Robin Hobb Royal Assassin
I didn't actually finish this book. I dragged myself through most of it, and then gave up about 3/4 of the way through. It's not a bad book at all, I was just supremely uninterested. I kept trying, though, because I had quite enjoyed the first one in the series. This one, though, left me so bored that I actually sat on the streetcar without reading for 3 whole days (before I admitted defeat and got a new book).
Tanya Huff Blood Price
Despite all evidence to the contrary (hello, Buffy obsession), I'm not generally into vampire stories; I find they usually take themselves and the mythology too seriously. But I really enjoyed this series about a Toronto ex-cop turned private detective who ends up getting entangled with a vampire who writes romance novels. I liked the characters, who were more interesting than is usually found in mystery-type novels, and I *always* love reading stuff set in cities that I know. Maybe I was just hyper-aware, but I felt like the city played an important part in the stories.
The only annoying thing was that I constantly found myself double checking when the book was written. There were a lot of things that didn't make much sense anymore - one big plot point revolved around someone having to stay home and be near the phone, and phone messages played a very essential part all the way through. I had to keep reminding myself that there were no cell phones.
Tanya Huff Blood Trail
Werewolves. Liked this one too. Hmm, obviously reading three books in a row in the same series means I don't really have anything useful to say.
Tanya Huff Blood Lines
I think this was my favourite of the three, although I was skeptical at first, because of the whole ancient mummy plotline. I liked the interaction between all the principals, especially between Henry and Mike - Huff never downplayed their animosity, but I also never felt she was setting up a forced situation, where readers would wonder why exactly they ever talked to each other.
J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Wow, this is much darker than the previous 4 Harry Potters, isn't it? I might not have noticed, but I read them all over again in anticipation, and I was really surprised at how much more violent and angst-filled this one was. Good, though. Really long, but, unlike Goblet of Fire, which felt unnecessarily padded with extraneous plotlines, here I didn't really find that I noticed the length. I wonder about the next book, though - obviously the big climatic end will have to be saved for book seven, but it really feels like everything is coming to a head, so I don't know how Rowling is going to keep that energy going through two more books.
I didn't actually finish this book. I dragged myself through most of it, and then gave up about 3/4 of the way through. It's not a bad book at all, I was just supremely uninterested. I kept trying, though, because I had quite enjoyed the first one in the series. This one, though, left me so bored that I actually sat on the streetcar without reading for 3 whole days (before I admitted defeat and got a new book).
Tanya Huff Blood Price
Despite all evidence to the contrary (hello, Buffy obsession), I'm not generally into vampire stories; I find they usually take themselves and the mythology too seriously. But I really enjoyed this series about a Toronto ex-cop turned private detective who ends up getting entangled with a vampire who writes romance novels. I liked the characters, who were more interesting than is usually found in mystery-type novels, and I *always* love reading stuff set in cities that I know. Maybe I was just hyper-aware, but I felt like the city played an important part in the stories.
The only annoying thing was that I constantly found myself double checking when the book was written. There were a lot of things that didn't make much sense anymore - one big plot point revolved around someone having to stay home and be near the phone, and phone messages played a very essential part all the way through. I had to keep reminding myself that there were no cell phones.
Tanya Huff Blood Trail
Werewolves. Liked this one too. Hmm, obviously reading three books in a row in the same series means I don't really have anything useful to say.
Tanya Huff Blood Lines
I think this was my favourite of the three, although I was skeptical at first, because of the whole ancient mummy plotline. I liked the interaction between all the principals, especially between Henry and Mike - Huff never downplayed their animosity, but I also never felt she was setting up a forced situation, where readers would wonder why exactly they ever talked to each other.
J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Wow, this is much darker than the previous 4 Harry Potters, isn't it? I might not have noticed, but I read them all over again in anticipation, and I was really surprised at how much more violent and angst-filled this one was. Good, though. Really long, but, unlike Goblet of Fire, which felt unnecessarily padded with extraneous plotlines, here I didn't really find that I noticed the length. I wonder about the next book, though - obviously the big climatic end will have to be saved for book seven, but it really feels like everything is coming to a head, so I don't know how Rowling is going to keep that energy going through two more books.