Review: Wolf at the Door

Before I begin…

SMUT ALERT! SMUT ALERT! SMUT ALERTTTT

Now that that’s all taken care off, we can move on to the actual review. Wolf at the Door is the first in The Others series by Christine Warren, and it centers around Foxwoman Cassidy Poe and Lupine Quinn Sullivan. No, this is not an episode of the Justice League – there’s no spandex involved and lots of randy sexxors! (Which would be totally inappropriate in the JL, since we all know any sexxors that happens there requires copious amounts of spandex and oodles of kinky stuff whoooo)

…I digress. Wolf at the Door was actually a pretty entertaining read for me, despite all the smut. Warren builds on the social hierachy of The Others, a collective term used in reference to otherworldly beings running the gamut from faeries to living gargoyles. The story takes place in New York City, opening with Irish lupine Quinn quite literally chasing the girl of his dreams around a greenhouse and off onto the busy streets (as a wolf, no less!). The main couple were a little quick to jump into the sack (a few months too early, I’d say) but Quinn’s character was so utterly endearing that I was quite ready to overlook this. Plus, he’s Irish! Everyone knows Irish blokes are made of win.

Warren has a quirky and amusing way of writing, quick with witty barbs and electric characterizations. The political structure of the council is well fleshed-out, and the plot really picks up in pace in the second half of the story. The action sequences weren’t half-bad, either, but the real selling point of this book would have to be the dynamic interactions between the different characters, which livens up the story considerably. On the whole, Wolf at the Door is a promising start to the series – if you enjoy urban fantasy romances with a dash of adventure (and the occasional smutty interlude), you’ll want to follow up on the second book in the series, She’s no Faerie Princess.

See also: She’s No Faerie Princess, The Demon You Know, Howl at the Moon, Walk on the Wild Side, One Bite with a Stranger, You’re so Vein

Plot/originality: 3.5/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Writing style: 3/5

Total score: 10/15

Review: Secret Vampire (Night World)

Secret Vampire is the very first book in the Night World series by L. J. Smith and was published over 10 years ago. It serves as an introduction for us to the ‘Night World’ created by Smith, which is a secret society of vampires, witches, shapeshifters and werewolves that live among human society, with 2 main laws: 1) Never let them find out that the Night World exsists and, 2) Never fall in love with one of them. Secret Vampire (and basically every other NW book), showcases what happens when these laws are broken.

The female protagonist of Secret Vampire is Poppy, a normal teenager who is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the beginning of the book. It is incurable, and she has only  months to live. Poppy doesn’t want to die, and her best friend James, a vampire reciprocating romantic feelings for Poppy, offers to make her a vampire in order to save her life, thus majorly breaking both rules. The  consequences of the rule-breaking is heightened by the fact that James is related to the Redfern family, one of  the most influential vampire families in the Night World. Poppy takes James up on his offer - cue blood-exchanging, activation of the soulmate bond, complications with overprotective brother Phil who tends to walk in at inopportune times, and fake-death planning. Poppy is succesfully turned but holds an illegal vampire status, endangering both her and James. Throw in an inopportune visit by Ash Redfern, Jame’s ruthless vampiric cousin and Poppy ends up tricked and halfway to exposure at a Night World gathering before displaying telepathic powers that save the day. She and her brother Phil are finally revealed to be lost witches on their father’s side, thus having rightful NightWorlder status and they happily go off to live with Poppy’s father.

I loved the characterisation of Poppy, in her journey through her terminal diagnosis and her subsequent choice to become a vampire.  She realistically chooses to become a vampire after careful consideration and balancing the conseuquences of cutting ties with her family, with her will to live coming out top, instead of just the typical MarySue character who just chooses in a flash. Her interactions with her family members as well as descriptions of grief and coping mechanisms are well written. James, on the other hand, shows various Gary-Stu characteristics, such as an overtly noble character, human-loving unlike the rest of his typical human-despising family, and he even comes complete with a  traumatic childhood event! But he does serve as a useful tool to provide insights and information into Night World society. Ash just comes across as the typcial mysterious badboy model vampire that keeps us guessing about his intentions. Forgivable, considering this book isn’t about him.

