pages_and_procrastination's Reviews (1.6k)

Skinwalker

Faith Hunter

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This is a book that I have had on my shelf for a while. I came to Faith Hunter through her Soulwood series, and while I am waiting for the next one I decided that I would go back and start the original series. And let me say, I was not disappointed. While I didn’t pick this up immediately as I had planned, I think I read it at the right time. This is what I was looking for when I picked up Minion. There was a nice balance between investigating and fighting. Jane seems to be on the tip of danger all of the time, but you’re not just told this. You can see it, feel it. You can even smell it. Hunter does a very good job of bringing all of your senses into the story and allowing you to experience things from Jane’s perspective. I like the complexity of this creature, the vampire politics and of Jane. I really like the way that Hunter has handled Jane as a Native American character, it’s not cookie cutter or stereotypical. The story and what Jane learns about herself is deep into the Native American mytholgy/beliefs.

Dogs and Goddesses

Lani Diane Rich, Anne Stuart, Jennifer Crusie

DID NOT FINISH

I picked this up and put it down for whatever reason. From what I read it was a bit ridiculous. Okay maybe a bit too over the top for me. I mean it was fine when I was reading it, but it wasn't something that I missed once I put it down. Even though I had every intention of picking it back up and just finishing it to complete the challenge, I don't have any interest. I forgot how far I made it into the book -maybe the first 5 or 6 chapters? It wasn't bad while I was reading it, it just didn't hold my attention.

Death at Peony House

Krista Walsh

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I was given a digital copy of this title. All opinions are my own.
I have some mixed thoughts about this. It doesn't start you at the beginning of Daphne's story. And while you don't necessarily have to have read the beginning, it might be better if you had. She reminisces and hits the highlights, but I think the connection to Daphne would be stronger if you had experienced her story from the beginning. Maybe it would make her a little less annoying. As it is, it's pretty clear that there is a big difference between who she was before and who she is trying to become. -A power hungry sorceress trying to consume all of the power that she can to a sorceress who is trying to use her power for good. I also wasn't sure if I liked her enough to continue on with the story -she is rather annoying and a bit whiny. Maybe if she didn't whine so much about how hard it was to be good (or if I had experienced her before personality) it wouldn't have been so bad. The romance. Umm I didn't really like this part. Again, maybe if I had experienced the before part and had not just been told about it, things may be different. I didn't like Hunter, and the end was inevitable. I am not completely sold on it. But it is a minor part of the story. The main part of the story- the mystery. I enjoyed this part of the story and it is what kept me reading. I would have liked to have learned more about Daphne's magic and even her lineage. But I did enjoy the investigating part of the story. Reading from the perspective of a journalist is new, but I am not sure how convincing it is because Daphne pretty much did her own thing. She was quick to pick up on the supernatural angle of the story, but in the end it's unclear as to what kind of story she turned in. There was a nice balance between investigating what was going and fighting the darkness. Daphne is vulnerable and while her magic gave her an advantage, it didn't guarantee her safety and that added a nice tension to the story. This was a complete story with the ground work for more books in the series. And I am curious about what happens next.