Thus far I have read 2 of my 10 books that I was most anticipating. I am waiting on a Barnes and Noble coupon (it pays to be a member!) to buy book 3. Have you read any on your list yet? Did you have a list? I would love to hear it - I am always looking for new authors to try!
The VitalsDead Heat by Patricia Briggs
Release Date: 3 March 2015
Page Count: 336
Genre: Fantasy
Target Audience: Adult
Series: Alpha & Omega #4
Source and Format: Amazon; eBook
Amazon | Goodreads
Summary (From Goodreads)
For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal, as Charles plans to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Or at least it starts out that way...
Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous Fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The Fae’s cold war with humanity is about to heat up—and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire.
Notes on Dead Heat
I gave this book 3. 5 stars because it was just okay. The problem with a series like Alpha & Omega is that it starts out with complex, well-developed characters, which can be difficult to maintain the longer a series gets. Don't get me wrong, I still really like this series, but this particular entry was just okay. The ending felt a little rushed and overall I am not really sure what this book has to do with the overarching plot of the series. Perhaps this is just a bridge book and they do tend to be mediocre but necessary. Charles and Anna have been dealing with heavy issues their whole relationship and while there is certainly some heaviness here, it is more a secondary issue that is not as fully dealt with as previous conflicts have been.
Overall Diagnosis
Memorable Quotes
“But that is the dual gift of love, isn’t it? The joy of greeting and the sorrow of good-bye.”
The Vitals
Prudence by Gail Carrier
Release Date: 17 March 2015
Page Count: 368
Genre: Fantasy
Target Audience: YA/Adult
Series: The Custard Protocol #1
Source and Format: Amazon; eBook
Summary (From Goodreads)
When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances - names it the Spotted Custard and floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea. But India has more than just tea on offer. Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves. Faced with a dire crisis and an embarrassing lack of bloomers, what else is a young lady of good breeding to do but turn metanatural and find out everyone's secrets, even thousand-year-old fuzzy ones?
Notes on Prudence
I was seriously disappointed in this book. I have read both her Parasol Protectorate and Finishing School series, the first Adult and the second YA, and enjoyed them immensely, especially the first books in which she really fleshes out her characters and sets out a plausible story arc for the series. This one was missing both of those things. The main character, Prudence, is an amalgamation of the protagonists from her previous 2 series. She is so very flat, which is something I never thought I would say of Ms. Carriger's characters. Another issue is the target audience; I do not think this book was supposed to be considered YA but it very clearly is. The situations were a little too outrageous and the characters a little too immature to be believable as adults. This book seems a little too ambitious for a first book in a series. The more you love the characters, the more leniency you are willing to extend and this book just did not justify that leniency, in my opinion.
Overall Diagnosis
Memorable Quotes
“He wielded verbal italics as if they were capable of actual bodily harm.”
"The ambassador’s wife was clearly a woman who enjoyed the sound of her own voice. She dropped flowery vocabulary about her like an incontinent hen might deposit eggs."
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