Boneshaker Review

Title: Boneshaker
Author: Cherie Priest
Series: Clockwork Century #1
Audiobook Narrator: Karen Redding and Wil Wheaton
Genre: Steampunk, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Alternate History

Summary (From Amazon.com):
In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska’s ice. Thus was Dr. Blue’s Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born.

But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead.

Now it is sixteen years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blue’s widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history.

His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive.

Review:
Boneshaker is my fourth steampunk book that I finished reading (while listening to the audiobook version also for better experience. The story center around Briar Wilkes(narrated by Karen Redding)attempts to rescue her son, Ezekiel (or Zeke on which geek extraordinaire, Wil Wheaton was the narrator) who has his own personal quest on recovering his (in)famous father's science equipment inside the blight "zone" which is infested by "rotters" (aka zombies).

The overall story is very unique as it projects a semi-dystopian/post-apocalyptic feel once the the main character enters the "blight" area of the city. As with any steampunk books that I have read, the setting is held around the 1800's (around the American Civil War period). Boneshaker is a great beginning to a great steampunk series and I can't wait to read the next book "Celementine".

The Alchemyst Review

Title: The Alchemyst
Author: Michael Scott
Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1
Audiobook Narrators: Denis O'Hare
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Alternate Universe, Mythology, History

Review:

I am glad that I decided to finish all six books first before writing a review as I am to excited to read the next book that reviewing would will have to wait. Each books are written mostly in 3rd person format which I like since this series has a number of interesting characters and doing a first person point-of-view would be straining to both the author and to the some readers (Which is why it took me a long time to finish any of George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books).

The Alchemyst introduces us readers to initial set of characters which is Nicholas Flamel, his wife Perenell Flamel and the twins Josh and Sofie Newman which are the real focal characters to this series (To which I would personally change the series title to "The Chronicles of the Twins of Legend" or something like that if given a chance). We also get to know the main antagonist Dr. John Dee, as well as a number of supporting characters and places that are based from history and mythology (Scathach, Hekate, the Witch of Endor, Yggdrasil etc.) The audiobook narrator (Denis O'Hare) did a great job as he was able to infuse the proper pronunciations as well as the accents of every character.

City of Lost Souls Review

Title: City of Lost Souls
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instrument #5
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Nephilim, Angels, Demons, Warlocks, Vampires, Demons, Faeries

Review:

After at least a month of reading (without any assistance from an audiobook), I was able to finish reading "City of Lost Souls".

Obviously the story starts off where "City of Fallen Angels" left of as Clary and the rest of her friends are try every other ways to find Jace Wayland/Lightwood/Herondale after he went missing with the diabolical Sebastian a.k.a. Jonathan Morgensterm.

As the story goes along I was a bit disappointed on the bulk of the story as it was focused more on the "drama" between the love relationships with each characters and not with the issue at hand on which the Shadowhunters are to rescue or hunt down one of their own. 

I was glad though that upon Book III, we finally get the action I was clamoring for and in typical Classandra Clare fashion, the story ends in a favorable resolution (the rescue of Jace) and the signature cliffhanger (which serves somewhat of a preview of things to come in the upcoming sixth book "City of Heavenly Fire").

Every Which Way But Dead Review

Title: Every Which Way But Dead
Author: Kim Harrison
Series: Hollows / Rachel Morgan #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Witches, Vampires, Demons, Bounty Hunters, Faeries, Elves

Summary:There's no other Witch in Cincinnati tougher, sexier, or more screwed up than bounty-hunter Rachel Morgan, who's already put her love life (and her soul) in jeopardy through her determined efforts to bring a criminal night creatures to justice.

Between "runs," she has her hands full fending off the attentions of her blood-lusting partner, keeping a dark secret from Jenks, her pixie backup, and resisting a hot new vampire suitor Kisten.

Rachel must also take a stand in the war that's raging in the city's underworld, since she helped put away the vampire Piscari by making a deal with Algaliarept, a powerful demon, to do so that could cost her an eternity of pain, torment, and degradation.

And now "Big Al" is coming to collect his due.

Review:The third installment to the Hollows/Rachel Morgan series continues on from the events of the last book "The Good, the Bad and the Undead". It's past-paced, exciting, unpredictable and fun. Rachel is a wonderfully complex, multi-dimensional protagonist whose penchant for going with the immediate solution and worrying about long-term consequences later leads to no end of thrilling complications:

Make a deal with a demon now, worry about saving her soul later

Keep a secret now, worry about how to rebuild a friendship later

Take down the immediate threat now, and worry about dealing with the ally of convenience when he becomes a problem in the future.

