In Pursuit of My Own Library

What better way to create an air of mystery in your fantasy fiction world than create your own author?  That is exactly how we came up with Pittacus Lore.  He even has his own author page on the publisher's website.  That is dedication. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore When I spent a holiday season working in a book store as a book seller, we always kept the Pittacus Lore books on shelves.  They were very successful with the teen readers.  I, however, had invested no time in reading them myself.  Then I saw the movie and the Kindle version went on sale roughly at the same time.  I have a strong belief that books are better than their visual counterparts.  They don't have time constraints for number one.  For number two, you get to use your imagination to build the worlds and characters which will most certainly not match up to a stylist, concept artist or casting director anywhere. I was surprised at how close the movie was to the book.  It was impressive.  The plot was

It's almost turkey time!  Almost all the leaves have come down on the mountain.  The winds are howling and I swear I saw a snowflake the other day.  This is the time of year that I hunker down with all the good books I've been storing up and spend more time reading than writing up my reviews.  Though, I guess I really haven't been too good at those all year anyway. Secondborn by Amy Bartol Sci-Fi remains a genre I'll read but not one I seek out.  I was truly excited to see a new series from Amy Bartol pop up on the free Kindle monthly.  There is a strong pull to the dystopian worlds that Bartol creates.  They are certainly space operas but they also have a touch of the fantasy that makes me want to pick it up. While the world in the "Secondborn" series is in space and time far different than our own, the characters are the same unrealistic level of gorgeous with a penchant for instantaneous love at first sight.  I could certainly live without those aspec

Fall is in full swing up in the mountains.  The mornings are crisp and smell like autumn harvest.  The days are perfect for being outside working without getting heat exhaustion.  The leaves are beginning to turn.  And best of all, Halloween is right around the corner! The Fifth Doll by Charlie Holmberg To get you in the spooky spirit, I highly recommend the lastest book by Charlie Holmberg.  She is quickly becoming my favorite author because no book has disappointed me yet.  I really feel like I cannot lose if I pre-order her work. The Fifth Doll has been given a horror label by the publisher, but I'm not sold on that distinction.  The entire time I was reading the novel, I was waiting for that big tingling moment that made me want to hide the book in a chest at the bottom of the ocean, and it just never came. There is a distinct creep factor to the story from several characters and the overall mechanics of the magic in the story.  But I actually found that The Paper

I previously raved about the excellent middle grade fantasy Changelings  last September.  Here we are one year and one month later to welcome the conclusion to the duology surrounding Izzy and her fairy friends. In a Dark Land by Christina Soontornvat If you'd care to hear more of how amazing the first novel is, head back to my previous post.   Today, we are going to continue the raving with this succinct conclusion to Izzy's wonderful tale.  And boy, oh boy, does it have a completely different feeling. A whole summer has flown by and Izzy still isn't back where she is supposed to be.  Or so she feels.  This is not the high adrenaline adventure story as the first novel.  This is dealing with all the lessons that were discovered in the first novel.  The fun spirit of all the characters are all still there but hiding behind the struggles of growing up and finding where you fit in the world. The darkness and doubt are all just a part of growing up, and this nov

I have been reading since I was very young and have certainly progressed through various reading habits over the decades.  Events in my life influence the materials I am reading, but one thing has always remained steadfast in my reading: I want to read books of principle.  I don't need them to be written well, they just simply need the story to be based on strong fundamentals.  That seems to be a fading spot I have to look for with stronger and stronger lenses these days. The Waking Land by  Callie Bates With a 19 year old protagonist, I can see this book being shelved in the young adult section and that worries me.   I was anticipating this book with much enthusiasm and the promise to myself that I would get the review out ahead of time.  I want to help authors be successful in their work, and I enjoy being able to spread the word when they have a strong piece of literature being published.  Instead I ended up with a story that I've had to brew over the review for aw

Some titles just don't make sense until you read them.  This was one of those books.  I stared at this book for a really long time during my reading slump trying to decide if it was worth cracking open. I had enjoyed the first book with some slight hesitations in the nature of the characters.  Once my reading slump was over, I craved an exciting adventure story.  I felt like this would deliver just that and I had put it off for far too long. I wasn't entirely disappointed.  This novel had the adventure story, and it even had a mildly nostalgic 80s fantasy adventure feel to it.  This was the quest of all quests for the Blackfeather Three that makes you want to swashbuckle around your living room when no one is looking.  What could go wrong? Romance.  Not only does it not fit in these stories, each attempt at interjecting it into the story just falls flat.  All of the scenes feel forced and like the novel is trying to appease some editor by throwing it in there duri

