Review | Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Frost Burned
Patricia Briggs
Mercy Thompson #7
Published 5 March 2013 by Ace (Penguin)
Urban fantasy
3 stars

Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

Bite-Sized Review
While any fan of the Mercy Thompson books will probably enjoy Frost Burned, it doesn't really add much to the series. There's nothing here that we haven't seen before, and more than once.

Chocolate (things I liked)
-Frost Burned is not a bad book. On the contrary, there's a lot that's good about it. Mercy has now really accepted her role in Adam's pack, as well as the mate bond and all that comes with it, and the pack has, for the most part, accepted her as well. It's great to see how much she's grown throughout the series.

-My favorite character is the book is definitely Kyle. He's one of my favorites in the series, but in Frost Burned, he really shines. I seriously wish we could have seen some more of Warren as well, but I guess you can't have everything.

Brussels Sprouts (things I disliked)
-Although I certainly enjoy the series, which is why I'm still reading at book seven, I've never really been a fan of Mercy herself. She has always struck me as a bit on the annoying side of self-righteous, even (read: especially) when she has no reason to be. That's the main reason I prefer Briggs' spinoff Alpha & Omega series -- I'm pretty sure it's impossible not to love Anna.

WARNING: the next couple bullets are a bit spoilery. No actual plot details, but there are things you might not want to know if you really hate spoilers.

-I don't want to say too much about the plot of the book, but it really seems like every aspect of it has already happened in a way that's quite similar to what occurs here. The characters even reference those past events explicitly. Now I've heard that there's nothing new under the sun, but there really can't be that small of a range of options that it doesn't even last seven books.

-The pacing of the book is...odd. At the point where it seemed to be wrapping up, I looked at the progress bar on my Kindle and it informed me that I was less than halfway through, and unfortunately the entire second half turns out to be mainly tying up loose ends. Not to mention the fact that the conclusion sort of jumps out of nowhere and isn't even that clear in retrospect, which always leaves me a bit disappointed.

-I really expected there to be more fallout from the end of Fair Game. I guess it's technically a different series, so maybe more will happen in the next Alpha & Omega book, but it honestly barely affected the plot at all.

Recommended for
Anyone who enjoys the series.

Quality: Fair
Enjoyability: Good

Review | The Devil You Know by Mike Carey

The Devil You Know
Mike Carey
Felix Castor #1
Published 2007 by Warner Books (Hachette)
Urban fantasy
3 stars

Felix Castor is a freelance exorcist, and London is his stamping ground. It may seem like a good ghost buster can charge what he likes and enjoy a hell of a lifestyle--but there's a risk: Sooner or later he's going to take on a spirit that's too strong for him. While trying to back out of this ill-conceived career, Castor accepts a seemingly simple ghost-hunting case at a museum in the shadowy heart of London - just to pay the bills, you understand. But what should have been a perfectly straightforward exorcism is rapidly turning into the Who Can Kill Castor First Show, with demons and ghosts all keen to claim the big prize. That's OK: Castor knows how to deal with the dead. It's the living who piss him off...

Bite-Sized Review

The Devil You Know is a fairly intriguing start to a new series despite a slightly dragging middle.

Chocolate (things I liked)

-The world is sort of a less malevolent version of Stacia Kane's Downside Ghosts series. In spite the abundance of necromancers in the world of urban fantasy, exorcists seem to be in short supply, so it's always interesting to see one. And with the huge variety of legends and beliefs surrounding ghosts and life after death, that kind of world-building allows an author to be very creative.

-The mystery remains a mystery until the solution is actually revealed. I cycled through a number of suspects and never guessed the real culprit, much less the full horror of what happens. Granted, parts of the story are clear pretty early on, but for much of it I wasn't even close. The Devil You Know is a dark and gritty story, another feature it shares with Downside Ghosts.

-While the book doesn't end in a cliffhanger (fortunately), it does leave quite a few possibilities for future stories. There's just enough question to keep the reader interested in the next book without being actually painful. (I'm looking at you, Fever.)

Brussels Sprouts (things I didn't like)

-The book could have been tightened up a bit, especially in the middle. There's a point where Fix has no idea what's going on, and that point stretches out for more than a bit too long. I think I would have finished this book a lot faster if I hadn't kept getting distracted because I was bored in the middle.

-I'm not really enamored of any of the characters. I don't dislike any of them, they just don't seem to have enough personality to actually have real feelings about. This particular issue is something that could definitely resolve itself in later books, so I'm hoping the problem will eventually disappear.

Recommended for

Fans of Downside Ghosts or Simon R. Green's Nightside series.

Quality: Acceptable

Enjoyability: Acceptable

Bite-Sized Reviews

In which I notice that, hmmm, I have several books that I meant to review but then I got distracted by new and shiny other books. Life is hard...