It helps, of course, that she's surrounded by equally complex, equally active people. We also get to read how Rachel and Trent Kalamack's history to which their respective fathers where once very close friends. I would assume more will be revealed as the series continues on.

I was impressed on how Kim Harrison was able to juggle the proganist's various issues then later resolve them in one big swoop.

Blood Cross Review

Title: Blood Cross
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Hunters, Shapeshifters, Skinwalkers, Vampires, Witches.

Review:

In the second installment of Jane Yellowrock series, entitled Blood Cross, the stories continue from when Jane Yellowrock was hired by the vampire council to hunt down a rogue vampire who turns young and innocent humans into insane rogue vampire which violates the vampire laws. Jane later gets herself involve into power-play between major the vampire clans. It is also reveal that this power-play also involves an age old rivalry between the vampires and witches which lead to the Jane's bestfriend's children being kidnapped by the perpetrators.

The plot is a tad more complicated than one initially expects, and at times it can be distracting to try and figure out where Jane is on which case or line of inquiry. Despite the complexity of the plot, it still get resolve in a favorable way concluding which is considered a very gruelling story arc.   

Jane Yellowrock is by far one of the best urban fantasy books I have read and I can't wait to read the next book of the series.

The Good, The Bad and The Undead Review

Title: The Good, The Bad and The Undead
Author: Kim Harrison
Series: Hollows / Rachel Morgan #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Witches, Vampires, Demons, Bounty Hunters, Faeries, Elfs

Review:

The Good the Bad and the Undead is the second installment of the "The Hollows" series (To other this is called "The Rachel Morgan series"). Rachel Morgan, the series' sexy witch and one of the proprietor of a an independing runner service along with his partner's Jenks, a pixie and Ivy Tahmwood, a living vamapire (aka vampire with a soul).

This time Rachel accepts a contract from the FIB (Federal Inderland Bureau) to investigate a wave of witch murders and she goes undercover to spy on her former professor. Morgan suspects councilman Trent Kalamack of the murders (Along the way we also learn more about Kalamack's history). I like how the story gets resolve with an intertwined new predicament to the protagonist which will basically serve as a precurser to the next book.

The characters continue to develop so it isn't just the same plot but a different adventure. The evolution and and complex relationships of the characters is part of what makes you care about them. 

As always I love the witty banters between Rachel and Jenks (who I would now considered the resident comic relief of this series). Ivy's character continues her to emphasize his character being "mysterious" and she always give Rachel the "creep" whenever she 'vamps-out'. "The Good, the Bad and the Undead" is a followup to the series as a whole and with an in-depth revelation about Trent Kalamack, I suspect that this character becomes a factor to Rachel's history as series goes into a much more interesting path.

Green-Eyed Demon Review

Title: Green-Eyed Demon
Author: Jaye Wells
Audiobook Narrator: Cynthia Holloway
Series: Sabina Kane #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Assassins, Vampires, Demons, Mages, Nymphs, Faeries

Review:

The third installment of the Sabina Kane series picks up the action from The Mage in Black leaves off, with the series heroin half-mage, half-vampire Sabina heading to New Orleans accompanied by her demon familiar, Giguhl, and mage Adam Lazarus. Sabina is desperate to rescue her twin sister Maisie, who has been kidnapped by Lavinia Kane their wicked grandmother and the Alpha of the Dominae vampire group. 

The new location introduces another group of interesting characters – Voodoo priestess, Zenobia, changeling drag queen, Brooks/Pussy Willow, lesbian werewolf bar owner, Mac, and a reclusive rock star Erron Zorn (who happens to be an excommunicated mage). Aside from these interesting people we get to know the newest threat, the Caste of Nod.

We also get to read Sabina's improvement as a mage as he gets to raise a zombie (her Cthonic power is somewhat a form of necromancy magic). Which was very critical during the final battle between Sabina and her grandmother. In the romance depart Adam finally expresses his feelings to Sabina which to the delight of magepire. 

Green-Eyed Demon is the conclusion to the conflict between Sabina and her grandmother which I though was great as we get to resolve all issues in a fitting finale had this series stayed as a trilogy. With the upcoming threats to Sabina Kane and her companions, this series is far from over.