Review: Among the Living (PsyCop 01) by Jordan Castillo Price

Book info:Form: pdf e-book
Genre: urban fantasy/paranormal m/m romance/crime story
Target audience: adults

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Victor Bayne, the psychic half of a PsyCop team, is a gay medium who’s more concerned with flying under the radar than in making waves. He hooks up with handsome Jacob Marks, a non-psychic (or “Stiff”) from an adjacent precinct at his ex-partner’s retirement party and it seems like his dubious luck has taken a turn for the better. But then a serial killer surfaces who can change his appearance to match any witness’ idea of the world’s hottest guy.

Solving murders is a snap when you can ask the victims whodunit, but this killer’s not leaving any spirits behind. What's wrong?

What I liked:

I am not a fan of romance. I am definitely not a fan of m/m paranormal romance. My first impression was I wasn't going to like it. Vic hops on the first page higher than a kite and not ashamed or worried about it (as he is officially allowed to take drugs). Marks, Vic's crush, seems at first a bit too power-crazy and domineering for my taste, not to mention the fact that he is a gym rat through and through. I still ended up liking this novel quite a lot, all things considered. Why?

 Firstly it was an original idea, to present psychics not as shadowy charlatans they normally are (my skewed opinion of course) but as rare professionals whose talents are much sought-after by different government agencies, police and intelligence services among them. Accordingly Victor Bayne is a PsyCop, working with the local Chicago police force, with the ability to see and communicate with the dead. Imagine that: he arrives at a crime scene and he can actually see and sometimes even talk with the victim. He can't do anything else but his brains and intelligence make him more than just a level 5 medium. Detective Bayne also investigates and solves crimes - quite a nice surprise.

Apart from that Victor has one of the most fascinating narrative voices I've met recently.He's been through a lot, firstly diagnosed as schisophrenic and institutionalized, then closed in Camp Hell, where his unusual skills were supposed to be honed and developped and where he suffered mental and physical abuse. It left him scarred, perhaps for life. Now he is not bothered by his flaws and moderately interested in what happens around him if he's not involved. He keeps himself to himself. He is raw honest and not ashamed of practically anything = a flawed hero I like. And of course he has his secrets, not to be revealed to anyone, among them the true scope of his possibilities.

He is paired with Jacob Marks, "a big, strapping guy with a deep voice and a piercing gaze that could nail you to the wall." It is evident what those two see in each other: Vic, emotionally unstable and physically weaker, is looking for protection against the ugly world around him. Jacob admires Vic's skills when it comes to the souls of the departed, even though he is the elegant, smart and fitness-club-poster muscled one. Their love story started a bit too suddenly for me (but I suppose it will be explained in more detail later) but then it was surprisingly sweet and steamy for an m/m romance arc. Yes, the sex is rather prominent but the book actually has an interesting plot as well so I became a very tollerant and patient reader all of a sudden.

Finally let me say that I liked Lisa Guttierez - an  interesting albeit secondary character with an unusual gift. I do hope to meet her again.

What I didn't like:

My slight disappointment with this one was the showdown. Spoiler, highlight to read: so there is that shape-changing incubus which explodes, end of the story. That’s it? Really? That's all you've got? Oh, right…still a little anti-climactic. I wish there was a little more world building as well but I keep in mind the fact that it is just a beginning of a series so there is some hope. Let me also add that the sex scenes sometimes bordered on too descriptive, even gratuitous, but perhaps it's just me.

Final verdict:

There is so much scope for this author to build on.I have a feeling that if I continue with the series that Jacob and Vic will grow on me...considering that I really do like flawed characters and urban fantasy, even if it comes with m/m flavour.

Review: Greywalker by Kat Richardson (Greywalker 01)

Book info:
Form: paperback, 341 pages
Genre: urban fantasy, detecitve story
Target audience: adults

Synopsis

Harper Blaine, a PI living with her ferret, Chaos, in Seattle, sometimes runs out of luck. One of such instances (a very agressive  debtor determined not to pay his debt) results in her being taken to a hospital  in a very bad  state of utter confusion - grevious bodily harm and such. When she comes to her senses (more or less) she finds out that she was clinically dead for approximately two minutes.  Ok, no big deal, it can happen in this line of work and if the paramedics still manage to resuscitate you it is fine, right? Wrong.

