Gamer

Gamer might be a little difficult for me to explain, but I'll try. John Tillman was put in prison. The prison system was becoming overcrowded and the government was not sure of what to do until Ken Castle brings them a solution. He implants a program into the prisoners brains that allows people to control them in a game. It started off like SIM's but grew to include war games. Once you've reached 30 battles you're set free. No more jail that. That is, if you make it to 30 battles. Most don't. In fact, John Tillman aka Kable has only 3 battles left.

Ken Castle can't allow Kable to be set free. So he breaks his own rules. He sends out a mercenary who has no controller. With no controller there is no delay between user and icon. Kable has to get his controller to set him free so that he doesn't die and so that he can escape.

I actually enjoyed this movie. It's premise was like no other movie out there. It was interesting and different and so relevant to the times. So many people are into their games that you can barely pry them away at times. I think it was interesting to watch and I liked it but it's not one of those movies I'll be watching over and over again.

Knight of Darkness

Knight of Darkness is the second book in the Lords of Avalon series. After the Knights of the Round Table fell only a few remained to hide the holy grail and the other secret items. The Knights of the Round Table then became the Lords of Avalon.

Varian is one of those Lords of Avalon. His mother is on the side of evil and his father was Sir Lancelot. Both sides within him war with each other. None of the other Lords trust him.

Merewyn bargained away her beauty to Varian's mother centuries ago so that she wouldn't have to marry. Only expecting to be in Narishka's servitude for one moon cycle she was duped. Unfortunately, there are no moon cycles. So Merewyn is an ugly hag who has no hope of ever getting her beauty back until Narishka makes another bargain for her. She must seduce Varian so that he switches from the side of good to evil and bring Narishka the Holy Grail.

It's an easy read and I suppose that all the modern conversations and the mention of the Monty Python movies makes it a little easier for everyone to understand but it just doesn't seem to fit. It's all explained that they can time travel which would allow them to pick up their modern day vernacular but it somehow doesn't seem to fit.

It was alright. I keep comparing these books to others I've read and I really enjoy the others better. If I had to give this a rating I'd probably go ahead and give it 2 to 3 stars. I didn't really feel a connection to either character. I wanted more from them instead of other characters telling their story. It really left me disconnected.

What it did do for me was want to learn more about Blaise the Mandrake. The half dragon half ... human man. He's been in both books in the series and I really want more from him. The next book coming out in October of 2010 does not have him as the main character so I'll just have to wait.

Sword of Darkness

Sword of Darkness is the first book in the Lords of Avalon series. This book is about what happened to Camelot. I suppose everyone's heard of the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. This story is about Excalibur's polar opposite Caliburn. Whoever holds this sword cannot be killed and as long as they hold the sheath they can never bleed. It's the evil to the goodness of Excalibur.

Seren is an apprentice who dreams of making it into a guild so that she can be paid for sewing. On her way back home two knights approach her and tell her they're there for her protection. She's going to be the mother to the new Merlin. Very scared she flees and they give chase. She runs into Kerrigan and he offers her his help. Unfortunately, for Seren she accepts it without questions unknowingly giving herself up to the bad guys.

Morgen is the evil Merlin who wants to rule the world. She has to get her hands on Seren and her child. Once she has the child she can rule the world. Kerrigan brings Seren right to her.

This story was pretty good. The descriptions are vivid and you can almost see yourself there. I don't really know the King Arthur/Camelot story so I can't really compare anything to anything. It's set in the ancient times yet they're speaking in more of a current day dialect that the author does explain but it still seems a bit weird. There are only two more stories in this series so I more than likely will finish them.

Kinley MacGregor is Sherrilyn Kenyon. I really enjoy Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series and The League series more than the Lords of Avalon. I guess I just like more of the modern stories.

Dead After Dark

Shadow of the Moon - Sherrilyn Kenyon

This is a short story about Fury Kattalakis. It goes along with her Dark-Hunter/Were-Hunter stories. Most of Kenyon's books go into such depth and delves into the characters and what makes them tic. With the short story you just don't get that.

