Heya! So, I've finally finished The Wayfinders by Wade Davis and the review is written. It's in the process of being edited by my wonderful friend Vyxen and once that's done and posted on the Books & Co website I'll post it here too. :)
Wonderful news! Devon Monk's book, Magic in Shadows, is in my grubby little hands! Well, not literally, at least not yet, but tomorrow! I have seen the future and it is at Books & Co!
The next series of books to be reviewed will be the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson.
Stay tuned....
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
In Progress
I'm in the middle of reading The Wayfinders by Wade Davis. So far it's pretty good. The book is a 5 part CBC Massey lecture series on cultural anthropology and it's written from a scientific background. So far, so good. The author has very poetic phrasings and makes the lecture interesting to read and you feel like you're almost there. Since I've never been much of a history buff, I find it easy to read and follow along. And it makes me want to keep reading!
I'll let you know more when I finish. :)
I'll let you know more when I finish. :)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Magic to the Bone: Chs 13-17 (end)
Wow. I just finished the book and felt the need to write while it was still fresh in my mind. And I'm not going to give away the ending!!
Cody was captured and is with the Snake man again.
Allie had been shot and was overloading with magic, healing herself like she had healed Cody. Zayvion took off and she left his apartment in the search for Mama. When she found Mama, she found Snake man, Cody, and Bonnie. She also found Zayvion.
What happened next? You'll have to read the book or ask a friend.
I will say that the ending of this book was really strong. It smacked of betrayal, loss and, finally, hope. I was initially surprised, thinking that the author was going to use Allie's wish to turn back time, which I thought was a coward's way out. And then I thought that Allie was going to go on her merry little way not knowing what was happening. I'm pleased that Allie was strong enough to go on her instincts where Zayvion was concerned. She may end up hurt again (it is a book series after all!) and she knows that he is lying about something, even if she doesn't remember what. I'm a romantic at heart, so the scene in the coffee shop in the end nearly made me cry.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I like strong female characters with attitudes, and I don't think Devon Monk overdid it; Allie definitely knew when to keep her mouth shut. When Allie gained her burns/tattoos/markings, I was worried that she was going to become this invincible magician of sorts who no longer had to pay for her magic use. It's a pet peeve of mine when a fallible character gains Superman-like abilities over the course of a book or series.
I really like how the author worked the magic angle in this series - about how when you use magic, it uses you right back - it has a karma ring to it. Human nature has decreed that when given an ability with consequences, we immediately look for loopholes, and Devon Monk has stuck to this motto: Allie made a point of saying that one of the first things people discovered was how to unload the curse on someone else so they didn't have to suffer any consequences themselves.
I definitely look forward to reading the next book in the series, "Magic in the Blood", and to having the next book, "Magic in Shadows" come out in November 2009. That is definitely on my to-buy list!
Unfortunately, I have a different book to review first, and a buddy lent me a 3 book series, so it may be a while before I'm able to return to this series.
Fun fact: Devon Monk is a die-hard knitter and gives away her knitting as prizes to her fans on her website.
Cody was captured and is with the Snake man again.
Allie had been shot and was overloading with magic, healing herself like she had healed Cody. Zayvion took off and she left his apartment in the search for Mama. When she found Mama, she found Snake man, Cody, and Bonnie. She also found Zayvion.
What happened next? You'll have to read the book or ask a friend.
I will say that the ending of this book was really strong. It smacked of betrayal, loss and, finally, hope. I was initially surprised, thinking that the author was going to use Allie's wish to turn back time, which I thought was a coward's way out. And then I thought that Allie was going to go on her merry little way not knowing what was happening. I'm pleased that Allie was strong enough to go on her instincts where Zayvion was concerned. She may end up hurt again (it is a book series after all!) and she knows that he is lying about something, even if she doesn't remember what. I'm a romantic at heart, so the scene in the coffee shop in the end nearly made me cry.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I like strong female characters with attitudes, and I don't think Devon Monk overdid it; Allie definitely knew when to keep her mouth shut. When Allie gained her burns/tattoos/markings, I was worried that she was going to become this invincible magician of sorts who no longer had to pay for her magic use. It's a pet peeve of mine when a fallible character gains Superman-like abilities over the course of a book or series.
I really like how the author worked the magic angle in this series - about how when you use magic, it uses you right back - it has a karma ring to it. Human nature has decreed that when given an ability with consequences, we immediately look for loopholes, and Devon Monk has stuck to this motto: Allie made a point of saying that one of the first things people discovered was how to unload the curse on someone else so they didn't have to suffer any consequences themselves.
I definitely look forward to reading the next book in the series, "Magic in the Blood", and to having the next book, "Magic in Shadows" come out in November 2009. That is definitely on my to-buy list!
Unfortunately, I have a different book to review first, and a buddy lent me a 3 book series, so it may be a while before I'm able to return to this series.
Fun fact: Devon Monk is a die-hard knitter and gives away her knitting as prizes to her fans on her website.
Magic to the Bone: Chs 6-12
Hmm. I don't think I like doing it a few chapters at a time. I think I go too far in depth with the story and it becomes a really long summary. Plus, if I'm covering books I've already read before, I don't want to do a few chapters when I already know what's going to happen later. Originally I had thought it would be a good idea if I want to make predictions about twists the story may take, but I think if I'm making long updates, everyone might as well just read the story themselves, lol!