Working Stiff by Rachel Caine
Revivalist #1
3 stars

Working Stiff is a dark and interesting take on zombies filled with moral ambiguities and layered characters. While a bit slow in places, it definitely has the potential to become an excellent series. Recommended for fans of My Life as a White Trash Zombie and Unholy Magic -- imagine it as somewhere between the two.

The Cipher by Diana Pharaoh Francis

Crosspointe #1

3 stars

The Cipher gets off to a promising start, and, after stalling a bit in the middle, delivers a solid finish. While the book is a little overly focused on what seems like a strange romance, overall the unusual magic system and the last third or so of the book manage to make up for it. Recommended for fans of Holly Lisle and possibly Kate Elliot.

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells
Sabina Kane #1
3 stars

Red-Headed Stepchild doesn't do much to stand out from the urban fantasy crowd, but it is an enjoyable read, though Sabina can be annoying at times. Recommended for anyone who's craving more urban fantasy and doesn't need anything particularly new.

Mister Monday by Garth Nix

Keys to the Kingdom #1

3 stars

I find that Garth Nix's works generally have excellent, unique magic systems but fail to live up to their world-building prowess in the storytelling department. Like Nix's other books, Mister Monday has a fascinating world, but the story doesn't really capture the reader's attention until the last third or so. That's not to say the writing is bad -- it's not -- but somehow I always expect the writing to be as compelling as the world. Recommended for fans of The Graveyard Book and a less funny Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout
3 stars

In an almost exact reversal of Garth Nix's strengths, Jennifer L. Armentrout is a captivating writer who doesn't seem to publish anything really original. Like her other works, Cursed is nothing you haven't seen before, but the addictive quality of JLA's writing carries it towards the front of the YA line. Recommended for fans of the usual YA paranormal suspects.




I guess it's no wonder I wasn't in much of a hurry to publish these -- they were all good but not really excellent. I could, however, easily see other readers very much enjoying any of them, depending on tastes, so if one sounds interesting, definitely give it a try. All of them are also the first in their series, so they might be worth trying anyway; the best books often come later.

Review | Grave Memory by Kalayna Price

Grave Memory
Kalayna Price
Alex Craft #3
Published 2012 by Roc (Penguin)
Urban fantasy
3 stars

When the dead need to talk, Alex Craft is always ready to listen…

As a Grave Witch, Alex solves murders by raising the dead—an ability that comes at a cost, and after her last few cases, that cost is compounding. But her magic isn’t the only thing causing havoc in her life. While she’s always been on friendly terms with Death himself, things have recently become a whole lot more close and personal. Then there’s her sometime partner, agent Falin Andrews, who is under the glamour of the Winter Queen. To top everything off, her best friend has been forever changed by her time spent captive in Faerie.

But the personal takes a backseat to the professional when a mysterious suicide occurs in Nekros City and Alex is hired to investigate. The shade she raises has no memory of the days leading up to his brutal ending, so despite the very public apparent suicide, this is murder. But what kind of magic can overcome the human will to survive? And why does the shade lack the memory of his death? Searching for the answer might mean Alex won’t have a life to remember at all…

Bite-Sized Review
As a whole, I like this series a lot, but this book is not my favorite in the collection. The overarching storyline has stalled a bit, and there seemed to be more focus on the love triangle. However, the series is definitely worth reading, and if you've read the previous two books, you'll probably enjoy this one as well.

Chocolate

-With each book, Alex's life gets more complicated in a way that's a lot of fun for the reader. She continues to discover more about herself and her abilities, and while I'm not sure how long this can go on without becoming ridiculous, so far it intensifies what could otherwise be a run-of-the-mill supernatural PI story.

-The world is relatively straightforward, but I like it a lot. There's enough detail and conflict to make it seem real, and while there's less of an overarching world story than I really love, Kalayna Price does a great job adapting well-known myths and legends in a unique way. I especially appreciate the inclusion of serious magical limitations or consequences to magic.

Brussels Sprouts
-In this book, the love triangle seemed to be much more prominent than previously. This triangle doesn't bother me as much as many others because the focus is still definitely on the plot rather than the soap opera element, but I have to say, I preferred it when Alex didn't spend all her free time wondering what to do about her love life.

-This one could go either way depending on your preferences, but I'd like to see the books start to shift in plot toward fae politics and whatever Alex's father is up to. The supernatural PI schtick is a tried and true way to start a series, but doesn't necessarily take you very far. This series definitely has the potential to go beyond that, and I'd really like to see it get to that point. With this book, Alex's case seemed to get in the way of the meta-plot rather than advance it.

-I really enjoy these books, but sometimes Alex can be incredibly annoying. She's terrible at making decisions, as demonstrated by the previously mentioned love triangle, so reading her internal monologue can be a torturous exercise in vacillation. Don't get me wrong, I don't actually dislike her, but sometimes...

