Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

I think one of my first posts on this blog was an Anne Rice book and funnily enough, reading through the Anne Rice's series was what made me want to start a book review blog in the first place. Anne Rice's style of writing has changed over the years, which is natural, but Anne Rice's quality of work has definitely been up and down over the years as well. The first three books of the Vampire Chronicles are most notably the top of the line, and then we have Memnoch the Devil and the Vampire Armand, which both were the biggest waste of time and space.

It's interesting when I read her books in quick succession, and how her real life, and her pursuit of God and spirituality, impacted her writing and her viewpoints. Vittorio the Vampire is all about spirituality and religion, and the existence of Angels, God and how it factors into humanity and the meaning of humanity.  She draws a very clear line from her fantasy series novel (in which she also tackles humanity, but in the context of the supernatural) to when she really starts to delve into Catholicism.

Anne Rice announced in early 2000s that she was done writing Vampire Chronicles novels and that she had no more stories to tell with either the Mayfair Witches or the vampires of the Vampire Chronicles. She wanted to focus on writing Christian literature and Rice did, producing 4 books centering around Catholic and Christian stories and figures. When I read her books in quick succession, it was very apparent her interests towards Christian Literature and Spirituality.

Of course, her fans called it when those books didn't sell very well, and she was back at it, writing fantasy about Werewolves. I haven't read those books yet, but you all know I'm going to try and find them at the Book fair next weekend. One reviewer titled it, "Vintage Rice" which leads me to the review of the Prince Lestat, a book I found at the library.

I glanced at some of the reviews on Goodreads, and man, a lot of people either hated the book or loved the book. I was under the impression that she had a good editor (I'll get to that in a moment), but many have said that her first draft is her only draft, and that her fans will buy and read the book regardless.

I don't know if that's true. One issue that many critics had was that she had a timeline, and a glossary at the beginning of the book to inform new readers the backstory of the Vampire Chronicles. From what I remember, she never did that before, and many of the "glossary" terms she used were never used before in any of her other books. Having different names for certain things wasn't always Anne's style, which makes me believe that she worked with someone to produce something like that.

Many critics also stated how nothing happens in the book, that everything was resolved really neatly, and that the vampires behaved like a bunch of old people. I can definitely see all of that. However, I think there are way worst books in the series than this one.

I rank my top Anne Rice Books (I'm not going to include the Mayfair Witches, just the crossovers) as follows:

1. Queen of the Damned
2. Interview with the Vampire
3. Vampire Lestat 
4. The Body Thief
5. Blood Canticle 
6. Prince Lestat

So, it's in the middle in terms of books to read. I wouldn't even waste my time reading Memnoch the Devil, The Vampire Armand, or Blood and Gold. Other than thinking that Rice lost the chance of exploring another family branch of the Mayfairs by killing Merrick off, I don't really remember much about the Merrick novel to have an opinion on it one way or another. 

Do I feel like Lestat is a Gary Stu? Absolutely. Did it take me a bit to get through? Well, yes. I found myself falling asleep while reading this novel, but since I read before going to bed anyway, I didn't find this as a bad thing. 

However, Rice introduced some new characters, offered some perspective on her vampire mythology that she hadn't explored before, and overall, I thought it was an interesting plot and path to take. Now that Lestat is the most powerful being in the world by the end of the book (which, in any other book series, I would call a spoiler, but the reader guessed what's going to happen as soon as The Voice appears), what will his next move be? What will her next book look like? 

The book didn't offend me, but I'm glad that I read it, instead of listening to the audio. When books don't have a quick paced sequence of events where something is happening, or someone is not talking in plain speech, it can get brutal, and I think I would have hated the book if I checked out the audiobook. 

So, if you spot it at the library, need a book to read before going to bed, and you liked early Anne Rice, then give Prince Lestat a shot. 

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

I read the first book in the series for a book club that only met once. To be fair, it was online and our schedules quickly didn't align to continue the tradition. Whereas my friend Ashley loved the first book (and even drew inspiration from the series to develop a character of her own), I remembered having negative feelings about the book... but since I read the second and then the third book in the series, clearly I forgotten how I felt and my negative feelings were flimsy at best.

I read the second of the series later on. I think I was looking for a book to read, and since Daughter of Smoke and Bone didn't offend me greatly, I decided to give the second book in the series a try. At that time, there was one more book that was going to be released, and I promptly forgot about the books until I spotted it in the library a few weeks ago.

The series follows the adventure of a young woman named Karou, who has a mysterious past life in a parallel universe ravaged by war. There are several characters that Taylor utilizes in the 3rd book, including her best friend Zuzana, her boyfriend Mik, her Romeo, Akiva, Akiva's sister, Liraz and Karou's "shadow," Ziri.

What Taylor does best is utilize this world she created. It's a very simple set up: "two houses, both alike in dignity" so on and so forth. It's a love story, it's full of action, and she's a great writer.

It's unfortunate, however, that I just couldn't stand both Karou and Akiva. Well, I take that back, it wasn't that I couldn't stand them, it was more like, they were boring to me. Karou and Akiva mirrors every single teenager in modern times: Karou has blue hair, is an art student in Prague, out of all places, and is "edgy" with her job of collecting teeth. Akiva is a mysterious, dangerous, born out of wedlock (that's a major plot point. I'm not mentioning that to be catty), brooding and a warrior. And it's not like they grow out of these rough sketches of character. No, they stay as they are, with rising and falling tides of lusting after each other but not able to speak to each other... cause you know, their races are at war with each other.

It took me a bit to get through it. I just didn't care whether Karou and Akiva lived or not, but I was glad I stuck it out, because 3/4th of the way through the book, I suddenly cared a lot about what was going to happen. I think the reason that I really cared about what was going to happen was not because of Karou and Akiva (of course they were going to live and spend the rest of their lives together) but because of the developing relationship between Ziri (in Thiago's body) and Liraz and the question of "will they, won't they?" anticipation. I didn't know what was going to happen, so I was on the edge when I read, hoping that Ziri's sacrifice wasn't in the name of vapid Karou and Akiva.

