The Fairyland Murder by J. A. Kazimer

                                                   

 

Release Date: December, 8th

Arc provided by Kensington Books through Netgalley

DNF at page 81 due to the impossible amount of chauvinistic and misogynistic comments that prevail in this text.

I probably could keep on reading it, if forced _ it wasn't with the writing that I had a problem with _ but then I would probably end up having an aneurysm, so....better not.

First of all let me just explain this rating...

This would probably get a four star rating in different circumstances...and by different circumstances I mean, were I a different type of person.

 ___________

Since I am...who I am, I couldn't read another single line featuring Blue, the idiot jackass that pretends to be a technicolor version of an old fashioned "noir" PI.

The guy is almost a Smurf! Look at that hair!

He should keep his judgemental "born in the fifties" retrograde mentality under lock and key.

And this pains me. Because when I started reading this, I really thought I was going to love it.

That was before the "paranormal chauvinistic and misogynist crap" started making an appearance....like an avalanche :/

I will leave you with some quotes of  things that I really wish authors would stop saying and doing.

Especially woman authors.

Case number one: Forceful disrobing of the female character

My skin exploded into a silver light.(..)My attention was focused solely on the redhead who was now flittering around me like a moth circling a flame.(..)Pink translucent wings, like those in Barry’s costume shop but real in every way, sprouted from her back, ripping the perfectly (..)"
“Stop it. Please.” She clutched at the torn fabric, trying, without much success, to cover her naked flesh as her body involuntarily circled mine.
A part of me felt bad.
A small part.
A really, really small part.
I shrugged. Served her right. She had lied to me and now she was paying the price

This retrograde bully mentality...is not attractive. Not even in the fantasy world.

Yes paranormal romance has it in heaps, that is why I mostly read urban fantasy these days...

In fact once I read this, my desire was to dnf the thing. Immediately.

Case number two:

If Izzy were my girl, I’d know every inch of her body by our second date. Our first date if she drank enough.

What is this? This is not funny anywhere.

What this is is just bloody stupid, and irresponsible.

Case number three:

“Not a bad idea.” I rubbed my blue goatee. “But I have a better one.”

She smiled encouragingly.

“You stick to the girlie stuff like baking cookies and leave the investigating to me.”

WHAT in blazes is this??

*picks up blowtorch*

And for "piéce de resistance":

"Izzy was safe and she’d learned a valuable lesson. When Blue Reynolds gave an order, like stay inside, he damn well expected immediate and complete compliance.

Or else."

Guys who treat women as dogs. Wow so...sexy...not.

Yeah,  I don't read this kind of thing.

Let it be known, that I've already read books that feature the inclusion of _supposedly _ modern day characters that would be more at home in a fairy tale environment, and those tales are told according to a "noir" perspective; and not even once, did that author give them Neanderthal mentalities.

What I want to say, is that this could have been done in a different way _ maintaining the noir setting _ but allowing the necessary personality upgrade into the twentieth first century.

 

C'mon this is a fantasy work.

If you have fairy tale characters running around, you sure can have a respectful approach to women.

Also humour is very good and nice, but one can't have a whole book filled with puns and cliched comments.

Well...you can, but.... I'm not interested in reading it.

@Author's Official Site

Another arc approval

This time, I got Illusionarium through Edelweiss :)

 

 

From the Goodreads' synopsis:  

From the author of Entwined, a brilliantly conceived adventure through an alternate London. This sweeping, cinematic tale of an apprentice scientist desperate to save his family—and his world—is The Night Circus meets Pixar.Through richly developed parallel worlds, vivid action, a healthy dose of humor, and gorgeous writing, Heather Dixon spins a story that is breathtaking and wholly original. 

Expected publication: May 19th 2015 by Greenwillow

I LOVED the experience that was to read The Night Circus. So suffice to say, that expectations are running high.

Lovely Wild by Megan Hart

                      Arc provided through Harlequin Mira through Netgalley

 I honestly don't know quite what to say about this story...
As a contemporary romance told through three points of view _ Mari's, her husband, and their daughter _ I am afraid that after some time, I became vaguely disconnected from it, and from their daily routines.

Not that there was anything wrong with the characters, or with the plot. Mostly I just felt that the whole thing felt a little too clustered with everything that was going on:
_The husband's professional career on the verge of falling to pieces (due to spoiler(ish) things..)
_The daughter dealing with the typical ya problems.
_And Mari ( our main character) having to deal with a whole lot of changes, after the husband decides to uproot the four of them into Mari's old house

I liked  the idea behind the story: See how someone who during her childhood years, had such a different upbringing, and analysing how she was able of coping with the so called "normal life".

