Writer's Block: Hometown Love

It’s been so long guys, so long, and I am so sorry about that. Writer’s Block really only happens when I have something to write about that’s relevant. If anyone has a question about writing, or writing/reading-related, like my favorite books in a certain genre, please comment! I’ll answer anything anyone has to ask whenever they want.

For this WB I’m going to be talking about something that makes me really happy: when books are set in Chicago! Why Chicago? ‘Cause that’s where I live. I feel like it’s left out a lot because books either take place in the desert or New York (I mean, think about it, really think about it) and Chicago is a big city where a ton of things can happen. So here are some books that make me smile by just simply taking place in my hometown (they make me smile for other reasons as well, don’t worry).

DIVERGENT TRILOGY by Veronica Roth

 

Of course everyone has pretty much read this so they know all about it. It takes place in a dystopian Chicago, and all the elements of my beloved city are there, albeit being pretty much degraded and rust covered. Roth herself is from Chicago, so it makes sense for her to set her bestselling trilogy there. Even better, the covers all have different places from Chicago on the cover and the movie was filmed there.

DRESDEN FILES by Jim Butcher

Definitely a worthy SF&F read anyways, Harry’s world is very much Chicago, although maybe not as obviously so as it is in Divergent? I’ve only read a few books in the series, so maybe some major landmarks come into play later, but overall, the Chicago-ness is there.

IMMORTAL RULES by Julie Kagawa

 

I’m cheating a little. Basically, in the first book, they spend a large deal of the end of the middle there and I just love the dystopian twist with all the docks and water. Certainly the most interesting and the coolest of the three series’ take on the fantasy aspect of it. Of course, they don’t spend as much time as I would like there, but you know, have to give a little, right?

What about you? What books are set in your hometown, or nearby? What other books are set in Chicago? Sound off in the comments!

Another Update

So I’ve gotten quite a few books read but I’m not going to write reviews for them because there are just too many I’m behind on. Avempartha, Forever, No Place Like OZ, Nyphron Rising, and Let the Sky Fall are all getting shelved. I enjoyed all of them, Avempartha and Nyphron Rising getting solid five stars; No Place Like OZ (which is worth reading) gets 4 ½ and so does Let the Sky Fall. Forever Odd gets four stars. If you really, really want to know more, please comment and I’ll get right on that. For now, I’m really working to stay on top of things and that isn’t so easy when I’m behind on reviews.

I will be reviewing Phoenix Island, so look for that near the end of the year. Thanks, and keep reading!

PS. I’m now on winter break, so I’ll be powering through books and tv. Look for more and more reviews coming every day plus a special Christmas book haul and best books of 2013.

PPS. Something strange has been happening with my computer and it’s reaching the end of its life. If something looks strange on the blog or isn’t working right, please comment or email me right away so that I can fix it.

Book Review: Soar

In the city that never sleeps the Chronicles continue…

Serving coffee is temporary, just like Casey's year off from school. She’s going to come up with a plan to stay in New York City and go back to college, and that plan does not involve dating a paranormal creature—let alone two.

Running the supernatural society of New York is not as fun as it sounds, especially when you still have to answer to your ex-girlfriend’s fiancé. Toby doesn’t mean to bring Casey into the chaos of his life, but he can't resist the girl who makes him smile when he thought no one else ever could.

Jared's in New York checking out a security risk for his best friend, the king. He plans to return to New Orleans quickly, but not if it means losing his chance with the brunette who pretends she wants nothing to do with him.

In over her head with a bunch of winged creatures who most definitely are not angels, Casey has to figure out who to trust with her life and maybe her heart.

This is the companion/sequel series to the Crescent Chronicles. If you remember, Flight was my first book of the month, way back when. When I heard that she was writing another series using Toby and Jared as main characters (and newcomer Casey) I was aboard. Unlike the first series this one switches narrators between the three characters I just mentioned. Each was interesting, although Jared wasn’t as fun to read about as I had hoped, and my heart certainly went out to Toby. This book was twice as entertaining as the original trilogy and it had me captivated from the very start.

We see a ton more shifters in this book than we did, really, for the rest of the series, and this is where the main threat is held for the series. I don’t want to spoil anything, but like with Allie, Casey is a wanted woman. Trust me when I say you won’t see the terrible little cliffhanger coming. I was so caught up with the book I didn’t even realize it was over until I turned the page and there were no more (reading on my kindle certainly didn’t help!). I shrieked when I realized we were going to be left dangling like we were. In a good way. I think it will please many people to see the direction Rose Ivy takes us in.

Now, this is a New Adult book and it really should be taken at that value. The romance was intense. It also drags out through the whole story and one of the reasons I kept reading as closely as I was, was for the love story. I was just dying to see how it played out and my nose was glued to the screen. 

Overall, it was a pretty amazing book. I’m giving it four stars.

What's Up: December

I’m so sorry I’ve been gone. Time has just been flying by, and trust me, it’s not because I’ve been having a ton of fun. My life has been jam packed with so much writing reviews has become difficult. I have been reading a bit, though, and I have several reviews I plan to write and post very soon. I also read and reviewed an ARC, which I’ll post about later when it’s closer to the release date. I had also planned on doing midseason television reviews, and I still want to do that, but it may take a little longer, when most shows have already taken their bow for the year. Look for that in the coming weeks since I’m still catching up on everything. I also want to put up my favorite books I read this year, so look for that in the final weeks of 2013.

As for my TBR list, right now it’s very relative. I want to read a ton over Christmas break (which isn’t for another week, sadly), so here’s what it looks like:
· Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (a re-read, which I’m reading now)
· Die for Me
· Pushing the Limits
· Daimon (a novella)
· Hunger Games Trilogy (re-reads)
· Percy Jackson series (all re-reads except Last Olympian, which I only just picked up)
· Angel Burn (re-read)
· Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (re-read)
· Torment (re-read)
· The Archived

There are a lot of books I want to re-read, for different reasons. When I review each of them I’ll explain why, but I won’t bog down this post with the reasons. Like I said, I’ll (hopefully) be posting all the reviews for books I’ve read recently so stay tuned. And I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Book of the Month: Sequel Review- Gray Moon Rising

It’s been almost a year since Rylie Gresham was bitten by a werewolf on Gray Mountain. Now something is beckoning her back to the place she was attacked, along with every other werewolf in the world. But they aren’t the only ones heeding the call. A group of hunters notices them gathering and sees it as their chance to wipe out the entire species.

