Otherwhere Book Reviews

Strange Angels

2009-07-02T03:31:00.001-04:00

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Dru Anderson

ISBN# 978-1-59514-251-1

Available now

Published by Razorbiil

Format: trade pbk., 293 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

Ok, for those that can't quite put it together, Lili St. Crow is the YA pen name of author Lilith Saintcrow. This marks her first foray into the young adult market. Under the name of Lilith she has written The Watcher series, the Dante Valentine series, the Jill Kismet series (which takes place in the same world as the Dante books), and The Society series. She's also written Steelflower which will have a sequel when ever she finds the time to write it, and the stand-alone novel, The Demon's Librarian. For Dante Valentine lovers unaware, there is a free serial novel up about Selene (Dante's best friend) which is a sort of prequel to the series.

Dru Anderson and her father are not like most people. They know monsters are real, and even hunt those that have become a threat to humans. They move across the U.S. like vagabonds, but this stop may just be their last. Dru knows this hunt is different because her father wouldn't tell her anything, and when he isn't back by the next day she gets a real bad feeling that the nightmare she had may have been a vision. The next night he finally comes home, as a hungry zombie. Now she's stuck in a town she barely knows, all alone, with her father's killer possibly coming after her next. Graves (the goth kid from school) finds her in shock at the mall and barely survives his late night introduction to the Real World when a werwulfen goes on the attack. Despite Dru trying to push him away for his own good he takes the whole experience better than expected, and even becomes a sort of sidekick. Graves brings a little balance back to Dru's life, but it isn't too long before a stranger that bleeds like a human and moves like a sucker threatens everything Dru's ever believed about monsters and her family.

I am pretty disappointed. The book blurb sounded good, even the first few chapters were very promising. I went from, "Oh my god, it's like Supernatural with a teenage chick hunter!", to, "How can one person possibly cry that much without dying from dehydration?" in the space of just a few chapters. I kept reading because I was hoping we'd get back to the mindset Dru had in the beginning. It seems to me that the author backpedaled after Dru's dad dies and it makes Dru look like one of those kids that pretend to know it all and embellish their stories until they're caught and have to come clean. She starts out very strong. She knows about the Real World and its monsters, she knows how to shoot, and she takes care of the house while her dad's on his midnight raids. After her dad dies she becomes a different person for the rest of the book, she cries all the time, she waves guns around like a crazy person, and she can't seem to defend herself without pulling a muscle or cracking her head on something. Her dad's training is always going through her head, but apparently most of it didn't stick since the messages never make it to the rest of her body. I know she has to mourn, but by the end of this book she has gone from being a strong heroine to a hysterical, damsel in distress waiting for her friends to save her.

Besides all of that there's Dru's description of what a pack of howling werwulfen sound like which I did not get at all. "It's like a spiral of glass on the coldest night you've ever known, naked outside in the deep woods." If someone knows where she was going with this could you explain it to me please? Lili also dated herself by having Dru compare a moment to an ABC Afterschool Special which she would surely be too young to remember. So, while I love Graves and the new take on werwulfen, suckers, animal spirits of all sorts, and what could only be a hellhound by the description I think Dru needs to be rewritten. If you're looking for YA vampire series to love skip this and try the Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine, House of Night series by P.C. & Kristin Cast, or the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead instead.

Zhye

Once Dead, Twice Shy

2009-06-29T19:09:00.000-04:00

Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison

Madison Avery series

ISBN# 978-0-06-171816-8

Available now

Published by HarperCollins

Format: HC, 232 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

This book is Kim Harrison's first full-length entry into the YA genre. Although how Madison Avery ended up in her current predicament is covered pretty well, if you want all the details you'll have to read the short story in the anthology, Prom Nights From Hell. If you were hoping for a YA version of The Hollows you will be sorely disappointed since Harrison has taken this opportunity to, once again, test her world-building skills.

Madison Avery is neither alive nor completely dead due to her luck of claiming a reaper's amulet, the same reaper that killed her and tried to take her soul. Since then she's learned there are dark and light reapers, dark being the side that killed her. With the amulet providing the semblance of a body and Barnabas, the light reaper who was supposed to save her, fudging everyone's memories she has been able to return to her life. There is always a catch though. There is always the chance of a dark reaper coming after her, and she can see things humans can't, like black wings (scavengers). During battle with a dark reaper they find out that Madison has Kairos's amulet, which Barnabas says can't be true. Kairos is the dark reapers' time keeper and boss so why would he have come after a human soul himself? Now that Madison and her amulet have been recognized it isn't long before Kairos is back on her trail, and doesn't seem to care who or what gets in his way. Is it just coincidence that Barnabas and his boss left her alone with only a very new guardian angel for protection right before he showed up?

This book was pretty good despite some corniness near the middle concerning G.R.A.C.E.S. (Guardian, Reaper-Augmented Cherub, Extinction Security). Turning actual words into weird acronyms does nothing for me personally, and they always sound corny. Didn't the first Artemis Fowl book have one for E.L.F./E.L.P.H.? I only read the first book so I can't really remember. So, I was distracted by the acronym silliness and my interest waned, but then the last 60-70 pages came a long and made me want to get my hands on the sequel. Those last pages reveal a plot twist and start a philosophical debate that left me deeply satisfied and wanting more. In all this isn't a fantabulous book, but it looks to be the start of a very original, and what could end up being a fantabulous series. If you're looking for a new denizen of the supernatural to read about grab this book.

Zhye

Ghost Ocean

2009-06-23T03:08:00.000-04:00

Ghost Ocean by S.M. Peters

ISBN# 978-0-451-46269-5

Available now

Published by Roc

Format: mm pbk., 479 pages

Genres: fiction, dark fantasy, urban fantasy, supernatural horror

You may have noticed that a link to the author's website is missing, and that's because I couldn't find one. Apparently he lives in the wilds of British Columbia, Canada somewhere and has no internet access? If anybody finds him tell him to at least get a website. Oh you few mysterious, elusive authors, you do intrigue me so. Anyway, he has another stand-alone novel out, Whitechapel Gods, that I must now go digging for.

After Te's father died of a stroke five years ago she's led a pretty aimless existence. His old partner, Babu, pulls her in for the odd ghost busting job every once in awhile, but it's mostly an excuse to check in on her. Neither supposedly believe in the supernatural until the day they arrive at Sanjay's house too late. His last words mean nothing to Te, but they obviously mean something to Babu, "He's free. Kitsune." This is the day Te's life and world begin to unravel. Babu has kept her out of everything up til now, even going so far as to make her a non-believer. It turns out that St. Ives is not just any little town, it's a supermax prison for every myth and legend humans have ever been afraid of. While Babu's out gathering his team, the jailers of this prison, Te's doing her own gathering, of stolen information from Babu's binder. Unbeknownst to her, she also meets Yun Kitsune who sows his own seeds of doubt and makes her question everything she thought she was. Can she follow in her father's footsteps when Babu needs her, or will she prove to be her mother's daughter and bring the town down around their ears? Is it even really up to her once the Man in the Empty Chair exerts his will?

I originally picked up this book at the library for the cover, and because of the blurb on the back I thought it was urban fantasy. There are urban fantasy elements such as characters from myth and folklore living in a modern town, but this book could also easily fall into the New Weird or supernatural horror genres. I'm not really sure how to describe the characters. The humans are deeply flawed, and even the supernatural archetypes are deeply unhappy about being stuck in our world. Most of them are not seeking any sort of redemption, they're miserable, but do not apologize for who they are. The reader may not root for the "good guys", or even like them by the end, but you cannot deny that they tried to do some what they thought was right. What I liked about this book the most was the philosophical war going on concerning these archetypes. Should they be imprisoned for being themselves, and should humans really get to make that kind of choice just because some of the creatures terrify them? If you're looking for something similar to early Clive Barker, China Mieville, Thomas Ligotti, and yes, even tones of H.P. Lovecraft now is the perfect time to discover this author.

Zhye

Some Girls Bite

2009-06-20T06:00:00.002-04:00

Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill

A Chicagoland Vampires Novel

ISBN# 978-0-451-22625-9

Available now

Published by New American Library (NAL)

Format: trade pbk., 341 pages

Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

Some Girls Bite is the first book in the Chicagoland Vampires series. What sets this book, and potentially the series, apart from the tons of other vampire series currently saturating the market is the setting. We're taken to Chicago, which isn't all that special, but it's also Chicago only a few months after vampires came out to the public. In most urban fantasy vampires have either been out of the closet for a few years and are pretty well established or they're still secretly living among us, so Neill's timeline is kind of refreshing. The second book, Friday Night Bites, will be out in October. Firespell, the first book in a second series is due to come out in January of 2010.

Eight months ago the Chicagoland vampires announced their existence to the humans by publishing a letter in the Sun-Times and the Trib. Then, they became the public face for vampires everywhere by holding press conferences and taking part in nationally televised Congressional investigations. Merit, a 27 year old grad student who'd finally found her way clear of her parents incessant social climbing, thought the vampires were even worse than high society. When she's made one, without her consent, after a vicious attack to save her life everything else around her begins to change too. Her grandfather, the only family member that's ever loved her just as she is, ends up knowing more about supernaturals than he's ever let on before. Mallory, her roommate who's always been into the paranormal and occult, is told she has magical talent and will need training. Merit's major stumbling block to accepting her vampirism and her role in Cadogan House, one of three vampire Houses in Chicago, is the feudal system they adhere to. While learning to accept her new lot in life she finds out she's not the only young brunette to be attacked, just the only one lucky enough to have a Master vampire near enough to save her. This rogue, which the public doesn't even know exists, is leaving evidence at his crime scenes implicating two of the three Houses so far. Now the hunt is on because if he isn't caught soon the vampires fear that they will once again end up at the not so tender mercy of blind human paranoia.

I really enjoyed this book despite there being so many vampire series out there right now. Some authors seem to think that if you're going to have a stubborn heroine she has to be bull-headed about absolutely everything, but that gets the story nowhere fast and the reader very frustrated. Merit is stubborn for all the right reasons, but even while being stubborn she's still taking everything into consideration and weighing her options. The struggle she has with accepting the vampires' feudal system is the same struggle any modern day American would have I think. I find Merit's underlying sense of grief, from which all her problems about being a vampire flow, very understandable and believable. Unlike the other 11 initiates to Cadogan House she never consented to being turned, she wasn't prepared and before the attack she never wanted anything to do with vampires. I really have nothing bad to say about this book because I can see a lot of myself in Merit's thinking and decision making processes which drew me right in. Highly recommended for urban fantasy fans, especially those with a love for vampires.

Zhye

The Hunger Games

2009-06-09T18:00:00.000-04:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

ISBN# 978-0-439-02348-1

Available now

Published by Scholastic Press

Format: HC, 374 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, science fiction

Before she was an author Suzanne Collins worked on many children's TV shows such as Clarissa Explains It All, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and Oswald. Now she has a rhyming picture book for younger readers, When Charlie McButton Lost Power, and The Underland Chronicles starting with Gregor the Overlander for tweens. Then we have The Hunger Games which is clearly aimed at the older YA crowd and even adults (I know I liked it). If you've seen the movies The Running Man, Battle Royale, or The Condemned you get the gist of this book and should know it's for mature readers. Catching Fire, the second book of The Hunger Games, will be released September 1st.

In a future maybe not quite as distant as we'd like to think stands Panem, its shining Capitol and twelve districts are all that remain of what was once North America. In retaliation for the districts' failed rebellion over 70 years ago the Capitol has instituted something akin to martial law. Their most brutal institution is known as The Hunger Games. Every year a boy and a girl are picked from every district, by drawing, to compete. It is mandatory that every child between the ages of 12 and 18 enter, your number of entries depend on how old you are and how badly your family needs food. The winner and their family will be taken care of for the rest of their lives, but in order to win the other 23 contestants have to die. The contestants have to kill each other to survive while all of Panem are watching via huge screens in every district. The richer districts train for it while the poorer families pray it passes them by, but for the Capitol it's just another way to assert their control.

This year is different, this year everything may change. It all starts with the drawing in district 12. Katniss volunteers for the games to take the place of her 12 year old sister, Prim. For this she gets her district's version of a standing ovation. Peeta, one of the baker's sons is also chosen. Once they get their mentor sobered up they come up with a plan to present a united front to all of Panem, something never done since there can only be one winner. Katniss is a survivor, all of district 12 knows this except Katniss, and soon everyone else will too. Soon she has not only won over her stylists and mentor, she also gets the highest survival score (private sessions with the Gamemakers where the contestants try to impress them). Peeta decides to win over even more of Panem by telling his interviewer he's fallen for Katniss or at least that's the reasoning she's going with because she can't handle anything else at the moment. For a few days both are doing well in the games, but when Peeta's mortally wounded and the Gamemakers change the rules mid game can Katniss come out of survival mode in time to save him?

This book is a pretty wonderful find for me. It reminds me of all the best things I liked about 1984 by George Orwell, the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, and the movie Battle Royale (I haven't gotten to the book yet). If you've read Uglies the citizens of the Capitol have a lot in common with bubbly-headed Pretties, all the time in the world and nothing to do with it except obsess over their looks. This book brings to light a lot of the same views as 1984, but from a younger perspective. And finally, just like in Battle Royale teens end up paying the ultimate price for a floundering government they're not even really old enough to understand. If you like any of the books or movies mentioned in this review you will love this book. I also highly recommend this book to all science fiction lovers, as long as you're at least 15.

Zhye

Red-Headed Stepchild

2009-05-30T14:25:00.000-04:00

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

Sabina Kane series

ISBN# 978-0-316-03776-1

Available now

Published by Orbit/Hachette Book Group

Format: mm pbk., 342 pages

Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

This is the first book in the Sabina Kane series, now I have to wait a whole year for Mage in Black. There's one thing in Sabina's world that isn't explained well, luckily I watched Bitten By Books video interview with Jaye before reading the book. Who knows how long it would have taken me to figure out that apples, and any products or bi-products, are what rob vampires of their immortality. It's hardly mentioned in the book, so although vampires are being staked with applewood the why is a mystery. Be sure to visit the "extras" section of her website for some flash fiction and the playlist for Red-Headed Stepchild.

Sabina Kane is a mixed blood, mage and vampire, and maybe the only one allowed to live. Being a mixed blood may have made her an outcast, but being an assassin for the Dominae (the vampires' ruling council) has made her a pariah. She takes her first step into unknown territory when she's ordered to kill the closest thing she's ever had to a friend in a vampire named David for suspected treason. That same night she's given her hardest mission yet, she must infiltrate the Temple of the Moon (basically a cult) and find out what their leader's real plans are before killing him. When she gets home a demon is already there waiting to kill her, and while looking for her "in" to the cult she picks up a mancie tail who saves her yet claims to have sent the demon. A person doesn't expect to make friends while infiltrating a cult, but that's exactly what happens to Sabina. Suddenly she has no idea how to do her job while keeping her new friends in the dark about her assignment and safe. Sabina's future becomes even murkier when information from Clovis (the cult's leader) pans out and shows an even darker side of the Dominae.

I liked this book a lot, and the reasons I liked it are probably the very same reasons some people didn't. Sabina is not a hero, she's an assassin, and occasionally she kills humans while feeding. I think most of the readers that really didn't like Sabina, either didn't finish the book, or they just couldn't see where she was coming from. She can clearly see a cult for what it is, but for most of the book she's unable to see the manipulations that bind her tighter than any rope. Sabina doesn't come out a hero by the end of this book, but the blinders are finally off. What frustrated me a little was how long it took for her to "wake up" when we the readers knew what was happening from very early on. Should the reader know what's going on 100 - 200 pages before the protagonist? I think it just leads to the reader being aggravated. I highly recommend this book to urban fantasy fans, especially those looking for anti-heroes. If you don't like Sabina yet, keep reading.

Zhye

In Over Her Head

2009-05-22T10:30:00.000-04:00

In Over Her Head by Judi Fennell

Mer series

ISBN# 978-1-4022-2001-2

Available June 1st

Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Format: mm pbk., 345 pages

Genres: fiction, paranormal chick-lit

Before this book was finally published it was a Top 5 Finalist in the First Chapters romance contest on Gather.com. Her as of yet unpublished story, Beauty and the Best, was a Top 20 Finalist in the First Chapters contest and a Top 6 Finalist in the American Title III contest held by Romantic Times. The second book in her Mer series, Wild Blue Under, will be out in November with the third following early next year. Oh, and don't forget to enter her contest for a chance at one of three romantic getaway packages.

Out on a boat ready to dive is not where you would find most people with a deep fear of the ocean and yet that's where Erica Peck finds herself. Her ex-fiance wants his diamonds, that she threw into the sea by mistake, and has a gun to prove it. Luckily for her when things go bad she's saved by a merman, or is she? When she wakes up she hopes she's still dreaming otherwise this is her worst fear come true. A merman, talking fish, and being able to breathe water means she is now under the water she's been petrified of since The Incident happened when she was eight. Once The Council hears a human knows about their kimberlite vein the only way Erica is going to live long enough to figure out a way to get her life back is to find her ex's diamonds and return them to the Mer. There's only one eensy little problem, Ceto, the mother of all sea monsters (literally) has them. Even if they do get the diamonds back Reel Tritone with all his teasing and flirting is going to make leaving a much harder decision than Erica ever thought possible.