 Harper goes out of the hospital, determined to continue  earning her living and paying the outstanding bills when things start getting strange. It seems  she has developed the ability to see into the Grey, the purgatory-like  alternate reality in between here and the afterlife, full of  vampires, ghosts, and various creepy critters. Unfortunately for Harper, the creatures of the Grey have the ability to see her as well  and not all of them are exactly harmless or friendly. Will she be able to learn how to defend herself?

Back to the normal world. Soon enough Harper is having two new clients. A posh, middle class lady is looking for her missing son, a uni student, who's disappeared without most of his precious goods and chattels. The police don't want to investigate because a missing student is hardly a big deal. A strange foreigner is looking for old  pipe organs, once allegedly his possession, and wants Harper to find them for him. Nothing difficult for a PI, isn't it? Or maybe, just maybe, these two cases are somehow connected and far more complicated than they sound? 

What I liked:

I found this one in a bookshop with cheap sale books and somehow the blurb took my fancy so I bought it. The book one is not exactly new (it was released in 2006) but I admit I found it  a lot more unique than I expected.  The Grey, somewhere in-between the real land of the dead and the harsh reality... an intriguing concept  and the author didn't disappoint in that respect. The world building was a refreshingly different, and surprisingly coherent and let me tell you, it is no mean feat to achieve it with more and more  series being  increasingly oversaturated with vampires, werewolves, and intrepid female PIs. We have vampires and revenants and witches and ghosts all inter-twined in different ways – and even these simple labels rarely encapsulate the full power and variety of each being. 

Unlike the familiar heroine in the genre, Harper appears older and rather mature (however her age is not stated in the first installment so forgive me if I am wrong). I was so happy we were spared annoying wisecracks and fashion tips, not to mention shopping for clothes. Also the vampires, presented here, are more bloodthirsty and cunning than in your average paranormal romance. Yes, we get one Edward and one Alice but Edward is a manipulative, sadistic businessman and Alice is his biggest enemy - no Twilight traces. Which is good.

The plot I found interesting and well-spaced, although a bit slow at the beginning; still starting a book with the death of the main character is always an original  move. There is some romance but no insta-love or any such inanities.

What I didn't like:

I know it is the first book in the series and a debut novel to boot but it was sometimes weird that you don't learn anything about the main character except that she was attacked, died for two minutes, has shoulder length hair, lives alone and owns a ferret. Ferret was actually sweet and funny but she can't stand for the whole family, right? In my opinion such skeletal characterization makes Harper harder to relate to at first. It seems as if this book was a lot of set-up for other books, and that the author idn't have a clear picture of how she wanted to flesh out her main character. 

The narration also spends quite a lot of time on Harper blindly trying to figure out what the heck is going on with her and not believing other people (like one Irish witch called Mara) who try to help her. It was a bit irritating. From time to time (too often in my humble opinion) we get such a scene:

Harper: I don't want this Grey. It hurts!
Mara: Because you're fighting it. Accept it and it'll stop hurting.
H: But I don't want it. I want it to stop, to go away, to vanish! Shooo ugly monsters!
M: They won't go away and this can't be undone. Accept it and it will be easier.
H: But I don't want to be the Greywalker! I don't believe in it and I don't like the smell!
M: You must accept it. There is no other option.

*Harper glowers, pouts and storms out without another word*
*Hours pass and then they talk over the phone or in person and...*

M: I'm sorry I pushed you too strongly.
H: It's okay. I know you did me a favour.
M: Come along for a piece of cake and some good energy.

Yeah...did I say the heroine is mature? Scratch that. She is SOMETIMES mature and sometimes not.

Final verdict:

In my opinion Greywalker  has a potential to evolve into a good series. The good news is that you don't have to wait forever for the rest - as far as I know there are at least seven other novels available on the market.

If you're looking for an original spin on the standard urban fantasy tropes or a female-protagonist urban fantasy with a lot more action and a lot less romance, then this novel is worth taking a look at. It is nothing great but it will keep you entertained.