It's such a long setup to go into the story and if I was to start telling it it would probably be longer than the actual story of Fury. I would just start off with saying that for a were-hunter story it wasn't all that great but for a short story, it was pretty good. I was hoping for way more of a story for Fury, but I suppose we learned all we needed from previous books.

The Story of Son - J.R. Ward

I think this was my favorite short story out of the bunch. Claire a lawyer who has no time for men and has always put her career first goes to an elderly clients house for her to sign papers. She ends up being held captive and ends up with way more than she bargained for.

There are so many different ways to tell vampire stories. Some good, some bad. I thought this was a good one. Even though it was short I felt something for both characters and kept rooting for them.

Beyond the Night - Susan Squires

Drew Carlowe has reinvented himself. He's back for the love of his life and he's going to marry her. Then he's going to shove it in her father's face. It's perfect revenge. He gets the love of his life and the revenge he's been dreaming about for years. He purchases a house that is said to be haunted with a ghost who sucks blood.

I enjoyed this story as well. It's another vampire tale but with a spin. It didn't really say what time period it was set, but it was set in the times where the influenza was killing healthy people.

Midnight Kiss Goodbye - Diana Love

Diana has written some books with Kenyon so I was really hoping to like this one, but it was definitely my least favorite. I almost stopped reading it a bunch of times. Mainly because I was confused and left wondering about way too much in the beginning. It was really hard to figure out what was going on and even then I sort of skipped a few paragraphs here and there.

Trey is part of a secret league. He has powers that only the league know about. He had to break up with his girlfriend, Sasha, on his 21st birthday to claim his place in the league. He still checks in on her whenever he is not on assignment. Sasha has her own powers that she's not sharing with Trey.

The main gist of this story was that Trey did not trust Sasha because he couldn't read her mind. When he was younger someone betrayed him and that really hurt. So he chose to leave her. I thought him tapping Sasha's phone even after 9 years was pretty stalkerish. This was not my kind of story.

The end with the bad guy fight was alright. A little weird and different. I just really wish it wasn't so confusing.

Night Pleasures

This is the second book in the Dark-Hunter series but the first actual Dark-Hunter book. This is my second time reading it. I've read 18 novels plus a few short stories in this series and I wanted to go back and reread some novels that I considered my favorite but forgot a few things that happened during them.

This novel is about Kyrian of Thrace who was betrayed by his wife in ancient times and granted an act of revenge in exchange for his soul. Now he's a Dark-Hunter who looks like a vampire but isn't. Apollo cursed his children, Apollites, to die on their 27th birthday, banished them from the day, and gave them animal characteristics. (Hence, the fangs) A Dark-Hunter was given those same characteristics so that they sort of blended when searching for Daimons. A Daimon is an Apollite who sucks the souls out of humans to prolong their life past the 27 years.

Amanda an accountant who's just been dumped by her fiance because he couldn't handle her family finds herself handcuffed to Kyrian. She hates everything paranormal. She just wants a normal life. Unfortunately, for her the handcuffs were made from Hephaestus a Greek God. Unless you're a God or Goddess or have the key there is no way of getting free from those cuffs. Not to mention Kyrian seems to be a vampire.

This story does sound a little odd and weird at first, but I enjoy it. I think this is one of my favorite stories of the Dark-Hunters. I have a few favorites but this is one of the books I've held onto.

About 250 pages into this book we meet Acheron. After going back and reading the first story with him, you can see how it all evolved and how Acheron's character developed. For me anyway there seem to be a few oopsies as well. Ash doesn't like to show people his eyes yet in this novel Amanda saw them first thing. Other than those few "what's going on" moments I really liked this one.

Chosen

I saw the author on the news one day talking about this series, so I figured I'd try it. It's the third book in the House of Night series. This series is not as good as I'd hoped it would be. I felt compelled to finish the books that I already have.

Zoey Redbird a vampyre fledgling who's been marked by the goddess Nyx. She's the most powerful fledgling ever with the affinity for all five elements, earth, wind, water, fire and spirit. Her roommate and best friend is one of the undead dead vampyres and her High Priestess, Neferet, is in the middle of all the evil that's been happening. Not to mention Zoey has a three boyfriend problem.

