White Raven: The Sword of Northern Ancestors by Irina Lopatina

White Raven: The Sword of Northern Ancestors by Irina Lopatina

Completion Date: August 15, 2012
Reason for Reading: TLC Book Tour.

In the kingdom of Areya, humans, animals, and the magical creatures that inhabit the Eternal Forest have long coexisted peacefully, but now something is horribly wrong. A terrifying stream of monstrous creatures has begun to emerge from the secret depths of the earth, terrorizing all of Areya’s native inhabitants. From the tiny, wise drevalyankas to the bellicose cave-dwelling gnomes to the devious kikimoras who gather roots and herbs in the marsh, everyone is in danger. 

With the aid of Urart, the magical sword that has been passed down from the time of the ancient northern ancestors, Grand Duke Vlady can offer temporary protection to his people. But Prince Vraigo, Vlady’s nephew, who is endowed with magical power himself, understands that the source of the evil monsters must be found if there’s any hope of survival. Along with a motley crew of his forest-dwelling friends, Vraigo sets off on a perilous quest in search of the koschei, the powerful, corrupt Archmagus whose mission is the destruction not just of Areya, but of the entire world. 

When Urart disappears from the duke’s stronghold, Areya is doomed, and only Vraigo, the White Raven, can possibly retrieve the sword. This journey requires Vraigo to use all of his keen wits and magical abilities, as well as to ally himself to dangerous creatures like yagas and werewolves, natural enemies of man, and precipitates the young prince into the most bewildering, complex challenge he has faced yet: life in the twenty-first century.

When TLC Book Tours do fantasy novels lately for tours I usually jump at the chance to read them. I don't read nearly enough fantasy anymore and sometimes need an excuse to remedy that situation. It just gets lost in the shuffle of everything else that is going on. Needless to say White Raven sounded interesting and I was eager to see what the reading experience would be like. I was a bit worried in the beginning. I kept picking it up and not getting caught up in the story. You have to work at it a bit, but in the end I read most of the book in one sitting. I even stayed up late with it both because I had to write this review and because I wanted to know what happened.

The author takes many aspects of popular fantasy and weaves it together to make a story that seems backed in mythology. She got her inspiration from Siberia and it was almost like visiting there even though it is a fictional world she has created. It is still Earth, though. The book is basically a sword and sorcery story and I like a good fantasy novel of that type. It also includes paranormal elements and science-fiction elements. There is time travel. I was a bit leery of the time travel, but it was actually handled rather well. It is covered in the second half of the book. The first half is set in Areya exclusively. I knew that the time travel was coming, it says so on the back of the book, and I wasn't exactly sure how the story was going to lead in that direction. The transition wasn't perfect, it was almost too set-up, but it didn't distract me too much from my overall enjoyment.

The book follows the White Raven for the most part, especially in the first part of the book, but there are many secondary characters. In the second half of the book there is also Nik. He represents the 'modern' world. It is interesting watching him try to interact with someone who has lived a very different life. I also liked how the amazing ability to understand each other was developed enough that it doesn't seem strange. The authors brother did the translation and I think this was a great way to keep the book as close to the original as possible. Overall, I enjoyed my reading.

A recommended read! You can find some interesting promotions associated with this book below. Check out the tour page to visit other sites reviewing this book.

The book also includes a map of Areya and a list of characters. These are both very helpful additions.

There's a special promotion going on that was extended especially for this blog tour! Orders placed through the Light Messages site will be $12.00 per book instead of $16.95 (that's about a 30% savings), and folks will also receive a PERSONALIZED, signed post card from author Irina Lopatina. Postcards feature landscapes from Altai, Siberia––the inspiration for White Raven's Kingdom of Areya. The promotion goes for 14 days after your individual tour stop. You can find all the information at www.lightmessages.com/whiteravenpromo.

If readers submit photos of themselves with their copies (or e-copies) of the books, then Irina will send them a personalized, signed book plate for the front of their book. Go here and use the Contact link to submit the photo.

I apologize this is a bit late posting... I had a blog problem earlier and now I am racing to get this done in case the thunder I hear off in the distance gets closer.

Fair Game: An Alpha & Omega Novel (Book 3) by Patricia Briggs

Fair Games by Patricia Briggs

Completion Date: March 2, 2012
Reason for Reading: Carry on with the series.

Patricia Briggs, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson novels, "always enchants her readers." (Lynn Viehl, New York Times bestselling author) Now her Alpha and Omega series-set in a world of shifting shapes, loyalty, and passion- brings werewolves out of the darkness and into a society where fear and prejudice could make the hunters prey...

They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

I did not do Friday Reads yesterday because the mail came and my calculations had deduced this book would be with it. I have been waiting since 2009 for another book in this series; so I was pretty excited when it was finally in my hands. Any and all plans went out the window yesterday as I immediately tore the package open and dove into this book. The thing is, I could have easily finished this book in one sitting, but I kept putting it down yesterday.  I knew I was going to read it way too fast and then regret it because no idea when there will be another book in the series and there is no book out in the Mercy Thompson series this year. So, I read it in starts and stops yesterday, but I still finished it in the end. Now I have a long wait ahead of me.

This series is starting to pick-up for me more now. I have always found it wasn't quite as good at the Mercy Thompson series. I just like Mercy, Samuel, and Adam better and find myself more engaged in their story. I think part of it is the fact that with Mercy you have to work your way up to everything, but this series all happened really fast. In the latest in the Mercy series things that have been on-going for a while all come together, so I found myself very engaged in the story and its outcome. Charles and Anna are just very different. Their story is more about the rights of werewolves and how hard it has been for them since they came out to the humans. That being said, Charles and Anna are starting to grow on me. I found myself very caught-up in this story and watching it all play out. That could partly be because I have been waiting 3 years to find out exactly what happens next. This book actually takes place very soon after the events in River Marked because when Adam makes a brief appearance Mercy is still recovering.

The one thing I have always appreciated about this series is that while it is about werewolves, it can easily be imagined for sub-groups of human culture. In this book they are discussing making werewolves classified as 'endangered species' because then they are animals instead of people. This will limit their rights. The fae have also 'came out' and they are forced to live on reservations. You can't help thinking about the treatment of people while you read this book. I enjoy that the book has far-reaching themes that are very easy to relate to. Then something bad happens and because it involves werewolves and Fae the wrong-doers are basically let off easy. We are talking rape and torture, but it was rape and torture to a Fae. It really illustrates how not everyone is equal no matter what the law says. And, it leads to one of my favourite scenes in the book. We get a taste of the Fae that I found captivating and could easily picture in my mind. It should also mean even more interesting events in the future.

It is hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything for either the series or this individual book, so I am just going to stop trying and say how much I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Patricia Briggs is an awesome author. I look forward to more from her period!

Alpha & Omega Series:
Alpha and Omega - Short Story (review)
Cry Wolf (review)
Hunting Ground (review)
Fair Game

A Short Story Interlude

Z: Zombie Stories edited by J.M Lassen

When the zombie apocalypse comes, it's not just those crusty old folks who will struggle against the undead, it's young people.

What happens when you come of age during the zombie apocalypse? Z: Zombie Stories has the answer to that question.

Z: Zombie Stories gathers together some of the hottest zombie fiction of the last two decades, from authors including Kelly Link, Jonathan Maberry, and Catherynne M. Valente.

These stories focus on those who will inherit a world overrun with the living dead: a young man who takes up the family business of dealing with the undead, a girl dealing with her abusive father... who has become a zombie, a poet who digs up the wrong grave, and a Viking maiden imprisoned with the living dead...

I seem to be have technological problems. I requested this book from NetGalley, loaded it on my e-reader, and now it absolutely refuses to let me read the next story. I even tried re-dowloading it. It wouldn't go to the next page, so I tried to skip to a later page. It won't do anything. I am a bit disappointed, so I will have to get a print copy when it comes out. In the meantime, I did get to read the first story, so I figured I might as well at least talk about that.