Review: Higher Magic by Kira Izmailova

Form: paperback

Genre: Urban fantasy, romance, crime story

Target audience: adults and young adults (but closer to 18)

Pages: 416

Synopsis:

When Naina Chernova signed up for the State’s Magic University in Moskow she thought it was a good choice, better than economy anyway. She was left disappointed though. Mathematics? Philosophy? The history of magic? Who needs these when you are promised to practice witchcraft? What could be done?  Soon enough her student life was progressing at a steady pace until one day she was sorely tempted and decided to break into a forbidden section of the University library. And was caught - by  professor Igor Davletiarov, a guy nobody, especially not a student, would like to cross. She expected to be thrown out. And officially she was. Still it was completely spurious.

Both her status and education changed dramatically – she became a part of a very exclusive group of students schooled in real magic, something she had yearned to try ever since. She proved to be gifted, so gifted that she was chosen for a special team preparing to conduct some dangerous and super secret experiment. And here she hit another snag. Davletiarov, a tutor who was never exactly friendly but decent, started to pick on her publicly in a very nasty manner. Why? Naina’s curiosity became alive despite her hurt feelings. She decided to investigate the past of her tormentor and found out things which made her rethink pretty much everything time and again. Can magic be dangerous to her?  

What I liked:

At first glance it seemed just another version of Harry Potter for a slightly older audience – a clever but rather homely girl starts her higher education in magic, is underwhelmed by the chosen alma mater and a tad lonely; then  her life changes all of a sudden because of her own curiosity, a mysterious sixth floor which keeps appearing and disappearing and an unpleasant professor (Snape, yes, I had to add that, almost Snape but more intelligent and cleaner). Still it was original and fresh – not only the sense of humour (I laughed out loud like mad several times maybe because I could relate) and the vivid characterization but also the whole setting which really sometimes seemed far closer to Bulhakov than to J.K Rowling.

Naina is a very likeable character, inquisitive, recourceful, intelligent, ironic. I liked following her around even if from time to time her life was boring. Her relationship with Davletiarov was mature, changing and developing, so far from those tiring, silly infatuations as it is only possible; yes, there was a kind of fascination but also a lot of common sense (‘what this guy wants?’ why he behaves that way or the other?’ ‘what’s happened to him?’). After reading so many American novels in which the females are either drooling over boyfriends’ six packs or cat-fighting each other to prove how kick-ass they are this was like a return to a much-missed normalcy.

Finally Naina did something which not only made me cheer but also earned my deepest respect (as it is a spoiler it is masked, highlight to read or skip, according to your wishes): she left Davletiarov. Yes, she walked away from him completely on her own. And he let her do it. Mind you she did it ONLY and SOLELY because she wanted to show her own mettle. There was no ‘third’ party, no other romantic interest, NOTHING like an ugly love triangle. You see, Mesdames et Messieurs? Completely possible. What a refreshing move after reading about all those vapid, brainless girls who are so insanely bipolar when it comes to their feelings that they sometimes make me dizzy (up-again-down-again).

What I didn’t like:

I do admit the book had its weaknesses. It was a bit too long or too short – I am sure any American writer would make of it a fully-fledged trilogy. Not a bad trilogy to add. The pace of narration was too monotone, especially in the third part of the book when the characters of Naina and Igor were separated for some time. Some plot devices like Naina’s sudden trip to Paris and her equally sudden change of heart after shopping in Parisian boutiques and getting to know foreign mages were a bit stretched. I can understand a girl can lose heart after seeing a nice pair of shoes but to lose her heart so completely? Has the author run out of ideas? Fortunately soon the order of things was restored and in the end we get a big fat HFN (happy for now). Which suited me fine.

Oh and the cover seems to be just a random jumble of pictures. This story deserves something better.

Final verdict:

A very light and refreshing novel with an interesting plot, narrated in a funny way, and featuring a pair of protagonists who are very likeable although a bit flawed. Bad news: as far as I know it is not available in English. Not yet I hope – a publisher should get interested in this one asap. 

