Review Bites: A Taste of African Horror
Posted on April 27, 2016 8 Comments
My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due
Series: African Immortals #1
Genre: Horror, Supernatural
Publisher: Harper Voyager (April 8, 1998)
Tiara’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
David Wolde is an immortal man who has married a mortal woman. She’s a journalist who’s starting to taste success, and he’s an accomplished professor turned freelance writer who dotes on his wife and their young daughter. However, his wife doesn’t know he is immortal. David took a blood pact many years ago in Ethiopia that granted him and fifty-nine other men immortality. They promised to never tell any others of this pact, and they promised never to get too attached to the mortal world. David’s immortal family has decided that it is time for him to leave his family and return to them. They fear that he is about to break their fragile existence by revealing himself to his wife and child. Little do they know that David plans to go one step further and attempt to grant them that which is forbidden to his family–immortality.
Prior to reading this novel, I’d only encountered Ms. Due’s work in various anthologies I’d picked up over the years that featured horror stories by writers of color. Some of those books I’ve held onto for years and revisit them periodically, and any time I’d reread one I’d always think to myself that I need to get around to reading some Due because she’d been touted a writer of color who was really making waves in the horror genre with her stories. (And her stories are almost always one of my favorites in the anthologies that I find her in.)
It was a treat to finally read a complete novel by her. I was completely captured by this story and especially enjoyed hearing about David’s past as he journeyed from Africa to America. Much like Octavia Butler she weaves African and African-American history in this story to give it such a different flavor and context than you’d find in most horror stories while adding an element of emotion that really speaks to the reader. While I don’t think there is anyone who can manage to weave race and genre fiction together quite the way Octavia Butler has with her novels, Due has certainly made quite an impact as well with her efforts. There were some parts of the novel that seemed to go on longer than they should’ve such as the ending, but this is definitely a series that I will continue.
The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
Genre: Horror, Mythology
Publisher: Audible Studios
Length: 10 hrs 50 mins
Narrator: Bahni Turpin
Tiara’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Jessamy Harrison is a somber, contemplative child who keeps to herself. She loses herself in her world and her imagination. Her mother, a writer originally from Nigeria, decides to take her family (which includes Jess and her English husband) to her home country where Jess learns about her mother’s roots for the first time from her mother’s family. There Jess meets a little girl named TillyTilly who becomes one of Jess’ closest friends despite the fact that there’s something a little strange about TillyTilly. As the story progresses, Jess realizes there’s something disturbing about TillyTilly as strange things begin to occur in her world that makes the reader questions what’s real and what’s part of Jess’ imagination.
Part myth and part horror story, this was certainly an engrossing read. I don’t think this story will surprise too many people, especially if you read much horror. However, that’s true of most horror, and it’s more about the atmospheric quality of the story than anything. There’s not creepier than children interacting with ghosts/monsters in horror stories because of the innocence that most children bring to the story and the helplessness they can pull from the reader because they’re a child involved in something that’s much bigger and scarier than they can truly comprehend. Jess is no exception, and it’s quite a harrowing ride to follow her as TillyTilly firmly plants herself in Jess’ world.
Bahni Turpin narrated this story. I’d forgotten that I had this book when I reviewed Unholy Ghosts, which is narrated by Turpin as well, and I didn’t have to get that one to sample her work. However, the style she used for the books couldn’t have been more different. I was much more moved by her narration of this book, but her narration of Unholy Ghosts is nothing to laugh at either. She’s a talented narrator, and her range and depth of character and emotion is amazing. I did think this story went on way too long. It felt like it would’ve been a great short story. If it had been tight and concise this would’ve probably resonated with me a little longer and the ending would’ve had a great impact. I’m floundering on how I feel about the ending a bit, but I think, if this had cut out much of the story, it would’ve been more fitting. Still, this was a lyrical, haunting story that certainly left me mulling over for quite some time after I listened to it.
Waiting on Wednesday 04/27/16
Posted on April 27, 2016 14 Comments
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn (July 5, 2016 by DAW)
You can’t just dangle a superhero book in front of my nose without expecting me to bite, especially one that looks this fun. I’m getting vibes that remind me a bit of The Devil Wears Prada meets The Incredibles, and for once it’s nice to look forward to a story about quirky superheroine.
“Being a superheroine is hard. Working for one is even harder.
Evie Tanaka is the put-upon personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, her childhood best friend and San Francisco’s most beloved superheroine. She’s great at her job—blending into the background, handling her boss’s epic diva tantrums, and getting demon blood out of leather pants.
Unfortunately, she’s not nearly as together when it comes to running her own life, standing up for herself, or raising her tempestuous teenage sister, Bea.
But everything changes when Evie’s forced to pose as her glamorous boss for one night, and her darkest comes out: she has powers, too. Now it’s up to her to contend with murderous cupcakes, nosy gossip bloggers, and supernatural karaoke battles—all while juggling unexpected romance and Aveda’s increasingly outrageous demands. And when a larger threat emerges, Evie must finally take charge and become a superheroine in her own right… or see her city fall to a full-on demonic invasion.”
