Book review: "Stolen" by Kelley Armstrong (Women of the Otherworld 2)

Warning: contains spoilers for the previous book in the series.

Stolen is the second book in the "Women of the Otherworld" series, and just like the first, it took me a while to read. Our main character is still Elena, the only female werewolf, who at the end of the first book stopped fighting her nature and returned to her pack--and to her husband whom she said she'd never forgive for making her a werewolf. The last book was all about a pack problem, but this one introduces other characters. Elena is investigating someone selling information that would prove the existence of werewolves, which of course is something the pack isn't down with.

It ends up being a trap of sorts, however; instead of information-selling sleezebags, Elena meets two witches, Ruth and Paige, who want to invite the wolves to join a supernatural council. They tell her that supernaturals of all sorts (witches, half-demons, shamans, etc.) are being kidnapped. Various snafus and problems arise with actual council meeting itself, and then, to absolutely nobody's surprise, Elena is abducted.

The rest of the book is about Elena's experience there and unraveling the mystery of who's in charge, what they're doing, and why. It's interesting, but it still took me a while to plow through it, and like the first book, I'm not entirely sure why. Elena was less annoying in this book, since she wasn't whining about how much she hated being a werewolf, so that was a plus.

This was a book that I would put down for days at a time, but then sometimes I'd hit a part of it where I couldn't put it down. I still recommend the series, although I've ambivalent about this book in particular.

TV review: Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse"

This is the third show this year I've started watching just because of a particular actor (the other two being Leverage and Trust Me); this is also the second show since Buffy I've started watching because of Eliza Dushku. Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling that Dollhouse might go the same way as Tru Calling thanks to the ass clowns at Fox.

(I mean, seriously--they keep bullcrap like The Sarah Connor Chronicles and axe interesting shows like New Amsterdam? Futurama? Firefly? Arrested Development? Titus? I guess I should just be grateful they haven't axed my most beloved House. Or Bones. I would cry.)

Anyway.

Dollhouse opens with Eliza Dushku's unnamed character agitatedly talking with a calm, sort of generically sophisticated woman. We don't hear names, or really find out what's happened; but the gist of it is that Eliza's done something bad, something for which there are consequences, and the other woman is blackmailing her--or in her words, offering her a "clean slate".

Suddenly, cut to a two-person motorcycle race through city streets. Huh? Oh, there's her ass in leather--that explains the need for this sequence. It ends in a restaurant--literally, motorcycles in the building--and Eliza starts playfully flirting/accusing her racing partner of cheating. They go to dance, and we get another cheap cash-in on Eliza's looks: several minutes of her dancing in a white dress so short you get glimpses of buttcheek.

Eliza suddenly gets a vacant look on her face and wanders out on to the street to a van, where a man asks if she's ready for her "treatment". She hops in and off they go. The guy she left behind watches and makes a cryptic comment to his friend about Cinderella leaving before her coach turns in to a pumpkin--whatever's going on, he apparently knows about it.

We now learn that her name is "Echo", as she prattles on about her date and her weekend with the aforementioned guy. Everybody around her plays along, until she sits down in typical-looking mind control device, where blue lights flash around her head and she seems to be in pain. We see a quick rewind of the dancing, the racing, and things before all the way back to a mother figure above a crib. Echo opens her eyes and innocently asks if she fell asleep before sort of vaguely wandering off--a good bit of acting on Eliza Dushku's part.

The man who delivered her for "treatment" and the one who administered it talk briefly, and we learn that Echo's "imprint" has been erased, and that she doesn't remember anything ... and that all this is illegal.

And that's all before the opening credits roll.

I really want to like this show, because I think Joss Whedon is great and I love Eliza Dushku. And I do think it's interesting, although the premier was really heavy-handed--in addition to laying down the basics of "evil group wiping the minds of beautiful young women (and men, it's implied) to make money and MIND CONTROL OMG", they introduce an FBI agent searching for the "Dollhouse", and they allude to a rogue "active" like Echo. Oh, and they hint that Echo is remembering things despite her imprints being wiped, and they send her on a kidnap negotiation mission that's complicated enough on its own. I think if they left out of FBI agent and the rogue active, it wouldn't have been so overwhelming.