Review: Headhunters by Jo Nesbo

Book info:
Form: Kindle e-book
Genre: thriller, crime story
Target audience: adults


“An artist who maintains that he has been misunderstood is almost always a bad artist who, I’m afraid to say, has been understood.” (loc. 773)


 “The world is full of people who pay serious money for bad pictures by good artists. And mediocre heads on tall bodies.” (loc. 518) 


 “Noble, loyal souls are often handicapped by loyalty to even the basest of individuals. Well, especially the base individuals.”

Synopsis:

Roger Brown, the narrator of this novel is one of the best Norvegian corporate headhunters. In his humble opinion he is of course the very best. Unfortunately he is rather short (1.68 m or 5.5 feet) and let’s face it, in his little world size and first impressions matter.

Roger has many ways to compensate for the missing centimeters. He lives in an enormous vintage villa, he has a lovely, supermodel-thin and even quite intelligent wife (of course far higher than him), Diane, who has been given an art gallery from her loving husband. He has a mistress (of course far shorter than him), Lotte, who is a sad, suppressed, miserably lonely translator (but quite good in the sack). He has even a kind of hobby, if stealing different pieces of art and selling them on the black market can be called so. It is still not enough. He must prove himself he is the best every single day. By the way his career, no matter how profitable, simply can’t support his luxurious lifestyle and the fledgling art gallery of his demanding wife. That’s why for Roger stealing is as much a necessity as a thrilling hobby.

One day our headhunter spots a perfect business opportunity – it is called Clas Greve, a former co-owner of HOTE, one of Dutch telecommunication and surveillance companies. Roger wants him to become a new CEO of a similar company in Norway which produces sophisticated GPS devices. Up to a point everything is going very well: Clas, after initial reluctance, proves to be quite willing to take up the new job and, to his own delight, Roger finds out that his mark even owns a very expensive if not priceless Rubens masterpiece, allegedly  lost since WWII. Hobby and work combined in one highly profitable bundle - what cheer! While stealing it from Clas's unfinished apartment Roger accidentally finds out that Mr. Greve most likely knows Diane far more intimately than he was supposed to. With this discovery all the hell is let loose - Roger finally finds an opponent on a par with himself when it comes to stamina, hunting skills and manipulation. Their vicious, dirty fight for supremacy will include a couple of murders and a lot of excrements.

What I liked:

This novel is a stand-alone, not another installment of the Harry Hole series (its first part I reviewed not so long ago) . As usual with Nesbo the plot  was like a rollercoaster ride– very fast, very entertaining, riveting to the end, a page-turner, nothing less. The author has a storytelling talent, there is no doubt of it. Apart from that Nesbo's keen knowledge of human nature and sharp, dry  sense of humor make this thriller far more readable than your average novel of this genre. Yes, it includes a bit of bathroom humour (be warned – no eating while reading certain scenes!) but all things considering it remained still palatable, even if barely so.

Beside the very high amusing factor this book pushed my other buttons. It mentioned some famous paintings and, generally, art. It explained in a very funny way a method of recruiting and/or interrogation called Inbau, Reid and Buckley’s nine step model (yes, it is real and used).

Ok now something about the main "headhunter" Roger Brown. I liked him more than I should have. Let me assure you that he is a loathsome human being, but his powerful enemies are at least as clever, opportunistic, and amoral as he is. No matter whether you sympathize with his ordeal or not, you will certainly laugh with him and even root for him from time to time. Still his adventures don’t make Roger a “white hat”, not really, even though his rival is a ruthless, manipulative psychopath with special forces training.

What I didn’t like:

The first person narrative was sometimes so misleading that almost annoying. I know in such books the first person is used in order not to reveal too much too early, keeping the readers on the edge of their seats (and accordingly our hero omits important info leaving you completely befuddled and craving for more several times). After a while I admit I was rather tired by all those twists, turns and fireworks, especially near the ending. I had a feeling all was happening a bit too fast, almost as if I watched one of Disney cartoons with Tom and Jerry – all action, little sense. There were many moments when I had to suspend belief  and even then the plot seemed just too slick and shallow.

