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patchworkbunny's Reviews (2.12k)
The Cold Kiss of Death is the second book in the fabulous Spellcrackers urban fantasy series by Suzanne McLeod. This review will contain spoilers for the first book, The Sweet Scent of Blood, and really they do need to be read in order!
Sidhe Genny would love to be left to live her life in peace. But now both the vampires and the lesser fae of London know who she is, they just won’t leave her alone and her witch neighbours would like to see her evicted. To make things worse, her local baker is murdered; killed by sidhe magic. And the only sidhe in town is her…
This world just keeps getting better, expanding on existing characters and introducing some great new ones. I just love that there’s a kelpie living in the River Thames! The river and its banks become entwined with the story, the setting becoming a crucial part. I always enjoy settings that I know well too (yes, I seem to spend a lot of time lurking round the river when I’m in London). Genny even pops down to the Clink Museum at one point, filled with ghosts of course.
We get to learn a lot more about the curse that binds the lesser fae in London and out of the Fair Lands, as well as Genny’s family secrets. There are naiads and dryads to be added to the mix, and Grainne who appears to Genny as a large, silver hound. We are introduced to the moths, venom junkies who risk everything in the seediest parts of Sucker Town (a.k.a. Greenwich) for a hit to the carotid.
Then there’s Genny vampire alter ego, Rosa, who plays an important part to the plot. Malik is absent at the start and Genny is convinced it’s because of her connection to Rosa. But never fear, Malik does return further on and we learn more about his love hate relationship with Rosa and what’s really going on when Genny takes over her body (something she is trying not to do, but you know, fate always gets in the way). If you’re on team Finn, he gets his fair share of airtime too, with Genny trying to patch up their friendship and maybe more…
Sidhe Genny would love to be left to live her life in peace. But now both the vampires and the lesser fae of London know who she is, they just won’t leave her alone and her witch neighbours would like to see her evicted. To make things worse, her local baker is murdered; killed by sidhe magic. And the only sidhe in town is her…
This world just keeps getting better, expanding on existing characters and introducing some great new ones. I just love that there’s a kelpie living in the River Thames! The river and its banks become entwined with the story, the setting becoming a crucial part. I always enjoy settings that I know well too (yes, I seem to spend a lot of time lurking round the river when I’m in London). Genny even pops down to the Clink Museum at one point, filled with ghosts of course.
We get to learn a lot more about the curse that binds the lesser fae in London and out of the Fair Lands, as well as Genny’s family secrets. There are naiads and dryads to be added to the mix, and Grainne who appears to Genny as a large, silver hound. We are introduced to the moths, venom junkies who risk everything in the seediest parts of Sucker Town (a.k.a. Greenwich) for a hit to the carotid.
Then there’s Genny vampire alter ego, Rosa, who plays an important part to the plot. Malik is absent at the start and Genny is convinced it’s because of her connection to Rosa. But never fear, Malik does return further on and we learn more about his love hate relationship with Rosa and what’s really going on when Genny takes over her body (something she is trying not to do, but you know, fate always gets in the way). If you’re on team Finn, he gets his fair share of airtime too, with Genny trying to patch up their friendship and maybe more…
The Bitter Seed of Magic is the third book in Suzanne McLeod’s Spellcrackers series and therefore this review will contain spoilers for the previous books.
Faelings are turning up dead on the streets on London, their identities hidden by a glamour spell. The police bring sidhe fae Genny in to help peel back the spells but there’s no indication of cause of death. With the fertility curse still in place, Genny is convinced it is connected and is determined to help the faelings in every way but one; breaking the curse with a baby. Not that she doesn’t have a long line of suitors ready to court her… or worse, but she would like some choice in her life. So she sets out to find another way to break the curse.
Once again, I loved the world and the varied cast of fae Suzanne McLeod has created. As always, London plays a huge part too, with the ravens of the Tower of London coming into play. I always knew there was something funny about them! There was a bit more back story for both Genny and Finn which is always nice to have. Helen is still obstructing justice where Genny is concerned but I like that neither Genny or Hugh are blindly ignorant of what’s going on. They seem to have their heads screwed on well!
However, I did feel there were maybe a few too many characters being thrown into the mix. There are so many family connections being unearthed and it started to get a bit convoluted at one point. I’m still not entirely sure who is related to whom but I enjoyed the overall plot and mystery aspect.
