Review: "Retro Demonology" by Jana Oliver

"Retro Demonology" (The Demon Trapper's, #0.5)

by Jana Oliver

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Reading Grade: Young Adult (short story)

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: December 13, 2010

Source: Kindle store (freebie)

Age Rating: 13+

| Amazon |

Before Riley Blackthorne can take on Grade Five demons, she has to trap her very first. Her debut solo trapping experience should be a breeze, just a harmless Grade One after all. But throw in some dippy hippies (whose peace signs and Patchouli really aren’t driving any demons away), one mischievous demon, and a run-in with the police, and Riley might not be able to pull it off...

My Review

This is another of many ebook-only prequels to a novel series meant to get you to read the first book's preview. Well, I don't mind if that's the only purpose of the story, but I'd like an interesting story that gets me … well, interested in reading further material. I think this very short story (which took up only 33 percent of my Kindle file) is actually funny, but there isn't much conflict.

Riley Blackthorne is a teenage demon trapper in a near-future Atlanta, Georgia that is aware of its demon population. She is sent to the house of a client in need of her demon trapping abilities. The demon is the most innocuous kind and really just looks like a Brownie, in faerie terms. It pees everywhere, curses, and she does something to make it sleepy, then takes off with it. Then, it wakes, gets free of its confines, and nearly causes Riley to crash her car.

The plot is rather mundane, although a couple of characters, the retro-hippie clients, were hilarious. Seriously channeling The Grateful Dead. That alone kind of saves me from giving this a lesser star rating. Still, I'm most likely going to pass on this novel series (The Demon Trappers) because I need something more intriguing to entice me to read it.

My score: 2.5 out of 5 stars.

* This goes toward my 2011 Spooktacular October Paranormal Reading Challenge!

Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)

by Cassandra Clare 

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: March 27, 2007

Source: local library (Audio CD)

Age Rating: 14+ (for some profanity)

Amazon.com

When 15-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? 

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother?And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

My Review

I had been meaning to read the first book in this series for quite a while now, but was afraid I wouldn't like it. I finally decided to check it out in Audio CD format from my local public library. That way, there would be no commitment to a bothersome read, nor any money wasted. But, I ended up liking this book, regardless.

The characters (most of them, actually) are very interesting, and I think what makes this book successful has something to do with how the characters interact with each other. Never a dull moment. It's like watching a houseful of people who can't stop being brutally honest every time they open their mouths to speak to one another! That does create plenty of conflict so, as the observer, you just wanna kick back, pop some popcorn, and watch the kiddies have at each other.

Also, the world of The Mortal Instruments is really interesting, if not downright cool. Clare's description is very detailed, making it easy to conjure up images of the New York gothic cathedrals and abandoned buildings bricked up everywhere. Without needing to overdo it, she even manages to get you to see exactly what the paranormal characters are wearing and how different the style is from just normal everyday human attire.

I don't feel the technical writing is very good, though. Too many adverbs that make some passages clunky and lazy, at best. But, everything else about the writing shines, particularly the use of description. Best of all, the young adult voice sings loud and clear. It does seem like something not particularly sophisticated as a piece of literature, but this is part of what makes it work in portraying a proper teen voice. I think this is why actual teen readers are reading these books like they're going out of style (which they are not). They don't have to read something hard for them to mentally process, because most teenagers would rather play video games, or watch YouTube than read a book.

This is great fiction for middle-to-older aged teens who want to read something that, yes, is long, but will immerse them in a fascinating world, and keep them engaged from beginning to end without having to strain their brains for something only meant to be entertaining.

My score: 3.5 stars ouf of 5.

Book Haul #4

Here are a few e-books I got recently that I can't wait to dig into! Hopefully, I'll be able to post reviews for them one day, but if not, you know I've got 'em...

Origin 
by J.A. Konrath

Amazon.com

All hell is about the break loose. For real.

In reality, Satan is not a handsome gentleman as portrayed by a Hollywood leading man. Viewing him through the Plexiglas, he's a frightening beast, massively muscled, with hoofs the size of washtubs and the serrated teeth of a carnivore. The demon can be pleasant, even chatty, and delights in showing off his power of resurrecting the dead sheep he dines upon. To some of the staff studying him at the secret government compound, he's even likable.

That is, until he escapes...

Konrath is a big name in the self-publishing industry and I sampled a bit of this book from the beginning, and it seemed very well-written & engaging right-off-the-bat. I just hope it doesn't scare me too much!

Out of Time: A Paranormal Romance
by Monique Martin
Amazon.com

New York in the 1920's is the world of Prohibition, speakeasies and an underground run by the underworld. Vampires and mobsters vie for power in the seedy underbelly of Manhattan. 

A mysterious accident sends Professor Simon Cross and his assistant, Elizabeth West back in time to face demons real and imagined. 

Simon Cross has spent his life searching for vampires and now that he’s found one, it just might take from him the only woman he’s ever loved. Simon’s life has been a ritual of research into the occult and stoic solitude. He prefers it that way. Until he meets Elizabeth West. 

A gambler’s daughter, Elizabeth knows a bluff when she sees one. Behind Simon’s icy glares and nearly impenetrable armor beats the heart of a man in desperate need of love. 

Trials of murder, intrigue and danger push Simon and Elizabeth to the edge of sanity. 

This is another indie author read that sounded interesting to me since I love historicals and mad scientists. Well, even if the main male character isn't "mad", he's still a scientist.

Wings (Wings, #1) 
by Aprilynne Pike


Amazon.com

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words. Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever. 

I got this e-book for free on my Kindle when it was first released back in May of this year (kind of recently!) during its early Kindle e-book promotion. It seems like everybody likes this title and it looks to be a good read. After all, the first book in the series was free, so naturally I'd try out this paranormal romance...