This book was enjoyable, but not terribly original, in fact, by the second chapter I was re-casting Disney's The Little Mermaid in my head. The mermaid is now a merman, Sebastian is now a remora named Chum, and the sea witch/hag is now a very fertile ex-goddess who gives birth to monsters. Some of the humor seems a bit forced, but the story is cute. The major upside to this story is Reel who's described as looking like Matthew McConaughey's twin brother with black hair, he has dimples, and he acts so much like him in some scenes you can almost hear the Texan drawl! What's not to like about that? If you're looking for something light to take to the beach this summer, that also happens to be about the beach, give this book a try.

Zhye

Ravenous

2009-05-17T10:02:00.000-04:00

Ravenous by Sharon Ashwood

The Dark Forgotten

ISBN# 978-0-451-22617-4

Available now

Published by Signet Eclipse/Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Format: mm pbk., 344 pages

Genres: fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance

Ravenous is the first book in Sharon Ashwood's The Dark Forgotten series. The second book, Scorched, will be out in December and looks to feature Mac (the detective from Ravenous) as a main character. This book is one of the reasons the line between urban fantasy and paranormal romance is so fuzzy to me sometimes. The main characters hook up and weather some iffy relationship issues, but there's also the urban fantasy author detail to the world-building and the bigger issues, like a battle for the city. Also, be sure to check out the Silk and Shadows blog she shares with authors Allison Chase, Annette McCleave, Jessa Slade, and Kim Lenox.

The world has vastly changed since the year 2000 when vampires, werewolves, fae, etc. decided to come out of the closet. Now if someone says their house is haunted or a vampire attacked them they tend to be believed. Holly is a witch that's found her niche in this new world by doing small magic like clearing houses and finding lost items, but when she's called out to what should be a routine haunted house it may be more than she can handle. The Flanders house is not haunted, it's sentient, and pissed. She ends up saving her boyfriend, who was trapped inside, and "killing" the house, but at a very high price. Holly ends up in excruciating pain when she does big magic, and now that her human boyfriend has seen what she can do his prejudices against the supernatural community include her. This is only the first day in her week from hell, maybe literally, when her partner Alessandro Caravelli also finds the work of a serial killer in the house.

Now that Holly's single she's fighting the long time attraction to her vampire partner because everybody knows they're just predators with highly addictive venom. Alessandro feels the attraction too, but thinks it will never work, especially when his jealous queen comes to town. It turns out she is not only there to help the police catch their serial killer, who may be a vampire, she's also there to confront an old enemy. That's when demon portals start opening up all over town, even in Holly's very well warded home. Creatures once thought extinct are coming through in droves and their jailers are coming right after, but for them all of the supernatural races are the enemy. Battle lines are being drawn, but when Omara's treachery is known will Alessandro finally leave her side for good?

When I first started this book I was thinking, "It's pretty good, but there's really nothing new here." Once you get further in there's all of nifty stuff like watching a man slowly become a demon. It turns out that the demon realm is actually a human construct called The Castle, made when they first tried to purge the supernatural from the world. We also learn that even vampires need hope, with the story of The Chosen. I think Holly is a great character that starts out underestimating herself, but she grows throughout this book. She starts out in a relationship where she had to hide herself and she goes on to face a jealous vampire queen, her own demons, and finally a huge demon portal. The cover is another case of the author having no say because Holly never dresses like that so don't let that put you off. If you don't mind a little sex with your urban fantasy definitely give this book a try. Ravenous may also appeal to fans of Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series.

Zhye

In Quest of Theta Magic

2009-05-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

In Quest of Theta Magic by Enid Wilson

ISBN# 978-0-9806105-0-5

Available now

Published by Steamy D Publishing

Format: trade pbk., 166 pages

Genres: fiction, paranormal romance

This is the first book by Australian author Enid Wilson. It's also a self-published, POD (print on demand) book so it will cost you a few bucks more. If you have an e-reader or don't mind reading on the computer you can buy it from Lulu.com and save yourself quite a bit. The story behind this book is that it started out as Pride and Prejudice fan fiction and as the story grew longer, the setting more sci-fi than anything else, the fan fiction turned into a story that could stand on its own merit. If you want to get a glimpse into Enid's head on her book and the reason she chose self-publishing her article on The Shared Self Publishing Experience website is pretty interesting.

I admittedly haven't read many self-published books so I'm still not sure how I feel about this corner of the publishing business. It is very hard to know the good books from the bad because they don't have a marketing department behind them so they don't get the reviews and fan bases that mainstream authors get. They also don't benefit from having an editor who will push them to write the best book they can by asking the hard questions and making harder decisions. So, the real question I have to ask is, knowing all this, should readers judge these books by the same standards as books from conventional publishers, or should we open these books with a few lowered expectations? I think I'll reserve my opinion until I get the chance to read a few more.

Mr. Dean Williams is a Theta male on a mission to save his younger sister, but before he can go on this quest he must find a wife strong enough to weather whatever danger the quest may bring. He skips over the Theta women in the enclave near his home, instead using a brocour (broker) to set up a meeting with Mrs. Bailey and her five Theta daughters. Thetas are a lot like humans, but they have special abilities that mostly seem to be taken from nature like eagle sight, giraffe legs, hurricane breath, etc. After choosing the middle sister, Elana, they go back to his home and the Theta enclave for the traditional eight day wedding ceremony where they basically show what each of them will bring to their household. After the wedding ceremony Dean tells her more about the quest for the transparent octahedron and the prophecy his mother left for him mentioning their daughter being the key. How in the world are they going to have a daughter and then find this octahedron in time to save Dean's, already very sick, sister, especially once it's clear that they are not the only ones searching for it?

Elana and Dean are pretty likable characters although the whole falling in love process was a bit too short to be believed. I'm just not one of those instantaneous soul mate believers, but it is used in quite a few paranormal romance books so some of you may be fine with this. What I have major problems with is the lack of background information about the Theta and the resolution. Where are the Theta from? How long have they lived on Earth? Is this book even set on Earth or just another planet that can support humans and Thetas? The resolution only sounds plausible if you live in a Utopian society, in which case no one would be after you in the first place. If I catch people that are after me and my family I'm sure as hell not going to send them home and tell them not to do it again. There are quite a few holdovers from the Pride and Prejudice fan fiction, but the Theta characters and sci-fi type of setting definitely make this original. Enid is on to something in this book, but I just don't feel like it's fully realized yet. I'd wait for the second or even third Theta book to see what she's fully capable of.

Zhye

Graceling

2009-05-02T04:56:00.001-04:00

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

ISBN# 978-0-15-206396-2

Available now

Published by Harcourt, Inc.

Format: HC, 471 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, fantasy

I find it hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I only hope she keeps up this level of storytelling in future books. Speaking of future books, Fire is slated for an October release, and she's currently writing what's tentatively titled Bitterblue. Fire will be a loose prequel to Graceling and feature the future king of Monsea, Leck. Bitterblue will be a sequel, picking up a few years after Graceling, featuring Queen Bitterblue of course.

Welcome to the land of The Seven Kingdoms. The kingdoms of Monsea and Lienid seem pretty idyllic places to live, but that could be because one is an island and the other is accessible only by a mountain pass or the sea. The other five are ruled by petty kings that can't seem to hold an alliance for more than five minutes, and barely care, or even think much about their people. In these kingdoms certain people are born Graced. Graces are extreme skills and can be almost anything like sword fighting, swimming, mind reading, archery, etc. Even they may not know what their Grace is right away, but they can always be identified because their eyes are two different colors. Almost as soon as they are identified the Graced are sent to be raised by the king with their skill ultimately put to use. So, we end up with petty kings that now have any number of potential weapons at their beck and call.

Katsa has the bad fortune of being Graced with killing and being raised by her uncle, King Randa, who uses her as his personal thug. Over the years she has gotten increasingly sick of maiming and killing over every little slight so she's found ways around most of his orders. She's even gone so far as to found the Council, which lets her and her friends help people in need without Randa ever knowing. Their latest mission was to spring the father of the Lienid king from the dungeon of the Sunder king and get him to safety until they know why he was taken in the first place. Everything goes as planned until Katsa runs into another Lienid who shouldn't be there on her way back to the horses. She decides to knock him out, but wonders the whole trip back to Randa City if she's put them all in danger by not killing him.

When she returns to court she finds the mysterious Lienid has beaten her there, and that he is in fact Prince Po, seventh son of King Ror. He's too cocky for her liking, but when he does corner her and ask about his grandfather she reunites them. He also joins the council meetings to find out who took grandfather Tealiff and why. While the Council is gathering information Katsa and Po make full use of his fighting Grace, constantly testing each other on the practice grounds since neither have to hold back nearly as much as they would with others. When the Council comes up with nothing and Po learns how oddly his sister, wife of King Leck in Monsea, took the news of her missing grandfather he decides that is the only place left to search for answers. On the way there they get closer than ever, but can Katsa, who's never had to depend on another person her whole life, let Po do what must be done alone once she proves vulnerable?

I loved this book! The details of kings and kingdoms are pretty nonexistent until we come to Monsea and Lienid, but since since most of them don't play a part in the story I doubt you'll miss them much. Although it doesn't look like it from my summary this is a love story, but a different sort than you might be used to. If you read between the lines Katsa was almost surely on her way to becoming a psychopath by King Randa, but it's her few friends at court and finally Po that keep her from going over the edge. When she feels herself falling for Po she fights it with every fiber of her being because how could she fall in love when she's never even been that sure of her friendships? I love Katsa because she is such a strong character, not just physically, but she's also at home in her own skin. Her lifestyle and wants may not be the same as other women, and she's ok with that. I love Po, maybe just a little more, because he wants Katsa as she is even if that means they'll never be married and he'll never get to play the alpha male role. There is some violence in this book, but most of it isn't very graphic at all so I think ages 13+ will find much to love about this book. I highly recommend this book for fantasy lovers and those wanting something with a strong female lead.

Zhye

Wondrous Strange

2009-04-28T03:31:00.002-04:00

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

ISBN# 978-0-06-157537-2

Available now

Published by HarperTeen/HarperCollins

Format: HC, 327 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

This is Lesley's first novel, but hopefully not her last since it doesn't look like Sonny and Kelley's story is quite finished. There's no news of a sequel on her site yet, but I'm fervently wishing for one. You can also find Livingston in the anthology Misspelled which was released last year and is edited by Julie E. Czerneda. The anthology features seventeen tales of what happens when spells, or the people casting them, go awry. I think that most of the contributors are fairly new authors because the only name I recognized, besides Lesley's, was Jim C. Hines.

Seventeen year old actress, Kelley Winslow has just been given her big break. She has just been promoted from understudy to the role of Titania in a production of of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. This will actually end up being the least substantial thing to happen to her this week. After her first rehearsal is ruined by a case of nerves she retreats to her favorite spot, Central Park, where a rose from a handsome stranger makes her day a little brighter.

Sonny Flannery is one of thirteen Janus Guards. All of them are changelings which means they were born human, but stolen and raised in Faerie. By order of the Winter King, Auberon, their job is to guard the crack in the Samhain Gate on Halloween night and the Nine-Night every nine years making sure nothing gets in or out. When he happens across Kelley on the first night of this year's Nine-Night there is an almost instant attraction followed by confusion. She doesn't register as anything familiar to his inner senses, and she's in Central Park at night when most humans instinctively stay away this time of year.

When these two meet worlds collide, stories intertwine, but will fate intercede? It all starts with a horse unlike any other taking up residence in Kelley's bathtub. Revelations about friends and family soon follow as the world she thought she knew grows stranger. Her belief in this new worldview, along with her burgeoning power, are sorely tested when the harbingers of the Wild Hunt target her as their quarry. If Kelley and the Janus can't call of the Wild Hunt before Halloween night, when the Samhain Gate is open at its widest, New York City may not survive.

By the end of this book I did not understand Auberon's personality at all and I thought Mabh could've used a little more face time, Kelley didn't even get to meet her. Whether you read this book because you love urban fantasy, have a thing for Shakespeare, or have an interest in books drawing from actual myth and folklore you will not be disappointed. I'm also including links for Herne the Hunter and his Celtic counter-part Cernunnos which should be helpful to anyone not up on the Wild Hunt legends. There are a lot of YA books out there right now dealing with Faery and the forbidden romance between mortals and immortals, but this is definitely one that shouldn't be missed.

Zhye

The Awakening

2009-04-21T02:41:00.000-04:00

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Darkest Powers

ISBN# 978-0-06-166276-8

Available April 28

Published by HarperCollins

Format: trade pbk., 358 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

The Awakening picks up almost exactly where the first book, The Summoning, left off. If you love Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series you will quickly be sucked into the Darkest Powers trilogy almost from the first page. Both are set in the same world, where half-demons, sorcerers, witches, werewolves, etc. exist secretly, but in this trilogy most of the teens are not aware that Supernaturals exist at all.

In the first book Chloe exhibited powers, but the school convinced her father she was a troubled teens so she ended up in a group home called Lyle House. She knows she isn't crazy and once she gets to know the other kids she doubts most of them are either, so what's really going on? Derek and Simon seem to know a lot more than anyone else, but when they start talking about necromancers and sorcerers Chloe thinks they might just belong at the home after all. With Tori trying to kill her and Liz's mysterious disappearance the book ends with Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Rae making a run for it.

This book starts with Chloe and Rae as "guests" once again of the Edison Group, the real face of Lyle House. Derek and Simon are still on the run and the doctors quickly try to use Simon's diabetes to make the girls tell them where they're hiding. Chloe knows that nothing good is planned for her being in a lab, surrounded by doctors. This becomes even more clear when she meets yet another teenage ghost, this time a boy, who was staying at Lyle House. Rae wants to stay so when Chloe tries her cover story of not remembering exactly where she was to meet the boys, but she's sure she'll recognize it if she sees it it's Tori that backs her up by saying she needs a shopping trip anyway. Once at the factory complex it takes a great deal more than Chloe thought it would to escape their keepers, but then they still have to wait for the boys to find them. Now that the gang is all together the boys decide they should leave town and head for their father's friend Andrew's place who, hopefully, has more answers than they do at the moment. Is there finally one safe place for these teens or is yet another betrayal waiting for them?

I read a lot of YA these days and maybe it's because most YA these days have main characters that seem very adult most of the time. While this may be a good thing for me and other adults I sometimes wonder if it's such a good thing for the teens the book is supposed to be aimed at. Kelley Armstrong manages to write a story both adults and teens will like while keeping her teenage characters still recognizable as teens. They may have "super powers", but they also have self image issues and are very obviously still figuring out their individual identities. Chloe is our smart, quick thinking heroine, but all she sees of herself is her baby fine hair and a body that looks far too much like a boy's. Derek is strong, protects his friends, and will eventually be able to turn into a werewolf, but puberty has him very sensitive about his severe acne and overactive sweat glands. I love these books so far along with the characters. I can't wait to see where the final book will take us. Highly recommended no matter how old you are, as long as you're an urban fantasy fan of course.

Zhye

A Madness of Angels Book Trailer

2009-04-17T19:19:00.002-04:00

This has to be one of the best book trailers I've ever seen. I've seen movie trailers that didn't look half as interesting as this.

A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin

A Rush of Wings

2009-04-11T17:15:00.000-04:00

A Rush of Wings by Adrian Phoenix

The Maker's Song

ISBN# 978-1-4165-9365-2

Available now

Published by Pocket Books

Format: mm pbk., 490 pages (also available in trade pbk.)

Genres: fiction, dark fantasy, urban fantasy

I almost missed this series completely, and now I don't remember what gave me the sudden urge to go looking for this book. After reading this I'm almost glad I waited so long because the second book, In the Blood, is out too so I can get right back to Dante and Heather. I'll have to play the waiting game for the third book though since it's tentative release is January 2010. You can also join her Yahoo! group (there's a link on her website) to get deleted scenes, contests, and information on her upcoming books and appearances.

Special Agent Heather Wallace has been on the trail of the so-called Cross-Country Killer for three years and now his handiwork has shown up in New Orleans. His pattern has changed for some reason, he's leaving messages which could be a break for her, but bad for the person he's fixated on. Heather's gut and this first crime scene tell her it's Dante he's after since the body and message were left against his club's wall, Club Hell. When she can't find anything on Dante in the system she pays a visit to the club to question him and offer protection, but instead she ends up feeling like she fell down the rabbit hole. In the club fangs flash and words like "Nightkind", "the Fallen", and "the Council" get thrown around leaving Heather with a really bad feeling. She tries to maintain that all the vampire stuff is just an act, but she's too damn good of an agent not to believe the evidence when it keeps happening right in front of her. Vampires turn out to be the easiest thing to believe in when she sees Lucien open his wings up for the first time anyway. Dante insists he can take care of himself, but then two of his best friends end up dead. With the grief and rage nearly tearing him apart it's pretty clear he needs a friend more than he needs a bodyguard. Heather and Dante seem to be falling for each other pretty hard, but when she uncovers a dark past he can't even remember can she live with the truth of what he's capable of?

This took me back a few years, to when I first got into vampire books. Two of the first vampire books I ever read were The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice and Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite and until this book I'd forgotten what a dark, angsty, sensual atmosphere could do for a book. Not many authors even bother with atmosphere anymore, their settings don't invoke a tingle down the spine before anything has even happened, or an image of bodies in a candlelit bedroom where your wildest dreams can take place. I thought that maybe the city of New Orleans had something to do with it, but other authors set their books there without evoking this sense of mystery, sensuality, and timelessness. The thriller side of the book is pretty good too. Special Agent Heather Wallace may be drawn to Dante, but above all she wants to catch her serial killer and E is definitely a crazy whack-job of a killer. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about him, but there never really is about real sociopaths. I think she nailed the profile of a sociopath quite well by the way. With the serial killer and Dante's very tortured past this book might be too dark for some, but if you like horror, thrillers, or true crime sort of stories with your very sexy vampires you will love this book.

