REVIEW: BLACK CITY

Author: Elizabeth Richards
Series: Yes, #1
US Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
US Release date: 13th November 2012
Genre: YA
Kindly lent by Casey at Dark Readers

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.
When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

The world building in Black City was a lot more atmospheric and dystopian than I expected. The city where Ash and Natalie lived was a crumbling, burnt mess after the post-apocalyptic bombing that waged war between the two races: Darklings and humans. For some reason the boundary wall built to separate Darklings and humans reminded of the Berlin wall. In this case, the boundary wall prevented Wraths and Darklings from mixing with humans and killing or infecting them. Despite the fact that Darklings, like vampires, do bite and drink blood there was a lot of prejudice towards them as approved and incited by the government and sentry. This prejudice and violent discrimination gave the plot heaps of tension and also made the budding romance between human Natalie and half-blood Ash completely forbidden and illegal.

I loved the simultaneous hatred and passion that Natalie and Ash felt for each when they first met. Their dialogue exchanges were biting and witty. Coupled with the fact that any feelings they might have felt had to be hidden, this made their developing romance so exciting. I loved the two of them and wanted them to be together. Although Natalie was like the privileged rich kid, she had a real sense of morals and was able to stand up for herself and her beliefs. And although Ash was the dark and dangerous half-human, he was kind and sensitive, and deeply charismatic and attractive.

The plot had plenty of tension, romance excitement, and intertwining stories. Particularly towards the end, the plot took some dramatic and surprising twists. One of the events involving Ash and twin-blood Evangeline did annoy me. I won't say why, but I will say I was disappointed in Ash's decision making and reasoning. He lost a little of my trust in him, and he will have to work hard to earn it back in Phoenix.

My only little peeve with the writing would be the word "fragging", which was regularly used by several of the characters. I know it's more of an American and teenage thing, but I would have preferred the characters to either have sworn or said something completely different instead. This is just my personal preference, so it probably wouldn't bother anyone else.

Black City is a dark, atmospheric romance story set in a dystopian world where humans and Darklings are segregated at every turn.

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: FALLING TO ASH

Author: Karen Mahoney
Series: Yes, Moth #1
UK Publisher: Corgi
UK Release date: 27th September 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal
Read via NetGalley
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Trapped between two very different worlds, newly made vampire Moth is struggling to find her place in either. Not only does she have to answer to her strict Irish-Catholic Dad, but her over-protective maker, Theo, is intent on making her the star attraction in his powerful Boston vampire clan. Moth will have to pull off the double-act of the century to please both of them...
Adding to her problems is the dangerously attractive Jason Murdoch, a trainee vampire hunter who loves to play cat and mouse in his spare time (Jace = cat; Moth = mouse). But when the teenagers of Boston’s wealthiest families start to disappear, it forces Moth and Jace into an uneasy truce. Will they be able to solve the mystery behind the disappearances—before someone winds up undead? (Goodreads)

I have to admit, I'm a bit fed up with vampire stories. But Falling to Ash didn't bore me at all. For starters, Moth is a little rough around the edges as a vampire. She wears a leather jacket, steel toe capped biker boots and is extraordinarily witty. It kind of made me feel good though that even as a vampire, Moth wasn't unnaturally perfect all the time. The fact that Moth could still feel pain and had to overcome that to get things done made her character tougher and somehow more humane. Having been turned against her will, Moth is undergoing the emotional turmoil of trying to reconcile her new vampire life with with old life and family. Her protectiveness of her younger sister was really sweet. Moth may be a kickass heroine, but she will capture your heart.

Although the murder mystery was easy to predict, there was plenty of action and twists to the story. Surprising things happened after the murders, which I won't tell you about but were a little gruesome and made some interesting links.

I loved the relationship between Moth and Jace and the fact that they already had a backstory that affected how they interacted at the start of the book. Jace, following in the footsteps of his fathers, was a monster-hunter. And Moth was considered the monster. Despite the fact that Jace had been brought up to kill vampires, Moth and Jace were perfectly balanced. Both in strength and charisma. When they both start investigating the murders of local teenagers they form a tentative alliance. And as Moth is so down to earth, Jace slowly started coming around to seeing her as a person and not just a human blood-sucking killing machine. The fact that he could overcome all the believes his father had instilled in him was impressive and endearing.

This may sound patronising, but it isn't meant to be in the slightest. As Karen is a British author, I was really impressed by how authentic the writing was to the American setting. OK so I haven't  ever been to Boston, where the book is set, but the locations described felt so real. And the language and style really did make me believe Moth was a born and bred American. With Irish roots ;)

Dark, witty and with a dash of romance, Falling to Ash is a refreshing addition to the vampire genre.

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: CITY OF BONES

Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Walker Books
UK Release date: 2007
Genre: YA Paranormal

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

When it came to understanding the people around her and putting two and two together, Clary was a little naive. Which meant that she sometimes frustrated me and she ended up in a love triangle without even realising it. Despite this, Clary was a very likeable character. She was quick witted and brave and would jump into situations to save the people she cared for. I loved the witty banter and repartee between her and Jace. Yes, Jace was cocky and arrogant. Very arrogant. But there was something undeniably magnetic about him. Perhaps it was the sense of humour that went with that arrogance, that made him more playful and fun. I could totally see why girls would be instantly attracted to Jace, but I think it helped that he was flawed and vulnerable like everyone else.

