Cover Art Revealed: Dreamer's Pool

It looks like publishers are releasing cover art left and right these days! Here's a gorgeous reveal for one of my absolute FAVORITE authors of all time, Juliet Mariller. Her newest book won't be out until later this year, but this gives us something to build the excitement.

 

 Pretty! Pretty! This strikes me as a potential scene from the story itself, so it looks like this new young adult fantasy series will be somewhat dark and have a strong adventure/danger element. Before we even dig into the synopsis we begin to pick apart the cover art and wonder who this young woman is and what has happened to her. See? Already drawn into the story ... mission of the cover art accomplished! :-)

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR DREAMER'S POOL, BOOK #1 IN THE ALL-NEW BLACKTHORN AND GRIM SERIES BY JULIET MARILLIER, AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 4th, 2014!

Oh, Have Mercy!

Still-my-heart werewolves, romantically tragic vampires, and dastardly Fae … OH MY!

There’s a lot going on in this world that mere mortals remain blissfully unaware of. That is, until a rogue vamp drains a neighborhood dry, a lone wolf challenges the local Alpha and starts a minor war, or the Grey Lords of the Fae pull the strings and magical mayhem breaks loose downtown! For the most part the supernatural population of the Tri-Cities area manage to keep things quiet, and the mundane community can go about their daily lives with almost no interaction or interference from things that go bump in the night. Mercedes Thompson doesn’t have that luxury … but then, Mercy isn’t all that mundane herself.

Mercy is an auto mechanic. She can take a broken down piece of dump yard

trash and fix it up bright and shiny. Her garage is a go-to place for those in need of anything from a quick repair to an outright miracle. If you can drag it over to her, Mercy can fix it. She’s not exactly a pillar of the community, but she likes to think that she does her bit to make life a little easier for her fellow citizens. She studies martial arts – the I am about to rip your spine out through you face kind – she has a degree in history that she tries to use at least twice a year, and batches of cookies pour out of her oven whenever she needs to do some serious thinking.

And she can change into a coyote whenever she feels like it.

Something special, Mercy has found that while she doesn’t exactly fit in with the other supernatural groups around her she can certainly hold her own. It’s a good thing because when she gets sucked into a disagreement between the Columbia Basin pack and an unknown hunter on the eve of werewolves coming out to the general public as something that can no longer be considered a myth, there is no turning back. Before she knows it, Mercy finds herself at odds with the local vampire Queen, at cross purposes with the officials of the Fae reservation, and kicking up all kinds of trouble with the werewolf who lives next door – the Alpha himself who just so happens to declare her is mate and lands her right in the frying pan! 

It’s a lot for one little skinwalker to cope with, but Mercy is a tough cookie and doesn’t go in for

self-pity. With her gold lamb necklace around her neck – crucifixes just aren’t her style – and a wealth of snarky retorts in her arsenal, she never backs down when those she cares for are threatened. Full of action, humor, intriguing plot twists, steamy romance, and a fascinating new take on all things supernatural, the Mercy Thompson series is a pleasure – one you can be guilty about or not!

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Don't miss Night Broken, Book 8 in the Mercy Thompson series!

~ Available Now ~

The Collector of Dying Breaths

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!

~ Available Now ~

Cover Art Revealed : The Mime Order

Fetch a glance, ladies and gents! We have cover art for the October release of Samantha Shannon's continuation of The Bone Season series...

Not terribly profound or revealing, but it follows up the previous book's artwork perfectly. The red is an alarming color, so we have to wonder what is in store for Paige Mahoney as the established order of Scion's iron fist & the Rephaim's manipulations has been thrown into chaos. On the run, unsure of whom to trust, and never knowing what a new day will bring ... Paige had it rough at Sheol I, but her time there will certainly be nothing compared to the trouble and strife lurking along the road ahead!

Not the Weak Link

Whereas A Clash of Kings improved on A Game of Thrones, and A Storm of Swords blew both completely out of the water, A Feast for Crows fell short. It is an excellent book and maintains Martin's reputation for strong fantasy drama played out amongst political schemers, warriors, and outlaws. It just wasn't up to par with its predecessors. Storm is probably one of the best fantasy novels I have ever read, so I was expecting this fourth book in the series to be just as spectacular if not - dare I have hoped?! - even better. It's sad to call it a let-down since it really is well-written and full of everything that makes Martin's novels as epic as they are. It suffered from the painful re-writing that Martin felt was needed, though. I missed the characters who were cut out and couldn't really take as much of an interest in the new POV characters this time around. And Sansa and Arya, who have been two of the most vital main characters until now, were given only a few opportunities to give us an idea of what is happening to them and how they feel about it all. (I'll admit to being a die-hard SanSan fan by this point, so I was heartbroken to read so little of Sansa herself, knowing that she will not have a POV in A Dance with Dragons)