Seth is about to graduate high school when he learns of the final hunt. He secretly plans to save Rylie and his werewolf brother even though he has to play along with the hunters to do it. But Rylie doesn’t want to be saved. She’s already decided to solve her problems with a silver bullet if answers aren’t waiting on Gray Mountain.

One way or another, everything is about to end—whether it means Rylie’s liberation or the end of her life…

The series is over. The final book in the final series of this year’s book of the month. Wow. It’s been so long. Voting for the favorite will start in December and a page focused on the BoM will be going up soon. Next year I’ll be switching gears, and rather than promoting little-known books the theme will be “Books Gathering Dust On The Shelf”, so basically the books that you’ve had for a while and just haven’t managed to get to yet. They’ll be buzzier books and hopefully we’ll have more to talk about. I’ll also be doing it differently, reading the book throughout the whole month, and every 25% (or there-a-bouts) I’ll post a review so far. Feel free to read along and we can have all kinds of fun.

Now, onto the actual review.

The endings in these books have always been really good so I was excited to figure out what was in store for the final chapter. I was a little let down by the anticlimactic ending. The book itself was the best so far, really full of plot and action. There weren’t any really dry spots and the story is pretty strictly paranormal. Reine has certainly found how she writes best so it’s refreshing to read something so clearly defined (especially since it hasn’t gone through a traditional publisher).

There are very few new characters, and none that are worth mentioning at all. We get a larger sense of the werewolf hunter’s, or the Union, opening a whole other half of this world. I’m pretty sure she uses that half of the series for her Adult Urban Fantasy books (which I’d love to dive into… if only I had the time).

All in all, I’m giving this book a very generous rating of 4 ¾ stars. I’m sad to see the characters go, and if you are, too, there is a spin-off novella series, Cain chronicles. I don’t think I’ll continue on, it feels like a real ending to me, but I won’t discourage you!

Book Review: A Desire so Deadly

In this digital original novella set in the thrilling world of Suzanne Young’s A Need So Beautiful and A Want So Wicked, eighteen-year-old Claire Becks is forced to choose between a life of darkness and light.
Eighteen-year-old Claire Becks leads a charmed life surrounded by her loving family, great friends, and doting boyfriend, Ezra. Claire’s known for her great advice—and how easily she puts others at ease. And although she feels occasional bouts of sadness she can’t quite place, she is otherwise happy.
Then, one day, a mysterious stranger walks into her family’s bakery. Claire immediately senses something about Harlin—something tortured and dark. Even after he leaves, she can’t stop thinking about him, inexplicably feeling like there is unfinished business between them.
When Lucy, the new girl in town, starts to draw Claire into her world of darkness, Harlin realizes who Claire really is. But Claire will have to realize it too if she hopes to escape the fate of the Shadows.

This is the third and final book in the Need So Beautiful series by Suzanne Young, a series I have loved from the very beginning, and it only has nine chapters. So I’m only going to take nine sentences to review it:

I wish it were longer. The beginning takes a while to set up, but the writing is pretty flawless, so you don’t mind that the revelations were rushed. It would be hard if I didn’t remember the first two books so well (and there are gaps in my memory). The newest incarnation is nice, although we don’t get as much time to know her, and I think she’s rather gullible. But…Harlin is there, so it’s OK. The ending is certainly rushed, and not filled with any action to help butter it up, and the stakes are less than ideal. Lucy plays the role of the villain, and it just wasn’t believable. It does end up being a happy ending, which is all I was asking for, though. All in all, 3 ¾ stars.

Book Review: Grave Peril (Dresden Files #3)

Harry Dresden - Wizard
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden has faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory when you're the only professional wizard in the Chicago-area phone book.

But in all Harry's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: The spirit world has gone postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble - and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone - or something - is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself....

From the very beginning it’s nonstop action. With a slew of new and interesting characters (I loved, loved, loved Michael and Thomas was pretty awesome, too) and villains that actually make you cringe in fear this book is pretty much un-put-down-able.

Really, the pace is so fast you don’t have much time to breath, and neither does Harry, who’s put at a major disadvantage not even halfway through. His magic is zapped from him (well, a lot of it, at least) and as interesting as that it is, I feel like he’s never really been able to use the full extent of his powers in any of the novels so far. They keep saying he’s this great wizard (and while I love him) I haven’t seen much proof of this at all. The mystery is original, although a little confusing. I feel, too, that some parts are left unexplained. No major plot point, but it’s a little annoying that I didn’t feel like the story truly completed like they normally do.

Of course, being the fan girl I am, I loved this book. For those of you who weren’t fond of the first two, I feel you. This book (if you feel like you can get through another, and you should try) really makes you love the series. Butcher has finally found his niche in writing, developed characters, and now he’s just playing with them, comfortable in their skin as he writes. A wonderful book. I’m giving this one 4 ½ stars.

Music: Gypsy

Book of the Month: Sequel Review- Long Night Moon

Something is killing innocent people around Rylie Gresham's town. The police think it's a wild animal, but she has other suspicions. There are new kids at school, and they have a lot in common with her: gold eyes, super strength, and a habit of turning furry. It seems Rylie's not the only werewolf around anymore.

It's up to Rylie and her werewolf-hunting boyfriend, Seth, to stop the killings. But saving lives doesn't come naturally to a monster, and territory battles could risk the life of her sickly aunt--not to mention her own. Rylie has no choice but to stand her ground, protect her home, and stop the murderers before anyone else gets hurt.

