Deathwish by Rob Thurman

I honestly don’t know what it was about Deathwish that made it so hard for me to get through. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, because it was enjoyable enough. I liked the addition of new characters and “critters.” I think it’s the baddies in this one that drag it down. The Auphe are attacking at random, as they do. Oshossi is doing the same for largely vague reasons. Just bleh. The stakes are there, they’re just random and mostly boring.

The difference in narration between Cal and Niko is very distinct. Niko is introspective in ways Cal is not. He’s very, very insular. He expects everyone but Cal, it seems, to live up to his ideals of trust. I very much agree that Cherish, at least, was a huge thing for Promise to have left out, but I also understand her reasons for not saying anything about her… sort of. Tell your partners about your kids, full stop.

The cat distribution system works from beyond the grave, apparently.

“Females could be Alphas, unlike in genuine wolf packs.” -Niko - So… we talking wolves don’t actually have Alphas or being stupid about gender in the Alpha BS way? Cuz… dumb, either way. The “Alpha” pair lead the pack, not just one or the other in genuine wolf packs. I will harp on this until the end of time. That “Alpha, Beta” BS is BS.

Seamus has got a case of the friendzone apparently. Well, he’s also Promise’s Ex, so there’s some of that mixed in there. Fun times all around. In comes Cherish, to shake things up between Niko and Promise more. It doesn’t quite track to me that Promise wouldn’t have told Niko about Cherish, but… ehhhhh. Promise has been a bit too perfect up until now.

I like the addition of the Vigil. It’s always nice to have some kind of in-the-know human organization doing something to keep the supernatural community secret from the masses in these kinds of worlds.

Honestly, Deathwish is very introspective. Shit happens that makes the Leandros boys examine their lives and their relationships with the people they’ve let in. Both Niko and Cal relive memories from what passed as their childhood. It’s mostly whatever, though. We’ve always known things weren’t great, but now we have details.

I think I’m overall satisfied with how Deathwish ended, however… it took a while ending. Deathwish really feels like it wants to be the last book in the series with how long it took to properly end and how much it tied up. Definitely not my favorite book of the series, not by a long shot.

Favorite Lines

"But there's no such thing as the best. There's good enough, though. Sometimes." - Cal Leandros

"Death by Auphe or MSG; both are too hideous to contemplate." - Robin Goodfellow

Owlflight by Mercedes Lackey

Compared to other Valdemar books, Owlflight takes place over a relatively short amount of time. Just a couple of weeks, as opposed to the months of the others. This is by no means a bad thing, and I think helps with the character work a lot. There is a lot of focus on Darian and the trauma and recovery he goes through. I enjoyed the journey.

Just noticing that Mercedes Lackey’s orphan characters never seem to end up in families that want them. They always have some form of “you’re lucky we’re providing for you” attached to them. First Mags, then Skif, and now Darian.

I like getting the perspective on how dyheli think. There’s definitely a distinct way of seeing the world than humans don’t have, which is good. Dyheli aren’t human and live differently than we do. In fact, having more perspective on dyheli is pretty awesome. I’ve been waiting for dyheli and tervadi to be more fleshed out for a while.

I did like that everyone in the Tayledras mini-Vale treated Darian like a person and not just “a child.” He’s clearly more mature than other children his age, if the children from Errold’s Grove were anything to go by. He deserved to be treated that way and I was happy to see it. He was given tasks that were important but useful and not just an excuse to get him out of the way.

Anyway, I liked Owlflight. It’s definitely a lot smaller story than most of the Valdemar books are. It’s good to have a perspective other than the “global” ones seen in the other books.

Favorite Lines

"Half of being clever is making certain you are not being stupid." - Shin'a'in proverb

     "If someone cooks food I do not care for and offers it to me when they know I am not hungry, should I be grateful to them?"

     "Some people would think so," Darian replied, but his spirits seemed a little higher.

     He shrugged. "Then some people are foolish, and that is their problem, not mine, not should it be yours." - Snowfire k'Vala

Madhouse by Rob Thurman

I literally had zero clue as to what was going on in the first chapter. The Black Annis critters apparently ate the Lamia the boys were there to negotiate for… but then where do the fish people come in? What? I’m so confused. Literally just the first chapter and largely not relevant to the rest of the book, but still.

I do love me a universe populated with all sorts of paranormal/mythological/preternatural “critters.” This book does not disappoint in that regard. Madhouse actually leans more into the folklore/legends than the types of “critters,” which I also appreciate. I did look up Sawney’s legend this time around and it’s pretty much what Robin tells Cal and Niko.