Family Business by Jonathan Maberry

I was thinking I was getting a bit tired of short stories lately, but a collection of short stories about zombies sounded right up my alley. I was a bit disappointed it was PDF format. I hate PDF format, but I was determined to get beyond that because there are stories by Kelly Link and Catherynne Valente in the collection. Plus, some new-to-me authors, like Jonathan Maberry. I thought it would be a great read to finish October with since I have completed Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman.

The first story was really quite good. Imagine a world where there was a huge epidemic and a large part of the population became zombies. The people that were not affected had to move to smaller areas in order to stay safe. The zombies took over everything else. The story focuses on two brother. The younger one is close to the age of 15, and in that society it means he has to find a job soon. His brother is a considerable amount older and has his own business. The younger brother does not want to work with his older brother, so he decides to try anything else but. The only thing is that the jobs do not work out.

In the end, the two brothers get the chance to work together. It turns out to be a learning experience for both the readers and the younger brother. He had an idea about his brother that turned out to be entirely wrong. The story actually turns out to be rather heart-warming. If I say too much more, I will give the story away, so that's all you get. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the rest of the stories in this collection at some point.

I will be back later today with my next edition of Friday Reads.

Die for Me (Revenants Series, Book 1) by Amy Plum

Die for Me (Revenants Series, Book 1) by Amy Plum

Completion Date: October 11, 2011

Reason for Reading: Marg made it sound interesting.

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

In this incandescent debut, newcomer Amy Plum has created a powerful paranormal mythology with immortal revenants. The Paris setting comes enchantingly alive as a relentless struggle between good and evil takes place in its streets. Rich with romance, atmosphere, and thrills, Die for Me will leave readers breathlessly awaiting its sequel.

I am not sure I would have rushed out and read this based on the description, but Marg's recent review made it sound interesting. I liked the fact that the book is about immortal revenants. In a world of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, etc, it is always nice to see an author tackle something different. And, in some ways, this book is different. A revenant is a person who died saving someone else. It doesn't happen to every person, but sometimes when this happens the person is gifted with the power to come back to life over and over again. When they die as a revenant they come back as the same age as they were when they died. If they don't die for a while; they age like a regular human would. This was a fresh spin in the paranormal world.

Then, there were things that really were not all that surprising. It turns out that there are revenants that are not so nice. They murder, talk people into suicide, etc. This means that there is the classic battle of good vs. evil. When the two groups come together near the end of the book to clash, I wasn't too disappointed. It was a bit predictable, but made for a page-turner. The big issue that is so much like other young adult books out there right now is that guy meets girl, maybe there is a bit of drama, but then guy and girl are obsessed with each other.

Kate is the main character in this novel. Her parents have died and she is living in Paris with her grandparents. She is not taking the death of her parents well. Her family is beginning to worry about her. Enter Vincent. Even though she is a bit resistant in the beginning, she quickly comes around and discovers just how much she cares about him. He vows that he will not die, so they can grow old together and she won't have to worry about him dying all the time. I just do not understand this plot element in young adult novels. I am not sure, maybe I missed something, but this is not the way it works in real life. This is just more spin-offs of the Cinderella ideal. It gives young girls unrealistic expectations. And, honestly, what parent wants their teen obsessed with a guy?

Now, while I do have some issues with the predictable romance, I did have to say that Kate is a pretty good character. She is strong, which is shown ten-fold in this book, smart, and if the need is there, capable of standing up for herself. In all other ways than the romance angle, I really like her. The book was readable. I had fun with it and I am looking forward to the sequel, so while I didn't love it because of a few minor quibbles, I am still glad that I read it. It is probably just me, but I am just finding that all YA books lately are underlaid by the same basic story. I keep telling myself I need to just stop reading them for a while, but never seem able to do that. Even the tile for this book is a bit melodramatic.

Also, the book takes place in Paris, which I love, and has an eye-catching cover. I mostly recommend this book!

This book counts for the R.I.P. Challenge.

Revenants Series:

Die for Me

Until I Die (May 1, 2012)

The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories by Holly Black

The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories by Holly Black

Completion Date: September 22, 2011

Reason for Reading: R.I.P. Challenge VI

Poisonous girls whose kisses will kill. A fateful eating contest with the devil. Faeries who return to Ironside, searching for love. A junior prom turned bacchanalia. In twelve short stories, eerie and brimming with suspense and unexpected humor, Holly Black twists the fantastical creatures you thought you knew in ways you’ll never expect.

Holly Black is a bit hit-or-miss with me. The first book I ever read by her was Tithe and I really enjoyed it, but then when I went on to read the sequel I was very disappointed. I didn't read her again for a very long time, but I am coming around to her again and she does have some really good work to enjoy. In the past I have read short story collections she has edited, but this is a short story collection of her original works.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Imagine a world where people actually want to become vampires because they can live forever. Not everyone thinks like that, but the people that do are becoming an epidemic. There is a whole community dedicated to vampires called Coldtown. This short story opens with a young girl who has been recently bitten and attempting to remain intoxicated in order to ignore the impulse to attack humans for blood. Then, things change. She accepts her fate in order to save others, but uses it as a chance to show the world just how horrific it is to become a vampire. It has been romanticized way too much and she is determined to show that isn't always the case. I enjoyed this story. I am getting a bit tired of vampires, but this was original enough to be good.

A Reversal of Fortune

This story sounds epic, but A Reversal of Fortune is just a fancy way of saying vomiting. This is the story about a young girl who gets into an eating contest with the Devil. I really don't think I can talk about it anymore because one aspect of the story disgusted me so much I feel ill just talking about this story. It's not to say it is a bad story, but it is also not for the weak-stomached.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Another paranormal craze that is starting to get worn out for me is werewolves. I assumed judging by the tone of this book and the stories title, this would be another take on the werewolf myth. A young boy reads about a type of flower that turns those that come into contact with it into werewolves. He begins to obsess about it a bit and then one day when his family are on vacation he sees what he assumes are those flowers. The outcome might surprise you a bit. I am not sure what to make of this story. It was strange, but good, I guess.

The Night Market

When I saw the title for this story I immediately thought of 'Goblin Market' by Christina Rossetti. I was sort of hoping it was a retelling. The story itself is rather different, but it does have a few elements that reminded me of Rossetti's poem. In the story a sister is wasting away because she ate a piece of fruit, but instead of a goblin it is an elf. The sister attempts to save her and things go off in a very different direction than they did in Rossetti's poem. I particularly liked this story and especially related to the ending. I think most people have moments where they can relate to the ending!

The Dog King

This is another story that is centred around the werewolf idea. It was also rather good. I am impressed by how consistent this collection has been so far. I haven't really hated any of the stories so far. Anyway, this story was a bit odd at the same time. I hate to give too much away because it is supposed to be a bit mysterious. I was obviously trying to figure out just what the title related to in the story. Let's just say it is the story of a young boy that is not exactly what he seems and might be a bit smarter than given credit for in the beginning.

Virgin

This is a unicorn story. I sort of expected that based on the title. A young girl has been living in foster care and has ran away to live on the streets. She meets lots of interesting characters along the way. One of these characters believes in unicorns. It was a pretty good story, but I am afraid if I talk about it any more I will give too much away.

In Vodka Viritas

This is a story about the Latin Club. They are at a boarding school and are very smart, so they are ridiculed for their brains. The main character, a bit of an outcast himself, stumbles upon them in an abandoned section of the school and interesting things are put into play. This story was really a bit strange and is about magic potions and the need for revenge. It is the perfect story for high school and the need to feel accepted, but hopefully no one feels the need to go quite so far!

