Tori's Review: Black Wings by Christina Henry

Paperback - 304 pages
Price: $7.99
ISBN 10: 0441019633
ISBN 13: 978-0441019632
Released: November 30, 2010

Christina's Website
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Obtained: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Black Wings 
1. Black Wings

As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black is responsible for escorting the souls of the dearly departed to the afterlife. It's a 24/7 job with a lousy benefits package.

Maddy's position may come with magical powers and an impressive wingspan, but it doesn't pay the bills. And then there are her infuriating boss, tenant woes, and a cranky, popcorn-loving gargoyle to contend with.

Things start looking up, though, when tall, dark, and handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in Maddy's building. It's probably just a coincidence that as soon as he moves in demons appear on the front lawn. But when an unholy monster is unleashed upon the streets of Chicago, Maddy discovers powers she never knew she possessed. Powers linked to a family legacy of tarnished halos.

Powers that place her directly between the light of Heaven and the fires of Hell...

My Rating:

My Opinion:
So I just finished reading BLACK WINGS, an urban fantasy that I was extremely excited for. I've had enough of vampires right now, and I've always wanted to read a story about a grim reaper. Maybe it's just me, but I always thought the idea of death being personified was exciting. The English major-dork in me loved reading about/the concept of the Danza Macabra (aka The Dance of Death) during the middle ages. Perhaps I found it so interesting because I always wondered what death would think, how she/he would react, and if death would have a love life. How could he/she, if whenever death touched someone, they died? Or perhaps the busy work schedule deterred any love life? Would there be multiple deaths, collecting souls? There's just so many possibilities, and now I got a story about it!

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this novel as much as I had hoped. The writing is accessible and I believe that many will enjoy Christina's writing style. There are bits and pieces of humor that will make you laugh out loud while reading this story, which is definitely something I can appreciate in a novel. One cannot laugh enough while reading a book.

Then, there is the world Christina created, which is what kept me reading this book. Like I said earlier, I love the concept of a good grim reaper story and I believe there are not enough books out there right now that focus on that sort of character (this will probably change soon). Fallen angels, nephilim, and Christina's take on Lucifer were also unique and refreshing. There is no actual hell. Who would have thought of that one? It definitely makes Lucifer's minions seem more modern and... well, I thought it was amusing that they would be living alongside humanity. Oh, and the gargoyle sidekick/comical relief? Priceless. Give me more gargoyles!

Alas, that is where my adoration for this book ends, because we are ultimately forced to learn more about Maddy, the heroine in our story. If I love the heroine in a UF, you can believe that I will probably love the book. If I don't, then even if the world is unique, I probably will not love the book. Guess which side of the spectrum I'm on?

When it comes to Maddy, our 32 year old heroine, let's just say she has more temper tantrums than I did when I was 12. I said to a friend of mine when I reached the midpoint of the book: "Maddy is bipolar x10." Almost every single encounter contains a moment where Maddy seems to overreact and act childish. She vents and complains so early on in the story that I found it hard to like her since it made her come off as whiny and dramatic. Granted, there were three encounters that had occurred beforehand, but I couldn't even recall one because it was so brief. Heroines having mental breakdowns and rant-fests within the first 100 pages of a book do not earn my sympathy.

I will give Maddy the benefit of the doubt though, because her emotional state of mind did serve a purpose to the story. Alas, fights are one thing; how the heroine interacts with the allies around her (read: when she isn't fighting) is entirely different. I hope that Maddy's character vastly improves in book two.

Speaking of ranting, parts of the dialogue felt too condensed for my tastes.  Instead of flowing naturally, the venting scenes were repetitive and long winded.  I would have appreciated some lines cut, simplified, or explained via Maddy's thoughts (ex: I then began to explain to so-and-so about how I felt.  How I was tired of getting my ass kicked, how I was tired of being left in the dark)  I feel that flows more naturally than some of the things actually said, but that's just me being nitpicky.

Moving on to the love interests: I loved Gabriel. I loved the attraction (later on in the story) between Maddy and Gabriel. But the initial attraction between them? I wasn't buying it. For me, the pacing was off at that point and it went from Maddy dealing with struggling for her life to suddenly crushing on this man. There were no bonding moments between the two early on. Hell, she was mad at him. Despite her anger, he saves her life by kissing her and she's suddenly drooling over the man. For me, this felt too abrupt and unrealistic.