Book Review: HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Posted on April 26, 2016 16 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tor (April 26, 2016)
Length: 448 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Oh, how scary could this be, I asked myself. It can’t be as creepy as everyone says, I foolishly thought. Seriously, a story about a three-hundred-and-fifty-year-old witch who just appears wherever she wants around town, and all everyone does is throw a dish towel over her face or otherwise pretends she’s not there. The whole business sounded more comical than frightening, to be honest.
Well, fast forward to about a quarter way into the book, and I was no longer laughing. Things got dark quick, and I’m prepared to eat my words.
In spite of its seemingly peaceful and picturesque façade, Black Spring is probably the last place in the world I’d ever want to find myself broken down and stranded. But as an outsider, at least I could always leave. On the other hand, the town’s residents—those who were unfortunate enough to be born there, or those who unwittingly decided to move in despite all efforts to deter them—they are doomed to live in Black Spring until they die, claimed by the curse of the Black Rock Witch.
Back in the seventeenth century, when the town was just a Dutch trapper colony, there lived a woman named Katherine van Wyler who was accused of being a witch and was swiftly dealt with in much the way you would expect from your typical puritanical colony back in those days. Thing is, though? Katherine might have been the real deal. Now her soiled husk of a body, chained with eyes and mouth sewn shut, still haunts Black Spring to this day. The townsfolk have slapped on their brave faces and come to accept their curse, trying to make the best of the situation, but deep down they all know that one day those stitches will come off and then everyone will be at the mercy of Katherine’s deadly whisperings and Evil Eye. Still, the first order of business is to contain her, and generations going back centuries have been successful in quarantining Black Spring and keeping its witch a strict town secret. But as times change, so too does the area and its people. New technology has certainly made keeping track of Katherine’s random appearances easier, but internet and social media have also made the world seem like a bigger place, and some of the town’s younger residents are no longer content with being silenced and trapped in Black Spring.
What amazes me about HEX is how it diabolically draws you in by degrees, first presenting you with an all-is-well scenario to get you all settled in and comfortable so that by the time things go to hell, it’s too late to turn back (not that you’d really want to) and the only way through is forward into the nightmare. The build-up is so gradual that, little by little, a premise which initially sounded so absurd to me ultimately transformed into something frighteningly convincing and very real. Even as the situation for the characters in Black Spring gets worse and worse, I just couldn’t bring myself to tear my eyes away. This is my favorite kind of horror novel, the kind that sneaks up on you and infuses your mind with its terror without you even realizing it.
A story about a haunting by a seventeenth century witch is creepy enough if you ask me, but the decision to have it all take place in a modern day setting is also a stroke of genius. It’s so easy to look back on the witch trials of history now and blame the fear and mass-hysteria on superstition and lack of understanding; after all, these days we have science to explain strange but natural phenomena like aurora borealis or fairy rings. But the book’s themes suggest that perhaps human beings are wired the same way no matter where or when we’re from. When faced with something supernatural and unexplainable, like the Black Rock Witch and a nefarious curse that appears to drive its victims to suicide outside the borders of Black Spring, it’s hard not to imagine an entire town driven to the lengths we see in this story.
Plus, just when you think to yourself “Oh my, things can’t possibly get any worse and more disturbing, can they?” the author shows us that, yes, yes indeed they can! As the suspense builds with every page, Thomas Olde Heuvelt gleefully keeps insisting on poking this already high-pressure situation with a stick, ratcheting up the horror even more. Parts of this book actually remind me a lot of Stephen King’s Under the Dome, where paranoia, claustrophobia and the stifling fear of the unknown can drive otherwise sane and normal people to horrible extremes, even without the help of a supernatural curse. That’s the scariest part about HEX, the fact that even if you succeed in blocking out the paranormal aspects of the story, you can’t ignore the dark side of human nature. All you can do is stand by and watch as the chilling events unfold.
Finally, I have to praise the quality of the translation and the way the changes were implemented from the original Dutch version of this book for the US edition. Since I have no basis to compare the two versions, I can’t really comment on the actual changes themselves, like the one that switched the location of the setting from a small town in the Netherlands to one nestled in the Hudson Valley region in upstate New York, but I can say that they were done really well and the transposition felt practically seamless (pardon the pun). I was really impressed, and if anything, this exercise showed me that the things that terrify us and keep us up at night are pretty much universal.
So if you’re a fan of horror fiction and strong of nerve, I would definitely check this one out. Deliciously creepy and all consuming, HEX was an absolute thrill. The chills will stay with you long after the final page is turned.
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Bookworm Delights
Posted on April 26, 2016 29 Comments
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. They created the meme because they love lists. Who doesn’t love lists? They wanted to share these list with fellow book lovers and ask that we share in return to connect with our fellow book lovers. To learn more about participating in the challenge, stop by their page dedicated to it and dive in!
