Book Reviews

Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh

 in Book Reviews / Books / Fun / Interesting / Series by

Okay. So this is going to be on MASSIVE post about the ENTIRE Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh because there were 7 books (not including the novellas which I still have to read) and I feel that one LARGE post would be good. Otherwise you will see 7 posts of me ABSOLUTELY FANGIRLING!!!!!!!!

I. AM. SO. IN. LOVE. WITH. THIS. SERIES.

I will say this now. This is a mature reader series as there is graphic violence and….quite graphic sex scenes so this is a 17/18 year old or older book…NOT YA AT ALL!

MATURE READERS ONLY!

So lets start with the books in the series. They are…..

  • Angels’ Blood
  • Archangel’s Kiss
  • Archangel’s Consort
  • Archangel’s Blade (side story with one of the main characters)
  • Archangel’s Storm (side story with another one of the main characters)
  • Archangel’s Legion
  • Archangel’s Shadows (comes out in November 2014!!!! Another side story)

Click here to see the covers and read the descriptions of the stories on Nalini Singhs website.

Okay ~ So now it is time for my serious fangirling review.

This is currently my favorite series out there by a LONGGGG way. I found this story on one of the romance shelves in B&N and I was interested so I bought it. I thought it would be stupid romance or something like that. Boy was I SOOOO wrong. This is one of the most detailed love stories I have read by a modern writer. The romance was a small part on the side. Well…it was a massive part of the story, but there was so much going on that it played only a small role in the overall story.

The character development in this story was absolutely massive. The characters developed drastically from book to book, or in the side books, over the course of the entire book. Some characters personalities flip-flop, or do 180’s…or even a 360. Most romance novels has the main female character fall for a man and it was just all head over heels after that.

This honestly catered to all the different types of tastes out there. There was romance, hatred, betrayal, violence and just so much going on.

I will say that the violence was very graphic though. It was like written, “The blood coated the walls.” It would have been something like, “The blood pattern on the walls indicated that there had been a massive fight, the crimson droplets adding a chilling quality to the already dull room. The corpse on the floor, which was mutilated beyond recognition, was the other indication that the fight had been brutal and someone had clearly lost.” (No duh, I was just making some junk up for this.)Now…it would have gone into detail about the corpse in great detail…so if you aren’t into violence and such like that..then this may not be for you because it was a very large part of the story.

Since this series is so long and complex, you really get attached to the characters really fast. Each character is connected to another one and they pop up here and there throughout each of the stories, with some of the minor characters in the main series of books, getting books to themselves (like Dimitri and Jason). I really liked that because you got to know the character as one type of person in one book, but in their individual novel, you saw who they truly were and it changed your perception on them as you understood where certain actions came from and why their personality was as it was.

Honestly I loved the series and I recommend that you read it but please over the age of 17/18 as otherwise it is quite inappropriate.

Otherwise happy reading!

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

 in Book Reviews / Books / Young Adult by

“Her mission was to kill him. Her destiny was to love him.”

Summary

“Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom – all because of a reckless bargain her father struck. And since birth, she had been training to kill him.

Betrayed by her family yet bound to obey, Nyx rails against her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, she abandons everything sh’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, disarm him, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not what Nyx expected. the strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle – a shifting maze of magical rooms – enthralls her. As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. But even if she can bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him?

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change out destiny.”

– From the inside flap

Summary

This was quite an interesting book. The title was what caught me to start with because it was kind of an oxymoron ~ Cruel Beauty. Also it was a nice red color and red always catches my attention. The other part was that it was on the New YA shelf and I love reading new books ~ Fresh material is always fabulous.

The story looked amazing and it was quite good but I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. I don’t know what it was about it…but I didn’t really like the writing style. It was in first person and for some reason, I seem to have gone off stories that go for first person.

Also I felt the writing in the story was very choppy. The sentences were extremely short and there wasn’t much descriptive language. Ever since I started to write on my own, my perception of books and writing has changed. I am not saying that I am an amazing writing by any means, but I have become more observant to different writing styles and descriptive language.

Maybe it was just me, maybe it was because I’m reading more adult books and getting out of the YA section, or maybe it was just this book, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought because of the reasons stated above.

