Try Me (edition 2010)

I liked TRY ME better than BITE ME. TRY ME has a completely different dynamic than BITE ME - the Special Crimes Unit loses some of its prominence in the story as Val spends half of her time on a leave of absence, and early on in the book she breaks up with her irritating former partner/love interest, Dan. I hated Dan, so seeing Shade step forward to take his place was a huge positive in my book.

The plot here is that the Encyclopedia Magicka has been stolen and it's up to Val to find it. She's stepping into a new role here as a mediator or liaison between the vampires and the demons, as tension flares between the two groups. The demons are convinced that a vampire stole the Encyclopedia; and the vampires are convinced that demons are behind a series of attacks at their blood banks. I'm not sure why Val is the only person who can be reasonable, or why the vampires are so willing to trust her, but I like the dynamic better than the more simplistic crime-fighting scenarios handed to her as a Special Crimes cop.

The writing still doesn't quite pop for me, doesn't grab me by the throat or totally immerse me in Parker Blue's alternate San Antonio - in fact, I'm always surprised when I'm reminded that the book is set in Texas - but while I found BITE ME so so, I thought TRY ME was pretty decent and a fun read. ( )

This book, like the first one, wasn't terrible or outstanding. There are some good things going on, including semi-involved parents (quite an achievement, considering YA's tendency to kill off parental figures!) and a strong female protagonist.

The main not-so-good thing for me is the writing. While it's not awful, it continues to come across as forced and stilted. When describing characters' expressions, it's simply "[Insert character here] looked sad". No elaboration, just "sad". There's also some repetitiveness: at one point, Dan, Val's ex-partner, raised his eyebrows 2-3 times in a single paragraph. A SHORT paragraph.

My other minor complaint was the setup of the SCU, the organization Val works for. Though Val had a short fling with her previous partner, Dan, they've both been reassigned to new partners (which I was pleased with, since Dan is horrifically boring), and Val starts showing interest in her new partner, Shade. While I can't blame the girl, Dan ALSO starts having a thing with his new partner. Is this organization a dating service now? Surely their boss would eventually step in and put a stop to this? At the very least, you'd think he'd stop pairing attractive and single people together, but apparently not.

I'm a little on the fence about whether or not I'll continue the series. They're quick, fun reads, and I'm hoping that if I do continue to read the series, the writing will eventually become more natural.

( )

I liked Try Me even better than Bite Me. The characters seemed a bit more fleshed out and less one dimensional. Val and Shade made an interesting couple but Fang and Princess rocked the book. The plot was enjoyable and kept me in suspense until the end.

Again I will say that I consider this to be an older YA book. The scenes between Val and Shade were a bit too sexy for younger readers. You really got to see the succubus for what she is and what she can do. Like I said, not something I think younger YA readers should read about. I rate Try Me four smiles: ( )

I've made three attempts and I don't think I've finished chapter two. Nothing feels original and the dialog and writing in general aren't working for me. ( )

Try Me is the second book in the Demon Underground series by Parker Blue, and it is just as enthralling as the first one. Val Shapiro returns as the vampire hunter battling her inner demons, literally. With the second book picking up shortly after the first one, Val is dealing with the fallout of the incident in the first novel that resulted in Val beheading her partner and love interest’s ex-fiance.

With the help of Micah, who is part incubus, Val is trying to learn to control her powers. An Incubus is the male version of a succubus. If she can learn to control, she will not have to worry about Lola, her succubus side, escaping from her bottle. With control, she could also learn to use her succubus powers to protect others, especially since the Encyclopedia Magicka have been stolen. These books hold secrets that could be deadly to demons and vampires if they fall into the wrong hands. Try Me is a great continuation of the Demon Underground series.

I like the expansion made on the character of Shade, it was an interesting turn in the story. Shade who was just barely mentioned in the first novel, developed into a more dimensional character in Try Me. My favorite part of the series has to be the relationship between Fang, Val’s part hellhound terrier, and Val. Since Fang is a hellhound, he understands English, and communicates telepathically with anyone who is part demon. Fang snarky, sarcastic attitude just makes me want to read more.

Try Me adds to the Demon Underground series very nicely, and it leaves me wanting to know more about the world that Parker Blue has created. The goes especially for Fang. I cannot wait to start the third book in the series, Fang Me.
http://unabridgedbookshelf.blogspot.com ( )