OK. So, it seems that I was slightly more affected by the let down of Nightlife than I thought. Although Moonshine, book 2 in the Cal Leandros series, had been sitting on my bookshelf for roughly a month, I’ve put off reading it.
My original intention was to snatch it up and consume it the moment I’d finished Nightlife. That’s a trend with me: I did it with Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga and a few others. It seems rather natural to flow from one book in a series to the next. Unfortunately, I felt no yearning to pick up Moonshine (although it was quite literally sitting next to me) after finishing Nightlife.
Fast forward a couple weeks and here I am deciding that I might as well get it over with. (Not exactly the best mental attitude to have, I know.) In fact, I was feeling rather hopeful. New circumstances, more mature character development, and a clean slate. It could only get better, right? (Cue the cackling.)
After slogging my way through the first four chapters, I’m not so sure. It shouldn’t be this difficult to get through a book. It really shouldn’t. I’ve rolled my eyes more times than I care to count and frankly, all this back and forth about the Auphe plague that was completely destroyed (however implausible) in the climax-that-never-was of Nightlife is somewhat annoying. And it’s not even a smooth back and forth.
Hmm, that’s probably what that bad taste in my mouth is. In the first four chapters, I’m constantly reminded of that train wreck of a battle and the disappointment I felt as a result. Never a good thing. Here’s hoping that Moonshine never feels the need to mention the word Auphe ever again. (I’m crossing my fingers and saying a silent prayer, but I sincerely doubt it. *sigh*)
# Brie wrote on September 30, 2008 at 2:41 pm:
Sequels are always hard for me to get into. The book doesn’t even have to be bad for me to not want to read it, most times I’m just be bored with the “world” and want to move on to something else. I go back to them later, after some time has passed.
But this one just sounds bad. Rolling your eyes is not a promising sign. I’ll cross my fingers in hopes that it gets better for you.
# Ann-Kat wrote on September 30, 2008 at 5:04 pm:
Thank you, Brie. I’ll take as many crossed fingers and prayers as I can get. Something tells me I’m gonna need it. And not necessarily because the writing is bad, it’s just that a few of the situations that have arisen don’t ring genuine. Plus that annoyingly constant reference to the Auphe.
I can also empathize with not wanting to continue a series right away. If I were completely honest, I would have mentioned that I tempered my readings of the Briggs’s and Meyer’s series with each other.
Basically, I read Twilight by Meyer, then Moon Called by Briggs, then New Moon by Meyer, Blood Bound by Briggs, and so forth.
I figured that enough time had passed since my reading of Nightlife that I’d be able to manage Moonshine, but I think I was wrong. Horribly, terribly, utterly wrong.
# Jackie wrote on October 2, 2008 at 7:19 pm:
Honestly, I couldn’t get through the first novel. I tried to read it, but even after reading the first few chapters, there was nothing to interest me. It’s hard for me to get disinterested in a book while I’m reading it, but this one did it.
Since it doesn’t sound like the second book is any better, I might just move this author waaaay down on my TBR list.
# Ann-Kat wrote on October 3, 2008 at 12:35 am:
Jackie, that sounds like a very fine plan.
I’m trying to give Thurman a fair shake since Nightlife appeared to be her debut novel and how many people hit a home run the first time around? It wasn’t as bad as it could have been and I just assumed the second novel would be an improvement, but reading this book is like trying to pull teeth (without any medical training) from a flailing teenager.
I’m trying not to give up on it, but I keep getting distracted by better books. (I’ve once again discovered the hilarity of Christopher Moore.)
# Moonshine is (finally) Picking Up - Today, I Read… wrote on October 7, 2008 at 9:58 am:
[...] about halfway through and now that I no longer need dry martinis to suffer this book, it should be smooth sailing to the end. Here’s hoping the climax isn’t another [...]