Finished more books, so lets get some thoughts on them.
Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon was pretty damn awesome. It's a quick read, and I devoured it. There's a good twist on the evil cheerleader, and you really want to find out more. While the events of the story are tied up, there's a longer story arc that is just beginning. I was pleasantly frustrated when the book ended without any answers, because it made me want to read the next one immediately.
Logos by Cheryl Anne Gardner was...different. I liked the ending a lot, and the revelation of the characters. But most of the book was full of heavy words for no reason, lack of details and grounding, and seemingly random meanderings. There was no significant plot, and there also seemed to be little character work to drive the story. Despite how much I liked the final chapter, I honestly can't say I liked this book. Just a little too heavy handed and merely hinting at some higher philosophy without a payoff.
Half Past Dead by Zoe Archer and Bianca D'Arc was a couple of erotic novellas featuring zombies. I was a little disappointed, because the plots weren't gripping nor was the sex fantastic. Both were a little lukewarm, meaning I was bored. The plot for Simon Says was intriguing, and I actually wanted more of the zombie attack and the science and the military screw up. But it was just too introspective, and the first part is all the main characters reminiscing. Zoe's story was better for the plot, but was just randomly sidetracked by sex. One time, the characters detoured just to have sex, doing nothing to really advance the plot.
Cameo the Assassin by Dawn McCullough-White had some cool characters, and a cool premise. They just didn't click for me. Cameo was at times gloomy, at times carefree and playful, and there weren't always triggers for the personality switch. Opal was hard to take serious in any manner; any ugly dandy highwayman who wasted every coin on his clothes. The world seemed interesting, but the distances between landmarks wasn't handled consistently; sometimes it was a quick jaunt to a temple, other times it took all day from the same temple. It was fun, in its own way, but the climax was too brief for as much time as we spent wandering around with the characters.
I tried getting through Varney the Vampire, and just couldn't do it. Sometimes, I just don't get why classics are considered classics. I was so bored, and started skimming, and then was still too bored to keep reading. But I tried. That counts for something, right?