I also like that there’s a practical reason for all the fae in London wanting to get into Genny’s knickers. It’s not that she’s just so hot they can’t resist, it’s because they want to reproduce when she’s the only option. Which is a bit creepy, but at least the main characters seem to acknowledge this. Perhaps that is also why I’m on team Malik; Finn is nice enough but he has ulterior motives and ex issues to boot. Don’t worry, despite the fertility curse, Genny doesn’t start having sex all over the place (unlike another urban fantasy series that shall remain un-named).
Faelings are turning up dead on the streets on London, their identities hidden by a glamour spell. The police bring sidhe fae Genny in to help peel back the spells but there’s no indication of cause of death. With the fertility curse still in place, Genny is convinced it is connected and is determined to help the faelings in every way but one; breaking the curse with a baby. Not that she doesn’t have a long line of suitors ready to court her… or worse, but she would like some choice in her life. So she sets out to find another way to break the curse.
Once again, I loved the world and the varied cast of fae Suzanne McLeod has created. As always, London plays a huge part too, with the ravens of the Tower of London coming into play. I always knew there was something funny about them! There was a bit more back story for both Genny and Finn which is always nice to have. Helen is still obstructing justice where Genny is concerned but I like that neither Genny or Hugh are blindly ignorant of what’s going on. They seem to have their heads screwed on well!
However, I did feel there were maybe a few too many characters being thrown into the mix. There are so many family connections being unearthed and it started to get a bit convoluted at one point. I’m still not entirely sure who is related to whom but I enjoyed the overall plot and mystery aspect.
I also like that there’s a practical reason for all the fae in London wanting to get into Genny’s knickers. It’s not that she’s just so hot they can’t resist, it’s because they want to reproduce when she’s the only option. Which is a bit creepy, but at least the main characters seem to acknowledge this. Perhaps that is also why I’m on team Malik; Finn is nice enough but he has ulterior motives and ex issues to boot. Don’t worry, despite the fertility curse, Genny doesn’t start having sex all over the place (unlike another urban fantasy series that shall remain un-named).
The Shifting Price of Prey is the fourth book in Suzanne McLeod’s Spellcrackers series and therefore this review will contain spoilers for the previous books. I'm not sure they would hold up as standalone reads but the world is amazing once you get into it.
Genny thinks she’s finally got her life back; Sylvia’s pregnant and living in Between in a talkative wardrobe. Business is good at Spellcrackers with the contract for Harrods and the Carnival Fantastique, which brings with it a host of supernatural creatures. But it would seem that all the pent-up fertility in the fae’s necklace is backfiring and Genny finds herself in a compromising position with her cousin Maxim. As she tries to calm her libido, a diplomat’s wife and child have been kidnapped at London Zoo and the police need her help in bringing them home safely.
Suzanne introduces some creepy characters into the mix, and they can’t all be blamed on the carnival! In the opening pages, Genny is investigating a gnome who is dealing in garden fairy penises, a popular magical aphrodisiac. I loved that the garden fairies where the magical equivalent of insects, dead after one mating cycle and it added a little credible mythology to the world. Whilst Genny and Katie are poking around fairy bits, they notice they are being watched. Katie is convinced the man changed into an animal, Genny is not so sure, but soon she is finding out more than she ever knew about shifters.
Along with the diplomat’s family, Suzanne also gets her publicist kidnapped. It’s a little inside joke but it made me laugh when Jonathan Weir’s name popped up. I started to get a bit concerned that he’d been forgotten about and what had he done to deserve being killed off in a book?! On top of that, there are loads of small touches of humour which really make this an entertaining series, in a many layered world.
Once again, there’s a lot going on but it all ties up at the end. The Autarch has always been the bogeyman in Genny’s mind but we start to learn a little more about him. By the end, I found him really entertaining and looking forward to seeing more of him in future. Even if he is very much still the bad guy. Genny has some haunted tarot cards leading the way in her mission to get to the bottom of the fae’s fertility curse. The curse that never ends! They lead her to believe that The Emperor holds the answer, another ancient vampire that might even be scarier than the Autarch.
We get to see a different side to Malik. OK, maybe several different sides and a glimpse into his murky past. Genny has finally admitted to herself that she fancies him but he seems to be keeping her at arm’s length. Is he not interested, up to no good, in trouble or could it just be that he doesn’t want his relationship with Genny to be a quick fling?
