothing happens to him.

It was interesting enough that I'll read the next book - mostly because the next book is a different 'ghost' story altogether.

doll bones

doll bones
holly black
mg/horror/adventure
simon & schuster
published 2013

Zach, Poppy & Alice have been friends forever.  And for almost as long, they've been playing one continuous, ever-changing game - a game that takes place in a world populated with pirates and thieves, mermaids and warriors.  Ruling over them all is the Great Queen, a bone-china doll imprisoned in a cabinet, cursing those who displease her.

But the three friends are in middle school now, and Zach's father is pushing him to give up make-believe for basketball/  When his father gives him no choice, Zach quits the game and lies about the reason.  It seems like their friendship might be over, until Poppy declares she's been having dreams about the Queen - and the ghost of a girl who will not rest until the bone-china doll is buried in her empty grave.

And so Zach and Alice and Poppy set off on one last adventure to lay the Queen's ghost to rest.  But nothing goes according to plan, and as their adventure turns into an epic journey, creepy things begin to happen.  Is the doll just a doll, or is there something more sinister at work?  Has Poppy been telling the truth, or is she tricking them into playing a new game?  And if there really is a ghost, will it let them go now that it has them in its clutches?

This is very squarely a middle grades book.  It is creepy without being too creepy, grisly without being too grisly and it had heart and hope and friendship too.  Hurrah!

Never does Black confirm anything.  Nothing is ever overtly 'magic' or proven.  It could be overactive imaginations of three 11 year old kids or it could be that the doll harbored a honest to goodness ghost.  But what the story does do is offer that little slice of hope.  Imagination is the greatest gift we have to give and the richest we are with this gift is when we are children.  Then as we begin to grow older having an imagination and using it becomes something we outgrow.  But here while they may be growing up and outgrowing toys, they are not giving up their imaginations.

I think this is just on the borderline of too-scary-for-my-7-year-old.  She's read the first 5 Harry Potter books and done great, but this book has just enough creepy in it to possibly get her freaked out.  Maybe a couple more years and we'll be ready for some Holly Black.

darkest mercy

darkest mercy
wicked lovely #5
melissa marr
ya/fantasy/horror
harpercollins
published 2011

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey. 

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life. 

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

It seems impossible that so much happened in such a short book.  This felt like it should have been epic, like Game of Thrones size epic, but it wasn't.  And yet, still, I'm reeling still from everything that happened.

I've never been a fan of Keenan.  Well, not with Keenan being with Aislinn, but after the first book I didn't really like Keenan at all.  Here I found him to be more true.  He wasn't what he thought he should be he was what he was meant to be, maybe?

Except for the fae in Faerie we get closure from just about everyone.  We lose a few I wish didn't have to go, but it is war.  It did feel a little too tidy at the end and I thought with a laugh that Marr really did get things just this side of convenient, but it's ok.

This was a great ending to a brilliant series.  Finally finishing this I can say that while I did like Carnival of Souls it hasn't grabbed me the way Wicked Lovely did.  Nonetheless, these are books I can see myself picking up again in a year or so.  Definitely worth it!

odd interlude

odd interlude
odd thomas #6
dean koontz
fiction/horror
bantam publishers
published 2013

Nestled on a lonely stretch along the Pacific coast, quaint roadside outpost Harmony Corner offers everything a weary traveler needs—a cozy diner, a handy service station, a cluster of cottages . . . and the Harmony family homestead presiding over it all. But when Odd Thomas and company stop to spend the night, they discover that there’s more to this secluded haven than meets the eye—and that between life and death, there is something more frightening than either.

This was released as three short stories that when combined made up a full novel.  As far as I can tell it was published in its entirety after Odd Apocalypse, but takes place before the events at Roseland.  But that hardly matters.

Odd Interlude was creepy, funny and sweet.  How do all those descriptives go together?  I don't know, but when reading Dean Koontz you often find yourself laughing, checking over your shoulder and possibly moved to sappy tears.

This time I didn't get any tears, but I did fiercely like Jolie.  She was a little mini-female-Odd.

My only complaint was that there wasn't much detail about Hiskott, the villain.  We knew what happened to him and what he was doing and kind of why, but once we finally see him it's sort of just blah.  He wasn't scary, just gross.

Still, not a bad Odd Thomas read.  I liked it better than I had Odd Apocalypse.  Besides Stormy, Jolie is a character that I actually wanted to continue with, but I guess it's not meant to be.  Maybe we'll see her again.

radiant shadows

radiant shadows
wicked lovely series #4
melissa marr
ya/fantasy/horror
harpercollins
published 2010

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers. 

