Darkest Mercy – Melissa Marr
Last month I was given the chance to read Melissa Marr’s latest masterpiece and final book of the Wicked Lovely young adult series, Darkest Mercy. As with all good things, I knew the series was coming to an end. But rather than fill me with sadness and a feeling of loss like so many other conclusions have, this final installment filled me with sweet contentment (which I imagine would be similar to Summer Wine!)
I was utterly elated upon finishing Darkest Mercy. I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to end the series. (If you’ve read the book than you know exactly what I mean!) I went in with exactly zero expectations of what would happen and I was pleased at each turn of every page. Marr doesn’t simply wrap up all the loose ends in a nice, neat bow. Rather she takes the beginnings and weaves them into the endings, so that the entire series forms a perfect imperfect circle of beginnings, middles, ends… and new beginnings. Because the story never really ends, does it?
It’s always just starting.
It’s that line of hope, that light in the distance that keeps many of us going and its that touch of personal insight that makes me love her books so much. She puts so much of herself into her work that its like reading someones diary. Or reading your own diary. She has a gift of being able to connect with her readers through her words and characters that is just baffling to me. Because who hasn’t been faced with a tough decision and thought, “Well… what the hell am I supposed to do now?” Marr answers that question again and again in her series.
Do what you can.
Do what you have to do.
Make the choice yours.
Darkest Mercy is right back to where the first book left off. Making choices. The choices are, in some ways, more important than they were in the first book. Though in Darkest Mercy they affect more than just one person. As the characters have all grown, the things they have to deal with must also change. Marr has taken a rather large group of characters and brought all their stories together for a stunning and lift altering conclusion. In Darkest Mercy every character has to make a choice, take a stand and protect what is theirs. Maybe its something larger than yourself or maybe its just one person…
While the other Wicked Lovely books have seemed more centered on choices I feel that Darkest Mercy also centers itself on hope. Not empty hope or false hope, but true hope and the belief that there are better things. That good can conquer evil and love will prevail. Of course it’s not all a fairy tale, is it? A lot of things will happen along the way that we don’t want to happen. Things that we’ll pray were just a dream or a joke or reversible. But its not a joke or a dream. These things are going to happen whether you want them to or not.
This book draws parallels from the world around us as well. Darkest Mercy reminds us that there is real darkness in the world.
But there is also great light in the world, within yourself and others.
If you’re not familiar with the series it is something I always recommend to anyone looking for a good read– especially to young women. Marr has created not one but several strong female heroines in her books that I, even as a grown woman, am proud to call my role models.
And if you’re familiar with the series I encourage you to re-read the first book again. You will be shocked at how beautifully Marr weaves in and out of the beginning and end of this series. It’s also a special treat to read your favorite characters again as they were in the first book knowing where they end up. 
Disclaimer: I was not paid for this or any other reviews on this blog. I was sent an advanced reading copy of the book which I then sent out to another lucky reader for review. (Thanks again to Melissa for giving me the opportunity to read the book!)
Daily photos
I’ve started this challenge in the past.
I never got past 80 photos.
Since some life changes have occurred lately I’ve been able to spend more time with my photography.
My camera has never gotten a workout like this before!
For the last 3 weeks I’ve been taking daily photos of myself, here’s what I have to show for it!
Fallen by Lauren Kate
Lauren Kate has joined two of my favorite themes, soul mates and fallen angels, in her new series kick-off Fallen. (I’ve mentioned before that I have a weak spot for fallen angels and I could not be happier that it’s an ever-expanding sub genre of fantasy YA novels.) The book starts off with plenty of intrigue and mystery which just keeps leading to more and more mystery as the story progresses. For every question answered a new one appears, but not in an annoying way. Kate manages to keep you interested even though there are tons of new loose ends to tie up in the second book Torment, out in late September.
The main characters are vague enough that you can jump into the scene, as opposed to jumping off the page themselves. I think both styles have merit but I think its personal preference to which is better. Kate also did a great job of making me care about the characters by showing their vulnerabilities and short comings. No one is perfect… not even angels.
The subject matter also manages to stay on topic (ya know, about angels) without becoming grossly over-religious. The mythology can exist without the over-tones that put off many audiences and Kate did a wonderful job with that.
