YA Weekend: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Series: Book 1 of The Sweet Trilogy

Publisher: HarperTeen (May 1, 2012)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy's Rating: 2 of 5 stars


I wish I could say this book just wasn't for me because I'm not into YA paranormal romance, but that wouldn't be true. In fact, I quite enjoy this genre. Nothing beats a good love story for giving me all the warm and fuzzy feels, and the best ones do just that. On the flip side, however, there are books like Sweet Evil that somehow manage to diminish the mood by pushing all the wrong buttons. There were a couple things about it that I found off-putting, though I'm aware it's a matter of personal taste and that others might not feel the same way.

Unfortunately, the characters Anna and Kai too closely resemble a couple of my biggest pet peeves. Pet peeve the first: a weepy, insecure female protagonist. I have no problems with Anna being the living embodiment of goodness (in fact, I admire her all the more for it) but naivete and innocence does not have to translate to neediness, ceaseless pining, crying or completely falling to pieces over a guy. Especially when the guy in question has done so little to deserve such obsession. So many times I just wanted to shake her and ask her where she has misplaced her self-respect.

Which brings me to pet peeve the second: male love interests that are pure scum, just wrapped in a pretty package. Take away Kaidan's good looks and hot accent and all you'll have left is arrogance and patronizing smugness. I'm not even taking into account his (literal!) life's work to sleep with as many women as possible. Seeing as he is the half-human son of the Demon of Lust, I'll just let that one slide as an ingrained part of his nature. Still, regardless of whether he can help it or not, most sane people tend to find that sort of behavior repellent. So what does that say about Anna, who falls head over heels for this guy anyway?

All right, with that out of the way, now I can tell you about the things in the book that DID work for me. Sweet Evil offers an interesting take on angels and demons and how they interact with us mere mortals here on earth. It's a deliciously sordid affair involving the demons of sins/vices taking over the bodies of men in order to have children with human women, resulting in the half-demon sons and daughters called Nephilim. The intricate system and hierarchy of fallen angels described in this book shows that much care and effort was put into world building, proving Sweet Evil is not just about the romance, and that there is actually quite a lot of substance behind the story as well.

In spite of this, the plot flounders in many places for being too convenient and coincidental for my tastes, as in it's very obviously done for the sole purpose of forcing the characters right where the author wants them to be. Otherwise, you know there would be no story. For example, Anna's demon father who has been behind bars for the last sixteen years suddenly has a parole hearing coming up, well-timed to be just right after Anna meets him for the first time. And then, of course, there is Anna's mom Patti. What mother in her right mind would allow her teenage daughter to go on a road trip alone with a seventeen-year-old boy (son of the Demon of Lust, no less), just the two of them driving across the country and staying in hotels by themselves, to visit a total stranger in a penitentiary? That's just a little too hard to swallow.

I will give the story this, though: at no point did I want to stop reading. That I was going to see this whole thing through was always a foregone conclusion, despite the character flaws and the hitches and holes in the plot. I was entertained, even if I felt little sympathy for either Anna or Kaidan. Like I said, I had some pretty idiosyncratic reasons for why this book ultimately didn't work for me, but I can also see how other readers with a penchant for the young adult genre and paranormal romances may find plenty to like.

Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright

Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Series: Book 1 of the The Habitat Series

Publisher: Dragonfairy Press

Date of Publication: January 28, 2012

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Tiara's Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars -  This book was a nice mix of magic and steamy romance with a heroine who doesn't take the typical tough girl stance but still manages to be tough in her own way. 

Lanore Vesta is a Supernatural, referred to colloquially as Supes. They boast such species as demon, shifter, and fairy. They possess powers that humans have come to fear. In their fear, humans created a solution.  Humans have corralled these people, branded them according to species, and banished them to, what is essentially, a barred cage called Habitats. Normally, they're not allowed outside their Habitats, and Lanore states that she's never seen Miami where her habitat is located. However, it seems that there might be some instances when they can travel as Lanore also mentions a Purebreed who traveled to her Habitat from a Habitat located in Japan. Because of this isolation, they have very little knowledge of human history since it doesn't apply to their lives. They just know they are hated. 

