Tag: Fantasy

Lover Eternal

fantasticfictionsblog

Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward
Series Name: Black Dagger Brotherhood
Volume Number: 2
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Urban, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Signet/Penguin Group (USA)
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-451-21804-9
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes & Noble ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other – six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast, Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He’s the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover – for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage’s protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage’s intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves….

Personal & Info

It’s been a little over a year since I read this, but I clearly remember it’s one of my favorite volumes in the series so far. I want to catch up on these reviews before I continue reading the series at volume eleven, so I’m going to do my best to try to make some coherent sense despite the lengthy gap of time between now and when I read this.

Content Warnings

I’m not sure how important content warnings are. I know they’re important to some people, and others don’t care. There are a few things in this book that might raise some flags for certain types of people. I’m not used to covering content warnings, and I can’t remember everything that happened in the book. I’ll just keep a running list of all the possible triggers I’ve seen (that I remember) in the series as I go. Remember, I haven’t read this in about a year, so I might forget or miss some.

Triggers in the series so far: attempted rape, rape, sexual themes, violence, and kidnapping.

Characters

Rhage is the primary Brother for the romance in this book, and probably my favorite of the six. I definitely like him more than Wrath. Rhage can be a little creep-o sometimes, but I love most of his interactions with Mary, and getting to know his character better.

Zsadist a.k.a Z, gets a more in depth introduction in this book. His book is the one after this, so this one sets up events for that one.

Mary Luce is obviously the love interest. She’s a cancer survivor who works at a suicide hotline. Her house sounds super cozy.

John Matthew is a significant character, with a traumatic backstory, introduced in this volume. The most important thing to know about him that is not a spoiler is he speaks with sign language.

Bella…I don’t remember her family name. Not important, she’s Bella, that’s all that matters. Bella is a lady vampire introduced in this volume. She wants adventure, or a bad boy in her life.

Mr. O is a new guy on the villain’s side. He’s kind of creepy. I’ll leave it at that.

Story & Thoughts

I think this book is better than volume one. That’s usually the case with most series, because the first volume typically has a lot of work to do with character introductions and world building. The story starts out quicker than the first book. Characters are introduced faster, and they meet sooner. All the setting groundwork and initial character introductions are already done, so the pacing for this volume is better.

As with the first book, there are plenty of sexy bits. I’m sure you can expect that as a running theme considering the erotica genre.

I’m not entirely pleased with the ending. No spoiler, but this one is open ended. It sets up the next book, so there’s a major cliff hanger to lead into it. The love story for the volume is completely finished, though.

After reading the first book, I’m used to most of the edge and cringe speak. This one feels overall less edgy and less cringe. The way Vishous always says, “True?” at the end of most of his dialogue is hard to get past, though. At this volume, I was still adjusting to that. I think I did get used to it eventually (since I’m farther into the series at the time I’m typing this).

The Cat Proposed

fantasticfictionsblog

The Cat Proposed by Dento Hayane
Genres: BL, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: 16 & up
Publisher: Tokyopop
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 9781427867483
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes & Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Matoi Souta is an overworked salaryman tired of his life. On his way home from a long day of work one day, he decides to watch a traditional Japanese play. But something strange happens…He could have sworn one of the actors had cat ears!

It turns out that the man is actually a bakeneko – a shapeshifting cat from Japanese folklore. And then, the cat speaks: “Starting today, you’ll be my mate!”

Personal & Info

I heard Tokyopop has been releasing some good yaoi/BL stuff, and this is a stand alone manga, so I got it to try. This was at the top of my list when I decided to make my blog. I was too tired to read it for a while, so I mostly just flipped through it on occasion until I got around to it. I love the artwork.

The color picture in the front is the same as the cover image for the first chapter, but they have subtle differences. For example, the shape of Souta’s eyes, and Kihachi’s smile shows teeth in the color image, but has none in the black and white image. Kihachi’s fingers also look different between the two. I think one of them was a redraw. I have no issue with this, it was just something interesting I noticed.

