Wednesday, August 12, 2009

review Dying Bites





****


DD Barant



I liked Dying Bites. I didn't love it like I loved reading Suzanne McLeod, Devon Monk or Ilona Andrews. There's no denying that DD Barant can tell (write?) a good story. There's plot, twists and turns, suprises, and humor. There's also scenes of horrific sadistic killings, which is probably why I didn't love the book.


The main character, Jace has been brought over from earth to another dimension, another parallel earth. Only this world has a teeny tiny percentage of humans. Everyone else is vampire (pire), thrope (lycanthrope) or lem (golem). There are sorcerers which are humans. Jace is brought over to solve a series of killings by an alledgedly insane human. She is assigned to this worlds version of the FBI, which is her job in her world.


DD Barant has done well with the world building. Almost anything you can imagine here, he has addressed for there. Music, TV shows, courier services, the nazis, all the different wars we had and their counterparts for their world; there is bigotry and superiority expressed by the different races. That would be natural, though not commendable. I found the worldbuilding very imaginative.
Jace didn't seem like a woman though; to me she read like a man, or how I would imagine a man to think (could be totally wrong, though I have three sons and a husband....). But I guess not all women are the same anyway. I certainly don't have a lot of "feminine" traits (hate shopping). I liked the character's toughness, and her extremely smart-assed attitude. I like smart-ass. I especially liked the relationship between Jace and Charlie, the golem assigned to protect her.
The murders she has to solve though are very sadistic, reminiscent of the "Saw"-like movies that have come out. I'm not really into those type of movies, so that's what lowered my enjoyment of this book. The murders were very imaginative, but too sadistic for me, and not a fun sadistic.
If you like torture/horror movies along with your humor and a good mystery you'll like this book. The writing was good, the plot and mystery was excellant, as was the world itself. I also liked that you learned about the world as Jace learned about it. That was great. At this point I'm not sure if I would read a sequel. I kind of want to, because I did enjoy Jace and Charlies jabs at each other, as well as Gretchen and Jace. I'm just not sure if I want to read anymore sadistic murder. There is an excerpt of the second book (Death Blows) at the end of Dying Bites. I like the title puns also, always enjoy those type of titles.

Dying Bites was my 33rd book read for my reading goal

1 comment:

  1. Have you ever dreamed of actually
    becoming a character in one of your favorite book series?
    HERE'S YOUR CHANCE!!
    DD Barant is currently writing the second book in the 'Bloodhound Files' series.
    The next volume, scheduled for publication in 2010 will be called
    DEATH BLOWS
    and YOUR NAME could be a character in the book
    DD Barant writes:
    "I’d like to offer the chance of literary immortality in the second book of the Bloodhound Files series—I will use the name of the highest bidder as a character in the second book, DEATH BLOWS. Be forewarned, though; there’s a good chance you’ll appear as a vampire, werewolf or golem. As long as you have no problem with that—place your bids!"
    Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to have your name as a character in this wonderful new series!!!
    Here's what critics had to say about DYING BITES:
    "Snappy writing, a page-turning story and fresh world-building make Dying Bites a satisfying meal of a book."—Kelley Armstrong, New York Times bestseller of Living with the Dead
    "Dying Bites is wacky, unpredictable, fresh and amazing. I would kill to write as well as DD Barant. Seriously."--Nancy Holder, author of Pretty Little Devils
    "Barant’s well-developed world offers intriguing enhancements to mythology and history. Jace is remarkable, strong-willed and smart, and she sets an unstoppable pace. Look for the Bloodhound Files to go far." -Publisher's Weekly
    Q: Can I name my character anything I want?
    A: Not quite. The name should be the name of a real person. No obscene nicknames or trademarked names will be accepted
    Q: What exactly will I be getting if I win?
    A: D.D. Barant has agreed to name a character after you or someone you choose. At the end of the auction, you'll send us the name that you want the character to be and D.D. Barant will send you a signed certificate with your chosen name. Upon publication of DYING BITES, D.D. Barant will inscribe an author's copy of the book for you and send it to you.
    Q: Can I choose what kind of being (vampire, werewolf or golem) I'd like my character to be?
    A: No. The character has to serve the needs of the story.
    Q: Will my character be featured in more than one book in the series?
    A: Probably not. Again, the needs of the story will determine who and what the character is. You get to choose the name.

    ALL proceeds of this auction will go to the Dream For Jeanne Fund
    For more information go to http://wedreamforjeanne.blogspot.com/

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