[UXJ]∎ [PDF] Gratis The Black Parade The Black Parade series Volume 1 Kyoko M 9781490911502 Books

The Black Parade The Black Parade series Volume 1 Kyoko M 9781490911502 Books

Download As PDF : The Black Parade The Black Parade series Volume 1 Kyoko M 9781490911502 Books

The Black Parade The Black Parade series Volume 1 Kyoko M 9781490911502 Books

After what felt like slogging through an endless series of colorist-fail IR's in which every heroine had light skin, straight hair down to the waist, gray/green eyes and a body like Lil' Kim (before all the scary surgeries), I was close to throwing the towel in on the entire genre when I came across this first novel. Bear in mind I'd long since grown disenchanted with the paranormal genre as well, so I was actually surprised that I ended up really liking this first novel from author Kyoko M. She's definitely a talent to watch.

For one thing, it was nice to read about an Afro-Latina heroine with dark skin, though she says lack of sleep from her nightly paranormal duties has lightened it unhealthily. Jordan Amador has a hell of a life--as a Seer she helps ghosts cross over and it's definitely NOT The Ghost Whisperer. She's also a waitress and her best friends/guardians just so happen to be angels.

The REAL ones. With wings.

Jordan's acerbic, anti-social and skirting the edge of functional alcoholism just to deal with all the spirits (no pun intended). I like heroines who are complex and imperfect. I really don't know how many damn times I need to say this to some paranormal authors, but a heroine who cannot or is not willing to learn to handle herself in the midst of beings with fur, fangs, claws, snouts or breathe fire, is asking to be food. Frankly, any heroine like that deserves to be vamp/were bait and I'm going to gleefully cheer her demise.

There were instances Jordan made me want to smack her for putting herself in danger, though she was more than capable of handling herself. And she's going to need not just her physical skills, but help from on high as she finds herself right smack in the midst of the ongoing war between Heaven and Hell.

Honestly I was rather ambivalent about the romance between her and Michael--guardian angel in the truest sense of the world. The sexual tension was definitely there and that part I liked. The banter between Jordan and Michael was fun; she never seemed to let his angelic status get in the way of bad puns and sexual innuendo. The romance read strangely to me. It felt like a distraction or that it was tossed in because readers expected that payoff. I don't always want romance in my urban fantasy because the heroine tends to lose her autonomy. I did like Michael as a character, but just like the series Moonlighting or the 60's BBC series The Avengers, what makes a relationship feel actualized for me is that tension and the banter. The will they or won't they?

I had never read anything from this author and I love when I discover those gems who really have a passion for great storytelling. This was an interesting read, well-edited and better still, featured a diverse cast in the real world of New York and New Jersey. No whitewash here. For the diversity alone The Black Parade deserves high praise.


Tags : The Black Parade (The Black Parade series) (Volume 1) [Kyoko M] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Jordan Amador. 21. New Yorker. Waitress. Mild alcoholic. Murderer. Two years ago, Jordan accidentally shot and killed a Seer: a person who can see,Kyoko M,The Black Parade (The Black Parade series) (Volume 1),CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1490911502,Fantasy,Fantasy - Paranormal,Fiction,Fiction - Fantasy,Fiction Fantasy Paranormal,Fiction-Fantasy,PRINT ON DEMAND

The Black Parade The Black Parade series Volume 1 Kyoko M 9781490911502 Books Reviews

So I got this free for and as a result, wasn't expecting much but I was very pleasantly surprised! I rarely write book reviews because I feel I can never do the stories justice well enough to inform potential buyers. I will say I thoroughly enjoyed this one, enough to continue the rest of the series (currently on The Holy Dark). One thing that really stood out to me was the contrast to a book in the same genre that I read not long before this one. It was written by a white male and I give him kudos for creating diverse characters but there is a profound difference when women of color write women of color characters. I was able to connect to the protagonist of this story more strongly because she was much more realistic for me. So if that is something that is important to you, dive right in! It's clear that the author worked very hard on her research to ensure she represented the cultural elements as well as she could. I really appreciated that.