Mari's mental processes, habits, and coping mechanisms felt real considering what she had been through.

Regarding the psychological drama this would get a four star rating, but once we approach the last chapters, the story gets to a whole level of drama that I find more adequate to soap operas (personal taste).
I normally give ratings of four stars to stories that I intend to re-read, and I kind of forced myself to finish this.
Sorry, it just wasn't my cup, but that doesn't mean that I won't recognize that it has its worth.
In the end it was necessary for Mari (Mariposa =butterfly) to confront her past in order to finally move on from her stagnant life, and hopefully from her fears.

Author's Official Site

Buy " Lovely Wild"
@Bookdepository.com

And don't Forget that...

...author Stacey Jay's new book "Princess of Thorns", is going to be released on December 9th!
*Christmas gift*
Of course I am dying to get my hands on it (my request is still pending on Edelweiss!), so sooner (probably not..) or later (once I receive my BD order!) I will be devouring it :)

      
 Girl Power!
Yes!!

Author's Official Site

Pre-order it:
Bookdepository.com
(Normally there's always a Hardback and a Library Binding edition to choose from...this year it took me a little longer to figure them out _ well, I think I have!
So in case you're interested in these kind of details, my advice is to check both book's weight (yes, supposedly the LB edition weights more, lol, and to compare the ISBN's with the edition that appears on Amazon.uk).
Or, you could just ask Bookdepository's customer support to help you with that...
_____
Yes, I am a picky nerd.
Look, if I am buying a book, I want to get it in my favourite type of edition :)
Those average hardbacks? With that paper cover? *shiver*
See the Blog's name?
There's a reason it isn't called Hardback Wonderland.

Arc Approvals

I have been trying to steer clear from Netgalley's and Edelweiss's site in these last couple of weeks, in an desperate attempt to finally have some time to read stories that I have been meaning to read for a long time now.
______
Right.
No one can say that I didn't have good intentions :)
"Unfortunately" I went into those "addictive" sites yesterday...

And today...

And I am still waiting for a response on my arc request for Stacey's Jay "Princess of Thorns" from Edelweiss, because I am an idiot, and on Netgalley's I was immediately refused..maybe because I said that I didn't like the cover...o_O
I am an idiot.
Piece of advice: If you ever find yourself desperately wanting to read an arc, and even if you find the cover quite bland?
Lie about it. Apparently people don't understand that one can actually like a story, without loving its cover.

But I digress, as always...
Arc Approvals. Here they are :

                 
                  

                                       
 All the above titles were approved through Netgalley.

From Edelweiss and not so recently approved (think November) I have:


 



 



     

  









At the moment I am currently reading Megan Hart's "Lovely Wild", and so far all I can say _still very much at the beginning _ is that I don't like the husband!
What about you?
What have you been reading?

My Beautiful Enemy (The Heart of Blade #2) by Sherry Thomas

Even taking into consideration the fact that I am more used to an occidental pov, than an oriental one, it still doesn't explain the fact that I found this story somewhat lukewarm.

I can't even give the explanation that I "fell " into this story without having read the previous story, because I did read it, and I pretty much loved it.

I think that for me, Ying Ying's and Leighton's story would have worked better, if instead of two books, we were to have had three: The second book following where the narrative stopped in the first book, allowing us to accompany their relationship, and all that happens next. I can't help feeling that, that would have given more strength to their story by allowing the readers to feel more empathy towards their story.

As it is, we are given flashbacks to see what happened between those two in the past, _for me the more interesting parts of the book _ and then we are thrown into the present, with just too many "balls up in the air":

We have Leighton who is engaged...

Catherine Blade, who is trying to find the Jade tablets..

A maniacal foe who sounds as if he's been having too much fun with catnip... o_O

The issue of both characters having met Herb Gordon..I don't know...it felt a little too much for nothing.

Also, I really didn't appreciate the way the engagement  between Leighton and his fiancée was resolved.

It was too convoluted and convenient, designed  it seemed, so that Leighton wouldn't come out as a cad.

The writing as always is flawless.

In the end, I can only say that this wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but this is not to say that this is a bad book.

It isn't. Only that as an adventure book, or a romantic tale, it needed more on both fronts.

Author Official Site

Buy " My Beautiful Enemy"

@Bookdepository.com

The Hidden Blade (The Heart of Blade Duology #1) by Sherry Thomas

You know how some book's synopsis sometimes seem to have been "changed at birth", when you compare them with the actual book?
Well, not this one! ;)
This story really is a mix of "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" with "Downton Abbey", or some other Regency inspired series.
I loved "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"!
Downton Abbey? Well I have seen some episodes, but I am not crazy about it.

