I thoroughly enjoyed Mission One liking or disliking the characters as they ...
921683
I thoroughly enjoyed Mission One liking or disliking the characters as they were developed. I was not disappointed by the ending as it points to a good sequel. I suspended belief in some of the science presented for the sake of artists creativity and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story. Overall a good read by an up and coming sci-if author.
3010324
I learned a lot about the Santa Cruz islands and the shipping lanes off Santa Barbara. The story about two environmentalists with different approaches and philosophies to what social conscious means is compelling. Dave Lajoy is a quick-to-anger ego-maniac on the extreme side of social consciousness, while Alma is more center leftist. The problem I had was I didn't really like any of the characters. I didn't really care if they failed or succeeded. I am always impressed with the evil, deviant and indifferent characters TC Boyle can develop, particularly through Lajoy and some of the boar hunters later in the book. It would have helped if we could have had a backstory on Lajoy as we did for just about every primary character.
3950968
Likes:

-- I'm a sucker for a villain who is pure evil, and Kaseem is that. What makes him even more easily despised is he has seemingly no motivation for his hatred.

-- I like the kind of supernatural element that is the life-prolonging ORME. It's an interesting twist.

-- The locales hop all over the globe like a James Bond film, which helps avoid stagnancy.

Dislikes:

-- Reed tries to cram too much into a tiny space. The leaps forward in time and the things that go unexplained because of them are frustrating.

-- Some things are described in great detail (a shack near the beach in Kamchatka) while others, such as the motives behind the villains' destructive goals, are not.

-- It feels as if sometimes ensign Anders fails simply to extend the novel.
2655582
That one surprised me, even though usually I'm not a major fan of science-fiction stories.
It takes a bit to warm up with the characters and newly introduced creatures called Mal Rous. But after that, I've been mesmerized by the many things presented to explore. And explore I did, loving every second of it. I have quite a thing for family secrets, and this one is a pretty dangerous one, at the same time very gripping, too.
The characters grew on me more and more, page after page, layer revealed after layer. I had a lot of fun discovering how they were related to one another. I liked as well that they have or gain flaws that make it difficult to determine whether they are good or evil. I'm curious how the changes in them caused by the happenings in this first installment of the series will affect their future behaviour towards one another and in general.
The little lovestory between Jaden and Briz: cuuute. I loved the first love feelings, the insecurities, the jealousy, the funny moments when Jaden's Mal Rous-altered senses make her all lusty and jump 'poor' Briz at the most unfortunate times, even the drama caused by Ava's cruel meddling. It somehow lightens the tense and oftentimes horror-filled atmosphere quite nicely.

All in all, I really liked this story. The topic of experiments with DNA and cloning is a contemporary one. The characters are complex and noticeably develop along with what's happening to them. The lovestory is very cute and a nice contrast to all the nightmarish things thrown at the characters. I'm curious what will happen next because the open ending leaves me with a feeling of foreboding doom.
1998236
Having previously enjoyed the first book in the Passion Patrol series (review on my blog) I was keen to get reading.  Although this is part of a series I would just like to say that it also works very well as a standalone read.

The storyline jumped straight into the action and I found myself quickly hooked on Shannon's straight-talking attitude.  She yearned for something exciting to happen in the quiet village of Fleetwood-Green so she could put her police skills to good use. She came across a group of teenagers in the woods and this led her to Earl Spencer who had an instant affect on Shannon.

Shannon was a brilliant character, she was very strong and feisty, some of her comments literally had me laughing out loud!  I was curious as to why she was transferred to the village from Brixton but it soon became clear.  Spencer was a mixed character - he had a nervous, sweet side but I also got the feeling of strength and power from him.  The supporting characters were as interesting as the main characters, I particularly liked Mel who made up a great comedy duo with Shannon.

The criminal side of things was really interesting for me, a gruesome discovery got me thinking up all sorts of things - I felt like a detective as I tried to solve the case alongside Shannon.  There were some very tense moments as she performed her duty as a police officer, a heart-pounding rescue mission was one of my favourite parts of the book.

Once again there were times when I found the authors writing style to be almost poetic, especially the romantic/steamy/sexual scenes.  Shannon's sexual encounters were described in detail so please bear this in mind when you choose to read this book - it may not suit everyone's tastes.

This was another enjoyable read from Emma Calin, romantic and sexy with a twist of police action!
2069746
I finished this book last night and though I found myself voraciously consuming chapter after chapter I have to give it only four stars for a couple of reasons. First, though I have come to like the main character Captain Lee Harden very much I feel the author has started to create a superhero rather than a mere man. In each combat sequence it seems the Captain is the only person in any group who is capable of dealing with the various enemies. All I could think of while reading the course of the battle in the Hospital was This guy is Dirk Pitt. The secondary characters are simply that cardboard cut outs placed here and there for Dirks benefit. I realize these novels are not written to be insightful but more for entertainment however, the super hero aspect is putting me off.

