Our guest blogger today is Sarwat Chadda, the author of DEVIL'S KISS and DARK GODDESS, “two novels about the only girl squire in the Knight's Templar. If you like your romance tragic and bloody, and your fairy tales dark and filled with howling wolves, you've come to the right place.” My reviews for both books will be up next week.  Thanks to Disney Hyperion, we’re giving away a set of both DEVIL’S KISS & DARK GODDESS.  See details below. 

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Spooky Cities
by
Sarwat Chadda

I love cities. London. New York. Barcelona. Varanasi. I could go on and on. I have never been to a city I didn’t like. Countryside, for me, is the bit in between you sleep through while you’re on the train.  So, yeah, I have to write urban fantasy.

Devil’s Kiss is set in London, my home city. It’s ancient and modern, spacious with hundreds of parks yet fed through with veins of alleyways and hidden courtyards. It’s been the scene of massacres, of plagues, of coronations and assassinations. It’s been home to royalty, scientists and serial killers.  What’s not to love?

You trend on any street and you’re walking on over two thousand year of history. So ghosts linger and Londoners think nothing of it. It’s the sort of city where people disappear, fall between the cracks, and no-one would ever notice or even care.  It’s beautiful and brutal. Just like Billi’s world.

Billi SanGreal’s a Knight Templar. She’s the first girl ever to enter the order and not all the Templars are particularly happy about it. The Templars have been in London since the 12th Century. The Temple Church still stands in the heart of the city, like it always has. The Templars still control it, like they always have.

Billi’s a reflection of the city. She’s grown up in it and it’s part of her as much as her skin and blood.  She’s a modern 21st Century girl but one who’s been steeped in medieval lore. She can read the ancient Latin inscriptions on the church walls while she tweets her mates from school. She takes the underground to fight the Unholy horrors that crawl out of the forgotten plague pits and necropolis that surround the city.

To me, it’s a given my stories would be set in real places. The fantasy’s stronger the more reality you put into it. By making my nightmares and heroes walk the same streets I walk make the transition from this world into the other so much easier. I’ve seen the alleyways that Jack the Ripper worked. I’ve stood in the place of the Tyburn tree where they once hung children. Wandered lanes where the plague carts rolled and where innocent queens died under the axe.

If Devil’s Kiss is about London, then Dark Goddess is about Moscow. After the first book, I needed to take Billi out of her comfort zone. London’s her home. No matter the danger she’s got family, allies and safe havens here.  Moscow’s different. The scale of it is mindboggling. It’s immense. The underground stations are works of art with crystal chandeliers, bronze statues and gold mosaics. Red Square has a cathedral at one end, the Kremlin at the other, and a huge department store. Religion, war and commerce. Moscow’s almost as old as London but if anything, it’s history is even more bloody and that’s saying something. It’s a city of priests, tsars and gangsters. The churches have golden roofs paid for with blood money.  I do hope you’ll take the time to explore Billi’s world. You won’t forget it.

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Writer of Young Adult fiction and general house-spouse. I did some engineering in an earlier life and worked on the Channel Tunnel. That may be why I always take the ferry. My first book, DEVIL'S KISS, is out in the US, UK, Netherlands, Germany and Japan. The sequel, Dark Goddess, came out in the UK in July, and January in the US.

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Visit Sarwat Chadda online:
Website | Blog | Twitter

Giveaway

One winner will receive the first two books in the Billi SanGreal series: DEVIL’S KISS & DARK GODDESS by Sarwat Chadda

DEVIL’S KISS

Billi SanGreal is the first girl in the Knights Templar, and the most kick ass weapon-wielding heroine around. At fifteen, her life is a rigorous and brutal round of weapons practice, demon killing and occult lore – and a whole lot of bruises. But then, she didn’t have much choice. Her father, the Templar Master, forced her to take this path. There is no sacrifice Arthur will not make in his war against the Unholy. But Billi hates the Order, and she hates him too. Tempted by a chance to live a different kind of life and reject everything her father wants her to be, she learns to her horror that she may unwittingly have brought down the Tenth Plague upon humanity – the death of all first born. Faced with choosing her destiny, she must make sacrifices greater than she could have imagined.

