REVIEW: "Inhuman Heritage" by Sonnet O'Dell

Why this book?: I've reviewed for Sonnet O'Dell before, and when she asked if I would want to review the newest Cassandra Farbanks novel, I jumped at the chance!

Disclaimer: I received this book in an exchange for a review.

Type: Series, Shifters, Vampires, Parallel Worlds, Mythological Beings, Law of Succession

About the book: Two Worlds. One Mystery. "Nothing is stranger than the truth. 

Cassandra has had a lot of questions, but when it comes to the answers, the truth it seems might be too much for her to handle. On top of that, what should have been perfect relationship with the vampire Aram, is falling apart before its really begun. 

To distract herself she takes a job from the werewolves. It's time to pick a new king and a emissary must be safely escorted. Someone is out to kidnap the emissary and steal the crown. Who's behind it is just another question Cassandra must answer before time runs out."

My Review: This will be the third book I have reviewed in this series, and I always thought it had such an interesting premise. I mean, who doesn't want to travel to a different version of reality each evening? Sure, Cassandra's night life can be more than a little scary, but think of all the adventures she has! And the plot of "Inhuman Heritage" is another such adventure. Unlike some of the previous novels, the first 1/3 of this book seems very much character driven. We learn more about Cassandra's relationships.. and especially who, or what, she is - which leads to her having an understandable pity party. But Cassandra doesn't get to wallow in her feelings for too long, she has a job to do, and it's not going to be easy.

Cassandra's sense of humor never fails to tickle me. She's quick witted, and her quips come from all genres of pop culture - it's quite fun trying to figure out where everything is from. In this regard, I can definitely find some parallels between Harry Dresden of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Cassandra. They both have that sense of humor that makes you laugh and groan at the same time. And along these lines, I can definitely see some similarities between this series and the Anita Blake series by Laurel K. Hamilton. Cassandra is, essentially, a younger and less $lutty Anita Blake - which I'm, for one, thankful for.

In closing, I'd definitely say "Inhuman Heritage" by Sonnet O'Dell is great reading choice for fans of Urban Fantasy, especially readers that enjoy a host of fascinating and delicious characters. I'd say this isn't my favorite in the series, but it was still an excellent and entertaining read.

Cover Lovin': Considering how were-wolf centered this novel is, the cover is very fitting. And now that I've read the book and take another look at the cover, it just seems perfect. Loving the image in the eyes!

Recommendation: Fans of both the Anita Blake; Vampire Hunter series by Laurel K. Hamilton and The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher will enjoy the Cassandra Farbanks series. These are definitely good reads, and they keep my eyes glued to my eReader until the very end.
A Note: While author Sonnet O'Dell does very good at getting any new readers up to date, and reminding long-time fans of past events, this is one of those series you really want to follow from the beginning for the full effect.

Final Rating: While reading through the first half of the book, it was definitely feeling like a three.. But by the end, I was full convinced that this book is worth FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). The beginning was a little rocky for me, but once again, this author surprised me with how good the last half of the book was.

The Series in Order:
1. Soul Market
2. Lost Innocents
3. Skin Thief
4. Inhuman Heritage

Have you read "Inhuman Heritage" or any other novel by Sonnet O'Dell? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to try the series out? Click on the title links above to purchase these items from Amazon.com!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~  

BLOGOVERSARY: GUESTPOST by author Sonnet O'Dell!

Welcome everyone! This week, Novel Addiction is celebrating its SECOND BLOGOVERSARY! I'm also celebrating my birthday, so it's a super fun week! Be sure to check back every day for more great, fun content - go HERE to check out the schedule. Today, I'm lucky to offer you a guest post from Sonnet O'Dell, author of The Cassandra Farbanks series!!!
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Happy Birthday Mr. Scott

What has the title got to do with this guest blog? Very little actually, except that July 14^th is the birthday of the Montgomery Edward Scott (Star Trek – engineer).

The point is to talk about birthdays for fictional characters. I believe that when creating a fictional character assigning them a birthday can have an important impact of who they are. Once you’ve picked a date there is a wealth of information out there that can be used to piece together a personality – numerology, astrology etc. Once you have the date in mind, you can add interesting quirks to a character say if something important happened on that date in history or if they share the birthday with a famous person.

For instance in my books, the Cassandra Farbanks Series, her birthday is March 23^rd. This makes her an Aries which is a cardinal fire sign. Aries people are supposed to be full of energy, excitement but can sometimes be impatient, impulsive and irritable. They have drive and a powerful intoxicating energy. All of which are qualities instilled in Cassandra, especially with her affinity for fire magic.

Birthdays can also play a key role in the history and future of a character. Many works feature characters whom come of age to inherit great wealth or power and then the story storm ahead with what they do after that – for instance when Harry Potter turns twelve he discovers he’s a wizard.

In a historical context there is the impact of a certain birthday on a character – say at age six there was an incident involving a clown, a balloon animal and an ice cream cake… which we will not talk about further here…that can lead to characters developing Coulrophobia (fear of clowns) or Cryophobia (fear of ice cream.) I’m not inclined to really believe that anyone could be scared of ice cream, because no matter what it’s done to me (whether it be the fat thighs or butt) I keep coming back for more.

