Jennifer Wadsworth

Mature relationships, great mystery

Reviewed: 02-16-17

Scarlett Bernard is back! It's been three peaceful years since we've seen her last, and she's grown up a lot. Now she's thrown into a plot to frame her former roommate, Molly, with the murder of twelve human women and overturn the fragile peace of the Old Word in LA.

Midnight Curse is the fourth book featuring magical null, Scarlett Bernard and the tenth work of Olson's set in the "Old Word," yet it is the start of a new series called Disrupted Magic. I'm not yet sure where this new series is going, but I sure enjoyed the first book.

It's been three years since the end of Hunter's Trail, and I'm not sure how long since the end of Boundary Born. Scarlett and Eli have been living together as a couple, along with the dog-like bargest, Shadow. Jesse Cruz has quit the police force, married and divorced, and is living a depressed life out of his one-room apartment. The mystery of who is framing Molly, Scarlett's former roommate pulls Scarlett and Jesse back into the dangerous side of the Old World in LA.

I'm impressed at where this series has taken Scarlett and Jesse. In the previous books, Scarlett had feelings for both Eli and Jesse, but Jesse saw Scarlet as someone who needed saving and protecting--from her enemies and her own choices. Though Scarlett goes to Jesse for help, their romantic relationship is not immediately rekindled, even when Scarlett's relationship with Eli is in jeopardy. In fact, NOT having romantic feelings help each of them see the other more clearly, which is the strength of their newfound partnership. I don't know if they'll become involved in future books, but it was refreshing to see them just be friends.

One of the big themes of this book is accepting yourself and others for who they are--not who they were or could be. Ultimately, Scarlett likes who she is and her role in the Old World in LA. When being her fullest self conflicts with her relationship with Eli, she chooses no relationship over one that forces her to be something she's not. I think this is a great message. No relationship, no matter how loving, will be successful if you can't be yourself. Love isn't always enough. It's a very modern and mature message and I appreciate it being played out in my fiction.

And can I just say how much I LOVE Shadow. In fact, I love how big a role animals play in Olson's work in general. She is obviously an animal lover and supporter of animal welfare.

Amy McFadden is the voice actor for all four Scarlett Bernard books. I listened to the three original books in preparation for Midnight Curse and enjoyed them thoroughly. I remember the first time I listened to Dead Spots, I felt like Amy's voice didn't fit Scarlett and it took me a while to get used to her. Maybe it's because I've just listened to her for about 42 hours over the last week, but she is now firmly Scarlett in my mind. Her voice is clear and expressive and I really enjoy her interpretation.

I'm excited about this new series and the return to Scarlett's world. I'm very curious to see what happens next for Scarlett.

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Interesting New Perspectives Upon Reread

Reviewed: 12-08-16

The Deathly Hallows is a serious and bittersweet book with a lot of heartache. I hated that we had to lose beloved characters. However, I did enjoy learning the backstories on Dumbledore and Snape. However, after realizing just how awful Snape behaved toward CHILDREN in this reread, I just can't buy him, anymore, as the hero adult Harry makes him out to be at the end of the book. He did a heroic thing, for whatever his own reasons were, but I feel that, especially in literature, the title of "Hero" is less about one deed and more about a person's character.

That being said, the comparison between Dumbledore and Snape made by this book is so very interesting. Both of them did some seriously regrettable things in their pasts. Both of them spent most of their lives trying to make up for them by doing heroic things. In many ways, the similarities between them are astonishing. Yet they are viewed by most people so very differently. Why? Were Dumbledore's actions any better or worse than Snape's, really? Were their talents? Were their results?

Or was it just they way they chose to show up, the way they chose to "be" with other people? Snape was mostly angry and bitter and cruel. Dumbledore was mostly gracious and kind. In the end, they may have both been on the same side, but the way they chose to be with other people made a big difference. Interesting life lesson, I think.

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2 people found this helpful

Beautiful narration

Reviewed: 11-29-16

After a horrifying journey through the Old City to win her freedom and her magic, Alice leaves the city with her companion, Hatcher, in search of his daughter and, perhaps, a little peace.