The Coat of Stars

This is a fairy story, but not your typical fairy story. Raphael had a friend when he was younger. They loved each other in a special way. Things were not perfect at home for his friend, though, and he was a bit depressed. They make a plan to run away from home, but the night before they are supposed to his friend commits suicide. Raphael is devastated and never entirely recovers from that night even though it is years later and he is home visiting his parents. The thing is that his friend might not be dead after all. This was a story that actually takes into play other elements from famous fairy traditions, but I have never read a story quite like it before. I choose to be mysterious and make people want to read it.

Paper Cuts Scissors

I loved this story! It is like a short story version of Inkheart in the fact that their are characters that can read themselves into books and others that can read characters out of books. What would happen, though, if you were in a fight with your girlfriend and before anything was really resolved, she read herself in a book. This story looks at that idea. It is fun to visit with characters from famous novels and to see how the books have been changed as a result of the characters ability to read people in and out. It made for a fun story, but a little dark at the same time.

Going Ironside

It has been a while since I read Tithe and its sequel by Black, but from what I can remember this is a short story version of the same type. I didn't really get it. It didn't make any impression on me. It was almost confusing.

The Land of Heart's Desire

Okay, let's be honest here. I only recently finished this book and I all ready can't remember this story. It also uses characters from Tithe, so maybe that was my problem.

The Poison Eaters

The title story from this collection. This story had a bit of a fairy tale feel to it. It was definitely a darkish read, too. It is the story of three sisters who can kill you will a kiss. They have been raised for nefarious means that make for interesting reading. I think it was a good story to end the collection with.

Overall, I liked this collection. Recommended!

Dead Rules by Randy Russell

Dead Rules by Randy Russell

Completion Date: July 12, 2011

Reason for Reading: Received Review Copy from Harper Collins Canada.

Till death

Jana Webster and Michael Haynes were in love. They were destined to be together forever.

Do

But Jana's destiny was fatally flawed. And now she's in Dead School, where Mars Dreamcote lurks in the back of the classroom, with his beguiling blue eyes, mysterious smile, and irresistibly warm touch.

Us

Michael and Jana were incomplete without each other. There was no room for Mars in Jana's life—or death—story. Jana was sure Michael would rush to her side soon.

Part

But things aren't going according to Jana's plan. So Jana decides to do whatever it takes to make her dreams come true—no matter what rules she has to break.

June was my slowest reading month of the year so far, so I was in need of some inspiration. I stared at my bookshelves and nothing was really calling to me, so I emailed the wonderful Shannon at Harper Collins Canada and simply said "I need something different!" She sent me a few books and this was one of them. It was a lot of fun because I didn't know what I would be receiving. I had originally said no paranormal books, but I was assured this book was different. So, I cracked it open to see and it is in fact different! I decided to review it now because I am way behind on reviews and also because it is a fun read for the R.I.P. Challenge.

One of the aspects of young adult fiction that drives me nuts is these girls and guys that are not even done high school being obsessed with each other. They think that there is no one else in the world for them. It really bugs me because they are so young and I don't think it is sending a very good message to the young adults who are reading the book. This book takes this to a whole new level! Jana Webster and Michael Haynes are a high school couple deeply in love. Well, at least Jana thinks so. She has their whole future planned out and thinks that Michael is as in love with her as she is with him. She believes they have the type of love that only with death will they be apart. Then, she dies, and that entirely changes things.

This book takes place in the Afterlife. Jana is attending Dead School and missing Michael everyday. Then, she meets Mars Dreamcote. He is the school 'bad boy'. He lurks in the back of the classroom, but Jana finds that she is drawn to him. He has abilities that she finds that she needs, but he also has a warm touch and she is just so cold. She becomes obsessed with becoming a bad girl to his bad boy routine. She believes it is the only way that her and Michael can be together again. This means a lot of bizarre adventures. The thing that really got me is that this a book about a dead girl wishing her boyfriend was still with her and I found it rather entertaining. The book is just so strange, it is good! You just wait until you see everything play out.

I think I particularly enjoyed this book because it wasn't about vampires or werwolves. I am getting a bit tired of those two sub-genres. I haven't read a lot of books about ghosts, and when I do, they don't usually act like the ones in this book. I hope you will give this book a read!

Thanks to Harper Collins Canada for my copy of this book!

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A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (All Souls Trilogy, Book 1)

Completion Date: April 16, 2011

Reason for Reading: Fun!

Sometimes scholars should be more careful: Youthful researcher Diana Bishop briefly consults an medieval alchemical manuscript; then, after jotting down a few notes, sends it back to its prison in the stacks. Unfortunately for Diana, her quick dabbling has unleashed a long suppressed curse—and now only she can break the spell. Carefully researched, this debut novel will appeal to fans of historical novel infused with strong paranormal elements.

One of my favourite reads on 2011 so far is A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I really wanted to at least write something about it, so it is fun that this post is with Heather and Marg. I am rather surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It had a few plot devices and character arches that I was not a huge fan of typically, but for some reason it all came together well enough to make an enjoyable reading experience.

I have the first part of the discussion, then Heather has the second part, and Marg is posting the third part. Enjoy!

Kelly - I really enjoyed this book. It took me a while to get into it, though. The first little while I could take it or leave it, but then I started to get caught up in the story and I ended up reading the last of it in pretty much one sitting. I was having some issues with reading at the time, so I was so excited that I found a book that worked for me. I don’t read a lot of books about witches, so I was excited it was going to be something ‘different’. This book just called to me. The minute I saw it was coming out, I knew I had to read it.

What about you two, what was your experience like with this book?

Marg - I was immersed from page 1. There were some slow patches later in the book but for the most part this was a book that I just got lost in from beginning to end. It was a book that I was more than happy to tell other people to read!

Heather - I really enjoyed this book too. It didn’t take me really long to get into it. Anytime there is a mysterious book integral to the plot, I’m pretty much hooked! It reminded me so much of The Historian, another book I was crazy about.

I did have a few problems with the book, one Kelly already fussed at me about, about how it reminded me of Twilight. I can’t help it! It did! Luckily, Diana was a little more plucky than Bella Swan. And Matthew learned to loosen up a little bit better than Edward. (This is hilarious, I accidentally typed Eeward. That made me giggle!)

What about you guys? Any problems with the story for you? What about the historical details? I love that Harkness is a historian. How do you think that added (or took away?) from the story?

Kelly - Well, it bothered me that right in the book description it compares this book to Twilight. As soon as I read that, I couldn’t help thinking about that book while reading this one. I feel like that comparison limits this series to readers. I know that if I had known about that comparison before getting excited about the book, I probably would have given it a pass. And, yes, comparisons can be made. The romance angle mostly. I didn’t really find that Diana was obsessed with Matthew, though. And, it took a while to move in that direction. It wasn’t a sudden thing. Plus, she is not ‘too stupid to function’. But, yes, it is pretty much an adult version of the young adult series... It would have been nice if she could have changed things a bit, but then, if you do anything nowadays it seems to be similar to something else.

I loved the historical details. It gave you some perspective on Matthew, for example. He has been alive a long time and you can actually understand that length of time when you have things to compare it with. I also think that history will play a huge role in book two; so I think that it is important that she is a historian and knows what she is talking about. The details come alive more as you are reading about them. It is not just a simple rehashing of details. The old books were my favourite part of the history, though. I enjoy books that are about books in some way. It gives me more of a connection to the story when the author is writing about something that I love. I also love history, witches, and fantasy in general, so this had a lot for me to get excited about.

Be sure and travel over to Heather and then Marg's blog to read the rest of the discussion!

Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld Series, Book 12) by Kelley Armstrong

Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld Series, Book 12) by Kelley Armstrong

Completion Date: July 25, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on with the series.

Savannah Levine is in terrible danger, and for once she’s powerless to help herself. At the conclusion of Waking the Witch, Savannah swore that she would give up her powers if it would help a young girl. Little did she know that someone would take her up on that promise.

