 | Title: And Blue Skies From Pain
Sexual Content: Reference to sex Rating:
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Showing posts with label fey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fey. Show all posts
04 March 2012
Posted by
Kristina
at 6:30 AM
Labels: 2nd in series, 4 bats, fey, Night Shade Books, Review, Stina Leicht, The Fey and the Fallen, Urban Fantasy
Labels: 2nd in series, 4 bats, fey, Night Shade Books, Review, Stina Leicht, The Fey and the Fallen, Urban Fantasy
14 October 2011
 | Title: The Scorpio Races
Sexual Content: Kissing Rating:
Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. |
Posted by
Abigail
at 1:12 PM
Labels: 1st person, 5 bats, fey, Maggie Stiefvater, Paranormal YA, Review, standalone, Water Horses
Labels: 1st person, 5 bats, fey, Maggie Stiefvater, Paranormal YA, Review, standalone, Water Horses
04 July 2011
 | Title: Feast
 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. |
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.
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Posted by
Julia
at 7:30 PM
Labels: 1st person, 5 bats, fey, Merrie Destefano, Paranormal Fantasy, Review
Labels: 1st person, 5 bats, fey, Merrie Destefano, Paranormal Fantasy, Review
25 April 2011
 | Title: Uncertain Allies
 Sexual Content: Kissing. References to homosexuality. Rating
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Description
After a night of riots and fires, the Boston neighborhood known as the Weird is in ruins. And when a body is found drained of its essence, ex- Guild investigator Connor Grey is drawn into the case against his will. And he has reason to be wary. Because the case will lead to an explosive secret that threatens to tear apart the city-and the world.
Review
Boston’s Weird is the setting for the latest Connor Grey urban fantasy featuring the former Guild investigator who lost his Druid powers and now ‘does favors’, as he puts it. It was instant love for me when I read about the magic wreaked city populated with shunned Fey including trolls, elves, and all types of Irish and German fairies. All of whom are fully integrated into the human world since the Convergence more than a century ago. It’s the kind of rich and dense world that urban fantasy junkies live for, and in this case, it softened the blow of a few shortcomings.
One of the bigger shortcomings was the action scenes, or lack there of. Even the showdown at the ending of UNCERTAIN ALLIES is about as action free as I’ve ever read in an urban fantasy. That’s really indicative of the type of character Connor Grey is. He’s not a fighter. He’d be willing to take up arms if the situation called for it, but he prefers to think his way out of tough situations. And not a lot ruffles him. He doesn’t have any real high or low emotional swings. He’s the definition of an even-keeled, easy going guy. In reality, you need those kind of people, in fiction, they can be a bit boring.
In addition to steady-as-a-rock Connor, the supporting cast is huge. So much so that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. That confusion wasn’t helped by the fact that apart from Connor’s semi girlfriend Meryl, they didn’t really distinguish themselves. That could be due to the fact that I haven’t read the previous books, but even still.
Del Franco does do an amazing job of bringing new readers up to speed on the previous installments of the Connor Grey series in a nice concise opening and then continues to drop little reminders throughout UNCERTAIN ALLIES as to the significance or history whenever new characters popped up. Given the density of the worldbuilding, which again was excellent, I can see both old and new readers appreciating this.
Overall all, Connor Grey is a laid back guy with a lot of guilt who accepts the knocks he’s taken in life as his due and doesn’t complain. And that’s basically how UNCERTAIN ALLIES feels as a book. It’s a steady, solid read set in a very intriguing world with plenty of mystery in lieu of the usual urban fantasy adrenaline.
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Posted by
Abigail
at 6:30 AM
Labels: 1st person, 3 bats, 5th in series, fey, Magic, Review, Urban Fantasy
Labels: 1st person, 3 bats, 5th in series, fey, Magic, Review, Urban Fantasy
18 April 2011
 | Title: The Cold Kiss of Death
Sexual Content: Scenes of graphic sensuality. References to rape. Attempted rape. References to homosexuality.
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Description
Genny Taylor works for Spellcrackers.com ±
Making Magic Safe. But her own life is anything but safe!
‘The ghost grasped her shift and ripped it open. The three interlacing crescents carved red-raw and bleeding into her thin chest didn’t look any better than the last dozen times I’d seen them. The wounds weren’t lethal – they weren’t even recent; she’d been dead for at least a hundred and fifty years – but my gut still twisted with anger that someone would do that to a child.’