Characters

There are four significant characters in this book. Kihachi is the cat. He’s the dark haired guy on the cover. I both loved and hated his design at first. After reading, it’s just love now. I’m pretty sure he’s my favorite character in the book, too. Kihachi loves stories, and is a professional story teller. The synopsis is a little misleading, because it’s worded to make it sound like Souta finds him at a play. It’s not a play, and there are no other actors, it’s a story telling event.

Souta is the overworked guy wearing a tie on the cover. Overworked is an understatement when describing Souta. Contemplating death to get some sleep is pretty extreme. He’s basically worked himself into the ground and didn’t realize it because adrenaline was keeping him going. I thought he was the cat character at a glance, because he’s the one doing a cat pose. He’s just a kind and shy dude. The tie should have given him away as the overworked salaryman.

Yamabuki a.k.a The Ryokan Cat, is a nosey bakeneko with two different colored ears.

Kikkyou is an eccentric old bakeneko lady.

Story & Thoughts

I hadn’t heard of a bakeneko before, but I certainly wasn’t expecting a human sized bipedal cat. The description certainly did not imply that. If you already know what a bakeneko is, it’s likely not a surprise. If you don’t, the book does explain it. However, the bakeneko have their human ears at the same time as their cat ears, that’s pretty weird. They have interesting traditions for interspecies marriages, though. I think Souta is slightly permanently altered from the experience. I can’t think of any other reason a human would be able to literally purr.

The story was cute. It’s an adorable tale of finding love unexpectedly. Each chapter is a “story” so there is no solid time table to know how long they were together between each. This also makes it feel like it progressed quicker, even though it’s paced quickly already.

There are some forward thinking ideals mentioned early on (good things), like gender/sex being insignificant for mate choice, and thinking of people for who they are instead of what they are. It also touches on encouraging a healthy balance between life and work. As someone who lives in America, the toxic work ethic hits a bit close to home.

This isn’t really a spoiler as much as it is pointing out a trope. There’s a lack of communication that causes most of the drama. For various reasons, both characters neglect to tell each other what is really important. If you don’t like stories that use that trope, this probably isn’t for you.

I came across the word bakemono in chapter 5. I wasn’t sure if it was a typo or not, so I looked it up. It was not a typo. It means a state of transformation or shapeshifting. So, in case anyone else wondered.

There’s a bonus chapter in the back called, “The Story of Their First Night Together.” It’s not long, and I think it belongs sandwiched somewhere in chapter seven. It’s an intimate scene, but it doesn’t show anything graphic. It has a lot of sexual implications and heavy breathing. The rest of the book doesn’t have anything like that. It’s the only scene you get for anything past kissing.

The image of the tuxedo cat and the sparrow on the back cover makes a lot of sense after reading the book.

Dark Lover

fantasticfictionsblog

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
Series Name: Black Dagger Brotherhood
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Urban, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Signet Eclipse/Penguin Group (USA)
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 0-451-21695-4
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes & Noble ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

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 their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood…

The only purebred vampire left on the planet, 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 – orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate – Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead…

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both…

Personal & Info

The blog does not line up well with my reading of this series. I was a ways into it before I even started thinking about making a blog. At the time I’m typing this, I’m ten books in, and actively reading the series. However, I feel like I should include the series in my reviews, so I’m going to try to go back and look at my pitiful notes and muddle my way through to get caught up.

I’d heard this series was good, but I never went out of my way to buy it. That is, until I found a deal on getting the first several volumes cheap. I jumped on the opportunity, and I don’t regret it. With this in mind, you can be sure the editions I have, for at least the first few, are likely outdated. I don’t think you can even find this edition in stores anymore. If you go looking for this book, you’ll find an updated cover that looks nothing like this one.

