REVIEW: Elemental Assassin Short Stories by Jennifer Estep

So I'm finally reading the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep thanks to the Read-Along that's going on, hosted by The Book Vixen and Smash Attack Reads, and I'm pretty darned excited about it. And I'm pretty darned proud of myself, too, because surprise, surprise I'm actually caught up with the group! We started the series back in October and are reading one full length novel per month. The plan to be caught up by the release of the eighth book in March 2013. This month we'll be reading the fourth book, Tangled Threads.

In addition to the full length novels, Jennifer Estep has written several Elemental Assassin online short stories that can be read on on her website at http://www.jenniferestep.com/excerpts-short-stories/. These stories are short stories, not novellas so they are short. I mean short. I'd say each one is at most 10 or 12 pages, but for fans of the series, they're pretty cool glimpses into various characters' pasts and or they show some aspect of the story from the point of view of characters aside from Gin Blanco. The novels are told from the first person point of view of Gin Blanco, the Elemental Assassin who is known as The Spider. I haven't reviewed the full length novels, although I'd like to. In the meantime, here are my thoughts on the Elemental Assassin online short stories.

CAUTION: There are some slight character and plot spoilers for the Elemental Assassin series in the remainder of this post. Read at your own risk!

Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1)
Review to come. (Maybe.)

"Poison" (Elemental Assassin, #0.5) This story takes place when Gin is a teenager, after she was taken in off the streets by her mentor and father figure, Finnegan Lane. Finn's son Fletcher is a few years older than Gin and highly resentful of her place in the Lane family. He's clearly jealous of his father's attention and affection for Gin. But Gin proves her loyalty and affection for the Lane family in this story. Poison is told from Fletcher's point of view.

A very short story, yet it accurately portrays some of Gin's strongest traits---loyalty, patience and calm lethality. I liked seeing how Gin was brought into the Lane family and thought Finn's reaction to her was very believable.

"Web of Deceit" (Elemental Assassin, #0.6)
Told from the point of view of Finnegan Lane, the owner of a barbecue joint called The Pork Pit who rescues Gin off the streets when she was just a young girl. This short tells the story of Gin's very first assassination that Finn assigns her when she's just a teen.

Again, the reader gets an inside look at what Fletcher sees in Gin from a young age, including the ways in which Fletcher can use Gin in his line of work. And yes, as much as it shows that Fletcher cares for Gin, I don't think I'm inaccurate when I say he uses her.

"Spider's Bargain" (Elemental Assassin, #0.7)
This story takes place just before the first book in the series, Spider's Bite. It tells the story of Gin Blanco taking down a corrupt cop in Ashland, who turns out to have been the partner of Donovan Cain, the cop with whom Gin alliances in Spider's Bite.

Gin's cold lethality is sharp in this one--I have to say it's quite refreshing to read about a female assassin who is so brutally good at what she does that it's even a bit shocking once in a while.

"Web of Death" (Elemental Assassin, #1.5)
This short takes place right after Spider's Bite. Gin has retired from the assassin business, but when she discovers some men ganging up on a woman a few short miles from her new place, she can't help but respond to the situation and some heads roll. Literally.

This short was okay. It didn't necessarily reveal anything about Gin's character that the reader doesn't already know at this point. I think we all knew Gin wouldn't be able to stay retired from the assassin business for too long--she's bored running the Pork Pit! What it does show is that Gin does have a moral compass. One that points directly at the evil bastards who torment the people of Ashland and whom she has no qualms about eliminating whether she's being paid to or not. Clearly she's doing the world a service.

Web of Lies (Elemental Assassin, #2)
Review to come. (Maybe.)

"Wasted" (Elemental Assassin, #2.5)
This very short story can be found at the author's website. It's an Elemental Assassin series story that takes place between the events of Web of Lies [Book 2] and Venom [Book 3]. Wasted is told from the point of view of Finnegan Lane, Gin Blanco's foster brother. A beautiful female vampire suspiciously tarts frequenting the bank in which Finn works. Trouble follows, but nothing Finn can't handle. The story was rather flat, but it does reveal a little tidbit about Xavier, the part time cop and part time bouncer of the club Northern Aggression owned by Rosalyn Phillips.

Venom (Elemental Assassin, #3)
Review to come. (Maybe.)

"Tangled Dreams" (Elemental Assassin, #3.5)
This online short story takes place between the events of the third Elemental Assassin book, Venom, and the fourth, Tangled Threads and can be found on the author's website. Tangled Dreams is told from the point of view of the Devereaux sisters, Jo-Jo and Sophia. Gin comes stumbling to the Devereaux sister's house for healing, seriously injured after rescuing a woman and her young daughter from a gang of carjackers. This is a must read for fans of the Elemental Assassin series because it gives a fantastic look into the thoughts and feelings of the Devereaux sisters that hasn't quite yet been explored in the books. It also provides a little bit of insight into their past, particularly Sophia's which I must admit has me rather curious. I love the roles of Jo-Jo and Sophia in this series and I look forward to getting to know them even more in future books.

