Backlist Two Minute Review: Paladins of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Title: Paladins of Shannara

Author: Terry Brooks
Genre: fantasy

Series: The Original Shannara Trilogy #0.5; Allanon's Quest #1, Shannara #9.5

Pages: 40 (Nook ARC edition)

Published: July 2012

Source: publishers via NetGalley

Rating: 3/5

The legendary hero Allanon takes center stage in the first of three gripping new stand-alone eBook short stories set in the world of the fantasy fiction phenomenon that is Shannara—by beloved New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks.

The history is thus: The once-Druid Brona, seduced by his pursuit of dark magic, was forever transformed into the Warlock Lord—whose evil would be the downfall of the Four Lands and the death of the Races. Against him, the Elven King Jerle Shannara wielded the fabled sword that bore his surname and triumphed. Or so it was believed. But though the Dark Lord was driven out . . . he was not destroyed.

The Druid Allanon knows only too well the prophecy passed down to him by his late master: that eventually the Warlock Lord will return. Now, after hundreds of years, that day seems imminent. And the time is at hand for the Sword of Shannara to once more be brought forth from its sanctuary to serve its ancient purpose. All that remains is for a blood descendent of the Elven house of Shannara to carry the blade into battle.

With ever more portents of doom on the horizon, Allanon must seek out the last remaining Shannara heir, who alone will bear the burden of defending the Four Lands’ destiny. But with agents of darkness closing in from behind, unexpected enemies lying in wait ahead, and treachery encroaching on every side, there can be no certainty of success. Nor any assurance that this desperate quest will not be the Druid’s last.

(Wow. That blurb is almost as long as the short story itself!)

I admit it. I'm a Shannara fan, for all its blatant borrowing from The Lord of the Rings, for all its cliched and predictable plotlines, I can usually find a lot to enjoy in Terry Brook's fertile imagination. I've read more than my far share of the Shannara series in all its spin-offs and sideways travels, and though it's far from great literature, or even great fantasy, this short ebook reminds me of why I had such fondness for this author, and this widepsread world he has so lovingly created. 

Though obviously this falls far short from my all-time Shannara favorites (those would be The Elfstones of Shannara (I was actually scared by one of the 'demon' antagonists in this - the Changeling - so much so I had to stop reading it at night haha), the Wishsong of Shannara (Garet Jax is and forever will be one of the most badass fantasy characters) and the Elf-Queen of Shannara (Garth!), this forty-page journey with series staple Allanon is short, simple, and easy to digest. More of a bite-size snack rather than a full meal, but still Paladins of Shannara manages to bring back the full Shannara nostalgia. Fans of the series and books before will eat it up -- and appreciate the sneak peek into the next in this farspread, always expanding series, Wards of Faerie -- but, it's not the best place to start reading for any reader not familiar with the well-worn tales that Brooks has published. It's heavy on the history and mythology we all know so well from The Sword of Shannara on, with a lot of explanation and exposition to remind readers of what has come before, but is later in the chronology. 

Though a bit thin on plot and filled with repetition, this is a diverting and engaging read for fans of Terry Brooks and his beloved, familiar characters. Anyone ever curious about how Gandalf Allanon was sent on the path to find Shea Ohmsford and stop the Warlock Lord for good will find just that in this quickly read and enjoyed novella. And now I want to go reread all my old favorites and prep myself for the release of the next book in this long-running series. While the novels can be a bit formulaic in their plots, it's the characters (Morgan Leah, Quentin Leah, Wren, Garet Jax, Garth, Eventine Elessedil) that I remember most and keep me coming back for more. 

Review: Queen of Hearts: The Crown by Colleen Oakes

Title: Queen of Hearts/The Crown
Author: Colleen Oakes
Genre: retelling, fantasy, young adult
Series: Queen of Hearts #1
Pages: 222 (ARC edition)
Published: February 14 2014
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 4/5

Not every fairytale has a happy ending.
This is the story of a princess who became a villain.
 
A father’s betrayal. A Kingdom with a black secret. A Princess slowly unraveling.

As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.

When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.

Part epic fantasy, part twisted fairy tale, this dazzling saga will have readers shivering as Dinahs furious nature sweeps Wonderland up in the maelstrom of her wrath.

Familiar characters such as Cheshire, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter make their appearance, enchanting readers with this new, dark take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

"She'll wear the crown to keep her head."

Everyone loves a good retelling of an old favorite. Everyone loves "reboots" or re-imaginings that breathe new life into stories we have known and loved for years. Queen of Hearts is a clever, inventive retelling of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that is ACTUALLY a much more a creative take on an origin story for Lewis Carroll's Queen of Hearts character. What the author has done here is like what Wicked did for The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz; the original perspective is flipped and the former antagonist of someone else's story is now the protagonist of her own story. It makes for an updated, different edition of a favorite story that is, at once, both familiar and brand new.

Oakes's version of Wonderland feels familiar while still obviously being the author's own interpretation on the classic. There's the nods to the source material: an ambiguous adviser to the King named Cheshire (who has "a feline smile"), there are soldiers/guards/cops called the various Card suites (the Heart Guards, etc.), etc. but Oakes has fashioned them all into a believable medieval-ish fantasy story with little to no magic. There's obviously a lot of information to be passed to the audience, but the infodumping is reigned in for the most part. The only issues I had with the writing were the infrequent-but-always-short-lived infodump, the occasional tendency to tell rather than show, and an overuse of CAPS in both inner monologue and dialogue.

What shines here are the creative refashionings of the old story on a new frame and the characters Oakes re-imagines (or invents) in her own way. This especially applies to the main character and eldest but most unwanted daughter of the King: Dinah. Dinah is another one of those prickly narrator-types. She reminded me most of Nyx from Cruel Beauty. If you don't like her, this story will probably be much less of a hit for you that it was for me. Much of her life she has been abused, neglected, or ridiculed by her own father. The book has its lighter moments, but it's obviously not all sunshine and All Tea's Day for Wonderland's princess. She's a bitter and angry young woman, but she isn't quite as hardbitten as Nyx.  You can see the kernels of what she will become and how far she will go in her at this young age, but Dinah is sympathetic frequently and likeable often.

