Rock Courtship

Title: Rock Courtship (Rock Kiss #1.5)
Author: Nalini Singh

Plot: 6/10
Style: 6/10
Cover: 5/10
Final: 6/10

A short novel continuation of Rock Addiction, much better than that first part. The events in the story are parallel to Fox and Molly's book and concentrate on David (the drummer) and Thea (Molly's sister and the band's PR head).

Instead of wild sex on every page, Rock Courtship has an actual storyline. If you've read Rock Addiction, you already know what happens/is going to happen in the background, but you gain an additional insight into David's and Thea's way of coping with the problems and their own pasts.

Rock Courtship, while not marvellous, is quite likeable and great for a quick-read before going to sleep.

Rock Addiction

Title: Rock Addiction
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Romance

Plot: 3/10
Style: 6/10
Cover: 5/10
Final: 4/10

Yes, I'm one of those weird girls who read romance novels for the plot. That's why I love Nalini Singh - both the Guild Hunter and Psy-Changeling series are full of great characters, plot twists and action. That's why I reached for Rock Addiction, even though it is not the kind of book I would usually pick up.

The story is quite simple: a librarian with connections meets a rock star. They make out. Endlessly. The first 30% of the book is a huge description of sex, and I'm nearly not exaggerating. Though one starts being impressed by the variety of possible words and expressions used to depict the act.

Finally, when the first hunger is satisfied (which basically marks half of the book), a trifling plot appears: the heroine has a traumatic past. The rock star has a traumatic past. They found out about the traumatic pasts. Then, when they deal with their personal stuff, some trouble comes from the outside. And then the book finishes, with a lot of sex before, during, between and after the traumatic stuffs.

If you're looking for a book full of graphic and vivid descriptions of sex, then this one will be pretty good. The writer has a good style, it's definitely not a harlequin-level novel. However, if you came here hoping for an actual plot with romance in the background - you won't find it here.

But if you get through this part, I can asure you that the next ones are actually better!

The Lies of Locke Lamora

Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy

Plot: 9/10
Style: 10/10
Cover: 6/10
Final: 10/10

When a friend keeps nagging you to read a book, after some time you just have to give up. You pick it up from your 'to-read' list and hope it's going to be a good one, just so you can say later on that yeah, it was fine. But the words that left my mouth during the next conversation were closer to "THAT WAS FREAKING AWESOME!"

Usually the first pages of a book are either boring or confusing. Or both. Especially when you're thrown into a new world with no earlier introduction. But in this case the confusion is seriously pleasurable! The setting seems to be familiar, the brain quickly makes connections: Venice, mafia, Italy... The Godfather. In a fantasy version! With ancient-civilisations-stuff included! Now you can barely contain your excitement. The feeling is even deepened by the light tone of the first pages, where the reader gets to know the young and mischievous version of the hero. Then, when the story switches to the already grown-up characters and becomes more serious and the plot gets more sophisticated, the reader already knows (at the fundamental level) what's going on. And even though the action becomes darker and more depressing with every page read, the flashbacks into the characters' childhood always bring back a wide smile.

This book is extremely well thought through and causes a swing of emotions - from sadness to laughter, from light-heartedness to concern. What's more, the pinch of mystery of the ever-present ancient ruins and technology incredibly fascinates and adds exactly the desired sense of strangeness and originality to the world creation.

And the language. When you imagine a fantasy book set in a pseudo-reneissance magical world, you can probably guess at the style of writing you're going to get: the archaisms and kind of artificial a la Shekaspearean phrases and dialogues. Not in here! Vivid, realistic and lively dialogues, the unusual use of coloquial speech keep the story at the highest possible level.

Definitely one of the best books currently on the market, and one of the best books I've ever read.