DARK GODDESS

THE DARK GODDESS will take Billi to Russia to rescue Vasilisa, a young girl Billi’s promised to protect. To save her, Billi must defeat the werewolves that serve the witch Baba Yaga – and the Dark Goddess herself.  Baba Yaga is sickened by the destruction and corruption humanity has spread across the natural world. She recognises mankind has become a plague upon the Earth, and her duty is clear: to cleanse the planet and rid it of the pestilence of Man. Billi is sent to stop her, but does she have the right?
Betrayed and alone, Billi faces a final mighty battle in the abandoned ruins of Chernobyl.

GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES

1. Open to US and CA
2. Leave a comment or question for Sarwat
3. Entries must be received by Midnight MST on Saturday Feb 12th

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Interested in guest blogging on All Things Urban Fantasy?  CONTACT ME

Just a heads up, we’ll be making some design changes to the blog over the next couple hours (we’re not touching the header—we love the header).  Please be patient if things look a little off while we’re installing.

Thanks!

Allison Pang is joining us today to answer questions about her urban fantasy debut, A BRUSH OF DARKNESS (available now).  In my review, I called it a “smart, irreverent, and super sexy urban fantasy.”  If you like unicorns, incubi, succubi, angels, demons, werewolves, vampires, mermaids, and yummy delicious bacon, you’ll want to read this book.

Interview

ATUF: There are all sorts of paranormal creatures in A BRUSH OF DARKNESS.  Can you explain the world building? What is unique about it?


AP: I borrow extremely loosely from Celtic mythology in general and specifically Scottish mythology with the whole concept of the CrossRoads being a reflection of the old True Thomas ballad.  Essentially, I’ve mentally split up many of these paranormal creatures into three categories – those of Heaven, those of Hell and those of Faerie.  It’s not always as cut and dried as all that, though, and there are many shades of gray in between.  Most of them are just trying to live their own lives – however, I wanted there to be a bit of a price for those creatures choosing to hang out in the mortal world. If they want to be here long term, they have to enter a Contract with a mortal (which comes with its own sets of issues and protocols).

ATUF: Where did the inspiration for Phineas come from & where can I get my very own touchstone miniature unicorn?


AP: Phineas is a mix of things. I actually ran a really obnoxious unicorn of the same name as a character in an online game, though he was much larger and way more vulgar than he is in the book. For the story, I wanted to make him smaller – i.e. cat-sized and he wasn’t supposed to talk. (Although about half way through he spoke up anyway. *shrugs*)  The original inspiration was a combination of two cats – one who used to sleep in my underwear drawer when I was a little girl and my current furry monster who likes to drag my bathrobe around the house and um…hump it. (Yes, I wash it before I wear it again!)
 
As far as getting a unicorn of your own…I’m not privy to that sort of information, I’m afraid. ;-)

ATUF: Tell us about Abby’s obsession with Tom Jones and Hello Kitty. What other traits do you share with your main character?


AP: Well, I wouldn’t say Abby’s obsessed with Hello Kitty. That was just an inside joke I tossed in because *I* am the one mostly obsessed with HK. (and bacon). The Tom Jones aspect I drew on because it’s a bit unusual for a younger woman to listen to that sort of music these days, but of course it was in reference to what she grew up listening to (via her mother. No, my mother never listened to TJ.) Playing his music reminds Abby of happier days.
Abby and I do share a few other things in common – I have several physical issues as well, for example (although nothing as dramatic as seizures). But I’m very much aware of what it’s like to be in pain or physical discomfort of various levels for most of any given day. I suspect some of Abby’s jadedness comes from that.

Many of her other traits have been pulled from bits and pieces of my past – i.e. I took ballet for a year when I was 12, although I never aspired to be any sort of professional dancer.  I do play WoW quite a bit, though.

