A Couple of Shorties

Wrecked is a novella that belongs to Meljean Brook's Iron Seas series.  A series that is steampunk romance, with the added bonus of the occasional zombie.

Elizabeth has been on the run from her father the last five years of her life.  At every turn she has been avoiding his hunters.  She thought she had finally escaped them for good when she leaped from a train to avoid having his hunter, Caius, drag her back to him.

When she spots two of her father's hunters outside of her boarding house, and her father emerges from it while she hides, she finds the quickest way out of town on an airship.  She is devastated to find that Caius has followed her.

Caius is overwhelmed with happiness when he finds that Elizabeth lived from her jump.  He will do anything to protector her from her father now.  Seeing her alive filled the whole in his heart that she left when she leaped from that train.

Meljean Brook knows how to write the perfect novella.  It is has just the right amount of character development and a plot that finds the length well.  She does not skimp on her characters personalities just because the story is shorter.  Plus, I find her Iron Seas World fascinating.  She has not only excellent romances, but great adventures in her stories.



Valkyrie Symptoms by Ingrid Paulson is a very short story that takes place just before the events of Valkyire Rising.  The story is told from Tucker's perspective.  I thought is was a nice short read, and shed more light onto Tucker's attraction to Ellie.  The story shows that he has been slowly falling for her for a bit.  It also sheds light on the changes Ellie has been going through before she even arrives in Norway, like how her temper has become shorter.

While the story is not necessary to keep up with the events of Valkyrie Rising, it is a nice little glimpse into Tuck's views on life, friends, and most importantly Ellie.

Currently Reading:
Fury of Desire
by Coreene Callahan

Let Down Your Hair

Cress by Marissa Meyer is the latest in her Lunar Chronicles.  The series gives new life to my favorite fairy tales, plus the added bonus of a science fiction spin to them.

Cress is Lunar, but she is a shell. For the last seven years of her life, she has been trapped on a satellite orbiting Earth.  She was placed there with Mistress Sybil Mira, who is Queen Levana's head thaumaturge.  She is an excellent hacker, and was in fact, the girl who warned Cinder of Levana's plans to kill Emperor Kai in the first book.

Cinder, Thorne, Scarlet, and Wolf make contact with Cress, and decided to rescue her from her imprisonment.  Too bad that rescue goes so horribly wrong. The group ends up split up.  They must find a way to survive, to stop Kai and Levana's wedding, and ulimately put an end to Levana's reign over Luna.

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite series, and it is not even finished.  There is so much to love about this series, it is hard to know where to start.  I suppose the beginning is a very good place to start, so we will begin with the cover.  How fantastic is the cover art for Cress?  There is a simple understated to elegance to just demands for the book to be read, and when you do read the book, you will not be disappointed.

I simply adore the way that Ms. Meyer is able to keep key elements of the original fairy tale, and still make the story totally her own, and fresh to the reader.  Things like the Sybil's imprisonment of Cress, Cress long hair, or even (Slight spoiler) Thorne's blindness.

In this book you get not only to meet the amazing Cress, but a more extensive picture of Carswell Thorne.  My copy even had the bonus short story, Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky, where we get a story of Thorne in high school, and what lead to the fight incident mentioned several times during Cress.  There is even the introduction to Princess Winter, Levana's stepdaughter, and the subject of the next book in the series.  Which I cannot wait to read already.

I do have to mention that possibly my favorite seen came between the two most unlikely of characters interacting, Cress and Wolf. When Cress ask Wolf about Scarlet, and he calls her his Alpha to which she replies like the Alpha Star which is the guiding star.  He answer of yes, made me love him all the more.  It is quite possible that Scarlet and Wolf are my favorite pair of the series.

If you have not started reading The Lunar Chronicles, what in the world are you waiting for?  It has all anyone could ask for adventure, romance, intrigue, and plus cyborgs, aliens, and animal hybrids.

Currently Reading:
Wrecked
by Meljean Brook

Now Playing

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead is the first of the series by the same name.  A world where there are vampires, both good and bad.  The good vampires are the Moroi.  They are not immortal, and have the ability to wield elemental magic.  They are born, not made.  The Strigoi are the bad vampires.  They are Moroi who have chosen to give up their magic and kill to become immortal.  They can also be Moroi, human or dhampir who have been forced to turn.  The dhampir are half-human half-Moroi that serve as the guardians to the Moroi.

Lissa, Moroi royalty, and her dhampir, Rose, ran away from St. Vladmir's Academy two years ago, after several events that lead Rose to think Lissa is no longer safe there.  When they are finally caught and dragged back, neither is very happy about it.  Plus Rose would have been completely expelled if not for her bond with Lissa, a bond between Moroi and dhampir which many thought was just legend.