"Tangled Schemes" (Elemental Assassin, #3.6)
Another online short story from the Elemental Assassin series, this one is told from the point of view of Bria Coolidge, the new, straight laced cop on the Ashland police force. It takes place alongside the events of the first three books and ends around the same time that Venom, book three, ends. I liked learning what happened to Bria since the night her family was murdered by the Fire Elemental when she was just a young girl. We see that fateful night from her eyes and a little bit of how she lived her life afterwards. She learns about the possibility that her sister is still alive and she sets out to find her. The story also hints at a possible love interest for Bria. I hope it comes to fruition--I like the pairing!

Tangled Threads (Elemental Assassin, #4)
Reading this month!

"Spider's Nemesis" (Elemental Assassin, #4.5)
Taking place after the fourth book in the series, this online short story that can be found on the author's website and is told from the point of view of Mab Monroe, the nemesis Gin Blanco the assassin also known as The Spider. The story provides the background story for Mab's hatred of the Snow family that began when Mab Monroe and Eira Snow (Gin's mother) were just young girls. Readers also see the night of the confrontation between Mab and Eira which ultimately led to the murder of Eira and her oldest daughter and the destruction of the Snow home, which left Gin and Bria orphans. Sadly, Gin and Bria believed the other had also perished in the fire that night and only now as adults are they seeking each other.

I enjoyed learning more about the connection between Mab Monroe and the Snow family, but I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed that Mab's hatred of Eira Snow was based largely on Mab's innate evilness and drive for absolute power with a dab of jealousy mixed in. Basically I wanted to understand why Mab is so mean, greedy and destructive and was disappointed to learn that she was just essentially born and raised that way.

Visit Jennifer Estep at her website http://jenniferestep.com for more information about her books, including the Elemental Assassin series and these short stories.

Do you read this series?

What's your favorite urban fantasy series that stars a female protagonist?

REVIEW: Fever Moon by Karen Marie Moning

Fever Moon is a graphic novel story from Karen Marie Moning's popular urban fantasy Fever series featuring Mackayla "Mac" Lane. Fever Moon is basically a short story that takes place during the events of Shadowfever, which is the fifth and last book in the Fever series. There is a new spin off series, however, The Dani O'Malley series that starts with the newly released novel, Iced.

Fever Moon was written with the fans of the Fever series in mind, and I do believe those are the readers who will enjoy this novel the most. The author does provide some background information in the series in the first few pages of the graphic novel, but it's really difficult to set the stage of the world building and character development that has already taken place in five full length fantasy novels in just a few pages of a graphic novel. Hence, I'm not really sure if someone who hasn't read the series and picks up this graphic novel will really get what's going on in the Fever world. Maybe it's not critical, anyway, as the plot for this story is not necessarily complex.

The villain in Fever Moon is The Fear Dorcha, a being who was created when the Unseelie King was experimenting in creating his own Soul Song--the power to create immortal life. The Fear Dorcha is a faceless being who steals parts of people's faces in order to create his own face. Once he has completed his created face from all the pieces of his victims, the victims die. Mac races to find the Dorcha and figure out a way to stop him from finishing his face before the last victim is claimed so she can save the lives of these innocent people, among them some of her friends. I thought the conflict was resolved a little too easily and actually ends rather open-ended. Perhaps things will be re-visited in future books in the Dani O'Malley series.

The illustrations in Fever Moon are vividly detailed and effectively evoke the tone and setting of the Fever series very well. I think I prefer the images of the characters that I already had in my head after reading the series than the ones portrayed by the illustrators of the book, but I suppose that's normal. I thought Mac was drawn excessively voluptuous and Barbie-doll like, but perhaps I just visualize her as more wholesome for my own preferences.

Overall, Fever Moon is an okay read. Fans of the Fever series will likely love it because it's a fun, unique way to visit Dublin AWC, or After the Wall Crashes, giving a graphic glimpse of their favorite characters--Mac, Jerricho, Dani and plenty of others including the Seelie Prince Velvet, Dreamy Eyed Guy and Ryodan. Everyone else will likely think is just okay.

I give Fever Moon 2.5 out of 5 stars.

GRADE: C-

Get bitten by 'The Spider' with The Elemental Assassin Series Read Along

The Book Vixen and Smash Attack Reads are hosting a Read Along of The Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep. This urban fantasy series features a kick ass female assassin named Gin Blanco known by her street name "The Spider." I have been wanting to read this series for ages. Just ask nath. She loves this series and every time she posts a review of the next book, all my comments are the same--'I want/need/must read this series!' So I'm  finally going to do it. Thanks to a big ole kick in the butt from The Book Vixen and Smash Attack Reads. What better motivation than to have deadlines and cool book people with whom to chat about the books, right? So if you've always wanted to read this series or if you're simply curious, why not grab the first book and see what you think? I may only be 70something pages in the first book, but already Gin has got my attention and I'm feeling the intensity of this character and her world.

