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  • Re: "Magic Claims (Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years) by Ilona Andrews

    From Scott Dorsey@21:1/5 to lynnmcguire5@gmail.com on Fri Sep 13 22:48:32 2024
    In article <v3qt0t$15tjt$1@dont-email.me>,
    Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
    "Magic Claims (Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years) by Ilona Andrews

    https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Claims-Kate-Daniels-Wilmington/dp/B0C4ZJSJTL/

    Book number two of a two book paranormal romance dark fantasy series.
    There are predecessor books, short stories, and successor books to the
    series also that is over twenty books long. I read the well printed and
    well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback published by NYLA
    Publishing in 2023 that I bought new on Amazon recently. Note that
    “Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. I >will purchase successor books if they become available (hopefully).

    Given the recommendations in this newsgroup, I bought a copy of Andrews' _Diamond Fire_ and it feels like it just doesn't work. It's trying to be
    a fantasy novel in a magical world, a classic romance story, and a mystery
    all at the same time. Then all of a sudden it's trying to be a YA story to appeal to teens. As a mystery it is a total bust since the reader is
    never presented with the information needed to figure out who did it until
    it is announced. So the concept didn't work well for me.

    Also... the print quality was really bad even by MMPB standards. The print
    was grey, and the printing actually had jaggies. How long has it been since anyone has seen visible jaggies in printing? Someone needs a copy of Metafont. --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ted Nolan @21:1/5 to Scott Dorsey on Sat Sep 14 04:41:51 2024
    In article <vc2fg0$3vu$1@panix2.panix.com>,
    Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
    In article <v3qt0t$15tjt$1@dont-email.me>,
    Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
    "Magic Claims (Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years) by Ilona Andrews

    https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Claims-Kate-Daniels-Wilmington/dp/B0C4ZJSJTL/

    Book number two of a two book paranormal romance dark fantasy series.
    There are predecessor books, short stories, and successor books to the >>series also that is over twenty books long. I read the well printed and >>well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback published by NYLA >>Publishing in 2023 that I bought new on Amazon recently. Note that >>“Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. I >>will purchase successor books if they become available (hopefully).

    Given the recommendations in this newsgroup, I bought a copy of Andrews' >_Diamond Fire_ and it feels like it just doesn't work. It's trying to be
    a fantasy novel in a magical world, a classic romance story, and a mystery >all at the same time. Then all of a sudden it's trying to be a YA story to >appeal to teens. As a mystery it is a total bust since the reader is
    never presented with the information needed to figure out who did it until
    it is announced. So the concept didn't work well for me.

    Also... the print quality was really bad even by MMPB standards. The print >was grey, and the printing actually had jaggies. How long has it been since >anyone has seen visible jaggies in printing? Someone needs a copy of Metafont.
    --scott


    Hmm, I probably wouldn't start with a side-novella. Also, Hidden Legacy
    is a bit more romancey than Kate Daniels, so if you want a bit less of
    that, start there.

    But of course if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't. I've bounced hard
    off a number of books recommended here.
    --
    columbiaclosings.com
    What's not in Columbia anymore..

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Michael Ikeda@21:1/5 to Tony Nance on Sat Sep 14 12:52:20 2024
    Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote in
    news:vc3vub$1f8jv$1@dont-email.me:

    On 9/13/24 6:48 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    In article <v3qt0t$15tjt$1@dont-email.me>,
    Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
    "Magic Claims (Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years) by Ilona
    Andrews

    https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Claims-Kate-Daniels-Wilmington/dp/
    B0C4ZJSJTL/

    Book number two of a two book paranormal romance dark fantasy
    series. There are predecessor books, short stories, and
    successor books to the series also that is over twenty books
    long. I read the well printed and well bound POD (print on
    demand) trade paperback published by NYLA Publishing in 2023
    that I bought new on Amazon recently. Note that “Ilona
    Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing
    team. I will purchase successor books if they become
    available (hopefully).

    Given the recommendations in this newsgroup, I bought a copy of
    Andrews' _Diamond Fire_ and it feels like it just doesn't work.
    It's trying to be a fantasy novel in a magical world, a
    classic romance story, and a mystery all at the same time.
    Then all of a sudden it's trying to be a YA story to appeal to
    teens. As a mystery it is a total bust since the reader is
    never presented with the information needed to figure out who
    did it until it is announced. So the concept didn't work well
    for me.

    Also... the print quality was really bad even by MMPB
    standards. The print was grey, and the printing actually had
    jaggies. How long has it been since anyone has seen visible
    jaggies in printing? Someone needs a copy of Metafont. --scott


    Bummer it didn't work for you - here's one more opinion that
    falls in line with Lynn & Ted:
    Much as I love what I've read of their stuff[1], I'm not sure if
    or when I'll read the Hidden Legacy series - by all reports it
    is more heavily romance oriented. Also, as Ted nodded at, isfdb
    says Diamond Fire is entry 3.5 in that series.


    And, per the author's blog, it's specifically a bridge novella
    between Nevada's trilogy (books 1-3) and Catalina's trilogy (books
    4-6).

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