I do give Taylor credit though.She stopped (at this point) with a trilogy, and is currently working on other things. She even left the story in a place where she can easily pick it up again if she wanted too. I would personally like it if she centered it on Ziri and Liraz, the most unlikely couple ever, and just kind of carted Karou and Akiva out every so often to say something useful.

Overall, it's a decent series. Taylor's writing is great, and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper

Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper is the second installment of the book series. I'm relieved that I was able to see past the stupid book titles and give the series a try, because I have been rage quitting a lot of books lately. The combination of a voice actor and book can either really make or break a book. At least when you read, you have the ability to skim past certain lengthy paragraphs or just mindlessly read past certain parts of the book. With an audiobook, you are trapped! You have to listen to every agonizing word!

With this series, I love the combination of the southern twang of the voice actor and the fluffiness of the series. I really liked the first book of the series, Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, and was looking to get more into it.

So the verdict? It was good, but it wasn't quite as good as the first book. There is some of the outrageous humor, sexiness and circumstances that made the first book so great,  but the "mystery" of the book is super silly and easy to figure out, and some of the Mama Ginger mother-in-law interactions were so over the top that, if one could read it without rolling their eyes, it was hardly believable.

Yeah, yeah... believable for a vampire book series. I wish there was more to the story than the protagonist's best friend's mother dealing with control issues by hiring a witch to stop the wedding and instead of marrying the woman that loves him, marry the protagonist. In the first book, Misty at least wanted her property and they had a gruesome vampire fight at the climax of the book.

The author tried and failed to deliver the humor on terrible weddings. Even though Jane is called out on it quite a few times in the book, it got old after a while to repeatedly describe the awful, trashy wedding that Jolene planned with her hick family.

However, I still identify, laugh and love all the crazy family stuff that Jane has to go through. A lot of times stories deal with the importance of family, and how family will always be there for you... but it's refreshing to see the flipped coin of that, and look at the idea of, 'well, your family is nuts and takes advantage of you at every turn, manipulates you and makes you feel like crap all the time. Are you still obligated to be there for your family when you don't necessary like them and your friends do way more for you than they ever did?'

There are two more books in the series that I can't wait to read, and there are other spin off series of the Nice Girls. I like the cheeky fluffiness that comes with the title, and they are an easy listen at work.

Discworld #1, Rincewind: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett's books have been in the peripheral of my "to read" books for a long time. I didn't really grow up with him, so when he passed away, many of my friends were devastated (he's a national hero in Britain), but since at that moment I hadn't read any of his stuff, I didn't feel a connection to him since I hadn't read any of his books. But the devastation (which was on the level that I presume will be my devastation when JK Rowling eventually passes away) peaked my curiosity, and when Josh and I joined the library, I thought now would be a good time to read some of his stuff.

Currently I have not acquired book number 2 of the series, (though I've read you don't have to read them in order, however, I'm not sure if my OCD can handle that), which is the only downside of the public library. Lots of holds and a lot of waiting.

Nevertheless, I am really excited to read through the rest of the series. Before I read the book, some of the reviews praised the creation and the utilization of Discworld and how innovative Pratchett was with hatching out and exploring Discworld. As someone who enjoys world building, fantasy and science fiction, it's very easy to find patterns in how authors create these worlds based off of trends in the market place. Dystopian "the one" novels (Hunger Games, Divergent, etc.), suffering vampires (Anne Rice, Twilight, Vampire Academy, etc.), so on and so forth. Discworld does not follow trends and there seems to be nothing else like it, even now, even years after this was written.

I was under the grave assumption that Discworld was a YA novel, so therefore, I had to work harder to understand what the heck was going on in the first 20 pages than I had all of Rick Riordan's YA book series... and Hunger Games combined.

However, once I got the hang of Pratchett's style and wit, which is inherently British (and therefore, made bit a bit homesick for Britain), I thought it was creative and funny. The Color of Magic follows two characters, a failed wizard and the first tourist to ever come to Ankh-Morpork, Twoflower and Rincewind, the wizard who failed out of magic school and only knows 1 magic spell (that will essentially end the world if he ever utters it). The bumbling pair, one plagued by ineptitude and the other by FOMO, get into all kinds of shenanigans where they almost died, but also, see a lot of Discworld that either of them never seen before (Rincewind does not care to see it, but Twoflower is elated too).

It's colorful, inventive and Pratchett does not waste a word. Those who've read the other books in the series state that there are much better books, but this one is good. I was entertained and I can't wait to read the others.

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper

The title is awful. Yes, yes it is. At first, I didn't want to buy this book, but alas, it was on sale, and when one reviewer on goodreads commented that it was like YA authors had a checklist of vampire fantasy (brooding vampire lover caught in a love triangle, living in the south, werewolves, etc.). Well, that's not telling me something I don't like, so I figured I would give it a try.

It did not disappoint. After the awful choice of Discovery of Witches, this was a delight. I found that I need a specific kind of book when I'm at work. I realize that I can't listen to books where I have to pay rapt attention too--I actually have to concentrate every so often, and it stinks if I have to replay what I heard because I was busy trying to figure out a problem.

However, this book, fluffy and silly, fits the profile. It's about a librarian, or well, an ex librarian by the name of Jane Jameson. She was let go from the public library, and decides to drown her sorrow at the local bar, where she meets Gabriel.

It's fantastic, because unlike Discovery of Witches, where Diana slowly turns into a drooling toddler with tits who has be led by the hand by M'estat, Jane openly makes fun of Gabriel but also digging him too. He tries to be the brooding mysterious vampire, but she gets more and more drunk, effectively making an ass out of herself. Though at this time, Jane doesn't know he's a brooding vampire, which makes it all the more charming.

She leaves her car and decides to walk home when she is mistaken for a deer and is shot. Gabriel saves her, effectively turning her into a vampire. And that's when the hilarity begins.