JB was another character I took issue with. He's an asshole at the start. Maddy thinks he's an asshole, albeit, an attractive one. Yet once Gabriel enters Maddy's life, JB transforms from jerk to attracted man. There were no other signs during earlier interactions that would hint at any sort of attraction on his end, which is why I struggled with the initial unveiling of him as a love interest. I liked JB as one, but I would have enjoyed that element developed further so that it was more convincing.

I think the problem that I had most was Maddy's emotions being everywhere and the pacing. There was a lot of action in this story, which is not bad, but it can hurt a book at times too. I had no opportunity to become intimate with Maddy's character because I felt like I was always on edge, expecting her to get her ass kicked at any second (or, having her discover ANOTHER new skill that will conveniently save her life and kick the bad guy's butt). I wanted to get to know Patrick and Maddy and Beezle more before everything started to become undone. Patrick's fate did not phase me because I did not know him as a character. I also wanted Maddy and Gabriel to interact more and get to know each other before all the drama began. Same with JB.

I also had a few technical problems with the book, but those are nitpicky and can probably be overlooked by most readers. Primarily, how did JB know Gabriel was a paranormal creature and not just some human? Did humanity know about vampires and demons and whatnot? I might have missed the latter question at some point, but if not, that should have been addressed.

Aside from all those complaints, I thought BLACK WINGS was a decent debut. Not my favorite, but I enjoyed it enough that I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Hopefully, Maddy's character will act a bit more maturely and the pacing will improve, now that Christina's a more experienced writer. I suggest reading this book if you enjoy action-packed UFs combined with a bit of humor, or if you want to read about a grim reaper-filled world. I believe that most will be able to look over the pacing and romance issues I had, just like I believe some will detest Maddy's emotional state of being. I also believe that despite how emotional Maddy is, those readers will also look forward to book two.

DNFs: Other, Harvest Moon, Paranormalcy

Reason for the DNF:
The heroine/her voice didn't work for me. 

Recommended for...

• Those who tend to enjoy heroines who are more nerdy/geeky in nature;
• Those who can handle the more casual, conversational tone our heroine has in this story;
• Those who enjoy boyfriends who randomly speak poetically.

 Blogs that loved this book:

• A Bookworm's Haven - 5 Stars
• My 5 Monkeys - 4 Stars
• A Simple Love of Reading - 4 Stars

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Reason for DNF:
 Review of: A Tangled Web by MERCEDES LACKEY

A TANGLED WEB is the reason I wanted to check out HARVEST MOON. I always love a good recreation of the Hades/Persephone relationship and ATW sounded like it would be a cute, fun read.

My first problem with this piece is that it felt too casual. I wasn't buying the mother/daughter relationship between Persephone and Demeter. The former sounded like a brat with ADD, and the latter sounded like one of those psycho mothers you thank the heavens you're not related to.

I did not enjoy Hades acting like such a wimp. He's the God of the Underworld... even if one is going to recreate a story... I don't know, he rubbed off on me the wrong way because he was so timid at the start.

The relationship was cute, but overall, I wasn't feeling very invested (probably because I wasn't buying Persephone and Hades as characters). I would have enjoyed their relationship developing further. Instead of being told about how the two spent a year together, I think the story would have been more interesting following that year and watching the two fall in love. As it is, I'm expected -- as a reader -- to simply accept the fact that the two love each other without ever being shown that love.

One of the primary reasons I wanted to read the text in the first place was to witness that love. Major bummer that I didn't get to.

While I am interested in Norse mythology, I don't know as much about it. I felt like I was thrown into this side of the story without any warning, and there really wasn't as much of an explanation/back story for these characters. Once again, did not feel invested. I hate to say it, but I usually skimmed the scenes that switched to this POV.

Overall: I'm rather reluctant to continue with this anthology, however, I will try to do so at a later date.

Recommended for...

• Those who enjoy retellings of the old mythological tales;
• Those who don't mind the Olympians you knew and loved having been changed so drastically.

Blogs/Reviews that loved this book:

• Mark Timmony - 5 Stars (7/10 on the blog)
  
• The Happy Booker - 4 Stars
• Dreams and Speculation - 4 Stars (7/10 on the blog)

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Reason for DNF:
I know... I'm in the minority here.

My main problem with this book was the writing style. It felt rushed, choppy, and childish (that's not to say childish books are bad or anything). I also felt no real connection with the heroine 44 pages into the story.
 
