Midnight Texas, Season One, Episode Five: Unearthed

I'm just going to admit it, Midnight Texas has really started to grow on me, despite my reservations due to the fact that it's based on a series by Charlaine Harris.  Midnight Texas knows that it's cheese but still tries to infuse each episode with some drama.  It alternates between the serious and the camp quite well. So far, each episode has been about delving into backstories as a form of characterisation. In Unearthed, Bobo and Manfred are forced to deal with their pasts.

It begins for Manfred when a rock is thrown at his door. Manfred steps on his front porch to find a Manfred in box, containing a note to be at a certain location at a specific time. That's right, after all of his running, Hightower has finally found him. Xylda's advice is that Manfred simply skip the meeting. Running is what Manfred has always done but that was before he entered into a relationship with Creek. Manfred suggests to Creek that the two of them run and hide but Creek isn't about to leave her father and her brother.  Unwilling to leave Creek behind, Manfred decides that it's time to face Hightower at last.  Creek encourages Manfred to seek out the help of his neighbours but Manfred is determined to go it alone.  Creek heads to the pawnshop and sells a bunch of antiques to Bobo for 15K to pay off his debt.  Bobo picks up on the fact that Manfred is in trouble and suggests that Manfred take a gun with him. 

Bobo doesn't offer to help Manfred because he has his own problems to deal with. Earlier in the day, the biker gang drove through town and set his pawn shop on fire.  Fortunately, the town acted quickly to save the building, in the process saving Olivia and Lem's life.  It turns out however that the fire was simply a distraction so that the biker gang could kidnap Fiji.  It's Mr. Snuggles who delivers the bad news.  Fiji is taken to a building site, drugged and hidden underground. Bobo quickly gets together the ransom to free Fiji but before he can deliver it, Lem arrives at the pawnshop wanting to know what the hell is going on.  Bobo is a little resistant but when Lem points out that whatever the problem is almost got he and Olivia killed, Bobo decides to reveal his past. 

It turns out that Bobo is the son of well to do white supremacists.  When he was 17, his father took him along for a ride and he sat in the car while his father set a church on fire.  From that night on, Bobo decided that he wanted nothing to do with his family and so he stole their cache of guns, gold, and cash and left.  He's been hiding in Midnight ever since and has become something of an urban legend. Bobo figures out that the leaders of the Sons of Satan must have figured out who he really is.  Given the danger, Lemuel decides to tag along, despite Bobo being told that he has to go alone.

Manfred arrives at the location Hightower picked at the appointed time and runs into Olivia.  While Manfred was busy selling his family treasures to Bobo, Creek enlisted Olivia's help. Manfred's so incompetent that he still has the safety on his gun.  Manfred tries to send Olivia away but Olivia feels that she owes him for saving Lem from vampires. When Manfred and Olivia meet up with Hightower, he uses telekinesis to take Olivia and Manfred's guns away, forcing them to take cover. Once the guns are empty, Manfred tries to confront Hightower but it seems that Hightower is in no mood to make peace because he figures that Manfred owes him a lot more than money. It turns out that Manfred agreed to marry Hightower's daughter Violent in return for 100K but and Xyla stole the money and left Violet alone at the alter. A few days later, Violet committed suicide. Hightower wants vengeance  for the loss of his daughter which he blames on Manfred and he uses his powers to toss broken glass at Olivia and Manfred, forcing them both to flea.

Bobo drives to the meet with the Sons of Satan and Lemuel is hiding under the vehicle. Bobo hands over the cache of weapons and cash and is beaten for his trouble. Now that Lowry finally has his hands on Bobo, he's not about to let Bobo go. What's interesting is that Lowry repeatedly accuses Bobo of killing his wife, even though Bobo denies having anything to do with it.  Bobo is taken to see Fiji and Lowry delights in talking about Bobo's white supremacist past and his part in the church bombing, before leaving Bobo and Fiji locked together.

Midnight Texas, Season One, Episode Four: Sexy Beast

This week's monster is a man eating succubus. We've been warned that the end might be nigh by the resident angel Joe and proof of that is the fact that more than ever, supernatural creatures are being drawn to the area. So, there the succubus is sitting by the side of the road when she's picked up by Ted, a dudebro who might as well have asshole tattoos on his forehead.  We're conditioned not to have any sympathy for dudebro because it seems that he's stolen and sold his father's Rolex. Predictably, when the dudbro is coerced into pulling over, he becomes snack food for the succubus. 

Creek and Manfred are getting all domestic though Creek is still very much adamant that their relationship needs to stay on the downlow because her father is certain that Manfred will break her heart. I'm getting kind of tired of the policing of Creek's sexuality at this point and it seems that it won't end anytime soon.  Manfred says that he's not a bad guy and that he might be entitled to catch a break after saving them all from vampires.  Yeah, I'm team Manfred on this one. When Creek leaves, Manfred checks his phone only to find some ominous messages from Hightower. Yes, Manfred is on the run but only because he's being held responsible for his grandmother's debt. At any rate, Hightower reaching out to Manfred is enough for Manfred to decide that he needs to make some cash.

Ted's sister Patsy shows up to hire Manfred, to see if she can find out where Ted is and if Ted has the Rolex.  Manfred starts to turn Patsy down but when she offers 5K, Manfred takes the job. Manfred does his thing and he sees Ted's spirit, who talks about being snacked on "like a taco" by a hot blonde woman.   Manfred decides to investigate and when he finds the succubus, she is cleaning up in a truckstop bathroom after killing yet another man. When the succubus makes her play for Manfred, he's quick to take his leave, declaring that he's just not into her.

