Wildfire by Mina Khan

Hello to all!

                    The sun is making his appearance here but not for long as spring isn't there yet. Still some sun and life seems easier, poeple friendlier andwe can only hope it will last.

Today i'm sharing with you my opinion on Wildfire by Mina Khan, as soon as the book released i was interested it has dragons and somehow  i was intriged by the cover that lead me to a false presumption of the genre of this book...paranormal mystery genre is a novelty for me but i found myself quite enjoying it and would like to discover more so sometimes mistakes are great^^ and it's the blurb that caught my interest the most anyway.

When Mina offered me the opportunity to read and review her book i was really delighted and now i do hope to read more of her but first let stay with today agenda and learn more about Wildfire.

 Happy Reading!

Publisher: Rashda Khan

Publication: 2013

ISBN:  0373277210

Genre: paranormal mystery, fantasy, romance
Violence: mild
Language: normal
sex: mild ( attempted rape)
Public: 16+

Source: received in exchange for an honest review

Description from goodreads :

 Lynn Hana Alexander is a 25-year-old Japanese American shape-shifter haunted by guilt. She’s been questioning herself and her dragon abilities ever since she failed to save her grandmother.

When her best friend is threatened by mysterious fires burning up acres of West Texas, Lynn rushes to the rescue determined not to fail again. However, with a tempting firefighter, a flirty city developer and dragon pheromones distracting her, how is she going to find the arsonist?

And worse: is her primary suspect a malicious rogue dragon or the love of her life?


*** Author's Note: Wildfire is a paranormal mystery with romantic elements. It is not a traditional romance. I hope y'all enjoy the read!

My opinion:

          A enthralling reads!  I was really curious about the book as soon as I saw the blurb about dragon and cowboy and I’m lucky to be able to say that this was even better that what I expected and at the same time different ( somehow I thought it would be a little dystopian or steampunk I can’t explain^^;;)

It’s a fantasy mystery so for those new to that genre it means a world largely similar to us with a large dose of fantasy as well and the plot focus on a  mystery, a investigation more than on the romance but don’t fear romance there is^^. I really loved the story and the mystery because even when I guessed the motivation the culprit was not too evident, the romance was a superb bonus.

The characters were well built. Lynn is shapeshifter, a dragon one, from a Japanese line which means that she is a guardian. I really loved to discover the legend behind her race of dragons. However since she failed to save her grandmother, shapeshifter like her, she is filled with guilt and she is not in complete acceptance of her dragon part.
When she has vision of another dragon and feels her best friend in danger instinct kick in and she is flying to the rescues, not really expecting what she will discover in this small village. Her senses are in overdrive, scenting dragon everywhere, fires are starting again and again; and 2 males Jack the fireman which her best friend Jen see as a perfect big brother and Henri who was to be developing the land…. Using her job as a journalist to investigate she discover that both have troubled past and could be the arsonist/ rogue dragon she has come to fight  which trouble her  a lot.

When you look closely all characters have something to hide which off course deepen the mystery and make it even better to read about. Jack Callaghan comes from a very old family, one with a bad reputation in the countryside after several generations of bad behaviours (  illegal affair, arrogance, etc) but Jack isn’t like his ancestor at all. He loves history and working with his hand, he loves his lands and he is a protector in his own way being a fireman and a secret donator when needed. However old grudge die hard and the city isn’t really kind to him or giving him a chance which hurt him deeply. When Lynn appears he is attracted and the fact that she doesn’t know him is even better and he start to hope until she starts accusing him.

I loved Jack up to a point….he is loyal kind but obtuse and hurtful when Lynn confess he really act badly and in that way he disappointment me but courageous as he can be the end isn’t there.

Henri is a deeper mystery as he doesn’t come from the city like Jack so Lynn must discover via other way and while he seems charming with her his determination to buy the lands has her suspicious.

