I read a lot of romance but like very few. Most are a forgettable trifle but when you find a truly great romance it’s like a great bottle of wine, a rich experience you remember fondly. The truly exceptional romance stories generally have all of the following: Memorable, finely-drawn protagonists Great plot & character arc Smolder A strong romance has 2 while the vast majority have 1 or .5. Kulti has 1.5. However it nailed those so strongly that it comes this close to being […]
How to Suck All the Life Out of Original Worldbuilding
The Arcana Chronicles began with an interesting premise: young adults with fantastic powers who battle it out in an “there can be only one” apocalypse battle of the fittest. And because it’s Kresley Cole it’s full of sexy characters who smolder. And of course the obligatory YA love triangle. The whole thing is loosely built upon the idea of each character = tarot card. Basically it was my catnip. Now we’re four books in on a series that doesn’t seem like it’ll end soon. Or […]
Only So Much YA Wish Fulfillment I Can Swallow
Red Queen has come highly recommended by many Cannonballers who I respect. And I hated it. There is only so much derivative wish-fulfillment blather I can wade through. Although you wouldn’t know that from the wish-fulfillment YA tear I seem to be on. Mare is a “red” – a person with red blood who lives in a dystopian society where the reds live in destitute servitude under the “silvers” who have silver blood and super cool superpowers and like, all the money. Which is the […]
Sexy + Steampunk + Vampires – Well Developed Characters = ?
The well-bred ladies gather to mingle at the ball, fluttering their fans, trading on-dits, hoping to catch the eye of one of the eligible men for a dance. Only in Bec McMaster’s steam-punk world, the men are not just Dukes but also vampires, and instead of the marriage mart, theses men seek young women eager to contractually obligate themselves for life as thralls, or personal blood banks. Her series takes a fun twist on historical romance, then kicks it up a notch with werewulfen (werewolves […]