After listening to and enjoying Christina Henry’s Alice, and Jenny Sterlin’s beautiful narration, I started The Red Queen immediately.

Broken though they are, Alice and Hatcher share a great love. Out of that love, Alice commits to the journey to find Hatcher’s daughter, whom he hasn’t seen since she was a baby. Leaving the horrors of the city behind, they expect to find a kinder, more sensible land—once one has escaped a tragic situation, one should live happily ever after, right?

As most survivors know, this is not the case. Alice and Hatcher find just as much insanity, just as much treachery, just as much misery as they did in the city. Alice loses Hatcher to the wiles of the White Queen, who has destroyed the land and its people in her battle with the Black King. Now Alice has to decide who she is and what power she has in order to save Hatcher and reclaim her life.

The Red Queen felt to me like a book about growing up, or maybe about transformation. Alice’s growth as an adult had been stunted because of her time in the asylum. Now she’s escaped her past and the indiscretions of her youth, along with her captivity, and can look forward to her future. She has the chance to remake herself, and now must choose who she will become.

This is the last planned book in the Chronicles of Alice. I admit I was surprised by that. Having been told in Alice that Hatcher’s daughter was a famous courtesan in the Middle East, I assumed that the encounter with the White Queen was just an interlude on their way to the end of a trilogy, in which they would find Hatcher’s daughter and rescue her from her own version of The Walrus or The White Rabbit. Plus, I imagined the Middle East might hold some knowledge Alice would need to develop her skills as a magician. However, our protagonist didn’t have to travel as far as the Middle East to rescue children, learn about her magic, or decide what kind of person she would become.

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5 people found this helpful

The saddest book in the series.

Reviewed: 11-09-16

I've read or listened to this book a few times now. Half-Blood Prince has always felt, to me, like the bleakest of all seven Harry Potter books, meaning that this is the point in the whole story where I feel the most hopeless, as the reader.

Harry is made Captain of the Quiddich team, but Snape gives him detention often enough to keep him from the game. Ron and Hermione are fighting and the romantic tension is stressful. Slughorn is smarmy. The book Harry is obsessed with is a product of his most hated teacher. The conflict between Harry and Dumbledore over Snape continues the series-wide theme of not sharing enough information (which is much more frustrating to me as an adult now than when I first read the books). Even Harry’s adventures with Dumbledore to explore Voldemort’s origins are informative, but their usefulness is somewhat ambiguous to Harry.

The feelings I associate with this book are sad, depressed, and a mourning for the childhood that Rowling still managed to capture in the previous books. This kind of uncomfortable tension is appropriate for the penultimate book in a series, actually. It’s expertly done. The book ends at what seems like the lowest part of the series, leaving the reader ready for the resolution of the final book.

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Finding new things each time I listen...

Reviewed: 10-15-16

Listening to this book, I feel a VISCERAL hatred for Umbridge. I can’t think of any other book villian that makes me react so physically. She’s HORRIBLE. Between her, Snape, Mr. Filch, and the Death Eathers, this series depicts some adults who are really horrible to children. I don’t think I realized this when I first read this series, but now that I’m older, it stands out quite starkly. It’s a bit disturbing when you really think about it, but true to the Grimm standard, I guess. Children don’t always get protected and cherished in Harry’s world or in ours.

Harry is in that adolescent phase where he is not quite a child and not quite an adult. He’s had to deal with some very bad things thus far in his life, and feels as though he’s earned some adult respect. Yet the adults around him still view him as a child and are trying to keep him safe. This is a frustrating time for any adolescent and his or her parents, let alone those who are dealing with such terrible threats. I suppose this is where the series transitions from Middle Grade to YA.

One thing that bothered me a lot in this read through is the mirror Sirius gives Harry. Sirius doesn’t tell Harry what it does, and Harry never opens it while Sirius is alive. So much of the story wouldn’t have happened if Harry had just used the mirror. What was the point of the mirror in the story? Why was it even mentioned? I don’t understand the purpose of the mirror except regret. Although I suppose it supports the theme that failing to share information, even with children, can have disastrous results.

