Faerie Blood: Song of the Lark

Faerie Blood: Song of the Lark Tal Good - Author 4/5	Published 2014 First Sentence "Thin fingers hovered over piano keys like dragonflies unsure of their watery landing."
Publisher's Description: In the aftermath of her parents' abrupt separation and her father’s failing health, Olivia Grey’s innocent night on the town takes a sinister turn when she is caught in the crossfire of an ancient blood feud between immortal races, exposing a dark world of magic that she has unwittingly been a part of since her birth. Creatures from myth and legend wage war in the dilapidated buildings of suburban New York and dark corners where mortals fear to tread. Olivia Grey, a seemingly ordinary teenage girl from a broken home, is violently thrust into this world when she is marked by a deadly curse, and her fate becomes entwined with the intrigues of immortals. Learning that the stories of her childhood are all true, Olivia embarks on a quest to find the creature who cursed her lest she succumb to a fate worse than death. But, she is not alone in her quest, as a motley crew of faeries, werewolves, mages, and friends rise to meet the challenge with her. Can Olivia embrace her birthright and stave off the darkness that threatens to devour her and the world?
Dear Reader, Faerie Blood is a debut series from a talented writer, Tal Good. I don't normally get involved in series but I can respect those who live off them. For those of you who flock to the supernatural series, this is a perfect edition to your bookshelf. I'll start out explaining some of the main characters that stood out to me. We have Olivia, the smart but somewhat shy goth girl with a strong, firm grip on what she believes in, she's the one you can relate to. Her best friend, the wishy-washy but beautiful headstrong girl, she's the one you want to BE best friends with. I loved Taro, the fae pretty boy who has a reckless side to him but is gentle at heart. He calls Olivia his "lark", such an adorable nickname! He also brings out the comedic gold with some of his antics, like when he thought humans have wings and offered to help Olivia fly since she "broke her wing". That's the kind of stuff that sucks me into a story, those little quips and small details. The main plot line follows Olivia through this dark and twisted world searching for the "vampire" who infected her. She is slowly turning into a "ghoul" after being attacked by one. Her search is aided by a quirky bunch, which gives some intended comedic relief to a darker story-line. One of the things I love about upcoming authors is the freedom to try something new and jump into that black area nobody has touched before. I think Tal has accomplished that with the small details to familiar fantasy creatures, such as faeries having trouble birthing twins, giving two of the characters a special feeling. I also like that she captured the true side of the goth culture, something not depicted often unless you turn to anime and comics. Another nice touch was the liberties taken with spelling to give you the feel of an accent, which was done quite well. Each chapter starts out with a quote that relates pretty darn well, giving the chapter a well appointed title. Clearly, research has been done for this book, with details such as how magicians used opium to entice the audience to believe. Want some nostalgia? How about references to that old time classic movie "Labyrinth"? Yep, this has that as well. All that aside, I think the best part of this book has to be Olivia and her strength to overcome this terrible fate she has been faced with. Tal does an excellent job conveying the terror Olivia has to go through. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll leave it at that. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark By Charlaine Harris 4 out of 5 stars	Published 2001 First Sentence "I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar."
Publisher's Description: Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability." She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome--and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life.... But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of--big surprise--murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next...
Dear Reader, For me the book vs the show; is an issue that has to be addressed. I was a fan of the HBO show and I am a fan of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse book series. That being said, the HBO episodes do not invoke the same imagery or character development. I prefer the book-Sookie in the book series because the stories are told from her perspective and I usually agree with her thinking and actions. The Sookie portrayed by Anna Paquin is a irritable, fickle and not nearly as admirable. Book-Sookie never gets magical fairy-ball powers but still manages to be tough when it comes down to the battles as they arise.     Harris's writing style is easy to listen to and I love the voices that the audible-book reader is able to create.  Book-Bill is quiet and hard to read in this book. Show-Bill is honorable, more stable and tough throughout the tv series. I'd also like to point out that Jessica was added to the tv series and made her a starring role while in the book Bill never makes a child. Book-Jason ends up a half were-panther and in the show-Jason stays human and remains relatively the hot-boy-comical relief. In the book his character develops in maturity after some hard life lessons. Quinn the were-tiger, who is an important lover for Sookie, is nowhere in the tv series. Having bought all 13 audio Sookie Stackhouse books and finished listening to them a few years ago, recently I decided to re-listen in order to give a fresh review for ShelfNotes. Knowing what's going to happen next is like watching a favorite tv show in my head as I listen to the characters emerge and interact with our heroine. I never was bored listening to the books because the plot has a general mystery with twists and plush details. Charlaine Harris manages to make a fantasy world seem realistic by the believability of her character development. With some reflection, I realize that over time the reader gets to learn about the perspective of the modern southern woman.  As a New Englander,  I would never had this. It's a genuine perspective since the author is from Louisiana. Dead Until Dark is the first in a series that is addicting. Yours, Marsha

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