Back in Midnight, Fiji is getting ready for a dinner date that she's planned with Bobo.  Fiji asks Olivia to join her but Olivia declines because she has a job to do. Olivia points out that this is the perfect opportunity for Fiji to get with Bobo and recommends that Fiji step away from the peasant gear for the night. Later, as Fiji is setting the stage for her romantic dinner, she gets a call from Bobo saying that he'll be over as soon as he changes out of work gear. Of course, Bobo isn't getting ready for a hot date but trying to meet up with bikers now that he knows that they've killed the sheriff. 

Olivia's job is to kill a man who has robbed people of their 401Ks. The mark tries to plead that it was only money but he doesn't get any sympathy from Olivia on this. Olivia points out that families can be ruined by having their life savings stolen.  Olivia does the deed and leaves the building but pauses when she notices a man who was watching her when she was in the building is now sitting outside in his car.  For Olivia, this is too much of a coincidence and so she drugs him and carts him back to Midnight for a little casual waterboarding. It doesn't take long for the man to admit that he was hired by her father who supposedly just wants to keep track of Olivia and ensure that she's okay. Olivia becomes emotional and asks Lemuel to feed from her.  Lemuel is happy to oblige but he's concerned that Olivia is so upset.  After Lemuel feeds, Olivia is back to her normal self and doesn't want to discuss it.

Mr. Snuggly (oh how I love that talking cat) is facing reality faster than Fiji.  Mr.Snuggly makes his bid to have Fiji feed him some Sheppard's pie because it's become clear that Bobo isn't going to show up. Fiji holds onto hope until Joe calls and finally cancels. 

It's time for a meeting of the Midnight supernatural club.  Manfred describes what the succubus looks like to Joe, who does a sketch.  They're able to identify the succubus and Joe claims that succubi are attracted to men who've harmed women. So you know damn well that this gets Creek's attention because all the men in her family are suspicious of Manfred. At any rate, this is when Creek's little brother Connor shows up. It seems that Connor has been following Manfred all over town to see what he's up to.  Yeah, that's creepy as all get out and I don't care that Connor is only 17.  Creek is quick to send Connor on his way. 

Chains (Bad Witch #1) by E. M. Michaels

Cassandra was an ordinary woman dealing with some sadly ordinary problems – having trouble in college and relationships

And then she starts having images of the past, running into ghosts and shapeshifters – and sprouting magical chains.

Using a novella to introduce a series can work… It can. In some ways it’s preferable – it allows you to focus on the world and the characters without having to be concerned with a long running storyline to introduce, develop and then finish properly. That can be a big ask. Usually the world building is lost as we’re dropped heavily into a big plot line that tries to take over the book without having the proper foundation

It’s hard to introduce a character when she’s neck deep in world saving. And if you’re then going to try and introduce metaplot as well? It’s a lot

So a novella without the need to introduce more than a minor plot line? That works. That lets us see the world without having to do anything too epic – which is what I mentioned favourably recently.

And I hate to play one book against the other but if that is how you use a novella to introduce a series, then this is the very opposite.

Quite literally – we had the world setting take a hefty back seat, character development given an attempt with very little development to make her appealing and topped off with what I guess was supposed to be an epic storyline but was so rushed, undeveloped and confused that it was almost jarring. We were setting up a big dark menace, one apparently as old as witch burning that is fixated on the main character and I thought we were going to see the beginning of several books of conflict instead of it just… ending. Why set up such a vague epic threat and deal with it so casually?

The story itself feel like a stream of consciousness exercise. The protagionist neither drives anything nor explores anything. She wanders around, has a weird experience in a club, wanders some more, randomly decides to go running because woo-woo then we have info-dumpy ghosts (ghosts? In another realm? Yes? No? Maybe? Relevance? Because she could have found a book, a recording, a passing Cheshire Cat – all would have made exactly the same impact on the book). She runs around with a werefox who, again, could be any supernatural creature who is fairly hot. I would say he’s a generic guide but that would require him to actually guide her instead of just wandering around with her following. The go to a spooky shop. It’s spooky. The shop keeper gives her grief about being all sexual so she can flare up but she doesn’t actually buy anything so… why is she here? Why is this scene here?

Sleepy Hollow, Season Four, Episode Two: In Plain Sight

It seems that Sleepy Hollow is in a rush to try to fall into a familiar pattern with their new characters and it all feels so disrespectful to Abbie's memory. #abbiemillsdeservesbetter It's bad enough that the writers thought they could simply replace one WOC with another without toying with our emotions the way that this episode did.

It begins with Ichabod in the D.C. Library, his replacement for the archives.  At any rate, it's night and there's a storm.  It quickly becomes clear that Ichabod isn't alone in the library.  He calls out, "lieutenant", and we watch as feet seem to rush by him. Finally the presence makes itself seen and it's Molly, Diana's daughter. It's enough to startle Ichabod right out of his sleep. It seems that Jenny had been using a Tibetan singing bowl to induce an image of the new witness.  Okay, how exactly did Jenny manage to get the bowl given that it's used to reveal who possess the Dalai Lama's spirit? I know that she's good but come on already. This just feels incredibly disrespectful but this is what happens when POC culture's get mined for woo woo. 

In the aftermath of the vision both of them are showing signs of being effected.  They head outside and Crane thanks Jenny for relocating to Washington for him. Damn right he owes her.  Crane reveals what he saw in the dream and then decides to head to the library to do some research.

Jake and Alex are at the library and Jake has gone all fanboy now that he knows that everything in the library has some important meaning.  Ichabod is forced to break in because he doesn't have the proper clearance to enter the building and Jake promises him a pass to use from here on in.  Alex still seems very reserved when it comes to Crane. 