Content Warnings

I’m not sure how important content warnings are. I know they’re important to some people, and others don’t care. There are a few things in this book that might raise some flags for certain types of people. I’m not used to covering content warnings, but I’ll do my best for this. Remember, I haven’t read this in about a year, so I might forget or miss some. Anyway, here they are: attempted rape, sexual themes, violence, and kidnapping.

Characters

Beth and Wrath are the main characters here, obviously. I remember I like Beth. Wrath did a few things that could be considered creepy. I think Tohr was also significant. He was the only one Wrath trusted to keep an eye on Beth, because Tohr is already married. If you like dominant and possessive men, this is definitely for you.

Some of the other brothers, if not all (I can’t remember), were introduced. I’m almost positive it was all of them. Their names couldn’t possibly be any “edgier.” They’re so edgy it’s comical. Here are their names: Wrath, Tohrment, Rhage, Vishous, Zsadist, and Phury. I got used to it after a while. Most of them use abbreviations, so that helps.

There’s a loose cannon cop named Butch, always a good trope.

Mr. X is the villain of the story, and by villain I mean the right hand man of the guy who is the real villain, but we don’t exactly see the real villain much. His perspective gives us insight into how the slayers, or Lessers, as they are called, operate.

Story & Thoughts

Story-wise, I think the book started a bit slow. There were, maybe, 4-8 different perspectives for converging events, so there was a lot of ground for plot and lore to cover before things got good. To try to name some of the perspectives, I think they were Beth, Wrath, Marissa, Mr. X, Butch, Havers, and José de la Cruz. If there were more, I can’t remember, and I don’t care enough to check the book more thoroughly. If you get confused by books that have multiple perspectives being swapped all the time, this might not be for you. I personally like books that tell stories that way. I don’t know why, I just do, so it didn’t bother me. However, in regards to the pacing and plot prep and everything, I wasn’t expecting two thirds of the book to go by before Beth’s transition.

There are plenty of sexy bits in the story. Most of the time they contribute to the story or character development in some way. That’s why it’s considered erotica. To be an erotica, the sexual parts of a story have to be important to the plot. They definitely are for this, even if some of them weren’t exactly the most natural or reasonable implementations (refer to what I said about Wrath doing a few things that can be considered creepy).

I have to say, this book was also memorable because of the writing. There were typos, but there are bound to be typos in any book, especially early editions, like I think this one was. Some of the word choices though, were odd. I don’t have any examples off hand, but some of the slang is very dated. Maybe it wasn’t at the time this was published, I’m not sure. The slang was definitely dated enough to be cringe-worthy. I couldn’t help giggling while I read.

Something else to know, there’s a glossary in the front of the book. Ward created words for the Vampire language that will be frequently used. They’re easy enough to remember, but if you forget, it’s there to refresh your memory. Some words are similar to the English language, that’s intentional. I can’t remember if it’s in this book or another, but they clarify why that is.

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 3 (LN)

fantasticfictionsblog

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 3 by Isuna Hasekura
Series Name: Spice & Wolf (Light Novel)
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Commerce
Intended Age Group: 15 & up
Publisher: Yen On/Yen Press
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-7595-3107-9
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes & Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Having narrowly escaped financial ruin, Lawrence turns his attention to helping Holo find her ancient homeland in the North. But how long can a traveling merchant afford to wander the countryside looking for a village that he suspects may have ceased to exist long ago? When a rival merchant sets his sights on Lawrence’s beautiful companion, though, can Lawrence truly be confident that Holo will remain by his side? Has the time come when Lawrence must ask himself whether his relationship with the Wisewolf is business or pleasure?

Personal & Info

I read this one almost two months ago as of typing this. This review catches me up on where I’m at in the series. I’ll be circling around to volume 4 soon.

Characters

It’s been a few weeks now(one week since volume 2) since Lawrence met Holo. By now, Lawrence is confident in his ability to read Holo and trusts her implicitly. However, that gets put to the test in this volume.