I know I’ve been charging through these books back-to-back but the previous three books weren’t particularly cliffhangery. I was just so wrapped up in the world that I carried on reading. However now that I’ve got to the end of the currently published books, there is a big stonking cliffhanger ending and I want to know what happens now! Argh!
Genny thinks she’s finally got her life back; Sylvia’s pregnant and living in Between in a talkative wardrobe. Business is good at Spellcrackers with the contract for Harrods and the Carnival Fantastique, which brings with it a host of supernatural creatures. But it would seem that all the pent-up fertility in the fae’s necklace is backfiring and Genny finds herself in a compromising position with her cousin Maxim. As she tries to calm her libido, a diplomat’s wife and child have been kidnapped at London Zoo and the police need her help in bringing them home safely.
Suzanne introduces some creepy characters into the mix, and they can’t all be blamed on the carnival! In the opening pages, Genny is investigating a gnome who is dealing in garden fairy penises, a popular magical aphrodisiac. I loved that the garden fairies where the magical equivalent of insects, dead after one mating cycle and it added a little credible mythology to the world. Whilst Genny and Katie are poking around fairy bits, they notice they are being watched. Katie is convinced the man changed into an animal, Genny is not so sure, but soon she is finding out more than she ever knew about shifters.
Along with the diplomat’s family, Suzanne also gets her publicist kidnapped. It’s a little inside joke but it made me laugh when Jonathan Weir’s name popped up. I started to get a bit concerned that he’d been forgotten about and what had he done to deserve being killed off in a book?! On top of that, there are loads of small touches of humour which really make this an entertaining series, in a many layered world.
Once again, there’s a lot going on but it all ties up at the end. The Autarch has always been the bogeyman in Genny’s mind but we start to learn a little more about him. By the end, I found him really entertaining and looking forward to seeing more of him in future. Even if he is very much still the bad guy. Genny has some haunted tarot cards leading the way in her mission to get to the bottom of the fae’s fertility curse. The curse that never ends! They lead her to believe that The Emperor holds the answer, another ancient vampire that might even be scarier than the Autarch.
We get to see a different side to Malik. OK, maybe several different sides and a glimpse into his murky past. Genny has finally admitted to herself that she fancies him but he seems to be keeping her at arm’s length. Is he not interested, up to no good, in trouble or could it just be that he doesn’t want his relationship with Genny to be a quick fling?
I know I’ve been charging through these books back-to-back but the previous three books weren’t particularly cliffhangery. I was just so wrapped up in the world that I carried on reading. However now that I’ve got to the end of the currently published books, there is a big stonking cliffhanger ending and I want to know what happens now! Argh!
As a young man, Henri Lachapelle is the star of La Cadre Noir, an elite group of horsemen in the French city of Saumur. But when he meets Florence, it’s love at first sight and he gives it all up to be with her in England. Now, he lives on a London estate with his granddaughter Sarah but his dream lives on. In a stable under railway arches, lives Boo, a Selle Francais he bought as a colt for Sarah; together they train him and he gives them purpose. But when Henri suffers a stroke, Sarah must go into foster care and do whatever it takes to not be parted from Boo, even if that means hiding his existence.
Lawyer Natasha is in the middle of a divorce with her ex Mac when she finds Sarah shoplifting a packet of fishfingers. Used to dealing with underprivileged kids, she takes Sarah home to find her living by herself and a broken in flat. When she takes her in for the night, little does she know the future the three of them will have.
It may seem odd to imagine horses in the inner city but London was built up around horses and they do remain in the city today. Jojo Moyes’ story is based partly from her own youth spent at inner city stables and a moving tale of a child from Philadelphia, who overcame her lot in life to be chosen to ride for Yale before tragedy struck her family. If you don’t like horses, you may find the relationship between Sarah and Boo difficult to fathom but she completely loves that horse and is her anchor when everything else is falling apart. There were a few moments when I thought things didn’t make sense but with patience, the things I expected would happen in that situation do.
Natasha’s not the most amicable character and you may struggle to connect with her. She comes across as cold and unreasonable towards poor Mac. Yes they might be getting divorced, but they have chosen to do something together and he seems a lovely guy despite his dubious taste in girlfriends. I wanted to give her a slap at several points; her mind was so changeable! Their relationship was a little too much rollercoaster and I think she has refined her writing since.
There are a few similarities between The Horse Dancer and her new novel, The Girl You Left Behind, especially the addition of legal aspects. I could see that the things Natasha dealt with in her job were reflective of some of the things going on with Sarah but I found them a bit distracting to the overall plot.