And now, witch hunting assassins, necromancers, half-demons, and rogue witches all seem to be after her. The threat is not just for Savannah; every member of the Otherworld might be at risk. While most her fellow supernaturals are circling the wagons at a gathering of the council in Miami, Savannah is caught on the road, isolated from those who can protect her and unable to use her vast spell casting talent, the thing she counts on most. In a story that will change the shape of the Otherworld forever, Spell Bound gathers Elena, Clay, Paige, Lucas, Jamie, Hope, and others, who soon learn that the greatest threat to supernaturals just may come from within.

I have to start by saying this is the 12th book in the series and I have read the 11 that came before it. This is very rare for me. I am terrible with series and usually stall after only a couple books. I love this series, though, and made a concentrated effort to catch-up in it last year or the year before. There was only one book I was less than thrilled with, Dime Store Magic, but otherwise I have loved this series and always look forward to each new book. There has been talk that book thirteen will be the last one and that makes me sad.

Like Waking the Witch before it, this book was narrated by Savannah Levine. She is the 21-year-old witch that we have watched grow-up during the course of these books. She still kind of annoys me, but that's the point. She is supposed to be impulsive and strong-willed. The thing I really liked about this book was that Armstrong managed to work in many of the main characters from other books in the series. During the course of the book we see Elena, Clay, Hope, Jaime, Jeremy, Karl, Adam, Paige, Lucas, Cassandra, Aaron, and possibly other people that I am not thinking of at the moment. They all have been worked into the story in such a way that it didn't feel like the series was getting near the end and she wanted to work as many old favourites in as possible. It just seemed like a natural progression. I have grown attached to many of these characters over 12 books and continue to enjoying learning more about them.

In Waking the Witch, Savannah ends the book by finding she has lost her powers. Then the book ends. This book takes place literally right after she makes that discovery and carries on from there. This is actually like a trilogy inside a larger series. This book and the one before it had a bit of a cliff-hanger ending and could essentially be one book. That's typically how this series works anyway. There are novels about the werewolves and novels about the witches. There are other supernatural races represented but since Hope is with Karl and Jeremy is with Jaime, etc, they still fit into those two categories. I think this is why this series works so well. It has the same characters, but they are not necessarily present in each book. It keeps the series fresh.

I am pretty amazed by just how much is going on in essentially a not very long book. Savannah is dealing with her loss of powers, but there is also a war coming. A group of Supernaturals have decided that they should 'come out' to humans. Since humans outnumber them by a great deal, this is probably a bad idea. That's what Savannah and her group think, anyway. This leads to all sorts of problems and brings up events from previous books and characters that we thought we had heard the last of in really creative ways. I am looking forward to the next book to clear everything up and reveal all the secrets.

This was another great addition to one of my favourite series!

Thanks to Random House for sending me a copy of this book!

Women of the Otherworld Series:

Bitten

Stolen

Dime Store Magic

Industrial Magic

Haunted

Broken

No Humans Involved

Personal Demon

Living With the Dead

Frostbitten

Waking the Witch

Spell Bound

Wow, 12 books in the series and I have only not reviewed one of them! That's actually rather impressive for me...

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (Paranormalcy Series, Book 1)

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Completion Date: May 9, 2011

Reason for Reading: Fun!

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

Darla, at Books & Other Thoughts, reviewed this book and said it would like make her list of favourite young adult reads for the year. I was intrigued, so even though I said I wouldn't read anymore new paranormal series I requested it from the library. I am getting very tired of the 'same ole same' in books, so I was hoping for a fresh perspective on a popular sub-genre. I mostly received that with this book. It wasn't perfect, and I had a few minor problems with it, but overall it wasn't that bad. I didn't love it, but I did really like it.

First up, I have to talk about something entirely random. What is with the popularity of the name Evie and other similar names? This book had Evie. Then, I read The Beauty Chorus and there was another Evie. Then, last night I finished The Rose Garden and there was Eva. All three books came out recently and they all choose the same name, or a variation on it, for their main characters. It just seemed rather strange to me, so I had to comment on it. It was particularly noticeable because I read the other two books right after each other.

Okay, back to the book. This is a young adult novel about a teenage girl that always thought she was normal, but just had a strange ability. She has been surrounded with paranormal creatures her entire life, but always thought that they were different from her. The truth is, no one is quite sure what to make of her. She is an entirely new breed of paranormal. When she looks at someone that is paranormal, she can see through their glamours. Vampires may look really young and good-looking, but she sees the rotting corpse underneath. With werewolves it is just seeing their eyes as yellow. As a result of this ability, she has a job hunting down paranormals that are terrorizing the 'normal world'. She is the only one that can see them for what they really are.

She has never been entirely happy, but she thinks that she is where she belongs. Then things begin to change in her world and it makes her question her place in it. She finds that she has a lot of questions about who she is and no one seems able to answering them. When paranormal creatures start being killed in a giant spree, though, she finds that she has a lot more to who she is than she thought. Overall, it made for a page-turning novel and I am curious about what will happen in the next book.

I could speak to my problems with the book, but they are mostly spoiler-type problems. I still recommend reading the series and other people loved it, so it is mainly just me that was not a huge fan.

This book counts for the Once Upon a Time Challenge.

***NOTE*** Short Story Monday got moved this week. I believe we will be back on Wednesday.

Series:

Paranormalcy

Supernaturally (Out later this year.)

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason

The Vampire Voss (Regency Draculia #1) by Colleen Gleason

Completion Date: January 19, 2011
Reason for Reason: NetGalley ARC; Buddy read with Ames from Breezing Through

Regency London - a dizzying whirl of balls and young ladies pursued by charming men. But the Woodmore sisters are hunted by a more sinister breed: Lucifer's own. Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member of the Dracule - a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls - the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral...until Angelica. Angelica Woodmore possesses the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger - for her body and blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him - to protect her

When I saw that Netgalley was offering up review copies of the newest book by Colleen Gleason I was very excited to get a chance to read it early. I was a big fan of her previous series. Ames is also a fan, so I encouraged her to get a copy so we can review it together. The entire review is posted below, but it is also cross-posted at Breezing Through. Enjoy!

Kelly: Colleen Gleason, the author of this book, is an example of how much blogging works. If it wasn’t for her presence in the blogging world, I probably would never have read her. She is shelved in the romance section, which I never visit, and even if I did I hardly ever see her on the shelf. I think I did buy one of her books at the store, though, because I seem to remember mentioning in a post how I snuck into the romance section for it. Just reading and enjoying Gleason is a big deal, especially a few years ago. Now I do venture into the romance department a bit, but before I never would have at all. This book I found to be more of a romance than the Gardella series, though.

As someone that reads a lot of romance novels and spends time in the romance section, what do you think?

Ames: I agree that social media is definitely a good tool to reach out to new readers. And I’m glad it has you venturing into the romance section from time to time. It definitely worked in the reverse that I venture out more often to different sections as well, fantasy and young adult being the main ones.

In regards to Vampire Voss being more romance-y than the Gardella series, I agree. The set up of it is definitely more in line with the genre. Unfortunately, I found the romance aspect of The Vampire Voss to be weak.

Kelly: I wasn’t really all that interested in the romance. It was just sort of there and you knew it was probably going to play out a certain way. When I read the book I was more interested in seeing how the vampires were portrayed and to experience the time period. There was a lot that was worthwhile overall, but there were a few things that were a bit weak, too.

Why did you find the romance aspect weak?

Ames: I was more interested in the world building and the vampire stuff more too. The romance was weak in my opinion because I didn’t feel any chemistry. Why were these two characters so drawn to each other? We were just told they were. And Angelica was afraid of Voss for quite a bit of that time. I think that’s what bothered me too, how long she was kept in the dark about Voss.

