The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton

Double Reread Reviews!

This review written after a reread. (2017)

Okay so, The Killing Dance has pacing issues, which is a thing I'm starting to notice about some of the Anita Blake series. There are so many action and plot beats and then something metaphysical happens and everything just grinds to a halt... and then picks up again afterward. I understand that exploring whatever the metaphysical thing was is important, but... the grind to a halt this time really stuck out to me.

Also... Richard. I haven't reread the series in a while so I forgot exactly where my general hatred of Richard started... this might be it. He just has too many issues and resolves absolutely none of them. I guess he wouldn't be interesting without his issues but... I don't enjoy the discovery of those issues at all. That said, good on him for following through with the whole Marcus thing. It's about damn time.

Speaking of Marcus, I remembered that scene being a lot longer than it was. Might just be my brain blowing it up because I was so focused on it before, but it was surprisingly short.

But anyway, I did enjoy reading The Killing Dance again. I just want to pat Anita on the head and assure her that this Jean-Claude/Richard thing is going to be the least of her relationship worries down the line...

2025 Reread

I definitely feel like I keep making a mistake while rereading these: the mistake of essentially drawing out the stuff I don’t like. It’s so easy, when you only read in the bathroom, like I’ve been doing lately. No way to really power through the cringe when there’s a limited amount of time to read. But hey, I made it. The Killing Dance true beginning of the metaphysical Anita Blake shenanigans. I’d remembered bits and pieces of The Killing Dance, but it’s mostly forgettable… what with what is essentially a deep-dive into why Anita and Richard as a couple just won’t work. God, I hate Richard.

It still really, REALLY bugs me that neither Richard nor Jean-Claude explain the rules to her at any point until she absolutely NEEDS to know. I don’t remember if that’s ever remedied with anyone ever, but it honestly pisses me off. No wonder she keeps getting in over her head. She doesn’t have all the information she should if she’s expected to have anything to do with vampire or werewolf society. I know Richard planned to keep her well out of it, but that was just stupidity on his part, if we’re all honest.

I do not blame Richard for being so insecure. I find it cringy as hell that he is and tries to guilt Anita into sharing his insecurities, but I don’t blame him for his feelings. It makes me crazy that Richard keeps moving the goal posts, too. First it’s “see me change” and then it’s “gotta see all of us, not just me.” Sir, make up your damn mind.

I really like Sabin as a cautionary tale. It’s great to get a tangible reason as to why Hamilton’s vampires don’t just eat animals as opposed to chowing down on humans. Very well done and creepy af to boot.

I was also not so fond of Dolph’s attitude toward Anita’s dating life. They might be close professionally, but I’ve never felt they were close enough for those conversations. Apparently, Dolph does not agree, and I know how it can get between coworkers but still… it’s my opinion that Dolph needs to mind his own business in regard to Anita’s personal life.

Raw reaction to an explanation of Triumvirates: Hahahahahahaha… two cases of Triumvirates? Only two??? Really? Hahahahahahahahahaha. I don’t remember if this is “real” info or just something that isn’t discussed but… yeah. Guess we’ll find out.

I really quite like the ending beats. Everything from the lukoi getting together to the very end. It’s satisfying. I definitely skimmed the sex scene, but that’s a me thing. I assume it was hot, from what I remember.

But yeah… pretty sure that’s the end of my thoughts on this one. The Killing Dance was okay, for the most part. 

Favorite Lines

"The only good enemy is a dead enemy." - Edward

"A threat's not worth anything if you aren't willing to back it up." - Anita Blake

"Homicide was not something you could be neutral on." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

I completed my Seadramon project over on OviPets! Seadramon took me approximately a year and 2 months to complete. Based on the Digimon of the same name. Part of my Adult Digimon project series.

Dragon Harper by Anne & Todd McCaffrey

Dragon Harper feels like it probably hit harder thanks to COVID. The primary story, after getting through the teenage drama part, is about a Flu Epidemic (Pandemic?) and how that's dealt with... which is, ya know, not super great given the current level of technology the Pernese are dealing with. I kind of knew what was coming, given that part of Dragonsblood takes place after Dragon Harper, but it still hit rather harder than I was expecting once I'd made the connection.