Second, I felt that this book, unlike the first, had a Hollywood feel. What I mean by that is that the story became predictable and grandiose when it really didn't need to. The story itself is engrossing enough without creating unnecessary explosions etc.
That is not to say I will not follow through and purchase the next book, for as I said the story is very engaging I simply hope that the Author begins to flesh out some other characters like Harper or LaRouch, and give them something more to do than simply following along in the wake of Captain Harden.
1110677
I read it in one night - it kept my interest and truly hit that space-opera loving side of me!

Neek is a cool character, the only one of her species to be currently exiled from her planet, so EVERYBODY in the universe knows that she screwed up, much to her chagrin. Her crime: questioning the quasi-scientific religion followed by everyone on Neek (the name of her planet, and and also every adult being on the planet so no one gets uppity and thinks they're better than anyone else). Neek is a pilot in her very blood, was stripped of her flight commission and rank for daring to voice an unpopular opinion. She now works on a battered old transport piloted by a human captain and their teenaged Terran Explorer Scout, who's getting more of an education than he bargained for. I loved the relationships between these three and how they evolved.

When they receive a dubious "gift" of a stasis pod from some aliens in thanks for intervening in a space battle, Neek's lack of belief is dealt a huge blow, because who is inside sure as hell looks like one of the gods her planet worships.

There's a lot of galactic politics that I will need to revisit before I read the next book, which I plan to! It may have been my blurry thought process, but I found myself skipping over a lot of these sections to get back to Neek and the good stuff.

It's a load of fun.
1598841
Patrick O'Brian's "The Ionian Mission" is a solid entry in the Aubrey/Maturin novels- it could be read as a stand alone, but I do not recommend that.  As is often the case, the story opens with Jack Aubrey on shore after a long series of adventures that have taken him to the far reaches of the globe.  And equally unsurprising to those familiar with the series, he has quickly had his fill of domestic tranquility (or lack thereof) and is hounded by his creditors and a cabal of lawyers who threaten to undo his fortunes.  So when an old Ship of the Line, the Worcester- named one of the `forty thieves' due to the corruption that riddled its construction some years before, becomes available to command Jack Aubrey jumps at the opportunity to escape and return to his natural environment.  The mission is far from the dashing Frigate actions and independent journeys familiar to readers, however; Jack and Stephen are ordered to the Mediterranean to join the blockade of the French fleet.

The blockade duty is harsh and unforgiving, and Jack discovers that his old nemesis, Admiral Harte is the second in command of the fleet, and has forged an `unholy alliance' with Jack's political enemies ashore (one Andrew Wray).  With little room for error, he conducts a series of political and intelligence missions with his ship's surgeon and naval intelligence officer, Stephen Maturin.  Unfortunately, although the missions are not failures, they are far from successes, and offer little battle to distinguish the ship's officers and crew.  With morale falling, Jack finds that Admiral Harte has taken command during the transition between Commander's in Chief, and he is given a sensitive mission in the Greek Isles that offers far more opportunity for failure than for distinction.  Jack and Stephen plunge in to the twisted Byzantine politics of the Ottoman Empire's hinterland and the final climax is intense and explosive.

"The Ionian Mission" introduces Professor Graham, an interesting counterpart to Stephen Maturin, who provides some awkward conversations as well as humor.  The chapter describing the `neutral' Barbary port of Medina is very exciting, and as the disappointments mount you'll wince with Jack Aubrey as he is berated before Admiral Thronton.  Admiral Harte returns as the man we love to hate, and the political alliance with Andrew Wray sets up events in the novels to come.  As usual, O'Brian's writing brings the characters to life, the dialogue is excellent, and you'll be longing for the next installment as soon as you conclude this one.

If this is your first look at a Patrick O'Brian novel, please start with "Master and Commander"- you'll find the whole series much more enjoyable if read in sequence.
472310
Thoroughly enjoyed the journey these characters experienced
2235185
Taking advantage that the sequel novel was recently set up in Kindle Unlimited, I decided to give it a chance despite all of the issues I found in the first novel and was pleasantly surprised. The author has made huge leaps in his storytelling and the results show in the sequel novel. Fight scenes are clearly written with a lot of action, the novel has sufficient character driven chapters to slow the pace a little and the best chapters feature the troubled past of Omari and his sister Skye.

The plot thickens with a new adversary, an abnormal with a hugely destructive telekinetic ability named Sage that despite his differences with Emil's group, the two of them want to defeat King Arius. The scene where Arius is in his carriage ushering commands to his troubled secretary is intense and thought provoking, I enjoyed his evil antics in the first novel and now you can feel the tension in the air. It seems like almost nobody knows that Arius is an abnormal but nonetheless, he is both feared and respected. He appears very little in this novel, but every scene where he appears in were highly enjoyable.