This week’s topic: Top Ten Bookworm Delights
01. Bookmarks
Bookmarks are perhaps one of my favorite bookworm delights. I’ve completed many over the years and even got crafty and made a few. These are two of my favorites right now.
02. Book Related Cosplay
I love cosplay in general, but there’s something special when you find cosplay of one of your favorite book characters! Marvel even endeavored to make variant covers for their comics featuring cosplayers.
Credit: Marvel Comics
03. Used Book Stores
While I do enjoy going into some of the bigger booksellers’ stores, nothing beats a good used book store. My latest used book store obsession is a bit of a hip chain of stores called 2nd & Charles that trades games and videos as well, but it manages to feel a bit homey with game nights, book clubs, etc. But there are many small independent stores that I could live in for the rest of my life, too.
04. Book Recommendations
I love book recommendations from other book lovers. There’s something special about asking for or being given a well-thought out book recommendation. And in my experience, book lovers tend to be very thoughtful with their recommendations and the reasoning why they recommend certain books.
05. Book Swapping
This probably goes hand-in-hand with book recommendations. I enjoy swapping books with other bookworms, especially those who like to write thoughts and highlight in their books. I love reading other people’s handwritten thoughts in a well-loved book.
06. Book Memes
Memes in general are fun, but nothing beats a good book meme whether it’s a list like this one or a witty graphic with a joke only book nerds will understand.
07. Book Related Merchandise
Another ultimate favorite of mine next to book marks. I love buying merchandise that relates to my bookish loves. I collect everything from figurines of my favorite comic characters to jewelry modeled after pieces from books to handmade pillows with my favorite book quotes.
Part of my Funko/figurine collection
08. Book Quotes
A good quote can stay with you through life. It can be a source of inspiration, a reminder, something to laugh about, and a million other things. It’s also fun to discuss quotes with other readers and what the quote means to them.
“By way of this unprecedented, unbridled literary promiscuity, I have made some pleasant discoveries.”
― Anna Lyndsey, Girl in the Dark
09. New Book Smell
It’s like new car smell, but better! Ahhhh, books!
10. Flipping Book Pages
I love technology, and I’ve been into e-readers pretty much since they’ve been on the scene. Before then, I did read books on my laptops and PCs. However, for all my technology loving ways, nothing is as comforting as flipping through pages. It might be a psychological thing with me, but there’s something calming and delightful about the act that no e-reader will ever be able to replicate.
What bookworm delights are you digging?
Audiobook Review: Anywhere But Here by Jason D. Morrow
Posted on April 25, 2016 6 Comments
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post-Apocalyptic
Series: The Starborn Ascension #1
Publisher: Smashwords (May 25, 2014)
Information: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Tiara’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
A review copy of this book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Narrator: Sophie Amoss | Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins | Audiobook Publisher: Jason D. Morrow (December 18, 2015) | Whispersync Ready: Yes
Zombies. There are zombies in this book.
Despite being a fan of The Walking Dead, you all know how I feel about zombies. If you’re new in town, refer to this post. Even though I can be a bit of a killjoy about this particular genre, I’m not so obstinate that I won’t give zombie books a chance. Sometimes, I am pleasantly surprised, and sometimes, I’m left thinking: “Well, that was… a zombie book.”
Anywhere But Here follows a teenaged girl named Waverly and a young woman named Remi as they navigate the zombie-infested wasteland they’ve been living in for the past three years. Waverly has been fortunate that she’s hasn’t been alone during those years, even if they’ve been unable to secure a community to live in while Remi has been living on her own wits during that time, longing for somewhere to stay. Remi’s story starts in Crestwood, a town know for taking in strangers. Waverly arrives at the town much later in the book after dealing with raiders and the death of someone close to her. The leader of Crestwood poses an interesting question to both on their arrival, “Do you have special abilities? Powers? Supernatural?”
This was not a bad book. In fact, I enjoyed it far more than I was expecting given the genre. My Kindle clocked it at about 454 pages, but the story moved quickly and didn’t dawdle about much. Even the back stories that we’re given for context are presented during points where the story is moving rather than giving readers a wall of exposition. It’s concise, to the point, and moves on with the story. The plot is familiar. Zombie stories often explore things such as morality because people and their machinations are scarier than mindless zombies. It’s typically bleak with the constant threat of raiders and starvation. There are some amenities still around such as fuel used for vehicles, electricity, and weapons, but everything is measured and used with care as you’d expect in the situation. There’s a little bit of romantic fluff in the book, but nothing that’s overwhelming. I did feel like maybe one character too easily started crushing on another character, but love in the time of zombies may warrant being hastier in these things.
Morrow does try to give some explanation for what caused the outbreak instead of just dumping readers into the story where no one knows what happened which I appreciated. (Not that I necessarily have anything against stories using the “origins unknown” angle.) He did add a twist by adding characters who have developed “powers” during this outbreak. These people are called Starborn. Calling anything Starborn during a zombie apocalypse feels a bit frilly, but thankfully, that name isn’t overused in the story. How–or why–they developed these powers isn’t explored in this book, but since this is a series, I’m expecting we’ll get an explanation in later books.
