Mona Lisa Awakening

One of the worst books I've ever read. The only thing that kept it from being downright unreadable was that it was so bad it was hilarious. Reading this book was like sneaking a peak at someone's secret erotica, it was like this should be scrawled down in a spiral notebook and carried under the arm of some socially retarded highschooler. The main character was the most obvious Mary Sue I've ever seen and the secondary characters were either just excuses for the main character to have sex or to point out how fantastic and awesome the main character was.

Despite how awful this book was, I would recommend this to people, just for that fact. "Hey! You wanna read a really shitty book? It's got Werewolf things in it! And romantic fisting!" show more I'd probably also recommend it to anyone who loves to write but doesn't think they're good enough to ever see their work in print.

Anyone that honest to goodness likes this book has incredibly poor taste. And likes to read sexy accounts of fisting and almost-fisting. show less

Wow. I had never heard of this author and it was on a desperate for something new whim that I bought this book. And I couldn't have made a better choice.

I put this up there with Patricia Briggs on my favorite urban fantasy type shelf for now. At first I was a little questioning about Mona Lisa suddenly accepting and jumping right into being a Monere queen - it didn't really ring as 'real' but then, the point is that she isn't human and it is quite obvious that the Monere do not act the same as humans.

I think what I really like about Mona Lisa is that she is a kick-ass-just-do-it-girl. SHe doesn't beat herself up afterward or get all emotional. She just is what she is. I really like that. Of course, the woman is blessed with all sorts of show more uber powers so that makes it easier to cut off a guys balls and get a way with it.

Anyway, this is the start of a series and I will continue with it as long as it goes. I have to say though, I think she should hook up with Halcyon. show less

What happens when you toss "Sailor Moon," Anne Bishop's "Black Jewels," and LKH's "Merry Gentry" into a bowl and stir it all up with a big, naughty spoon? You get this book. What does that mean? Some good stuff: larger than life characters, steamy pages, incredible world-building, and a good dose of violence to shake things up. Also some bad stuff: melodramatic language, improbable relationship development, and plot shoved into the backseat of sex scene's car. If all that is your steaming cup of tea, you'll like this series.

I really wanted to like this. I love the genre and was excited to find a new author writing it.

The premise was clever: a young nurse with a bit of a healing touch discovers that she's half human and half Monère--a race of beings from the moon. Not only that, but she's a Queen, and the first mixed blood Queen ever.

When I was about a third of the way through the book, I described it like this: "It's like the offspring of Queen Betsy and Jaenelle was raised by Merry Gentry." Betsy because she's an unexpected queen with powers unusual for her kind. Jaenelle because the male Monère have a need to serve a Queen, and because there's a tendency for the Queens to become evil and mistreat the males. And Merry Gentry because sex = power.

I don't show more mind parallels in books. If you get a narrow genre like this, there are bound to be parallels. Even though I was very familiar with the Black Jewels books and the Merry Gentry books, the two series this is most like, I could still have enjoyed it without thinking it was a copycat. I still don't think it's a copycat.

What I do mind is characters who can do no wrong, and situations that resolve themselves way too easily.

Mona Lisa has no flaws, and thus, no character. I liked her initially, liked the young woman being thrust into a completely foreign and dangerous situation, while at the same time getting that feeling of "finally! I'm not alone!" But she always does the right thing. Everyone loves her, particularly the males, who are inclined to worship her. She's madly in love with the first Monère male she met, and she's staunchly monogamous, but she's willing to take one for the team when sex is required to heal one of "her" men. Even the council holds her in awe. Except for the evil Queens, who fear and despise her because she's so good.

What's even worse, though, for me, is the way the plot skipped from one "dangerous" situation to the next, only the situations weren't apparently all that dangerous, because Mona Lisa never had any trouble getting out of them, or saving her people. She either charmed her way out of danger, or called on some brand-new power that popped up just in time to save her.

I'd have liked the story much more--in fact, I'd probably have been raving about it--if it had had only about a third of the plot situations, and they'd been explored more thoroughly. If Mona Lisa had needed some help figuring a way out of a dilemma. If she'd had to use her wits instead of a handy-dandy paranormal-power generator. If there was some reason to believe she'd fallen completely in love with Gryphon, instead of just having the hots for him.

All these complaints sound very familiar to me, which leads me to my conclusion: if you like the latest Laurell K. Hamilton books, you'll love this one. show less

The writing is a little sketchy, especially at the beginning, but I like the world Sunny's created and I'm interested in learning more about it.

When I first started reading this book I thought I had picked up a book by Christine Freehan or Sherrilyn Kenyon. The book started out way too mushy and romancy for me. I mean geez, Mona Lisa was sleeping with her guy very shortly into the book. I actually started snickering at the cheesy descriptions of Gyphon's skin, hair, and eyes. I almost couldn't get past that. But I had borrowed the book from my mom and she wanted to know what I thought of it. I decided to preserver; my mom doesn't recommend bad books to me and I figured why should she start now!

Basically the premise of the story is that Mona Lisa always knew she was different; she finds out rather quickly that she is a Mixed Blood. Her blood is mixed with that of the Monere. Not show more only that but she is powerful enough to be a Queen Monere. The book follows her struggles to gain a place in Monere society, survive the trickery of the other Queens, and start to form a loyal following of men to be her guards. Mona Lisa is seen as a breath of fresh air for the male Monere who are used to Queens being deadly and treacherous.

This book did get better. As it continued on there was murder, mayhem, and fun galore. Some reviews I have read of this book have lauded the creativity of the Monere race created in this book. I guess I have to disagree with that; the Monere race seemed like a repeat of Freehan's Carpathian race or Kenyon's Dark-Hunter race. As the book continued I began to be reminded of Laurell Hamilton's Meredith Gentry series. The gathering of men that takes place in this book (along with plentiful sex) and the sharing and manifestation of new powers between the characters is very reminiscent of what happens in the Meredith Gentry series. One thing I really didn't like about this book was there was just too much rape in it!

Overall this was a fun book to read. It was a quick read, fairly well written, and (after the first few chapters) face-paced and action-packed. If you are out of Meredith Gentry, Dark Hunter, and Carpathian novels to read this one would be worth picking up. I thought the book leaned more to romance than fantasy. I suppose it is a fine line to draw. But personally where I enjoy Laurell Hamilton, Kim Harrison, and Charlaine Harris, I do not take much pleasure in the books written by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, and others of that ilk. There is a line for me where a book becomes too much of a romance and this book teetered on that line.

I might go ahead and read the next book in the series since my mom has it already. Personally I am just getting involved in too many of these paranormal type romance series. These types of series seem to go on forever. This book wasn't good enough to trump some of the other series I am in the middle of reading. show less

This series has many themes similar to Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry series--very steamy, but happily more plot driven, while still offering a fresh outlook on Children of the Night. I read it in one day.

Mona Lisa is a Mixed-Blood, "Monere" and human. She is also the first and only mixed-blood Queen. Lisa must gather warriors to her side to survive. Her most trusted are Gryphon (who changes into a falcon) and Amber (who shifts into a mountain lion). Will Lisa inherit the gift to change, and if so, into what? Throw into the mix vicious rival queens and a Prince of Hell and you have one hot read. Very good paranormal romance.