Much like the mirror, the worst of the story might not have happened if Dumbledore had just communicated with Harry, just given him a little credit for being mature. This also is a big theme of the book, and once I knew to look for it, I felt Harry’s frustration.

Though it sounds as if I don’t love the book, that’s not true. Some of the things I love are the introduction of Luna Lovegood, the DA club, Harry’s interview with The Quibbler, and Nevil becoming more involved in the story. I LOVE that the Hogwarts teachers team up with Peeves against Umbridge. As always, Rowling writes such a deep, wonderful story that I can find new experiences on every reread.

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Excellent Series

Reviewed: 10-05-16

The war between Earth and the demons has come to a head, and Ayala learns that everything the Mediators have been told is a lie. She may have to sacrifice everything, and everyone, she loves to save the world. Great series finale with lots of feels!

Mears again does a great job with what appears to be the finale in the Ayala Storme series. Ayala Storme’s life has contained a lot of heartache… and a lot of love. Now, when things are at their worst for the world, she’s quite overwhelmed by both.

I will admit that I cried listening to Eye of the Storm. I can be a sap, I know; but, the weight of emotion Mears conveys in this book is really incredible—deep, deep feelings of being betrayed, of being loved, of losing something precious, of being in an impossible situation, of discovering a very personal truth. I can feel Ayala’s emotions very keenly in every book, and in particular in this final book, which is probably why I enjoy them so much.

I’m very curious to see if Mears will write in this world again. There is plenty of material, especially if subsequent stories pick up years later, or even years before, Ayala Storme’s story. Eye of the Storm leaves the reader wondering who the real enemy is, and it would be interesting to see that play out at different points in time.

Regardless of what she writes, I am willing to follow Mears into whatever world she creates. I’ll confess that I didn’t have high expectations when I first picked up Storm in a Teacup. But Mears has impressed me with some fantastic writing. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

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1 person found this helpful

Superb writing and narration

Reviewed: 08-27-16

In this dark twist on a classic tale, Alice struggles to recover from the trauma of her past and her commitment to a mental institution, and to regain her power as an independent and whole person.

What drew me to this book: Reviews for this book are very good, and I like the vintage paper collage look of the cover. I have read some of the books in Christina Henry’s Black Wing series and enjoyed them. Plus, I love retellings of fairy tales. I love the clever ways authors use details from the originals to make a new story.

Why I kept reading: Wow! First off, Alice is not like the Black Wings books. It’s a grittier, harsher, and beautifully written. It’s a different genre entirely; Alice is categorized as horror or dark fantasy. It feels as if the writing intentionally matches the style and sound of Victorian England, in which period the original Alice books were written. Not to the extent that it’s difficult to read, but just enough to give the story character and convey the time period reflected in Alice’s fantasy world.

I adore the way the elements of both original books are used in this story. Having the Walrus and the Carpenter appear as two rival street bosses, for example, is very clever. The uses of some elements are obvious, such as the Cheshire cat or the tea party with a door mouse. Others you may not recognize immediately, such as Alice’s plunge “down the rabbit hole” and swimming through a river of tears, the Mad Hatter, or the oysters that the Walrus and the Carpenter eat.

Though not a young adult novel, one of the themes is certainly Alice coming into her own power as an adult and a survivor of trauma. The book also touches on the idea of loving yourself and others regardless of “imperfections,” and whether or not you can be a good person despite having done some bad things.

I listened to the audio version of this book, and I highly recommend it. The narrator, Jenny Sterlin, does a great job with the voices and the Victorian feel of the book. I’ve already purchased, and am listening to, the sequel, Red Queen.

Why I recommend this book: Alice is a clever and well-written dark fantasy that has depth and substance enough to feel literary. The world Henry has created is fascinatingly awful, but watching Alice own her past and take control of her future is incredibly satisfying.

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122 people found this helpful

Beautiful.

Reviewed: 08-21-16

Halfway Bitten is another beautiful book by Terry Maggert. As in the first installment, Halfway Dead, the writing is lyrical and the characters are wonderful.

Maggert must believe, like many other folks, that the circus is as creepy as it is fascinating. Plus, there's clowns. In this novel, the circus is a front for a group of travelling vampires who are terrorizing all other vampires in Eastern North America and Canada. The right to survive becomes a competition; and Carley, Gran, and Wulfric get caught up in it.