 One of the character that I loved the most is Tavistock … I’m sure that man knows more than he let on and his love for Elsie was so true and deep that it was moving. In fact he is probably one of the last one really knowing the history of the lands, the secret one included.

Now, I do have a little small regret; we don’t learn enough about the dragons! I appreciated the insight given via the history of Lynn’s grandmother, the explanations from Lynn’s mother also helped but it was not enough. There is a mention of the council for example but his role and who are his members (how you become part of it etc) isn’t developed enough .  I would love  to see more story I  this universe to learn more but  I think this book is a stand alone so I will perhaps have to forget this idea.

Really this is a fabulous adventure for dragon lover and fan of mystery and investigation with some sweet touch of romance as bones. To recommend without a doubt

Score:  4,5/5

Disclaimer: Source: a copy in exchange for an honest review, no other compensation was received. All opinions are my own .

Challenges:

 If you want this book you can buy it on  amazon or on  Bookdepository 

You can find more informations on Mina and her books on her Blog

Have you read anything by Mina yet? Would you be more interested by her book with dragon or her series about the Djinn?

Blog Tour: Dark Tidings by Ken Magee Review ( Fr&En)+giveaway

Hello to all,

It's with a great pleasure that i'm participating in the blog tour hosted by my friend Kerry-Ann for a new author Ken Magee and his book Dark Tidings. After the review you will find a giveaway too, kindly sponsorised by the author himself.

Happy reading,

                                                                                  Bonjour à tous!,

 c'est avec grand plaisir que je participe aujourd'hui à cet évènement organisé par mon amie Kerry- Ann pour vous faire découvrir un nouvel auteur: Ken Magee et son livre intitulé Dark Tidings, après ma review, bilingue, vous pourrez participer à un concours sponsorisé par l'auteur lui-même.

Bonne Lecture

Publisher: Ragged Cover Publishing

Publication: 2011

ISBN:  0373277210

Genre: fantasy, YA
Violence: mild
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 14+

Source: received in exchange for an honest review

Short description from goodreads :

What happens when ancient magic meets the internet? One thing is certain, modern life will never be the same again.
A thousand years ago, a young thief, Tung, and a disgraced wizard, Madrick, are thrust together in an executioner’s dungeon.In the darkness, Madrick reveals an incredible secret about a legendary spell. The great spell helps them escape their prison cell... and eventually their century.
Catapulted into the present day, their lives collide with Michael, a computer hacker who plans to destroy the world’s largest bank. But sinister people are tracking their every move and they will stop at nothing to steal their spell.

Bref Résumé ( traduction personnelle) 

Qu’est-ce qui passe-t-il  quand la magie ancienne rencontre internet? Une chose est sure, la vie moderne ne sera plus jamais la même.

Il y a un millier d’années, un jeune voleur prénommé Tung et un magicien en disgrâce, Madrick, se retrouvent enfermés ensemble dans un des donjons du Bourreau.

Dans les ténébrès, Madrick rélève un incroyable secret au sujet d’un sortilège légendaire, Le grand sortilège facilite leur fuite de leur cellule…et éventuellement de leur siècle.

Catapultés dans notre présent, leur vie croise celle de Michael, un hacker qui planifie la destruction de la plus grande banque mondiale… Mais de sinistres personnages traquent leurs moindres faits et gestes et ne renonceront à rien pour leur subtiliser leur sortilège.

My opinion:

          To be honest at first I wasn’t sure what to think of it. I really liked the summary and the global idea but the beginning of the book wasn’t to my liking. I felt it was a bit rushed and the fact we got a chapter from the past and one from the present was a bit disturbing when I wasn’t sure where the author wanted to go and in the same time it was too predictable. Tung and Madrick are funny however it really started to appreciate them when they got better together; I needed them to trust each other before I could trust them. The book is getting a lot better once they arrive in the present time.

