Shock

Rating:
Summary: Not much of a "shocker"
Review: Ed and Gaia have finally called it quits. *sob* Ed has finally decided that enough is enough and is beginning to seek a new relationship, perfably with Tatiana...Gaia on the other hand is heartbroken, yet she can't bring herself to repair the damage in their relationship. Plus she already has too much to do. Dmitri has given her leads to The Organization and might be able to lead her to her father. Gaia is still shocked that Sam is out to kill her...yet when they have a confrontation things don't go as planned and it appears someone else has been playing tricks on Gaia...

Loki is recovering. He is still in a coma and unable to remember anything about his past. He wants to awake, yet finds his own body unresponsive. More importantly he can't remember who Gaia is...but he knows it is someone very important to him...

This book wasn't much of a shocker. I think from the beginning I knew who was truly after Gaia. For a while I thought it was Sam but then the more you think about it the more you know who it is...and it isn't Sam. Not much of a shocker but this book did start a whole new story arc. Hint: Someone is one the loose. Someone who hates Gaia horribly...or does she really?

Rating:
Summary: Was this book ghost-written?
Review: I'm a bit disappointed in this book. This is a terrific series, and I highly recommend reading books 1 through 24. There is a natural end to the story a few chapters before the end of book 24, but regrettably everything after that feels artificial, like a publisher's after thought of "why quit now?"
In particular, this book reads as if it were ghost-written. There are a few annoying inconsistencies with the prior storyline, and the characters just don't feel true to themselves anymore.

For example, an avid reader of the series knows that Gaia is a fearless, trained, highly-skilled fighter. We know her emotional state, and we know her intellect. We know how she reacts, both physically and mentally, when she fights with general street-toughs, muggers and criminals, and we know how she reacts during a life-and-death fight with a trained, professional killer. She has standards, and she doesn't back down. She'll sometimes let a little fish go when she feels it's not worth her effort. She fights with her hands and her feet, and with her head; she loathes weapons, and she loathes using more force than is absolutely necessary. Through twenty-some books, we have learned what it takes to make Gaia run away, and IT IS A LOT MORE than two of three street-toughs.

Toward the end of book 27 ("Shock"), there is a fight scene between Gaia and two muggers. The scene is written in solidly in the third-person, as if someone were calling a football game. This dramatic change in writing style from one chapter to the next is enough to remind you that you are reading a book and not listening to Gaia's thoughts. It is as disjointing as if you were engrossed in a movie and then see the microphone swing in from the top of the screen. But beyond the change in writing style is the change in Gaia's fighting style. After a few paragraphs of abstract fighting, Gaia runs. She has been fighting two unskilled muggers (that's nothing for Gaia) and all of a sudden, she doesn't want to stick around and find out how many other guys might be nearby because she isn't sure how many she could disable before they overpowered her. Huh? Talk about an out-of-character response! Now she's fighting three guys, so what does she do? Swings a crowbar she found on the fire-escape. Again, out-of-character. But wait, it doesn't stop there. They're on the run from her, and Gaia thinks this is "too much fun" and decides to chase them and "cause more damage." Did Francine Pascal really write this, or just pen her name on the book? Because this isn't the Gaia we know and love, this is a poor facsimile.

The book was *mostly* true to character, but it was definitely a bit inconsistent in writing style and in the essence of the characters, and it fell short of my high expectations. (sigh)


Rating:
Summary: YAY! Another Fearless and still good!
Review: Okay, Fearless has gone up and down more times that a rollercoaster. We've seen her happy, sad, depressed, and now we pretty see her at her worst and lowest in this new novel. Some people will enjoy the end as a couple secrets are uncovered and hint at future plot for the story. All the characters really stand out and Loki even gets a couple pages of incite which is amusing. The description for 28 leaves you aching for it more than ever. I've loved Fearless from the beginning and so far it hasn't let me down. Go Francine, you rock!

Rating:
Summary: YAY! Another Fearless and still good!
Review: Okay, Fearless has gone up and down more times that a rollercoaster. We've seen her happy, sad, depressed, and now we pretty see her at her worst and lowest in this new novel. Some people will enjoy the end as a couple secrets are uncovered and hint at future plot for the story. All the characters really stand out and Loki even gets a couple pages of incite which is amusing. The description for 28 leaves you aching for it more than ever. I've loved Fearless from the beginning and so far it hasn't let me down. Go Francine, you rock!

Rating:
Summary: Gaia's life takes a few new turns (again)
Review: Shock is the 27th book in this series. If you have made it this far in the series, I am sure you know what to expect. However, this is one of the better books in recent volumes.

Outside of a Japanese comic book, no one can have a more messed up and topsy-turvy life than Gaia Moore. That is very true in this book. Let's look at some of the tangles.

Tom Moore - still missing but Demetrius may be able to shed some light on where he may be.

Demetrius - he seems to be helping Gaia without an ulterior motive, but then this is Fearless.

Ed Fargo - still on the outs with Gaia over the Sam Moon fiasco.

Sam Moon - may have tried to kill Gaia in the last book but he seems innocent.

Tatiana - roommate and possible future sister in law is fully ensconced in Heathers place at the head of the ex-FOH's.

FOH - originally devoted to Heather, these girls now follow Tatiana like love-sick puppies.

Heather - no further information in this book. Will she get over her blindness?

Natasha - still seems unconcerned about Tom's disappearance from the hospital.

Loki - stuck as a vegetable with no control of his body. But is he starting to come out of it?

After 27 books it might be hard to believe that the plot could advance significantly in a single volume, but it does. Shock is one of the keystone books of the series. If you were wondering if you should continue with the series, you should read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Gaia's life takes a few new turns (again)
Review: Shock is the 27th book in this series. If you have made it this far in the series, I am sure you know what to expect. However, this is one of the better books in recent volumes.

Outside of a Japanese comic book, no one can have a more messed up and topsy-turvy life than Gaia Moore. That is very true in this book. Let's look at some of the tangles.

Tom Moore - still missing but Demetrius may be able to shed some light on where he may be.

Demetrius - he seems to be helping Gaia without an ulterior motive, but then this is Fearless.

Ed Fargo - still on the outs with Gaia over the Sam Moon fiasco.

Sam Moon - may have tried to kill Gaia in the last book but he seems innocent.

Tatiana - roommate and possible future sister in law is fully ensconced in Heathers place at the head of the ex-FOH's.

FOH - originally devoted to Heather, these girls now follow Tatiana like love-sick puppies.

Heather - no further information in this book. Will she get over her blindness?

Natasha - still seems unconcerned about Tom's disappearance from the hospital.

Loki - stuck as a vegetable with no control of his body. But is he starting to come out of it?

After 27 books it might be hard to believe that the plot could advance significantly in a single volume, but it does. Shock is one of the keystone books of the series. If you were wondering if you should continue with the series, you should read this book.