After a while (like in the second part) I started wondering: is this one of the early Nesbo novels? Perhaps it was written with a very strict deadline hovering over the author’s neck? This book definitely has a potential but, in my humble opinion, it failed to deliver. Even the baddies weren’t as fully-fledged as I expected them to be. Once again it seems that, having all the necessary ingredients, the author lacked time or will to work on that more. Small wonder this book was adapted for cinema – it is good but not overly demanding and just flashy enough to interest the widest audience possible.

Final verdict:

If you haven’t read any of Nesbo novels, you can start with this one - everything else will be only better. If you, however, have already discovered one of the Harry Hole books you can skip “Headhunters” or watch the movie. It wasn’t bad, not at all; it was a really decent thriller with all the necessary features and even more; my problem was that after some Harry Hole novels it seemed a bit tawdry to me. Still it kept me entertained. 

The Calydonian Boar Hunt by Peter Paul Rubens.
A lot of fuss and some funny people busy killing - like in this book.

Summer mini review: Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire hunter 01) by Laurell K. Hamilton

Form: e-book, pdf format

Genre: urban fantasy, paranormal romance, crime story

Target audience: adults

Cover via Amazon

Synopsis:

This huge and well-known series (twenty installments have been written so far, imagine that!) takes place in a parallel fantasy world where vampires, shape shifters, werewolves, faeries, etc. exist. Our main heroine is called Anita Blake and she is knee-deep into the supernatural world whether she wants it or not. Her night job, and primary source of income, is the legal profession of re-animating the dead. She is also a licensed vampire hunter/executioner, with eventual empowerment as a Federal Marshal. In her world this profession involves tracking down and killing vampires who have murdered humans. She is also held in retainer for the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team (RPIT, pronounced Rip-it), which investigates supernatural crimes committed involving magic, vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures.

In the first novel, Guilty Pleasures, Anita is cruelly blackmailed by Nikolaos, the vampire Master of the City, into investigating a series of vampire murders. During the course of this investigation, we learn that Jean-Claude, another master vampire but less powerful than Nikolaos, is interested in Anita. He gives her two of the four marks necessary to make her his personal "human servant” without her being aware of it. We also learn that while Anita can usually guess the age of vampires, she cannot get a read on Jean-Claude's age. Anita identifies the murderer, but by that point has sufficiently antagonized Nikolaos and her underlings that she has do defend herself against them too. With help from Edward, a human associate who specializes in assassinating supernatural targets, and Rafael the Rat King, Anita kills Nikolaos and many of her followers. To her surprise, Jean-Claude becomes the new Master of the City.

What I liked:

• The strong, tough-minded character of the heroine and narrator is a big asset here - Anita is definitely the type of woman I like reading about. She is conflicted, kick-ass, intelligent and funny. She hates pink. She is loyal.

·        Hamilton's vampires are of the Anne Rice genre - they are beautiful, deadly and follow their own code of ethics. Many humans have become enthralled with them, but many others remain deeply suspicious. To Anita they are monsters who, when they go out of control, must be killed but they are not one-dimensional monsters. Some of them (Jean-Claude) are pretty alluring. I liked such an approach.

• The style of this book is part detective potboiler, part mystery, and part fantasy with supernatural portents. It was a very quick read, carrying me along from its first page to its last. A book perfect for a summer day although not exactly fluffy – the plot is filled with violence and gore, and yet, with the innocence and hope that remains inside Anita, you don’t feel overwhelmed by it. 

Titillating factor:

The sexual content in this book I would consider basically  PG-13 – plenty of innuendo, nothing explicit. The violence, however, is probably at the "R" rating, not too severe for a vampire novel, but certainly not for the squeamish either.

What I didn’t like:

• The dialogues the author puts in the mouths of her characters are sometimes exceedingly clumsy. The story gets often choppy, with no smooth flow between the action scenes.

• Although Ms Hamilton’s new, alternate universe, where vampires and other scary creatures are a regular part of our world, is interesting in itself I felt like I've seen all this stuff before. I’ve read too many vampire novels I guess.