To better be able to protect Lissa, Rose begins extra training with Guardian Dimitri, who according to the other novice dhampirs is a god. Rose is pushing herself hard to be the best guardian she can be for Lissa, but nothing is that easy.

Coming back means having to navigate the high school politics again, like the new queen bee Mia, who seems to have it out for Lissa. Dealing with catching up on school work and boys. Not to mention that someone has been leaving dead animals for Lissa hoping to expose her secret.  As if Rose did not have enough to deal with, she is developing a serious crush on Dimitri, who is not only older, but long term relationships between dhampirs is a taboo in their world.

I had two reasons for wanting to start this series. First, I already read the first book in Bloodlines, the follow-up series, as part of the United States of YA and felt like I was missing a lot by not having read this series first. Second, the movie just came out, and I usually try and read the book before seeing the movie, which hopefully I will go see next weekend.

I really enjoyed this book.  I liked the strong female lead in Rose.  Sure she is a little brash, but sometimes that is just what needs to be done. She is fiercely loyal to Lissa, and even when they are fighting, she still protects Lissa from others.  She is smart, and a smart-ass, which honestly I like in a character.  Although it is interesting to me, that others think that Rose is the unstable one, and I suppose outwardly that is what it seems like, but for me, Lissa is definitely the more unstable of the two with her emotions and magic both contributing to it.

Ms. Mead does an excellent job of building the story of who knows Lissa secret and what exactly her secret is through out the novel.  I was genuinely surprised to find out who was behind the dead animals, which is rarity for me.  Usually the un-revealed antagonist  is on a short list of suspects for me at the very least, so kudos to Richelle Mead for surprising me.

I can't wait to see where the rest of the series goes from here, and how Rose and Lissa continue to develop as characters.

Currently Reading:
Cress
by Marissa Meyer

Norsing Around

Valkyrie Rising is the debut novel from Ingrid Paulson.

Elsa, or Ellie, has spent most of her life living in her brother Graham's shadow.  He is popular, smart, and athletic.  He is over protective of Ellie, and she is pretty sure that her friends are her friends to be closer to him.  She is looking forward to spending her summer with her grandmother in Norway, especially since the first two weeks with be Graham free.  She is a little surprised to learn that Tucker, Graham's best friend, will be joining them for two weeks during the summer.

Ellie arrives in the small town that her grandmother lives in, and learns that some strange things have been happening.  Young men have been going missing from the town, and many of the residents think her grandmother has something to do with it.

When she goes out with a local boy, she has a strange encounter with some lethal supermodels.  They hypnotize the entire bar, and try to take the boy she is with.  She manages to break their hold on him, but the leader, Astrid, points to head and calls her Valkyrie.

When Graham and Tucker arrive, things only get stranger.  The towns open hostility toward her and her grandmother, and the increased disappearance of the young men. Plus Ellie's increased feelings toward Tucker, and his confusing behavior.  When Graham is taken, Ellie must become who she is meant to be with Tucker's help and save Graham and the other missing.

I really enjoy novels that blend the modern with old mythology, so naturally I was drawn to the idea of this book.  While I don't know as much about Norse mythology as Greek or Roman, I found this book a great read.  Ms. Paulson does a wonderful job of making the myths in the real world believable.  She could have easily drowned the reader in to many myths but she kept it a perfect blend of myth and real people.

She has some fantastic character development in this book with Ellie, who goes from the quiet girl hiding at her brother's party to the girl will save the town.  Ellie really learns to find her own voice, and be more than Graham's sister during her journey.  Tucker, also, gets some great development.  When we first meet him, he appears to be just a flirt that does not take anything seriously, but as the book progresses, we learn he is so much more than he appears to be.

I really enjoyed the story and the characters of Valkyrie Rising.  Ms. Paulson end the book beautifully.  Leaving as a single novel is possible, but she did close it so that a follow up is not out of the possibility.  There is a short story from Tucker's perspective when Ellie is coming into her powers, which I am going to have check out later.

Currently Reading:
Vampire Academy
by Richelle Mead

Two for One

Since I have been on vacation, I haven't update the last couple of books I read.  This means I am giving you two reviews in one post, and most likely another post tomorrow.



First up is Cindy Spencer Pape's Ashes and Alchemy, which is the latest in her Gaslight Chronicles series.

Minerva Shaw, or Minnie, is desparate for a doctor.  She is has braved a chilling night in London in search of a doctor that will treat her daughter, Ivy, despite Minnie being from the poorer part of town.  She is finally pointed to a doctor who is willing to help everyone, but she just happens to knock on his neighbor's door first.