Women in prominent heroine roles with romantic interests in media, sometimes, well, most of the time, don't really make new female friends. Or really, make many friends at all. It might be just that sort of action adventure role where it impacts men as well, but with female empowerment, ditching the patriarchy and calling for more representation of diverse females in media, I really notice it when women don't have other female friends, make new female friends, or just talk about the men in their lives to their female friends.

Which is why Nice Girls is really refreshing. She's multifaceted--she underwent many life changes, snared a new beau but also, made several new friends with varying success. She's presented with a problem, messed a lot up but ultimately solved everything on her own. Jane also befriends both female and male alike, and though she's had a rough love life, she doesn't alienate her new friends for her vampire boyfriend, Gabriel.

Sure, is it eerily like the Sookie Stackhouse series? Yes, it is almost parallel to those books, except Jane Jameson isn't someone who is completely helpless. She makes a lot of mistakes, she makes fun of herself but she keeps on trying and learning. She's smart and wants to solve problems but like a person, she doesn't do it right the first time and doesn't get a guy to help her fix it. Sookie Stackhouse wasn't completely helpless either, but whereas Sookie was a waitress with no aspirations to be anything else (and that's fine), I identify with Jane because she went to school (two advanced degrees, get it girl) but her life veered off in a way that was unexpected, and she has to cobble together something after her transformation. Jane does so, after a few failed attempts at other jobs.

Boy do I relate.

The audiobook is a great listen and by definition the accent should be annoying, it really lends itself to the story. Give it a try, despite the terrible (but kind of growing on me) title.

The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman

I'm really glad that I didn't wait to read the final installment of the Magician's trilogy. It's interesting to read other's reviews of the books, especially on goodreads. I personally loved the snark of Quentin and co, simply because I'm full of snark and salt, and  I'm just getting saltier with age.

It starts off with Quentin 30 years old. That was a reality check for me, since I turned the big 2-9 this year, and staring down the face of 30. Whereas in the second book he's still dissatisfied with life (and despite all that he went through with the first book, has not learned a thing), he's finally humbled, and is at peace with how the events of the second book turned out. He goes back to Brakebill's and becomes a teacher, a choice where normally, I wouldn't agree with (education always seems to be the backup career) but he settles into it, and enjoys it. He is also finally given a discipline, "repair of small objects."

Meh. I'm not sure about all of that but I'm sure it'll come in handy later on.

A few other things happens that signals the change of life for Quentin: his father passed away, and Quentin, though matured, has a hope that his father was also a magician, and goes looking for this "final quest" in his office, searching for meaning. When he figures out that his father wasn't a magician, and his death was just a part of life, Quentin is distraught, but moves on and goes back to Brakebill's.

Until Alice. He rescues a student when she encounters Alice the Niffin when a prank goes wrong. Plum is expelled from Brakebills and Quentin is fired for not following teacher protocols. From there, they start their weird partnership, seeking out a job stealing a suitcase.

What is also different about this book is the perspective of Elliot and Janet. Elliot was a prominent figure in the second book, but Janet took to the sidelines when Julia became a main character. I was really intrigued by Janet's story, even though interestingly enough, Grossman didn't go back to the beginning and describe how she even got to Brakebill's, which I guess is a moot point now. Janet is unapologetic and capable, which makes her a fun read.

Elliot has definitely matured. Even though this is the first time we're able to read his perspective, he's mostly a main character, so I feel like I know him. He's thinking of Fillory, and the destruction of the world, and everyone in it. When leadership is thrust upon him, Elliot doesn't buckle and instead uses his kingship to try and solve the problem. I love their friendship, I love how they work together, and Janet is a BAMF.

There are a lot of strong opinions about this series, but I loved it. I loved the stupid, silly meta references and again, the snark has matured, but there is still lots of snark in there. I really liked the ending, and how Quentin found what he was looking for, despite losing everything in the second book.

Enjoyable read.

Imago by Octavia E. Butler

It was like lightening struck when I realized I could buy audiobooks of my favorite sci-fi author, Octavia E. Butler when Audible did their 50% off sale.

I dutifully listened to the voice actor and concluded that she had a clear voice with no annoying quirks. It had been a while since I picked up a Butler book, and since she passed away in 2006, I wanted to stretch them out before they were all gone. Also, Butler's books are hardly ever on sale, audiobook or not, so 50% off sale was pretty sweet.
via GIPHY
I enjoyed the first two bookx of the Lilith's Brood Series, or the Xenogenesis series. The books are about an alien race that discovered Earth right when a major war unleashed nuclear bombs on a large part of the world, effectively killing off most, if not all, humans. The Oankali rescued many dying people, starting with Lillith and restored her to optimal health. However... there is a catch.

In order for the Oankali to survive, they must combine their species with that of humans, effectively creating a new species. The Oankali are perplexed to why the humans, Lilith included, want to do anything other than combine their genes with theirs, simply because they perceive their way of life to better, no sickness, violence and the drive to learn and continually educate themselves by traveling the stars.

Each book has a different perspective. First it's human, with the introduction of Lilith, then it's a male construct by the name of Akin, and finally, it's a human construct named Jodahs that turns into an ooloi, a third male/female gender that goes by the pronouns of "it."

Sooo.... at first when I read Dawn and Adulthood Rites, I thought they were entertaining and different and I was pleased that Butler continued to write good books. However, when I read reviews of the books, many critics pointed out about how hetero-normative both humans and Oankali are, and how Butler seems to ignore homosexual relationships as well as other aspects of gender and sex. So, with that in mind, I listened to the third book.

I was underwhelmed.

First of all, the voice actor blew. Hard. She was OK when she was simply talking in her own voice, but then, she dropped her voice to talk in Jodah's voice (when he had dialogue with others), which had me adjusting my volume as I worked constantly. Then she had a completely different voices for other characters, and all of them were grating and annoying. By the end of it, I hoped that all the characters died horrible deaths.

Speaking of the end of the book... it was very anticlimactic. I thought Butler was leading the reader somewhere, and then she makes a left hand turn out of nowhere to make sure that all the characters essentially get what they want.