I get the impression Holo’s personality makes communication difficult. Despite trying to learn how to read Holo since day one, Lawrence can’t always be sure when she’s serious, or how to interpret her intent. She often says the opposite of what she means, but that’s not always reliable either. He can’t speak outright with her, because in most cases, she would mock him. It makes for good banter, but I don’t think it makes for a healthy relationship. Despite this, I’m interested in seeing how their relationship progresses.

Story & Thoughts

I can safely say I love the series, so far, and I plan to continue reading it for as long as I can.

This volume has the same structure as the first two, as expected. I also noticed a running theme of something being a potential risk for causing Holo to leave in each. That might get old fast. I can excuse it for the first few, because Lawrence and Holo are still figuring out their compatibility, but I hope it’s not a constant as the series goes on.

Holo has an admirer. It was bound to happen eventually. She’s constantly described as pretty, and she always draws attention. This, as well as a series of interactions between Holo and Lawrence, lead to some hefty tension and drama.

A large chunk of the story for this volume hinges on Lawrence making decisions without Holo’s assistance. It was interesting to see how he handled himself after relying on her for weeks. She’d clearly become a crutch for him, so something even as simple as bouncing ideas off her, and suddenly being unable to, was a huge change. It gives his character growth a chance to shine as he is tested with an important business deal. He even uses some previous experience with blunders to his advantage, which makes me happy.

This one was a nail-baiter right up until the end. I think it picked up quicker than the first two, and held the tension longer. There was no gradual resolution. I literally had no idea if things would work out until the end of the last chapter.

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 2 (LN)

fantasticfictionsblog

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 2 by Isuna Hasekura
Series Name: Spice & Wolf (Light Novel)
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Commerce
Intended Age Group: 15 & up
Publisher: Yen On/Yen Press
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-7595-3106-2
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes & Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Following his good fortune in Pazzio, Lawrence is confident that he is on the path to realizing his dream of becoming a town merchant. One ill-informed business decision, though, leaves him teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and ruin! With no assets to his name – other than the cunning of his fetching traveling companion, Holo the Wisewolf – Lawrence may need to resort to illicit means to put his affairs in order. With all of the merchant’s plans hinging on one beautiful young shepherdess – for whose vocation Holo holds no affection – Lawrence’s prospects, both personal and professional, are looking grim!

Personal & Info

I’m not going to lie. It’s been a couple months since I read this volume, and some bits and pieces have not stayed fresh in my memory, but I’m actively reading this series, and not far in, so I want to get reviews up for the first few volumes, so I can review every volume without any missing.

Characters

It’s been two weeks since Holo and Lawrence met. Lawrence is still learning how to read Holo’s jokes, moods, and gibes. He seems to be catching on, but can’t be sure of much. He’s got a good idea of Holo’s personality by now, and his own wit is getting better with practice, however, he is still no match for Holo. He tends to misread some important situations and get the wrong idea about what’s going on in her head. Holo is much the same as in the first volume. Snarky, witty, occasionally childish, and ever learning about the current world.

Story & Thoughts

Sometimes a series will have a good first volume, and it’ll dip in quality the second. I’ve heard this is common especially for light novels, which is why I usually reserve judgement about a series until I’ve read a couple volumes. This series, however, did not have that issue. If I was unsure about the series before, I’m definitely sure I like it now.

This book holds up well as a second volume. The story has the same slow introduction. Them traveling somewhere, meeting the relevant characters for the volume, followed by encountering a significant problem or event, and having to deal with it, resulting in a tense edge of your seat finale. This will probably be the basic formula for the series.

The economic descriptions in this one were easier to understand. It was still relevant to money, but the premise was simpler, so it was a little easier to read. I didn’t have to go back and re-read things multiple times to get anything.

Notable Issues

Aside from typos, which pretty much any book is going to have, I noticed something that was likely a translation or editing error. Early on in the book, it was stated Lawrence had purchased swords, because they were referred to as arms, and doubly verified as Holo’s bed being packed full of sword hilts. This was contradicted later when they said it was twenty sets of armor.

