mikabull

First Sci-Fi book in a long time. I really enjoyed this book. Didn't want to put it down. I love Jax. She is great. I love honesty paired with an attitude and sense of humor. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

Welp. Finished this book in less than 24 hours. I couldn't put it down. My boyfriend woke up in the middle of the night to pee & found me zombie-eyed and still reading on the couch. He may think I have a problem. Stubborn, badass lead female character. Hot, "lippy", alpha lead male character. Interesting mystery plot. Enough unanswered questions about the main & supporting characters to keep me wanting more. Just started book 2 in the series :)

This book took me a while to get through. First off - it's boring! I don't think anything actually happened until the end of the book. I felt like the whole book they were sitting in the library studying and talking. The back and forth banter between B and Giovanni reminded me of how high schoolers who have crushes on each other go back and forth. It was just sad. Let's not forget that Giovanni is supposed to be 500 years old or something. I can't be sure. I had to skim over a lot just to get through - I don't like doing that.

I also didn't care for any of the characters. I couldn't tell you what B's personality is. All I know is she likes to read. The love interest, Giovanni, has the personality more of the perfect woman instead of the perfect man. I also have problems w/ romances in books when I don't find myself attracted to the male lead. I struggled to like him b/c I like alpha male characters who take what they want and he reminds me more of Edward Cullen. Or let's forget that I prefer an alpha male lead. What about a male love interest that says something interesting. Half the time he won't even say anything to B. And when he does talk to her, he never says anything remotely entertaining or interesting. He's a little b****. You don't even try to have sex w/ B? Or maybe go to 2nd base? He's a man & he should have the sex drive of one. Instead he acts like a high school girl who is afraid to make the first move.

Then there's the villain. Lorenzo is apparently evil & a psychopath. Then all he does is take B w/ permission from Giovanni. And holds her captive in a room w/ a bed and bathroom. No torture. Nothing super terrible. No psychopathic or evil behavior.

I have a feeling when B and Giovanni actually have sex in the series, the scene will be quick and very clean. Also, I hope the other books in the series have plots that are much more intriguing. This book felt more like a YA novel than an adult novel. I feel duped. It was so fluffy - not the type of book I like. I need more action, adventure, personality.....meh.

Here's what I liked:

*It was a quick & easy read.
*It's unique.
*There was enough mystery to keep me intrigued.

Here's what I didn't like:

*The idea of "disillusioning." I don't think this would actually work. I know, I know...it's fake! But I'm just not believing this whole idea.
*I don't like the main character having a psychological problem. I don't want to read about someone who thinks they are going to die at any second b/c they are a hypochondriac and then continue to read paragraphs of them thinking about it. Meh.
*Justine being so easily infatuated w/ Packard then Otto.
*Justine's relationships w/ Packard & Otto. I don't get why Packard & Justine like each other. I don't get why Otto & Justine like each other. There wasn't enough relationship development for me. This means I'm not rooting for Justine to be w/ someone, which means I'm not as into the book or what happens to the characters. Maybe it's because I just read Outlander & that is a tough act to follow, but to me I was surprised when she kissed Packard & Otto. I didn't understand where it came from...there was no build up to it...if that makes sense. One moment she is obsessed w/ Otto as the police chief, goes on 1 date, fucks him, and they are head over heels for each other.
*I didn't care for any of the minor characters. In a lot of series I like there are minor characters that I get excited to read about. There are no characters like that in this book. Add that to the fact that I don't really like Justine or the love interests....well, yea.

I feel like I've been harsh, but I can't help the way I feel. Still, I will read the next book :)

I loved this book! Diana Gabaldon is a great writer! My words will not do this book justice, but it is amazing & a must read. Her writing makes it easy to create a picture in your mind of what Claire's world looks, smells, and feels like. The dialogue is real and entertaining. The relationship between Jamie and Claire develops in a believable manner throughout the book. I thoroughly enjoy their relationship. As characters, I like Claire and Jamie together and separately. This story was such a ride! I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

To me, this book felt like PNR & not UF. It was good & kept me entertained, but there was a lot of mushy gushy romantic cliches & too many happily ever after coincidences.

This book was....blah. It took me a long time to read.