Remi and Waverly were interesting as characters. There was a little more time invested in Waverly’s story. For this reason, I connected with her more than I did Remi. This book was more focused on the “in the now,” so there isn’t a ton of character development. The action makes up for it, though. There’s always something going on in this book. One thing of note, I would’ve liked if Remi and Waverly’s stories converged a bit sooner than they did. It’s fairly easy to spot the significance the characters have to one another early in the story, but I felt like I was just listening to two separate stories about two people who happened to be inhabiting the same world for most of the book. I’m sure that was intentional, but it didn’t really work for me. It also made some of Remi’s parts feel like filler.
The narration by Sophie Amoss was top-notch. She voiced Waverly’s kindness and Remi’s tenacity well. Her characterization of other characters worked, too. You could hear the roughness in her voice with the raiders and more curmudgeonly characters. There were a couple of production quality issues in this, but nothing that was so glaring that I stopped listening.
If you regularly read zombie fiction, this may be a bit too formulaic for you, especially if you’re always looking for something innovative in the genre, but if you don’t mind tried and tested plot points coupled with fast action and a little bit of a twist, this book is worth checking out.
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Book Review: Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie
Posted on April 25, 2016 24 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Anthology
Series: The First Law
Publisher: Orbit (April 26, 2016)
Length: 304 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
The full title of this anthology is actually Sharp Ends: Stories from the World of the First Law, so fans of Joe Abercrombie’s novels set in this universe should be in for a treat. All thirteen tales in here are set in the Circle of the World, spanning a period that starts about a decade before the beginning of The Blade Itself and ends a few years after Red Country, and some feature locations and characters that have appeared before in his novels. Most of the stories in here have also been previously published in other places, but here they all are for the first time, collected together in this neat and convenient little package, along with some new content besides.
I must confess here though, that these types of anthologies aren’t typically in my scope but of course I had to make an exception for Sharp Ends because Abercrombie is one of my favorite authors! When I pick up a collection of short stories, I usually go for those that are made up of standalones and original tales rather than the ones containing shorts/novellas which tie into an existing series’ “universe”. In general, if I’m going to spend time with characters I already know and in worlds I love, I want my stories with a bit more meat. This, I believe, was my main issue with Sharp Ends. Even though I’ve read all of Abercrombie’s novels, which should have put me in a pretty good position to appreciate this anthology (whose stories are all new to me), I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had expected. The truth was many of the stories in here left me feeling like there should have been more to them.
To its credit, I really enjoyed how the book was structured, with the stories more or less organized chronologically, so that all together they created something very close to a narrative. If it’s possible for this anthology to have “main protagonists”, they would most definitely be Shevedieh and Javre, the thief-and-warrior duo who star in many of the stories and when they do they’re always the highlights. Their escapades, chronicled in tales such as “Small Kindnesses”, “Skipping Town”, “Two’s Company”, “Three’s a Crowd” and “Tough Times All Over”, create a kind of thread to hold on to as other stories are interspersed throughout the anthology. The two of them are a lot of fun to read about. My favorite is “Two’s Company”, a free short that was originally published at Tor.com featuring our two heroines trekking through the barren north and encountering the Northman Cracknut Whirrun in the middle of a narrow rope bridge. This one’s got everything—action, violence, humor, sex, you name it—and I was not surprised to find out afterwards that Abercrombie had meant for this story to form the spine around which all the other stories are arranged.
With the exception of “Two’s Company” though, none of the other tales really resonated with me on their own. Individually, I don’t think the rest of Shev and Javre’s stories would have jumped out at me either, and only when the five were taken together did they make an impression because I was able to form a connection with the two characters as soon as I determined them to be the heart of this anthology. From their first meeting to their final story together more than a dozen years later, their relationship has weathered through countless adventures, challenges and hardships. In the end, it was a very beautiful and heartfelt moment to see how the two friends have come to be where they are and how they’ve been good for each other.
Alas, other tales were not so memorable, and there were more of these than I would have liked. Just days after finishing this book, I could barely remember much of what happened in “The Fool Jobs” and “Hell”, for example, and there were stories like “Freedom” or “Wrong Place, Wrong Time” which were interesting but ended in a way that I felt were neither here nor there. Most disappointing were the stories that featured some of my favorite characters in the First Law world, like Sand dan Glokta (in “A Beautiful Bastard”), and of course Shy, who was the protagonist of my favorite Joe Abercrombie book ever, Red Country. I was probably most let down by her story “Some Desperado” especially since it was the one I was most looking forward to, but unfortunately it lacked substance and I just didn’t find it all that compelling.
