Tag: opinion

Books, fantasy, funny, Out of the Box Blogs, paranormal romance, scifi, steampunk, Urban Fantasy

Should Villains Really Be That Bad?

Karen

YES THEY SHOULD!!

Today is going straight into rant territory everyone so if that is not your thing I don’t want you to feel obligated to read. I love you all equally!

Still here? Okay then..

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Has anyone else noticed a new tread of long running series, no standalone here, trying to redeem villains or making a good character suddenly bad? I’m not a fan. I don’t mind a gradual change, like someone slowly slipping into madness, but what I’m talking about here is a hard shift for a character all in one book. So let’s talk about it.

And I also want to be clear we are talking about series that are 6,8,10,20, etc books long and the characters are WELL established.

Let’s start with the heroes, the good guys, the best friends, the reliable side kicks, the one we all want to win or at least always dreamed would get there very own book or novella. But then with a careless action on their part, or something ridiculous from another character they go from good to bad. From one of your favorites to one you wish never existed. Why? To make someone else look better? To further the current plot? Who knows, but I do know this, I have dropped series because, my favorite character isn’t always the main one so destroying a fan favorite sometimes just seems illogical or cruel. Sometimes I wonder if we have come to love them too much and we shouldn’t….

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How deliciously bitter but ultimately disappointing. I like characters that I have developed a relationship with to stay where they belong so honestly I wish it would stop. Good guys are good, not secretly horrible.

Now the villains, the bad guys, the bitches everyone loves to hate, my favorites…

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A good villain, evil to the core, destroying dreams every day, and willing to do things to keep making you hate them. I’m talking anything, even make you throw a book across your room. A properly constructed bad guy will go to such lengths that sometimes we wish they would be killed off already! I digress though because we are talking about the new trend, where nonredeemable characters suddenly show you a character flaw, or a weakness and we are suppose to see them as redeemable. But see that there is the problem, we have been convinced they are horrible, evil people, terrible to their very souls which is what allows us to despise them. So why the sudden attempts at redeeming these characters? And why must the redemption of these characters many times cost us characters we have grown to love? Is it feared boredom from the fandom? Is it boredom from the author?

Look some of my favorite books involve antiheroes or even a story told from a villains prospective. But I like characters that I enjoy to stay what they are presented as. So the question is am I asking too much?

Do you like it when someone who has been good for so long suddenly become bad? And not a bad boy in a good way but truly evil, a character meant to be hated. Or when a author starts to redeem a bad character (again not just a bad boy with a good heart but a truly evil being) and tries to make us sympathetic to them or accept them as good?

Thoughts?

Books, fantasy, great reads, Reviews, scifi, steampunk, Urban Fantasy

Vicious by V.E. Scwab

Karen

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I got this book about 6-8 months ago for $1.99 because I like the author and it sounded cool but for some reason I never read it. Well I have now and I have things to say. Let’s be orderly people! First the blurb:

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

 

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WHY DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS BOOK EARLIER?!?! I only blame myself since I owned it and it still took me months to actually read it. It was amazing! It was complex, confusing and at times downright infuriating but all in a good way. Let us discuss.

This book follows two college roommates that basically make X-Men by following a formula from Flatliners. I know that sounds like I should hate I but I don’t, because the characters are so strong. This book is the definition of antihero, there are moments where you want to cheer for the wrong side, neither side, or you’re not sure if there are even sides.

Then there is the story telling. There is this weird time jumping, which at first I found very disconcerting but the more invested I became I more it just drove the anticipation for me. I’ve read books like that before but I rarely end up being sold on it. I did feel like this book needed a follow up, I just wanted a touch more and when I went online everyone talked about a promised second book but this is from 2013 and VE Schwab has written other series since then. But do not dispare, last week I got a notice about this..

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So this book is not only amazing as a stand alone but it will finally have its sequel. This ones a keeper.

Books, fantasy, paranormal romance, Reviews, Romance

The Vampire’s Accidental Wife by Kristen Painter

debra
IMG_0250Hey everybody,
The Blurb:   Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year. Las Vegas headliner and vampire Desdemona Valentine is one cool, collected diva on the outside. On the inside, she’s petrified of falling in love after her last relationship nearly killed her…literally. Protecting her wounded heart makes for a lonely life, but she has her fame and fortune to keep her company. Who needs anything more? Julian Ellingham does. One look at Desdemona on stage, and the vampire is smitten. She initially ignores him, but his relentless pursuit pays off when a wild night ends in a Vegas wedding. Finally, Julian has everything he wants while all Desdemona wants is…a divorce. Julian sweet-talks Desdemona into letting him prove his love, but his time is running out. Especially after someone repeatedly tries to turn his bride to ash. When Desdemona flees Vegas for the spooky streets of Nocturne Falls and Julian’s protection, he’s more than willing to help out. But can he convince Desdemona to trust him, or will ‘death do us part’ become a reality?
My thoughts:  Another visit to one of my favorite little towns–Nocturne Falls. This book tells the story of Julian and Desi, both vampires. Julian’s family is a founding family of Nocturne Falls and Desi is a performer in Vegas. Her show has her pretending to be a human pretending to be a vampire! Julian meets her, falls in love, her not so much because of her tragic past, getting drunk and getting married in a little Vegas chapel! What’s not to love? Then, problems start. Not only does Desi not want to be married although she likes Julian, but she has a stalker determined to find her and destroy her life. Enter Julian to take care of his wife. He moves her to Nocturne Falls in order to keep her safe and woo her hopefully. We get to see all our favorite NF residents throughout the book and how the whole town joins in to help care for Desi. This book contains Ms. Painter’s brand of humor that Nocturne Falls is known for and the quirkiness of this little town. These stories siimply make me smile and we all need a story to do that for us.
Happy Reading,
Debra