Il y a des livres ainsi où tant que la dernière page n’a pas été tournée on ne sait quoi en penser. Dans ce cas, j’ai beaucoup aimé le résumé et l’idée globale mais pour être honnête je n’aimais pas vraiment le début du livre. J’avais l’impression que c’était un peu précipité et le fait que l’auteur alterne les chapitres dans le passé et dans le présent était un peu perturbant lorsque l’on n’avait pas encore une idée claire d’où il voulait en venir alors que dans le même temps les évènements semblaient bien trop prévisibles. Tung et Madrick sont amusants cependant je n’ai commencé à les appréciés véritablement  que lorsqu’ils ont commencés à s’entendre, j’avais besoin qu’il se fasse confiance avant que je puisse en faire de même vis à vis d’eux.. Le livre s’améliore vraiment lorsqu’ils arrivent à notre époque.

The concept of the story is quite original and well thought but the final result could have been better in my opinion still when I finished the book I could tell I wanted to know what would happen and I enjoyed the lesson. We often forget that balance is important.. “l’enfer est pavé de bonnes intentions” is an adequate saying. The characters are growing, maturing during the story. At first they don’t trust each other and every one has a special egoistical project, like they are using each others then they are learning as we are. The big villains are numerous and powerful, but also too imbued with themselves. I don’t approve of all of the heroes’ actions either but they are human beings so it’s understandable. These heroes have flaws, they are far from perfect and it’s why the reader can laugh as well as be afraid for them.

I loved the sense of justice of Michael and the fact that he could reflect on his own life so well. He is intelligent but not arrogant, manipulative but still attentive…quite a mix.

Le concept de l’histoire est original et bien pensé mais le résultat  final pourrait, selon moi, être meilleur bien que je puisse dire dès j’ai fini le livre que cela me ferait plaisir de lire la suite et que la morale était très bien trouvée. On oublie trop souvent qu’un équilibre est nécessaire, « l’enfer est pavé de bonnes intentions » est une citation très adéquate. Les personnages deviennent plus matures au fil du récit. Au départ ils ne se font pas confiance et ont chacun des motivations très égoïstes aussi essaient-il d’utiliser l’autre jusqu’à ce qu’ils apprennent en même temps que nous. Les méchants sont nombreux et bien représentatifs du genre : puissants mais imbus d’eux-mêmes. Je n’ai pas non plus apprécié toutes les actions des héros, parfois discutable mais cela nous rappelle qu’ils sont aussi humains et donc faillibles. Ces défauts font que le lecteur peut rire avec eux et s’en faire pour eux.

J’ai aimé le sens de la justice de Michael et le fait qu’il soit capable de mettre sa vie en perspective. Il est intelligent mais pas arrogant, manipulateur mais également attentionné, c’est bien étrange mélange…

It could be an interesting book for a younger audience perhaps even starting at 12 but the humour is sometimes subtler and thus an older audience could enjoy it more but I guess it will depend on each person. It’s a big adventure with action and humour and a very, very light touch of romance so it could interest a large public.

Cela pourrait être un livre intéressant pour un public plus jeune, dès 12ans, toutefois l’humour est parfois plus subtil et dès lors une un public plus âgé pourrait y prendre plus de plaisir mais cela dépendra bien évidemment de chaque personne et avec les différents degrés de lecture chacun peut y trouvé son compte. C’est une grande aventure avec de l’action et de l’humour ainsi qu’une très légère touche de romance pour plaire à un large public.

Overall, it was a good read and I liked the book (more at the end), I think the author is quite promising and I wouldn’t mind to continue reading the series to see his writing style improving.

  Au final, c’était une lecture plaisante et j’ai apprécié ce livre (beaucoup plus à la fin c’est vrai), je pense que l’auteur est prometteur et cela ne me déplairait pas de continuer à suivre cette série pour voir les possibles améliorations graduelles de son style d’écriture.