That first Sawney fight grabbed me and wouldn’t let go until Niko stepped in. So captivating. Not gonna lie, my brain spaced a lot during the rest of the fight scenes. But that first one… chef’s kiss.

Cal’s coming to grips with actually having more people to care about than just Niko is interesting. I like his relationship with Promise, it’s kinda cute. Robin’s relationship with the boys is also fun. Part brotherly, part fatherly, part dirty-uncle. Dunno what he was thinking with the water nymph, though… that was just silly.

Robin’s whole thing this book is interesting, especially how it turns out. I knew it had something to do with his former god-hood, but I’d completely forgotten what exactly the issue was. I do have to say though, those people are frigging insane to have persisted as long as they did… seriously. I mean… I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised, given how long-lived our religions are, but still… crazy.

Madhouse was, I think, largely a lot of running around. Parts were fun, but I felt like it did meander a bit longer than needed. Altogether, quite good, but definitely not my favorite. 

Favorite Lines

"Demons are everywhere. They're us." - Cal Leandros

"Sunup is not morning. It's hell and not fit for any human being..." - Cal Leandros

Moonshine by Rob Thurman

My assessment at the beginning of my Nightlife review was that the Leandros brothers were reminding me of the Winchesters. This has definitely subsided with this book. Niko's personality fits neither of the Winchesters, even if Cal is solidly in the Dean category.

The world building really stood out to me this time around. Mostly in the smattering of new "critters" we were introduced to. A slightly deeper look at the werewolves was nice, too... and the vampires. I think Cal's discovery the vampires are born and not made in his world is a creepy, if effective little scene. As for the werewolves, they're still mostly in the dark as far as the reader knowing little about them. What we get of them is a tiny corner of their gangster arm. I have a vague memory of that being all there is to the werewolves, but it's really vague as I last read Roadkill 14 years ago.

Moonshine is pretty well paced; there's never a dull moment. That said, there are a lot of scene transitions that involve Cal either passing out or falling asleep. Enough that I noticed it seemed to happen a lot. The story also feels kind of disjointed from itself at times. Especially once Cal has the Callabassa in his hands... the first time. I won't spoil what happens with that, but it felt like the gut-punch it was meant to aaaand then we got a tiny road trip.

Given that it's been 14 years, I was not expecting to remember much from Moonshine, but I did remember enjoying Flay/Snowball as soon as he was "on screen." I felt he was a nice addition to the dynamics that are still somewhat working themselves out with the crew. I don't remember if he shows up again, but I liked his character. Also, it's lucky for Cal that child werewolves' wolf form ages with their relative human mental age as opposed to how wolves actually age, cuz I can just imagine him trying to drag Slay around if Slay wasn't puppy-sized.

I don't really have a lot to say about George. I do think she's rather pushy on the Cal front, which is ultimately to he detriment, I think. I also feel like Cal's advice to her at the end is good advice. Blindly going along with what you think is the end-game without looking at all the pit-stops along the way is just not great. I also really think she doesn't understand just how violent Cal's life, and subsequently her life, is or will be... which is exactly why Cal told her to look at their future.

But yeah, Moonshine was a solid follow up to Nightlife and a solid entry into the Cal Leandros series.

Favorite Lines

"I sleep with it, Nik. I damn sure carry it when we're facing killer clowns." - Caliban Leandros

"A demon is a demon, Cal. If he's human, he'll simply be easier to kill." - Niko Leandros

In Other News

I have completed another OviPets project! This one is based on the Digimon: Pajiramon. Pajiramon took me a year and four months. I did the face-marking tattoo.

Nightlife by Rob Thurman

Pretty sure I first read Nightlife before I watched Supernatural. That said, this time around, Nightlife is giving me Supernatural vibes. It’s probably due to the similarities. Cal and Niko are brothers. There’s a “hidden” supernatural world they’re having to navigate through. Cal and Niko are working under the table for money. Cal and Niko have fairly similar banter to Sam and Dean. Both Cal and Sam have supernatural powers… I mean, Cal’s are admittedly much, much less impressive than Sam’s, but there that is. Their names are ordered the same and it’s weird if you switch them around: younger brother’s name first. Ya know, just stuff I’ve noticed this reread.

