Warriors of Atlantis, by Alyssa Day, Series Review

I’m really enjoying this series. It’s a work in progress, so it’s yet another one of those series where I need to write down the date of the next publication and dial back my impatience. Not until June. Arggh. Happily though, books 6 and 7 are out within a couple of months of that, so this time next year I should be gorged and sated on Day’s gorgeous defenders of civilization as we know it.

I hinted earlier that there was a comparison to be made with the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Another cadre of warriors, yadda yadda. When I say that they compare favorably, one of the things I mean is that this is not a copycat series. At stake is THE FUTURE OF MANKIND. Compared to the BDB, where it’s the fate of this small, mostly unknown population of vampires, and you’d think that the Poseidon adventures would feel darker and heavier, but no. I’m not sure why, but for me at least, the BDB books are still more immersive and resonant.

I’d say Day’s style is closer to Kresley Cole’s with the plethora of different magics and the mythological mash-up. Roman gods, vampires, were-creatures, witches, empaths, and who knows what else on the horizon, share Day’s universe. I never really lose sight of the notion that this is a work of fiction, so the scary stuff doesn’t haunt me the way it does with the BDB.

Now, this is not to say that Day’s books are inferior to Ward’s – they’re just different. They’re quicker, less dense reads. The warriors are less entangled in each others’ lives. The books so far have little or no set up for the follow-ons, so in that respect they are more stand-alone – we just get little hints as to some of the warriors’ individual burdens without going into too much foreshadowing. I’m also really adoring Day’s heroine’s; they are enormously powerful in their own right and thus worthy partners to the hunky heroes.

I also love authors that can lace their characters with a right touch of humor. In Day’s case, the humor isn’t as constant of a factor, like you might find with Jennifer Crusie or Loretta Chase, or even Kresley Cole, but little touches are deftly applied at perfect moments:

From Shifter’s Lady, a male human/jaguar, internal narrative:

Control.

Pleasant dinner.

No pouncing on the Atlantean.

Marie glanced back over her shoulder and smiled at him, and he stumbled, his inherent feline grace deserting him. Screw that. There was definitely going to be pouncing.

And from Atlantis Awakening-- paraphrased, because my books are temporarily misplaced (children!—grrrr!)-- there is a scene where Erin (the heroine) meets Quinn and Jack. When Ven (the hero) and Jack start a macho conversation about Erin’s mated status, she knocks them both on their asses with a little burst of power. Their response (and Quinn’s: “I think I’m going to like you!”) are really entertaining.

OK then, without further ado, allow me to present the next installment in my spreadsheet series:

Item	Warriors of Poseidon	Black Dagger Brotherhood
Premise	Elite band of warriors tasked with protecting humans from vampires and shapeshifters	Elite band of warriors tasked with protecting their own race from specific enemies of the race.
Sponsoring Deity	Poseidon, duh	The Scribe Virgin
The Big Bad	Anubisa, daughter of Chaos, goddess of death, immortal, evil, vampirish. Has a particular vendetta against the royal family of Atlantis. Super creepy.	The Omega, apparently a sibling of some sort to the Scribe Virgin. Unredeemedly evil, he uses humans in his war against vampires by excising the individual's heart, soul, and blood, and replacing it with some essence of himself. This seems to be a singularly unpleasant process, details of which are thankfully left largely to the reader's imagination
Mating Stuff	Beginning with Conlan, the warriors begin finding their soul-mates, the only person in the world with whom a soul-meld is possible. The soul-meld enables one partner to read every significant event in the other's life. The soul meld has been the stuff of legends until now.	Bonded mates very nearly cannot survive the death of the mate, and males are fiercely territorial. No indication that the individuals are pre-ordained, or that only one mating is possible, but the males typically recognize their mate on some level instantly. Can be married without being bonded.
What do they eat?	Normal stuff.	Require the blood of an opposite-sex vampire (not human) for sustenance and strength. Will die without it, but may survive on human or animal blood for a time. Also regular food, and for the warriors, enormous quantities of it.
Special Powers	Can manipulate water, ice, etc. Can travel at high speed in mist form (with limited ability to carry stuff). Some can manipulate other elements, such as wind. Atlanteans are forbidden to call Fire. Some individuals have additional magic, mostly exhibited as sort of lightning bolts lobbed at the enemy.	Can dematerialize from one place to another. In short hops, this kind of looks like flying. Super-rapid healing. Can manipulate human minds, wipe memories, etc. Strongest vampires can also probe other vampires' minds. Vishous has additional powers as a result of his maternal line.
Kryptonite	Not really, but if sufficiently shielded from water sources, cannot use their power.	Sunlight & salt water. Cannot dematerialize through steel.
What about the women?	Riley, Quinn and Erin, in different ways, have extremely rare and impressive powers that have not been seen by Atlanteans in 2000 years. Their appearance now seems to signal a prophecy involving rising again, IKYWIM.*	Meh.**
Does anyone go off to die alone in a cave?	So far, so good, but it ain't over yet	Yes.

