by darkwriter67

***Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this in exchange for a review.***

LORE is an anthology of six short stories based on various myths and mythologies ranging from Native American to Aztec to Hebrew. It’s a bit of an odd mix but they’re all pretty interesting. And unlike Disney, it ain’t always a Happily Ever After ending.

Shimmer by Brinda Berry- a young mermaid struggles to assimilate into the modern world. But does she even want to… especially after meeting a handsome young man? Don’t look for Little Mermaid here; this is a New Adult tale laden with angst and conflict.

Between by Karen Bynum- high school peer pressure boils over when uptown girl Lucy has to decide between popularity and Natasha, the girl she loves. The choice she’ll make changes everything, and the consequences may be more than she can bear. Tragedy, drama and sorrow- this one’s loaded like Shakespeare. With djinn, no less.

Sunset Moon by Laura Diamond – Eloise is a troubled young girl sent to connect with her Native American heritage in an attempt to steer her away from self-destruction. The signs are all there, but is it truly the beginnings of a spiritual journey or just a really bad high? This one’s full on teen rebellion complete with drugs and abusive boyfriend. Too much time spent on her tragic backstory and buildup, and not enough on the mysticism and Native culture; plus the romance seemed forced.

The Maker by Jayne Knolls- after a car accident leaves his mind and body shattered, Brett seeks ice cold revenge on his ex-girlfriend Cassandra for abandoning him in the wreck, to be dished and dispensed by the best golem his money and intellect can buy and create. But will it be enough for this modern-day Frankenstein? Or his creation? Got all the makings of a good ol’ fashioned horror story in this one.

A Beautiful Mourning by Theresa DaLayne- Mayan gods Ishel and Kinich pledge their eternal love to one another, despite her betrothal to Nacon. Their love compels them to flee to the middle world, jeopardizing all of Nature and incurring her father’s and Nacon’s wrath. Kinda on the light side and a little confusing on the magical elements. The non-speaking character Balam was the best part of it.

The Barricades by Cate Dean- Celtic gods and humans have resettled on a distant planet. Humans are driven into servitude and squalor while the Eternals reign over them once again. Daniel, son of an Eternal and a human, finds himself entangled in a fatal conspiracy and only a human girl can save him. Very intriguing premise that teases you with the possibilities. Thankfully the author plans on expanding upon it.

It’s an interesting collection of shorts- all new twists on the old favorites. Read and enjoy.

Impressions from this year's BEA.  Good time was had, but the last day was ridiculous and unnecessarily so. 

If Laurell Hamilton ever again tries to tell someone she isn't writing romance, here's your proof that she is.

Exhibit A is what the Anita Blake series has declined into; Exhibit B is right here. This is infinitely worse than any K-Drama or something on Telemundo. Why? BECAUSE ALMOST NOTHING EVER HAPPENS! NOTHING!

Swear to @#$%ing Chthulu, practically nothing fraggin' happens for almost four hundred $%^ing pages! I have to say almost nothing because there are all of two important events that take place, but you only get to see one of them. I won't even post a synopsis because there's almost nothing to write about. Think I'm joking? Wait 'til you read it.

**MINI-SPOILERS AHEAD**
What's Good:
There's some attempt at humanizing Andais. In what's to me the best scene in the book (!) Merry & Co. are wary of letting Crazy Aunt Andais visit the babies, so they do the magic mirror thing first. During their conversation some intriguing details about the Queen of Air and Darkness are revealed, including some insight into why she's the way she is. It gets touched upon again later in the book when Andais gives Merry some advice on what it takes to make Taranis back off. But alas, it all gets washed away in a tide of love and wangst. Hell, Andais even cries a couple of times. Those crumbs are as good as this thing gets. And shocker of shockers- there's a character death! No, don't look at me like that- someone important dies. And there's a CONSPIRACY behind it! I guess Merry didn't get Hamilton to make the same promise Anita did about not killing people off. Only thing is they get the Haven treatment and it only takes three pages to off them.

What's Bad:
The rest of the book. I've said it before and I have to say it again- ALMOST NOTHING HAPPENS! The babies are born in-between the first two chapters (and since they're now triplets and each baby has two fathers, two more baby daddies get added to the mix), Taranis makes a couple of half-@$$ attempts at taking Merry and someone dies... but it only takes about ten pages to wrap that one up. So what are you gonna fill up the other three hundred fifty odd pages with? You got it- TALKING! And not just any ol' talking but As-You-Know-Bob Infodumps in the classic Hamilton style you've come to know and loathe. Character A exposits on a situation everyone's fully aware of, B adds a little more, C just got there and asks some questions, A and B add more filler to the tune of but-that-was-before-THIS-happened, D asks if this changes things, A,B and C all say no- which renders the whole conversation pointless and circular. Best example of this I can sum up from early sequence discussing what to do about Taranis and Andais:

**It might be ok to let Andais come visit; she seems composed and rational, moreso that she’d been lately. Over the years she knew her infertility damaged the throne so she got more and more unhinged to the point she didn’t care if she lived or died. Guess once Merry got knocked up, she knew she’d be ok. Taranis can’t come near any of us due to a court order plus he’d actually threatened a whole group of human lawyers, so we’re ok there. If he comes near us or our babies, we’ll kill him. No problem. He’s crazy. Yep. And he’s a danger to everyone. Sure you’re right. So we’ll kill him if he tries anything. Gotcha. He raped Merry. So we’ve heard. And he’s infertile and can’t rule the Seelie. Nope, he can’t. So he’s desperate. That seems likely. And crazy. Yeah. And he'll do anything to stay in power, even kill us. Yep. So we’ll kill him first. Ok. So if he makes a move we waste him. Sounds like a plan. Because he’d do it to us. Probably. So let’s get him first. Fist bump me, bro**

Think you can handle it?

What's Left:
All the plot points tossed aside that would make for interesting reading, except Hamilton has no interest in anyone reading them. Especially since some of them make you wonder why they hadn't already happened. A new human ambassador to the Fae gets appointed and it's suggested that envoys be assigned to the Courts, since the Fae are always on their best behavior around humans. Not only would this be standard diplomatic practice, but why hasn't it ever been enacted in all the years they've been here? You telling me NO ONE, not Thomas Jefferson or since, ever thought of having someone keep an eye on the Fae, especially since these powerful creatures are here on sufferance? One of his attacks on Merry leaves Taranis injured by her Hand of Power, which is grounds for getting him deposed as Seelie King (surprise!) and his replacement's on the way, but like JC taking over the American Vampire Council in the AB novels, the coup is only mentioned in passing. No need to see these game-changing events which were supposed to be at the heart of the entire series when you can just go 'oh yeah, by the way'. Might interfere with all the really important endless talk about love. And love.

Since Merry's still recovering from childbirth, there's not so much zexxy zexx happening but hey- something's gotta be done for all these hot menz, right? How's your wrist and gag reflex?

Utterly boring, insipid, vapid, dull, repetitive and lame. I'd ask you to put out the light when you finish but Hamilton already did that. 

0-stars.