There are currently seven full length novels and several novellas out already. For the read along, we're going to read one novel per month starting with Spider's Bite this month and ending with Deadly Sting [ the 8th book which will be released March 26, 2013] in April.

Visit the announcement post HERE for more information about the read along including links to the books on amazon.

Do you read the Elemental Assassin Series by Jennifer Estep? 

What are your overall impressions of the series? 

Which book is your favorite so far?

PLEASE NO SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS. I'm allergic. ;)

Do Not Disturb

Catch the Fever!

.
Join the Fever Series Read Along hosted by Smexy Books and Fiction Vixen Book Reviews!




The Fever series is an urban fantasy pentalogy (is that a word?) by author Karen Marie Moning.

The highly anticipated fifth and final book, Shadowfever comes out in January, 2011, so to get psyched up for this book's release and to share and spread the enthusiasm for the series, Mandi and Tori from Smexy Books and Sophia from Fiction Vixen Book Reviews are hosting a Fever Series Read Along in the weeks preceding Shadowfever's release. This is a great opportunity to start this series if you haven't already but have always wanted to, or if you're like me and have read one or two of the books and this is just the inspiration you need to get back into it... and into the thrill of anticipating the final installment. I read Darkfever years ago when it first came out in paperback, but if I have time, I'm going to reread it for the first discussion date. I believe I have both Bloodfever and Faefever somewhere around here...

Visit Smexybooks or FictionVixen Book Reviews to find out more about the read along.

Here is the book discussion schedule:

Darkfever Discussion - November 18th
Bloodfever Discussion - December 9th
Faefever Discussion - December 23rd
Dreamfever Discussion - January 13th


So who else is in? You know you want in on the fever!

Do you read the Fever Series? Tell me why I should definitely be read it. 


... besides the fact that I have three of the books on my shelf already. ;)

Win a copy of MIND GAMES or DOUBLE CROSS by Carolyn Crane!

It seems like just yesterday that I was anxiously awaiting the release of Carolyn Crane's debut novel, Mind Games. That was back in March 2010, and now here we are only days away from the release of Carolyn's second novel Double Cross on September 28, 2010!

Double Cross is the second book in this fascinating, inventive and unique urban fantasy trilogy featuring the quirky Justine Jones. I read Mind Games back in April and found it just as creative, fun and sassy as I expected based on what I know of Carolyn's online personality and writing style.

Justine Jones is the heroine in this trilogy, and I use the word heroine loosely. Oh, she doesn't have a dark or evil side and isn't even that dangerous, really. She's just a regular kind of gal. If you consider someone with extreme hypochondria who can't keep her fears at bay as normal, that is.

Justine's extreme hypochondria is like a commodity to the eccentric and powerful mastermind Sterling Packard who takes up permanent residence in the Mongolian Delites restaurant. Talk about strange. He promises Justine relief from her extreme hypochondriac inspired fears if she joins his team of disillusionists-- a team of quirky misfits who fight the paranormal criminals in Midcity, USA.

Justine develops interesting relationships with both this disillusionist mastermind Sterling Packard and the dashing Midcity Chief of Police, Otto Sanchez all the while trying to save the relationship she has with her boyfriend Cubby and trying to figure out what the heck she's doing. Throw in cast of fellow misfit disillusionist crime fighters and you've got one mind bending whirlwind of a story.

Double Cross promises to be just as fun and fascinating as Mind Games as Justine Jones continues to wrestle with her conscience over the whole disillusionist stint while Midcity is terrorized by scary-assed serial killers.

How can you not be intrigued by The Justine Jones: Disillusionist trilogy?

Well, here's you chance to win one of FIVE copies of the upcoming release, Double Cross or one of a couple of copies of the first book in the trilogy, Mind Games!

Click over to Carolyn Crane's blog, The Thrillionth Page and enter the drawing to win!

Go, go, go!

But you'd better hurry!

The contest is a Happy Weekend Instant Contest and ends tomorrow, Saturday, September 18 at 10 am CST!

In the meantime, entertain yourself with the trailer for Double Cross:



The Disillusionists Trilogy featuring Mind Games, Double Cross and ???

You can also visit Carolyn Crane at her author website at http://authorcarolyncrane.com/.

Library Loot XVIII

Library Loot is a weekly blog event that encourages bloggers to share what books they borrowed from the library that week. To participate, simply make your Library Loot post on your blog and link it using the Mr. Linky link at Marg's blog Reading Adventures or Eva's blog A Striped Armchair. This week's link up is at Marg's.

Library Loot day is usually on Wednesdays, and I didn't expect to post anything this week since I'm still trying to whittle down my current stack of library books, but I got hold of this one at the very last minute so it turns out I have some loot after all! I had to put in a little extra resourcefulness to get this book, too.

Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 8

Lover Mine is the eighth novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a.k.a. the BDB series by author J.R. Ward. I started this series back in October 2006 and was easily sucked into this action packed, suspenseful, sexy and romantic paranormal world that Ward so ingeniously crafted. As what often happens when an author becomes a NY Times Bestseller, the Black Dagger Brotherhood books are now released in hardcover first, followed by mass market paperback a year or so later. I do love this series, but vowed not to buy the hardcover releases. Partly because I don't want to spend the money on hardcover and partly because I have the first six books in paperback and I want the whole series to match! I had the seventh book, Lover Avenged on my bookshelf for several months before picking it up on a whim earlier this month and poof! I was sucked right back into the world like I'd never left. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to read the latest book, Love Mine right away. I searched out online card catalogs and found only ONE library in my area that carries Lover Mine. It just so happened to be the ONE library that has restrictions against non-residents borrowing ANY new release from their library and they consider a book a new release for ONE FULL YEAR. Son of a gun!

I was disappointed.

But I was also determined.

I asked my friend who lives in that town to put a hold on it for me. I warned her of the racy title and cover art -- she's on the shy, conservative, easily embarrassed side, but you know what? True friends will push themselves out of their comfort zone for their best buddies, because she got Love Mine for me!!! YES! She loves me! :D

Now if I could get her to read the series . . .

Do you read the Black Dagger Brotherhood series?

If you used to, but don't anymore, what book did you stop at and why?

RELEASE DAY! Mind Games by Carolyn Crane

Today is the official release day of Mind Games, the debut urban fantasy novel by author Carolyn Crane.

I'm plugging Mind Games today despite the fact that I haven't read more than the book blurb and brief excerpt that's posted on her author site. While I admittedly can't proclaim Mind Games a stellar read without reading it for myself, I am hopeful --and confidently so-- that the book will be thoroughly entertaining.

Why? Because I have been reading Carolyn's blog, The Thrillionth Page for over two years now and I know that she is smart, insightful, sassy, creative, and has a fantastic sense of humor. While these traits obviously aren't indicative of author talent on their own, they are characteristics of Carolyn's writing style that will be evident in her published work as they are on her blog. I just know it.

Don't want to put your confidence in my speculation?

No problem.

Check out these fantastic cover quotes from the following very talented authors:

"With a twisty, edgy storyline, a unique premise and a fascinating heroine, MIND GAMES jumpstarts a smart and original urban fantasy series. A fabulous debut!"

~Meljean Brook, The Guardians series

"Carolyn Crane writes with deft and evocative flair, creating a fantasy-noir world touched with comic book cool. With a twisty plot, a unique heroine, memorable supporting characters, and an amazingly fresh premise, debut novel Mind Games is a delicious, unforgettable delight. I can't wait for the next book!"

~Ann Aguirre, national bestselling author of Blue Diablo

What?! You don't want to take their word for it either?

Okay, then read what these reviewers had to say:

Jessica at Read React Review
Lea at ClosetWriter
Katiebabs at Babbling About Books, and More
Doug at SciFiGuy.ca
Wicked Lil Pixie
Abigail of All Things Urban Fantasy

You still want to draw your own conclusions?

Excellent idea!

Go buy the book.

Trapped In a Restaurant Meme Game

It's a Mind Games Meme Game!

In case you live under a rock and have not heard ...

or have been reading my blog without paying any attention to what I have in the sidebar ...

Fellow book blogger and friend of mine, Carolyn Crane is days away from the release of her debut novel, Mind Games!

Carolyn created this fun meme game to celebrate her debut book release and if you play along, you could win a $100 gift card to the restaurant of your choice! All you need to do is answer the Meme Game questions and post them on your social media site like your blog, facebook, and so on. Check out the rules at Carolyn's blog here.

Meme Game Questions:

1. In MIND GAMES, heroine Justine Jones can’t figure out why tortured mastermind Sterling Packard never sets foot outside the Mongolian Delites restaurant. What if you were somehow trapped in a restaurant, what sort of restaurant would you prefer?

Asian fusion. The little place downtown is perfect. They serve delicious sushi, Chinese, Thai and Malaysian dishes.

2. What if you won the fancy $100 dinner to a restaurant of your choice, and you could dine with any character from any book, movie, or history. Who would you choose?

Lilith from Meljean Brook's Guardian Series.

3. Choose three characters to dine with for a lively dinner party (you can define lively however you want).

Lilith and Michael from Meljean Brook's Guardian series, and Raphael from Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series.

Why? Considering their mutual 'divine' origins so to speak, and the powers they seemingly so nonchalantly wield, I'd love to hear what Michael and Raphael would talk about and Lilith would be so good at getting them to inevitably engage in some kind of one-upmanship. She'd also serve as my body guard. And we'd bring home a nice doggie bag for Sir Pup!

To learn more about Carolyn Crane and her urban fantasy fiction, visit her website at www.authorcarolyncrane.com

REVIEW: MY Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Soul Screamers Series, Book 1


My Soul To Take is the first full length novel in the new young adult urban fantasy series, Soul Screamers by author Rachel Vincent.

