Winter Kill : A Mediocre Tale of Earth Witches.

Winter Kill By Laurell K Hamilton Smoothie review

The last three novels haven’t been too amazing for me. What I’ve read have range from descent to absolute stinkers lately. So I must say I was very hesitant about starting another novel right away. Instead played it safe and went with a short story. This one is Winter Kill by Laurell K Hamilton.

So what is it about? It is a story set in a medieval sort of world. It focuses on the on the Earth witch Jessa. She is a witch hunter. But when she was a child a witch murdered her family and when she grew up to be a assassin, she killed him in return. But there was a catch. His mother is a very powerful witch and is slaughtering those in villages to find the witch that killed her son. To set things right, Jessa heads out to kill her and stop the madness with the aid of her friend Gregoor.

So the good and bad? I guess I’ll start with the good. Detail is great, and the snowy icy hell tundra is easy to picture. Also even though the character of Jessa is cold, there’s a little humanity in there. Especially in the parts that had to do with her mother who never wanted her to be evil or use magic to help others. Its interesting how she accepts and regrets the fact that she continue stood is a point her own family as she avenged her.

The bad? Not much. It was sad that Gregoor played such a small roll that he became the cliché side kick. Also, there was not much originality here. Everything in this story you have read before in something else.

Overall, its simple and fun. Its not a must read by any means. If you happen to stumble upon it, give it a read. Just don’t pay anything for it.

2 smoothies out of four.

Overall Rating : A Mediocre Tale of Earth Witches.

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

House Of Wizards : Something That Could Be So Much Grander Than A Short

House of Wizards By Laurell K Hamilton

I just finished another long book so that means it’s time to take break with a short story. Once again I’m pulling the tale from my favorite shots story collection. Strange Candy By Laurell K Hamilton. This time is a short story called House of Wizards.

So what is it about? Well imagine you’re a plain Jane American woman who has just married the man of your life and he happens to be a wizard. After the marriage, the two you decide to meet his parents and announce the news. Only thing is, non wizards and wizards do not intermarry normally. Also, wizards never do anything themselves. They have spells and magic that do everything for them. They live in a chaotic almost ‘Harry Potter’ world like environment. So what would that be like for you? Certainly very interesting and that is what this story does. It explores that concept.

So the good? Wildly original and simple concept. I loved the characters. The vast differences between the life styles were interesting. The fact that she has to show them that things can be done without magic is interesting and comical. I would live to see a idea alike this expanded into a novel or some other sort of media.

The bad? Well, it did not live to its full potential. Quirky and fun it was, but so much more could have been done with it. There was no drama. The conflict was chaotic. And once the reader is pulled into the story it ends. As much as I love this piece, I see no point to it rather than the author playing with a fun idea.

Overall it’s a great piece. Fun and imaginative. I just wish it was longer.

2 smoothies out of four.

Overall rating: Something That could be so much grander Beyond A Short

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Geese : A Dark Yet Charming Masterpiece About A Swan Princess.

Geese By Laurell K Hamilton Smoothie Review

Just finished another long book, so I decided to read something short. Once again I read a short story from Laurell K Hamilton’s Strange Candy collection. And yes I know, I said I would alternate through these but as I reach for my short story collections on my book shield, this has been my favorite anthology so far. So sorry for what should I call it? Repetitiveness. Anyway, the story is called Geese.

So what is Geese? It is about a young sorceress called Alatir and is set in a medieval fantasy sort of world. As a child the evil lord Madaux killed her family and took the kingdom. Being extremely powerful, Alatir challenged him. She lost and for that, he cursed her. He puts a “geas” spell on her, where she will keep trying to kill him even though he is more powerful and she will die. It’s a uncontrollable urge of a curse. She does the only thing she knows to do to escape it. She turns into the only animal immune to it. A goose. And among the geese, she loves the free life with no worries. She even falls in love. But after a many years pass, she see children captured by Madaux men who returned into the county side. And seeing this Alatir leaves her new life and accepts her fate in order to save the children.

So the good? It’s just so simple and fresh. Yes it has some swan princess elements in it, but it is a great tale. Everything worked so well. Even the love story aspect worked. Sure falling in love with a goose may seem weird, but told from her perspective with a fantastic ending it didn’t seem weird at all.