Score:  3,5/5

If you want this book you can buy it on  amazon or on  Bookdepository

You can find more informations on this book and Ken on his Page

Source: a copy in exchange for a honest review, no other compensation was received.

Giveaway

Ken Magee is offering to one of you a ebook copy of Dark Tidings ( kindle of pdf winner's choice). To win, please leave a meaningful comment under this review ( more than just " great review" or thanks for the giveaway"- those won't count) with your email-  in a format like this : dfdg (dot)hvf(at)hotmail(dot)com -

If you don't want to put your email, no problem but you will have to come here to see if you are the winner. 

Extra entries + 1 if you are a blog follower ( linky,GFC, G+ or email), please tell me in your comment how you follow and under which name/email 

+1 if you comment under another review or post ( please tell me which one) 

All the extra entries can be added to your original comment (mandatory entry)here. 

The giveaway closes at midnight on the 5december. Winner will be contacted by email ( if he/she) left it in the comment and announced here on the blog on the 6december. Winner must contact me before 48h or the prize will be forfeited and another winner chosen.

good luck!

Review copy Clean up event: sign up

Hello to all,

            i'm still a quite new blogger and thus i don't receive that many books for review far from it and the advantage is that i can give top priority to those few books i get. Others bloggers have an huge pile and that can become depressing so as a motivation the owner of Nyx Book Reviews (Céline) and Books, Biscuits & Tea (Vicky) have organised this event. You can also join no matter the size of your review pile the sign up close the 15th august and you have to read and review before the end of the month. There will be twitter party, challenges etc so go check it here

Now, i was really lucky to receive a book for review and i will perhaps receive another one  ( i would update this post if that happens) so i can join this event even if my participation will be short.

To be reviewed:
Deacon Leeds and the Pyramid of Symbols by Grant Morris

Come and join us!

Blog Tour: Child of Destiny ( The Genesis Continuum trilogy 1) by Dr. George H. Elder

Hello to all,

                  Today is a big day because it's my first participation in a blog tour where i created a post. I'm really happy to present you  Child of Destiny, first book of the trilogy " The Genesis Continuum" written by Dr. George H. Elder.  After, reading this book i've also decided to do this post in English and in French that way more people will be able to enjoy it.

Bonjour à tous,

  

         Aujourd'hui est un grand jour pour moi car je participe à ma première campagne de promotion pour laquelle je rédige un avis. Je suis très heureuse de vous présenter " Child of Destiny", premier tome de la trilogy " The Genesis Continuum" écrite par Dr. George H. Elder. Comme vous pouvez le constater, ce sera un post bilingue anglais /français afin qu'une majorité puisse découvrir ce livre.

Editor : Claremont Fiction Foundry

Publication : 2012

ISBN:  1621650003

Genre: Science-fiction
Violence: strong
Langage: normal
sex: none
Public: 18+

Source: copy received in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis

 The universe’s expansion is nearing its inevitable end and everything is being devoured by entropy. The key to having a future is a missing energy source, a legendary metaphysical being known only through ancient tales. The last hope of a dying universe is to awaken this dormant Seeker who possesses the capacity to link the entire universe in thought and deed. He alone may be able to rekindle the sparks of a new universal cycle.

The remaining advanced species desperately want existence to continue, and send for missions to search for the Seeker. One such mission unexpectedly and inexplicably materializes on a primitive world that is inhabited by the Labateen, a Stone-Age warrior culture. Here they encounter Kara, an outcast Labateen noble woman and fierce warrior. Kara knows details about the Seeker’s litany that go well beyond coincidence, although to Kara they are simply the ways of God.

Is Kara the key to locating the long lost Seeker? And what of the races who believe that existence should end in an entropic whimper and who will not sit by while others attempt to alter the end of the universe. Lofty ideals give way to brutal pragmatism as a confederation of races struggles to survive and save existence.