This picks up soon after the previous one and Riley is still settling into dealing with being a wolf. Recent murders have her on high alert and when she notices the new kids, Levi and Bekah, are werewolves too she’s sure it’s them. The whole book is almost a murder mystery in that they’re searching for the killer the whole time. The twist ending threw me off for a few moments but wasn’t too unbelievable. Gwyn’s disease also plays a larger part in this one, amping up tension throughout the story and giving everyone a non-paranormal stake.
We don’t get to know Levi and Bekah too well but they do play an important role. We see more of Abel and, dare I say it?, we start to like him! Gasp! Actually, I really do like him. He’s a good guy at heart, just with a tough surface. I could get used to seeing more and more of him in the series, which I think is the point. Seth is still as adorable as ever, though, and I hope he stays with Riley. Speaking of Riley, as a narrator she has grown so much since the last book that I can barely imagine her as the same person. The writing, and the fact that it’s become very good, is what truly works the magic, here, though. Without Reine’s newly discovered talent at spinning words I don’t know if I could stomach the story.

I’m giving this one four stars.

Music: I Need Your Love (feat. Ellie Goulding)

Book Review: The Gathering

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.
 

So this one has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. I read the original trilogy three years ago and while I can’t remember all the little details I remember how much I really liked it. The characters were great, the story was unique, and it was one of those story worlds that almost wish were real.

This book, the first in the spin-off/continuation trilogy, was no different. Dare I say, it was better? Maybe not in every single sense, I felt like it was flimsier and less to chow down on while I read, but it was such a nice reprieve from the heavy things that have been circulating about my shelves. 

The characters were not as in-depth as they could have been, even Maya, Daniel and Rafe, the main characters, felt like they were missing something. I’m willing to bet that’s important for the series, though. I liked all the characters, but another problem I had was that I just wasn’t connecting with any of them. Normally it doesn’t take much for me to feel like they could be my new best friend, and while I admired each of them, none of them shone out. The love triangle- can I call it that?- was fun and not as serious as some people write it, which was nice because it makes it breathable. I didn’t feel like I had to choose a side, Daniel or Rafe, and then stick with it. Personally, I think she’s going to end up with Rafe (because they never end up with the best-friend character) and I have no problem with that.

The story was very classic-YA as I call it. By that I mean that school and normal life are very important to the characters before their whole world is shifted and they are still forced to deal with normality even after the shift (i.e. Evermore by Alyson Noel; Hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick) and this style has pretty much gone out of YA. I like having the change in my reading diet and while I don’t think I’ll be overdosing on books like this I can look forward to the next one in complete excitement.

Over all I’m giving the book four of five stars because it just didn’t wow me. It was predictable and mundane when so much more could have happened. I plan on getting to the next one eventually, but I’m not planning on buying it anytime soon.

Book of the Month: Sequels and three-quels: All Hallows Moon

Rylie survived becoming a werewolf at great cost. She moves to her aunt’s ranch in the hopes she can enroll in a new high school and quietly continue her life... with a few distinct changes. She transforms into a beast every new and full moon and struggles to control her murderous urges.

Without many werewolves left, it’s hard to stay in hiding. A family of hunters -- Eleanor, Abel, and Seth -- recognize the signs and follow Rylie to her new home. They want to stop her before she murders someone, and the only way to do it is with a silver bullet. Seth soon realizes the werewolf is Rylie, the one monster he failed to kill. Worse yet, he’s still in love with her.

Torn between family and love, Rylie struggles to reconcile her feelings and control the wolf within while Seth fights to do what’s right. But what is right-- obeying desire or duty?

The story takes another step in the right direction with this installment. The writing is twice as good as before and the characters really endear themselves to the reader over the novel. The ending is just as amazing as the first one and it’s hard to put down.

There are several new characters introduced, most notably Gwyn, Abel, Tate and Eleanor. Gwyn and Eleanor are pretty fully fleshed out but Tate, as handy as he is to have around, seems little more than a best-friend character the author is forcing on the readers. Not bad, but a little unnecessary. Gwyn is certainly an important addition to the story. At first she’s hard to like, but as with the general writing, over the course of the book she gets more likeable. Eleanor is an okay villain but I think there are shades of her we haven’t seen yet. Most importantly is Abel: I don’t know how I feel about him. He’s a more complex character than the other newcomers and he’s painted in an evil light, but there are parts where you can’t help but feel like he’s actually a good guy. I guess we’ll see, right?

Overall I’m giving it a 4 out of 5 stars because I think it could have been better.  

Book Review: Allegiant SPOILERS

So you've read it now.  That ending.  There are so many things I could talk about, but I'm going to talk about that ENDING.  So if you haven't read the book, don't click to continue reading.  Just don't.

Book Review: The Iron Traitor (Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2)

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all

I love Julie Kagawa.  She’s one of my favorite authors in the whole entire world.  I think she’s just amazing, and her stories are so captivating.  My favorite parts?  Her endings.  They make you want to scream but you can’t help but feel satisfied with them anyways.  This one was no different.  It had everything I love about her in it.  Unfortunately, I found the beginning to be… lack luster.  I didn’t care about anything until maybe part three because, well, nothing to care about was happening.  I would say that’s because this is just a filler book, but it’s really not.  Another problem, the characters didn’t really grow as much as I would have liked.

Of course, as a fan girl it was amazing.  I loved returning to one of my favorite worlds.  As a review, though, I’m inclined to give this book only 3 and a half stars.  Nothing personal, because as a fan it gets five for sure.  The next (and final, I think) book will certainly be mind-blowing and I can not wait!

Book of the Month: Six Moon Summer

This is my final book of the month before it’ll be done for the year.  Next month there will be voting for the best one of the bunch, but more on that later.  This month I chose Six Summer Moon by SM Reine because it was short and has been sitting on my kindle for about a year now.  It’s about werewolves, one of my favorite supernatural creatures, if you didn’t know, and is the first in a series of four (although there is a spin-off novella-ish series, too).

Rylie's been bitten.

She's changing.

And now she has three months to find a cure before becoming a werewolf... forever.

Rylie Gresham hates everything about summer camp: the food, the fresh air, the dumb activities, and the other girls in her cabin. But the worst part is probably being bitten by a werewolf. Being a teenager is hard enough, but now she's craving raw flesh and struggles with uncontrollable anger. If she doesn't figure out a way to stop the transformation, then at the end of summer, her life is worse than over. She'll be a monster.