Last thing I'll say is, I REALLY WANT THIS AS A MOVIE! Or a TV show? Something! C'mon! I want to see Jordan and Michael on the screen!
Sure, there have been plenty of movies and books about people who see ghosts, but the twist in this story kept it fresh for me. The writer draws from relatively recent Christian religious mythology, the Bible, and paranormal folklore to create a strange mixture of demons, angels (nothing like the angels in the Bible), ghosts, and paranormal abilities. The mix could be hard to swallow for those with Biblical education, but if you can just let go and let the story be its own thing, you could enjoy it.
I liked the main character with her issues and determination, and enjoyed reading about her. The other characters could have been more fleshed out, especially the best friend who gets almost no time at all. Maybe in future books she'll show up?
I'd say my biggest beef really was that the story was kind of cyclical, like watching episodes of many TV shows with a villain of the week. That said, the main character did learn and develop some, and of course there was development of the relationship with the love interest. I felt that the romance element took away from the other plot of the book at times, as love interest often does, but it could have been far, far worse. Or, for you who are all about the romance, it could have been far, far better. I, for one, appreciate that there was no more focus on it.
The writing itself was great. I noticed very few typos and I can't remember being confused about wording or what was happening. Good job.

Language Various profanity throughout the book, but never to the point where I wished the writer had gotten a thesaurus or anything like that. In fact, it was relatively clean. But still it had a few 'F' bombs so I'd have to call it R.

Violence Yes, there are demons and people fighting each other, people getting stabbed and beat up. To me it wasn't especially graphic, though.

Sexual Content Not exactly, just passionate kissing, occasionally at bizarre times.

Diversity Woohoo! The cast is diverse, and probably would have been more so if there had been more characters involved.

Overall Message/Plot I have no rants about this book, which is almost strange, now days, and I even stayed up late reading it sometimes. It was more of a slow-to-mature love story than plot or message driven, which isn't really my thing, but I enjoyed it well enough. If you really like romance paired with angels, demons, ghosts, and supernatural abilities, this may be the book for you.
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After what felt like slogging through an endless series of colorist-fail IR's in which every heroine had light skin, straight hair down to the waist, gray/green eyes and a body like Lil' Kim (before all the scary surgeries), I was close to throwing the towel in on the entire genre when I came across this first novel. Bear in mind I'd long since grown disenchanted with the paranormal genre as well, so I was actually surprised that I ended up really liking this first novel from author Kyoko M. She's definitely a talent to watch.

For one thing, it was nice to read about an Afro-Latina heroine with dark skin, though she says lack of sleep from her nightly paranormal duties has lightened it unhealthily. Jordan Amador has a hell of a life--as a Seer she helps ghosts cross over and it's definitely NOT The Ghost Whisperer. She's also a waitress and her best friends/guardians just so happen to be angels.

The REAL ones. With wings.

Jordan's acerbic, anti-social and skirting the edge of functional alcoholism just to deal with all the spirits (no pun intended). I like heroines who are complex and imperfect. I really don't know how many damn times I need to say this to some paranormal authors, but a heroine who cannot or is not willing to learn to handle herself in the midst of beings with fur, fangs, claws, snouts or breathe fire, is asking to be food. Frankly, any heroine like that deserves to be vamp/were bait and I'm going to gleefully cheer her demise.

There were instances Jordan made me want to smack her for putting herself in danger, though she was more than capable of handling herself. And she's going to need not just her physical skills, but help from on high as she finds herself right smack in the midst of the ongoing war between Heaven and Hell.

Honestly I was rather ambivalent about the romance between her and Michael--guardian angel in the truest sense of the world. The sexual tension was definitely there and that part I liked. The banter between Jordan and Michael was fun; she never seemed to let his angelic status get in the way of bad puns and sexual innuendo. The romance read strangely to me. It felt like a distraction or that it was tossed in because readers expected that payoff. I don't always want romance in my urban fantasy because the heroine tends to lose her autonomy. I did like Michael as a character, but just like the series Moonlighting or the 60's BBC series The Avengers, what makes a relationship feel actualized for me is that tension and the banter. The will they or won't they?

I had never read anything from this author and I love when I discover those gems who really have a passion for great storytelling. This was an interesting read, well-edited and better still, featured a diverse cast in the real world of New York and New Jersey. No whitewash here. For the diversity alone The Black Parade deserves high praise.