Covet -BWB Review

Title: Covet : A Novel of the Fallen Angels
Author: J.R. Ward
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: Library - which means I have to return it when I'm done. :(

I was a bit worried I wouldn't get this novel in time to participate in this round of reviews for Blogs With Bite, but luckily the Phoenix public library system rocks! They ordered enough copies that everyone on the wait list....and it was quite long....could get a copy the first round.

Now, onto the book. I'm just a little over halfway done, but I feel I can give an accurate review of the book and my experiences with it. Just wanted to let everyone know that.....plus, I fully intend on finishing this book. The epic battle between angels and demons is down to seven souls...who wouldn't want to know how this goes down?

What I like:
1. The underlying story of angels vs. demons is always one that is fascinating for me. Throw in some fallen angels and it becomes even more so.

2. I like that our hero is rough around the edges. He isn't perfect. He's dirty. He cusses. And honestly for most of the first part I wasn't sure which side he was supposed to be on. I'm still not entirely sure.

3. The sex scenes are quick, hard, and emotionless. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for steamy, hot, romantic love...but sometimes it just isn't that way. It fits these characters and the story well. Gushy romance just wouldn't feel right.

What I don't like:

1. I'm putting this here because it's more negative than positive, but it's not really bad: I had some trouble getting into the story. I believe it is due to the writing style. I haven't read any of Ward's other books so I'll have to look into this. I get the feeling that with our male lead who's a bit rough around the edges, she wanted a storytelling style that matched. In the long run this could be really good, but right now it's a bit hard to adjust to sometimes.

2. I'm having a bit of trouble keeping all the characters straight. Some are only there for a scene or two. Some scenes flip too quickly to another character. This is making me have to go back, occasionally, to figure out who I'm reading about.

Overall: I'm still excited about this story and plan on finishing the novel....and if all goes well eventually the rest of the series. I want to know how the war plays out.




Blogs With Bite Discussion Questions:

Q#1 - Did you relate to Jim at all? Did you feel like he was a good choice or worthy of this mission? I like Jim. He's a good guy. He's trying....he really is. I think he will eventually become the right choice for his mission. He's able to play in both fields, so to speak. This will help him out, I think.

Q#2 - How do you feel about the tone of the book? Did you think that there was too much slang/not enough/just enough? How did you feel about the word choice in the book- did it add to your reading of the story or take away from it? I'm occasionally thrown off by some of the word choices, particularly the cussing. I'm not overly bothered by cussing in general, I just don't see a lot of it in the books I read. However, so far it has seemed wholly appropriate for the characters and the overall rough feel of the story.


Q#3 - When the "fantasy" of the book is based on a belief system that is regarded as truth by some religions (the angels & demons) does it help you relate better with the story, as opposed to a story about vampires and werewolves? Not necessarily. I have a strong background in monster stories and myths but I'm not so strong on the angels and demons stuff. I love the idea of angels vs. demons though. Maybe that will be my next obsessive researching topic.

Q#4 - In the opening of this book we read about a football game analogy of Demons verses Angels, even though this is fiction what do think of Demons in this case Jim the Fallen Angel being portrayed as a "Good Guy"? Are fallen angels demons? I didn't get that from the beginning. I was seeing Jim as still angel, but able to play the game dirty (like the demons) because he no longer held perfect angel status. He's fallen, yes, but not demon. Hmmmm....I don't know how to answer this question your way.

Q#5 - How do you feel knowing this will be a 7 book series featuring Jim and he might win all of the battles? I like Jim. I'm fine with him being the focus of the whole series. That said, I hope he gets a run for his money in some of the battles....maybe even loses one or two. The stakes have to be raised somehow...if he's just going to win there is no point even coming to the field for the other team. (Hee! I continued the sports analogy!) ((Yes, I'm a super dork!))


Now I have a question: In recent literature trends vampires, werewolves, dragons, fairies, and etc. are considered paranormal, yes? Are angels and demons in that same general paranormal category....or something else?