When Kaylee Cavanaugh was very young, she and her parents were in a serious car crash that took her mother's life. Shortly thereafter, Kaylee's father moved to Ireland, leaving Kaylee in the care of her Aunt Val and Uncle Brendan. Kaylee's aunt and uncle have lovingly raised her alongside their own, slightly younger daughter, Sophie. Now both in high school, Kaylee and Sophie aren't very close, and in fact don't really get along at all. Sophie is on the school dance team, hangs out with the popular crowd and is basically more the high maintenance, spoiled kind of girl. Kaylee is simply just . . . average. Average, that is, until she starts having inexplicable panic attacks that drive her to want to literally scream.

In My Soul to Lose, the novella prequel to My Soul to Take, Kaylee had a panic attack in the mall that ended in disaster. She was overcome by fear and despair and then noticed dark, moving shadows surrounding a young, sickly boy in a wheelchair. Kaylee desperately tried to fight the overwhelming urge to scream but in the end, she lost the fight and the screams just let loose from her vocal cords. Her screaming completely consumed her and she couldn't stop. She ended up admitted to the mental ward of the hospital where she was sedated to stop her screaming. Kaylee stayed in the hospital for a whole week for treatment and counseling before her uncle couldn't take it anymore and had her released.

My Soul to Take picks up six months later when Kaylee starts having these panic attacks once again. Kaylee and her best friend, Emma sneak into a club for a fun night of dancing, and Kaylee catches the attention of one of the most winsome guys in her school, Nash Hudson. She's having fun dancing and flirting with Nash, when all of a sudden, Kaylee starts to lose her composure, sensing the onset of another one of those panic attacks. Kaylee notices dark shadows around a beautiful young woman in the club and once again, she starts fighting the overwhelming urge to scream. Emma comes to her rescue and tries to whisk Kaylee away from Nash in order to save her from humiliation if she starts to scream, but Nash is worried for Kaylee and insists on following them out of the club. Outside, Kaylee is still panicking and desperately trying to resist screaming. Surprisingly, Nash doesn't freak out over Kaylee's behavior at all, and in fact, he holds her and soothes and calms her by singing softly to her. In a moment of unguarded honesty, Kaylee tells Nash about her panic attacks, the dark shadows and her uncontrollable need to scream. He doesn't seem shocked or disgusted, and in fact is kind and understanding. He even wants to see her again.

The next day, Kaylee sees on the news that the girl from the club who triggered her panic attack died later that night. She starts to realize that she gets these panic attacks when someone near her is about to die. When a second young girl is found dead, and then a third girl from Kaylee's own school dies right in the school cafeteria during lunch, she's all but freaking out over her ability, convinced that she has a brain tumor that causes her strange and frighteningly accurate premonitions of death. Not being able to wait for her aunt and uncle or her father to explain the truth to her, Nash steps in and helps Kaylee understand her new found ability. She learns that she is a bean sidhe, which is very similar to the mythological banshee that screams for the soul of a dying person. She also learns about the existence of reapers and other supernatural beings of the Netherworld.

Convinced that the deaths of these healthy, young women are not a coincidence, Kaylee and Nash begin investigating the unexplained deaths in hopes of finding a way to stop them. But there are consequences with interfering with life and death, and Kaylee and Nash are challenged not only by those dangers, but also by the morals of right and wrong. In addition to solving the mystery of the girls' deaths, a slew of Cavanaugh family secrets are revealed throughout the story. Some secrets provide Kaylee with answers she's always been looking for and others seem to just lead to more questions.

My Soul to Take is a serious, somewhat melancholy story of Kaylee Cavanaugh's discovery of her bean sidhe heritage and how she learns to come to terms with it while thrown into solving the mystery of unplanned deaths. It's not a depressing story, but when death is a prevailing theme, the story does take on a serious tone. The relationships in the novel are all very realistic and easy for teens to identify with. There's "sibling" rivalry between Kaylee and Sophie, unconditional friendship between Kaylee and Emma, and a budding romance between Kaylee and Nash that is sweet and tentative. Kaylee's relationships with the adults in her life are also very important throughout the story and add a lot of emotional depth to the novel as well.

Author Rachel Vincent has crafted a well written urban fantasy young adult novel by combining realistic, normal teenage relationships with the creative reworking of banshee folklore and a suspenseful mystery that will keep readers flipping the pages until they reach the end. My Soul to Take is a tense and emotional read that ends with satisfying closure, but will definitely have readers looking for more stories in this fascinating world. Thankfully, Rachel Vincent has more in store for Kaylee and Nash in the second Soul Screamers story titled My Soul to Save to be released in January 2010.

You can visit Rachel Vincent on her website at http://www.rachelvincent.com

REVIEW: Lament: A Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

Published by Flux, October 1, 2008

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception is a young adult urban fantasy novel written by the very talented, Maggie Stiefvater.

