The Y Logs

Yzabel / May 22, 2014

Review: Magic City: Recent Spells

Magic City: Recent Spells by Paula Guran

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Bright lights, big city . . . magic spells, witchcraft, wizardry, fairies, devilry, and more. Urban living, at least in fantasy fiction, is full of both magical wonder and dark enchantment. Street kids may have supernatural beings to protect them or have such powers themselves. Brujeria may be part of your way of life. Crimes can be caused (and solved) with occult arts and even a losing sports team’s “curse” can be lifted with wizardry. And be careful of what cab you call—it might take you on a journey beyond belief! Some of the best stories of urban enchantment from the last few years is gathered in one volume full of hex appeal and arcane arts.

Review:

(I got a copy from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

As usual when anthologies are concerned, there are stories one will like, and stories that won’t cut it at all. What I can say about this one, before I ge to the stories individually:

1) Those are reprints. If you’re relatively new to urban fantasy as a genre, and/or usually don’t read anthologies, I think it should be all right. Otherwise, you may already know quite a few of those stories.

2) It may not be tremendously representative of urban fantasy, depending on how you perceive this genre.

3) The book began with the stories I liked the least, and I almost stopped reading at that point. Therefore, I’d advise not reading them in order.

#1 STREET WIZARD: To be read as an introduction rather than a story with a definite plot and punchline. A kind of “slice of life” story, that gives the reader a glimpse into what urban fantasy may entail, but not particularly exciting.

#2 PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Not convinced. The MC’s move (ditching her date) was pretty rude and uncalled for. Because the guy isn’t what you expected doesn’t mean he doesn’t at least deserve a “sorry, not working for me, I’m saying bye”. What’s with those characters who can’t be ballsy enough to enact basic courtesy?

#3 GRAND CENTRAL PARK: Interesting enough, I liked the ending more than the story itself, though.

#4 SPELLCASTER 2.0: Loved the premise, but not the moralistic aspect (nor the intrisic misogyny).

#5 WALLAMELON: I quite liked this one. Its themes are fairly common (the cost of magic, growing up and out of childhood beliefs), but touching nevertheless.

#6 -30-: Not to be read if you’re a writer who has hopes for his/her craft: it’s rather depressing. Worst, 2nd person POV is definitely a terrible idea. I won’t recommend that one.

#7 SEEING EYE: One of my favourites, properly wrapped up, with a definite resolution at the end, but also a couple of openings leaving room to the reader’s imagination.

#8 STONE MAN: Another one I liked. While dealing with serious prospects, it also leaves room for hope and fighting back—both for the main character and when it comes to the bigger picture.

#9 IN THE STACKS: A librarian’s dream come true… Well… A nightmare, rather? Another winner in my book (pun intended). Nobody ever belittle the job of a librarian now!

#10 A VOICE LIKE A HOLE: I liked the theme, but I felt that the story stopped just where it should’ve started. Weird.

#11 THE ARCANE ART OF MISDIRECTION: Not so surprising in theme (normal person discovering magic hiding right under her nose), but with an interesting setting (casino, hotel), and with the kind of magical effects I tend to like.

#12 THE THIEF OF PRECIOUS THINGS: I’m not really sure what to make of this story. I liked its atmosphere, eerie with magic, shapeshifting, a sort of lingering despair, and promises of both hope and dark days to come. I didn’t get a feeling for the characters, but in a way, it’s like it doesn’t really matter.

#13 THE LAND OF HEART’S DESIRE: Hard to tell where this one was was going. I didn’t really feel any sense of direction in it, and it seemed to lack purpose, despite the theme it dealt with.

#14 SNAKE CHARMER: Classic take on revenge. Not developed enough to my taste.

#15 THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB: Drag queen werewolf protagonist: not something you see everyday. Nice one about accepting people for who they are, no matter how different.

#16 THE WOMAN WHO WALKED WITH DOGS: Shadow dogs, always with their owners, yet never seen by those who don’t believe in them… until they’re needed. I’d like a Shep, too.

#17 WORDS: Words have power. Words have magic. Is it wise to annoy the ones who wield true words? Not so much. A retelling on the theme of the Rattenfänger, and one that somewhat resonated with me (perhaps because I fancy myself a writer, too?).

#18 DOG BOYS: New boy in school, thrown into gang hostilities. Likeable protagonist, who does what feels right, even though he knows he’ll get into trouble.

#19 ALCHEMY: Another one I liked. Quiet, and full of questions regarding knowledge: is the price to pay worth it? And if something is gained through other means than our own, is it really so interesting in the end?

#20 CURSES: Short story with Harry Dresden. Not as powerful as the novel-length stories, but still pretty much in the “Dresden Files” spirit.

#21 DE LA TIERRA: A twist on immigration stories. I liked how it dealt with misinformation, and how the latter can push people to do what they think is right, but isn’t necessarily so.

#22 STRAY MAGIC: Cute and moving story. This one should appeal to animal lovers.