 I thought overall, this book was the weakest of trilogy. Dawn and Adulthood Rites was so exciting to read with Butler's philosophical musings of the purpose of humankind without it being preachy or even knowing that Butler is exploring what it means to be human. However, Imago just seems to be an afterthought. It's a natural progression to shift the perspective from different people who are affected by this alien invasion, but... Imago wasn't very interesting. It didn't have interesting characters or a very interesting plot.

I have Wild Seed on the dock and I hope this audiobook is good and her audiobooks aren't inherently bad.

Calling the Reaper by Jason Pere

Full Disclosure: This book was given to me by Rambunctious Ramblings Publishing, Inc. in exchange for an honest review. I can't be too hard on an author who only self-published before signing with a fledgling publishing company. I admire authors like this, because eventually I would like to finish writing and publish myself. I also can't be too tough on these sorts of authors either, because I feel they are still rough around the edges and they need to go through rounds of polishing before they find their stride.

Calling the Reaper is a book with a lot of good ideas, and Pere attempts to go about it in a unique way. It's clearly the start of a series and the book introduces the reader to a set of characters that meet their demise. Sometimes in noble ways, but most often in committing in one of the 7 deadly sins. With each "Part" or set of stories, there are excerpts of letters, various quotes and sayings of individuals that make up Purgatory or the underworld and the suggestion that something big is about to happen. 

Pere's world building surrounding Purgatory almost takes a backseat in this novel. He uses well known characters, such as the 4 Horsemen, and for quotes and sermons he uses to illustrate Purgatory are from books simply title 'The Book of Life." You know something is coming, and a war is brewing, but Pere wants you to focus on the characters that the Reaper takes in order to pull back the curtain later on. It's important to really understand the characters and how they died before venturing into the world. 

Pere pulls a GRRM. He throws a ton of characters at you. I could have done without the Parts, but I understand the need for consistency, especially when time would elapse within a character's timeline. I'm not sure how else I would have organized the characters' stories, nevertheless. Maybe tighten them to individual stories and titled them without the Parts? 

However, Pere's greatest strength, sneaking in world building between the Parts of the characters' stories along with grabbing the reader by the collar to venture into his world through the eyes of his characters, is also his greatest weakness.

He doesn't quite master forging the connection between character and reader. It would have been beneficial to restructure the book in a different way and possibly divided the book into two. Expand on half the characters, keep their small stories and show the start of their journey in Purgatory. The second book would reveal the other half of the characters, and the start of their journey into Purgatory.

The overarching theme of warriors meeting their end due to the demonstration of a deadly sin would have been enhanced if different cultural backgrounds were used. We as a culture are fascinated with Samurais, knights, cowboys, Romans and Vikings and personally, I feel oversaturated. I felt like these stories could have that extra bit of spice and uniqueness if different tribes and cultures were used. Zulu nation and Maoris are also proud warrior societies and I'm sure with some alterations, I would have found it riveting.

Finally, because I review books through a feminist lens... only 2 women?! Come on, Pere! You can do better than that! Unless you had plans already to bring in more interesting women (note: I said interesting, and not just "strong"), that is something you need to pay attention to in the future.

One last thing. I don't claim to be the best writer in the world. I'm sure my blog is riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes, but RRPI needs to have a copy editor, or even a few people that haven't read the book who come in and check for spelling errors. The amount of spelling mistakes in this book is unacceptable. Money is spent on the cover and printing the books and thus far, it reeks with unprofessionalism, which I'm sure is not what the company wants.
via GIPHY
Overall, it was a decent read and I'm curious to read the next book in the series. I think this is a great start for Pere and he has the makings of a great writer. 

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Well, with the movie and the TV show, it was bound to happen. It seems I always am behind the trends of YA, but I do end up reading some of them.

But man, Cassandra Clare is infamous. Like, Anne Rice infamous. Though, instead of declaring the Lestat series are finished and she would write exclusively Christian themed novels, Clare is rumored to be a plagiarist during her time as a fan fiction writer, as well as parts of her books to be taken from other works.

Now that I've read her books... I don't think she really hides the fact that she definitely uses folk tales, myths, legends and other public fantasy ideas in her works. I mean, come on, "All the stories are true..." is a running theme throughout the books, and she doesn't make it a secret that she uses everything from vampires, to Norse mythology, to fairy tales, even Star Wars (finding out they were siblings?! Come on.), so I don't think any authors who accuse her of stealing her work really has a leg to stand on, because even though she basically uses everything under the sun in her books, it seems it's a work completely her own.Clare creates an imaginative world where she packs everything she can, all the folklore and urban fantasy into almost an unlimited book series.

Man, again, I have to put Clare in with "people whose careers I wish I stole" because she doesn't pretend to think up all of this stuff on her own. She takes it all and her theme is, "all the stores are true." Brilliant. I would take the haters any day of the week.

I do give her mad props for her extensive world building, which led her to numerous books. How many books does she have out now with different series stemming from The Mortal Instruments? 20? She definitely put time and effort using all she can and she's made a career out of it.

The real question is... is it any good? I'm not sure if I'm qualified yet to answer that question, because I feel like I stumbled into a real Hannibal situation, where I am so saturated with the TV show and the movies, that when it came to reading the books, there was nothing new. The books were almost like the movies, and the TV show added much more to the books. The first book, the City of Bones, definitely follows the movie of finding the Mortal cup, though I'm still confused about the big round blue portal in the movie.

However, her downfall are the characters in the books. She creates a very extensive world with alternative realities and universes, and the "rules" of the universe are practically nonexistent, that she leaves barely any room to introduce any real characters. I was deeply confused when it was revealed that Valentine was also Jace's father. Just to move plot along and create conflict between Clary and Jace, Jace, who was deemed a quick thinker, smart and almost wise beyond his years, absolutely took Valentine, who was deemed a psychopath, at his word, and was immediately obedient to him.