Okay, so backing up a little bit, the teenage drama parts of Dragon Harper had me rolling my eyes some. I'm just well over the teens and their melodramatic love stories at this point in my life, I think. Also, the duel thing. Kindan gets a sevenday of training to actually do the duel and I was wondering the whole time whether the Harpers also gave Vaxoram training for it. I don't think so and that whole situation just made me kinda mad. Stinks of favoritism toward Kindan. I know everyone knows Vaxoram is a bully and the agressor, but... yeah... didn't like that whole situation. Kindan also felt very Gary-Stu-ish during that whole incident.

I also wasn't a fan of Koriana's. She just seemed rather flat as a character to me. It was very clear she was going to be Kindan's love interest from the moment she Impressed the gold fire lizard and he Impressed the bronze. Other than that... much "meh" in her direction.

Anyway, back to the "Plague," as they dubbed it. Definitely felt true to life in a time period similar to what the Pernese are dealing with. Gotta love the complete loss of technology leading to things being much worse than they could have been. I do like that masks were thought of, although too late for a lot of people, obviously. My brain still can't quite comprehend the actual death toll. The numbers are just too high.

I feel like the time-travel aspect of the dragons abilities gets used alot for something that's not really supposed to be bandied about as one of their abilities. It's not exactly a bad thing, just seems to get used in just about every book so far. I did like the way it was used here and the way the dragonriders were able to help without exposing themselves to infection.

There were a few moments that had me in tears. Like, ugly crying, had to put the book down kind of tears. I won't spoil which moments, but they were there. Definitely a pleasant step up from how I felt next to nothing for any of the characters in Dragon's Fire.

So yeah, Dragon Harper was really good. I would have finished it in a day if I hadn't had life happening. The story's good, the pacing's good, the characters are alright... I find these characters don't exactly stand out vividly to me as ones from other books (Pern or otherwise), but they're at least recognizable. Dragon Harper is my favorite of the Pern books so far (chronologically, anyway).

Rough Justice by Kelley Armstrong

Rough Justice was an alright mystery story. Fairly twisty. Just kind of "whatever" for me, though. I wasn't at all invested in it, or either mystery, really. The mysteries take place firmly in the human world and that's honestly just boring to me.

I was much more interested in Olivia's Cŵn Annwn scene at the beginning than anything else in this novella. I've always been much more invested in the fantasy parts of the Cainsville novels, so this was really no surprise to me. Getting to "see" a Hunt was fun. It was a disappointingly short bit of the overall story, though.

I'm still not super into or really buying Gabriel and Olivia as a couple. Gabriel definitely reads more asexual to me than anything else, even despite his attraction to Olivia. They definitely work better for me as friends and business partners. The romance spark just doesn't feel like it's there.

Goldenhand by Garth Nix

I am definitely not as enamored with Goldenhand as I was with the rest of the Abhorsen/Old Kingdom series. It was good, but it wasn’t fantastic. The pacing was quick, for the most part, but also not in a detrimental way. The characters were as lovely and vibrant as ever. Goldenhand was just missing something, for me, that would have elevated it.

Kind of in love with Mistress Finney. Might be a little silly, but I like the added dimension to message hawks. This is a very small part of the story, but I always love me some world-building so… yeah.

Not a fan of romance, really, but Nick and Lirael being awkward and ridiculous around each other amuses me. I’m not sure how I feel about another quick romance… or two, actually, but I am glad there was no will-they-won’t-they dithering for too terribly long. About a day, I think, maybe?

I feel like Ferin’s chapters detailing her battle/running-thing on the shale ridge took forever due to Nix needing to line Ferin’s actions up to Lirael’s. It did feel a little weird that Ferin’s speaking style seemed to change between that adventure and when she’s talking to Sam later. Somehow gone from perfectly eloquent to having some sort of ESL-like cadence. I’m not doing a good job of explaining, so I’ll just reiterate that it felt weird.