Even with third person, you get to know Dinah very well through the short course of the story. She's fiercely protective of those she loves (even if they don't seem to love her back coughWardleycough), and she's smart. I liked that she was proactive, even if foolhardy in doing so. She doesn't want to be saved -- she's half antihero/half actiontastic girl with an insane plan to save other people and herself. She's interesting, and complex and watching her evolve from a teenage girl into the famous villain is going to be quite the trip with this author. And while I love a lot to say about Dinah, others such as her father and love interest and her "odd" brother (aka the Mad Prince aka The Mad Hatter) don't have the same luxury. They weren't as fleshed out as they could have been (Vittiore, anyone? What's her game?), but they all hold potential to become much more in the future. The bones are there -- Okaes just has to follow through.

There's not a lot of plot to be found in this series opener, but there's also not a lot of book to Queen of Hearts. It's impressive that Oakes does so much, lays so much foundation with so little time, but the clear missed chance to expand on the world and characters is felt by the end. Two of the books main issues are that lack of a clear plot and the abrupt way the novel ends. There's really no resolution to anything going on - the book cuts off after a very fast-paced and frenetic action scene (Wardley?! Mysterious benefactor!?) and.....credits. It's a painful end to a book that zooms along with hardly a misstep before. I wanted more from the ending. Not an unsatisfying cliffhanger. The wait for book two -- as of yet unset, and it unnamed! -- is horrible to contemplate. This is a book that leaves you wanting more! More sequels! More chapters! More anything, really. 

Basically, this book is what I wanted and didn't get from Splintered last year. Just detailed enough to be believable, clever enough to be its own creation while still recognizable as a retelling, Queen of Hearts is a promising and impressive book for Colleen Oakes. It's dark and twisty and hugely, engagingly entertaining. It's fun. It's Wicked meets Cruel Beauty with some of the better aspects of Splintered sprinkled in. If you liked Sarah Cross's Kill Me Softly and how that author redid fairy tales, this is likely the next book you'll want to buy.

I had a great time reading Queen of Hearts (though I hate that I can't tell if the book is Queen of Hearts or the series is Queen of Hear and the book is The Crown? Amazon has it has Queen of Hearts (The Crown). EVERYTHING IS SO UNCLEAR.) and I am on high alert for the next installment. Technically this was a 3.5 for me, but I had so much fun I rounded up to a 4/5.

Check this one out. It's only $3.99 for a kindle copy. You really have no excuse. Forgo Starbucks for one day and try this gem out.

Review: Inked by Eric Smith

Title: Inked
Author: Eric Smith
Genre: fantasy, young adult
Series: N/A
Pages: 208
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 3.5/5

Tattoos once were an act of rebellion.

Now they decide your destiny the moment the magical Ink settles under your skin.

And in a world where Ink controls your fate, Caenum can't escape soon enough. He is ready to run from his family, and his best friend Dreya, and the home he has known, just to have a chance at a choice.

But when he upsets the very Scribe scheduled to give him his Ink on his eighteenth birthday, he unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that sends the corrupt, magic-fearing government, The Citadel, after him and those he loves.

Now Caenum, Dreya, and their reluctant companion Kenzi must find their way to the Sanctuary, a secret town where those with the gift of magic are safe. Along the way, they learn the truth behind Ink, its dark origins, and why they are the only ones who can stop the Citadel.

Eric Smith takes you on a high-octane fantasy adventure, perfect for anyone who has dreamed of being different… only to discover that fate is more than skin deep.

Inked is a fun, creative foray into fantasy for author Eric Smith, known for such awesome nerdery as The Geek's Guide to Dating. It's a pretty short novel (especially for the oft-longwinded fantasy genre) but it's one that's packed with action and creativity. Eric Smith has laid down the bare bones for the worldbuilding and culture, as well as created some memorable and intriguing characters... and he did it all in under 215 pages. I do wish the story had been extended but thoroughly enjoyed what Smith had to offer in Inked.

The magic system is admittedly cool and the high point of the fantasy aspects for Inked. Where there's not much  info to be found worldbuilding-wise, Eric Smith knocks it out of the park with his magic/Ink. It's both creative and functional; it makes sense but is still original and wholly unique to Smith's created world. The author also slowly doles out info about how it all works - Conduits/Inked/etc - a slow reveal that really worked for the plot.

I liked this but, on the whole, it all felt... rather simple. Some of that is just down to how short the novel is. A lot of things happen and they happen fast. There's not a lot of time for characterization, either. It's an action-packed read, but meaning can be lost in sheer amount of deadly deeds and feats of derring-do that Caenum and Drey and Kenzi go through during Inked. Despite all that action, there's also plot issues. The ending, especially, suffered because of this and felt realllllly abrupt. 

This is a good, creative, and most of all, fun fantasy read. I am not sure it's a good fit for seasoned veterans of the genre but it's something I would definitely recommend to a reader looking to try out fantasy (or reading for pleasure). Eric Smith has created an original, creative piece of fantasy and I look forward to what he writes next, be it in this world or in a new one.

Book Tour Review: Battle Hymns by Cara Langston

Title: Battle Hymns
Author: Cara Langston
Genre: historical fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 272
Published: June 3 2014
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for review
Rating: 3.75/5

In December 1941, Charlotte Donahue is engaged to Nick Adler, a handsome, pre-law student at Georgetown University. Despite her studies at a liberal arts college, she expects nothing more than to marry her fiancé and settle into a conventional life as a young American homemaker. But her future is unexpectedly disrupted after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. While Nick trains for the battlefront with the U.S. Army, Charlotte does her part by volunteering as a nurses’ aide with the American Red Cross.

