Thursday, September 22, 2011

It's all fun and games...

Until a demon tosses you out on your azz 101 years into the future. And, oh, what a future it is.

In a world now run by things that used to only go bump in the night, Rhiannon, the fearless heroine in J.A. Saare's The Renfield Syndrome, is faced with a seemingly impossible challenge and what must be a million and one things that keep getting in the way, demons and death among them. But not even death can stop this feisty bartender from saving the world, one werewolf, or vampire or fallen angel at a time.

                                                                          
I first stumbled upon this series as a result of being asked to take part in this blog tour.  *GASP*  I know, I know, but this blogger is famously out of touch with so many things.  Though, I must say, this curious happenstance led me to be a very grateful woman.  In true ignorance-is-bliss style, I did not have to wait *forever* to read the conclusion to the serious cliffhanger that ended the first book.  I had already downloaded it onto my e-reader.  So, push a couple buttons and *bam* there you go.  No dramatic heart wrenching, no nights spent sleepless wondering what was happening to Rhia and the scrumptious Disco.  So for that, I count myself as lucky.

That being said, I am very much in love with this UF series, and its characters.  Well most of them.  Cause I would seriously kick the behinds of those wolves from the future, especially their leader, if I passed them on the street.  Well, I would try anyway.  Oh, who am I kidding, I'd probably run the other way, screaming at the top of my itty bitty human lungs.  Still, shame on Carter for thinking he can take Rhiannon away from true love.  And as for that wannabe princess Jackson, well I'm glad Rhia got to take care of that problem before the end of the book.

As for Rhiannon's vampire friends and fellow necromancer, I'm still willing to take any of them off her hands.  Really, how many guys does one girl need? Granted, she certainly has dibs on Disco, but Goose sounds charming in his own style.  And what, may I ask, is wrong with Paine?  I mean the man waited a solid century for her. 100 years people!! One can only dream of a love so long lasting and in the end so heartbreaking.  That scene with him and Rhia brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Then what happens later on in the book because of it, well, that is pretty damn depressing as well.

There are also a bunch of new characters we meet in this book, each created with the hand of a true literary artist.  A slightly evil artist who lets you to spend half a book getting to know and like these characters and then laughs when she takes them away from you in a crazy time traveling plot twist designed to send your head into a tailspin.  I'm sure everyone reading this went "Wait...what?!?!?" more than once, I know I did.  Truly sad, because I really liked Bells, even if her mother is the spawn of Satan.

Aside from the characters, is the fact that the books are set in my favorite city, The Big Apple.  Ms. Saare has such an ability to bring the scenes to life in your mind and get this, she's never even been there!  True genius.

Lastly, there is the story line, straight out of the weirdest soap opera one could imagine.  Or maybe an episode of the X-Files.  And that's all I'm going to say my friends.  Because to go any further into it would require some serious spoiler action, which I'm already bordering on, and I think this book deserves to be read and enjoyed without flipping to the end first. 

When all is said and done, I find The Renfield Syndrome a fitting follow up to the first book Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between.  And as with the first book, J.A. Saare has captured this reader, and left her wanting more.  Sadly, this time I will have to wait the requisite *forever* to read the next book, The Ripple Effect.
                                                                                

For more information and to read the first chapter click HERE

(The following is from the site)

Vampires, and werewolves, and demons, oh my. 
 
Rhiannon thought facing off against a deranged child vampire was the most dangerous task she would ever have to undertake, but she’s about to discover making a deal with a demon is far, far worse. Sent forward into another reality, one in which vampires are now dominating nearly extinct humans, she realizes the sooner she returns to her vampire lover, Disco, the better.

Unfortunately, time changes a lot of things; including those most trusted around her. When she’s faced with a loss and betrayal unlike any she has ever known, her focus shifts from severing the debt between the demon that wants to kill her, to exacting a revenge that will bring forth consequences she never could have fathomed. By reaching out to the darkness lingering within her, she’ll find the strength to push forward despite the circumstances that would see her dead and buried.

After all, when it’s all said and done, all that she has left to lose is her soul.
                                                                                 

Till we meet again,
Kiwi

Oh, and in case you're counting, I am one vote solidly "Team Paine".  Then again, I was also "Team Jacob". So, I guess, that's just how I roll.

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