Kelly: Yes, it was a strange romance. It was inevitable, but at the same time I was rather clueless why. I think it should have been explored in more detail or with more enlightenment. Instead, we knew who Voss really was for quite some time before Angelica was let in on the secret. I liked Voss, though, for whatever I thought about the romance. He was an interesting character. He played himself as a dark character, but he had a side to him that he attempted to keep hidden that was nicer. Angelica, too, was a good, strong female character. I never really had any major complaints with her. Her ability was strange, but not over the top. I am not so sure I would like to possess the same abilities, but that is just me.

What did you think of Angelica and Voss as characters?

Ames: I liked Voss. Yeah he was a 100+ year old vampire but he was open to change. I like how he wasn’t uber-perfect. An example of that is when the Mark overtook for a moment and he bit Angelica. There was a real dangerous aspect to him that way. Also, looking at his past, he realized he made some mistakes and he was looking for something different.

Angelica. I’m a bit torn on Angelica. But I think just in regards to her reaction to Voss. Every other way, she was strong and smart. When it came to Voss, not so much. Also, I feel like her ability was made a big deal out of at the beginning and then towards the last half of the book, it wasn’t as important. Like once Voss got what he wanted from her, her ability...and her to a certain degree, didn’t matter anymore.

That’s another thing. I had to remind myself about ⅔ of the way in WHY Voss was even interested in Angelica in the first place.

Kelly: Yes, Voss was admirable in wanting to change after all the years of living. I liked that about him, too. As to Angelica, I suppose I had forgotten that her ability all but erased itself from the book. It was mentioned a lot in the beginning, but then after a while it was just sort of hovering in the background. I think it would have been interesting if it had played a bigger role and it wasn’t just about the vampires abilities. Angelica and her sisters had interesting abilities that I would have enjoyed seeing more from.

What did you think of the secondary characters that played a part?

Ames: I thought a few of the secondary characters were frustrating beyond belief. I couldn’t stand Maia , Angelica’s sister and Chas, their brother. Chas doesn’t even show up until the last half of the book and that tells you something that I couldn’t stand him.

Maia I thought was irritatingly stubborn and tried to be bossy but was just annoying. I know she’s coming from a perspective of wanting more respect from the people around her, but I felt like she went about it the wrong way.

Chas. I felt like his storyline came in too late. All this other stuff is going on and then boom, Chas and his lover are introduced and they get a sex scene and it just seemed a bit out of place for me. I can see this couple getting their own book, but felt their introduction was in an awkward place. And what frustrated me with him was his secrets. He was trying to protect his sisters, but he’s been gone leading this other life and they’ve made do without him. He should have given them some credit and told them what was going on so they could have been better prepared.

Dimitri was an interesting character but I could see right away how his story was going to play out - and looking at the next book, I wasn’t wrong.

Kelly: Oh, yes, I couldn’t stand Maia either. I understand where she was coming from, but she drove me nuts. That’s why I am a bit worried about the next book. It’s a bit apparent that she will play a central role, so I am a bit worried about how things will go. And, yes, Chas... That’s a strange and undeveloped storyline. I feel like he should have been in the book before he was, but if he was then it probably wouldn’t have changed a lot of what happened and then Angelica and Voss might not have ended up together. So, I can understand why he wasn’t in it sooner, but he is a mystery at this point. He’s a Vampire Hunter in love with a Vampire. Obviously, there needs to be a bit more elaboration on why that happened. And, you are right. Normally he takes off and leaves his sisters with little to no supervision when anything possible could happen because of his work. He should give them more credit! They are obviously very able to take care of themselves, but they should have been made aware of the dangers that could present themselves.

Dimitri is interesting, but he also seems like a very stereotypical male figure from classic literature. I could see Mr. Darcy and Mr. Thornton in him easily, but the vampire version. I think Gleason was trying to make him seem more appealing by making him familiar, but then not at the same time. I am not sure if it will work, but I guess it is something to figure out in book two when he plays the central role.

So, what do you think of the book overall? Will you be reading book two?

Ames: Well I found the world-building and the Dracule culture Gleason created to be very interesting. But my enjoyment over that was detracted from by my frustration with some of the characters and the romance. If the romance was made to be more of a background thing with a focus on the other stuff - I would think about reading book 2. As it is, I think I’ll wait to see what others say about book 2 right now. Maia would be a difficult character for me to get over.

What about you, are you planning on reading the 2nd book?

Kelly: Probably, because I did find Dimtri intriguing, but I am not so sure I will enjoy Maia all that much... She sort of annoyed me and probably an entire novel with her in it would be exasperating. That being said, I want to see how the vampire culture storyline develops and I am actually sort of wondering what is the story with Chas and his vampire romance. I am not sure that there has been enough of an explanation of it all yet. I think for the next book I am more curious about the on-going story than the one that will be developed, but that can change. Voss was not very complicated, but there is obviously a story about Dimitri that is sort of hinted at and I want to know the details...

Anything else that you want to mention?

Ames: Grades? This one gets a C- from me. It was ok, there was an interesting concept buried in there with some meh characters.

Kelly: I don’t really give grades, but I will say that I prefer the Gardella Chronicles better. Like you said, the concept is interesting, but the characters sort of brought the story down.

This book counts for the TwentyEleven Reading Challenge.

Nightlight: A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon

Nightlight: A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon

Completion Date: February 12, 2011

Reason for Reading: Fun!

About three things I was absolutely certain. First, Edwart was most likely my soul mate, maybe. Second, there was a vampire part of him–which I assumed was wildly out of his control–that wanted me dead. And third, I unconditionally, irrevocably, impenetrably, heterogeneously, gynecologically, and disreputably wished he had kissed me.

And thus Belle Goose falls in love with the mysterious and sparkly Edwart Mullen in the Harvard Lampoon’s hilarious send-up of Twilight. Pale and klutzy, Belle arrives in Switchblade, Oregon looking for adventure, or at least an undead classmate. She soon discovers Edwart, a super-hot computer nerd with zero interest in girls. After witnessing a number of strange events–Edwart leaves his tater tots untouched at lunch! Edwart saves her from a flying snowball!–Belle has a dramatic revelation: Edwart is a vampire. But how can she convince Edwart to bite her and transform her into his eternal bride, especially when he seems to find girls so repulsive?

Complete with romance, danger, insufficient parental guardianship, creepy stalker-like behavior, and a vampire prom, Nightlight is the uproarious tale of a vampire-obsessed girl, looking for love in all the wrong places.

Well, this was entertaining... You will find yourself pausing and going "What?" a lot as you read, though, and there will be laughing. First up, let me explain my thoughts on the series this is a parody of. I did like Twilight. I will admit it... If I had just read that book I might have been able to see it was worthwhile, but then I read the rest of the series and I was so annoyed! Then I started to think about Twilight more, and in retrospect, I don't like it anymore. Bella annoys me, there are some really silly plot ideas, and I have no idea why it couldn't be a trilogy. Also, I have never managed to finish Breaking Dawn. I have so many issues with that book it is not even funny. There are redeeming qualities, though. I really liked Alice.

Anyway, this book basically takes all the silliness of the series and plays on it. It was a lot of fun, but at the same time really stupid. I suppose that is the point, though. I was reading some of the parts to the cc's little guy while I was reading it. The other day we were in a drive-thru and he all of sudden said "Hey, I wonder if that U-Haul is the Belle drives?" The cc's niece is named Belle, so we were confused for a moment, but then it dawned on me he was talking about this book! The cc never did entirely figure out what was going on. So, yes, this is a book that will lead to very random conversations. Instead of a beat-up truck Belle drives a U-Haul and in one scene she uses the back of it to make a very large drink. Don't even ask... Read!

