I love Regal Literary’s book contests! This time they’re giving away free hardcover copies of The Familiars: Secrets of the Crown by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson. This is the second book in the magical animal fantasy Familiars series. The first book in the series was chosen in the Best Book category by School Library Journal.
Click here to go to Regal Literary’s contest site and enter for your chance to win.
Filed under Books, Contests, Things I Like
An author’s cut special edition of Christine Feehan’s first novel in the Carpathian vampire series, Dark Prince, has recently hit bookshelves. When I received a copy for review, I was looking forward to the opportunity to read it. I had been familiar with the name of #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan, but I hadn’t to date read any of her many books. I was eager to see how her fantasy world stacked up against some of the other bestselling authors in the vampire genre, such as Kim Harrison, Stephenie Meyer, and Guillermo del Toro.
The story opens with Mikhail Dubrinsky, Prince of the Carpathians, contemplating suicide after centuries of leading a life without love. He is intercepted by a human, Raven Whitney, who has used her psychic abilities to help police hunt serial killers. Raven soon discovers that she may not only serve as Mikhail’s salvation and soul mate, but perhaps the key to the salvation of the entire Carpathian race.
“I have found it to be so, he agreed. He realized he was holding his breath, needing the contact. A human. Who gave a damn? Something–no, someone–had penetrated the depths of his pain and interested him enough to respond. Who could speak telepathically other than one of his own kind? The puzzle made no sense, but it mattered little to him. He was interested. Caught. Intrigued.”
Christine Feehan was one of the first to hit the vampire fiction scene and helped to pave the path for others to follow. Her interpretation of vampires included both the sensual and romantic version, which she refers to as Carpathians (similar to those made recently popular by Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series), as well as the classic horror version of the vampire as evil predator (such as those written about in Guillermo del Toro’s recent Strain trilogy). I appreciated the contrast of two distinctly different sets of vampires pitted against each other in a centuries old war. The Carpathian society that Feehan created behaved by a consistent set of rules that allowed for the story and characters to be easily accepted by the reader, as the layers of the story unfolded. I found myself drawn to several of the support characters introduced in this book, such as Gregori, Jacques, Byron, and Aidan, and I will likely continue to read other books in the series that focus more on them.
What I had a difficult time with was the copious amount of sex scenes throughout the novel. The action sequences were gripping, and the characters were intriguing. However, the main couple seemed to fall into bed about every thirty pages. Admittedly though, Feehan does have a knack for writing sexy vampires. For those of you who enjoy spicy vampire love scenes, this is certainly the series for you!
What sets this book apart from the first published version of Dark Prince is the additional 100+ pages that the author had originally intended as part of the story. Frankly, since I didn’t read the original version, I can’t compare how much this added to the overall experience of reading the book. I did find a few descriptions to be repetitive, and I imagine this was a result of adding material that had been edited differently in the original book. For fans of Christine Feehan, you may wish to read this author’s cut to get a better feel for how she intended the series to begin. For those of you new to Christine Feehan’s work, this is a good place to start.
Kim Harrison’s ninth book in the Hollows series, Pale Demon, revisits the original inspiration behind the series: “What would happen if you placed a witch, a vampire, and a pixie in a bar?” Only in this case, it’s a cross-country road trip rather than a bar. In addition, an elf, a Witch Council member, and a demon hunter are thrown in for a little extra spice. Pale Demon heavily features almost every character in the Hollows series, including the witch bounty hunter Rachel Morgan, vampire Ivy, fearless pixie Jenks, powerful businessman and elf Trent Kalamack, and demon Al, just to name a few.
Packed with action and adventure along the way, Rachel and Trent team up to tackle their respective problems in California. Rachel must either win over the Witch Council or live with demons in the Ever After. Although the secret ”surprise” ending of Trent’s elf quest came as no surprise when I read it, the charm of the story was mainly about the ride, the adventure, and the realizations they discovered along the way. Rachel learned more about her powers and what makes her unique, details that she takes in stride like everything else, despite the fact that what makes her special is not a quality she would have chosen for herself. Trent exhibits his wild elf magic while simultaneously displaying his more gentle ”human” side. Rachel bonds with Al and her demon kindred in an entirely new way, which added an intriguing twist I’ve not yet encountered in the fantasy fiction genre.
My trial was Sunday night, and I met Jenk’s and Ivy’s eyes. This had all the earmarks of the tip of an iceberg. Trent was in trouble with the biggest elf family on the West Coast. And though he hadn’t blamed me, I might have had some part in it. Guilt licked at my soul. I had a really bad feeling about this.