#23 KABU KABU: Quite enjoyable, if (like me) you like crazy rides with strange landscapes and creatures from folklore. Also interesting for its take on one’s identity, since Ngozi, the protagonist, is somewhat estranged from her own culture.

#24 PEARLYWHITE: More on the horror side. Somewhat weak on the protagonists, because there are several, and a short story isn’t the best format to develop them. But I still liked it, as well as the gleam of hope at the end.

Yzabel / May 18, 2014

Review: Dollhouse

Dollhouse by Anya Allyn

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Dress-up turns deadly. . .

When Cassie’s best friend, Aisha, disappears during a school hike, Cassie sets off with Aisha’s boyfriend Ethan and their best friend Lacey, determined to find her. But the mist-enshrouded mountains hold many secrets, and what the three teens discover is far more disturbing than any of them imagined: beneath a rundown mansion in the woods lies an underground cavern full of life-size toys and kidnapped girls forced to dress as dolls.

Even as Cassie desperately tries to escape the Dollhouse, she finds herself torn between her forbidden feelings for Ethan, and her intense, instinctive attraction to The Provider, a man Cassie swears she has known before…

Because Cassie’s capture wasn’t accidental, and the Dollhouse is more than just a prison where her deepest fears come true—it’s a portal for the powers of darkness. And Cassie may be the only one who can stop it.

Review:

(I got a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

A likeable story—on the creepy side, that is, but if I didn’t want creepy, I wouldn’t have applied for this book, right? I liked the atmosphere conveyed through the book, at least when it came to the house itself and its inhabitants (this isn’t a spoiler; the title gives it away, after all). It was oppressive, left little doubt as to the stifling nature of the place, and the toys as well as Jessamine’s behaviour were definitely elements of unease. I was never scared, to be honest, but this doesn’t necessarily means “Dollhouse” won’t be scary to other other people. In any case, in terms of imagery, those were themes I could relate to.

The plot is kind of strange. It’s both a good and a bad thing in my opinion. On the one hand, it fits the overall atmosphere; on the other, sometimes things were a little confusing. At first I thought it may be a purely horror/mystery story, then different supernatural elements creepeed in. I was all right with that, though: it may be part of what the book was meant to achieve, depending on how one considers it, and it also contributed to the characters’ confusion. So, for me, it worked.

I found the pacing somewhat uneven. The first chapter pulled me in, then the next ones were slower, and I think some of the scenes in the dollhouse itself dragged a little. Again, this is one of those double-edged aspects in my opinion: slowing down the story, yet also reflecting the bleak existence of the “dolls”, the day-to-day routine under Jessamine’s guidance (if one can call that guidance…), the world being narrowed down to a few rooms only, with few activities available. So, slow in pacing, but fitting in theme.

I didn’t find the characters really memorable, and was mostly interested in the atmosphere and in looking for hints about the bigger picture, I admit. Cassie was kind of bland, Ethan and Aisha as well, and Lacey was easily forgotten. This is probably one of the weakest points in this book: I kept feeling that those friends didn’t really care about each other. That they went looking for Aisha not in the hopes of finding her alive, but of removing suspicion from Ethan. That they didn’t have much in common, and didn’t look like a strong enough group to go through the hassle of camping in the mountains at night to search for the missing girl. Cassie leaves Lacey[Lacey (hide spoiler)] alone in a creepy place, then oh, surprise, she’s missing as well. Rule number one: you never, ever leave someone alone. Not in such a setting.

The romance… Meh. I wasn’t convinced. But then, I seldom am.

The book ends on a cliffhanger that may very well be quite annoying. You can somewhat imagine what will happen, but if it’s still rather abrupt, and felt more like a chapter was missing, rather than a real ending.

I’m giving it 3 stars because I really enjoyed the theme, the atmosphere, the imagery it all evoked. I found it easy to picture the rooms, the clothing, to imagine what the dolls’ life was like. If one is looking for strong characters, though, perhaps this isn’t the right book.

Yzabel / May 15, 2014

Review: The Martian

The Martian by Andy Weir

My rating: [rating=5]

Summary:

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Review:

(I got a copy of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

One of the best books I’ve read this year. Not devoid of flaws, but you know how sometimes, you’ll love a book in spite of those? That was one such time for me.

What I definitely liked:

Mark Watney is basically MacGyver stranded on Mars, trying to survive with whatever remains the Ares 3 crew left behind when they had to abort the mission and leave in a hurry. (Maybe readers who didn’t like that show won’t like this comparison either, but hey, I was 15 the last time I watched it, and I used to love it, so in this review, it’s going to mean “good”.) Surviving out of sheer dumb luck, when everybody believed him utterly lost and, well, dead, Mark has to use every bit of knowledge to make lemonade with all the Martian lemons he’s being thrown at. And there are a lot, from defective materials to his own mistakes. Fortunately, he’s both an engineer and a botanist, which means he does have enough know-how to improvise (as well as try to grow stuff; here go the first Martian potatoes). Unfortunately, he’s not a chemist or whatever else, so he also has to do things through trial and error. And while his predicament is absolutely horrible, since anything can go wrong anytime, it’s also funny and awesome.