Zhye

Angels' Blood

2009-04-07T07:49:00.000-04:00

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

A Guild Hunter Novel

ISBN# 978-0-425-22692-6

Available now

Published by Berkley Sensation

Format: mm pbk., 355 pages

Genres: fiction, paranormal romance

I freely admit to completely skipping Nalini Singh's Psy-Changelings series. I value plot and world-building over sex so titles like Slave to Sensation and Hostage to Pleasure are more likely to have me running the other way than wanting to read the back of the book. I ordered Angels' Blood through my library because all the reviews and excerpts I came across sounded very good, but I still wasn't confident enough in it to go buy a copy. When it came in my hopes went down to almost nothing because there it was on the binding, the devil's mark, my least favorite publishing imprint/line, Berkley Sensation. The Sensation line has burned me again and again with books full of sex, very little plot, and awful world-building. The line is probably great for those that love the paranormal romance genre above all others, but it's pretty awful if your first love happens to be urban fantasy. Surprisingly, I could barely put Angels' Blood down once I finally dared to open it. So now I have found two exceptions to the Sensation line although I can't remember the title of the other book.

In this alternate reality angels have always been among man, but never so comfortable as to mingle with us. Vampires also exist, angels make 1,000 a year and each must serve a one hundred year contract before being gaining their freedom. Guild Hunters make a very good living retrieving runaway and other troublesome vampires. Elena is one such hunter, the best actually, and after she receives a note from the Archangel Raphael for a morning meeting she may regret her abilities. Angels are unsettling and awe-inspiring enough, but Archangels must also be ruthless enough to hold their territories while keeping control of their vampires and other angels. Raphael wants Elena and her natural born hunter senses to help him track a rogue Archangel, but won't tell her how exactly her expertise with vampires is supposed to help. Almost since their first meeting Raphael has made it clear he wants her, but immortals often break their toys and she doesn't need that kind of trouble. It's just too bad for Elena that Archangels aren't known for taking "no" as an answer.

I have so many questions after reading this first book. I hope that at least some of them will be answered throughout the series. I want to know why toxins buildup in their bloodstream and how they make vampires with it. I also want to know more about "natural born hunters". Does it happen when there's an angel or vampire in their ancestry? I'm pretty much a sucker for angel stories where they aren't beings of light and goodwill so this hit the spot. Raphael is definitely an alpha and he makes some pretty strong advances towards Elena, but Singh stays away from the "me Tarzan, you Jane" syndrome by having Elena finally give in because she wants to and not a second before. Highly recommended for fans of paranormal romance that also want a great story, and urban fantasy fans who don't mind a sizzling couple.

Zhye

Bones of Faerie

2009-04-03T01:23:00.001-04:00

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

ISBN# 978-0-375-84563-5

Available now

Published by Random House

Format: HC, 247 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, post-apocalyptic fantasy

While this seems to be her only YA novel she's been in several anthologies for teens and adults including Elf Fantastic, Sword of Ice, Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar, Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales, and many more that you can find a list of on her website. She's also written a few children's books and been in quite a few more anthologies. If you want a peek into the world of this book or liked this book and want more there's a free short story available here. I imagine that her setting would be quite beautiful and awe inspiring as long as you were not a human trying to survive in it.

It's been 20 years since the war between our world and Faerie. The human realm is now almost unrecognizable and no one's even sure if Faerie or its inhabitants still exist. What magic still exists seems aimed at hindering and attacking humans at every turn. Plants are now sentient beings with trees throwing seeds at passing humans and weeds trying to uproot houses. Even harvesting has become dangerous since whatever is planted groans and tries to fight back. Big cities now lie rusting and abandoned, more museums to the past than anything else. Human civilization has been set back at least a hundred years by the loss of technology and the rampant suspicion that anyone at any time could be hiding magic.

In the village of Franklin Falls, Liza believes everything her father ever told her about magic being bad, including that it must be cast out where ever it is found. She believed until the night her sister was born with the telltale translucent hair and silver eyes of Faerie, and was left out in the forest to die by their father. Soon after, her mother slipped out of the village without a word to anyone and hasn't been seen since. Now it's Liza's turn because her magic has awakened and it's showing her visions of her mother surrounded by an awful, blighted landscape. She is followed by Matthew who has quite a few secrets of his own along with a crush on Liza. They are soon under attack by vines and trees when a woman who reminds Liza of what her sister could've grown up to look like rescues them. She brings them to her village, which is unlike anything Liza has known or been told, for healing by magic. This village does have answers for her many questions, but is she ready to accept them?

I loved the post-apocalyptic setting where rather than your overdone wasteland and poison air you have things growing out of control, fighting back. I thought Liza might have been a little too stubborn at times, but when you take into account the kind of parents she has you may wonder why she isn't even more screwed up. I'm really hoping for another book set in this world, but if it does happen it will probably be with different characters since this story does have a pretty nice conclusion. The only thing I really want to complain about is the length, there could've been another 50 - 100 pages easily without messing up the pacing. There is some violence and child abuse in this book so parents will have to judge if their child is ready for this book or not, but I think ages 14+ will love this book. I loved it and I think other adults will too.

Zhye

Jim Butcher Contest

2009-03-30T18:48:00.006-04:00

Do you have some burning questions for Jim? Would you like to win your very own signed copy of Turn Coat? Well, the contest over at IJustFinished will give you a chance to do both. If you do not have an account there please make one first (they're free) or leave them enough information so that they can find you if you win. The best questions will be put to Jim next Monday, April 6th, so hurry up and enter.

The Magician's Apprentice

2009-03-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

The Magician's Apprentice by Trudi Canavan

ISBN# 978-0-316-03788-4

Available now

Published by Orbit/Hachette Book Group

Format: HC, 593 pages

Genres: fiction, fantasy

Trudi Canavan is the Australian author behind The Black Magician and the Age of the Five trilogies, both firmly in the fantasy category. This is her first stand-alone novel, but it's also a prequel, set several hundred years before, to The Black Magician trilogy. This book contains the history Kyralian officials would never want known, like that black magic was once called high magic and was widely practiced or who's really to blame for the Sachakan Wastes. Two of the main characters, Tessia and Jayan, start out as apprentices and go on to make major changes to how magic is taught and what it's used for. If you haven't read the trilogy this book is still a good story all on its own, but if you have this book will fill in some missing history and probably answer a few questions you didn't even know you had.

A few centuries ago the lands of Kyralia and Elyne were finally granted their Independence from Sachaka. Now, the younger generation of Sachakan magicians think they can reclaim these nations because for one reason or another a lot of them are without land of their own. All Tessia wants is to follow in her father's footsteps as the village healer, but her fate is soon changed as a visiting Sachakan magician's unwanted advances awaken her magic. Along with being apprenticed to the local lord, Dakon, she also leaves her village for the first time to go to the capital, and she even meets the king. The novelty is short lived, however when Lord Narvelan sends news that Mandryn, Tessia's village, has been attacked. Lord Dakon, his apprentices, and Lord Werrin leave ahead of the magicians the king is rounding up, but there is nothing to save of the town. Tessia learns that her parents, along with most of the town, are dead, and finds herself in the midst of a hunting party. More magicians slowly trickle in to find the Sachakans and send them packing back across the border, but they always seem to be a village away. While the Kyralians are learning to share their hoarded magical knowledge the Sachakans are getting more distrustful with every new recruit. After some scrimmages the invaders finally set their sights on the capital, but it's what happens after the invasion that truly decides the victor. If Kyralia wins will it really be enough revenge for all of their dead and the razed to the ground villages?

For this being such a long book I didn't find my attention wandering much, but that could be because I had to keep up with the point-of-view changing every few paragraphs without warning. Suprisingly, the main plot of Sachaka vs. Kyralia wasn't even the interesting part of the book for me. I liked reading about the gender issues that kept popping up for the women of both nations. Tessia wanted to be a healer and she had the talent for it too, but even her father told her that the village would never accept a woman. Stara grew up Elyne learning to be a merchant, hoping to win her father's affection by showing him she could run his business. He lives in Sachaka and when he finally does call for her it's only to marry her off and make the best alliance he can. Then there is the issue of slavery, Sachakans have them and Kyralians have outlawed the practice. That's not even everything I enjoyed about this book, but the different characters and differing cultures are definitely what make this book good. Give this book a try if you're up for a character driven fantasy, but if you're looking for a lot of action and a story you haven't read before skip it.

The Graveyard Book

2009-03-25T00:01:00.000-04:00

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Illustrations by Dave McKean (US Edition)

ISBN# 978-0-06-053092-1

Available now

Published by HarperCollins

Format: HC, 312 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

So, if you haven't heard of Neil Gaiman by now I assume you're avoiding him on purpose and not reading this review anyway. Now for the other side of the fence, if you're reading this review looking for undue praise of Mr. Gaiman's talent you're not going to find it here so move along. While I am a big fan of his comics Sandman and Death I do not feel the same way about most of his novels. I grew up taking walks through the graveyard with my grandmother so I have always loved them which is probably what guaranteed this book at least a shot when I have given up on most of his others.

Nobody Owens, Bod for short, is one lucky toddler. In one night his whole family is murdered and he finds himself taken in by a graveyard full of ghosts just as his would-be assassin arrives at the gates. As you can guess he isn't brought up quite like other boys, but wouldn't you be pretty happy learning how to fade, haunt, and dream walk too? Along with learning the alphabet he's also learning history from people that were there and languages that have never been heard by the living. Along with the ghosts Bod also has a mysterious guardian named Silas who can leave the graveyard at night and bring back things a growing boy needs. He meets his first living friend, Scarlett, at the age of five, but after a confrontation with the Sleer (three-headed serpent guardian) Bod finds in a burial mound her family moves far away. Later, he manages to get into even more trouble when he falls asleep on top of a ghoul gate and is carried off by ghouls who tell him to join them, either voluntarily or by force. Luckily, before much can happen he is saved by Night-gaunts and his teacher, Miss Lupescu. His countless misadventures with the living and the dead serve to prepare Bod quite well when his family's murderer catches up with him once again, but this time there's Scarlett to worry about and Jack brought back-up.

The story was good and so was the pacing, but it's very dry. This is the problem I have with a lot of his novels. His books become boring for me and I give up on them because there's no feeling, no emotional attachment. If Gaiman can't bother to be attached to his characters and what happens to them why should I? It's like he's a reporter or a cop and his books are just reports he turned in full of facts, but not much else. If you've liked all his past work I have no doubt you'll like this too, but if you're looking for something that will really pull you in you may want to pass. If you are an urban fantasy fan you'll want to read it just for some of the ideas alone. I liked the book, I really liked Sirus and the secret Jacks of All Trades organization (wish there had been more about them), but not enough to read it again or buy it.

Zhye

White Witch, Black Curse

2009-03-21T05:50:00.002-04:00

White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison

Rachel Morgan/The Hollows

ISBN# 978-0-06-113801-0

Available now

Published by Eos/HarperCollins

Format: HC, 504 pages

Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

This is the seventh book in the Rachel Morgan series, also called The Hollows. There is just not enough Trent time in this book although Rachel's first love does pop up in this book, and no it's not Nick. So far these are the only books she writes, but that will change in May when her YA book, Once Dead, Twice Shy is released. To get a sneak peak of the heroine and her world in this book read the novella entitled, "Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper", which can be found in the anthology Prom Nights From Hell. If you love Kim Harrison and her books she also has her own Yahoo! Group, The Hollows. If you're mad that Kisten's dead there's also a Yahoo! Group for that, Bring Back Kisten Felps. Who knew people were that pissed off?

As this book begins Rachel is still trying to regain her memory of Kisten's killer while maintaining her platonic relationship (a first?) with Marshal, and starting to think her life's finally coming together. It was a nice dream. It all starts to go downhill with a phone call from the FIB while Rachel and Ford, the human mood ring, are on Kisten's boat trying to jog her memory. Once Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks arrive at the crime scene all signs point to one or all of the missing family being Interlanders (supernaturals). The woman and child are soon found to be banshees (apex predators that feed on emotions often with fatal results), but the FIB make the situation even worse by bringing in another banshee to bring in the first two. Rachel discovers that The Walker is just an assassin out to kill Ms. Harbor so she can take her child. While all this is going on Rachel manages to make a move on Marshal and a ghost, literally, from Rachel's past shows up only to get snatched by Al. So now she's trying to rescue a friend from Al and save the city from hungry banshees only to find herself suddenly shunned for being a black witch. So much for getting her life back on track huh?

So, I like the story and I like most of the characters. The series is very readable and sucks you right in, but Rachel doesn't seem to be growing up at all. Her ho issues may, in fact, be getting worse. She messes around with Marshal in this book and then, "Look! What's that?", a sexy ghost appears. Say no to the sexy ghost and yes to sexy Trent! It's been seven books now, where is the Trent and Rachel hook-up? Now that Kisten's gone I am all about Trent and I will have you know he was only in this book for like three pages! Ok, back to the book... this book gets a little bogged down in the middle with tons of stuff going on all at once, but it picks back up fairly quick. So, great series if you love urban fantasy and want to read about more than just your average vampire or werewolf. If you're still hoping Rachel will grow up sometime in this series I am here to tell you, not yet.

Zhye

Fairy Tale Contest

2009-03-20T18:56:00.002-04:00

Do you want to win a copy of Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog before you can buy it? Grand prize is a signed copy of this book and a handmade silver necklace just like the main character, Morgan, wears. There's three ways to enter and if you do all three you have three entries. All you have to do is hop over to Cyn's Blog, read the instructions, and enter. Contest ends April 13th. If you have any questions or comments please leave them over at Cyn's blog and not here since I am in no way connected to the contest or the author.

Need

2009-03-17T17:11:00.002-04:00

Need by Carrie Jones

ISBN# 978-1-59990-338-5

Available now

Published by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books

Format: HC, 306 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

This is the only book I've read by Carrie Jones and it looks to be her only YA urban fantasy so far. She does have a few other YA books that look pretty interesting though including Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend and the sequel, Love (and other uses for duct tape). The good news is that Carrie is currently working on the sequel to Need so maybe the pixies won't be stuck in that house forever after all (you'll know what I'm talking about after you read the book). Besides enjoying the main story in this book you'll also learn a little about Amnesty International and a whole list of phobias you never knew existed thanks to the main character's causes and quirks. I like books that are able to accomplish more than just a good story as long as it doesn't get in the way of said story or bog it down.

For a change of scenery Zara's mom decides to send her to Maine hoping that a stay with her grandmother will jar her back to life. Zara's been going through her daily routines like a zombie since her step-father (the only father she's ever known) died. Surprising herself, she quickly makes a few friends at her new school including the classic overachiever, Ian, and the rebel without a cause, Nick. Each of them warns her off the other, but since she likes both of them and is enjoying feeling somewhat normal again she dismisses their rivalry. Normalcy is soon gone again once Zara sees her stalker again, this time right outside the school lunchroom. She has seen him twice before, but she can't believe that someone would follow her from South Carolina to Maine until witnesses see him this third time too. Of course, how can you believe your witnesses when they try to tell you that your stalker may be a pixie? Zara is about to learn that her family and this town are full of secrets that will be just as hard to swallow as pixies actually existing. Pixie lore says that without a queen the king must take young men as blood tributes so will Zara be the queen they need or is there another way?

I found myself comparing this book to Melissa Marr's writing style, especially Ink Exchange because the endings both had the same problem for me. In both, the humans completely overlook that the faeries/pixies need this lifestyle to live and put a stop to them anyway. Since Zara is so gung ho about Amnesty International I thought she would come up with a middle ground, but no such luck. I still have high hopes that something will be worked out in the sequel though. If you're looking for a short, fast-paced read and love YA urban fantasy with a penchant for Faery and all of its denizens definitely pick this book up.

Zhye

Undone

2009-03-12T01:47:00.001-04:00

Undone by Rachel Caine

Outcast Season

ISBN# 978-0-45146-261-9

Available now

Published by Roc

Format: mm pbk., 320 pages

Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

So, this is the first book in the awesome Weather Warden spin-off series, the Outcast Season. Joanne Baldwin, David, and even Lewis do pop up in the beginning, but only long enough to introduce Cassiel (heroine of this series) and her new partner. They might pop up somewhere in a future book, but so far these two series remain separate. I would also say that even if you haven't read any of the Weather Warden series you can read Undone and not feel like you're missing a whole bunch of information. You may not understand the job of a Warden as well, but you will see just what they are capable of.

Cassiel is a very, very old djinn, or at least she was until Ashan (leader of the Old Djinn) cast her out and into human form for denying his request. She's never been one to play at being human like many of David's New Djinn so throughout this book, and probably future books, she is constantly learning and re-evaluating what it means to be human. David, Joanne, and Lewis appear just long enough to get Cassiel on her feet and teamed up with Earth Warden Manny Rocha before getting back to business of their own. Since Ashan cut her off from the aetheric along with trapping her in flesh she must now learn to trust and depend on Manny to be her link to power or she will die.