Still, I have to stress that the majority of the stories in here were decent to good. Among my other favorites were “Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden” and the unsettling closer “Made a Monster”. Like I said, I’m not an experienced anthology reader so my mixed feelings on this book ultimately came down to personal taste and my too-high expectations because it was Joe A. In fact, reading this book only managed to further sharpen my desire to read another full-length Abercrombie novel (perhaps, even one about the dynamic duo of Shev and Javre? One can dream, I guess…)
Because it would also help immensely to have a bit of knowledge about this world before diving into Sharp Ends, newcomers to Abercrombie’s work will probably want to start with the novels as well, and a great place for that would be the First Law trilogy which I highly recommend. But for those who are already familiar with all those books, if you’re also the type of reader who enjoys checking out all the novellas and/or short stories that are companion to a favorite series, then you’ll definitely love this collection and want it to complete your bookshelf.
YA Weekend: Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan
Posted on April 24, 2016 21 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan
Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Clarion Books (April 5, 2016)
Length: 368 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Well, it wasn’t the best of books, it wasn’t the worst of books, but for me Tell the Wind and Fire can only be summed up as underwhelming. I think like most, I came to this novel after hearing that it was inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities—not that I have any great love for that book, or Dickens for that matter, but it was the idea that initially intrigued me and drew me in.
What we end up with is a very loose retelling, infused with a smattering of fantasy elements and a generous dose of Young Adult dystopian tropes. The story takes place in New York, which has been split in two: the Light City and the Dark City. The two are separate but symbiotic; each side reluctantly needs the other, for balance and for survival. Our protagonist is Lucie Manette, a Light magic user who was born of a forbidden union between a Dark magician and a Light magician. A child of the shadows and destitution of Dark City, she came to the comfort and luxury of the Light after her father was punished for trying to save her mother, and Lucie was subsequently made into a symbol by those in power.
Now living a life of fame and opulence, Lucie has also claimed the heart of Ethan Stryker, heir to one of Light City’s most powerful families. When the book starts though, Lucie stumbles upon a shocking secret about her boyfriend, discovering that Ethan has a doppelganger named Carwyn. Doppelgangers are illegal because they are a product of dark magic when it is used to save a person’s life, after which the dark energy manifests itself as a perfect double of the person. Usually doppelgangers are killed soon after they come into being, but Ethan’s soft-hearted mother had insisted on sparing Carwyn and raising him in secret, after dark magic saved the newborn Ethan at the time of his birth. But now Lucie knows the truth too, and that knowledge might ultimately lead her to her downfall. As rebellion erupts in Dark City, Lucie may have inadvertently handed the bloodthirsty revolutionaries their most important weapon.
To be fair, in spite of some of the more obvious parallels to Dickens’ masterpiece, I stress the “loose” in loose retelling and in the end Tell the Wind and Fire is an entirely different beast. In truth, the book probably has more in common with the countless YA offerings out there than anything to do with A Tale of Two Cities, which makes me wonder if the author had tweaked the book some more and perhaps titled it something different, then maybe it could have been spared the crushing pressure of being compared to one of the most well-known and celebrated classics ever written? Granted, there were some parts in the story that I really liked, those which didn’t immediately strike me as a YA cliché or too formulaic, but that too presented its own unique set of problems. For example, if I’d never read A Tale of Two Cities, I might actually have been delighted and bowled over at the analogous ending in Tell the Wind and Fire…but then again, how could I bring myself to praise these “unique” aspects of the story when the ideas were originally Dickens’? It just feels like a no-win situation all around.
For every positive thing I liked about this novel, there would also be something else I didn’t care for, dampening my enthusiasm. On the one hand, I loved the magic system and was enchanted by the descriptions of the way light and dark magic coexisted, always in motion and fighting and feeding off one another. On the other hand, for such a vast and major city which has the added benefit of having two sides to it, the version of New York City in this book felt painfully small. Then there was the character of Lucie. For a young woman with such fame and magical power, her role as main protagonist was disappointingly passive. This girl seems to only take action when she shouldn’t, and yet stands idly by with her mouth shut when she should. Not only is she constantly acting like a dolt, she feels the need to point it out every single time she makes a mistake, drawing even more attention to her shortcomings as if readers need the extra help. We really don’t.
Overall, I thought Tell the Wind and Fire started strong and had an excellent introduction to the magic of this world, but things started going downhill after the first half. I applaud the book for its ambitious goals, but there were clear issues in the implementation those ideas, leading to an imperfect outcome. While it’s not all bad, I can only give this one a middling rating due to all the other issues that didn’t sit well with me.
An Artificial Night Read-Along Week No.3
Posted on April 23, 2016 8 Comments
We’re journeying through the third book in the October Daye series. If you’re interested in joining this Read-Along, visit the SF/F Read-Along group for more information and to join the discussion.
“October “Toby” Daye is a changeling-half human and half fae-and the only one who has earned knighthood. Now she must take on a nightmarish new challenge. Someone is stealing the children of the fae as well as mortal children, and all signs point to Blind Michael. Toby has no choice but to track the villain down-even when there are only three magical roads by which to reach Blind Michael’s realm, home of the Wild Hunt-and no road may be taken more than once. If Toby cannot escape with the children, she will fall prey to the Wild Hunt and Blind Michael’s inescapable power.”
