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.

The Wicked and The Divine Vol. 1 The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matt Wilson, Clayton Cowles

I remember learning about this series through a variety of different posts detailing different comics books to read. It was put on my list, and I went on my merry way, not in a particular rush to buy it or read it. However, months later, Josh's friend, Scott, loaned him a few comic books, and this was one of them.

I grew up mostly on manga instead of comics, so I like the longer story format rather than the monthly installments of comics, which is partly why I was interested in this comic. I also was interested in the premise, which gods and goddesses from different religions, current and past in urban fantasy. Sure, I could make the argument that uses such mythology in any capacity is over used and over rated, but I'm a sucker for those types of stories. It was partly the reason why I was a Religious Studies minor. Aren't we all drawn a bit to the "who, what, why and how" of the mysteries of the universe? 

Or maybe it's just me? 

It's about a super fan named Laura who follows the Pantheon, a group of 12 who have been selected to merge with powerful gods and goddesses and given unlimited fame, power and wealth only to die within 2 years and reincarnated every 90 years.

via GIPHY

I guess the reason there are such strict rules on merging with a super powerful mythological deity is so they don't become too powerful or whatever.

Joking aside, I like the strict rules placed on them, because it gives the Pantheon such urgency to live vicariously and recklessly with knowing that they have no idea how long their powers last. It also makes for a great set up to a series.

Now, I would be lying if I said I was 100% sure I knew what was going on in the first issue. There is a lot being thrown at the reader that includes the predicament of Lucifer, the introduction of these famous but doomed deities, the super fan, the world itself, along with brazenly diverse characters, Whedon-esque dialogue with a splash of super stardom and a side of cheese.

Instead of taking the time to explore the world and the setting, the authors demand the reader to buckle in and enjoy the ride, because they are not stopping to cater to those new to the world where gods and goddesses exist.

Normally, my eyes would scrap the top of my skull from rolling so hard at this. It shouldn't work, and I should be bothered by this. Seldom are authors able to pull this sort of immersion off, and I'm quick to judge those books that don't make the cut.

What I think saves it all.. is the illustrations. The art is just beautiful, and seeing these particular characters, in their diverse, wonderful glory interacting with each other and barely able to navigate their own world brought it all together for me. I was able to just sit back and enjoy the ride, bypassing the fact that I was lost on several occasions.

I can't wait to read the rest of the series... Hopefully, my friend Scott has them!