True Blood Showing in the UK

FINALLY!

The first season starts on 17th July 10pm on FX

Hero by Perry Moore

Hero tells the story of Thom, a secret teenage superhero, as he struggles to grow up, deal with his powers, his relationship with his father and find out who he really is and what he stands for.

This has been one of my favourite books of the year so far. Fast paced and emotional the story pulls you in from the first page. And whilst the character types will be familiar to anyone with only the barest familiarity with the superhero genre - healer, precog, strongman etc. - seeing the story through Thom's eyes shows it to us from a different perspective.

Now I think this is YA, but I am not 100% positive, maybe the older end of YA? My copy has 'not suitable for younger readers' printed on the back. There is strong swearing and sexual situations though nothing overtly graphic.

Anyhoo. I picked this up after it was recommended on several blogs, I believe it was Kris who described it as fan-fucking-tastic. Told in the first person, from Thom's point of view, for me the story works best when it deals with the relationships he has with those close to him - his father, Goran, Ruth. Initially the style is very stream of conciousness and backtracks when Thom realizes he has left an important part of the story out. It's realistically written and we share Thom's experiences with him. Some of them absolutely cringeworthy and probably familiar to most of us who hated high school.

He and his father seem to communicate on different wavelengths, no one understands him, and on top of everything he likes guys rather than girls.

Thom is finding his place in the world and finding out that having super powers doesn't necessarily make it any easier. He's finding out you have to make your own place and be prepared to fight for it - and not necessarily with your fists. He has to 'wake up' and realize that life is something to be lived and that not everything can be achieved without experiencing pain. Okay, I don't mean to make it sound completely angst-ridden because actually a lot of it is very funny, Thom has a very self-depracating sense of humor. Possibly my favourite line:-

"Aim for his nads!" Ruth screamed. Aim for his nads with what? My strong sense of integrity?

What I like most about the story is the relationship between Thom and his father. Maybe because my own dad died very recently but some of this hit close to home. Thom has to deal with the fact that his father is somewhat homophobic, but Thom is not (initially) in a position to know the problems and prejudices that his father has to deal with on a day to day basis.

One of the most interesting things about the book for me - was how it highlights how our parents can live separate lives that we aren't even aware of. How the biggest thing they may have to deal with in a day is not that we pranged the car or broke the home computer but that they lost their job or that their best friend died. I think this will be a future comfort read for me and a book that I highly recommend.

I'm not sure Perry Moore will make it as my breakout author for 2009 after all there are still six months to go, but Hero will definitely be ranking in my top 5 books of the year.

Update and Resolutions

Internet has been more sucky than usual this week so apologies for my absence. When it takes over an hour to get my e-mail, the frustration of trying to post a blog post as well is not appealing.

But I've finished Hero so hopefully review coming soon.

I was going to put a little update of my 2009 resolutions as we're nearly halfway through the year. My progress is not good.

1) I wanted to see 5 new birds to me - yes this is a birdwatching resolution. So far have managed 2! Which is actually quite respectable, if I manage the 5 I'd be amazed as I'm not particularly planinng to go anywhere birdwatching this year other than local reserves.

And what are the two I hear you cry - lol.

Well they were a Shoveler which is a kind of duck - my favourite sort of bird.

Click here to see a Shoveler

And a Little Ringed Plover

2) Finish reading the Sundered Quadrology. Check the sidebar. I'm currently reading the last book.

3) Read the Twilight saga. Check the sidebar, Twilight is up. Okay, not the same as making a start but the thought is there.

4) See 12 films at the cinema this year. Don't think I'll make this one, so far I've seen Star Trek and I think that's it. I'll definitely be seeing New Moon in November. So that makes two. Cinema is so expensive though and some of the films I want to see don't make it to my local cinema. I'll have to do better with this one in the remaining six months. Hope there are some good movies coming out

Made to be Broken by Kelley Armstrong

The second in the Nadia Stafford series, Made to be Broken follows ex-cop Nadia Stafford as she investigates the disappearance of a teenage mother and her baby. With support from her hitman mentor Jack, and Quinn another hitman, she pursues a quest for justice for a girl that no one misses.

If you like your heroes and heroines to be morally superior then this might not be the story for you. But if the morally grey area between right and wrong intrigues you I'd recommend this series.

