Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

I was recently in Target, and I happened to pass the book section and stopped to browse.  Again, my attention span.  If I don't go to Wal-mart with a "come on" buddy, then it takes me 3 hours to shop.  (As in, someone to tell you to "come on" when you stop to stare aimlessly at this mundane display of containers or that end cap of organizing implements.)  Three hours is probably a conservative estimate.  If my sister and I go shopping at Wal-mart together it's like the ADD factor is exponential and it's an all day excursion.  


So, at the book section in Target I saw Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel.  I read the dust jacket because I was curious what kind of YA books James Patterson was writing.  (I mean, he went from all action/mystery to sappy chick beach books for the adult set.)  

I was instantly intrigued because the premise seemed to branch off from one of my favorite James Patterson books of all time, When the Wind Blows.  

From working in a bookstore for close to three years, I can tell you that this was one of his more poorly received books.  I thought it was excellent.  I think I go against the grain when it comes to Patterson, at least his earlier books.  I actually liked the non-Alex Cross books better than those featuring the character portrayed by Morgan Freeman in Kiss the Girls.  

I think the Alex Cross books are fine action/mystery/thrillers, but I applaud Patterson's attempt to break out of that mold and into sci-fi with When the Wind Blows.  (Genetic engineered children with wings, enough said... awesome.)  

I was really excited to see that Patterson's new YA series was based loosely on that premise, but thought it better to pick up the beginning book before I shelled out the cash for the new hardback at Target.  (This was BPS= before Paperback Swap).  As soon as I did sign up for Paperback Swap and was creating my pages long wish list (great feature, by the way), I remembered that book, but not the title or the author.  I used to make fun of my mom for her "Book of Books," a journal that she has entered all the books she has read, or has at home to read, or wants to read, alphabetically by author.  What do I have now?  A "Book of Books."  Only difference is mine is Black Watch plaid (my personal favorite plaid)















whereas my mom won't have anything but Royal Stewart plaid on hers.  

After a couple of Google Searches for "flying children" or "kids with wings" I realized what it was I was looking for, and added the first in the series, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment to my wish list.  

It was pretty good for a YA book.  (Meaning I do miss profanity, gore, and sex in it.)  I feel like there is a lot of unexplained back story in this first installment, which actually makes you want to keep reading the series to figure things out, but also seems to drop the reader in the middle of the action with no idea what is going on.  Because it is a YA book, it is easy to follow.  It isn't so simplistic as to not be engaging and it is a quick entertaining read.  Not only did it keep my attention to the end, I plan on reading the next one.  

Book Review: Really Unusual Bad Boys by MaryJanice Davidson

Sorry, MaryJanice, this one's a stinker.  It is a collection of three stories that tie together in that they are all set in a mystical far-off land (I read this as in, parallel dimension).  How do you access this dimension? Well, you can either be attempting suicide, or be beamed there from the past... or the future.  Or the hunky men that inhabit said dimension can be beamed to you in the future (Earth dimension, post zombie apocalypse) for no apparent reason.  It just gets curiouser and curiouser, MaryJanice.  

I have to admit that I only made it about half-way through the second of the three stories and then skipped randomly, reading passages to the end.  At this point, I was browsing just for humor's sake as opposed to any serious attempt at following the stories.  


The irreverence that works so well in the Betsy the Vampire Series books doesn't work in this collection.  I think Davidson is just juggling too many elements to handle.  All the strange stuff that happens in the Betsy books has the urban setting to ground it.  For example; vampires, zombies, and devil spawn, work in those books because Betsy still loves to get Jimmy Choos as presents.  It is something for the reader to identify with.  Not Jimmy Choo shoes explicitly, but a world in which it would be nice to receive those shoes as tokens of love.  Davidson doesn't have to take the time to build her alternate universe in the Betsy books, she only has to fill our regular universe in with paranormal details and characters.  In Really Unusual Bad Boys, I think she expects the reader to do all the work filling in and creating this alternate dimension.  If she really took the time to build it up, I think she could make it work.  But it just falls a little flat.  Okay, a lot flat.. with the whole future-Earth post zombie apocalypse that took the form of said "Five Minute Flu."  

I know what some of you may be thinking, "It's just a silly little three story collection.  Don't be so harsh."  Well, sorry, but I think short stories actually need to be better to hold up.  Like television commercials need to be that much more captivating to hold or grab your attention for the 90 or so seconds that it has.  I think I have mentioned my attention span, haven't I?  Well.... wait, was that a cat?  

Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

For those of you familiar with the author Kelley Armstrong, you probably know of her "Women of the Otherworld" series that starts with the story of Elena in Bitten.  

I am a HUGE fan of this series.  I think I picked up Stolen first (it is actually the second book in the series) and then went back to read Bitten.  Once I am hooked on a series, I prefer to read it in chronological order.  

From what I understand the Men of the Otherworld book started out as a series of shorts that Kelley wrote for her website.  These were a kind of teaser/reward for loyal fans and followers.  Except for the last installment in the book, which switches narrator from Clayton to Jeremy, I wouldn't have guessed that these stories hadn't been written explicitly to coexist in a collection together.  I enjoyed the last story as well, but felt the rest of the stories were really strong.  Perhaps because they shed some light on the psyche and development of Clayton Danvers.  Clayton is a quintessential strong, silent type with a vein of crazy thrown in for good measure.  As a reader of this series, I felt like I understood his character better for reading these tales.  It also explains a bit of the complicated werewolf pack politic history that is so integrally tied to Clay and Jeremy. 


I highly recommend Men of the Otherworld.  I am eagerly awaiting, Tales of the Otherworld, which I have on my Paperback Swap waiting list.