I didn't really like the plot. The plot was a lot about Nick - who I don't like at all. A lot of the book focuses on Ivy, too. I don't really like her and Rachel's friendship/relationship - it doesn't make sense to me. I didn't like how so much of this book was about their friendship, that feels like a romantic relationship when it's talked about, but it's not. There were literally pages and pages explaining their feelings about what was going on - friendships should not be this complicated. It's tiring and boring. That's what romantic relationships are for! Speaking of which - there was barely any Kisten is this book who is actually Rachel's boyfriend. No Trent in this book - one of my favorite characters. I found myself skimming over a lot of sections just trying to get through it b/c I was so bored. I haven't done that w/ a book in a while. Hopefully the next book is better. I will continue the series, but I need a break right meow.

This book was a letdown for me. I will try to keep this simple.

I didn't feel like there was good character development. Austin and Lexi are likeable, but nothing memorable. Also, all these men are obsessed w/ Lexi just b/c she's a single female? And they barely know her (w/ the exception of Austin) & they are doing all these things for her. This was not alpha male behavior to me. It was just creepy. Let's not forget Lexi's friends - April, Charlie, Naya....those parts of the book were dry, underdeveloped and not interesting.

I didn't like the dialogue either. So many times throughout the book when I was reading Austin's lines or thoughts, I would think to myself, "That sounds like something a girl would say." Or, "No guy would ever phrase something that way." It was not believable to me.

Then, the plot in general did nothing for me. What is the point of Lexi? She doesn't do anything the whole book! I don't even understand the point of Beckett. The book would have been fine w/o him. Then there was the candy shop (seriously? That's her job at almost 30?) and April/Charlie. Then there was the heat thing & Lexi's Mother/Sister issue at the same time. Then the stuff w/ Lexi's boss, which didn't do anything for me b/c I know almost nothing about Charlie or him & Lexi's relationship. Then, Lexi's dad. None of it was particularly intriguing to me. Oh and the super cheesy romance stuff at the very end of the book - the CD w/ him singing on it...really? Cheesy mushy gushy romance - not my thing. Especially when it's a bunch of that all rolled into the last 3% of the book.

Still looking forward to MB5 though...or should I say...Shine.

While reading this book I found the plot and characters boring and predictable and pointless.

I didn't care about the plot at all. The storyline with Dana seemed completely pointless to me. It seemed like an excuse for the author to throw her political/cultural views in there - a lot. Not that I agreed/disagreed with the views, but the storyline seemed so pointless that I couldn't think of another reason for it to be in there. Not to mention, there is nothing creative about her character. She is just one big stereotype. That storyline was boring throughout the whole book and then magically Dana makes her move on Tabitha at the end of the book out of nowhere. Didn't seem very realistic to me. By the way - I predicted that Dana was going to turn out to be a lesbian b/c again - her character is one big stereotype. Wow! No way! The author has a character who vehemently opposes gay marriage turn out to be a lesbian! PREDICTABLE and BORING. It seems like Dana was supposed to be a villain. I like my villains more complex. Also, I don't think that immortals would care that much about a radio show host who "influences" mortal politics. Wasn't buying that either.

Then there's the storyline with the ambrosia, which I didn't really care about either. Some people are doing drugs! That happens all the time...all over the world...! People make choices and then they have to deal with the consequences. I don't understand why the whole book had to be about that. I get it. Doug is Georgina's friend. Doesn't make it an exciting or interesting plot to base a book on. Then when Georgina comes face-to-face with Sol for the first time towards the end of the book, she destroys him. No problem. The book boringly builds up to that moment and it's over in an instant. Stupid...boring...predictable. Pretty weak for being the book's other villain.

Let's move onto Seth. What a boring love interest. What a doormat. First of all, he is A-Okay with her being a succubus. We move from book 1 to book 2 and there's no tension or anything with the bombshell she drops on him. Dumb. Then we have Seth as a "boyfriend." If you even could call him that. What guy would realistically be ok with their girlfriend having sex with another guy (Bastien) - even if she was gorgeous? So not only is Seth ok with Georgina having sex to fulfill her succubus needs, but it's fine if she cheats on him too. I just don't find someone with that weak of a personality and no ability to stand up for himself to be sexy. Yes men can abstain from sex for a time to get the girl or for love. But for how long? It just seems convenient for the plot and I don't see it as realistic. I definitely like my lead males to have alpha personalities (i.e. Curran, Barrons, Ethan Sullivan, etc). Seth does not have an alpha personality. He's a b****.