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries' coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani's death. 

Ani isn't one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin's plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other? 

Big things are happening in Faerie and in the mortal world.  It's so amazing to see this world that Marr has created.  When you think you've learned all of it and now it's just a matter of building on the existing story she adds more.  Layers and layers of rich, alluring faerie goodness.

The story is complicated.  It's not a he loves her, she loves him kind of plot.  It's just so great.  It pulls you in and I love how dark and violent everything gets without being overboard.  The threat is there, blood is drawn, gore is but a mere whisper and it doesn't feel forced or showy.  She's not trying to shock the reader, she's just trying to show that these aren't Tinkerbell faeries.  Each book has ended in a way that gives you a bit of satisfaction with some resolution, but the bigger picture is still hanging there so you want to just jump right into the next book.

There's something to be said for waiting so long to start the series!  At least I don't have to wait for the next book to come out....

fragile eternity

fragile eternity
wicked lovely #3
melissa marr
ya/fantasy/horror
harpercollins
published 2009

Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone—but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he'd ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen. 

Aislinn never expected to rule the very creatures who'd always terrified her—but that was before Keenan. He stole her mortality to make her a monarch, and now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever imagined. 

In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos.

I read a review that was complaining about why Aislinn is still with Seth and how she should just be with Keenan.  I wanted to gag.  Are there really people out there who actually like Keenan?  I'm certainly not one of them.  I liked him all right in the first book, but I liked him with Donia.  After Ink Exchange I really didn't care for him much either way, but now I don't want him with Aislinn or Donia.  He's a whiny bitch.  There's really no other way to describe him.  And compared to Seth, he's pathetic.

I enjoyed Wicked Lovely and it took me a bit of time, but I loved Ink Exchange as well.  Fragile Eternity brought the focus back onto the four-way love .... square?  We had the added bonus of keeping Niall.  But the shining star in this installment is Sorcha.  She was not important at first, but she became so full and bright you couldn't ignore her - and you didn't want to.

Seth is still my favorite character.  I've lost a little affection for Aislinn and I do wish we could stay with Donia more.  These books just keep getting better.  I'm at the sweet spot in the series where I still have two books to go.  As long as Marr keeps writing the way she has in the last three books I'm in!

midwinterblood

midwinterblood
marcus sedgwick
ya/horror/supernatural
roaring brook press
published 2013

In 2073 on the remote & secretive island of Blessed, where rumor has it that no one ages and no children are born, a visitor arrives.  He is greeted warmly, but something is wrong.  Something is hidden on the far side of the island.  Something that, as if in a dream, he cannot reach.

And so it is that under the light of the waxing and waning moon, seven stories unfold: the story of an archaeologist who unearths a mysterious artifact; of an airman who finds himself far from home; of a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking.  And the story of a love so primal and passionate it slips the bonds of time. 

This is the story of Midwinterblood.

I found this book through my library's recommendation email that I get every couple of weeks.  It sounded so interesting and different so I went and picked it up.  It's a very short read.  I ended up reading it in just under and hour and a half, yet it took me forever to read it because I kept getting distracted by other stuff!

The book is set up in a series of short stories that start in the year 2073 and move backwards in time.  They are always on Blessed Island.  The stories are intriguing and captivating, but for many I just wanted more, which I suppose is what the author wanted!  It's one of those stories that when it's all over you find yourself piecing together moments you didn't put together while you were reading.  Everything is happening in a strange backwards foreshadowing kind of way.  Something is revealed, but there is no explanation for it and when the next story starts it takes place 50-100 years prior to the events you just read.

At times it feels confusing, incomplete, but what is happening is so interesting you have to keep reading.  Even at this point I wish there was more to it instead of just these glimpses into slices of time, but it was a good read nonetheless.

dead ever after

dead ever after
sookie stackhouse #13
charlaine harris
supernatural/horror/romance
ace hardcover
published 2013

There are secrets in the town of Bon Temps, ones that threaten those closest to Sookie—and could destroy her heart....

Sookie Stackhouse  finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.

Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime.

But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she’ll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough…

The last Sookie Stackhouse book.  *sigh*

Let me tell you first off that this review will have spoilers because I can't talk about this without talking about it.  We do start off with a rant here, not necessarily about the book, but about the whiny naysayers out there.

After I finished the book I looked at some reviews on GoodReads and Shelfari and I was surprised to see so many one star reviews.  I mean, it wasn't the best book in the series, but shit got tied up and that's good enough for me.  Charlaine Harris isn't writing the Great American Novel.  She's written a tacky romance series with bad sex scenes and for some reason it's incredibly appealing.  So shut up already.  One of the most common complaints was that Sookie didn't end up with Eric and wasn't turned.  I'm sorry, but if you want to read a book where the 'heroine' ends up a vampire and married to a vampire go read Twilight.  This is a different story.

