I prefer urban fantasy nowadays. There's nothing like a good fantasy book that takes you away from this pesky, boring world. My urban fantasy fandom started when I first read the Fever series my Karen Marie Moning. The first five books? Best thing ever. (The next four, not so much.) Or maybe the best thing after Kate Daniels (Seriously, I want to be Kate Daniels when I grow up. No, I am not grown up. Yes, I've graduated and work as an M.D but I'm still not grown up. Period.)
I used to read Kay Scarpetta novels and other mysteries with badass coroners as a lead, but now I can't stomach it. (Yes, dead people make me edgy). So fantasy it is.
While waiting for the newest Mercy Thompson(Hauptman) and the newest Hidden Legacy novel to come out (As audiobooks, preferably), and I had extra Audible credit to spend, I picked up something new to me: Written in red by Anne Bishop, first in the Others series. It sounded decent.
First problem was that the narrator is... annoying. Yes, not everyone can be as good as Renee Raudman (I liked her more as Nevada Baylor than as Kate Daniels; Kate sounds more sardonic in my head when I read the books than what Renee makes her; still, very good narrator) or Lorelei King (Awesome!) but this Alexandra Harris sounds whiny and can't voice men at all. Well, she's not as annoying as some other narrators I've come across with, so I continued listening (I didn't have anything better to listen).
Okay, next will come some serious spoilers.
The Others just give this gal, who they know literally nothing about, and who knows literally uselles random shit, a job? Even though she has no skills to that job? Even though she can't even operate a coffeemaker?
Aaand, they all magically just like her, when they dislike, hate and just plain want to EAT other humans who they come across with? "Hey Meg, I just ate some yummy crunchy human ribs and a juicy liver from this random guy who trespassed, now let me have conficted and territorial feelings about you and practically want to hump you, even though you are human like my recent meal." Yeah right.
What? This Meg gets her visions by self-harm? Okay, I can live with that. Wait. She gets off on it? Craves for the razor, fights every day not to cut, but when she does, she sees visions that save a life of a young orphaned wolf-puppy/shapechanger?
Are you kidding me? Not glorifying self-harm at all?
While, as a term, Mary Sue is not very familiar to me, I think this Meg is a fine example of one.
I haven't finished the book yet and I'm not sure I can. I think I'll listen some Harry Potter now (Stephen Fry makes excellent job on it) and try to finish this later. Or maybe I return it and use the credit on One Fell Sweep (which I planned to buy anyway).