To the story:
Allie's dad was found murdered and she's the main suspect. When running from a fellow (bitchy) Hound, Allie takes a detour along the river and garbage dump to lose her scent trail and stumbles across Cody's near-dead self. She somehow heals him and gains some nifty burns in the process. She takes him along and Zayvion magically shows up to help her out. The 3 of them (4 if you include Kitten) go to Nola's farm in Burns. While there, you find out that Cody either made Allie kill her father or forged her signature. Regardless, he was there, but before Allie can find out what he knows, Bonnie (the bitchy Hound - hah!) shows up and vanishes with Cody in thin air.
Knowing this to be impossible, Allie and Zayvion go back to Portland to talk to Allie's stepmom, Violet, who is a scientist and seemed to genuinely care for Allie's dad. Violet discusses her research regarding a portable power source and it seems plausible that Bonnie somehow acquired this technology during a supposed fire in the lab.
Allie and Zayvion go back to his place and have amazing sex and he admits to being in a secret magical society - an Authority on Magic. He also tells Allie that her burns-turned-tattoos have negative and positive ends (like a battery, but cooler) where she receives and dispenses her magic. They also discover that they are Soul Complements - their magic is complimentary and the flow of magic between them causes minimal backlash.
The next morning, Allie gets shot by an intruder and releases an uncontrolled flow of magic towards him. Then blacks out.
To the story:
Allie's dad was found murdered and she's the main suspect. When running from a fellow (bitchy) Hound, Allie takes a detour along the river and garbage dump to lose her scent trail and stumbles across Cody's near-dead self. She somehow heals him and gains some nifty burns in the process. She takes him along and Zayvion magically shows up to help her out. The 3 of them (4 if you include Kitten) go to Nola's farm in Burns. While there, you find out that Cody either made Allie kill her father or forged her signature. Regardless, he was there, but before Allie can find out what he knows, Bonnie (the bitchy Hound - hah!) shows up and vanishes with Cody in thin air.
Knowing this to be impossible, Allie and Zayvion go back to Portland to talk to Allie's stepmom, Violet, who is a scientist and seemed to genuinely care for Allie's dad. Violet discusses her research regarding a portable power source and it seems plausible that Bonnie somehow acquired this technology during a supposed fire in the lab.
Allie and Zayvion go back to his place and have amazing sex and he admits to being in a secret magical society - an Authority on Magic. He also tells Allie that her burns-turned-tattoos have negative and positive ends (like a battery, but cooler) where she receives and dispenses her magic. They also discover that they are Soul Complements - their magic is complimentary and the flow of magic between them causes minimal backlash.
The next morning, Allie gets shot by an intruder and releases an uncontrolled flow of magic towards him. Then blacks out.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Ariel: To Capture a Unicorn
I had this amazing idea to do a research essay-esque thing on unicorns and to talk about how Pete and Ariel has this weird relationship that was hampered by the fact they were different species. I also wanted to discuss how Pete couldn't have a normal relationship with a woman without losing Ariel. Then I started to read up on unicorns and I wanted to talk about the religious parallels and how sex caused the downfall of the unicorns. And maybe even talk about the irony of how unicorns are anti-sex and must reproduce asexually since sexual reproduction would be hypocritical.
And then I realized that this was my blog and I could write as much or as little as I wanted! And I decided that I wanted to do a short blurb on how the technique to capture a unicorn in the legends was reflected in this story!
But first, for those not familiar with my own personal obsession, a little background on unicorns:
Unicorns are mythical, horse-like creatures with a single horn (alicorn) in the middle of their forehead. Accounts of unicorn sightings have been found throughout the world and are even mentioned in the bible. While size, shape, colour and even hoof shape (cloven or solid?) have varied, the magical properties of the alicorn have remained constant. The alicorn is said to purify stagnant waters and to act as an antidote against poison, thus making it a staple for paranoid royalty. They have long been associated with the moon; they are silver in colour, have an affinity for water and are even paired with the Greek and Roman moon goddesses (Artemis and Diana, respectively), who are virgin goddesses. Unicorns are also known for their speed and ferocity (they hate elephants) but have a weakness for virgins (Allan, 2008; Matthews & Matthews, 2005).
Popular legend states that to capture a unicorn, one must have a virgin maid waiting in the unicorn's path. The beast will then lay his head on her lap and fall asleep, enabling hunters to capture and kill him (Allan, 2008; Matthews & Matthews, 2005).
In Ariel, the hunter was the necromancer who summoned her from the faery realm hoping to harvest her alicorn. Despite her initial escape and her year long jaunt with Pete, when the necromancer heard she was still alive, he sent the griffen rider to bring her back. When that didn't work, he tried to play the two against each other, offering first the life of Pete if her horn was offered willingly; and secondly, offering to find a way for Ariel to survive the loss of her horn is she cooperated.
The charming and irresistable virgin role was played by Pete, and while Ariel never fell asleep with her head on his lap, she did surrender her freedom for his by creating a distraction. Her self-sacrifice was noble, nearly costing her life, and subsequently, her horn. Luckily, Pete and their rag-tag group of freedom fighters saved the day and killed the bad guys. At this point, Ariel runs off.
And finally, the demise of the virgin's unicorn. Pete may have saved her life, but when he accepted Shaughnassy as a lover his unicorn became dead to him. The next morning when Ariel found them, he was unable to touch her as he was no longer pure.
It is possible that Ariel foresaw this future and purposefully stayed away until they consummated their relationship, making it impossible for Pete and Ariel to be together. Had Ariel wanted to, she would have been able to find them before that happened. It could be that the final scene in the woods was a goodbye. It could be symbolism for the Fall of Man.
What do you think happened?
Books used for background information:
Allan, Tony. 2008. The Mythic Bestiary: The Illustrated Guide to the World's Most Fantastical Creatures.
Matthews, John & Matthews, Caitlin. 2005. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic.
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