Nancy D. (miz-firefly) -
So much theft, the mind boggles.
I read every word, because if you are going to accuse someone of something you had better be damn sure you know of which you speak. And now I am. I knew going in there were similarities between this book and Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews and Nalini Singh's Psy-Changelings. How could there not be? When it comes right down to it there are probably only five or six original plots. Every genre has concepts that must be shared by all the authors who write in that genre. The same plot can be spun into a story over and over to infinity and still be each author's individual work. The trick is to put one's stamp on the story and make it uniquely theirs
I wish Annette had done that. But it's more like she turned Magic Bites into a syllabus. Which would have been fine. It's a good example of plotting and characterization. But she forgot to build her own foundation. Then didn't bother to flesh out her own characters. Her main female character is a Mercenary with unique magic. She lost both her parents at a young age. And keeps herself apart from magic users because her father said it was safer. Her mentor is slain early in the story. Sound familiar? She occasionally parters with a badass shifter named James who dresses all in black. James is part of 'The Pack'. The pack is lead by an uber Alpha cat named (wait for it) Declan. The pack is at odds with the Vampires, and someone is murdering people in an attempt to incite war between the two factions. I can't bear to go on. Anyone who reads Ilona Andrews can guess what I'm liable to say next. And you probably won't be wrong.
Readers expect certain things from their preferred genre. It can be a challenge giving the reader what they expect and not crossing into another author's territory. But there are lines that shouldn't be crossed. Obvious fences with great big neon signs that scream 'Occupied Territory - No Trespassing'. And Annette drove her truck right on across, dragging the fence behind her.
There were several places I expected Annette to plant her own flag. At each of those opportunities she dipped back into Ilona, or Nalini's bag. I like Nalini Singh's Guild Hunters, haven't read the Psy-Changelings, but I understand Annette's Psykers are very much like Singh's Pys-changlings. I'd be willing to bet that the few pieces of this book I thought were Annette's original ideas turn out to be Nalini's. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In this case I'd call it more a hatchet in the back. With maybe a dull shiv to the kidney.
An author leaves a piece of themselves in everything they write. For a body of work like these the authors invest considerably more. Creativity, heart, frustration, joy. It is an extension of who and what they are. It angers me that anyone would take from them so freely. Like plucking an apple off the neighbor's tree. Because it was there, because it was easy. For shame. She didn't just take ideas and concepts, she took a piece of them too.
For anyone who thinks What's the big deal? We aren't talking about literature here. It's not like she stole from 'Papa', or 'the Bard'. I'll tell you why it's a big deal to me. Like most of us, I took Literature in High School. I've read Shakespeare and Hemingway and a host of 'Greats' that made my eye's cross. Know what I learned? That I liked Anne McCaffery, Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt a lot more. Stories that I connected with. That gave me characters I related to. Characters that did the sorts of things I'd love to do and will never get the chance to do myself. I got to know some of those characters well. They helped shape me into the person I have come to be.
That's my bench mark. Relateable characters, and situations that resonate with me. And that is why this book has my ire up. The Kate Daniels books give me everything I want in a read. I'm invested in these characters. I feel like I know them. They have become important to me. Understanding them increases my enjoyment of the story exponentially. Reading this book was like coming home and finding that my psycho stalker had broken into my house while I was gone and re-arranged all my furniture.
I hope everyone who loves this book takes the time to read its progenitor. If for no other reason than to see how good fiction is supposed to be written. Cause, all personal complaints aside, this one doesn't even come close. The characters are flat, with little substance. The story line advances in fits and starts. And the background is all but ignored. Spokane Washington may not be well known, but it is a charming mid-sized city, rich with cultural history. My memory might be faulty, but I thought the author was from there. There is a wealth of settings Annette completely ignored. Riverfront Park, Finch Arboretum, Spokane Falls, I could go on. I was looking forward to a walk through a place I remember fondly. Like most of my exceptions, that didn't happen either.
