The promotion was for a Marjorie M. Liu novel, Soul Song. It’s the sixth book in the Dirk & Steele series. I came into this book having never read a previous book in this series, nor any of Liu’s previous novels. It is a paranormal romance, and not one I would have picked up in the bookstore, had I seen it on the shelf. Getting an ARC was a great way to try out a book I normally wouldn’t want to spend my money on. I now have an urge to look up Liu’s backlist, and gorge myself on her paranormal.

Soul Song

Although Soul Song is the sixth in a book series, the average reader wouldn’t know it unless they had read the previous books. At no point did I feel lost, wishing that I started at the beginning instead of the middle.

Liu opens the novel up in a parked car. Our future hero M’cal² is a male prostitute—and a soul stealer. He takes the soul of the woman accompanying him, leaving her an empty shell of a woman who’s body will most likely die within a day or two. He doesn’t want to steal her soul, though, and when he’s through with the act, he returns to the water, and to the witch that compels him to do it.

Enslaved by the witch and forced to do what she commands, M’cal is powerless to stop what she has compelled him to do. The witch has demanded the soul of Kitalia Bell, a violin virtuoso, and a woman not without her own powers. Kitalia can “see” murders—she can see the violent manner of peoples death, but has no power to fight it.

On the night that M’cal first locates her, Kitalia sees a woman with a knife in her eyeball sitting in the front row during her concert. After the concert, she sees the woman again on the street. Normally she would ignore the vision—most people wouldn’t believe her if she told them they were going to be murdered, and she didn’t actually know when they were going to die. For some reason, though, Kitalia feels compelled to warn the woman, which in turn snowballs into the main conflict of the story. Caught in the cross fire, M’cal saves Kitalia from the woman’s pursuers, but informs her that he himself has been sent to kill her.

“I was sent here to kill you,”he rasped, jerking her around to face him. “I am still supposed to kill you. And I will, if you don not leave this place. Right now.”

She did not blink, though he could hear her heart fluttering, wild. “You rescued me.”

“No,” he breathed. “Do not trust that.”

M’cal is a Krackeni, a merman who can shift between his fin and his legs. There are other shape-shifters in the novel, some of who hint at backstory which is probably contained in previous books, although there was no sense of missing connections and references to previous novels. The conflict escalates, as does the romance, until both are resolved in a final climactic scene.

Opinion

Soul Song was a very well written romance novel. There were only a few places where I thought the description or narration could be more polished, but that’s to be expected in an ARC. The confrontations were believable, and I truly did not know which direction the story was going until we finally got there.

My only real gripe was the passage of time. According to the characters, who comment on it, the entire novel, from the moment M’cal first sees Kitalia to the moment they have defeated the evil witch, is only two days. Two days in which two characters who had separately sworn off love for different reasons fall so madly in love that M’cal actually performs a Krackeni marriage ceremony, which bonds him with Kitalia for the rest of his life, unable to take another. Granted, this gives them a connection that later in the final scene helps the two of them come out relatively unscathed, but at the same time it makes M’cal seem like he can’t learn from the past. After all, he was enslaved to the witch because he’d not known her very long and thought he was in love with her.

Until I had been informed of the time frame from the characters, I truly thought the book had taken about a week through time, which would have helped explain the super-fast, super-hot love affair of two people who from first appearances shouldn’t be together. After all, who falls in love with their hired killer?

Also, Liu drops in four shape-shifters, when after the introduction, we really only see one of them again. It appears that their whole purpose is to fill a car with non-human men, and thus convince the reader that it’s perfectly all right that Kitalia is in love with this man who can become a fish. Which is just silly, since the reader wants Kitalia with M’cal from the first moment he saves her.

Conclusion

While this isn’t my first foray into paranormal romance, this is my first encounter with Liu’s work. I enjoyed it immensely, and couldn’t put it down. I read it in one sitting, putting aside everything else I had planned to do yesterday evening.

If you’ve been looking to start a new genre—whether you read romances, and want to try paranormal, or you read paranormal and want to try romances—this is as good a place as any.

I really hadn’t expected to like it as much as I did; I’d had the book on my bookshelf for over a week, and normally new romances don’t last that long on my reading pile.

Soul Song will be available in stores next Tuesday, July 3.

Rating

[rate 3]

1. Advanced Reading Copy
2. The entire time I was reading, I misread this name. I know it’s supposed to be mm-cal, but I have a friend named Mi’cal—seriously, with the apostrophe and all—and I kept hearing my-cal in my head

It should be no surprise then, that my most recently read book was written in 1803, and published in 1818. Jane Austen has to be my favorite English author of all time. Seriously. The dry wit, and the acute observation of human nature makes Austen one of the few authors where I have to read the books multiple times to get the full depth of what she’s writing.

Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

The first of Jane Austen’s novels was one of her last to be published. She sold it to a publisher in 1803, and when he didn’t publish it, she bought it back eight years later. Originally titled “Susan,” and then “Catherine” after she bought it back and changed the name of the lead character, her brother renamed it and had it published after her death.

Northanger Abbey is a parody of the gothic novel, a genre very popular in Austen’s time. Within the work it’s self, she mentions several gothic novels of the period. The characters converse about the novels they have–or haven’t–read. Also, when Catherine arrives at Northanger Abbey, she fancies herself in a gothic novel, and reads into things in a way they weren’t meant. Caroline snaps out of it when Henry comes to visit, and point out that life is rarely like a novel.

As many of Austen’s novels are, Northanger Abbey is an in-depth look into what life was like in the 1800’s, and what was expected of women at the time. A lot of confusion is caused by money, or the lack of it, and by the boasting of John Thorpe, who seems to be unable to speak the truth.

Opinion

I really liked this book. I liked the parody, I liked the relationship build up, I liked the way the “evil” characters get their proper dues. A reader always knows what to expect with Austen, and is never disappointed (if, of course, you like her other work). One of the things I enjoyed about this book, is that occasionally the narrator breaks into the story. Whether defending the novel as a serious piece of writing, or the character’s actions, the reader feels as if Austen herself has interrupted the story to clarify things that may go misunderstood.

I read this book in an evening, which although I read rather faster than the average person, is indicative of how engaging this novel is. I couldn’t put it down once I started it, and when I reached the end, I was loath to let it go. I felt a connection with Catherine that I don’t usually get with the female characters in the books I read. Austen’s description of Catherine matches how I often felt as a child:

“She was fond of all boys’ plays, and greatly preferred cricket, not merely to dolls, but to the more heroic enjoyments of infancy, nursing a dormouse, feeding a canary-bird, or watering a rose-bush. Indeed she had no taste for a garden; and if she gathered flowers at all, it was chiefly for the pleasure of mischief–at least so it was conjectured from her always preferring those which she was forbidden to take.” (Chapter 1) Northanger Abbey

Conclusion

The ending, while predictable, was still entertaining, and it’s a quick read, compared to some of Austen’s other works. Austen has a habit of wrapping up loose ends, and marrying off those characters who she deems worthy to find their happiness. And her characters do, falling in love with their betrothed in a time when people married for status and money, not for love.

If you’ve read and enjoyed Austin’s other works, there is no reason to not like this one. While not as polished as Pride and Prejudice, or Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey has a quality about it that the others don’t seem to possess. Perhaps it’s because it was her first full-length novel, or because it was published after her death, Northanger Abbey is almost like an insight into Austen herself, pinpointing what she thought was important at that time in her life.

While usually considered a “female novel,” only interesting to those of the fairer sex, any reader who has interest in the time period that Austen lived would find this novel a great asset to deciphering the social hierarchies and morals of that time period.

Rating:

[rate 3.5]

So, what I’d like to do is review books. Not to the extent of a book report, but something similar just the same. I’d love to review ARC’s but seriously, where am I going to get those? (so, if you’re an author, send me an ARC, and I’ll totally review for you).

The book for todays review was published awhile ago, and is a really well known author. I mean, who hasn’t heard of Anne Rice?

The Vampire Chronicles: Blood Canticle

Blood Canticle by Anne Rice. Published in 2003 , Blood Canticle is the most recent of the Vampire Chronicles, featuring Lestat de Lioncourt. It also combines characters from Rice's other works, Blackwood Farm, and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy.

Written in the first person from the point of view of Lestat and set in New Orleans, the story is slow paced, and not at all similar to how I remember any of the previous Vampire Chronicles. From what I’ve read online, this could perhaps be the last Chronicle novel Rice writes. After re-immersing herself in the Catholic faith, she “announced in a Newsweek article that she would ‘write only for the Lord.’”¹. However, there could also be another, more “literary” reason to why there would be no more Chronicles, however, I would leave that interpretation open to only those who have read the book, and see what I see (I don’t want to give it away, just yet, you know?).

Plot

Warning: Spoilers ahead. Skip over if you like to be surprised.