Assigned to a convalescent ward at Walter Reed’s Army Medical Center, Charlotte discovers her passion lies, not in the home, but in tending to the wounds of injured soldiers, all of whom remind her of Nick. Here she is drawn to a mysterious soldier, Lieutenant William Kendrick, whose jet was shot down in the skies over Germany. As Will’s physical and psychological wounds begin to heal, he and Charlotte develop a friendship that will bind them together in ways they never imagined.

Battle Hymns is a poignant story of love, survival, and redemption set against the backdrop of the Second World War.

Cara Langston's Battle Hymns is a rather short novel but it is one that packs a punch. The romance angle is central to the plot and characters, but Langston's novel is engaging, understated, and a quick read for historical fiction fans. The cast of characters boasts a few particular gems, and while some plotlines were more dynamic than others, I found this WWII-era story to be an altogether enjoyable read.

Focusing on love and the fallout from war, a lot of the stories in Battle Hymns run the gamut of emotions. Certain characters and storylines will resonate more (as they did with me), but Langston does a good job of creating three-dimensional people to populate the story. Charlotte is clearly the standout of everyone, and reading her life makes for a fascinating and believable trip back in time. She's clever and generous, smart and independent. She makes it easy to invest in her as a character, due to sheer charisma.

The time period of WWII is always a lure for historical fiction, and Langston uses the popular setting well. The war influences the daily lives of everyone involved, and Langston doesn't glorify the conflict. PTSD, depression --- all are seen as repercussions for the people involved. The story can veer into slightly predictable territory, but Cara Langston's Battle Hymns is detailed, researched, and heartfelt.

Book Tour Review: Murder by Misrule by Anna Castle

Title: Murder by Misrule
Author: Anna Castle
Genre: mystery, historical fiction
Series: Francis Bacon Mystery #1
Pages: 350
Published: June 8 2014
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for review
Rating: 3/5

Francis Bacon is charged with investigating the murder of a fellow barrister at Gray's Inn. He recruits his unwanted protégé Thomas Clarady to do the tiresome legwork. The son of a privateer, Clarady will do anything to climb the Elizabethan social ladder. Bacon's powerful uncle Lord Burghley suspects Catholic conspirators of the crime, but other motives quickly emerge. Rival barristers contend for the murdered man's legal honors and wealthy clients. Highly-placed courtiers are implicated as the investigation reaches from Whitehall to the London streets. Bacon does the thinking; Clarady does the fencing. Everyone has something up his pinked and padded sleeve. Even the brilliant Francis Bacon is at a loss — and in danger — until he sees through the disguises of the season of Misrule.

An inventive new historical mystery, Anna Castle's foray into the scheme-filled world of power and politics with her first Francis Bacon mystery is sure to please fans of both genres. Murder by Misrule is by turns engaging, amusing, thrilling, and exciting. It's a well-plotted mystery that boasts a cast that is just as well defined; one that is easy to get involved in but hard to solve. The book comes in at just about 350 pages and it took nearly all of them for me to figure out the villain at the heart of it all.

Using the viewpoints of both real (Francis Bacon) and imagined people (Tom Clarady, etc.), Castle shares the narration of the story out amongst her cast. The story can feel a bit diluted with all the different perspectives, but each narrator does bring something new to the story. Clara, for example. seemed at first a random addition but her importance to the story is uncovered in due time. The third person POV feels pretty removed from the story despite whoever is telling it and it becomes easy to distinguish Tom from Francis or Caspar easily.

I did struggle a bit with the writing at times. Castle has an even hand for characterization, setting, and plot but the dialogue used can be dry and a tad... obvious. It's a minor issue in the midst of everything one well, but the stiff manner in which the characters think and interact was a bit off-putting for me.I also have to mention the awesome twist Castle unveils three-quarters into the novel --- it was wholly a surprise, but Castle both hints at it and sells it once the cards are on the table.

The first in a series, Anna Castle's debut is a tautly plotted, creatively managed mystery. The historical element works well for both her writing and her characters. The research put into the story is obvious and is reflected in so much of the narrative. If you're looking for something along the lines of C.W. Gortner's Spymaster Chronicles series, then you'll likely find Murder by Misrule to be a good fit for your reading tastes.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, June 2
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Book Blast at Mari Reads

Tuesday, June 3
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Guest Post at Historical Fiction Connection

Wednesday, June 4
Book Blast at The Musings of ALMYBNENR

Thursday, June 5
Book Blast at Our Wolves Den

Friday, June 6
Review at Book Nerd
Book Blast at The Mad Reviewer
Book Blast at A Dream Within a Dream

Saturday, June 7
Book Blast at Kelsey’s Book Corner

Sunday, June 8
Review at Carole’s Ramblings

Monday, June 9
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Tuesday, June 10
Book Blast at West Metro Mommy

Wednesday, June 11
Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book
Book Blast at Literary Chanteuse

Thursday, June 12
Review at Curling Up By the Fire

Friday, June 13
Book Blast at Cheryl’s Book Nook

Monday, June 16
Book Blast at Closed the Cover
Book Blast at To Read or Not to Read

Tuesday, June 17
Review & Giveaway at 100 Pages a Day
Book Blast at A Book Geek

Wednesday, June 18
Book Blast at CelticLady’s Reviews

Thursday, June 19
Review at Bibliotica
Book Blast at Historical Fiction Obsession

Friday, June 20
Review at A Bibliotaph’s Reviews
Interview at All Things Girl

Saturday, June 21
Book Blast at Griperang’s Bookmarks

Monday, June 23
Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story
Book Blast at So Many Books, So Little Time

Tuesday, June 24
Review at Jorie Loves a Story

Wednesday, June 25
Book Blast at Susan Heim on Writing

Thursday, June 26
Review at A Bookish Girl
Review at Layered Pages
Review at Kinx’s Book Nook