Life as a human may be hard, but as the attacks start it doesn't look like Cassiel or Manny will be around much longer anyway. The first two attacks can be attributed to either djinn or Wardens, but since there is no clear signature there is no way to track it back to the culprit. While Cassiel is chasing down lead after lead on who might want them dead she's also forming her first real human attachment to Manny's daughter, Ibby. When Luis, Manny's younger brother, shows up Cassiel starts feeling things she barely has a name for, but the trouble Manny was worried about quickly follows Luis right to their house. The attack that changes the Rocha family forever comes in the form of a drive-by. Before those left behind can even mourn properly a sleeping Ibby is taken right out of her bed. With all of these new and painful emotions still sitting on the surface can Luis and Cassiel keep it together long enough to find and rescue her before it's too late?

I loved this book! Watching Cassiel's transformation from former, superior djinn to someone almost human was very believable. I also think she will continue to evolve in future books. It may be a cliche that it's children who bring her around to thinking humans may not be so bad after all, but it's also true. If you were looking for a reason why the human race should exist it would surely be found among our children. Unlike a lot of other first books in series this one was not all set-up and something you had to wade through so you would know what was happening in future books. In fact, I barely perceived it as set-up because it's also doing the double duty of showing how Cassiel can change and even form important relationships with what she once thought of as just lower lifeforms.

Rachel Caine is truly a gifted author and she only seems to get better with every book, including this one. If you haven't read anything of her's yet this is a great place to start. I highly recommend this book whether you're a fan of the Weather Warden series, looking for books featuring djinn as main characters, or are just a general urban fantasy junkie. Hurry up with that second book please!!

Zhye

Revelations

2009-03-10T00:03:00.001-04:00

Revelations by Melissa De La Cruz

Blue Bloods

ISBN# 978-1-4231-0228-1

Available now

Published by Hyperion CH

Format: HC, 272 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

This is the third entry into the world of the Blue Bloods. They live in a world of excess and privilege while hiding what they really are. They need blood much like vampires, but they're really fallen angels doomed to be reborn again and again until they have paid for their sins. Melissa De La Cruz has put yet another spin on the vampire myth, combined it with the modern, filthy rich teen, and yet somehow makes it all work. Oh, by the way, the book trailer for this series is a real treat. You can find it right at the top of Melissa's website (see link at the the top of this review).

The only thing a potential reader should be warned about is the Force twins. In the world of the Blue Bloods the young start changing around 15 or 16. Their abilities, along with memories of their past lives begin coming to the surface. As it happens Mimi and Jack Force are twins in this cycle, but they're also fallen angels who've been bonded soul mates in every past life. Kind of increases the creepy yuck factor, but as long as you remember they are all fallen angels who come back cycle after cycle and none of them are really related like humans are you should be fine.

Schuyler starts this book with seemingly nothing going her way. Her grandfather has finally resurfaced and even topples Charles Force to become regent of the Blue Bloods, but her dreams of living with him now that her grandmother is dead are quickly dashed. In an act of pure retaliation, at least I think so, Charles Force uses the human courts to gain custody of Schuyler and deprive her grandfather of even visitation. One of Charles' new rules for her is that she can no longer have any contact, even at school, with her best friend and conduit Oliver. Along with all of that she now finds her self living under the same roof as her nemesis, Mimi Force, and her burgeoning crush, Jack Force. At least she still has her newest supporter and friend, Bliss, right?

The Silver Bloods are still on the loose, but who has the time to notice? During the day Jack doesn't notice Schuyler and Schuyler doesn't notice Oliver. Night time is a completely different affair with Schuyler meeting Jack in one hotel, or Oliver in another almost every night. Once Mimi catches on she tries to head off this silly relationship by moving ahead with the plans for her and Jack's bonding ceremony. Bonded pairs not only reach their full potential they also desire no other besides their mate which strongly appeals to Mimi. Nobody may need to worry about any of this kind of thing for much longer once those unnoticed visions Bliss has of fire and brimstone start coming true. The bad news is the Blue Bloods look just as unprepared as ever for this kind of trouble.

I liked the first two books, Blue Bloods and Masquerade, better and hopefully the fourth book will get this series back on track. I have no idea why Melissa De La Cruz felt the need to make Schuyler into a home wrecking, slutpuppy. It's so unlike her from the first two books I thought that maybe it was some sort of trick or a dream she was having. With Schuyler acting so much like Mimi, Bliss becomes the most interesting character in this book. If someone would've paid a little more attention to Bliss the end of this book probably could've been avoided. Why exactly did our heroine turn into a ho who couldn't save the day? I feel let down and a tad confused by the whole thing.

Dream Warrior

2009-02-27T19:53:00.001-05:00

Dream Warrior by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Dream-Hunter

ISBN# 978-0-312-93883-3

Available now

Published by St. Martin's Press

Format: mm pbk., 314 pages

Genres: fiction, paranormal romance, urban fantasy

I have a problem with the way the Dream-Hunter novels are marketed as being separate from the Dark-Hunter series. A lot of fans now think they can skip these books if they're just into the Dark-Hunters and that's not exactly true. The first two, The Dream Hunter and Upon the Midnight Clear, may have been Kenyon's attempt at a separate series since they can be skipped without anything missing from the world of the Dark-Hunters. Dream Chaser and this book, however should not be skipped, not if you want to know what the hell is going on. Dream Chaser picks up where Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter, book 11) left off and Jaden makes his first appearance. Dream Warrior not only formally starts the next stage of the Dark-Hunter series, it's also where the war begins.

Around nine thousand years ago Cratus was bound and thrown to Earth by Zeus for disobeying just one order, to kill an infant. What almost none of the gods are aware of is that his punishment didn't end there and, in fact takes place nightly. You can imagine that he's not a very happy person, made even less so when Phobos and Delphine show up to ask for his help on behalf of Zeus. Since he turned them down flat Delphine, who's a Dream-Hunter, plans to enter his dreams that night and talk to him there. Before she has a chance to intervene Azura gets to him first and sways him to their side promising him the return of his powers and a chance to take down Zeus. While hope is all but lost the Dream-Hunters bravely continue to fight Noir and Azura's Skoti (rogue Dream-Hunters that have given into the temptation to feel emotions anyway they can) army. In the latest battle the Dream-Hunters are ambushed in their own sanctuary and Delphine, along with many others, are taken prisoner. Jericho (aka Cratus) takes an interest in Delphine so Azura gives her to him as a present thinking it will keep him busy. After a few missteps they enter an uneasy alliance that slowly turns to love, but when she's drugged in her sleep he begins to realize that his hatred of the Olympians has blinded him to the wrongness of what Noir and Azura are trying to achieve. Jericho's first battle turns out to be more of a rescue mission with them sneaking in to save their people and swinging the Skoti back to the Dream-Hunters. Without an army Azura and Noir retreat, but it's quite clear that the war is only beginning.

This is most definitely not the book to start this series with. I've read all the previous books and still felt a little lost, tons of new characters are introduced (most by name only), and all kinds of subplots are starting although none of them come to a conclusion in this book. Besides all the new characters introduced for the second stage of this series it looks like Nick and Zarek will also be playing major roles. If this book is anything to go by we'll all need a notebook beside us to keep track of what's going on and who's who in this second stage. There are a lot of things I don't understand, but I think most of it will be explained in future books so I'm not worried too much yet. If you like paranormal romance with the world-building of urban fantasy and have an interest in Greek mythology this series is right up your alley. For proper reading order see the list here.

Zhye

Bone Crossed

2009-02-21T22:08:00.000-05:00

* This review may include spoilers for previous books in the series. *

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

A Mercy Thompson Novel

ISBN# 978-0-441-01676-1

Available now

Published by Ace/Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Format: HC, 309 pages

Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

Since I'm mostly an urban fantasy fan I've only read this series and its spin-off, Alpha and Omega. Briggs also writes quite a bit of fantasy including the Raven duology, the Hurog duology, and The Hob's Bargain. Yes, this series has finally hit the big time and you really are seeing the first hardcover. Bad for the readers, but good for the author I suppose. I had some real issues with events in the last book, Iron Kissed, and I really doubted if I would continue the series. Since this book sensitively shows the lasting effects of such events it put me more at ease with the series thus far.

Mercy has many things to deal with in this book due to her attack. The most frustrating being a brand new relationship with Adam that throws her into a panic attack every time he touches her. More complications arise when a very crispy Stefan suddenly materializes in the middle of Mercy's living room. He controls his bloodlust just long enough to tell her, "She knows" and "run". This is a death sentence for Mercy, it means that Marsilia, Mistress of the Tri-Cities' vampires, knows who really killed Andre and why. Before she can even think about this an old college acquaintance shows up at her door to ask for help. Amber wants Mercy to investigate her haunted house in Spokane because her husband doesn't believe her or their son, who seems to be the ghost's target. While the werewolves work on some kind of treaty with the vampires Adam decides that Spokane is probably the safest place for Mercy and Stefan to be right now. There's only vampire in that territory and he's not known for allying or sharing his territory with other supernaturals. James Blackwood may not be working with Marsilia, but it quickly becomes clear that he wants something from Mercy when she starts waking up with bite marks and no memory of how they got there. The only question is does he know who and what she is or does he play with all his food like this?

Stefan is quickly becoming my favorite character in this series, and if you've been waiting for more of him this book is definitely for you. What I really need to see in this series is more Adam. I have a hard time accepting him as Mercy's mate when almost everything we know about him is in relation to others around him. We know he's a good alpha and a good father, but who the hell is Adam the person? It's hard to accept him as a main character when we know so much about everyone else, and he's treated as almost a secondary character. This is not my favorite series, but it is very readable with some great pacing. If you're looking for more urban fantasy featuring werewolves try this series.

Lord of Misrule

2009-02-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

* This review may contain spoilers for the first four books in the series. *

Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine

The Morganville Vampires

ISBN# 978-0-451-22572-6

Available now

Published by NAL Jam/Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Format: mm pbk., 244 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

Rachel Caine is one of a select few authors I read almost religiously. It doesn't matter if it's a new series or the eighth book in a favorite series because their writing style, storytelling skills, and characterization are so highly enjoyable that I'm guaranteed to love it. I haven't been let down yet by Ms. Caine. If young adult fiction (YA) or vampires isn't your thing give her Weather Warden series a try featuring humans who can control different elements and Djinn. Also out this month is Undone, book one of Outcast Season, which is a spin-off of the Weather Warden series. If you like any of her series or want to know more be sure to visit her site as it is what other authors should set as their goal. Her site is truly for the fans, full of free short stories, secret links, and even a place to share fan fiction.

After the disastrous events at the end of Feast of Fools this book begins with a Morganville in complete chaos and on fire. Sine Bishop, Amelie's father, came to town his only goal has been to take over, first he tried to undermine the Founder's (Amelie) authority and when that didn't work he started an outright war. Now, it's vampire against vampire with the humans stuck in the middle getting angrier by the hour. Despite the danger on the streets Amelie sends Shane to defend their blood supply, the Bloodmobile, and takes Claire with her to rescue Myrnin. Unfortunately, while getting him out they are forced to leave Amelie behind who's busy facing off against Bishop. Oliver takes over in her absence, but that doesn't last very long as he and all the other vampires in town start mysteriously disappearing with some even seen on the streets during the day. The majority of humans in town have finally had enough and launch their own attacks killing vampires and loyal humans alike caught by wandering mobs. While Bishop and Amelie are gathering their people for battle the humans head for shelters all over town to escape the path of an oncoming tornado. All but too late, Oliver arrives at the Glass house in bad shape to warn Claire and her friends of a trap. They quickly rush off to see who they can help, but it's clear Morganville will never be the same. The only question left really, is what will it become?

There's so many questions I look forward to getting answered in this series. We're on the fifth book now and the series is really humming along now, fast pace, a whole bunch of subplots going on including two romances, and a whole lot of Myrnin (my favorite character even though he's all kinds of crazy). The only thing I really have to complain about is the length of these books, not one book is much over 200 pages. It's YA sure, but look at the size of the Harry Potter or Twilight books. If it's interesting, like this series, teens will want bigger books just like adults do when they love a book or series. Have I mentioned my love for Myrnin? He's good, then he's bad, give him his medication and he's good again, but he's also sneaky so you never quite know if he really is a good guy or just waiting for the best opportunity to switch sides. This series is a must for urban fantasy and vampire fans alike.

Zhye

At Grave's End

2009-02-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost

A Night Huntress Novel

ISBN# 978-0-06-158307-0

Available now

Published by Avon/HarperCollins

Format: mm pbk., 342 pages

Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

Jeaniene Frost may be a relatively new author with only one series, spanning three books so far, to her name, but her readers and even other authors will tell you that she is more than welcome in the urban fantasy genre. I have been hooked from the first book, Halfway to the Grave, because her hero is so different from the regular alpha male vampire. Bones may be one of the "top dogs", but he rarely acts like it except when the situation calls for it. Actually most of her vampires seem to act this way which sets Mrs. Frost apart from the pack I think. Look for more from Jeaniene Frost in the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance (out in mid-April) and An Early Grave (out at the end of July), the fourth Night Huntress novel.

Cat Crawfield, the Red Reaper if you happen to be a rogue vampire, finally has everything going her way, or at least it starts out that way. Her vampire boyfriend, Bones, is by her side and has made it clear that's where he plans to stay. What she doesn't need is one of her best friends continually trying to come between her and Bones, even going so far as to become a vampire himself. Things go bad pretty fast once Cat visits her mom only to ambushed, tortured, and all but left for dead by her father. He had some pretty powerful backers and they've made it damn clear that they want Cat dead. Bones will never let that happen of course, and Mencheres offers a permanent alliance between their bloodlines for his own unknown reasons. Shortly after this alliance things go from bad to worse and as all out vampire war ensues, and then the zombies show up. Just how does a secret government organization cover up the fact that graveyards in a 100 mile radius are emptying out all at once?

The next book should be pretty interesting considering all the fallout that will have to be dealt with. Also, Cat and her mother go through some pretty big changes in this book and make some life-changing decisions towards the end so that will be interesting to watch play out as well. I think it's time for some press fallout too, especially after this book where Cat and a crowd of people are caught on camera yelling about vampires. I think it's high time there was some sort of leak to the masses that, yes, vampires do exist. Cat and her team raid a different bar or night club almost every night and you're trying to tell me that no one has managed to sneak out the back and keep their memories of a vampire attack? If you're tired of the he-man, alpha vampires and looking for plenty of action I highly recommend this series.

Zhye

The Tarot Cafe Vol. 1 - 4

2009-02-05T04:51:00.001-05:00

The Tarot Cafe Volumes 1 - 4 by Sang-Sun Park

Available now
Published by TokyoPop
Format: paperback
Genres: manhwa (Korean manga), fiction, urban fantasy

This is my first manwha and I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the series. From what I've found on the internet about the author and her works every series is very different. The Tarot Cafe is full of androgynous males and romantic tragedy while Ark Angels features teenage superhero sisters, and Les Bijoux (which she illustrated) is about a sex-changing protector of the people. The series is only seven volumes, but just this month TokyoPop released a tie-in novel by Chandra Rooney that will hopefully lead to more.

This series is paying some serious homage to the great Greek and Shakespearean tragedies. Our main character is Pamela, a tarot card reader of unusual accuracy. Quite a few parallels can be drawn between her and the seer Cassandra, both rarely see bright and happy futures. During the day her clientele is mostly human, but after midnight her next customer could be a vampire, werewolf, or even a ghost. Their stories are all tragic and their woes are usually love related, a lost lover, unrequited love, or love only realized when it's too late. In the second volume we get our first peek into Pamela's own tragic tale, that started some 700 years ago. We learn even more of her past and lost love in volume three, but don't worry the card reading for others do continue through the series, so far. In volume four we finally get into her past concerning Belus, how they met, why he's always hanging around. If there's so much going on in the first four volumes I really don't see how they'll be able to pack much more into the last three volumes, but I'm excited to find out.

I love the artwork, such pretty boys and girls looking like they just escaped a goth/fetish club. If this was japanese I'd categorize it as bishōnen, I have no idea if it has a specific name in Korea. The stories are everything great tragedies should be. You know you shouldn't like them so much, but when they're told so well you just want to take your time and enjoy them like a fur coat over exposed skin. If you know nothing about Tarot you're in luck since every reading Pamela does is complete with pictures of cards and meanings. All in all, I am thoroughly enjoying this series and it is well on its way to becoming my favorite.

Zhye

Thirteen Orphans: Breaking the Wall

2009-01-23T19:05:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Orphans: Breaking the Wall by Jane Lindskold

Thirteen Orphans
ISBN# 978-0-7653-1700-1
Available now
Published by Tor
Format: hardcover, 367 pages
Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

Jane Lindskold is the author of over 18 novels including the Wolf series. Thirteen Orphans: Breaking the Wall is my first book by this author, but I'm already eager for book two in the series to come out. This book has a modern day setting, but because these "orphans" have been exiled into our world from a far away land that doesn't even exist in our reality there's definitely more of an epic fantasy feel to the story. Before you go and hunt this book down be aware that the magical system in this series is closely tied into the game of mah jong (at least for the exiled orphans). If you aren't at least passingly familiar with the game parts of the books, especially the spell work, may be a little hard to follow.