L'expension de l'univers approche sa fin inévitable et tout est détruit par enthropie. La clé pour un futur est une source d'énergie disparue, un être métaphysique légendaire seulement connu au travers d'anciens récits. Le dernier espoir pour l'univers mourrant est de réveiller ce "Gardien" qui possède la capacité d'intervenier en pensée et physiquement sur l'univers entier. Lui seul pourrait raviver les braises d'un nouveau cycle universel.

Les races plus avancées encore existantes veulent désespérément survivre et envoient des équipes avec pour mission de chercher cet être légendaire. Une de ses équipes se matérialise de manière inexpliquée sur un monde primitif habité par les Labateen, un peuple de guerrier de l'âge de pierre. Là, ils font la conniassance de Kara, une jeune guerrière Labateen exclue de son clan. Kara connait des détails à propos du récit sur le "Gardien" qui semblent être bien plus que des coincïdences même si pour kara ils ne sont que la voie de Dieu.

Kara est-elle la clé pour trouver le longtemps perdu " Gardien"? Et quid des races qui croient que l'existence devrait s'arrêter et qui ne vont pas rester les bras croisés à attendre que d'autres altèrent la fin de l'univers.Les idéaux sont confrontés à un pragmatisme brutal alors qu'une confédérations de races peinent à survivre et à sauver l'existence.

My opinion:

         

This story is interesting because it covers a lot of topics we have allusion about eugenism when people from Labateen are killed at birth if there aren’t perfect physically, and also when we heard about some of other planets and civilisation. We also have the theme of no violence versus attack  how must one react when he firmly beliefs in non violence when one wants to kill everything should he stay true to his belief and die or acts differently to survive. It’s an important question and we get both opinion in the story Kara who is from a civilisation where killing is a necessity to survive and Anita whose world condemn all violence and live with a lot of technology. Is Attack first a good defence? Is striking the ennemy before he acts an option? All of that are questioned.

There isn’t a good answer to that, we have to live with the choice we make and thus life in accordance to what we believe but one way isn’t fundamentally better than the other.

Cette histoire est intéressante parce qu’elle aborde divers sujets tels que l’eugénisme lorsque le peuple de Labateen n’hésite pas à tuer les nouveaux nés si ceux-ci ne sont pas physiquement parfaits mais on en a également d’autres allusions lorsqu’on aborde différentes planètes et civilisations. On retrouve aussi le sujet de la non violence versus la légitime défense. Comment réagir lorsque on croit fermement à la non violence et que l’on est confronté à des personnes qui veulent nous exterminer ainsi que d’autres. Doit on périr mais rester fidèles à nos croyances ou agir différemment et assurer notre survie. C’est une question intéressante et on a dans ce récit différents points de vue, celui de Kara qui vit dans un monde ou tuer est une nécessité pour survivre et celle d’Anita qui vient d’un monde ou toute violence est condamnée et ou la technologie devrait répondre à tous les besoin. Est-ce que frapper préventivement un ennemi est une solution avec l’idée que l’attaque est al meilleure défense ?  Toutes questions sont abordées directement ou indirectement. Il n’y a pas, je crois, de bonne réponse à celles-ci, nous devons vivre avec les choix que nous faisons et donc être en accord avec ce que nous croyons mais qui somme nous pour dire qu’une croyance est la seule valable ?

Science fiction has often be used to point out questions about humanity perhaps because it helps to put some distance between us and the action and in the same time it's similar enough for us to identify ourselves and think about it.

La science fiction a souvent été utilisée afin d’aborder des questions à propos de notre humanité, de sa nature et de ses limites parce que bien que les univers décrits souvent très différents nous permettent de prendre de la distance pour réfléchir ;  il y a toujours assez de similitudes pour que nous identifions aux personnages et que nous puissions dès lors nous interroger.