Friday, June 27
Book Blast at Caroline Wilson Writes

Monday, June 30
Book Blast at Historical Tapestry

Tuesday, July 1
Interview at Starting Fresh

Wednesday, July 2
Book Blast at Kincavel Korner

Thursday, July 3
Review & Giveaway at The True Book Addict
Guest Post & Giveaway at Bibliophilia, Please

Friday, July 4
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Book Tour Review: The Debt of Tamar by Nicole Dweck

Title: The Debt of Tamar
Author: Nicole Dweck
Genre: historical fiction, general fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 332
Published: July 2013
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Rating: 3/5

During the second half of the 16th century, a wealthy widow by the name of Doña Antonia Nissim is arrested and charged with being a secret Jew. The punishment? Death by burning. Enter Suleiman the Magnificent, an Ottoman "Schindler," and the most celebrated sultan in all of Turkish history. With the help of the Sultan, the widow and her children manage their escape to Istanbul. Life is seemingly idyllic for the family in their new home, that is, until the Sultan's son meets and falls in love with Tamar, Doña Antonia's beautiful and free-spirited granddaughter. A quiet love affair ensues until one day, the girl vanishes.

Over four centuries later, thirty-two year old Selim Osman, a playboy prince with a thriving real estate empire, is suddenly diagnosed with a life-theatening condition. Abandoning the mother of his unborn child, he vanishes from Istanbul without an explanation. In a Manhattan hospital, he meets Hannah, a talented artist and the daughter of a French Holocaust survivor. As their story intertwines with that of their ancestors, readers are taken back to Nazi-occupied Paris, and to a seaside village in the Holy Land where a world of secrets is illuminated.

Theirs is a love that has been dormant for centuries, spanning continents, generations, oceans, and religions. Bound by a debt that has lingered through time, they must right the wrongs of the past if they're ever to break the shackles of their future.

This is another book that I really wanted to love, but ultimately ended up as just not a perfect fit for my personal reading tastes. I liked a lot about Nicole Dweck's centuries-sprawling romance, but I was rather blase when I hoped to be emotionally involved.

The basic elements that I enjoy from my favorite historical fiction are all there (conflicting cultures, religious upheaval, secret pasts!), but for me, the story lost much of its appeal when it moved to the more modern storylines with Selim/Ayda/Hannah as opposed to the more interesting Reyna/Tamar/Murat's lives in the 16th century. I can see why others love the story Dweck has created here, but it just didn't resonate with me the way I had hoped.

In her debut, Dweck's style is similar to that of Kate Morton or Susanna Kearsely --  interlinking stories across subsequent generations and various continents in one overarching plot. Dweck's consists of that same basic narrative structure, but she isn't afraid to toss in flashbacks to various other points in the lives of her characters when wanted. The lives she portrays are varied and different, but ultimately too short of a glimpse to form really lasting impressions of any of the characters.

The pacing was one of the main issues for me in The Debt of Tamar; the story is quite short with a lot of time to cover so gaps of five/ten years in the life of a character appear often and leave the reader disjointed. And then, once I would finally start to invest in a certain character, the story would jump ahead hundreds of years to his/her descendant. That disrupted feel had an impact on my reading. It made for an uneven pace and minimal characterization across the board.

The novel is highly readable, despite my misgivings. The added benefits of place-as-character and atmosphere also made The Debt of Tamar's story feel rich and real. It was beyond refreshing to read a historical novel predominately set in a non-English/French world, especially one with Turkish and Jewish main characters. The strengths of the novel lie in these areas, but even with a tendency to show rather than tell, Dweck can turn a phrase. This author has a talent for prose that occasionally shines through, and with nurturing, has promise to become truly impressive.

Review: Her Ladyship's Curse by Lynn Viehl

Title: Her Ladyship's Curse
Author: Lynn Viehl
Genre: alternative history, steampunk, supernatural, mystery
Series: Disenchanted & Co. #1
Pages: 220 (ARC edition)
Published: expected August 12 2013
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 2/5

In a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolutionary War, Charmian (Kit) Kittredge makes her living investigating magic crimes and exposing the frauds behind them. While Kit tries to avoid the nobs of high society, as the proprietor of Disenchanted & Co. she follows mysteries wherever they lead.

Lady Diana Walsh calls on Kit to investigate and dispel the curse she believes responsible for carving hateful words into her own flesh as she sleeps. While Kit doesn’t believe in magic herself, she can’t refuse to help a woman subjected nightly to such vicious assaults. As Kit investigates the Walsh family, she becomes convinced that the attacks on Diana are part of a larger, more ominous plot—one that may involve the lady’s obnoxious husband.

Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of nefarious deathmage Lucien Dredmore and the unwelcome scrutiny of police Chief Inspector Thomas Doyle. Unwilling to surrender to either man’s passion for her, Kit struggles to remain independent as she draws closer to the heart of the mystery. Yet as she learns the truth behind her ladyship’s curse, Kit also uncovers a massive conspiracy that promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a supernatural battleground from which no one will escape alive.

This was coasting along; a decent, if shallow, alternative history steampunk.... until that non-ending reared its head to frustrate me. Her Ladyship's Curse has an intriguing enough premise - a supernatural steampunk story set in "Toriana" (Provincial Union of Victoriana), a version of the United States where the Revolutionary War failed - but execution was shallow if serviceable. For the most part... but I will get to that in just a minute.

I wanted more from the worldbuilding early on. The idea at the heart of the novel  is a good one - far too few steampunk novels turn their focus outside of Great Britain - but the author failed to provide enough detail to flesh out her alternative history. The book is decent if far from stellar at several things: plot, pacing, writing, and creativity. However, the author's clear lack of detail works against Her Ladyship's Curse. The mystery element is pretty weak, but since Kit is a dry, amusing protagonist I was content to ride along with her and see where it all ended up.