Kim Harrison once again shows us that she leads the pack among paranormal fantasy fiction authors for creating a world that is both creative and complex, along with characters that are utterly human despite the depth of their supernatural qualities.
Crescendo is the sequel to Becca Fitzpatrick’s novel, Hush, Hush. This young adult fantasy continues the story of teenager Nora Grey, who once again finds herself in danger, caught in the struggle between fallen angels, archangels, and nephilim. In this second installment in the series, Nora finds herself questioning her relationship with angel bad boy Patch. While openly using Scott (a childhood acquaintance turned dangerous hottie) to make Patch jealous, Nora finds herself seething as Patch grows closer to her high school nemesis, Marci Millar. To further complicate this teenage melodrama, Nora catches glimpses of her dead father mysteriously popping up in unexpected places.
The premise of this book is fantastic. Archangels, guardian angels, fallen angels, and nephilim all battling for turf should no doubt take center stage in the plot. Where it goes off track, however, is in the teenage angst. About four out of every five pages are devoted to Nora pledging to love Patch for all eternity, and then breaking up with him two seconds later, only to regret it and wish she had him back, while pushing him away with her words and her actions in almost every scene. The relentless relationship drama was, quite frankly, insulting to readers of any age, particularly teenagers who don’t fit the irrational melodramatic stereotype.
The storyline itself was intriguing and managed to build tension and keep me engaged during pivotal scenes. If only there weren’t constant diversions into Nora’s whining about her love life, it would have been an utterly enjoyable read. It seems that if she were halfway intelligent or had any sense of survival instinct, Nora would perceive the danger she was in and would consider that fact more important than stopping to wonder whether or not Patch was thinking about her.
“Vee? Mom?” At the edge of my vision, I saw another shadow slink through the fields. Sucking in a steadying breath, I reminded myself there was no possible way that I was in any true danger. Patch might not be my boyfriend, but he was still my guardian angel. If there was trouble, he’d be here. But even as I thought it, I wondered if I could count on Patch for anything anymore.
There seemed to be less of the romantic focus in the first book, Hush, Hush. The captivating paranormal characters combined with Fitzpatrick’s ability to build tension and keep readers on the edge of their seats in action sequences promises much potential for the series as a whole. I certainly hope that there is more focus on the plot and less time spent on insecure romantic entanglements in future books in the series.
Have you ever shaken a Magic 8 Ball and anxiously awaited your fortune? In Risa Green’s first young adult novel, The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball, high school sophomore, Erin Channing, inherits a pink fortune-telling ball with the ability to alter her future… or at least her immediate high school experience. Armed with a list of deliberately vague and puzzling instructions from her kooky Aunt Kiki, Erin and her two best friends devise a series of questions they hope will help them get better grades in school, win a trip to Italy, gain the attention of potential boyfriends, become more popular, and dish out a little revenge on their enemies. It doesn’t take a psychic to foresee that this journey may have some unexpected results. After all, some things are simply too important to be left to chance.
Lindsay lets out a heavy sigh, as if I’m the one who needs to be reasoned with. “You’re so closed-minded,” she says. “Why can’t you just accept that there are things in this world that aren’t concrete? Veronica says that people like you are just threatened by the idea that you can’t control everything.” (Veronica being the crazy lady behind the counter who, apparently, has received her Ph.D. in armchair psychology.)
Despite one or two minor plot inconsistencies and a couple of shallow characters, The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball is a youthful fantasy adventure told with light-hearted humor. It’s a story about the bonds of friendship and young women pursuing their goals with a little magical assistance. Though not profoundly deep, it is a quick and entertaining read that offers a whimsical diversion.
Risa Green is the author of the adult novels Notes From the Underbelly and Tales From the Crib, humorous accounts of pregnancy and parenthood that were also adapted for television.
This article was first published as Book Review: The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green in Blogcritics magazine.
I had the pleasure of reading Blue while on a long flight to Tokyo. It was the perfect fantasy world in which to immerse myself to make the time pass more quickly. Author Lou Aronica creates a world that manages to be both surreal and tangible. Reading this book is like experiencing a lucid dream with depth and detail that play on all five senses.
The story focuses on Chris, a divorced father, and his teenage daughter, Becky. During her bout with leukemia as a child, Becky and her father created a bedtime story about a fantasy world called Tamarisk. Their elaborate nightly tale centered around a young princess named Miea, who is sensitive, regal, and committed to her kingdom and her people. When Tamarisk is unexpectedly threatened by a blight with the potential to wipe out all life, Becky finds herself pulled back into a world she thought she had set aside, along with her childhood when her parents divorced. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that reality and fantasy are interwoven in unlikely ways, and it is up to Becky to decipher how close her link to both her family and to Tamarisk really is.
“They made a left turn and went through a doorway outside. Becky received an immediate sensory barrage. The colors were almost physically overwhelming. Of course, there was blue everywhere — Becky thought having blue leaves in Tamarisk rather than green was a fun twist — but so many other colors were totally new to her. Was this what aquamaroon looked like? Could that lemon-tangerine-melon bloom be the color she named juce?”
Though the momentum starts off a bit slow, the pace picks up about a quarter of the way into the book as more scenes are set in Tamarisk. More than a simple fantasy novel, Blue is a story about family, relationships, and the bonds between loved ones. Despite the fact that the main character is a teenager, I would certainly not categorize this novel as strictly young adult. Though teens might certainly enjoy this book, fathers with teenage daughters and parents in general would likely find this fantasy relevant and intriguing as well.
Lou Aronica has been writing books for many years and has also worked in the publishing industry for most of his career. Blue serves to launch his own imprint, Fiction Studio.
This article was first published as Book Review: Blue by Lou Aronica in Blogcritics magazine.
When HarperCollins sent me a copy of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White for review, I was immediately drawn to the cover art featuring a girl in a dark field with ominous grey clouds behind her. When I began reading it, I became immersed in the story, the characters, and the world White created in this complex tale about a normal teenage girl who is anything but average.
The main character is sixteen-year-old Evie, who works as an agent for the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA), capturing vampires, werewolves, hags, and other paranormal creatures with the aid of her hot pink taser and her unique ability to see through their glamours. She’s a true heroine, courageous and willing to tackle problems head-on. However, this isn’t the life she would have chosen for herself. Evie wants more than anything to be a “normal” teenager, but as the mystery of her origin begins to unfold, she realizes that she may just have to redefine what is normal.
The story is action-packed with a good dose of humor throughout every chapter. It’s light-hearted, sassy, and fun with an eclectic blend of supernatural characters.
“I watched it as if in slow motion. The gremlin made straight for me, a rabid gleam in its eyes. It leaped into the air and I kicked out hard, sending it sailing down the hall, right into the arms of the containment worker chasing it. “Goal!” I shouted. Dang, I was good.”
Paranormalcy follows the familiar formula in the young adult fantasy genre of the girl being torn between two romantic interests, but in this case, the love interests captured my attention as a reader. One is a charming and artistic teenage boy who can shapeshift and fade almost to invisibility, while the other is a powerful and dangerous ancient faerie who may hold answers about both Evie’s past and her purpose in life.
This was one of the better young adult fantasies I’ve read lately. The first in a trilogy, it leaves enough open that there is plenty of room for the story to continue, yet it doesn’t end on such a cliff-hanger as to be frustrating. I enjoyed the twists and found the characters charming, and I’ll be looking forward to reading Kiersten White’s next book.
This article was first published as “Book Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White” in Blogcritics Magazine.
I was thrilled when HarperCollins sent me a review copy of Terry Pratchett’s latest book compilation, The Wee Free Men: The Beginning. This handy paperback encompasses the first two tales in the Tiffany Aching series, The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky.
This book acquaints readers with the endearing young character, Tiffany Aching, as she learns she has inherited the role and responsibility of being the local Chalk country witch. It’s a thankless duty that falls squarely on her two small shoulders, but fortunately, she is not alone. Joining Tiffany along her chosen path (whether she likes it or not) are the feisty faerie clan, the Nac Mac Feegle. Not your average faeries of romantic folklore, the favorite pastimes of these little blue men include drinking, fighting, and thieving. It is in the company of these remarkably loyal companions that their ”big wee hag” Tiffany discovers the gifts that make her special.
“There was a small part of Tiffany’s brain that wasn’t too certain about the name Tiffany. She was nine years old and felt that Tiffany was going to be a hard name to live up to. Besides, she’d decided only last week that she wanted to be a witch when she grew up, and she was certain that Tiffany just wouldn’t work. People would laugh.”
Terry Pratchett’s writing intertwines fantasy and humor in a way that makes his books irresistibly pleasurable reads. He has won numerous awards for his work, including the American Library Association Notable Children’s Books award for both The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky, which are now included together in this one book. Fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson would certainly enjoy the magic realism of the Tiffany Aching series. For younger readers who may find this level of reading too advanced to tackle on their own, they may enjoy being read to from The Illustrated Wee Free Men, which features beautiful illustrations creeping throughout almost every page.