Overall, I’m perfectly happy with Goldenhand. Happy, not over-joyed. I’m glad Lirael got some closure with the Clayr. I’m glad Clariel gets a better ending. However, I do feel like all my emotions were spent at the end of Abhorsen, so there’s that.

Blackout by Rob Thurman

Not gonna lie, I did not think I was going to enjoy this one. The first chapter had me skimming, cuz memory-less Cal is still Cal, having the same existential crises he’s been having. But… turns out, little more in-depth than that… eventually. Honestly, the mystery of what actually happened and Cal being a lot happier pulled me through. It is pretty clear from the get-go… well, Robin’s explanation to Cal about his past anyway, that there is something more than a spider bite going on.

I think it’s interesting that Cal goes to other people asking if he was a good person. I guess that’s a good way as any to find out about yourself when you can’t remember. I like that it’s Ishiah and Promise he goes to. Close enough to know, but not close enough to want to lie to him.

I enjoyed the happier, human Cal. He was more fun and less angsty. He’s definitely right that he wasn’t the Cal we all know and love? Not sure I love Cal, exactly, but, ya know.

I think Ammut as a villain was alright. I like the way Thurman visualized her, via the description. Was a neat way to do a chimera-type critter. I’m not sure, and not about to do the research, about how the spiders connect to her. Oh yeah, spiders. If you’re an arachnophobe and tend to visualize while you read, maybe skip this one. Or I guess read the first couple chapters and then skip to the epilogue. The epilogue felt somewhat relevant. I guess we’ll see.

Good for Delilah taking over/creating her own Wolf Pack… or Clan or whatever. She’s been a cool character. Not super sure I want her as an adversary, but apparently that’s where we’re headed. (Not a spoiler since I don’t actually know, it just feels that way.) Her All Wolf thing… I haven’t mentioned it, but I’m not a giant fan of the way werewolves are done in that regard. I’m all for transformations, total and halfway there, but the part-wolf all the time in really odd ways thing… not a fan. So there’s that…

Blackout was ultimately and interesting character study. What Cal would have been like as a human. It was neat. And oh yeah, did you know Niko’s the best human fighter ever? Did you? Did you need reminding a bunch? Did you? -_-

Favorite Lines

"Always cut their head off, and even then it takes a minute or two for them to die," Leandros advised. "Don't bother with their arms or legs. They'll only pick them up and do their best to bludgeon you to death with them." - Niko Leandros

"Cool guys who kick monster ass do not try. Our coolness is inherent, goddamn it." - Cal Leandros

"It interferes with my wickedness and dissolution. Do you think becoming this degenerate comes without practice? I've invested millennia in becoming the magnificence that stands before you. But it takes time and upkeep to maintain these heights. Time not spent in what may well be a putrid pit of spiders and bodies." - Robin Goodfellow

"Adoption is love. I saw that on the side of a bus, so it's gotta be true." - Cal Leandros

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.

The Sandman: Book Six by Neil Gaiman

The Dream Hunters: I mostly skimmed this adaptation. I enjoyed the art, but not as much as that which accompanied the original. The story is still quite awesome.

The Sandman: Overture: Aaahhh! Victorian Death! She looks amazing. Truly, the art in “Overture” is amazing. I love it so much. So, so much to look at, too. Gonna have to go back and just peruse some of the pages just to see what I missed the first time.

The story is fantastic. I was riveted at every moment. Definitely an epic “beginning” to The Sandman.

The Sandman Universe: Eh, twas interesting. Not interesting enough to throw me down that rabbit-hole, but interesting. Nice art, too.

Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey

I really, really enjoyed Valdemar. It was a fitting end (at least I’m pretty sure it’s the end) to The Founding of Valdemar trilogy. It hit all the points it needed to, but didn’t feel tedious in doing so. There were even some things that got cleared up satisfactorily that I didn’t even think were going to be fixed in a good way.

Lythe and Rothas are an interesting addition. I honestly thought they were just going to end up as a sort of side-quest thing. Turns out, they were really helpful and actually quite fun as characters.