Vampire's Tomb by Shawn Underhill This little short story was the main piece that really kicked my reading slump.  The wit and the humor were just a good shake in the psyche.   If you don't like satire or have absolute zero sense of humor, go find some. If you would like a breath of fresh air in your reading and an author taking a moment to chastise the world, pick this up.  And then, immediately go read "The Great Northern Pack" series and Earthkeepers. Seriously, this short was humorous.  I'm pretty sure a few tears slipped by as I laughed at the honesty of this story.

The most exciting find when I came back to reading was that Shawn Underhill had made a new "The Great North Woods Pack" novel!  Inspiration was able to hit him again and we are now able to enjoy a sixth novel in the wonderful woods of New England. North Woods Law by Shawn Underhill This new wave of inspiration did not disappoint!  I loved the first set of novels for their introspective look at the battle humans fight within themselves about their role with nature. This is "werewolves" at its finest and most natural form.  I was sad to hear that the story line had run dry and there would be no new novels.  It had been refreshing to read characters that were so back to basics and real.  In North Woods Law , while we have all the same characters, this story takes a completely different branch in the path.  This novel is all about the external struggle of man versus the pure, raw power of nature. And it is amazing!  I think this one might be my favorite, but i

With my reading appetite turned backed into high gear, I did a search for new books by authors I find to always be a success.  Wow, have I really fallen so far behind?  There are so many new books out that I wasn't even expecting!  You'll just have to wait a little longer for that awesome list. In the meantime, the Lady Mechanika  comics really got me back into a steampunk mood so I started the reading frenzy off with the last installment in the "Magnificent Devices" series. Fields of Gold by Shelley Adina I started reading this with excitement and trepidation.  I knew this was going to be the last in the series (even though the author has promised some spin offs, this will be the end for the major characters we have grown accustomed to) and that brings it own sadness to the book.  But I was determined to enjoy the conclusion and see how everything turned out for the gang. I feel like some of the strings were more hastily tied then others, though.  As usual

Lady Mechanika Volume 3 by M.M. Chen In this Volume we collect the stories of the The Lost Boys of West Abbey.   I was somewhat surprised in the length of this collection as compared to the first two volumes.  It felt incredibly punctuated and short. The adventure and intrigue were over in the blink of an eye and had little meat to the story.  Though it had the typical stereotypes of Holmesian crime and steampunk, it utterly lacked the flair I had noticed in the first two volumes to poke fun at its obvious use of those stereotypes. There just wasn't room in this overly condensed story for any of the banter and mystery.  Right from the start you know exactly where this story is going and you almost want to give up from there, but then I realized it was so short I might as well carry out to the end. I really saw the potential in the story line but was mostly left with a shake of my head at the cliche.  This doesn't make me lose hope on the whole franchise, but it c

Lady Mechanika Volume 2 by M.M. Chen This volume collects the story of The Tablet of Destinies .  As the title alludes, we are getting ready to set forth on an Indiana Jones style adventure.  Secret societies, cryptology, imperial territory, dirigibles; all the perfect tropes for Lady Mechanika to go on a Victorian adventure to, the dark continent ... Africa! Mr. Lewis returns as Lady Mechanika's steadfast, if inebriated, mechanic, inventor, mad genius extraordinaire.  The good doctor has vaguely vanished and been replaced with an archaeology professor on a quest for whatever secrets archaeologists are hoping to uncover. Of course, they end up finding it and it ends up being cataclysmically horrific.  Then enter the secret societies and cryptology and you have another smashing adventure with Lady Mechanika.   While everything is an overdone stereotype in this series, I like it's over the top nature and honestly found a compelling revelation at the ending.  These

