Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Industrial Magic
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publication Date: 2004
Length: 493 pages

Warning: This is a review of the fourth book in the series, and will therefore contain spoilers from earlier books in the series.

Industrial Magic picks up where Dime Store Magic left off, continuing to follow Paige Winterbourne, Savannah Levine, and Lucas Cortez. In the aftermath of Paige's struggles with the Coven, she has struck out on her own, trying to form a new Coven of younger witches.

Paige and Lucas can't help but get involved when the children of Cabal members start turning up dead. What follows is a great mystery, plus a lot of character development and new information about the various characters and species in the series so far.

Lucas' father, Benicio, the leader of the Cortez Cabal, has started really growing on me, as he keeps attempting to have a relationship with Lucas and Paige. A new character, Jaime Vegas, a necromancer, is introduced, and is a lot of fun. We get to see more of the werewolves again (which is great because when Elena, Clay, and Jeremy aren't around I really miss them), as well as Cassandra (and we learn more about the vampires). It's fun to see all these very different characters working together and using their varied skills to solve the mystery and stop the serial killer.

Also: I might possibly be falling in love with Lucas Cortez. Shh, don't tell Clay!

5 stars.

Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Dime Store Magic (Women of the Otherworld #3)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publication Date: February 2004
Length: 394 pages

Warning: This is a review of the third book in the series, and will therefore contain spoilers from the first two books.

Unlike the first two books in this series, Dime Store Magic isn't narrated by Elena, but by Paige Winterbourne, a witch who was introduced in Stolen. She's now the guardian of Savannah, a teenage witch, and is rightfully the leader of the American Coven, though they don't recognise her as such.

Paige's life is thrown into chaos when half-demon Leah returns, fighting for custody of Savannah, and soon Paige is being accused of witchcraft and Satanism by her neighbours. With the Coven distancing itself from her to avoid scandal, the only one offering to help is an attractive sorceror named Lucas Cortez, and Paige isn't eager to trust a sorceror.

The Women of the Otherworld series continues to keep me reading late into the night because I just can't put these books down. Every new development had me on the edge of my seat, and there's great character development in this book. I didn't like Paige very much in Stolen, but she really wins me over in this book. And Savannah, a typical teenager in so many ways despite her atypical upbringing, is really fleshed out. And of course, because it's a Kelley Armstrong novel, sexy, sexy romance.

This book also introduces the Cabals, powerful demon families that achieve their goals through running huge corporations and having tonnes of money. I love how the otherworldly and the mundane mix together in this series. To me, that's what makes great urban fantasy.

5 stars.

Shifted Perspective by J. Bridger

Title: Shifted Perspective
Author: J. Bridger
Publication Date: August 28, 2012
Length: about 231 pages (ebook)

Caleb is a senior in high school with a pretty normal life, when he wakes up one day as a Cocker Spaniel. He soon learns that it runs in the family; his mother was a carrier, and he is a runt (because he changed years later than normal). He goes to stay with his mom's side of the family in California, so he can become part of the pack and learn the ways of the shifters.

This was a neat spin on the usual shifter mythology. I love shifters, and the idea of there being a hierarchy based on the type of animal you shift into is pretty cool and not something I've seen before.

So I liked the idea, and the main plot line involving a serious of mysterious murders that seem to be the work of a rogue werewolf was pretty interesting. But I did have some issues, which seem easiest to describe in point form:

1. This is kind of minor, but the shifters are real jerks in this book. I found I didn't care for that. Their disdain for humans and thinking they're so superior was a little tiresome.
2. When Caleb calls his (ex-)girlfriend, a high school journalist, to California to help solve the mystery, that just felt like a plot device to get her there to complicate things. First of all, it was weird that a teenager was working on solving a mystery rather than going to the pack leader or just letting someone else deal with it, but calling in a high school journalist because she's good at figuring things out?
3. There are a couple of pages of racism regarding the Romani people. They are called gypsies, described as having magical powers and being the enemies of the shifters, and Caleb says that he didn't think they existed anymore. It was actually hard to read.

So, there were things that bugged me. Overall it was an enjoyable story, though, and I'll probably check out the next book in the series.

3 stars.

Full disclosure: Free ebook copy received from the author.

Charmed Season 9 Volume 1 by Paul Ruditis

Title: Charmed Season 9 Volume 1
Author: Paul Ruditis
Publication Date: February 15, 2011
Length: 144 pages

Warning: This is a review of a graphic novel that takes place after the end of the Charmed television series, so it will definitely contain spoilers from the show!

The Charmed Season 9 comics take place shortly after the end of season 8. I'm not sure exactly how long after... at one point near the beginning it says that their lives have been demon-free for a year and a half, and I would think they'd be demon-free pretty much from the end of the show, but Wyatt and Chris are definitely a good 6 or 7 years older than the babies they were in season 8! Anywho, it's a while after.

This book is the perfect continuation of the series. It made me feel like I was right back watching the show. And I love seeing more of the kids that the Charmed ones have, that you catch a glimpse of at the end of the last episode. I finally know their names! And in general just seeing more of all the characters I love is great (seriously, they dated so many losers, but I was SO HAPPY with the guys they all ended up with!).