Throughout the story, Mark’s voice is highly entertaining. Here’s a man who was picked for his skills, but also for his optimism and sense of humour, in the hopes that he’d be the social glue among the crew—who had to live together in close quarters for the long trip to and fro, as well as on Mars itself. And I think his way of apprehending his many problems was just as much a life-saver as his knowledge, because even though he sometimes lost it, it never lasted for long, and he went back to work soon after. This may seem weird and unbelievable to some, but in a way, I could relate to his character, although not to a complete extent, of course. (I’m the kind of person who’ll scream and run in circles for two minutes, out of panic, then will suddenly calm down and say “OK, back to solving that problem now; and if I can do so while throwing in some bawdy joke, I’ll do.” I kid you not.) So, yes, somewhat unbelievable—and somehow, I just couldn’t care less. I rooted for that character. I wanted him to survive. Period.

Simply put, this book was inventive and fun. I’m still laughing, thinking back to some of Mark’s antics:

He turned back to Venkat. “I wonder what he’s thinking right now.”

LOG ENTRY: SOL 61

How come Aquaman can control whales? They’re mammals! Makes no sense.

I couldn’t possibly comment. I’ve been known for worse silly random thoughts than that.

Also, please watch your language. Everything you type is being broadcast live all over the world.
[12:15] WATNEY: Look! A pair of boobs! -> (.Y.)

So totally the kind of crap I’d pull as well, just for the sake of light trolling.

I chipped his sacred religious item into long splinters using a pair of pliers and a screwdriver. I figure if there’s a God, He won’t mind, considering the situation I’m in.
If ruining the only religious icon I have leaves me vulnerable to Martian vampires, I’ll have to risk it.

That one, too, cracked me up.

Also, there was a lot of hope in this book, in that Mark wasn’t left to rot and die. People wanted him to survive. His crew wanted to believe that he could make it, that they could help—and they were a great bunch of girls and guys, ifyou like thespace cowboy type. Even other countries helped, even though there wasn’t that much in it for them. Too good to be true? Perhaps. But also beautiful, a beautiful lesson in how sometimes, humanity is still able to unite. Not to mention the bigger-than-life side of this novel: a coming back to older times, to a period when we thought Space was at the tip of our fingers. I’m a child of the eighties, and I still remember my own ideas back then. Colonies on the moon and Mars. Flying cars by year 2000. The space programs progressing to such an extent that we’d travel far, far away by the time I’d be an adult. “The Martian” brought me back to such thoughts: a man able to survive for so long with not the best means, wouldn’t his experience help further the next missions, allow people to believe that so much more could be done, that they could push boundaries a little further?

Potentially problematic:

The scientific explanations, which were to my liking, but may not be to other readers’. My own background in that regard isn’t very developed, so I can’t tell if everything was exact; at least, it seemed to me that things were very well-researched, and made sense (both to me as a neophyte, and when it comes to “science in general”). I enjoyed reading about how exactly Mark came to this or that solution. Like when he found a way to make water. Also hilarious, by the way:

Nitrogen: 22 percent. Oxygen: 9 percent. Hydrogen: 64 percent.
I’ve been hiding here in the rover ever since.
It’s Hydrogenville in the Hab.

There’s no deep psychological development here. Normally, this would be a problem for me, but not here. I can’t explain why. Mark’s humour? The way people banded to try and save him? As said above, I rooted for him. The author made him so likeable I just didn’t care about the rest.

The shift from 1st to 3rd person. It was a little unsettling. On the other hand, I don’t really hold it as a flaw, because I understand why it was done, and I couldn’t see any other way to achieve the same thing. Mark’s narrative just wouldn’t be the same in 3rd person; and if everything was in 1st person, then we’d have no means to see what was happening on Earth, nor what was set in motion to help Mark. This is why I’m not knocking down a star. Besides, at least in this book, I can clearly understand the reasoning behind it (other books I read used the same kind of switch, but with no apparent reason, so…).

As you can see, the last two paragraphs would logically be flaws. But, once again: I don’t care. This novel blew my mind, plain and simple.

Yzabel / May 13, 2014

Review: The Diamond Thief

The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling

My rating: [rating=1]

Summary:

By day Rémy Brunel is a daring circus acrobat, by night she is an equally talented jewel thief currently assigned to steal a famous diamond in Victorian London–but when the theft goes wrong she finds herself allied with a young policeman as they try to find the elusive gem.

Review:

(I got a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

A fast read, and one of those books I wish I had liked more (Victorian London + circus + thief + mechanical inventions: what’s not to like in there, really?), but also one that didn’t convince me in the end, unfortunately.

Things I liked: the steampunk side, light enough to be understandable by basically everyone, younger readers included. It has a touch of Fushigi no Umi no Nadia (in that stones/jewels play an important part), though it doesn’t go further than that, and makes use of machinery whose concepts are easy to grasp, such as experimental night-vision goggles. Not the most creative I’ve ever seen, but a nice introduction nonetheless.