*No, Betsy, the answer is NOT "The South."


**OK, the "meh" isn't really fair, but really, the heroines are nothing special in the BDB. I like that Day's are more equal in powers and partnership.


That's it. Go read 'em. Good, clean fun.

Series Reading Order:
1. Atlantis Rising
2. Wild Thing (anthology/short: Wild Hearts in Atlantis -- re-issue in mass market (ie, cheaper) format in Jan 2009)
3. Atlantis Awakening
4. Shifter (anthology/short: Shifter's Lady)
5. Atlantis Unleashed (due June 2009)
6. Atlantis Unmasked (due July 2009)
7. Atlantis Redeemed (due fall 2009)

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King of Sword and Sky, by CL Wilson: Review

Just because a paranormal author calls her fictional race fairies (or Fae, or Faeries, or Fey, etc) does not mean that the book in your hands is a fairy tale. She’s No Faerie Princess, by Christine Warren, for example, is a perfectly good paranormal romance-- one I *loved*-- featuring a character with magical powers, but it’s not what I would call a fairy tale. Of course, it could be argued that most all romances are fairy tales in some sense, but for this particular discussion, I’m interested in more literal interpretations of the fairy tale genre.


Enter CL Wilson’s Tairen Soul series: fairy tale romance on a breathtaking scale. We have a beautiful Cinderella princess (betrothed to the butcher’s son), a valorous yet tortured king, evil sorcerers, an underdog army, a fleet of magically empathic healing women, and a realm of mythological beauty and magic, fading from the plane of human reality.

“Sweeping epic” is one of those back-cover blurbs that I approach with suspicion. It smacks of marketing hyperbole, of promises that cannot be kept. And even when it’s accurate to what the author is attempting, I’ve frequently been burned with “epic” fantasy that builds up a looming doomsday scenario and then fails to deliver.

But, like the little girl with the little curl, when it’s good? It’s fucking fantastic. And this series, my reader friends, is that one in a million sweeping epic.

Now, it’s possible that I will be disappointed in the Final Conflict. The series is planned as a quartet of books, the third of which was released Sept. 30, and the final book isn’t out until June 2, 2009 (write down that date). But judging from the first three, I have utter confidence in Wilson’s ability to resolve what she has set up.

The reason that I have such faith is because the structure of the first three books is executed so well. Each book represents a very distinct phase in the courtship and relationship between Rain and Ellysetta. Externally, there are progressively more difficult quests, just like in my favorite fairy tales, and new information about the world and the races in it. By making Elly a Fey who was raised as human, the author is able to reveal bits of information as Elly learns about, so it feels natural to the reader. Each book builds the stakes for the Final Conflict, yet each book has its own satisfying resolution. Yes, I can’t wait to read the next book, but it’s not that irritating manipulative "stay tuned!" cliff-hangerish anxiety of unfinished business; it’s more like when you get back from a fabulous vacation and you are on the phone making reservations for your return trip before the dirty laundry you just unpacked hits the spin cycle. It’s that good.

One thing that Wilson does exceptionally well is creating secondary characters that are vital, interesting, three-dimensional, yet still secondary. I do not expect to see a spin off of this series involving any of these characters (though a pre-quel might work....) By relieving the characters of this responsibility-- setting them up to be able to carry a book on their own-- the subplots thrive and draw you in as inescapably and intangibly as any Fey spell.

And the world-building is fascinating. It borrows heavily from Western European fairy tales, but it is set somewhere Not-Earth, which allows Wilson to mix in some wholly new elements, notably the Tairen race. The Tairen are a race unlike anything I’ve come across in fairly extensive fantasy and paranormal reading – the closest I can think of would be Falcor from the NeverEnding Story, but the adult version: fiercer, less cuddly, and sexy. Wilson’s imagination is a dazzling place of high drama, articulately rendered with heartbreaking emotion, evocative description, darkest evil, brightest hope.

Quite a few years ago, I was raving about my favorite series of that moment, and the thought that rang like a bell with me was I love this world, I want to go LIVE there. As for Wilson’s Fading Lands? I love these characters and the place they live, but I don’t want to live there – the Eld are way too scary.

Maybe after the world is made safe in book four.

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Never Say Never

Shortly after a discussion on a romance book blog* regarding oxymoronic Heroes Who Rape, wherein I declared that a rape by a hero is never justifiable, and would always result in a book that I couldn’t like, I came across Anna Campbell’s Claiming the Courtesan.

I’m sure you can see where this is going.

By way of introduction: this is a stunning, gorgeous book.

I’m going to say that again. Stunning. Gorgeous.

The characters are complex and layered and despite being a Regency Maverick Duke with Issues and a Good-Girl Commoner turned World Class Courtesan Who Might End Up as a Duchess, they feel like real people (go figure). Their individual inner struggles are truly heart-wrenching, and their journey to be together as whole people is--sorry, I’m going to use the P-word-- poignant and through much of the story, appears impossible.

The duke is thoroughly dislikeable through the first third or so of the book. On his side, it’s more stalker than lover, more obsession than affection. The story opens when the heroine, after fulfilling her year-long contract with him, disappears from his life without a trace (she’s not all that likeable either).

Then there’s the rape.

His brows contracted, and fool that she was, she read sorrow rather than fury in his face. “Well, if I must take you as a thief, then I shall be a thief.”

He pushed her legs apart, moved between them, and thrust inside her.

There had been no preliminaries. Verity tensed, but her betraying body had already prepared for his possession.

He rammed into her hard and gave a groan that echoed the defeat in her heart. For a long, dark moment, she lay pinioned under him. The world had shrunk to the man above her. It smelled of him. His weight held her motionless.

He withdrew and plunged back into her once, twice. Then he jerked convulsively as his control broke and his essence spurted into her. He seemed to shudder over her forever before he groaned once more, then rolled away.

It was over. He’d taken her quickly, carelessly, irrevocably. She was once again the Duke of Kylemore’s lover and she wished she were dead.

The heroine may be conflicted but there is no way to deny that what happens in this scene is rape. At this point, I was truly skeptical that these characters could have a Happily Ever After together. One that I could believe in, or want for them. Cynically, I waited for the Out of Character 180° Turnaround, by one or both of them.

It didn’t happen, though. There’s an underlying theme here, a pop-psyche sound-byte that nevertheless has its roots in truth: First, love thyself. Both characters walk a long personal road that parallels and intertwines with the love story and makes their happy ending possible. The heroine continues her efforts to break free far beyond what you’d see in a more stereotypical, less remarkable version of this story--and let’s face it, the “hero kidnaps heroine and even though she’s mad about it she gets over it cuz he’s hott and they fall in love and live HEA” is not an uncommon plot device.

A good deal of Verity’s struggle is around resolving her feelings about her own sensual nature and the degradation she experiences in being driven into prostitution. I found Campbell’s treatment of the madonna/whore dilemma to be stunningly honest and uncompromising, as well as believable for the historical period (what’s the opposite of anachronistic? Chronistic? No? Hmmm. Well, you get what I mean.)

The duke has his own baggage to deal with, and then a heaping load of guilt for the events in this book--richly deserved, I might add-- and while overall I found Verity’s story a bit more compelling, Justin’s path to Verity’s arms was believable and moving.

I’m tempted to go on, but if I do, I'll end up overusing the word “stunning” and I’ve already exceeded my quota. There’s more to love about this book, but I’ll leave it to you to discover the rest for yourself. Before I wrap up, I want to point out that if you love Patricia Gaffney’s To Have and To Hold, I think you’ll love this one as well. Campbell is an amazing new voice in historical romance and I can’t wait to get my hands on Untouched. Then, coming to the US in February is Tempt the Devil. Check them out!

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*If you are the blogger that hosted this discussion, or one like it, I would LOVE it if you would post a link in comments. Thanks!

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Tease

I just finished Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day and OMG, I loooooooved it. I can compare the hero cadre to the Black Dagger Brotherhood... favorably. In fact, I think... I might.... yes, yes-- I feel a spreadsheet coming on.

BUT WAIT. The benevolent Amazon fairies left Book #2, Atlantis Awakening, on my doorstep yesterday. Now I have to read that one first.

See, I've been reading a lot but have fallen behind on my reviews. Hopefully you should see at least two of these per week. To wit: also coming up on Alpha Heroes, in no particular order:


*King of Sky and Sword, CL Wilson - DONE
*Mistress of Pleasure, Delilah Marvelle - DONE
*One Bite With A Stranger, Christine Warren - DONE
*The Trouble with Paradise, Jill Shalvis
*His Captive Lady, Anne Gracie
*The Claiming of the Courtesan, Anna Campbell - DONE
*Beyond Seduction, Emma Holly - DONE
*The "Sweet" trilogy, Susan Mallery
*The Leopard Prince, Elizabeth Hoyt
*Signed Julia Quinn giveaway

Annnnnnnnd, she said mysteriously, a month-long event in December for which I'm going to request a little help from my friends. Stay tuned.

More on Kendra Leigh Castle

If you liked my review of Dark Highland Fire, and want to know more, check out Jackie’s interview of the author today at Literary Escapism.

JenB reviewed it here.

Book Binge.

Night Owl Romance.

Bitten By Books.

And finally, Castle’s group blog, along with Linda Wisdom, Terry Spear, Judi Fennell, Cheryl Brooks, and Loucinda McGary.

Stephanie Meyers, Twilight Series Review.

I haven’t read the Stephanie Meyers books. YA just isn’t my thing, but I’m feeling like I ought to read it just to review here. Which, really, is just backwards. So in lieu of my own actual thoughts, I’m posting the transcription of a forum conversation (with permission from the participants).


Jen:
OK, I know I'm way behind the zeitgeist on this one, but I borrowed Twilight (Stephenie Meyer) last week from a co-worker. Three women that I work with have read all of the books and they couldn't talk about anything else last week. I've always liked YA, and I don't mind a little over-the-top wish fulfillment. And if it's the girly Harry Potter, I really should dip in a toe just for the sake of gender equity, right?

OK, so that's the setup. I came to the book with some doubts based on the Salon and Smart Bitches reviews, but I've always had a weak spot for an Alpha Male myself. I figured I'd find a guilty pleasure. And I can lower my standards pretty readily for a guilty pleasure . . .

But, no. I can hardly believe how much I hate this book. Hate the protagonist, who seems distinguished mostly by her disdain for every single person around her (she also hates snow the first time she sees it? What the fuck.) Hate the cardboard "hero." I find myself reading a couple of pages and putting the book down.

And that's another thing. The book is supposed to be page-turning, right? Maybe not great writing, I didn't expect that, but fun and fast-paced like candy. But no. NOTHING HAPPENS. I'm 200 pages into it and 90% of the action is in the heroine's head. It's like reading the diary of an extremely self-absorbed ten year old. But, the fake diary where she makes up interesting stuff because in reality she never leaves the house.

Ack! I'm offended on behalf of readers everywhere, and as a former girl, that this dreck, which I don't think even really qualifies as YA, gets compared to Harry Potter.

I can't believe my co-workers told me that after reading this I would never be satisfied with my husband again. I know, to each his own and no accounting for taste, but I just can't imagine how a grown-up women with children could find anything appealing here.

I'm just hoping if I continue a plot may appear . . .

Nicola:
Wow. I haven't read it yet; I'm not that big on YA but sooo many people love it. Weird.

Mayberry:

It's like reading the diary of an extremely self-absorbed ten year old.

Yes! That kind of puts the finger right on it. It reminded me of the really overwrought, angst filled, "star crossed lovers" themed, passionate (yet chaste) fanfics written by middle school girls sighing and fantasizing over their first mad love.

