The Sacred Sin by Estevan Vega - a Review

If you like dark supernatural thrillers, with demon possessions and a homicide detective struggling for redemption against immortal odds - this book could be for you.

Here's how the author describes the book:

The Sacred Sin bleeds with honesty and emotion, and tells the story of Jude Foster, a cynical self-loathing detective, assigned to bring down a serial killer capable of stealing victim's souls without ever touching them. Stopping this ghost killer, fighting against his demons, his inner darkness, may be the only path toward sanity and a new beginning. With a curiosity for the supernatural, as well as a feeling of disconnection from the complacency of mankind, Vega’s story-lines dwell somewhere in between fiction and reality, a place where the world is as blurred and irregular as human choice and consequence.

I would sum up The Sacred Sin as dark and disturbing. There is little-to-no light within the darkness of the this story. And perhaps it could have used some light to make me care more about the characters and their motivation. None of the characters except maybe the new partner, Rachel Cragin, seemed to have any redeeming qualities. Everyone was messed up in some way and didn't show us they had any qualities worth caring about, apart from being broken individuals. The point of the story seems to be "no matter what happens, life goes on - even if it does suck."

Although this book kept me reading to the end to find out what happens, I can't say I really enjoyed it. The Sacred Sin is extremely well written, more so than many mass-market books that I've read. The author, Estevan Vega, published this book when he was 18 years old. That is impressive! And he was kind enough to send me a copy recently for review.

A Meme Regarding Books

Found an interesting Book Meme from Carrie at Books and Movies.


1. To mark your page you: use a bookmark, bend the page corner, leave the book open face down? Usually some kind of bookmark, or the flaps from a dustcover (or the dustcover itself). Never dogear. Sometimes lay it face down open to the last page I read.

2. Do you lend your books? Not really.

3. You find an interesting passage: you write in your book or NO WRITING IN BOOKS! Hmmm... I'd probably stick a different book mark there. I don't think I'd write in a book unless it was designed for that.

4. Dust jackets - leave it on or take it off? Depends.

5. Hard cover, paperback, skip it and get the audio book? I rarely do audio books. Paperbacks are less expensive, and thus more in my price range. I really like the TPB size and style, but hard covers sure do look spiffy organized nicely on a bookshelf.


6. Do you shelve your books by subject, author, or size and color of the book spines? Stacked generally by category or series; but mostly just helter skelter on the two book cases in our bedroom.

7. Buy it or borrow it from the library later? Usually library, since I have three kids. Purchasing books is a splurge = usually for gift-giving occassions.

8. Do you put your name on your books - scribble your name in the cover, fancy bookplate, or stamp? I do not unless I'm lending it out - and I rarely do that.

9. Most of the books you own are rare and out of print books or recent publications? Recent.


10. Page edges - deckled or straight? Is it bad that I don't understand the question? I''ll guess and say that deckled means the page edges aren't all aligned and look kind of rough? Honestly - it doesn't matter to me.


11. How many books do you read at one time? Almost always just one at a time. I may put down one book to start and finish another book that I was really looking forward to reading.


12. Be honest, ever tear a page from a book? Not that I can remember. I've got some old books that have pages falling out of them... but I didn't pull them out.


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Star Wars: Outcast, by Aaron Allston - a review

The latest novel in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, starting a new NINE-book
hard back series sees Luke all but exiled from Coruscant and the Jedi order, by
his own decision. His son Ben goes with him on a quest to find out what happened
to Jacen Solo to make him embrace the Dark Side.

Han, Leia, and their adopted daughter have an adventure of their own that may
have repercussions in the series as Amelia here's a voice through the Force
coming from the moon of Kessel, and Lando finds Centerpoint Station technology
buried deep within Kessel itself.

The Jedi Order has to face political ramifications of their actions during
the Second Galactic Civil War. Jag and Jaina shippers get some satisfaction.
Tahiri loses her cool again. Some Jedi are starting to go crazy and think
everyone has been replaced by look-alikes. And someone is after the Sith
meditation sphere.

Hmm... did I cover it all? I think so.

Star Wars novels are like crack to Star Wars fans - we can't get enough! And
when we get them, we use them up quickly!

This novel, starting the new Fate of the Jedi series, is a nice start, but is
really just that. It's more of an introduction to the series, a set-up novel. It
was still enjoyable though. In fact, it was really nice to see Luke not as head
of the Jedi Order any more and just off on his own.

I enjoyed the book, and of course will be following up with the rest of the
nine-book series as it comes out.

The Warded Man, by Peter V. Brett - a Review

The interesting thing about this novel is that the author wrote the first

draft on his smartphone while taking the train into work.

Be glad he did: The Warded Man is a good book. It follows three kids quickly from childhood into adulthood as they change from, basically, outcasts into relatively smart adults that have much needed skills.

The night brings demons forth from the ground to terrorize anyone not hiding behind magical wards that block the demons. Arlen is the boy that wants to be a Messenger, traveling between villages and braving the demons. Leesha is a young lady with excellent healing skills, all but driven from her village. And Rojer is a young misfit that becomes a skilled ...Court Jester-type character. All three develop skills that can be used against demons, and eventually team up
to save Leesha's village.

There's much much more to the book, but I'd give away too much by trying to summarize any more of it.

The Warded Man is the first in a series and I definitely plan to check out the next installment.

The Stormcaller, by Tom Lloyd - a Review

I recently read this book, I'm ashamed to say, because the cover is way
awesome. I was glad I picked it up from my local library; this book kept me
reading.  This world is expansive and has much depth, though the author
really doesn't go to the effort of world-building - it just is. There is so much
going on in and around the characters that you know this world has existed for
quite awhile and has many stories to offer.


Enchanted armor given to special people? Check!
Vampires? Check!
Swords and armor with names? Check!
Gods and not-so-godlike beings? Check!
Crazed mutants created by the gods? Check!
One of those is the main character? Check!
Magic, elves, humans, dragons, immortals? Check, Check, Check, Check, aaand Check!

Isak, named as an afront to the god Kasi, is a White-Eye. A long-lived, giant human with berserker tendencies, a sad childhood, and a knack for magic, he quickly changes from the bane of his father's existence to the Heir-apparent of the current White-Eye King and Head of the cult of a certain God. The story follows him as he adapts from his wandering merchant lifestyle to that of heir to the head-of-state and religious leader. On the night he is brought to the castle, a messenger from the gods delivers a special suit of armor and sword for him that signifies he might just be the prophesied savior of the land, and catalyst to all-out war.


Isak quickly adapts to the warrior aspects of his new life, but doesn't take well to the political nature. Along the way, he develops friendships and alliances, and learns more about his role in the world and his destiny and has to decide whether or not that destiny is what he wants.

As I mentioned before, there is much world-building within this book. Not much explaining of it, no introduction to matters and places and events and customs - the world is presented as if the reader has always been a part of it. Which is kind of a nice change from most world-building.

The book has lots of action, good character-building and interaction on a personal level, excellent world-building and story-telling. The Stormcaller is the first book in a series. I look forward to reading the future installments.

A link

Carrie from MommyBrain has had to move her review blog. It's now at a new url; she'll have to leave her archives at the old place, but she'll be keeping up her normal posts at Books and Movies.