Sister Of The Dead

Rating:
Summary: Getting better
Review: ...and that not only applies to our heroes! The story the Hendees write remains as compelling as it was before. Now the twists are getting even stronger, the characters richer and the world more vivid.

This book is an easy read and certainly enjoyable. I guess the authors still haven't decided whether to turn this into a very long series, or to try to wrap the story up in 4 parts. You don't have the feeling it's moving to its close and that's the only critical remark there's to be made.

Rating:
Summary: Third in the Noble Dead Series
Review: For those who have loved DHAMPIRE and THEIF OF LIVES you will not want to miss out on SISTER OF THE DEAD. Vampire slayers Magiere the Dhampire and Leesil a half-elven assassin seem to be thrust towards gaining answers concerning Magiere's birth, wether they want them or not. If you never have read a Vampire book before, start with the first of this series, the charachers are well developed and the story grabs you, making this a fast read, and looking forward to the next.

Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: I really enjoyed this book and the two previous ones. The only real problem is that I end up feeling to much for the vampires. I know they're supposed to be evil, but I really feel bad for them. The writing is too sympathetic.

Rating:
Summary: superb combination of fantasy, horror and romance
Review: Magiere the dhampire wonders why her father a vampire would mate with a mortal and sire an offspring like her who kill his undead species. She travels to the village of her birth to seeking answers. Accompanying her is Leesil the half-elf, Wynn the sage and Chap a Fay contained in the body of a dog who doesn't want the dhampire to find out about her origins. Following them is the Noble Dead Welstiel, who doesn't want Magiere to learn the truth about her birth either and Chame who cares deeply for Wynn.

In the village, the dhampire discovers five creatures, a dwarf, a troll, and three other species lost to the mists of time and memory who died so she could be born. They travel to the capital city to find out if there are any records that might explain her origins. Welstiel and Chame are there before her and kill the man who could give her access to her records. Although she learns nothing, a noble dead tells her where to find a vampire who was there for her creation; she doesn't know that when she find him, he will never let Magiere escape him again.

SISTER OF THE DEAD is a combination of fantasy, horror and romance that will appeal to readers of all three genres. Magiere finds some of the answers she seeks but knows that someone so powerful that even though he sleeps enacts his will on many of the nobles and he wants her for reasons unknown at this time. Readers will treasure Magiere's tenacity and vulnerability just as they will care for the loyal loving Leesit. Barb & J.C. Hendee have written a spellbinding work that is creative and addicting.

Harriet Klausner



Rating:
Summary: Third in the Series
Review: Margiere and Leesil continue on their journey for answers. Answers about both their mothers. This book picks up directly where the second left off and I would not recommend for anyone to try reading this one without reading the first two.

Regardless of Leesil's determination to find his mother, especially after finding out in book two that she may still be alive, Margiere talks him into returning to her home in order to find information on her father (the vampire who mated with a human to create a warrior against his own people). The reader discovers early on in the story just what went into creating a Damphir (mainly the bloody sacrafice of five different magical creatures, each representing a different element--spirit, water, fire, earth, and air). Hot on her tail is Welsteil and Chane (a partner), who is also determined that Margiere gains for him the treasure he seeks.

This story is first a vampire book, second a horror, and lastly a romance. If you think you will find the sultry romance which is becoming popular with authors such as Freeman, you need to look elsewhere. There is very little romance and no sexual tension in these novels. I'm not stating this as a negative, I actually prefer it this way, but I wanted to clarify what another reviewer mentioned.

The reason I gave this book four instead of five stars is due to editing. Several times I stumbled in my reading due to glitches in the print. Extra words or missing words, causing the reader to have to reread to clarify the meaning of the text.

Rating:
Summary: The Hendees Have Just Rendered Laurell Hamilton Irrelevant
Review: Once, I was a big fan of Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series. I don't consider myself to be one any more seeing as Hamilton decided that having orgies with vampires was more interesting than killing them. I consider it no big loss because about the time that Hamilton completely lost the plot Barb and JC Hendee published Dhampir, the story of Magiere and Leesil, two con-artists turned vampire slayers. Their story continues in Sister of the Dead, the third installment in the series.
In this novel, Magiere and Leesil, accompanies by Chap, the fey dog, and Wynn, the scholar, return to the place of Magiere's birth to uncover the secrets of her birth. There they discover a history of murder, blood, and necromancy as they come closer and closer to discovering the purpose and true nature of the unnatural Dhampir. Of course this trip is no Sunday drive as our vampire hunters face off against insane peasants, undead sorcerers, and the vampire duo of Chane and Welstiel Massing, leading to some very exciting action scenes.
An action-packed story with skillful characterization, this series has quickly become my favorite fantasy/action series. The romance between Magiere and Leesil is very endearing without being smaltzy and does not overpower everything else. The only bad thing is that we have to wait another whole year to see what happens next.

Rating:
Summary: This book is awesome
Review: We started out with a more troubled couple of wanderers; Magiere and Leesil. Both were mysterious and complex, we did not know where they came from and why they were so different and angst-ridden. Now we know why but they don't talk about it because they have a habit of not communicating. They also do not fight anymore or question each other much, hence no conflict, no excitement or question of whether they will get together. Now that they are together they talk even less than before. They were feisty in the earlier novels and their morals were questionable which made them much more interesting. Now they worry about doing the correct thing and yet, we hear very little about it. Dialogue is absent often unless it's from the newest, least interesting character: the sage. The action scenes are also whittled down to the basics and the excitement is less because of this.

The characters are stagnating and it's a shame because they started out much more complex and interesting. The plot is becoming predictable and the dialogue is shriveling up. I was disappointed with this book in comparison to the first two and just hope that the next one is better.

Add some more creatures, or something...get Magiere to focus on taking action more and get her to talk to Leesil and everyone to dialogue with everyone about what they think is happening. This has lots of potential and I will try one more book from this couple but come on guys...kick it up a notch, pretty please?