While this is going on, Malcolm is hunting down yet another artifact to add to his collection.  He heads to a house which contains three witches and offers them a blood which kills the moment it draws blood, in exchange for a stone. The witches hesitate because they have been charged with guarding the witch stone. When Malcolm reveals that the stone actually has nothing to do with witchcraft, two of the three witches turn on their leader and kill her. Well I guess Malcolm has his deal. 

At home Diana has failed at making pancakes for daughter and claims that Molly cannot complain since she is still not speaking. Also, who the hell cannot make pancakes of all things?  I do love Diana's relationship with Molly; it's sweet and really humanises her. When her sister shows up, Diana grabs her things and leaves, stopping long enough to tell Molly that she loves her.

Having landed the case of the dead witch, Diana decides to call Crane in for a consult.  How and why she thinks he's relevant to the case except for the fact that this is how Crane and Abbie used to work together is beyond me. At any rate, Crane admits to know the dead woman from a long time ago. Can you guess what time it is? Why, it's historical flashback time to Washington and Benedict Arnold. Apparently, it was the witches who aided in shutting down Arnold's attempt to betray the revolution.

Crane heads to the library to do more research while the witches decide to hit the town.  It's been three hundred years since they've been outside and so I cannot blame them for wanting to get their drink on.  Two men approach the sisters but unfortunately for the men, they are both married. The sisters see the their attempt to break their marriage vows as dishonest and kill them on the spot.  

American Horror Story: Roanoke, Season Six Episode Four

I don't know how much shit people need to see before they decide to get the hell out of a house but Matt and Shelby are so damn slow on the uptake that they seriously deserve Kathy Bates to just end it for them already.  They are walking Darwin Award winners if I've ever seen it.

Okay, having turned Lee into the police, Shelby wants to know how Matt could possibly sleep with forest Gaga.  Look, having an unfaithful partner is not a fun thing but given everything that Shelby has seen so far, this should have been pretty low on the list of concerns.  At any rate, Matt denies Shelby's accusations and increasingly becomes upset because he has no memory of what she is talking about. Seeing Matt in tears is finally enough for Shelby to decide that he's innocent and that maybe ratting Lee out wasn't such a good idea. 

After things calm down, Shelby heads for the shower which of course makes me wonder if she's ever seen Psycho? Nothing good comes from showering when you're in a horror situation.  Predictably, pig man jumps out to say hello. Shelby runs screaming and calling out for Matt, who uses a football tackle to get pig man away from Shelby.  Luckily for them, Dr. Elias Cunningham (yes dude from the videotape) arrives in time to put an axe into the back of pig man.  Unfortunately, pig man has developed a never say die attitude and Elias screams, "Croatian" which banishes pig man back from whence he came. See, I can do the old fashioned speech. 

It turns out that Elias had decided to hold onto the house after discovering its dark past to avoid anyone else ending up dead. Unfortunately, he fell behind on his property tax payments and that's how Matt and Shelby ended up stupidly paying 40K for the house of death.  Elias has knowledge he wants to share but Matt and Shelby are suspicious and even wonder if Elias simply wants the house back and that's why he's trying to scare them out.  OMG these two are stupid to live. They were just chased by a pig man and are worried that Elias wants the house of death back.

 

So, they wisely decide to listen to Elias and he tells them about how all of the previous owners of the house ended up dead. Cut to the Chen family, who immigrated to the states determined to live a true American lifestyle. Unfortunately for them this included good awful television dinners and the Partridge Family. Yes, they did this to themselves in order to be more American. Despite several warnings from Kathy Bates to leave, the Chen's end up dead. Clearly they were another family too stupid to live.  When a ghost tells you to get the fuck out, the correct response is always to flee like your ass is on fire. It turns out that even the murdering nurses who Matt saw earlier ended in bad way thanks to Kathy Bates.  Given their torture of the elderly, I didn't have the heart to feel sorry for the nurse who had her arms ripped from her body.

Night Blade (Colbana Files #2) by J.C. Daniels

Kit Colbana's past is filled with abuse and violence but this tragic history has made Kit highly skilled at her job.  When she comes to the attention of Banner, the policing organisation for supernaturals, Kit's first instinct is to avoid their attempts to contact her.  She's particularly not interested because the agent in question is her ex boyfriend Justin.  Kit may not want the job but Justin is certain that she is the only one who can solve the case of the murdered council members. When Justin informs her that it's believed that her current boyfriend Damon is suspected of murder and will be sentenced to death, Kit has no choice but to agree to the job, even if this means she has to go it alone.

Kit spends most of the book getting the shit kicked out of her as she investigates the case.  Because Night Blade is so circular, it feels as though Kit spends the entire time chasing her tail without getting anywhere.  Because of a binding spell placed on her, Kit actually feels pain anytime she even thinks about telling anyone what she is up to.  Kit's inability to speak angers Damon and so she is forced to remind him repeatedly that she was doing her job long before he entered her life and is therefore capable of taking care of herself.

When we first met Damon in Blade Song, I really wasn't a fan of him at all and this feeling of dislike continues into Night Blade.  Damon is extremely possessive, jealous and controlling.  When Damon learns that Kit is working with her ex, he immediately demands that she quit.  Due to the nature of her investigation, this is something that Kit cannot do and so Damon responds by biting her neck, permanently scaring her so that the world will know that she belongs to him.

I hissed out a breath as he sank his teeth into my neck.  My mind processed what he was doing but before I could decide if I was going to do a damn thing, his hand tangled in y hair, arching my head to the side as he pressed down harder, harder until his teeth broke through the skin.

He growled against me and I groaned.

It hurt-

There isn't anything remotely sexy or romantic about having a six-foot five, two-hundred fifty pound werecat sink a powerful set of teeth into your neck.