Most family secrets consist of illegitimate births, adoptions, or ill-gotten gains, and Brenda Morris would probably find any of those more believable than what's about to come out of her father's mouth. When the original Thirteen were exiled from the Lands Born from Smoke and Sacrifice they bound their magic and knowledge into the game of mah-jong. That meant it couldn't be taken away easily and they had a better way to teach the next generation. Now, a couple generations later, the orphans have grown complacent with some of them thinking the stories of their ancestry nothing more than fairy tales and completely unaware of their magic. Whether they're ready or not someone has come to challenge them and is taking them down one at a time. If the orphans were simply killed their magic and ties to the earthly branches of the Chinese zodiac (the Monkey, the Rat, the Dragon, etc.) would simply pass on to an heir, but their hunter has found a way around this. Their unknown aggressor is simply stripping away every memory to do with the orphans, effectively locking them away from their magic and preventing the power from moving on because they are still alive. By the time the remainder of the Thirteen figure out that something very wrong is going on there's only five of them left. Brenda is the Rat's heir, but if they don't find who's behind these attacks and some way to reverse the spell there may not be an inheritance for her or anyone else, at least in our realm.

As with most first books in series this one is mostly set-up for future books complete with characters gathering, and some of them meeting for the first time. Brenda is completely new to magic and the story of the Thirteen with Riprap knowing only a little more so we get history and magic lessons through them. I really liked this book because it's very character driven and most of the characters do have their flaws and idiosyncrasies which makes them seem more real and unique. The only problem I did have was Brenda being a little more naive than can be believed as a college student. In this book she meets her first black person ever fully expecting lots of jewelry and possible gang affiliation. Exactly how small is her college? She also has her first "birds and the bees" talk. Is her college run by nuns or something? Was she home-schooled until college? Other than that I think this book, because of the writing style, would be a great crossover for fantasy fans looking to try urban fantasy and vice versa because sooner or later the cast will be moving to the Lands Born from Smoke and Sacrifice.

Zhye

A Lost Touch of Magic

2009-01-18T11:30:00.002-05:00

A Lost Touch of Magic by Amy Tolnitch

Touch series

ISBN# 978-1-934-75551-8

Available now
Published by Medallion Press
Format: mm pbk., 465 pages
Genres: fiction, historical, paranormal romance

This is the latest addition to Tolnitch's Touch series, which has more to do with the titles sharing the word "touch" than anything else. Some of the characters may have met before, but from what I can tell there's no real overlap or story arcs going on so reading each book as a stand-alone novel is fine. Her covers are simple and not very original, but this is a book you definitely shouldn't judge by it's cover. I had a hard time putting this one down for any amount of time and ended up finishing it in about a day. I don't even usually like historical romances, but Aimili is immensely likable and unusual for the time period.

Padruig MacCoinneach starts off this story in self-imposed exile from his land and clan until his sister, Brona, calls him home from the grave. Once on clan land he hears that his other sister, Freya, has been promised to a beast of a man. To save her he's going to have to gather his allies quickly and oust the current laird, Grigor. Unfortunately for him, in order to get help from neighboring de Grantham Castle he has to marry 17 year old Aimili de Grantham. Padruig quickly takes Grigor down without much of a fight, but the real troubles for him and his clan are only beginning.

Aimili is not like other young women of her time in more ways than most know. Most days she can be found in the stables, surrounded by her horses, looking more like a boy than any young woman. Her secret, that only her sister knows, is that she can communicate with animals. She has dreamed of marrying Padruig since a chance encounter years ago. Like most childhood fancies this dream dies a tortured death when she's confronted with the real thing and realizes he's nothing like the man in her daydreams.

Upon moving in, Aimili and her horses are almost instantly aware of an evil miasma hanging over Castle MacCoinneach. Padruig starts to realize just how bad off the clan is when he finds the coffers all but empty and food stores that won't even last the winter. Aimili is soon able to put a name to the evil thanks to a visit from Queen Sebilla of Paroseea. In Paroseea he is Vardon, but here he hides among the clan causing accidents and minor disasters while he bides his time waiting to strike at Aelfric's descendent. If Padruig doesn't swallow his pride and see Aimili for who she really is Vardon will go on undermining the clan until there's nothing left to save.

The reason I don't like most historicals is because of the way women of the time are represented, but I liked Aimili immensely because she was independent and not even close to being a damsel in distress. I don't really know why they're trying to sell this book as a paranormal romance. The realm of Paroseea barely comes into play at all and there are no big acts of magic or anything like that. If you're looking for historical accuracy with rich descriptions of day to day life this probably isn't for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for a light romance that's character driven and just happens to be set in the past, in a castle you will probably love this book.

Zhye

Princep's Fury

2009-01-01T22:20:00.013-05:00

Princep's Fury by Jim Butcher

Codex Alera

ISBN# 978-0-441-01638-9
Available now
Published by Ace Books/Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Format: hardcover, 386 pages
Genres: fiction, fantasy, military strategy

This is book five in the Codex Alera series and you will be hopelessly lost if you read these out of order. Jim Butcher is probably most well known for his urban fantasy series, The Dresden Files, which takes place in an alternate Chicago right around our present time, but wizards, vampires, and the fae exist in secret. The two series are as different as you can get from each other and still be in the fantasy genre. The world of Alera borrows much from the Roman Empire including social classes, names, and military style, but still remains an original concept due to the magical system and the huge cast of characters and races involved. The characters are really what make every Jim Butcher book a treat. I don't know how he does it, but there are no one-dimensional "extras" in his books. Every character he introduces us to turns out to be unique and, somewhere along the way, wholly necessary.

As this book starts out Tavi is safely away from the political intrigue and assassination attempts of Alera. Somebody actually thought he'd be safer accompanying Alera's former enemy, the Canim, back to see what's left of their homeland? While Tavi's out to sea and cut off from any news of home the Vord have once again been spotted in Alera, this time in Kalare. Even though Bernard, Tavi's uncle, has been trying to warn the high lords and citizenry of the very real threat the Vord represent almost no one believed the information so the powers that be are unprepared and slow to act. By the time First Lord Gaius Sextus gathers enough troops from the other high lords to make any kind of stand Kalare is lost and neighboring Ceres has only days before it too falls.

Meanwhile, in Canea Tavi is having his own problems. After a bad storm forces the Alerans and the returning Narashan canim to dry dock in hostile territory long enough to make repairs Tavi and Varg (Narashan leader) are taken prisoner by Lararl (Shauran leader). On their way to Lararl's fortress they get their first look at how quickly the Vord infestation has escalated. Upon arrival they are quickly put away after being told that their people will become blood sacrifices for the Ritualists to use against the enemy. Tavi knows he has to get him and his people home to warn Alera, but he's also all about saving people and making peace so of course he's going to try and do both.

This book took me longer to read than most around this length. There's so much going on, everywhere, that it was kind of hard to keep it all straight unless you went slow. One minute you'll be at the capital with Gaius, then you're out at sea with Tavi, and wait, what's Isana doing over there? You're also following along with Amara and Bernard as they try to infiltrate the Vord and the book switches between all these viewpoints every few pages. It's all necessary to the story, but still pretty confusing at times. I've never even been interested in military fantasy before, but ever since the first book, Furies of Calderon, came out I have been eagerly awaiting every installment of this series. What I have learned from reading this and the Dresden Files is that if Jim Butcher wrote it, no matter where or when the setting, you are guaranteed a great story full of interesting and very real characters that will suck you right in.

Zhye

Dead Reign

2008-12-27T05:47:00.002-05:00

Dead Reign by T.A. Pratt

Marla Mason series

ISBN# 978-0-553-59135-4

Available now

Published by Bantam Spectra/ Random House, Inc.

Format: mm pbk., 321 pages

Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

Somehow in all my scrambling for releases dates and typing up said release dates on various calendars I missed this book. The first book in the series, Blood Engines, took a little reading to get into because Marla is very much an original and unique main character. She isn't all good or all bad, she's somewhere in the middle like most of us, but because she's also a very powerful sorceress and doesn't always do the "right" thing it makes for a more interesting and believable series. Even though the Marla Mason books are a series with re-occurring characters each book can be read as a stand-alone since the only hint of story arcs seem to pop up in this third book.

Marla Mason is the rough around the edges, take no shit, head sorcerer of Felport. She didn't get to that position by sitting on her ass or giving into demands from up-and-comers and Death coming to town isn't about to change that. He's come looking for his sword which has been considered the head sorcerer's dagger of office since Felport was founded. The Walking Death is new to the job and cocky so he attacks Marla directly only to rebuffed by the knife itself. The new plan is to banish Marla from her own city and prove that the city can survive without her until she hands over the dagger willingly, if he only knew Marla. While Marla is putting her own plan of attack together her right hand man, Rondeau, is busy leading the secret revolution back home in Felport. Marla soon sets off on her own very ambitious plan of taking over the Underworld in order to trade it back for her city. She finds out just how ambitious her idea really is when she realizes that everyone's hell is different and her's just happens to revolve around every person she's killed, either purposely or by accident.

Personally, I love when Death makes an appearance in books so Dead Reign had me from the start. There's a lot to like about this series and this book in particular. A necromancer accidentally calls up John Wilkes Booth when all he wanted was a zombie helper. Instead of a quiet helper he gets a Shakespeare quoting, racist who thinks heavy lifting is beneath him. To annoy him the necromancer later glamours one of his zombies to look like a young Abe Lincoln. You also meet a lot of sorcerers throughout this series and they all specialize in a certain area whether it be with the dead, technology, chaos, or prophecies. I strongly suggest this series if you're looking for something a little different where heros doing heroic acts are mostly an accident and not the norm. I also think this series will strongly appeal to readers of The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.

Zhye

One Silent Night

2008-12-23T06:05:00.001-05:00

One Silent Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Dark-Hunters

ISBN# 978-0-312-94706-4
Available now
Published by St. Martin's Press
Format: mm pbk., 310 pages
Genres: fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance

This is entry number 13 in the series and this far in you really should be reading them in order since storylines are now being played out over three or four books. Before you go out and buy this book I must also tell you that it is 310 pages long only because it's set in large print so if you don't feel like paying novel price for a novella I suggest getting it from the library or a used book store. Besides the Dark-Hunter series Sherrilyn Kenyon also writes the Dream-Hunter series and, under the name Kinley MacGregor, the Lords of Avalon series. The correct reading of the Dark-Hunter books including all the short stories and, the sometimes intersecting, Dream-Hunter books can be found here.

Losing his sister (in Acheron) was the final straw for Stryker. Once again he's out to kill Ash, and now Nick. This time he's feeling a tad suicidal so he doesn't really care what kind of forces he has to invoke to get the job done. He visits Tartarus to release something so powerful that it took all the gods banding together just to contain him. He is War, the ultimate spirit of battle, and he's never been one to follow orders. When news of War's release spreads to Olympus Artemis implements a plan of her to, at the very least, keep Stryker busy. Artemis sends Stryker's first wife to kill him which she is more than happy to do since he left her and his unborn child high and dry to marry a priestess. Zephyra loses the duel and is forced to give Stryker two weeks to win her back. Stryker is now determined more than ever to win his soul mate back since he thought she was dead until she showed up in his throne room trying to kill him. Zephyra quickly begins to discover that she may not have known the entire situation and that chemistry they had while married is still very much alive. Will they be reunited only to lose their daughter or will Stryker swallow his pride long enough to ask for the help of some very unlikely allies?

The reviews I've seen are pretty evenly split for this book, but personally I liked it. It seems that not many people like Zephyra because they think she's cold and they find the relationship unbelievable because of her personality. I don't see it that way at all. Of course she's pissed, before Stryker she was abused and after he left she was pregnant and still had to go back to being abused in order to raise her child. She thought he was the one person that loved her while everyone else told her how worthless she was and then he left because his father told him to. They do fit so well together because, although Stryker was a god's son, they were both physically and mentally abused by their own families. This book also begins the rise of the daimons so definitely keep reading.

Zhye

Books Read in 2008

2008-12-22T01:51:00.009-05:00

** Updated 12/26/08 I reached 100!**

1 Captain's Fury (4th Codex Alera book) - Jim Butcher 2 Betrayed (2nd House of Night book) - P.C. & Kristin Cast 3 Wyvernhail - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes 4 Dancing With Werewolves - Carole Nelson Douglas 5 Serpent's Kiss (10th Rogue Angel book) - Alex Archer 6 Upon a Midnight Clear (2nd Dream-Hunter book) - Sherrilyn Kenyon 7 Thunder Moon (8th Nightcreature novel) - Lori Handeland 8 Dream Chaser (3rd Dream-Hunter book) - Sherrilyn Kenyon 9 Iron Kissed (3rd Mercedes Thompson book) - Patricia Briggs 10 The Fair Folk - various authors 11 Unquiet Dreams (2nd Conner Grey book) - Mark Del Franco 12 Ghost of a Chance (1st Karma Marx book) - Kate Marsh aka Katie MacAlister 13 Eclipse (3rd Bella Swan novel) - Stephenie Meyer 14 Black Magic Woman (1st Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigation novel) - Justin Gustainis 15 The Outlaw Demon Wails (6th Rachel Morgan book) - Kim Harrison 16 Faerie Lord (4th and final Faerie wars Chronicles book) - Herbie Brennan 17 Steward of Song (sequel to Singer of Souls) - Adam Stemple 18 Chosen (3rd House of Night book) - P.C. & Kristin Cast 19 Poison Sleep (2nd Marla Mason novel) - T.A. Pratt 20 Night Life (1st Nocturne City book) - Caitlin Kittredge 21 City of Ashes (2nd Mortal Instruments novel) - Cassandra Clare 22 Magic Burns (2nd Kate Daniels book) - Ilona Andrews 23 Provenance (11th Rogue Angel book) - Alex Archer 24 One Foot in the Grave (2nd Night Huntress novel) - Jeaniene Frost 25 Personal Demon (8th Women of the Otherworld book) - Kelley Armstrong 26 Small Favor (10th Dresden Files novel) - Jim Butcher 27 Kiss of Midnight (1st in The Breed series) - Lara Adrian 28 Key to Conspiracy (2nd ParaDoc book) - Talia Gryphon 29 Dingo - Charles de Lint 30 Frostbite (2nd Vampire Academy novel) - Richelle Mead 31 From Dead to Worse (8th Southern Vampire Mysteries book) - Charlaine Harris 32 Ink Exchange - Melissa Marr 33 Embrace the Night (3rd Cassandra Palmer book) - Karen Chance 34 Wicked Game - Jeri Smith-Ready 35 Blood Noir (16th Anita Blake Vampire Hunter book) - Laurell K. Hamilton 36 House of Cards (2nd Negotiator book) - C.E. Murphy 37 The Darkest Kiss (6th Riley Jensen, Guardian book) - Keri Arthur 38 Mind the Gap - Tim Lebbon & Christopher Golden 39 The Soul Stealer (12th Rogue Angel book) - Alex Archer 40 Playing With Fire (1st book of the Silver Dragons) - Katie MacAlister 41 Rogue (2nd Werecats novel) - Rachel Vincent 42 The Summoning (1st book in the Darkest Powers trilogy) - Kelley Armstrong 43 Romancing the Dead (3rd Garnet Lacey book) - Tate Hallaway 44 The Host - Stephenie Meyer 45 Scent of Darkness (Darkness Chosen, book 1) - Christina Dodd 46 Touch of Darkness (Darkness Chosen, book 2) - Christina Dodd 47 Night Child (1st OSI book) - Jes Battis 48 Merlin's Dragon (1st in the Merlin's Dragon trilogy) - T.A. Barron 49 Everlost - Neal Shusterman 50 Runaways Vol. 1 (the hardback collection) - Brian K. Vaughan 51 Into the Shadow (3rd Darkness Chosen book) - Christina Dodd 52 The Ruby Key (1st in the Moon & Sun trilogy) - Holly Lisle 53 Feast of Fools (4th Morganville Vampires book) - Rachel Caine 54 Full Tilt - Neal Shusterman 55 Runaways Vol.2 (hardback collection) - Brian K. Vaughan 56 Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt 57 The Cabinet of Wonders (Kronos Chronicles Book 1) - Marie Rutkoski 58 Runaways Vol. 3 (hardback collection) - Brian K. Vaughan 59 Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood, book 6) - J.R. Ward 60 Unwind - Neal Shusterman 61 Gabriel's Horn (Rogue Angel, book 13) - Alex Archer 62 Lament - Maggie Stiefvater 63 Twelve Kingdoms Vol. 1: Sea of Shadow - Fuyumi Ono 64 Dating daVinci - Malena Lott 65 Fairyville - Emma Holly 66 House of Many Ways - Diana Wynne Jones 67 Into the Flame (Darkness Chosen, book 4) - Christina Dodd 68 Acheron (Dark-Hunters, book 12) - Sherrilyn Kenyon 69 Superior Saturday (Keys to the Kingdom, book 6) - Garth Nix 70 Fables Vol. 10 The Good Prince - Bill Willingham 71The Devil You Know (Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist, book 2) - Jenna Black 72 Keeping It Real (Quantum Gravity, book 1) - Justina Robson *a re-read 73 V.B. Rose Vol. 1 - Banri Hidaka *manga 74 Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, book 1) - Patricia Briggs 75 The Twelve Kingdoms Vol. 2: Sea of Wind - Fuyumi Ono 76 The Vampire Shrink - Lynda Hilburn 77 The Runaways: Dead End Kids - Joss Whedon 78 Faefever (3rd Fever book) - Karen Marie Moning 79 Untamed (House of Night, book 4) - PC & Kristin Cast 80 Storm Born - Richelle Mead 81 The Golden Elephant (Rogue Angel, book 14) - Alex Archer 82 Up in Smoke (Silver Dragons, book 2) - Katie MacAlister 83 V.B. Rose Vol. 2 - Banri Hidaka *manga 84 V.B. Rose Vol. 3 - Banri Hidaka *manga 85 Going Under (Quantum Gravity, book 3) - Justina Robson 86 Foundation (Collegium Chronicles, book 1) - Mercedes Lackey 87 Cybele's Secret - Juliet Marillier 88 Living With the Dead (Women of the Otherworld, book 9) - Kelley Armstrong 89 Cast in Fury (Elantra, book 4) - Michelle Sagara 90 Vulnerable (little Goddess, book 1) - Amy Lane 91 Poison Ink - Christopher Golden 92 Wounded (Little Goddess, book 2) - Amy Lane 93 Any Given Doomsday (Phoenix Chronicles, book 1) - Lori Handeland 94 Jinx - Meg Cabot 95 Swallowing Darkness (Meredith Gentry, book 7) - Laurell K. Hamilton 96 Magic to the Bone - Devon Monk 97 Dark Harvest (Vampire Psychologist, book 2) - Lynda Hilburn 98 One Silent Night (Dark-Hunter, book 13) - Sherrilyn Kenyon 99 Dead Reign (Marla Mason, book 3) - T.A. Pratt
**100 Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, book 3) - Richelle Mead

Dark Harvest

2008-12-19T14:32:00.002-05:00

Dark Harvest by Lynda Hilburn

Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist

ISBN# 978-193383661-4

Available now

Published by Medallion Press, Inc.