Week 1: Saturday 9th April, Chapters 1-7, hosted by Over The Effing Rainbow
Week 2: Saturday 16th April, Chapters 8-17, hosted by Books By Proxy
Week 3: Saturday 23rd April, Chapters 18-24, hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog
Week 4: Saturday 30th April, Chapters 25-End, hosted by Over The Effing Rainbow
1. We’ve seen a good deal more of May and her interactions with Toby – any speculation on how this might play out yet??
I haven’t had as much time to sit and think about this book as I’ve had with the recent books because of my schedule. The only thing I can think right now is either May is going to be the one who ends up being the one who truly dies either by choice or by intervention from Toby’s friends.
2. Tybalt – what did you make of his rather cryptic comment about what he found out and particularly that he now knows that Toby didn’t lie to him?
I think I’m going to have to go back and listen to that part again because I wasn’t sure if I missed something or what was going on there. That sort of broke my listening experience because I was thinking, “WTF is he talking about?” So, I’m a little up in the air about the comment right now until I re-listen or read more of the book and just find out.
3. We finally discovered a little bit more about Luna. What are your thoughts on her now, why did she run away, thoughts about her character, why she sent Toby into Michael’s realm?
Right now, I am not feeling Luna at all. I mean, not even a little bit. While I certainly understand self-preservation, I guess it just gets on my nerves so bad because Toby is so willing. She’d do anything for these people, and they know that. She doesn’t have half their strengths or their gifts, but she always gives her maximum effort for them. It just gets a little tiresome with everyone being so secretive when you expect a changeling to put their life on the line for you or send them into certain danger. Her story certainly is a sad one, but at the same time, it’s still gross how she’s manipulated Toby at this point and how I’m sure Toby will still drool all over her shoes in acquiescence regardless of what happens. Maybe Luna will fix this. Maybe not. But right now, I’m just not feeling her or her reasoning and excuses.
4. What were your first impressions of the Court of Cats?
Oh, cats. Cats, cats, cats. I would pet you, but you might rip my arm off.
Like this, but less pet-able.
I enjoyed seeing more of the court, and they’re perhaps my favorite court in the book right now because they seem like a world apart from the other fae. Sure, they follow a basic set of rules that all fae follow, but other than that, they seem to live in their own world that is much more brutal and unforgiving than the rest of fae. And I may just think that because any time we see the Court of Cats we see much more of their rules and hierarchy at play than the other courts.
5. And, finally, back to Tybalt – what on earth just happened!!
Wh-what? What are you talking about?
Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.
I think it’s safe to say at this point that this has been my favorite book in the series so far. It might be the darker story because I’m such a sucker for grimdark, but it seems like we’ve gotten a different feel with every story so far. It’s also nice to see the Luidaeg get more time to really shine this book. She’s probably my absolute favorite character in the series. Sorry, Tybalt!
Side Note: It has been a super busy month for me, and I’ve been terrible about getting around to people’s post to comment! I’m trying to fix that. Honest!
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (October Daye #1)
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.1
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.2
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.3
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.4
A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire (October Daye #2)
A Local Habitation Read-Along Week No.1
A Local Habitation Read-Along Week No.2
A Local Habitation Read-Along Week No.3
A Local Habitation Read-Along Week No.4
An Artificial Light By Seanan McGuire (October Daye #3)
An Artificial Night Read-Along Week No. 1
An Artificial Night Read-Along Week No. 2
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on April 23, 2016 31 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I round up what I’ve read since the last update and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Received for Review
Some really exciting new arrivals this week, my thanks to all the wonderful publishers for the review copies received! For more details and full descriptions of the books, be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages!
Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley – Last week, I got this nice surprise from the kind folks at Little, Brown and Company. Everyone has been telling me what a great book The Rook is and I’ve been meaning to pick it up since forever. Well, now that I have the sequel, I can’t think of a better motivation to get caught up! Book one is on tap for Backlist Burndown for May, promise!
The Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells – My thanks to Night Shade Books for this gorgeous finished copy! While I have not read any of the previous Books of the Raksura, I’m told this can be read as a new series starter. I definitely have plans to tackle this, and hopefully I’ll be able to fit it in soon. In the meantime, check out Wendy’s awesome review!
World of Warcraft: Illidan by William King – It’s no secret I’m an online gamer and a big fan of World of Warcraft, though these days I play very infrequently. Still, you can bet I’ll definitely be jumping in again with both feet later this year when the new expansion hits, and I’m reading this book to get myself hyped. I also have a super soft spot for Illidan, whose role in Legion will be important with the introduction of a new hero class, the Demon Hunter. Sorry, but I just can’t resist: YOU ARE NOT PREPARED! With thanks to Del Rey.
The Last Good Girl by Allison Leotta – My thanks to Touchstone for this mystery crime novel which draws inspiration from real-life stories to shine a light on the serious issue of campus rape. This sounds like a really intense “true-crime” type written by an author who clearly knows her stuff, considering Leotta is a former D.C. federal sex-crimes prosecutor. This is the fifth installment of the Anna Curtis series, starring the eponymous prosecutor main character who has faced up to all kinds of foes, from crooked congressmen to violent street gangs. Now she’ll be heading onto campus to uncover the awful secrets of a notorious fraternity.