But it was over in seconds and I was still in processing mode as he grabbed something from the bed to press against my neck.  "You're asking me to deal with something that I can't change and I hate it," he said, his voice hard and flat.  "That's how I'm dealing.  The next tie anybody looks at you, they're going to see what I wanted everybody to know months ago." (pg 107)

The mark on her wrist was something that Kit could choose to hide but the neck mark gives her absolutely zero options.  If that were not enough, when Damon smells another man on Kit because she had to be close to a witch for the purposes of cloaking her location, he responds by ripping the clothing from her body, demanding that she never wear them again.  For Damon, this is what passes for love but in actuality it amounts to abuse.

Damon is as far from a romantic love interest as possible.  When he isn't busy trying to control Kit, he infantalises her by calling her "baby girl". Why oh why would a grown ass man think it's okay to refer to the woman he is having sex with as "baby girl"? The only reason for that is that as the supposed adult in this relationship, Damon expects obedience.  When Kit finally gets the evidence she needs to stop a kill order on Damon to be acted upon, Damon demands that she leave with him right now because he needs her like he needs air.  When Kit objects because she has one thing left to do, Damon responds by ending the relationship and walking out. Who the hell does that?

The Originals, Season Three, Episode Sixteen: Alone with Everybody

When we last left The Originals, Hayley, Klaus and Hope had left town because there were too many vampires seeking revenge against Klaus.  The ball is firmly dropped in Elijah and Freya's hands as everyday, news of the last remaining piece of the white oak circles the globe.  As you might well imagine, the white oak bullet is extremely valuable.  Elijah puts Josh, Marcel and Vincent to the task of tracking down Sofya - the vampire who now possess the magical bullet.

Well how did Sofya get the bullet? Why she stole it from Vincent when he retrieved it. In the meantime, Marcel and his Stryx have demanded that Elijah stay in the compound because of course if he dies, they all die.

You would think that with the threat that the white oak bullet represents,  the Original family wouldn't have time for drama and angst but you would be wrong.  The spell which brought Kol back to life also brought Finn back to life.  The last thing Finn did before he disappeared into Freya's necklace was to ensure that Kol died in Davina's arms.  Kol is not about to forget the way that his brother wronged him.  Elijah is forced to play peace maker between his two brothers but it looks like this is not going to turn out to be a happy family reunion.  When Kol and Finn end up fighting, it's Lucien who breaks them apart.  Anyone else wonder how it is that Lucien managed to restrain Kol given that one, Kol is older and two, Kol is an Original vampire?

In the meantime, Hayley is convinced that Klaus needs to change his look so that he doesn't stand out. Umm, yeah, has she seen his cheekbones and gorgeous mouth? That man is going to stand out anywhere.  I need a moment to fan myself.  At any rate, Klaus is absolutely certain that he is going to hate this plan.

A peeved Josh goes to see Marcel. It seems that the youngling is not impressed to be sentenced to the sidelines while Marcel and the Stryx search for the magic bullet.  Josh wants to join in the search but Marcel is adamant that Josh stay out of it. This is when Josh pulls his trump card and brings up that he learned about an auction for the magic bullet using his super duper tech skills. Yeah, I'm snarking but at the same time, I'm glad that they finally showed that Josh does have a skill other than being a servant to Davina.  Vincent joins them and asserts his belief that the auction is real based on the fact that he had his butt handed to him by an older vampire.

Lucien tries his man on the make moves with Freya but it doesn't get him anywhere.  To me, rather than a sexy or even romantic approach, Lucien comes off like a cheap used vacuum cleaner salesman desperate for love. Also, there is such a thing as timing. Kol very much wants to kill Finn and oddly enough, I am solidly #teamkol on this one. Let's not forget that this isn't the first time that Finn has decided that his siblings need to die.  Freya however is certain that Finn has changed.

Josh helps Marcel get into the auction and all are shocked when the bidding starts at five million dollars.  Marcel instructs Josh to type in Latin that he is willing to offer one mission completed by the Stryx no questions asked.  The bidding is immediately closed and Josh is notified by telephone that they have won the auction.

Klaus, Hope and Hayley end up at a bar which is one of  Hayley's old haunts.  Klaus, who is miserable in one of the ugliest hats in all of creation, does not receive a warm welcome.  It's not until Hayley is recognized by one of the bartenders that things get a little warmer.  It seems that the werewolf pack in the area has greatly dissipated.  The bartender agrees to help Hayley, Hope and Klaus lie low for awhile.  It's not long before Hayley and Klaus are back to bickering which of course makes laying low difficult. The bartender gets a phone call and then tells Hayley that a girl she used to babysit has triggered her werewolf curse. Hayley naturally wants to help but Klaus is more interested in moving on, citing concern for Hope. Cue a massive argument about Klaus being an unfeeling bastard. Yeah, surprisingly enough, I'm kinda #teamklaus on this one.

It's time for Elijah and Finn to have some alone time.  It seems that Finn doesn't want reconciliation with his brothers. Colour me surprised.  What Finn wants is for Freya to put him in a witch's body, thus allowing him to live out a normal mortal life.  Finn promises that once this happens, he will leave his family for good and never return.  Naturally, Davina overhears this conversation which tells us that Finn is not going to get his wish.

Josh shows up to collect that magic bullet.  He gives a fake name to Sofya but she already knows who he is. Josh puts up a great fight (really, who would have thought he had that in him) but he is overpowered.  Sofya orders Josh to get a beating to deliver a message to Marcel before leaving. Fortunately for Josh, he only has to take a punch or two before Marcel bursts in and rips out the heart of his attackers.

Klaus pops Hope into her car seat and gets ready to leave but Hayley is not done by a long shot. Hayley argues that all Klaus has done is attack her friends who've tried to help them.  Klaus however is more than happy to use Hope as his trump card for getting out of there. Hayley argues back that the vampires are only out to get them because of Klaus and asks if he wants Hope to be raised this way. Hayley finishes by saying that showing kindness to Kayla won't make him weak.