Recommended for
Urban fantasy fans generally.

Quality: Acceptable
Enjoyability: Acceptable

Review | Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo
Grisha #1
Published June 2012 by Henry Holt & Co. (Macmillan)
YA fantasy
3 stars

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

Bite-Sized Review
I'm kind of conflicted about this one. I really enjoyed it, but it also had a lot of serious problems.

Chocolate
-As I said, this was a highly enjoyable book. I finished it quickly and it flowed very well. Pacing, writing, plot -- all good. And because I was so satisfied with the reading experience, I know I will read the next one, despite all of the following flaws.

Brussels Sprouts
-When I first started reading the book. I was excited. "Yay!" I thought. "A book about Russian mythology!" I took Russian for two years in college, but most of what I know of Russian myths I learned from the Kate Daniels series, so I was eager to learn more.

Not so fast. Ravka is basically nothing like Russia, except for some similarity of language sounds. It's disappointing how little research went into this book -- even I, with my two years of mostly-forgotten Russian, noticed several mistakes and no reference to actual Russian myths.

As a fantasy writer, you have two choices. You can either make up your world entirely, in which case you have to be sure to actually put enough effort into worldbuilding to keep your setting from looking like a crappy copy of some time in history, or, you can make your novel a reflection of a real historical period, like Guy Gavriel Kay, in which case you have to do a crap ton of research. Leigh Bardugo, unfortunately, opted for something in between these two paths, which basically means she was too lazy to do either the research or the imagining and ended up stumbling through the woods of directionlessness. If you want a recounting of the actual errors and failures of the book regarding Russian mythology and culture, take a look at Tatiana's review on The Readventurer -- she does a much better job discussing the issue than I could. But basically, let's just say that the setting was less than satisfactory.

-Oh, YA authors. Why is it that all of your characters are exactly the same? There is the shy but spunky outcast heroine narrator with latent powers that will make everyone suddenly respect her, the male friend without much of a personality who might be something more, and the hot, mysterious newcomer who teaches said heroine about her newfound abilities. Go through a list of YA paranormal or fantasy titles and you will find that nearly every one of them fits the bill. Why is this the formula that all YA authors have suddenly decided to follow? Is it too much to ask for something different here?

Recommended for
Fans of YA fantasy like Grave Mercy who aren't necessarily too concerned with setting quality or at least can overlook it.

Quality: Fair
Enjoyability: Excellent

Review | Greywalker by Kat Richardson

Greywalker
Kat Richardson
Greywalker #1
Published 2006 by Roc (Penguin)
Urban fantasy
2.5 stars

When Harper comes to in the hospital, she begins to feel a bit ...strange. She sees things that can only be described as weird-shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring.But Harper's not crazy. Her "death" has made her a Greywalker-able to move between our world and the mysterious, cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift (or curse) is about to drag her into that world of vampires and ghosts, magic and witches, necromancers and sinister artifacts. Whether she likes it or not.

Bite-Sized Review

Greywaker was a decent read and a reasonable start to the series, but there wasn't much particularly memorable about it. However, it's pretty common for the first book in an urban fantasy series to be mediocre, so I'm curious enough to see what happens next.

Chocolate

-Being sensitive to the world of magic, the Grey, if you die is an interesting idea. It's not a story, but it's a cool aspect that helps explains why not everyone sees all the weird stuff going on.

-The "supernatural private investigator" angle is used so often because it works. No struggling to understand why the main character is involved with the problem of the week -- it's her job.

-Harper can take care of herself. I am really sick of female characters (especially in YA) who react to danger like Buttercup in the Fire Swamp (stand there and scream), so having a character who can investigate cases and come up with solutions is always a good start.

-I want to try the rest of this series. It has potential, and while that potential isn't fully realized in this book, I think it could be later on. It's a start.

Brussels Sprouts

-Greywalker had several different plot threads, which can go either well or badly depending on the author. Here I'm inclined to put it on the minus side, because while I love complexity, it didn't really seem organized. 

-I didn't feel much of a connection to Harper. The book is written in first person, but we don't really get much of Harper's thoughts other than confusion and frustration at her new abilities. While that's understandable, since she was thrown into this world with no idea it even existed, I hope that she's a little more open in later books.

-There wasn't much romance in this book, which was totally fine with me, but what was there was lukewarm at best. I just wasn't feeling it, which may sort of go back to my earlier point about not connecting with Harper.

-For a book that takes place in Seattle in 2006, the technology used is archaic. Harper has dial-up internet and a pager, and she doesn't seem to have a cell phone. She also has to call or visit people to find information that seems like it could be easily located with a simple Google search. I realize that books are often years in production, depending on the author, but really? Dial-up?