On the other hand, I found the backdrop fairly light, too—not a good thing. I never really got the feeling of a real circus, nor of Victorian mores. I think this could apply to several other aspects of the novel, in fact: it brushed against them, without ever diving deep enough for me to feel immersed. I could sense this most specifically with the characters. At first, I found them interesting, but they were never developed enough to hold my attention until the end, nor make me care about them. (And there definitely were interesting ideas in here, such as the unlikely trapeze artist/thief + young cop duo, the Professor with his inventions, the mysterious Lord…) Also, I didn’t like the romance at all. I couldn’t feel any chemistry within this couple, it seemed like a plot device to add some drama, and there were a few very melodramatic scenes that made me roll my eyes and want to slap those characters. Somehow, it moved too quickly, too superficially.

The plot itself seemed to rest on a lof of deus ex machina, predictable twists, and events inserted for convenience. I would’ve been more enthralled if Rémy and Thaddeus had had to really investigate, which in turn would have given them time to talk, get to know each other better; I guess this would have made the romance more palatable for me, as well as enhanced the strong points of their pairing, in terms of skills. Another thing I had a hard time with were a couple of plot points. First, the opal’s role. One of the characters says that it would allow Rémy to hear other people’s thoughts, yet I never got the purpose of that specific thread. Is there a second book in the writing? If there isn’t, then I don’t see the point. Same with the curse[the curse (hide spoiler)]: couldn’t Gustave tell Rémy about it way earlier than that, considering how involved she was, and how she was the one tasked with stealing the stone?

I suppose it could work as a very light read, or for really young readers (things never go further than a brief kiss in the romance department), but for me it didn’t.

Yzabel / May 12, 2014

Review: Shadows & Dreams

Shadows & Dreams by Alexis Hall

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

My name’s Kate Kane. And right now, I don’t know which is more dangerous: my job, or my girlfriend. My job makes me the go-to girl for every supernatural mystery in London. My girlfriend’s an eight-hundred-year-old vampire prince. Honestly, I think it’s probably a tie.

A few weeks ago, I was hired for a simple missing person case. Next thing I know, I’m being arrested for murder, a vampire army is tearing up London, and even my dreams are out to get me. Something ancient, evil, and scary as hell is on the loose and looking for payback. The vampires are in chaos, the werewolves are culling everything, and the Witch Queen can’t protect everyone.

Which means it’s down to me. And all I’ve got to hold back the shadows is a stiff drink, a quirky sidekick, my creepy ex-boyfriend, and the woman who left me for a tech startup. It’s going to be another interesting day.

This title is #2 of the Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator series.

Review:

[I got an ARC of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

I liked this one better than the first one. Partly because I already know the characters, but also, I think, because I found it less heavy on some of the things that had bothered me in the previous volume.

Characters, first. The reader will meet known ones again: Julian, Nimue, Ashriel, and get to know more about others (such as a Eve). Kate remains a fun point of view character, with a good dose of humour even in dire situations. She has a tendency to do things that aren’t exactly good for her, but at least she acknowledges it… even though it doesn’t prevent her from getting into dangerous situations. Elise plays a more important part, being here from the beginning, this time, and I must say she’s also a character I’ve taken quite a liking to. She’s discovering life as a normal human being (well, as normal as possible in the circumstances, that is), has an interesting way of speaking and apprehending the world, and I found that her becoming Kate’s assistant actually helped with furthering the plot. In “Iron & Velvet”, I sometimes felt that Kate stumbled upon information; Elise being tasked with finding information streamlines things a bit, and makes the investigation more believable in my opinion. Last but not least, Eve: she may seem bigger than life to some, but I found her geeky, Batman-wannabe side quite funny. And she gets the job done; no comic-relief useless sidekick on her part here.

There was less romance/erotica this time, and for me, it was for the best. I guess I’m used to the Kate-Julian relatioship now, so I wasn’t bothered by insta-love or anything similar. Owing to the plot, the two women didn’t spend as much time together, which wasn’t pleasant for them, sure, but also allowed less room for the sex scenes. (I don’t have anything against sex scenes, only they didn’t work for me in book 1, in part because of the weird similes often associated with them. So, yes, less of those here meant less clunky scenes in my opinion.) Although I still think Kate should learn to keep her dick in her pants, metaphorically speaking, she wasn’t as unfocused as previously, and therefore felt more believable as a PI.

I must admit that the Patrick/Sofia routine, while funny at first (with all the drama queen antics and the woe-is-me-I-totally-shape-the-world-to-my-beliefs attitude that clearly hints at bad emo stories), became a little tiresome after a while. I must’ve rolled my eyes as often as Kate did. But then, Patrick is an infuriating character, and one that is meant to serve as a comic relief.

The bit about the Vampire: the Requiem game made me smile. No irony lost here. It reminded me a bit of the RPG bit in Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, and I wonder if this was intentional or not? On the other hand, I’m certainly not holding that against the author here, because it’s the kind of scene I like (and would probably write as well at some point).