An angry Kol goes to find comfort in Davina, who tries to distract him with sex.  Things start to heat up and Kol feels the compulsion to take blood from Davina and quickly makes himself scarce.  A shocked Davina heads into the library in search of Kol and spies a grimoire instead. Davina decides that it's time Finn got a taste of his own medicine.  How long are the writers going to allow Davina to mess in Original business without paying any kind of price?  I just want someone to mush her already.

Wickedly Powerful (Baba Yaga #3) by Deborah Blake

Bella is one of the three Baba Yagas in charge of the United States.  When she feels an urge to head to the forest in Wyoming, Bella is originally unsure if she is there to investigate the missing Riders, or to deal with the sudden fires that are occurring.  Growing up as a Baba Yaga in training was hard for Bella and she found that never really fit in with humans and therefore now enjoys spending time by herself with her companion Koshka, a dragon disguised as a cat.  The stakes her high but despite all Bella has to do, she finds herself distracted by the handsome but deeply scared, former hotshots fireman Sam Corbett.  If that were not enough, when Bella finds Jazz, a runaway teen living rough in the forest, Bella realises that she cannot just leave the girl to fend for herself. Can Bella somehow handle it all?

By now, the Baba Yaga series has become pretty predictable.  When Bella meets Sam and Jazz, there's never any doubt that all three of them will end up together living as a family. It's always only a matter of how it happens.  That beings said, when Bella's fellow Baba Yagas show up to look for her, I was expecting  Deborah Blake to bring on the awesome.  I feel very much at this point that we were due, particularly given that this book was written largely by the numbers.  Unfortunately, to say the big showdown was anticlimactic is to be kind. Blake didn't bring the epic and seemed rush to wrap everything up in a neat little bow, so that she could move onto writing about the Riders.

I liked watching Jazz and Bella bond; however, I wished that the bond had not occurred over the fact that they are both orphans and come from a history of abuse.  I suppose at least for Jazz, there was no other way to have her living in a forest withput adult supervision.  The issue for me is that suffering is used too often as a shortcut to characterization.  The same issue occurred with Sam, with his PTSD, survivor's guilt and scared face. I never felt like I got to know Sam as a person and he really became was his loss and fears.  The only good thing I can say is that while woo woo was used to cure Sam of his lung damage and scars, at least Blake had Sam acknowledge that dealing with his PTSD was going to take some time.

The antagonist is Brenna, a former Baba Yaga the queen had forced to retire.  We met Brenna in Wickedly Wonderful; however Blake did a good job of explaining to readers where Brenna's anger stemmed from and her history with the Baba Yagas.  If you have not read any of the other books in this series, you will not have any trouble following along with Wickedly Powerful. Brenna, is not pleased to have been forced to retire and she is further enraged that this means the loss of the Water of Life and Death, which slows down the aging process of the Baba Yagas and strengthens their powers. As her hair begins to go grey and bones begin to creak, Brenna is driven to kidnap the Riders and torture them until they lose their immortality so she that she can become what she once was - powerful.

The Originals, Season Three, Episode Fifteen: An Old Friend Calls

With Aurora imprisoned, her brother at the bottom of the ocean and the Stryx essentially dismantled with the death of Aya, you would think that The Originals would be due a break but it seems that since Klaus has amassed so many enemies of the years that there's no rest for the wicked. Klaus's paranoia is at an all time high which is saying something because this is Klaus we're talking about. Over the years, Klaus's penchant for violence means that he has amassed a lot of enemies and now that killing him means that his entire sire line will not die, it's all systems go for taking out Klaus. Elijah and Freya humor him at first, suggesting that what Klaus needs is therapy but even they are forced to take things seriously when they cannot be certain that all of the White Oak has been destroyed.

Kol is back from the dead and after a kiss from Davina, asks her to put a ring on it and by that he means a daylight ring.  It seems that Kol is determined to be worthy of Davina's love and that means blood bags and an end to his violence. Kol's first order of business is to go and see his family.  Klaus greets him with a hug which kind of surprised me given that they haven't universally been on good terms. Elijah is his usual aloof self and Freya and Kol simply acknowledge each other.  Klaus is adamant that Davina needs to disappear because they have family business to deal with.  Kol is quick to jump to Davina's defense but Davina agrees to leave. Considering that Davina is lucky that Klaus hasn't killed her, given everything she has done, it's absolutely makes the right decision at this point. Freya and Kol get to work on a spell to find out exactly where Klaus's enemies are.

As luck would have it Cortez is in town seeking vengeance against Klaus for the death of his father and five brothers.  The Originals, has Cortez get out of a limo filled with dead women and then instruct the driver to get rid of the evidence. The driver complies by setting himself and the dead women on fire.  I know the point of this is to have us rooting for The Original Family but I really don't see the difference between what Cortez did and what the Original Family has done.  There are no so-called good guys in this situation no matter which way the writers try and swing it.

Cami is busy training with Vincent, having become determined that she must find a way to defend herself.  Cami is certain that Aurora will find a way out of the punishment that Klaus inflicted on her and expresses disbelief that Klaus didn't just kill Aurora out right. Cami is certain that this means that when the time comes, she is going to have to find a way to kill Aurora by herself.  Klaus interrupts to seek the therapy that Elijah and Freya suggested he needs.  They head to a little bistro where Cami informs him that she can no longer be his therapist and is no longer invested in his redemption because that part of her was human.  Klaus tries to say that he didn't kill Aurora because she deserves to suffer for what she stole from Cami but she's not buying it. Cami feels that Klaus is more concerned with what Aurora stole from him.