The bad? It’s so short. This is such book material. I feel Hamilton needs to take a break from her erotic stuff she’s doing to write a amazing novel like this. It holds so much potential. Such a shame. I an only hope she’ll return to it one day.

Overall, it’s a wonderful story. I loved every bit of it. And its is just so darn charming. I recommend it anymore. Well not children of course. Hamilton always has a preference to throw something dark here and there. Anyone ever thirteen I would say. It’s such a great read.

4 smoothies out of Four

Overall Rating: A Dark Yet Charming Masterpiece About A Swan Princess.

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

The Curse Maker : Makes Something Old Seem Fresh Again

The Curse Maker By Laurell K Hamilton Smoothie Review

Back to the short stories. Between long novels it’s good to read one or two. So I decided to continue with a tale from Laurell K Hamilton’s Strange Candy collection called the Curse Maker.

So what is it? It is a story set in a medieval sort of fantasy world. It focuses on a warrior Sidra, her mentor and sorcerer Gannon to help a dear friend who is dying from the death curse. It follows them as they put together clues to find the curse marker who can lift the curse.

So the good? Despite the fact it is set in a dangerous and dragons set of world, it doesn’t feel like it. It’s not convoluted with dozens of new terms to remember. Also it is a crime story. Nothing epic. The simplicity in fact is what makes it so enjoyable and accessible to other readers who are not die hard fans of the genre. The characters are fun, and the imagination is brilliant. Instead of pulling out the old fashioned trolls, dragons, or elves she went with a evil sword that likes to drink blood. It is portrayal in a very creepy fashion.

The bad? It is not action based. The climax feels like its leading to another part of the story when there isn’t one. So it does leave the reader at a cliff hanger wondering what will happen next rather than a true conclusion. And also I wanted to know so much more about this world. The detail is so minimal in this piece.

Overall it interesting. If you have the collection it’s worth reading this one. If you got it for a dollar in ebook format, I don’t think that is disappointing either. Beyond that, you might want to question whether it is worth sinking money into this individual story. It is in no way a must read. Just a very mediocre fun story.

Overall Rating: Makes something Old Seem Fresh Again

2 smoothie out of four

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Tolken For Celandine : A Set Of Unoriginal And Mediocre Cliches Set In A Very Dark World

A Tolken For Celandine By Laurell K. Hamilton

Not much of a intro here, just another short story review found in Laurell K Hamitlon’s Strange Candy anthology. This one is a dungeons and dragons style piece called “A Toklen For Celandine.”

So the story is not like Hamilton’s other books. It happens in a medieval setting, featuring the traditional classic fantasy elements such as trolls, elves, unicorns and what not. The story follows a female elf warrior named Bevhinn, who is a body guard for a member of the royal family named Celandine on a quest following a prophecy (that we don’t learn until much later on) to cleanse Celandine’s soul. They travel into the bad lands to save a white healer and run into trouble with the locals in the process.

So the good? It’s nice to see Laurell K Hamilton take a stab at a Tolkien like work and thankfully it’s not as light hearted as most stories of that genre. In fact it is a very dark a fantasy for grown ups.

The bad? Well this is set in the same world as Hamilton’s earliest book called Nightseer. Now I read that book long ago and only remember it being very boring. So since I didn’t remember, I really didn’t know anything about the world. I mean you would had to enjoyed and remember the novel to understand the world of this short story and sadly that is not me. Compared to her other works, it has a lack of detail. And lastly it’s unoriginal. Swords, demons, elves, and medieval worlds had been done a million times before. She did nothing to make the story her own in writing style or anything along those lines.

So overall this is okay, I guess. if you love this sort of fantasy, then by all means check it out. For the rest of us, it is just one cliché after another.

