Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The new Abby and Ophelia Seventh Witch

While a bit tedious at times, this series has managed to stay fresh-light (not too much overkill on the who and what of the setting and characterizations) and more effort spent on advancing the current story. Well that's starting to change a bit in this latest offering. Abby and Ophelia have moved location (sometimes not a good idea) and are visiting their family of southern mountain witches...okay that could be good but instead of a story there are merely hints of something bad to come, a rival family of bad witches, some generations old hidden witch problems. Everyone seems to know a part of the story, noone wants to tell all of it...so instead of a book we have bits and pieces of what should be a good story combined with hints and is turning into just an exercise in reading frustration. I hope this isn't the end of what has been a strong B+ series.

Avenging Angels by Mary Stanton

This is the third in the Beaufort and Company series. The first one I picked up on a whim---I thought it looked off-beat enough to be interesting and it was. The second also was pretty good but this third offering is a mess. I kept picking it up, reading a few chapters and deciding I had better things to do. Not that it's bad, just that there doesn't seem to be much of a story-line. I don't like books where the author feels the need to set the stage for the characters in each book (hey if the reader can't follow the story, here's a thought, buy or borrow the original book)

I was nearly 2/3 of the way through Avenging Angels before the real 'mystery' came to light. And I really think that if this author doesn't get busy and resolve or at least reveal some of the backstory, a lot of readers, me included, will stop reading. I understand not wanting to reveal EVERYTHING, particularly in a series like this, largely based on mystery, paranormal, and just plain weird, but in this series, each book piles more and more and more on until the reader has difficulty determining what is plot, what is setting and what is really the point. When reading becomes floundering, it becomes not fun. And when reading is not fun, then I stop reading (after all this isn't school!)

Any Trixie Belden fans out there?

I'm snowed in, restricted in activity and bored out of my mind so I thought I'd go looking for some Trixie Beldens to complete my collection. One of the later (and probably not better) titles is currently listed on one of the major book sites for $600.00 I nearly fell out of bed. That much money would have bought every book in the collection, in hardback, and probably a weekend with the author!

Oh well, I will keep looking. I have most of the first 38 or 39--the ones that were in print when I was really reading and enjoying them. Now I just want the rest to say that I have ALL OF THEM.