The book takes place over about three months and rushes straight through those days, taking time only for the important plot points.  Little is given to background story and side characters, making a simple, linear story that is pretty flimsy if you want something to dig into.  As it was, I was hoping for a quick read and that’s exactly what I got.  The ending, though, was amazing!  I would give the ending alone five stars because of the action, romance, and just plain flash-bang excitement of it all!  This pinnacle of story telling proves that Reine really does have a gift with the pen.  This ending was so worth it that I can’t wait to start the next one.

Rylie changes as the book progresses.  She actually realizes and puts it best when she says something along the lines of “I was no longer the whiny girl at the beginning of summer”.  It’s true.  She was whiny, a little annoying, but as she goes through her six moons in the story she grows stronger, braver, and just an all around better person.  The moons aren’t the only things that have this effect on her either, nor her love of Seth, but I’m not going to spoil the shocker for you.  It actually had me gasp out loud, that’s how out of the blue it comes.  Did I mention Seth yet?  He’s pretty swoon worthy after you get to know him, although it’s pretty obvious right away that he’s not who he says he is.  That’s a flaw for pretty much all of the characters, really.  The final two chapters are told from his point of view and that was pretty awesome.  I honestly think he’s a stronger narrator than Rylie, and it looks like in the next book it’ll be split up between them.  Now, onto villains!  There’s a bad were-wolf and an evil camp counselor, Jericho.  Really pretty basic, but they’re pretty see-through and the mystery is killed pretty much from the get-go.  Trust me when I say, guessing who the bad were-wolf is isn’t hard.

Overall, I’m giving this book a 3 and a half out of five stars, and I’m looking forward to watching the series go up from here.

PS

Sorry this review was up so late things just got away from me.  NaNoWriMo, work, school, football (finally over) and reading in general have stolen all of my time.

Book of the Month: Sequels and three-quels: Darkness, Kindled

The fourth and final book in the Fire Spirits series.  In a way I'm glad it's over, but on the other hand, I wish it weren't.  Let me explain:

I don't normally read all the books in a series right after each other, I try to cushion other novels in between.  Why?  So that when I finish reading the series I'm not in such a book funk that I can't pick something else up.  I get so immersed in the world, in the characters, that leaving them can become painful.  When I read Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue in a row I couldn't read anything else and enjoy it for about a month.  The drawback?  I don't get as involved with the characters, with the world.  I still get really passionate, don't get me wrong, but if I marathon a series I get in deeper.  So, yes, I wish this series weren't over because I would love more, but I'm so glad it is because I don't think I could take more.

This was a good last book in a series.  It wrapped up nicely, though I felt the climax was a little premature and the ending a little useless.  All the characters ended up in their perfect places, something you don't always get when dealing with life and death (I'm talking to you, Veronica Roth, Suzanne Collins, Richelle Mead, Julie Kagawa) and I love seeing happy endings.  I'm glad not all authors do them because then it would become really artificial, but seeing one or two every blue moon is nice.

This book gets four stars from me.

Check out the next book of the month starting later this week and feel free to read along!

What did you think about this months book of the month?  Comment and let me know!

Blood Doctor Chapter Three

Here's the third chapter in the book I'm working on.  If you want more information check out my WIP page where the first two chapters are posted.  Also, the same story is being posted on my fictionpress page, so you can view it there as well.

Shoot me a comment to tell me what you think!

Book Review: Allegiant

This is going to be a short review because I plan on doing a spoiler filled review in exactly two weeks.  So if you're interested on what I have to fangirl about in detail come back in two weeks.  Hopefully enough people will be done with the book by then.

Trust me when I say don't spoil the ending for yourself.  Don't peek at the last page, don't go on Tumblr, don't ask your best friend who already finished it.  JUST DON'T!  Seriously, you'll thank me.

I was going between giving this book one star or five stars.  I did give it five stars on Goodreads, along with the review of :O.  That was it, really, because it was eleven at night and I was absolutely brain dead.  Also, finals, so, yeah.

The ending of Insurgent was an unbelievable cliff hanger.  It killed me.  I threw the book at the wall when I first read it.  Now we see what has become of said ending and it's really interesting.  It doesn't fit into the rest of the series like you would think but still works well.  This book did seem a little rushed, but it wasn't bad because of that, it was just really fast and easy to read (for a 500 page book.  I finished it in a day, by the way). 

The characters finally reach their peaks in this book and it's pretty awesome.  There's a new villain (duh) and a new set of supporting characters.  None of them really got into my heart like all those guys from the first two.  Maybe because I felt like the book was all about Tris and Tobias, which it is on purpose.  Speaking of Tris and Tobias, they take turns narrating and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE FOUR AS A NARRATOR!

Overall I'm giving this book five stars but if you read my spoiler review you'll understand why I wanted to give it one.

PS

Don't spoil the book for yourself!

Book of the Month: Sequels and three-quels, Borrowed Ember

The third book in the series is really breathtaking.  At first it's a little shaky, but the ending makes your heart stop.  It's a flash!-bang!-pow! kind of ending and I just LOVED it.  I'll try not to spoil anything, so it'll be a short review, but this book was really, really good.

The story took more time to tell, but all those dominoes set up in the first two books?, well, they fell and they really made an impression.  There are several fighting scenes in this book and they're written wonderfully.  I could picture them in my head, and, honestly, they looked like something out of Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon (which is very high in my book).  We also get pretty much all the answers we were looking for in this one.  Which means the next book isn't focused so much on "ending" but expanding in a new direction I didn't see coming.  I'm actually really excited to start the next one pronto.

The core cast of characters don't really grow, rather they begin to fill out into their parts.  One thing I hadn't really realized until this book was how complex the Jinn Kings really were.  They have their own personalities and own histories.  They're each unique and they really add to the story.  They're all complicated and some of them could probably hold their own stories.  Asmodeus (I know I didn't spell that right...) in particular really grows on you even though he's an evil SOB.  I think the Jinn Kings are my favorite part of the books, really.

This book gets 4 1/2 stars out of five.

Book Review: Fool Moon (Dresden Files #2)

And here we are again, talking about that other wizard named Harry. Funny enough, I’m currently re-reading Sorcerer’s Stone.