Whilst the main plot fills in more details about Nadia's past - as her desire to find out what happened to Sammi (the teenage mother) becomes an obsession - it is the interactions between Nadia and Jack that had me compulsively turning the pages. However, Kelley Armstrong makes it clear that Nadia's past is still a huge influence on her current life, her current thought processes and how she deals with the situations she finds herself.

I'm a huge Kelley Armstrong fan. I love the way she can get you into a character's head with just a few lines. And what I love most about the Nadia Stafford series is the relationship between Jack and Nadia. In a way I find them a more interesting couple that Clay and Elena. Maybe because a lot of 'stuff' between the werewolves comes down to instinct. Jack and Nadia don't have that, they have to rely on talking to each other. And as Jack doesn't really...talk.

I'll briefly mention here that there is also a subplot about Nadia's continuing relationship with Quinn. But back to the good stuff. :)

Jack and Nadia. Their conversations in some ways remind me of those e-mail meme's - what people say and what they mean. Nadia is very visual and logical in her responses to Jack, she has a tendency to take what he says literally and doesn't read between the lines. Jack then cues his responses from Nadia's response to him.

"You don't need to be sarcastic."
"And you don't need to be stupid."

It would be frustrating if you didn't know that somewhere subconsciously Nadia knows what her feelings for Jack are. And I think part of the reason she responds the way she does is because the strength of her feelings is almost overwhelming. So she represses them.

As a reader you see different things to the characters. You have the luxury of being objective. Jack offers to get Nadia a corner gun and I'm put in mind of the courtship rituals of birds. "Look at what I can get you...Look at what I can provide." But obviously he doesn't say that. And Nadia chooses to assume that he's only getting her the gun so she can test it out and then teach him how to use it. (Which okay, I could be reading too much between the lines here, but it almost seems like it's screaming out.)That's not to say he doesn't respect her skills as a hitman.

"...Were you going to shout after me, 'Oh, by the way, this could be a trap'?"
"Nah. Hate shouting."

At the moment it seems to be unclear whether there will be any more books in the series and I think it would be a damn shame if there weren't. Jack and Nadia are one of my favourite couples. They are unconventional, have sexual chemistry that virtually scorches the page even though they haven't even kissed and I WANT to know what's going to happen to them next.

Hero by Perry Moore - thoughts so far

OMG Loving This!

So glad I picked this to read next.

So far just one unfortunate phrase:-

He had impressive nipples spread across his perfectly built, massive chest.

Which kind of leaves me with the image of a guy with nipples studded straight across his chest.

Other than that absolutely loving it!

Internet Suckage

Well nothing to do with the internet, other than the fact that it's been a bit difficult for me to get on it over the past week or so. Yep we're back on the emergency dongle. :sigh:

I've missed another TBR Wednesday, but I do have a TBR book on the schedule, so it might just have to be for July.

So I should finish Made to be Broken this week - have lots to say about Jack and Nadia, one of my favourite couples EVER! Please let them get together in the next book.

And I'll also be having a little check how two of my resolutions for this year are doing. The short answer being - not as good as they could be.

Made to be Broken - The Older Hero

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At the moment I'm reading Made to be Broken by Kelley Armstrong (loving it). But there's one little niggle. Nadia seems content to settle for Quinn - he's the hitman cum government agent (or should that be government agent cum hitman?) - he's in his 30's (I think) charming, witty and knows how to show a lady a good time. :)

So why does it nark me? Why am I not happy that Nadia (seems) to be with Quinn.

Because of Jack - mid-to-late forties, possibly pushing fifty, never met a pronoun he liked. Look up taciturn in the dictionary you'll find a picture of him there. He says one of my favourite lines ever.

...Jack said, "You saw my note, right? It said 'wait'."
"That was a note? I thought it was a haiku."

And he and Nadia have this amazing chemistry on the page that leaves you asking 'Quinn who?'

They are nowhere near having sex, I don't think they've even kissed but it doesn't matter. To me, they just fit as a couple. There's a spark between them that's missing between Nadia and Quinn (IMO :) )

Are there any other older heroes out there? Off the top of my head I'm struggling to come up with any - no guys that aren't vampires or werewolves anyway. :)

Full review of Made to be Broken coming next week. With more thoughts about Jack and Nadia to come.