Post by Charlynn on Jan 25, 2011 20:11:49 GMT -5
Alright, seeing as how this is technically our first discussion, it's going to be a rather experimental post. In fact, the first few discussions might all be experimental, but, until I find a format that I like, I'm going to be trying new things. For this month, I'm going to post a series of questions based upon the book, answer them now (seeing as how January has sprinted by me already), and then open those same questions up to your responses and comments. Sound good? Alright, let's get started.
Bloody Valentine by Melissa de le Cruz
1. While not a very insightful question, did anyone else think that this was going to be a complete novel?
Usually, I'm very anal when it comes to pre-browsing the books I order, making sure they are exactly what I believe them to be before I press that 'Add to Cart' button. The only time this caution is forgotten is when I'm extremely excited about one of my favorite author's releasing a new book. This is exactly what happened with Bloody Valentine. I got so swept up in the series that, when I saw this work's December release date, I ordered it without even scrolling down its page on Amazon.
Needless to say, I was shocked with what I received. It's not so much that regret purchasing the book; I was just disappointed because it wasn't as long as I thought it was going to be. If nothing else, this situation was a reminder that I need to pay closer attention no matter how enthusiastic I may be about a particular author or their work. In hindsight, despite enjoying what I call a small collection of short stories, because of the book's abbreviated length, I probably wouldn't have made it this month's book discussion choice. Oh well. Hindsight and all that jazz, you know?
2. Through Oliver's story, de la Cruz introduced one of the characters from her new witches series - Freya. First, were you glad that the witch was able to cure Oliver's withdrawal from Schuyler and the sacred kiss, and, secondly, are you now interested in this new series?
I, for one, am glad that Oliver is free of his Schuyler obsession. Not only does this make things easier for the Schuyler and Jack relationship (and they have enough against them; they certainly did not need Schuyler's guilt over what went down between her and her best friend to add even further complications to their coupling), but I'm also intrigued by the Oliver/Mimi relationship. While I'm certainly not convinced that Kingsley is one for good, I'd be intrigued to see what would happen if Mimi developed feelings for Oliver and then the two of them managed to rescue the Venator. Oliver manages to bring out Mimi's human side, making her far more likable than any other character has so far. I'm not ready to give that up. Plus, even though I have no doubt that Schuyler loves Jack, I still think it would bother her if Oliver became good friends with Mimi, and it would irk her even more if the two of them dated/became linked through the blood. No matter what happens, I don't ever want Mimi and Schuyler to be friends. This would just be one more thing to add to their animosity. All strong heroines need rivals; these two vampires just seem naturally destined to fill that role for each other.
As for Freya, I have to admit that I wasn't that intrigued by her. However, with that said, I do enjoy de la Cruz's writing, so I will probably give the new series a whirl. This will especially prove to be true if she eventually connects the two series together. After all, the witches series is going to start out that way, connected to the Blue Bloods through Oliver. She could certainly bring the tale full circle again and reunite the supernatural entities into a single story.
3. Through Allegra's story, we learned that she was hiding from the past and ashamed of her actions? What do you think caused these feelings within the modern version of Gabrielle?
From all the hints, I think it has to go back to the child she conceived with Lucifer, the child that was supposed to have been taken care of, the child that we all know eventually came to be Bliss. Though we received some insight into Allegra, Michael (who would have pictured him as the classic nerd?), and Allegra's human husband and though an intriguing short story (I really enjoyed reading about Allegra's past), all this seemed to do was leave me with more questions. Why in the world would Gabrielle ever conceive a child with Lucifer? Was she tricked? Was she driven to desperation by other Blue Bloods? Where was Michael when this happened? Then, progressing through Allegra's story, how did she end up married to Ben when, at the end of this tale, she had essentially reaffirmed her devotion to Michael and swore to prevent the future she witnessed from occurring? I don't know about anyone else, but I would take a full length novel devoted to this particular aspect of the Blue Bloods history.
4. Finally, we come to Schuyler's story. Did you enjoy her bonding ceremony to Jack and everything that led up to it?
I have been very vocal about my support for this pairing, but, with that said, I was slightly disappointed in this aspect of the novella - not the bonding itself, per-say, but I thought the tension leading up to it fell a bit flat. I was pleased to see Jack and Schuyler's obvious trust in each other. I like that the ring used against (and then for them) was special to Abbadon's history, and, because of their ages, I could appreciate the fact that they had never sexually consummated their relationship until they took this step together, but the actual fight against the Venators seemed anticlimatic, perhaps because it lacked emotional conflict between the two sides. I prefer the personal fights, when two people who history and personal animosity go up against each other over impersonal fights - men sent to kill because that's their job and not because they actually care one way or another, personally - other than their own survival, who will prove victorious after a battle. However, with that said, Jack and Schuyler are on a collision course to eventually face Mimi. I'm sure that will be plenty personal for me, and I can't wait.
5. What did you think of the fact that de la Cruz included illustrations?
Personally, I am not a fan of this. If you want to include illustrations, then create graphic novel versions of your books; do not the confuse the two. When reading, I do not require pictures in order to imagine what something looks like, and, frankly, even if I did, I would have found the ones included in this book extremely lacking. Honestly, this surprised me, because I've always found the cover art for her novels to be rich and beautiful. Speaking of a Blue Bloods graphic novel, though, there's one coming in October of this year. Let's hope its pictures are more like those of the books' cover art and not like the illustrations included in this novella.