What also didn't work for the book was the snappy dialogue between the characters. It had a very Joss Whedon flair to it, which is admirable, but... since I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters, I thought the dialogue fell flat. I also don't buy that 15 year olds talk like that at all. I taught 15 year olds... they are way dumber. Apparently her writing improves greatly, which I'm looking forward too.

Was it riveting? No. Now that I've seen the terrible movie, and I am watching the TV show on free form which leaves me feeling more confused (I still don't know what's happening and I've read the book now) everytime I watch it. Overall, it took me a bit to get through. I found it boring and I also realized that not much happened (which is an awful realization when you are holding a monster of a book). However, I'm reserving my judgement about this book series with the second book because I definitely watched the TV show and the movie before the book.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (or, this was definitely written during the Twilight Craze)

What a stupid name for a novel. What a stupid name for a first book in the beginning of the series, a series that I'm excited about reading. Yes, I know the title is pretty self-explanatory, yes, it is a vampire school and yes, I know it's written for YA, but damn... does it have to be so on the nose? Even Twilight has a semi-alluring name that doesn't really give the entire book away and make you roll your eyes (you probably do anyway because of the content), but whoever thought Vampire Academy was a good title needs a slap or two.

I'm quite sure that's why the movie didn't do so well, but that's for another post.

Vampire Academy is told through the eyes of Rose, who is a dhampir (half-vampire, half-human) and is training to be a guardian for the Moroi, the "good" vampires to defend them against the Strigoi, the "bad" vampires. The story opens with Rose and Lissa on the run from the "Vampire Academy" or rather, the school's guardians. They have been on the run for 2 years, moving around and attending high school across the U.S. Now, the probability that adults, who have superpowers, are unable to find children, is quite low, but I buy into it because within the first 10 pages, they are caught by a dreamboat of a man and bought back to school and the story kicks up.

Vampire Academy is a perfect blend of showing and telling, telling the reader without preamble about the vampire culture and history in the book and Mead shows the rest, revealing the mystery why the girls ran away layer by layer, until it all comes to a head in the last 50 pages of the book. I love how Mead picks her battle, choosing instead to show characters instead of the world of Vampire Academy.

There is also your typical highschool drama with friends, popularity and finding oneself that are recurring themes in a lot of YA novels. It was silly, but with a name of Vampire Academy, the reader should expect it. It's also kind of fun to relive from afar a time where navigating the social sphere is the bane of your existence. It also wrestles with rumors, friendships and loyalty and Mead actually turns the book from a fantasy YA novel into almost a guide for girls starting high school, which, honestly, needs to be more of.

I love the relationship between Lissa and Rose. They are fiercely devoted to each other and even though it's almost easy to slide into resentment (I mean, becoming a Guardian must absolutely blow), both Rose and Lissa shake it off, using their love and friendship for each other to conquer all. Even when they have a falling out, Rose comes to Lissa's rescue and the pair are thick as thieves again by the end of the book. Lissa isn't helpless by any means and the pair rely on each other socially and emotionally.

Finally, I also like how Mead resolves, or puts a period on the blossoming relationship between Dimitri and Rose. There is attraction between the pair, and they even get hot and heavy during one point of the book, but when it is all resolved, Dimitri actually encourages Rose to report him. There is a huge age gap between the two and it's addressed repeatedly in different ways and conclude that Rose and Dimitri will not enter in a forbidden romance, which is a relief. I wonder how it's going to play out in the rest of the books.

One last little tidbit of the book that I was unsure of, but I was glad that Mead went in the direction she did. The idea of "blood whores" or dhampir women who have affairs with Moroi men. They live in different communities, and there is an awful reputation surrounding them due to the fact that Moroi men sleep with dhampir women and then go home to their Moroi wives. When Rose brings it up while training with Dimitri, he casually tells her that he grew up in such a community and the worst part was his dad, a Moroi, coming to visit them. It opens Rose's eyes a bit more to the vampire world and suddenly, the "blood whores" stance isn't so black and white.

I have a lot of other books to read (Star Wars! The Martian! 11.22.63! The 5th Wave! Comics!), so I don't know when I'll be able to read the second book in this series. This year is already amping up to be a busy year in books, so I'm excited!

Which is better? Queen of the Damned

Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned, without a doubt, are Anne Rice's best work. Despite being completely different books, Interview, Vampire and Damned are eloquently written, bringing to life Rice's vampires and the lore surrounding vampirism. Though the series does not open up with Lestat, the "Brat Prince" clearly steals the show in the next two books. However, he does not overshadow Rice's supporting characters and adversaries. The reader isn't bothered to read about others besides Lestat, but when he comes back into the picture, they are overjoyed.

"Queen of the Damned" movie starring Stuart Townsend,  Marguerite Moreau and R.I.P, Aaliyah, however, doesn't hold a candle up to the books. I can handle campy, low budget movies (and this movie was defo LOW budget), but this movie does a disservice to the books. 

Side note: Stuart Townsend must have the most tragic film career. He turned down the role of Aragorn in "Lord of the Rings" to play Dorian Grey in "League of Extraordinary Gentleman." He used to date, maybe even be married, to Charlize Theron, who is now the biggest superstar in the world. According to google, he has a secret family in Costa Rica. Oh, Stuart, what are you doing, man? 

I watched "Queen of the Damned" with my writing partner in crime, Ashley. Now, I read the books, I know what is supposed to happen, and who are all the characters, but it's a bad sign when someone who hasn't read the books turned to you during the movie to ask for clarification. She watched the movie before, so even now, after watching the movie the second time, she still has questions! 

"Queen of the Damned" movie adapted two books, The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned and meshed it into one movie. Ok, I would argue it's very hard to do something like that, but it can be done. What they did next, never the less, was water it down to the point where characters were making choices that had no basis in logic or reason just to move the story along. The movie also took a crap load of characters out of the book and focused on Jesse, who is a character in the book, but minor at best. So in order to go step by step in what the movie missed, I'm going to go by the characters. 