The first Companions seem angelic, in their true form. Especially with the “fear not” thing Ardatha talks about. I do like that they and Kordas came up with how the Heralds would function. Glad to know it wasn’t just Companions appearing and dictating to their Chosen how it was going to work.

The first Herald/Companion rescue mission had me tearing up. I am a sucker for that sort of coming together thing… as I’ve stated multiple times in my reviews. The generosity of the Valdemaran also made me tear up, even if their surplus of stuff to kit out the Heralds was super convenient. Not a bad kind of convenient, as it makes sense in terms of what’s been laid out so far.

I’m very happy to have an explanation as to what an Adept is. That’s been a tad fuzzy, in my estimation. Lackey actually goes a lot more into the details of magic here, where she hasn’t exactly gotten that technical about it (at least as far as I’ve currently read in the Valdemar series. Jonaton and Kordas go very in depth with the coronation thingy, like, waaay more than I was expecting, just for example. Honestly, my brain is somewhat boggled at the sheer amount of magical detail we get throughout the book.

The big battle at the end made me long for more magic in the rest of the series. I’m kind of glad Valdemar came out in the middle of my reread, or else I might have been much more salty about the lack of magic in the rest of the series, even knowing The Founding of Valdemar is a prequel. Jonaton is just super inventive with his uses of magic here.

I feel like there was an inordinate amount of attention paid to the death of Sydney-You-Asshole. Don’t get me wrong, I’m also kind of sad the cat finally died, but I’m not super fond of the overly long farewell he got after everyone realized he was gone. I’ve also never thought about or even realized that Haven had a crest or a flag or whatever, so having an explanation as to why there’s a black cat on it was just like… huh. Okay then. Sydney will be missed, I guess, just not exactly by me.

But yeah, Valdemar was a fun addition to the series. I think it did a really good job doing what it needed to do as a prequel and being entertaining in its own right.

Favorite Lines

The way you remember things is not always accurate to what it actually was, but you know the way it felt. - Kordas

Celery. The vegetable of depression. - Restil 

“I have a Companion with a somewhat sarcastic vein.” 

     :It’s not a vein. It’s an entire mine. Nice of you to notice.: - Restil & Darshay

Magic is all about playing the odds and hoping you stay lucky! - Koto

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

A Spoiler Free Reread Review

It is really amazing to me how your brain can just discard information on a whim. You can read a book and really like it, only to forget pretty much everything about it in the space of a few years. Makes rereading more fun, I guess. I remembered the otters, well otterkin actually, in River Marked and that Adam and Mercy were on their honeymoon, but virtually nothing else. River Marked is chock full of lore pertaining specifically to Mercy and Mercy's heritage... and I remembered none of it. Well... a tiny bit... but that tiny bit is spoilers, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

I teared up twice during River Marked. Once during Adam and Mercy's wedding and the second time reading Mercy's letter to Adam at the very end. I am a sap for people coming together in unexpected ways and for the love letters, apparently.

So, the lore. I love me some lore. I'm not sure how true-to-life this particular lore is, given it's Native American lore or based on it anyway. I haven't done much research into that area of things, though given I've heard basically nothing in the way of controversy on how Particia Briggs handled it, I'm willing to bet she did. It definitely seemed authentic enough to me. Insert much ignorant white person shrugging here. I am very glad they spent a bunch of time here making damn sure we knew Mercy wasn't anything like a skinwalker. 'Cuz yeah, definitely an entirely different thing than what Mercy is.

Coyote really reminded me of The Doctor from Doctor Who, complete with the whole "thinking out loud while problem solving" thing. I quite liked him and his characterization makes loads of sense. Again, insert ignorant white person shrugging here. Oh! The Maryhill Museum and Stonehenge replica are real places that you can visit and they've definitely earned a spot on my "I would like to go to there" list.

I quite enjoyed River Marked. The story was fun and pretty much ran a mile a minute, so it was also a fairly quick read the couple of times I had time to sit down and actually read it for long stretches.