In this tale the author gives us the background of  the main character's lives who will "star" in "My beautiful enemy" novel.
Through different cultures, and settings, we accompany Leighton's and Ying Ying growth from children to young adults.
How they were raised, what they had to fight against, and especially which social constraints that period threw at them...Ying Ying more than Leighton, although the boy doesn't end up having an easy life.

This has some action scenes _more towards the end _ but the story really has its worth, on its ability to make that time period come alive on each and every page, from the traditions to social practices. Eastern and western.

 Also, the author managed to create a strong female character capable of taking care of herself in a very difficult time period for women, and that isn't a small achievement!
Thank you for that.
Despite all the situations that Ying Ying ends up facing, she never comes out as a victim.

The descriptions are beautifully done, the characters felt original, and the setting is just haunting.
Suffice to say that a "Beautiful Enemy" read is coming next.
______
p.s . I have however to mention this, because I got really upset by it's non existence...
That's what happens with expectations, you know?

 

Where is my chopped villain??? o_O

 Author's Official Site

Buy " The Hidden Blade" (Yes, the BD has it!!)
@Bookdepository.com

In The Mail...

I have been very good _ in a very boring bookish way o_O _ in the sense that only after reading some amazing arcs, do I order my own very paperback copy!
If I can get it :/
Amazon is not really an option for me, so if Bookdepository doesn't sell it, most likely I won't be able to buy it.
But not in this case.
I had searched for this book on the BD data base, I didn't find it, and unexpectedly a Portuguese online book-store _ Wook_ apparently had it ...and voila, they were really able to get it _ no, I don't have any publicity contract with the guys! :) _ and here it is, today in my hands...in all it's beautiful cover design..glory!

My review of this anthology Wishes and Sorrows.

Currently Reading...

It's no secret that I love Sherry Thomas novels ( well, I do!), so it was only a matter of time until I started reading this story :)
So far, it is a solid 4 Star rating. The only reason why I still haven't finished it, is because I have been sick these last couple of days, and my concentration has been MIA...
This is the prequel to another 2014 released novel, My Beautiful Enemy, but don't expect this to be a novella.
This is a full length book!
The nerd in me is content ;)

p.s- The Evil Dude?
Is one of the sickest bastards I have ever read about!
Good job Miss Thomas.
I want to kill him myself. :/

Ditched by Amity Hope

 

This was a really sweet story, with likeable, well characterized characters, that left me with a smile on my face.

This is truly a YA contemporary romance, and I could see that the author really tried to stay focused on the "YA" aspect of it...because this could have turned into the "new adult scene" really quickly; and for once I wouldn't have minded. * I know! I even surprised myself*

Maybe because of the characters maturity, I think that a new adult approach would have had a stable groundwork to establish its foundations.

So yes, this was probably the first time in my life, in which I wished that a story would turn out into the new adult territory. 

The characters may be nineteen, but since one had been on the edge of getting married _in fact, she was even being pushed into it by her mother!   _ I really had no problem with how things worked out...namely the run away from home aspect of the thing, and the: yeah, I am just going to spend the holidays with my best friend, who is a guy, and whom has had a big crush on me for a couple of years now...not that I am aware of that...thing!

* despite my clumsy presentation, this was actually well developed on paper....so ignore me!*

In fact, I think that regarding that aspect, I have the feeling that this story will be better appreciated by the somewhat older crowd _thirtish maybe _ who has moved on from stories with alpha males characters, and soap operas hot messes, and who just want something sweet without being overburden by the characters idiocy and giant doses of uncontrolled teen angst. 

______________

Yes, I am describing myself.

This is not a book full of drama, with emotions and hormones going rampant all over the place.

This is a quiet story, that for me became believable, exactly because of the fact that the author gave the characters time to move on...

I found this story extremely engaging because of the romance between Max and Holly, who behaved _mostly_ as sensible people, _probably older than their actual age _ giving us a sweet and cute story of friends turned into "lovers".

Not exactly "lovers"...more like sweethearts.

 In fact this is the type of story that could easily be adapted to the movies, as that type of story that you watch on a Sunday matinée. Something that you already know how it is going to end, but that despite that _ or maybe because of that _ you just let yourself go with the story.

So yes, apparently this was my cup of tea,which means that I am looking forward in the reading the following novella, "Always", that also features Max and Holly, and which apparently is only available through Amazon.

Lovely... o_O

Now off to find a paperback edition of this...

*hum, "whom" to annoy? Bookdepository, or Wook bookstore....probably both!*

Author's Official Site

Buy " Ditched"

@Amazon