Glimmering by Elizabeth Hand

Glimmering was honestly not my cup of tea. It was engrossing enough and kept me reading, but I feel more put off by it than anything else. It felt chaotic, in all honesty, and not entirely cohesive. Sure, Leonard Thorpe was there, threaded through everything, but... and then it just trailed off suddenly at the end... I'm left with this really unsatisfied feeling. I don't even have anything else to say about Glimmering. I'm not sure it really did what Elizabeth Hand says it does or did in her Author's Note in the beginning. Just felt like it was going somewhere and then... didn't.

In Other News

I finished my Upamon project! Part of my Village of Beginnings Project Line.

Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton

I am really feeling quite "meh" about Bullet. There's a lot that happens in the span of not a very long time, but a good chunk of it is "off-screen" orgy and the rest is pace-killing therapy speak. Makes the whole thing just very odd. It is, however, weirdly more memorable in places than a lot of the series has been for me up until this point.

I definitely remember the beginning of this one. Anita hanging out with kids for a hot minute definitely stuck in the brain-pan. I did not remember the bit with Monica and honestly… Anita’s right to despise her still. Ma’am, trauma is trauma, no matter who or what activity is involved. Also, Monica, Cynric is 17. 17. A literal child. Fuck you, Monica. This part wasn't even plot-impacting at all, but boy did it make me angry in the moment.

While not the beginning to Asher being a jealous butthead, this is the beginning of it in force. He definitely has his reasons, and I'm not saying they're bad reasons, but it's also quite annoying from here on out... assuming I'm remembering correctly, of course.

I’m sorry, what was that about “against our laws” to steal Human Servants away from each other? Anita’s been tossed around like a fuckin hot potato in the Human Servant category pretty much since the beginning. She’s mostly Jean-Claude’s, but also Belle’s and Marmee Noir’s at the moment, technically. So what’s the ruling on that shit? This is definitely one of those moments where you can see the world-building still happening, but also cracked a bit.

Okay, this is the book where my liking of Max happened. I feel the need to mention this because in Skin Trade I was very confused about when that happened. Honestly, Bibiana, Max, and Auggie are more likable over the phone in this book than they were in their initial appearances.

A big part of the problem with Haven is that he is a classic example of toxic masculinity. He can’t share, can’t square Anita’s “masculine” qualities, and can’t seem to change despite having the knowledge that he clearly needs to. This is rather talked to death with the Anita/Haven scene and the later scene after spoilery stuff happens. I think having this sort of, probably more common than a lot of us would like to admit, representation is good on the one hand, because it is so ingrained and now being reinforced in the younger generation. On the other hand, the fact that Haven is never able to move past it doesn't bode well for those being represented. If any of that makes sense... Haven's whole personality lands in the "thanks, I hate it and I hate it hanging around" category.

The way Bullet goes from crisis, crisis, crisis to slice-of-life is weird. It feels very strange. Definitely more true-to-life than a good chunk of the other books, but it just feels strange. I do think I figured it out, though. This is where Hamilton started putting more therapy stuff into the books. The entire crisis plot grinds to a halt so we can talk about the feelings involved in the situation rather than just forging ahead with the crisis at hand. That’s why it feels strange: it’s an element that wasn’t exactly there before and now it’s here in force. It’s not bad, exactly, just… strange, especially as far into the book as it is.

Which then brings us to the end. I very much remembered the end as being more bad-ass than I ended up thinking it was this time. I feel like Bullet ground itself to a halt and then never really picked the momentum back up. I'm not mad there wasn't some sort of large-scale battle or something at the end, but the calling of tigers thing just didn't land this time around. Like, yay, they did it! But also... okay... and now what? I don't know. I wasn't enthused and am not really enthused about picking up the next one.

Memorable Moments

Okay so, this section I'm tacking on here because I talked a little about remembering stuff from this book, but didn't get to touch on all of it in my review.

- The beginning with Anita and Matthew. Very memorable, very cute.

- Valentina. I do not at all remember what, if anything, ultimately ends up happening with Valentina. I did remember Anita, Nicky, and Damien finding her on the computer and how creep-tastic that was, though.

- Reba definitely seemed more badass on my first read-through and I remembered her, but I did not remember much else about that bit.

 

In Other News

I finished my MetalGarurumon Project over on Ovipets. Took me a little over a year to finish. I also did the body tattoo for them. Free-handed while looking at a MetalGarurumon reference. Ovipets sadly doesn't have robot genes.

Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton

I honestly found Blood Noir to be forgettable. There were a couple of over-arching plot-relevances, but otherwise... forgettable. As this is a reread, as well, I will double down on that. I did not remember a single damn thing from this book going into it again.

Regardless of the cause of his rage, Richard will not be forgiven for how he acted or has been acting because of it. I've been done with Richard for a while (which you will know if you've read my previous Anita Blake reviews) and this... other than Anita figuring out she could eat anger and Richard's version of the ardeur surfacing, he had zero reason to be there. Pretty much just an on-screen conflict generator that I would very much just like to punch in the face. Richard's ardeur scene was just icing on the "Richard's not a great person actually" cake. No, not icing, decorative, inedible detailing on the cake. He just made me so, so mad.

I did enjoy the "little" lore drop we got about the clan tigers and in-universe Chinese history regarding lycanthropes. Those little in-universe history touches really flesh out Anita's world in the best ways.

The bit where Anita ate Richard's rage/took back her rage reminded me very much of the scene in Disney's She-Hulk where Jennifer tells Bruce about her experience with rage. Women are just so full of rage and so good at keeping a lid on it and men just cannot handle the barest hint. We are scary and that makes us powerful.

But yeah... other than that, I will probably completely forget this book existed again. I am otherwise happy to be jumping back into the Anita Blake universe. 

Favorite Lines

"Obsession isn't love, Jason. It's possession." - Anita Blake

"Sometimes, if people forget you're there, you learn more. Silence can be a greater asset than any question." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

I have finished my Chuumon project for my Child Digimon Project Line over on OviPets. Chuumon took me 7 months to complete.

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

While not exactly super surprising, I did very much enjoy Moon Over Soho. I thought it was nice to see consequences from the last book carry over into this one. It's always nice when we aren't just reset back to "normal" immediately. I know that's a little weird to say for a sequel, as I think the consequences should always stick... but yeah.

As usual, I very much enjoyed the world-building. Got a few answers to a couple of questions I had from Rivers of London, The Masquerades of Spring, and some of the short stories preceding Moon Over Soho chronologically. It was also fairly well done. Not a giant info dump, just Nightingale organically telling Peter stuff when appropriate.

I also enjoyed the progression of the characters. Getting to know Peter better and learning about Lesley through her family and recovery. Dr. Walid amused me, in line with several coroner types from CSI-like shows. I even quite like Ash and hope we see more of him in future.

I was kind of amused at the notion of Nightingale assuming his former colleagues would just not teach anyone else magic just because there was some sort of Agreement. It does (from short story readings) seem like other government types in other countries assumed the same. It seemed completely silly to me for some surviving wizards to keep that knowledge to themselves. Of course the knowledge is going to be passed on. It's so obvious to me. Heck, Peter's pretty much got two apprentices of his own in Lesley and Abigail (one assumes Abigail, anyway) and he's not even a "proper" wizard yet. I kind of assume Lesley's going to come under Nightingale's tutelage, but one never knows.

I thought Simone being super connected to Peter's case was also fairly obvious. He fell too fast, too hard for her to not be involved somehow. I actually though she might be a shapeshifter of some kind. I was definitely wrong on that count, but that's where my head was originally at.

Anyway, I thought Moon Over Soho was a solid follow up to Rivers of London. Built out more of the world nicely and was just solid over all. 

Favorite Lines

"He was calling it an atonic seizure because, even if he didn’t know why it had happened, it was important to give it a cool name." - Peter Grant

"For a terrifying moment I thought he was going to hug me, but fortunately we both remembered we were English just in time. Still, it was a close call." - Peter Grant  

In Other News

I finished my Moosemon Project, part of my Armor Digimon Project Line over on OviPets. Took me just about a year to complete. 

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

This post will include game and storyline spoilers for Pokemon Legends: Z-A. If you're worried about that kind of thing, I highly recommend not reading this post. You've been warned.

I have honestly been taking my sweet time playing this game. It's a lot of fun and really quite chill. I've personally been referring to it as "Pokemon Ooh Shiny!" in my head... which is funny because I have yet to catch any shinies other than the "Government Mandated Mareep." (There's a side quest where you find a shiny Mareep for someone and get to keep it.) But seriously, the amount of random crap to pick up as you're running around the city is insane. I've been pulled off course at the drop of a hat by the random little yellow shinies to pick up.