Favorite Line 

"Wal-Mart is the Happy Shopping Grounds for the financially challenged." - Mercy Thompson Hauptman

Reviews Batch 7

A Wizard Alone by Diane Duane
Originally Posted on GoodReads: July 10, 2018

A pretty good exploration of grief and, though I'm by no means an expert on the topic, autism. Like, this was the book that gave me at least some understanding of what autism is, even if the character in question is at the severe end of the spectrum and we still don't have any concrete evidence as to what's going on in autistic heads. But that's all I'm gonna say about that for fear of shoving my foot down my throat.

The only really problematic bit comes at the end, so from here on out is spoilers. 

Okay, so I completely understand that Darryl is a Wizard and a special "creature" in addition to being a Wizard. I completely buy the conceit that he can do things like shove his autism off on Kit and leave it behind in a magical construct. However, I personally think that using Wizardry (and Darryl's special snowflake-ness) as a cure for autism is problematic. It's wish fulfillment and I'm pretty much left thinking "That is not how that works and saying that's how that works is problematic." But, as I've said before, I'm by no means an expert or anything so discussing it further is beyond me. *shrug* This is just how I feel about it. [Okay, so I completely understand that Darryl is a Wizard and a special "creature" in addition to being a Wizard. I completely buy the conceit that he can do things like shove his autism off on Kit and leave it behind in a magical construct. However, I personally think that using Wizardry (and Darryl's special snowflake-ness) as a cure for autism is problematic. It's wish fulfillment and I'm pretty much left thinking "That is not how that works and saying that's how that works is problematic." But, as I've said before, I'm by no means an expert or anything so discussing it further is beyond me. *shrug* This is just how I feel about it. (hide spoiler)]

Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews
Originally Posted on GoodReads: July 10, 2021

It’s been a very long time since a book has legit made me cry. Like, actual tears with some hard-ish breathing. Magic Binds is awesome. I loved it. I can’t wait til Tuesday when Magic Triumphs arrives.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Originally Posted on GoodReads: July 18, 2017

Yup... that was definitely a book.

The beginning was alright, the middle meandered a lot, and the end very much reminded me of "The Warlock's Hairy Heart" from J.K. Rowling's Tales of Beedle the Bard. So, I guess I know where she got her inspiration for that one from?

Though I've seen a couple Dorian Gray movies, or I guess I should say, I've seen one and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen which has Dorian in it... I wasn't expecting Dorian to be the one who "killed" his portrait. It also seemed to happen rather suddenly... or maybe I was just so tired when I was finishing it that my skimming made it seem to happen more suddenly than it did.

I don't have any deep thoughts about this book. I've been wanting to read it for a long time and now I have so yay, I guess?

Magic for Nothing by Seanan McGuire

A Spoiler Free Review

Magic For Nothing was pretty good. Definitely not perfect, but I guess as close to perfect as you can get with the kind of double undercover storyline it’s got going on. I largely like Antimony, though certain personality quirks can get annoying at times. Overall, she’s pretty chill for what we’d been led to believe coming off Verity and Alex’s POVs.

I do find Antimony’s view of Verity very grating. Antimony was lucky to fall into a sport that doesn’t get a lot of press and I would very much like to see what she would have done if it did or goes more mainstream. Calling Verity selfish all the time specifically because of the dancing is annoying. I very much get that Antimony is very family-centric more-so than either of her siblings, but this kind of thing is still annoying.

I do appreciate the X-Men references that are slightly more obscure than your average person would get. The other random bits and bobs of comic and pop culture references serve the story well, placing it firmly in a world close to ours, at least.

The Covenant isn’t just a secret society, they’re definitely a cult. Fuuuuck arranged marriages and the rationalization behind them. And pretty much fuck all the Covenant nonsense. Wanting to kill and entire community of people just because a) some of them aren’t human and b) the humans “harbored” the non-humans is just… nope. Nope. Nope. The Covenant needs to go down and the sooner the better. I do like that we got to humanize them a little bit, but humans can be trash so… yeah.