1 out of four smoothies

Overall rating, A Set Unoriginal and Mediocre Clichés Set In A Very Dark World

P.S. Check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Selling Houses: A Story Worth Skipping

Selling house By Laurell K. Hamilton Smoothie Review

I was going to write this in the morning, but then realized I might forget that I even read it by then. So it might be better to write this as soon as possible. This is another short story by Laurell K. Hamilton called Selling Houses and it can be found in the Strange Candy short story collection.
So what is it about? Well first off, it is set in the Anita Blake world, only it isn’t focusing on Anita Blake. It is focusing on a character with a much simpler job that consists of selling houses. It is focusing on a real estate agent named Abbie as she must sell a house that had a demon possession and massacre take place in it. She finds that it is still haunted so the ghost must be removed. And since vampires just became legal, she must sell it to a vampire family.
So the good? Detail is always good. And it’s a look into part of the Anita Blake world we never see. But beyond that, there isn’t much.
So the bad? It’s just not interesting. Abbie isn’t interesting or likable. We aimlessly followed her for a reason that I am still still trying to figure out. After reading this short piece, I’m asking ‘what is the point?’ This has to be one of the dullest pieces I’ve seen by Hamilton. But at least I can give her credit for trying something new.
So overall, one word can sum this up. Boring. I am only giving it ½ smoothie because the story serves no purpose. It’s worth skipping.

½ Smoothies out of Four

P.S. Check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

A Scarcity Of Sea Monsters: Sweet Gentle Tale From The Deep

A Scarcity Of Lake Monsters by Laurell K Hamilton

Overall Rating : Sweet Gentle Tale From The Deep

Okay after reading two really bad books in a row, I’m not sure whether I can gamble on another five hundred novel just yet. I need a breather after that god awful Clive Cussler torture contraption called Atlantis Found. So I’m taking a break and am heading back to world of short stories. And I’m going to one of favorite authors Laurell K Hamilton. This one is called “A Scarcity Of Lake Monsters” and can be found in the Strange Candy collection.

So what is it about? Well it’s a day in the life of Forest Ranger at the Enchanted Forest National Park, of which the forest title itself gives away the fact that the park has creatures such as satyr’s and leprechauns‘ live in it. But this story is involved deeply in the couple’s relationship with the Lake Monster named Irving, that they seem end to love as part of their family like a pet. But as the day goes on, something terrible happens, because people don’t understand the creature. Drama circles the incident. I’m not saying any more than that or I would be spoiling things if I hadn’t done so already.

So the good? Well even though this is ridicules everyone I it seems so real. Mike, Jordan, Susan and even Irving seem like real characters. And the relationships between all of them made the readers feel like they were right there. Plus this is one of the most innocent pieces I seen by Laurell in a long time. I wish she would turn this into a book giving us all something new rather than her never ending Gentry and Blake series. Also as usual, detail is fantastic as well.

So the bad? I can’t say much. Maybe more action would be nice. But that already stated was not the goal of the story here. I wish it could continue but it is only a short story after all.

Overall this is something entirely new and written that shows a kind light hearted world. It is worth looking into.

Four smoothies out of 4

Overall Rating : Sweet gentle Tale From Deep Water

The Edge Of The Sea: A Place Where the Mermen are psychotic

The Edge of the Sea by Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton is a good writer and I’m convinced of that. Even now she is good. She’s just in a rut of writing stuff that’s X- rated at the moment rather than actually writing a story. Edge of The Sea is a short story she recently wrote that hits much closer to home for anyone who read her earlier stuff. It can be found in the Strange Candy Collection.
The story starts with Adria, who find that her room mate Rachel is missing in middle of the night. It is a beach front house so when she can’t find her, she decides to search the beach. Then she finds that her friend is raped and killed by odd pale man, who in discovery dashes into the sea. His feet turned to fish tale as he ran or I should say swim away. Even though Adria denies it at first, she realizes he’s merman. And he is the one that the news is calling the “Beach rapist” committing killings of young women. And as the killings continues, Adria is determined not be his victim. And if possible, she will get revenge if she can.
This is a short story that appears to take place in an Anita Blake world. Because they briefly mention other monsters such as vampires and monsters to this in one, as in one of Anita’s books they did mention there were mer people. But of course in those books they just never went to the coast to encounter these mer folk. But still, this is the same e world taken to a character that lives there.
So the good? It is an expansion of the Anita Blake world we never seen. Plus I like the mermaid idea. I find that it’s a great concept a lot of authors don’t touch. It’s fairly original. And detail is so well done. From the sound of ocean, to smell of the air, to Adria’s fear and lastly how gorgeous this merman is. She is so full of detail. It’s some thing I loved about Laurell’s work in the past. She can describe everything perfectly. (Especially the men, but I’m not going there in this review) And one last thing. There is a rape scene and I have to say this to Hamilton. Thank you for not some how morphing it into a descriptive sex scene like you do in all our newer books. Those are getting old.
The bad? Well it kind of feels like an Anita story without Anita. Adria didn’t have much character to her at all, but done what Anita would have in the end. So I guess if you read Hamilton’s other works, it’s predictable.
So overall. It’s a tragic loss of a friend and crime spree of a rapist who is a merman. Weird, but still fine. I mean it’s not memorable or anything. But it’s fun.