And then, after two hundred pages of nondescript writing and very little characterization -which I was more than willing to look past because the novel was engaging enough - we get to that "ending." And I am being generous with that description. The last chapter is utterly frustrating. The cliffhanger resolves NOTHING. There is NO resolution to the main plot, just a clear ploy to buy book two. UGH. It was a cheap way to end a novel - regardless of how short the book may be. There are no answers, just an interlude THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLOT that just.. terminates. It's over, and it's far from a good stopping point.

I can't say I will pick up His Lordship Possessed because of how terribly Her Ladyship's Curse ended. There are plenty of supernatural steampunk mysteries already published to keep me busy, and at least they are concerned with satisfactorily wrapping up plots before attempting to solicit more money from their readers. What had been a shaky 3-star read quickly downgraded into a 2/5 and just convinced me to never pick up this series again.

This is a cheap buy for $2.99 for ebooks, but how much enjoyment others will derive from it...  I cannot predict.

Two Minute Review: The Assassin and the Empire by Sarah J. Maas

Title: The Assassin and the Empire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #0.4
Genre: fantasy, young adult
Pages: 102
Published: July 2012
Source: purchased
Rating: 4/5

Celaena Sardothien is the assassin with everything: a place to call her own, the love of handsome Sam, and, best of all, freedom. Yet, she won’t be truly free until she is far away from her old master, Arobynn Hamel; Celaena must take one last daring assignment that will liberate her forever. But having it all, means you have a lot to lose . . . 

   

I have a hard time rating novellas - of any length - more than three stars. As fun, interesting or detailed they might be, I always find them to lack real depth, emotion or plot.

That said, The Assassin and the Empire, the last of the the four prequel novellas, deserves those full four stars. (Which is, amusingly, more than I gave Throne of Glass.)

I had read and moderately enjoyed the first full length Celaena Sardothien novel last year. I didn't love it - I wanted more assassinating, less love triangle; more strength and less indecision - but I was curious enough to keep my eye out for the sequel. When Gilly B said the prequels add to the experience of reading Crown of Midnight, I bought all four.

And I am glad I listened. These short stories, full of murder and betrayal, and exposition have helped me to like Celaena a lot more than I did at the close of Throne of Glass. I maybe even understand her better. I don't begrudge her her liking for fine things, or her arrogance, because now I can see there is more to the character than that. I can see where she has come from, what she has gone through, and what she has learned in order to become the person she is during the full-length novels.

The mystery angle is a bit obvious and predictable, and needs work. It's a consistent problem for Maas to write with subtlety, and it shows in all four novellas and especially in Throne of Glass. That said, these prequels, the last especially, show a marked improvement in Maas's writing ability, both in terms of plot and character. Celaena especially comes across more vibrantly, and the chance to see Sam as real character, rather than a memory, provided real depth and emotion to Celaena's grief for him.

I sped through all four ebooks in one day, and it was a great way to get pumped up and excited for Crown of Midnight.

There had just be copious amounts of Chaol. That's all I saying.

Team Chaol!

(Also, all four ebooks are under $2. A worthy investment for fans of the series.)

Review: The Monsters in Your Neighborhood by Jesse Petersen

Title: The Monsters in Your Neighborhood
Author: Jesse Petersen
Genre: supernatural fiction
Series: Monstrosity #2
Pages: 224
Published: expected July 29 2013
Source: publishers via edelweiss
Rating: 3.5/5

As one of Frankenstein’s Creatures, Natalie Gray knows that unique parts sometimes make up a great whole. Still, leading a diverse support group for monsters—now including Cthulhu!—isn’t an easy task. Especially not since the internet arrived.

New York City embraces the different and the bizarre. Still, even for such a fun-loving city, the supernatural and monstrous might be a bit too much. It’s been six months since the members of “Club Monstrosity” overcame the most recent spate of anti-monster violence and they’ve reestablished their routine of meeting in a church basement once a week to (ugh!) talk about their feelings. Still, they also know a war against them is brewing.

Natalie and Alec (the werewolf) have begun dating, and the mummies Kai and Rehu are tighter than a bug in a…well, bandage. But when modern means (YouTube, Twitter, bits and bytes) are used to chilp away at the solidarity of these ancient monsters, it’s up to Natalie to save the day. #MonstersInNewYork may be trending on Twitter, but this girl’s trending toward saving the day…somehow.

Jesse Petersen's Monstrosity series is turning out to be a collection of very quick, very amusing, very clever supernatural books. With The Monsters in Your Neighborhood, the sequel to Club Monstrosity, Petersen is two for two in these stories featuring classic monsters in the modern-day setting of New York. With the same humor and wit that marked the first novel. this is a return to form. A done-in-one-sitting read, Natalie and her misfit crew (with some new additions!) are sent to solve a new mystery, while simultaneously protecting themselves from the new threats that face them.

Still in third person, the POVs of Natalie and Alec are used to narrate the story. Six months after their escapade and near-reveals to the world during the events of the first book, a new monster (a "Cthulhu" named Pat) has joined the ranks, as well as Rehu, Kai's on-again-off-again mummy boyfriend playing a more prominent part. Wrestling with a twitter and video threat, as well as with the ongoing search for Hyde, the group finds itself strained and tested in new ways. Old alliances are broken, relationships are tested, and secrets are revealed - all with a bit of humor and a dash of cleverness, mixed in with the unexpected. Petersen takes some interesting risks with her story, but it all pans out quite well by the end.

One of the things I enjoy about these novels can also work against it in a way. These books are quite short, and while that makes for a quick, entertaining read, it can make both the plot and the final denouement a bit hampered. These are mysteries meant to be wrapped up in under 250 pages, so some of the suspense and drama can be lost in the rush to get to end. It all comes together a bit easily, and the final reveal of the antagonists doesn't quite pack the punch the author intended.

