BOOK REVIEW: DNF Pile #1

I really wanted to love this book since I had read some rather good reviews from trusted bloggers. Plus, I had assumed that based on the lovely book cover & description, the protagonist would prove to be a unique, kick-ass heroine. Sadly, that did not happen. I found Riley to be all talk and no show. Repeatedly, she would reflects upon how she was once a total hardcore party chick that was tough as nails and lived life on the edge. She apparently lived a bit too dangerously and decided to change her reckless ways. That's all well and good, but the thing is nothing from those experiences is evident in her character. It didn't toughen her up or make her wiser. And with her slutty punk/goth attire in addition to the overuse of lame "street lingo", Riley came off to me as a total poser. Moreover, the story itself unfolded at a snail pace with lots of run-on descriptions and no action.

I love science and I love mystery stories. Hence, I was really excited to read this book based on its interesting premise. The primary thing that quickly turned me off, however, was the main character. What prevented me from connecting with her was the disjointed dichotomy to her personality and mannerisms. On one hand, she was a teenager and on the other, she was an adult. The author tried to make Tory appear very mature and a bit socially awkward while also being spunky & snarky. Unfortunately, those aspects of Tory's character just didn't blend naturally. Furthermore, in an attempt to make Tory sound more youthful, the author had her repeatedly use pop culture phrases and "teen lingo" that felt forced and a bit cringe-worthy. Another issue I had with the book was the uneven pacing & slow development of the story.

I'm always a sucker for book premises that involve the protagonist being of some kind of mixed blood and being faced with the decision of either choosing one side of his/her dual lineage or forging his/her own destiny & identity. That's why I picked this book up. However, I found myself very bored and unable to connect to the female protagonist. Furthermore, the writing seemed shallow and immature, the characters had no depth to them (and some were almost caricature-like), and the dialogue and character behaviors felt contrived and silly (not in a good way).

BOOK REVIEW: Bloodshot by Cherie Priest

 
Paperback: 384 pages
Release Date: January 25, 2011
ISBN-10: 0345520602
ISBN-13: 978-0345520609
Source: Goodreads First Reads

Raylene Pendle (AKA Cheshire Red), a vampire and world-renowned thief, doesn’t usually hang with her own kind. She’s too busy stealing priceless art and rare jewels. But when the infuriatingly charming Ian Stott asks for help, Raylene finds him impossible to resist—even though Ian doesn’t want precious artifacts. He wants her to retrieve missing government files—documents that deal with the secret biological experiments that left Ian blind.

What Raylene doesn’t bargain for is a case that takes her from the wilds of Minneapolis to the mean streets of Atlanta. And with a psychotic, power-hungry scientist on her trail, a kick-ass drag queen on her side, and Men in Black popping up at the most inconvenient moments, the case proves to be one hell of a ride.

—Goodreads

Book Review

The thing that made this book worthwhile for me was the protagonist, Raylene. Raylene, a vampire and professional thief, is definitely not the traditional urban fantasy heroine. In fact, Raylene has no true intention to do or be good. This is not to say that she's evil and goes out of her way to hurt people. However, she's not against stirring up a bit of trouble, and she has no qualms with breaking the law to accomplish her goal(s). I appreciated the way Cherie Priest characterizes Raylene. Raylene has an interesting mix of traits that make her quite likable and memorable. She is snarky and a bit cynical but not in an exaggerated way. She's amusingly paranoid, which given her profession of penetrating other peoples' defenses makes total sense. I also liked that she constantly tries to convince herself that she's a lot tougher and uncaring than she really is. Repeatedly she tries to reinforce her "lone wolf" status but there are very visible & significant cracks in that facade right from the start (and these cracks only deepen & expand as the story progresses).

Moreover, Raylene's character addresses the nature of a vampire in a interesting "middle ground" sort of way. In other words, vampires are presented as dangerous predators with killer instincts. This includes Raylene, who turns a couple of humans into meals quite violently & efficiently. Nonetheless, as Raylene points out, vampires despite their dangerous nature are still people who are able to feel pain & emotions—they bleed, they die, they love, they grieve, etc.

I also really liked the character of Adrian aka Sister Rose, an ex-Navy SEAL turned drag queen. Yes, you read that correctly. Once again, the way Cherie Priest writes this character is utterly entertaining. One minute he's the typical flamboyant RuPaul persona and the next he's a sexy, kickass macho man. I loved his interactions with Raylene, and I thought they had great chemistry together.

On the flip side, there were some things that simply did not jive well with me. The mystery plot line centering on a secret government experiment involving supernaturals was really not riveting at all in my opinion. Despite lots of action, it seemed kind of underdeveloped and rushed. Plus, there was a certain aspect involving recruitment of civilians that appeared outright silly to me.

The other important supporting character, turned love interest, was rather dull as well. Unlike Raylene and Adrian, Ian, a blind vampire, comes off very two-dimensional and underdeveloped. And speaking of the romance, it seemed completely tacked on...almost as though it was an afterthought. There was really zero chemistry between Raylene and Ian, and I was unable to see why these two are coupled together aside from fulfilling the purpose of the mandatory romance angle now seen in most urban fantasy books.

Book Rating