From the inside cover:

Sixteen year old Deirdre Monaghan is a prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's a cloverhand--one who can see faeries.
Unexpectedly, Deirdre finds herself infatuated with mysterious boy named Luke who enters her ordinary life, seemingly out of thin air. But his interest in her might be something darker than a summer romance. When a sinister faerie named Aodhan shows up with deadly orders from the Faerie Queen, it forces Dee right into the midst of Faerie. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend.
Deirdre had been wishing her summer weren't so dull, but taking on a centuries-old Faerie Queen isn't exactly what she had in mind.

Lament is author Maggie Stiefvater's debut novel and is simply phenomenal. The story is beautifully written, simultaneously elegant and down to earth. The descriptions of Deirdre Monaghan's world and the curious, beautiful and frightening world of the fae into which she gets thrown come to life right off the pages of the book, immersing the reader full force into the story.

Lament is an engaging story of family, friendship, love and self discovery that griped me from the very first pages and swept me along to the very end. It's a coming of age story for the somewhat introverted and seemingly ordinary Deirdre Monaghan in which she learns her extraordinary place in a dark and whimsical world of Faeirie.

The family relationships between Deirdre, her mom, aunt, her grandmother are seemingly normal, but as Deirdre learns more about herself and the world she lives in, she also gains a greater understanding of the relationships between the women in her family that will change her life forever.

In addition to Deirdre's new found understanding of her familial relationships, she also learns some valuable lessons in friendship. Deirdre's friendship with her long time best friend James experiences some subtle shifts when she becomes infatuated with Luke. She also learns a surprising lesson or two from a new friendship that is almost unintentionally forged between her and Sara--her socially polar opposite classmate and co-worker at Dave's Ice.

Deirdre becomes infatuated with Luke almost as soon as she meets him; he's handsome, charming, and has a musical talent that near matches her own. Luke is fascinated by Deidre and can't help but want to keep company with her, even though he has come into her life for hidden reasons. What I really liked about the love story component of Lament, is that Deirdre doesn't ever mistake infatuation for love. While of course she craves his company and affection, she is rightfully cautious, as there is something dark and dangerous surrounding Deirdre ever since Luke Dillon came into her life.

Maggie Stiefvater has wonderfully crafted a Faerie tale deeply rooted in folklore and strongly connected to the beauty and power of music. The Faerie in Lament are a perfect blend of whimsical and dark and dangerous. Not entirely good or evil, the Faerie are of their own morality and are as elemental as nature itself and equally unpredictable. Lament is a compelling tale of the dark, yet beautiful lures of the Faerie world with the sweet innocence of a forbidden love.

Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie is Maggie Stiefvater's next novel set in this gripping world and is to be released on October 1, 2009. my birthday! : )

Check out the beautiful book trailer for Ballad, made by the incredibly talented Maggie Stiefvater. And I mean she "made" it in the truest sense of the word. She drew the "story boards", composed and performed the music, and compiled the video herself. I love this trailer. The music and the imagery is mesmerizing.




You can visit author Maggie Stiefvater at her website http://maggiestiefvater.com and at her blog http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/ or http://maggiestiefvater.blogspot.com/.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is currently #3 on the NYT Bestseller list for children's fiction!

Shiver is Ms. Stiefvater's second full length novel, a romantic tale of a teenage girl and the wolf who has watched over her for years who changes to a boy with the change of seasons. Shiver hit bookshelves on August 1, 2009.

REVIEW: My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent

Audiobook. Narrated by Amanda Ronconi
1 hour 48 minutes.

This is the novella prequel to Rachel Vincent's new young adult series called Soul Screamers. It is currently available as a FREE audiobook on audible.com and a FREE Kindle ebook at amazon.com that can be downloaded to your Kindle or to your iPhone Kindle App. (The iPhone Kindle App is available free at iTunes).

Book review:

Book blurb:

It was supposed to be a fun day, shopping at the mall with her best friend. Then the panic attack started and Kaylee Cavanaugh finds herself screaming, unable to stop. Her secret fears are exposed and it's the worst day of her life.

Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.

She tries to convince everyone she's fine--despite the shadows she sees forming around another patient and the urge to scream which comes burbling up again and again. Everyone thinks she's crazy. Everyone except Lydia, that is. Another patient with some special abilities....

The book blurb accurately explains to what takes place in My Soul to Lose. The story is the prequel novella to the Soul Screamers series, and is best read if you intend on continuing with the series as it is akin to a several chapter prologue to the next novel.

My Soul to Lose is a story of the awakening of Kaylee's ability to sense death or the shadows that appear around someone before they die. It starts as a panic attack, but soon she feels despair and fear deep in her soul. And as much as she tries to resist the urge to scream, she can't fight it and its as though her vocal cords take over on their own and she can't help but scream.

My Soul to Lose is an introduction to Kaylee and her "curse" and has established a premise to what sounds like a very interesting series. I felt empathy for Kaylee--knowing what she experiences is very real, but also knowing no one would believe she sees and feels shadows of death. I hope that in the next book she finds some answers to what she experiences, is able to take command of it, and possibly use her ability to help people. I plan on continuing Kaylee's story with My Soul to Take, the first full length novel to the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent.