That said, The Monsters in Your Neighborhood is still a fun and clever mystery. Alec really steps up as a character, Natalie undergoes some unique struggles and emerges a stronger character, all the betterment of the series. The books ends with some loose ends and obvious chances for sequels, so I hope to see more from Natalie, Pat, Linda, Alec, Kai, Rehu, and yes, even Hyde, in the near future.

Two Minute Review: Club Monstrosity by Jesse Petersen

Title: Club Monstrosity
Author: Jesse Petersen
Genre: supernatural fiction
Series: Monstrosity #1
Pages: 224
Published: April 2013
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 3.75/5

Natalie’s one of Frankenstein’s creations and works in a New York City morgue. So of course she needs therapy. She and her friends—er, fellow monsters—have formed the world’s most exclusive, most dysfunctional support group. What could go wrong?

Undetected in the modern world and under pressure to stay that way, Natalie Grey, Dracula, Bob the Blob, and others (including the fetching wolfman Alec) meet regularly to talk about the pressures of being infamous in the Big Apple. Topics include how long it’s been since their last sighting, how their “story” creates stereotypes they can’t fulfill, and—gasp—sometimes even their feelings. But when their pervy Invisible Man, Ellis, is killed in a manner reminiscent of the H.G. Wells novel, it’s clear someone’s discovered their existence and is down for some monster busting.

Led by Natalie—and definitely not helped by Hyde’s bloodthirsty tendencies—the members of Monstofelldosis Anonymous band together for security and a little sleuthing. And maybe—maybe—if they don’t end up dead, they’ll end up friends somewhere along the way.

Club Monstrosity is fun. It's a fluffy, funny, and entertaining little mystery. This was a quick read, but I had a few genuine laugh out loud moments and the inclusion of classic monsters with modern New York is fresh and creative. It's a breath of fresh air - for though these monsters have had resurgences of popularity in modern books, few authors show them in their original light. Vampires, werewolves, Swamp Things, Creatures (aka Frankenstein Monsters) all pop up in the supernatural support group that binds them all together. As more and more of the members start being murdered, in the manner of their Stories, it's up to Natalie Grey to figure out the murderer and keep her identity secret.

Told in third person, with POVs from Natalie herself and the Wolf Man, Alec, the story is a fairly straight forward whodunit, flavored with a minimal romance and a little humor. There's a lot of the lore that one would expect from monsters - wrestling against their natures, staying hidden from the ever changing world - all while trying to figure out if the family Van Helsing is behind their current problems. The characters, rather the plot, are what will keep readers engaged. Mysteries are hard to make original, but the cast of classical monsters keep Club Monstrosity original and fun. Whether it's 1500 year old vampires texting, or a Swamp Thing with makeup issues, Petersen has a flair for the outlandish and humorous.

Another great thing is that this is a fairly cheap ebook - it's going for $2.99 right now. I'd consider that three bucks worth the entertainment that Club Monstrosity has to offer. It's short, but nicely resolved and with enough plotlines left open for the sequel (The Monsters in Your Neighborhood) to grab onto and continue. If you're looking for a light, but still amusing read, this is the book for you.

Review: Tough Girl by Libby Heily

Title: Tough Girl
Author: Libby Heily
Genre: young-adult, contemporary
Series: N/A
Pages: 250 (paperback edition)
Published: January 14 2013
Source: author for an honest review
Rating: 4/5

Danger lurks everywhere in eleven year old Reggie's world—from the bully next door to the unwanted attentions of a creep at school. Raised by her mentally ill mother, Reggie is left to fend for herself. She escapes in daydreams, battling aliens with her alter ego, Tough Girl.

When Reggie's mother disappears, her fantasy life spirals out of control and starts to invade reality. She is hunted by a creature of her own design, and even Tough Girl is not strong enough to stop him.

Will Reggie survive long enough for her mother to return, or will her dream world take over?

This book contains adult themes and adult language.

All admissions forward: I was sent this book by the author, whom I consider a friend. This did not and does not affect my review.

It's been a real pleasure to watch Libby's growth as an author over the last two years. Having read and greatly enjoyed her short story collection back in 2011, I was anxious to see what she would come up with for her first her full-length novel. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed with the end result; Tough Girl is a clever, heart-wrenching novel with adult themes and ideas, but one that will hold appeal for a wide audience. If you enjoy honest, and occasionally harsh, views on struggles like mental illness, neglect and poverty, this is is your book. If you enjoy novels with strong and determined female protagonists, this is your book. If you enjoy unique fantasy and alternate worlds and places, this is your book.

This may get a bit spoilery, though I am going to try my best not to do. It's just hard to review a book with such a tricky plot without letting on about a few minor details. So: be warned.

Tough Girl is the story of Reggie, an eleven year old girl whom fate has not dealt the kindest of hands. From being bullied at school to neglected at home, Reggie's story is a sad, but not had to envision struggle every day. Thankfully for our heroine, Reggie is also smart, resourceful, resilient, and her own best friend. Escaping into various fantasy worlds with a tough-talking, militaristic alter-ego named Tough Girl, Reggie copes with her problems in a unique and compelling way. Like I said before, Reggie's mom, Mona, neglects her young daughter, leading to Reggie's disconnect from her real life in almost-slumlike building they live in, The Apartments. Reggie's story is a sobering one, and a lot of what she sees and goes through can be tough to read. Libby Heily is an author unafraid to examine the rougher side of life, and it's all to the benefit of the novel. For all its desperation, Reggie's story comes to life with ease.