Some other funny things are the fact that they make a very big deal about her clumsiness. There are fires and accidents and other random things that will make you laugh at their insanity. She makes fun of Belle's popularity with the guys. Instead of them chasing her around, Belle just assumes that anyone that talks to her loves her. All your favourite cast of characters are sort of included. There isn't much of an appearance from Edwart's family, though. Also, Belle thinks Edwart is a vampire from the very beginning. That's a bit of a change. Even if you like this series, you can still enjoy this book. The person that lent it to me actually loved the original series, but she still read this book.

An interesting way to spend the afternoon...

Masques by Patricia Briggs (Aralorn Series, Book 1; Sianim Series, Book 1)

Masques by Patricia Briggs

Completion Date: January 12, 2011

Reason for Reading: Buddy Read with Vanessa from Reading in Bed

After an upbringing of proper behavior and oppressive expectations, Aralorn fled her noble birthright for a life of adventure as a mercenary spy. Her latest mission involves spying on the increasingly powerful sorcerer Geoffrey ae'Magi. But in a war against an enemy armed with the powers of illusion, how do you know who the true enemy is-or where he will strike next?

Today is a buddy read with Vanessa, from Reading in Bed. I have known Vanessa since I was a teenager, so it is fun that we are now reading and blogging together even if we hardly ever see each other anymore!

I have the first part of the review, and then you have to head over to her blog to read the second part. Enjoy!

Kelly: I have to admit I have always been curious about this book, but it was largely out-of-print for a while. When I saw at one point last year that she was going to edit it a bit and reissue it I was excited to finally get a chance to read the whole series. Did you think this book was worth being reissued?

Vanessa: I think it was worth it. Since the Mercy Thompson series is very popular, Patricia Briggs is gaining lots of new fans who may be curious about her older work (I know I was). While it certainly wasn’t her best book it was interesting to see how she has progressed as a writer since she started out. A lot of the foundations of her later work were there - strong heroine, romantic tension without being overtly romantic, interesting and memorable supporting characters and a story with a clear ending that also leaves an opening for future adventures. How did you find this book compared to her later work?

Kelly: I agree with a lot of your points. This was obviously a very strong influence on her later books. She obviously had the right ingredients determined from the very beginning, but she had to grow as a writer in technical areas. I know that when we were reading this book I commented to you how you could tell she never expected these books to be reissued because she borrows so much from them. Aralorn reminds me a lot of Mercy. They have different skills, but their attitude is very similar. The biggest difference is maturity, I think. Aralorn acts a bit younger than Mercy in some situations. Then, Wolf reminded very strongly of Charles from the Alpha & Omega series. While Wolf wasn’t exactly a werewolf, he had a lot of the same characteristics and moods that we see from Charles. What did you think of the characters?

Vanessa: I liked them but they were definitely a tad more 2 dimensional than her later characters. Their reactions to situations were quite predictable for the most part. Aralorn definitely seems like a younger Mercy especially how she jumped into all situations without thinking first. What made her seem more immature was the fact that when something happened that bothered her or made her wonder she never voiced it. She always put up a front. Wolf was made to seem wise in a lot of ways but in others he was almost like a scared little boy especially when it came to his feelings about Aralorn. I understand that caring for someone else is alien to him but the way his fear and confusion was conveyed was a little much. Myr was ok but also a little bit too flawless as a character. The people at the camp were interesting but would have been better if she’d written them now. As a villain the ae’Magi was...kinda boring. Don’t get me wrong I wanted them to triumph over him but his whole premise was a bit weak and we didn’t really get to the true root of his motivation. This all makes me sound like I didn’t like the characters but I really did they just had some flaws. How long did it take you to figure out who Wolf really was?

Kelly: Yes, I can see a lot of what you are saying. The ae’Magi was pretty dull. I didn’t like him, but I didn’t have as strong a reaction to him as I would if he was written with a bit more skill. On Wolf, though, Charles is a lot like that in the beginning to when it comes to his feelings. That’s part of the reason why Wolf reminds me of him so much. The book was a bit predicable, I must say. I had a very strong suspicion who Wolf was the minute we were introduced to him as a human and it didn’t take me long to deduce that I was right. So, even though she tried to keep it a big secret it was a bit obvious to me... I don’t want to spoil anything, but just the way she reveals things leads it to only be possible for it to be one person. Hopefully I am not giving too much away with that! What about you? And, what did you think about the magical aspects of the book?

Now head over to Vanessa's Blog to read Part Two!

This book counts for the TwentyEleven Reading Challenge.

The Fallen Kings Cycle Book 1: The Sworn by Gail Z. Martin

The Fallen Kings Cycle Book 1: The Sworn by Gail Z. Martin

Completion Date: January 10, 2011
Reason for Reading: Received an ARC from Hachette Book Group through NetGalley

Summoner-King Martris Drayke must attempt to meet this great threat, gathering an army from a country ravaged by civil war. Tris seeks new allies from among the living - and the dead - as an untested generation of rulers face their first battle. Meanwhile, the legendary Dread are stirring in their burrows after millennia of silence and no one knows what hand wakes them and whom they will serve when they rise.

Now, Drayke turns to the Sworn, a nomadic clan of warriors bound to protect the Dread. But even the mighty Sworn do not know what will happen when the Dread awake. All are certain, though, that war is coming to the Winter Kingdoms.

THE SWORN is the beginning of a new adventure set in the world of The Chronicles of the Necromancer.

One of the things that really bothered me about 2010 was how little fantasy I read. I have decided to make reading more in 2011 an unofficial goal. With this in mind, I was browsing through the catalogue at NetGalley and saw this book by Gail Z. Martin. I have heard of her before and have the first book from her other series on my TBR pile, but for whatever reason never got to it. While this is a spin-off series, it didn't seem necessary to have read her other books first, so I decided to give this one a try. I am so happy I did! I put the book aside with about 50 pages left to go to sleep, and I wound up sneaking out to the living room at an ungodly hour to see how the book ended. I was so caught up in the story I had to know!

I have this thing with not reading the description of books that I plan on reading soon if I can help it. I picked this book entirely because I recognized the authors name. I had no idea what the book was even about. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. What I ended up with is a very good fantasy story with a paranormal connection. I felt no disadvantage from not reading her other series because she filled in the details if she felt they were important. I do plan to go back and read the other series now, though.

In the beginning, I was a little overwhelmed with all of the characters. I read a few chapters before they started repeating themselves again. As a result it did take me a bit to get caught up in the story, but once I did I was hooked. It was just refreshing to read a really good fantasy again. I feel like that didn't happen nearly enough in 2010. Even though there are a lot of characters, by the end I had everyone straightened out and now I am curious what will happen to them in the future. I do think that sometimes there was too much detail given about minor characters, but that is just because there are so many major characters to keep straight. In another book I would think that was a good thing. It might turn out that those major characters are important in later books.

When I was in the midst of this book I was reading a very detailed description of a woman and I commented on how you can tell this book is written by a man. The thing is, it isn't. It just slipped my mind who the author was for a moment. I am a girl who likes guys, so I really could careless how well-endowed a woman is in a book. Unfortunately, fantasy is stereotypically a male-dominated world and authors cater to that accordingly. I think that was my only major problem with the book and that is not really the authors fault. It is mainly just a pet-peeve of mine. Other than that, what you have here is a book that I really enjoyed and an author that I look forward to reading more from. The sequel, out in 2012, will definitely be on my priority list.

This book is listed to go on sale February 1, 2011.

Soulless (An Alexia Tarabotti Novel, Book 1) by Gail Carriger

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

I consider the series I have on the go with a vampire or werewolf theme enough, but when I heard about this series I had to add one more. I was supposed to read it earlier this year but didn't get a chance to. This is at least the second time I have had it out from the library and I finally got a chance to see what it was all about. I am really glad I took a chance on the series because if this first book is anything to go by it is going to become one of my favourites. Anyone that reads my blog with any regularity knows that I really enjoy historical fiction and fantasy. When the two genres come together, though, I am usually curious to see how the author manages to pull things off. Gail Carriger has created a fascinating historical world with entertaining characters. The addition of things like werewolves and vampires works well within the story and world. I really think that the author found a nice balance.