Like all Joss Whedon's shows, Dollhouse has a particular look and atmosphere. It's certainly got its share of creepy moments, and obviously is going to be a great platform for a couple of things: Eliza Dushku looking hot and kicking ass in various guises, and the sort of social/human nature commentary Buffy and Angel and everything else Whedon is known for. It'll be interesting to see if a good balance can be struck between those two things.

Although Fox's marketing of the show makes me think it's going to learn toward the sexual, cheap thrills side. I really could've done without the "OMG, look how sexy and amazing we are" interludes with Dushku and Summer Glau. I know sex sells, but I hope this show is given a chance to expand beyond that. I'll keep watching and see how it goes. I'll also keep watching for more familiar faces--it was nice to see Amy Acker again!

Book review: "The Dream-Hunter" by Sherrilyn Kenyon

A friend at work recommended Kenyon's books to me; she'd described the Dark-Hunter series as being about vampire killers, etc., and I added them to my Booksfree list just out of curiosity. I didn't realize until I received The Dream-Hunter, and read the back, that it's part of a genre I eschew: romance. (pause for Wilhelm scream) Still, I gave it a try on my friend's recommendation. I'm still not 100% sure what to say about it.

Our main character is Megeara Kafieri, a buttoned-up, overly serious academic type. Her family has been obsessed with finding Atlantis, to the point of several people dying because of it; she promises to continue the quest when her father is on his deathbed, although she doesn't believe. Then she receives two items in her father's will that change her mind, and she throws herself into this quest.

Our other main character is Arikos, a Dream-Hunter. What's that? Um ... it's a little confusing. He was originally an Oneroi, a Greek god of sleep. Apparently, one of these guys did something eons ago to piss off Zeus, so he cursed them into emotionlessness. Now, the only time they can feel emotions is when they're floating around in the dreams of humans. An Oneroi who becomes addicted to emotions becomes a Skotos, which is what Arikos is. Naturally, he's a Skotos of the erotic variety, and has been shagging Megeara silly in her dreams.

Arikos is so curious about her that he makes a pact with Hades, who makes him human and tosses him in to the ocean by Megeara's research ship. Naturally, she's shocked to see him, and he makes up a rather lame cover story while being confused that she didn't immediately jump his bones. Then he contacts his "brother", another supernatural being, in order to procure the excavation permits Megeara needs to go hunting for Atlantis ... even though Arikos knows that all sorts of ancient goddess hell will break loose if she finds it.

All the stuff about the gods and goddesses, and the hierarchy and powers and all, is great and interesting. I liked the characterization of the mythological figures; at times it was funny, like Artemis' inability to "get" human slang. At times it was touching, like a brief reunion scene between Hades and Persephone.

If this had been a book primarily about them, and their battles and struggles, I think I'd've liked it more. However, this is definitely a romance novel with supernatural characters rather than the other way around, and that really rubs me the wrong way. All the "fire spread across his skin at her gentle touch" crap just makes me roll my eyes. Having sex in a pool of molten chocolate doesn't sound erotic to me, for instance--it sounds sticky and gross. Think about what happens when chocolate dries--it gets all crumbly and leaves behind a stick residue! And it's just like having sex in water or sand--some of it's gonna get where you don't want it! Okay, so they were in a dream, but still--just not an erotic image.

I'll be honest, I didn't even finish it. I carried it around in my purse for a couple of weeks and read it while waiting for appointments, etc., and it was never one of those books I just couldn't put down. By the time Megeara and Arikos get naked (like that's a spoiler, please), I was done. I skimmed the end, read occasional chunks, and saw it ended about like I expected. Here's where the trouble comes in: I didn't like it. I wouldn't recommend it. But I know that I don't like it simply because of what it is.