Recommended for

Fans of urban fantasy PI series like Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files and Seanan McGuire's October Daye, who don't mind slow starts and minimal early romance. At least, if the series gets better after this.

Longtime readers may noticed that I've changed up the review format a bit. I'd love any feedback on that as well as the actual review -- is everything clear? Do you like it? Is there more you want to know? I would appreciate any comments or suggestions.

Review | Iced by Karen Marie Moning

Iced
Karen Marie Moning
Dani O'Malley #1
Urban fantasy
3 stars

Bite-Sized Review

Iced was an enjoyable book despite heaping on lust like it was candy on Halloween. Don't expect it to be Fever, but it does have KMM's characteristic engaging writing style and many of the same interesting characters I loved in the Fever series. And please note that even though Dani is fourteen, this book should definitely not be categorized as YA.

King-Sized Review

Well. I was, like many other people, a huge fan of the Fever series and both excited and apprehensive about the release of Iced. Excited because, more Fever! And apprehensive because a) Dani was kind of an annoying narrator whenever she seized the reins in Fever, and b) since she's fourteen, any romantic under-, over-, or just general tones come off as icky.

It was both better and worse than I thought it would be. Yes, there were times when Dani was an annoying idiot. She thinks she's very smart, and she is, but she's still fourteen, which makes her sort of automatically an idiot. It could, therefore, be argued that her obnoxiousness added realism to the story, but I'm not sure the realism was worth having to deal with all the crap, not to mention the number of times she uses the word "dude". Luckily, Dani is also funny and learning about her is interesting because she doesn't share well.

Let's take a look at the plot. Iced takes place pretty much right after the end of Shadowfever, so if you haven't read that, don't read the rest of this review.

Okay. I'm going to assume all the infidels are gone now and keep talking. The Unseelie King is off somewhere with the concubine/Aoibheal, Cruce/the Sinsar Dubh is frozen in a block of ice under the abbey, and Faery has merged with our world, resulting in lots of deaths and Interdimensional Fairy Potholes. Most of the action takes place in Dublin, centered at Chester's, Ryodan's weird club/fae hunting grounds. There's conflict between Dani and Ryodan as he tries to mold her into his future...what would you call it? A mate? See, kind of icky. Most of this molding occurs around a series of strangely frozen locations as everyone tries to solve the mystery of the "iced" places.

A lot of what made Fever a really interesting series was not knowing anything about a single thing that was going on, and then learning more and knowing even less. Iced tries to recapture some of that mystique with the question of who or what is causing these strange temperature fluctuations, but as the phrase "temperature fluctuations" suggests, it's not quite as captivating.

And don't make the mistake of thinking that because Dani is fourteen, this is a YA book. There's waaaayyyy too much time spent on sex. Dani has not one, not two, but three men hovering, waiting for her to grow up a bit so their intentions become a little less creepy. I could definitely have skipped the sections from Christian's perspective, since they were overly angsty and I already knew he was seriously losing it. All he thinks about is getting Dani, along with a little bit of killing Ryodan, which got tiresome really quickly.

The book also included a few peeks into the mind of Kat, now the de facto Grand Mistress of the sidhe-seers. These were more or less unrelated to the main plot and would have been a welcome relief from all the male posturing going on in Dublin, except that they were all about Cruce and how unbelievably hot he was. Basically, the sex was so overdone it just sort of shriveled up into this grayish strip of burned meat. And the main character never even got any (fortunately).

But other than that, I enjoyed the book. KMM has an especially enthralling writing style that works in Iced about as well as in the rest of her books. I think that even though I wasn't expecting Iced to be as good as Fever, I was still a little disappointed when I was right. It really is a good read for a Fever fan, though. It's just not Fever.

Review | Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel

Dust Girl
Sarah Zettel
The American Fairy Tale Trilogy #1
Published June 26, 2012 by Random House Children's
YA urban fantasy
Review copy from NetGalley
3 stars

Bite-Sized Review
Dust Girl stood out from the YA crowd by virtue of its unusual setting and interesting characters. Several of the fairies were truly creepy, and there's plenty to keep this story going.

King-Sized Review
I think this might be the first book I've read that was set in the Dust Bowl. I can't really speak to the book's historical accuracy, since what I know about the period is pretty much "lots of dust, no rain, and no money," but it seemed like it could be accurate. I appreciated the very strong influence the setting had on the story as well – sometimes it seems like many books could really take place anywhere and be more or less the same, but that definitely wasn't the case in Callie's story.

