Monsters...and not the good kind

Monsters brings the Ashes trilogy to a close, but it complicates matters and drags things out way more than was necessary. As the book opens, Alex and Tom are separated and trying to survive in a zombie-filled world where humans are almost as big a problem as the people-eaters. There's a lot of traveling, and Alex is back with Wolf, the zombie who seems to still retain some human emotion. Meanwhile, Chris meets up with Ellie, the girl originally with Alex when the Zap happened, but his story takes a major turn when his injuries turn out to be much worse than feared. Somehow, the main characters slowly, slowly make their ways back to one another in a showdown that may take the town of Rule down in pieces.

I wasn't a fan of the multiple points of view; there's a section in the book that I found myself skimming in order to get back to the main stories. By the time we finally end up in Rule, I was about ready to blow the town up myself. However, I really did enjoy the final third of the book, and the chapters moving back and forth between characters' action was riveting. I loved how it all played out, even if I do feel the story would've benefited from serious culling. It took me quite a while to remember who was who and where we were when I began the book; whoever decided that the "catch-up" pages belonged in the back of the book--after the ending!!--was a major idiot. It really slowed my reading down while I came to grips with what all was going on since it'd been more than a year since I read Shadows.

Monsters is a book I can recommend, with reservations. I think it would've been best had I read it right after Shadows, and if you feel like skimming, it's all right to do so. You won't miss any major plot points and it will get you to the action, which is really good once you arrive. And be forewarned--this is one majorly gory book! Bick doesn't shy away from details of zombie-people-eating, and you'll need a very strong stomach to read it. I also got very tired of hearing about the "monster" in Alex's head--okay, I got it, it's all tied into the theme and the zombies and her illness...too much. But I did enjoy the read and am glad I read the entire series.

~taminator40

Dust Lands: Raging Star

While I totally loved the first Dust Lands book, and the second was very good, Raging Star started off very slowly for me. I know it's been a while since I read the second book, and maybe I did need a couple of chapters to get back into the unique writing style. Problem with that theory is that the slowness lasted for at least the first third of the book, and I almost started to skim ahead to see how the series ended. I'm glad I didn't, however, because the ending definitely made up for the initial problems.

Raging Star brings Saba and her band to the ultimate showdown against the founder of New Eden, De Malo and the Tonton. But the book opens with the group bringing down a critical bridge and Saba's unease only intensifies when things happen that cause her to wonder if they are fighting the best way possible. There is also something underhanded happening within the group as Nero is feared killed at one point. Saba is forced to the edge of sanity and physicality by her decisions in how to defeat the New Eden people, and the lies she's felt compelled to tell wear her down further. I wanted her to get herself together and I wanted to shake her; the author did an excellent job of showing how Saba was pushed to the wall and still maintained her position as a leader fighting injustice. Once the plot started coming together, the pace picked up nicely and the ultimate showdown is well worth the wait.

There's a lot of tragedy in Raging Star: a lot of heartbreak, a lot of holding on because there's nothing else left to do. But there's also a lot of people stepping up in unexpected ways and a lot of finding inner strength when you believe there's none left. Saba is a wonderful character, truly alive and flawed, and she's surrounded by characters who love her or at least respect her enough to listen to her ideas. If the first part is slow, the wade through is well worth it as the final third is a wild ride that won't let you go until the end. I'm sorry to see this trilogy end, but I do think the author achieved an almost perfect conclusion.

~taminator40

Graduation Day

Graduation Day is the final book in The Testing series, and it wraps everything up rather nicely. While I never felt on the edge of my seat while reading it, I certainly can say I enjoyed the action (even if some of it was hard to swallow).

Basics: Cia is at the University, but she knows The Testing must stop so future generations will not have to undergo the rigorous, brutal conditions she and her fellow students did. Unfortunately, it seems that everyone is watching her, and she's unsure who she can trust, outside of boyfriend Tomas. When she expresses her concerns to the President, she finds herself at the heart of a plan to eliminate several officials. But she knows she can't do it alone.

There is a lot of action in Graduation Day, but also a lot of dithering, and "testing" of others' resolve. Cia always wants to do the right thing, but she takes a long time figuring out what to do, a fact that makes the novel drag at some points. In fact, though overall I liked the novel, there were several times I felt events were way too coincidental; without giving away spoilers, I will say that I doubt young people could move about so freely as Cia does in the beginning, especially when she's being watched for suspicious activity. I also wondered about the confidence the President placed in her, which seemed a little far-fetched, even for a post-apocalyptic novel. And I'm still not sure I'm buying that explanation at the ending, but it was action-filled and interesting. Overall, this is a good ending to the series and actually rates a strong 3.5 stars, so I'm rounding up for general enjoyment.

~taminator40

The One

I knew I wasn't going to read The One for any deep, philosophical glimpses into a post-apocalyptic society; hey, we're talking a royal version of The Bachelor here, correct? But for what it is, The One is an enjoyably light read that intrigued me enough to gulp it down in two short afternoons. As with most escapist reading, it accomplished its goal in that respect very well.

