A Note:

6/2/13

I once told myself: IF I am accepted into grad school, this blog would no longer be updated. As it turns out, in April, I received news of my acceptance for the Fall 2013 semester, where I will attain a Master's degree of Science in Nutrition.

Running a blog, as many of you may already know, is a demanding side job once the excitement wears off. And once I fell out of the blogging community's loop (have you SEEN how many blogs there are now? Wow!), it was like the kiss of death. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get into a blogging routine once this happened due to the disconnect I felt from the community.

So I took a break. I struggled with the loss and with missing my blog. And then I realized I didn't have to run Book Faery to still be a book reviewer; I could read my books and post reviews online. I'm still a book review blogger, just not in the traditional sense.

I'll still be online. You can chat with me on Twitter, where I'll be posting links to my reviews and talking books. I'll also be posting links to nutrition articles. And if you'd like to connect with me where I guarantee I will post reviews, just add me as a friend on Goodreads.

So that's all, folks! It's been a fun and amazing journey, and I thank you all for listening to my thoughts about books. I hope we all can keep in touch elsewhere :)

Tori

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Tori's Review: Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre


Paperback - 336 pages
Price: $7.99
ISBN 13: 978-0451462640
Released: April 7, 2009 

Ann's Website 
Buy it via the Publisher
Buy it via Amazon

Obtained: Library 
Genre: Urban Fantasy 
Series: Corine Solomon 
1. Blue Diablo
2. Hell Fire (book review)
3. Shady Lady (book review)






Other women change their hair color on a whim or to impress a new boyfriend; Corinne Solomon dyes hers because she's running scared. She's a handler, a paranormal who can touch something and almost instantly know its history and, if she's lucky (or unlucky) its future, too. Now hiding out in Mexico, she wants to keep a low profile, but when people come begging for her help, she can't refuse, although she knows that she should know better.

My Rating:

My Opinion:
BLUE DIABLO is the sort of urban fantasy that effortlessly sinks its claws into your mind and demands your undivided attention. The problem is, once you become its victim (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, since it's one hell of a journey), the story begins to run in circles the further you progress.

The romance between Corine and Chance both had me salivating for more, and rebelling in disgust. Chance's character felt more on the two dimensional side at some points, making me wonder what Corine saw in the man. I wasn't sold on their love completely, and I think this had more to do with Corine's doubts and thoughts than anything else. Despite that, I felt he was the perfect match for his ex, and their bickering amused me.

A few hiccups in the story ripped me out of Corine's universe and left me scratching my head from either the weirdness (ex: Kel), or because of the repetition (ex: Corine continually mentioning how she should get a passport. Also, the group's lack of having any idea of where to go made the book not only seem like it was losing focus, but also made it felt temporarily monotonous/the situation hopeless). This only occurred once or twice, but it was enough to make note of that. Also, there were a few moments where the story slowed down, and in these moments, I was more than happy to walk away and take a breather (but not for long). Those not fully invested in this world may walk away for good during any one these lulls.

Overall, BLUE DIABLO's a great read, but one can easily discern that Corine's birth into the publishing world occurred years ago; the writing and the storyline barely hold a candle to Aguirre's newly released dystopian, ENCLAVE.

About the Author

Tori is a 23 year old college graduate with a bachelor's in English Literature. She enjoys reading, writing, baking, cooking, and has a strange addiction to chocolate, shoes, and coffee.


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Posted by Tori [Book Faery] Posted by Tori [Book Faery] Posted by Tori [Book Faery] Posted by Tori [Book Faery] at Thursday, June 23, 2011
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6 comments:

  1. AllisonJune 23, 2011 at 1:01 AM

    Great review - you outlined your problems with the book well. I've noticed a lot of repetition in my urban fantasy reads lately, and it annoys me to no end. I think I'll definitely be skipping this one, although I did love Enclave...

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  2. Tori [Book Faery]June 23, 2011 at 8:15 AM

    Thank you Allison! I actually wrote a post (still in draft) yesterday about certain themes in genres that are overkill. It seems the repetition in UF as of late is the snarky/bitchy heroine.

    I've also talked to a few people about this series, and the general consensus seems to be Corinne is not the most likable of heroines at times, which makes reading from her POV a bit... harder.

    Enclave is amazing. I'm hoping that Shady Lady (book 3) is going to be just as good, since it's a more recent release. Fingers crossed!

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  3. Mary @ BookSwarmJune 23, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    Nice review! Corinne is a difficult character but she's coming together. I just finished SHADY LADY and really enjoyed it, since she seems to be a bit more focused. Still, there's a lot of group wandering...

    But ENCLAVE rocked and I can't wait for OUTPOST!!
    Happy reading,
    Mary @ Book Swarm

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  4. Tori [Book Faery]June 23, 2011 at 7:11 PM

    Thanks Mary! I started SHADY LADY today, and Corinne hasn't bothered me yet! I'm a bit bummed to hear there's more group wandering, but hopefully it won't be as bad as it was in BD. We'll see, I guess :D

    Agreed--I'm DYING for OUTPOST to come out!! I'm surprised I prefer a YA over a UF in this situation.

    ReplyDelete
  5. samantha.1020June 23, 2011 at 9:03 PM

    I read this one awhile back and while I didn't love it, I did enjoy it. I'm really looking forward to reading Enclave by this author as well as continuing on with this series at some point. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  6. MariaJune 28, 2011 at 8:53 PM

    I agree, you hit on the same problems I had--two-dimensional in places, and that relationship was weird. It was going good until about half or 2/3rds and then just...wandered into unfocused. The tension felt contrived/forced (Oh--the heroine better do something stupid here to create a plot.)

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