Obviously in the grip of an unnamed and untreated mental illness, Mona forgets about her daughter for days on end, including the important task of feeding a growing girl. A lot of Reggie's narration and thoughts center around food - either getting it or eating it. I find it remarkably telling that even in Reggie's longest-running fantasy with TG, as she is called, is set on a planet named Girth. Bullied, hungry and alone, even in Reggie's dreams food is the most important part of her day. Her other struggles with classmates like Tara or even bratchild extraordinaire Jacob are painful and sadly quite real to life and carry additional weight to the storyline. There's a lot going on in Tough Girl, be it real or imaginary, and in the end, Heily manages to tie it all together with ease.

I did feel that the end was a bit abrupt. I would've like a little more time with the denoument - just to see it all play out visually. I liked the ending for what it was -it was fitting and believable, but just a very fast turnaround from the pacing of the first 240 pages. This is a shorter novel, but it still packs a punch. Another bonus is the price - it's only $2.99 to join Reggie and her alter-ego in the respective struggles. I was and still am very impressed with Libby Heily's imagination and am excited to see how she will grow and where she will go with her talent after this.

Review: Wedding Dress for Sale by Natale Stenzel

Title: Wedding Dress for Sale
Author: Natale Stenzel
Genre: romance novel
Series: Second Story Brides #1
Pages:
Published: October 25, 2012
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 2/5

Not even the bride could deny a certain punch-line quality to her current situation: hard-nosed divorce attorney dumps her fiancé and her career to take a job selling wedding gowns.

Sydney Garfield has always approached relationships rationally—none of this emotional head-over-heels or opposites-attract business. Marrying Jack Kaiser is the smart thing to do—after all, he’ll be the “perfect” husband. But after a life-changing shake-up at work, Sydney abandons logic—and her fiancé—to chase the fairy tale.

Real-estate mogul Jack can’t believe the woman he’s head-over-heels for is ditching her hard-won success—and him—to work as a small-town shop clerk. That’s her idea of a fairy tale? Hoping she's merely in need of time, Jack follows Sydney to Smizer Mill, where he invests in the quaint coffee shop next door. Now, he’s got a few new challenges: make a failing coffee shop a success and convince Sydney that theirs is a romance worthy of a true happily ever after.

Reviewed by Danielle.

Romances are, by definition, a fantasy, and as such, require a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. Afterall, no one asks why Gandalf didn’t summon Gwaihir to fly the hobbits to Mount Doom or why Dumbledore didn’t use the Time Turner to stop Voldemort from being born, and no one should ask who thought it would be a good idea to make a fluffy romance about wedding dresses into a traumatic story about stalking and violence against women. Except, no. “Fantasy” is not a buzzword to be used to handwave away criticism of weak plotting, poor characterizations, and flat out offensiveness. Fantasies have defined rules and Wedding Dress for Sale has none.

Sydney Garfield is standing in the middle of a bridal dress consignment shop, preparing to divest herself of the last remnant of her engagement when her ex-fiance, Jack Kaiser, bursts in. He has followed her through four COUNTIES, ostensibly because her brake light is out. Later in the book, it takes a character several hours to make it from St. Louis, where Jack lives, to Smizer Mill. At no point in a 2 hour drive did Jack think to TEXT Sydney and say, “Hey, I know you’re not speaking to me because we broke up, but your brake light’s out. Peace.” This is because Jack is, as he jokes, a stalker.

“Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted or obsessive attention by an individual or group toward another person” (Via Wikipedia, emphasis mine.)

Sydney is clearly uncomfortable with Jack’s presence as he berates her in front of Ginny, the store owner. He make cryptic references to “Murphy”, whom Jack believes is the reason for the break-up. It takes the entire book to unravel the “mystery” of Murphy, but I’ll go ahead and spare you the wasted hours, <SPOILER WARNING> Ted Murphy and Nita Murphy got a divorce, with Sydney representing Nita. They had the perfect marriage built on respect and admiration, and a perfectly reasonable divorce. But, some unspecified time later, Murphy went off his meds and threatened Nita with a letter opener. It turned into a media circus and hostage situation and apparently newspapers are blaming Sydney for the whole thing. Which is totes rational. Murphy’s in jail, Nita’s a heartless shrew, Sydney’s faith in marriage as an institution is shaken. </END of SPOILERS> After much cajoling, and his attempt to reverse psychology Sydney out of selling by taking over and doing it for her, Jack finally leaves and Sydney decides she can’t go back to St. Louis and takes Ginny up on a job offer.

Jack, lonesome without his ex to boss around, takes to calling her old office. He finally weasels out that she quit and becomes quite upset. He then drives to her apartment and harrasses a doorman until he discovers that Sydney broke her lease. Now in rational people land, if my ex, who underwent a traumatic experience and was being hounded by the papers, decided to leave town without telling me, I would probably think she was trying to get away from me and her old life. I might be worried, I might even call her best friend to make sure the psycho didn’t walk off with her, but I would not STALK HER SOME MORE. But then, I’m not real estate magnate Jack Kaiser.

Let’s stop for a moment. Stalking is a serious crime. In the best cases, it makes the victim feel vulnerable and afraid. It leaves lasting psychological scars. In it’s worst cases, it results in loss of life. It is NOT: going to your boyfriend’s house to confront him about cheating on you. It might be: following your ex-girlfriend, finding out confidential information on where she’s staying, inserting yourself into her daily activities to keep an eye on her, spying on her from the park... Yet, Jack does every single thing on the maybe list and is regarded as cute and romantic. He is not. Jack Kaiser is a predator taking advantage of Sydney’s emotional trauma from witnessing the stalking, kidnapping, and violence of her friend. Sydney needs psychological counseling, not a puppy, (which further increases her dependence on Jack.) The fact that everyone in the entire novel glosses over this, but jokes about what a stalker Sydney is, well...