This book has so many repetitions. I'm not sure how many times we've opened a circle by calling each element. After the first three or four times you just want it to be over. I skipped a lot in this book. It just did not hold my interest. I know it's for teens, but most teens would probably find it just as redundant.

Not a whole heck of a lot seems to even happen during this book. Neferet is on winter vacation throughout most of the novel. She just seems to show up towards the end. It's very predictable and you could see what was going to happen a mile away.

The main theme to this one is keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Unfortunately, for Zoey she does that without even knowing who's who.

Since I already have book four, I will be reading through it. I figure, I might as well not waste the book I already have. I'll hold out on the hope that it picks up and gets better.

Bad Moon Rising

This is the 19th book in the Dark-Hunter series. It's about Fang a Katagarian Were-Hunter and Aimee, an Arcadian Sentinel. Fang a wolf, and Aimee a bear. Some of this book is a recap of previous books because Fang and Aimee are mixed up in a few other stories. I thought they blended well and I personally didn't feel as though it was too much repetition. I actually enjoy reading how stories intertwine.

That being said, a few things I'm not happy about is the fact that through 19 books, SK can't come up with something better than "Those words shattered me." "That touch shattered me." "That looked shattered me." I've had enough shattering to last me 19 more books.

I really really enjoy most of the Dark-Hunter novels. This part of the series is more for the Were-Hunters with small cameo's from my favorite DH, Acheron.

One more thing that bothered me about the last battle was the fact that one second it's the Peltier family fighting an army of bad guys and the next second everyone you could imagine was in the fight backing up the Kattalakis(Fang) and Peltier(Aimee) familes. It just didn't have a good flow to it and I was expecting more. I've come to have high expectations because most of SK's novels have real depth. This one just seemed to skim the surface and just felt like we were getting through it so that the story could be told per timetable.

Fang and his brother Vane have been kicked out of their pack and left to die. A group of daimons are there to drain them and kill them. Vane is able to safe Fang but not before they've drained enough of his soul that it seems like nothing is left and Fang is just an empty shell of himself. They both end up at Sanctuary, where they are offered a place to stay until Fang heals. Seeming to be in a coma, no one knows how to help him. No one but Aimee. She saw him in her dreams and she knows he stuck between the nether world and she knows what she has to do. She has to hunt down the daimons who fed off him and kill them to release his soul.

What these Were-Hunters have to learn is that can love really conquer all? Is the family you're born into the only family that matters? My favorite quote is from the book. There are three types of families. Those we are born to, those who are born to us, and those who we let into our hearts.

I really wasn't sure how I felt about this one. I liked it. I'd give it probably 4 out of 5 stars. It just wasn't one of my favorites. Fang and Aimee were barely together. Even though I read that it took a few years together the way they were going. It was just so sad. The main characters were barely together to love each other. I enjoyed it though. I'm glad I read it but ... I guess it just wasn't a Dark-Hunter novel. Hopefully, I'll get more of those. Although, it doesn't seem like that will happen anytime soon.

Don't Look Down

Don't look down was a little different. Lucy is a director who's been called to the set of movie that needs to be finished. Her ex-husband, Nash, is the stunt coordinator. When she arrives she realizes things are all wrong. Nothing seems to be going right and the set is running with half the crew. Not to mention her star, Bryce, has brought in a military consultant, J.T. Wilder.

Things go from bad to worse when things start going horribly wrong on set. Lucy soon realizes that the things going wrong are not just coincidence and she may not be able to take care of everyone herself.

For as long as this book was the setup seemed like it went on for hundreds of pages. The ending left more to be desired. Characters were not really followed through. Characters seemed to come and go with barely any purpose.

I liked the premise. There were a lot of good parts but as good as they were they seemed to fizzle out. I just feel as though they could have been better. A scene in the swamp where the hunter seems to become the hunted and there are more than just alligators to tend with started off with a good feeling, but sort of didn't go anywhere.

A lot of twists and a lot of lying, cheating, stealing and double crossing that went on in this one. It's hard to keep straight who the good guy and the bad guy were. I was hoping for something a little better. I felt as though it just needed that little bit more.