Lumiose City is labyrinthine. The graphics may not be the best, but the setting feels lived in by its NPCs... which there are a lot of. I honestly don't look for absolutely excellent graphics in my Pokemon games. I have seen artist renditions of realistic Pokemon and, while fun to look at, I don't really need that in my games. Character customization is back with a vengeance. The only thing I have to complain about on that front is the inability to mix and match pieces outside of their "sets." For example, I wanna wear a leather jacket with a t-shirt and you can only swap the t-shirts with "shackets" and wear a leather jacket with a sweater. I get why all that is, but I miss being able to swap indiscriminately. But hey, I was able to put together another Carmen Sandiego cosplay, so I'm overall happy on that front.

I could honestly take or leave the story line. I'm really here for collecting the Pokemon and running around. It's interesting to be running around, saving Pokemon from weird Mega Energy spikes and collecting the Mega Stones, but the rest is honestly just fluff for me. I barely read the text and just kind of... go along with it. The story line is not where my interest lies. I'm too busy doing side quests and catching Pokemon. Boy, are there A LOT of side quests. Some of them are kind of fun, a good chunk of them are battles. Speaking of battles, you have to do A LOT of them, too. Trainer battles to earn the Challenge Tickets for the Battle League or whatever it's called. Honestly... it's a grind.

Which then brings me to the controls. I have issues with the controls. I'm not sure if it's lingering muscle memory from Legends: Arceus or what, but... I don't find the controls very intuitive. I very much dislike having to use the "focus" button during battles. Like, dude, we clearly need to target the Pokemon and keep targeting them, so why, in one-v-one battles, do I have to "focus" exactly? Any Pokemon that uses something like "Take Down" runs through your Pokemon and you lose "focus" on them and have to readjust your avatar to readjust your "focus," which I think is dumb. Corbeau's Gyarados about killed my Pokemon at least twice on separate occasions because of this exact issue. Much frustration. Aaaand your Pokemon will also attack bushes and things during a battle instead of the Wild Pokemon you're trying to attack... not great. Little bit silly. Mostly frustrating. But hey, they have Pokeball Return Guys at all the Pokestops, so you can get back Pokeballs you missed with, so that's cool.

Really, honestly, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is fun. It's open world enough that you can just kind of go wherever at any given moment, but structured enough to keep you on-task when you need to be. From what I've seen in my corner of the internet *cough* Threads *cough*, I'm not the only one who thinks so. There are a lot of people who're having fun just taking pictures of their avatars with their Pokemon. It's pretty great.

I'm not sure where I am exactly, in terms of the main part of the game... I did just hit Rank B today. But I'm having a lot of fun. That's the main draw of this entire franchise for me: how fun it is. So... yeah.

From the Pokemon Museum

From the Pokemon Museum

 

In Other News

I finished my Magnadramon X project over on OviPets. Took me a year and three months to complete these guys. They're part of my Mega Digimon Project. 

Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton

Burnt Offerings is, ah, interesting. It further builds out the world in some fun and not-so-fun ways. Really drives home just how monstrous vampires can get while at the same time exposing just how petty they really are. I really did not remember much about this book despite how actually quite important it is in terms of character and concept introduction. The details simply slipped my mind.

Asher giving off Constantine vibes right at the beginning there. I quite like Asher here. He's got his reasons for being the way he is but hasn't yet gone completely off as he does in later books. I won't get into that, though. The point is: Asher's introduction is neat and I like him. I also quite enjoy Warrick. He reminds me some of The Wicked Truth from later books. Warrick doesn't get a lot of "screen time" here, but what he does get is quite impactful. I feel much the same with Gideon and Thomas. I like them in the small amount of "screen time" they're given. And oh yes, last, but ultimately not least, Nathaniel is introduced here. I love Nathaniel and he shall be protected at all costs.

I do believe this book begins the “vampires are really just people on dang power-trips” thing that bugs me soooo much about things like Vampire Councils. The Council members and affiliates get butt-hurt when Anita won’t play ball and be “properly” intimidated or kow-tow to them because they said so. I like how she manages to play them within their own rules, though, once she's properly informed as to what the rules are. The fairly arbitrary rules, it seems like to me, to be honest. Again, vampires are humans with extraordinary powers who could just as easily decimate each other if they didn't have their rules so... that's super fun.