Child of Destiny is also centred about the idea of God and while it’s really well done it could bother the readers who don’t want this topic mentioned at all. We discover here several civilisations with all their own conception and beliefs with similarities and differences

Child of destiny est également centre sur l’idée de Dieu et bien que ce soit très habilement écrit cela pourrait choquer ceux qui ne veulent pas que ce sujet soit aborder de quelque manière que ce soit. Ici nous découvrons plusieurs civilisations qui ont toutes leurs propres croyances et conception d’une puissance supérieur et il est facile de faire le parallèle avec notre propre réalité multiculturelle où des croyances diverses ont autant de similitudes que de différences entre elles.

This story is for mature readers because of all the topics that can be found around the plot however it could be accessible since 16years I think but only with discussion group. I think it could be too hard for them to read alone but for example a teacher could ask them to read the book and after, in class, make a discussion to see what they did thought about it . It could be a link to some more actual problem and a way to broach some topics.

Je recommanderai ce livre pour des lecteurs matures suite aux différents sujets abordés cependant si c’était uen lecture intégrée dans le cadre d’une discussion de groupe il pourrait être accessible des 16ans mais uniquement dans le cadre d’une lecture accompagnée. Par exemple, puisque désormais les professeurs doivent faire des liens entre les matières, cela pour être une bonne idée de lire ce livre et ensuite d’avoir une discussion orientée sur la morale ou l’histoire moderne de nos sociétés et donc de faire des liens avec le cas échéant l’actualité.

The bad point of it is the cliffhanger, I hate those with passion and it’s really hard to wait to read what is following. Also the pictures could make some think it a child book but it's not so there is a small dichotomy between the form and the containt of the book.

Le point négatif de ce livre est le cliffhanger, je déteste vraiment ces fins trop abruptes et à suspense qui rendent difficile l’attente du tome suivant. De plus j’ai eu un petit souci avec les dessins qui pourrait porter à confusion. En effet certains pourraient penser que puisqu’il y a des dessins c’est un livre pour enfant or  ce n’est absolument pas le cas. Il y a là une véritable dichotomie entre la forme et le fond du livre.

If you want this book you can buy it On amazon

 

You can find more informations on the trology and the author on his website

Source: a copy in exchange for a honest review, no compensation was received.

Score:  4/5

Gravure d'Argent par yasmine Galenorn

Bonsoir,

               en ce weekend d'Halloween, je vous présente mon avis sur une nouvelle s'intégrant dans l'univers de la série " Les soeurs de la Lune" de Yasmine Galenorn  intitulée Gravure d'Argent.

Editeur Milady ( 2011)
Titre original: Etched in Silver ( Berkley-2010)
Violence: moyen
Langage: Public averti
sexe: détaillé
Public: +18ans
Comment j'ai obtenu ce livre: offert dans le cadre d'une promotion de l'éditeur

Description: Il s'agit ici d'une nouvelle qui prend place avant la série originale " Les soeurs de la Lune" cependant ce n'est pas un prologue vraiment et il convient d'avoir lu les 6 permiers volumes pour bien comprendre les allusions et implications de ce récit car il contient en somme des spoilers. Il s'agit en fait de la première rencontre entre Camille et son amant Svartan Trillian en terre d'Y'Elestrial. Avant les événements qui bouleverseront la famille et avant leur arrivée sur terre.

Histoire:  Camille, agent de l'YIA à Y'Elestrial, est chargée de la mission d'appréhender un criminel dénommé Roche. Toutefois cette mission semble révéler bien d'autres soucis et trahisons lorsque notre sorcière de la Lune rencontre un étranger Svartan dont tout le monde lui dit de se méfier mais dont elle se sent irresistiblement proche.

Avis:  C'est un récit que les lecteurs attendaient avec impatience, la véritable première rencontre entre Camille et Trillian ainsi que la raison de leur lien  impossible à briser auquel on fait souvent allusion dans la série. Il est agreable de découvrir Menolly avant sa transformation et de prendre conscience de la façon dont les soeurs étaient considérées et traitées dans leur monde natal. L'intrigue est bien menée et on comprend la signification du titre à la fin du récit. J'ai apprécié également de voir Trillian sous un jour moins sombre avant tous les ennuis qu'il aura. ainsi la façon dont il met Camille en garde est touchant et démondre une certaine vulnérabilité.

