A Whole New Beat

Bronze Gods is the first steampunk novel that I have read and it blew me away! The husband-wife author team did a fantastic job of weaving fantasy, mild historical flavor, suspense and romantic tension together to create this excellent first installment in their new series. Their individual writing strengths of world-building and characterization really shone through and combined to produce a real treat.

The setting of Hy Breasil is both recognizable and alien, presenting a hypothetical world in which humanity invaded the fey (Ferisher) territory and interbred. The technologies work like those of an industrialized human world, but function because of more supernatural energies: elementals fuel lighting and transportation, and "mirror stations" stand in place of the telephone system. It all creates a surreal but utterly believable atmosphere that the reader can become immersed in without difficulty.

The dynamic cast of characters allows for a wide range of emotions, biases, and motives to collide head-on and create the chaos our crime-solving duo rise to the challenge of sorting out. Celeste Ritsuko and Janus Mikani are a delicious case of opposites complimenting one another to form a formidable cohort of justice. Their personal lives - which become ever more entangled as the story goes on - play out along side the unfolding horror of a vicious agenda and ever rising stakes. While the majority of the book is told from the alternating perspectives of Ritsuko and Mikani, the voice of Aurelia Wright breaks in from time to time in order to provide another illuminating account of what is happening and why. Together the three POVs allow the reader to get a broad view of the progress of events, providing telling incidental clues, though not overtly revealing everything until the climax.

A richly enjoyable read, I highly reccomend Bronze Gods to both veteran readers of the genre and newcomers. Bravo!

~~~

LOOK FOR SILVER MIRRORS, BOOK #2 OF THE APPARATUS INFERNUM

AVAILABLE APRIL 29th!

Fantasy: George's Take

When I was a junior in high school I wrote my final paper on fantasy. We had been asked to pick a handful of books within a genre and explore the heights and depths that can be reached within it. I had been thinking, "Hey now, fantasy is pretty much perfect for that!" and gathered together the Swords of Truth & Shannara, and called on Belgarath & Polgara to dig into this paper. My teacher was not amused. Fantasy isn't a real literary genre, she scoffed. Say WHAT?! So, I duly ignored her disappointing attitude and did it anyway. Was she happy with me? No, not really. Did I get an A? Yes, yes I did.

Setting aside the fact that there are apparently some individuals in this world who just don't get fantasy, the question is asked again and again just what fantasy is. What does it bring to the table? How does it take the mores and subtle nuances of human nature, culture, and belief and weave them through the loom of its own intrinsic system of devices? Does it really connect with the heart and soul of the human condition? My answer to that last, as you might have guessed, is ABSOLUTELY! George R. R. Martin puts it a little more eloquently, though, and I wanted to share this quote which I ran across this morning. I found it remarkably apt in explaining the genre of books that I love, and so delightfully simple...

“The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real ... for a moment at least ... that long magic moment before we wake.

Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end. Reality is the strip malls of Burbank, the smokestacks of Cleveland, a parking garage in Newark. Fantasy is the towers of Minas Tirith, the ancient stones of Gormenghast, the halls of Camelot. Fantasy flies on the wings of Icarus, reality on Southwest Airlines. Why do our dreams become so much smaller when they finally come true?

We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens sang. There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt the forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La.

They can keep their heaven. When I die, I'd sooner go to middle Earth.” 

(Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=The+Last+Summer&commit=Search)

I adore A Song of Ice & Fire, and I'm fully supportive of authors taking their time to produce their books in order to make sure what they deliver to their fans is as accurate, delightful & perfect as possible. Do I wish The Winds of Winter would be released tomorrow? With all my heart! But he is welcome to take his time to make it as wonderful as the rest of the series. In all good fun, though, here's the joke at George's expense which has become a fan classic:

Break My Heart

Wow, what an unexpected disappointment! I love Deanna Raybourn, and her book A Spear of Summer Grass has become one of my all-time favorites, so I had very high hopes for this new romantic adventure. Especially after reading Whisper of Jasmine, which introduces these characters, I had expected to fall in love with this story. Nope.

Damascus is the fabled "city of jasmine," and that is an on-going theme throughout the book, true, but with Evie's arrival it would have been more appropriately nicknamed the city of ranting. She didn't shut up! I'm all for a good let-loose where the leading lady gives her man what for, establishing herself and validating her position. Shout at the top of your lungs, Evie. Give him a piece of your mind and vent your heart out all over his miserable two-timing head ... but then stop. One good rant is sufficient, but she was stuck on repeat through the majority of the book. They'd meet clandestinely to discuss the artifact and she'd let loose at him. They'd trod about in the desert for awhile, and then Evie would bite his head off again. Capture by Bedouins, followed up by a hissy fit. Escape, and another round. Come on, Evie, we're sick of it now! Yes, you have a valid position, and yes, Gabriel deserves the rough edge of your tongue (until he gets the truth out), but the whole song and dance got very old very quickly. That part of the plot really could have been constructed better, in my opinion.

The Evie and Gabriel we first met in Whisper of Jasmine and the Evie and Gabriel who take over in City of Jasmine: Two. Different. Sets. Of people. They were completely unrecognizable! Yes, I understand that Evie "grew-up" -- pfft! -- and changed her outlook on life after Shanghai, and Gabriel is being all cloak-and-dagger here, but I really could not relate the people I had met in the prequel to the ones I was following through the desert. I was rather heartbroken about that.

As for Aunt Dove? Ehh... I felt she was the strongest and most dynamic character here, but she didn't really seem to fit. Like that one puzzle piece that just won't slip into the space you know it's meant to fill, she had the right feel for the story, but felt out of place somehow. Yet again, a let down for me after reading the prequel.

*Sigh* I'm sorry, ladies and gents! I just couldn't wrap my heart around this one. I gave it an honest effort, but it came up desperately short for me. I still love Deanna Raybourn, but this one will not be on my Read Again list.

A Doozy

Hello there! Happy Day-Before-Friday, and all that. :-) So, today I pulled a review for the fourth book in Kristen Britain's Green Rider fantasy series, which I have a long-time love affair with. I'm talking full-blown, passionate romance here! I read the first book while in middle school and have kept pace with the series through high school, between exams in college, and this year the fifth book in the series is due to be released. Wait!, you say? If you do the little math exercise there you may notice that I've been reading a grand total of four books for more than 15 years ... how long does it take this author to write books, exactly? The answer: a long time. In the agonizing tradition of George R. R. Martin, Kristen Britain tends to not release a new book very often. For her devoted fans (ahem!) this is a devastatingly confounding habit of hers that she just won't break. While some -- well, many -- members of the Green Rider fandom spend their time shaking their fists and screaming for the next release, I've decided it's just not worth the frustration. The books are good, and if it takes five years for Kristen to write one, then so be it. I wouldn't want her to spiff things up if it would mean her quality level would tank. Now that we're getting close to Release Day, though, I'm working up a hype! Here's a little something to get your excitement meter revved:

~~~

Okay, so Kristen Britain is getting a lot of grief over a certain scene in "Blackveil" that has the K/Z Fandom outraged (no spoilers, I promise!). Let's admit it, it's a doozy whether or not you're rooting for Karigan! Some are enraged, some disgusted, some pleased, some confused ... that's the point! A good author will throw curve balls at her readers in order to generate a reaction - any reaction. Whether it's positive or negative, it tends to have the effect of baiting the audience into sticking around for the next book. It also gives us a romance that isn't just sugar and sunshine (a strong literary relationship needs some speed bumps to shake things up and keep things interesting). P.S. I'm a K/Z Fan too, so stick with me here.

As for the length of time we have to wait in between books: yes, I agree that it is AGONIZING!! It won't stop me from continuing to buy the books or suggesting them to friends, though. So long as Kristen comes up with another great read, I think it's worth the wait.

Finally, the CLIFFHANGER. Yes, like that certain scene I mentioned already its a doozy (it deserves to be referred to in capital letters). In proper die-hard, can't-put-it-down fan fashion I promptly screeched at the top of my lungs when I found that there were no more pages after that last sentence. It killed me. I wanted to rip the book to shreds and track down Kristen so that I could kick her. I cried ... but what an ending, ladies and gentlemen! Let's face it, "Blackveil" is a middle-of-the-series book. It isn't going to let us off the hook or feel satisfied. Someday (hopefully) Kristen will publish the last book in the Green Rider series and all those fascinating, irritating, nail-biting plot lines will converge and we will be able to let out a collective (and long-held) sigh of relief.

Stick with it, everyone! If the future books are comparable in quality to what we've gotten out of her so far, Kristen will make it worth it.

~~~

  KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR MIRROR SIGHT, BOOK #5 IN THE GREEN RIDER SERIES,

AVAILABLE MAY 6th, 2014!

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!

HUZZAH! HURRAH! HUZZAH! HURRAH! HUZZAH! HURRAH! HUZZAH! HURRAH!

Why Kings Confess

by

C. S. Harris

If you've been keeping up with me you know that I am a slave to certain author's release dates. I live to hit that "DOWNLOAD" button on my tablet when the book I preordered finally comes out. Is there anything more satisfying in the world? .......there probably is, but I refuse to think of it now, today, on release day for the newest addition to Sebastian and Hero's story (dare I say, legend?). 

Grab a copy -- or hit that download button on your own preorder -- and then let me know what you think!

Cheers!

A Romance Unbound by Time

We all have our favorite love stories... Romeo & Juliet, Mr. Darcy & Lizzie Bennett, Westley & Buttercup. The warmth and reinforcement of the power and strength of love is at the heart of many of our greatest stories. This one, brought to us through the creative mind of Michelle Moran, is a romance directly out of the annals of history. Like Cleopatra VII had her Antony, Ramesses the Great had his Nefertari.

Nefertari is the daughter born to the tragic queen, Mutnodjmet. Reviled as the niece of the heretic Nefertiti, the infant princess was accepted at the Egyptian court only grudgingly. She was raised alongside the new royal family's crown prince and together they played, learned, and shared their childhood hopes and secrets. Now Ramesses is a man and entrusted with the reigns of power, but Nefertari is balancing on the dangerous line between a chance to remain by his side and being banished from all she has ever known. Her only hope lies in persuading Ramesses to make her his Chief Wife, but her rival is the woman already married to the young pharaoh -- the woman who is in league with the powers of the court intent on destroying the last vestige of the former royal line: Nefertari herself.

As with the preceding book, Nefertiti, there are weaknesses in the writing. Events and ideas which would have deepened the story weren't capitalized on, and some things seemed rushed. As much as I love Moran's storytelling, there is a sense of disappointment in this area.

If ever there was a story of empowerment it is this tale of how a young woman hated by the very people she wished to become queen of fights for the love of the one man who can raise her above the tainted waters of her family's history. The love they shared is immortalized in countless monuments, reliefs, and temples throughout Egypt. Although there is sex in it, this book is not trashy and the characters infuse it with a richness that leaves a lasting impression. Bravo!

Just Not Georgie

 **THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**

I had mixed feelings as I read this addition to the irresistibly cute Her Royal Spyness mystery series. The story was interesting and the resolution had a twist that was at once disturbing and yet ballsy of Bowen at the same time. Not many authors are willing to go there, especially with a cozy. Not that children never cause someone's death, but most people like to believe in the "incorruptible innocence" of the child. In a way the children here are innocent, but it was still their little experiment gone wrong which led to their uncle's death. I say good for Bowen that she was willing to take that step. On the other hand, though, it just didn't feel like a Georgie book.

Things started going wrong when Georgie went out with Belinda her last night in London. The setting was classic for our leading lady: dinner and dancing, high society men, and evening shoes. Fans have come to recognize this mixture as a disaster in the making, but the whole thing resolved itself in a quick sentence or two in which we learned that Georgie went out, danced with a rich American, had a wonderful time ... AND DIDN'T HAVE A SINGLE CLUTZY MOMENT!!! What?! That's not Georgie! Sure she'd already disgraced herself earlier by squirting eclair cream down her front during tea with HM, but that was tame compared to what generally befalls her when she's attempting to be graceful while dancing with a rich man. And this seemed to set the theme for the remainder of the book. Georgie didn't crash into any priceless vases, get lost and walk in on an embarrassing encounter, drop her earrings in the soup tureen, etc etc etc ... she just wasn't her usual "not-again-Georgie!" self. It's what makes her character really sparkle and not having her on her game was a disappointment.

Another sadness I had with this book was Darcy. HE WASN'T HELPFUL AT ALL!!! He showed up in typical, out-of-the-blue, oh-my-girlish-heart fashion and set himself up in a position to provide us with humor, insightful comments, and blushes. He wasn't as smart with his wit as he usually is and he really didn't contribute anything at all to the investigation. Okay, he helped Georgie discover the secret passage in the folly, but that was it. Usually he's all tail up, nose down, sniffing out the culprit, but this time around he seemed to spend his time telling Georgie to stay out of it (SAY WHAT?!?!) in between their lip-locks. He didn't have any heroic scenes of nabbing the murderer, chasing someone in a Bently, or catching Georgie before she plummets off the edge of some high place. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

Okay, I've stopped my ranting, promise. Setting all that aside, Heirs and Graces really is a good little cozy fueled by one of the best brain-benders Bowen has come up with yet. True, our leading lady and her still-my-heart Irish beau were off their game characterization-wise, but the plot carries you along effortlessly. Bravo!