re:The Name of the Star
sorry for the delay, it's been a hectic week so far :) I think one of the strongest point of the name of the star is the characters. Rory is a very likable heroine and the rest of the cast is equally interesting. Even the world-building is quite solid. So there is nothing really wrong as such with the book. It just somehow seem to run out of steam about three quarters of the way into the story. I also found the chemistry b/w rory and her love interest to be tepid at best. At the end, I didn't really care whether they are together or not. I don't know if it was deliberate ( as in the author's planning to add another guy in the next series and turn it into a triangle) or not though. Hope this helps.
The Spirit Lens definitely sounds interesting. Will see if I can get my hands on it :)
Hi,
re: Trust Me
I think the issue is that Krentz is pretty much obsessed with the Logical Man/Intuitive Woman combo. Which means that she goes out of her way to show how the heroine's "feminine" intuitions are able to cope with/solve the man's "excessive" reliance on linear thinking...and the more mundane thought processes of his/her/their families. Unfortunately, in her (Krentz's) efforts to do so, the female lead end up looking clueless/naive. But there's no denying they're fun, put-your-brains-on-hold reads; especially the older ones :)
I liked it so far but then I liked the first Mercy Thompson as well before going off that series so reserving judgement. I did like Alpha and Omega, the short story. That was what got me interested in the series in the first place
hey,
sorry for the late reply...it's been a difficult couple of weeks for me. regarding Masques, I didn't quite enjoy it as much as I thought I would but did read "Steal the Dragon" which was indeed better (though it features a completely new set of characters). Hoping to get Wolfsbane soon so will be able to give a better opinion on the series. As of now, I definitely agree that the plots are better than the actual writing.
Hmmm. . . that isn't my preferred subgenre. . . but I'll try. :)
I really can't help with the paranormal romance side of things; I just haven't read much of it. I've heard good things about the series from M.L.N. Hanover (aka Daniel Abraham) starting with Unclean Spirits. . .
On the more traditional urban fantasy side of things, I don't think you have any Charles de Lint on your shelf? I'd recommend starting with a short story collection like Dreams Underfoot. If you don't like short stories then probably the novel Someplace to be Flying. . . and also in that vein you could try Terri Windling's The Wood Wife.
If you want something a bit challenging and not romantic you could try Catherynne M. Valente's Palimpsest; but read the first chapter in the store before buying, because she has a style that turns a lot of people off.
If you want romance and don't need the city to be a modern city, try Soulless, by Gail Carriger.
And it isn't fantasy, but it reads kind of like it: Santa Olivia, by Jacqueline Carey.
Let me know if this is at all helpful! :)
thanks a lot! the series looks fascinating, will try and get my hands on them asap :)
I know, what you mean...the withdrawal from a really great series is a horrible business, especially if you go through it too soon. I'm still in the phase and literally CRAVING something early 20th century, British stuff...problem is I've already gone through many of the 'Classic' writers from that period...Christie, Sayer, Heyer....tried looking at some of the newer cozies based on the era (Carola Dunn et al) but it's like trying to soothe yourself with vanilla when what you really need is Bavarian Chocolate :(
@ littlechaosmonster yup, read about those two, but somehow didn't seem as appealing...I never did like swan lake, but the best part is I just checked her website and she's currently working on the 7th elemental masters book, it's tentatively titled 'unnatural Issue' and feat. Lord Peter Almsley from Serpent's Shadow and ever since I heard that I was praying that Lackey would have a huge burst of inspiration and the smoothest writing experience possible so that I can read it asap. In fact, maybe I should research a spell of my own...*lol*
be careful, speaking from personal experience the editing bug can be highly addictive and you end up (well at least I ended up) spending hours fiddling around getting the books 'just right'! Sort of like when I used to spend the night before a test organizing the books on my table instead of reading!
@ littlechaosmonster: I know what you mean…I was like I'm an urban fantasy/cozy mystery kinda girl and then after I started adding to my shelf I was like wow! Not bad! Took me quite a while though. I mean I joined way back but it's only for the past couple of months that I've really started becoming active on the site.
And believe me the whole 'look at shelf, add book' thing is very common here…one of the best parts of the site in fact, you get to know about so many new authors…so welcome to the club. Hope you have a gr8 time…don't forget to keep adding books so that the rest of us can peek in ;)
ps love the nickname and the profile pic
Nice to meet you! Having that many books in common doesn't seem creepy to me. . . it seems an indication that you have good taste. ;)