De nombreuses allusions sont faites au sujet des événements qui vont intervenir dans la série mais il convient vraiment d'avoir lu la série pour bien les comprendre. Ces prémonitions ont plus de sens de cette façon.
Toutefois je regrette que dans un si court récit, Yasmine Galenorm ait employé un language si cru. Certes dans toute la série le sexe est bien présent mais il me paraissait moins vulgairement mis en prose que dans cette nouvelle et c'est un élement qui m'a fait baisser ma note car je ne recommenderais définitivement pas ce livre à un public non averti

Score: 3,5



La critique de ce livre entre dans le cadre du Spooktacular October paranormal challenge organisé par Ramblings of a daydreamer, un grand merci à SweetMarie83 pour cette organisation

Review Elder Races Vol2: Storm's heart by Thea harrison

Hi!,
           today we continue  the serie Elder races written by Thea Harrison with the second novel: "Storm's heart".

Genre: Paranormal romance
Editor: Berkley ( 2011)
Langage:mild
Sex: mild
Violence: strong
How i got this book: Bought

Summary by Goodread
During the rule of her murderous Dark Fae uncle, Thistle "Tricks" Periwinkle found sanctuary among the Wyr in New York. Her ethereal beauty and sparkling personality won the hearts of the public, but after her uncle's death, there are those who don't want to see her ascend the throne...

Able to wield thunder and lightning, Wyr sentinel Tiago Black Eagle has ruled the skies for centuries. His massive build and thunderous power make him one of the Wyr's best weapons. And he's the one sent to protect Tricks when she's almost assassinated in Chicago.

Soon, both Tiago and Tricks will fall prey to the stormy hunger that engulfs them- a passion that will shake the very foundation of all the worlds

Story:  This story is centered on Tiago - warlord of Dragos - and Niniane alias Tricks. Everything is around how she will ascend her throne and who is again the idea. So the biggest part are on Dark Fae: customs, history, allegeance and such.
We learn also a lot more about the vampire that were quite transparent in the first book ( just a citation)

The romance part is short and diffuse because it's more the story of the discovery of who are the villains.Why and how.

Style: Thea Harrison style is still fluent but not at the level of Dragon Bound. The suspens is quite easily stopped because the clues are too important to miss. The romance seems to be on the second plan. We are waiting to see the difficulties this couple encounter and we only get the job of a detective. Also the characters seems less constructed except for a few. We discover some new character that could be great but they disappear immediately. As for learning about the species ..we learn about vampire, a bit of the past of Tiago but not so much.

The violence and deaths are much more presents too and the difference with the first book is that we feel it. It doesn't come so well in the story it's perhaps too often and too quickly but Thea Harrison didn't manage a good balance with all the aspect of this book.

Opinion: To be honest i was disappointed. It's a good book but not near the level of the first one: Dragon bound. I wasn't captivated and stopped several time. The culprit was evident as were her motives and opportunities so i couldn't stay in the story like before.
Also, the lack of romance is quite disturbing : yes there are some and some difficulties but as soon as they say yes it seem everything is forgotten. They don't learn together.

Perhaps i put too much expectations in it and that's the reason i'm disappointed so i will continue reading this serie while hoping the level will again be the same of Dragon Bound. Thea Also wrote 3 books in one year so it's a possibility it was too quickly, we will see.

Score: 3/5

Buy it on Bookdepository

This post enter in the Spooktacular October paranormal challenge hosted by Ramblings of a daydreamer

Review Elder Races Vol 1: Dragon Bound by Thea harrison

Hello to all,

                   Today i give you my opinion on " Dragon Bound" by Thea Harrison First book of the serie called " Elder Races"

Genre: Paranormal romance
Editor: Berkley ( 2011)
Langage:mild
Sex: mild
Violence: mild
How i got this book: Bought

Summary from Goodread: Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful-and passionate-of the Elder races.

