Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce

Title: Blood Hound

Author: Tamora Pierce 

Series: Tortall Lengend / Provest's Dog

Summary: Our terrier Beka Cooper takes on a new role. This time as a Bloodhound on a hunt. She follows the scent of colemonging  (counterfeiting) to a new city (Port Caynn), with a new partner, new allies and new friends. She also has a new Rogue to contend with, one who is a lot less hospitable than her own. 

Thoughts: The diary style in this is fabulous, there are even paw prints (from Pounce) to make it look more realistic (although I don't like the cross-outs then spell-rights). Bloodhound is also excellent for details. Slang, political structure, and all other logistics are planned and detailed (with a super-handy reference guide in the back). Pierce has created an entire world, and throwing the reader into it, explains it beautifully. We can know Tortall as well as our own country.  Beka is also the idea protagonist; smart, strong, shy. Taken away from the usual cast of characters for most of the book, the new characters take an interesting turn. Beka keeps her stern-but-kind mentor however nearly everyone else mainly featured is new (even a new pet!). A charming new "friend" and a new cast of rogue drag Beka away from her usual routine as facets of her we hadn't seen before come out. However for devoted fans the usual whip back in for a very satisfying ending. 

Cover: I really like the illustration but they've stuck the blue bands across the top and bottom (under the lettering), I would have preferred it treated like the first 0ne (they cut out the pigeons). Nice colour though, and Beka lacks the demon eyes this time. I also really like the metallic sheen to the covers.

Rating: 5 stars

PS: Stop by randombuzzers.com to see Tammy answer fan questions!

Challenge:  7/26 Pierce books read

Night World - Book 1 - Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness, Spellbinder

Title: Volume 1 (Contains 3 short novels called : Secret Vampire, Daughters Of Darkness, Spellbinder)

Author: LJ Smith

Series: Night World 

Summary: 

In Secret Vampire - Poppy is dying. She will be gone by the end of the summer, unless James, her best friend and object of her affections will change her. James is a vampire and to change Poppy, a human, goes against the laws of the Night World. This could mean death for both of them.

In  Daughters of Darkness - 3 vampire sisters flee to live among humans. Their brother Ash is sent to bring them back, but unwittingly finds his soulmate, their beautiful human friend.

In Spellbinder a witch finds her human soulmate. To keep her from being executed her cousin decides he must go. Its a fight between Blaise and Thea with a soulmate between them.

Thoughts:

Secret Vampire - I loved all the characters, Poppy is magnificently brave, her brother magnificently stubborn and James was just magnificent. 

Daughters of Darkness - I liked the tie-in with characters in other Night World novels. I would like to see more of the 3 sisters in later stories. 

Spellbinder - I love the characters in this, the ending did fall a bit flat however for me, but my concerns are dealt with in later books.

Overall - I love the tie-in between groups of seemingly un-related characters. I also liked gaining a fresh set of main characters in each story. The main characters also are all excellent secondary characters for the others storeys. The logistics of the Night World are excellent. The plots that span all the stories are also excellent. 

Cover : I really like the cover, Poppy is our cover girl, and the image of her is striking. I also like the grey scale with hinds of colour. These also follow the trend of having at matte cover with certain bits glossy.

PS: The conclusion should come out sometime in the next year. The first nine books in the series are being re-published three to a book. Each group of three is about $6 at Costco.