Review: Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Book Details:
Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 1)
By J.R. Ward
Genre: Fantasy
Published 2005, Penguin Group
Paperback, 393 pages
ISBN: 9780451216953


Synopsis:

          In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.
The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

I have read many good recommendations for this series, so I finally decided to try it out for myself to see how I would like it. I had some difficulty getting into the book in the beginning, especially with a glossary of terms that I had to sift through before I even began. I do appreciate intricate world-building though, and J.R. Ward weaves a very convincing, if complicated, world for her characters to live in.
The main character from the Black Dagger Brotherhood featured in this first book is Wrath, the blind king of the vampires who refuses to acknowledge his calling. The fact that he is near-blind is what I find most intriguing, especially since he hides it extremely well and seems to be as ashamed of it as his heritage. The descriptions that Ward uses to illustrate his lack of sight are quite beautiful and detailed and some of the best parts of the book.
The Lessening Society is the name of the group of people who's sole job is to hunt and kill the vampire race. The reader follows along on the leader of this organization's plans in parallel to the workings of the Brotherhood, so I got to know Mr. X as well as Wrath. The descriptions of the members of this society fit closer to that of zombies, and I disliked them right from the beginning. While I get that there must be an "ultimate evil" for the good guys to battle, I wish this group would just disappear.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a perplexing blend of male vampires, with names like Rhage and Tohrment, but I could see right away that their group was too small for such a big task set before them. Wrath's solution at the end was somewhat predictable in that way.
Butch's role in the book takes quite a different turn from what I expected, and I am more interested in how he develops in the series than many of the other characters. Hopefully, this will be part of the plot of the next book in the series, Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 2).

The Cover: There is not much that can be gathered from the cover, other than the obvious vampire reference and a blurry tattoo. I can't say that I really care for the cover.

First Line: "Darius looked around the club, taking in the teeming, half-naked bodies on the dance floor."
I am not sure how reading about a dance club is supposed to entice me to continue reading, but I am curious as to who Darius is.

Favorite Quote: "Welcome to the wonderful world of jealousy, he thought. For the price of admission, you get a splitting headache, a nearly irresistable urge to commit murder, and an inferiority complex. Yippee."

Read For: 101 Fantasy Challenge, Black Dagger Brotherhood Challenge

Teaser Tuesday: A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!).
5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teaser:

          While Julietta was talking with Angelo, Luciana was back on Beacon Hill.She'd been sent to retrieve the sample books from Mrs. Quinn. And this time, Billy wasn't going out to The Tennis and Racquet Club, he was coming back. He jogged up the steps behind her and opened the door for her. What good fortune! What great luck!
She was wearing the same gown she'd worn the day before, an ivory color, in fabric so insubstantial it seemed to float in the air around her. It was done up with a sash that het him know that underneath all those layers she was as slender as she was lithe. He wondered anew what country she was from. Had he had the advantage of a classical education, he would have known how to speak Italian. Proper Italian. Her Italian. As it was, his mother had never let him learn it. It was the one point from which his father could never sway her.
'For what purpose?' she had always asked. 'So that he can speak to those filthy, destitute immigrants? Why should he have to learn to speak to them? They ought to be learning to speak to him.' - pg. 126, A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell

What are you reading this week?

Review: Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine

Book Details:
Kiss of Death (Morganville Vampires, Book 8)
By Rachel Caine
Genre: Fantasy
Published 2010, Penguin Group
Paperback, 241 pages
ISBN: 9780451229731


Synopsis:

          A new chapter in the New York Times bestselling Morganville Vampires saga.
Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael's all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell...

I think Rachel Caine could make a trip to the grocery store intoxicating, as long as it took place in Morganville. Kiss of Death introduced a wide variety of variables to play with by allowing the residents of Glass House a road trip outside of town, in the company of the less-than-companionable Oliver. Little did they know that they would not be truly leaving Morganville's craziness behind. From a near-death experience at a late-night truck stop to the destruction of Eve's beloved vehicle, from the surprising usefulness of Eve's brother Jason to the after-effects of Bishop's passage through Texas, Claire, Eve, Shane, and Michael were forced to fight for their lives and freedom from cover to cover, with barely enough time to throw out a few Buffy-esque quips to keep me laughing as I read as fast as I could.
The progression of the various relationships of the main characters were quite interesting. Eve and Michael's relationship is filled with angst and stress over their biological differences, but ironically still makes for typical young love issues. Shane and Claire's relationship lacks the drama of Eve and Michael's, but provides a solid foundation for the two in the midst of the chaos of their lives without becoming sickly sweet. Eve's brother Jason also seems to be in pursuit of redemption with the relationship he has with Eve, even despite his ignoble views about life in Morganville. The reader even gets a broader view of Oliver that shows he may actually have some concern for the lowly humans.
The town of Blacke and its inhabitants could possibly add a new dimension to the series that I hope to see in the next book, Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires, Book 9).

The Cover: So I had to read the entire book to understand the pink hair, but other than that, it is still a great cover.

First Line: "The way the Glass House worked, on a practical level, was that there was a schedule for the stuff that had to be done -- cooking, cleaning, fixing things, laundry."
While this opening may expound on some of the nuances of the Glass House for devout fans of the series, it in no way compels a person new to the series to continue past this opening line.

Favorite Quote: "My dad used to say that life's a journey, but somebody screwed up and lost the map."