If you're reading this review, you know the basics of how we got to this point: America is one of four young women left vying for the attention and potential marriage of Prince Maxon. Throughout the first two books, America's been inching toward a true relationship with Maxon, despite her feelings for childhood boyfriend, Aspen. In this final installment, she's decided to fight for him, though of course the road isn't smooth. Despite Maxon's protestations of his intentions to choose America, she frequently messes things up and acquires the wrath of the king in the process. There's also two rebellions going on, and somehow America finds herself in the middle of negotiations that may bring down the caste system once and for all.

While I loved this story--it's hard not to--the constant fighting between America and Maxon, complete with about 5000 misunderstandings, eventually wore at me. I like a good, headstrong, righteous heroine, but America spent a lot of time making things worse when they didn't have to be. Frankly, from a slightly more mature standpoint, I can't see this marriage working out in the long term if these two don't learn to build on what they have and stop bickering over past slights. But that's the beauty of the novel once again...I don't have to worry about those things because the story itself isn't about that. It's about two young people who aren't perfect finding one another when they least expect to and learning how to make a difference in lives. I could bemoan the fact that we didn't get a lot of closure on the rebellion aspect, and that there was really no point to some of the incidents, but that would just be a distraction from my overall enjoyment of Cass's writing and the storyline itself. Definitely fun and surprisingly touching at times, this series is one I'd have no problem recommending when you're in the mood for light reading.

~taminator40

How a Terrific Series *Should* End

Daylighters, the final book in the Morganville Vampires series, still keeps the action fresh and constant, and I think that's what I'm going to miss most of all about these books. Even though I believed that things would work out whenever I first picked this book up, it was still a long, twisted ride along the way, just as it's been through the previous fourteen books.

Daylighters opens with our vampire friends in grave danger from an organization that has arrived in town to "cure" the vamps. The tables are turned; no longer in control, Amelie and friends are herded up and held in an abandoned mall while they await a procedure that will rob them of their vampire status. Yes, this includes Michael, and no, Eve and Company are NOT HAPPY. While Claire and Shane work to help Eve, they discover that their beloved Glass House is in danger as well; meanwhile, Claire is accused of murder and taken away in handcuffs. Oh, and remember that strange dog bite Shane got in the last book? Yeah, well, it's the mark of the beast so to speak; at the bidding of Fallon (the head of the Daylighters, the group taking over Morganville), Shane goes hellhound and begins attacking vampires. It's a mess, made even worse with Police Chief Hannah Moses on the Daylighters' side, lots of lost clothing, and the fact that the "cure" has a less than 25% success rate.

I have grown to love all the characters in this series, with the possible exception of Eve. She's just never grown on me; it's as though she's never made it past the emo girlfriend in high school stage, always charging head first into situations without thinking things through, putting herself and others in harm's way. But even Oliver has grown on me; he at least never varied from his same general demeanor and he knows who he is inside. And Claire? Even Oliver remarks on her not being the mouse she was on the day they met. Truly coming into her own, this girl now knows how to survive, with or without her beloved Shane. I absolutely can buy into their relationship because it's mutual and built on a firm foundation, something I feel is lacking in Eve and Michael's. But it's Myrnin, as per usual, who steals the show. More manic than ever, more calculating and emotional, he rescues Claire and treats her as an equal. His slowly revealed feelings for Jesse bring more depth to him, and yet, when Claire is racing back to the lab, he reminds her to check on his pet spider, Bob. Myrnin is magical, and I suspect most of us adore him the most.

Daylighters begins strong and never lets up, even when I couldn't possibly see a way for our heroes to win. All of the major players in the past are back, including the vampires of the town of Blacke. Though at times some of the plot resolutions stretched my imagination to its skeptical limits, I was still enthralled, racing toward an end I really didn't want to see. The final chapter is a bit of a fluff ending, but it's nice and happy and I can live with it. This is a series that goes out on a high note, and I couldn't be a bigger supporter. Highly recommended!

~taminator40

Rogue(ish)

Hey, notice my title? Ha Ha...I can be clever and funny, too. Unfortunately, Rogue is over-packed/padded with this sort of humor, and it doesn't necessarily stand up any better than my feeble attempt.

Don't get me wrong...I loved the first two books in this series and was sorry to see it end. But when I got to this one, it just felt...off. From the very first pages, it felt like it was missing something. Yes, it still had the snarky humor that is a hallmark of the series, and yes, the setting is unique and smart. But this entire entry just felt padded with way too much extra stuff, most of which could have been whittled down into a book about half its size. There's lots of anguish over what's happening to the Afterlife, what's happening to Lex and Driggs, what needs to happen. There's a bunch of "we've got to get through this obstacle to get to the next obstacle" action, and surprises that really weren't all that surprising. I just grew weary of the forced funniness about halfway through; a book that should have the excitement of protecting the Afterlife and the fun of teenaged hormones just didn't. And while the ending was not what I expected, I do have to say that it was actually different enough that I am left feeling bittersweet and bizarrely hopeful.

Still, there's a good deal to like in Rogue, including Lex coming to terms with herself and the bonds of friendship becoming stronger. I wasn't offended by anything, even the rough language and the sexual situations, but none of it hit an emotional chord with me, either. I just felt that the ultimate solution really didn't resolve anything fully, and there was way too much filler action. I liked Rogue, but didn't love it. And that's my Grim diagnosis.

~taminator40