ATUF: In addition to writing about Abby, Ion, and Phin (and others), you have a number of images up on mynfel on deviantART of your characters.  Which came first?  The art or the story?


AP: The story, almost always. The Poser art is really just a hobby and I don’t consider myself much of an artist, but I do sometimes play around with character concepts when I’m trying to figure out what a character looks like. Once in a while I’ll render someone random and sometimes I’ll get the itch to write down a story for him/her.

ATUF: Right now I understand there are three books confirmed in this series.  Do you have plans to continue the series beyond that?


AP: I would love to. The original story arc should fit within the three books – beyond that, I would very much like to explore some of the secondary characters, particularly Melanie (the girl with the magic violin).

ATUF: What other projects can we look forwarding to reading from you soon?


AP: I have a few other things in the works – a straight forward high fantasy standalone and a Steampunk fantasy that I’d like to see become a series – but right now they’re still works-in-progress.

ATUF: What are some of your favorite titles/authors in the paranormal genres?


AP: I’m actually more of a high fantasy reader by choice, but for paranormal/urban fantasy I would say pretty much anything by Patricia Briggs, Tanya Huff or Charles de Lint.

ATUF: Nathalia Suellen aka Lady Symphonia is the artist responsible for the cover of A BRUSH OF DARKNESS.  As an artist yourself, I’m sure you had a strong vision in mind for your first cover. Did you get to work with her on the concept? 


AP: Heh. No, actually I didn’t. It’s pretty rare for authors to have much say in their covers (and particularly debut authors.) The most I was really able to insist on was that Abby not be holding any sort of weapon. She’s not a slayer or a vampire hunter or anything and I didn’t want the picture to indicate that. My understanding is that the publisher pretty much allowed the artist to do her own thing here. Nathalia is extremely talented and I’ve actually commissioned her for a few separate projects (unrelated to the books).

As a funny aside, I’m sure you’ve noticed the big shiny necklace around Abby’s neck? Well, there was no necklace originally in this book. I had plans for one in the second book, but when I saw the cover I actually went back and added the necklace into the end chapter. It doesn’t do much (yet), but it’s a nice set up for later. *Hint hint*

ATUF: If A BRUSH OF DARKNESS were ever made into a movie, who would your dream or, to keep things interesting, nightmare cast be?


AP: I have *no* real idea. The problem is that no one really looks like how I imagine the characters to be. (Probably a pretty common issue with most authors.) I sort of picture Natalie Portman as being somewhat like Abby (particularly with her latest stint in Black Swan). Brystion is a bit harder for me to pin down. He’s actually always been a bit nebulous, and with the shape-changing aspect, he could look like pretty much anyone.

ATUF: Finish this statement with as much/little detail as you like: You'll like A BRUSH OF DARKNESS if you like...


AP: Surprises. Snark. Smut. And small horny quadrupeds who like bacon.

ATUF: Thanks so much for stopping by Allison.  Come back anytime!

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A marine biologist in a former life, Allison Pang turned to a life of crime to finance her wild spending habits and need to collect Faberge eggs. A cat thief of notable repute, she spends her days sleeping and nights scaling walls and wooing dancing boys....Well, at least the marine biology part is true. But she was taloned by a hawk once. She also loves Hello Kitty, sparkly shoes, and gorgeous violinists. She spends her days in Northern Virginia working as a cube grunt and her nights waiting on her kids and cats, punctuated by the occasional husbandly serenade. Sometimes she even manages to write. Mostly she just makes it up as she goes.

Visit Allison online: Website|Blog|Twitter|Facebook

Book Details

A BRUSH OF DARKNESS by Allison Pang
Available now

Book Description

The man of her dreams might be the cause of her nightmares.

Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.

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Interested in being interviewed on All Things Urban Fantasy? 
CONTACT ME

  *This title will be released on February 1, 2011*

Title: Pack of Lies Author: Laura Anne Gilman Series: Paranormal Scene Investigations #2 Cover Art: N/A Genre: urban fantasy Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Luna ISBN-10: 9373803249 ISBN-13: 978-0373803248 Source: Netgalley Reviewed by: Julia

Book Description

My name is Bonita Torres, and eight months ago I was an unemployed college graduate without a plan. Now I'm an investigator with the Private Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations team of New York. Pretty awesome, right?