However, even with that said, I found the books strangely compelling. When I was done with the first one I immediately wanted to read the next and the next. I found that if I gave it a little time, the urge dropped off sharply, and turned into a "WTF was I thinking" feeling. So there must be some sort of literary, brainwave crack in these books that speaks directly to my inner 10 year old. The same 10 year old that devoured the V.C. Andrews Flowers in the Attic series when they first came out. (I am equally horrified to discover that they are still being published in some sort of macabre posthumous trail of dreck.)

Jen:

passionate (yet chaste) fanfics written by middle school girls sighing and fantasizing over their first mad love.

Oh, completely! Maybe that's why I react so strongly in the opposite direction - I remember being in that stage well enough to cringe over it. (But not well enough to channel and reproduce it - I have to give Meyer credit for that.)

If I make it to the end of the book, I'll report back on whether I want to read more. I keep thinking the compelling part has to be around the corner, and no. I can get past the cringe, I think, if something would just happen other than meaningful looks and out-of-place outrage (these characters are constantly infuriated with each other over nothing.)

Chris:
Fiona (Chris’ daughter, age 11 ) just finished the second in the series, New Moon, and says "It is possibly the worst book I've ever read, and horribly boring, but somehow, I really liked it."

Ooooooookay.

Jen:
Ask Fi if there's a point in the first book where something actually happens :-) I don't know how much further I can slog without hope of plot ignition, and DH has a stack of shiny new books calling to be poached (he celebrated a birthday today.)

I remember loving Flowers in the Attic. The delicious fun of reading the shocking details and sharing them with friends in the know. I guess it's kind of cool that girls can have community around a book - but why do the books have to be so bad?

{A few days pass….}

Jen:
In case anyone was curious, I did finally finish Twilight. At about the 3/4 mark, when the writer apparently decided that some plot would be needed to finish things off, a throwaway bad guy was inserted and some suspense ensued. At least at that point there was a reason to keep turning pages.

I don't need to read any more of the books. There were a couple of spots where I could see how her take on the dangerous love, vampire thing would appeal. But - so little plot! So much sitting around talking about the luv!

It's the only book I can remember reading where I wonder how they stretched it to fill two hours of movie.

Conclusion: I'm definitely not the demographic for this book. The romance was boring and kinda creepy. And the lack of action would be a problem even if the central relationship appealed.

Mayberry:
Oh dear. Yesterday I got an email from my sister-in-law asking if I'd read the Twilight series yet, and she was just gushing over them because they were being shared around at her office and everyone was talking about them. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, because I knew she was so enthused over them, so I told her I'd read the first two and found them "strangely compelling."

I guess I know what I'll be getting for my birthday....

Jen:
You know you want a stony vampire to run through the woods at 50MPH with you on his back, admit it.

I have to give her that - some of those images are really, weirdly memorable! You wouldn't pick up one of her books and forget having read it, if only because it's so silly. (Obviously, I felt the need to share here!)

O’Donovan:
OK. I just read "Breaking Dawn" a second time to see if I liked it; I'll shyly raise my hand as a fan of the series -- although, I must qualify, in a "hmm, interesting" way, and not in a proselytizey way (which is how I am about Robin McKinley and Diana Wynn Jones, who are so far out of Stephenie Meyer's league that it's absurd).

Ahem. Thus qualified, I will simply say:

- I find Bella likeable. I enjoy her self-deprecation, and the voice appealed to a certain 15-year-old girl that I used to be. I like her pragmatism, too, and her consistent sense of being a little lost in the world, but centered in herself.

- Edward, meh. Not a hero whom I found attractive. But I am very fond of the extended Cullen family, particularly Alice, and as Nicola can tell you, I'm a sucker for well-written interesting secondary and tertiary characters.

- Upon thinking it over, yep, I think it's really just Bella's voice that carries these books, for those who like them. The first-person narrative and the sheer everygirlness of it makes it an easy half-step into fantasy.

- Also, I must say, the writing's not art, but it is actually a good bit better (in technical terms) than J.R. Ward's. (And I like J.R. Ward. I'm just sayin'.)

There. I have defended the books, which I really loved on first reading but which do NOT hold up to further scrutiny. Also, the movie posters and EW cover were horrid.

Jen:
After having a couple of weeks to let the book settle: I think the structure of the first book is really flawed (the bad guys happen along out of nowhere and a plot ensues) and I don't know why an editor didn't cut that first 300 pages down to a third of that. I assume the pace picks up more quickly in the other books.

