Thursday, February 19, 2015

Fate's Edge (The Edge #3) by Ilona Andrews

Fate's Edge (The Edge, #3)Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




☆☆☆☆


No spoilers and colorful language abound!


On the Edge (Book 1)



Bayou Moon (Book 2)



Ah! This, again, took me awhile to sink into. I'm not sure why I find the beginning of all of these books so tedious, but somehow I plow through, because I know how worth it, it is to finish. They are so good. I think I had forgotten how negatively I felt throughout most of the entire first book, yet I gave it a descent rating, they won me over with that ending. That seems to be the theme of me and these books.

Can I just say how happy I am about this world? Also, how equally sad I am that it's ending? I feel really comfortable now with the rules and landscapes of The Weird and The Broken and The Edge. I am deeply invested in the political environment between the various territories. With the switch in MCs each book, we are given a deeper attachment to these fascinating dual realities, I am excited yet sad to be starting the last book.

Fate's Edge I think was my favorite. Kaldar was everything I expected and then some. Sigh. His humor had me cackling in the dark, in the wee hours of the morning.


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Overall the humor in this book was on point. Jack and George are a wealth of endearing charm, I am so pleased we've gotten bits of their story since the beginning and we seem to be following it through. I wonder if they would ever pick up the story again when the boys are grown up! YEAH. That should happen.


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Anyway, time to read on.






Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Guiltiest of all guilty pleasures: NO SHAME

Recently I was chatting with some friends about my most guilty, of guilty pleasures.  Cool Ranch Doritos and Peanut M&Ms, at the same time. Apparently, this makes me a fucking weirdo and frankly, I'm more shocked that I'm the only one. It's honestly fucking delicious. Calorically it is a nightmare, but every now and again my inner fat girl roars her double chins and I must obey.

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What is your most favorite and bizarre combo of food? I must know.

Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts, #2) by Stacia Kane

Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts, #2)Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Update: Feb 2015 reread was just as great as the first time. This book has remained firmly in my memory, so stepping back into this world is like turning on a favorite TV show. Enjoyable to the max!

No spoilers!

Unholy Ghosts Review

That's it. I can't articulate anything.

Various stages of feels as demonstrated in animal gifs:

ZOMG


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No no no.


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...did that just happen?


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DEAD


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View all my reviews

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #1) by Stacia Kane

Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, #1)Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


☆☆☆☆☆

Feb 2015 Reread with MacHalo Girls: ABSOLUTELY FUCKING LOVED IT. Everything I said below still stands. I think I loved it more the second time around because perspective.

No Spoilers! Definitely colorful language abound!


1. THIS IS NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING.

I didn't read the reviews on this until I finished, and truthfully it's really a difficult book to review. It's not what you think it's going to be. It's not what you want it to be. It's not familiar. It's not unfamiliar. So what is it then? It's fucking tragic. This world is a place with no meaning. Filled with a bunch of people with no hope. The class devision is extremely prevalent, specifically noted in the dialect of the lower class. It's a bit startling at first, but truthfully it's something you adjust to and eventually see the fineness the author applied to it. It speaks of an uneducated and hardened group of people who have long been forgotten by a system that no longer seems to exist. There is no god, no light, no better place, no peace. You simply die, and your ghost is ushered to the underground where once a year you might be let out, for all of eternity, consumed by a murderous rage, you aren't even yourself. Let that sink in for a moment, shall we? You get this brief time of being alive where the quality of your life is nothing more than a roll of the dice. You are born with magic? Great. You are born with wealthy parents? Good. You are born poor? Well, shit. You can't change anything, you just have to manage to make it through, then for what exactly? AN ETERNITY OF NOTHING BUT RAGE IN THE CITY UNDERGROUND!

2. WHO ARE THESE CHARACTERS? IS THAT A LOVE TRIANGLE? I DON'T EVEN CARE.

You see, anything to do with ghosts typically freaks me the feck out and so that means I'm in equal measure terrified and fascinated. Eventually my TBR list lacked the ability to hold my attention and I went out seeking something I couldn't articulate. Thankfully I've met some book soul sisters here on GR and was reminded yet again by Jenny of this series. Something sparked and I put all my other reads on hold to start this.
I made a note at 20% through to myself:
Even if I were to stop right now, even if that was possible to let these characters go, I would always remember Chess. She is a character that will stay with me forever.

She is mosaic of painful memories, self-medicating tendencies and a healthy dose of self loathing. She is powerful, deeply sensitive, and brimming with hope despite herself. She expects the worst in others but somehow finds herself disappointed when they let her down. She is acutely aware of herself yet slathered in denial. She is a junkie with morals. She is a powerful witch and debunker but afraid of ghosts. She is gritty, raw and articulate. She is a badass and a pussy. She is complex, she is herself, she is MY NEW FAVORITE CHARACTER.


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Terrible is equally complex and manages to ooze a comfort in his own skin typically only seen in those who have been blessed with the pleasure of growing old. As all of the characters in this series his many layers are revealed in a deliciously slow manner, and almost in spite of himself. Terrible doesn't want you to get to know him but every now and again he slips and you see how clever, observant and protective he is. Not only does Terrible accept himself without hesitation despite being who he is and what he does, he also offers the same acceptance to all those around him. He truly see's people for who they are without any preconceived idea's of what they should do or be or say. This is especially visible in the way his friendship with Chess builds over the series.

Lex is the obvious charmer but carries it as his armor. You never once assume he will be anything other than what he is. I accept him, he's interesting and offers what I imagine will be a tough thing to accept in the plot. The relationship that develops with Chess is one she may have a very hard time seeing for what it really is.

Really, all of these characters are easy to judge and disconnect from. Some are junkies, some are pushers, some are enforcers and murderers, some abusive to themselves and to others. They will reflect all the ugly humanity has to offer and it's up to the reader to look deeper and see all aspects of their story.

3. THIS PLOT. WHAT IS HAPPENING. IS THIS HAPPENING?

N-O-T-H-I-N-G about this book is something you've read before. The drug use is intense and is a character of it's own. It's the force that drives everything Chess does, from sleeping, to working, to relaxing, to functioning on a basic level. It has a sort of love triangle but so far from the YA garbage you've read that you won't even care. These ghosts are murderous and dangerous. This world is bizarre and confusing. THIS FUCKING PLOT IS AMAZEBALLS AND CREEPS UP ON YOU.


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4. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK.


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5. THE 2ND BOOK IS ON MY KINDLE. I HAVE TO FUCKING GO.


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View all my reviews

Bayou Moon (The Edge, #2) by Ilona Andrews


I had a really hard time getting into this book, suddenly I was halfway through and loving it. I account all that to the genius that is IA, but even they started to lose me there, till the end. Then I was bowled over with happy feelings and loved it all over again. I'm not certain how to rate it... let's go with...

 ☆☆☆☆

No spoilers and colorful language abound! 

Eh. That's about all I've got here. I don't understand why I don't know what to say! It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that I was up all night reading and making sure my toddler doesn't pee the bed. That wouldn't have any bearing on my cognitive abilities or anything...eh whatever.


Continuation of this world:

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William aka Lord Leather Pants:

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Cerise:

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The angst:

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Spider and his gang of freaks:

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This whole plot:

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That ending:

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