greywalker by kat richardson

I know I love the cover–a creepy version of Seattle in the background.

At first, there is a gray mist between me and Harper, a private investigator. She seemed a distant character, detached, not welcoming a reader’s intention to get to know her better. On the first encounter, she was being pummeled to death by a perp, left for dead—for two minutes. After being revived, she started to see a gray mist everywhere, populated by all sorts of creatures: half-aware memories, ghosts, revenants, guardians, and many more she only catches glimpses of so far.

As this was happening, my excitement was slow to build up. I guess, I was spoiled by my recent reads, sexy vampires, striking characters, fast paced action that I was a little irritated by Greywalker’s wavering pace and casual characterization. With little preamble, little character backgrounder, it pushed in into the mist, pulling out two odd cases for Harper: a missing person who may have gotten involved with a rough crowd and a lost antique organ.

These cases are more than they seem at first. Apparently, Harper’s death and ability to see into the Grey, that place between the living and dead, also gave her a magnetic appeal towards all things paranormal; the rough crowd are composed of real vampires engaged in a political power play, and the antique is a powerful necromancer’s tool.

Though it was slow to pick up, things did get more interesting as the paranormal elements got creepier. About a fourth into the book, I didn’t care if Harper was too businesslike and composed—except on one or two occasions when the Grey occurrences got overly frisky. I was only too glad that she had the wits and intelligence to be able to dig up answers and stand up against an underground world of vampires.

The story grew on me, I guess. The unseen world that I now could see through Harper is an intriguing universe. I also enjoyed Harper’s negotiation skills—what she lacks in butt-kicking ability, she makes up for by tenacity and a silver tongue.

I’m not crazy about Greywalker, but I would love to follow it up with Poltergeist and Underground, the sequels. The series gets better, I heard. Maybe, it would grow on me some more that by the third book I would be raving about how much I love it.

dead until dark by charlaine harris

Did Sookie fall in love with Bill, or did she fall in love because she can relax with him?

Ang kulit ng librong ito (a Tagalog expression, usually used within a lighthearted context, meaning any, or a combination, of the following: funny, crazy, endearing, outrageous, importunate…).

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris is definitely that, and more.  By turns, it is hilarious, solemn, morbid, horrifying, romantic, dark, savage, naïve, lighthearted, and sexy.  But, always, it is fun to read, very intriguing, and so hard to put down. The story is about the adventures of a telepathic waitress in small-town Louisiana, starting from when she rescues a Vampire from being drained by a couple of con-artists.  Sookie feels her ability to read minds is a disability, so she keeps to herself, avoiding relationships like they were the plague.

Until she meets Billy, a vampire, whose mind was blessedly quiet to her.

In this world, vampires have come out of the coffin. They have rights, and a few are trying to mainstream, trying to lead normal lives in the company of humans. Chugging down True Blood, the synthetic blood invented by the Japanese, they don’t have to prey on humans for sustenance, or so they say.

As Sookie gets to know Bill, she gets pulled in to another world, one that is very different from the small town of Bon Temps, where she’s lived all her life. When one of Sookie’s coworkers is killed, suspicion falls on the vampires. Other women from town are murdered; most are fang bangers (vampire groupies).

To clear Bill of the murders, Sookie must use her ‘disability.’ There’s no turning back for sweet Sookie, now.

I’m in love with the series, crazy about Sookie and her vampire suitors, and head over heels over the neat writing, quirky dialogue, and great timing—or, maybe, it’s great editing: scenes play out to their maximum advantage, are not overly wordy, giving us just enough about the characters and actions for us to complete the picture ourselves… and, oh, my goodness, the pictures I conjure up sure are vivid… *cough* *cough*

Contrary to what some green-minded people will assume =P, my favorite scene is in the last two pages. Sookie is recovering at a hospital, Bill is comforting her, a collie dog appears momentarily in the doorway, and Eric the vampire head honcho floats past the window; “back to normal,” Sookie whispers.

I confess I cheated; I became so excited over this series that I skimmed the next books up to volume seven, focusing on Sookie-Bill-Eric interactions just because I want more of them more quickly than reading in my usual sedate manner could provide. I promise, I will re-read each volume, lingering over each word, soon. But, for now, I have to put a little distance between me and the series, as I became so enamored over Eric and heartbroken over Bill my concentration on other important matters was shot to pieces.

creepers by david morrell

David Morrell wasted no time. From moment one, he was all action and business. He sent five urban explorers into a run-down hotel on a cold Jershey shore. The Paragon, once a magnificent-structure, was built by an eccentric millionaire in the early 20th century. Scheduled for demolition, the hotel contains half-a-century’s-worth of secrets, preserved behind boarded up windows and locked doors. It is the scent of these untouched mysteries that drew the ‘creepers,’slang for individuals who have a fascination for the old and abandoned. With a ruthless disregard for characters’ lives, David Morrell quickly disarmed them, and me, of the appeal of entering rat infested tunnels and breaking into what was best left to rot. For someone who frequently toys with the idea of exploring decaying buildings, this straightforward thriller is a wake-up call. I think I’ll stick to reading.