Kate spent a lot of time building a world for her characters and it seems like they wont be living in that world anymore in the second book. I’m not sure how this will play out or if it will even matter, but it seems like a shame to have taken so much time creating something to abandon it in the end. However, the series seems very well planned out. Sometimes it seems like one book was written and then the publisher asked for a series. I don’t get that feeling with Fallen and I definitely look forward to reading the next book soon!
What is a Kobo?
Borders will be releasing its new e-book reader, Kobo, next month, adding their name to the slowly growing list of book retailers who offer an e-book reader to accompany their over priced digital downloads. So lets take a look what’s different about the Kobo. (Kobo is ‘book’ rearranged, if you haven’t seen it yet.)
The Kobo comes equipped with Bluetooth and has a standard USB port which means when you inevitably lose the cable you can buy another one at any electronics store. It only weighs half a pound making it the lightest e-reader out at the moment and the smallest if even only by a few fractions of an inch. It also boasts a quilted back, but I can’t tell if its made of some soft pleathery material or just molded plastic. It comes with a gig of memory and they proffer that the battery can last up to 2 weeks. Although my iPod Touch can last up to 6 weeks if I’m not using it, so who knows what that really means.
The Kobo also supports PDF and epub books (and Adobe DRM but lets pretend that never happened) which is what all e-readers should support at the very least. The Kobo also has a fairly reasonable price of $150. It’s still a lot to pay for something whose main function can be accomplished by going to the library, but its a lot less than the prices of its competitors. The only downside this might have is that the quality will be somewhat lacking, though I sincerely doubt that will be the case.
Now a quick note on the new Kobo Book Store that’s already open. They have a free app for your desktop, most smart phones and almost all other e-readers. The store itself is separate from Borders’ website, in style and in name. I’m not sure if this was just an aesthetic call or a business one, but I appreciate the clean and separate feel of the Kobo store. Their prices are pretty standard so they’re going to rely more on ease of use for their draw. In my opinion their website is easier and more enjoyable to use than anyone else’s. I appreciate that their website isn’t trying to shove the Kobo E-Reader down my throat as well, it’s listed near the bottom of the site as a plain text link instead of taking up most of their front page. I also really appreciate that they have a special header for “Free eBooks”. Thank you, Borders, for making my never-ending search for free media easier.
Since I never could decide on one e-reader over another I use my iPod Touch for reading books, which means I get to check out everyone’s e-reader apps. Kobo’s app is actually a lot different from its competitors. It requires a bit of a learning curve if you’re used to the Kindle or B&N apps but once I got the hang of it I think I might like it more than the others. The Kobo app is a reader and a store in one so you don’t have to keep flipping back to a web browser or other app to get books and samples. Once you find the book you want you can read the samples right there on the product page, then you can buy it and read it right away. It does take some time to download to your device, but it lets you read as it downloads too. It seems like they asked users what was missing from the e-book experience and tried to tackle those issues instead of just copying the competition.
I’m still undecided on whether or not the Kobo will really cause much of a stir in the e-reader “race” this late in the game but they get points from me for doing it anyway. I hope that they continue to push the market towards better functioning devices with realistic price tags.
P. S. For every Kobo Book you buy from now until May 31st you get entered in a contest to win a free Kobo. They’re giving ten of them away. It’s a nice little incentive for trying out their app and some books.
I am not affiliated with Borders or Kobo and I didn’t receive any incentives for this article.
Mini Book Review: Stopping Time
Melissa Marr released a free short story not too long ago about two characters from the book Ink Exchange. I fell in love with these two characters and wanted nothing more than for them to finally get together… but sometimes a perfect happily ever after just isn’t realistic. And Melissa Marr isn’t afraid to show that, even in the most heartbreaking of ways.
Marr’s characters don’t always get what they want in the end, because sometimes what you want isn’t what you need. Its a huge leap away from the typical “Happily Ever After” of so many novels out there, but its also extremely refreshing. Being realistic is more important than being trite to her and it shows in her novels. I’ve always been a fan of her underlying messages and her obvious support of a persons ability to choose their fate. And she doesn’t disappoint in Stopping Time.
Halfway to the Grave
Its been a while since I’ve been able to review any books because… we bought a house! Packing up our entire life and painting, cleaning and otherwise renovating the new place took about a month of my reading time. Give or take a few weeks.