Roses and Rot by Kat Howard – Much thanks to the awesome team at Wunderkind PR, who thoughtfully sent along this physical ARC after I emailed in my review for another Saga Press title. I’m really looking forward to this fairy tale-inspired fantasy novel about the journey of two sisters.
The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone – Last week, I received an email about this book with the subject line “Meat-munching mayhem” – yep, that’s definitely one way to get my attention! My thanks to Atria Books for sending this one along, and I love that decorative sleeve. Bring on those spiders!
The Transference Engine by Julia Verne St. John – Thank you so much DAW Books, I’m so psyched for this one! Described as “A fantastical steampunk novel of magic and machines set in an alternate 1830s London”, I also have some SUPER exciting news and info to share with you all about The Transference Engine later this week, so be sure to stay tuned for that!
Awakenings by Edward Lazellari – Earlier this month I got a lovely email from the author letting me know about his crossover urban-epic fantasy trilogy Guardians of Aandor, published by Tor Books. I really like the sound of this one! Book 3 is coming out soon and Edward was kind enough to send over the first book so I can check it out. Thanks Edward!
Way Down Dark by J.P. Smythe – What’s really weird is that I’ve had Way Down Dark on my to-read list for a while now, but the reason I haven’t gotten to it in so long is because it didn’t have a US release, making it tougher to get a copy. So imagine my surprise when a package arrived from Quercus and this book came out! Mark October 4 on your calendar everyone, because that’s when this sci-fi YA dystopian is finally making its way stateside! My thanks to the publisher!
The Demonists by Thomas E. Sniegoski and Almost Infamous by Matt Carter – This week also saw the arrival of some beautiful finished copies. My thanks to Roc for The Demonists, which I’ve reviewed here, and to Talos for Almost Infamous, reviewed here.
Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine and The Suicide Motor Club by Christopher Buehlman – It probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that Paper and Fire, the sequel to the excellent Ink and Bone, is one of my most anticipated releases this year. I should probably read this closer to release, but it’s taking everything in me not to jump in right now! Christopher Buehlman’s new book also looks great; I’ve read two of his novels and both times I enjoyed myself, so I figured I would give The Suicide Motor Club a shot too. My thanks to Berkley Publishing Group.
Beyond the Woods: Fairy Tales Retold edited by Paula Guran and Firewalk by Chris Roberson – I know I talk a lot about not being an anthology/short stories person, but Beyond the Woods is an upcoming collection from Night Shade Books that looked too amazing to pass up. With fairy tales retold by authors like Peter S. Beagle, Holly Black, Tanith Lee, Jeff VanderMeer, Neil Gaiman and more, what’s not to like? Firetouched is another book coming out from Night Shade that looks interesting, but it’ll probably be a while before I tackle it since this urban fantasy won’t be coming out until this fall. My thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for these e-galleys.
And now for the Tor.com novellas! Their awesome publicist sent over a veritable bounty of eARCs in the last couple weeks. First up is The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson, a gorgeous looking book which I hadn’t even heard of before it popped up in my inbox. There’s also a follow-up to The Emperor’s Railroad with The Ghoul King by Guy Haley, reminding me that I have to catch up with the first book. Happily though, I’m all caught up with the Sin du Jour series so I can jump right into Pride’s Spell by Matt Wallace which should be another fun installment. Finally, I cannot tell you how excited I am for Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I’ve wanted to try some of newer work for ages, but so many of his books seem to be UK releases initially with no news of US release dates. Glad this one is hitting everywhere at once.
MECH: Age of Steel Kickstarter
In other news, I want to give a shout out to this really cool Kickstarter project by Ragnarok Publications that I recently backed. Ever since their KAIJU RISING: Age of Monsters campaign I think I have pledged to every one of their anthology projects, because they always seem to feature a ton of my favorite authors. Now they have a new one running called MECH: Age of Steel which was actually envisioned to be a companion anthology to Kaiju Rising, so that’s just even more perfect. There’s less than three weeks to go until it ends and hopefully by the time this post goes up, the project is close to funding if not already there. Still, that’s plenty of time to pitch in if this is something that interests you, though honestly I can’t imagine how anyone could be uninterested in GIANT FREAKING ROBOTS. Be sure to head on over to their Kickstarter page for more information and for the list of stories and authors. Personally, I think it’s worth the price of admission just for a mecha story written by M.L. Brennan.
Reviews
Here are all my reviews since the last update, gathered together and listed here for your convenience and viewing pleasure.
