The grand cross-century adventure trilogy that is about both a couple's unlikely romance and the origin of supernatural beings draws to a close with this dramatic, transcontinental chess match.
Supernatural power couple Diana (witch) and Matthew (vampire) are back from their time hop to the 16th century and now are ready to pull together the scattered pieces of an ancient alchemical manuscript and discover once and for all what's it's all about.
But not everyone wants to see Diana and Matthew succeed - there are plenty of other creatures who would like to find the "book of life" first and grab the knowledge and power it likely brings for themselves. And not merely incidental to the storyline, Diana is now pregnant with twins - a cross-species fete heretofore thought impossible.
I have loved this series, and the sweeping saga of the story's climax was worth the wait. I've been listening to them as audiobooks, and Jennifer Ikeda does a truly commendable job with the unique and varied characterization of ancient beings from all corners of the planet.
Showing posts with label demons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label demons. Show all posts
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015
Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen
I wanted to love this, and I really, really tried: The title! The cover! The premise! But alas, no.
There's a new (male) school librarian, and he's got Cyn's best friend Annie seeing stars and hearts and K-I-S-S-I-N-G in her daydreams. And while that could be creepy in an inappropriate-student-teacher way, it's actually much, much worse ... because he's actually a demon come to suck the souls of hapless teenagers for power and he wants Annie as his human consort.
That would be drama enough for most teen novels, but this one goes further to add another layer: actual drama in the form of a school production of "Sweeney Todd." Cyn's all tied up in knots trying to rig a barber's chair for the production that's dramatic and scary and perfect.
The novel's too slow - there's a lot a lot of wringing of hands about the fact the big evil showdown is coming right after showtime (because apparently demons love Sweeney Todd and the battle can wait until after they've seen this production). But that's 10 days away! And then, that's 7 whole days away! Oh no! In any event, it's too far away.
I persevered for the sake of saying I did, but I'm not sure I can recommend it for anyone over 17; teens may be slightly more in-tune with the loves-me-loves-me-not substory than I was.
There's a new (male) school librarian, and he's got Cyn's best friend Annie seeing stars and hearts and K-I-S-S-I-N-G in her daydreams. And while that could be creepy in an inappropriate-student-teacher way, it's actually much, much worse ... because he's actually a demon come to suck the souls of hapless teenagers for power and he wants Annie as his human consort.
That would be drama enough for most teen novels, but this one goes further to add another layer: actual drama in the form of a school production of "Sweeney Todd." Cyn's all tied up in knots trying to rig a barber's chair for the production that's dramatic and scary and perfect.
The novel's too slow - there's a lot a lot of wringing of hands about the fact the big evil showdown is coming right after showtime (because apparently demons love Sweeney Todd and the battle can wait until after they've seen this production). But that's 10 days away! And then, that's 7 whole days away! Oh no! In any event, it's too far away.
I persevered for the sake of saying I did, but I'm not sure I can recommend it for anyone over 17; teens may be slightly more in-tune with the loves-me-loves-me-not substory than I was.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
John Dies @ The End by David Wong
Profane and hilarious, this book is like a mashup of "Ghostbusters" with "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure." Humanity is in peril as portals to another dimension open and spit through evil beings, and the only ones (maybe) able to save us are a pair of twenty-something slackers.
David works in a movie rental store, and John can't keep a job for more than a couple months. At a summer party where John's (horrible) band plays, a new drug gets passed around. Nearly everybody who takes the "soy sauce" dies in a dramatic and horrific way - except John, who goes comatose.
Turns out the drug turns your brain into a supercomputer able to do astronomical calculations of probability in a split second, and allows you to see horrific and fantastic things invisible to everyone else.
This book is incredibly smart - and also really, really dumb. It's twisty and unpredictable, funny and fun, but not the kind of thing that will last long in your memory. Sometimes you just need a good flight of fancy, and this one has certainly been entertaining for me.
There is a sequel, and I will be looking that one up too.
David works in a movie rental store, and John can't keep a job for more than a couple months. At a summer party where John's (horrible) band plays, a new drug gets passed around. Nearly everybody who takes the "soy sauce" dies in a dramatic and horrific way - except John, who goes comatose.
Turns out the drug turns your brain into a supercomputer able to do astronomical calculations of probability in a split second, and allows you to see horrific and fantastic things invisible to everyone else.
This book is incredibly smart - and also really, really dumb. It's twisty and unpredictable, funny and fun, but not the kind of thing that will last long in your memory. Sometimes you just need a good flight of fancy, and this one has certainly been entertaining for me.
There is a sequel, and I will be looking that one up too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
