Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

Friday, 17 May 2013

Review: Werewolves be damned - Stacey Kennedy

Author: Stacey Kennedy

Title: Werewolves Be Damned (Magic & Mayhem #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Action, Drama, Romance

Pages: ebook

First Published: April 15th, 2013

Where I Got It: Given to me to read & review honestly from the publisher/Blodeudd

"Nexi Jones—part witch, part guardian, and wannabe kick-ass warrior—can’t throw a punch or conjure the simplest magic. But that doesn’t stop her from hunting the werewolves who slaughtered her human family. She’ll have her revenge, but only if Kyden, the elite guardian, would get the hell out of her way.

Kyden can’t decide if Nexi wants to get herself killed or if she just has no clue what she’s doing. But her father made it clear: keep Nexi safe…or else. Of course, the more Nexi runs toward revenge, the more she needs Kyden’s aid, and as she grows into her power and confidence, so does his desire to protect her. The only problem? She’d rather he dropped dead.

But when a vampire paints a bull’s-eye on Nexi’s back, she’s hard-pressed to deny Kyden and the help he’s offering. Even if it means getting her revenge will be a little bit harder. At least it will still be as sweet."

The moment I read the summary I knew I had to read this myself. I have been craving over a good Fantasy novel featuring werewolves and other such supernatural beings. This not only fed my need, but it created a need to read more by Stacey Kennedy.

This was a marvelous ride and I did not want to stop reading. I wanted more. I needed to find out what happened next and I was late to class a couple times, because I was reading this in my car beforehand. Whoops. Not only was I enthralled with Nexi's story, but I am in love with the world that the author created. How cool is that? Not only do the creatures live in our world, but many live in beautiful place called the Otherworld. If I was to live in the Otherworld, I think I would want to be a witch. Being a Guardian seems like a lot of hard work.

Anyways, not only did the world and the story catch my imagination, but so did the characters. Nexi was pretty kick-ass and she seemed to handle the whole new world rather well, Kyden was drool-worthy *drools*, Finn was equally drool-worthy, Haven was annoyingly cute, and the Big Boss/Baddie was rather scary (avoiding the spoiler as best I can). I had no idea how they were going to rid of the Big Boss/Baddie. Tough one that one was.

There is so much I adored about this book, but I do have one complaint though...there seemed to be a lot of repetitive feelings to the information being shared. She would repeat the same thing the reader already knows a million times. It seemed unnecessary and annoying. But that's it.

In the end, I adored this book. I haven't read an excellent fantasy in quite some time. It reminded me a little of the Anita Blake series I loved as well. Can't wait for book 2 to come out. I would indeed recommend this to those that love fantasy books (with vamps, werewolves, witches, and etc) and for those that are looking for a good adventure. Also for all you Anita Blake fans, check this book out.

Out of five stars I grant this one 5 stars.

Favorite Character(s): Nexi, Kyden, Finn (though he didn't get much spotlight), Valor, Briggs (hope he gets more spotlight too), and Drake.

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Zia (for some reason I can't stand her) andthe Big Boss/Baddie (grrrr)

a note from B:

Please help me welcome Carole Rae to my blog :D

Thanks Carole!

Friday, 22 February 2013

Rameau Friday: The Cat's Meow - Stacey Kennedy

In Charleston there have been several magical cat murders and it’s time for the Pet Detective local Enchantress to step in and put a stop to it.

In the “About the Author” section it says:

Stacey Kennedy’s novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart-squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you’ll also find fast-paced action, life-threatening moments, and a big bad villain who needs to be destroyed.

Having read The Cat’s Meow I can vouch for the lighthearted fantasy part with a good chuckle or three. The heart-squeezing element relied heavily on my overactive imagination as Kale Griffin was kept as a mystery for far too long and his personality was mostly built on a handful of action descriptions and guesswork. This would apply to the thigh-clenching part too, because once Kale was allowed a moment of honesty and openness the book rushed to its inescapable conclusion.

The fast-action and life-threatening moments make this book a compulsively readable and fun as long as the reader has firmly switched off their brain and any sign of logical thought. The big bad villain was unfortunately of the cardboard sort—easily sketched and depthless—and burned down just as easily as any paper doll would. It’s fun and entertaining as long as you’re not expecting the story to be anything more than a simple romp.

Libby as a character has her good moments. She’s a witch responsible for tracking down and stopping anyone who practices dark magic or threatens to expose the magical community to humans. She mostly stands up for herself against the Alchemy, her mother, and the occasional free-range warlock. She has clear motives for protecting herself and her friends from harm, she’s smart enough to figure out Kale’s secret mostly on her own, and she doesn’t let her sex-addled brain dictate her actions. Until she does. This again is my complaint about the ending—the speed. I’d have much preferred had Libby’s and Kale’s relationship taken several books to develop to the point it reached here.

So all in all, it’s a quick and fun read for the fans of paranormal romance.

Unless you’re one of those people who actually care about accurate portrayal of Wicca and respect for other religions. I admit Kennedy never uses the word Wicca or its equivalents and that I’m not an expert on the subject, but I know enough to be miffed. Very much so. I would have gladly let Kennedy get away with murder in her portrayal of modern magic, had she not dragged in the Goddess and made the deity an integral part of Libby’s characterisation. None of the witches or warlocks show appropriate respect towards their Goddess while practicing magic. Would this be a Christian praying, I have no doubt the handling would be very different.

I also didn’t particularly care about the patriarchy bleed into this system of magic or the general attitude shown by men—even the hero—towards women. Men are the strong ones in power and women, no matter how special, are weak and to be protected.

If you want to read a light witch version of The Southern Vampire Mysteries, this might be the book for you. If you expect anything thought provoking or progressively feminist, you’d be better off skipping The Cat’s Meow.

3 stars

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.