Saint’s Blood by Sebastien de Castell (5 of 5 stars)
Sawbones by Melissa Lenhardt (4.5 of 5 stars)
The Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson (4.5 of 5 stars)
The Palace of Glass by Django Wexler (4.5 of 5 stars)
Masks and Shadows by Stephanie Burgis (4 of 5 stars)
Bloodmage by Stephen Aryan (3.5 of 5 stars)
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel (3.5 of 5 stars)
Almost Infamous by Matt Carter (3.5 of 5 stars)
Pathfinder Tales: Hellknight by Liane Merciel (3.5 of 5 stars)
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (3.5 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s what I’ve been reading since the last Bookshelf Roundup. There were some ups and downs, but for the most part I’ve been really enjoying my recent reads. I already have reviews up for a few of them, and I’ve got the rest scheduled to make their appearance some time in the next few weeks so keep an eye out!
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? Nothing makes me happier than sharing my love for books, so let me know what you plan on checking out. I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Until next time, see you next Roundup!
#SPFBO StoryBundle Giveaway!
Posted on April 22, 2016 18 Comments
***The giveaway is now over, thanks to everyone who entered!***
You may have heard the big news already but in case you haven’t, The BiblioSanctum is pleased to be one of the ten blogs taking part in Mark Lawrence’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off 2016! We’ll have more of the exciting details soon, but first we wanted to share an announcement and a giveaway opportunity.
SPFBO was first launched last year to great success, with the bloggers involved choosing ten of their favorites out of almost three hundred self-published fantasy books. Now StoryBundle is offering all ten books in one nifty bundle, so this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for if you haven’t checked out these books yet! Pay what you want with a minimum of $5 and for $15 you can unlock all ten, supporting StoryBundle and indie authors while scoring some great reads. You can also donate to a good cause, with the charity for this bundle being Girls Write Now–an organization dedicated to mentoring girls in ALL writing skills in order to prepare for any future.
The bundle will be offered for only two more weeks, so get it while you can! For more about the books and the process in which they were chosen, the curator of the bundle Blair MacGregor has written some great information for us:
THE SELF-PUBLISHED FANTASY BLOG-OFF BUNDLE
Curated by Blair MacGregor
“Ten fine bloggers and blog-sites spent a year considering almost three hundred self-published fantasy books to bring you their ten favorites. It’s hard to imagine you won’t find some gems among them.” — Mark Lawrence
This is a unique bundle, its books chosen not by me, but by reviewers who took part in the first Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off organized by Mark Lawrence. Each reviewer received over twenty-five books and a mission: Choose one. This bundle contains the books those reviewers put at the very top of their list.
There is the sharp warrior who knows the value of leaving heroism behind in Under A Colder Sun by Greg James, and the ruined hero who chances into a way to surmount the past in David Benem’s What Remains of Heroes. Plague Jack delves deep into a brutal world of conspiracies, consequences, and backlash against a conqueror in Sins of the Sovereignty. Ben Galley smacks a young man into a frontier Wyoming filled with blood magick and secrets in Blood Rush. And Michael McClung’s The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble’s Braids—the novel scoring highest in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off—races along with a sassy, smart thief who must find an artifact everyone thinks she already has before she’s killed for it.
StoryBundle lets you choose your own price, so you decide how much you’d like to support the writers. For $5—or more, if you’d like—you’ll receive the basic bundle of five novels in DRM-free ebook format. For the bonus price of at least $15, you’ll receive all ten novels. If you choose, a portion of your payment will go toward supporting different charities such as Mighty Writers and Girls Write Now. Over the years, StoryBundle and its participating writers have donated thousands to support awesome charities doing great work.
The Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off Bundle is available for only three weeks, so now is the time to pick up this unique collection of reviewer-beloved fantasy novels, and discover new independent writers who want to take you on thrilling adventures through worlds you’ve never seen with characters you want to know (even if a few of them are rather terrifying). – Blair MacGregor
For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you feel generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of five books in any ebook format worldwide:
- Shattered Sands by W. G. Saraband
- The Weight of a Crown by Tavish Kaeden
- Priest by Matthew Colville
- What Remains of Heroes by David Benem
- A Soul for Trouble by Crista McHugh
If you pay more than the bonus price of just $15, you get all five of the regular titles, plus five more:
- Sins of a Sovereignty by Plague Jack
- The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids by Michael McClung
- Under a Colder Sun by Greg James
- Bloodrush by Ben Galley
- City of Burning Shadows by Barbara J. Webb
The bundle is available for a very limited time only, via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub and .mobi) for all books!
It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.
Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.
- Get quality reads: We’ve chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
- Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth to you. If you can only spare a little, that’s fine! You’ll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
- Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there’s nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
- Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to charity.
- Receive extra books: If you beat the bonus price, you’ll get the bonus books!
StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.
For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, tweet us at @storybundle and like us on Facebook.
GIVEAWAY
Thanks to StoryBundle and Blair, we also have one bundle code to give away to a lucky winner! The giveaway will close Thursday, April 28, 2016 at 11:59pm Eastern time. Just leave a comment on this post to enter with a way for us to get in touch if you win. That’s it! Also, the giveaway for the code is open internationally, so what are you waiting for? Good luck, and let us know which of the SPFBO finalists catches your eye!
The BiblioSanctum 