The story was quite interesting; kind of having this Matrix/Inception feel to it and it was really creative and a very creative ending.

A lot of people, I feel, would really love this book as it brings in the demon aspect and there are a lot of angel, demon, vampire and other supernatural creature types of books out there and coming out right now; that was one of the reasons I picked it up in the first place.

This was a quick and easy read and I do suggest that you check it out because it was a good book, just not MY kind of book.

If you read it, tell me what you think. And enjoy!

 

Star Wars vs. Star Trek by Matt Forbeck

 in Book Reviews / Books / Fiction / Fun / Humorous / Movies by

“COULD THE EMPIRE KICK THE FEDERATION’S ASS? and other galaxy-shaking enigmas”

Includes Forewords by Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett in Star Wars) and Tim Russ (Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager)
Summary
WHO RULES? CAPTAIN KIRK or HAN SOLO?
Could a Jedi knight use his light saber to deflect a beam from a phaser? Could a Cardassian beat a Chazrach in a fair fight? Would a Federation ship making the Kessel Run crack the Millennium Falcon’s record of less than twelve parsecs? And most important…in a fight between the Empire and the Federation, who would win?
Ever since the first Trekkie walked out of Star Wars in 1977 and said “Meh!”, fans of the two series have gone head to head over these questions. Now you can line up – side by side – aliens, technology, story points, weaponry, and heroes from the two great SF sagas of all time.
Whether you can pronounce “Heglu’meH QaQ jajvam!” (that’s “Today is a good day to die!” in Klingon) or can recite all the names of the members of the Imperial Senate (which meets on Coruscant), you’ll want the detailed information Matt Forbeck has compiled about both universes, as well as trivia, quizzes, quotes, and information drawn from these two iconic settings. So phasers on stun and light sabers at the ready! It’s on.”
Review
This book is SO much fun to read. My family is a huge Star Trek/ Star Wars family. We are all Trekkie’s (while my mom is more so with my dad), but my dad and I are both Star Wars fans as well (I more so.) So we sometimes get into debates over who is better. (I won’t state my opinion as a backlash will ensue, don’t want to start a galactic war now do I? >:) ). So when Christmas came around and I saw this book in Bookends, I just had to buy it, hoping that it would put to rest some of our arguments (sadly it didn’t really.)
This book really does help with many questions that one may have between the two fandoms. 
The book is split up into sections, different creatures, weapons, ships, culture, heroes, and even an ending section of Star Wars fans versus Star Trek fans (haven’t read that part yet haha.) Then within each section, well known character, weapons, ships and so forth are taken from each universe and compared to each other and a situation is set up. The situation is fake but it is as if the two universes collided and then there is an outcome and who would win. The book could be biased in some way or another but still it is SO MUCH FUN TO READ! 
I never would have thought of doing this and its such a genius idea. There are even some quizzes to test you knowledge. There isn’t  a scoring system or anything like that but there are the answers so that you can know if you are correct or not. AND IT IS SO MUCH FUN! We did these quizzes at dinner and would be laughing (or arguing) over different answers.
There isn’t terribly much to say about the book as it is quite self-explanatory but I just have to say that you must try to find it if you are a fan. It is a great read and a good way to have some fun with the family and your friends. You may even learn a thing or two (for that day when you need to choose between joining the Empire of the Federation (that day is coming….I’m telling you 😀 )). So go and check this book out and let me know what you think because in my opinion it’s so much fun to read. Enjoy!

Angels’ Blood (Guilt Hunter) by Nalini Singh

 in Book Reviews / Books / Interesting / Series by

Summary

“Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux is hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael. But this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

OH! MY! GOD! I thought that Archangel’s Blade was amazing, this was just WOWOWOWOWOWOW! No lie, this book was 339 pages long and I read it in less than a day. And 339 pages of small print and PURE AWESOMENESS! I am totally fangirling about this book right now. Book 2 has already been ordered from my library, as well as book 3.

I mean I love stories about Angel’s, but a lot of stories have the angels being teenagers and stuff, this was not like that at all. The Archangel in this, Raphael (I don’t think it was like the real Archangel Raphael from the Bible), was tall, dark hair, muscly with gold and white wings and totally amazing. And then there was Elena, the main female character.