This book has twice the action the first one has and it’s so much better for it. It starts off slow and dry, but by the end, culminates in a pinnacle of “OMG!” that has you getting all these wonderful feels. Harry again manages to get himself into the worst situation possible by pissing off every single type of werewolf there is, Johnny Marcone, and Murphy. This book is also high on magic, there’s so much more here than in the first one where it also had a great deal to be solved in a more traditional method.

There aren’t any new characters that need much of a mentioning, but going back to Marcone, I think he may be a favorite. There’s this scene near the end where (well, I won’t tell you what’s happening and spoil it, will I?) and it just had me sold on what kind of a character he is. I wouldn’t stretch and call him an anti-hero, he’s a villain through-and-through, but maybe there is something underneath that hard exterior. Anyways, Dresden himself remains my favorite character in the book.

This plot, like the first one, keeps you guessing until the end when you’re so blown away by what’s happening that you don’t get to marvel at the way-to-complex mystery involved. I give it 3 ½ stars.

Book of the Month: sequels and three-quels: Scorched Skies

So instead of reviewing all of the sequels together I’ll be giving each its own spotlight. The second book in the Fire Spirits series is Scorched Skies and it picks up almost immediately where the last one left off. While the first one was really about Ari discovering she was Jinn, this one is about her dealing with the threats of being one and it sets up the rest of the series nicely. You’re being warned now: If you haven’t read/finished the first book don’t read on. There are some major spoilers.

Charlie is now a sorcerer, something I’m really glad of because he’s not the “delicate flower” of the bunch anymore. Of course, that means Ari is. And she should be because she’s the one everyone’s trying to kill, and, actually, listens when people talk her out of bad situations and lays low when she needs to rather than put herself in undo risk (while I’m all for the tough-girl thing, it’s really annoying when they don’t listen to reason; I wish more characters did!). Back to Charlie, though, now he’s kind of shed his bad-boy image and is little more than a recovering drug addict. Nothing too special or lovable about him anymore. Which is also a conclusion Ari reaches, ending the love triangle when she chooses Jai. Jai himself doesn’t really grow in his character, except that he, too, realizes he wants to be with Ari and won’t let his family or job get in his way.

In the way of new characters there are only two big ones: Dali, who’s the villain of this story, and while not a great character, he does his job in the book; and Fallon, who’s the one to fill the hole Ari left in Charlie’s heart. I like Fallon, but I feel like her addition was very… unnatural. She totally needed to be there, but she didn’t need to show up when she did. I almost wish she hadn’t been introduced till book three where there is much more room for her.

There was a lot more of the hunter’s side of the Jinn world but it wasn’t really anything stunning. I liked it and all, but it wasn’t really necessary. Plot wise, there’s a major something at the beginning (I’m not spoiling THAT) that changes everything.

This book gets 3 ½ of 5 stars.

TV Review: The Tomorrow People Pilot

Of course, I love anything that ends in Amell, so it’s no surprise that this show captured me for that reason alone.  Right from the start I knew it would be in the same vein as X-Men or Heroes, which isn’t a bad thing.  Honestly, I wasn’t sure how deep of a show it would be.  Whether or not it would be something I’d want to dig my mind into every Wednesday night.  Well, I’m glad to say this was a strong pilot (with a twist at the end) that has made me a fan already.  Unless the next few episodes go downhill, I’ll be watching every week.  4 out of 5 stars.

TV Review: Beauty and the Beast Season Two Premier

So much has changed since the finale last season. Cat’s Dad is dead- didn’t see that coming- Vincent is brainwashed (although I’m not completely convinced it’s actually him…), Joe has been fired, Gabe is alive and no longer a beast (he’s my favorite character, by the way, so I was pretty much dancing up the street to see he was still around) and he’s in charge at the police station. So, in the three month gap, basically, everything was turned upside down.

And, I think, I like it.

It was certainly a good premier, re-captivating me, and really making me excited for what would happen. Last year I was excited for the show but it was never a top priority for me to watch. That probably won’t change much this year unless it stays at the caliber of this episode. I was really getting into the episode more than most of them last year.

Can’t wait to see more, this episode is getting 4 ½ stars.

TV Review: Supernatural Season 9 Premier

My favorite show is back, finally, and I am ready to dig in. The first episode starts nearly right after the end of season eight, where the angels literally fell from the sky, and doesn’t really slow down. There isn’t a giant new anything discovered or entered to the equation of the show (i.e. Leviathan, Tablets) and we get a sense of where all the power players from last year are. It’s well-paced and seems to be heading back to where it was around season six. Maybe we’ll even make a comeback to the good-old-days this season. Castiel gets a major role this season (and I love it; Misha’s back to playing Cas the way he was around season five, rather than one of his insane versions) and there’s a new angel who is, potentially, a good guy (shocker!). We don’t have everything answered in this episode, rather, answers will be more layered this year, I think.

All in all, a very good start (not the best, there were kinks) to what looks like will be a much better season. I’m giving it four and a half out of five stars. Fingers crossed it only goes uphill.

Blood Doctor Chapter Two

Here's the next chapter in my story Blood Doctor.  If you're looking for chapter one you can find it under the WIP section, which also tells a bit more about the book.  Enjoy!

Bloodstones
Bloodstones are extremely powerful.  Legend has it that the bloodstones are what caused vampires to exist.  Supposedly, they date back to the beginning of Christianity and were born of pure sin.  I’m not a religious person but I wouldn’t deny this origin story.  There aren’t many legends about how vampires came to be and, if what this vamp was telling me was accurate, than I had even less reason to doubt the authenticity.

“You mean, one of the bloodstones?” I ask, incredulous.

“Do you know of another?”

I shrug.  “I don’t know everything.”

He smiles. 

“So, you have a powerful stone that pretty much controls every vampire in the world, and you lost it?  How do I know it’s even yours to begin with?  I’m not a fan of putting powerful things into the wrong hands.”

His smile fades.  “Nor am I.  That’s why I took it in the first place.  The clan I’m from had been misusing it.  They were turning humans into vampires and building a personal army.  I don’t know what they were planning to do, but I knew I had to act.  I stole the bloodstone, the only one they had, and ran as far as I could.  As you would imagine, it did not take them long before they figured out it was missing.  I have been running for nearly six months now and fate brought me to Chicago.  I was cornered so I hid it.  I managed to get away.  When I went back for it, it was gone.  I’m still being chased, so I know they haven’t found it.  They would have used it to draw me out and killed me if they had it.  So, I looked for help, and here I am.  I do apologize, again, for showing up on your doorstep, starved and rabid.  When you’re running for your life you don’t always have the time to gorge yourself.”