It's completely ridiculous the entitlement that readers have.  You did not write this series.  You did not create this world or give birth onto pages these characters.  Sure, you invested money into the books and fell in love with characters, but come on.  You don't get to say what happens to anyone and you shouldn't whine when it doesn't go the way you wanted it to.  I get being disappointed, truly I do, but seriously, get over it.  If you don't like it there's this thing called 'fan fiction' - go write some.  But I suppose like most, if you can't write, critique.

Oh, and to those people who said that the whole Sam thing was way out of left field?  You're idiots.  Plain and simple.  Since the first book I knew that someday Sookie would end up with Sam.  Good god people, Harris has been building that one up for YEARS.  If you didn't see that coming I don't know what to tell you.

And all that above is the reason why so many gave the book one star reviews.  Because they were being children who didn't get what they wanted.

That being said, the book was different.  We were taken out of Sookie's head for the first time ever as she touched upon different characters.  It was disconcerting and I truly didn't feel like I was reading a Sookie book until I was back with her.  It wasn't bad, it was just different.

There was too much going on.  I understand that she wanted to bring back as many characters as she could to tie up loose ends and to cement Sookie's life in place, but the whole devil/Copley thing was completely unnecessary.  Didn't need it, didn't add anything to the story as a whole and ended up being pretty anticlimactic.  And instead of having that business in there maybe she could've given more attention to the Eric/Sookie debacle.  I mean, it has been this huge thing that's driven the entire series so maybe spend a little more than a couple chapters on the demise of the relationship.  It was all so rushed.  We're introduced to a major new character (Karin) and then just kind of, 'well, see ya, bye.'

Everything did work out in the end and maybe that's what pissed people off?  But like I said, this stuff is fluff.  It was entertaining, but I don't need to sit and ponder about it.  It did what it should have done and entertained me for a couple of hours.

I can't say I'm sad it's over.  After probably the 5th book I was just kind of, 'meh'.  I was reading just because it was something to read.  But I'm glad there's an ending and I don't have to read about Bill anymore.

stopping time & old habits

stopping time
old habits
wicked lovely series between #2 & #3
melissa marr
harper collins
published 2010 & 2011

Leslie walked away from the Dark Court, determined to reclaim her life and live it on her own terms—even if it meant leaving behind the two faeries who love her. She knows Niall and Irial watch over her, and she would give almost anything to keep them from hurting. But she resists the pull to be with either one of them. Someone knows about Leslie's past, however, and is intent on using her to reach the fey. And he doesn't care who gets hurt.

Recently anointed king of the Dark Court, Niall struggles to forge a new relationship with his subjects—and with the former Dark King, Irial, his once-friend, once-enemy, and now possible-advisor. 

Of the fae, when a mortal touches Gancanagh they become obsessed and begin to wither away from want.  That's pretty much how I feel about the Wicked Lovely series.

In retrospect, these books were ridiculously unnecessary, but I loved them.  When I finished Ink Exchange I wasn't ready to be done with Leslie, Irial and Niall's story.  I thought more could be told and this was perfect.  I can see how both of these set up the next stories and it only makes me want to read them more!

ink exchange

ink exchange
wicked lovely #2
melissa marr
ya/fantasy/horror
hapercollins
published 2009

Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . . .

Melissa Marr writes dark.  Drugs, suicide, murder, sex, lies, rape, nothing is hidden in the Wicked Lovely books.

At first I was disappointed to find that Aislinn, Seth, Keenan & Donia weren't the main characters.  In fact, we never even see Donia here.  She's just mentioned off-page!  But as I got to know Leslie it was okay.  Just like Aislinn, Leslie is a rich and powerful character.  She's strong without denying her fears & weaknesses.  She's no idiot, she's proud and determined to make things better for herself by herself.

She continuously surprised me with her actions.  She's not some namby-pamby female lead.  She was great.

Melissa Marr writes the dark fae well.  It's madness and addiction and fear, but she writes it drenched in reality.  It reminds me a little of Holly Blacks fae except where Marr is trying to portray a darker side to teenage life, Black just writes the dark to shock the reader, to be faux-edgy.

Marr ends Ink Exchange with a bit of a cliff hanger.  Kind of like what she did with Wicked Lovely.  Things were resolved, in a sense, but we were looking forward to the aftermath.  I wonder if she'll deliver that in the next book.