Review: Another great book in the series. I LOVE King Henry!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 29, 2012
From Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy and Paranormal RomanceThe GoodThe World According to King Henry...If any book is going to give someone insight on how my brain really works behind these innocent brown eyes and girly long hair, this is the book to do it. I have a weird kind of thought process that takes the most mundane things and either over analyzes them to the point of hilarity or makes them into something naughty and ridiculous. This is what King Henry does. He has a way of viewing the world through King Henry goggles and only a few could really understand the genius of it. Once you get pulled into the world of King Henry, there is no going back.In a Nutshell...King Henry was totally minding his own business, thinking about his Taco Bell burritos he was going to grub down on. It's not his fault that some thugs were harassing a girl--we all know King Henry hates bullies. So of course he beat the living crap out of them. It's also not his fault those thugs ended up being werecoyotes and under the protection of one of the most influential and dangerous people in the city, the head coyote Horatio Vega. Oh, and Henry's long lost sister JoJo just happens to be married to the jerk. So yeah, not King Henry's most shinning of moments. Things only get worse as the coyotes plot revenge upon King Henry, and now he is caught between starting a war with the Coyote Nation or saving himself and his friends butts and leaving his sister to an unknown fate.This Means War...I love how King Henry threatens years of peace between the Mancers and the Coyote Nation in a matter of minutes. All for a sister that he's never had a close relationship with. I don't know if I should respect him or roll my eyes at his antics. He really doesn't have limits to the lengths he will go to save his sister and settle a score. Now that I respect. I too hate bullies, and watching someone make people accountable for their actions is extremely satisfying. I have a feeling this storyline is not over, and I can't wait to see how far Raley will go with it.Young King Henry...One of the reasons I love The King Henry Tapes series is the second plot line in which we get to see snippets of young King Henry at the Asylum (It's a school, people, not a mental institution. Get with the program.). This time we get to witness what the Mancer school was like and how Henry dealt with all the changes. The camping trip was pure brillance. It was both frightening and hilarious. King Henry's natural skepticism and suspicious nature made things even better as the mystery of whether the camping trip is a test by the school or a real disaster unravels.King Henry's Subjects...King Henry is the same smart-mouthed, sarcastic, painfully truthful guy we have all come to love. But it's his friends that I want to talk about. Tyson (or T-Bone as Henry likes to call him) often made me smile. Why he has stayed friends with King Henry, who is often purposefully raciest and insulting, I have no idea. Henry only does it to get a rise out of Tyson and it always works. Next is Pocket, Henry's childhood friend. I think he is the perfect counterpart for Henry: loyal and logical. He finds Henry hilarious--which is always a plus--and becomes more brave with Henry's support. Then we have Valentine. I can't wait to hear more about her. We know that King Henry eventually dates her but there is more to the story that Raley keeps dangling in front of our faces but wont elaborate on. It's both frustrating and exciting. I hope we will get to the good stuff between Val and Henry in the next book.Creepy...Now we get to the bad guy, Horatio Vega. This guy is Creepy with a capital C. He comes across reasonable and kind, but in his eyes you see your painful death. It's just freaky. I don't know what to really think about him just quite yet, but I know that when he first arrived on scene, I got the chills.A Fresh Idea...The plot was interesting and well thought out. The action was gritty and entertaining. I like how Henry analyzes everything during his fights. I was entertained the whole time. Raley has a different style of writing that really appeals to me. His concept is fresh and new. I have yet to read a book similar to this one. Even his ideas on supernatural creatures is unique. Raley has a handle on his craft that is very admirable.The BadThe parts in which we get into the technical analysis of magic or wereanimals gets a little confusing. I had to read them twice to fully understand what was being said and what everything meant.Though this is a series, I still felt like this book was a little unfinished. I see why Raley is saving the good stuff for later, but I wished for a little more closure at the end. Maybe I am just being selfish because I always want more King Henry and his adventures. Write faster, Raley!!! ;)The SnugglyThis is not a romantic book. We get glimpses of who young Henry dated while growing up and the girl who got away type stuff, but there is no romance or sex in this book. Okay, there is nudity (this is a book, people, it's not like you see anything, it's just slightly described) and references of a sexual nature.OverallThough I really loved The Foul Mouth and the Cat Killing Coyotes, I did like the first book a little more. But overall, this was a great sequel. I found the storyline entertaining and the new characters fascinating. I can't wait to see what Raley has in store for us next. A highly recommended read.Excerpts"You better hope Valentine is dead, King Henry," Miranda told me, "because if she's alive and if I get to see her again, I'm talking her into burning a hole into you.""Kinky . . . you never know when you're going to need another hole . . ."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"But," Hope growled, her hands bony, whitened fists, "you wanted to stay here!""Only I'm not into barricades; it's not the zombie apocalypse, is it?  Which brings me to my next point:  Welf's a necromancer, Pocket's a floromancer.  Trees is what this fine son-of-a-bitch does.  You see his stick?" I asked.  "Look at that stick.  Big ol' stick.  Bet you ask nicely he'd let you touch it."Pocket blushed crimson.Thank the Mancy for Valentine, she's the only one who laughed."Foul Mouth," Welf kept hissing, "I'm going to hurt you."