I took in his account.  Assuming he was telling the truth, he had a whole clan of vamps riding in his wake.  I didn’t know if I could deal with them very well.  Not alone, at least.  I could call in some help but there were few people who owed me favors at the moment.

“I’ll need to double check your story, make sure you’re not lying to me.  If everything lines up, I’ll see what I can do.  I can’t promise I’ll find it before someone else- I’m sure there are others looking for it and whoever found it could be someone powerful.  In addition, with so many people trying to kill you, I can’t promise your safety.  Can you promise mine?”

He looked me in the eye and said, “I cannot.  However, I will do everything in my power to keep them off your trail.”

“Alright.  If you need more blood, there’s a blood bank that caters to vamps.  Just ask for Todd.  If you have a safe house, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.  I need to clean up my house and try to corroborate your story.  Do you have a number I can call?”

“No, and I would prefer not to use a cell phone.  Too easy to track.”

I nod.  Several of my clients were like this.  “Then…?”

“I can come by tonight, to see if you’ll take the case.”

I glanced at the clock.  It was a little before noon, but I wasn’t sure whether or not that would be enough time to do some background checks, talk to a couple Supernaturals who lived underground.

“I can’t promise an answer by tonight, but you can stop by if you want.  Just in case I have more questions.”

“Thank you,” he said, standing.  I stood, too.  “You won’t regret this.”

I thought it was a strange choice of words, but I didn’t know how old he was, and from his time they might be rather calming and less threatening than they sounded today.  I led him to the door and watched him hail a cab.  When I closed the door I was forced to confront the mess he had left me with.  I sighed, knowing the back breaking amount of work that went into this sort of thing.

Book Review: You Against Me

It has a steady pace and a hint of mystery to it. You’re trying to figure out if Tom actually raped Karyn or not. It has you biting your nails in anticipation, for the first half. Pretty soon, sooner than half, you’ve figured out who’s in the wrong, and then most of the struggle turns to Ellie’s internal conflict. That Mikey and Ellie have sucky lives gets old pretty fast and you just hope they someday end up happy together in a cottage by the sea because they deserve it. Really, it gets old fast. (SPOILER: highlight to see what I said) The biggest disappointment was when Ellie and Mickey had sex. In my opinion, the book radiates this idea that love does not mean you need to have sex. When they do it, it feels wrong, and backwards. I wish the author had found another way to convey their feelings for one another. (END SPOILER)

The narrators are Mikey and Ellie. Mikey’s sister was raped by Ellie’s brother and their both dealing with different kinds of fall out. Like I said above, their lives pretty much suck. They’re strong characters, but about half-way through, they become boring and bland. They’re just not as compelling to read about. Near the end this all picks up again, with the case going to court, and resolutions.  

A friend of mine recommended this to me about a year ago. I finally picked a copy up from my library with really high expectations. Maybe too high, because while this was a good book, I really just wanted to get it over with by the end.

The writing was nice, although not stand-out beautiful. The book takes place in London (well, really the suburbs) and I liked that change of scenery. I think my biggest problem was that it wasn’t as good as I expected it to be, which is a shame. I also don’t read that much contemporary, so the change may have just been what hit me. Too, it took me forever to read this book because I was so busy. That probably did have something to do with my problems. All in all, the book is getting 3 stars, but I don’t plan on reading anything else by this author anytime soon.

Vampire Diaries Season Three Review

This season was my favorite… so far. Like with most shows, it gets better every time I watch it. My favorite character, Alaric, did end dying and that had me in tears. It still does. I knew it was coming (I watched Cult) but I still wasn’t ready for it. Basically, I need a new favorite character. Maybe Elijah, or Damon?

The pace of this season was very well done. Nothing felt too rushed and everything was portioned out well. I love the Originals and seeing so much more of them was great. They do take a while to get warmed up to, but once you do, you can totally tell why they got their own series.

I wouldn’t say there was one villain in this season. There were several, and Mommy Original was the biggest, baddest of them all, but in truth I think it was the circumstances and internal conflicts that served as the real “bad guys”. The romance is heating up (team Delena) and I must say I like where it’s going.

Overall, this season gets a strong 5 stars. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go that high, but, yeah, I think it deserves it. Can season four live up to those standards?

Book of the Month: Smokeless Fire

And here we are again with another book of the month.  This is the first in a series of four books by Samantha Young.  It's about Ari, a seemingly normal girl whose world is flipped upside down when she learns she is one of the Jinn.  Jinn as in Genies.  Her guardian, Jai, and best friend, Charlie, are in on the secret, too.

Let's all take a moment to marvel at this gorgeous cover.

The book is split into two parts.  Part one is, in my opinion, a lot better, although not as interesting as, part two.  The characters seem fresher and the plot moves smoother.  Part two is where all the paranormal stuff starts to happen, but I almost feel like that's all being forced.  Like a bad musical number is moving the plot along rather than actual plot.

The characters are all endearing.  Ari is a great main character, Jai is just smoking (and totally book-crushable), and Charlie is pretty awesome, too.  There's certainly tragedy in the story (all the characters have some sort of family flaw) but those things don't completely overwhelm their lives (besides Charlie, who's totally got that right).  The characters seem well thought out, although they don't particularly stand off the page.  Where the plot not as unique as it is they probably wouldn't at all.

Speaking of the plot, it's really cool.  You don't see to many stories about genies, especially in YA lit.  If nothing else, this is a total draw to the story.  Everyone's using used ideas (OK, not everyone) and this refreshing NEW idea will make hard-core readers happy.  I wish more time had been spent in the realm of the Jinn, but as it is, I'm happy with the originality.
I'm giving this book 4 stars.  It's by far, though, my favorite BotM (book of the month) so far!  I hope you all give it a chance and read it (if you haven't already) because it's certainly worth it.

Star Trek Update (7)

It's been a while hasn't it?  I'm just going to touch on the episodes I really enjoyed.  So, here you go!