My Soul to Take My Soul to Save

Published August 1, 2009. Available January, 1, 2010

AVAILABLE NOW.

Visit author Rachel Vincent at http://www.rachelvincent.com/

My first audiobook experience:

I downloaded the audiobook of My Soul to Lose about three weeks ago onto my iPhone from audible.com and finally listened to it this morning. As this was my first time listening to an audiobook, I wasn't really sure what to expect or if I'd even enjoy listening to a book when I could be reading it. I ended up listening to the first few minutes of the book three or four times. At first I found it disconcerting, I think in part because I had to get the character names straightened out in my head. I had to hear the names a couple of times and who was what character... the main character, the friend, the boyfriend, the cousin, and so on. It's not that the story is confusing at all, but rather I needed it repeated a couple of times so I got my bearings. It was entirely my own issue, I think, after being so used to reading names that get imprinted in my mind immediately as opposed to hearing them and them not sinking in.

Then once I repeated the first few minutes a couple of times, it took a few minutes for me to get used to the narrators voice and her rhythm. I don't think it was more than five minutes and the narrator successfully brought me into the story and I was listening with the same concentration and comprehension that I would have if I were reading it myself. I have to say, I really enjoyed my first audiobook experience and I'm definitely open to listening to more audiobooks in the future.

I'll also add that listening to an audiobook is really conducive to multitasking, too! I weeded my entire front and side yard landscaping while listening to the book. At one point I was so into the book, that one scene made my eyes tear up and it took me a second to realize I couldn't see the weeds at my finger tips. ;)

Do you listen to audiobooks?

On the first 35 pages (and last 6!) of Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

Spoiler level of this post: Extremely low.

On the last 6 pages...

It's not what you're thinking! I NEVER read the end of a book first. EVER. In fact, I don't even like spoilers past the first few chapters. In this case, I'm referring to the last 6 pages bound in Blue Diablo, which happen to be an excerpt from Doubleblind, book 3 in Ann Aguirre's Sirantha Jax Sci fi romance series.  Of course I had to go there right away!

If you're all caught up in the Sirantha Jax series, you know Wanderlust ended on a bittersweet note of sorts. So when I started reading the excerpt, I put my mind where it was upon finishing Wanderlust and without conscious thought, my heart went there, too! Combine heart wrenching remembrance with an alarming chapter excerpt of Doubleblind and wham! I really need it to be October asap, you know?

On the first 35 pages of Blue Diablo...

I don't often blog about books before I'm finished reading them. Usually I wait until I write a review, but already after having only read the first 35 pages of Blue Diablo, I thought of a few things I wanted to share that I probably wouldn't mention in a review. First, is the fact that the chapters in Blue Diablo have titles! I've become so accustomed to chapters simply being numbered, that I forgot how much I really love titled chapters. It just adds a little layer of creativity, sometimes a play on words as it pertains to the story and almost always offers foreshadowing that increases my anticipation about what's going to happen next. Chance Met, West of Normal, If Wishes Were Candy, Soul of Discretion, and The Fiddler Calls the Tune are just a few examples. And yes, I had to peek ahead just to check out some of the chapter titles, but don't they make you want to read what's in them? It certainly makes me want to read just one more chapter every time it's time to put the book down.

The other thing I wanted to share is that after having merely read the first 35 pages of Blue Diablo, my personal vocabulary has been expanded by six words--seven if you count the short chapter excerpt of Doubleblind in the back (Thanks, Ann!)! I would estimate that I probably have to look up maybe 0-3 words in a typical book I read, but some of my favorite authors make me hit that dictionary widget way more than others. Nalini Singh, Meredith Duran, Meljean Brook and Ann Aguirre all come to mind. I can often figure out the word in context, but I usually look it up anyway so that I have a precise definition.

My Blue Diablo vocabulary list (pp. 1-35):

1. deluge
2. ostensibly
3. parlay
4. benighted
5. unguent
6. gewgaws

... and from the Doubleblind excerpt:
7. limns

I'm too lazy to type the definitions, though, so if you don't know their meanings, you'll have to just go look them up. ;p

Finally, I'll share my first impressions of the story so far. Again, I've only read the first 35 pages of Blue Diablo, but already Corine is a character with depth and complexity that I'm itching to get to know better. The story is told in the first person past tense, so the reader gets all kinds of tidbits and glimpses into who Corine Solomon really is. The narration from her point of view, and through her thoughts and reflections on the past and present, the reader is discovering what makes her who she is. The narration is both thoughtful and entertaining, providing the reader these little pieces to the Corine Solomon puzzle. Just as some pieces fall into place, though, the need to find even more missing pieces arises, keeping me speculating and wanting to know more, more, more. She's a very interesting character and now that her ex just came on the scene, I want to figure out both Corine and Chance and how they fit together. I'm not saying they necessarily belong together, but they do fit together in some way or another. There's only one way to find out. Keep reading!

