Book #81 - Illusions (Wings #3)

Illusions (Wings #3), Aprilynne Pike
375 pages
urban fantasy
Started 7/21/12
Finished 7/22/12
4 STARS

For once, my must-read-all-books-in-a-series-itis has paid off. Usually, it just succeeds in pissing me off and wondering why I wasted my time. Not so this time. If I'd have gone with my gut, I would've abandoned this series after the first book. After Illusions, I'm glad I didn't.

Laurel hasn't seen or heard from Tamani for nearly a year. She's a senior in high school now, and has spent another summer in Avalon trying to learn how to be a fall faery. Although she's still with David, for two years now, she misses Tamani more than she realizes. And, all of a sudden, he shows up. As a student in her high school. To make matters worse, he starts trying to get close to another new student whom the gang suspects is a wildflower - a faery with no idea who she is. When you add in some more troll action, it's fair to say that Laurel is having a really stressful year.

I... liked Illusions. Actually, I really liked it. Weird. Although Laurel is still a self-righteous, wishy-washy, pansy (pun intended), Tamani's constant presence, especially in a human environment, made the book enjoyable. The past two books, I've been frustrated and annoyed by the way Laurel was playing both David and Tamani, and at least in this book, she finally stepped up and made some real choices. And, that was a really, really good thing. 

The ending was also much more dynamic. There were a lot of questions still unanswered at the end of Illusions. Some big cliffhangers to be addressed. It actually makes me anxious to read the final book.

My only complaint with this book is that we barely saw Avalon. As that was my favorite part of Spells (Wings #2), I was hoping for much more than what I got. Other than a quick confab with Jamison, Laurel's time in Avalon was only spoken of in passing. Hopefully, the final book remedies this situation.

Book #80 - Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood #7)

Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood #7), J. R. Ward
527 pages
urban fantasy, paranormal romance
Started 7/18/12
Finished 7/20/12
4.5 STARS

I admit that after the last two Black Dagger Brotherhood books, I was starting to lose confidence in The Warden's abilities. How many times have we seen series start off strong, but then the story arcs and characters start to go off-course? Especially when there are 8+ books in the series. Thankfully, Lover Avenged has pulled me out of my slump and renewed my confidence in the series.

This is the first book that doesn't follow a member of the Brotherhood. Rhevenge is a friend of the Brotherhood, however, and not just because his sister is married to one of them. He owns the club that the Brothers like to frequent, and he's helped them out of a few sticky situations in the past. However, he's half symphath, which means he's got a lot of hiding to do. So, he doesn't see it as necessarily a good thing when he finds himself falling in love with the respected and well-liked Ehlena. After all, how can you give your heart to someone when you can't even tell her half the truths about yourself?

Rhev has been mentioned in nearly all the books, and to be honest, I never really gave him too much thought. He's a drug lord, a club owner, a pimp - he can't be a "good guy," right? This book proved that there is so much more to Rhev than what you see on the surface. There are actually good reasons behind what he does. But, centuries of self-loathing has taken it's toll on him, and I feel so very bad for him most of the way through. He's actually very brave and very honorable, despite his occupations. I love the slow burn between he and Ehlena; I REALLY loved the fact that their romance started with long, late night phone conversations. It's so unusual for these guys, but such a nice change of pace.

My favorite part of this book is that, for the first time since Dark Lover (BDB #1), we get more Wrath POV. Oh, how I've missed that guy. He's having trouble adjusting to the fact that, as King, he shouldn't be out fighting. He shows some serious vulnerabilities in his relationship with Beth, and we finally get to see more from both of them. It's been way too long. The other side stories - John Matthew, Xhex, Tohr, Lash - were really engrossing too. J. R. Ward is so smart. She creates a slow build-up over two, three, even four books for these stories, so that the reader just can't help but run right out and get the next in the series right away. I admit - I fell for it. Watch for the review for Lover Mine (BDB #8) soon. And, believe it or not, I have Lover Unleashed (BDB #9) and Lover Reborn (BDB #10) waiting beside my bed as I type this. Speaking of which, I think I'm going to go start them now... 

Book #79 - Spells (Wings #2)

Spells (Wings #2), Aprilynne Pike
359 pages
urban fantasy, paranormal romance
Started 7/11/12
Finished 7/18/12
3.5 STARS

Can you believe that I only listened to my first audiobook in February of this year? I know, right? What was I missing? I have a 35-minute commute one way to work, so it takes me the better part of a week to get through one of them. But, I've done a few now - enough so that I've developed a theory. I think the best audiobooks to listen to are the ones you don't have high hopes for. See, my reading time is precious - I want to spend it the best way possible on the best books possible. But, there are books out there that I'm curious about, but don't think will be "great." Since my time in the car wouldn't have been spent reading anyway, that time would be great to put toward those no-so-great books. Make sense?

With all that said, I'm sure you can guess that Spells was an audiobook. Honestly, I wasn't thrilled with Wings (Wings #1). It was juvenile, kinda hokey, and Laurel, the main character, annoyed the crap out of me. But, the end was not horrible and left me wondering what happened next. So, what the hey? I decided to listen to it in my car, too, because the alternative was listening to Fun's "We Are One" for the seventy-millionth time this summer.

So, Laurel has agreed to go to Avalon for the summer to learn how to be a faery. She also gets to spend some quality time with Tamani, which only adds to her confusion over David too, by the way. After she gets home, it's clear that there's a persistent threat to Laurel's life, which will keep Tamani around and Laurel motivated to learn her craft faster.

Ok, so I will say that this book is marginally better than Wings, which does give me hope for the rest of the series. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, which focused more on faery culture and the city of Avalon. Laurel is try to learn how to be a "mixer" and Tamani is trying to teach her all the nuances and politics of Avalon. I thought the pace and world building here were really nice, actually. Laurel didn't bother me like she usually does

Then, she goes home and the book starts to go to crap. David is a whiner and a poser. I'm not a fan of his character at all. And, when Laurel is around him, she is the same way. She strings along both David and Tamani, and that makes me crazy. And, Chelsea - ugh. Valley girl with a 'tude. The pace seemed to slow almost to a snails pace at this point, too. And, the introduction of Klea felt both unnecessary and confusing.

But, hey - it was an audiobook, and a perfect one, in my opinion. I really wish libraries would stock a bigger selection of audiobooks. Because I had to get Illusions (Wings #3) in hard copy. I know, I know. I couldn't resist. I have to find out what happens now!