Then, there's Georgina. There's nothing I don't like about her, but there's also nothing I particularly like about her. I like books with female leads who have strong personality traits (i.e. Kate Daniels, Charley Davidson, MacKayla Lane, Merit, Anita Blake, etc). Sure Georgina's got a big heart for a Hell-ish succubus. Who cares? I need more than that. I need something that's going to get me excited to turn the page. Excited to hear what she has to say. Then there's the part where she cheats on Seth. You're taking naked pics for your boyfriend, then you have sex with someone else who's been your friend for centuries. What a sloot. But she still TOTALLY LOVES Seth. Which brings me to my last point. Georgina has been alive how long? And she acts like this? Someone as old as she is would not act the way she does. I can't even get into it. I'm done with this review.

I will eventually read the other books b/c they are on my Kindle and they cannot be returned. Woops.

I feel like I should like this series more than I do - I'm trying, but it's not working.

Just like with the first book, I found that I could not relate to the main female character. Not even a little bit. Even though Anya is very different from Ashlyn. I noticed from reading other reviews that a lot of people really seemed to like Anya, but I did not. I found her annoying and childish. She's supposed to be thousands of years old? No, I don't think so. That was disappointing to me b/c I appreciate female characters who are sarcastic, witty and sassy.

I also wasn't having the "romance" between her and Lucien. I felt like one minute she's just trying to get him to make out with her b/c she thinks he's hot. And then there's Lucien who thinks she is hot, but isn't going for it b/c he thinks she's a total slut. Then OMG Lucien sees that she can fight and he's in love. Then it turns out that Anya's not a total slut - she just acts like one! And then Anya falls in love with him b/c....I can't remember...why does she fall in love with Lucien? IMO, I found the whole love story to be very shallow.

I just didn't connect with the book at all. It took me a while to read. I found myself skimming over parts. I will attempt to read the 3rd book in this series, but not for a long time. There are too many other books on my TBR shelf that I want to get to first.

Let me start off by saying I'm a huge fan of the Chicagoland Vampires Series. I love the characters. I sincerely appreciate Merit's sarcasm. Jeff makes me laugh. I love seeing Merit & Lindsey's friendship. Luc is great. But, this book was probably my least favorite in the series.

The biggest problem I had with this book is that Mallory did all these deplorable things and then the punishment is being a dishwasher for the shifter bar? Seems very mild to me. I'm not a huge fan of moral relativism. Well, Mallory did all these horrible things, but she is way more sensitive to the magical good/evil imbalance than others so it's a little more understandable why she succumbed to a black magic addition and almost destroyed the city and betrayed her friends! NO - what she did was bad, it doesn't matter why. Not to mention, Merit is still willing to talk to her and be in the same room with her? People have walked away from friendships for much less. Mallory tried to kill Merit among all the other things she did. Then, after all the problems Mallory has with black magic, Ethan lets Mallory use him as a tool to help destroy Dominic! And everyone else is cool with it too - vampires and shifters. I'm a fan of HEA endings in books, but I don't think it's necessary for every character to have a HEA. Granted Mallory is still being "punished," but it's a joke of a punishment and it seems like she may be able to mend her past relationships to a degree. People have choices and those choices have consequences. Then, there is Tate who is redeemed b/c his evel twin was living inside him. Then, after Mallory uses Ethan as a tool to fight Dominic, he magically gets his psychic abilities back and she's out of his head. Maybe I missed something, but it seems like that was just cleared up quickly and I didn't understand why. So to sum it up, the beginning is slow, then at the end Mallory and Tate are redeemed and Ethan's problems are solved in the blink of an eye. I'll have to read the next book to see where Neill goes with Mallory.

I'm done ranting now. I was happy to read about all the characters I've grown to love in the book. I also enjoyed seeing Merit mature. I liked the cliffhanger at the end (that is what I was hoping would happen). I look forward to reading the next in the series. Hopefully more Jonah in the next book? ;)