Bill Hiatt

This book has been languishing on my TBR list for quite a long while, and as an impulse KU rental, I kinda want to get through with a lot of my book backlog once and for all.

I have been grumbling lately for a good read, and while some of the books I have been picking up lately have been a few notches up the enjoyment scale, it's been a while since I have read a book that merited the elusive 5 stars. Luckily, Different Lee not only earned the accolade on its own merits, the book was a pleasing easygoing read. The faster I finish a book, the more books I read, and the more reviews I write. Win!

Now, the plot of this book intrigued me. Modern urban fantasy isn't my primary reading genre, and I was a bit iffy about the book at first. DL (his full name is Different Dragon Lee, ergo he really, really, really hates his birth name, and it also serves as a fun running gag in the story), is an ethnically Korean highschool dropout who ran away from his foster family the second he turned 18 and has been drifting from one town to the next working as a self taught auto mechanic, seemingly enjoying the freedom offered by working dead end jobs and something even more important to him: scoring with the ladies.

It seems like the women in a rundown village called Le Dragon in rural Wisconsin are suffering from asian fever, and DL can't seem to recall the last night he slept alone in his dingy apartment... much to the annoyance of his well-meaning landlady who treats him like her son, much to his annoyance.

DL's one nighters supply is starting to run dry, and he's already pondering packing up his bags and going somewhere else... More specifically, he slept with a really attractive woman who was apparently really crummy in the sack, and sorta wants to pack things up before she goes all stalkerish on him. But first, DL has to clean up a strange puncture wound on his neck. I guess goth chick is into vampirism or something...

Wait... could he have just slept last night with a real vampire? And now not only does she have the hots for him, a cranky ghost also epicly wants to get into his pants as well? A harem-tastic adventure ensues... and if appeasing supernatural/undead women wasn't weird enough, maybe the fact that he's starting to transform into an Asian dragon and along the way, avoid a madman named "The Collector" from kidnapping him to use as his guinea pig might make his life a tad bit difficult.

But DL isn't alone in this mad quest. After shunning a coworker after he called him a Dumb Loser, DL starts to form an interesting friendship with a geeky fantasy nerd named Max, who actually feels thrilled that he has been unwittingly dragged into DL's supernatural problems.

Is DL superficial at first? I think that is the whole purpose of his voyage. He is no Mary Sue, and doesn't really care. When confronted with his shapeshifting and Korean background, he hurls insults, while at the same time, starts to feel a connection he didn't initially feel towards Ekaterina and Max which wasn't there at first as a consequence of being abandoned after birth. The book is infested with good jokes, keeping things lighthearted, but full of action and character development chapters. If there was only thing that disappointed me about the story, it would be that Ekaterina seemed too much like a damsel in distress trope. I would have wanted the romance bubbling between the two characters during the course of the story, and instead Ekaterina is usually unavailable because she has been captured.

The book at the end promotes a sequel which doesn't seem to have been released yet, which is a shame. All in all, the book could very well be a solid standalone novel. I certainly had a lot of fun reading it.… (mehr)

[English below]

Ho ricevuto una copia gratuita di questo libro in cambio di un'onesta recensione.

C'è chi vorrebbe poter ricordare le proprie vite passate. Non è così per il sedicenne Tal, costretto a convivere con innumerevoli ricordi che non gli appartengono rischiando di impazzire.

La copertina non esalta minimamente le qualità di questa storia, che si è rivelata un'ottima scoperta.
L'autore è riuscito a riunire elementi totalmente divergenti come la magia e la scienza, la storia e i miti celtici. Il tutto in maniera assolutamente plausibile e realistica. Anche lo stile è intrigante, coinvolgente e a tratti anche divertente, perché Tal è... Tal. Spontaneo, ironico al punto giusto, con i pensieri tipici di un adolescente (oltre a quelli di antichi guerrieri) ma anche affezionato ai suoi amici. A dire il vero sono molti i personaggi di spicco, tutti descritti piuttosto bene e che l'autore ha saputo gestire perfettamente.
Altri elementi a favore sono il mistero riguardante l'identità del nemico, gli eventi imprevedibili, un pizzico di romanticismo in mezzo all'azione e alla suspance e... un finale dolce amaro che mi ha quasi fatta commuovere.
A questo punto sono curiosa di scoprire cosa mi riserverà il seguito!

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I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Somebody would like to remember his/her past selves. It's not so for the sixteen-year-old Tal, forced to live together with many memories that don't belong to him and risking getting mad.

The cover doesn't show the qualities of the story, which has proved being a fantastic discovery.
The author managed to gather opposite elements like magic and science, history and Celtic myths in a plausible and realistic way. The style is intriguing, entertaining and sometimes also funny, because Tal is... Tan. Spontaneous, a bit ironic, with typical teenager's thoughts (besides the ancient warriors' ones) but also caring about his friends.
Other positive elements are the mistery about the enemy's identity, the unpredictable events, a bit of romance between all the action and suspance and... a sweet but bitter ending that almost moved me.
I'm really curious to know how amazing the sequel will be!… (mehr)

I received a free copy of this book from Hidden Gems and am voluntarily leaving a review.

An absolutely captivating tale. An epic battle of good and evil. The author creates a vivid world where the spiritual realm meets reality as a young boy is thrown into a world where he must fight against the devil and his minions. While it’s hard to believe anyone would be as noble as the protagonist the story is still a phenomenal hero’s journey. While the characters must face the perils of the divine they are forced to deal with their own mortal temptations.… (mehr)

What would happen if King Arthur’s bard, Taliesin, and King David, of Jewish fame, were both reborn (or reincarnated) in modern day California? When they’re living in the same small coastal town, and they’ve both just battled evil together in Bill Hiatt’s previous book, Living With Your Past Selves, a natural question might be, who else is going to turn up. And if that piques your interest, you’re going to love this book, Divided Against Yourselves.

There are hints and mysteries galore in these middle-grade/young adult novels. The blend of well-researched history, literature, and mythology, with a thoroughly convincing depiction of modern high school life, grabs readers from the first words and doesn’t let go. Dialog between teens is just as convincing as the oath-taking of magical beings; mystical powers are as real as a football match; and the trials of a lonely boy are as authentically told as those of a lovesick teen in recovery.

A novel filled with great characters, scary situations, and real emotion and mystery, Divided Against Yourselves is a wonderful addition to the series, and I’m just hoping for more. The first novel is nicely recapped in the back of the book for new readers, and lightly alluded to in the text, so anyone can start the series here if they want. But why miss book one—it’s great too. And the author has expertly mastered the art of bringing each book in a series to a satisfying conclusion while leaving readers eager for more.

Disclosure: After reading the prequel and the first book, well, I had to read the sequel and I’m thoroughly hooked.… (mehr)