I'm curious as to how humans were able to identify these beings and force them into these Habitats. That was never really explained. From what I gathered in this book, there are really no distinguishing features to make people think they're not human (or at least, most of them don't). Beings like fairies and demons keep up a glamour to make themselves appear human while shifters have a human form that they share with their beasts. Elemental witches look human by default. There was mention of one of the characters having strange markings on his skin, but it sounded like something that might pass as a tattoo. And there are a group of shifters who walk around partially shifted, but this is by choice. So, how in the world were humans able to impose their will on these people? Anyhow, moving forward.

These Habitats are a world of their own. Everything they need to make them a city is located in their walls from schools to strip clubs. The only human interaction they have is with the police force that's staffed entirely by humans. The Habitat is populated by Purebreeds whose parents are the same species and Mixbreeds whose parents are different species.  Despite both groups being shafted by humans, there is an intense hatred of Mixbreeds among the Purebreeds, and "mixies," as they're called, suffer through many injustices. Purebreeds don't believe that Mixbreeds are as powerful as they are, and therefore, even though the Mixbreeds are starting to question this inequality, the Purebreeds don't feel threatened by them. 

Lanore is having a very bad night at the start of this book. For starters, the books she stole for her college classes had an alarm spell placed on them. As she's fleeing the security troll (because even a Mixbreed is faster than a troll) with screaming books in hand, she's accosted by two men who force her to unleash her powers. Finally, she witnesses a murder that she's useless to stop, but she manages to alert the killer to her presence by screaming at them. She fears that the attacker will seek her out next. She finds that her suspicions are confirmed when she finds a cryptic note taped to her apartment door. Lanore isn't going to stand by idly and wait for death. She plans to find the killer before the killer strikes. 

Wright has created this wonderful, mythical world where magic reigns supreme. Reading about their magic-powered technology and how some of human history entwines with the history of Supes (such as the Black Panthers being actual black panthers) really made this story for me. The cruelty that Lanore endures in the Habitat felt dark, heavy, oppressive. She's just a college student trying to do the best she can in a world that has decided she isn't worthy of life. Instead of being the angry, aggressive female protagonist, Lanore is surprisingly peaceful, preferring to settle matters with as little fuss as possible. She wears a lot of herself--her fears, her joys, her wants--for everyone to see. She doesn't even flaunt her powers until she has no choice. Lanore is a strong female character, but her strength is tempered with calmness. 

This wouldn't be a paranormal romance without the romance part. Lanore has two men vying for her attention. MeShack her childhood friend and former lover and Zulu a outspoken proponent for equality for mixies. Lanore isn't sure what she wants. MeShack is familiar, and her feelings for him are planted deep in her heart. They grew up together, the kids of two drug addicts who felt they could look after themselves. They have a rich history together. Zulu represents something new. The passion that he pours into fighting for equality inspires her even when she doesn't agree with his methods. Both men are fiercely protective of Lanore. Both men want to make her their mate. She straggles the fence on who she wants romantically, leaning back and forth as they try to convince her that they're the right choice. 

I thought this book was a nice mix of magic and steamy romance with a heroine who doesn't take the typical tough girl stance but still manages to be tough in her own way. And if you're a reader searching for fantasy/supernatural books whose lead is a woman of color, this book is definitely worth checking out.

3.5 of 5 stars

Book Review: A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway

A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway

Genre: Fantasy Historical Romance, Mystery

Series: Book 1 of The Baskerville Affair

Publisher: Del Rey

Date of Publication: September 24, 2013

Author Information: Website | Twitter 


Part steampunk historical mystery and part fantasy paranormal romance, I was initially drawn to A Study in Silks for its setting as well as its description of the main character Evelina Cooper as being the niece of the great Sherlock Holmes.