Format: trade pbk., 383 pages

Genres: fiction, paranormal romance

Well, I've finally gotten a hold of and read the second Kismet Knight book. A review of the first book, The Vampire Shrink, can be found among the older posts. You can also catch the trailer for the first book on Ms. Hilburn's Myspace page.

Kismet has pretty much come to terms with Devereux being a real vampire, even though she occasionally relapses into thinking she's crazy. What she won't concede is that she's his fated mate or that he can order around like she has no mind of her own. Enter into all these relationship growing pains one very crazy, old, and powerful vampire who's decided he wants Kismet for himself and you have a very volatile situation. Hallow first contacts Kismet through a radio call-in show and tells her that he was sent to harvest (kill) someone close to her. She doesn't want to believe he's a vampire or a real threat partly because the show was during the day, but Victoria (Devereux's building manager and witch extraordinaire) tells her that she's heard of him and even felt his power through the radio. As Hollow gets more and more of a foothold in her mind she can't even tell Devereux she needs help. Those around her worry more and more as she repeatedly acts completely out of character going so far as to even attack Devereux and then not remember a thing about it. If she can't fight him and completely gives in she'll find out what real servitude is and Hallow's hold will be powerful enough to make her beg for more.

There is no real mystery to this book. Once Hallow shows up and his powers are explained you know exactly what's going on with Kismet. The only tiny mystery is, who the hell is Maxi? That shouldn't really take you long either since she gives Kismet more than enough clues, if she was smart enough to put them together. I really think the only reason Hallow is in this book is because Hilburn needed some kind of relationship test for Devereux and Kismet, something that after they overcome it will prove to them that they do indeed belong together. Something Kismet said towards the end really bugged me. She said something about being naturally suspicious of people, but apparently that only applies to people she knows. All through this book she's suspicious of Devereux and Victoria. Luna, Maxi, and Hallow get right past her radar. The first book was better, but this one is still good. There's also plenty of Devereux in this book, who I am becoming a big fan of.

Zhye

Site Updates and Where to Find Your Own

2008-12-14T06:50:00.004-05:00

I was procrastinating this morning so I started looking for ways to add to and redesign the site. I've done a little and I'll probably do more since once I start something I just can't leave it alone til it's perfect, to me anyway.

I finally found a tag cloud widget that worked for me at phydeaux3. Now I'm going to have to re-label my posts and some authors won't show up since I set the cloud to include labels that had two entries or more. You'll still be able to find the books under their genre or main supernatural creature tag though.

I also found some code to make my two column set-up into three columns at Tips For New Bloggers. Just scroll down til you see the actual post, there's also links to setting up three columns using other blogger templates. Now I have room for all kinds of widgets I don't need!

That's all the news for now!

Magic to the Bone

2008-12-13T07:22:00.002-05:00

Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk
ISBN# 978-0-451-46240-4
Available now
Published by ROC/Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Format: mm pbk., 355 pages
Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

This is Devon Monk's first novel as well as being the first in an as-of-yet unnamed series. Her short stories, however have been published in magazines and books spanning five countries. You can find her newest short stories in the anthologies Better Off Undead and Crime Spells (out in February). You can find a much more complete list of her short stories on her website under the heading, "short fiction".

Allison Beckstrom left the influence of her very wealthy and important father seven years ago never to return. Now she makes her living as a Hound, tracking illegal magic Offloads back to the caster, which is how she winds up confronting her father about a hit on a five year old boy. The next day she finds out, by way of newspaper, that her father's dead and apparently he died right after their meeting. Now she's trying to figure out what the heck is going on while hiding from other Hounds and cops that think she's the murderer. Zayvion Jones seems to show up when she needs him whether she's on the run or not, but since he used to stalk her for her father he can't really be trusted even though Allie can't seem to keep her hands off of him. She also runs across half-dead Cody (and Kitten) who claims to have been there when her father was killed, but something has been done to him where he regularly reverts to a child-like state. The clock is ticking and if Allie can't solve this mystery neither her or Cody will have to worry about anything ever again.

I like the magical system in this book, you gotta pay to play, and the legality issues that pop up because of it. My favorite character is Zayvion Jones because he has a lot of secrets and for some reason I get the sense that he may not be 100% human. The cover of this book is also very nice, love the tattoo. This book shows some great series potential if I read the second book.

While this series may wind up being great later on this book had quite a few problems for me. First is that I don't particularly like Allie. She may change in later books, but right now Mrs. Monk has mistaken cranky, snarky bitch with strong female protagonist. Secondly, memory loss is one of the ways magic can make you pay up and Allie seems to experience quite a bit of it so, if she's going to be asking the same questions in each book that could get old really fast. Potential readers should also know before they start, after everything is worked out Allie forgets the entire contents of this book.

Zhye

Swallowing Darkness

2008-12-09T09:32:00.001-05:00

Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton
Meredith Gentry series
ISBN# 978-0-345-49593-8
Available now
Published by Ballantine Books/Random House, Inc.
Format: hardcover, 365 pages
Genres: fiction, paranormal erotica, urban fantasy

This series is for mature readers only since most of the books have a lot in common with porn. This series should also be read in order since it is an on-going story about main character, Princess Meredith NicEssus. In this seventh entry in the series the sex to plot ratio is finally turned around which makes a nice change and the story finally gets moving. If reading about the Fae isn't your thing there's also her longer running, Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, series. In those books you'll find vampires, zombies, necromancers, and a whole menagerie of were-animals. The later books in that series are also only for mature readers since Anita Blake basically turns into a succubus. If you just can't get enough of the Anitaverse the books are currently being turned into a comic book series, although the artwork I've seen so far is pretty awful. It might be just me, but every image of Anita Blake I've seen from the comics make her look like Wonder Woman with a bad afro.

** This review may contain spoilers if you haven't read the first six books. **

This book picks up almost immediately where A Lick of Frost left off. Merry is now in the hospital recovering from her uncle's (King Taranis) attack, but he and the Seelie court aren't quite done with her yet. When Hettie, Merry's grandmother and the one person that's always been there for her, visits and ends up losing control of her powers trying to kill Sholto and Doyle they all know that she would never do such a thing on her own. Once they figure out it was a spell and who was behind it Merry and Sholto call on the Wild Hunt for revenge. Their hunt takes them to the Seelie mound where they learn of another plot already in action to kill another of Merry's men, Mistral. They get there in time to see Mistral fall and to maybe save his life if they can find help soon, but since it looks like both courts are in on this they go to Sholto's kingdom, the slaughs' mound. When they wake up from an enchanted, healing sleep it's to find that a temporary king has been put in place and the mound is besieged by the Seelie claiming that the slaugh have kidnapped Merry and they want her back. The Goddess makes several appearances and wants her will known, but with both courts in denial and fighting all the way Merry is a little more concerned with just surviving the night.

I've read the reviews that say this is the best book Laurell has written in quite a few years and I can only partially agree. It's thicker than her past few books, in both series, have been in the past two years or so. There's more action in this one book than there has been in the entire series so this one's definitely worth the money. The main problem I had is that there is so much action, involving so many people that towards the end I was action fatigued and couldn't even really care about what happened anymore. Personally, I think she should end the series here since this book had a perfect ending paragraph for a series and it would end on a high note. There are plans for at least two more though so don't send me your hate mail quite yet. So, if you like this series you will love this book because a lot of things are finally dealt with and if you're new to the series do not start with this book or you will have all your questions answered before they've even been asked in the other books.

Zhye

Any Given Doomsday

2008-12-04T23:23:00.003-05:00

Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland
The Phoenix Chronicles
ISBN# 978-0-312-94919-8
Available now
Published by St. Martin's Press
Format: mm pbk., 343 pages
Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

Lori Handeland is well known for her paranormal romance series, the Nightcreatures novels. There is some great world-building in these books which is sometimes very hard to find in the paranormal romance genre which is why I was excited to see her start the urban fantasy series, The Phoenix Chronicles. Her fans will still get what they've come to expect from her books though, there's some very hot scenes in this book along with tons of sexual tension. If you loved the book and want more or need to read a little bit more before buying you can sign up to receive the free prequel short story, In the Beginning, here.

Elizabeth Phoenix has always wanted to be normal, but sometimes life isn't about getting what you want. When she finds her foster mother, Ruth, dead and the body savaged her life begins to change. She's always tried to suppress her psychic gift, but when she touched Ruth's body she saw images of monsters that can't possibly exist. Her former lover, Jimmy, pops back into her life to tell her of the nephilim and the war that Ruth lead against them. When he also tells her that she is to be the next leader of The Federation can she really afford to keep suppressing her talents? In order to begin this new life she must first face the person that scares her most. Sawyer is a powerful medicine man, but also so much more than Liz ever suspected. Even with Sawyer's help can she open up and accept who and what she is before it's too late or has evil already won?

You'll still find your shapeshifters and vampires in this book, but the mythos in this series is that all of these supernatural beings are actually part of one race called the nephilim. All of the nephilim are on the side of evil, but any children they had with a human are known as "the breeds" and can choose to be on the side of good. All of The Federation's demon hunters (DKs) are breeds since they did get some of their nephilim parent's strength and speed. Since Handeland's Nightcreatures novels were so good with that original twist on werewolves I was expecting this new series to be great and I wasn't disappointed a bit. Love it! You must go buy it. Why are you still reading this?

Zhye

Wounded

2008-12-01T03:30:00.004-05:00

Wounded by Amy Lane
Little Goddess trilogy
ISBN# 978-0-595-37914-9
Available now
Published by iUniverse
Format: trade pbk., 362 pages
Genres: fiction, paranormal erotica, urban fantasy

This is the second book in Amy Lane's, self-published, Little Goddess trilogy. This book seemed to me to have a very different theme than the first and at times my little feminist heart didn't like it at all (it's also why I can't read bodice rippers). I still can't quite figure out why we've gone from "love whom thou wilt" to "learn to love whomsoever is thrust upon you", but there better be some kind of resolution in book three or we're going to end up with a male harem straight out of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series.

After the terrible events in "Vulnerable" Green thought that sending Cory to college, away from the hill, would give her the time she needed to heal. When he responds to a mental call for help in the middle of the night from Cory he begins to see how very wrong that decision was. Green and his people arrive in San Fransisco to find her beaten, sick, and missing some of her memories of Adrian. After all that he has done to make sure Remmy and Cory are safe it appears that now there is a new power that none of his allies were aware of and it thrives on the stolen memories of women. Finding this new power leads him to dealing with his past and finally confronting the elf lord that once he would have done anything for. While Green is busy with their allies Cory is learning to let people in and to accept help when it's offered, and clearly needed. She's also learning that some things are beyond even a goddess's control and the only choice left is how well she chooses to live with these changes.

There's still some minor editing problems, but nothing huge. Cory gets two new lovers in this book and neither is her choice, which I have a huge problem with. Then, to compound the problem, one of these lovers is bossy and wants her all to himself when he's known all along that she loves Green more than anyone. She's a burgeoning goddess and she still can't love who she wants to? Makes no sense to me. I really hope that Cory and Green end up happy in book three and that this other crap is finally resolved one way or another.

Poison Ink

2008-11-27T23:01:00.002-05:00

Poison Ink by Christopher Golden

ISBN# 978-0-385-73483-7
Available now
Published by Delacorte Press/Random House, Inc.
Format: trade pbk., 279 pages
Genres: fiction, YA, horror

Christopher Golden is another one of those very prolific authors. Alone or collaborating with another author he has written horror, urban fantasy, and even comic books for adults and young adults alike. He's also contributed quite a few movie/TV show tie-in books including the Buffy and Angel series along with a novel series based on the Hellboy comics. If you're looking for some really good YA urban fantasy/horror try The Hollow and Prowlers series. If adult urban fantasy with some horror thrown in is more your thing try The Ferryman or The Shadow Saga and The Veil trilogy.

In typical teen horror movie fashion this book starts off with five friends who begin to realize that entering their junior year in high school means they may not all be together for very much longer. As their last wild and crazy act to show their ever-lasting friendship they decide to get matching tattoos. Since none of them have fake I.D.s they have to settle for, in classic horror movie style, a no name shop in the wrong part of town. Sammi, who's secretly been against the idea from the start, backs out at the last minute leaving her friends tattooed, hurt, and angry. It isn't long before she's ostracized from the group and wondering if she ever knew the girls in the first place. Caryn, T.Q., Letty, and Katsuko are soon the talk of the school owing to their sudden promiscuity, drug use, and beatings they seem to be dishing out at random (The Craft anyone?). It's up to Sammi to find the truth behind the radical changes and hopefully use it to save her former friends if she can.

This book was ok, but disappointing because I'm a big fan of Christopher Golden and know he's able to write much better than this. There is nothing original about this book at all and no plot twists anywhere. You know who and what is responsible for the girls' drastic changes almost from the very beginning. The book was even too short to show any real kind of character development. If you're looking for a quick read and love every teen horror movie that's come out lately then give this book a try, otherwise try Golden's other books I mentioned above and skip this one.

Zhye

Vulnerable

2008-11-23T06:17:00.002-05:00

Vulnerable by Amy Lane
Little Goddess series
ISBN# 0-595-33746-5
Available now
Published by iUniverse
Format: trade pbk., 265 pages
Genres: fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, erotica?

Amy Lane's first book of the Little Goddess trilogy is a self-published gem I happened to trip over on Amazon.com. You can find her among the paranormal romance discussions (I think she lives there). In this case it's especially true what they say about not judging books by their covers. It's such a simple landscape photo, but magic has to hide anywhere it can nowadays. Oh, one more thing before the summary. This book is for mature readers since if it isn't considered erotica it's pretty close.

All Cory Kirkpatrick wants is to leave her small, hick town as soon as possible. She makes her way through community college during the day and works nights at a gas station to pay for it. After Arturo, an elf who happens to work at Denny's, accidentally enthralls her and opens her eyes to the Night People everything changes. Cory starts paying more attention to her odd regulars and ends up falling for a vampire named Adrian. Through Adrian she is quickly pulled into all the magic and the danger that makes the Night World so special. It isn't too long before Green (Adrian's lover and the man that keeps this menagerie of fae and vampires safe) also falls for Cory and will do anything to keep both her and Adrian safe. He's not alone in this fight though once Sezan shows up seeming to not only be after Green's territory, but also the lives of his people.

I like the overall message in this book that love doesn't necessarily come in the same package for everyone, but once you do have it it's worth fighting for. I've seen a lot of comments about the editing, but I have seen worse in books from major publishing houses so unless you're a punctuation nazi I think you'll survive. The guys were a little "girly" about their emotions and discussing them. I'm a girl and even I wouldn't just lay it all out there for someone I met a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes I like reading books that don't follow the traditional one guy, one girl mold and if you feel that way too give this book a try. I'll also be reviewing the rest of this trilogy whenever I get done with them.

Zhye

Cast In Fury

2008-11-19T19:00:00.004-05:00

Cast In Fury by Michelle Sagara
The Chronicles of Elantra
ISBN# 978-0-373-80269-2
Available now
Published by Luna/Harlequin Books S.A.
Format: trade pbk., 490 pages
Genre: fiction, fantasy

Cast in Fury is the fourth book in The Chronicles of Elantra series. Since there are on-going plots and quite a few re-occurring characters I highly recommend reading this series in order. Besides humans there are quite a few races living in Elantra. The two immortal races are the dragons and the Barrani (think elves with black hair). The other three are the Aerians (people with wings), the Tha'alani (telepaths with stalks or antennae on their foreheads), and the Leontines (cat people, their appearance leans more towards the cat side). Each race is unique and Sagara does a good job with the different races' cultures, although the Aerians still haven't been in the books much.

