L. J. Smith - Night World series

Night World
This is the second time I have read these books within a few years. Smith's writing style had never appealed to me, as I thought it wasn't detail enough, nor did it hold a sense of tension in its every word like some of my more favoured books did. However, I had rethought my opinion ever since I read The Forbidden Game.

The Chosen
From the memory of the first time I've read this book, the plot had been the bit which drew me in. Unlike the other stories including the supernatural, where the girl was constantly dependent on the boy, the girl in this was strong.
                    Initially, Rashel had aimed to kill Quinn and vice versa. Their ferocity and badass reputation really interested me into how the story would proceed. Obviously, they were going to have a happy ending, however it conjured up many exciting possibilities in my mind. Like what if they had to run away with each other as assassins and be a couple with such legendary reputation that their story could last forever? Their combined strength and determination was my personal favourite point in this book. However, I was sad when Rashel no longer had that strive for fights. It made her weak because when she showed mercy, her enemy turned back on her; her weakness made her like a typical female protagonist.
                    Conversely, on more practical matters, Smith could have included more action. I would had loved to witness a ferocious battle with Quinn and Rashel against God-knows-who? It would be perfect if they were to go against the world, but that would had conflicted with the entire storyline.
                    Anyhow, the writing style was tolerable. It wasn't tense like other books I preferred reading, but it was relaxing and I could go through three of these small stories at once. It was fun to read. The plot progressed too slowly for someone who already know what was going to happen, though it did not dwell on unnecessary matters.

My Overall Rate: 2/5

Huntress
On my search to re-read The Chosen, I stumbled across Huntress. It was another one of the plots in the Night World series which I favoured due to the simple fact that the girl was one to hunt. Jez is rebellious and had a wild side. I was disappointed to see that wild side calm down to a mature attitude towards the world when it was revealed what burden she held on her shoulders.
                    There isn't really much to comment on about this book. Everything seemed to balance out, except from my biased opinion on the writing style...
                    (There was one bit which I loved about this book. It was that at the end, it mentions Rashel and Quinn from The Chosen to take care of the mess after everything was settled.)

My Overall Rate: 2/5

Black Dawn
Personally, I'm not a big fan of this story. It begins in a real life scene, where an ordinary human girl is in her ordinary life and then the event happens. It doesn't involve much fighting at all. Just her sneaking about while her soulmate is trying to battle vampire politics and denying their link through the soulmate principle. Delos (the male protagonist) has a very cold and isolated personality as he was raised as a weapon, however that prevented him from being more understood. Even when he accepted the soulmate principle, he was cold and acted like a robot, which I disliked a lot. He was strong and powerful and one of the Wild Powers who held command over his little vampire kingdom, so it would had been nice if he showed more attitude and passion. He didn't even seem fierce for battles or have a craving for blood which would had caused excitement like Quinn had. (Yes, I am biased for The Chosen.) Anyhow, the story seemed a little too ordinary to me and held no personality of its own.

My Overall Rate: 1.3/5

I'll be re-reading more of L. J. Smith's books to produce fresh and accurate reviews of them.

Alyxandra Harvey - My Love Lies Bleeding

My Love Lies Bleeding
To read this book was never in my plan, however I was not reluctant to do so when my sister got it at a bargain price.
                    Typically, it was a teenage vampire book. Although the plot resolved around two girls instead; one saw an adapting vampire and the other one was a human girl.
                    The plot itself was about the vampire girl and her romance life in the vampire world. Usually, an action-packed storyline is what progresses the book, but this time the romance side was the main objective, it appeared. That made it incredibly predictable.
                    Even among all the action, there was very little tension. There was potential for a gripping conspiracy plot and twists in the storyline which could keep the reader on the edge, but it remained simple. It wasn't a book that left you considering all the possible ways it could go whenever you dropped it. Neither was it a book that left you in awe or disbelief once it ended. It was simply: read it, process it, forget it.
                    Additionally, the writing style did not appeal to me at all. Unlike L. J. Smith's books (which I was re-reading before and after this book), there was an awful lot to explain and Harvey had not done that well.
                    Moreover, the characters were interesting in a really typical way. You would get the rough idea that one girl was fiercer than the other and that the other girl was more gentle. However, it could have been more distinguished to show more of a variety in the characters' attitudes to draw the reader in.
                    Nonetheless, like other reviews express, it is a fun book to read. Thus, I would purchase the sequel if I stumble across it, though I do not think I would hunt for it like I would for the books of Cassandra Clare.

My Overall Rate: 1.2/5