I absolutely love the introduction of ghosts in this novel. Ghosts of the towns previous witches live on in "spirit." They are able to assist, teach, mentor, or just socialize with living witches as long as their spirits are in tact.

Once again, the audiobook version is superb. Erin Spencer perfectly captures Carly's and Gran's beautiful natures and the author's lyrical writing.

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Top Shelf Fantasy

Reviewed: 06-20-16

Things are bad in Thasia. Jobs, housing, and food are scarce, and the Human's First and Last movement is blaming it all on the Others. But are they really behind it, or is it all a diversion to mask a more nefarious plot?

What drew me to this book: I've been a fan of this series since it started, particularly in audio. I love the culture Bishop has created and particularly love the innocent feel of the storytelling, despite some of the horrific things that happen in the story. This series is unique in the Fantasy/Urban Fantasy genre.

Why I kept reading: The tension between the humans and the Others keeps ratcheting up with each novel! In violation of the lease agreements with the Others, who own all the land and natural resources, the humans are attacking, lying to, and denying services to the Others. This behavior is being egged on by a movement called Humans First and Last, a separatist hate group who believe Humans have a destiny to rule the world and the Others either need to be subservient or destroyed.

This story really shines a light on the ugliness of humans. We see it every day in the news -- arguments over transgenders in our bathrooms, same sex couples marrying, and one religion vs. another vs. none at all; but, we don't often see it the way Bishop presents it. Bishop's stories show humans turning on humans quite often, but rarely do Others turn on Others. In fact, Others don't even turn on humans who have earned their respect and protection. Marked in Flesh makes this abundantly clear with a particular plot point that I'm not going to spoil.

While I think there is a message in Bishop's tales -- we need to be better to each other or we will destroy ourselves -- this series is not a preachy political tale. It's told in a sweet, innocent voice (Meg's voice, I believe) that reminds me of fairy tales and oral histories. The relationships between Meg, the Courtyard Others, and the humans drawn into their circle are lovely; the way they interact and learn to understand each other is one of the highlights of the book for me.

Why I recommend it: It's quite simply a beautifully rich fantasy with excellent characters and world building. If you like audio books, the narrator, Alexandra Harris, does a wonderful job with the characters. This series is definitely top-shelf fantasy.

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2 people found this helpful

Fan-fricken-tastic!

Reviewed: 06-03-16

What drew me to this book: I’ve been a fan of Kristi Charish’s Adventures of Owl series since I came across it last year. I was pretty excited to hear she had started a new series, and that it was out in audio. Plus, check out the cover and description! I just had to find out how Charish could combine Seattle grunge rock, Haitian Voodoo, and a Japanese geisha.

Why I kept reading: This supernatural murder mystery blew me away! The world building is fantastic, reminding me of The Hollows series by Kim Harrison in the depth of thought put behind it. Magic is out in the open, regulated by the government and policed just like everything else. The development of the rules of magic and the impact of magic on the culture hits my world building sweet spot.

The characters are deep and well-developed. Each one of them feels real and worthy of my attention. Much like Charish’s Owl, I occasionally wanted to smack Kincade upside the head (actually, several of them could use a good smack) as much as I was rooting for her.

The action and mystery were fantastic! I had a horrible time putting the story aside to work or sleep, I was so engaged in finding out who did it. Seriously, I went to bed one night with 4 hours left in the audio. I couldn’t fall asleep until the book was done!

The narrator, Susannah Jones, is absolutely perfect! I had not heard her prior to this book, but you can bet she’s going on my list of favorite narrators.

AND THE ENDING! That was the best “Oh, sh&^t!” ending I’ve read in a long while! It’s going to make the wait for Book 2 a KILLER!

Why I recommend it: The Voodoo Killings is a masterful urban fantasy “whodunit.” It is one of the best, if not THE best, book I’ve read so far this year! If you’re a fan of the genre, it’s going to knock your socks off. And even if you’re not normally an urban fantasy reader, you have got to give this book a try. It’s so exciting and so well written, you really don’t want to miss it!

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