The Cosa Nostradamus, the magical community, isn't quick to give up its secrets, though. Not even to fellow members. Not even when it's in their best interests. So we've been busting our tails, perfecting our forensic skills, working to gain acceptance. The team's tight… but we have our quirks, too. And our Big Dog, Benjamin Venec…well, he's a special case, all right.

But we can't give up. We're needed, especially when a case comes along that threatens to pit human against fatae. But one wrong move could cost us everything we've worked for….

 Review

I have always been a sucker for magic mixed with realism, for me, mundane details about a fantastical premise make everything that much more enjoyable and plausible.  Laura Anne Gilman is a master at this style of storytelling, and easily juggles realistic mystery, racial and political infighting, and a rich magical tradition.  All of these elements were a slam dunk in her Retrievers series and continue to delight in the spin off Paranormal Scene Investigations books.

Despite inhabiting a parallel time frame to the much beloved Retrievers storyline, I have no difficulty viewing HARD MAGIC and PACK OF LIES as their own stand alone series.  Gilman writes well for a broad audience, providing enough detail for new readers without any danger of overloading us old fans with unnecessary retreads.  This is especially true in PACK OF LIES, which felt like a much more concise, well-balanced read than it’s predecessor.  HARD MAGIC did the heavy lifting of establishing Bonnie’s back story and setting up her current job, PACK OF LIES benefits from that foundation with a fast, thrilling pace from start to finish.  

Neither police nor civilians, hired by clients but ultimately working for the truth, the PUPI investigation squad has a lot at stake with every case they take on.  Bonnie and her co-workers are blazing new trails, using their magical skills to investigate crimes, and one slip up can seriously damage their credibility with the magical community.  I really enjoyed how PUPI is unfettered by traditional police procedural rules.  This license is both a blessing and a curse, as it allows them the freedom to gather evidence in new and interesting ways but also forces the team to create workarounds and overcome obstacles to serve justice outside the legal system.

Alongside this satisfying gumshoe-procedural, PACK OF LIES offers an intimate glimpse of the friendships amongst the PUPI’s.  Bonnie is an astute observer, and I enjoyed her take on her co-workers’ relationship dynamics as much as I savored the sexual tension between her and her boss, one of the “Big Dogs”, Ben Venec.   Gilman brings as much loving attention to the details that make up her characters’ personal lives as she does to the world they live in, and that pays off in entertaining dialogue, touching interactions, and sexual tension that steams right up off the page.  I adore how Gilman takes one of the most clichéd urban fantasy romance tropes and turns it on its head.

Be forewarned, however, that in both relationship and world building, Gilman is not one to rush the climax.  Danger simmers around the PUPI’s, even as their own relationships heat up, and PACK OF LIES leaves plenty of tension for the next installment in the series.

Sexual Content: Mention of rape, discussions of sexual orientation, mild sex scenes.
My Rating:

4/5
Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel.

Previous books in the series:

1. Hard Magic

Also reviewed by:

• Bookyurt
• Beth at CC2K
• Wicked Lil Pixie at Writings of a Wicked Book Addict

Title: Saltwater Vampires Author: Kristy Eagar Series: N/A Cover Art: Marina Messiha Genre: Urban Fantasy Published: 30 Aug 2010  ISBN 13: 9780143011460  ISBN 10: 0143011464  Type: PAPERBACK (PB)  Pages: 372 Source: Author Reviewed by: (Guest) Tori from Smexy Books

Book Description

He looked to the sky, praying for rain, a downpour, some sign from the heavens that he should refuse the abomination contained in that flask. But all he saw was the bloated white face of the moon smiling down on him … 

And the sky around it was cold and clear and black …

They made their circle of blood. And only the moon witnessed the slaughter that followed.