To get back into the addiction habit I picked up an old favorite, Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. A friend recommended the book to me last year by saying, “The guy is like Spike from Buffy, but way sexier.” (I’m a closet Spike fan, yes.) Not sure of how Spike could get any sexier, I dove headfirst into the novel. And about halfway through I realized this was a grown up book and it can get way sexier. If Frost and Whedon were ever in the same room together I’m quite sure the entire universe will implode on itself. Also “Surprise” (S2 E13) would have been a whole lot steamier.
(Possible spoilers ahead, but only if you’re unfamiliar with the staples of romance novels in general.)
Frost has a great talent for character building and its what I love most about this series. She doesn’t just outline a world and toss some people into it. Rather she has crafted characters in a fictional world and given them problems they have to sort out. The main character, Cat, is snarky, stubborn and passionate about one thing– killing vampires. The other main character, Bones, is lethal, sexy and has become smitten with Cat. You can see where this is going… Only Frost doesn’t take conventional routes to get to the conclusion and she doesn’t change the characters’ resolve simply to make a point. Cat is still stubborn and hates vampires, but she’s also sort of in love with one. And Bones doesn’t have a soul à la BtVS to make him more lovable, he has to prove it to Cat (and the audience) that he’s worth loving. And when they finally get there Frost doesn’t spare any details.
Radiant Shadows
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Melissa Marr’s work, but I promise the following is based solely on the quality of her upcoming book, Radiant Shadows. I was lucky enough to get an Advanced Reading Copy from Melissa herself so that I could share my thoughts on the book with you guys.
Melissa Marr’s books are about choices. Her characters always have choices, even if they’re not very clear to them. There is always a choice. An important lesson for the general audience of these books, young adults. You always have a choice, even when it seems like you don’t.
Radiant Shadows is about Ani, half mortal and half Hound, and Devlin, the High Queens assassin and revolves (somewhat) around the High Court rather then the others we’ve seen more of so far in the series. Ani is quite a free spirit, but she’s never really belonged to anything. She can’t pass for human anymore in the mortal world and everyone in the faerie world is too afraid she’ll get hurt if they take her in completely. They’d rather hide and protect her from the imminent threats in the outside world. Something the wild and raucous Hound in her does not want. Devlin has been presented to us as a rigid character who has made his choice of where he stands very clear… but he’s not really sure where he belongs. In that sense Radiant Shadows is very much about belonging as well. And who can’t relate to that?
My favorite thing about Marr’s books is that they aren’t just about a relationship getting off the ground. That certainly exists but it’s never the main point of the book. She weaves the relationship into the other situations and main plot until you can’t see the distinction anymore. Ani and Devlin get together not because the plot requires it, but because their personalities and choices lead them to one another. Marr doesn’t create situations and then stick characters into them, she creates characters with history, emotions and personality and then sticks them in a situation to see what happens. It takes an enormous amount of talent to create a universe so rich and intricate, then create dozens of characters and know how every single one of them will react to the same stimuli.
I said before in my review of Ink Exchange (book 2) that its obvious Marr has put some of herself into these books and that I could relate to that part almost painfully in Ink Exchange. I see that again in Radiant Shadows but not in the same way. Radiant Shadows is still about reigning your own destiny, making your own choices and empowering yourself, but I felt more of a connection with the story and its eventual outcome than I have with any others from the series. It brought me to tears again but in a more joyous way this time around. There are few authors who can hit you so deep that you are physically and emotionally moved by their words. If you find one who can, its best to buy all their books and settle in for a long weekend.
If you haven’t heard of the Wicked Lovely series you should definitely check it out, it’s probably my favorite YA series of all time. And if you are already drawn to the world of Wicked Lovely check out Stopping Time, a free short story which takes place after Ink Exchange. Part 2 just came out today!
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8
I was a devout Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan from 1997-2003. Watching Buffy on Tuesday nights was almost ritual and when I couldn’t watch it I diligently set up two VCRs to record it. Back then we had to set a timer on a VCR to record shows we were going to miss. We didn’t have DVR. Or Hulu.
When Buffy ended in 2001 I cried. When it ended again in 2003 I cried again. And when Dark Horse Comic released Season 8 I cried with joy (for the first time in regards to a Joss Whedon creation. The man is wicked!)
If you were a fan of the series you should pick up the first comic and check it out. While the format has changed, Whedon hasn’t lost his fantastic plot lines, character relationships and off-beat banter that we all loved. In fact its almost better because they aren’t limited to pesky things like physics, current special effects and the FCC. Don’t worry, its still kept clean, but he investigates subjects that network execs would have shrieked in horror over 6 years ago.
