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Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Fifth Petal in Books

May 16, 2018  
The Fifth Petal
The Fifth Petal
Brunonia Barry | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I finally finished reading The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry. It wasn’t quite my thing, though. Despite being labeled as a fantasy mystery, The Fifth Petal hovers a little too heavily on romance for me to find it enjoyable. There’s also a ridiculous amount of repetition which, if you read my thoughts on List of 10, you’ll know I abhor it when writers think their readers are going to forget something major within the plot after a few pages.

Many times throughout my reading of The Fifth Petal, I felt things were dragging. In fact, very little of the book focuses on the murders mentioned in its blurb. More of it focuses on an abstract idea of new age healing, with only the overly obvious blooming romance breaking up the monotony. As a reader, when I pick up a book that’s labeled fantasy or mystery, that’s what I expect. Couple that with an unrealistic, “out of the wild blue yonder” twist at the end, and it seriously just falls flat.

Characterwise, there’s a distinct feeling of “woe is me! I am the victim” throughout this book, alongside several of your stereotypical wealthy snobs. Because of this, I found it hard to become attached to any of the characters – but this is my opinion. For other readers, namely those that favor the flavor of romance, this is perfect.

To be honest, I’d like to rate this book a two for the sheer fact that, like The Cutaway, its genre is based more on the plot’s outline than its actual content. The thing is, the writing isn’t horrible – nor is the romance. There’s not really any detailed sexual encounters either, which is a plus for some. In fact, it’s a pretty safe read all around. I do admire Barry’s ideology behind some of her witches, i.e., lace readers. Because I can see others enjoying this and it’s not downright horrid, I’ve decided to go with a median rating. Besides, the cover is fantastic.

I would like to thank Blogging for Books for providing me with a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
  
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Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World, #1) in Books

Feb 23, 2018  
First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World, #1)
First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World, #1)
Jeaniene Frost | 2010
6
9.1 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Every review I've read has been bad. Honestly, this novel was no better or worse than any of Frost's other books, in my opinions. The main complaint I've seen is that the book isn't about Cat and Bones. Well, their story has pretty much been told in the four Night Huntress novels, and now Frost is moving on to other people in that world.

Given, I was never terribly attached to Cat or Bones, and apparently some fans were. I would advise them to write fan fiction or roleplay or do whatever it is that other obsessive fans do when their favorite authors stop writing about their favorite characters rather than writing negative reviews of Frost's newer fiction because they want it to be more like her older books. (<b>Please</b> note that I have absolutely no idea what Frost's position on such things is, and would strongly recommend querying her or her authorized representative on the matter before acting. Some authors are fine with fanfic/RPing, and some are rabidly against both. I can think of examples who go to extremes each way.)

While Denise never made a big impression on me while reading the NH books, it is nice to find out what happened to her after her husband was slaughtered and her life was screwed up so badly. While minor characters are often affected in Very Bad Ways during the course of paranormal romance novels, we seldom see them getting any kind of compensation. And who could possibly compensate anyone for the loss of a loved one, anyway?

That said, this is not a fantasy novel. Sometimes I waver on how a "paranormal romance" novel should be classified, but that isn't the case here. This is a romance with urban fantasy features tossed in. There's a damsel in distress saved by a hero. There's an obstacle to be overcome before they can be together, blah blah blah. The whole formula is there.

It doesn't suck terribly, but I don't recommend it to anyone who doesn't already like the setting to some extent. If you truly hate the romance formula, don't bother with this one.
  
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Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Slipstream (A Crisis of Two Worlds, #1) in Books

Mar 15, 2018  
S(
Slipstream (A Crisis of Two Worlds, #1)
Michael Offutt | 2012
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
After my playthrough of the "Mass Effect" trilogy of video games wound up as a tragically optimistic, sci-fi, gay love story; I decided to look into finding some gay sci-fi romance fiction and stumbled upon this title. I have to say I am glad I did. This book is by no means perfect; there are a few questionable character decisions and some of the dialogue just doesn't feel like something that people in the age group represented would ever actually say, but despite those flaws, this still wound up being a highly entertaining read. The romance elements are kept somewhat to a minimum, which actually works better for me, but when they do arise they are indeed pretty romantic and about 90% believable. The sci-fi / fantasy / adventure elements are more pronounced and while they can stretch credulity a bit more regularly, they were more than suitably exciting enough to allow for the requisite suspension of disbelief. It ends satisfactorily while still leaving quite a lot to be resolved in the sequel, which I can say I look forward to reading.