FREE Podcast of DARKFEVER by Karen Marie Moning

Listen to the first book of NY Times best-selling author Karen Marie Moning's Fever series for FREE! You can listen via the really cool DarkFever Podcast widget (see below), or you can download and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes for FREE! I read DarkFever last summer when it was released in mass market paperback and am listening to the podcast to refresh my memory before the second book, BloodFever is released in paperback on August 26, 2008. The hardcover release of the third book, FaeFever will be released on September 16, 2008.

Each chapter of DarkFever is approximately 20-30 minutes. Perfect for the commute to work, sitting in the doctor's office, while you're exercising, mowing the lawn, or just plain trying to tune out your adorable children. ;)

Dark Fever Podcast Widget

Get this widget!

TBR Challenge: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

February 2006

Moon Called is Ms. Briggs' first novel in her urban fantasy Mercedes Thompson series. Mercedes Thompson, or Mercy, is a young, independent woman who makes ends meet through the garage she owns where she specializes in repairing German cars. And she's a rare coyote shapechanger.

Mercy was raised by foster parents who were werewolves under the dominion of the nation's number one alpha, Bran Cornick. At the age of sixteen, Bran asked Mercy to leave the community when Bran's son Samuel--and the object of Mercy's teenage love-- wanted to claim Mercy as his mate. Bran sent Mercy away not because he felt she was unworthy, but because he felt she was too young to understand Samuel's motives for mating with her. Although Samuel did care for her, he wanted Mercy as his mate because she would be able to successfully bear his children, not because he loved her like a man loves a woman.

Mercy eventually settled in Twin-Cities Washington where she took over ownership of Zee's garage. Zee is Mercy's friend and mentor who also happens to be fae or a gremlin as his kind is sometimes referred to as. One of Mercy's faithful customers is a vampire named Stefan and she also happens to live next door to the area's alpha werewolf, Adam Hauptman. She's also friends with a human cop. Seemingly a plain jane kind of girl, Mercy's relationships with this eclectic mix of beings makes for quite an interesting life.

Moon Called begins with Mercy befriending a young, newly turned werewolf named Mac. When Mercy stumbles upon Mac in an antagonistic confrontation with strangers, she defends Mac and accidentally kills a werewolf which sets a series of deadly events into motion and establishes the conflict of this story. No sooner is the death of this werewolf cleaned up so to speak, that the Alpha's home is attacked, leaving Adam with life threatening injuries and his human daughter Jesse kidnapped by the perpetrators. Suspecting betrayal within Adam's pack, Mercy brings the severely injured Adam to Bran's pack for help before embarking on a rescue mission to save Jesse. Of course lots of complications arise, including having her old love Samuel back in her life again.

I've noticed my gravitation to female-centered urban fantasy lately, and I'm totally loving it. Ms. Briggs' Mercedes Thompson series is based on an interesting and well thought out mythology that includes were-creatures, fae, vampires and the rare walkers and humans. Information on the mythology and the world is not dumped on the reader all at once in this first novel, but carefully embedded throughout the story as warranted.  I do admit, however, that at times I did want to rush through the informative parts to get to the impending action scenes.  In the end, I'm glad I didn't rush through it, because the world building is quite good. 

The premise of Moon Called is based on well developed conflict that had me guessing culprit and motive until the very end. My only complaint, however, is that when the culprit of the conflict was finally revealed, I couldn't help but wonder if his motivations were truly strong enough to justify the lengths that had to be met to make his plan come to fruition. Perhaps if I reread the last few chapters it will make more sense.

Mercy Thompson is a very likeable and realistic heroine. She's smart and confident, yet unpretentious. She's sometimes gutsy and impulsive, but always looking to do right by others. She's somewhat of a loner, yet has the attention and loyalty of very interesting 'people' in rather prominent places who would do anything to protect her. And while she is tough and fairly assertive, Mercy knows her limitations and isn't afraid to ask for help when she needs it. Her motivations and actions are with purpose. She just makes sense. I love that.

Mercy has two potentially romantic interests in her life at this point. Her former teenage love, Dr. Samuel Cornick, who still manages to stir feelings in her, and her Alpha neighbor Adam Hauptman. I'm not a very big fan of love triangles, but Mercy's relationship with these two men is different. She genuinely cares about them, and they her, but Mercy isn't sleeping with either of these men and is in no rush to do so. She's careful with her emotions and I think also with decisions regarding her love life. While I will always crave romance and happy endings, when an author is able to develop their characters as richly as Briggs does in a series like this , I'm more than just satisfied--I'm totally hooked. When the characters and their inter-relationships are developed slowly over an entire series, the love and emotional conflicts between the characters are even more realistic and relatable. I definitely hope Mercy finds the steadfast love and devotion of a lifetime mate that she deserves. But in the meantime, I will truly enjoy reading about Mercy and her life.

GRADE: B+