Now that I'm back in the reading game, I decided to keep it light.  I don't want to knock myself back down in the doldrums with some heavy hitting fantasy, so I kept it simple with some steampunk comics! Lady Mechanika Vol. 1 by Joe Benitez My mom started doing her version of LitCube for me this year.  This month was Metal May, an all steampunk themed box.  It seems only appropriate that I also happened to unknowingly get the Lady Mechanika series on Netgalley for the big May release of Volume 3. This first Volume collects together the comics of the Mystery of the Mechanical Corpse .   Lady Mechanika introduces you to some pretty standard steampunk tropes with a cyborg woman dressed in Victorian gear running around solving Holmesian crime dramas.  The kicker is I actually find these escapades interesting and her surrounding cast of characters enjoyable. The mystery is also entwined with the greater saga arching mystery of who made Lady Mechanika.  Surprisingly, I

I have been reading for well over 2 decades now and this has to be one of the worst reading slumps I have ever hit.  I just couldn't pick up anything that felt like I had to read it.  Even perusing Netgalley was drawing a complete zero.   When that happens, I usually try to go to the library or my massive Kindle stockpile for out of genre works to really shake it up.  Usually I do that with Clive Cussler.  I picked up at Raise the Titanic! and even tried Vixen 03 .  Both books just left me wanting to find his address and chuck the books in his face.  They were trash.  That's my official review there.   I felt disappointed that I had nothing new to put online.  Then I remembered I hadn't finished the "Septimus Heap" series.  I looked them up on Amazon and found that for some fortuitous reason they were on sale for $3 each.  How am I going to say no to $3 paperbacks? Welcome to my review of the books that saved my reading slump. Darke by Angie Sage This

Luck of the Irish to you all on this fine St. Patrick's Day.  As a special treat, I have many reviews that have stacked up since the holidays.   The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman This is an alternative fiction that has a purpose for being alternative.  I can back that kind of fiction.  Irene works for the Library collecting specific writings from all the worlds and timelines.  They are a coalition that exists outside of time and space yet inside all time and space. The story was a lot of fun and had a decent pace.  Some parts dragged a little but I have a feeling that will get ironed out as the series progresses.  The characters didn't aggravate me, which is a huge plus from me since most do.  I think I enjoyed most the smattering of all my favorite genres into one excellent fiction stew.  There is fantasy with dragons and sprites.  There is a light touch of steampunk with automatons of crocodile proportion.  There is sci-fi with travel to alternate univer

I have really been intrigued by fairy tales from the Russian/Slavic area lately.  It all started with Mistress of Solstice in 2013.  Every time I get a recommendation from Netgalley that even hints at Russian/Slavic folk stories, I rush to request it. Every one that I have read, I have loved.  This one is no exception.  This is a story of East meets West and they, of course, collide.  Vasilisa is the daughter of a prominent lord in the north of Russia.  She is a very special girl with some very special friends. An upstart bishop from the city gets sent out to the tundra to curtail the wildness.  His Orthodox doctrine is not welcome by all who live in the cold grip of the Frost King. This is such a great story, and you really should go read it.

The absolutely stunning conclusion to the "Brimstone Angels" series.  I would have never guessed that I would get so drawn into the world of D&D before Netgalley offered me "The Sundering" series. I am truly grateful that Netgalley was able to turn me towards an author I would have completely missed out on. Farideh and Havilar are great characters with some very real problems.  I'm enthralled by their story.  The final novel in the six book series is an absolute roller coaster of deception and intrigue and what actually makes someone evil.  Is it wise to take down the king of the Hells, the God of Chaos? This whole series has been about legends and gods.  Is there really one belief that is better than all the rest?  Is one faction entirely good or evil? It is a fantasy that entertains and makes you think.

You may recall that I absolutely adored Silevethiel .  It was an epic fantasy revival for me.  I was pumped last fall when The Speaker  was announced, so I took a chance to reread Silevethiel  and catch up with the story. Now that I had the world back in mind I was ready to take off with The Speaker.   By the end of the novel, I had some very mixed feelings. Things I enjoyed:  the plot, interesting magic concept, world development, new characters. This novel did justice to the epic fantasy genre again.  There was nothing lacking in the development of the lands and how the magic and characters interact within Vaelinel.  I really enjoyed the new characters added to the cast and can't wait to see how the fight for Vaelinel turns out. Things I didn't enjoy:  character development. I was disappointed in the treatment of the characters.  I just really felt that there was an overall agenda to the writing style that just seemed to rub me the wrong way.   Most people will pr