Look for my upcoming review of the most recent book in the series, I Shall Wear Midnight, which will be released in bookstores at the end of this month.
Note: This article was first published as Book Review: The Wee Free Men: The Beginning by Terry Pratchett in Blogcritics Magazine.
Spells is the second novel in Aprilynne Pike’s series about faeries. Like the first novel in the series, Wings, this book features the main character Laurel, a young teenage female faerie who was adopted and raised by human parents. Her romantic intrigues continue, torn between her human boyfriend, David, and the faerie who loves her, Tamani. In this second book, Laurel makes her first visit back to Avalon since coming to live in the human world. She attends school and begins to learn the art of potion-mixing that is her responsibility as a Fall Faerie.
“Laurel was startled for a moment, then remembered that she had spent seven years in Avalon before going to live with her parents. The fact that she couldn’t remember anyone didn’t mean they couldn’t remember her. It made her strangely uncomfortable to wonder how many of the faeries she passed on the grounds could remember a past she would never recall.”
Blooming with fresh ideas and intrigue, the traditional faerie tale takes on new life in Pike’s series. The world of Avalon described in Spells is vivid and captivating. The concept that faeries are descended from plants and divided into seasons by both birthright and talent is a plot detail that is well-developed and adds a unique twist to capture the imagination of the reader.
My one major criticism is that the story revolves too much around the teenage romantic triangle of Laurel and her two potential loves rather than the plotlines related to Avalon, the trolls, or the new hunter character, Klea, who is introduced in the book. There was so much potential for intrigue in Avalon, yet all Laurel ever seemed to think about was David or Tam. I’ve read enough young adult fantasies to come to terms with the fact that this formula is true to form for the genre, and Pike’s main target audience must certainly enjoy it because her debut novel, Wings, hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list.
Overall, the book is a page-turner. I found myself engaged and wanting to learn more about Pike’s faeries and Avalon, as well as what will become of Laurel in the human world.
To learn more about Aprilynne Pike, you may read my author interview or my review of her debut novel, Wings.
Note: This article was first published as “Book Review: Spells by Aprilynne Pike” on Blogcritics.org.
The third installment in Christopher Moore’s comedic vampire series, Bite Me: A Love Story, is without a doubt the funniest book I have read in ages. Told with the same off-kilter humor that is found throughout all of Christopher Moore’s novels, it is definitely not your average run-of-the-mill vampire tale. It’s a love story with a twist.
Set in San Francisco, Moore’s vampire series features characters that include Abby Normal (a perky goth teen with a flair for the dramatic), a giant cat named Chet, a homeless man who is the self-proclaimed Emperor of San Francisco, a team of mostly-stoned graveyard shift grocery store stock clerks who find themselves in the roles of impromptu vampire hunters, a brilliant but nerdy grad student named Steven “Foo Dog” Wong who Abby claims as her ”manga-haired love slave,” several ancient and powerful denizens of the night, along with a couple of likeable yet fairly ordinary under-achievers who just happen to be vampires.
I was delighted to discover that much of the book was narrated by the character of Abby Normal, the proud minion of her somewhat bumbling vampire masters. Her voice is simultaneously sarcastic, melodramatic, and full of over-the-top teen slang.
“I weep, I brood, I grieve — I have sniffed the bitter pink Sharpie of despair and mascara tears stripe my cheeks like a mouthful of chewed up black Gummi bears has been loogied in my eyes. Life is a dark abyss of pain and I am alone, separated from my darling delicious Foo.
But check it — I totally kicked ass against a gang of vampyre kitties.”
Having also read the first two books in the series and intrigued by my intermittent fits of giggles while reading the book during our vacation, my husband could hardly wait for me to finish Bite Me before he began reading it himself. He literally laughed out loud during certain chapters, something I can’t say I’ve ever seen him do before while reading a book.
Moore’s vampire series begins with the book Bloodsucking Fiends and is followed up with You Suck. Bite Me is the most recent novel in this fun-filled fantasy adventure that is definitely more comedy than horror. Though it would be difficult to equate Moore’s humor to that of anyone else’s, it might loosely be compared to that of best-selling author of the Discworld series, Terry Pratchett. Moore’s writing style is a bit more edgy and outrageous, while Pratchett’s humor is more subtly finessed, but both are sure to keep their readers laughing out loud. My other favorites in Christopher Moore’s collection include Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal and The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror.
Note: This article was first published as “Book Review: Bite Me by Christopher Moore” on Blogcritics.org.
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