Monday, October 30, 2006

Title: Tall, Dark & Dead
Author: Tate Hallaway
Published: 2006, Berkley
Category: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 5/10

This is my entry for Angie's TBR challenge for October, which was to read a paranormal romance. I picked it up because I'm always on the lookout for books with witch heroines, but this one didn't do too much for me.

Garnet Lacey is a witch on the run after the rest of her coven is killed by Vatican witch hunters. (Yeah, don't read this book if you're really Catholic.) While trying to save her coven and avenge their deaths, she called an evil magical goddess named Lilith into her body. Lilith is really powerful, but she also takes over Garnet's body and Garnet is unable to stop her sometimes. Garnet meets a really old vampire, Sebastian, who is being hunted by the Vatican because he has a magical potion that creates vampires who can be out in the daytime. But now Lilith wants control of the potion too, so Garnet has to try to figure out a way to keep Sebastian away from the Vatican and keep Lilith under control.

Do you like the cover? No. That cartoon is really bad.

Did you enjoy the book? Yeah, not really. But I think a lot of my dislike was just because of the genre. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't get the vampire thing. Sorry for all you ladies who are vampire-crazy. Next time I'm seduced by the popularity of a vampire book, will someone please remind me that I don't like them? Like in this book, Sebastian almost kills a girl because a Hunger comes upon him. And Garnet decides that this is a bad idea and she doesn't want to see him anymore. And then in the next scene she just completely changes her mind for NO apparent reason. Sure, he might luuuurve me, but then he might rip my throat out. Great!

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? New to me, and I won't be reading anything else by her unless she moves away from vamps.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Passing it on.

5 comments:

Angela James said...

This book didn't do much for me, either. I thought the pacing was a bit slow and the characters kind of meh. Nothing to really suck you in (excuse the unintentional pun) and beg you to read more and faster.

dancechica said...

Lol, I heard this book was kind of meh 'cause I was looking into buying it at one point but then changed my mind. But there are much better vampire series out there! :-P

Mailyn said...

Yeah, not really. LOL!

The vampire thing has NOTHING to do with romance/paranormal romance. In fact, this genre has given vampires a baaaad name. Well, it and Hollywood. Yeah, so not cool. Now, with that said, I do, can and will enjoy a vampire romance provided it's well written and we keep the vampire as a vampire. Sadly 99.9% of books get is soooo very very wrong.

But yeah, vampire=bad, evil villain dammit! Failed that he must be the anti-hero. There are no nice vamps! LOL.

I guess you have to like dark, evil, tortured-type heroes in order to enjoy vamps. The kind that can be bad but have some, if very well hidden, redeeming qualities. Otherwise you won't enjoy.

I've been reading vampire stories most my life and I can tell you with certainty that THE best ones are those that treat the vampire as a vampire and don't have much to do with romance. Again, unless he is a fucked up tragic Romeo who likes to eat people.

I guess I'm just twisted. LMAO.

Mailyn said...

P.S. if it's a woman you can still knee her. We may not have what men have but you try getting hit down there. I once got hit by a baseball and OMG that hurt! Failed that yank her hair. That always works! Just make sure your hair isn't as accesible. LOL. ;-)

Jennie said...

Angie--I agree. The plot seemed a bit meandering. And I just couldn't like Sebastian.

DC--The one vampire book still in my TBR is Twilight, cuz you and Mailyn and lots of other people liked it so much. I'm hoping I like it.

Mailyn--Yeah, I think you're right. I might be able to enjoy a vampire story as just a story, but as a romance it doesn't usually work. How can someone who is dead and evil be a romantic hero?

OK, man--knee in groin, woman--yank hair. Got it. :p