Leo somehow reminds me of Hec from Imagine Me and You until that hella creepy shit at the end there. Gross. I dislike Chloe a lot, typical mean girl energy coming off her. I really like Emery. Sam… jury’s still out. He’s young and hot-headed in addition to the protective streak he has. He and Antimony were cute while it lasted. And of course Covenant flunkies Robert and Margaret I hate with a passion. Their history precedes them. It was semi-interesting that Margaret views the Price family as still very Covenant-like, wanting to test her or something. Real weird.

I liked learning about this universes’ version of yokai. Makes some sense as a catch-all term for cryptids. It’s always struck me as a catch-all term for Japanese demons, after all.

But yeah, overall, I enjoyed Magic for Nothing. It’s always fun getting to know more characters and more of the universe.

Favorite Lines

"Every time I think my family has plumbed the depths of stupidity, somebody goes and finds a goddamn shovel." - Jane Harrington-Price

"I am a soft, squishy creature, with lots of moving pieces, and I want to keep all those moving pieces safely contained inside my skin." - Antimony Price

Time's Fool by Karen Chance

Spoilers for the first 134 pages.

Well, this went straight to the DNF pile.

We last left off with Dorina, Ray, and Kit stranded in Faerie, where Mircea had apparently decided to chase after his long-thought-dead wife. Dory and Louis-Cesare were left danging by Hassani just about to tell them why the Fey wanted Dorina. Aaaand now we've jumped back to the late 1500's...

Time's Fool is divided into parts denoting where we are in time and with which characters as the main focus. The first part, which was alright enough to keep me reading, was Dory and Mircea. Really, during this part, I just kept being angry at Mircea for apparently wiping Dory's memory (which we already knew about) to the point where she doesn't even recognize him aside from some vague feeling she kind of does... Just... Nope.

The second part follows Kit and Gillian. Gillian's a witch and it was nice to get some actual witch lore because I've been sitting here going "what's the difference between Witches and Mages aside from every Mage we meet being male?" So, got that question answered, but then we go out into London and are baraged by everything Karen Chance has learned about 1500s London that you only really wanted to know if you got dropped there by an errant time traveler. I get world-building and needing to set a scene, but I don't see why I need a primer on the different types of thief looks and punishments.

I noped out of the Cassie series because of the overly long, info-dumpy jaunts into the past and I'm sad to say that's exactly why I'm noping out of the Dory series. I'm vaguely interested in why Rhea and Hilde are back in the 1500s, but not enough to slog through the Kit and Gillian portion of the book to find out. I might keep an eye out for whatever the next Dory book is in hopes that it gets back on track with the rest, but I'm not holding my breath over it.

Tempt the Stars by Karen Chance

A Spoiler Free Review

So, Tempt the Stars was interesting and actually more satisfying than previous entries into the Cassandra Palmer series. There was more of a single plot line this time around (which I appreciate) and Cassie actually learns some stuff she's been needing to know for a while.

The main plot line follows Cassie attempting to rescue Pritkin from his banishment back to Hell. Or one of the Hells... apparently. Does it really surprise anyone to know that Earth is one of the Hells? I was not surprised. Anyway, after a pit-stop with past Pritkin to visit her parents (will get to that later), Cassie drags Caleb, Cassanova, and Rian (Cassanova's Incubus/Succubus rider or whatever) into Rosier's portion of Hell in order to rescue Pritkin. Of course, things are never so simple and chaos starts to ensue, but more of a followable chaos than usual. It was kind of fun. I kind of like that Rosier's portion of Hell is all Arabian Nights themed. Makes for a nice change from the usual Vegas setting. I was initially happy to have Rian back as I really liked her in a previous short story... and then stuff happens that I won't spoil, but suffice to say, Rian's stay in the story is short lived.

I also quite liked the jaunt into The Shadowland. Once Cassie and the others figured out how to use The Shadowland's particular aspects to their advantage, the bar fight got more interesting and more fun. I'm always here for creative usage of setting. The Demon Council was probably the most predictable part of the plot. Of course the Council Chambers were going to be all mind-bendingly chamber-like and of course the demons weren't going to want to listen to Artemis. Why would they? Oh, and Cassie apparently can't just straight up tell Pritkin she loves him because... platonic love isn't a thing in a world where you're vampire married to a dude who barely talks to you (and not at all in this book) and have had sex with your bestie to save his life and are therefore always sexually attracted to him now. Please allow a long moment of intense eye-rolling.