Bloody Valentine by Melissa de le Cruz
1. While not a very insightful question, did anyone else think that this was going to be a complete novel?
Usually, I'm very anal when it comes to pre-browsing the books I order, making sure they are exactly what I believe them to be before I press that 'Add to Cart' button. The only time this caution is forgotten is when I'm extremely excited about one of my favorite author's releasing a new book. This is exactly what happened with Bloody Valentine. I got so swept up in the series that, when I saw this work's December release date, I ordered it without even scrolling down its page on Amazon.
Needless to say, I was shocked with what I received. It's not so much that regret purchasing the book; I was just disappointed because it wasn't as long as I thought it was going to be. If nothing else, this situation was a reminder that I need to pay closer attention no matter how enthusiastic I may be about a particular author or their work. In hindsight, despite enjoying what I call a small collection of short stories, because of the book's abbreviated length, I probably wouldn't have made it this month's book discussion choice. Oh well. Hindsight and all that jazz, you know?
2. Through Oliver's story, de la Cruz introduced one of the characters from her new witches series - Freya. First, were you glad that the witch was able to cure Oliver's withdrawal from Schuyler and the sacred kiss, and, secondly, are you now interested in this new series?
I, for one, am glad that Oliver is free of his Schuyler obsession. Not only does this make things easier for the Schuyler and Jack relationship (and they have enough against them; they certainly did not need Schuyler's guilt over what went down between her and her best friend to add even further complications to their coupling), but I'm also intrigued by the Oliver/Mimi relationship. While I'm certainly not convinced that Kingsley is one for good, I'd be intrigued to see what would happen if Mimi developed feelings for Oliver and then the two of them managed to rescue the Venator. Oliver manages to bring out Mimi's human side, making her far more likable than any other character has so far. I'm not ready to give that up. Plus, even though I have no doubt that Schuyler loves Jack, I still think it would bother her if Oliver became good friends with Mimi, and it would irk her even more if the two of them dated/became linked through the blood. No matter what happens, I don't ever want Mimi and Schuyler to be friends. This would just be one more thing to add to their animosity. All strong heroines need rivals; these two vampires just seem naturally destined to fill that role for each other.
As for Freya, I have to admit that I wasn't that intrigued by her. However, with that said, I do enjoy de la Cruz's writing, so I will probably give the new series a whirl. This will especially prove to be true if she eventually connects the two series together. After all, the witches series is going to start out that way, connected to the Blue Bloods through Oliver. She could certainly bring the tale full circle again and reunite the supernatural entities into a single story.
3. Through Allegra's story, we learned that she was hiding from the past and ashamed of her actions? What do you think caused these feelings within the modern version of Gabrielle?
From all the hints, I think it has to go back to the child she conceived with Lucifer, the child that was supposed to have been taken care of, the child that we all know eventually came to be Bliss. Though we received some insight into Allegra, Michael (who would have pictured him as the classic nerd?), and Allegra's human husband and though an intriguing short story (I really enjoyed reading about Allegra's past), all this seemed to do was leave me with more questions. Why in the world would Gabrielle ever conceive a child with Lucifer? Was she tricked? Was she driven to desperation by other Blue Bloods? Where was Michael when this happened? Then, progressing through Allegra's story, how did she end up married to Ben when, at the end of this tale, she had essentially reaffirmed her devotion to Michael and swore to prevent the future she witnessed from occurring? I don't know about anyone else, but I would take a full length novel devoted to this particular aspect of the Blue Bloods history.
4. Finally, we come to Schuyler's story. Did you enjoy her bonding ceremony to Jack and everything that led up to it?
I have been very vocal about my support for this pairing, but, with that said, I was slightly disappointed in this aspect of the novella - not the bonding itself, per-say, but I thought the tension leading up to it fell a bit flat. I was pleased to see Jack and Schuyler's obvious trust in each other. I like that the ring used against (and then for them) was special to Abbadon's history, and, because of their ages, I could appreciate the fact that they had never sexually consummated their relationship until they took this step together, but the actual fight against the Venators seemed anticlimatic, perhaps because it lacked emotional conflict between the two sides. I prefer the personal fights, when two people who history and personal animosity go up against each other over impersonal fights - men sent to kill because that's their job and not because they actually care one way or another, personally - other than their own survival, who will prove victorious after a battle. However, with that said, Jack and Schuyler are on a collision course to eventually face Mimi. I'm sure that will be plenty personal for me, and I can't wait.
5. What did you think of the fact that de la Cruz included illustrations?
Personally, I am not a fan of this. If you want to include illustrations, then create graphic novel versions of your books; do not the confuse the two. When reading, I do not require pictures in order to imagine what something looks like, and, frankly, even if I did, I would have found the ones included in this book extremely lacking. Honestly, this surprised me, because I've always found the cover art for her novels to be rich and beautiful. Speaking of a Blue Bloods graphic novel, though, there's one coming in October of this year. Let's hope its pictures are more like those of the books' cover art and not like the illustrations included in this novella.
