Since my last post nearly a year ago I have been very, very busy. However, this does not mean that I stopped reading for enjoyment. I haven't stopped. With the addition of a Nook I will can have almost any book at my fingertips instantly, which can be a problem. Also the fact that Borders stores closed has not limited my supply of books. I have read quite a bit over the past 10 months or so and I am not going to attempt to write about everyone of them. It would take too much effort, and I'm not quite sure it would be worth it to write about them. That's not to say they weren't good, I can't really remember any of thing I read that was really terrible. Instead I will briefly mention about my trip to NYC to meet Tamora Pierce with my best friend and the book series that I just finished and is the reason I wanted to write this entry.
So Tamora Pierce is one of my favorite authors. Probably my favorite young adult author. I was introduced to her in high school and have read at least one of her books (more likely one of her series) a year for nearly ten years. I have honestly lost track of how many times I have read her Song of the Lioness Quartet, not to mention her other series. Anyway my best friend and I went to meet here and it was great. I don't think I've ever gotten to meet someone I had been such a huge fan of. It was a great experience. I also met two other authors and they signed my books. It was a very memorable day for me.
On to the reason for my post...
I have read a ton of books. There have been bits an pieces of nearly everything. No horror...or at least no Stephen King type horror (although I do want to read "Secret Window, Secret Garden"). The horror I read has to have some bits of humor in it...it can't been too scary. I've ventured into paranormal books and dark fantasy, but I think those are my limits. Anyway...there have not been many books or series that have involved me on an emotional or a physical level. And I do mean this literally. Harry Potter comes to mind, Anne Bishops Black Jewels books and Ephemera books, the Twilight series (although I don't like including it, it still affected me), most of Tamora Pierce's books, Diana Gabaldon's Outlander (I only finished the first book and boy what a first book that was!), Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series (to a lesser extent that the others, but still), and Karen Marie Moning's Fever series which I have just finished. I have not been on such an intense journey with a book in a very long time. It has be extremely interesting.
I found the books through a post on my favorite romance blog Smart B******, Trashy Books. The post was about "book rebound", the feeling a person has after they have read a book that was so incredible they don't know what to read next because nothing feels as if it will measure up to what you have just finished. I was very happy to find I was no the only person to have felt this way. I experienced this first hand at the end of the Harry Potter series. No matter what I read after it, nothing was satisfying. Then someone told me to read Twilight and well I had something that allowed me to move on. That was probably one of the worst time I needed to rebound. I just felt so bereft after reading it. I mean it was a series that had been part of my life for nearly ten years so I had more invested in the series than simply the fact that it was over. But back to the Fever series. The reader was at this point and was asking Sarah, one of the authors of the blogs what to read after Karen Marie Moning's Fever series because the character of the character of Jericho Barrons. She was looking for life after Barrons and was having some trouble. Well this had me intrigued. I read into the comments a bit and found that many others felt the same way about the series and could not stop singing its praises. I looked into the series, found out I could rent it on my Nook for free through my library (so convenient!) and decided to see if it was really as good as everyone claimed. Well it was. I will say this though, if I had judged the series based solely on the first book, I would not be praising it as much as I am now. Particularly the first third or so of the book. It was very slow going. But I think what kept me going was the need for answers and the need to find out more about Barrons. The only other character who comes to mind and is just as compelling (and mysterious, and a whole mess of other things) is Daemon Sadi. Even if I knew everything there was to know about these to characters I don't know if it would be enough. If these two characters were to ever meet, I would think they would look at each other and understand each other perfectly. But Barrons was enough to keep me interested to read the next book.
After reading the second book through my library's e-book subscription I was too impatient to wait for my turn on the hold list and bought books 3, 4, and 5. I finished book three and began book four but then I was distracted by my new Tamora Pierce book ( I had been waiting for it for about 3 years) and I forgot about it for a little bit. Well now that school is over for the semester I can become completely absorbed in books without having to worry about homework. Boy am I lucky I waited. I would not have been able to finish my semester if I had been reading books 4 and 5. The cliffhanger between books 3 and 4 was bad. It stopped mid-scene. I didn't think it could possibly get any worse than that cliffhanger, but then I got to the end of the book 4 and I was left mid-scene yet again and this time I was pretty sure I knew what happened, but my mind still did not want to accept it. I had tears in my eyes as I sat at work reading it. If I had been home, I probably would have been more vocal and probably hit my bed a few times out of frustration and anger. I don't know how anyone could have gone an entire year without knowing what happened in between books 3 and 4 and 4 and 5. I would have yelled and ranted to anyone who would listen. And the 5th book, well that took me on such a ride. I did not want to do anything but finish this book (love that feeling!). It was very difficult for me to put it down last night when I had a little over 100 pages left. If I didn't have to go to work today I would have stayed up and finished it. I could not wait to finish this book. My mind was constantly racing because I could not stop thinking about all of the possible answers to the questions. I don't know how I functioned yesterday. I only functioned today because I knew I would finish it. The book had me as confused as Mac (MacKayla Lane) as to what the answers would be. I had so many ideas I didn't know which one it would be. I would put the book down for some reason (even though I really didn't want to) and I would just feel so excited/energized. I felt as if I was Mac and had just been through all the battles she had. Having now finished the series it was so worth it. I finished the last book so fast it don't feel as if I absorbed it all (I know I didn't because I had to go back a read two or three scenes because I had gone through them so fast). I want to read the books again, but not just yet. I need a break, something that would have me going through it at a breakneck pace. I don't quite feel as if I'm on the rebound, yet, (I do feel as if I've been on a very intense roller coaster, one I will enjoy visiting again and again) and already lined something up to read since I finished the book in the middle of work and I needed something else to read to pass the time. I think that may have been my way to get around the rebound part. I don't have the same bereft feeling as I did with Harry Potter or the Black Jewels. Barrons was an amazing character, and definitely a top 10 of mine, there was just something missing about the series that did not make me feel like the other series. Maybe it's because the story is over yet. I read today that there is going to be a few more books and the 5th book ended with room for more to happen. So maybe the rebound will hit me when the books are well and truly finished.
I highly recommend Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. I know I didn't actually explain what the book series is about but you can always as me if you want more info, or you can look it up for yourself. You definitely need to get through at least the first book before decideing if you want to go on. I know its alot to ask and I usually all for not finishing a book if it doesn't grab you, but this one you need to finish. If you like urban fantasy, dark urban fantasy, then I think you will enjoy this. I couldn't get enough of it....I actually want to read it again right now from begining to end...but I really have too many other books to read...
Oh! Just as a side note, I loved the way the author used music in the novels. It was great to almost have soundtrack.
Here is a list of the books in order:
- Darkfever
- Bloodfever
- Faefever
- Dreamfever
- Shadowfever
Hopefully I'll be updating this blog more often in the new year. Oh and pleas excuse the spelling and grammatical errors...the post is really way too long to go back and edit.
Listening to "I Am" by Bobby Darin
No comments:
Post a Comment