Recommended for...

• Those who enjoy more lighthearted young adult novels;
• Those who can tolerate a more juvenile heroine;

Blog/reviews that loved this book:

• Reading Vacation - 5 Stars
• For What It's Worth - 5 Stars
• La Femme Readers - 4.5 Stars

Tori's Review: Rise of the Darklings by Paul Crilley

Hardcover - 352 pages
Price: $16.99
ISBN 10: 1606840312
ISBN 13: 978-1606840313
Released: September 28, 2010

Paul's Website
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Obtained: Publicist 
Genre: Children's book / Middle Grade
Series: The Invisible Order 
1. Rise of the Darklings

Emily Snow is twelve years old, supporting herself and her younger brother on the streets of Victorian England by selling watercress. One early winter morning on her way to buy supplies, she encounters a piskie--a small but very sarcastic fey creature that has been cornered by a group of the Black Sidhe, piskies from an opposing clan. She rescues him and unknowingly becomes involved in a war between the Seelie and the Unseelie, two opposing factions of fairies that have been battling each other throughout the long centuries of human history, with London--and England itself--as the ultimate prize.

When the Invisible Order--a centuries-old secret society of humans that has protected mankind from the fey's interference--gets involved, things really start to get complicated.

Now she is the central figure in this ancient war that could permanently change Earth. With no one to trust, Emily must rely on her own instincts and guile to make the right choices that could save her family and all of mankind.

My Rating:

 
My Opinion:
I felt that the beginning was the most intriguing part of this novel. It was the unique world Crilley created that had me devour the first half of this story within a few hours the other day. I did not realize, when first requesting this book to review, that The Invisible Order series is based upon the fey. Well, that's a lie. I knew at the time, then conveniently forgot. So, when the fey were introduced, I was pleasantly surprised.

Let it be known that this is not your typical fey book. They fey in London are a group who have created their own divisions of the Seelie and Unseelie courts. We do not have the winter and summer courts here, folks. There's actually a jab at Oberon at one point which made me laugh. But aside from Oberon? All of these faeries are unique, original, and intriguing. For once, I actually wanted to learn more about the world of faerie to better understand the creatures lurking about London. It was an entirely new concept, and that is what made RISE OF THE DARKLINGS have such a strong start in my eyes.

While I enjoyed this story, I did have a few problems with it, particularly with the ending. After the first half of the book, I felt the story soon grew rushed. Instead of paying attention to detail (by the way, there's virtually no showing in this book), many of the scenes are skirted over. Or at least, it felt like they were to me. To others, perhaps it was perfect.

I felt that the scenes where Emily succumbed to her emotions were melodramatic. I was unable to relate with her or feel for her throughout these brief interruptions because it grew increasingly more and more difficult to connect with her as a character. In my mind, the story was generally smooth, only to hit turbulence as Emily acknowledged the stresses around her. These moments came out of nowhere and interrupted my enjoyment of the novel.

Now, before people start blaming me for missing anything, or hating on Emily as a character, let me say that I can understand why she did have these moments. It was a step in the right direction when it comes to fleshing a character out. That's not my problem. My problem is that I'm not pleased with the execution of these moments. Why? Because I could not feel sympathetic due to my disconnect with her as a character.

The trials Emily fumbled through were also fairly rushed. For such difficult riddles, I'm still having a hard time understanding why a twelve year old was able to decipher them so quickly. Especially when she had a roughly two-thousand year old faery helping her...

I felt Jack, Corrigan, and a lot of the fae were the most developed in this book. Emily and William disappointed me, much like the ending. Emily is a strong heroine, yet, due to the lack of showing and a lot of seemingly rushed through scenes, she is somewhat more difficult to relate with -- more so because she comes off as snappy and irritable most of the time (a quality that I disliked in this heroine). As for William, well, he barely plays a role in this book, and the role he does play is quite... childish.

If you want to read RISE OF THE DARKLINGS because you think it is a typical faery story, you will be disappointed. If, however, you want a new take on these wonderful creatures, I highly suggest checking this book out. I believe most readers will enjoy this story. Due to me being somewhat unfamiliar with most MG books, I am unsure of whether or not the rushed vibe I felt was typical in these sorts of books, or if it was unique to this book alone. Either way, I enjoyed this story much more than I did other MG books, and I highly suggest checking RISE OF THE DARKLINGS out for the beginning/worldbuilding alone.