The story begins in the tiny and shrinking town of Slow Run, Kansas, where Callie lives with her mother. Callie would love to leave the doomed town and move to somewhere she wouldn't choke on dust and struggle to find food, but her mother insists that they must wait there for Callie's father – who vanished before she was born. When Callie's mother disappears in a dust storm, several mysterious visitors convince Callie to leave the town to find her mother, along with Jack, a boy she met during the storm. Along the way, Callie learns about her heritage and her family.

Dust Girl was a fairly short, quick read, with decent characters and a good pace. Callie is a likable main character, though nothing about her stands out particularly. The story itself was the best part, with some interesting takes on fairies and several well-written, suspenseful scenes.

One aspect of the book that I particularly appreciated was the lack of the angsty romance that's such a YA staple. While the potential for romance clearly exists, it definitely took a backseat in this book. It may actually have been locked in the trunk. It was a nice change from one of the things I frequently dislike about YA books.

Overall, Dust Girl was a good start and definitely made me want to read the next book in the series.

Quality: Good
Enjoyability: Good

Review | Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Lies Beneath
Anne Greenwood Brown
Lies Beneath #1
Published June 12, 2012 by Delacorte (Random House)
YA paranormal romance
3 stars
Egalley from NetGalley

Bite-Sized Review
For the first few chapters, I thought I would hate this book, but in the end I actually enjoyed it. It was a good light read, and the male narrator was enough of a change from Everything Else to make it a bit more interesting.

King-Sized Review
Lies Beneath is basically the same book as about a dozen others I've read in the past year. Dangerous boy with superpowers, semi-normal girl, issues, etc. The only differences are that Calder is a merman rather than a vampire or nephilim or werewolf or whatever else is out there, which isn't really a lot, and that he's the narrator, which is a slightly more interesting twist but still wouldn't have been enough to make me like the book on its own. However, in the end, it turned out to be a pretty good book.

When the Hancock family moves back to Lake Superior, Calder and his sisters see it as the perfect opportunity to exact their revenge for the death of their mother. Calder is elected most likely to be able to get close to one of the two daughters, but finds himself falling in love with Lily Hancock. As you can see, it's definitely a rather cliched storyline, though on the plus side, no vampires. (I'm tired of vampires.) The story doesn't really provide surprises, but it is pretty well-written and well-paced, and Calder's perspective, while a little angsty, is an unusual take on the story – one that, happily, doesn't involve him falling head-over-heels in love the first time he sees Lily.

I do have a couple of issues with the book. It's a little overly moralizing in places; any moral a story contains should always be implicit, or you risk alienating your audience. Luckily this is only a small problem in a couple of places, and not bad enough to be really annoying. I wasn't terribly impressed with one or two of the plot decisions – once again, I feel I must point out that the plot serves the characters and not the other way around. Anything else is jarring and wrecks the whole suspension of disbelief thing. Again, not a huge issue in this book, but enough of one that I feel compelled to point it out.

Otherwise, if you're looking for a light beach read, Lies Beneath would be a good choice, because who wouldn't want to read about killer mermaids while sitting next to a large body of water. It's a fun book, with a story typical of YA, and if you like that sort of thing you'll certainly enjoy this book. However, if you're bored with the standard YA paranormal romance, Lies Beneath probably isn't for you.

Quality: Acceptable
Enjoyability: Good

In the same aisle
Die for Me by Amy Plum
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Review | Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Where Things Come Back
John Corey Whaley
Published 2011 by Atheneum (Simon & Schuster)
YA contemporary
3 stars

Bite-Sized Review
I liked this book, but didn't love it. I think I would have been happier if it had felt more complete, but while it was a good story, the ending seemed abrupt.

King-Sized Review
Where Things Come Back is told from two perspectives. First is Cullen Witter, a seventeen-year-old stifled by his tiny town in Arkansas. At the same time a depressed birdwatcher thinks he's found a species of woodpecker that was thought to be extinct, Cullen's younger brother vanishes without a trace. Cullen is a fascinating narrator, treating most of the rest of the town with contempt as their obsession with the woodpecker distracts from his family's search for Gabriel. While his chapters are mostly in first person, he occasionally shifts into third person to distance himself from the situation or to imagine some wildly unlikely outcome. Said unlikely outcome usually involved zombies, which was fun.

The second perspective was that of Benton, an uncertain missionary in Africa. This one's a little harder to describe than Cullen's without spoilers, but in some ways it was more interesting. To be totally honest, these chapters sort of straddled the border between interesting and obnoxious, though they managed to stay mostly on the interesting side. Crazy people are special like that. But interesting or obnoxious, these passages are very well written, enough that I could believe the characters believed in their motivations, even the obviously insane ones. That's pretty impressive.

The small town of Lily, Arkansas was a fascinating setting. Never having lived in a really small town like that, I had previously thought of it as something of a mythological creature, but Whaley managed to bring Lily to life in this story. The town was absolutely essential to the book, even outside the woodpecker craze. It affected the story in all of the ways the varied cast interacted, in the way they behaved, even the way they thought.