As you may have guessed, Jack also moves to Smizer Mill. He buys into a coffee shop NEXT DOOR to the bridal shop and bribes the owner into teaching him to make mochas so he can take one to Sydney every morning. Honestly, from there until the last 20%, we have a rather standard romance. Jack wins back Sydney’s trust by being comforting, sweet, and bland. They walk the puppy, talk about Sydney’s fears like grown-ups, and eventually decide to see each other on a day-by-day basis. This ~third of the book is the only redeeming factor, and even it is marred with jokes about Sydney stalking Jack, a subplot about a hot vet that goes nowhere, and Ginny the psychic wedding dress saleswoman.

And here’s where we really go off the rails. Spoilers from here to the end, sorry.
Ginny has some sort of magical bride powers that tell her when people will get married and what dress they’ll wear. Ginny calls Sydney upstairs to “try on a dress for another bride who’s about your size.” It is of course, “The Dress” and seeing it convinces Sydney that maybe marriage isn’t so bad after all. But there’s a twist! The dress...

…

…

is empire waisted! (*gasp shock faint*)

Wait, what?

You see, Jack and Sydney had one night of torrid passion before she broke up with him. Despite being adamantly against children, due to her own childhood of neglect since her mother was a teenage bride with no support and worked like a million jobs, someone forgot to wrap it. Based solely on the fact that “The Dress” has an empire cut, Ginny informs Sydney that she’s pregnant from this encounter.



Sydney is obviously a bit skeptical of her fairy/witch/alien boss, but Ginny has irrefutable proof! Syd loved coffee when she came to town and now she doesn’t! With this information firmly in hand, Sydney proceeds to have a nervous breakdown, but never considers other options to an unwanted pregnancy. She does treat us to a thrilling visit to Walmart to buy a pee test and a charming scene of cleaning up vomit after she, surprise, is totally pregnant! And now she has to tell the man with whom she’s only agreed to take things one day at a time.

Of course, trying to be smooth, Jack’s all, “Oh babies suck, let’s never have them, let’s not even move in together, one day at a time girl, you and me,” when Sydney tries to broach the topic. She gets mad, blurts out the truth, and starts to storm off when the final act hits.

Nita calls to let Sydney know Ted’s out of jail and looking for her. Jack gets all alpha-hole and goes off on a big rant culminating in, “Obviously, the authorities can’t protect you. So I will. You’re coming with me where I can keep you safe.”Sydney swoons and realizes that she loved him all along, she was just scared. But now she knows there’s no one better to marry than a hyper protective stalker. This realization turns her on and gives us some truly, TRULY wtf moments:

Jack Kaiser, hot real-estate magnate and adorably bumbling - heartbreakingly sincere - lover. Just wait until she got her hands on him.

…

“Just to clarify...You want to have sex with me? Now?” He gave her a shocked look. “We’re racing time against a maniac who threatens to carve up women and you’re talking about sex? Are you nuts?”
She widened her eyes. “So you don’t-”
“I mean, yeah, sure, let’s go.” Eyes feverish, he started yanking the shirt out of his waistband.

...

“God Jack, I can’t believe we stopped for sex when we had a maniac on our tail.”

 
Jack decides that they’re not safe at Sydney’s apartment, because reasons, so he hauls her down the street to the coffee shop. Please note that no one has called the police. Obviously Ted is already there waiting, which means they had sex for like two hours. Ted tries to explain that it was all a misunderstanding, he wasn’t trying to hurt Nita, when Jack lays him the fuck out with one punch. Real-estate magnate and apparent Navy SEAL, Jack subdues Ted, which leaves us with time for a misunderstood villain monologue.

“But that’s a letter opener.”
“Exactly!” Ted smiled with relief. “That’s what I wanted to show you. I didn’t have a knife when I held Nita. It was a letter opener like this one. I mean, I guess it could do damage, but it wasn’t a knife. So, technically, it wasn’t a weapon.”
Sydney eyed him with disbelief. “I don’t care if it’s a thick, pointy paper clip. It looks sharp to me. Were you going to stab me with it?”
“No. I just brought it with me to show it to you. Proof, I guess, to convince you I’m not a maniac. I wanted to explain and -” He sighed heavily. “I wanted to apologize.”

Well that makes everything OK! Anything else you want to tell us, Ted?

“And that’s when you discovered it was dangerous to go off that type of [anxiety and BPD] medicine without a doctor’s supervision. Violently dangerous? Psychotically dangerous?”
“Um...yeah. I really am sorry.”

I have four more long, awful quotes highlighted, but they all amount to the same icky apologizing with a huge helping of victim blaming and I fear I might go over my percentage of quotes for fair use “for purposes such as criticism, comment”. I’ll just leave you with this last gem.

“I’d give anything to have Nita pregnant with our child.” Murphy stared longingly at Sydney’s belly.”

Murphy leaves the coffee shop and the police chief shows up to say, yeah, you may have been too dumb to call me, but like a hundred other people did. I’ve got officers out there to take him into custody. SOMEONE WITH SENSE! I COULD WEEP! Of course, he let a maniac just hang out in the coffee shop until Sydney showed up, talk to her for an indeterminate amount of time without sending anyone in, and is going to arrest him for...nothing, because Sydney doesn’t have an OP against him and he didn’t do anything but hold a letter opener in her presence. Nevermind, I’m back to weeping for other reasons.

Sydney then feels this is the appropriate time to stand in main street and shout that she’s pregnant and we close out our hostage negotiation with a laugh track.. Cut to the epilogue and our heros are planning their wedding, again,, Sydney’s opened up a small law office in town, and Jack does one more gross, manipulative thing to twist the knife one last time. He’s agreed to sign a pre-nup, even though they don’t need one because they’re so in looooooove, but he’s written it himself! If they divorce, Sydney gets everything, but she must act as his lawyer in litigation. Let me repeat. She gets everything if she violates her professional ethics, acts in a conflict of interests, and represents her ex-husband in their divorce. This is his life insurance policy that Sydney will never be able to leave him. WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS FUCKERY?

Sydney signs, the second in the series is set up, whatever. The book is done and so am I. Yay.