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51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Beginning! Can't wait for more!, November 2, 2009
This review is from: Tempest Rising (Jane True) (Mass Market Paperback)
A entirely original yet familiar introduction to a new world of urban fantasy. Jane True is stuck in a ho-hum life in small-town Maine as the village pariah. Because of the nature of her parentage (child out of wed-lock, gasp!) and a freak accident that left her crippled by her own grief and the town's collective hatred she has little to look forward to. The death of another local thrusts her into a paranormal society she didn't know existed let alone was part of. In walks Mr. Steamy/Sexy vampire, Ryu, and out pops a host of unique, colorful, lovable, crazy, weird, and/or interesting characters.
Jane True is somewhat reminiscent of Sookie Stackhouse as she tumbles down the rabbit hole and doesn't know who to trust. But she is her own character entirely. And I love her internal ramblings. They seriously made me laugh out loud. Nicole Peeler puts the mental ramblings we all have, but never admit to, on paper. Or at least I hope I'm that funny in my head. I especially love the whole devil on one shoulder and angel on the other inner dialogue. Only it's Jane's libido and her guilty common sense that battle. Especially when her libido was that carnivorous plant from Little Shop of Horrors. (Feed meeeeeeee!)
I also love that while there are vampires in this book it is not a vampire book. Matter of fact, vampires aren't even the "ancient all powerful, apathetic to the workings of us puny humans" characters in this book. So while this is a paranormal book and the characters are similar to the myths of vampires, shapeshifters, ect, they are original but without being TOO off the beaten path.
I love, love, love this series. Nicole Peeler has carved out the perfect little niche for her world and her characters and I can only hope it's long lasting. Plus, I can tell she could do side-stories on other characters because she sets this up so well. Tempest Rising fell in the same category as Halfway to the Grave, Some Girls Bite, Stray, and Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs: Books that started up an AWESOME series and that I couldn't put down.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can you see through the glamours?, November 24, 2009
This review is from: Tempest Rising (Jane True) (Mass Market Paperback)
They live among us. And who are they? Supernatural beings, of course. Gnomes. Vampires. Genies. Half this, half that. They're all here. The dog you walk day in and day out may not be just a dog. Of course, they don't want us to see their true nature, so we don't. This would, however, explain a lot about my cat -- I'm going to start watching her more closely. Perhaps her glamours will slip one day.
Like all of us, Jane never saw any of these beings, despite being half one herself -- until one day they make themselves known to her. They'd watched her from afar and would have let themselves be known to her -- someday, if they felt it necessary. And then she stumbled upon a murder scene that affected their world. So, of course, they were forced to welcome her with open arms. Or some were, anyway. This turns Jane's otherwise boring life upside down. In good and bad ways both. The town outcast can always use some excitement, after all.
There's a fair amount of pop culture references in this book, which typically makes me a little nervous. It makes me feel as though it might leave some readers out. Sure, my mom will get the MC Hammer reference, but some other the other songs or movies that were mentioned? Maybe not. Still it worked in this book, most are popular enough that almost anyone would have at least an idea of who/what they were -- that or the names alone gave you an idea of what they were about. So, my usual pet peeve when it comes to this, went right out the window and I ended up finding it charming -- That Jane was so often chatting with herself using books, movies, songs, etc as reference points to compare her own situations to.
The cover explains to us that this book is a must for Sookie fans. I agree. It's written in the same fun spirit as the Southern Vampire Series. A totally different world though. The Sookie world really focuses on Vamps and shape shifters. This is a bit of wow who ISN'T here. 5/5. I'll be back for the next book.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Will the new urban fantasy readers please stand up?, November 10, 2009
This review is from: Tempest Rising (Jane True) (Mass Market Paperback)
I am new to the urban fansasy genre, but I'll tell you now that I'm standing and saluting for it! I suppose I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book but what I got was a story that I couldn't get enough of--I flew through it in four days. I've never been addicted to any illegal substances but how I ached to read the book and my constant obsession with getting my next fix is the way I'd imagine it to be. It's an easy read but also creative, intelligent and hilarious. I found Jane's internal dialogue to be one of the highlights of the book and her witty, observational commentary allowed me to relate to her easily. It contains a few words that (at the risk of making myself sound dumb) made me go grab a dictionary. If I can have a laugh and expand my vocabulary at the same time, I am in!
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