My biggest issue with this book was in the ending. Even though some of the plot was concluded, a lot of the loose ends were just left hanging, and I was left on the last page thinking, "Well, then what happened?" Even the pieces that had an ending didn't quite resolve – there was no wrapping up at all. The book just sort of ended, which I'm generally not a huge fan of.

But don't let that stop you from reading this book. It's interesting and well written. The characters are really individuals and the setting is excellent. It's a bit slow, so you might not want to pick it up if you're looking for epic battles, but it's a good book.

Quality: Good
Enjoyability: Good

Review | Tricked by Kevin Hearne

Tricked
Kevin Hearne
Iron Druid Chronicles #4
Published April 24, 2012 by Random House
Urban fantasy
Review copy from NetGalley
4 stars

Bite-Sized Review
In the tradition of the previous three books, Tricked is funny, clever, and exciting, with cameos from a wide range of pantheons and lots of trouble. If you enjoyed the rest of the series, you'll love Tricked.

King-Sized Review
**Warning: spoilers for book 1-3 ahead**
Tricked starts off shortly after the end of Hammered, with Atticus's plan to die so that the other thunder gods, who want revenge after Atticus and company killed Thor, won't hunt him down. The deal with Coyote that it takes to achieve this contradictory goal requires Atticus to do Coyote a favor, an agreement that, naturally, turns out to be much more problematic than our favorite Druid bargained for.

Tricked reminded me of just how much I love the characters in this series. Especially Oberon. His obsession with food, entertainingly literal interpretation of idioms, and general dog-like behavior are entertaining and endearing. I was thrilled to see that he was back after being mostly missing from Hammered.

Tricked stuck to the Iron Druid style of humor and action. I particularly enjoyed the incorporation of Native American mythology, which isn't seen terribly often (though Druids are pretty rare too – double win). There's not much romance here, but I personally find that a nice break from relationship drama in other books. All in all a great addition to the Iron Druid Chronicles.

Quality: Excellent
Enjoyability: Excellent

GARS score: 1.5 (2/4/2/2)
What's a GARS score?

In the same aisle
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Review | Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Struck
Jennifer Bosworth
Struck #1
Published May 8, 2012 by FSG BYR (Macmillan)
YA apocalyptic
3 stars

Bite-Sized Review
Struck is a good story about the end of the world, though with mediocre characters. It's still worth a read: well-paced and exciting, with a decent sense of mystery.

King-Sized Reivew
Struck takes place not after the apocalypse but right in the middle of it. Mia, who has been struck by lighting countless times, now lives in LA, a place where it almost never storms. Unfortunately, when it rains in LA, it pours, as the recent massive storm and subsequent devastating earthquake proved. In the wake of the disasters, two groups, the religious cult of the Followers of Rance Ridley Prophet and their opponents, the Seekers (who were basically also a cult, just not religious), want Mia on their side, because the worst is yet to come, and whatever it is, Mia will be in the middle of the lightning.

Struck was a good if fairly standard example of YA paranormal(ish) literature. There's some originality here – people gain their power by being struck by lightning rather than the many other means used in other sources – but for the most part Struck similar to the rest of its kind: fate of the world rests in the hands of one person who has no idea of her destiny, love interest with secrets, powerful, unscrupulous people in need of some serious thwarting, et cetera. The lightning feature was definitely interesting and gave the book a little extra spark. (Not even going to bother pretending – that pun was totally intentional.) But it's a popular story because it works, and Jennifer Bosworth does a good job with it here. The pace of the story is good, without any dragging or confusion.

The characters weren't bad, but I didn't love them. They were just sort of there, without much personality or depth. They didn't really make me feel anything for them, which was a little disappointing. There were aspects that I liked, such as the fact that I only figured out Jeremy's big secret in a flash of intuition about 70 percent in, which is pretty much the ideal way to figure things out in books, but that's not so much a character quality as a storytelling quality. They mostly didn't really seem like real people. My indifference towards the characters was the main reason I didn't love the book, because I enjoyed the storyline and the world quite a bit.

I know some people have said they're uncomfortable with the prominence of religion in this book, but if anything, the book comes across as anti-religious; the Followers are definitely not the good guys, and, at least in my reading, were pretty clearly portrayed as worse than the more mystical, secret-society-esque Seekers. So don't let that stop you from reading the book, if you're worried about it. The story does focus a lot on apocalyptic events, but each group has different opinions of the origin of these calamities.

The apocalyptic climax does make me wonder a little about where the second book is supposed to go from here. It's the same issue I had with season 6 of Supernatural: how do you find something with more tension than the apocalypse? It's pretty tough to find a tougher time than the end of the world. But I'm sure I'll pick it up anyway, because I did enjoy Struck and I'm curious.