I think the weakest link in the plot are both Emil and Maroma. Maroma is just sort of standing in the sidelines without knowing what to do and we didn't get to enjoy any character development for Emil. I would have liked it if the book had some touching love scenes between him and Maroma. Perhaps she wants to kiss him in the mouth while they are hiding in Omari's church and he shoves her away and berates her behavior after seeing so many innocent civilians dying in the city square a few days ago.

Emil ends up badly wounded and Maroma is like, whoa, this sucks. Oh, I'll just keep a close eye in case any soldiers discover our hideout. I think the only two weaknesses in this novel are the short length of the story and that it would have hugely benefitted from some tense character driven scenes in the middle of the story between Emil and Maroma.

The book has quite a lot of typos, soliders instead of soldiers and a whole lot more. There is a bit of bad swearing so this book isn't child friendly for the YA crowd. I for one am interested in reading the final installment of the trilogy. Enjoy!
4216097
I have to admit, the cover for "Hater" is what initially caught my eye and prompted my fingers to pluck the book from the shelf. The inside jacket cover revealed a previously self-published author, which piqued my interest further. Within the first pages, I was hooked.

Moody grabs you with the first sub-chapter. The action is a definite draw to anyone who enjoys a thriller type read. However, as I made my way through the chapters I started feeling a sense of the mundane. I felt I was being told more than shown, and I was starting to question whether to finish the read. Those doubts ended with the turn from one page to another, one chapter's end to the start of the next.

By the middle of the book, I was applauding Moody for his methods in showing the progression of the human psyche through emotions such as fear and panic. I still felt the story was being told to me, rather than shown, but it no longer mattered. By the end of the final chapter, I found myself anxious for the next installment to the series. Kudos to Moody!
4722748
This was a very interesting book that I finished in an afternoon.  I particularly enjoyed the first story, A Good Run, and Unholy Madness, the story of Marie-Christine, the Slayer during the French Revolution.  Her total ignorance of the rest of the world was amazing and yet it rang true.  I did not care for the story of the Hungarian slayer: she was stupid and unworthy of her calling.  And White Doe was a little too far-fetched for my taste.  But all in all a fun way to spend time.  I'm looking forward to the next volume.
3897060
I was really looking forward to PJ & Cole's story, and was not disappointed! The chemistry between the characters is top-notch, **SPOILER**and I will admit to being surprised and terribly upset when the mission goes sideways. I was a little bored with PJ's "lone wolf" persona, but Cole's personality and Bank's plot twists made up for any dislike I felt for the heroine's martyr-ish "do it myself" mentality.
1024463
Great storytelling with wonderfully flawed characters you can't help liking.
2136597
I have never read this genre before, but do enjoy mysteries that are original and challenging to read.  I have read all three seasons. And i understand the pressure of producing the volume of work,but did feel the writing was rushed, I loved the story line and  the flashbacks and forwards with each character.  The characters were really well developed and I felt like I really knew them.  My real reason for the 4 stars is boricio.  I think that his character could have been just as unique and vivid without the extreme vulgarity.  I have many friends that I think would enjoy this series but I hesitate to recomend because there are passages that are just too revolting.  The monster scenes are gore and violent butt no where as disgusting as some of the images the words boricio uses.  I just don't think it necessary.  When I could see past the vulgarity,I did respect the skill and word play in his dialogue and did laugh out loud occasionally .  I think the third season boricio was definitely  easier to digest than the first  season.  Overall very entertaining and  I will be waiting for season four.
4395624
As a huge fan of Lindsay Buroker's "Emperor's Edge" series, I was thrilled to see her start another series in the same world. I was always fascinated with the non-Turgonian cultures she mentioned in the EE books, so getting a glimpse into the life of a normal Nurian young man was fabulous. I thoroughly enjoyed Yanko's character. He's timid, easily-flustered, underestimates his own abilities, and is thoroughly adorable with the female characters in the story. I liked him immediately. I look fondly upon him like one would a kid brother. I look forward to see the sorts of shenanigans he gets up to in future installments of the series. That being said, there were some oddities in the book that kept me from giving it 5 solid starts. The plot seemed quite "tame" and overly lighthearted compared to other books in this world. It was obvious there were subtle subplots woven beneath the surface, that I hope will be expanded upon further in other books (and I think this is the author's intent). That being said, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable first installment and I very much look forward to following Yanko on his journey further into his abilities and his blossoming adulthood. Another terrific Buroker book!
3987192
I really enjoyed this second installment of The Fantastic Phantasmic Detective Agency. The book is written from two points of view: Mr. Monsento, the good-hearted but curmudgeonly medium, and Abby, the girl member of the detective trio. There wasn't a lot of distinction between their two voices , but the intriguing story pulled me in. The world creative and unique, and I look forward to reading more adventures of these teenage detectives.