Psyche in a Dress

Psyche in a Dress is really hard to explain. Mainly, because I was confused most of the time. I was with it up until Psyche kicked Eros out for being too beautiful. After that, we either see Psyche as Echo. I don't really know. It's set in the mortal realm and the Gods are mortals but Gods in the modern day times.

What can I say about this book? Actually, I'm not really sure. I must be the only one that didn't get this book. I was so confused through the entire thing. At times I think I'd finally start to understand it when all of a sudden I'd be completely lost again.

I know it's done in the poetry lyrical way, but I just did not get it. I know most of the myths about the gods, but I just kept getting confused over the Psyche/Persephone, Psyche/Demeter, Psyche/Narcissus, etc. Was she Psyche, was she Persephone. I have no idea. I'm not sure, maybe I was putting too much thought into this but for me this was just not good.

Man Of My Dreams

This review is for the first story in this book.

The fourth abridged version in The League series. This was written awhile back for Kenyon. When she was working for separate publishers on each book. She had to change some things so that each book did not seem related. I could not wait for the full version to come out in a few months, so I bought this to appease me.

This is Adron's tale. It did not really go into detail over what happened to him other than he traded himself for a pregnant woman who was a hostage. He was brutally tortured and left for dead. Scarred for life and very bitter he stays home to drink and sulk. Only leaving to go to the bar just below his home to drown his sorrows away.

Livia, a princess, who's being betrothed to an 82 year old King, wants nothing to do with him. So she sets off to ruin herself so that the King won't want her. What she finds is Adron.

This is a very short story compared to the rest of the League books. It was just a small glimmer of what I'd hoped to read of Adron but it did satisfy me somewhat. I'm still planning on getting the novella, or book that will be released mid 2010. For now, this short story can be found in the book Man of My Dream with a collection of other short stories.

Born of Ice

The third book in The League series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Devyn Kell is a soldier in the league. That is until one day he threw it all away to save an injured child. Alix a slave who's mother and sister are being held until she takes down Devyn.

What threw me on this one was that Devyn was Syn and Shahara's (Born of Fire) son. After all the characters we met in the last book I was just assuming we'd be reading about one of them. Not skipping ahead a generation. After my initial shock, I really got into it. Adron, Nykarian and Kiara's (Born of Night) first son had a small cameo that left me wanting to read more and more about him.

This book was considerably shorter than the last two. Which made it a lot easier to read. It seemed like a quick read compared to the rest. I enjoyed this book. There were not as many fights, not as many characters, or as much to set up. What did seem left out was the character development that happened all through the first two books. It may have been that much better had it delved into their lives a little more. It just scratched the surface.

For me Born of Ice was still good. It sort of brought everyone together. I'm looking forward to more because it left a lot of questions unanswered. Unfortunately, the next book in the series does not come out for a little while. I guess I'll have to occupy my time with another series.

Born of Fire

Born of Fire is about C.I Syn a thief who has a bounty on his head that will surely help Shahara save her sister, Tess, from being thrown out of the hospital after a beating she had taken for now paying her gambling debts.

Seax Shahara is the best bounty hunter there is. Syn trained by assassins is the best at running and hiding, until he meets Shahara. They either have to team up or their lives will be over.

Not unlike any of her other books both heroine and hero survived the worst sorts of abuse. Just when you think it can't possibly get any worse it does and in detail. I guess the best thing that comes out of it is that you get a real sense of the character and what they went through to be where they are now. It's important to building the character even as you're screaming on the inside for the injustices they went through. For the characters the hits just keep on coming. To the point where you're wondering if they'll ever have anything go their way.

The only thing that stands out to me in this book as slightly annoying is that every tracer, bad guy, or man that went to attack Shahara would drop them with one signature move. Ok, I get it. It's effective but come on. You can't win every fight by going in that way. The fighting and the action was exciting it was a bit like, ok, we've seen you do that one already. Nevertheless it was still a good read. Sad, disturbing, exciting, depressing all wrapped up in one novel. The second in The League series by Kenyon.