Overall Rating: I Nice Step Into Fantasy Where the Mermen are psychotic

3 smoothies out of four

Lust Of Cupids: I Love It. It’s Just So Darn Cute

A Lust Of Cupids By Laurell K. Hamilton

Okay here’s another odd one. This is a short story written by Laurell K. Hamilton. And this has nothing to do with Anita Blake or Meredith Gentry. This entirely is it’s own thing. It’s called “ A Lust Of Cupids’ and it can be found in the Strange Candy short story collection.

So what is it about? Well its about a thirty year old woman named Rachel Ceridian, who is not married and never planned to get married and have a family like her mother wants. But one day as she’s on a walk during her lunch break, she is attacked by a pack of cupids. Why are they attacking her? Because she’s over thirty and has not fallen in love. So she goes on the run dodging and fleeing the arrows of true love because doesn’t want to fall in love.

So what’s the good? Well it’s just cute. She portrays the cupids as a pack of wolves about to tear he apart while at the same time she describes them as chubby winged babies. And as she runs it’s really hilarious. As she is nearly is hit by the arrow of true love, she says, “Shit! What did I do to deserve this?” I mean how is falling love so scary? Well actually I take that back now that I look at some members of my family. But I mean normal people falling in love. It’s not all that bad.

The bad. This is the shortest short story I ever read. I wish there was more. I wish she explained. But clearly she wanted to keep the integrity of it since it’s something she wrote long ago. But I just wish there was more.
Overall, it so darn cute. Everyone should read this. If you don’t have ten minute out of your life to read this, then you’re just being silly. Because this is so well done.

Overall Rating: I love it. It’s so darn cute.

4 smoothies out of four.

P.S. check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.lelue.webs.com/

Those Who Seek Forgiveness: A Reminder To All Of Us Of How Much We Miss Anita

Those Who Seek Forgiveness by Laurell K. Hamilton

Okay, this is another smoothie review based in an individual short story. Why not a whole book? Well tell me how to review a collection of short stores with it having a meaning behind it, and I’ll start. Every story in my opinion whether it’s a novel, novella should be seen as it’s own piece of work and should be treated as such. This one comes from Laurell K. Hamilton short story collection called, Strange Candy. And this one is called, “Those Who Seek Forgiveness.”

“Those Who Seek Forgiveness,” is the official first written piece involving Anita Blake. And if you know anything about Laurell K. Hamilton, you will surely know about the great Anita: Blake Vampire Hunter series that she created and sadly destroyed with the later books. This takes place before Guilty Pleasures (which is the first official Anita book) and long before Jean Claude and Richard came along. This was when Vampires were still illegal. The events focus on a job of raising a dead husband for a woman, who wants him to forgive her. She says he died of a heart attack and she wanted to say she is sorry to him because she had affair and wasn’t faithful. Oh and by the way, Anita is a Necromancer.

But if you have read Laurell K. Hamilton, you clearly know things are never what they seem. And I won’t say more about the story because it is an awfully short story. It plays as an introduction as the character and world more than any else, but I better get on with the review.

The good? Its the old Anita Blake. It is the woman that all the fans fell in love with at the beginning of the series. It’s not the sex addict Anita appears to be in the latest books. Its the Anita we love. And also without Jean Clause and Richard, it was less complicated. It was simple, sweet and just made me realize how much I miss Anita.

The bad? Not much to say other than it is really short. The story is officially fifteen pages long. And I did want more. But guess beggars can’t be choosers.

So overall, it was short and simple. Maybe too short. But compared to Laurell’s other works lately, I will accept fifteen pages of fun over five hundred pages of erotica. Because let’s face it people. Laurel K. Hamilton is so much more talented than that. Guilty pleasures and sex scenes can only go so far until you say, “That’s Enough! I want the old Anita Back!” And here we get our wish, even if it is so short.

Overall Rating: Reminds Me of How Badly I Miss Anita

3 smoothies out of four

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