Not all books are created equal. Any reader, avid or otherwise, is well aware of this fact.

• Shades of Fury series (Kasey MacKenzie)

Red Hot Fury, Green-Eyed Envy, Blackhearted Betrayal

I grabbed these books solely due to its premise: Furies leading the way. Lets take the old pantheons and create a world in a world, which in general works pretty well. The author makes the collision of the two worlds believable, although for the most part, we only get one side of the description.  Having a Fury as a heroine was an interesting touch, since the author had to balance the tradition of Furies as judge, jury and executioner, with her career as a Boston investigator.

The books are pretty entertaining if you like paranormal fiction. The baddies aren’t so obvious that you figure it out within the first few chapters. I enjoyed the humor and the ways in which the characters were developed throughout each novel.  The author actually managed to surprise me with her twists a couple of times.

I will admit that the first book had a rocky start for the first couple of chapters. In  my opinion, the author was simultaneously trying to introduce the main character’s personality and connections with overall world-building.  It could be disjointed in places.  However, the rest of the book proceeds rather smoothly.  Of the 3 books, the second novel is the weakest link.  I found that while it aided the overall series ark, it didn’t particularly add anything to the characters beyond that.

I’d recommend the series, but as “fluff” reading. It doesn’t require a lot of brain power to understand the world or the series ark, but its an amusing way to spend an evening or two.

• Splintered series (A.G. Howard)

Splintered, Unhinged, Ensnared

Many generations after Alice finds herself down the rabbit hole, her female descendants believe themselves cursed. As an idea, I love the idea of keeping Wonderland alive. The world Howard creates isn’t the Wonderland of Carroll’s devising.  There is darkness, betrayal, and death.  If only the author had stopped there.

Instead, you have a teenage girl confused whether or not to go for the arrogant “boy next door” who treats her like a fragile flower, or the sociopath who believes she can succeed but only if he controls her like a marionette.  The sociopath is actually the more likeable of the two, if you can believe that.  I wanted so much to like these characters, but the YA tropes of “who will she choose,” and “woe is me” drown out the narrative.  Don’t even get me started on the fact that Alyssa (the main character) is almost incapable of trusting herself or her decisions.

Then there are the ways in which Howard treats mental illness.  Alyssa believes she’s crazy, just like her mother, who is actually in an asylum. But, the asylum is reminiscent of hospitals in the 20 and 30s. Patients are forcibly restrained physically and chemically. The nurse in the book carries a syringe full of meds in her pocket. The nurse is a typical Nurse Ratched, relishing the chance to stab patients and lock them up. And in a padded cell no less! It sets the understanding of mental illness back by decades.

I couldn’t even make it through the second book. It actually manages to get worse.

Skip them.  Run the other direction. Just don’t.

• Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula (Loren D. Estleman)

Don’t let the campy title fool you. Every fiber of my bibliophile being liked this book. I say only “liked” for a few reasons. I can see why the Doyle Estate gave their permission for it to be published.  The intonation and humor present in the novel was reminiscent of Doyle’s work. It is very easy to fall back into the Victorian world of Holmes and Watson once more; a little older, a little wiser, and not 100% willing to accept supernatural causes for events.

If you haven’t read Bram Stoker’s Dracula,  you may miss some of the details included in the book. The events occur between Dracula taking Johnathan Harker hostage and leaving for England, and returning only to be thwarted by Van Helsing and the gang.  Its a fascinating “what if” novel in the Holmes universe.  The actions of Holmes and Watson bring them indirectly into the events of Stoker’s novel, but also keep them separate from the narrative.  Holmes continues to follow his tried and true investigative techniques; Watson continues to be astounded and jot everything down.

The major drawback to the novel is the characterization of Dracula. As remakes go, Dracula’s portrayal is obvious and a little lackluster.  Its the difference between Dracula being portrayed by Bela Lugosi or Leslie Nielsen.  The thrill of the story comes from Holmes and Watson interactions with the plot, not from Dracula himself. Nothing the author wrote about Dracula’s actions or reasoning was out of place per say, it just wasn’t unexpected.

The book is a fun read though, and I would absolutely recommend it for any fan of Sherlock Holmes. I’m actually looking forward to another of Estelman’s installments: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes. (As soon as I can pry it from the library’s shelves….)

Not all books are created equal. But, the thrill of a new book is always worth it. Even when that book doesn’t work out.

*If you’ve read any of the books listed above, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let’s talk!