This is the story of Alexia Tarabotti. For the era that she is living in, she is considered a spinster. She both likes this and doesn't. There are times where she wishes for a man in her life, but then there are other times where she knows that she is just too unconventional for a man to love. Her mother is remarried and has two other daughters that she is trying to marry off. She has given up on Alexia. Gail Carriger has introduced a new paranormal character to the mix. Alexia is Soulless, which means that she has no soul, but also means that she does not see the world as other people do. You need a soul to get the nuances of society at times. This also gives her powers over the vampires and werewolves that I believe will be addressed further as the series progresses. The series doesn't lack on the action. You get a good idea of just what Alexia is all about from the very first page.

This series has a lot of humour in it, too, which I appreciated. There were plenty of times where I would find myself laughing at a situation that Alexia has found herself in, something she says, or even something that she does. The characters that she interact with also add to this and provide a good blend of people for her to play off of. Her mother reminds me of Mrs. Bennett from Pride & Prejudice. There is lots of freaking out and a bit of fainting when it comes to things that Alexia does. And, well, her mother doesn't know the half of it! Alexia gets her strange abilities from her father, so her mother is largely in the dark about just how bizarre her daughter can be.

This book has a little bit for everyone. There is even some romance thrown in for good measure. The romance is actually one of the better storylines in the book. So, you have all this, some bad guys, mad science, a very flashy vampire, a very attractive werewolf and his sidekick, and even an appearance from the queen. Sounds like a good book, huh? I am looking forward to reading book two!

This book counts for the R.I.P. Challenge!

Waking the Witch (Women of the Otherworld Series, Book 11) by Kelley Armstrong

The new novel in Kelley Armstrong's bestselling Women of the Otherworld series showcases the fascinating Savannah Levine, a powerful young witch with a rebellious past and a troublesome heritage.

The orphaned daughter of a sorcerer and a half-demon, Savannah is a terrifyingly powerful young witch who has never been able to resist the chance to throw her magical weight around. But at twenty-one she knows she needs to grow up and prove to her guardians, Paige and Lucas, that she can be a responsible member of their supernatural detective agency. So she jumps at the chance to fly solo, investigating the mysterious deaths of three young women in a nearby factory town, as a favour to one of the agency's associates. At first glance, the murders look garden-variety human, but on closer inspection signs point to otherworldly stakes.

Soon Savannah is in over her head. She's run off the road and nearly killed, haunted by a mystery stalker and freaked out when the brother of one of the dead women is murdered when he tries to investigate the crime. To complicate things, something weird is happening to her powers. Pitted against shamans, demons, a voodoo-inflected cult and garden-variety goons, Savannah has to fight to ensure her first case isn't her last. And she also has to ask for help, perhaps the hardest lesson she's ever had to learn.

I read this before the R.I.P. challenge started, but since it needs to be reviewed eventually I decided that this time of the year was the perfect time for it. This is the latest novel in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. Before I get into the book, though, I wanted to ask where this series is shelved in your local bookstore? I noticed within the last year that it has started appearing in the horror section at mine. I know the new released covers are black and maybe a little dark, but horror? They always used to be in with the regular fiction, which I never agreed with either. I think of them as fantasy. Patricia Briggs, for example, writes essentially the same type of books and she has always been in the fantasy section. I just think that Armstrong is the type of author that people that don't even read fantasy would enjoy, but putting them in the horror section is really misleading. Thoughts on this?

Now, on to the book. If you read my review of Frostbitten, which was a discussion with Marg, you will know that the witch books are not my favourite of the bunch. I am a fan of the werewolf books first and foremost, but Savannah and Paige have grown up a lot and are starting to interest me a lot more than they did. When Dime Store Magic came out, Paige was in her 20's and Savannah was just young. Now, Savannah is almost the same age as Paige was when she became her ward. Savannah is a different personality to Paige, though, and that means she acts a lot different. She has attitude, drives a motorcycle, etc. Paige is all about the her work and was always a bit calmer. It makes for an interesting contrast. This is Savannah's book, though.

As I said above, Savannah lives with Paige (and Lucas). Paige and Lucas run a successful business solving cases in the paranormal community. Savannah has been left home alone, though, while Paige and Lucas go away on a trip together. While they are away a case appears and Savannah is determined to solve it by herself and prove to Paige that she is ready to take on more responsibility. This book turns out to be a bit of a murder mystery, but paranormal in style. I feel like you really get to know Savannah in this book. She has always really been a secondary character, but now she is taking the reins and coming into her own. There are other characters in the book, but this is really all about her. Savannah is perfectly capable of holding her own, but sometimes she discovers that she needs the people around her. This book was a learning experience for her.

Once again, I loved this book. With the exception of one book, I have really enjoyed all of the books in this series. Considering this is an 11 book series and there are two short story collections; I think Armstrong is doing really well! I continue to get excited every time there is a new book in the series and even though it has been going on for a while now, I don't find that anything is getting old. I would gladly read this series for many more books to come, so hopefully they continue. There are still so many characters that I want to see more of and many more story-lines that should be developed. The next book in the series once again deals with Savannah. Considering how this book ended, I am really interested to see what is going to happen next!

If you haven't read this series, you really should! The first book is Bitten.

Thanks to Random House Canada for a review copy of this book!

Tales of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

More of New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong's most popular Otherworld characters get a chance to shine in this second short fiction collection, showcasing critical moments from many different lives.

Kelley Armstrong's readers have proven themselves a dedicated fan-base: her previous hardcover collection of short stories, Men of the Otherworld, appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, and Canadian lists too - despite three of the stories having been available, unedited and for free, for years on Armstrong's website. With a similar format - a handful of reedited stories and one wholly original novella - Tales of the Otherworld explores the lives of some of Armstrong's most popular characters, giving readers glimpses into how Clay and Elena met, how Eve and Kristof first hooked up (a brand new novella), and how Lucas and Paige got married. Kelley is a superstar of the genre, andTales of the Otherworld is a great way to begin 2010.

Normally I am not a big fan of short stories. I would much rather read a novel if I had the choice; but there are certain authors that can pull it off and make me love the short story form. Kelley Armstrong is one such author. I hate reading long things on a computer screen, so I am thrilled that she has taken the time to edit her stories and release them for a wider audience. For those that are fans of the series you will appreciate how this book fills in a few loose ends. They aren't something that you had to know, but you are happy to learn about it when given the chance.

If you read my review of Frostbitten, that I did with Marg, you will know that I am a werewolf fan. I love Elena as a character, but I think the short story in this collection really showed me who Clay was. I have always liked him, but you very rarely get to see things from his point-of-view, so you miss out on things. The short story included in this collection shows you a side of Clay that doesn't really come across in the novels and tells you how it is that Clay and Elena met. When Bitten takes place that is all in the past, so it was nice to get a chance to back in time with the characters.

Anyway, there are lots of other stories, too. There is the story of how Aaron, the vampire, came to be the character that we see occasionally in the series. He is in Waking the Witch, actually. It would be a good time to do a book about the vampires. I would love to see a whole book about Cassandra because she is such an intriguing character when she does show up. The next book is going to be about Savannah again, but maybe the one after that. Speaking of Savannah, the next story in the collection is about Eve. I really like Eve; so I was interested in a story about her and Kristof. It's a novella, really. It tells how they met and how things turned out the way that they did. We know Kristof as a high-official for one of the cabals, but this shows the more 'human' side of him.