Quality: Acceptable
Enjoyability: Good

In the same aisle
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi
Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Review | Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky
Veronica Rossi
Under the Never Sky #1
Published January 3, 2012 by Harper Collins
YA science fiction/post-apocalyptic
3 stars

Bite-Sized Review
Under the Never Sky is an exciting post-apocalyptic story that fans of the genre will certainly enjoy. It's definitely worth reading if you're interested.

King-Sized Review
You're thrown into the middle of this book with little introduction. Aria gets thrown out of her enclosed home with startling rapidity and no time for a sense of what goes on in the pod-thingy or why it exists. However, things do eventually become a little clearer as the book goes on, and it's worth working your way through the first few chapters to read the rest of the tale.

Essentially, something went wrong in the atmosphere. It gave rise to dangerous storms known as Aether storms and caused a large portion of humanity to move to domed cities, kept sane by a virtual reality interface called the Realms. Aria was content where she was until her mother went missing. That's the reason she was in the agriculture dome when the fire started, and the reason she was exile. She expected to die right away, killed by cannibals or Outsiders or the air itself. When she ran into an Outsider, she had no choice but to stay with him and hope he could help her find her mother.

The story alternates between Aria's and Perry's perspectives, which gives a good view of both Outsider and Dweller cultures. It's a creative world that could be either Earth in a vastly altered future or another world – which one it is isn't really important. Though not new, the scifi elements were interesting and well done. It's a little confusing at first, but it works itself out so that you know what you need to without info-dumping, which is pleasant.

The characters ended up being good despite a shaky start. Aria managed to be shockingly stupid sometimes, but she grew on me throughout the book. And while Perry started out as kind of selfish and annoying, I got to like him too. The minor characters (read: Roar) were probably my favorite.

Overall, Under the Never Sky is a good read, especially if you like dystopian/post-apocalyptic books. I'll definitely be reading the next book.

Quality: Good
Enjoyability: Good

In the same aisle
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Partials by Dan Wells
Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi

Review | Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl
Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl #1
Published 2001 by Disney-Hyperion
MG science fantasy
Review copy from NetGalley
3 stars

Bite-Sized Review
Artemis Fowl contains a twelve-year-old genius, a highly unusual take on fairies, a kidnapping planned by the protagonist, and a smartass centaur. It's not as good as later books in the series, but it's still fun and good to read.

King-Sized Review
I actually read some of the Artemis Fowl books as a kid and enjoyed them, so when I saw them on NetGalley I grabbed them. As an adult, this was still a fun read and one I'd definitely recommend to fans of middle-grade books. Artemis, heir to a formerly vast fortune, is trying to track down a fairy in order to restore his family's status. However, when he decodes the fairies' book and manages to capture one, he gets rather more than he bargained for.

The fairies in the Artemis Fowl books are quite different from the ones you see in more recent paranormal books. While they do have great respect for and a deep connection to the Earth, they're also extremely technologically advanced, giving this book a bit more of a scifi feel. I really enjoyed the book's take on fairy tales and legends, like making leprechauns the LEPrecon squad, a branch of law enforcement.

As a kid, I don't think I really understood how incredibly morally questionable some of Artemis's decisions are. That's not a criticism; he changes throughout the book, and although I wouldn't exactly call him "good" by the end, he does get a lot better and continues to do so in later books. It's just interesting how oblivious elementary school Kate was to shades of gray. But don't worry, this book won't turn your kids evil or anything.

Artemis is a twelve-year-old genius, which is the only reason his schemes have any chance of succeeding. Of course it's a little ridiculous, but it's a fun character trait. He also has unusual freedom for a twelve-year-old because after his father vanished in a shipwreck, his mother sank into depression and now doesn't even recognize him most of the time. It makes his choices at the beginning of the book a little more sympathetic.

This book is full of action. It switches between various perspectives, including some underground, where the fairies live, and it's quite interesting to take a look at their culture, which is very well developed. There's quite a bit of fighting, with and without fairy technology, as well as lots of wittiness and humor. It does drag a bit at times, and there's certainly room for improvement, but it's definitely worth a read, especially since the series gets better after this.

Quality: Good
Enjoyability: Good


In the same aisle
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Review | Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson

Royal Street
Suzanne Johnson
Sentinels of New Orleans #1
Published April 10, 2012 by Tor/Forge (Macmillan)
ARC from NetGalley
3 stars

Bite-Sized Review
Suzanne Johnson's new urban fantasy is a off to a good start in Royal Street. It's not perfect, but UF fans will enjoy the world and the action in this book.

