Alien™: Sea of Sorrows - Review

Title: Alien™: Sea of Sorrows
Author: James A. Moore
Series: Alien™ Trilogy #2

Synopsis: “As a deputy commissioner for the ICC, Alan Decker’s job is to make sure the settlements on LV178 follow all the rules, keeping the colonists safe. But the planet known as New Galveston holds secrets, lurking deep beneath the toxic sands dubbed the Sea of Sorrows.
      “The Weyland-Yutani Corporation has secrets of its own, as Decker discovers when he is forced to join a team of mercenaries sent to investigate an ancient excavation. Somwhere in that long-forgotten dig lies the thing the company wants most in the universe – a living Xenomorph.
      “Decker doesn’t understand why they need him, until his own past comes back to haunt him. Centuries ago, his ancestor fought the Aliens, launching a bloody vendetta that was never satisfied. That was when the creatures swore revenge on the Destroyer… Ellen Ripley.”

 Review: I did not like this second installment in the new Alien™ series as much as I did the first (read BookGirlR’s review of Alien™: Out of the Shadows here) because my favorite thing about the entire Alien™ franchise is Ellen Ripley. Without Ripley it’s not a part of the Alien™ fanchise, in my opinion. Women today need more strong female role models. Ellen Ripley kicks some serious ass and doesn’t need a man to swoop in and rescue her. The author, James A. Moore, has made his main character Alan Decker a distant relation to Ellen Ripley, but it’s not enough. He’s taken a strong female character and replaced her with a mediocre male character. Not cool Moore, not cool.
      If you read Alien™: Sea of Shadows as if it is not a new installment in the Alien™ franchise it’s not so bad. The setting is creepy; the Weyland-Yutani Corporation is more evil than the Aliens; and there is enough gory action to keep you on the edge of your seat. So, pretend that this is merely a science fiction action thriller, don’t expect it to live up the Alien™ franchise reputation, and you’ll like it fine.

Publisher: Titan Books

If you like this book you may want to read:

This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman

 Species Imperative Series by Julie E. Czerneda

Alien: River of Pain (Alien™ Trilogy #3) by Christopher Golden
**Release Date November 25, 2014**

The House of the Four Winds - Review

Title: The House of the Four Winds
Authors: Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory
Series: One Dozen Daughters #1

Synopsis: “The rulers of tiny, impoverished Swansgaard have twelve daughters and one son. While the prince’s future is assured, his twelve sisters must find their own fortunes.
      “Disguising herself as Clarence, a sailor, Princess Clarice intends to work her way to the New World. When the crew rebels, Clarice/Clarence, an expert with rapier and dagger, sides with the handsome navigator, Dominick, and kills the cruel captain.
    “Dominick leads the now-outlawed crew in search of treasure in the secret pirate haven known as The House of Four Winds. They encounter the sorceress Shamal, who claims Dominick for her own—but Clarice has fallen hard for Dominick and won’t give him up without a fight.”

 Review:   Mercedes Lackey is my favorite author. It’s hard for me to choose a favorite because I love books so much, and I have several favorite authors, and several favorite series. But Mercedes Lackey is my favorite, of my favorite, authors. I have read her Valdemar series over, and over, and over again. I will never get tired of it. I will read anything with her name on it. Most recently I read The House of the Four Winds.        
     The House of the Four Winds is a fascinating read. I had a busy week last week, and couldn’t read it as quickly as I would have liked, every time I started reading it was torture to have to put it down. This novel has everything you could want in a good read: pirates, adventure, action, romance, cross-dressing, magic and lovable characters!  And can we talk about the cover for a minute?  What a gorgeous work of art!  I want to frame this cover and put it on my wall!  If I could change one thing about The House of the Four Winds I would like a bit more information about what Clarice did after leaving home and before meeting Dominick. Don’t get me wrong, this novel is wonderful just the way it is but adding a bit more information would make it perfect! I highly recommend that fans of fantasy, fans of pirates and fans of romance all read this book!

 **I received this Kindle ARC through NetGalley. **

Publisher: TOR

If you like this book you may want to read: 

The Cipher by Diana Pharaoh Francis

Five Hundred Kingdoms Series by Mercedes Lackey

Magic Bites - Review

Title: Magic Bites
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Katie Daniels #1

Synopsis: “When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.
      “Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate's guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta's magic circles.
      “The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate's guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she's way out of her league—but she wouldn't have it any other way…”

Review: After reading Magic Bites I had a few questions. The first is: why, oh why, haven’t I read this series sooner? The second is: why hasn’t anyone told me about this series? And the third question I had after finishing Magic Bites is: How soon can I get the next book in the series?
      Fans of urban fantasy will love Magic Bites. The world building that has gone into creating this novel is amazing. The magic “waves” that come and go and make technology unusable is an awesome and very different concept that I loved. Andrews does a remarkable job playing the cards close to her chest. She gives us only the information we need at exactly the time that we need it and keeps the rest to herself, leaving us wanting more when we finally reach the end of this wonderful introduction to a series.
      My only complaint is the character of Curran. He is obviously supposed to be Kate’s love interest, but I didn’t feel it. There’s no heat between the two other than hatred, they are constantly battling with each other and trying to kill/maim each other. That’s not love, or even lust, in my book. I understand that a Beast Lord needs to be very dominant and alpha, but he could be dominant/alpha and still caring. At the end of Magic Bites I’m just afraid that Kate is going to end up in a relationship with an abusive man/Beast Lord. I hope that this issue gets cleared up in the next installment.
      Overall though, I loved this novel and am looking forward to the rest of the series. Seriously, why hasn’t anyone told me to read this? I wasted so much time reading other books.

Publisher: Ace
If you like this book you may want to read: 

 Dead on the Delta by Stacey Jay (read BookGirlR’s review here)

 Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (read BookGirlR’s review here)