But really, the most important character is Boo. He may never speak but he brings all the characters together, good or bad. So many times I was so worried for his safety. A wonderful talented and loyal horse, I want my own Boo! Definitely read if you like horses, or even just enjoyed the dressage this summer (although the airs above the ground are rarely performed outside displays by La Cadre Noir and The Spanish Riding School of Vienna). If you don’t really see the point of horses, I’m not sure you will care enough about what’s going on…although this book may change that for you.
Lawyer Natasha is in the middle of a divorce with her ex Mac when she finds Sarah shoplifting a packet of fishfingers. Used to dealing with underprivileged kids, she takes Sarah home to find her living by herself and a broken in flat. When she takes her in for the night, little does she know the future the three of them will have.
It may seem odd to imagine horses in the inner city but London was built up around horses and they do remain in the city today. Jojo Moyes’ story is based partly from her own youth spent at inner city stables and a moving tale of a child from Philadelphia, who overcame her lot in life to be chosen to ride for Yale before tragedy struck her family. If you don’t like horses, you may find the relationship between Sarah and Boo difficult to fathom but she completely loves that horse and is her anchor when everything else is falling apart. There were a few moments when I thought things didn’t make sense but with patience, the things I expected would happen in that situation do.
Natasha’s not the most amicable character and you may struggle to connect with her. She comes across as cold and unreasonable towards poor Mac. Yes they might be getting divorced, but they have chosen to do something together and he seems a lovely guy despite his dubious taste in girlfriends. I wanted to give her a slap at several points; her mind was so changeable! Their relationship was a little too much rollercoaster and I think she has refined her writing since.
There are a few similarities between The Horse Dancer and her new novel, The Girl You Left Behind, especially the addition of legal aspects. I could see that the things Natasha dealt with in her job were reflective of some of the things going on with Sarah but I found them a bit distracting to the overall plot.
But really, the most important character is Boo. He may never speak but he brings all the characters together, good or bad. So many times I was so worried for his safety. A wonderful talented and loyal horse, I want my own Boo! Definitely read if you like horses, or even just enjoyed the dressage this summer (although the airs above the ground are rarely performed outside displays by La Cadre Noir and The Spanish Riding School of Vienna). If you don’t really see the point of horses, I’m not sure you will care enough about what’s going on…although this book may change that for you.
Alex Verus runs a magic shop in Camden. He also happens to be a real wizard, one that escaped a dark mage yet holds no favour with the council of light mages. One of the few people he can call a friend is a cursed girl, Luna, who can’t touch others without bringing bad luck upon them. When other mages come calling, needing a favour, he knows trouble is brewing. Can he avoid getting dragged into the middle of the battle between light and dark?
I was a bit disappointed in Fated to be honest. The first person narrative comes across as very flippant, even if there is reason for Alex’s apathy, it doesn’t really translate into an engaging read. At one point her does acknowledge what he’s like and it may well improve as the series progresses but I didn’t care what happened to him at all. Luna was a much more interesting character, but didn’t really get the page space to develop fully. The poor girl can never get close to anyone due to her curse, but she is given one night to be normal. I also really liked Arachne, the spider seamstress despite her being a bit player.
In addition it’s very much tell, not show. The opening chapters gave the impression that it wasn’t the first in the series as there are paragraphs explaining things that happened to the characters in the past, very similar to those that are often used to remind readers what happened before, just in case you forgot. Instead of being revealed through character experiences, you are just told and it doesn’t really sink in or give you any feel for their emotions. Yes, Alex says he was a slave and tortured but I can only work out that was horrible by what my brain tells me rather than what he went through.
The cover blurb implies that the London setting is a major part, yet it could be set anywhere except for the guidebook-esque descriptions on arrival at each location. I didn’t get the sense of a magical London hiding beneath the surface at all.
Alex’s magical speciality is quite interesting. He is a seer but instead of seeing a straight future, he sees the paths of possible futures which help him make decisions. Just again, it was a bit too blunt in the descriptions to really make it up for me. It is a quick and easy read and similar in some ways to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, which took me a while to warm to too. So I would say if you’re a fan of Harry, it’s worthwhile giving Fated a go but maybe not if you’re after strong character driven fantasy.
I was a bit disappointed in Fated to be honest. The first person narrative comes across as very flippant, even if there is reason for Alex’s apathy, it doesn’t really translate into an engaging read. At one point her does acknowledge what he’s like and it may well improve as the series progresses but I didn’t care what happened to him at all. Luna was a much more interesting character, but didn’t really get the page space to develop fully. The poor girl can never get close to anyone due to her curse, but she is given one night to be normal. I also really liked Arachne, the spider seamstress despite her being a bit player.
In addition it’s very much tell, not show. The opening chapters gave the impression that it wasn’t the first in the series as there are paragraphs explaining things that happened to the characters in the past, very similar to those that are often used to remind readers what happened before, just in case you forgot. Instead of being revealed through character experiences, you are just told and it doesn’t really sink in or give you any feel for their emotions. Yes, Alex says he was a slave and tortured but I can only work out that was horrible by what my brain tells me rather than what he went through.
The cover blurb implies that the London setting is a major part, yet it could be set anywhere except for the guidebook-esque descriptions on arrival at each location. I didn’t get the sense of a magical London hiding beneath the surface at all.
Alex’s magical speciality is quite interesting. He is a seer but instead of seeing a straight future, he sees the paths of possible futures which help him make decisions. Just again, it was a bit too blunt in the descriptions to really make it up for me. It is a quick and easy read and similar in some ways to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, which took me a while to warm to too. So I would say if you’re a fan of Harry, it’s worthwhile giving Fated a go but maybe not if you’re after strong character driven fantasy.
One night in London, Violet witnesses a blood bath in Trafalgar Square. Unable to flee the scene fast enough, the murderers take her with them to their home in Varnley. Discovering she is the daughter of the Minister of Defence, her captors realise they cannot harm her without severe implications. But they are more than human, their desires driven by their blood lust. Yes, Violet has been taken hostage by vampires and she’s about to be plunged into the middle of a political war between them and humanity.
Abigail Biggs started writing The Dark Heroine when she was just 15 and it was originally published as an online serial before being snapped up by HarperCollins to publish the novel in its entirity. I initially picked it up as I was rather intrigued to see what could be done by such a younger writer and I was pleasantly surprised. Despite its faults, I really rather enjoyed it and will be keeping an eye on her in the future.
As I was reading I assumed that it had been lifted straight from the serialised version without editing but the acknowledgements do, um, acknowledge that it was chopped down quite a bit by the editor. I think you can still see signs of its origins; the plot is a bit meandering and the prose gets stronger as the story goes on. The first few chapters really needed a re-write; they are rather weak and may put sample readers off buying it. Violet’s narrative voice is a little inconsistent but the dialogue’s full of personality. Indeed, her inner voice turns out to be a sign that the girl can write but in a way I can’t explain without a spoiler.
Vegetarian Violet is under no illusion about what vampires are. She is horrified about what they do and she wants no part in their world. But she soon learns that it’s not as simple as humans good, vampires bad and that there are several shades of bad in between. Even as the story and relationships progress, she is repeatedly repulsed by some of her thoughts and the things she witnesses. Yet she learns to be pragmatic about such things.
Of course, there is a love interest, although I’m not convinced by the cover’s declaration that it’s the sexiest romance I’ll read this year. There are a few bits of sexy and I was quite surprised at the honesty of the sex scene. Apart from “hitched breathing” (can we please ban that phrase?) it wasn’t over romanticised or made into something magical. At one point we meet Violet’s ex-boyfriend and instantly you realise why she would fall for a sophisticated if dangerous vampire compared to him. Though Violet doesn’t instantly swoon at anyone’s feet, she is quite sassy and gives the vampires a lot of trouble before she would even consider being friends.
It’s not the best written book in the world but it was compelling reading. It’s the sort of book that, once you get into the story and stop analysing the prose, it’s hard to put down but it wasn’t one I craved to return to when I had to go and do other things. I am certainly looking forward to seeing what she does next.
Abigail Biggs started writing The Dark Heroine when she was just 15 and it was originally published as an online serial before being snapped up by HarperCollins to publish the novel in its entirity. I initially picked it up as I was rather intrigued to see what could be done by such a younger writer and I was pleasantly surprised. Despite its faults, I really rather enjoyed it and will be keeping an eye on her in the future.