I really love how this first story arc has something to do with the Source. It's hilarious, because how many times did they vanquish the Source in the show? Oh my goodness, so many times! And just like in the show, they're like "seriously? Didn't we vanquish him?".

My only complaint is the one I have with most graphic novels, and that's the art. Don't get me wrong, the art is nice, but once again, some of the characters look the same! Piper and Phoebe look nothing alike in the show, yet I had a hard time telling them apart in the comics. Same problem as with most of the Buffy comics. But props for not overdoing the cleavage, so the art still beats a lot of comics. :)

Definitely recommended for fans of the show! Oh, and you can totally still read it without having seen the show, because at the beginning there's this big Book of Shadows section that has information on a lot of characters, and summarises the major events of the show. So don't think you have to watch 8 seasons of tv just to read these graphic novels (though the show is awesome, so you totally should)!

Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Stolen
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publication Date: 2002
Length: 557 pages

Note: This book is the second in the series and so probably contains some spoilers from the first book, Bitten. You have been warned!

Stolen is the second book in the Women of the Otherworld series, and, like the first one, is narrated by Elena, the only known female werewolf. She has grown to accept her werewolf nature, and her love for Clay, and now lives with the Pack. (Yay!) Being back on duty as the werewolf responsible for keeping an eye on mutts and other risks of exposure, she meets up with a woman who claims to have proof of the existence of werewolves. Before she knows it, Elena has learned the hard way that werewolves aren't the only supernatural creatures around: witches, vampires, and half-demons all exist, and all their races are under attack from what seems to be a disturbing scientific experiment backed by military-type guards.

I waited too long after reading this book to write the review, so I'm already having trouble telling you exactly what I liked about it, but seriously, this book is SO GOOD. If you liked the first book, you will like the second book, because it shares the same narrator, most of the same characters, and of course Kelley Armstrong's flawless writing.

Think season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Actually, Elena even makes a reference to that, which made me squee with inter-series joy. Supernatural beings are being kidnapped and studied in an environment I found very disturbing for its combination of friendly "we want you to be comfortable while you're our guest" type behaviour and total disregard for the basic rights of the people imprisoned there. There's lots of wondering who can be trusted, and several delightfully shocking twists (though I totally figured one out before Elena; haha I'm so smart!).

Some of the new characters annoyed me, especially Paige, though she grew on me after a while. The characters that I already knew from the first book were just as awesome. Clay is still just as sexy, even though he's not my type at all, and I don't even usually like Southern accents. (Side note: I think it's so funny how everyone lists Clay in lists of sexy alpha males, when Clay is quite literally not the alpha male; he's a beta male. But maybe I'm thinking too literally. :P ) I also love Jeremy, and I really wish he had bigger roles; maybe in a later book!

5 stars, and I'm pretty sure Kelley Armstrong could publish her shopping lists and I would love them.

This book counts towards the Read Your OWN Library! Challenge (hosted by The Beauty of Eclecticism) for February (it took me awhile to get around to reviewing!). For March, my book for the challenge will be John Dies at the End by David Wong. This book also counts for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Bitten (Women of the Otherworld #1)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publication Date: 2001
Length: 372

Bitten, the first book in the Women of the Otherworld series, is written from the perspective of Elena Michaels, the only known female werewolf. Since running away from the Pack, Elena has been trying to live a normal human life, repressing her werewolf side. When she gets called back to help deal with trouble on Pack territory, she finds herself once again torn between two worlds, and two men.

I just re-read this book because I'm planning to read the rest of the series soon, and I remembered that I'd enjoyed the book when I first read it years ago, but it was even better than I remembered. Elena is a great main character. She's strong and independent, but also flawed. I found I could really sympathise with her struggles between the human man who represents her desire for a normal life but can never know her secret, and the man she can't resist, but whom she can't forgive for his betrayal.

I also love the mythology in this book. I've always preferred werewolves that are people who actually turn into wolves, rather than weird half-human half-wolf things. I also like how they have the natural instincts of wolves, and that even affects their behaviour in human form.

5 stars. I'm really looking forward to finally reading the rest of this series!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Volumes 1-6 by Joss Whedon (and others)

I decided to combine all the volumes I've read so far of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 8 into one review, mostly because I read the first 3 before I started this blog, so never wrote reviews for them.

Buffy season 8 takes place (obviously) after the end of season 7 of the show. OK, this is gonna be impossible to do spoiler-free, so if you haven't finished Buffy (the show) yet you should just stop reading now because there be SPOILERS ahead!

OK, so Buffy is at the head of a huge army of Slayers that has bases and squads all over the world and it's pretty awesome. They're up against an Initiative-like military organisation, as well as a mysterious masked Big Bad named Twilight. Those guys might all be working together? I tend to get confused about people's allegiances. There are various subplots along the way, including Buffy going to the future and meeting Fray (awesome) and the Slayers going to Tibet and making what I feel was the most stupid decision in the history of the Buffyverse (not so awesome).

