For the sake of clarity and continuity, readers would be well-advised to read the previous books in the series before...
Historical/fantasy novelist Hambly (Blood Maidens, 2011, etc.) takes another bite out of crime and otherworldly goings-on in her latest vampire novel.
Accompanied by his brilliant wife, scientist Lydia, and elderly mentor, Dr. Solomon Karlebach, former-spy-turned–vampire-hunter James Asher travels to Peking to investigate the possibility that a new form of the Undead exists. Known as the Others, even vampires fear these creatures. After arriving in the country, James quickly becomes involved in the investigation of a young woman’s murder. Her reluctant fiancé is accused of the crime, and James’ inquiries lead him into the murky Chinese underworld, where his pursuit of the truth behind the murder and his quest of the Others intersect. He discovers that the ruthless head of the most formidable criminal family, Madame Tso, plans to use the Others for her own gain. Two key allies, Don Simon Ysidro, a vampire who died in 1555 (and who appeared in a previous novel), and Japanese nobleman Count Mizukami, assist James as he executes a daring plan that leads them to the Shi’h Liu Mine and the hideous monsters that lurk in the bowels of the earth. Rich in imagery and full of historical detail, the story works well when the author depicts life in the diplomatic community during this particular era of Chinese history; and the parts of the story that describe the characters’ encounters with the Others are deliciously frightening. But the plot becomes somewhat unfocused and difficult to follow when the two merge. Frequent references to events, relationships and entanglements in the first three novels of this series interrupt the flow of this particular story.
For the sake of clarity and continuity, readers would be well-advised to read the previous books in the series before tackling this one.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7278-8158-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Severn House
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.
Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.
Yanagihara (The People in the Trees, 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.
The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.Pub Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
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BOOK REVIEW
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There are unforgettable beauties in this very sexy story.
Passion, friendship, heartbreak, and forgiveness ring true in Lovering's debut, the tale of a young woman's obsession with a man who's "good at being charming."
Long Island native Lucy Albright, starts her freshman year at Baird College in Southern California, intending to study English and journalism and become a travel writer. Stephen DeMarco, an upperclassman, is a political science major who plans to become a lawyer. Soon after they meet, Lucy tells Stephen an intensely personal story about the Unforgivable Thing, a betrayal that turned Lucy against her mother. Stephen pretends to listen to Lucy's painful disclosure, but all his thoughts are about her exposed black bra strap and her nipples pressing against her thin cotton T-shirt. It doesn't take Lucy long to realize Stephen's a "manipulative jerk" and she is "beyond pathetic" in her desire for him, but their lives are now intertwined. Their story takes seven years to unfold, but it's a fast-paced ride through hookups, breakups, and infidelities fueled by alcohol and cocaine and with oodles of sizzling sexual tension. "Lucy was an itch, a song stuck in your head or a movie you need to rewatch or a food you suddenly crave," Stephen says in one of his point-of-view chapters, which alternate with Lucy's. The ending is perfect, as Lucy figures out the dark secret Stephen has kept hidden and learns the difference between lustful addiction and mature love.
There are unforgettable beauties in this very sexy story.Pub Date: June 12, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-6964-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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