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Belinda Primrose is the bastard daughter of Queen Lorraine and her adviser, Lord Drake. Trained since childhood to serve her father, and through him the Queen, Belinda is the Queen's secret weapon, an assassin wrapped in a pretty face and a woman's body. Held within, unknown even to herself, is the power of the witchbreed, placed out of reach by her father's witchbreed magic. Sent to Gallin to spy upon Queen Sandalia and to discover if she or her son, Javier, stir up rebellion against Lorraine, Belinda becomes entangled in political intrigue and a prince's heart in ways she had not planned. And now her powers are awakening....

Impression: While I generally enjoyed The Queen's Bastard and think I might like to read the sequel (if only to find out what happens to Belinda from here), I can't say the book totally held my interest. It was actually easy for me to put it down, and I can’t completely put my finger on why. This saddens me as I was, when I first bought the book, really looking forward to reading it.

Belinda is an well-rounded, engaging character, loyal to her father and the Queen she remembers being born to. The other characters are equally well written. The story itself, once it gets started, is rather predictable, however, but the writing itself is good. I think one of my biggest problems is the answer to the question of the witchbreed powers. There is absolutely NO hint of the implied answer prior to the last few pages of the book, so it takes you a bit by surprise, and for me it was out of line with the world setting that had already been established. This occurred so late in the book, however, that I can't say it was the reason I had difficulty keeping a sustained interest in the book. Perhaps it was the predictability of the plot. Maybe it was the heavy focus on sex (not that I'm a prude; I enjoyed the first 4 or 5 books of the Anita Blake series). As I said, I do kind of want to know what happens to Belinda and Javier after this, but I can see it not being a priority. Not going to say don't read the book, but I also can't really recommend it.

amazon / b&n

Tristran thorn, son of a villager and a faerie, is in love with Victoria, one of the most beautiful girls in his village. She, however, isn’t quite so taken with him. As he walks her home one night, he asks what he can do to earn her hand. Hoping to rid herself of him, she tells him to bring her the star they have just seen fall from the sky. Determined to gain her affections, Tristran returns home, gathers what he thinks he will need, and sets out to find the star that very night. To reach the star, he must cross the Wall, a stone wall designed to keep the faerie separate from the world in which Tristran lives. And on the other side of that Wall is adventure. He meets a gnome and travels by candlelight to the star, who turns out to be a young woman named Yvaine, saves a unicorn, crosses a witch-Queen, and journeys with a Lord. By the time he returns to the Wall with the star, he is a far different man than when he left.

Impression: Stardust is one of those books that reminds me why I like books better than movies. Oh, movies have flash and bang, but a reader with a good imagination can do that with a good book. And this book is not only good in terms of story, but it has a voice that just cannot be duplicated on screen. And this voice is part of what makes the novel entertaining.

The story itself is a mix of classic faerie tales with a new vision, the characters are engaging, and the writing solid and entertaining. It draws you in and makes you want to follow Tristran on his journey, to see what happens to him, how he grows, the colorful places he visits within Faerie, the colorful people he meets. Three main plots intertwine nicely in the book, and though only two of them seem at all connected in the beginning, they all come together in the end, and in such a way that none of them could be dispensed with.

I highly recommend this book, but must note it really isn't for younger readers. It's definitely a "fairy tale" for adults. ;)

amazon / b&n
WARNING: Adult content - not a book for the younger set!

Anita Blake, supernatural detective and vampire hunter, has taken on the responsibility for a wereleopard pard and now one of her people has been kidnapped. In the process of rescuing him, she is wounded and might become a wereleopard, putting even further strain between her and on-again, off-gain boyfriend Richard. When other wereanimals are also kidnapped, Anita must find and confront the kidnapper, and at the same time keep herself from being kidnapped as well. However, the fascinating politics are overwhelmed by the continuing problems between Anita and her two lovers, Richard and Jean-Claude, especially when a third man comes into her life.

Impressions: This is my third or fourth disappointment in Hamilton's Blake series. I know that characters are supposed to change over time, but this was a whiplash about face for Anita. She starts off with sexual morals that are quickly tossed out the window when she finds herself attracted to two men. But instead of picking one, she sleeps with them both, and agonizes over a choice she never actually makes. (My understanding is the next book is more of the same, only worse.) In fact, her problem gets worse when she accepts yet a third lover in the mess. The character libido fest and sexual angst overwhelm the rest of the story.

Add to this even worse editing errors than in previous books, and it was a disappointment all around. Obviously the rest of the story line wasn't strong or good enough to make up for the disappointments. It's turning into her Merry series, and I didn't like my first taste of that at all.

If Cerulean Sins is this bad, I'm done with the series. There's only so much same old, same old and sexual perversions one can take, especially if all that attempts (dismally) to mask a lack luster plot and character changes that are far too extreme. If she ever gets Anita back out of bed and on the job again, maybe I'll pick the series back up then.