Story: As not to make to many spoilers i will try to be short. The plot in this book is principaly about Pia discovering her origin and learning what and how Wyr really are. Of course for that to happen , the romance will take a large part in the story. And she won't be the only one learning.
The great thing is the diversity of Wyr: Griffon, Thunderbird, Harpy, Dragon, etc..

However Wyr aren't the only Elder race so, Pia will discover a totally new world with his rules and plots, tragedy and such. She will learn about elven and dark fae, the alliance(s), or lack of, between elder races all that to survive or at least trying to.

Writting style: Great, really great. Thea Harrison manage to make us enter in a totally new world with a few descriptions and few pages. Once the first chapter finished, we are like Pia trying to learn what are the normal behavior of wyr, what really are Wyr and of course all the others elder races. We understand her really well and suffer with her. The characters are all well described and have their own personality, agenda.

Her style is fluent and captivating. She adjust perfectly between story, dialogue and feelings expressed or not.  She doesn't lose us when changing from one point of view to another and manage to make us want to continue reading even after the last page. Suspense still there but not in a suffocating way.

My opinion: New discovery and a real pearl. I was hesitant at the beginning but after a few page i couldn't stop reading this book. Griffons and Thunderbird aren't creatures found so often and here there are fascinating, well described with each of them a personnality well constructed. The mystery is there but you don't think about it , you receive hint sometimes and add them in your own way like Pia.
The romance is well written coming not too quickly nor too slowly. The time space is perfect and you really live the adventure with them
It's a should have for all of the readers who love romance and paranormal.

Score: 5/5


This post enter in the Spooktacular October paranormal challenge hosted by Ramblings of a Daydreamer

Review Deadtown by Nancy Holzner

Hello,
            this is the review of "Deadtown" by Nancy Holzner -editor: AceBooks- First book of the serie

genre: Paranormal, Urban fantasy
Violence: mild
Language: ok

Summary from Goodread: They call it Deadtown: the city's quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders-but Victory Vaughn, Boston's only professional demon slayer, isn't exactly human.

I've started to read this book because Ilona Andrews recommended it. 

The univers is well done, with a totally new kind of Zombies for the rest: witch, demons,werewolves and vampires are quite "traditionals". It's part of the genre. There are quite well described and the history behind their existence, if known, is explained.
The heroïne named Victory is a young and strong woman that must learn to cope with what she is and with her past. Not easy in a wolrd were discrimination is common as soon as you are different. She has a "boyfriend" , a werewolf Lawyer, that he as busy as her so they don't see each other often and don't communicate a lot.

As for the plot....quite common but well written. If it was my first book of the genre it would have be great i guess but problem: i've read kim Harrison before. There are a lot of similitude between Rachel Morgan ( héroine from Kim Harrison) and Victory...too many in my taste so that i could guess how the book were going to end.

**Spoilers***
 1°Like Rachel, Victory has a vampire for roomate.
2° Both of them have a past with demons
3°Both their father were killed by demons
4°Both are marked (mark that goes both way)
5°Both have a genetical secret that if discovered they will be considered without any right- in the case of Victory part of it is not secret she is a shapeshifter known and has to live in Deadtown without all the right of a human but there is a genetic complot.

***end spoilers***

Everything put together, i spent a good time reading but in the end was disapointed, i will keep reading the serie to see if she can manage to distangle herself from Kim Harrison's work and hope for the best.

Score: 2,5/5     Buy this book on Bookdepository

So my first review on this blog is part on a challenge "2011 Spooktacular October Paranormal Reading Challenge " organised by sweetMarie you can click to see her website:ramblings of a daydreamer