Sebastian Brown is a police inspector, who is retired army that served his country in India.  While he is not part of the Order, he is well acquainted with it, since his father was a knight, and his cousin is currently one.  He has the uncanny ability to tell when people are lying.  He assist Minnie in retrieving her daughter to bring to the doctor.

When they return to her flat, they find it in shambles and Minnie's friend dead, along with Ivy being miraculously better.  As they investigate further, they find that more children at Ivy's school has become mysteriously ill, and someone is up to no good.

This has by far, been my least favorite of the Gaslight Chronicles series.  The characters felt very stiff, and the relationship between them was forced.  I did not get a since of either of the main characters beyond what was presented on the surface.

The plot itself was uninspiring in the way it unfolded.  In the beginning there was some pretty good potential to it, but the author just let it fizzle out in the end.  There was not even a great fight scene to save it.  Plus, I did not feel that this book added to the series.  It just was not as well written as the others in the series.



Bookworm II: The Very Ugly Duckling by Christopher Nuttall is the follow up to his Bookworm.  The Golden City is rebuilding after the events of Bookworm, where Kane destroyed much of the city.  The mudanes, those without magic, are demanding to be treated better.  Plus there is a Dark Sorcerer that has escaped and is being hunted.

Johan is from a powerful magic family, unfortunately for him, he has no magic.  He is a Powerless, a non-magic person born to magic family.  That has made him the target of his siblings pranks, and a prisoner to his home.  One day when he is able to sneak out, he is caught in an attack his brother makes on mundanes, and suddenly develops powers.  His powers, however, don't follow any of the rules of magic, and so Elaine, the Head Librarian, Privy Councillor, and the Bookworm, is sent to help him.

Together Elaine and Johan work through what he is capable of, and how he can escape his family, whom he wants nothing to do with.

While Mr. Nuttall probably should have just called this book The Very Ugly Duckling, he is a master of the subplots and plot twist.  He does a fantastic job of keeping his reader guessing just what is the cause of Johan's powers, and if it is related to the Witch-King.  Plus, there is the whole what is Duncan, Johan's father, plan.

Nuttall does a great job of developing his characters in the story, and not just Elaine and Johan.  Even some of the minor characters get some excellent development, like Charity, Johan's sister.  I think he did a great job of further exploring Elaine's character, without feeling like he was rehashing all that we learned about her in Bookworm.

I was very glad to see that he wrote this book, since I still had questions at the end of Bookworm, and it appears he will continue the series.  I am excited to see where he takes it, and what the Witch-King's plans are and how they unfold.

Currently Reading:
Valkyrie Rising
by Ingrid Paulson

Bidding Ado to Favorites

Up From the Grave is the last of Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series. Cat and Bones are one of my favorite paranormal romance couples. Partly because of their personalities, partly because every time I read Bones speaking I do it in an English accent that sounds a lot like Benedict Cumberbatch.  Not going to lie, I am little sad that this is the last of the series, but I did get to go to Jeaniene Frost's talk and book signing at Barnes and Noble in Cary, NC.  I am now a proud owner of a signed copy of Up From the Grave, and I will give a summary of what she talked about at the end.

Cat and Bones have a some down time lately from their crazy, hectic life, so naturally trouble comes knocking.  When Cat's Uncle Don's ghost shows up, he does not bring good news.  He is worried about her former team, Tate, Cooper, Dave, and Juan.  They haven't been home in a long time, and he wants Cat and Bones to check into it.

In their search, they learn that Don's replacement has done something to them, and they are determined to find out what.  They learn that Madigan has been doing some super terrible stuff, like messing with genetic material of humans, vampires, and ghouls.  In their quest to save their friends, and stop Madigan that learn secrets that will change the supernatural world and their lives forever.

Congratulations to Ms. Frost to a series well done, and not dragging it out unnecessarily.  I thought she did a wonderful job with this book, and making the perfect reason for Cat and Bones to retire to the quiet life.  Plus she does not skimp on the action and the romance I have come to expect from her novels.

I love that many of my old favorite make their way back into this book in one way or another.  Like Tyler, the fabulous medium with the gassy bulldog named Dexter.   Of course there was Spade, Ian, and Mencheres.  Oh, and the Vlad and Leila wedding made an appearance.

First off, big thank you for Jeaniene Frost for making out to the signing event despite the weather. (We do not deal well with snow in the south.) It was my first author meet and greet event, and I have to say now I really want to do so many more.

