2.5ish stars. So I downloaded this one as a Tor free ebook, with their eBook of the Month club. (https://ebookclub.tor.com/), opened it to check out t2.5ish stars. So I downloaded this one as a Tor free ebook, with their eBook of the Month club. (https://ebookclub.tor.com/), opened it to check out the first chapter or two, and before I knew it I was halfway through and decided to finish it up, though I wasn't particularly impressed with, well, anything going on here: plot, main character, writing, and the sheer level of blood and guts and violence. That's on me for wasting my brain on this, but maybe I can save someone else the trouble.
I've seen a lot of grimdark fantasy but not so much grimdark science fiction. This is pretty bleak and violent SF, with a few rays of hope and light.
Our main character is Mariam ("Mars") Xi, who has incredibly strong telekinetic powers, which she mostly uses to rip people to shreds and kill them. Before the story begins, she was in a lab of a Very Bad Corporation called MEPHISTO, being trained as a psychic soldier and killer. She managed to escape with the help of an older girl, who (view spoiler)[apparently (hide spoiler)]died in the process, and has been on the run from them ever since.
As the story begins, Mars is being rescued from her wrecked spaceship by another small ship with three people in it, not counting the AI of their ship. They don't trust her, and she certainly doesn't trust them. But as MEPHISTO figures out where she is and who she's with, they may need to help each other.
If kickass superpowered heroines are your literary flavor of choice, this might be worth checking out. There's lots of action (mostly of the violent sort) and it's a quick, fast-paced read. But I didn't see anything new or noteworthy here, I couldn’t identify with the main character, and the high level of violence turned me off. There's a slight cliffhanger ending, but I'm not planning on checking out more of Mariam Xi's adventures.
Content note: Strong R rating for language and violence....more
Ruby Donaldson, an astronaut stationed on the Neutral Buoyancy Lab or NBL, is nursing a severely sprained ankle, which she twisted while practicing a Charleston Flip in a dance rehearsal, one of her few remaining non-work activities. She’s scheduled for an NBL training run and is planning to just grit her way through it with her sore ankle, but the training run turns unexpectedly serious: a spaceship has had a docking accident that has locked the ship to the space station and jammed the airlock. The ship’s passengers are stuck, and will run out of air in sixteen hours. The NBL and astronauts there are urgently needed to figure out a viable rescue and recovery plan though a development run or “dev run.” Because of time constraints and limitations with their EVA suits, they can’t simply replace Ruby with another person to do this vital exercise. So Ruby doesn’t tell anyone about her sprained ankle, even when things happen during the dev run that make her ankle worse, and worse …
“Articulated Restraint” is another tale set in the world of Kowal’s LADY ASTRONAUT series, and its events occur during that series. It’s a straightforward story, somewhat simplistic in its essential plot. Where Kowal shines here is in the myriad of believable scientific and technical details, and in depicting Ruby’s personality and point of view, especially her fierce determination to see this exercise through to the end. It made this story feel highly realistic, and made me more interested in picking up The Calculating Stars, which has been on my TBR list for a good long while. ...more
99c Kindle sale, June 15, 2020. 3.5ish stars. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
With Sweep of the Blade, the fourth installment in Ilon99c Kindle sale, June 15, 2020. 3.5ish stars. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
With Sweep of the Blade, the fourth installment in Ilona Andrews’ INNKEEPER CHRONICLES series, there is a new main character: Maud, sister of Dina, the previous main character and the innkeeper of this light SF series. We met Maud in the prior book in this series, One Fell Sweep, when Dina convinced Sean the werewolf and Arland the vampire — these are both alien races, by the way, though distantly related to humans — to help her rescue Maud and her five-year-old half-vampire daughter Helen from the desert prison planet Karhari. In the first few chapters of Sweep of the Blade, Andrews retells these scenes from Maud’s point of view.
Arland has fallen head over heels for Maud — her sword-fighting skills are as good as any vampire’s, which is a major turn-on for Arland — and after just a few weeks at Dina’s inn he asks her to go to his planet Daesyn, marry him, and live with him there and help him lead his vampire clan, House Krahr. Maud is a widow who was previously married to another vampire, however, and she’s completely soured on vampire society and afraid of what the likely rejection from Arland’s family will do to Helen. But Arland is tremendously attractive (think “Thor with fangs”), deeply in love with Maud, and a good guy in spite of being, you know, a vampire, so Maud agrees to go to Daesyn with Arland and see how things go with him and his extended family, without making any formal commitment yet.
When they reach Daesyn, House Krahr is in turmoil: they’ve been asked to host a large wedding featuring a couple from two other hostile vampire clans. House Krahr’s leaders suspect a trap, but vampire clans are big on honor, and there’s no graceful way to refuse the request. Luckily Maud is not only a kickass warrior, able to hold her own with almost any vampire, but also a highly intelligent, well-informed woman with a vast knowledge of galactic society generally and vampire society in particular. She soon gets ample opportunity to prove her value (and Helen’s) to House Krahr.
Sweep of the Blade, originally published on the Andrews’ website in serial form, is a fast-paced adventure spiced with a little romance. Helen is delightful, it’s fun to be in Maud’s head as she figures everything out and shows those vampires her own chops, and Arland is satisfyingly tough and adoring of Maud. There are several great scenes; one of my favorites was a banquet where Maud realizes that the vampires are unintentionally insulting the tachi, a giant insect-like alien race, by feeding them the wrong type of food with no artistic presentation whatsoever (the horror!), and immediately sets about making things right.
Maud plucked the blue kora fruit from the bowl, peeled the thin skin and carefully cut the fruit into even round slices. She managed eight slices, seven perfectly even and one slightly thicker. She placed the seven slices around the cubes. The eighth was a hair too thick. She pondered it.
The tachi pondered it with her.
Better safe than sorry. She reached for another kora.
The tachi to her left emitted an audible sigh of relief and then crunched his mouth shut, embarrassed.
There are some weak parts to Sweep of the Blade. This novel’s genesis as a weekly serial is apparent. While the Andrews team has added more detail and backstory to the final published version of Sweep of the Blade, it still feels episodic, with the scenes pieced together in a way that the seams still show, and the plot doesn’t quite have the depth of the best books in this series. Maud herself is so improbably accomplished and wonderful at Every. Single. Thing (except relationship commitment, which is understandable). She speaks numberless languages, including “more Ancestor Vampiric dialects than most vampire scholars.” She’s a devoted parent, an excellent diplomat, peerless fighter, highly intelligent, and even diligent about keeping her vampire armor in top shape. It all makes her a little hard to believe in and fully sympathize with.
The vampires in the INNKEEPER CHRONICLES series aren’t at all bloodsuckers in the traditional sense. They’re more like Vikings or Samurai warriors who very occasionally take a bite out of their enemies. No sensitivity to sunlight or aversions to garlic or crosses here. At least the werewolves in this series actually shapeshift into wolves.
Sweep of the Blade is fun reading if you like the Andrews’ brand of urban fantasy-flavored science fiction. It’s a light space opera romance that goes down easy, with lots of gory fighting to spice it up, but doesn’t really stick with you....more
In Magic Breaks, the seventh book in Ilona Andrews’ KATE DANIELS urban fantasy series, the over4.25 stars. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
In Magic Breaks, the seventh book in Ilona Andrews’ KATE DANIELS urban fantasy series, the overarching plot lines of the series takes a lion-sized step forward, with a few major surprises along the way. *some spoilers for earlier books in the series*
Kate Daniels, her mate Curran, the Beast Lord of Atlanta’s shapeshifter Pack, and their group have returned from their perilous trip to Europe, described in Magic Rises, where they ran into conflict with Hugh d’Ambray, the warlord of Roland. Roland is an ancient, immortal legend with nearly godlike magical powers, and Kate has been both hiding from him and planning his death since her childhood: Kate was raised by Voron, a man with an enormous grudge against Roland. Hugh’s been circling around Kate for several books now, attempting to establish beyond any doubt that she is Roland’s daughter. Their group barely escaped him in Europe, and Kate knows Hugh will be back around again to cause more trouble. A couple of new friends joined Kate and Curran in Europe and are now part of the Atlanta Pack: Christopher, a mage who was severely mentally damaged by Roland and Hugh’s torture, and Desandra, a werewolf who is now becoming a powerful figure in Atlanta’s Clan Wolf and is giving the current wolf alpha, Jennifer, fits. (For that alone I adore Desandra.)
Curran is invited to bring several of the most powerful members of the Pack on a hunt in the mountains. Despite his and Kate’s concerns that it’s part of a plan to leave Kate without his support, the trip is important as part of a key negotiation, so Curran, Mahon and others go. Sure enough, once they’re out of town, Kate and the Pack get hit with a serious problem. At Conclave, a meeting between the vampire masters and Pack leadership, Hugh appears and dramatically throws down the gauntlet. Actually, what he throws down is the dead body of a Master of the Dead, who has clearly been murdered by a shapeshifter.
Kate now has twenty-four hours to find the shapeshifter killer and hand him or her over for punishment. A deadly war is on the verge of breaking out between these two supernatural forces, the vampire masters and the shapeshifters. Curran is still out of town, and Kate knows that Hugh is manipulating events to try to get control over her in one way or another, and presumably then deliver her, giftwrapped, into the deadly hands of Roland. And a cryptic but heartfelt warning is given to Kate by Christopher, who seems to have some foresight into future events.
Magic Breaks takes a while to really get rolling, though the story is given some color and humor by a lilac bunnycat and a giant-sized, black-and-white spotted stubborn mule named Cuddles (apparently by someone with an overactive sense of humor). But once the plot kicks into high gear it’s a fascinating tale. There’s a slight disconnect between the two halves of the story, a shift in focus that is marked by a sudden change in scenery. But the second half of the novel is worth the wait, and will remain etched in my memory … helped along by one or two rereads of key scenes after I finished the book.
Several long-term characters develop new depths in Magic Breaks. Ghastek, one of the most powerful vampire masters in Atlanta, becomes a far more well-rounded character. He and Kate share a traumatic experience that leads to Ghastek sharing his personal backstory with Kate, including the eyebrow-raising origin of his name. It makes him a more sympathetic character. Curran, once he rejoins the story, reveals new facets of his character as well. Kate herself needs to step up to the plate in a new and unnerving way, accepting and publicly displaying her full magical powers, not just her swordfighting abilities. And the long-awaited Roland finally makes an actual appearance. Despite his godly powers, he isn’t what readers might have expected. Roland is much more nuanced, a chilling mixture of fatherly affection and implacable, deadly power.
In the end, Kate and Curran each have a huge personal choice to make. While in some ways it’s a regrettable move, it opens the door for the series to move forward in a fresh way.
Bonus content: The paperback copy of this book includes Magic Tests, a bonus short story about Julie, Kate’s adopted teenage daughter. “Magic Tests” is narrated by Julie, Kate’s teenage adopted daughter, who refused to stay put at the boarding school where Kate originally placed her. Julie and Kate visit Seven Stars Academy, where Kate hopes Julie will be willing to continue her education, despite Julie’s reluctance. Kate and the academy’s director sweeten the pot with an intriguing mystery that they ask Julie to help investigate: A freshman girl has disappeared without a trace, but the location spell indicates that she is still on the school’s grounds. If Ashlyn isn’t found within the next twenty-four hours, the school will need to alert the authorities, which they’re hoping to avoid.
As Julie jumps into the investigation ― and, as a natural side effect, starts to befriend some of the students there ― more of her personality is revealed, along with the functioning of her magical powers and her views about her relationship with Kate. Julie displays some admirable planning and deductive skills. I’m still mystified, though, about why a collection of apples that Julie finds locked in Ashlyn’s desk are suffused with mysterious bright green magic to Julie’s eyes. The source of the green magic is disclosed later, but not its connection to Ashlyn’s apples.
“Magic Tests” is a quick, light read; it’s not particularly memorable, but I enjoyed it.
Initial post: 4, maybe 4.5 stars. The overarching plot lines of this series takes a huge step forward in this 7th book in the series, and I am HERE for that. All the players finally come together, and there were a few real surprises along the way....more
4.5 stars - really a delightful middle grade novel, and it's standalone! Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
[image] Fearless Girl statue
High up4.5 stars - really a delightful middle grade novel, and it's standalone! Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
[image] Fearless Girl statue
High up in the mountains, in a marble house, live a stone girl and her animal friends, who are also carved from stone. In this world, magical symbols and marks carved into stone make the stone come alive, giving it the power to move above, see, speak and hear, think, and even fly. Mayka, the stone girl, and her family of living stone birds, rabbits, a cat, an owl and others, were all carved and brought to life by a kindly master stonemason. The marks tell their stories, and the stories give them life.
Mayka and her friends live an isolated and contented life. Any harm or danger is far away in the valleys below them … except the danger of time. Their beloved Father, the stonemason, died many years ago, and gradually the magical marks etched on Mayka and her stone friends are wearing away and breaking. Harlisona the rabbit can’t speak any more ― her mark for speech accidentally chipped off ― and Turtle and most of the stone fish in their stream have stopped moving and turned back into ordinary stone.
[image]
There appears to be only one solution: Mayka decides to go down into the distant valley to find another stonemason who will be willing to climb the mountain to their home and re-etch the magical marks into their bodies. It’s a scary journey into the unknown, even for a girl made of stone … but the quest will be even more difficult than Mayka imagines.
The Stone Girl’s Story (2018) is such a charming middle grade fantasy! Mayka, carved in the semblance of a twelve year old girl, is an admirable heroine with a can-do attitude and courage in the face of the unknown. At the same time, she’s also a kind and loyal friend, determined to do whatever is necessary to save the lives of her friends, but also seeing the bigger picture when a danger arises that could threaten the free will of all living stone animals, and even lead to harm for the humans who are their keepers. Her creative approach to solving a difficult problem will entrance readers.
This story includes lots of humor, most of it supplied by Jacklo, a gray stone bird with an irrepressible personality and a joy for life. [image] Jacklo and his bird sister Risa insist on joining Mayka on her journey down to the human lands.
“We were elected to come with you.”
“Oh? Who elected you?” Mayka asked.
“It was a small election,” Jacklo said. “Very small. Only two votes. But we won in a landslide! There was a lot of cheering.”
Sarah Beth Durst has a knack for describing the living stone carvings, their magical markings, and the Stone Quarter in the city of Skye, where the stonemasons live and work, with vivid details that bring them to life. Kalgrey the cat’s marks say, in symbolic language, “Sharp of tongue and claws, nimble of paws and mind.” Si-Si is a knee-high dragon carved of a lovely, translucent orange stone, but she struggles with knowing that she’s always been valued only for being decorative, and longs with all her heart to be able to fly like Jacklo and Risa. [image] And I won’t soon forget Kisonan the noble stone griffin, offended by the questioning of his loyalty and determined to do what is right. [image] The Stone Girl’s Story is a delightful, magical tale, with depth and insight as well as action and adventure. I highly recommend it for young readers in the 10-13 age range, and for those of any age who enjoy children’s fantasies.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for review. Thank you so much!...more
$1.99 Kindle sale, May 11, 2019. If you like YA fantasy, I highly recommend this book and its sequel, Trickster's Queen! And if you like Tamora Pierce$1.99 Kindle sale, May 11, 2019. If you like YA fantasy, I highly recommend this book and its sequel, Trickster's Queen! And if you like Tamora Pierce's brand of YA fantasy, several of her other books are also on $1.99 Kindle sales right now (go to https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/ent...). But these two Trickster books are my very favorites of everything Tamora Pierce has written ... and I've read most of her books. These ones, though, are the only ones I've read multiple times.
This duology follows 16 year old Alianne, the daughter of Alanna, who was the heroine of the SONG OF THE LIONESS series and is now a famous knight in the kingdom, the first woman to achieve that. Aly respects her mother's accomplishments but they have a bit of a fraught relationship because Aly wants to be a spy, like her father. Her parents flatly refuse (spying is too dangerous), but the gods have other plans.
Aly is kidnapped while on a solitary excursion one day and ends up being sold as a slave in another kingdom, the Copper Islands. According to the trickster god Kyprioth who appears to her one night, this is intended to be an opportunity for Aly to make a difference in the lives of the noble family who has bought her as a slave. Aly and Kyprioth make a deal, and a new world of experience opens up to her. Aly finds that this family, surrounded by conspiracies and deadly danger, needs her skills, especially the spycraft that she's picked up over the years from working with and watching her father. Meanwhile, Kyprioth is making sure that Aly's family can't find her through magical means and interfere with his secret plans for the Copper Islands.
I loved the intrigue in this book and Trickster's Queen! Aly's an intelligent young woman and has a little bit of that Scarlet Pimpernel trope going, the capable person hiding behind a mask, that I love so much. The romance element is very minor, but there's a little bit of light flirting with a crow shapeshifter. I like that the crows are very, well, crow-like in their personalities.
This first book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but the overarching plotline isn't resolved until you read both books. It's not necessary to have read the Alanna books to enjoy these, although doing that will give you a better grounding in this fantasy world, where there's swords and sorcery and gods who regularly intervene in the mortal world....more
My review for this fun escapist fantasy, which was originally published in two parts, is here and here. Sherwood Smith has now done us the favor of puMy review for this fun escapist fantasy, which was originally published in two parts, is here and here. Sherwood Smith has now done us the favor of putting the two parts together and polishing them up. She also updated the cover pic, though I'll admit to a sneaking fondness for the old ones. Anyway, definitely get this version rather than the old two-part version!...more
4.5 stars, because this is too stinking fun for words! This Tor short story (free online here) is part of the "Nevertheless, She Persisted" set of fla4.5 stars, because this is too stinking fun for words! This Tor short story (free online here) is part of the "Nevertheless, She Persisted" set of flash fiction published March 8, 2017 on Tor.com.* Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
It’s 1959, and one Miss Baker is on a mission to defy gravity. Her thirteen male competitors at the academy try to dissuade or intimidate her.
“No one likes a girl who tries to climb over everyone else.”
But Miss Baker ignores them and devotes herself to her training, gradually leaving them all in her dust.
I loved the twist in this one! It totally blindsided me.
*On March 8, 2017, Tor published on its website eleven short speculative works (ten flash fiction stories and one poem) by various women, all notable authors. These works are based on the theme “Nevertheless, she persisted,” part of a comment made by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell defending use of a little-known rule against impugning the motives or conduct of a senator, to cut off a speech by Senator Elizabeth Warren in February, in which she was criticizing Jeff Sessions’ nomination for attorney general (“Senator Warren was giving a lengthy speech. She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”). The phrase was quickly taken up and transformed into a rallying cry, in recognition of women who have persisted in voicing their opinions and taking action despite establishment opposition....more
f you like Ilona Andrews' brand of romance-driven urban fantasy, grab this one!
4.5 stars. Rose and her two little brothers, George and Jack, ages 10 f you like Ilona Andrews' brand of romance-driven urban fantasy, grab this one!
4.5 stars. Rose and her two little brothers, George and Jack, ages 10 and 8, live in the Edge, a sort of halfway place between our world (which they call the Broken, since magic doesn't work there) and a parallel world called the Weird, where magical powers reign. In the Edge, magic works, but not as well as in the Weird. Most people can't pass through from one world to the other, or even sense that the other world exists, but there are exceptions, like Rose and her brothers. And Declan, the mysterious guy from the Weird who appears on Rose's doorstep, with magical powers even she can't match, and barges into their lives. Rose doesn't trust Declan an inch ... but she can't deny he's the hottest guy she's ever seen. And just maybe she'll be glad he's there, as deadly magical hounds begin appearing in the Edge and killing people.
I read this urban fantasy for the second time last night, when I really should have been reading other books, but it totally sucked me in and I couldn't help it! Not just the power of Declan (who is awesome), but there's William the shapeshifter, and George (a necromancer), and Jack (another shapeshifter), and Mamere, their French-speaking grandmother...
And how did I miss even giving it a star rating the first time I read it? But I liked it even better the second time.
Full review to come (really! I am going to get to it, sooner or later)....more
4.5 stars, rounding up because this was totally literary crack for me. What a crazy ride this space opera was! There's the obligatory YA romance but I4.5 stars, rounding up because this was totally literary crack for me. What a crazy ride this space opera was! There's the obligatory YA romance but I really enjoyed the way they both snarked at each other and built each other up.
I just sent the publisher a request for the sequel, so now I'm crossing my fingers, and my toes for good measure.
Kindle freebie: This action-packed and often humorous light suspense indie novel about Aydan Kelly, a Canadian bookkeeper in her 40's who gets mistakeKindle freebie: This action-packed and often humorous light suspense indie novel about Aydan Kelly, a Canadian bookkeeper in her 40's who gets mistaken for a spy, is a little rough around the edges, but it definitely has its moments. Aydan accidentally gets mixed up in some high-tech networking stuff (SFnal kind of stuff) that the spies will do anything to get their hands on. Aydan is a kick-ass-and-take-names kind of gal, great with guns, and good in a pinch. She can't even convince the police that she's not a spy! And she's unashamed of her hefty appetite, which is refreshing.
This novel plays rough, though: there are shootings, kidnappings, torture, other assorted acts of violence, explicit sex, and innuendos and F-bombs galore. Aydan has quite the potty mouth. It was at the edges of my tolerance for that kind of content, but the story was enjoyable and interesting enough that I kept reading. It lost me, though, when Aydan had casual sex -- and it wasn't even with the guy she was attracted to and lusting after the whole book. It was with his long-time friend! No, sorry. Just no. It lost a couple of stars just for that.
For those who like this type of book, this is otherwise a fun read....more
Note: some spoilers for earlier books in this series.
The hair-raising adventures of Lila MerriweatheFinal review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Note: some spoilers for earlier books in this series.
The hair-raising adventures of Lila Merriweather conclude in Bright Blaze of Magic, the third volume of Jennifer Estep’s BLACK BLADE young adult urban fantasy series. Lila, age seventeen, is not only a highly skilled thief, but also has amazing sword-fighting abilities and extraordinary magical powers, not to mention championship snarking abilities. In the town of Cloudburst Falls, where magical power is so prevalent that the town attracts tourists who want to see magical people and creatures, people’s magical strength lends itself to political power. Lila is a bodyguard for the Sinclair Family, particularly the son and heir of the family, Devon Sinclair. Since the first book, Cold Burn of Magic, the feud between the Sinclairs and their bitter rivals, the Draconi Family, has been heating up. Now the conflict threatens to explode: Victor Draconi, the evil head of the Draconis, has been stockpiling magical swords and is almost ready to take over the town and stamp out all of the competing Families.
At the end of the second book, Dark Heart of Magic, Lila and her friends, Devon Sinclair and Felix Morales, discovered the magical swords in a hidden room in the Draconi castle. Using Lila’s talent for burglary and their friendship with Deah Draconi, Victor’s daughter, they’re now sneaking into the castle and replacing most of the magical swords with ordinary swords. But Victor’s army is so large that just stealing these swords isn’t going to be enough to neutralize the deadly threat that the Draconi Family presents to the other magical families. When Victor and his son Blake suddenly make their move, many people are murdered or captured by the Draconis. Lila and her friends escape and go into hiding, unable to compete head-to-head with the far superior forces that the Draconis command. It seems that Victor holds all the cards … but has he underestimated Lila?
Lila dashes from one dangerous situation to another in this fast-paced tale, leading her friends into and out of hazards. Burglary, swordfights, infiltrations of enemy territory, encounters with copper crushers (huge magical venomous snakes), hostage rescues: it’s all in day’s work for these teenagers. Their encounter with the huge lochness monster, who lurks, troll-like, under a bridge and snatches unwary people who cross its bridge without paying the traditional toll, was one of the highlights of the story. We get to know the character of the lochness, one of my favorite monsters from Cold Burn of Magic, just a little better in this final tale in the trilogy. Lila learns about the importance of respect and friendship, even toward monsters … well, excepting the copper crushers.
Jennifer Estep’s writing is smooth, if a little young and simplistic for more sophisticated readers. A few of her comments made me chuckle, like this simile:
With his black hair, bronze skin, and dark, soulful eyes, Felix was undeniably cute, but Devon was the one who made my heart race like a tree troll hopping from one branch to another.
My English professors would have ripped me a new one for a simile like that ... Anyway, the romance content in Bright Blaze of Magic is very mild, but there is a lot of violence and death, although it’s handled in a generally appropriate way for younger readers, without much gore. Occasionally Lila’s ability to handle situations and conquer opponents that are apparently too challenging for all of the adults to handle is over the top, but I think most teen readers won’t be as skeptical about that as I am. If you liked the first two books in this series, Bright Blaze of Magic won’t disappoint. The BLACK BLADE series isn’t particularly deep or complex, but it’s an engaging, fast-paced light fantasy that I think most middle grade and young adult readers will enjoy....more
So in preparation for reading Magic Triumphs, I reread Magic Binds, which I thought I remembered pretty well until I got into it last night and realizSo in preparation for reading Magic Triumphs, I reread Magic Binds, which I thought I remembered pretty well until I got into it last night and realized how much I'd forgotten. Anyway, guess what I spent all evening reading instead of one of the many books in my review stack? Oops. Also, this book works SO MUCH BETTER now that I've read all of the previous books in this series, rather than just hit and miss. Now on to Magic Triumphs!
Review first published on Fantasy Literature. Note: Some spoilers for earlier books in the series.
In Magic Binds, the ninth book in Ilona Andrews’ KATE DANIELS urban fantasy series, Kate, a mercenary with awe-inspiring sword-fighting and magical abilities, and Curran, her shapeshifter mate and the former Beast Lord, have decided to officially tie the knot. After dealing with several obstacles to get to the home of their friend Roman, the priest of Chernobog, the Russian dark god, including a pony-sized black scorpion (“If we killed his pet scorpion, we’d never hear the end of it”), they ask Roman to marry them. Roman is absolutely delighted ― as the Black God’s priest, no one ever asks him to marry them ― and in one of the funniest running gags ever, he proceeds to hound and even threaten Kate to take care of all of the normal wedding preparations: guest list, invitations, cake, flowers, dress fittings, etc. Kate would far rather just show up and tie the knot and forget about the mundane planning and details, but Roman is bound and determined that she and Curran are going to do this wedding thing right.
Kate, however, has far more important things to worry about than a nice wedding ceremony. Kate’s father Roland is an immortal wizard who has the unfortunate habit of murdering his children for fear that they’ll destroy him, as well as anyone else who gets in his way or won’t obey him. Currently he’s building a large castle just outside of Atlanta and has been not-so-subtly challenging Kate’s claim to the town, including kidnapping Kate’s old friend Saiman. And now the Witch Oracle has told Kate that either Curran or Kate’s future son is fated to die at her father’s hands, and in either case Atlanta will burn and thousands will die. As far as the witches can tell, there’s no way around either of these terrible futures. The only thing Kate can think of is to do something absolutely crazy and wildly unexpected to change the future ― something so dangerous and awful that she can’t even tell Curran her plans. Good times!
Kate Daniels fans will adore this latest book in the series. The plot is intense, the wedding planning adds a new development to the series, and Kate’s ongoing conflict with Roland is more spectacular and direct than ever before. The characters in this series are well-rounded; the evil characters have some positive attributes, and the good characters struggle with dark urges or weaknesses. Frequent sarcastic humor helps to lighten the tension and the death and destruction that occur. The trademark wittiness that marks this series is as strong as ever, particularly when Roman periodically pops up to try to pin Kate down on her wedding plans:
“Mary very kindly agreed to bring over samples so you could select a wedding cake.”
“I did.” Mary nodded.
“Mary turns into a grizzly. A very large grizzly.”
“I know who Mary is,” I told him. “I met her before, at Andrea’s wedding.”
“If you don’t pick a wedding cake, Mary will sit on you and stuff all this cake into your mouth until you make a selection.”
If I have any complaint about Magic Binds, it would be that the long build-up to the conflict with Roland fizzles a bit in the end. But that’s a relatively minor quibble. Magic Binds was a terrifically exciting, compelling read. I read it in one day because I couldn’t stand to go to bed with it unfinished. My husband was probably rolling his eyes at how long I was glued to my Kindle reader that day, but a woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do.
If you aren’t already a fan of the KATE DANIELS series, you definitely need to start at the beginning, with Magic Bites. Each book in this series builds on the ones before, including new recurring characters and developments, and Magic Binds is no exception. It contains some major spoilers for the prior books, and some of the events won’t make much sense unless you’ve read the prior books. So this is a series that you really ought to read in order (says the person who hasn’t always done that). Now I just need to go back and read books 6 through 8 before book 10 is published …
4.5 stars, rounding up because Kate = awesome.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a review. Thank you!!...more
3.5 stars, rounding up. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature.
Rider of the Crown (2015), the second book in Melissa McShane’s CROWN OF TREM3.5 stars, rounding up. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature.
Rider of the Crown (2015), the second book in Melissa McShane’s CROWN OF TREMONTANE fantasy series, is set a generation after the events in Servant of the Crown. The story initially shifts to a neighboring country to Tremontane, where the Kirkellan live, a fierce people who live a rustic life on the grassy plains and are known for their magnificent horses. Imogen is a young warrior of the Kirkellan, and a big and intelligent girl. As a talented leader of her tiermatha, a group of thirteen warriors who fight on horseback, and the daughter of the leader of her people, she expects to be named Warleader of the Kirkellan someday. But when Imogen’s mother, the matrian of the Kirkellan, enters into a peace treaty with the aggressive Ruskald nation, she has a more immediate role for Imogen: entering into a limited-term marriage of convenience with Hrovald, the Ruskalder king, to cement the treaty.
Unfortunately, this marriage of convenience isn’t the stepping stone to love that it generally is in fiction. Hrovald is a vicious and untrustworthy man, not to mention about thirty years older than Imogen, and Imogen knows the five years she needs to spend in his house in Ruskald will seem like an eternity. She agrees only because the need is so great, and only on condition that she can bring her beloved horse Victory and her entire tiermatha with her to Ruskald.
Life in the Ruskald capital city of Ranstjad turns out to be as miserable as Imogen had anticipated. Her relationship with Hrovald remains hostile, and he refuses to let Imogen practice her sword-fighting skills with her friends in the tiermatha. Then one day Hrovald announces he has a guest in their home: Princess Elspeth North, sister to King Jeffrey of Tremontane (who is the son of Anthony, a main character in Servant of the Crown). And ― such a pity! ― the winter weather will prevent Hrovald from returning Elspeth to her people.
As Imogen comes to understand Hrovald’s terrible plans for Elspeth, this realization sets her free of Hrovald and Ruskald. Events take Imogen and her friends to Tremontane, where Imogen will face new challenges in a country with technology, conveniences and customs far different from hers … and a man who will challenge her idea of who she is and what she will be in life.
The adventure and conflict ramp up and the romance takes a secondary role in Rider of the Crown, as compared to Servant of the Crown. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We see the larger world in this book, along with the difficulties of diplomacy between nations with drastically different cultures, and the influence a leader can have on his or her country, for good or ill. The plot felt like it was treading water for a while during Imogen’s unpleasant time in Ruskald, but once it ― and Imogen ― got moving again, the story was absorbing.
Imogen is a rarity in romantic fiction, a quite powerful and large young woman in both height and weight. She isn’t ashamed of her body in the least and is unoffended by the word “fat.” She can also take your head off with her sword or have her awesome warhorse stomp on you, so there’s that. Her romantic interest is an admirable man, although their romance never quite caught fire for me in the way the relationship did in Servant of the Crown. But I enjoyed seeing the world through Imogen’s sharp eyes as she travels to different countries and has experiences that she never before would have imagined.
Rider of the Crown raises some interesting issues in connection with being willing to explore new avenues in finding out who you really are and what you might become, and the question of doing what you are best at as opposed to doing what you love best, and it deals with those issues in a thoughtful way.
I received a free copy of this ebook from the author. Thank you!...more
Kindle freebie time again! I was going to say "Kindle freebie romance," but that would be selling this YA fantasy short. It's less about the romance aKindle freebie time again! I was going to say "Kindle freebie romance," but that would be selling this YA fantasy short. It's less about the romance and more a fantasy adventure with some fairly serious things to say about the secondary role of women in some societies. The title, "You Are Mine," is more ominous than romantic here: women are actually owned by their father and husbands.
In Serena's country, women carry magic in their blood, but only men can exercise the magic. Women are treated as second class citizens, even as slaves, by most men, especially those in powerful positions, and are sold into marriage by their families, cared about only insofar as they bear sons.
When Serena turns 17 years old, she is taken by her parents to a testing center where they evaluate the level of magic in her blood. It's high -- very high -- and she ends up promptly being sold off to Thomas, a despicable man who is rising in power in their society. Through a series of surprising events she ends up instead being owned by/engaged to Zade, a foreigner considered a "barbarian" in Serena's land. Serena resents being submissive and not having any freedom, but at the same time she's so conditioned to it by her abusive father and her society in general, that when Zade tries to give her more freedom and respect she mistrusts him for the longest time, thinking he's trying to entrap her so that he can then punish her in some painful way. But Zade has his own agenda, and while it doesn't necessarily involve actually getting married to Serena, he tries to encourage her to spread her wings.
There are some clear links between the treatment of women in this book and the way they are treated in some societies in our own world. Every time I thought, no way! I'd remember that there are countries where this type of treatment would be par for the course. Not all men are evil, even in Serena's own society -- the author doesn't paint them all with the same brush -- but unfortunately the ones who are in power are.
Serena is 17 years old and Zade is 19, and the writing style is on the YA level rather than what I'd consider adult. Still, the subject matter can get a little heavy at times, with the physical and mental abuse and even worse, so younger or more sensitive readers should be aware of that.
I'm not sure if this is self-published or a very small publisher, but the grammar/editing, though not perfect, was good enough that it didn't distract me from my immersion in the story.
There are three more books in this series (not freebies) but, although this book doesn't resolve the larger issues in Serena's world, it doesn't end on a cliffhanger either. I don't know if I'll read any more in the series, but I was reasonably satisfied with the ending and the story in general. It's a worthwhile YA fantasy with a little bit of romance....more
This is book #7 in the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series, and poor Mercy can't catch a break. Hardly recovered from injuries suffered in River MarkeThis is book #7 in the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series, and poor Mercy can't catch a break. Hardly recovered from injuries suffered in River Marked, she's trying to distract her stepdaughter Jesse by taking her Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving evening. Mercy has a panic attack while driving, which leads to a car accident. At first Mercy thinks it's because Jesse asked her when she and Adam were going to have a baby, but it soon becomes apparent that her Alpha werewolf husband and almost all of his pack have been abducted, and Mercy has a psychic connection to them.
As Mercy scrambles to try to find Adam, protect Jesse, and rescue someone who's been left behind, it becomes clear that these problems, as terrible as they are, are just the tip of the iceberg. Several characters have hidden motives and deep-laid plans. Luckily, Mercy has several magical friends who are NOT werewolves (vampires, faes ...) that it makes the job a little easier. Not so luckily, there are Reasons the pack was kidnapped, and those reasons center on Mercy herself.
The plotting in this series is just so good. This is the first book where the Alpha and Omega series (which is almost as good) really starts to intertwine with Mercy's, plotwise. From here on out you really need to read them all in order....more
Neil Gaiman took one of his twisted, rather creepy fairy tale stories and turned it into a 66 page pFinal review, posted at www.FantasyLiterature.com:
Neil Gaiman took one of his twisted, rather creepy fairy tale stories and turned it into a 66 page picture book with wonderfully whimsical and detailed illustrations by Chris Riddell (who also did the amazing illustrations in the illustrated version of Neverwhere).
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I went out on a limb recommending this to Kelly (and the Book Boar) for her fairy tale retellings project when I was only halfway done with this, but I'm relieved to say I still liked it when I finally finished it last night.
A queen is (reluctantly) about to get married, but when a sleeping sickness spreads through a neighboring kingdom and threatens hers, she sets aside her plans, puts on her mail shirt and sword, and heads off with her dwarf friends to take care of the problem herself. There’s a fascinating, gradual reveal of who the queen actually is, and Gaiman deftly interweaves details about how her past experiences inform her present decisions.
Occasionally it seems like Gaiman is pandering just a bit to readers:
She called for her fiancé and told him not to take on so, and that they would still be married, even if he was but a prince and she a queen, and she chucked him beneath his pretty chin and kissed him until he smiled.
It feels as if he’s trying to display how much he supports female empowerment, which is a great thing except when it gets in the way of the actual story. And I can't say I'm all that sympathetic to the queen's feeling that, because she's getting married and ruling a kingdom for the rest of her life, she has "no choices" and "the path to her death, heartbeat by heartbeat, would be inevitable." Seriously?
But there are some really nice touches to the story--the queen's decisive action when she comes up to the Sleeping Beauty castle, surrounded by deadly thorns that have killed many adventurous men, had me thinking, why didn't any of the guys ever think of doing that? A suitably creepy note is added when it develops that the people struck by the sleeping sickness do more than just sleep. And the detailed pen-and-ink illustrations with touches of gold really made the story. I loved the skull motif, which subtly changes at the end.
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This story may not be amazingly unique--there are a lot of dark fairy tale retellings out there--but between Gaiman's fantastic use of words and imagery, and Riddell's gorgeous illustrations, this is a pretty easy 4 star book for me....more
Note: this review contains a few spoilers for Servant of the Crown and many spoilers for the bonus short story “Long Live the Queen” at the end of that novel, which sets up this book.
In “Long Live the Queen,” a “five years later” short story that appears at the end of Servant of the Crown, the first book in Melissa McShane‘s CROWN OF TREMONTANE series, Queen Zara North of Tremontane comes to terms with the realization that she has inherent magical power, a type that rapidly heals her from any injury, poison, or illness and will make her nearly ageless. Magical powers are viewed as a taint in Tremontane, particularly for a ruler, and in any case Zara can foresee that her endless reign would be a disaster for her beloved country and for the reigning North family. Zara is a firm-minded woman with an acerbic personality and an incisive manner, and she takes matters into her own hands. With the reluctant help of her brother Anthony and his wife, Zara fakes her death and leaves her throne and relatives far behind, secretly heading to a distant, rural part of the kingdom.
Exile of the Crown (2015) is the story of what happens to Zara after she leaves the throne. It’s an interim novella between Servant of the Crown and Agent of the Crown (2016), skimming over the time period and events in Rider of the Crown. It consists of four intertwined stories from different times in Zara North’s life as an “exile” of sorts. Although she still lives in her own country, she’s far from the life and people she knew, feeling forever cut off from them. Zara now lives under the name of Agatha Weaver in small towns, moving from time to time when she feels like she’s spent long enough in one town that eyebrows will start to raise at the fact that she never looks any older.
Exile of the Crown skips through 44 years of Zara’s life, relating some of the interesting events in her life:
♦ A beckoning romance, even though Zara has determined that she should never get involved with someone because of her agelessness and inability to have a child. ♦ A surprise visit from a North relative, who wasn’t even aware that the former Queen Zara was still alive. ♦ Her life as a successful small businesswoman, owner of a weaving business, which comes under threat from an unscrupulous competitor who plans to open a weaving factory. This was my favorite, the most complex and thoughtful episode in the set. ♦ A long-distance argument with the current North ruler about a rather demanding request he’s making of her. This brief final episode is a teaser for Agent of the Crown, the next book in this series.
If you enjoy fantasies that mix romance and adventure, I recommend the CROWN OF TREMONTANE series. The romance element in the series overall is fairly strong, especially in the first book, but it’s far from being the sole focus. These books are more thoughtful than most in this genre. You should definitely read Servant of the Crown first, not just because it’s a delightful novel, but also because it sets up this steampunk-flavored fantasy world so well, and introduces you to the determined force of nature that is Zara. She’s a fantastic, strong female character, and there are frequent flashes of humor:
“You’re more like … what’s that knife Dr. Green uses?”
“A scalpel.”
“That’s it. You cut where it’s needed and you strike clean. And everyone can hear the truth in what you say. … It just makes me wonder why you’re a weaver and not … I don’t know … ruling a County.”
Melissa McShane pays attention to the personalities of their characters and how they deal with their problems and pains. Despite her stubbornness and determination, Zara gradually comes to realize that she doesn’t need to cut herself off from relationships and friendships.
We live, and we love, and we mourn, and we rejoice, and none of that was possible without roots that ran deep.
