Overbite by Joseph Allen

Nutshell:  Joseph Allen puts a refreshing spin on the paranormal genre, making vampires and werewolves more--dare I say it--human.  Some sex, some action, and nice characterization make for an enjoyable read in this novella.  Four stars.

Review: So after a long break I took up yet another entry in the seriously undead genre of vampire stories.  Overbite's product description pulled me in:

Aurelia believed in the line about living fast, dying young and leaving a good-looking corpse.

Well, except for the dying young part. As for the good-looking corpse, she was all set.

Life as a modern vampire has its perks: raves, espresso bars, and, of course, online shoe shopping. But for Aurelia, a bite of the wrong guy could plant the seeds of her own destruction—and John Burke is that guy. Now, to save her not-quite-life, she has to find Burke and uncover his secret before she literally fades into oblivion.


The story was at times amusing and even (at least for me) surprisingly touching.  I enjoyed the dialogue and the ending also provided a good setup for the following novella, which is not out yet.  One of the things that I liked most was that Allen apparently didn't feel constrained by the typical stereotypes of the genre, allowing him to kind of make his own rules for the paranormal world.  That allowed for a more interesting story than I was expecting, frankly.  Overall I thought it was very nicely done.

Rating: Nicely composed but in a somewhat tired genre, Overbite will probably reward existing vampire fans and may even make a few new ones.  This one's a keeper.  Four stars.

Eye of the Beholder by Ruth Ann Nordin

So I wasn't expecting much from this book, but the price was right (.99) and the premise sounded somewhat interesting (a homely woman answers an ad seeking a mail order bride; upon seeing her, the man who placed the ad refuses to marry her, so she ends up marrying another man in the same town).  Author Ruth Ann Nordin seems to polarize her readers, based on the many 5-star reviews balanced by a few 1-stars, so I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about.

It turns out that Nordin hits on the single most important key to successful writing: it's the story, stupid!  Her writing is plain.  I mean vanilla would seem spicy next to Nordin's prose.  As her critics point out, her historical characters speak as if they were alive today, using modern idioms with wild abandon.  And there are certain places where we're asked to suspend disbelief more than one rightly should.  However--and this is a big however--she has crafted a sweet, original story that appeals to many romance fans.  I can see why she's earned all those five-star reviews and a sizable fan base.

For me, the distractions (like the aforementioned dialogue and sometimes wooden prose) do make the book suffer a bit, but I was left with an overwhelmingly favorable impression of the book due to the sweet story that Nordin created.  If you're looking for a fun clean read, this could be just the book for you.  Four stars.

LJ

Virtue by Amanda Hocking

Nutshell:  Amanda Hocking's "fairy tale" follows Lux and Lily as they try to safely navigate a world in which good and evil are literally battling around them.  Some problems with the text may make adults less enthusiastic, but this book will undoubtedly be devoured by her fans.  Four stars.

Review:  Hocking seems to have successfully walked the fine line between literature which appeals to girls and that which appeals to boys, creating in Virtue a book which should captivate both.

In line with our no spoilers policy, I'm not going into much detail about the plot, but this tale of the struggle of good versus evil nicely balances romantic elements with magic, action and adventure.  The world Hocking has created is nicely detailed with small touches that are sometimes reminiscent of the work of J.K. Rowling and which help the reader easily envision the goings-on.  Although the characterization of Lux and Lily at first seemed flat, once the reader learns more about who the characters are--or rather, who they represent--you could argue that the characterization is sufficient.

Hocking's writing is clear and simple--almost curiously simple sometimes--and appropriate for the age group she's aiming for with this work (Virtue is recommended for readers 14 and up, according to the product description.

An adult reader, however, may find it difficult to remain engaged with the plot given the many errors scattered throughout the work.  Most of them involve wrong words flying under the radar of the spell check function, but which should have been caught by whoever assisted Hocking with the editing--things like the use of aide instead of aid, illicit instead of elicit, and so on.  I was amused, however, by one particular slip.  Note to Hocking's editors:  decanter and cantor don't mean the same thing.  Once a cantor is full of wine, you don't want it back.

Still, these are minor problems overall, and considering the intended age group, many of them won't be noticed at all.  In the end, I suspect that Virtue will please Hocking's fans and may earn her some new ones. 

Rating:  Four stars.  In spite of the problems with the text, this is an entertaining book that will appeal to both boys and girls.  Virtue is a recommended buy.

Anathema by Megg Jensen

Nutshell:  When Reychel, a lifelong slave, is rescued from her life of servitude on her fifteenth birthday, it's the start of a journey that will eventually reveal the important role that she'll play in the future of her people.  Megg Jensen has created an engaging, richly detailed read.  4 stars.

Review: With Anathema, Megg Jensen has created a richly detailed, interesting world that drew me in almost immediately (the whole business with the coin didn't really work for me, so it was a bit wobbly at the start, but that's probably just me).  As I've written before, I'm a sucker for fantasy to begin with, so the bar is set pretty low.  However, Jensen has just done such a nice job with her book that I think she'll win over lots of fans regardless of their literary preferences.  The story is engaging, the details allow you to easily imagine the world the characters inhabit, and although some aspects feel a bit familiar, the twists and turns in the story are interesting and unexpected.  This is one of those books that will leave you thinking about the characters well after you finish reading.

Is this a perfect book?  No.  I have some minor issues with a few things--there are some small typographical and continuity errors scattered throughout that should have been caught by her beta readers, the language is sometimes jarringly modern and several scenes seem underdeveloped.  However, overall those are small problems, and they didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the book. 

Rating:  4 stars and a recommended buy.  This is well worth your time and money, and keep your eyes open for more from Megg Jensen in the future!