The plot resolution was a tad lame, considering James’ eventual punishment was hinted to have been pretty dire. They went from exiles-pending death to non-law breakers in a few sentences flat, just based on Poppy’s family tree. Still, whatever works to give the requisite fluffy happy ending. Not exactly the best book in the series, but still recommended.

See also: Daughters of Darkness, Enchantress/Spellbinder, Dark Angel, The Chosen, Soulmate, Huntress, Black Dawn, Witchlight

Plot/originality: 3/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Writing style: 3.5/5

Total score: 10/15

Review: Daughters of Darkness (Night World)

Daughters of Darkness is the second in the Night World series of paranormal fantasy books by L.J. Smith. The story in DoD revolves around Mary-Lynette and pureblood vampire Ash Redfern (you may recognize him from other NW books Secret Vampire and Dark Angel).

Ash’s sisters Rowan, Kestrel and Jade decide to move to Briar Creek to live with humans with their aunt, only to discover that their aunt has been brutally murdered upon arriving on the scene. The sisters struggle with their aunt’s death and fitting into the human community – it doesn’t help that suspicious neighbor Mary-Lynette’s afoot. Daughters of Darkness further explores the concept of soulmates through the connection between Ash and Mary-Lynette, which makes for some interesting reading considering they both hate each other (Ash’s inner strife on becoming soulmates with a human amused me to no end).

The thing I love about Smith’s heroines is that they aren’t two-dimensional – they have their own flaws and quirks. Ash was also characterized well; he just might be the original template for blond, snarky male anithero that’s been done to death in paranormal fiction. There’s jealousy and a semi-love triangle when werewolf Jeremy enters the picture, who, childhood friendship with Mary-Lynette aside,  isn’t as harmless as he seems. The plot resolution was pretty gruesome, but the book manages to end on a bittersweet note. Mary-Lynette (surprsingly) chooses to remain human, while Ash leaves to do some soul-searching with a promise to return.

Definitely one of the stronger Night World books. Recommended as a quick, satisfying read.

See also: Secret Vampire, Enchantress/Spellbinder, Dark Angel, The Chosen, Soulmate, Huntress, Black Dawn, Witchlight

Plot/originality: 4/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Writing style: 3.5/5

Total score: 11/15

Review: Midnight Sun

Not the actual cover, but hilarious nonetheless. Credit to Ruthaer for this crack-tastic cover! (And if you think about it – really think about it – the banana makes sense because Edward’s a boy!)

Midnight Sun runs in parallel to Twilight and tells the story from Edward’s POV. If you’re reading this, you probably already know about the whole “leaked manuscript zomg BETRAYAL” drama surrounding it, and Stephenie Meyer’s announcement to discontinue the story. You can pick up a pdf copy of the unfinished version here. This version of MS has undergone numerous revisions and has been cleaned up considerably; the initial leaked manuscript was… well, a manuscript. Messily scanned script rife with unchecked errors. Trust me, you don’t want to be touching that thing without a ten-foot pole.

All things considered, I much prefer reading from Edward’s POV than Bella’s. Despite the fact that Midnight Sun basically runs along the same timeline as Twilight, Edward’s monologues (and the monologues of the people around him, I suppose) make it an fun read. I was frankly worried that it might be little cheesy – the throes of virgin love and all – but Midnight Sun was bearable in a sense that it didn’t immediately make me run off screaming to wash out my eyes with toilet bleach. A much more snarky form of chick lit, if you will.

The only downside to reading Midnight Sun would probably be the abrupt ending, right before the whole hiking  scene ensues. If you’re dissatisfied with the way it ends and want more Edward POVs, there are some decent reads out there (fan continuations of the manuscript, even) if you’re interested.

See also: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn

Plot/originality: 3.5/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Writing style: 4/5

Total score: 11/15