Marcel returns to his NOLA vampires to find them passed out drunk and celebrating being delinked from Klaus.  Josh, (yes they pulled him out of the plotbox) wants to know when the Stryx will be leaving town and they can get back to business as usual.  The Stryx burst in and four of the members are missing and they demand that Marcel do something about it.

In between tracking Klaus's enemies, Freya finds time to do a locating spell and Marcel and Elijah find the bodies in a garbage bin close to where Jackson died.  It seems that Hayley wants revenge for what has been done to Jackson and has been torturing the Stryx members before killing them.  I'm actually cool with this given that often when Hayley engages in battle, she is over powered. My quibble stems from the fact that this is all done off screen and to add insult to injury, it's Elijah who ends up murdering the rest of the vampires on her list.

Cortez heads to see Vincent and demands that Vincent get the elders to tell him where the White Oak is.  Cortez compels a group of humans to hold knives on bar patrons to coerce Vincent into agreeing to his demands.  Cami walks in, sees what is going on, and manages to text Klaus before being knocked unconscious.  Klaus saunters in, surveys the situation and quickly takes out Cortez though this results in three humans being killed.  Cami tries to offer the human blood to heal but Klaus says no because it's already to late.  Klaus gets his kicks torturing Cortez and in the process learns that his enemies have always stayed in contact over the years. Cortez sends off a group text to let them all know that the sire link is broken and that there is indeed White Oak in New Orleans.  With this task done, Cortez informs Klaus that he is happy to die because he knows for certain now that someone will get him.

Hot Blooded (Jessica McClain #2) by Amanda Carlson

 

One shall walk again, above all others she is born;
Within her the beast shall lie, well hidden in True Form;
And from this day forth, the Children of the Night shall pay;
By her supreme rule, her righteous hand will slay,
Justice to all, as none are her equal;
The True Lycan will vanquish all evil.

Not only is Jessica the only female werewolf, it has been prophesied that she will dispense justice amongst the supernaturals.  First however, Jessica must find her mate who has been kidnapped.  The journey will test her new skills more than she could ever imagine. 

There really isn't much character development in this second installment of the Jessica McClain series.  We do however get introduced to two new vampires, as well as learn some of the abilities and limitations of vampirism.  The world is also enlarged by whole slew of new supes.

That being said, I don't feel like the story really progressed at all.  Hot Blooded is essentially one large fight scene which if you like that sort of thing, will be right up your ally.  Jessica and her small pack challenge various supernatural creatures; however, this lacked any kind of real suspense from the beginning because it was clear that while the situations themselves were dangerous, no one was really in any kind of mortal danger.  It quickly became rote that whenever Jessica faced a new monster, she would pull out some super special Lycan power to defeat it.

As part of her role as protagonist of this series, Jessica also served as the moral center.  Because her supernatural ability is extremely new, Jessica very much affirmed the importance of life, making her unwilling to kill because of convenience.  It will be interesting to see if she can hold onto that as the challenges she faces get tougher and tougher.

Sleepy Hollow, Season Two Episode Five: The Weeping Lady

This episode begins with Ichabod paying a visit to Caroline, who hands him clothing she made herself out of a special wave, as well as hand churned butter and preserves.  Now, if this was in Ichabod's time, this would be over the top but slightly understandable, but Caroline is helping Crane because she is inspired by his supposed dedication to colonial reenactment and the way he never breaks character. How Ichabod could have missed the signs Caroline was tossing about regarding her interest is beyond me.  When Caroline goes to make her move, Ichabod is forced to step backwards and finally stutter and tell Caroline that he is a married man. Caroline steps back in shock and explains that because there are no pictures of Crane's wife, and he never talks about her, she assumed that Crane was either single or a widower. Crane assures Caroline that is wife is alive and well, as Abby enters the room.  Caroline quickly apologises, mistaking Abby for Crane's wife and Abby snarks that she and Crane need a symbol to indicate when Crane is getting his giddy on.  Crane is not impressed and points out that he was unaware of Caroline's feelings towards him.  Abby snarks that it was obvious that Caroline had a clear case of "Crane on the brain."

Crane talks about how distracted he is by Katrina's current circumstances but Abby points out that Katrina chose to stay with the horsemen and can clearly handle herself.  Switch to Katrina working on some kind of potion to make ink.  She writes a message and opens the window to see a bird.  Katrina orders the bird to obey her and informs the bird that it will be her messenger.  Katrina gives the bird her message, commanding it to find Ichabod, just as Abraham (read: the headless horseman) enters the room. Katrina thanks Abraham for the comforts he has procured for her and Abraham in turn promises Katrina the world when she is his queen. Katrina is quick to point out that she has never been one for material wants but Abraham clarifies to add that with apocalypse a certainty, the only way Katrina will survive is by his side.  Abraham says that this is a choice he wants Katrina to make willingly but adds that he will not wait forever, before leaving the room. How exactly can she say no when he has her captive?  It seems to be that Abraham has a lot to learn about consent.

Parish is interrupted by Abraham, who reports that Katrina may be trying to work around the enchantment Parish cast around Abraham's home to block Katrina's magic.  Abraham asks Parish to check on it and Parish promises to look into it because Katrina is powerful and devious.  Parish adds that if Katrina is still causing trouble, they can use the binding ritual; however, Abraham is confident that he can convince Katrina to play the role that Moloch wants of her own free will. Parish believes that this will be difficult without severing Katrina's bond with Crane, adding that he loves to cause his parents pain. Talk about your long standing Mommy and Daddy issues already. I am starting to believe that Parish is worse than The Originals.  Abraham asserts that all he wants is for Katrina to have no access to her magic before leaving.  Parish looks through a box for a sin of Katrina's that he can make use of and we get a flash to a young woman and man together.