Because of the fallout from events that took place in Cast in Secret Private Kaylin Neya and her shadow, Corporal Severn Handred, are assigned as cultural resources to the Imperial Playwright. His task is to put together a play that will hopefully dispel some of the fear that humans are currently feeling towards the Tha'alani before the humans take matters into their own hands. Just as Kaylin is making progress with the playwright's own prejudices she learns that her friend and boss, Sergeant Marcus Kassan, is being held in the Leontine Quarter for murder. As she tries to prove his innocence she is forced to open her eyes to the strict, ugly side of Leontine culture that Marcus has always kept from her. When Kaylin's top suspect disappears into the fiefs she must again call on Lord Nightshade for help and decide if helping one is worth the cost of all.

Every book in this series is right around 500 pages and packed full of names to remember, caste systems of different races, and at least three different things going on at any one time so if you're looking for a light read this probably isn't for you. The only problem I've ever really had with this series is that Kaylin doesn't seem to be growing as a character. She has all this potential power, but she's getting nowhere in learning how to use it nor does she seem to want to learn. All this power has her in the company of dragons and Barrani and yet she still hasn't learned how to act at court. She's remained awful at all her studies including law and magic no matter that she is the equivalent of a police officer and should know these things. It was mentioned in this book that Kaylin was to learn court manners very soon so hopefully we'll see a little more growth in the next book.

Zhye

Living With the Dead

2008-11-13T23:01:00.002-05:00

Living With the Dead by Kelley Armstrong
Women of the Otherworld
ISBN# 978-0-553-80664-9
Available now
Published by Bantam Dell/Random House, Inc.
Format: hardcover, 372 pages
Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

This is Armstrong's ninth entry in her Women of the Otherworld series and it isn't quite like the others. Up until now all the narrators and all the main characters have been Supernaturals, but Robyn Peltier is completely human. She knows nothing about the supernatural world nor does she know that her best friend, Hope, is anything other than human. If you enjoy this series don't forget to check out the first book of her YA trilogy, set in the same world, The Summoning. A review can be found among the older posts.

Robyn moved to L.A. to hide from her family and friends just how badly she's coping with her husband's senseless death. Hope (and by extension Karl) followed her to make sure she's ok since she was the only one who stood by Hope during her "breakdown". They quickly find themselves helping in a completely different way when Robyn ends up at the top of the suspect list for two murders. The supernatural world becomes harder and harder to keep from Robyn once Karl and Hope find another werewolf and the Nast Cabal are somehow involved. Now it's up to them to keep Robyn alive long enough to figure out who's really on their side and exactly who and what is after her.

This book was good, but, compared to the rest of the series, I would have to say it's the weakest. Almost everything in this book happened because people ran with their first paranoid thought. Everyone in the book was guilty of it at least once. Yes, the bad guy was crazy and broken, but did that mean everyone else had to jump to crazy conclusions too? This book is definitely for mature readers since there's a cult-like compound involved leading to suicides and all kinds of abuse towards both children and adults. Don't give up on the series quite yet though because at the end I got the feeling that future books will be headed in a new, possibly darker direction.

Zhye

Kin

2008-11-10T06:00:00.002-05:00

Kin by Holly Black & Ted Naifeh
The Good Neighbors
ISBN# 978-0-439-85562-4
Available now
Published by Graphix/Scholastic Inc.
Format: hardcover, graphic novel, 119 pages
Genre: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

Holly Black writes some of my favorite YA urban fantasy including Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside for older teens. She's also the author of The Spiderwick Chronicles, for younger teens and children, which is now a major motion picture. I haven't come across any of Naifeh's work before now although his Gloomcookie series sounds familiar. I was disappointed that the artwork in this book is black and white until I took a closer look, it's very well done and very detailed. Unlike with most authors trying their hand at graphic novels these days this series is original and not based on a written novel.

Rue Silver doesn't worry, not about her mother missing for over three weeks and not about the creatures she's been seeing lately that can't possibly be real. When her father is accused of murder and his wife's disappearance comes to light, then Rue starts to worry. All this time she thought her mother was crazy for conversing with trees, but when she meets her maternal grandfather and knows that he's not human she starts putting the story together. She soon learns of her grandfather's plan to lay siege to the city, but which side will Rue choose? This is only the first book in this series so be on the look out for future books.

This is the first book I've seen from Scholastic's Graphix line and I liked the story and the artwork a lot. The only drawback I see is that this book was a little pricey for a story that's just over 100 pages. If Graphix publishes everything in hardback readers are going to have to very picky about what they buy and get the rest at the library. I hope the next book is longer because I really liked what I saw of Rue, but I felt I barely got to know her and then the book was over.

Zhye

Cybele's Secret

2008-11-06T23:00:00.003-05:00

Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier
A Companion Novel to Wildwood Dancing
ISBN# 978-0-375-83365-6
Available now
Published by Alfred A. Knopf/Random House, Inc., New York
Format: hardcover, 432 pages
Genres: YA, fiction, fantasy, romance

Juliet Marillier has written many fantasy books including the Sevenwaters trilogy and The Bridei Chronicles, but my absolute favorites are this book and Wildwood Dancing. Both are just the right mix of fantasy, quests, and romance. You don't have to read these books in order since it is explained in this book what happened to Tati, but I highly recommend picking up both because you won't want to stop with just one. Just a little set-up detail for Cybele's Secret, the events in this book take place six years after Tati chooses the Otherworld over this one. None of the sisters have seen her since and all the portals have remained closed.

Paula has finally convinced her father to take her along on one of his trading expeditions, this one to Istanbul. Once there she realizes how hampered she is by her gender and that her dreams of gaining access to all their wonderful libraries were in vain. The upside is that she has gained a personal guard named Stoyan who quickly becomes a very dear friend. All hope is not lost however when Irene of Volos makes an appearance in the traders' quarter and invites Paula to her house and into her library. While there she repeatedly sees Tati's spectre and believes that the Otherworld wants her to do something, but she has no idea what that may be. She also finds mysterious pages in the library that seem to relate to the statue of Cybele that her father has come for. Her father is not the only one seeking the statue and soon it is clear that this other party is willing to do anything to get it. When it is clear, to Paula anyway, that the pirate Duarte da Costa Aguiar is behind her father's beating and has the statue she confronts him on his ship and ends up getting involved in a deadly race to find the other half of the statue.

I loved this book for so many reasons, least of which is because I can completely identify with scholarly Paula. I also enjoyed the setting of Istanbul and the treatment of the gender issues that arise while in muslim countries. By the end of this book I had no clue who Paula was going to pick between Stoyan and Duarte da Costa Aguiar since I liked them equally well. The quest was excellent is creating trust between the three and showing Paula that books couldn't teach her everything she needed to know. I think this book will appeal to all ages because the overall story of family, friendship, and love is timeless and should be valued by all.

Zhye

Foundation

2008-11-03T22:10:00.002-05:00

Foundation by Mercedes Lackey
Valdemar: The Collegium Chronicles
ISBN# 978-0-7564-0524-3
Available now
Published by DAW Books/Penguin Group (USA)
Format: hardcover, 340 pages
Genre: fiction, fantasy

Unless you live under a rock you've had to at least hear of Mercedes Lackey. She is one of the most prolific authors out there. All of her books fall in the fantasy genre, but they cover just about every sub-genre you can think of. If you're into high fantasy you can try this series or the Obsidian trilogy. If urban fantasy is more your thing her Bedlam's Bard and Diana Tregarde Investigations series are excellent. She's also collaborated with Larry Dixon (her husband), Andre Norton, Rosemary Edghill, James Mallory, and Roberta Gellis just to name a few.

I would have to say that her most beloved and longest running series are her Valdemar books, which this book belongs to. There's around 30 books set in the world of Valdemar, more if you count the anthologies, but most of them are written in trilogies and while they're all set in the same world one trilogy doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the next one so read only what you want. The running theme in this series has always been Heralds and their Companions. Heralds are the policing and peacekeeping force of Valdemar and Companions are horse-like in shape, but think more like humans. Companions choose Heralds, never the other way around, and connect all the Heralds to one another through Mindspeech.

This book is your standard Heralds of Valdemar fare, just as enjoyable as the rest of the books but nothing really stands out as new or different. Mags is a 13 year old orphan who's been made to work in a gem mine almost since before he could walk. All he and the other orphans get for their efforts is threats along with barely enough food to survive and threadbare clothes that aren't even fit for the rag pile. When Mags is finally "chosen" by the Companion Dallen his whole life changes. It takes a long time for him to believe that the owner of the mine isn't coming after him and even longer to believe that people can be trustworthy. The Bardic, Healer, and Herald Collegiums are just being built in Haven so there's a lot of confusion and a lot more to be sorted out between the three disciplines. Mags ends up meeting some very important people and is soon working for the King's Own (Herald) keeping an eye out for trouble on the collegium grounds. He ends up watching the foreign emissaries that are acting very strangely. As it turns out the foreigners are the least of their worries when Mags' friend, Bear, goes missing during a blizzard.

I liked this book well enough, but the Valdemar books were the first fantasy I ever read so I may be a bit biased. It's pretty clear that this book is mostly set-up for the rest of the series, we learn all about Mags, but there's no detail about the emissaries who end up just slipping away during the night. Mags also comes across an alien, evil intelligence once, but there's not much detail there either. We'll have to wait for future books to see just what the hell is going on. If you grew up reading these books, welcome back and enjoy. If you're new to the world of Valdemar there are better books to start with, find them here.

Zhye

Going Under

2008-10-29T06:35:00.003-04:00

Going Under by Justina Robson
Quantum Gravity series
ISBN# 978-1-59102-650-1
Available now
Published by Pyr/Prometheus Books
Format: trade pbk., 340 pages
Genres: fiction, urban fantasy, futuristic fantasy, sci-fi

I didn't really have any room in the last review for any sort of author bio so I guess I'll do that now. Justina Robson considers herself first and foremost a sci-fi author so if you're interested check out her other books, Natural History, Silver Screen, Mappa Mundi, and Living Next Door to the God of Love. The Quantum Gravity series is what happened when Justina decided to relax a little and have some fun with her writing. Wonderful things seem to happen when people break out of their little niches and come at things from a another direction or with a new vision. I would've included a link to one of her websites, but neither one I've found has been updated in quite some time.

If Lila Black thought a trip into Faery was going to be any easier than staying in Demonia dealing with constant duels and her two husbands she was wrong. It seems that Malachi's (cat faery, Incon agent, Lila's friend) little diversion has turned into a major problem for Otopia. The animalistic Mothkin are driving humans mad and awakening ghosts all across the realm. This is also bad for faeries since they are being rounded up and put in camps by the authorities. To hunt all the Mothkin Malachi needs help from Faery, but before the scheduled trip gets underway Lila and Zal disappear right from their own bedroom. There will be no hope for Otopia until they find a way to unlock the depths of Faery. Now, in order to do that they have to first deal with a near god who's looking for a good hunt and the proper question.

Well, here we are at the third book of the series and, to my delight, definitely not the last. On the other hand, I was disappointed that while Going Under does have a plot its not a very strong one. Mostly this book is more about furthering the series as a whole so nothing is really decided in this book and I ended up with a lot more questions than answers by the end. It wasn't even a cliffhanger type of ending, it was more of a "What the hell just happened?" ending. The fourth book better be out pretty soon because I have a whole lot of questions looking for answers.

Zhye

Quantum Gravity series, Book 1 & 2

2008-10-26T05:10:00.003-04:00

Keeping It Real & Selling Out by Justina Robson
Quantum Gravity series
ISBN# 978-1-59102-539-9 & 978-1-59102-597-9
Availability: both are out now
Published by Pyr/Prometheus Books
Format: trade pbk., 337 pages, 363 pages
Genres: fiction, urban fantasy, futuristic fantasy

Welcome to Otopia, formerly known as Earth. In 2015 an event now referred to as the Quantum Bomb happened and everything changed, but no one knows by just how much since the QBomb changed and warped reality rather than causing an explosion. The biggest change is the discovery of five other realities that seem to lie parallel with Otopia. Faery is the friendliest towards Otopia and its human population, on the surface anyway. There's also Zoomenon (elemental realm), Alfheim (elven realm), Demonia (demon realm), and Thanatopia (only the dead and powerful necromancers can enter this realm). There's also I-space, but it's not really a realm it's just the space inbetween the realms that's full of ghosts and possibilities. In 2020, a year before Keeping It Real takes place, Alfheim closed its borders and remains in an uneasy state of affairs with the other realms.

Keeping It Real
Lila Black hasn't been a cyborg long, but she's finally been medically cleared to undertake her first assignment as an Incon agent. Unfoturnately for her this assignment involves an elf called Zal which makes her extremely uncomfortable since an elven magical attack nearly killed her. She quickly learns that Zal isn't your average elf, not only does he front a rock band (elves don't rock), he also seems addicted to elemental energy. When Lila isn't arguing with Zal about letting her do her bodyguarding job she's still dealing with the emotional scars of becoming, in her opinion, something that isn't very human. She's also confused and in quite a bit of pain because she isn't very familiar with her robotic parts or the A.I. running them and all that metal doesn't fuse with human skin so there's pain and irritation at her joints and seams. She has no choice but to learn and do it quickly when Zal is kidnapped and retrieving him means a trip into Alfheim.

Selling Out
After barely surviving her first assignment Lila Black is being sent into even more danger. Incon wants her to go into Demonia as Sorcha's (pop princess and Zal's adopted sister) guest to find out what happened to Zal while he was there and if the result can be replicated. It isn't long before she's attacked and ends up killing the House of Sikarzi's favorite son, but instead of wanting to kill her it seems that the highly feared assassin, Teazle Sikarzi, wants to marry her. Meawhile, Zal leaves for Demonia to join Lila, but ends up trapped in Zoomenon tripping over lost information that won't do him any good unless he can find a way out. Lila finds herself hellbound by dwelling on her insecurities and living in denial for so long complete with an imp companion chattering hard truths at her. When she thinks things can hardly get worse she finds out that her parents, that believe she's been M.I.A. since becoming a cyborg, have been attacked and their spirits taken leaving behind comatose shells. Now she has to protect her sister while chasing down whatever demon stole her parents' spirits so that she can set them free at the very least.

I have tried to cover the major plot points in these summaries, but there is so much more going on that it's impossible to cover it all in a few paragraphs. Robson has given so much life and uniqueness to Alfheim, Demonia, Zoomenon, and I-space that I hope you enjoy your visits as much as I did. This series is no light read, but for those that are looking for an intelligent series to get lost in and don't mind a little sci-fi with your fantasy I highly, HIGHLY recommend these books. The review for book three, Going Under, will be up soon so stay tuned.

Zhye

The Silver Dragons series... so far

2008-10-16T22:00:00.002-04:00

Playing With Fire & Up in Smoke by Katie MacAlister
Silver Dragons series, Book 1 & 2
ISBN# 978-0-451-22378-4 & 978-0-451-22528-3
Availability: both are out now
Published by Signet/ Penguin Group USA
Format: mass market paperback, 344 pages, 340 pages
Genres: fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, chick lit

If you thought the dragon sept stories were over when the Aisling Grey, Guardian series ended guess again. Playing With Fire starts off almost exactly where Holy Smokes ended. If you're new to this series or Katie MacAlister never fear. The story arc that ties the Aisling series to this series only really started in the last book so this series can be read and understood without reading the four books in the Aisling Grey, Guardian series first. This series will focus on the Wyvern of the silver dragons, Gabriel Tauhou, and how he finally wins his mate. The second book, Up in Smoke, also started to focus on the silver dragons' problems with the black dragons, namely Kostya and Baltic. MacAlister has plans to eventually write a series for every dragon sept (there's four unless the black dragons make a comeback) so keep reading or you'll fall behind!

Playing With Fire
The curse laid upon the silver dragons by the wyvern of the black dragons states, "No mate shall be born to any members until a black dragon is accepted as wyvern." May Northcott is an infamous cat burglar who's about to be caught by the man/dragon of her dreams. May isn't just a cat burglar, she's a doppelganger and since she was created not born the curse does not apply. May isn't free to love Gabriel and she tells him so. She is bound to the demon lord Magoth and knows that if she falls under his thrall he will make her kill Gabriel. While she's dealing with her emotions for Gabriel she's also busy trying to steal a dragon artifact, called a phylactery, from Kostya for Gabriel and Drake. Everything's going well until her twin and creator, Cyrene, is kidnapped and Magoth decides he wants the phylactery.

Up in Smoke
So, May has been sprung from Abaddon by finally agreeing to be Magoth's consort, which also given him access to our world. While the silver dragons are trying to keep an eye on Magoth, Bastian calls a wyvern meeting to decide once and for all who the real wyvern of the blue dragon sept is. When the decision doesn't go Fiat's way his mysterious friends launch an attack on the weyr (meeting). May tries to shadow walk her way out of the attack and runs right into the only dragon she's ever seen able to enter the shadow world. As he tries to take the Lindorm Phylactery from her she swears she hears Gabriel tell her to use it and when she does the top floor of the hotel barely survives the blast. When she comes to she learns that the dragon heart shard that was in the phylactery now resides in her abdomen making her the Northcott Phylactery. Now the race is on to find the dragon shard a new home before other dragon septs come after her and before May loses the battle against the shard and loses herself.

