Monday, March 8, 2010

Review: Apocalypse Happens by Lori Handeland


The final book read during the Great Blogging Break of 2010, this book is also the third in the Phoenix Chronicles, Handeland's urban fantasy series set during the end of days. In the third published book in the series (Book Four is due out next month!), Liz is done taking on her sometimes lovers' parents (Jimmy Sanducci's vampiric father in the first book and Sawyer's woman-of-smoke mother in the last one) and is now set to take on her OWN mother, a mother she didn't even know she had. But whose side is Sawyer really on? And if she has to choose between her two lovers, will Liz choose Jimmy or Sawyer?

I think I like these books because, while they deal quite a bit with Biblical mythology (Nephilim, fallen angels, demons, good vs. evil) they aren't really religious. I am not religious myself and have never really done well with organized religion, although I like to think of myself as spiritual, whatever that means. Anyway, I'm not into religious or Christian fiction, and I think Handeland does a really good job of striking a balance between the ready-made mythology which supports her fictional world and the atheistic leanings of her heroine. Mind you, the book never SAYS that Liz Phoenix is an atheist, but she certainly doesn't have a religion that is identified, either.

This book was better than the second, closer to the first for me. I thoroughly enjoyed all three, though. I think they're great fun! I'd give this one four and a half out of five Whatevers. Couldn't put it down.

AAAAAAAnd I'm all caught up on reviews. I'm currently reading Angels by Marian Keyes, but since the computer's working again, I'm not getting much reading done. As usual. I'm slowly but surely catching up on blog reading. Missed that while I was away. Once I clear out my Google Reader, I'm sure the book-reading pace will pick up a bit!

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