Ms. Frost talked about the new book, and her new series that will be coming out in later summer, early fall.  She also took question from the audience.

Her new series sounds like it is going to be lots of fun.  To people fighting their destiny are drawn together to fight for their lives. She said she has this idea for several years, but it did not really fall into adult genre, but it did not make in to YA genre either. I, personally, will be placing The Beautiful Ashes, the first book of the Broken Destiny series, on my reading list when it comes out.  She also said the next book of the Night Prince series would likely be out at the end of this year or the beginning of 2015.

She, of course, got the inevitable question of whether Ian will ever get his own book.  She said that she could not see him getting a book.  But wait no cries of outrage, yet, I am happy to report that today on Twitter, with so pestering by Ilona Andrews and Melissa Marr, that she will seriously consider an Ian book.

In conclusion, Up From the Grave was a wonderful ending to a great series, and well worth my time.  Also, if you ever get a chance to go to a author's meet and greet, DO IT!

Currently Reading:
Ashes & Alchemy
by Cindy Spencer Pape

Light & Dark

Shadow and Bone is the first book of Leigh Bardugo's The Grisha series.  The land of Ravka is very much reminiscent of imperial Russia with the setting, the people, and the attitudes.  Ravka has been ravaged by war, and make it worse, they have been cut off to their coast and trade by the Shadow Fold.  An area where no sunlight can penetrate and the monsters, volcra, kill many who dare to cross the Fold.

Alina was orphaned by the wars, and the only constant in her life has been her best friend, Mal. Lately, her feelings toward Mal have become confusing.  While she tries to deal with her feelings, their army units set out to cross the Fold.  On the crossing they are attacked by the volcra, and when it looks like all is lost and she will lose Mal the most amazing thing happens, they are saved by a bright flash.

Alina is dragged to the Darkling, the most powerful of the Grisha. Grisha are those who practice the small sciences, or magic.  The Darkling informs her that she is a Sun Summoner, and that she is the one who can save Ravka from the Shadow Fold.  She is rushed away to the Little Palace, where the Grisha train, to begin her education.

Alina feels out of place and lonely, and Mal is not answering her letters. She slowly grows to learn how to use her powers and feels drawn to the Darkling, but in the process, she learns not everyone's motives are what they appear to be.

When I was younger, I was fascinated with Imperial Russia, so naturally I love the setting of Ravka that is so much like Imperial Russia.  It not only captures the beautiful things about that era, like the beautiful palace and amazing architecture, but it also highlights the what was wrong with it, like the disparity between the rich and the poor.  There is even a very Rasputin like figure in the Apparat.

The idea of the Shadow Fold is brilliant, in my opinion.  It plays to humans' most basic fear, monsters in the dark.  Plus, it was created out of humans biggest vice, the want for more power and stopping at nothing to get it.

Alina is a naive orphan girl who is thrust into a world she really does not understand, but she feels very refreshing in the world of the Grisha.  She does not dance around what she is thinking, but speaks her mind.  While she may feel like an imposture in the Grisha, she does not try to be something she is not.  I like her, and like that she stands up what she thinks is right and who she loves, no matter who stands against her.

Did I mention who well Ms.Bardugo does in playing with light and dark in the characters of Alina and the Darkling.  They reverse reflection of each other, both in powers and personalities.  He controls darkness, and is so closed to those around him.  Then Alina controls the sun, and is an open book.  It makes for an interesting relationship between them, both the ups and downs.  I think the best scene that illustrates their difference is with the Morozova stag, which if you read the book you totally get, but I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't read it yet.

Shadow and Bone presents a world of intrigue and conspiracies where everyone is not as they seem, and that kept me quite entertained.  I am excited to see how the second book, Siege and Storm will go.

Currently Reading
Up from the Grave
by Jeaniene Frost

Between the Worlds of Magic and the Mundane

On the Edge is the first of Ilona Andrews' The Edge series.  Ilona Andrews, the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team, is author the of one of my favorite series, The Kate Daniels series.  The Edge is the place between the world of magic, the Weird, and the world of the mundane, the Broken.  People who live in the Edge have magic, but not as strong as those in the Weird.  In the Edge, power is measured by your Flash, the liter the color of your Flash, the stronger the magic.

Rose Drayton lives in the Edge.  She works under the table as a maid for a cleaning company, and she takes care of her two younger brothers, George and Jack, since her mother died and her father left. Rose had very strong magic, she Flashes white, but that does not place food on the table.  When it can out that she Flashed white, both Edge and Weird families sought to have her, either  for breeding or soldiering.  It isn't easy raising two boys, especially when one can raise the dead and the other can change into a lynx.

When a Blueblood, a Weird noble, shows up in the Edge, Rose becomes worried, especially once he appears at her house.  Declan is the Earl of Camarine, and he binds Rose to an agreement where she is to give him three challenges, and if completes all of them then she will be his.  But Declan is more than what he seems.  After his arrival, he saves Jack from a magic eating creature, and some Edgers from the same creatures, Rose really begins to wonder about the real Declan.

The creatures are controlled by madman from the Weird with delusions of grandeur and who is quickly losing his hold on reality. He must be stopped or the people of the Edge are doomed to die or move to the Broken.  Rose and Declan work together to stop him, and are developing feelings for each other.

I love Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniel series, so I had high expectations for this book.  Good news, there was not disappointment to be had in this book.  I loved the unique world that has been created with this book, where magic and mundane are parallel worlds.  The characters are so well developed and wonderful.  I think that being a husband and wife writing team helps to make the male characters so much more believable that some other series with female writers alone.

There are so many great characters in the book.  Not only are Rose and Declan fantastically developed, but George, Jack, William, and Grandma Eleanor are such wonderful additions.  In fact, Jack might be my favorite character.  They did such are great job of balancing the little boy in him and the cat in him.  I think my favorite scene in the book is when William discovers that Jack is a changeling, and the conversation they have.  I really felt it showed how well Jack is written, and it also showed what a wonderful guardian Rose has been for Jack.

Speaking of Rose, she is so great.  She really loves her brothers, and is super loyal to them. It would be so easy to bitter about her situation, but she makes the best of it, even after everything she has gone through.  She is smart, and as demonstrated when she practices her Flash with Delcan, she is a very fast learner.

Declan, talk about yummy awesomeness in a character.  He is obviously very loyal, as demonstrated by him wanting to save William. He is also caring, which is not necessarily what I would expect from a former soldier like himself. He works hard to keep Jack and George safe and to earn their trust.

William is a character I find myself wanting to know more about, so I am super excited that the next book, Bayou Moon features him as a main character.

I am can't wait to read more from this series, and learn more about the world that Ilona Andrews has created in it.

Currently Reading:
Shadow and Bone
by Leigh Bardugo

Til Death Do Us Part, and Then Some

Elegy is the last novel in Tara Hudson's Hereafter trilogy.  Amelia is dead, and after the events in Arise, she has become a Risen ghost.  The love of her life or death, depending on how you look at it, is Joshua Mayhew.  The boy she rescued from death in Hereafter, who happens to come from a long line of Seers and can touch her when no one else can.

Amelia has been issued an ultimatum by the demonic forces of the Netherworld, join them or someone dies every week until she does.  She is so shaken by this, that along with Joshua, Jillian, and Scott, she attempts to destroy High Bridge.  Of course it can't be that easy, and it only serves to tick off the demons.  They begin going after those she cares about, starting with Serena, who was her best friend while she was living.

Amelia know she has to do something drastic, or a lot more people will die.  She even enlist the help of Ruth Mayhew, despite their mutual dislike of each other.  Unfortunately that does not go well either.  As Amelia tries to think of some way to stop the demons, she approached by those of the Light and asked to join them.  In fact, she learns that the powers she has to harm the demonic forces are because of the Higher Powers of the Light.

She is faced with a heartbreaking choices, join the Netherworld where she will certainly suffer, join the Light and never see Joshua again, or remain as she is and watch those she loves dies.  She wants to make her choice on her own terms, and save those she loves both dead and alive.

Kudos to Ms. Hudson on a fantastic ending to this trilogy.  It could have gone so wrong, in so many ways, but it was great.  I was terribly worried that it would in end some ridiculous way that made no sense at all, but it was just perfect and made complete sense.  Not going to lie, it was a bittersweet ending, but believable and worked so well with the story.

Amelia is such a wonderful character.  She refuses to allow others to dictate her fate to her.  She goes about solving the problems she faces on her own terms, and that makes her strong and likable character.  She is loyal and caring, which the demons view as a weakness, but it is her greatest strength.

Can I just take a minute to talk about how much I love Joshua.  He is romantic, loyal, and always knows the right things to say.  He is so good at reading Amelia, and knows what she needs, sometimes before she even knows.  Not that he doesn't do dumb things at times, like in Arise the who making Amelia Risen without her consent, but he never does them out of maliciousness.

The Hereafter trilogy is one I definitely recommend.  It is well written, great characters, and Arise's setting is so wonderfully New Orleans, so beautifully depicted in the written word, you almost can smell the beignets.

Currently Reading:
On the Edge
by Ilona Andrews