Two people are making out in a car and the woman makes it clear that she is not  going any further. The man is resistant at first but stops when he hears something.  I love that the young woman reiterates clearly that she is only willing to go do far. Suddenly, something flashes across the window of the jeep and the couple drives away frantically.

Ichabod and Abby are sitting in a car out front of Caroline's house.  Abby suggest that Crane just send Caroline a text but of course, Crane finds this inadequate and while getting of the car says that he is going to apologize in person, the way a gentleman should. Crane makes his way to the front door and when Caroline answers, Crane apologises and asks if they can put the misunderstanding behind them.  Crane admits that he has few friends in Sleepy Hollow and none that have his belief in the Colonial way of life.  Caroline is quick to accept Crane's offer of friendship and he leaves. When Caroline enters her house, she hears a weeping sound.  Caroline makes her way into the living room, where she finds a spectral figure all in black with glowing eyes.  The figure gets out of the chair and makes her way over to Caroline.

Later that day, Abby is at a crime scene at the beach.  The coroner is removing the body of Caroline and Crane is extremely upset. Crane wants to know who would do this but the only information Abby has is that Caroline died at 9 pm, which is when they left Caroline's home. Crane points out that because it is so far from town, it's not likely that anyone saw what happened.  They decide to head down the river to where they believe Caroline's body entered the river.  Crane finds the mug Caroline was holding last night  and Abby finds tire tracks and no foot prints.  Abby reveals that this area is what local kids use as a lovers lane.

Abby and Crane head to high school and Abby gives Crane a brief explanation of high school politics.  They find the kids who were witnesses to Caroline's death based in quickly gathered high school gossip.  The kids tell Abby and Crane that they saw The Weeping Lady.  Later, at the library, Abby explains that The Weeping Lady is the ghost of a woman, who drowned in the river and is dripping wet with glowing green eyes. Crane questions if The Weeping Lady cries because an injustice has been done to her and Abby explains that she was jilted by her husband or lover.  Abby prints up a list of books on the legend and they separate to look for resources. A bewildered Crane makes his way around the library  and pauses when he sees Katrina's messenger on a window ledge.  Katrina has sent him basically a love letter.  Wasn't she supposed to be gathering information on the horsemen?

Abby runs into Hawley, who claims to be gathering information on something which goes bump in the night. Hawley comments on the fact that Abby isn't exactly warming up to him and points out that he does the work he is contracted to do.  Hawley reminds Abby that everything came out okay in the end and predictably Abby replies, "no thanks to you."  Hawley argues that if he had accompanied Crane and Abby, he may have fouled the mission altogether and asks for slack. Hawley offers to help Abby and Crane the next time have a problem with a monster and adds that if they need him, he is down at the pier.

A Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez

 

Imagine if you will a nameless witch cursed with beauty, the inability to die and a hunger for flesh.  Such a life would not be an easy one and indeed, for our nameless witch, it means a tortured childhood filled with little but neglect until she is found by her mentor.  Time passes as it does and our witch wakes to discover that today is the day her mentor is going to die.  The witch now has a choice to make, she can seek revenge for the one person she ever loved, in the process taking on a quest that will force her to confront her true nature, perhaps find love and actually die, or she can take a different road. Nothing is ever simple in the life of a nameless witch, even with companions like a demon duck, a troll, an animated broom and an honest to goodness White knight for a love interest, events might demand more from her witchly nature that she can possibly defeat.

As you might have guessed from my synopsis, A Nameless Witch is quirky and ridiculously delightful.  It is clearly set in an alternate world because the witch, does not cause much of a concern to the residents of Fort Stalwart.  The humans are in fact more concerned that the witch just might be a prostitute in disguise because the prostitutes outnumber the men 3:1 and this of course has over saturated the market.  Since the economy of  Fort Stalwart is largely based in prostitution, one can easily see how this is a problem.  

The nameless witch is a fascinating protagonist.   Though she is a witch who consumes raw meat and has a forked tongue, she is cursed with beauty.  Her hair shines, her breasts are perky and her behind round and firm.  The nameless witch goes to much effort to hide her curse by covering herself in dirt, ugly clothing and affecting a limp.  The beauty she despises makes her quest to live a good witchly life difficult. Through it all, people still see through her mask, making her more determined to hide. I found this to be quite the interesting twist on the well known trope of the beautiful woman bemoaning her perfect ddd breast size.

Review: Dragon Wytch (Otherworld Series #4) by Yasmine Galenorn

 Camille D’Artigo is the protagonist in this book, facing the every growing and worrying effects of the war against Shadow Wing and the civil war in Otherworld – a war that is now affecting their family as well as bringing chaos to the Otherworld, allowing all kinds of monsters to break through the portals and wreak havoc on an unsuspecting Earth.

Now she has a unicorn gifting her with an artefact of legend of immense power that may be one of their best hopes against Shadow Wing – except it’s been lost and it’ll work just as well for their enemies as against them.

And there’s a new spirit seal to find – and this one is being hunted by a lethal and cunning Rakshasa, far more dangerous than any of the other demons they have had to face. Added to that, Morgaine is back and the ancient, power-hungry sorceress has her own plans involving Titania, the long defunct Seelie queen

To complicate all of that – Smokey, the ancient and mighty dragon, is demanding her attention as well, as per their agreement. But Smokey wants into her heart and not just her bed – which is difficult with her current lovers to take into account.