What I liked about the secondary characters within the Shadowhunting group, was that they all had very dynamic relationships with each other that took time to work out and understand. Isabelle and Alec were brother and sister and like family to Jace, but like Clary it was easy to imagine Jace and Isabelle getting together romantically. As an outsider, Clary kind of came in and disturbed the balance of the group which meant that there was some hostility towards Clary particularly because they considered her to be an ignorant human. Alec was the quiet, brooding one in the group, and at first his hostility towards Clary made me very wary of him, but as I discovered his hidden feelings I came to feel sorry for him and wished he could really embrace who he was. I really do hope that he can come out and not only accept himself for who he is but also be accepted by his family and the Shadowhunters in the rest of the series.

City of Bones had quite a complex plot and history to it. There were some plot developments that were glaringly obvious but Clary just didn’t see, and a little part of me wanted to shake her and say “hurry up and catch on a bit quicker”. Despite this there were plenty of shocking twists and turns that I hadn’t expected, particularly at the end where I wanted to ask Cassandra Clare “why the hell did you do that?!”. I’m not sure if I’m completely happy with the final turn of events in the book, so I will have to reserve judgment until I read the second book and see what happens. There was quite a lot of back story behind the Shadowhunters truce with ‘demons’ which meant that at certain times, the story had to flashback to the past to catch us up on events through retellings by particular characters. At times this felt quite natural, but they were also parts when huge chucks of the past were filled in in one go, making the story a tad disjointed.

With City of Bones currently being filmed, I couldn’t help but want to read it. And I wasn’t  disappointed. It’s a fast paced, action packed urban fantasy with brilliant heroes and heroines and a wickedly clever villain. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing the film when it comes out!

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: BLOOD RIGHTS

Blood Rights
Author: Kristen Painter
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Orbit
UK Release date: October 2011
Genre: Vampire
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Born into the life of a comarre Chrsyabelle was raised to serve noble vampires and provide her blood on demand. When her master is killed mysteriously she runs away to escape being accused of his death, but with another very dangerous vampire on her tail she is forced to find help in outcast vampire Mal who can barely keep his own demons at bay. Together the two will have to try to save the mortal and vampire worlds from merging with dire consequences.

Review: Even though the main crux of the story revolves around vampires and their comarres, Blood Rights has a very grown up and complex feel to it. Partly because of the way its written, but also because it's not just about vampires and shifters; there is a whole world of 'comarres' (a bit like highly prized, live-in blood donors for vampires) as well as the rules and traditions that they follow.

The story is told from various perspectives, mostly outcast vampire Mal, rogue comarre Chrysabelle, and the evil vampire Tatiana. I really liked the stark differences between Chrysabelle and Mal, with Chrysabelle being confident and ready to kick butt despite being what is considered a servant to vampires, whilst Mal was certainly more uncertain and lacking in self-confidence. The contrast between them made for really great interaction and chemistry, and the sexual tension was certainly well written. I have to say that I think I preferred Mal's narrative, as he was such a self-punishing guy, thinking Chrysabelle wouldn't be interested in him, trying to refuse all human blood and basically holding himself back a lot. The shifts between the different characters did get a little confusing, as it would happen more by scene rather than chapter, but I did like seeing the world from different viewpoints.

The secondary characters Doc and Fi were really interesting and added a lot of humour. Doc, a varkolai or shape shifter, and Fi, a ghost haunting Mal, are such a sweet but odd little couple. There are also unusual creatures and different types of Fae and ghosts, that make the story different and add in a lot of interesting elements to the plot.

The plot was really clever and engaging, with twists and surprises and lots of little leads tying in together. I was never bored and always guessing what might happen. The complexities of the world Painter has built means you can't predict where the story might go, and even though I know a little of where the story will go in book 2, Flesh & Blood, I really have no idea what will happen. But its intriguing and exciting and different and I really do want to carry on reading this series!

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: THE RADLEYS

The Radleys

Author: Matt Haig
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Canongate Books
UK Release date: July 2010
Genre: Vampire, Adult fiction

In a world where vampires are the hidden scourge on society, one family attempts to deny their natural instincts and live without blood in normal middle class suburbia. Meet the Radleys. Teenagers Rowan and Clara, know nothing about their vampire nature, whilst mum Helen and dad Peter try to hide the truth and pretend that they are just like everyone else. When they discover the truth and have the freedom to chose who they want to be will they embrace their vampire side or will they maintain the morals they have grown up with?

Review: Despite their very obvious differences to normal families, the Radley family are just like any other middle class suburban family with their people carrier, a loveless marriage, and fighting teenagers. This normality sits in stark contrast to their vampire side, and makes The Radleys so different from other vampire stories and makes this one so much more believable. If you're looking for something different in the vampire genre, then this is definitely the book to pick up next. Even if you're not into vampires I would still recommend this book, because the story revolves about the people and this in itself is captivating.