Lestat: What made The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned so compelling was the first person point of view of the antagonist from Interview with the Vampire. Lestat is "the brat prince" but is torn between his own selfishness, his love of immortality, but also, what it means for his existence in a place that was not meant for him. In order to find other vampires, namely, 'Those who Must be Kept', he decides he will become a rock star. He is self-destructive but curious to meet the original vampires. It is very clear in the books what motivates Lestat. Lestat in the movie, you don't quite get where he's going. There are a few monologues but I found them to be lacking. To be honest, I just saw the movie a few nights ago, and I have no idea what they were about. Townsend does OK as Lestat, but he has some big shoes to fill with Tom Cruise as the original Lestat (wow, I can't believe Scientologist Tom Cruise actually played Lestat and did a great job of it). Also, Lestat is supposed to be blond. This fact is mentioned several times in the books and also, one of the reasons why he was made a vampire to begin with. COULDN'T TOWNSEND HAVE WORN A WIG? 

Maharet: Alright, not only does the movie chopped the twins in half, they also make Maharet, who is one bad ass bitch in the books, play second fiddle to Jesse, who I will discuss later. You see her briefly looking at a literal family tree (uh... ok, script writers, we get it, there is a great family), telling Jesse to "stay with her own kind" and then you see none of her until the end where Lestat is about to play at the concert. At the end she defeats Akasha but you don't know why, or how... and then they turn her into stone. Literal stone. "Those Who Must be Kept" aren't literally stone... which is also a point that is driven home by Rice several times in the book. Rice's vampires don't turn to stone. If they had gone into her backstory with her twin, Mekare and the start of vampirism, the whole 'last blood' deal would have made far more sense... and they wouldn't have had to turn Maharet into stone. It would have also clarified the conflict between the vampires and Akasha. Mekare is also such a cool character and what happened to them would have underlined what a terrible Queen Akasha is.

Marius: Alright, so Marius is very eye-roll-y in the books as well. He's like a super old vampire who is very angsty (like Louie on steroids) and reallllly likes young boys. There is this whole backstory with Armand, but I digress. I'm not sure if they knew what to do with the character of Marius in the movie, because his character is all over the place. One minute he's super serious, and then he's super silly. Marius, like all of Rice's vampires, is supposed to be gorgeous. Marius, at best in the movie, is OK. He's not terrible looking, but he does have a 5 head that he needs to fix. It would have helped the story immensely if they capitalized on the complex and ultimately treasonous relationship he has with 'Those Who Must be Kept' and Lestat. Though Marius protected the stoned original vampires for centuries without ever a thank you, Akasha gives Lestat her blood within a few days of Lestat staying with Marius. When Akasha awakes, she almost kills Marius when she destroys his home without a second thought.

Akasha: I'm sad that the singer's life was cut short. I never really understood the hype surrounding Aaliyah's death (recording studios had memorials about her and her face on tee-shirts and stuff for YEARS) since she only had a few hit songs and acted in 2 films, but after actually seeing her in this movie, Aaliyah had so much potential. When she was on screen, she outshined her cast mates, even Townsend. At one point in the movie, Ashley turned to me and stated, 'Now, I believe she's a vampire.' Now, in the books, she is a force to be reckoned with and her master plan is truly diabolical. If the movie showed more of what she could do and even revealed her plan of destroying vampire kind and mankind in order for women to worship her, then the drive for the vampires to destroy her would have made a ton more sense.

David Talbot: I have to keep reminding myself that he doesn't become a bigger character until later on in the Vampire Chronicles. That being said, I'm so disappointed with their casting choice. He is an old man. He lived a full life in the Talamasca and when Lestat and David start their relationship later on, this theme is poignant. They casted a man who's clearly in his 40s who then tells Jesse that he's 'too old' to be a vampire. Sigh. Then at the end, they have Marius go to him? Why? Is Marius going to turn David or eat him? Weird.

Jesse Reeves: It's very clear who Jesse is meant to represent in the movie. She is meant to represent the viewer, who is entranced by the vampire world and of Lestat. Now, it's important to note that here, Ashley also asked the question, 'wait, why is Jesse obsessed with Lestat?' We could argue that she's obsessed with Lestat just like everyone else is; he's a beautiful rock star vampire. However, in the books, this is not so. Jesse is a minor character at best, who helps the others track down Lestat and defeat Akasha. She is the point of reference for Maharet and Mekare and really, Jesse is the focus of the family that Maharet followed for generations. However, the viewer gets none of that in the movie. At one point, another vampire mentions that Akasha wants to destroy Maharet's "great family" but that's where it's left off. There is much more to why Maharet and Akasha are at odds with each other, which again, if the movie added that to the plot, would have made more sense to why they all want to kill Akasha.

Talamasca: This organization appears in several Anne Rice books, with the Mayfair Witches, the cross over books and the Vampire Chronicles. I'm happy that they used it, and had David and Jesse apart of it. I think the Talamasca organization is so cool. Maybe Anne Rice would just write a book or two about their adventures? I have no qualms with how the movie depicted the organization. I'm delighted it was even mentioned at all.

"Interview with the Vampire" is such a good movie, with a top notch cast. "Queen of the Damned," it's sequel, is a joke. From the horrible casting (besides for a few noted actors, Aaliyah included) and the absolutely shot-y script that takes 2 books, and gutted both of them to come up with a watered down movie that makes no sense, the movie isn't even good to watch ironically. Even though Aaliyah's charisma and enthusiasm is shines through, it's a shame that this movie was dedicated to her. 

Townsend... what are you doing, Man?! 

Moving and the Current Book Stack

So, Bae and I are in the process of buying a house! Yay!  Along with everything else (paperwork, inspections, etc.) we also have to pack (boo, hiss). As a self diagnosing hoarder (I'm not really, but you never know when you need something), moving is a good thing for me. I get to go through my stuff and envision myself moving it. If it's worth the moving part, it stays. If not, then it definitely goes.