The story opens up with Lestat and Quinn in Quinn’s house, surrounded by mortals. They’ve just excised Goblin (a ghost) from Blackwood Manor, and the vampire Merrick Mayfair has just gone up to the light, burned at the bier meant to take Goblin. The residence of Blackwood Manor have no idea that their master Quinn is of the undead, and for the entirety of the novel, never know that both Quinn and Lestat, who is a frequent visitor, are vampires.

Mona Mayfair, 20, love of Quinn’s mortal life, comes to the Manor to die. She’s been wasting away for the last two years, and there is no cure. Quinn desperately wants to save her with the Dark Trick, but as he’s never done it, Lestat is very accommodating. He performs the Dark Trick on Mona, dubbing her Ophelia Immortal, and falls in love with her, as he does with all he’s created. After her rebirth into immortality, she acts like the typical “I’ve been practically dead for two year, and now I’m better than ever” person, and flaunts her new found sexuality. Unfortunately, she’s still trapped by her mortal wants.

Mona gave birth to Walking Baby, better known as a Taltos, which brought on her wasting disease. Her daughter was taken from her by Rowan Mayfair – witch, neurosurgeon, and head of the Mayfair family. The daughter is then taken from Rowan by an ancient Taltos, with the intent of recreating the race. Mona desperately wants to find her daughter, and has the delusional idea that having found her, they’d be one big happy abnormal family.

When Rowan sees Mona after the transformation, she realizes Mona is a Blood Child, although she doesn’t recognize that both Lestat and Quinn are as well. Lestat forms a plan to “exchange secrets,” that the vampires will own up to what they are, and Rowan will tell her story about why Mona’s daughter can’t be found.

After a long discussion where Mona acts like a brat, Lestat—who’s fallen in love with Rowan by now—promises to find the Taltos, and bring back Mona’s daughter. Lestat and Quinn extract a promise from Mona that she won’t try to turn her daughter with the Dark Trick, because they don’t know what the mix of bloods will do.

Lestat is really rather lazy, and his only form of looking for the Taltos is calling for Maharet to help him. She responds in an email telling him where the Taltos are, and berates him for not knowing how to use email. Mona emails Maharet back thanking her for the information, and they start emailing back and forth.

The rest of the novel progresses on as blandly as that, no real climax, no real fear of anything bad happening or anything like that. It’s an intriguing story, but it isn’t very exciting.

Style

Being written from Lestat’s point of view, it’s difficult at first to get a grip on just how selfish Lestat is. He goes on about his clothing, his love for everyone, how he wishes to be a saint, and a lot about Saint Juan Diego, beatified by Pope John Paul II. Lestat manages to annoy and intrigue at the same time, and the first person lets the reader feel like Lestat is really telling the story in a very personal way.

Conclusion

While this book was alright, it definitely wasn’t my favorite. I can see why some people have complained about, just as I understand why Rice wrote a response to the negative reviews² that were posted on Amazon. If you’ve read the rest of the Chronicles, obviously, this is a read for you. If you’ve never read the Chronicles (seeing the movies do not count), this is not the book to start with. The new vampires, the Mayfair family, and the story of the Taltos is enough to overcome Lestat’s storytelling style—and yes it is “his” style, as he tells the story.

Rating

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

1. Quoted from the Wikipedia article on Anne Rice.
2. Anne’s response to negative Amazon reviews. I didn’t read the negative reviews, but I tend to agree with what she’s saying here. Also, the line at the end? Also leads me to believe there will be no more Chronicles. I can imagine why (and really, it’s a better reason than what I thought. It’s all Lestat’s fault).

My sister has been bugging me for a week or to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chobosky. She gave it to me earlier in the month, after she had read it, borrowing it from a classmate.

Wow is all I can say about this book. It’s about the freshman year of someone who is different, someone who (I believe) everyone can relate to in one or another. The story is told through letters the narrator Charlie has written to this anonymous person, who he has never met.

The whole time I was reading it, I was thinking “I know how that is. Oh, I’ve lived through that. Yep, that happened to me.” It is such a heart wrenching account of a year in this guy’s life where he has to deal with his best friend committing suicide, his friends from junior high not speaking to him, and dealing with trying to “participate” in life and not just sit on the sidelines.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt like they were on the outside looking in, like they are the only one who feels the way they do. It’s just so hard to explain why this book is so good.

Ugh, just read the damn thing. It’s so short, you could probably finish it at the book store (and if you didn’t, there’s no way you would be able to leave it behind.)

And I really have not done any amount of justice to how good this book is. If you’ve got a chance, pick it up.

- “Am I Missing,” A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar: Dashboard Confessional