214 "Wolf in the Fold"
Poor Scotty!  It was fun to see him as the center of attention for once, rather than a background character.

215 "The Trouble with Tribbles"
Enough said.  No, really, I want a Tribble now.  I just won't feed it.

216 "The Gamers of Triskelion"
An interesting take on the idea of games, and particularly interesting now with a society so involved in video games.

217 "A Piece of the Action"
A really fun episode.  Loved to see everyone dressed up like they're from the 20s and speak "gangster" while they were at it.

219 "A Private Little War"
This was one of those episodes that really makes you think.  As I've said before, one of the things I really adore about this show.

220 "Return to Tomorrow"
A strange, but sweet, tale of alien romance.

221 "Patterns of Force"
My favorite of this batch of episodes.  Very cool to see a "Nazi" world, and interesting.  Another that really makes you think.  Also, extremely well written, in my opinion.

222 "By Any Other Name"
A good story.  I thought it was a little long, but it kept me interested for a long time.  Also a more serious episode, something I feel this series lacks.

What's Up: October

Hey, so here's what I plan on doing this month:

(Can you believe it's October already?  I love this month so much.  Fall is here in full swing and the weather is always gorgeous.  Plus, Halloween!)

On the Blog this month I don't have too much planned.  Nothing new, really.  The book of the month will be up on Wednesday, and a Star Trek update tomorrow.  BTW, last month I completely forgot to do one of those, so I'm sorry about that.

Vampire Diaries and The Originals start this week, but I still have a season left before I'm all caught up so don't expect timely premier reviews.  For the record, a season three will be up soon because I only have one more episode left.  Beauty and the Beast season two begins next Monday, Supernatural on the 8th (!), Arrow and The Tomorrow People the 9th, Once Upon A Time In Wonderland on the 10th, Reign on the 17th, and Grimm on the 25th.  I'll do my best to review all those premiers ASAP, so if you're looking forward to one in particular, shoot me a comment and I'll make sure I see it right away.

Several books are being released this month.  Today, Unbreakable by Kami Garcia came out.  On the 22nd the long-awaited Allegiant is finally here, along with Teardrop by Lauren Kate.  On the 29th the Shadowhunters Codex and Iron Traitor are released.  Expect reviews for all those coming in the future.

So this month is going to be another busy one.  I've got so much going on and I'll try to keep the blog as up to date as possible.  Next month, though, expect a complete shut-down because NaNoWriMo will be happening and all my time will be devoted to that.  Maybe there will be a few reviews, but don't expect much else happening here.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know!  I'm always around.

TV Review: Once Upon A Time Premier

And here we are again, finding ourselves swept up in all of our favorite stories, in the same place.

While OUAT can be confusing for someone who hasn't been following it since season one, this season promises it to be the greatest.  I'll keep this short, sweet, and spoiler free.

Here are ten bullet points that sum everything up about the pilot:

• Neverland, Peter Pan, Lost Boys
• Mermaids
• Best part of the episode was Neal's story
• why? Robin Hood, Mulan
• Hook is dashing as ever
• Rumplestilskin is creepy and has a past with Neverland and Pan
• Prince Charming is looking much better (and more exciting) this season
• the dark side of the "good-guys"
• magic is abundant
• unlikely allies and Emma taking charge

Does that work for you guys?  Sorry for the rushed review, but if you watch the show, this should be good enough for you.  Rating: 4 stars.

Book Review: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

(SPOILER FREE)

While I did enjoy this book, it was not as good as the first.  While the first third held all that magical, fairy-tale-esque feeling, there was little plot, and little focus on anything.  The writing was amazing- in fact, so good it was distracting.  The entirety of the book felt as if nothing happened at all, really.  Too many cars, too many drugs, too much pointless swearing, and, dare I say it?, to much Ronan.

 

This book was wonderful, don't get me wrong, it just felt distracted.  The characters did grow, important roots were planted, but over all, the book felt like a filler book.  Maybe that's necessary set-up for the next two books, but maybe it's not.  I guess I won't know until number three comes out.  However, it was disappointing.

 

Because so little happened I have so little to say.  I did like the direction the characters are heading, especially the many relationships between them, and I love the Grey Man (new character; you'll love him, too) but beyond the prose I wasn't impressed.

 

My rating: 3 1/2 stars

Blood Doctor Chapter One

I'll be publishing chapters of this both on my FictionPress account and the blog simultaneously.  Check out the description on my WIP page.  Every other week a new chapter will go up, so I hope you enjoy, and please comment with reviews, suggestions, and anything of note you might want to say about it.

Here goes nothing:

Book Review: The Crown Conspiracy (Theft of Swords Part One)

This series was originally self published independently, but than they were bound up in three omnibus versions, two books a piece.  The Crown Conspiracy is the first book in the series, Ryria Revelations, and also the first book in the bind-up Theft of Swords.  I'll be doing each book separately because they're rather long (I think about 300 pages each).

The description is taken from goodreads:

In the first episode, the reader is introduced to Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, who make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles until they become the unwitting scapegoats in the murder of the king. Sentenced to death, they have only one way out...and so begins this epic tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

One word: Captivating.  I read this book in small increments, a few pages every day, so that I could read many other books simultaneously.  Let me assure you that settling down to dig in a little deeper to this story was the best part of every day.  It was like sitting down for a wonderful feast made up of all my favorite foods and I never got fat from eating more than I needed.  Yeah, it was really, really good.

 

I could write praises for this book for hours.  HOURS people, and I'm not exaggerating.  While I was considering what to write in this review I had to stop myself from OVERLY praising this book.  I want to give an honest review that says more than just "this book was awesome.  so very, very awesome." although that would be completely honest, too.

 

The pace.  For the first chapter it's slow.  And then, immediately, it picks up.  It's not a whirlwind adventure, but it's fast paced, funny, and full of action.  I think the fact that it takes the characters time to get from one place to another, and that the time doesn't seem too long, makes the story that much better.  A large portion of the middle is them travelling, but unlike many authors, Sullivan manages to get the pace exactly right.  It may not be one-hundred percent accurate, but who cares?  It keeps you entertained and the story believable at the same time.