I am guilty of a ménage with my two favorite men – mainly Ben & Jerry. Lol.

The point I was going to make (and I promise you there is one in here…somewhere) that our celebrating of our birth, can be an important factor in character development. Whether the character is young – excited about getting older or more mature – who has been telling her friends for the last five years she’s twenty nine, it impacts the kind of person they are.

          

Find Sonnet O'Dell at her website.
Purchase the books here!

What's up next for Sonnet:
Triton Rising (Adult Novella) - 07/09/11
The Morning Afterlife (Young Adult Novella) - 07/11/11
And the next Cassandra Farbanks novel - Inhuman Heritage - 07/02/12  (I'm really looking forward to this one!!)

A big thanks to Sonnet for visiting!!
Don't miss the previous Blogoversary/Birthday celebration posts!

Day 1, author Lisa Beth Darling stops by to talk about anniversaries, and is offering a copy of her ebook "The Heart of War"!! Go HERE to read her touching guest post and enter the contest!

Day 2, author Jessica McHugh stops by to talk about the end of her epic fantasy series, and is offering a LIMITED EDITION PRINT copy of "Rabbits in the Garden!" Go HERE to check it out!

Day 3, author Alison Holt stops by to talk about realistic cops in fiction, and is offering THREE winners their choice of her ebooks! Go HERE to read the post and enter the contest!

And don't forget my giveaway for three print books by Lori Foster! One winner will get all THREE of Lori's new releases! Visit this post to read the rules and enter!

Want to get me a present for my birthday *wink wink* Here's my RAK Wishlist.

Happy Reading! And be sure to stop by tomorrow for more fun and celebration!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Invasion of the body snatchers! REVIEW of "Skin Thief" by Sonnet O'Dell

Why this book?: Author asked for a review, and I really enjoyed the previous book in this series, "Lost Innocents" (click the title to find my review). This is the third book in the Cassandra Fairbanks series. You can purchase this "Skin Thief" here.

Disclaimer: The author sent me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Type: Series, Paranormal Investigator, Witches, Police Investigation, Paranormal Mystery, Urban Fantasy

Book Description: Deciding to put her recently discovered magical powers to use, Cassandra Farbanks has started her own Paranormal Investigation business, and now she’s handling her first official case.



A prison inmate has used a magic amulet to escape his incarceration and seek a bloody revenge on his enemies. But what is his true purpose, and what’s the connection between the victims? It's up to Cassandra to find out. Cassandra is desperate to track and stop him whilst trying to juggle a deteriorating relationship with her boyfriend, the half elf Magnus, and her bond to the vampire Aram.

Even as she finds her way to closing her first real case, Cassandra’s troubles aren't over. As she discovers, the magic of an amulet is too tempting for some—and it could ruin everything for Cassandra.
My Review: As with the previous novel in this series, I was reading along, mildly interested, and then suddenly the author hooks me, and the ending shocks me with its cleverness. There is a lot of interesting character interaction, and each character is given their own little quirks - things that make them seem genuine and real. The way characters act and are described while together is part of the fun of a novel, and you get that in "Skin Thief." For example, while eating dinner together, Cassandra and Magnus play with each other, and make faces at one again - cute little things that just add to the story.

I will say that there are a lot of side characters to keep track of, and if you're new to the series, it's difficult to keep up with all the names. However, this issue is easily solved by reading the series in order, starting with book one. There are some series that allow readers to pop in and out whenever, but for the full effect of Cassandra, her powers, and her posse - be sure to read the whole thing. You won't regret it.

I find "Skin Thief" to be an interesting case - a mobster that gets ahold of a magical amulet, and uses it to pass from body to body. This makes the killer that much more elusive and harder to find, and the mystery that much deeper. This book also contained some great quotes and possibly one of my favorite descriptions of relationships and the people involved to date. I'm including it because I enjoyed it so much (and no worries, no spoilers!).
"Magnus was like earth, wholesome and natural - it came from the elf blood in his veins. It was dark elf blood, so sometimes I worried about him being more like oil, and with me being fire I was more often afraid I would burn him up. I had set him on fire once, but it hadn't been my plan to do so; sometimes when things get a little hot between us, they literally get a little hot.
Aram, on the other hand, was like air, which was bad and good in equal amounts. If I were only a small flame, like a candle on a birthday cake, a simple breath would be enough to put me out. If I was a smoldering flame, he could feed me, help me grow stronger, become more than I am. But he too ran the rick of the inferno, of being consumed by me." (pg 67)

As mentioned earlier, the ending caught me by surprise. I expected the case ending to be the end of the story, but Cassandra's journey certainly wasn't over, and the final climax of the book was emotionally painful and artfully done. I eagerly anticipate another book to see how Cassandra deals with the turmoil that happened between her and another character - you'll just have to read it yourself and find out what happens.
Recommendation: Fans of the early Anita Blake novels will really enjoy the Cassandra Fairbanks series. Really good urban fantasy that will keep you guessing. I strongly recommend reading the previous novels first.