 

READING PROGRESS

Books, paranormal romance, Reviews, Romance

The Chosen by J.R. Ward

debra

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Hey everybody,

This is my review of The Chosen by J.R. Ward.  Three disclaimers first:

  1. I have been a fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood for many years, and
  2. I have always been a fan of Layla and Xcor (the main characters this book focuses on, and
  3. I will try to stay organized and not ramble. No promises, though.  LOL

Blurb:  Xcor, leader of the Band of Bastards, convicted of treason against the Blind King, is facing a brutal interrogation and torturous death at the hands of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Yet after a life marked by cruelty and evil deeds, he accepts his soldier’s fate, his sole regret the loss of a sacred female who was never his: the Chosen Layla. 
Layla alone knows the truth that will save Xcor’s life. But revealing his sacrifice and his hidden heritage will expose them both and destroy everything Layla holds dear—even her role of mother to her precious young. Torn between love and loyalty, she must summon the courage to stand up against the only family she has for the only man she will ever love. Yet even if Xcor is somehow granted a reprieve, he and Layla would have to confront a graver challenge: bridging the chasm that divides their worlds without paving the way for a future of even greater war, desolation, and death. 
As a dangerous old enemy returns to Caldwell, and the identity of a new deity is revealed, nothing is certain or safe in the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, not even true love . . . or destinies that have long seemed set in stone.

It is with a very heavy heart that I have to give a less than stellar review.

NOTE:  Some spoilers ahead.  I hate giving spoilers but it became necessary for my review.

I have always liked the characters of Xcor and Layla.  Many over the years have taken a dislike to Layla for several reasons.  However, I felt she found her voice in this book. I felt she was always a product of her upbringing and station in life (being the servant of the Brotherhood and its Diety).

I have liked Xcor since he and his Band of Bas**rds (BOB) came on the scene.  I liked the havoc that their characters brought to the world.  I have always been concerned that the author would redeem Xcor too early and it was evident from when he came in that he and Layla would be together.  I didn’t want Xcor redeemed yet.  Having him redeemed lessens the angst in the story, which is one thing that keeps a story going.

One of the reasons people hate Xcor is that he made an attempt on Wrath’s life (the king of the vampires).  I understand this.  Wrath is a beloved character.  Did the author redeem Xcor.  Absolutely – by telling his back story.  His life is a tragic story of being unloved, unwanted and uncared for since the moment he was born because of a deformity.  He was cast out and given into the care of a nursemaid who never showed him any affection and left him as a small child.  He was left to fend on his own and then found by the Bloodletter (an evil dude) and put into his war camp where he was treated even worse.

Move ahead to present day.  Xcor and Layla love each other.  It was obvious from their first meeting that these two would be put together and I really like that pairing. Their story has been told with small scenes during the past several books. But there is a big problem—the BOB is hated by the Brotherhood.  Layla must keep her relationship with Xcor secret and Xcor tries to protect Layla by sending her away.

As the story begins, Xcor has been found by the Brotherhood, is critically injured, being held by the Brotherhood in the inner sanctuary and Layla finds this out. The King has issued the degree giving one of the Brothers the right to kill Xcor.

Now, let’s move to my problems.

Qhuinn—Qhuinn is a member of the Brotherhood and a great character who has had problems in the past but had straightened things out and is now with the love of his life, Blaylock.  However, before they were together and before Layla and Xcor met, Qhuinn had an alliance with Layla in order to have a child.  They had twins.  Qhuinn, Layla and Blay are going to co-parent the twins.   In the beginning of The Chosen, Qhuinn found out about Layla and Xcor and was incensed.  He had every right to be upset—what he didn’t have the right to do was become so enraged that the held a gun to Layla threatening death in the nursery where the twins were.  The gun went off with shots into the ceiling!  In the nursery! The author spent the story arc of the book  involving Qhuinn by decimating the character—even Blay left him.  Then, at the last few pages, he does a complete 180 and everything is fine and hunky-dory!!  WHAT!?  Even he and Xcor end up buddies and deciding that the baby girl will never date!  WHAT!?  The ending was way too rushed and Qhuinn did not grovel nearly enough for my liking.

At some point, I thought that maybe the author felt she needed to decimate Qhuinn in order to help redeem Xcor.  Xcor didn’t need help being redeemed.  He is redeemed by learning his backstory and watching how he loves Layla, and speaks so beautifully to her and trying to protect her.

Vishous and Jane—really, they have to go through more trouble?  I love this couple—many  people do not like Jane, but I really do.  If V heads down the road she left his character at the end of this book, she will be breaking one of the rules of her own world building.  Granted, the story is hers and we are along for the ride, but really—she will start breaking her own rules?

Let’s talk about what she is doing with Trez for a moment.  The author posted on her Facebook page a while back if we believed in re-incarnation because Trez will.  Really?  She has already done the reincarnation storyline before.  We need another one?  Now, I felt Trez was cheated with his happily ever after in his book, The Shadows.  I felt so bad for his character.  The storyline has move just a few months since the end of The Shadows and already reincarnation is happening.  My personal opinion is that the author had so disappointed people that she  felt she had to give Selena back to Trez.  Just my humble opinion.

I hate that I was so disappointed at this book, but it is what it is.  I wanted to love it but I just couldn’t.

Happy Reading,

Debra