 

The characters really take the cake, though.  Right from the start I knew I was in love with Royce and Hadrian.  I didn't read more than a few sentences of their dialogue before I knew the author was, too.  They're so perfectly written you can tell they've been sitting around in Sullivan's head for a long time and that, when they came out, the transferred to the page as if they'd always been there.  In addition to our heroes there are Alric- the prince- and Myron- a monk.  At first Alric is a little hard to like, but that's on purpose.  His character is also a little shaky early on, but as soon as the story really starts moving along, that stops.  Myron, too, is amazing.  He's so sweet and reminded me of an autistic kid (in a good way, I promise).  He was, by far, my favorite, and his story made me start to cry (really cry, not just on the inside, which is a feat for any book or show or movie, because I don't tend to cry).  There's also Arista, who, while not a main character, is central to the story, and instantly likeable, if not a little too "weak" for my liking.

 

The world is fully realized and without having to go into deep explanations of the mechanics I felt fully immersed.  It's a wonderfully built world for epic fantasy fans to fall in love with.  There is a magic system, lightly touched upon, but more important is the religious system.  I feel like that's often left out of epic and high fantasy and I was impressed by it's usage in the book.

 

It's no surprise, then, that I'm giving this book 5 stars.  I just LOVE it so much and am dying to begin the next one immediately.  If you haven't picked this book up, I really recommend it.  Even if you aren't a big fan of fantasy, the story is so compelling I think anyone could like it.  And a bonus?  It's clean!  There are some suggestions and one of the characters is a prostitute, but if you're not a fan of the sexual stuff that's becoming common in the popular epic fantasy of today (I'm looking at you, GoT) you'll like this one even more.

TV Review: Elementary Premier

I know I'm posting this a little late, but I did watch the episode live.  Things have just been insane and I'm behind on a lot.  This is going to be a short little review.

It's so nice to get back into this show, like sinking into a warm bath.  It made me laugh out loud, and Rhys Ifans' Mycroft was great (better than I expected, for sure).  His interactions with Sherlock and Watson were wonderfully hilarious.  The case was strong, it really held the episode together.  In fact, the only real complaint I had was with... Sherlock himself.

He's a recovering addict, I get that.  But his take on fame as an addiction (which can be true) and his attitude towards his old friend seemed so out of character.  I guess I can really blame the writers for this one.  Miller was just as wonderful as always playing the neurotic sleuth. 

For a premier it was good.  It gets 4 stars, which may be a little generous, but may not.  Check back in later for a more timely review of Once Upon A Time.

TV Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Pilot & Person of Interest Premier

This was by far my most anticipated show of the fall.  I’m a big fan of the Marvel movies, have been since the original Iron Man, and like any good fan, I just could not wait to watch this one.  It didn’t disappoint.  Unfortunately, it didn’t exceed expectations, either.  This is mostly likely because I have the show so built up in my head and I’ve been obsessing over it since the moment it was announced.  I’ll definitely tune in every Tuesday to check it out, since I LOVE it, but I wasn’t blown away.

The characters are all good, Fitz and Skye are my favorite (after Coulson, of course), but they aren’t more than good.  This is understandable, in fact it’s acceptable, because this is the first episode and there are so many characters to get to know.  Everyone has a backstory, and if the episode had focused on one way more than the others it might have seemed like a lesser show (see Alpha’s, a similar show that just COULD NOT juggle its characters).  I can imagine that by episode three or four we’ll have a pretty good grasp on who’s who and why we like them.  Another point on the characters- they’re unique.  They don’t blend together like is often the case with pilots.  Everyone stands out, we know their names (something inconceivable in the first episode of Lost), and we have a general idea of their personalities and hints at their backgrounds.  This isn’t just delightfully helpful, but wonderfully endearing.  I love knowing exactly who I’ll be spending my time with for the Fall TV season (because I totally view these “people” as my friends… hehe).

The plot was good.  Very straightforward and built to introduce all the central characters.  Skye and Ward take center stage as the ones who will be introducing us into this world, with Coulson as the commanding officer of the gang.  The villain/hero is also pretty straight forward, and while the episode wraps up with his story, a bigger one has been planted.  It also leads right into the next episode in the last minute.  There won’t be much time lost between episodes, I assume, and that makes me very happy.  While there will be a case a week it looks like it will also have more of a drama you’ll want to tune into every week.

All in all, I really, really liked it.  It had me squealing like a fan-girl (“I don’t think Thor’s technically a god.”  “Then you haven’t seen his arms.”) and laughing out loud so hard my stomach hurt.  It gets a 4 out of 5 stars and I can’t wait to see more.

 

(Some mild spoilers if you haven’t seen seasons one and two, so be careful if you’re trying to catch up)

OK, so I wasn’t completely paying attention to the episode because my puppy was falling asleep in my arms.  It was really nice, though.

This was a good start to the season.  I’m looking forward to see where it goes now that Root is a season regular and Shaw will be around to help them out.  I feel like Fusco didn’t get enough air time (and neither did Bear) but that Carter, John and Finch also felt pressed for time.  Maybe it’s the newly extended cast, we’ve got Elias who’s still around, a machine that’s off its rocker, Root in the asylum communicating with said machine, and Shaw doing her own thing as well.  Everyone seems to be playing angles this season, although I’m glad that we’ve taken this route.  The show needed new blood and I just hope it lasts.

My predictions for the new season:

·         A Carter/John hookup by the end

·         Carter gets her detective status back (or maybe this happens next season)

·         Someone big dies (best guess: Fusco)

We’ll see if I’m right at all, however, you never know when a major game changer will just break everything you knew down (season one finale, for example).

The episode was good.  The show is still young enough that all the mysteries are fresh and the twist isn’t old yet, so I can imagine this show can make it at least five seasons.  I hope this year they have more several episode arcs because at this point all the fans want something a little more substantial than case-a-week.  I also hope Fusco gets more screen time because he really is a great character.

My rating is 3 ½ out of 5 stars because the episode, while flashy and wonderfully written/acted/depicted wasn’t something new from them.  I was hoping for a little more bang to start the season.  As always, this is one of my favorite shows and I’ll be tuning in every week to visit everyone’s favorite closet-billionaire and the man in the suit.