Eveline, however, is not solely defined by her famous uncle, and I liked how Emma Jane Holloway has given her character an exceptional background with which to distinguish herself. Thanks to her Granny Holmes, Evelina was plucked from a childhood of growing up with a traveling circus to be dropped into a world of lords and ladies, and here she must learn to live a life caught between two worlds.

But Sherlock Holmes' work has clearly also rubbed off on her, given how eagerly she aspires to follow in his footsteps. When a young servant girl is killed at the home of her best friend, Evelina does what she can for the investigation, going as far as to use her gift of the Blood, which allows her to communicate with minor spirits and recruit them to her aid.

At first glance, one would suppose there's a lot happening in this novel. In fact, one of the most noticeable features of the paperback when it arrived was how remarkably hefty it was. Coming in at more than 500 pages, it's much longer than I would have expected from a book of this genre and type, and my first assumption was that there would be a lot of world building.

In this, I suppose I was half correct. The setting is ambitious, definitely, in this world of steam barons, demons and devas, clockwork animals and automatons. A little too ambitious, maybe, seeing as I was left wishing more attention could have been given to both the steampunk and magical aspect, putting them in further context. I'd have loved to know more about the deva spirits, for example, beyond simply knowng that Evelina has the power to snare them in her mechanical toys and make them do her bidding.

The fact that A Study in Silks falls more heavily on the "paranormal romance" side of things might have something to do with this. Quite honestly, more emphasis in the story is given to providing juicy details about which character is fancying whom, rather than towards world building and setting up a murder mystery. In truth, if Sherlock Holmes were real he'd probably have a conniption fit over Evelina's methods. While I love her character, I don't actually think our heroine makes a good detective, as she often lets her emotional ties get in the way of her objectivity.

My take: The mystery plot spices it up well, but mainly check this book out if you like historical romance with a little fantasy thrown in, and extra bonus if you are a fan of delicious love triangles, which in itself provides a bit of suspense here. The book is definitely not without its merits, especially if you think you might enjoy the look into its elegant world of Victorian steampunk high society, complete with formal balls and debutantes.

Note: A Study in Silks was a book I won from a Goodreads giveaway. 

3 of 5 stars

"Elegant steampunk fantasy with romance

spiced with mystery"

Book Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Steampunk

Series: Book 1 of Parasol Protectorate

Publisher: Orbit

Date of Publication: October 1, 2009

Author Information: Website | Twitter 

A total impulse read, I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I picked this up. I knew next to nothing about the characters or the story because believe it or not, I hadn't even stopped to read the synopsis or description (which, when you're a bibliophile, is like totally living life on the edge, I tell ya!)

But perhaps I'm overplaying my daredevilry. The fact is, it's not like this Parasol Protectorate series hadn't been on my radar at all, because I see it everywhere, from people reading it on the bus to copies at the checkout racks at supermarkets. So I had a pretty good idea that these books were wildly popular, and I'll admit I've always been curious, especially ever since stumbling upon a description of it as a "paranormal comedy of manners". That definitely conformed to my impressions of it after seeing that charming cover.

So, discovering that it was a novel about werewolves, vampires and other such uncanny creatures was a real treat for me, as was finding out about the Victorian steampunk setting. After all, this is territory I'm familiar and happy with, and the main character Alexia Tarabotti's life as a "soulless" or "preternatural" sounded new and interesting enough for this book to be right up my alley.

As someone with her unique power, Alexia is able to negate the effects of supernatural beings simply by touching them, thus turning creatures like vampires and werewolves back into their human forms. I have to say I was just in love with this idea! In addition, the book also floated a really neat theory to explain the link between preternaturals and supernatural creatures, utilizing a concept that involves opposing forces and counterbalances. I know I've said this a bunch of times before, but I always enjoy seeing novel ideas like this in the paranormal fantasy genre.

In the book's intro, Alexia's condition as a preternatural was what allowed her to survive an attack by a rogue vampire. In her subsequent investigation into this incident with the werewolf Lord Maccon, they uncover cases of other rogues as well as a disturbing number of missing supernaturals, so now I'm getting really excited, seeing that an element of mystery is in this story line as well. All was going great...until I got to the romance.

Admittedly, here's where my enthusiasm began to wane. Now that I'm finished the book, I would definitely classify Soulless as a paranormal romance more than anything. While I have nothing against that particular genre, I still must confess that a book tends to lose me when the relationship drama begins eclipsing everything else in the plot and becomes the main focus. And so when Alexia and Lord Maccon actually started making out and rounding second base on the dirty floor of a dank dark cell while they were being imprisoned by a gang of fanatical torturers, I kinda knew we'd reached my breaking point.

Pages upon pages describing the etiquette of courtship and totally inappropriate moments to get amorous notwithstanding, this was still a very good book. I'm open to the possibility of picking up the next book in the series if I'm ever struck by the mood to read a fun paranormal romance, especially now that I know what to expect!

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

The wife one of my friends really likes this series, and that's how I found out about it. This was before the movie, and generally I'm pretty clueless when it comes to what's popular and making the rounds in the world of young adult fiction unless it walks right up and smacks me in the face, so the only thing I knew about Beautiful Creatures at the time was that it's "like Twlight, but with witches".

After having read this, I can see why. Our narrator and protagonist Ethan Wate has spent his whole life in the quiet southern town of Gatlin, just itching for the day he can pack up and leave it all behind. Everything changes, however, when Lena Duchannes arrives and turns his world upside down. There's something strange and magical about beautiful Lena, and even though she is shunned by the townspeople and all the other kids at school, Ethan finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Right there, you already have the bulk of your usual young adult paranormal romance tropes: a new girl, a small town, a tale of undying love between two teenagers that transcends all differences even when it seems like the whole world is trying to keep them apart. It's not like I expected anything different when I signed up for this, so I have to say the book did a good job in delivering everything it was meant to, and I can see why it's so popular in its genre. But even putting aside the clichés, there were a few things that bothered me, which is why I gave it an average rating.

First of all, despite the book reading like your typical YA paranormal romance, I do have to give my kudos to the authors for trying to do a couple things differently. Attempts to break the mold or shake things up should always be applauded; the problem, however, is whether or not these decisions paid off.

Of course, the biggie is the male point-of-view. It's very rare to see this these days, considering the vast majority of readers of this genre are female. There's a fine balance to strike when telling a story from the perspective of a teenage boy, because you want your target audience to relate to him but at the same time he has to be realistic. Thing is, I don't think the book managed to find this balance. Ethan Wate simply doesn't act or sound believable as a high school sophomore male; instead, he reads more like what a teenage girl would want their high school sophomore boyfriend to act and sound like.

It's especially obvious when you consider Ethan is the only character who seems different in a book otherwise filled with blatant stereotypes. I thought the southern setting was kind of neat, but of course it had to be filled with every shameless cliché, including the town being full of ignorant, prejudiced and backwards-thinking people -- oh, except for Ethan and his learned family, because they're special. The high school also embodies every cliquey convention you can think of, mostly boiling down to the shallow jocks and cheerleaders who torment Lena for being an outsider. It's a wonder how Ethan lived his whole life in this context yet managed to rise above all that (but of course he does, he's perfect!), the guy sounds like a friggin' old man next to all his peers. 

The second issue is the book's length. For the first installment in a new young adult series, deciding to make it almost 600 pages was probably a risky choice. It would be one thing if you had a big story to tell and lots to write about, but it's quite another when a quarter of the book is given to tedious back-and-forth and other such filler. I started getting the urge to skim around the halfway mark, and kept feeling like this until almost the very end when interesting things finally started to happen.

My biggest problem with the book, however, is probably Lena. In a word, she is infuriating. When she's not flying into histrionics, she's depressing with her insecurity and defeatist attitude. The things she says! "It's no use", "It's always going to be this way", "Nothing we ever do is going to matter", "You'll only make things worse" and other insufferable gems like that seem to be all she can add to conversations. 

Ethan, bless your heart for caring, but since you're so perfect and special, you really ought to find a girl who can actually stand up for herself. Someone who won't give up before it's even started. Honestly, if a character doesn't even have the backbone to fight for the very things she so desperately wants, then why should I as the reader care enough to root for her?

Final verdict:

3 of 5 stars

Book Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

It took me a while to finish this book. Two months to be precise. It wasn't because I disliked the book. I loved it from the beginning, but I could tell it might make a little more emotional than I wanted at the time, so I set it aside for a bit.

We follow the adventures of "R," a zombie who isn't decayed nearly as bad as some of the other zombies. He's described as being tall and dressed in business casual. Zombies can't remember their life before dying, but they take on the first letter of names that the might've had, names that are just beyond the reach of their thoughts. Communication is limited and very simple between zombies. They struggle with words to adequately express themselves and are often distracted away from their thoughts when speaking aloud, but "R" shows a crude complexity in his thinking, which is hinted at possibly being abnormal for a zombie.

The zombies spend much of their time performing a poor emulation of human behavior. "R" lives at an airport with a hive of zombies. They use escalators, have church, even get "married" and take care of children (young zombies given to newly married zombies). They attempt to do things like have sex, but their bodies aren't able to perform the act. "R" mentions it's like watching a pathetic imitation of bodies bumping against each other. There's also "school" where mostly children are taught to hunt by using live human prey. They also have a rough set of laws in place that they follow enforced by a group called the Boneys.

This book is unique because it tells the story from the point of view of a zombie instead of a human trying to survive in this world. It reimagines zombies as more than just mindless creatures. The need for flesh isn't as simple as a driving, animalistic hunger for it, but part of a craving for something lost, something they can no longer remember. I never thought I'd read a zombie book and use words like "heartbreaking" and "tender." But those are just two of the words that aptly describes this story.

R is presented in a self-deprecating, humorous way, but he's easy to connect to. However, this story is touched with a tinge of sadness that made my heart ache. He wonders about his former life and struggles with not being able to express his thoughts in more than a rudimentary fashion. He is already beginning to want something he can't quite grasp at first, but when he saves a living woman named Julie, things begin to fall into place.

It's never mentioned what caused the zombie epidemic, but personally, I was fine with that. I didn't need another rehash of a virus, God's wrath, or government experiments popping up. That would've taken up precious space in the book. R wouldn't know what caused it anyway, and even if he did, he might not have been able to really explain what happened to them. R is smart, but his thought process has its limits. But the cause is unknown to both human and zombie alike anyway.

One complaint I had was Nora. She just felt so out of place in the story. I liked the character, but it just seemed like she was in the wrong book. I was also a little surprised with her accepting attitude toward R all things considered, but that may apply to Julie as well. I'd read there was a novella out there about Nora, so maybe I can fill in the gaps with that and get to know her character a little more. She seems to be very optimistic despite their situation. She's very loyal to Julie, but that's explained in this book. And admittedly maybe the end wrapped up a little more hopeful than it should have, but I loved it. There's nothing "usual" about this book, so I don't necessarily see the ending being a problem.

Overall, I really loved this book. Marion took a genre that's so rife with clichés and tropes (as with most supernatural/paranormal things these days) and found a way to make it his own. Even if I hadn't loved it so, I would've still applauded his effort to be different. Also, Muse provided the perfect musical backdrop for me while I was reading this. Uprising even started playing during the ending, and it was so perfect.

Final Verdict:

5 of 5 stars