Off of plot beats, I actually liked Cassie throwing her Pythian weight around. Yes, it turns out it's rude to just show up at someone's home without an invite, no matter who you are. That being said, I very much agree that Cassie should have been informed about the witches and the coven stuff and, ya know, everything having to do with her office. Jonas really dropped the ball with that and the vampires were just stupid about it. Keeping Cassie as isolated as she is definitely seems to be helping no one, even if she has managed to save the world a few times. It's incredibly frustrating. Glad she at least has a tiny semblance of a court now... maybe. I hope so. She needs more than Marco and Fred and the occasional visit from Mircea and Jonas.

So, Cassie and her parents. First, it was somewhat fun to "watch" Cassie running around her childhood home trying to get info on them while at the same time avoiding vampires with Jonas. Second, I quite like this take on homonculi. There's definitely a far cry from traditional versions and those seen in Fullmetal Alchemist. Richard Palmer amused me some, too. I liked that he and Pritkin butted heads and he definitely seemed to be having some fun with it. I am also glad he gave Cassie information instead of being all cagey about absolutely everything. Made a nice change from, well, pretty much everyone else around her. Thirdly, I'm very glad Artemis at least attempted to help her daughter, even if that help didn't exactly go to plan.

Finally, we have the ending of the book. Apparently Ares is indeed our next Big Bad, so that's fun. Does make me want to go on another rant about how mixing the mythologies is just not right... but we'll leave that one alone for now as it works in the narrative and is a little fun. But don't get it into your head that the gods across the mythologies are all the same. Anywho, I actually enjoyed the last chapter or two. Having Cassie fight alongside some badass women for a change is nice. I hope they come back in later books. Cassie apparently needs training on more than just a physical front... le sigh. Can't wait to find out as we probably won't see them in the next one because of... epilogue stuff.

I definitely enjoyed Tempt the Stars. It was a solid entry into the Cassandra Palmer series/mythos. Not exactly my favorite, but definitely more satisfying on an information level than previous entries.

Death’s Mistress by Karen Chance

A Spoiler Free Re-read Review

Death’s Mistress is a lot of running around. Detective Dory on the case with her headless sidekick! It’s fun and chaotic in a good way. At least Dory has a path she’s more or less following, so we get to follow along with her.

I am ridiculously glad Dory, Louis-Cesare, and Radu actually manage to talk their shit out and give each other info. This makes me happy. Would have been better if it had happened at the fricking start, but, ya know, considering how little this shit tends to happen, I’ll take what I can get.

Christine… look, I’m not a fan of religious characters. Especially ones who are suuuuper devoted to their deities. Especially ones who decide they are monsters because of what they are due to that religion. Especially when your religion is predicated on a deity who, ya know, “has a plan for you” but apparently that plan is thwarted because you've decided your life path isn't part of the plan you don't have any details of… but I’m digressing. Anyway… Christine reminds me of Anne Rice’s Louis. All self-deprecating and depression over being a vampire. Like, seriously, if you’re THAT depressed about it and already believe you’re damned, just kill yourself. Save everyone the trouble of taking care of the mess that is you. And then there’s that thing that is brought to light later… that was semi-interesting. Interesting enough to want to discuss but… spoilers. I would also like to take this opportunity to say: suicide is not a way out for humans. Don’t do it. Please get help. You are not a self-hating vampire. Thank you.

The politics in here do not excite me. I’ve never been one for politics. Especially vampire politics, which I imagine are similar but more complicated than human politics. Complicated by actual power dynamic, like, magical power.

The side effects of fey wine on Dory in this book… uh… they’re random as fuck. Like, they definitely serve some of the emotional plot’s purpose, but… they happen randomly and it’s weird. I do think it’s interesting that Dory’s only NOW discovering that vampires still have human emotions.

