Quick & Dirty Reviews: Say Hello To Disappointment

Blood Work by Kim Harrison

A graphic novel prequel to Harrison’s popular Hollows series, this is the story of how Rachel and Ivy first meet, when after being busted down from homicide to street crime, vampire I.S. agent Ivy is partnered with newbie agent and witch Rachel.  Sparks fly, heads butt and Ivy takes a bath with Kisten but there is not a lot of substance to this story and it is definitely not a stand alone.  I suspect first time readers will find some of it incomprehensible.  If you have read the  Hollows series, you won’t find much new here.  There is no real story.  Someone is killing werewolves in order to use their  blood for black magic.  For what exactly, we don’t know.  Who wants the blood?  We never learn that either.  There are some henchman types doing the bloodletting and killing but, oops, they get killed before anything can be learned from them. Nothing is solved at the end of the story.  The art is ok, with several bulbous tit shots and a scene where Ivy and Rachel manage to jump the line at a club by acting all lesbionic.  I suppose it’s titillating... if you’re a teenage fanboy but I would have preferred a story with more substance.  Or at least some sort of resolution.  Instead all we get is an oddly paced, slice of life that adds nothing to the series.  At $25, it is not worth the price.  I feel ripped off.
Grade: D
Obtained: Purchased

Cast in Ruin (Chronicles of Elantra, #7) by Michelle Sagara West
I’ve been a fan of the Chronicles of Elantra for quite some time and I thought the series hit a new high with book five,  Cast in Silence.  So I was really looking forward to the newest entry in the continuing saga of Private Kaylin Neya.  Unfortunately, this installment failed to satisy.  I found the writing style convoluted, even clunky at times, something I have not noticed with the earlier books.  This may have had to do with the fact that I wasn’t  engaged by the story of Cast in Ruin and. at points, was not completely sure what was happening.  Plus, after seven books, I’m getting tired of the scrappy little Hawk, who despite being super powerful and the designated “Chosen” of this world,is still only a private.  For a private, she sure gets around.  She’s the friggin savior to all – the Tha’alani, the Barani, the Leotine, the People, and now, the Dragons.  After seven books, I need more forward motion – not the baby steps I feel like I’m getting.  I want Kaylin to smarten up.  I want her to stop avoiding her responsibilities and stop acting like an adolescent.  It’s easy to understand why everyone else gets so frustrated with her.  I know I am.  It’s time for us to learn a little more about her powers and what exactly being “The Chosen” means.  So far, it seems like her powers are assigned solely by the needs of the story.  First there is some sort of magical conflict and then, lo and behold, Kaylin discovers a previously unknown magical ability that allows her, and only her, to overcome the threat. Well, yay for her.
I will say that I truly enjoyed the last 60 pages and the things we learned there could potentially make things very interesting in the next book.  However, I’ll be taking a break from the series.

Grade: C
Obtained: via Paperbackswap.com