HBIC Review - Queen of Light by Froggy

 The book started off a bit slow for my taste but that is expected in a first book of a series. Ayla is suppose to be an assassin for the queen but I really just didn't buy it. She seemed to be more a fluffy character than a hard strong woman that you would expect to be as an assassin. Her mentor really just pushes her to do what he wants and then asks her to be his mate. She actually agrees even though she has no feelings for him and goes through with the ceremony!! Then she doesn't even stand up for herself when he beats her!! Seriously? An assassin just lets a man beat her? She should of kicked his bum or at least protected herself! What kind of message does that send to woman? I didn't like that part of the story at all.

The writing was good but I just couldn't get into the story/world that was created. Usually I fall into books and lose track of time lost in what was written but I really had to make myself keep picking the book up to read it.

I give this book a 2/4                 

oops forgot my Discussion questions!!
#1 Did you have an understanding of the world created by this novel, or did you find the complexity too much?

I did understand it but wasn't drawn in to it.

#2 In a book that it appears many have trouble liking, what is one thing that you like about this book?

It wasn't long...LOL! Nothing really comes to mind.

#3 Did you agree with the author’s decision to make Ayla a fierce assassin in battle and a weakling in her emotions? For example her obvious contempt for Garret but yet her willingness to be his mate and subject herself to his demeaning manor?

No, I hated it! see my review above. LOL

#4 What do you think the significance of the the baby Ayla carries is/will be?

I really can't even guess....but you can bet someone will want to kill the baby or kidnap it.

#5 What do you think of Ayla's ascension to the throne? Do you believe she accepted her own destiny too easily?
 
yes, she didn't really even question it. Didn't even debate what this would mean for her or her future.

HBIC Review - Parajunkee Queene of Light

H B I C R E V I E W  - by Parajunkee

Regarding the book Queene of Light, I’m not going to bore you with intricate details on this book. Too many times I find myself rambling with long explanations – that boils down to one thing. Yeah I liked the book. Well, for Queene of Light, yes I did like it. But, I also had some major problems with it. First off, let me tell you why I liked it. For one, the concept was interesting and original. Secondly, it was well written and the plotlines were tight. Thirdly, the tone of the book was consistent.

Now, for the reason my stomach was a bit queasy while reading this book. The author employed a very over-used romantic ploy that I am going to call the Edward Cullen Technique in honor of the New Moon release. The I Love You So Much I Need to Break Your Heart Send You Away And Pretend I Don’t Like You Technique. In this book the author turns it around – the chick does this to the male, instead of vice versa, but it’s the same as a lot of other books out there.

Why would this technique be employed over and over in romantic settings? I understand it builds dramatic tones, and the hopes that the couple will be reunited. Yet, in Queene of Light it was used to basically eradicate the male supporting character. With one fell swoop he is gone and the story progresses without even a backwards thought of him. In New Moon I think this technique really worked, in fact it held together the entire book. But, the filler of the “push away” was loaded with another romance blooming between Bella and Jacob. Within the pages of Queene of Light there is no secondary romantic filler – there is only the original conflict that was established before the “push away” occurred. So, for this book I don’t think the technique worked, which was why it didn’t sit well with me.

Besides that, I enjoyed reading about this interesting world. I recommend it to fantasy fans that like a little modern grit in their genre. Yet, because of the “push away” problem, I really don’t want to give it a high rating. Queene of light gets a 2/4 BWB rating.

Queen of Light Discussion Questions

#1 Did you have an understanding of the world created by this novel, or did you find the complexity too much?

#2 In a book that it appears many have trouble liking, what is one thing that you like about this book?

#3 Did you agree with the author’s decision to make Ayla a fierce assassin in battle and a weakling in her emotions? For example her obvious contempt for Garret but yet her willingness to be his mate and subject herself to his demeaning manor?

#4 What do you think the significance of the the baby Ayla carries is/will be?

#5 What do you think of Ayla's ascension to the throne? Do you believe she accepted her own destiny too easily?