At some point when I was recommending this series to a friend via Threads, someone else said something about Anita being homophobic in the early books. I’ve been on the lookout for evidence of this… doesn’t seem to exist from what I can tell. Even here, she tries to get The Traveler to vacate Willie’s body because Willie doesn’t like men and The Traveler does. She isn’t insulting about it, just matter-of-fact about respecting someone else’s preferences. She also doesn't say anything about Gwen & Sylvie. At this point, I'm largely finding any homophobic comments are in the context of the cops and are on par with what they say about the "monsters" as well. That doesn't make them right, of course, or the comments non-existent, but so far... nothing entirely shocking or out of the ordinary for the context. I'd also like to make it clear that I don't condone these comments any more than I condone what was said to Detective Perry in an earlier book.

Interesting discussions here about the nature of the monsters, leadership, and what it means to be part of society. I think it’s interesting that vampires, or at least The Council, think themselves apart from human society still. What Anita tells The Traveler is correct on all counts: leadership comes with a responsibility to those you lead and letting yourselves become legal in society also means responsibility toward that society. Of course this discussion also comes as part of an issue with trying to save what, just four years ago in-world, would have been deemed monsters and not worth saving. Add to that the whole thing with the lycanthropes at the hospital… I wouldn’t quote me on this at all, but what happened to Lorraine has to have happened irl to Black men in the past when they saved the lives of White people (at least I hope that kind of thing is past… the world today… smh).

“There’s the possibility of disease contamination if there are bodies floating in the basement,” - Lieutenant Wren — misconception. Dead bodies do not carry disease and I HIGHLY doubt anything carrying disease would have had time to get to these particular bodies. If you'd like to know more about this stuff, I highly recommend checking out "AskAMortician" over on YouTube. This isn't super relevant to the plot, but clearly jumped out at me to mention.

If it weren't for the inclusion of forcing the Vampire Council to do some actual leadership, I would say the police stuff felt quite tacked on. It came at a point in the book where it felt very sudden, which I suppose any terrorist activity does. Make no mistake, what Humans First did was terrorism. It also ended up giving Dolph another opportunity to lecture Anita about dating "the monsters," which I don't think she needed after Ronnie essentially said the same stuff. I personally find the third party lectures about the whole thing annoying at best.

Speaking of the whole thing and third parties... Richard is a giant turd here. Just the whole book until the very, very end, Richard is too wrapped up in his own pity party. I get taking it out on Anita, since they're exes, but it's highly inappropriate in a majority of the situations he does it in. Stop parading your shit in private while people are literally bleeding around you. Geez.

So yeah... Burnt Offerings is interesting. Much drama. Gorey vampire shenanigans. World-building. Ultimately quite fun.

Favorite Lines

"Just because it doesn't have fangs doesn't mean it can't kill you." - Anita Blake

"Love is never free, Jean-Clause. It is the most expensive emotion we have, and I am going to see that you pay it in full." - Asher

"Love isn't the most expensive emotion, Asher," I said. I took another step forward, and he retreated another step. "Hate is. Because hate will eat you up inside and destroy you, long before it kills you." - Anita Blake

"Leadership doesn't just mean privileges. It has a price tag." - Anita Blake

"It's their job to do this. You don't bargain to get someone to do what they're supposed to do in the first place." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

Yet another OviPets project done! These are an approximation of the Digimon "Sakkutomon" for my "Village of Beginnings" project line. They took me about 4 months to do.

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.

Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton

According to my previous rating of 5 stars, I was definitely a lot more into Bloody Bones than I am now. (Down to 3 stars) It's alright and boy, does it go a mile a minute once we meet Seraphina... but that mile a minute-ness is actually what made me dislike it more this time around. I feel like a lot happened in too short of a time-frame to make the plot fit and go where it needed to. I really feel like the ultimate solution to Rawhead and Bloody Bones was too easy. Aaand then there's the first real taste of what vampire "politics" are like in the Anita Blake universe, which I also hate with a seething passion.

So... first, on a reread it's actually kind of nice to "experience" Anita traveling pre-entorage. Larry definitely doesn't count. We don't have 5000 characters to keep track of at any given moment. Just Anita and Larry joined by Jean-Claude and Jason. Very chill. Kind of miss that.