Which brings me to books. When I was younger, I dreamt about having a library. The library in Disney's Beauty and The Beast? Yeah, I definitely didn't care for the love story. I wanted those BOOKS! When I lived at home, I started collecting books, because well, I wanted to start my own library! This proved to be a terrible idea when I moved out, because I had to actually move all of those books. In those 6 years, I've had to move 5 times; almost every single year since I moved out.

Things have definitely been donated, trashed and given away. As BAE and I stare down the prospect of moving into a permanent home (5 years, anyway) with the idea of adult things like nicer furniture and durable picture frames, we're going to have to be ruthless about what we choose to get rid of versus what we keep.

And that includes books.

BAE is an English teacher, and we have so many doubles of the same books. As I was going through my books today, I realized that there were 2 copies of Schindler's List. I knew about Corrections and Catch-22, but Schindler's List was news to me. So, that's an issue.

Before going to the gym, I perused my shelves to donate books to goodwill. Some of them were easy; older books, books I didn't really enjoy and books that were given to me by people I rather not remember. However, embarrassingly enough, I stumbled across MANY books that I actually bought but never read. Some of them I simply stuck on my shelf and forgot about, and others.... I think there was a point in my life where I bought books because I thought I should buy them... and it would make me look smart to have them on my shelf.

I apologize to anyone and everyone that ever helped me move. You moved books that I bought that I thought made me look smart.

So, I have about a month before I move. There are definitely books I know I will read. However, those books that I completely forgot about and never read, I plucked them off my shelf and put them in my book stack. I bought them, so I am GOING to read them.

Look at that enormous stack of books. That is such a weird mix of books. I have some history, some manga (Korean Manga, mind you), some classic literature, some unknown fantasy and finally... religion. Man, my religion minor really paid off... because now I am reading those books. 

Ok! Off we go! 

God of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

So the second book of john carter titled Gods of Mars. So the Therns are a real thing, but they don't make an appearance until the second book. In fact, all of the space traveling explanations happened with this book that happened in the movie, so I guess they combined parts of the second book with the first book for the movie. To be honest, I think the second book would have made a far better movie. However, there is a lot more racism in this book.

So the book largely deals with religion and the falsity of religion. The valley of Issus is where the red and green men of Barsoom go when they are ready to die and go to heaven. What they don't realize and what John Carter stumbles into after 10 long years, is that it's a place where people get eaten alive. Plant men were introduced and the Therns, who enslave people that come to the valley of Issus. If one comes back from the valley of Issus, however, they are killed immediately so it doesn't get out that the valley is not what it's cracked up to be.

John Carter stumbles into that and meets up with Tharks Tharkus who wants to go down the valley of Issus. They run into Plant men,Therns and white apes. There is a lot of fighting with Tharks and John all excited to be together again. However, all John carter wants to do is see his boo.

However, the first born race comes into town. They are a race of black men who are vicious and also steal people for slaves and for their living goddess Issus. Oh yes, you read that right. Race of black violent men who can't control themselves around women. They are pirates too. So Burroughs naturally writes more racist shit. Oh, and they are cannibals and have gladiator fights. They also enslave people and at one point, Burroughs notes that the entire race, the women especially, don't do anything. The slaves do it.

Burroughs describes more of the planet this time and admits that though John was there for 5 years, he saw little of the planet. There is also a middle earth sort of deal like Dinotopia. Which is cool, i guess. There is lots of fighting and men who devote their lives to John Carter or women that wanna bang John Carter. John sheepishly admits many times he isn't a ladies man, but he so is.

There is a tragic end to the story, and I had to read the first chapter of the next book in order to confirm that De'Ajah Thoris didn't die. I didn't think Burroughs would do such a thing, considering John gets mostly everything he wants. However, there was a finality to the last few sentences, so I quickly scanned the chapter. Phew, Burroughs didn't kill her off.

Overall, Burroughs is a racist. I'm going to keep plugging through the rest of the books, because gosh darn it, I bought them!

Parables of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Oh Octavia Butler, you're magnificent. This is another book from BAE, so there isn't a story to how I acquired it. Parables of the Sower is the first book Butler ever published. I thought I read somewhere that it was a book she began as a child and then finished it when she was order for publication. However, I cannot find the source now, so it's possible I made it all up.

The reason I mention that is that the story of Parable of the Sower is an adult version of those action stories you read as a kid, like Hatchet or My Side of the Mountain, where the teenager or adolescent is stranded and they have to survive on their own with only a survival backpack and their gumption. The main character go on a journey to get them out of the wilderness or they make a plan to survive in a new, wild place. I, myself, would often daydream about what it would be like to survive on my own.

SIDESTORY: I actually ran away once to try that. I think my mother and I got into a fight, and I packed my stuff and left. I made it out into the woods by my house (they actually filmed Tuck Everlasting, btw, so it's beautiful), but then I was afraid and hungry, so I went home. I got into a lot of trouble. I also think I stopped my day dreams of living out in the woods after that day.

Ok, back to the review. Parable of the Sower is an adult version of the adventure story littered with sex, drugs and though I wish I could say rock n' roll, violence. Butler is a mastermind at revealing a potential future that we're staring in the face of. Parable of the Sower is set in 2026, which might be a long way off when she wrote the book in 1993, but it's only 11 years down the line. I think that, more than anything, scared me the most. It also scares me because of how Butler writes the characters surrounding the main character. They are in denial about the catastrophic changes in their lives and they hope it will get better, or ignore the increasing amount of struggle outside of their quiet four walls.

The main character's name is Lauren. She is a the daughter of a preacher and she lives in a "gated" community with 10 or so other families. She has a step-mother and 3 younger brothers. The book is set up as a journal first person. Everything that happens, occurs after the fact when Lauren writes it down.

Her "gated" community was self-imposed by the families that live in the cul-de-sac. They put up the walls to keep the homeless, the druggies and the criminals from entering their homes. It's dangerous to go outside of the walls. It is incredibly hard to get a job, and her father, a professor at the university, goes outside of the wall a few times a week to teach. Many people are killed when they go outside.