The next story in the collection is about the werewolves. It's actually about Logan, who I have to admit I hardly even remembered. The refresher, and his appearance in one of the other stories, makes me want to reread the earlier books in the series to refresh my memory further. After that is the novella about how Clay and Elena met. I think it was my favourite one, but really they were all good. I all ready talked about it above and if you want to know more you will just have to read it. This is followed by a short story told from Jeremy's point-of-view. It is also from the beginning of the series and it mainly shows events that have all ready happened from Jeremy side of things.

"Wedding Bell Hell" is a story about Lucas and Paige. I think the title of the story sort of sums up the point of the story quite well. One of the ways that we learn about Kristof is through Sean, his son, who appears from time to time in the books. He is actually a central character in the next story and I found it really interesting. I enjoy how Armstrong might be writing about very 'different' things, but she still manages to tackle instances that can pertain to anyone. This story is one such example of that and I think she handles it really well. Plus, it is sort of 'to be continued', so I think it is fitting because Armstrong is in the middle of a witches story arc at the moment. This story actually fills in a few blanks about Waking the Witch. Nothing that you have to know, but now that I know I am glad that I do.

So, there is bit of clues about what to expect from the stories in this collection. If you want to know more you will have to give the book a read! You will not be disappointed!

Thanks to Random House Canada for sending me a copy of this book!

This book counts toward the R.I.P. V challenge.

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong returns with the tenth installment of the Women of the Otherworld series.

The Alaskan wilderness is a harsh landscape in the best of conditions, but with a pack of rogue werewolves on the loose, it’s downright deadly.

Elena Michaels, the Pack’s chief enforcer, knows all too well the havoc “mutts” can wreak. When they hear of a series of gruesome maulings and murders outside Anchorage, she and her husband, Clay, journey to Alaska in the dead of winter in order to hunt down the dangerous werewolves. Trapped in this savage, untamed winter realm, she and Clay learn more about their own werewolf heritage than they bargained for, tapping a little more into the wild nature of the beast within. With Elena back in the starring role, this is the book Kelley Armstrong fans have been waiting for.

Today we have a buddy discussion with Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader. I am the one in white, while she is in this green. I have the first part of the review and she has the second part posted on her blog. Enjoy!

Kelly, you and I have both been long term fans of this series. Do you prefer the werewolves books, or the other books?

I think I actually prefer the werewolf books. I have some issues with the witches. Paige drove me crazy and actually lead to me pausing in the series for a while, but I have enjoyed every book that has dealt with Elena, Clay, etc. It was actually a werewolf book that lead me back in the series, No Humans Involved. Even though Paige doesn’t bother me anymore I still cringe when a book is going to have her as a central character. What about you?

I am the opposite to you. I like the werewolf books but if I could only read one part of this series forever, I think I would choose the witches. Part of that is because I think that the witches stories tend to be more inclusive of all the other paranormals out there - the warlocks, the necromancers, ghosts etc.

You make a good point. When the witches are involved there is a lot more characters involved in the story. The werewolves are a bit more secluded with the exception of maybe Jaime. Plus, the werewolves appear in the witch story lines. I think, for me, it comes down to liking Elena over Paige and that affects my overall opinion. In Haunted when the book was more about Eve I really enjoyed it and Waking the Witch, the newer book, is about Paige’s ward. I find them much more interesting to read about.

I have always liked Elena and Jeremy, but struggled a little bit with Clay. I got why he was the way he was, his background etc, but I don’t think I really got Clay himself until I read this book. There was a scene where Elena and Clay were reading some research material about the shape shifting mythologies that may have impacted on the investigation:

“Clay knew all of them, but as he read, he infused every scrap of well-trodden myth with the excitement and passion of a new discovery. This was another part of Clay. The father, the lover, the enforcer, and the professor. Four sides entwining into a whole - simple yet complex, fascinating and infuriating.

and everything kind of clicked into place for me at that point.

As you were writing this I was following along and you made me think what I thought about Clay before reading this book. I never really had a strong opinion. Sometimes I didn’t really ‘get’ him, but generally I concentrated my attention on Elena and Jeremy. I really like Jeremy... In this book, though, Clay seems to be there more. You wrote some notes about what you wanted to discuss and mentioned how there seemed to be a lot more sex in this book than in previous ones. I entirely agree with you there. They have always been having it, but it seemed a lot more central in this book. I actually was thinking that the series overall has turned a corner in terms of how she wants to treat the relationships with her characters. There was a lot of action, though, so the addition of more sex did not really take away from the overall story for me.

I find that each book has a much different tone. This book, for example, was more action as you say, but I didn’t think that it was really the case with Waking the Witch for example. I am not sure if that was because there were different editors and publishers for the two books, or if it was because the main character in Waking the Witch is younger. Maybe it wouldn’t be something that I would normally notice but was very noticeable when you read the two books so closely together. I don’t usually read consecutive books from the same author.

Yet when I think about it, I do think that the writing style is very consistent for the werewolf books, and very consistent for the witches books. I do think that Kelley Armstrong is a very clever author to be able to be consistently alternating between these characters and settings, and to be constantly evolving her world to include new characters and new types of characters. For example, I am pretty sure that we will see more of Reese and Noah in future novels.

The interesting thing that we should point out is that while I have read Waking the Witch, it was actually about a week ago. While you read that book and this book back-to-back; I read this book and Tales of the Otherworld back-to-back. It is interesting seeing what you see from your experience and what I see from mine. Just so you know, the reason I avoided talking about Clay was because there is a couple stories about him in Tales of the Otherworld and I am not sure if it was this book or one of the short stories that developed his character for me. I do agree with you that there is more action in Frostbitten than in Waking the Witch. I just attributed that to age of the characters and the stage of their relationship. In Waking the Witch there is just a hope of a relationship, but in Frostbitten the relationship is all ready developed.

I also love how the books in this series are constantly evolving and there are characters being added in every book. It could be very daunting, but I feel that Armstrong handles it really well. I do have moments, though, where I have to think for a moment who people are. In this book Clay says something about Lucas and I thought for a moment he was talking about Logan. I just got my names mixed up and I was entirely baffled about the abilities of a three-year-old until I discovered he was in fact much older. One of the reasons I think I enjoy these books is because there can be so many different characters and you grow to know most of them and connect with them even if they have only appeared in one book (for now).

Some of the secondary characters we haven’t heard much about yet seem to have potential for development as well. I think I would like to see Nick have some time in the spotlight at some point to. I did listen to a Q and A session on Youtube last night where Kelley Armstrong wrote about only giving a character the lead role in a novel when she is sure that she had the perfect story for them, and not forcing the character to fit into any old storyline. I thought that was very revealing about the way this series is evolving for the author, and quite frankly that means we could end up having anyone narrate at any point in time. It really does mean that this series could continue for a long time without feeling stale.

See, how can you not like the werewolf books more? Even though there are more people represented in the other books, I am much more intrigued with the werewolves. I would really like to see a book about Nick, too, and I think a book about Jeremy and Antonio’s relationship would be really interesting. Then there are the ‘new’ werewolves and the tie to Canada! I think it would be fun to have a book about a werewolf clan on the east coast, but that might be because I live there.

I think your patriotism is showing! You don’t want to read more about sun-bleached Aussie werewolves?

Well, see, you can’t ‘hear’ the accent through the pages of a book. Even if it is written like you would speak in Australia, it is just not the same! That and Kelley Armstrong is Canadian and the books technically take place in the US which is kinda sad.

It would take a lot of skill to do that for sure! I am not actually sure that we even have wolves here in nature. We have foxes, and dingoes. A were dingo novel maybe? Were kangaroos? Oh, this could get very silly!

Charles de Lint has a book about Dingos and he is Canadian. Canada secretly loves Australia, I think.

Everyone does! We are very lovable people! lol

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Canada is very lovable, too! Maybe a British colony thing...

Maybe....anyway, back on topic!

Don't forget to read Marg's review for the rest!!

Thanks to Random House Canada for sending me a copy of this book!