My only major complaint with this book – in fact the series in general, is its poor pacing and the easily distracted protagonists. I think this book is especially bad for it. There’s one moment in particular that stands out. They are trying to find the Pixie with the Black Unicorn’s horn before anyone else, since this is an artefact with massive, incredible power. It simply cannot fall into the wrong hands. Menolly, after working at the bar, gets a lead on the horn (and it turns out to be true) so she goes home and…

… watches Jerry Springer with Delilah, waiting for Camille to get up rather than waking her. When she does get up (early because something else entirely interrupts her) she, Delilah and Menolly start weeding the garden. No, really – the horn could right now be heading into demon hands but they’re doing some gardening. Then they have breakfast. Then Iris regales them with a tale from when she was a House Sprite in Finland. Then Camille potty trains their pet gargoyle. And I am sat there reading this book and restraining the urge to yell at it because the world is supposed to be on the brink of collapse, demons are supposed to be invading, civil war is breaking out in Otherland, the world is in Serious Peril so some urgency may be required.

An additional problem with that is it makes me less happy with the variety of plots. We have a lot of different threads in this book – we have the Rakshasa and his minions looking for the spirit seal, we have the Unicorn and the horn, we have the problem of the Cryptos and the unguarded portals, we have Morgaine and Titania, we have Camille with Smokey as well as big insights into Camille’s past. All of these plot lines add to the overall story and are wonderful threads of the plot that really go together well. And individually I like each one. They really add to the richness of the world and the much greater sense of the coming battle – but because the pacing is already slowed down by random domesticity it makes me less patient with anything that might stop the main plot line actually moving forwards.

Hex, Season 1, Episode 5: Possession

Thelma is pensive again and steps into a room that seems to be right from the 20s – including he the awesome headmaster singing (not that well),  and Cassie and Azazeal all in period dress. It’s Cassie’s dreams she’s been spying on – and it’s interrupted when she wakes up and we see Cassie’s possessed, blood shot eyes showing she has fallen under Azazeal’s control. In case we had any doubt she’s now smoking in her room rather than sneaking off to outhouses and being all kinds of unpleasant to Thelma (not that she was exactly pleasant to her before).

We go on to have more very strong evidence that Cassie is now evil – she’s confident and a little mean to Troy (rather than mousey and meek), she dresses revealingly (sexy clothes! Surely this is proof of female evil!) and she continues to be cruel to Thelma, including sexually taunting her. And she goes to the dark and naughty club (you can tell, there are lesbians!) and does naughty things (like drink vodka!) At the club she meets up with Azazeal who she begins bantering with before discussing her mother’s mental state and whether Azazeal is responsible. We move from there to Cassie speculating whether Azazeal’s old pick line really works (Cassie, it’s Michael Fassbender, he could speak in tongues and it’d still work). She does reject him (or encourage him to work harder, anyway) which intrigues him further.

Earnest teacher Jo is meeting with awesome headmaster who is, indeed and awesome headmaster, who asks her to stay at the school over Christmas before moving on to Cassie and finding a very very very different Cassie (which he handles with aplomb because he is awesome).

Thelma also tries to question Cassie about her evening and gets Cassie throwing inappropriate flirting back. She moves on to Troy and quickly runs rings around him (the Mean Girls and Leon watch and are torn between upset and agreement). Then it’s on to earnest Jo who is also taken aback by the new and improved Cassie. New Cassie continues with a game of Truth or Dare where she ends up kissing Leon (choosing him over Troy. And yes, this is the man who sexually assaulted her several episodes ago) – making Troy leave and even spooks the Mean Girls. Cassie moves on to make out with Leon in the showers – though Thelma turns on the taps to change the water temperature (would that even work in a communal bathroom). Troy tries to catch up with her later to sort things out with Cassie, but she just shoots it down – and their relationship.

Face Off: Hale Vs Bonnie, Battle of the Hollow Tokens

Now, a token black side-kick is vital for any good Urban Fantasy, it’s a great way to get your inclusion cookies going without putting in any effort. And yes, the lack of effort shows and few places more so than Hale in Lost Girl and Bonnie in The Vampire Diaries.

So it is time for a face off. Which token inclusion side-kick is the hollowest? Which is most lacking in history or characterization? Which is the most dragged into situations that do not concern them and they’re not even slightly interested in? Who keeps a pager to hand in case the white folks need something? It’s the battle of the tokens!

Time spent in the plot box

Plot boxes are used to store unnecessary side-kicks when they aren’t serving the protagonist’s needs. For several episodes they will just disappear. Of course we could imagine them living lives and pursuing their own agendas during these disappearances, but that’s just silly since we know they have neither lives nor agendas there’s no way this could be happening.

Hale: Entire episodes of Lost Girl go by without Hale showing up. Maybe we’ll see him lurking over Dyson’s shoulder providing generic backup, but often times he’s not there. When he does show up it’s usually because his siren abilities are needed. But, hey, the crew are flexible, sometimes police powers/contacts are needed and Dyson isn’t available, sometimes someone is needed to cover for Dyson and one time his family connections were needed as well. So he’s not just one trick Siren, there’s plenty of ways he can serve - but he’s only pulled out when he’s needed to serve

Bonnie: Now Bonnie probably spends less time in the plot box than Hale - but that’s because she’s used more. With Elena’s endless incompetence to clean up after as well as Damon and Stefan’s less than brilliant planning, the Swiss Army Witch needs to be called out on a regular basis. Still, it does result in more screen time, but still, even the much needed Bonnie can find entire episodes past with barely a sign of her presence.

We know so much about their family

Hale: Though Hale has been on Lost Girl since episode one, we know virtually nothing about is background.  We do eventually find out that Hale is actually a member of the royal family but only because Bo needs someone to run in the election for the next Ash. This is something that Hale does not want to be and has done much to separate himself from his royal obligations; however, he quickly capitulates to Bo’s need for help, after all what’s a Black sidekick to do when a White woman comes running?   We never actually see any members of Hale’s family, and we only learn that his grandmother is disappointed that he has not achieved more considering his royal heritage.