For Jamie Mackie, summer holidays in the coastal town of Rocky Head mean surfing, making money, and good times at the local music festival. But this year, vampires are on the festival’s line-up … fulfilling a pact made on the wreck of the Batavia, four hundred years ago. If their plans succeed, nobody in Rocky Head will survive to see out the new year.

Page-turning and suspenseful, Saltwater Vampires is a distinctly Australian vampire thriller

 Review

400 hundred years ago four men made a pact sealed in blood and violence. The time has come for that pact to be fulfilled.

Jamie Mackie expects this summer to be like all others. Plenty of surfing, fun, and money from the yearly music festival. All that’s about to change when vampires headline at the festival.

If all goes like planned, Jamie and his town will never see the light of day again.

Kristy Eagar’s SALTWATER VAMPIRES is a bold ambitious tale that brings vampires back into the more traditional role of unrepentant monsters. Set in the small laid back town of Rocky Head; Ms Eager mixes modern with the past as we learn how a 400 year old story develops and pushes it’s way into modern times.

Our protagonist, Jamie Mackie, is your average 15 year old boy who lives for surfing. A serious young man, he uses the ocean for healing as he tries to come to terms with an accident that crippled his best friend Dale. Jamie blames himself and is sure everyone else does too. When Jamie is attacked during a night surf, he is positive that it was Dale. Only, that’s not possible. Or is it? As Jamie and his friends divulge deeper into the changes in Dale, Jamie, and the town they are unprepared for the catastrophic events that are unfolding before their eyes.

I was hard pressed on how to rate this one. On one hand the premise is a brilliant blast from the past as we are re introduced to a seemingly forgotten storyline-evil unlikable vampires. These vampires do not sparkle, aren’t attractive, do not joke, nor want to interact with humanity. These vampires, from whom the myths are written about, come back and steal from their own conclave in order to extend and increase their own immortality.

I loved Ms. Eagar use of Australian history and physical descriptions to landscape and promote the concepts of this book. Loneliness, horror, and helplessness permeate this book, symbolized by the ocean. You get a distinct gothic feel to the whole story.  On the other hand, I just could not “hear” the voice that tells this story-a 15 year old boy. I found him forgettable. Part of it being that his voice has an adult feel to it and didn’t transcribe well into a YA for me. Almost like a documentary; I felt like I was reading facts. The secondary teenage characters, and I hesitate to use secondary as they are all on equal footing here, are all viable deeply evolves, but like Jamie, they did not interest me.  Set in a conversational writing style; I did find it oddly formal and it didn’t “click” for with me as this style often does. There again because I could not “click” with our protagonist.

There are 3 storylines running simultaneously that interact with one another and are painstaking told. The first 1/2 of the book paced slowly for me as we watch the story line being set up and placed. We find ourselves back in time to the ship Batavia where this all begins. Then we jump forward to Rocky Head to see where it will all play out. Once the vampires make themselves known in Rocky Head and to Jamie and his friends, I found the pacing picks up as more action concerning the main conflict is introduced. We learn more about the vampire’s agenda and I found the tension increases dramatically. I do wish the vampire conclave’s make up and history would have been explored a little more in depth. It was very interesting to see the extreme differences between them (the conclave) and the very people who it was all based on and started from.

The ending, though predictable, is a study in subtle horror and suspense as we are led down a path filled twist and turns to a climatic finale that satisfies our questions about Jamie, Dale, and the vampires.  I am giving this 3 bats because I feel the book is well written despite my own inability to connect with it.

 

Sexual Content: Kissing.

My Rating:

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

Click HERE to read an excerpt

Previous books in the series:

1. N/A

Also reviewed by:

• Lost in Stories
• The Book Nerd Club
• ALPHA reader

Giveaway

Giveaway courtesy of Kristy Eagar

One copy of SALTWATER VAMPIRES

Giveaway Guidelines

1. Open to US/CA only
2. Leave a comment & way to contact you if you win
3. Entries must be received by Midnight MST on February 4th.

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Interested in offering a giveaway on All Things Urban Fantasy? CONTACT ME