As I was reading I assumed that it had been lifted straight from the serialised version without editing but the acknowledgements do, um, acknowledge that it was chopped down quite a bit by the editor. I think you can still see signs of its origins; the plot is a bit meandering and the prose gets stronger as the story goes on. The first few chapters really needed a re-write; they are rather weak and may put sample readers off buying it. Violet’s narrative voice is a little inconsistent but the dialogue’s full of personality. Indeed, her inner voice turns out to be a sign that the girl can write but in a way I can’t explain without a spoiler.
Vegetarian Violet is under no illusion about what vampires are. She is horrified about what they do and she wants no part in their world. But she soon learns that it’s not as simple as humans good, vampires bad and that there are several shades of bad in between. Even as the story and relationships progress, she is repeatedly repulsed by some of her thoughts and the things she witnesses. Yet she learns to be pragmatic about such things.
Of course, there is a love interest, although I’m not convinced by the cover’s declaration that it’s the sexiest romance I’ll read this year. There are a few bits of sexy and I was quite surprised at the honesty of the sex scene. Apart from “hitched breathing” (can we please ban that phrase?) it wasn’t over romanticised or made into something magical. At one point we meet Violet’s ex-boyfriend and instantly you realise why she would fall for a sophisticated if dangerous vampire compared to him. Though Violet doesn’t instantly swoon at anyone’s feet, she is quite sassy and gives the vampires a lot of trouble before she would even consider being friends.
It’s not the best written book in the world but it was compelling reading. It’s the sort of book that, once you get into the story and stop analysing the prose, it’s hard to put down but it wasn’t one I craved to return to when I had to go and do other things. I am certainly looking forward to seeing what she does next.
15 year old Julie Richardson is a witch. Her mother doesn’t let her do much magic but when her elderly neighbour is turfed out of her home by a poltergeist, she can’t just stand back and do nothing. With her best friend Marcus in tow, she starts to investigate and soon things are spiralling out of control. Dark magic abounds but who is behind it?
Poltergeeks takes the standard high school clichés and adds a dash of magic. There’s the normal girl who stands on the outskirts and her geeky best friend who she is oblivious to when it comes to his feelings. And of course, there is the jock bully who picks on the geeks and freaks. The rest of the story is pure urban fantasy tailored to a younger reader. I do think that some of it is a bit obvious and for this reason it would appeal to the younger end of the YA market, but it’s still a fun read for any age, with down to earth, sassy characters and a hint of humour.
What I really enjoyed was the role of Julie’s mother. So often in YA, the parents are absent or cardboard cut outs who serve little purpose. Here Mrs Richardson is a real mother, who may annoy Julie with her strictness but is there for her as a sensible role model. When something bad happens to her, you want her to be OK because she is such a good mum.
I sort of need a two-tier rating for this book. For me personally, it's a little young, but I do really rate it for teens and even younger.
Poltergeeks takes the standard high school clichés and adds a dash of magic. There’s the normal girl who stands on the outskirts and her geeky best friend who she is oblivious to when it comes to his feelings. And of course, there is the jock bully who picks on the geeks and freaks. The rest of the story is pure urban fantasy tailored to a younger reader. I do think that some of it is a bit obvious and for this reason it would appeal to the younger end of the YA market, but it’s still a fun read for any age, with down to earth, sassy characters and a hint of humour.
What I really enjoyed was the role of Julie’s mother. So often in YA, the parents are absent or cardboard cut outs who serve little purpose. Here Mrs Richardson is a real mother, who may annoy Julie with her strictness but is there for her as a sensible role model. When something bad happens to her, you want her to be OK because she is such a good mum.
I sort of need a two-tier rating for this book. For me personally, it's a little young, but I do really rate it for teens and even younger.
Natalya Stravinsky may be a werewolf but her life is ruled by her obsessive compulsive disorder. Shunned from the pack, she lives as a rogue, surrounding herself with holiday ornaments, carefully packed away in boxes. When her ex, Thorn, returns to town and to the local pack, panic starts to set in and Natalya returns to her magical therapy sessions where she meets others who she can relate to. But trouble is on the horizon, the Long Island pack is in town and they plan to pick off the local wolves, one by one, starting with the weakest. Yes you guessed it, Natalya.
It’s interesting to see a supernatural character with such a human condition. We are so used to strong, independent women in urban fantasy and I loved that Shawntelle Madison chose a different take. Often people poke fun at OCD but Natalya’s condition is dealt with in a mostly serious manner. There is still humour now and then but not directed at her mental illness. At first, I felt she was annoyingly fussy until I realised that the story was going to deal with her issues.
I was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t much around how her wolf side dealt with the OCD. I can only assume that when she’s a wolf, it overrides her anxieties. Wolves can hardly keep everything sterile and she even eats a rabbit at one point!
Thorn was a little underdeveloped as a character but fortunately romance wasn’t the main plot point. He was a little too stereotypical nice-guy-alpha-in-training yet obviously not prepared to defy the pack in favour of Natalya. I’m hoping the second book, Kept continues on her friendship with the wizard, Nick. There were some great bit part characters too and I think the world has potential to expand.
It’s interesting to see a supernatural character with such a human condition. We are so used to strong, independent women in urban fantasy and I loved that Shawntelle Madison chose a different take. Often people poke fun at OCD but Natalya’s condition is dealt with in a mostly serious manner. There is still humour now and then but not directed at her mental illness. At first, I felt she was annoyingly fussy until I realised that the story was going to deal with her issues.
I was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t much around how her wolf side dealt with the OCD. I can only assume that when she’s a wolf, it overrides her anxieties. Wolves can hardly keep everything sterile and she even eats a rabbit at one point!
Thorn was a little underdeveloped as a character but fortunately romance wasn’t the main plot point. He was a little too stereotypical nice-guy-alpha-in-training yet obviously not prepared to defy the pack in favour of Natalya. I’m hoping the second book, Kept continues on her friendship with the wizard, Nick. There were some great bit part characters too and I think the world has potential to expand.
When disaster strikes, we all assume the emergency services will be there to help. But standards and services offered vary from country to country. Australian paramedic Benjamin Gilmour has spent 15 years travelling the world and working alongside ambulance teams, learning how they cope with dangerous conditions and minimal budgets. From his humble beginnings in the Australian outback to negotiating the staff sauna in Iceland, via one or two drunken incidents, Paramédico is a selection of tales from his travels.
Although there are a few amusing anecdotes, it’s not really a personal memoir but more of a look at ambulance services around the world that Benjamin has spent time with. There are a couple of moments where he treads a fine line between objective and judgemental but I don’t think this is intentional. It’s just that maybe I was expecting more of a compassionate tone. Overall, it’s a fascinating book and incredibly enlightening reading.
We take it for granted that we can phone an emergency number and a paramedic will arrive and look after you, administering pre-hospital care and delivering you safely to doctors. The NHS might have its problems but overall it is an amazing service. Reading Paramédico really highlights how good we’ve got here in Britain. Benjamin didn’t get a chance to work with London’s finest, and instead spends time with a private company whose service was unprofessional.
The large section of the book is devoted to his time in Pakistan where he spent time with both a government funded service and that founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi, considered a hero to the poor. Whilst interesting, I did feel this section was a little overlong and unstructured. Oddly enough, the better stories were in the second half; Iceland, Venice, Hawaii and Mexico. His Icelandic colleagues might not have a lot of action but Benjamin is more concerned by the daily 5 o’clock sauna that he would really rather avoid. In Venice, the ambulances come by water but have to negotiate hide tides, gondoliers and impossible to navigate city streets. And the struggling service in Mexico might just put you off heading there on holiday…
Although there are a few amusing anecdotes, it’s not really a personal memoir but more of a look at ambulance services around the world that Benjamin has spent time with. There are a couple of moments where he treads a fine line between objective and judgemental but I don’t think this is intentional. It’s just that maybe I was expecting more of a compassionate tone. Overall, it’s a fascinating book and incredibly enlightening reading.
We take it for granted that we can phone an emergency number and a paramedic will arrive and look after you, administering pre-hospital care and delivering you safely to doctors. The NHS might have its problems but overall it is an amazing service. Reading Paramédico really highlights how good we’ve got here in Britain. Benjamin didn’t get a chance to work with London’s finest, and instead spends time with a private company whose service was unprofessional.
The large section of the book is devoted to his time in Pakistan where he spent time with both a government funded service and that founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi, considered a hero to the poor. Whilst interesting, I did feel this section was a little overlong and unstructured. Oddly enough, the better stories were in the second half; Iceland, Venice, Hawaii and Mexico. His Icelandic colleagues might not have a lot of action but Benjamin is more concerned by the daily 5 o’clock sauna that he would really rather avoid. In Venice, the ambulances come by water but have to negotiate hide tides, gondoliers and impossible to navigate city streets. And the struggling service in Mexico might just put you off heading there on holiday…