First impression of Fire Touched

While I'm still waiting for my pre-ordered copy of Fire Touched to make it's way to me - which according to Book Depository hasn't even been printed yet! - so in the meantime, I picked up an eBook copy as I just had to know what Mercy was doing now.  So while I won't be doing an full review until I get that bloody book, I thought I'd do a first impression on the eBook.

As per normal there is another serious rumble within the supernatural community, and once again something magical is trying to upset the apple cart and Mercy happens to be dragged into yet another confrontation.  

On the home front, Christy is still hanging around, and things go down in the pack regarding Mercy that were surprising, but were long overdue when you think about it.  Also, the addition of Joel into the pack is slightly touched on, mainly by a certain sooking wolf or two, but instead of Joel being the focus of the book, as suggested by the cover art, that was only a very small part of the plot, and it instead revolves around a boy who is on the run from just about all the Fae.

A huge plus was the surprise return of a certain grumpy Fae smith, as well as one or two other past characters, and once again there are some new and delightfully hateful characters that Mercy has to deal with from the Fae Reservation.  There is just an endless supply of interesting characters you could have when dealing with Fae, and so far Briggs has made them all interesting and slightly twisted or devious, depending on what their roles are ;-D

There is a major shakeup in the werewolf hierarchy as Bran does something I really didn't expect him to ever do.  And of course there is way more that happens that I'm not telling you about as I don't want to spoil anything for you as I found this to be a fast paced and fun read.  

So in all, while I enjoyed this eBook quite a bit, I'll be much happier when I can read the darn book as eBook format does not really work for me (sore eyes due to staring at a bright screen for hours being the least of it).

For now I'm giving Fire Touched 4 out of 5 paws ;-D

I hope you enjoyed this first impression of Fire Touched.  If you have read the book, let me know in the comments what you thought of it, or what you would like to see happen in the future.

Until next time,

 

Book Review || Very Good Lives

Very Good Lives

The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

J.K. Rowling

Published: April, 2015

Little, Brown & Company, Hardcover, 80p.
ISBN: 978-1-4087-0678-7

When J.K. Rowling was invited to deliver the commencement address at Harvard University, she chose to speak to the graduating class about two topics very close to her heart: the benefits of failure and the importance of imagination.  Having the courage to fail, she said, is as vital to a good life as any conventional measure of success; imagining ourselves into the place of another - particularly someone less fortunate than ourselves - is a uniquely human quality to be nurtured at all costs.

The stories Rowling shared and the provocative questions she asked of those young graduates have since inspired countless others to consider what it means to live a 'good life'.  Now in print for the first time, her words serve as both a comfort and a call to arms for anyone - of any age - who finds themselves at a turning point.  IN daring to take a risk, and perhaps fail, and by harnessing the power of our imaginations, we can all begin to live less cautiously and, in doing so, become more open to the opportunities life has to offer.

A Discovery of Witches and sniffles

Hello my lovelies,  I'm here hold up in bed with a stuffy head - thanks to whomever must have passed on their germs to me - and, being stuck in bed I decided to grab a few books to tide me over for however long this stupid headcold lasts.

Yesterday I finished re-reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, and let me tell you it was as great the second time as it was the first.  Of course, now I just want to get my hands on the next book, Shadow of Night, but unfortunately, the local library doesn't hold any copies of it yet.  Grrrr!  Anyway, what can I say?  I loved it.  Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont are wonderful - although IMO Matthew does in some ways remind me of an older, more mature version of Twilight's Edward with all the brooding he can manage - and I certainly loved the whole Ashmole 782 angle (and the fact that it is a real manuscript that has been missing for over 100 years!) plus the uber-witch angle.  The woman who for the first time since she was 7 will have to embrace her witchy-ness if she wants any chance of surviving. . . and, any book that includes witches, vampires and daemons just has to be worth checking out.

Now, I will admit that I did start to see parallel's with Twilight and other paranormal star-crossed lovers stories.  I guess when you're doing a forbidden love story you just can't get away from some stereotyping, but even that is not enough to put me off the book.  Now while the book is great, there are a few harsh moments when the reality of the world creeps to the forefront.  For those of you who haven't yet picked up ADoW, Diana's treatment at the hands of some vampires and a certain witch aren't for the squeamish.  It's a definite reminder that Diana and Matthew are involved in a cut-throat world where the weak don't survive long.  But, take heart dearies, while heavy moments like those are present, they are more than outnumbered by the relationship that's building between our witch and her man, and their families (plus a touchy cat, ghostly witch ancestors and a house that I would personally love to live in!

So, that is my quick once-over of the first installment of what promises to be a fabulous trilogy.  Next on the list, the Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara.  Wish me luck!