• I know it is just the first part of the series but it kind of bothered me why so little was explained here – speak about a patchy world building. For instance there is no explanation for why a vampire can kill 23 people before a court order is given for its extermination. Not enough proof? There is no explanation given for why killing vampires is so hard while it’s pretty clear they are defenseless during the day; after all Anita and Edward dispatch several of the city's most powerful vampires quite easily so what’s the real problem?

•  The plot was rather predictable -  from the first chapter I could tell you how it would end and who would die. I wasn’t terribly interested in solving the whole mystery either.

• The ending was just as bad. The author, in the last ten pages or so, wrapped up the mystery of the vampire killer by simply sending Anita on a random zombie job. To top it off, the clients from the zombie job never showed up, apparently forgetting the whole deal. Sloppy.
• the cover - yuck!

Final verdict:

I finished the first book and considered it not that bad. Perhaps not exactly brilliant but still readable. Having read mixed reviews of the whole series, I am intrigued enough to pick up the second installment – apparently the series gets better.

Summer mini review: Brightwing by Sullivan Lee

Book info:

Form: e-book, pdf format
Language: English Genre: crime story, romance, thriller
Target audience: adults 

I received a digital copy of this novel from the author free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. This fact didn’t influence my opinion in any way.

Synopsis (from the cover)

Edgar and Mallory Battle are on the run after a spectacularly violent prison escape. Now, with a trail of bodies behind them, they need a hostage against the inevitable standoff with the police. Their first doesn’t last long, thanks to sociopathic Mallory. Edgar has been hiding his brother’s crimes since they were kids. Now he’s torn between loyalty and self-preservation.

They carjack Lucy Brightwing, a criminal fresh from her own heist, with a fortune of uncut gems hidden in her vehicle. She could escape — but she won’t abandon her millions. She could kill the Battle brothers, but she has to be careful. For one thing, if the law investigates, they’ll find her ill-gotten loot. For another, her own life is sacred. She’s the last member of a Florida paleoindian tribe thought to be extinct — the Tequesta. With her share of the money she plans to buy, bribe and blackmail her way into her own ancestral tribal lands in the heart of the Everglades, a Tequesta nation.

Lucy leads them into her beloved swamp, determined to kill them. But when she falls for Edgar she must decide whether to risk her heritage and the future of her tribe to save the doomed brothers.

What I liked:

Honestly it is the best self-published book I’ve had the pleasure to read so far. I loved it so much I might start waffling so, in order to be coherent and fair, let me list its charms as bullet points:

• The trio of main characters. I loved them all. They are neither very noble nor very bad but very very real. Lucy, the creative, bold thief and a kind of native American princess, was simply charming – a strong woman but so contemporary in her methods and so universal in her pursuit of happiness. And she can share!  Edgar, a bittersweet racketeer and a thief like Lucy, but far less successful in his career, is a guy who can win your heart, especially when you find out how he’s been burdened taking care of his sociopath brother, Mallory. 
• The narration. It was done very skillfully. You know a well-written book when you are riveted to it from the first to the last page, unwilling to stop at any moment, returning when you only can. This novel was such an experience.
• The ending. A HEA but one of these which leaves you satisfied and yearning for more at the same time. I wouldn’t mind the continuation, not at all, although you don't get any ugly cliffhangers.
• The romantic thread. It was done exceedingly well and with a sense of humour. It worked for me, especially the last bits about sharing and er...learning from experience- I won't say more in order not to spoil! 
• The real life portraits of police officers and native Americans - no saccharin, plenty of grit!
•  The Native American myths of Tequesta were not only an interesting addition but also interesting stories on their own. If they are real – fine. If they are fabricated it was done exceedingly well. 
•  The Everglades and Florida. Both described in such a way I am already planning a visit. On GoogleEarth of course – I hate mosquitoes and they love my blood ;) 

What I didn’t like:

• I haven’t figured it yet. I suppose I must reread but it will take more time. Yeah, this is I suppose a real drawback - instead of working I read.
• The cover is just so-so. The novel definitely deserves something better.

Final verdict:
A great novel, Ms Lee. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to read and review  it! I did enjoy it exceedingly!