Nightlife was my first introduction to Robin Goodfellow. I’m not entirely sure if that’s colored my later readings of other Robin Goodfellows, but I definitely think of this one when Robin Goodfellow or Puck are mentioned. This particular version of Robin also got mixed with Lorne from Angel, in mannerisms if not looks, so that’s where my head’s at.

This time around, I’m wondering why Cal and Niko have to be so off the grid. The Auphe/Grendels are presumably the only things trying to track them down and they certainly aren’t looking at credit card records so… what gives? Seems to me Cal and Niko could pretty much have regular jobs and stuff, just, ya know, they have to move around a lot. Just strikes me as odd now.

The werewolves of this universe are interesting. Don’t really get to see the human side with animal mutations a lot — or at all —, mostly it’s human form, animal form, and half-form.

I quite like the concept of the Darkling. He’s a neat take on the banshee legend. Kind of wish there was more about his powers, but what’s there suffices for the story. I also liked Darkling as a character. Switching and yet not switching POVs mid book is bold for a first book in the series, but I feel like it was done well enough.

Nightlife is honestly fun. Not particularly deep, but fun. It’s got its own mythology that’s pretty neat. Cal, Niko, and Robin are quite vivid as characters. The threat both personal and not, which makes it more engaging than it otherwise might have been.

Favorite Line

"We all have security blankets in this world. Some are just sharper than others." - Caliban Leandros

Hunter of the Dead by Stephen Kozeniewski

Hunter of the Dead ultimately tried to cram too much into not enough time. I feel like it should have been longer or split into more than one book. There’s a lot of lore, a lot of gore, and just too much plot to really make that much of an impact. And then it devolves into all-out chaos so… yeah.

Well I’m amused at Twilight being used as a “sacred text.” That and the Harry Potter reference tell me this author is truly a ‘90’s child. Or at least one that grew up in the 2000’s.

This business of vampires having heirs is a little hilarious to me. Heirs are there to take over if something happens to the head of the family. Theoretically, nothing should happen to the head of a vampire family so there should be no reason for an heir. Just need a second in command to take some of the “head of the family” edge off. But nah, apparently even the super-long-lived vamps like Cicatrice and Otto have heirs. Just very weird and funny to me that they apparently except to die at some point. Foreshadowing, don’t ya know.

“Idi Han, after eight hundred long years of life my power is limited only by the laws of physics.” - Cicatrice says this and I am just sitting here, shaking my head. The laws of physics, you say? Limiting, you say? Then how the fuck are you as strong as you are, or as fast? I would think those powers wouldn’t be a thing if the laws of physics held sway. Especially not the whole crazy regeneration thing these vamps have going on. But sure, physics are the limit.

There is a point where I’m extremely glad I’m not a “visual” reader. So much gore. Gratuitous gore. For, like, zero reason other than just to be gross. Maybe drive home that the vampires are frickin strong and don’t care about mortals. Whatever. It was too much for too little pay off.

I have zero investment in the apparent Idi Han/Nico “romance.” They’ve barely met and it’s just boring crap. Honestly, they’re both fairly boring by themselves. I’m really not sure about either of their motivations and then Idi Han seems to do this 360 that’s just bleh… Not impressed.

I feel like the character work really suffered for the sake of the plot. I didn’t really get a feel for Idi Han or Nico’s motivations. Would have liked to know more about Price and Cicatrice’s relationship or Price and Bonaparte or both. Would have really liked to get to know the characters better, so maybe I would have really cared what happened to them in the end.

Honestly, I was just racing toward the end for the last 80-some-odd pages. Just so much chaos and not enough of me caring. I ultimately didn’t even give a crap about The Hunter reveal. None of that was my cup of tea.

Favorite Line

“I’ll let you in on a secret, kid. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing or where I’m going. But I’m doing it confidently. And as long as you can do that, people will listen to you.” - Carter Price

Sunstone: Volume 5-7 by Stjepan Šejić

Volume 5

Well, this one is the “end” of Lisa and Ally’s story-arc. It’s very satisfying. “Our story” had me in tears, not gonna lie. Fuckin-A. I wasn’t expecting to be in tears, given I’ve read this before, but man… “Our Story” is just awesome.

I feel like Lisa’s plan to write her feelings to Ally was a good idea, just definitely flawed in the execution. After all, it took Anne explaining to Ally about the texty subtext for Ally to get it. And that was only because Lisa explained it to Anne during that apology.

But yeah, Volume 5 was really good. I love the story and the art.