What really interested me about the family was that teenagers Rowan and Clara had no idea that they were vampires. The fact that Clara tried to become vegan and Rowan was bullied for being a freak, made me feel so empathetic toward them - growing up, going to school and going on dates is hard enough, without having to battle an innate addiction to drinking other people’s blood!

Interspersed between chapters were extracts from The Abstainers Handbook, giving tips and advice to well meaning vampires wishing to abstain from blood. These snippets add an extra layer of realism to the story and shows wider vampire culture and morals with a pinch of satire thrown in.

One thing that Rowan said really stood out for me and that was “repression is in our veins”. He wasn’t referring merely to his family, but to society in general. Just like an abstaining vampire, most of us plod along with our lives, afraid to break away from the norm, worrying about show our true selves and trying to fit in. Instead we keep up appearances and repress all our true instincts and urges. Matt Haig cleverly and satirically gives us this insight into family life, societal pressures and norms and with some dark humour shows us what can happen if you succumb to your primal urges.

I really didn’t like Will, not because his character was badly written but because of the exact opposite. His selfish and cruel character was written so well, that I couldn’t help but dislike him. Okay, I might have felt a teensy bit sorry for him, but that soon flew out the window. I do have to admit that his arrival added so much to the plot. Whereas the Radley family struggled daily and tried so hard to fit in Will completely embraced his vampire side, and by showing them an alternative way of living he shakes up the beliefs that they the family have lived by for so long.

Dark and witty, The Radleys is a unique addition to the vampire genre.

Rating: 5*

REVIEW: BLACK SWAN RISING

Black Swan Rising

Author: Lee Carroll
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Bantam Press
UK Release date: November 2010
Genre: Urban paranormal

Garet and her elderly father are in serious money trouble. When she is given a silver box with the same swan on it as the ring given to her by her mother, things worsen and her father ends up in hospital. Garet soon realises she is part of a world she never knew existed. 

Review: Garet is a pretty normal young woman, struggling to make ends meet running the art gallery and selling her jewellery designs in the midst of a recession. She's someone I easily related to, as she knows nothing of the Faerie and elemental world that she has been born to watch over. Although I feel like I shouldn't, I like the fact that she falls for the mysterious vampire Will Hughes. She knows she can't trust him but Garet still can't help wanting him, and think at some point we all do it and for me it makes her more human and real.

I love the New York setting for this book, as Garet travels around the city meeting elementals and picking up food. (For some reason, I love food in books). The setting becomes even more atmospheric when the mysterious fog rolls in, covering the streets and hiding Dee's summoned demons.

The cast of characters encompasses a number of different elementals and faerie characters, and it almost feels like A Midsummer's Night Dream has popped up in the middle of New York. Lol, the little fire fairy, is one of my favourite secondary characters as she is so sweet even without understanding what she says. The one character that needed expanding is the evil alchemist Dee. He has been behind atrocities for hundreds of years, but I still don’t feel I know enough about him or what motivates him.

There were lots of plot twists and plenty of secondary characters tying into Garet’s story and history. Sometimes this got confusing and I didn’t fully understand the bigger picture of the watchtowers, guardians and the black swans. Where as the first half of the book was really strong, intriguing and atmospheric, the second half was overfilled with plot and background details. Despite this niggle, I would still be interested in reading the rest of the series as I really enjoyed Lee Carroll’s [novelist Carol Goodman and husband poet Lee Slonimsky] writing style which flowed well.

Beautifully written, Black Swan Rising is the start of a promising urban fantasy trilogy.

Rating: 4*

ON MY WISHLIST: BLOOD RIGHTS BY KRISTEN PAINTER

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where you can list all the books you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

My choice this week is Blood Rights, the first in a forthcoming urban fantasy series featuring vampires and human 'feeders'. Not only is the cover stunning but I love the idea of looking at the vampire story from the ‘feeder’ side.

Blood Rights (House of Comarré #1) by Kristen Painter

To be published by Orbit Books in autumn 2011

Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle's body bears the telltale marks of a comarré -- a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility.

When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world...and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.

Now, Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.

Click here for Kristen Painter's blog.

What's on your wishlist?

FAT VAMPIRES?

The other day I learnt that vampires as we know them could not physically exist. Now, wait! Before you leave my blog henceforth, never to return, listen on!

I recently spoke with a scientist, who was an expert in blood and the transmission of blood-bourne diseases. Apparently blood alone isn't enough to sustain the body (even a dead one - although I guess it depends on what theory of vampirism you believe in...). Compared to a steak which contains 30% protein, blood only contains about 10%. There simply aren't enough nutrients in blood.

So I thought, ok, what about cannibalistic vampires who drink blood and eat flesh? (I see a story developing somewhere down the line!) This would surely fix the problem. Right? But then I was told by my scientist friend that the water content in blood is extremely high. Meaning that a blood drinking vampire would be very, very bloated with all the water.

Which naturally led me to think, what would our gorgeous vampire heros such as Edward Cullen and Stefan Salvatore look like with a serious bout of water retention?

Sadly it's not such a pretty sight. And so, the moral to the story..... there may be truth in science, but there certainly isn't any imagination!

As Oscar Wilde said, "Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative".