Book Review | Oh Danny Boy

Oh Danny Boy
A Molly Murphy Mystery #5
Rhys Bowen

First published in 2006
This edition published in 2015

Constable, paperback (format B), 359p.
ISBN: 9781472118417

How can Molly keep the man she wants out of her life out of jail, for although he may be a love rat, he's certainly no murderer!

Irish immigrant Molly Murphy is contemplating giving up PI work for something a little less . . . exciting.  Molly has had quite enough recently - especially from the handsome but frustrating NYPD captain Daniel Sullivan.  She wants him out of her life for good.  But when Daniel is accused of accepting bribes and lands himself in the Tombs, the notorious city jail, he begs Molly to help prove he was framed.  After everything they've been through together, how can she turn him down?

As Molly finds herself drawn further into Daniel's case, she begins to fear that his trouble is related to one of his investigations: catching a serial killer who is targeting prostitutes, known as the East Side Ripper . . .

{Note: I wrote this yesterday at the coffee shop}

I read Oh Danny Boy this morning.  I then got ready and headed off into town to meet some family, and while I waited for them at the coffee shop I thought I'd write down a few thoughts on the book while it was still fresh in my mind - only I drew a blank!

Yes, not only had I finished the book less than 40 minutes ago, but I could not remember anything.  Not even the title.  This only lasted about 20 seconds, but I seriously had to mentally review the books I'd received in the mail this week for the title to come to mind.  I can't remember this happening to me before, and it says a lot about what I thought of this story - forgettable.

ODB seems to pick up a couple of weeks after the events of In Like Flynn (#4) and although I do like Molly, the collection of misfits and bohemians she surrounds herself with do rather test my patience at times.  Gus and Sid would have to be my favourite of the friends.  But by far the most annoying character for me is the stereotypical Irish charmer, Daniel Sullivan.  His attitude and behaviour stinks.  While he doesn't want to hurt his fiancé feelings or cause her any humiliation in breaking their engagement.  However by doing this, and stringing Molly along, he has just hurt and humiliated the woman he claims to love!  When Molly runs home after the final events of the previous book, she keeps Daniel out of her life, binning his daily missives - only to find out he's in the clink.  So, Molly being Molly, sets out to clear Daniel's name.  I applauded her decision to rid herself of the charming rogue, but it seems like you can't have a cosy mystery these days without the obligatory star-crossed lovers who must overcome numerous obstacles, blah, blah, blah.  Pure claptrap (although it does zest up the subplots).

The mystery of who set up Daniel is neatly solved, but only after Molly has a few close calls, and has to venture into the seedier parts of town.  Her dedication to this man is frustrating.  He doesn't mind calling on her to get him out of a jam, but No! Women should not be detectives or PI's!  Argggh!  I can't wait for Molly to spring a certain bit of news on him in the next book (which I may borrow from my library?) because I would love to see his reaction.

So while I haven't read the first couple of books, and I enjoyed (?) In Like Flynn, I'm not sure if I enjoyed ODB well enough to continue on buying the books.  Admittedly, I only have the two I've mentioned in this post (Murphy's Law is on it's way though), but I'm not sure that this is the cosy series for me.  I could be wrong and once this issue about them being together is sorted it could be great so I will cautiously be reading further books in the series from my local library as they become available.

Sadly, Oh Danny Boy was not the amazing comeuppance I thought it would be for a certain NYPD Captain - and for that fact I've given this book

Well, those were my thoughts on Oh Danny Boy.  I wish I had enjoyed the book more as the cover is gorgeous!  Have you reading this series?  Let me know what you think of Molly and Daniel's relationship in the comments below.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And until next time,

 

Book Review || Heraclix & Pomp

Heraclix & Pomp
A Novel of the Fabricated and the Fey
Forrest Aguirre

Published: October 2014

Underland Press, hardcover, 285p.
ISBN: 978-1-63023-001-2

Heraclix and Pomp, Aguirre's first full-length novel, explores the ideas of identity and immortality through the eyes of a man-like golem and a time-bending fairy who can barely grasp the idea of now, much less the dangers of what's to come.

Before being sewn-together, Heraclix was dead—merely a pile of mismatched pieces, collected from the corpses of many troubled men. And Pomp was immortal—at least, so she thought. That was before her impossible near-murder at the hands of the necromancer, Heraclix's creator. But when playing God, even the smallest error is a gargantuan weakness. When the necromancer makes his, Heraclix and Pomp begin their epic flight.