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 1 (LN)

fantasticfictionsblog

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 1 by Isuna Hasekura
Series Name: Spice & Wolf (Light Novel)
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Commerce
Intended Age Group: 15 & up
Publisher: Yen On/Yen Press
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-7595-3104-8
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes & Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

The life of a travelling merchant is a lonely one, a fact with which Kraft Lawrence is well acquainted. Wandering from town to town with just his horse, cart, and whatever wares have come his way, the peddler has pretty well settled into his routine – that is until the night Lawrence finds a wolf goddess asleep in his cart. Taking the form of a fetching girl with wolf ears and a tail. Holo has wearied of tending to harvests in the countryside and strikes up a bargain with the merchant to lend him the cunning of “Holo the Wisewolf” to increase his profits in exchange for taking her along on his travels. What kind of businessman could turn down such an offer? Lawrence soon learns, though, that having an ancient goddess as a traveling companion can be a bit of a mixed blessing. Will this wolf girl turn out to be too wild to tame?

Personal & Info

I’ve wanted to get more into light novels, and I can say from experience good ones have been hard to find for as long as I can remember. Many of the ones I initially wanted to read are now out of print, or were never completed in English. I decided to test the waters again, and I heard this series was one of the best, so here we are.

I think it’s important to mention I have not read the manga, nor have I seen the anime, so this was my first exposure to the series in general.

Before I delve in, the book has a few color pages right inside the cover. These are particularly interesting because they appear to be preview images, like if you were to watch a TV show and the episode started off with a sizzle reel of what’s to come. I haven’t seen this kind of thing in books before. Usually it’s just some cute artwork or a poster fold out. Speaking of cute artwork, though, the table of contents has a cute chibi image of Holo.

Characters

Okay, now on to business. Let’s start with the characters. Lawrence and Holo seem well thought out. Lawrence comes off as a bit of a blank slate character with merchant skills and a kind heart, because he lives life on the road, traveling alone. Holo, on the other hand, has a strong personality. Her snarky behavior is good for encouraging Lawrence’s character growth, and even expanding his wit. The two have great banter, and it helps pass the otherwise dull parts of the book in an amusing way. A large chunk of the first few chapters(there are six total in this book) was spent getting to know them, and world building.

Story & Thoughts

This is an interesting series. I’d heard it was mostly commerce themed, so I wasn’t sure if I would like it. Lo and behold , it’s actually intriguing to read. Some of the stuff went over my head, so I’m sure it’s not for everyone.

The story delved into the value of coin based money, and how you can tell if a coin’s value has changed. They mentioned weight, purity, even sound, then continued on to explain how fluctuations in coin value affect society, markets, and how profit can be earned. Lawrence explained those things to Holo, which functioned as explaining it to the reader. Holo understood quickly, but the reader might not. I personally had to slow down a little and re-read that section to make sure I got it, or at least understood enough to follow the story related parts of what they said. They weren’t always super clear. Sometimes there were some dots you’d have to connect yourself to understand their full meaning.

Complexities aside(not that they are a bad thing), the story is good. It’s not particularly exciting. Most of the story is travel based, for obvious reasons, but the banter between Holo and Lawrence fills that space nicely. Things ramp up when an opportunity to make some major cash arises, and the final segment of the book left me at the edge of my seat. The ending was a little odd. No spoilers, but the last chapter ended a bit abruptly. There’s an Epilogue that finishes it up and ties together all the loose ends. I hadn’t seen one used that way before. Usually, they’re after the actual ending, and show what characters do after the story, but no, this series uses Epilogues as the wrap up.

I’ve heard this is supposed to be a romance series. If it is, it’s definitely a slow burn. I didn’t see anything in this volume to indicate it was a romance, aside from the whole man and woman traveling alone thing.