Being haunted by a ghost is the least of Genny’s problems: she’s also trying to deal with the witch neighbor who wants her evicted. Finn, her sort-of-Ex – and now her new boss – can’t quite decide whether he wants their relationship to be business or pleasure. And then there’s the queue of vamps inviting her to paint the town red; how long before they stop taking no for an answer?
Just when it seems things can’t get any worse a human friend is murdered using sidhe magic. Determined to hunt down the killer and needing help, she turns to one of London’s most capricious wylde fae and the seductive vampire Malik al-Khan.
But all too soon she realizes she doesn’t know who she can trust – and now Genny’s the one being hunted, not just by the police, but by some of London’s most powerful and dangerous supernaturals.
Review
THE COLD KISS OF DEATH by Suzanne McLeod is the second book in the Spellcrackers series featuring Genny Taylor, the only leanan sidhe in London, who works for Spellcrackers, a company that fixes magical problems. The first half of this book was an urban fantasy lovers dream. A version of London overrun with supernatural creatures, a world that has fully integrated both the mundane and magical with deep prejudices on all sides, and a smart protagonist who navigates the line between both. Unfortunately, the second half wasn’t nearly as good.
Given the title of this series, I expected there to be a decent amount a spellcracking work going on. Not so much. In fact apart from one small scene early on, Genny doesn’t work at all in this book. Maybe there was more of that in the first book—I haven’t read it yet—but it felt like an oversight here and I was left feeling kind of disappointing. My biggest problem, however, was the plot. Halfway through it started to get overly convoluted and complicated, with most of the conflicts being increasingly unnecessary. There were usually obvious solutions that would not only have solved Genny’s problems, but avoided them in the first place. Genny was such a smart character that it felt really inconsistent for her to always chose the most ridiculously difficult options.
On the upside, I was pleasantly surprised by how much romance was actually in this book. Genny has three different suitors after her: a satyr, a kelpie, and a vampire. All three of these guys had serious leading man potential and brought out very different sides of Genny. It will be interesting to see who she ends up with because she is frustratingly wishy-washy when it comes to choosing in this book. In my opinion, she only really had feelings for one of the guys since her response to the other two was primarily sexual.
Overall, the first half of this book would have easily earned a 4bat rating, but the second half would have only gotten a 2bat. That averages out to a 3bat rating since this very cool character, in her even cooler magical London, was largely squandered by a plot that grew overly ambitious and messy. THE BITTER SEED OF MAGIC, the third book in the Spellcrackers series, is available now in the UK, and will be released in the US on December 27, 2011
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Posted by
Abigail
at 6:30 AM
Labels: 1st person, 2nd in series, 3 bats, fey, London, Review, spellcrackers, Suzanne McLeod, Urban Fantasy, Vampires
Labels: 1st person, 2nd in series, 3 bats, fey, London, Review, spellcrackers, Suzanne McLeod, Urban Fantasy, Vampires
06 April 2011
 | Title: Chime
 Kissing. References to sex. Attempted sexual assault. My Rating:
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Description
Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.
Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.
Review
What an odd and wonderful book. I’m doing it a disservice to even try and review it properly. The writing is just lovely. Beautiful and vivid characterizations, especially concerning the protagonist Briony. The story has fantastically creepy undertones, poetic descriptions, and evokes such a strong sense of place that I could smell the Swampsea. Read the excerpt. That’s the best thing I can tell you to do. I was hooked from the first line:
I've confessed to everything and I'd like to be hanged. Now, if you please. – Opening line from CHIME
I could write this entire review praising the writing, but more than anything, I love the voice of Briony. I cannot begin to compare her to any another character. Everything about her is bright and clear and gothic. She is one of the wittiest characters I’ve ever read. Right up there with Elizabeth Bennett. Her internal thoughts are beyond fascinating. She is constantly training and schooling her thoughts: ‘I am a witch…I am wicked…’ Her observations are biting, and no more so than when they are about herself.
…The story of a wicked girl has no true beginning. I'd have to begin with the day I was born.
If Eldric were to tell the story, he'd likely begin with himself, on the day he arrived in the Swampsea. That's where proper stories begin, don't they, when the handsome stranger arrives and everything goes wrong?
But this isn't a proper story, and I'm telling you, I ought to be hanged.