3.5 stars, rounding up. But 4+ stars for the third story, the longest one.
I received this ebook free from the author. Thank you!!...more
Note: some spoilers for the first book, Cold Burn of Magic.
In Dark Heart of Magic, the second book iFinal review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Note: some spoilers for the first book, Cold Burn of Magic.
In Dark Heart of Magic, the second book in Jennifer Estep’s BLACK BLADE teen urban fantasy series, the adventures of seventeen year old Lila Merriweather ― orphan, ex-homeless person and pickpocket, current bodyguard, and swordfighter extraordinaire ― continue. In a world that contains both normal mortals and magicks, humans endowed with different magical powers, Lila has two extraordinary powers: soulsight, which enables her to read the emotions of another person by looking into their eyes, and transference, the ability to mirror another person’s magical powers that are being used against her. This makes Lila a particularly valued bodyguard for the Sinclair Family, one of the most powerful magical families in the town of Cloudburst Falls, which has unusually high levels of magical activity ― so much that it’s become a tourist hotspot for people who want to see pixies, monsters, trolls and other magical creatures.
Lila intends to serve out a year-long term with the Sinclair Family and then leave town, despite the “soulful green eyes, teasing grin, and rocking body” of Devon Sinclair, the son and heir of the head of the Sinclair Family. Devon is a caring, kind person who wants to pursue a relationship with Lila, but because of her plans not to hang around long-term and her unwillingness to allow anyone to get too close to her and possibly hurt her, Lila keeps pushing Devon away.
Lila gets roped by the head of the Sinclair Family into taking part in the annual Tournament of Blades, a sword-fighting competition with over a hundred competitors. The competitors also include her friend Devon, Deah Draconi (daughter of the arch-rival Draconi clan and past champion of the Tournament), Deah’s nasty brother Blake, and Katia Volkov, a gorgeous redhead with designs on Devon’s best friend Felix … who’s no longer interested in Katia because he’s now involved in a Romeo-and-Juliet type of secret relationship with Deah Draconi. Winning the Tournament will bring honor and accolades, as well as a cash prize, but Lila would really prefer to avoid attention, particularly from the nefarious Victor Draconi and his son Blake, who killed Lila’s mother years ago and whom Lila now suspects of planning to take down the other magical Families and take control of Cloudburst Falls.
What with sneaking into the Draconi mansion to discover Victor’s plans, trying to figure out who is killing all of the tree trolls in town, and pining after Devon, Lila has a lot distracting her from the Tournament. Not that Lila really cares about the Tournament, at least at first, but when an unknown person sabotages the obstacle course that’s the first round of the competition, gravely endangering Lila and others, Lila starts to think it might be worth trying to win the Tournament.
Between the competition, the murdered tree troll mystery, Draconi skullduggery, another mystery about Lila’s family and past, and the obligatory love interest, there’s a lot going on in Dark Heart of Magic. The quick pace and multiple plotlines help to make up for some superficiality. Lila, who has a young and frequently snarky voice, narrates the story. I didn’t find the constant sniping of Lila and some of the other characters particularly witty, so it got tedious for me, but younger readers might disagree. The characters, other than Lila and the hidden villain, are strictly one-dimensional. Even the secret villain is fairly easy to spot, given a couple of rather obvious clues that Estep leaves in the text.
As the main character, Lila has some greater depth, particularly as she attempts to come to terms with her painful past and determine what she really wants in life. But, as often happens in fantasy novels, Lila’s skills are over the top, between her super-special magical powers, amazing sword-fighting ability, and expert skills at spying, pickpocketing and lock-picking. In fact, she’s extraordinarily good at pretty much everything except interpersonal relationships.
Overall, Dark Heart of Magic is a light and fun read, if you don’t mind some murder and mayhem. I’d recommend this to a teenager who likes fast-paced fantasy adventures with a dash of humor, but isn’t looking for anything really deep or complex. If you enjoyed Cold Burn of Magic, the first book in this series, you’ll probably like this one just as well....more
3.5 stars. Can a devious, manipulative nature be a good thing? That's the interesting question posed by Benigna Machiavelli, a rather obscure 1914 nov3.5 stars. Can a devious, manipulative nature be a good thing? That's the interesting question posed by Benigna Machiavelli, a rather obscure 1914 novella written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, an early feminist best known for her short story The Yellow Wallpaper, about an oppressed wife's descent into madness.
Benigna is a far more cheerful story, told in personal journal form by a young woman who decides to use her intelligence and strength of character to overcome oppression and adversity. Benigna is extremely proud of her Machiavellian ancestry, and intentionally adopts the habit of manipulating others, but only for the purpose of good (although, like a good Corsican, she occasionally includes getting even with bad people as a sort of good).
I mean to help people - all sorts of people, in all sorts of ways - without their knowing it!
It is easy to be hateful and do mischievous tricks. It is harder to be kind and serviceable and make friends - but much wiser.
Benigna' biggest challenge is figuring out what to do with her overbearing, hard-drinking, verbally abusive father, who has ruined her mother's health and confidence and is driving her older sister to the point of eloping with the first willing man. It takes her some years to figure out what to do about him, but her final plan is gratifyingly complex and effective. And how Benigna then takes charge of her home, and sets events in motion to improve her family's life, is truly impressive.
It was a lot of fun reading about all of Benigna's devious machinations.
"This wasn't disobedience, for no one had forbidden me to go. It was just enterprising."
I'm not sure this is great literature, but it is a great lesson in self-reliance, using your brain, and standing up for yourself - all lessons that Charlotte Perkins Gilman very much wanted to teach to the women of her day.
Note re ebook versions: Although this book is out of copyright, I couldn't find it on Project Gutenberg, but with a little searching I found it elsewhere. The best free ebook version I found - by far - was an epub version (readable on iBooks or Nook) at http://www.mobileread.com/forums/show.... The Kindle mobi version I found at Internet Archive/archive.org was riddled with proofing errors....more
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