I greatly approved of the deeper exploration of Brienne and Jaime's personalities that we get in this book, as well as the inclusion of Cersei's perspective. The first is a character who I bleed and cry for in a similar way to Tyrion, and it is fascinating to see how the greatest swordsman in Westeros deals with his maiming. As for the golden queen we all love to loathe, she provides us with an insider's look at a woman struggling to assert herself in a male-dominated society - something which would normally appeal to modern readers if the character wasn't such a ... well ... witch with a CAPITAL B.

I know that some readers find the repetition of certain phrases annoying, but I find it intriguing. Martin is big into providing clues about his characters in place of having them explain themselves at times. He's used objects in the past such as the Hound's bloodied white cloak which Sansa wraps herself in, or symbolic names such as The Viper to give us a hint about Oberyn's fighting style. These repetitive phrases are, I believe, being used in the same way. Brienne is searching for Sansa and the description provided by Catelyn is all she has to go by. It comes not only to symbolize her quest, but also her need to prove herself, repay a debt, and restore the honor of the Kingslayer. Likewise, the mantra of the Imp's parting shot regarding Cersei's faithlessness comes to dominate Jaime's thinking. He learns to mistrust her and the bond they have shared all of their lives - the bond which defined his very existence.

As with the previous books we see the evolution of certain key characters, following their trials and tragedies as they progress through the world and the story. No, it wasn't as good as the previous three books, but A Feast for Crows is still an example of the fantasy genre at its best. Bravo!

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 Who can't wait? The premier is almooooooooost here!

1 DAY...

Better and Better!

And here we have the bloodiest A Song of Ice and Fire novel thus far in the series. Murder, assassination, mass slaughter, trial by battle ... and two weddings soaked in red (though only one will be named for it). Martin does not pull his punches, even with the main characters, the "good guys," the ones we have come to love and root for. It's true: Valar Morghulis. All men must die...

The brilliance of Martin's skill at characterization has only deepened in this third installment. We continue to witness the growth and development of the various personalities whose POVs we hear the story from as they age, are involved in the unfolding events of a nation at war, and experience their own personal trials and sufferings. Each voice has become undeniably stronger, and the challenges they face draw the reader into the story more totally than the majority of other fictional novels I have read.

A Storm of Swords is not only the bloodiest book so far, it is also the strongest. It has the most to offer and shows the promise of each of the characters to the fullest. As long as it is, this book just flies by. Martin has undoubtedly achieved something well-nigh incomparable in this work. Bravo!

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It's getting close!!!

 

2 DAYS...

A Worthy Successor

After writing such a smashingly successful beginning to a series such as A Game of Thrones was, many authors would have had difficulty in meeting the expectations of the rabid fandom for a sequel. Happily, though, Martin is too good an author to drop the ball on us as A Song of Ice and Fire continues. This second book in the saga is every bit as good as the first ... better even!

The dynamic use of multiple narrative perspectives ranging from the youthful voices to the older, more world-weary continues. New POV characters such as Davos are introduced while fast favorites like Arya and Jon from the previous story return. Not only do we have more people to hear from, but they are moving further afield from one another, expanding the influence of the story to demonstrate how the wars of lions, direwolves and dragons reach to all corners of the world. It is a staggeringly broad story with a vast list of characters and factions, but Martin's deft writing keeps the reader on-track. If there is confusion it is likely that it is caused by intentional misdirection on the author's part in order to work through an important story arc ... sit tight and let it work itself out rather than getting frustrated. It's worth it!

I came to take more of an interest in Catelyn's narrative this time around, but still couldn't warm to Danaerys. Arya and Sansa continued to be absorbing in their different ways, and Jon was (of course) arresting as always. I must confess, though, that Tyrion's is my favorite POV to read because of his humor and ability to find and use his own personal strengths despite all of the humiliation and cruelty he suffers at the hands of those who should love and value him. Each character is significant both individually and as part of the whole. They have their personal quirks and vices, but their unique outlooks can allow a view which presents the good in some of the least-loved characters, and the darkness in the ones we love the most.

Again, a wonderful trip through Westeros. Bravo!

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Are you all joining me in my countdown to Sunday's season premier?

3 DAYS...