I really loved Elena because she was such a  strong character. The women in the two novels by Nalini Singh that I have read, were such strong characters and I really love them. Instead of the woman pining after the man, that man has to do everything he can to get the girl. And the women in these novels are *says dramatically* kick ass! In this novel she was a Vampire Hunter, and in the other novel the female character was just a regular type of Hunter. I love it!

The best part is, is that there is such a story to it as well. It is definitely not just about romance at all! There is a deep story behind it as well.

This book is definitely for mature readers. There wasn’t a whole lot of sex in it (not much at all surprisingly) but there was quite a lot of graphic violence including bodies and blood, but it went with what the story was about.

I am totally in love with this series and cannot wait for the next book to arrive for me to read…….ugh, it’s going to kill me. I really suggest checking this book out and letting me know if you love it as much as I do! Now excuse me while I go and scream into my pillow as I am so EXCITED!

*Turns her head and screams as loudly as she can into her pillow*

Until next time my lovelies. Keep reading and keep literature alive!

A History of Weapons by John O’Bryan (Author) and Barry Orkin (Illustrator)

 in Book Reviews / Books / Fun / History / Young Adult by

“Crossbows, Caltrops, Catapults & Lots of Other Things that Can Seriously Mess You Up”

One of the coolest covers ever! 😀

Summary

“BEHOLD more than 150 of the freakiest weapons in history.

UNLOCK the secrets of Genghis Khan, the “peaceful” Shaolin monks, and the ass-whooping Rajputs of India.

DISCOVER the truths about strange and ancient weapons like the atlatl, the sarissa, the urumi, and the Maka Pahoa Ko’oko’o

BECOME ONE with the often eccentric and always fascinating history of weapons”

-From the back of the book

Review

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!! This book is freaking AWESOME! I haven’t read the entire thing as it isn’t supposed to be read like a regular novel. It is a factual book but its fun to read. The book is broken up into different sections, classifying weapons under what time period they are from or who used them. An example would be that there is a section just on the cavemen’s weapons and then there is a section of Ninjas and Samurai and shows the difference between the two groups and the weapons that they used. The chapters start with an explanation of the group of people in history that are being mentioned and then there is one page per weapon. There is a picture of the weapon itself and then a paragraph or so on what the weapon actually is and what it was used for and its historical importance. Sometimes it will say how easy it is to use the weapon (usually for better known weapons as in the katana and such), it will sometimes say how it became famous (a historical event, movie, or even video game), and some uses that it was used for. It also may talk about what other weapon was used with it.

The setup was incredibly easy to understand and made the book more enjoyable. I also LOVED the illustrations!

You may think that this book would be boring and all historical and stuff but it most definitely is not. There was one weapon which was talked about which made me laugh because what was said in the description. The weapon was the Mancatcher which is a glorified pair of tweazers, massive style. It has spikes inside of it and was used to keep an enemy down while they were being bound or blindfolded. And John O’Bryan, in one of the sentences said,

“After a victim was subdued by the mancatcher, the knight would typically bind the person’s hands for the ride home. Or if he was feeling like a dick, he might leave the person inside the jaws of the mancatcher for the entire horse ride. Ouch.”

The writing in this book is not like a regular history book where big words are used and such. It is written in a common dialect and it makes it more fun and engaging. The pictures also really add to the book as well because otherwise I would have ABSOLUTELY no idea what the weapons are that are being talked about.

I had always been fascinated with weapons and such and this just does the trick for me (also some of the stories I’m writing has historical contexts and Wikipedia searches just aren’t cutting it for the weapons.) This book puts all of the weapons that you are ever going to need to know in one fun, friendly, and easy to use book.

I also loved the cover. It caught my eye and I loved the tagline of the book. It made me laugh and intrigued me to as what the book was about. What can I say…I sometimes judge a book by its cover and boy am I glad that I did.

I personally love this book and will be reading it from beginning to end. It it set up amazingly well and I am so glad that I made this purchase. You should definitely go and try to find this book. It is worth the price, (not that expensive, about $19). If you are interested in weapons then this is a great thing to buy, but would be an amazing gift for someone who is interested in weapons as well. But even if you aren’t interested in weapons, it’s still a fun read and you may learn something.

So go and check it out and let me know what you think of it.