Parts of CHIME reminded me of I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith or the books by Maggie Stiefvater and Holly Black. But none of those are quite right. CHIME is really like nothing I’ve ever read before. It is not the type of book you gulp down. I read it in the span of a week (and 99% of the time I read a book in one sitting), and not because it wasn’t compelling, but the story and pacing lent itself to a more drawn out reading experience. Like being in Briony’s swamp, it’s impossible to run through it. Initially I was a bit impatient with the slow going narrative, but my impatience didn’t last. Everything else about CHIME was utterly bewitching. This is a beautifully creepy tale told in a beautifully creepy way. I highly recommend it.
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Posted by
Abigail
at 6:39 AM
Labels: 1st person, 4 bats, fey, Paranormal YA, Review, standalone, witches
Labels: 1st person, 4 bats, fey, Paranormal YA, Review, standalone, witches
24 February 2011
 | Title: Late Eclipses Author: Seanan McGuire Series: October Daye #4 Cover Art: Chris McGrath Genre: Urban Fantasy Excerpt: No Source: Publisher Reviewed by:Julia
 Kissing, mention of prostitution and sexual relationships.  Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel. |
Description
Two years ago, October "Toby" Daye believed she could leave the world of Faerie behind. She was wrong. Now she finds herself in the service of Duke Sylvester Torquill, sharing an apartment with her Fetch, and maintaining an odd truce with Tybalt, the local King of Cats. It's a delicate balance—one that's shattered when she learns that an old friend is in dire trouble. Lily, Lady of the Tea Gardens, has been struck down by a mysterious, seemingly impossible illness, leaving her fiefdom undefended.Struggling to find a way to save Lily and her subjects, Toby must confront her own past as an enemy she thought was gone forever raises her head once more: Oleander de Merelands, one of the two people responsible for her fourteen-year exile. But if Oleander's back, what's her game? Where is she hiding? And what part does Toby's mother, Amandine, have to play?
Time is growing short and the stakes are getting higher. For the Queen of the Mists has her own agenda, and there are more players in this game than Toby can guess. With everything on the line, she will have to take the ultimate risk to save herself and the people she loves most—because if she can't find the missing pieces of the puzzle in time, Toby will be forced to make the one choice she thought she'd never have to face again...
Review
From the first book, ROSEMARY AND RUE, it has felt like I jumped into the October Daye series “in media res.” Quickly swept away by action and character development, I had for the most part forgotten Toby’s mysterious past. LATE ECLIPSES not only brings it all back, but also explodes Toby’s own preconceived ideas about herself and her heritage. While not a cliff hanger, this book ends poised at the top of an arc, and I can’t wait to read where all of this forward momentum is going to take the series.If book #3, AN ARTIFICIAL NIGHT, took us out of Toby’s daily life and deep into the mythos of fairy, LATE ECLIPSES stays very much on her home turf. Unfortunately for Toby, that doesn’t mean there isn’t danger and intrigue, it just means her friends and family are in the line of fire. Flitting about Toby’s consciousness, amidst mysterious sicknesses and political attacks, hints of Oleander de Merelands are appearing. One of the people responsible for Toby’s fourteen year stint as a gold fish, the loss of her husband and child, and the twisted madness of her beloved liege lord's daughter, Oleander is one of the boogeymen of fairy, an evil individual and twisted assassin. No one wants to believe that Oleander is back, and even Toby is unsure of her own sanity at the suggestion, adding a psychological twist to a story that I already found compelling.
While the action is certainly non-stop, it was the characters that held my undivided attention. The book starts with glimpses of the home life Toby and May have built for themselves, and in the deadly cascade of events that follows, the possibility that they could lose that relationship was the one thought that really tugged at my heartstrings. In addition to May, Tybalt and Connor both share significant page time. I felt like I learned more about Tybalt and Toby’s past relationship, as well as saw hints of it’s future. However, McGuire isn’t committing Toby to any one romantic path. Connor has always been the one that got away, and despite being married, the sexual tension (and his criminally insane wife) keep things interesting. Tybalt and Connor are two very different men, it may prove to be a Peeta and Gale moment when this tension is resolved.
Overall, Seanan McGuire has done a stellar job of developing her characters while interweaving action and suspense. As much as I enjoyed the romantic tension in LATE ECLIPSES, it was the details about Toby’s family, both blood relation and adopted, that truly touched me. The story as a whole has me on the edge of my seat for ONE SALT SEA in September, I am eager to find out how all this will play out.
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Posted by
Julia
at 6:30 AM
Labels: 4 bats, 4th in series, fey, Review, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy
Labels: 4 bats, 4th in series, fey, Review, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy
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