As they travel from Vienna to Prague to Istanbul and, even, to Hell itself, they struggle to understand who and what they are: who was Heraclix before his death and rebirth? What is mortality, and why does it suddenly concern Pomp? As they journey through an unruly eighteenth century, they discover that the necromancer they thought dead might not be quite so after all. In fact, he may have sealed his immortality at the expense of everyone alive . . .

Heraclix and Pomp is a richly textured and decadent read, filled with Baroque ideology and Byzantine political intrigue. Fans of fantasy and historical fiction alike will revel in Aguirre's layered prose and vivid characterizations. Heraclix and Pomp brings the surreal and the macabre to one of history's most violent eras, and it does so in a voice sure to resonate among this season's best new releases.

NOTE: Minor spoilers mentioned in the review.

I bought this book for myself as a birthday present.  The cover is gorgeous, and once I'd read the synopsis on Book Depository I had to have it.   However, once it arrived I found myself putting it on my TBR shelves.  I kept picking it up, admiring the beautiful and detailed artwork on the cover, yet for some strange reason I just didn't want to read it.

Then yesterday I decided 'enough is enough!', and I pulled it out of my TBR stockpile.  Even then, it took me a little while to start reading it.  I don't know why I had such a hesitance about reading this book.  It's not long, it's in a genre I love, and since I hadn't spoiled myself by readin any reviews, what was I worried about?  

Famous last words.

I started reading.  The first dozen or so pages were great.  Then it went downhill from there.

The altercation between the sorcerer, the golem, and the fairy, the one that's hinted at on the front flap - and the one that I thought was going to be the climax of the book - was actually the beginning.  Really... REALLY!  There is also one HUGE mistake that I'd just like to mention right off the bat.  Heralix, one of the main protagonists, is not actually a golem.  He is NOT made from clay but is rather a Frankenstein monster who has been assembled from pieces of numerous corpses and reanimated.  

Having said that, he was however the one character who's story I found interesting.  As a by-product of the reanimation process, his memory is wiped, and instead of just getting on with his 'life', he is obsessed with his past and nothing can deter him from seeking out the truth about his former life (lives?).  If we could have stuck with Heraclix as our narrator, the one POV, I might have found this book more interesting, instead we have numerous perspectives which jump around and just add to the confusion.

Our other protagonist is Pomp.  She is an interesting stereotypical fey character.  She seems to have all the tropes.  She is very small, with major powers, has wings, and is very skittish and literal.  Pomp, as well as her fellow fairies, have no concept of the most basic of things.  In one scene two of her friends are playing with a small bat.  They do not realise - or care for that matter - that they end up killing it.  When it won't play anymore, they move on to something else amusing and forget about it.  But this is also the scene where you see the change in Pomp as a character.  She feels for the creature.  She feels bad.  It is her character's growth that was the most surprising in this story.

But, even though Pomp is maturing as a character I found her endless questioning of things so annoying.  What is slept?  What is dream?  What is remember?  All through the book she is questioning everything.  Yet while very annoying, in all fairness this did differentiate her voice from Heraclix's.  So it evens things out.

So while the characters of the book had almost equal points on the pros and con list, it is the world building that I find of nearly equal importance to having great characters.  This world was gritty, a very real and oft times violent world.  However we didn't see much of it at all.  Just the sorcerers house, parts of the forest they escape through, an urban area or two, and other vignettes during interactions with characters along the way.  Perhaps if this had been a 500+ page book we might have seen more of this world, but as it was we only received a very limited overview.  Instead of a rich world to put these character into some context, I found myself with a very sepia toned palette instead of rich Technicolor hues.  This was another tick on the con side of my checklist.

Would I really like to continue this as a series?  No.  I think since I'm not enamored with this book I'll leave well enough alone.  I should have waited for the paperback as this book was definitely not worth the nearly $24 I paid for it on Book Depository (and that is with it already discounted and then using my 10% off voucher!).   So while this is by no means a rave review, I can see hints of why a lot of people liked this book.  I wouldn't say don't buy it or read it, it's just not my cup of tea.

I gave Heraclix & Pomp

Let me know in the comments if you've read Heraclix & Pomp.  Did you love it?  Why, and if so, should I give it another chance?

Until next time,

 

Book Review - Illusions of Fate

Illusions of Fate
Kiersten White

Published: 9th September, 2014

HarperTeen, Hardcover, 275p.
ISBN: 978-0-06-213589-6

If I had stayed on the thoroughfare that day, not taken the alley, I would never have met him.  For some reason the though of never knowing him leaves me feeling restless and aching.