Lauren, in the first half of the book, describes her daily life, and her complex relationships with her father, step-mother, brothers and the other members of the microsociety she lives with. The threat of the outside world is always a factor, and when a company goes into a similar city to provide jobs with room and board, many families are interested in taking it, no matter the risks and the cost of having a job.

This book is complex and it's so well written that it's hard to unpack the book while not giving much away. A gentle buzz in the background of the book that slowly makes it way front and center at the end of the book is Lauren's Earthseed. It's a new type of religion, though Lauren maintains that it is a way of life. Christianity, her father's religion, doesn't serve her needs and the changing needs of the world in which they live in. Christianity, she feels, does not give her a chance to survive in a violent world.

One final thing about the book worth mentioning (though the entire book is worth mentioning) is Lauren's hyperempathy. Caused by a drug called, I think, Pyro? Pyco? which contributes to much of the decay of American society, Lauren's mother was addicted to it, which gave Lauren something called, "hyperempathy." She feels other's pain or other's pleasure, to mixed results. It becomes evident to why she hides in as the book continues, but it makes for some interesting choices when it comes to people she meets and who she discloses his information too.

Ms. Butler is heads and shoulders above most other science fiction and fantasy I read now and days. Its a shame that she wasn't as famous (maybe she didn't want to be) or that none of her books were ever turned into movies (maybe she didn't want them to be). I'm currently reading Kindred in class, and most of the students are into the novel. Those that aren't into the book aren't much into anything, however. I can't wait to read Parable of the Talent, the second and final book in this series. Apparently she planned to write a 3rd novel, called Parables of the Trickster, but writer's block prevented her from finishing. Her writings are on display at Huntington Library (Indiana).

Blood Canticle By Anne Rice

I am not going to lie. After Blood and Gold, I was hesitated to get back into Anne Rice books. The last couple of books, Merrick, Armand and good Lord, Mnemoch the Devil, I was afraid that Rice lost her touch. However, when I read Pandora and Vittorio, I thought that she got her stride back, but I was sorely mistaken. Where was the writer who wrote Tales of the Body Thief and Vampire Lestat? I have to admit, I liked most of the Mayfair Witches books, though I read them out of order. Fair warning (or maybe it's a selling point?), they were almost soft core porn. Racy, indeed.

However, ye faithful Baltimore Book Fair delivered Blood Canticle for 3 dollars (in hardback!) and I couldn't resist. I have Violin  as well, but that is farther down the book stack. I knew that there was another book, Blackwood Farm before Blood Canticle, but I couldn't find that book to read before this one. When it came time to choose a new book, I figured that if I really didn't know what was going on, I would stop reading and buy Blackwood Farm before starting up Blood again. 

I didn't need to read the book. I figured out the story of Blackwood perfectly within the context of Blood Canticle. 

I also have to say...

Anne Rice is back! 

Oh man, I love snarky Lestat more than anything else. I know Rice was trying to explore other vampires, but snarky and over dramatic Lestat is my favorite vampire. Other than Mnemoch, he makes any story compiling. 

So in the Vampire Chronicles, Rice created a world in which Lestat has written and sold "Interview with the Vampire," "Queen of the Damned," "The Vampire Lestat," "Mmemoch the Devil" and "Tales of the Body Thief." Readers think that vampires are fiction, though he says again and again, that they are not. 

Rice comes out shooting when she addresses the vicious criticism of Mnemoch the Devil.  Lestat breaks the fourth wall and laments on how the readers didn't want to hear the truth of his adventure to Heaven and Hell. I was hoping. I was praying that she wasn't going to go veer off into God territory, discussing Angels and Demons, but she didn't! Lestat, in all of his snarky glory, wants to be a good person, but realizes that he truly isn't a good person. He struggles with this standard, and not meeting it, throughout the entire book. 

Blood Canticle combines both the Mayfair Witches and the Vampires Chronicles in one book. Taltos was the first book I read of the Mayfair witches series, and with The Witching Hour as a close second, Taltos was my favorite book out of the three. The reason Taltos is my favorite is because of Ms. Mona Mayfair, who is one of the main characters of Blood Canticle.  The set up is that Lestat just defeated Goblin from Blackwood Farm and Quinn Blackwood was turned into a vampire. Merrick dies in defeating Goblin, and everyone is upset over losing Merrick Mayfair (of the "colored" Mayfairs. Oh yes, "colored.")

Meh. She wasn't that cool anyway. 

Then, they get a visitor. Mona Mayfair. After giving birth to the "Walking Baby," they call it, she falls seriously ill. Rowan Mayfair vows to heal her, but Mona hates and fears Rowan for her powers. Mona is about to die, and Quinn, who is now a vampire and loves Mona, wants to give her the Dark Kiss. Lestat, understanding the extent of the Dark Kiss, agrees to give it to Mona. Mona becomes a Vampire, and slowly reveals her story about the Taltos, another species on Earth that somehow bred with the Mayfairs and there are more since Mona birthed Morrigan and she left with another Taltos. 

Mona wants to know what happened to Morrigan, and Lestat and Quinn agree to help her. Oh, Rowan Mayfair is there, and Lestat falls in love with her, much to Mona's dismay. Mona is jealous though I don't understand why. 

Here is the thing about Rowan in all these books... she's kind of boring. I get it, Anne put herself in Rowan, with the way she describes Rowan Mayfair (the hairstyles are the same, their fashion is similar, no makeup) and how her husband, Michael Curry, is utterly devoted to Rowan, despite Rowan head over heels for Lestat. It's just... Mona Mayfair is a much better character than Rowan and I was glad that Rowan wasn't in much of the story. 

I wish there were more Mayfair Witches/Vampire Chronicle crossovers, because the old Mayfair family and the Talamasca are really interesting. Rice is fascinated by rich, old New Orleans families, and the Matriarchal Mayfairs are it! However, the ending of Blood Canticle was very definitive with Quinn and Mona going away to be taught by another vampire. 

Oh Lestat, how I missed you.