Winta's Day by Josie Jaffrey
When Amnesia Makes a Valid Excuse...
An Indie Book Review by Joseph Poopinski
4 Stars
Amnesia’s probably a tad higher on the list of scenarios most folks hope to never experience than car repossession followed by inadvertently riding the right bus the wrong direction for an hour… but would it make an excuse for certain crimes & misdeeds? Jacqueline “Jack” Valentine claims amnesia & helps an escaped murderer, Winta (her smoldering ex-flame & maker), plot the mother of all assassinations. Should they succeed, the vampire society will in all likelihood declare war on humanity. Classically dour, Killian Drake, who also loves Jack, vows he’s on her side but disagrees with her conclusions. He says both species will lose if Winta wins. Highlights: How information is shared (or withheld) from character to character & from Jack to the readers winds the tale tight. Another nifty intensifier is the balance between those abundantly clear, difficult & conditional aspects of what life will be like as a fugitive hiding from the vampire secret police, on the run forever with bossy Winta and Jack’s “forgotten” week spent tangibly living her romantic dreams come true with Winta. Apartment hunting leading to an “eco-friendly” shed & a slinky dress versus the other two types gave me chuckles. My favorite example of Jack’s snarky attitude: “If Osney Island sounds awfully grand, then allow me to disillusion you. […] If what you’re looking for is a house with a leaky basement, then you couldn’t choose a better spot.” There’s something Sherlock Holmesian about Drake too!
Wrath from the Mountains by D.A. Smith
Indomitable Lady Samurai Beset by Conflict
An Indie Book Review by Joseph Poopinski
4 Stars
Factions cooperated, fought & overthrew a tyrannical regime. But foreigners with greater firepower & an agenda to establish trade, suddenly usurped the empire. Masako’s stuck with additional obligations as she renews alliances, redresses betrayal & fumes in anger while the defeated Godlord’s undefeated army yet oppresses the populace. Religious sects steer battles for or against mystical greater evils behind the scenes.
Highlights: Learned Aribito’s great recap of book one. Masako’s fabulous, intense & wry commentary throughout from using unclean fabric when bandaging wounds (“swaddles his finger in sure infection”) to suspecting duplicity as intimated by superficial cues (“Tamikura’s smile slips off her face, but she clutches it, slaps it back on wonky”). The old lesser poison versus worse poison treatment (which unfortunately isn’t an antidote). Greed Shaman Jinto’s totally gonzo Frankenstein monsters from Onis, wolves & whatnot and his flesh-worked severed-finger key (“Voilà,” you may exclaim) were a tad creepy but utterly wicked.
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