I sit, defeated, and shuffle the cards for the hundredth time.  I cut the deck, close my eyes, and draw a card at random.

FATE

I always draw fate.

What can I say?  I was so disappointed In Illusions of Fate that I just had to jump back onto the trusty laptop - it's now after 10pm - and put pen to paper so to speak, to decompress and let out just how disappointed in Illusions of Fate I am.

Okay, so a few minutes ago I uploaded this review on Goodreads:

I was really looking forward to this book, so when the postman dropped off a parcel from Book Depository I couldn't wait to dive in...

and instead of an amazing story I was left feeling very disappointed. There were a few redeeming qualities to this book - and the cover art is gorgeous - but not enough to make this live up to the hype that has been surrounding it.

I found the main characters annoying, stubborn and quite thoughtless and vain. For most of the book I just wanted to give Finn a really swift kick in the rear, and it pains me to say this, but my favourite character was the Crow that Jessamin finds herself befriending. What I read was only okay, but it had the potential to be so much more. Such a short book for the $15+ that I paid for the hardcover.

Oh, and a map would have been nice too!

I even begrudge this book the 2 hours it took to read it. There was so much potential here and all we got was a quick and predictable read. Jessamin, Finn, Eleanor, Kelen, Lord Downpike, Melei, Jacabo, and even Professor Miller - Jessamin's horrible father - are just one dimensional characters. They have no depth, and there is little to no character development. The ending was rushed. Jessamin, who has been hunted the whole book by our antagonist, finally confronts him yet the identity of the person she battles comes way out of left field! What the...?!! Then, when she is left to mourn what happened, it was over within a couple of pages. The ending was very abrupt and gave the reader no chance to get back on their feet after having the rug pulled out from under them in the previous chapter!

The few redeeming qualities, for me, were the use of Sir Bird - and his relationship with Jessamin - as well as the hints of political intrigue. However, once again it wasn't exploited as much as it could have been - and isn't that a shame.

For such a beautifully presented book - and the naked cover is also very striking - the contents didn't live up to expectations. I won't be recommending this book to anyone but a true YA Fantasy fan. And even then, borrow it from the library!

Until next time,

 

2 Reviews - The Red Pyramid and Lord of the Changing Winds

I've got two books that I've finished over the last two days, and instead of giving an indepth review, I've decided to bundle them up and give you a quick rundown of what's what.

First off, is a book that has just been recommended to me time and time again as I watch YouTube reviews - and read other blogs - and that is . . .

Review - Ghost Seer by Robin D. Owens

Ghost Seer
Ghost Seer #1
Robin D. Owens

Published: 22 May, 2014

Berkley Sensation, mass market pbk, 296 p.
ISBN: 978-0-425-26890-2

There's just something about Clare.  Apart from the ghosts...

When her eccentric aunt passes away, no-nonsense accountant Clare Cermak inherits more than just money.  She receives the gift of communicating with ghosts.  While Clare may not believe in sprirts, it's hard to overlook the shadowy talking dog appearing on her bed or spectral cowboys tipping their hats to her in the streets of Denver.  And when she locks eyes with sexy - and living - Zach Slade, there's certainly no ignoring him either.

A former deputy sheriff, Zach is leaving a painful past behind in Montana for a new life in Denver as a private investigator, a job that has him crossing paths with beautiful Clare.  Not the she minds.  After the restless ghost of an Old West gunman demands her assitance, Clare finds herself needing Zach more and more - and not just for help.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

I was looking forward to Ghost Seer, but I have to tell you right off the bat that, for me, this book did not live up to it's potential.  Like numerous paranormal romance books, the use of psychic powers is nothing new, and inheriting them from another family member is a common device.  So when Clare inherits her abilities from her great aunt there was nothing special about that. . . until you find out that her aunt has left her detailed videos and journals to help her find her way.  This was a great twist, and will certainly prove helpful in future installments in this series I'm sure.

Another 'inherited' item from her aunt was the ghost dog, Enzo.  At first he has a lot of trouble trying to get Clare to admit that she has this ability, but there are times when I think that there is more to this furry ghost than meets the eye.  There are a few moments when even Clare questions his form, so perhaps in future books we will find out what is going on there.