I did enjoy, as usual, further expansion of the Anita Blake world with the fairy stuff. This is one of the very few times Anita comes up against fairies... honestly mostly lack-luster. I'm not a fan of Dorcas, but Magnus was at least as menacing as he needed to be. Rawhead and Bloody Bones was semi-interesting before his end... his lore was a lot more interesting than the actual beastie, in my opinion.

Okay, so, vampire "politics" and show-boating and all the "we're gonna play with our food" crap... I get we gotta have vampires shown to be much more dangerous, but I hate it. I honestly feel this is an extension of their humanity showing through. You've got the power to intimidate so you gotta throw it in the faces of your rivals. I get it. This was particularly drawn out by Janos and his rotting ladies. I like that there's more than one type of vampire, and honestly, that scene, or rather, the aftermath, did very much endear Jason to me. However, the manipulation aspect of it bugs the shit out of me. Consent with a coercion backer does not mean actual consent, no matter whose life appears to be on the line. This also happens pretty much non-stop from the moment Anita and the boys arrive at Seraphina's. Anita, we're about to torture some girls to get you to let us torture you instead. Anita, we're gonna kill Larry. Anita, we're gonna kill Jeff. Anita, Larry's about to get killed again. On and on. Ugh. I hate it.

I legit spent about 4 days avoiding the Janos-in-the-basement-scene. Weird, honestly, because I'd forgotten that trauma happens this early in the series... but my brain remembered. I skimmed it, this time, just to get it over with. Read the rest of the book in about 24hrs.

So yeah, I'm a lot less into Bloody Bones than I was originally. I really found a lot of it repetitive in how it forced the plot to move along. I did like the very ending, though. It was interesting, if also kind of confusing... but not a bad ending at all. 

Favorite Lines

"You've just admitted you don't know anything about my job," I said. "How do you know what will affect it and what won't?" - Anita Blake

"A vampire was a person once. Just being dead doesn't cure you of any problems you had as a live human being. If you have a violent pathology before death, that won't change just because you're dead." - Anita Blake

"It's alright," I said. "Carrot's inert." - Anita Blake 

In Other News

As of posting this, I'm one hatching away from finishing my Ebonwumon project over on OviPets. Gonna go ahead and post about this now so I don't end up forgetting later. Ebonwumon is part of my Mega Digimon Project and based on the Digimon of the same name. I did the tattoos on their heads to mimic the helmet-things on the two-headed Digimon. I also did the tail tattoo.

Ebonwumon took me about 13 months to complete.

Ebonwumon

The Prince of Nowhere by Emily Drake

Honestly, this was not what I was expecting. I was not expecting the two year time-jump, not that it made any difference whatsoever. I was expecting something having to do with Gregory, which this did not at all. It was honestly okay most of the way through, which seems to be par for the course with The Magickers series. The ending, as usual, was super rushed, though also took forever getting there.

So, the nothing burger of a time-jump. I honestly feel like it was there to have given Ting/Pearl time to become a larger dragon and explain how she’s now used to this. Trent and Jason seem to have figured out how to use Trent’s abilities in a much different manner than Trent was using them in The Gate of Bones. That was so different I was confused as to what anyone was talking about in regard to Trent’s abilities. But otherwise… everything is pretty much the same as it was at the end of The Gate of Bones.

I enjoyed meeting and getting to know Leah. She’s a fun new character. I’m honestly glad, though, that we only got this short amount of time with her, as I feel like she would have just faded into the ensemble if the series were continuing. Along with Leah, we got more of a glimpse into Haven’s other inhabitants and how another piece of their society works.

Eyomani was honestly a nothing burger of an antagonist. His motivation, explained at the very end, was honestly stupid. I would have rather not had him at all and just focused on finding Rich’s cure. That, and dealing with Leah and her tracker-companion would have been just fine.

So, yeah… The Prince of Nowhere was largely just alright. The very ending felt like a rushed mess that had to basically tie up everything

 

In Other News

I finished another OviPets Project. This one is an approximation of the Digimon: Sakumon. Sakumon has a blade on its head and OviPets doesn't have that option so the unicorn horn had to do.

Sakumon took me approximately 3 months to complete and is a "Village of Beginnings" project.

The Curse of Arkady by Emily Drake

I have found The Curse of Arkady to be incredibly frustrating. The multiple POVs jump around abruptly, though I will admit, without a central location for the characters to be in, the multiple POVs are necessary. The storyline, though, is just… utterly frustrating and the end feels abrupt. Come see as I explain/rant about the nonsense.

I really, really dislike that the adult Magickers have basically just left the kids to fend for themselves. Gavan even specifically tells Jason that there might not always be someone to answer an alarm beacon. Then WTF is the point of it then??? I understand ya’ll don’t have the resources to take care of a whole school or even the amount of kids you originally had at Camp, but you’ve now got a whole 7 teenagers in need to training and you’re just… not doing anything aside from random check ins. How the fuck are they supposed to learn or defend themselves properly, exactly? One of the Council members talks about how they used to do apprenticeships, so it's not like teaching young Magickers individually is outside anyone's wheelhouse, it's just straight up not even being done.

I do think the book adequately shows just how much trouble the kids can get into on their own, as well. A member of the Dark Hand ambushes Jason, Stef goes bear at a horrible time, Jennifer’s losing her sense of self, and Bailey and Ting accidentally turn a supposedly harmless charm into a full-blown love-charm. All with no backup and really no one to call for help because the adult Magickers are all too busy to even check in on them regularly… apparently. This apparently all plays straight into the hands of Brennard, so that's just great.

Ah yes, and then the kids get scolded for being in “situations you shouldn’t have been in, in the first place.” As though they had enough training to keep themselves out of such situations. This is exactly what happens when magical kids don’t get enough/consistent training. Just… Tomaz’s entire thing after Jason finds Fizziwig makes me want to smack him. Ya’ll certainly aren’t acting as though these kids are at all important to you. But sure, “don’t disappoint us” is the way to go. WTF.

Fuck Statler Finch. Anyone who blames the victims of bullying for the bullying is THE WORST. Bullying is NEVER the victim’s fault. I am supremely happy Jason recognizes this pretty much right off the bat. I'm really trying to keep this spoiler-free, so I can't really say much more about Finch, but... he's an extreme annoyance.

I did like the little looks into each kid's life. They got just that much more fleshed out, plus some scoring on the diversity front. If there's one thing that really sets The Magickers apart as a series, it's the diversity of family dynamics and backgrounds. I'm really looking forward to seeing more about Ting's family, especially after the revelations there. I honestly remember maybe one thing from the next two books, so I can't speak to whether or not we get more of them.

I feel like, even though the ending was endlessly foreshadowed, it felt abrupt. Felt like Jason just fell into things for the last few chapters of the book. Even Brennard's goal was extremely fuzzy. Like yes, he apparently wanted Jason and his powers, but he did not feel like much of a threat. Trent actually shone more in the last chapter than almost anyone else. He reminded me a bit of Rachel Dare from the Percy Jackson series. I am also quite happy with Henry's fate, if not his role in the plot. Yes, he's back, tiny spoiler.

So, yeah, The Curse of Arkady was less strong of a sequel than I would have liked. Just a whole lot of nothing on top of a massive amount of frustration. I will hopefully be less frustrated with the next one.

In Other News

I have finished another OviPets Project! This one is really, truly a stretched from the inspiration... but I would like to introduce Monochromon!

Monochromon took me approximately 10 months to complete. These are part of my Adult Digimon Project. I really do love them, despite their lack of... uh... resemblance to the Digimon they're based off of. 

Death Vigil Vol. 1 by Stjepan Šejić

Essentially, if you like eldritch horrors and a more human “Death” figure, you’ll like Death Vigil. There’s a good amount of action and mythology with a dash of X-Men-style power mixing. Even a fun mystery to boot. Sejic’s art, as usual, is very good.

I think most of the character work is well done. I do feel like Clara’s fairly generic, though, as a POV-ish character goes. I am looking forward to seeing that Sejic does with her, in the event we ever get more Death Vigil. I love Mia to death. Snarky teen girls with big power-ups are my jam. I’m also definitely in favor of Sam and Bernie actually being a couple, rather than this “we only kiss when there’s trouble” thing they’ve got going.

But yeah, Death Vigil is fun and definitely worth a read.

In Other News

I just finished another OviPets Project! This one was based on the Armor Digimon: Pipismon. Pipismon took me about 5 months to complete.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Illustrated Edition

If you are planning to purchase this book, please do so used in order to curb J.K. Rowling's spending on her transphobia.