Season 8 seems more grown up than the TV show– and it should. As fans we grew and matured with Buffy. We went through first days first loves and first jobs with her. We went through bad breakups, ending friendships and parental disagreements with her. We saved the world with her (many times!) So it makes sense that the subjects and plots are also more grown up than they were. Buffy has grown up. And so have we.
But the true meaning of the show has not been lost. We can still relate to Buffy’s story in regards to our own. Instead of worrying about what to wear to the Bronze, Buffy worrys about which weapons to take into battle. But it was never about what to wear to a club, it was always about something greater, about making a decision that really could end the world. And that’s sort of how teenagers feel about everything, right? (As Joyce unknowingly pointed out several times, it really was for Buffy!) As we get older, our world expands, our perspective expands– and so has Buffy’s.
Along with the trifles of high school, the episodic ‘creature features’ are also gone. In the show there was a larger plot every season with ‘creature features’ peppered in here and there. The main plot made tiny appearances during the entire show; with major events usually happening in the beginning, middle and the big finale of the season. The new comics are completely about the larger plot, which also allows Whedon to grow those plots into something more than can just be carried by a 45 minute TV show. There isn’t just one main plot anymore, there are several that all weave in and out of one another in some “big picture” way that you could never get away with in a TV show back then. Though as we’ve seen with shows like 24 and LOST, its pretty acceptable now. Its a shame the networks didn’t realize Whedon’s genius back then.
If you were a fan of the show, you will be a fan of the comics. Even if you don’t really like comics. Dark Horse Comics has really allowed Whedon to express his true genius and talents. When you think about it, comics aren’t that different from a story board. Its obvious Whedon has true gift for conveying a story and a feeling in panels. I do hope he keeps making fantastic TV shows, but I wouldn’t mind it if he just stuck to comics either.
So far five volumes have been released in Season 8 with volume 6 out in March. (Volumes are collections of five comic books. The volumes are also paperback bound, so they feel more like a book than a comic. )
New Blog & A Little Love
I started a new craft blog, Shiny Crafts, which will cover any and all crafts. I’ll be featuring work of my own, work around the net and work of my fellow crafters. Keep checking back for new and fun stuff craft related! Tomorrow will be a knitting post.
I debuted with a post of DIY Valentines gifts. So update and add to your feeds! Even if you don’t craft normally there are some great and easy projects to help make your Valentines Day a little more unique.
pic on flickr
Thanks for checking it out!
Book Review: Claimed by Shadow
I read Touch of Darkness by Karen Chance last year and recently finally got around to reading the second book in the series, Claimed by Shadow. The series follows the same woman, Cassie, who is a clairvoyant with an interesting job title. You’ll have to read book one for the explanation to that, as I’m not all that into spoilers. At any rate, I really liked the style of writing and surprises of book 1 so it was no small leap to pick up book 2.
Claimed by Shadow started off a little slower than the first in the series and it took some time to get back up to the same pacing. Fortunately it did and the action mixed with drama and sass was back in full force. Unfortunately about 2/3 into the novel I realized that none of the main plot points that were set up in the beginning portions of the book were going to be solved. In fact, Chance even added a few more– to set up for book 3.
Now I know that this is a series and I really don’t mind set up for future books at the tail end, but I felt like the entire thing was a prelude to the next book. I didn’t feel like there was much resolution to any of the plot points and if there was, there was an added twist that left it still open for the next book. Where book one was a complete novel with a beginning, middle and end, book two seemed to fall short with just a beginning and part of a middle.
Series books that don’t have a contained end are a little bit of a pet peeve for me. I don’t mind a little “Next time on...” at the end, but not if it spans more than a few pages. Too many loose ends makes me wonder if the book was originally really long and broken up into two novels with little finesse or if the author just left me handing to keep me reading. Neither is very appealing.
I should also mention that this book contains a little bit of almost rape, which is just a big fat HELL NO in my book. I didn’t feel like it was at all important to the plot and it was also brushed off later in the book like it was nothing. I don’t want to read about it, ever. The only time its maybe almost alright is if it was in a characters past and somehow defined them for the present plot (and isn’t revolting described in detail!) There’s absolutely no reason to put it into a books current timeline, especially if the author isn’t going to appropriately handle it later on.
I think Karen Chance has a good style of writing and she has definitely created a character with a lot of attitude and heart, but some of her choices for plot points and multiple loose ends just left me a little cold.