I read every word, because if you are going to accuse someone of something you had better be damn sure you know of which you speak. And now I am. I knew going in there were similarities between this book and Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews and Nalini Singh's Psy-Changelings. How could there not be? When it comes right down to it there are probably only five or six original plots. Every genre has concepts that must be shared by all the authors who write in that genre. The same plot can be spun into a story over and over to infinity and still be each author's individual work. The trick is to put one's stamp on the story and make it uniquely theirs
I wish Annette had done that. But it's more like she turned Magic Bites into a syllabus. Which would have been fine. It's a good example of plotting and characterization. But she forgot to build her own foundation. Then didn't bother to flesh out her own characters. Her main female character is a Mercenary with unique magic. She lost both her parents at a young age. And keeps herself apart from magic users because her father said it was safer. Her mentor is slain early in the story. Sound familiar? She occasionally parters with a badass shifter named James who dresses all in black. James is part of 'The Pack'. The pack is lead by an uber Alpha cat named (wait for it) Declan. The pack is at odds with the Vampires, and someone is murdering people in an attempt to incite war between the two factions. I can't bear to go on. Anyone who reads Ilona Andrews can guess what I'm liable to say next. And you probably won't be wrong.
Readers expect certain things from their preferred genre. It can be a challenge giving the reader what they expect and not crossing into another author's territory. But there are lines that shouldn't be crossed. Obvious fences with great big neon signs that scream 'Occupied Territory - No Trespassing'. And Annette drove her truck right on across, dragging the fence behind her.
There were several places I expected Annette to plant her own flag. At each of those opportunities she dipped back into Ilona, or Nalini's bag. I like Nalini Singh's Guild Hunters, haven't read the Psy-Changelings, but I understand Annette's Psykers are very much like Singh's Pys-changlings. I'd be willing to bet that the few pieces of this book I thought were Annette's original ideas turn out to be Nalini's. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In this case I'd call it more a hatchet in the back. With maybe a dull shiv to the kidney.
An author leaves a piece of themselves in everything they write. For a body of work like these the authors invest considerably more. Creativity, heart, frustration, joy. It is an extension of who and what they are. It angers me that anyone would take from them so freely. Like plucking an apple off the neighbor's tree. Because it was there, because it was easy. For shame. She didn't just take ideas and concepts, she took a piece of them too.
For anyone who thinks What's the big deal? We aren't talking about literature here. It's not like she stole from 'Papa', or 'the Bard'. I'll tell you why it's a big deal to me. Like most of us, I took Literature in High School. I've read Shakespeare and Hemingway and a host of 'Greats' that made my eye's cross. Know what I learned? That I liked Anne McCaffery, Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt a lot more. Stories that I connected with. That gave me characters I related to. Characters that did the sorts of things I'd love to do and will never get the chance to do myself. I got to know some of those characters well. They helped shape me into the person I have come to be.
That's my bench mark. Relateable characters, and situations that resonate with me. And that is why this book has my ire up. The Kate Daniels books give me everything I want in a read. I'm invested in these characters. I feel like I know them. They have become important to me. Understanding them increases my enjoyment of the story exponentially. Reading this book was like coming home and finding that my psycho stalker had broken into my house while I was gone and re-arranged all my furniture.
I hope everyone who loves this book takes the time to read its progenitor. If for no other reason than to see how good fiction is supposed to be written. Cause, all personal complaints aside, this one doesn't even come close. The characters are flat, with little substance. The story line advances in fits and starts. And the background is all but ignored. Spokane Washington may not be well known, but it is a charming mid-sized city, rich with cultural history. My memory might be faulty, but I thought the author was from there. There is a wealth of settings Annette completely ignored. Riverfront Park, Finch Arboretum, Spokane Falls, I could go on. I was looking forward to a walk through a place I remember fondly. Like most of my exceptions, that didn't happen either.