Not the best book of 2014 for me, but definitely an improvement on the first one. I think I’ve warmed up to this world and characters.

Yzabel / May 8, 2014

Review: The Shadow Master

The Shadow Master by Craig Cormick

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

In a land riven with plague, inside the infamous Walled City, two families vie for control: the Medicis with their genius inventor Leonardo; the Lorraines with Galileo, the most brilliant alchemist of his generation.

And when two star-crossed lovers, one from either house, threaten the status quo, a third, shadowy power – one that forever seems a step ahead of all of the familial warring – plots and schemes, and bides its time, ready for the moment to attack…

Assassination; ancient, impossible machines; torture and infamy – just another typical day in paradise.

Review:

[I got an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Text is liable to change in parts upon publishing.]

I’ll admit I’m not quite sure yet what to make of this book, so for once, I’m going to make up my mind as I write my review.

The story’s set in an alternate Renaissance setting, in which the Medici and Lorraine families compete within the Walled City for the monopoly on a spice able to keep the plague out. While in other parts of the country, plague-infected people are dying by dozens, those in the city worry more about the political schemes of the two families, carried by the inventions of Galileo and Leonardo. The one controls time through clever devices; the other controls weather and has developed a science of metamorphosis. Amidst the tensions, Lucia Lorraine, the Duke’s daughter, and Lorenzo, apprenticed to Galileo and ward of the Medici, just want to be free to let their young love blossom, all too conscious that it could never happen unless they eloped or found another way.

There are lots of hints to well-known plots and historical events and people here. Renaissance Italy, the great inventors, Shakespeare’s plays (Romeo and Juliet comes to mind, of course, and the Duchess definitely has something of Lady Macbeth to her)… Mostly they’re easy to catch, though missing them would mean missing on some finer aspects of the novel. It didn’t lack a touch of humour either, and I found myself smiling more than once, because it was just the right amount for me, without derailing the story. The part with the cook’s assistant and the pie later delivered made me laugh, for its sheer “what the hell” aspect. The inventions were brilliant, and I liked that this strange science, poised between our own and sorcery, had drawbacks, such as making people grow older, faster, or turning them to stone. No such power should ever be totally free to wield.

The novel’s more plot-driven than character-driven. It worked for me, due to the context, the many winks to history and plays, and the city setting (I much prefer fantasy within enclosed spaces, than “travel fantasy”); on the other hand, a reader won’t find deep psychological profiles here.

I found the writing style efficient, able to carry vivid descriptions—the Walled City felt like a character itself, and I had no problem when it came to imagining it. However, the book could do with a last round of proof reading. There were a few typos and missing words now and then, noticeable enough that I couldn’t help but make a mental note about those. (This being an ARC copy, those typos may be fixed once the official publishing date rolls in.)

While the first part of the story was really entertaining, I thought the second one was a little confusing, in that I was left with more than just a couple of questions about who was who and what exactly happened. If those answers were hidden somewhere, then I’m afraid I missed them. What about the Medici and the Lorraine at the end? Was a new order meant to happen, or not? Who exactly were the Nameless One and the Shadow Master? At some point, I had that theory that the Master was part of Lorenzo’s mind only, that he didn’t really exist and was a way for the young man to find his place in the world, but it seems I was wrong. I also wondered if the Nameless One’s wife wasn’t Cosimo’s mother, but no father was ever mentioned, so I guess I was wrong again. I’m not positive I fully “got it”. It may be intentional, in order to leave the readers come up with their own conclusions and interpretations, but in this case, it was a little too vague to my liking.

3 to 3.5 stars, because I liked it no matter what.

Yzabel / May 7, 2014

Review: Deadly Curiosities

Deadly Curiosities by Gail Z. Martin

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

Cassidy Kincaide owns Trifles & Folly, an antique/curio store and high-end pawn shop in Charleston, South Carolina that is more than what it seems. Dangerous magical and supernatural items sometimes find their way into mortal hands or onto the market, and Cassidy is part of a shadowy Alliance of mortals and mages whose job it is to take those deadly curiosities out of circulation.

Welcome to Trifles & Folly, an antique and curio shop with a dark secret. Proprietor Cassidy Kincaide continues a family tradition begun in 1670—acquiring and neutralizing dangerous supernatural items. It’s the perfect job for Cassidy, whose psychic gift lets her touch an object and know its history. Together with her business partner Sorren, a 500 year-old vampire and former jewel thief, Cassidy makes it her business to get infernal objects off the market. When mundane antiques suddenly become magically malicious, it’s time for Cassidy and Sorren to get rid of these Deadly Curiosities before the bodies start piling up.

Review:

[I got an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

Hard to tell whether I liked it, or found it simply “OK”, so let’s consider this a 2.5 stars.

There are a lot of good ideas in this novel. About the magical community (the Alliance isn’t so big, the Family is likely to become a pain in the neck at some point). About the various kinds of magic, that I haven’t seen used that often in urban fantasy yet (weaving magic and psychometry, that is). About items and how they can become beacon of positive or negative energies. It goes to show that even the most inconspicuous little things can be harbingers of danger. And a store full of antiques, acting as cover for the magic folk to gather those special items and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands? Quaint and delightful—much like the town of Charleston, for which I could get quite a good feeling through the many little stories. (One of the secondary characters works in the historical archives. I tell you, you always need to know someone who works in a museum or something. Always.)

Another thing I liked was that, for once, there was no romance here. I don’t dislike romance, but sometimes I find there’s too much of it in UF in general, and it can more easily detract from the darkness and magic. Here, I didn’t want to read about a love story: I wanted to read about the antique shop, the mysterious items, Cassidy’s power, and so on. And this is what I got. So I was glad.

Unfortunately, this novel just didn’t click with me. I’m not even sure why exactly. I liked the ideas, the characters seemed interesting, but I never connected with them. I don’t think we get to see Sorren before the 30% mark, if I remember well, which I found too bad. As for the demon hunter, it was kind of annoying that he was introduced so late into the story, then made to die; his death would’ve been more striking if I had got to know him better. Yes, I’m a masochist. I know.

Regularly enough, I also found myself a little bored. It may have been because of the writing style: usually good when it came to descriptions of places, or to the stories passed around regarding the town and its inhabitants, but somewhat clunky in other parts. Examples would include repeated uses of the same first name in three consecutive short sentences, or some dialogue lines basically stating the same thing twice in a row. At first, I didn’t really notice it, but after a while, it started weighing down the narrative. The pace was perhaps a little too slow as well, though I can’t tell if this was because of the aforementioned style, or if it was just sluggish.

I’d place this novel among the ones that aren’t uninteresting, and could blossom into a good series; however, so far, I’m not really convinced.

Yzabel / May 5, 2014

Review: The Mark of the Tala

The Twelve Kingdoms: The Mark of the Tala by Jeffe Kennedy

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Queen Of The Unknown

The tales tell of three sisters, daughters of the high king. The eldest, a valiant warrior-woman, heir to the kingdom. The youngest, the sweet beauty with her Prince Charming. No one says much about the middle princess, Andromeda. Andi, the other one.

Andi doesn’t mind being invisible. She enjoys the company of her horse more than court, and she has a way of blending into the shadows. Until the day she meets a strange man riding, who keeps company with wolves and ravens, who rules a land of shapeshifters and demons. A country she’d thought was no more than legend–until he claims her as its queen.

In a moment everything changes: Her father, the wise king, becomes a warlord, suspicious and strategic. Whispers call her dead mother a traitor and a witch. Andi doesn’t know if her own instincts can be trusted, as visions appear to her and her body begins to rebel.

For Andi, the time to learn her true nature has come. . .

Review:

[ARC received through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

I enjoyed some parts of this novel, while others left me cold, so in the end, I rounded it up to 3 stars: I didn’t like the first half much, but found the second one better. (I guess this is one of those books I might have given up on in the beginning if I hadn’t requested it (with the implicit promise of a review); fortunately, after a while, it finally worked for me.)

Andromeda didn’t strike me as remarkable, indeed, though not because of her place as the “invisible” second daughter, the one always wedged between her two sisters, and of whom nobody seemed to expect much. The reason why I had my qualms with her at first was that she remained mostly passive, let things happen, let her family decide to whisk her away to Windroven, and so on. Once she decided to take matters into her own hands, the dynamics shifted, and the story went onto a more interesting road. Andi made plans, thought more in terms of alliance and politics, and turned out to be more savvy than her wallflower-princess role had led me to believe. Good thing, good thing.

Annfwn was quite a fascinating place, too, and I enjoyed learning more about it, and about the mysterious Tala, with their shapeshifting abilities and their “dark” magic that may or may not be the worst thing in the world. Boundaries were continuously tested and shifted: the actual boundary between Annfwn and the Kingdoms, as well as the characters’ loyalties. Andi’s come to mind first and foremost, yet her sisters’ mettle will no doubt be tested, too. (I admit I would’ve liked to see more of this in the present novel; on the other hand, there would be a lot to show here, so I can understand that the focus here was on Andromeda—book 2’s focus will be on Amelia, from what I saw in the preview, and we might assume that book 3 will be from Ursula’s point of view?)

Throughout the story, I got to see sympathetic, antipathic, and grey-area characters. In the beginning, the court of Uorsin is shown as a place of nobility, with its “brought peace to all the kingdoms” gleam and its shiny guests (such as Hugh, overall a positive man, but not so blandly goody-two-shoes as his Prince Charming side leads people to think). Rayfe provides a rather striking contrast: dark, rough, a demanding, ruthless alpha-male who only cares about what he wants. However, the story soon points at different interpretations. The King’s suspicious attitude towards his own daughter after her meeting with Rayfe, his way of immediately considering her a potential traitor (while her only “crime” was to be assaulted during a ride), clearly show that he’s not so kind nor benevolent. There’s a lot of talk about loyalty in here—Ursula’s toward the crown, the continuous questioning of Andi’s, Amelia’s love and devotion to her family—but in the end, the most loyal ones aren’t always the ones who’re most vocal about it. Other characters are also ambiguous: Zevondeth with her mysterious demand, Dafne who may or may not hide deeper motives…

Mostly my problems with this story, and why I didn’t give it a higher rating:

1) In the first half, Andi comes off as your average YA-novel narrator, which I found a bit juvenile. This seemed to coincide with her passiveness, though, and I felt it less and less as the story went on. Kind of like having her “grow up” at some point and make conscious decisions, become a stronger person who’s been coerced once, but won’t be again, not if she can help it. (So this “problem” was soon solved.)

2) Rayfe: I usually don’t abide by dominating males who speak and act as if the woman doesn’t have a say in the matter, and Rayfe was exactly that. After all, he was ready to besiege a whole castle, take prisoners, and perhaps worse to get Andi. On the other hand, he could’ve done those things much sooner, and somehow he also appeared as wishing to wait for Andi to come to him of her own free will. But it was free will thwarted by threat. But she—not Rayfe—was the one who decided on a plan that was definitely cunning and not so kind. So, yes, I had anticipated Rayfe as a much, much worse character, and was pleasantly surprised when he actually showed himself as still somewhat decent. Ruthless, yet not a complete boor either.
(Also, I had to remind myself that in such a setting, noble people so often got married for politics and alliances rather than love. While it seems pressuring to me as a woman, of course, it still fits the theme of this story. Andi acknowledges that such a marriage would be for politics only, just like Ursula’s would have been.)

3) The romance itself: I’m definitely shared on that one. I still have no idea whether Andi loves Rayfe, or simply lusts after him. Sometimes she seemed to consider things under the “it’ll only be political, so let’s try to be friendly at least” angle, sometimes it felt like she couldn’t live without him. I really didn’t understand her in that regard, and she seems rather confused herself on the matter. As for the sex scenes, they didn’t work for me, mostly because of the vocabulary, though: the story being told from the point of view of a princess, in first person, we can’t really have vulgar words thrown in… but phrases such as “my nether tissues” just made me roll my eyes and wish the story jumped back to the magic and politics faster.

4) In my opinion, while it was great that Andromeda understood and mastered her powers, I found it came to her just a tad bit too quickly. A matter of pacing, maybe? Too much time spent on her hesitation in the beginning (and on the sex scenes as well—they were eye-candy for me, nothing more)? All in all, I suppose I was more interested in the politics here, and in how Andi would “earn” her place in the second half of the book… so it may just be me.

What is and isn’t a problem: I wanted to learn even more about Annfwn and its magic. For instance, a lot of it revolves around blood. Blood purity taken too far and producing weak offspring. Having enough Tala blood to get back into their home country, or remaining stranded outside. The whole deal with the blood phials: Salena’s one, of course, but also that innocuous little phial Zevondeth asks from Andromeda… and I’m sure that one will get to bite our princess in the back at some point! The fact that Tala royalty seems to be linked to queens rather than kings, in spite of Rayfe’s position. And let’s not forget the dichotomy between the rumours about Annfwn, and the country Andi discovers: are the rumours totally wrong, or are there darker secrets yet to be revealed? Lots, lots of fascinating aspects, that I hope will be developed in the next book, because I wanted more.

Conclusion: enjoyable story, not more than a “Like” due to the reasons mentioned above, but still interesting enough that I’ll consider picking Amelia’s story once it comes out.

Yzabel / May 4, 2014

Review: Arms of Anu

Arms of Anu by Christina Mercer

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

Blood of body, blood of soul,
Entwined for life, then unfolds;
If blood still runs when magic binds,
Soul is never too far to find.

In ARMS OF ANU, Lia and Kelven battle through a land of tyrants, war and magic.

Can Lia escape the foes who ensnare her?
Will Kelven’s love withstand the darkness taking root inside Lia?
Is freedom too high a crown to reach, or will they forever remain in the hollows?

Review:

[I received a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

I read Arrow of the Mist in 2013, and I was interested in knowing how Lia’s story went on. Like its predecessor, Arms of Anu is a fast read that makes you want to get to the next chapter to see what happens, and how the characters will solve the problems at hand. In this one, Lia also remains a strong person, true to her beliefs, as well as willing to act and use her powers to protect her people and country; however, she also has to contend with another threat, one she hadn’t sensed coming, and this time, the battle is as much with herself as with external forces.

The writing was flowing and consistent—not too complex, since fit for a younger audience, but still able to carry good descriptions. I only found a couple of misprints, nothing more, and no sentence struck me as particularly odd. As with the first book, I had no problems picturing my surroundings in this story; it had just the right amount of descriptive language to make me feel immersed, without drowning me under too much.

I enjoyed the first part of the novel more than the second one, though, probably because the later chapters involve travelling, and I tend to be more at ease with fantasy that happens in more constricted settings, such as cities. (I have to mention this; another reader may not have the same qualms in that regard.) I absolutely loved the part in Anu, where Lia and Wynn had to face the king’s wrath, and find a way to escape a certain death. Lia’s magic was involved in useful ways, she managed to find an unexpected ally, and I was glad that she wasn’t cast in the Damsel In Distress role.