Time for another Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire reread, but this time with pictures! This review will be primarily focusing on the Illustrated Edition, though I will probably be adding some of my views on the story as well. There will be spoilers, especially in the quotes section.

The cover is alright. Definitely not my favorite of the Illustrated Editions. The Norwegian Ridgeback’s design is interesting. I did notice a slightly amusing detail on the back of Snape smiling as he watches Harry confront the dragon. Though we can’t see the other side of the stands, it does seem like the enclosure in which Harry and the dragon are is waaaay too small and it’s a wonder it hasn’t gone up in flames by this point. The opening pages depict the World Cup camping grounds and really drive home how bright and festive that event is.

I love the illustration of the Riddle House. It’s spot on and I kind of want it blown up for a Halloween decoration of some sort. The entire chapter is quite atmospherically done.
 

The illustrations of the predawn English countryside in “The Portkey” are gorgeous. They remind me very much of some old Beatrix Potter videos I watched as a kid at my grandparents’ house. I do wish they’d switched to white text here, though, as the black blends in a bit too well with the gray-green background. Gotta say, the illustrations of Cedric and Krum (in the next chapter) look quite similar.

Not really sure why Draco warranted a full, two-page spread in the middle of “The Dark Mark,” but there it is. The forest looks properly forest-y. I never pictured Draco to have such a square jaw.

I quite like the Hogwarts Express illustrations. Gorgeous.

Things I did not need an illustration of: Blast-Ended Skrewts

Love, love, love the Beauxbatons carriage/flying horses illustration. Love me some well-rendered horses.
 

The portrait of Rita Skeeter is arresting, to say the least. I suppose it is more book-accurate than not, but uh… it’s unflattering.

The combo of Hungarian Horntail paintings with the actual text was very effective. I wasn’t expecting a second Horntail depiction so soon… or at all… but the second one matched really, really well with the text.

Interesting rendition of merpeople, or at least their faces. Kind of cat-like, really.
 

Wow, that portrait of Winky in “The Madness of Mr Crouch.” It’s… uh… wow probably the darkest portrait, in terms of subject matter. Hats off to whichever artist did that one.

Omg, the illustration depicting Voldemort’s “child-ish” form is hella creepy. As is the illustration of naked Voldemort on the following page. Very evocative.

Of course, there are many more illustrations within the book. All beautifully done. I highly recommend either finding the illustrations online (they’re probably floating around by now) or checking out this edition from your library. However you choose to view these, please figure out the best way to do so without giving JK Rowling anymore money. She definitely doesn’t need it and will only use it to fund anti-trans nonsense.

Favorite Lines

"Through the gates, flanked with statues of winged board, and up the sweeping drive the carriages trundled, swaying dangerously in what was fast becoming a gale." - Narration

"Talon-clipping by charms... treating scale rot... this is no good, this is for nutters like Hagrid who want to keep them healthy..." - Harry Potter

"Secrecy Sensor. Vibrates when it detects concealment and lies... no use here, of course, too much interference -- students in every direction lying about why they haven't done their homework. Been humming ever since I got here. I had to disable my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling. It's extra sensitive, picks up stuff about a mile around. Of course, it could be picking up more than kids' stuff," he added in a growl. - Mad Eye Moody (Barty Crouch Jr.)

"I have gone temporarily deaf and haven't any idea what you said, Harry," said Dumbledor, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the ceiling. - Albus Dumbledore

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." - Sirius Black

In Other News

I finished my Tsunomon project over on OviPets! Tsunomon took 4 months with a 5 month gap while I waited on a Seasonal Mutation. Tsunomon is part of my Village of Beginnings Project Line and based off the Digimon of the same name.

The Bookshop and the Barbarian by Morgan Stang

Indeed, a cozy fantasy novel. Not exactly my speed, but good as a palate cleanser, as it apparently was for the author.

I rather enjoyed the world-building. Enough to give us a taste of the world and piece together the rest in our imaginations. I personally envisioned Leafhaven as a little English village… kind of like the one from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. And yes, I know that’s set in France. It’s what I imagined. The bookshop is largely the same way, which is just delightful.

I really don’t have much else to say about The Bookshop and the Barbarian. It was cute. It was picturesque. The stakes were never very high. All very chill.

In Other News

I finished an OviPets project! Archelomon, modeled after the Digimon of the same name. Archelomon took approximately 11 months. I designed the face and fore flipper tattoos.

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.