The writing is amazing. Even the parts that are written by people who didn't write for the show are great. The characters talk exactly how you would expect them to, with just the right amount of wittiness.

The art is of mixed quality. I tend not to keep track of who the artists are for each chapter (I'm not a big comic person), but I do know that there are some parts where everyone looks like they should, and others where they're unrecognizable. There were a couple times when a chapter would end by just showing a character and you're supposed to be like "omg it's him!" but instead I was all "wait, who is that?" Because the guys all look the same, except for Xander and Giles.

 

Honestly, I think that if the plot and the writing and everything were exactly the same, but it was in the form of a tv episode (or maybe a novel; I haven't read any Buffy novels yet, so it's hard to say), I would have nothing bad to say. I think all my issues stem from my confusion, which is largely caused by difficult-to-recognise characters. This is the problem I have with comics.

So, the first three volumes were my favourites, and they all get 5 stars. No complaints there. The next three were confusing for me, though I think the sixth one was less so than the fourth and fifth. I'm hoping for more awesome ahead with the last two volumes in the series, which I'll hopefully be getting for the Winter Holidays!

Fray by Joss Whedon

Title: Fray
Author: Joss Whedon
Artists: Karl Moline (Penciller), Andy Owens (Inker), Dave Stewart (Colourist), Michelle Madsen (Colourist), and Michelle Madsen (Letterer)
Publication Date: November 2003
Length: 216 pages (paperback)

I read Fray last year, but decided to give it a reread before starting Buffy Season 8 Volume 4, because it has a connection to Fray and I wanted to refresh my memory. It was every bit as good as I remembered.

The book takes place hundreds of years in the future, when the Slayer line has ended and been more or less forgotten. But now, vampires have started coming back into the world, so another Slayer has been called: Melaka Fray. But Fray hasn't had the dreams that Slayers normally have, giving them a sense of their purpose and heritage.

Fray is a great character. Joss Whedon imbued with aspects of both Buffy and Faith, creating a young woman who's strong, clever, witty, and doesn't take crap from anybody. Most of the other characters are either bad guys, or good guys that I just don't feel a strong attachment to, with the exception of Loo. This is Loo:

She is the most delightful character ever. Fray calls her "Rocketmouth" because she talks in long incoherent string of often unrelated topics. This is Loo meeting Urkonn for the first time:

The one problem I've had both times I've read this book is that I tend to get a bit confused about people's intentions. That's probably just a fault of my own, but I find it hard to know at times what people's motivations are, and where they sit on the spectrum between good and evil. This also might be because I don't read a whole lot of comics, so I sometimes find them a bit harder to follow than novels.

As for the art, I have nothing but praise. Fray is what I wish every female superhero was. She's tough and beautiful, while having a realistically shaped body, and wearing clothes that actually make sense for her profession. No impractical high heels for Fray! Also no unrealistically big boobs. This is one of the things Joss Whedon insisted on, which is just one of the many things I love about Joss Whedon.

Overall I give Fray 4 out of 5 stars. It only lost one because it occasionally confused me. Highly recommended for any Buffyverse fan, but it's accessible to people who aren't familiar with the Buffyverse, too.

Witch Hunt by Nick Chivers

Title: Witch Hunt
Author: Nick Chivers
Publication Date: October 31, 2011
Length: 195 pages (ebook)

So, I went through a lot of phases of feeling during this book. There were times when I couldn't stop complaining about it, but then I'd sit down and read it for an hour without stopping, needing to know what happens next.

To briefly summarise, Mike is a witch with crazy amounts of power, and in the past he had the Bands of Binding put on him, which dampen that power. He did this for mysterious reasons! But don't worry, you will learn about them! So suddenly, his best friend Drew shows up with his soul-bound partner Jerome, telling Mike that someone from his past wants him dead, and thus the adventure begins! Most of the book follows the three of them as they try to make it to Brazil where a magical council will be meeting to figure this whole mess out. On the way, Mike proves to be rather emotionally volatile when it comes to love interests, in a way that is mostly endearing though sometimes a bit jarring.

Now, on to the critiquing!

First, I had issues with the writing. Some of the dialogue felt a bit unnatural, and I definitely felt that there were not enough contractions (people say "don't" a lot more than they say "do not" in natural speech, for example). So sometimes that could disrupt the flow a bit. When I'm reading dialogue, I don't want to notice the writing style. I want to be able to get caught up in the conversation.

On the other hand, I really did enjoy the story. I love the whole premise of the book. The witches have really cool powers, the characters are likable, and I enjoyed the ending.

Overall, I just feel like it could have used a bit more depth. I liked it, but wanted more out of it. The characters were good ideas for characters, but I felt like for some of them I didn't get enough background, enough personality. I definitely would have liked more out of Rick, because I love the whole "forest guardian" concept of his character.

So, I would rate this book a somewhere-in-the-middle. It gets high ratings in some areas and low ones in others, balancing out to right around the middle.

Full disclosure: Free ebook copy received from the publisher.