The second half, on the other hand, left me wanting for more (partly because Kelven was rather too passive in it in my opinion). While interesting—it deals more deeply with Lia’s predicament regarding Brume—it seemed both too slow (travelling) and too rushed, especially when the ending came in sight. There was potential for a lot more in this story, for a more complex type of narrative, but once the threads came together at the end, I still wanted more. This is mainly about the plot with the Hawks and what happens in Anu while Lia and Kelven are away. We see those two a lot, whereas the rest of the cast is totally forgotten for a while… yet is definitely doing something, since the Hawks have seized power, and are now wielding it in less than wise ways. This plot and those characters deserved more spotlight. As a result, I thought Wynn, Holly, and a certain ally were left on the side. Subsequently, Wynn’s and Murdina’s relationship came just out of nowhere. It would have been so interesting to see it develop, and to see how they fared in the castle while the Hawks seized power. Why did they abided by Lia’s wish to treat Murdina so kindle, when they were so ruthless otherwise, and could have spared her without giving her much comfort? So Wynn was thre, sure, but if he was captured a first time, what ensured he couldn’t be taken by surprise again, in spite of his weapons? There could’ve been such a strong parallel plot here, but to me, it appeared as brushed over at the end, as a kind of afterthought to explain what happened in the meanwhile. I regretted not getting to know those characters more, and I would’ve wished for more development when it came to the Hawks’ motivations. (And I doubt that a MG/YA audience would be too young to follow such a plot, anyway.)

I’d give this book a higher rating, if not for the characters and subplots that were put on a bus at some point, because overall, the story and atmosphere were definitely enjoyable.

Yzabel / May 3, 2014

Review: Prep School Confidential

Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.

Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne could care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.

Review:

A fast and fun read, and also one that kept me on the edge of my seat—the mystery part was well-done in my opinion, enough that I had my suspicions about a potential culprit, but without seeing it coming too easily.

I have a soft spot for boarding schools. I don’t know why. Perhaps because I’ve always wondered in hindsight if I wouldn’t have felt better in such a school as a teen? (Not necessarily a posh prep school. Just a school where I could be away from my family and experience things in a different way. As a university student, anyway, I was the kind of person who loved eating breakfast with others, spending time in each other’s rooms, and various dorm activities.) So, boarding schools often tend to grab my interest for their closed community aspect, and for the closed setting they provide, too. You can’t just walk away and ignore whatever problem happens there: you have to face it, whether the problem is gossip or a murder.

I didn’t really like Anne in the very first chapters. She came off as a snotty brat, the kind of girl who knew she’d get away with everything just by batting her eyelashes, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers, and by basically “being her”. Then she grew on me (and not like mildew). All in all, she was likeable. She had that ability to make people gravitate around her, but not in a condescending, Mean Girl way, which I something I can appreciate. No slut-shaming here, no attempts to make others look bad; when she refused to take crap, she did it in a direct, not a passive-aggressive way (often involving snark and sarcasm, but not underhanded). She wasn’t perfect, and just like so many people, she tended to judge others on first impressions—yet she also did it on actions, and was able to revise her judgment when it appeared she was wrong. The potential for snotty, woe-is-me attitude went away quickly enough to my liking. Although Anne didn’t want to stay at Wheatley, she acknowledged she hadn’t much choice in the matter, so might as well do with it in the meantime.

Other characters were handled in believable ways. I wondered sometimes why the arson story wasn’t thrown in her face more often, because it definitely could’ve been, especially by the characters who didn’t like Anne; on the other hand, I also didn’t find it too surprising that, considering her way of handling things, such a “rumour” wouldn’t have looked like what would hurt her the most, and made her appear like the mysterious, dangerous, yet oddly attractive kid. The main Mean Girl character wasn’t as cliché as I thought at first; even though I couldn’t bring myself to like her, at least she had circumstances of her own. As for other high school clichés, they were nicely toyed with, and I didn’t feel them as heavy as they did in other similar works I read in the past.

The romance part didn’t really work for me. Fortunately, it never detracted from the story, never took precedence over the actual plot (investigation/murder), and I was very grateful for that. Only I just didn’t care much for it.

I also questioned some choices on Anne’s part at times. Mostly she came off as sensible, knowing she could end up in dangerous situations and preparing herself in case of. However, there were a few moments when I wondered if she wasn’t too trusting of some people, in a setting where “trust no one” should’ve been a definite rule. I found this a little jarring, especially considering how she used people in general. (I don’t mind the “use others” attitude in a place where everyone could potentially be a murderer, or at least someone with dirty secrets and a tendency to use their parents’ money to become a problem to you; that was sort of logical. But if you do that, don’t tell all your plans to some of those people either. Even though Anne investigating completely on her own wouldn’t have been too interesting, I suppose.)

This set aside, I really liked this story, and will likely pick the next book… because we’re clearly not done yet with the many skeletons in Wheatley’s many closets.