December 2010 books & reviews

I'm posting this a little early because I'm in the middle of Devon Monk's Allie Beckstrom series and I think I'll finish the end of the year with Magic at the Gate based on where I'm at now...

December - total 9
Grand Total for 2010 - 151 Books! (Not the 200+ of last year, but hey, still a good total)

Darkness Calls by Marjorie M. Liu *****
A Wild Light by Marjorie M. Liu *****
Storm Front: Dresden Files by Jim Butcher ***
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead *****
Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk *****
Magic in the Blood by Devon Monk *****
Magic in the Shadows by Devon Monk *****
Magic on the Storm by Devon Monk *****
Magic at the Gate by Devon Monk ***** (anticipated)

Darkness Calls & A Wild Light are both 5 stars. I loved this series! Maxine is one amazingly tough person who doesn't give up. Grant, her boyfriend, ooh boy - he holds her up when she might falter. And "the Boys"? Both scary and lovable.I won't even start on the demon with the knife feet. Dark well-developed world, amazing characters and some serious scary mixed in with the angst. This is a must read for its darkness and hope in the face of the bleakest of circumstances. (I just hope Maxine's hair grows back.) Read it.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher is the first of the Dresden Files (3 stars). My sister LOVES these books. Me, meh. I don't mean that in a bad way. I actually liked it (I have the whole series to read & that was what I intended to read this month, but...), but here's the thing. I had a hard time relating to Harry Dresden. I know he's not supposed to be an old man, but to me he felt 65+. Just old. And very negative about himself, which usually works for me but not here. I can't even put my finger on why. And it was a little frustrating. But the story is solid and interesting and I do plan to read the rest. I'm just going to throw them in between other books, not all at once.

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (5 stars). I actually debated whether to give this 4 stars because I was annoyed by it. Without giving anything away....this is the finale to the Vampire Academy series which I really enjoyed. (I gave Blood Promise a very rare 6 stars.) My problem with this series is Rose became unlikeable in this book & Dmitri has been unlikeable since the last book. I think they deserved each other (and it bums me out to put it that way). There was so much left hanging with all the other characters (like they were forgotten a little in the Rose/Dmitri love story) - and I wasn't happy how things were left with Adrian. My hope is that the sequel series will clear up some of the unfinished business.

Magic (Allie Beckstrom) series by Devon Monk (5 stars across the board as far as I'm concerned - yes, I haven't gotten to the last book, but hey good writing is good writing - so I'm anticipating those 5 stars). Allie Beckstrom is a Hound, which means she uses magic to solve magic crimes. And magic uses her hard. She suffers memory loss regularly - which can make life a little difficult and traumatic. Allie's father is a wealthy businessman whose company creates magic devices. He's a total bastard. The first book starts out with Allie hounding a magical hit on a boy. It leads her straight to her father. And everything goes to hell from there on. Each book picks up where the last left off. The one bright spot in Allie's crazy-messed-up world - Zayvion Jones. I have it bad for Zayvion. He's a very secretive man who loves Allie (well, I hope he does and that he isn't using her - that's always a possibility - damn). I think I have as many trust issues as Allie. My point is - this is a great series, very unique in its world, with well-developed characters and relationships. Definitely a great read worth owning.

That's it for my post. At some point in the next day, I'm going to work on a list of the Best of 2010. Stay tuned.