It’s the last day of the month which means it’s time to check out what we’re going to be reading next month in:

Want to know what titles came out in previous months? View all the previous Hot Off The Press posts here

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*This title will be released on April 24, 2012*

Title: Masque of the Red Death Author: Bethany Griffin   Series: N/A Cover Art:  N/A Genre: Steampunk YA Excerpt: No Source: Publisher Reviewed by: Kristina Reading level: Ages 14 and up Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Greenwillow Books (April 24, 2012) ISBN-10: 0062107798 ISBN-13: 978-0062107794   Sexual Content: Some kissing Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & put this author on your watch list.

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Title: Feast Author: Merrie Destefano Series: N/A Cover Art: N/A Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Excerpt: Yes Source: Netgalley Reviewed by: Julia Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Harper Voyager; June 28, 2011 ISBN-10: 0061990825 ISBN-13: 978-0061990823 Sexual Content: Kissing, mention of sex, references to magically coerced sex and pregnancy. Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

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Description

Madeline MacFadden ("Mad Mac" to fans of her bestselling magical stories) spent blissful childhood summers in Ticonderoga Falls. And this is where she wants to be now that her adult life is falling apart. The dense surrounding forest holds many memories, some joyous, some tantalizingly only half-remembered. And she's always believed there was something living in these wooded hills.

But Maddie doesn't remember the dark parts -- and knows nothing of the mountain legend that holds the area's terrified residents captive. She has no recollection of Ash, the strange and magnificent creature who once saved her life as a child, even though it is the destiny of his kind to prey upon humanity. And soon it will be the Harvest. . . the time to feast.

Once again Maddie's dreams -- and her soul -- are in grave danger. But magic runs deep during Harvest. Even a spinner of enchanted tales has wondrous powers of her own.

 

Review

From FEAST’s first chapter I was engrossed as much with the mythology expanding before my eyes as I was with the characters who had already won my heart.  The balance of character development and world building excellence that was impossible to put down.  With a dreamy quality that I associate with Charles de Lint or Nina Kirki Hoffman, and with a touch of her own urban fantasy style thrown in, Destefano transforms a piece of our every day world into something dark and magical.

That little piece of magic is the vacation town of Ticonderoga Falls and it’s inhabitants.  It’s a getaway spot for humans, and, when the Hunt draws near, Darklings from another realm.  The mythology of the Darklings unfolds slowly and organically, mixed in with the sad personal history of our hero, the ancient and damaged Ash.  Destefano isn’t shy about painting Ash’s dark side, but it was that grittiness that made it so fascinating to watch him orbit and collide with Maddie and the locals, and created an adrenaline rush of fear and anticipation that accompanied each human/Darkling interaction. 

While those moments of contact never came without a frisson of danger, there were also hints of long term symbiotic relationships, of love and passion that crossed realms.  While I had a hard time imagining what a happily ever after would look like between Ash and Maddie themselves (never mind their blended families),  I loved the level of detail and uncertainty Destefano lavished on her characters.  Ash has lived numerous lives before, and Destefano deftly writes glimpses of his past even as she writes his present.     Ash himself has doubts about a place for Maddie in his life, and his internal struggles leave the ending in question until the last pages, a delicious delay that never felt contrived.

All throughout FEAST, that artful uncertainty, when Maddie was vulnerable to other Darklings, and the entire town of Ticonderoga Falls is at risk for nightmares and heartbreak and death, I was cringing in anticipation and yelling at the pages.  From beginning to end FEAST wrapped me up in it’s faerie tale, and kept me completely under the spell of Destefano’s dark dream.

Previous Books in Series	Also Reviewed By:
N/A	Seduced by a Book SciFiChick Mel’s Random Blog

*This title will be released on October 26, 2010*

Title: Geist
Author: Philipa Ballantine
Series: Book of the Order #1
Cover Art: Jason Chan
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Ace
Date Published: October 26, 2010
ISBN-10: 0441019617
ISBN-13: 978-0441019618

Review Copy Source: Penguin
Reviewed by: Abigail

Book Description

Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists...

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?

 Review

GEIST is one of those books that straddles the line between a number of different genres.  It reads like a mix between Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series and Illona Andrews Kate Daniels series (and not just because of the werelion).  A number of paranormal creatures thrown into a high fantasy setting and time period with a splash a steampunk.  Let’s call it paranormal fantasy. 

GEIST is set in a lush high fantasy world were a dedicated Order of essentially mages protect humanity from demons (aka geists) who attempt to possess and destroy the world. The Order is made up of two complimentary types of mages:  Actives (who wield magic) and Sensitives (who can ‘see’ the Otherside) who enter into a psychic Bond together.

This type of magic system and the religious/political order who train and dogmatize the deacons from childhood is very reminiscent of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.  Unfortunately, at just over 300 pages, I felt like GEIST barely scratched the surface of this necessarily complex society.  I’m sure there will be more about The Order in future books, but as it was in the first book, we got the abridged version which remained too shallow for me to really connect with. 

The characters were an entirely different matter, specifically Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne.  He is a wonderfully tormented man who brandishes his bitterness and pride like the weapons they are.  Sorcha, meanwhile, is a walking legend as the most powerful Active The Order has.  She is revered and feared by those around her, save for her indifferent husband and Sensitive partner, Kolya.  After an injury, the young and idealistic Merrick is assigned to Sorcha in his stead.

I did like GEIST, but it had the potential to make me love it, and that miss has me disappointed.  The world building was fascinating but underutilized, the surprise romance was a nice addition, and the three main characters made for an interesting if dysfunctional group.  I’m on the fence about whether or not I’ll be picking up SPECTYR when it’s published in Summer 2011.

Sexual Content: One semi graphic sex scene

My Rating:

3/5
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.

Click HERE to read an excerpt from GEIST

Previous books in the series:

1. N/A

Also reviewed by:

• Dreams and Speculation
• Genre Go Round Reviews