Now we come to the main relationship in Ghost Seer.  Zach is a former deputy sheriff, quit due to an on the job injury, and ends up in Denver interviewing for a PI job.  A grumpy, pain in the buttocks character, he meets Clare and within minutes, she's somehow gotten through the hard shell he protects his emotions with.  Surprisingly, it turns out that Zach too has abilities, but instead of acknowledging them - or seeking medical explainations like Clare - Zach has buried any responsibility, or acceptance, of his 'thing' with seeing the crows.  Perhaps this harkens from a Native American ancestry, but he's so not interested in the supernatural.  Which puts him on a collision course with Clare as she comes to accept the responsibilities her gift has in regards to her future, and that of her family.

With two very prickly main characters, it took me a long time to have any feelings for them.  I'm still not that interested in them.  Zach is very standoffish and angry at the world for all the bad things that have happened in his life, and Clare is in over her head and scattered.  The fact that these two end up in bed relatively quickly is just one of the flaws in this series.  I don't know why authors, who are intending to write a series, throw their characters into each others arms ASAP.  The forced intimacy just doesn't work and they usually come off as cheap and easy.

I did like the batty aunt of the guy that runs the PI business.  She's also got a touch of the sight, and is the first to acknowledge Enzo when in Clare's presence.  Annoyingly, there are only a few scenes with the aunt - and the lady that also lives in the house (but I've forgotten her name!) - as well as a lack of character development in Zach's new boss, who is also tolerant of the paranormal aspects.  The ghosts that Clare runs into, who want her to help them, add to the chaos.  It seems like Ms Owens is trying to push very hard to have her world building done in this first book.  So many things going on that it just gave me a headache.

So while this will probably be the only book I buy in this series, I may pick up the 2nd book at my library just to see whether or not it improves.  Okay character development, and average world building that just couldn't deliver on a promising idea.

Until next time,

 

Review: Thankless in Death

Thankless in Death
In Death, Book 37
J.D. Robb

Released: Feb 2014

Berkley, mass market paperback, 371 p.
ISBN: 978-0-515-15413-9


Lieutenant Eve Dallas has plenty to be grateful for, especially Roarke's big Irish family, which is a joyful improvement on her own dark childhood.

Other couples aren't as lucky.  The Reinholds, for example, are lying in their home stabbed and bludgeoned almost beyond recognition.  Those who knew them are stunned - and heartbroken by the evidenc that they were murdered by their own son.

Turns out that twenty-six-year-old Jerry is not only capable of brutality but has taken a liking to t.  With the money he's stolen from his parents and a long list of grievences, he intends to finally make his mark on the world.  Eve and her team already know the who, how, and why of these murders.  What they need to pinpoint is where Jerry's going to strike next.

I was fully prepared to dive right into Thankless in Death {TiD} and have a great time - as I usually do - in the world of Eve & Roarke.   However, I was surprisingly disappointed with TiD.  Having the antagonist served up on a silver platter - name, motive, and all - was actually quite boring.  I much prefer it when Eve, and team of course, have to push themselves to the last minute to uncover the identity of their unsub - as well as their motives.  With Jerry Reinhold as the murderer, it just fell flat!  You can't reveal his identity as a spoiler as this time its stated right there in the blurb!

Review: Dark Witch (or Three Sisters Island v2.0)

Dark Witch

Book One of the Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy

Nora Roberts

Published: October, 2013

Piatkus, Trade Paperback, 342p.

ISBN: 978-0-7499-5859-6

Three cousins inherit a gift that will tranform their lives...

Iona Sheehan has just taken the biggest gamble of her life.  Leaving her job, her home and her family in Baltimore, she has come to Ireland in search of adventure - and answers.

Iona has always felt a powerful connection to the home of her ancestors.  So when her beloved grandmother confesses an extraordinary family secret, she can't resist visiting County Mayo to discover the truth for herself.  Arriving at the beautiful and atmospheric Castle Ashford, Iona is excited to meet her cousins, Connor and Branna O'Dwyer, for the first time.  And when she lands a job at the local riding school she finds herself drawn against her will to its owner - the hot-tempered but charismatic Boyle McGrath.  Perhaps in County Mayo she has found her true home at last.

What Iona doesn't realise is that her cousins have been expecting her for a long time.  Connor, Branna and Iona have all inherited a powerful but dangerous gift from an ancestor known as the Dark Witch.  And they are about to discover that some old legends can return to haunt the present...

My library emailed me to let me know that Dark Witch was waiting for me and I was so happy - good reading material has been scarce around here lately - so the next time I went into town I made sure to pick it up.  It sat for a day, staring at me from the arm of the couch, until I finally gave in last night and headed off to bed early (had a big thunderstorm - perfect for witchy reading).