After Cassie’s ride through the Ley Lines, Dory gets a crash-course in the sport. Because reasons. I wasn’t a big fan of this part and it really just seemed like a non-sequitur for most of it. Literally just a long setup for a murder reveal. Speaking of Cassie, I do wonder what she’s up to during this fiasco. She is mentioned, but it’s really just a mention. But yay, Cassie reference!

Geminus is super creepy in a “not only am I gonna assault you but I’m gonna turn you into artwork” kind of way. And, like, kudos to Geminus for creating a new type of artwork, but… ew.

As much as I love creatures from non-western mythologies being brought in, I would also love for the authors to do a little more than cursory research on them. The luduan is described as a dog (dog-ish) whereas “actual” luduan are deer-like creatures. They’re depicted looked a lot like the shisa or Chinese guardian lions, so I understand the mixup. But still, a look at the wikipedia article would have cleared that up. But, ya know, otherwise, pretty good job using a non-western mythological creature.

But yeah, those are my thoughts on Death’s Mistress. I will add that I’m not exactly a fan of info-dump endings, but this one is alright. Only alright. Not the best ever. And the villain of the piece… well… there was a rant. 

Favorite Line

“Sycophants are always easy to find. They are also easily swayed by the next power who promises them more.” - Mircea Basarab

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer

A Very Spoilery Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads: July 30, 2022

This story is bloated and hard to talk about without spoilers. This review, therefore, contains spoilers.

It really feels like Colfer was “padding the runtime” with bad coincidence after bad coincidence. And, as though all of that were not enough, he brings back Opal Koboi from before she attempted her coup and destruction of Haven. Just… ugh. About halfway through the book and I was just so done. Kept pushing til about three-quarters of the way through… and no. Just… no. Ended up skipping part of a chapter. Things got better after that. Seriously, the middle of this book dragged so, so much. Like the middle of a 24 episode TV series.

Everyone’s back in this adventure, even if some are basically their younger selves instead of our friends at this point. The time travel element is a mostly closed loop. Really the only issue left hanging is Opal, unless you count Angeline Fowl, which I don’t really see as an issue. Might be a bit of an issue for Artemis, but that’s really just as well.

I’m not sure how I feel about Artemis’ new brothers. Apparently they’ve got their own little spin-off books, which I won’t be reading. The boys were sweet together in their scene at the beginning, so that was nice, I guess.

I really didn’t like the sudden Artemis/Holly romantic thing that is apparently developing… she’s still way older than him and I think if they end up pursuing this nonsense further, it’ll be a detriment to the series. Honestly, I would like it if Artemis were Ace, but that’s obviously not going to happen so… yeah. Their mutual fixation on the kiss is dumb and I hate it.

The Extinctionists. I fucking hated this part of the story. It’s really the absolute worst and felt like it went on FOREVER. This is really the bit I should have skipped. Kronski reminded me of a drag version of Donald Trump. It was gross. Really should have been substantially cut down. Maybe told from Holly’s POV to just get it over with. Also, we get is Colfer, these people are super stupid rich people with nothing better to do. You could have made your point without being gratuitous about it. I’m not saying not to be political, but seriously… too long, too much.

Seeing Artemis acting without Butler for much of this book just hammers home the fact that Butler is really unnecessary for the job he’s apparently in. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an alright character, but there have been two books where he’s completely taken out and Artemis manages to get along just fine. Now, the boy needs to step up his cardio and combat training, but yeah. Butler mainly just stands around being tall and apparently suuuper dangerous, with the odd conscience-like comment to Artemus. Really, he acts more like a trusted accomplice than a bodyguard. He really spends more time staking out locations and sniping than he does actually guarding Artemis.

I’m not looking forward to The Atlantis Complex mainly due to Opal most likely being the villain again. She’s gone from being kinda quirky to outright annoying. None of what she did in this book spoke to that genius she had before. Also, I feel like her fixation on magic in The Time Paradox is at odds with her earlier (or later, as the case may be) motivations. Actually felt out of character for her. They are going to have to figure out how to pop her back into her proper moment in the time stream at some point, which definitely won’t go well… yeah, not looking forward to the next one, but here we go…