Blogs with Bite November book choices for poll 1!

With the review deadline for Covet coming up on October 14th and the sign up deadline for the next book (Intertwined by Gena Showalter) being on October 24th, it's time to think about the books we want to read as a group for November. In order to ensure that a variety of books are represented, we'll be selecting one adult book and one young adult book for the Month of November. Check out the descriptions for the adult books and vote in the sidebar polls for the books that you want to read for November!

Adult Book Category
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffeneger (description from Goodreads.com)- When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt; they only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers -- with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.

The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery. They come to know the building's other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling obsessive-compulsive disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive former lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including -- perhaps -- their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.

Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry: about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life -- even after death.

Lily Dale Discovering by Wendy Corsi Staub (information from goodreads.com)- After finally learning who was behind her mother’s death, Calla still doesn’t understand why it happened. Somewhere out there, someone seems to share the powerful psychic abilities that allow Calla to see not only into the past, but to the Other Side—someone who apparently doesn’t want to be found. Will Calla’s journey lead to the closure she's been searching for, or will it force her to accept yet another loss and forever wonder what might have been?

As new mysteries unfold and old ones are solved, this spine-tingling series continues. With an eye-catching new look, Wendy Corsi Staub’s fans will not be disappointed.

Queene of Light (Lightworld/Darkworld, book 1) by Jennifer Armintrout (information from goodreads.com)- In a time not long from now the veil between fantasy and reality is ripped asunder - creatures of myth and fairy tale spill into the mortal world. Enchanted yet horrified, humans force the magical beings Underground, to colonize the sewers and abandoned subway tunnels beneath their glittering cities.

But even magic folk cannot dwell in harmony, and soon two Worlds emerge: the Lightworld, home to faeries, dragons and dwarves; and the Darkworld, where vampires, werewolves, angels and demons lurk.

Now, in the dank and shadowy place between Lightworld and Darkworld, a transformation is about to begin...

Ayla, a half faery, half human assassin, is stalked by Malachi, a Death Angel tasked with harvesting mortal souls. They clash. Immortality evaporates, forging a bond neither may survive. And in the face of unbridled ambitions and untested loyalties, an ominous prophecy is revealed that will shake the Worlds.

Thunder and Blood by Stacey Voss (summary from the back cover as posted on the author's web site)- When Sarah Ingram and her sister Christine left Thunder Bay on a chilly November afternoon, they thought that they were going on a weekend getaway, leaving their problems behind. What they didn't realize was that they would end up in a world that was, in many ways, very different from their own, but at the same time eerily familiar. Separated almost at once, the two women found themselves struggling to come to terms with the reality of their situation. How did this world become so different from the one they knew? What secrets were their new 'friends' hiding from them? Was it possible that there could be more to the vampire stories from their own world than simple myth? ***NOTE: This book was submitted by the author to Blogs with Bite for consideration as a submission***

Release by Nicole Hadaway (information from the author's blog here- Forever.

That’s the response Ben Gongliewski receives, when he asks Miranda Dandridge how long she’s been a vampire. He doesn’t expect the word forever in her reply, but then again, Ben never imagined meeting vampires, let alone demons and werewolves, during his time as a Resistance worker in World War II Poland. Far from being horrified, Ben discovers that Miranda and her friends have very useful … talents … especially when it comes to saving children from concentration camps. After all, in these desperate times, while the line between good and evil is clear, the one between heroes and monsters is very, very blurred.

The last thing Miranda wants at this point in her immortal life is a human lover, but as she and Ben perform rescue after daring rescue, she can’t help but be drawn to his passion to save his fellow Jews. As the War draws to a close and Miranda must chose her love for Ben or her duty to her race, Ben is blindsided by a betrayal that no one sees coming. This leads to a danger in which all hell is about to break loose … literally… ***NOTE: This book was submitted by the author to Blogs with Bite for consideration as a submission. It is available as an e-book here.***