I've been waiting for Gabriel's story since he first appeared in the Aisling Grey, Guardian series so of course I'm really enjoying this series so far. For those that thought Aisling was just a little too clutzy and clueless May should be much more to your liking. While being unsure of exactly where her place in the world is she makes informed decisions (when possible) and is very confident in the skills she does possess. She is the responsible twin, always there to clean up any messes flighty, flakey Cyrene finds herself involved in. The differences between Drake and Gabriel are just as pronounced. Where Drake can be (and quite frequently is) a rude, overbearing jerk Gabriel seems to have gotten all the finesse and manners that Drake is desperately missing. He may not always agree with May's decisions, but he realizes that she is a highly capable woman with her own talents and skills so he trusts her judgement. Don't worry though, the humor and wit that MacAlister is known for is still very much present in this series and Jim (the doggie demon) still makes appearances with his snarky and sometimes wholly inappropriate comments. If you're looking for a light, funny paranormal series featuring some very hot dragons (look, I made a pun!) I highly recommend this series.

Zhye

The Vampire Shrink

2008-10-13T22:47:00.006-04:00

The Vampire Shrink by Lynda Hilburn
ISBN# 978-1933836-23-2
Available now
Published by Medallion Press, Inc.
Format: trade pbk., 400 pages
Genres: fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance

This book first caught my eye when it came out last year (how could it not with that cover art?), but I put off reading it until recently because it's by a new author and published by a company I'd never heard of before. There's also the name of the heroine, Kismet Knight, which is a little cheesy and brought on Forever Knight flashbacks. Actually, there's a vampire club in the book that I could totally see being called The Raven's Nest. Having read the book I can truthfully say that there really are no comparisons between the two. I can also add that I can't believe I waited so long to read this. Oh, and if you like this book be sure to check out the sequel, Dark Harvest, which just came out late last month.

Kismet Knight is a psychologist who only believes in what science can explain which means vampires do not exist and neither does her empathic ability. A new patient of her's, a young woman calling herself "Midnight", is about to turn Kismet's world upside down. With the first meeting Kismet decides that this vampire subculture would make a great book, little did she know what she'd be in for when she started advertising herself as "the vampire shrink". Soon she's meeting vampire wannabes at all hours and her voice mail is full of death threats and hellfire sermons. There's also the leader of this little vampire cult, Devereux, to deal with. Kismet convinces herself that he's some sort of hypnotist that can read her mind (umm, ok then). It's only after she sees real vampires in action and finds a dead body in her office that she starts to realize she might be in over her head.

There are a few cliches in this book, but who really gets tired of hot vamps in leather anyway? Devereux's Merlin lineage and what he's able to do because of it adds some originality to the book. His lineage could be very interesting if used correctly so I hope to see it pop up again in future books. There is no cliffhanger ending which is always a nice suprise. I also liked that Kismet and Devereux were not an instant couple, Kismet still isn't buying the soulmate thing even at the end of the book. If you love vampire paranormal romance books, but are a little tired of the instant hook-ups give this series a try. It will also appeal to urban fantasy fans because there is more going on than just getting the hero and heroine together.

Zhye

September Releases From the Fangs, Fur, & Fey Authors

2008-09-04T21:18:00.022-04:00

I found the Fangs, Fur, & Fey community last year on Livejournal and have been an avid reader of the blog ever since. It started out as a support system for urban fantasy authors, but now it's grown into a great way to build closer releationships with the readers, keep them informed about new books and authors, and to find out what really works for them in a book. You can only join if you're an author (under contract or already out in print) of urban fantasy or paranormal romance (please see their profile on livejournal for guidelines), but if you're just a very excited fan you can stll "watch" the community and comment on their posts.

SEPTEMBER RELEASES

Anna Windsor: Bound By Light

Dean Lorey: Nightmare Academy: Monster Madness

Holly Black: The Good Neighbors: Book 1

Jackie Kessler: Hell's Belles (mass market reissue)

Jeanne C. Stein: Legacy

Jennifer Estep: Jinx

Lilith Saintcrow: Steelflower

Lilith Saintcrow: Hunter's Prayer

Maria Lima: Matters of the Blood

Nalini Singh: Hostage to Pleasure

Marlene Perez: Dead is the New Black

Suzanne McLeod: The Sweet Scent of Blood

Terri Clark: Sleepless

Tiffany Trent ( & Paul Crilley) Hallowmere: Oracle of the Morrigan

I'm Back, I Hope

2008-08-27T02:08:00.004-04:00

I wasn't updating for quite awhile there and some of that's due to my computer having some sort of spazz attack. First it sort of crashed where it lost some files for no reason so I re-installed Windows. It was fine for two days before it completely crashed and all I got was a blue screen. We ordered a new hard drive, then had to wait a week for it to get here. That worked for a couple of days and then, Crash! Apparently that hard drive was faulty so we had to wait another week and a half for them to receive the faulty hard drive and send us a new one. This one has been working fine so far so I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best.

I did just put up a new review for Merlin's Dragon by T.A Barron so enjoy and I shall endeavor to update more regularly whether the reviews be for forthcoming books or books that have been out for years.

May you bookshelves never be empty and your favorite books never be lost,
Zhye

Merlin's Dragon

2008-08-27T01:35:00.005-04:00

Merlin's Dragon by T.A. Barron
(first book in the Merlin's Dragon trilogy)
ISBN# 978-0-399-24750-7
Available September 18, 2008
Published by Philomel Books/Penguin Group USA
Format: Hardcover, 313 pages
Genres: young adult (YA), fiction, fantasy

"In everything I do," says T. A. Barron, "I'm a storyteller. As a
dad, a writer, a documentary film maker, a conservationist, and a voice for the
importance of heroes—in all these ways, I tell stories. Why? Because there is no
more powerful—or more exciting—way to convey an idea than through a
story."

The above quote comes directly from Barron's bio on his website and after reading Merlin's Dragon, the first book in a new trilogy, I would never argue that he is not a talented storyteller. Unfortunately for me and anyone else new to Barron this book doesn't seem to stand on its own too well. The timeline of this trilogy falls between two other series, The Lost Years of Merlin series and The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy, so I felt that I was missing something quite a few times because some things, characters especially, obviously carried over from The Lost Years of Merlin without an explanation or some sort of recap. If you want to start a little smaller you could try his Heartlight trilogy that doesn't tie in with any of the Merlin books although Kate does meet him in the last book. You could also just wait for the movie based on The Lost Years of Merlin series, but I think that's a few years off since they're still in the early stages, meetings and such. If you want to know more about T.A. Barron, reading order, or the movie please visit his website.

The first thing that caught my eye upon opening this book is the maps, although the small type on the map of Avalon is blurry, making it almost impossible to read. Hopefully the problem is just in my copy. I love maps, especially if the characters are doing some major traveling. Once you begin the book you will almost immediately notice that there's something special about Basil (the main character). He may be about the size of a gecko, but throughout the book he proves over and over again that courage and heart do not have a size requirement. The other thing that really got my attention in the last half of the book was all the creatures and realms in Avalon. The Great Tree of Avalon has seven roots and all of them have vastly different landscapes with different peoples and creatures such as gnomes, dragons, eaglefolk, wind sisters, sylphs, etc. In this book you'll at least get glimpses of them since Basil has to journey through all seven realms.

After his egg has some adventures of its own Basil finally hatches during the first year of Avalon to find himself in the deep forest of Woodroot. He spends most of his time stealing food and hiding from predators until the day he hides in a patch of basil. A heron found him, smelling strongly of basil, and told him she would let him live if he could produce another smell. She also asked him what sort of creature he was which made Basil start wondering the same thing. From there he also starts thinking that there must be more to life than just surviving so when he happens upon a portal he barely gives it a second thought before jumping in.

Basil ends up in Stoneroot just in time for Merlin's wedding. This is neither the first or last coincidental meeting with Merlin that goes awry. He decides to stick around after the wedding to have a look around, but as he's on his way to the portal, a few days later, there's a rock slide and the portal vanishes. Ten years later Basil is still stuck in Stoneroot, but an encounter with Dagda, the great god of wisdom, will set him on a path he never could have imagined. From Dagda he learns that a great enemy of Merlin and Avalon its self has entered the realm. He also learns that Merlin is currently searching the seven realms for a kreelix, "the greatest mortal foe a wizard can face." Basil's mission is clear; he must search the realms for Merlin and warn him, hopefully before his two enemies join forces.

Heroes seem to play a major role in most of T.A. Barron's books and Basil may just be the most unlikely hero of them all. I think that younger children, in particular, will connect with Basil because they are also small and may feel that they can't make a big change in the world yet either. This book is considered young adult, but I think that most of the book (there's a baby dragon slaughter scene at the beginning for some reason) will actually appeal to those who are 13 years of age and younger. People familiar with Celtic folklore and myth or Arthurian legend may also like the Merlin books. Adults without smaller children may find this book a little tame and naïve for them, but if you can suspend your cynicism long enough you'll see what a wonderful imagination T.A. Barron really has.

ZhyeGoatt

Cabinet of Wonders

2008-07-21T00:46:00.006-04:00

The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski
The Kronos Chronicles: Book 1
ISBN# 978-0-374-31026-4
Available August 5, 2008
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) /Macmillan

Format: Hardcover, 258 pages
Genres: young adult (YA), fiction, fantasy

It’s a little hard to believe that this brilliant story comes from a first time author, but it’s a little easier to accept once you know that this first time author is also a professor of english literature. The good news for me, and all of her soon-to-be ravenous fans once the book comes out, is that Rutkoski is already hard at work on book two of The Kronos Chronicles. There’s only one little thing that bothers me about this book, it’s recommended for ages 10+. Parents, use your own judgment because there is some subject matter in this book that even made me a little queasy and it’s not because it’s gory or even all that graphic, it’s just the imagery and thoughts that come with someone being able to wear someone else’s eyes and then changing them out for their own whenever they want. Some kids will no doubt think it’s cool while others’ might have nightmares. To read an excerpt or learn more about this author visit her here.

I loved Petra and her tin spider, Astrophil, almost immediately. I know Petra’s the main character, but Astrophil kind of steals the show for me after we find out he’s an insomniac who spends his nights reading anything he can find. I love that Petra turns out to be a pretty stable character despite her background of basically raising herself and doing as she pleases because her father is always working on his next invention. So many authors would have turned her into a spoiled brat or a stubborn mule. She is pretty stubborn, but she’s never stupid about it, if it sounds reasonable she’ll listen. I also like her confidence, she doesn’t back down just because her choices and decisions are hard or not the choices other people would make.

Petra’s father has a magical affinity with metals and so he is hired by the prince to make a mysterious clock. His return, however, is no cause for celebration for the prince was so taken with how her father must see the world that he had his eyes removed and spelled so that he could wear them and see the world that way too. Petra knows that her father needs his eyes in order to make his inventions so she starts planning to go to Prague and steal them back. Once she gets there she finds that her plan may be impossible since even when she does get a job at the castle she still isn’t allowed anywhere near the prince’s rooms. Once she learns the true power of the clock and that the prince is close to making it work she realizes her father’s eyes may not be her biggest concern.

This book was a quick read, but at the same time fully immersing you in Petra’s world and her life. The world that Rutkoski has created is lush, the characters are very real with specific identities (although we haven’t gotten into the prince’s head yet), and the prose used to describe it all is wonderful. If you’re interested in seeing the clock that gave her the idea for this story there’s pictures and information here: Prague Astronomical Clock. If you’re looking for a new series or new world to get caught up in definitely give this book a try.

Zhye

Keturah and Lord Death

2008-07-18T00:37:00.007-04:00

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
ISBN# 978-1932425291
Available now
Published by Front Street
Format: Hardcover, 216 pages
Genres: young adult (YA), fiction, fantasy

I finally finished this book earlier today although it's taken me a few days longer than I think it should have. I think most of that was due to Keturah not being a very believable character. Her "selfless" attitude just made her seem high and mighty really. I also wasn't buying her whole peasant routine. What peasant refers to herself as a peasant even when talking to herself? Her big dream apparently is to marry a peasant farmer, live in a little peasant house, and have her own peasant baby. We also don't see much of Lord Death, even though what little we do see seems more interesting than Keturah.

Our story starts with Keturah getting lost in the forest for three days and having to bargain with death. She's a natural storyteller so she tells him a story, but says that if he lets her live one more day she'll tell him the end tomorrow night. Since the story is about a girl finding her true love Lord Death tells her that if she can find her true love by tomorrow night he'll let her live. Of course she doesn't find her true love in a day even with the help of a nasty charm so the next night she tells him a little more of the story and makes the same bargain only this time she asks that death spare the life of a boy in the village too. The book goes on like this for what seems forever and she's always asking him to spare someone and because she knows he loves her she uses that against him to get him to spare her village from the plague. By this time I'm wondering exactly what he sees in her at all anymore. If you can't guess how this ends I'm surely not going to tell you. You'll just have to read it and find out.

This book was ok, but very predictable and any situation that arose just sort of melted away without anyone having to do much about it. If you're looking for a light read with an odd sort of happy ending or if you feel the need to read every book that death has a mortal form in try this book. If you want to know more about this book or the author please visit her here.

Zhye

The Summoning

2008-07-15T23:28:00.002-04:00

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
(first book in the Darkest Powers trilogy)
ISBN# 978-0-06-166269-0
Available now
Published by HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover, 390 pages
Genres: young adult (YA), fiction, urban fantasy

Kelley Armstrong is probably most well known for her Women of the Otherworld series which is set in a world of werewolves, vampires, witches, sorcerers, and half-demons collectively referred to as supernaturals. What you may not know is that she has also started a thriller series about Nadia Stafford, an ex-cop turned hitman. The first and only book in that series so far is Exit Strategy. The Darkest Powers trilogy, which The Summoning is the first book of, marks her first foray into writing especially for the young adult audience. This trilogy is set in the same world as the Women of the Otherworld series, but since Ms. Armstrong plans to keep them separate there will be no overlap of situations or characters. This book features all new characters with all new stories to tell so it will be exciting for new readers as well as the devoted fans of her other books. The only advantage the devoted readers will have is their familiarity with the different races and types of supernaturals. If you want to know more about Kelley Armstrong or her books please visit her website.

I really do like our protagonist in this trilogy, Chloe Saunders. She’s smart enough to question things that make no sense or sound wrong to her, but she’s also smart enough to accept the truth when given enough proof no matter how outlandish it seems. She’s your average teenager with average teenage problems and somehow even with all the supernatural problems that crop up later Armstrong manages to keep her that way, there’s no instant personality change and she doesn’t become wise and worldly overnight. Chloe behaves in every situation, mundane or supernatural, like you would expect most teenagers to behave whether it’s covering for a friend or being so terrified that you pee yourself. I believe that all of this makes Chloe is a very “real” character and also one that most teenagers, especially girls, will identify with rather quickly.

Chloe may think she’s just an ordinary 15 year old, but after today everything will change. Before she even makes it to school she sees a boy run into traffic and then disappear. School is going well until Chloe forgets her lunch, but when she doubles back to collect it she hears sobbing in the auditorium although she doesn’t see anyone. Things only escalate from there. While she’s in the bathroom she hears the sobbing again only this time it’s coming from the empty stall next to her. When she comes running out of the bathroom she’s accosted by a custodian that wants to talk to her, but why can’t she hear his footsteps and what’s wrong with his face? She runs away, but ends up on the second or third floor facing a window and of course the teachers the teachers that have followed her can’t see the custodian so they tackle her assuming that she was going to jump.

Chloe ends up at Lyle House, a home for troubled teens, diagnosed as a schizophrenic due to the incident at school. Liz, Rae, and Simon seem nice enough, but she still worries about what they’re in for and whether any of them are dangerous. Tori is a real piece of work, but it’s not like Chloe hasn’t met those types before. Derek, Simon’s adopted brother, is the one Chloe’s really nervous about. He looms over everyone like a rain cloud, the girls think he’s a jerk, and he always seems to be standing right behind Chloe every time she turns around scaring her to death.

Simon and Derek seem to know more than they let on and they’re always whispering together, but Chloe figures that whatever it is doesn’t matter because if she takes her medication and plays along with the psychologist she’ll be out in two weeks since her aunt told her she was only there for observation. All of this complacency slowly starts to vanish when she wakes up one morning to see a worried Liz sitting on her bed. When Chloe tries to comfort her with a hug her hand goes right through Liz who screams and disappears. Now, all Chloe can think about is what really happened to Liz and is Lyle House involved?

Puberty is a big part of this book not only because most of the characters are teenagers, but also because the onset of puberty means coming into your powers for a supernatural, whether you know you’re one or not. Armstrong really seems as if she’s trying to make it clear to teenagers that puberty may hit people differently, but it does happen to everyone. Chloe worries about looking younger than the other girls her age and wondering if she’ll ever get her period (boys can muscle through this page and a half). Derek is one of those poor boys with their systems all out of whack. His growth spurt hit all at once, his acne is unmanageable, and despite the fact he takes two showers a day he’s always sweaty and his hair is always lank and a little oily. I think that the teenage experience was captured so well through these characters that even adult readers will be dragged, kicking and screaming, back to their own years of dealing with the hell that is puberty. Perhaps this book will also help everyone with a teenager in their life better understand what they probably won’t tell you.

I’ve gone on and on about how teenagers will love this book, but I think adults will love it too. If you’ve read anything by Kelley Armstrong you know she tells a great story with very likeable and original characters. This book still has all those great qualities. This may be a YA book, but I didn’t notice any dumbing down of the story or preaching like a few young adult authors tend to do. You may have flashbacks to your gawky teenage years after reading this book, but they’ll go away, eventually. If you want to know more about Chloe, the books, or her friends please visit Chloe Saunders.

Zhye