Final Rating: FOUR POINT FIVE out of FIVE (4.5/5). Good urban fantasy with an ending I didn't expect.

Have you read "Skin Thief" or another novel by Sonnet O'Dell? Share your thoughts in the comments! Would you like to pick up a copy? Get it from the link at the top of the review, or at Amazon.com (available in print and ebook, I believe)!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Review of "Lost Innocents" by Sonnet O'Dell

"Lost Innocents" by Sonnet O'Dell is the second book in the Cassandra Fairbanks series, paranormal mysteries. You can purchase this book here.

Disclaimer: I was sent this book by the author in exchange for a review. I have not received any monetary incentives for a positive or negative review.

Type: Series, Paranormal Mystery, Vampires, Werewolves, Cops, Fairy Tales

About the book: "  Two Worlds. One Mystery.

Cassandra returns, still caught between realities, and she has another mystery on her hands. Eight-year-old Adam Baker is the latest in a string of children to mysteriously vanish, and when the bones of a young child are found, Cassandra is increasingly worried for his safety—and the Preternatural Crime Unit has ordered her to keep away from the case or else. Meanwhile, Aram is facing trial, and only Cassandra can save him. But does she want to?
Juggling a boyfriend, college, vampire politics and investigative work is difficult, and it doesn’t help that something seems to be wrong with her powers. Can she pull herself together in time to save all those lost in the night?   "

So I have re-discovered by ability to draw things on pages of a book in my ebook reader. This is great for making notes, however they do not always make sense later. However, I will gladly share these notes with you - "Funny," "Good description," "Blake-like," "Cool, Gargoyles!," a random squiggle, and finally "Whiny." So there you have it. My review.

What? Oh.. you want me to explain it? Fine. But we're working backwords so I can erase the notes as I go. Let's start with "whiny." Cassandra has a boyfriend, Magnus, who is supposedly several years (or decades) her senior. He is a half-elf, so he ages much slower, but he is still older and assumably more mature than Cassandra. But it's hard to feel this maturity level. On the page before my note, Magnus is practically pouting before Cassandra had forgotten about their date, and indeed she had.. but only because she had a lot of other things on her plate at the time. But then on the next page, she is calling Magnus a sweetheart, thinking of helping others. While yes, Magnus has shown several times throughout the book that he will help whenever she, or others, need it - sweetheart wasn't always the best description of him. Maybe sweetheart with a touch of whine-whine-whinerpants. That said, I did enjoy him, as well as some of the rather yummy descriptions of him.

A random squiggle was probably just me messing with the screen. Let's move past that one.

The next note is "Cool, Gargoyles!" - that's right, in his book we get to meet some gargoyles. Or.. gargoyle-like creatures.. I'm not sure if that's actually the name they're given. I have to say, this is not something I've seen a lot of in paranormal fiction, and I'm intrigued. The characters were interesting, and it seems they like to travel in packs, and even have mates. I love group dynamics, and I thought the author added an interesting spin with this type of mythical creature. It seems like the gargoyles are there to stay, so I hope Cassandra will get to see more of them in the future.

Next up is "Blake-like." Those who were fans of Laurell K. Hamilton's early part of the Anita Blake series will definitely enjoy "Lost Innocents," and I'm sure, the rest of the Cassandra Fairbanks series. Cassandra has the same drive, and to some extents, the same weird humor as Anita. And you get all of the nummy guys and interesting ties to them, without all of the uncomfortable weird sex scenes. I would suggest this series to anyone that enjoyed the first six or so books of Anita Blake, and it's definitely a series people should get into. It's a tough subject matter to deal with (children are being kidnapped and killed), but Cassandra is plucky, and she is willing to work hard to solve the case, even if it means getting herself arrested in the process.

"Good Description" - there's a lot of that in this book. O'Dell does quite well at setting the scene for the reader, and there were a few moments that stuck out to me. My favorite has to be when Cassandra first reaches the abandoned cathedral that plays an important role in the plot. The description was thorough and haunting.. which set the mood perfectly, considering Cassandra was there to examine some bones found.

And my last note is "funny." I truly loved Cassandra's sense of humor, and her quick comebacks. Everyone has heard the joke "if you look up stupid in the dictionary, there will be a picture of you." Cassandra's response is one of my favorite amusing lines in the book: " 'Well I'm not the one who had to look up 'stupid' in the dictionary,' I said, watching his laughter fae and his posture stiffen. 'And mine doesn't have pictures in it, moron.' " I chuckled while reading this scene. So despite the dark tone of the novel, the author provides the reader with a few light moments, so as not to bring you down.

That said, I'm going to give "Lost Innocents" by Sonnet O'Dell a FOUR POINT FIVE out of FIVE (4.5/5). I thought the plot was good, the characters were interesting, and I'm definitely feeling the urge to read more of the series (I hope there will be more!). As I said, I had a problem or two with a character (or two)... such as Magnus, who occasionally just needed to hush up and look pretty. But I really did enjoy the book. A lot.

Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow