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Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)
Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)
Lauren Oliver | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.2 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
My reaction at the end of the book: I just can't.

I didn't think that it was possible to end the second book with a bigger reveal/cliffhanger than Delirium - but Lauren Oliver shocked me. She slipped a little comment in that immediately made you wonder, "could it be?" I spent the next few pages fearfully reading, unsure if I wanted to know. Which ending would I prefer? All I could do was repeat no, no, no, over and over. This book is the definition of a book hangover. I immediately had to begin reading the third novel in the series.

The world building is just as immersive and well-done as the first. The author vividly describes the landscape and the new hierarchy in which Lena finds herself. This book no longer takes place in Portland, Maine but switches perspectives between the Wilds and New York City. We are also introduced to a new set of characters that help transition Lena into her new Wilds life.

Raven is the leader, young but formed under pressure like a diamond by the Wilds. Tack is her right-hand man, reliable but a bit unfriendly. She is surrounded by Hunter and Bram, tiny Blue, Grandma, Lucky, and many others. There are so many "invalids" in the Wilds that they are not all well-developed and unique characters. Those that are more important to the story are given the attention that they deserve. (Raven is also given a novella, which is a wonderful insight and in my opinion the best of the four novellas that accompany the series.) Lena must find her place and pull her weight - collecting water, tending the fire and checking for messages in the trees.

The style of switching perspectives from now to then continuously was a little off-putting at first. Before long, you get used to the style and are fully immersed in the story. Just as engaging as the first and highly recommended. Just a warning that there are more curse words in the novel than in the first.
  
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Merissa (13346 KP) rated Cato (Fueled By Lust #3) in Books

Apr 6, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)  
Cato (Fueled By Lust #3)
Cato (Fueled By Lust #3)
Celeste Prater | 2014 | Erotica, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh my! This series has taught me that although I have liked getting to know the Emperor's son and his Royal Guard, my heart actually belongs to the tattooed and pierced I.T. guy. Cato is one hot mamma and he is just about perfect - a bit of a slob but still perfect.

Luna, my heart goes out to her. Abuse isn't just physical and unless you've been on the receiving end of mental abuse you will have no idea how crippling it can be. I thought Celeste made Luna's story absolutely heartrending.

Cato has had me in tears - both with Cato's emotions and with Luna's story. It is an absolutely superb book that I really can't recommend highly enough.

The thing that really ties it all up for me into one of the best erotic sci-fi series I have ever read is the attention to the timeline and all the details of the world and the men. The mannerisms and sayings that we take for granted that can be misconstrued... and frequently are by the 'newbies' that arrive. I love how the ending of one book leads into the start of the next.

There are so many stories I have yet to hear, I hope that Celeste has more than a couple of tales left to tell in this series!
 
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
 
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 27, 2016
  
I wanted to read this book for the first story by Mercedes Lackey, since I am a fan of the Five Hundred Kingdom series. This story featured Leopold and Brunnhilde in a setting straight out of Greek mythology. In short, I loved it. It weaves Leopold's quest for immortality in with the tale of Persephone and her union with Hades. The perspective is different from the usual story of a victimized Persephone, and turns her into a strong, young woman who will stop at nothing to be with the man she loves. To make Greek mythology fit in with the rest of the series, Lackey explains that the Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus are half-Fae who have forgotten their origins thanks to the power of The Tradition.
I am not familiar with the second author, Michelle Sagara. This short story is a prequel to her Chronicles of Elantra series and introduces the reader to the character of Kaylin Neya. I was a little lost when I began this story because of the variety of characters that I was introduced to at the very beginning. I actually was not even sure who the story was about at first. The story seemed a bit bogged down with details and descriptions, and Kaylin seemed to get lost in the mayhem of Sagara's attempt to introduce the reader to the world of Elantra in such a short tale. I stuck with it, though, and by the end of the story I was intrigued enough to want to continue on with the series in Cast in Shadow (The Chronicles of Elantra, Book 1).
The third story, written by Caleron Haley, is meant to be a prequel to Mob Rules (Luna Books). I am not familiar with this author either, and when I began this story I realized immediately that this story was heavily-flavored with gangster-style speak and vocabulary, even more so than the urban fantasy elements. I really tried to adjust to the language used in the story, but the lack of explanation to accompany such terms as "juice" and "outfit", as well as the overabundance of foul-mouthed language and typical gangster lingo like "capping" someone mad me lose interest in the actual plot of the short story halfway through. I am sure there are other readers that enjoy this style of story-telling, but I am not one of them.