But it's a romance and a YA romance, not great literature - obviously a lot of people are able to overlook the big obvious flaws. I do think after all the hype, people should be warned "NOT a page-turner." Even though there are monsters, this is no thriller. But those types of flaws aren't worth the Big Loathing it got from me - there are worse writers making a living at it.

I think I have figured out why I hated the book so much. (I'm sure some bloggers have figured this all out - I am just late to the whole phenomenon.) It's an older man, younger woman story. It's that cool big brother of your friend who is already out of college but inexplicably wants to be go out with you, a lowly high school student. I was that girl and I've known those guys, and the reason they are drawn to young girls is that they are desperately flawed themselves. The girls will mature and leave them behind, but those loser guys are forever boys trapped in the bodies of men, looking for girls young enough to overlook their glaring flaws. I wasn't a dumb girl - I was pretty well-read and well-spoken at that age (not that much different from Bella in some ways - although not as bitchy to my friends!)

And of course Edward is the supernatural version of that guy - forever 17. Bella wants to stunt her own growth in order to stay there with him. The tragedy isn't that she will become undead, it's that she's rejecting maturity and adulthood. It shocks me that mothers of girls like this stuff - it screams "loser boyfriend who never goes away!" to me.

Nicola:
Strangely enough, Jen, that last bit makes me want to read it....

Writing Romance, by Vanessa Grant or: The Dangers of the How-To

This is a dangerous book.

Lisa Roe, the famous on-line publicist, approached me about reviewing this book a couple of months ago (oops). I greeted her with a suspicion that turned out to be well-founded.

“I don’t read non-fiction,” I told her. “I have no idea how to review non-fiction.”

“If you love romance, you’ll like this book,” she coaxed.

“I’m not an aspiring author,” I told her.

“Who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired!” she replied with an evil cackle.

Though I had doubts, I could not resist the lure of a free book. Lisa Roe, Evil Publicist, knows this about book bloggers.

I avoided it for awhile. It sat in my TBR pile while I worked my way through some of this summer’s rather delicious offerings. Then school started (I have a 3rd-grade daughter). Then stuff at work. Then stuff at home. You know how it goes.

Finally, though I had a teetering pile of new fiction to read, I grudgingly picked this up, like the homework it was.

It’s surprisingly readable. It’s… interesting. Absorbing.

Tempting.

Grant walks you through the elements of writing a romance novel and makes it sound so easy, so simple, that you’ll be tempted to write your own. You know, in spite of the many other things that require your attention… like, oh, I don’t know. Your kids: Mom!? Spaghettios again??!… Your job: Err, project plan? I was supposed to do a project plan for you? Oh right, that project plan! Uh, I’ll have it for you by end of day, I promise… Your laundry: <sniff>"It’s not that dirty…” Your blog: *looks at date of last entry…sigh* …You MAY find yourself neglecting such things. You’ll think, “this author thing doesn’t look so hard…” and “hey, NaNoWriMo is coming up; maybe this is my year….”

If you’ve ever tried and failed to write a romance – and I’m not saying that I have, mind you—you MAY find yourself thinking “Aha! So that’s what I did wrong!” Hypothetically, of course. In which case, you may be tempted to try again. [see again: neglect of certain life elements].

That is, you might be. I'm not. Really, I'm not.

A couple of caveats – Grant writes category romance, which is certainly a good way to start out in the industry AND make a living at it. However, they aren’t my favorite kind of book to read and I found myself wondering a little if I would want to read the kind of book that this guide teaches you to write. The “f” word entered my head once or twice – no, no, not that one-- “formula.” Or “formulaic.” I think that’s the potential danger of a guide like this that boils the process down into such simple terms.

Caveat 2: one of the things that convinced me to give this book a try was the contributions from well-known authors like Jo Beverley and Mary Jo Putney about certain specialties and subgenres. Don’t expect a lot from them—most are just a couple of pages.

Caveat 3: the book comes with a disc containing tools and links for authors. They sound way cool, and I installed the disc… but I make no critique about how good they are. Without actually having a work in process, I’m not that interested in spending the time to poke around the tools. They do seem like they could be helpful, though.

All in all, a dangerous book. That's all I'm saying.