King-Sized Review
Royal Street takes place immediately after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, which is certainly a setting made for interesting circumstances. Although there's definitely an atmosphere of loss, particularly whenever the narrator, DJ, observes the condition of her city, the focus of the book is on a missing wizard and ritual murders, and the hurricane mostly just makes investigation difficult and provides and opportunity for supernatural shenanigans.

Although Royal Street started off a bit slow, the more I read, the more I enjoyed it. It turned into a highly suspenseful book. The world, while not a huge change from anything in recent UF, did have some interesting features such as the different groups of wizards and the historical undead, kept alive in the Beyond by the world's memories of them.

The characters lacked the big personalities of many UF leads, but that isn't a bad thing on its own. For the most part, it just meant that it took longer to really get to know them. However, in DJ's case there was a slight disconnect between the way she was described and the way she actually behaved. There were a couple of situations where she should have been furious with someone, and she started out that way in her head, but by the time they were at a point where she could shout freely, they were yelling at her, which bothered me a little.

For probably the same reason, the relationship between DJ and Alex didn't quite click. I am a huge fan of "hate-at-first-sight" relationships, which seemed to be what the author was trying for here, but DJ was too nice to really pull that off. She thought of cutting things to say to Alex but spent more effort on keeping the peace than antagonizing her new arch-nemesis – probably a very normal thing to do, just not quite as fun.

Overall, despite the slightly discordant characterization, I enjoyed the book more than enough to check out the sequel when it's released. This will be a good read for fans of UF, as long as you're willing to be light on the romance. And since a lot of really great series start off a little rocky, there's a good chance we'll see a lot of character improvement in book two.

Quality: Acceptable
Enjoyability: Good

PNR or UF?
GARS Score: 1.33 (1/3/2/1)
What's a GARS score?

In the same aisle
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Touch the Dark by Karen Chance

Review | The Green Man by Michael Bedard

The Green Man
Michael Bedard
Published April 10, 2012 by Tundra Books
YA contemporary fantasy
Review copy from NetGalley
3 stars

Bite-Sized Review
If this book had been longer and more fleshed out, I think it could have been great. As it was, I quite liked it, particularly the lovely writing style.

King-Sized Review
When her father travels to Italy for research one summer, fifteen-year-old O, short for Ophelia, spends the time with her Aunt Emily, who owns a secondhand bookstore called "The Green Man." O, a budding poet, enjoys helping her aunt in the store, but when odd things start to happen, Emily realizes that her past is coming back to haunt her and O as well.

I loved the poetic style of this story. With two poets as main characters, it could hardly be otherwise, but reading parts of this book was like having words wrapped around my head so that the rest of the world disappeared. The writing was beautiful and my favorite part of the book.

The setting was another high positive. Most of the story takes place among books, which is always something to be happy about. I wish there had been a bit more about the bookstore itself – I wanted to see more of the ghosts of poets past, and have a better picture of the store. I would have liked to know more about the story of the green man as well. If the book, which was rather short, had been a bit (or a lot) longer, the setting could have been more developed.

One aspect for which I actually appreciated the under-development was the magic. There is magic in this book, but it is mysterious and dangerous, the opposite of the magic of words that Emily and O possess. The mystery surrounding the magic in this story – even the question of whether or not it really existed – added suspense and gave the book a wonderfully ethereal quality that's missing from most of this genre. Of course, the writing contributed to this aspect as well, but the uncertainty of the magic, of what's really happening in to O and Emily, really makes it a better story.

However, Emily and O themselves didn't feel entirely real either, which was not a positive. As much as I loved the writing and the setting, the characters didn't live up to the same standard. They weren't bad, they just didn't come alive the way other parts of the story did. Again, with a longer book this could have been much better. As it was, O and Emily weren't much more than faint outlines of characters without much personality. I've seen much worse characters, but there was plenty of room for improvement. And even at the end I knew next to nothing about O's love interest, and while the mystery was definitely part of his appeal, it would have been nice to know his real name, at the very least.

But overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a quick read and definitely worthwhile for fans of a more mysterious sort of magic with a light touch of romance.

Quality: Acceptable
Enjoyability: Good

In the same aisle
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones

Third Grave Dead Ahead
Darynda Jones
Charley Davidson #3
Published January 31, 2012 by St. Martin's Press (Macmillan)
Urban fantasy
My Goodreads rating: 3 stars

Bite-Sized Review
Third Grave Dead Ahead is just what I've come to expect from Darynda Jones: funny, light, action-packed, but about as deep as a puddle on the sidewalk, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. But if you're looking for something light and fun, definitely give this series a try.

King-Sized Review
I think you may have to be in the mood to read these books. I enjoyed this one more than the last two, either because I was in the right frame of mind or because I knew what to expect and wasn't overwhelmed by the constant stream of jokes and the lack of character development. I know that last sentence kind of makes it sound like I don't like this series, but I really do – I mean, I have read all three books so far.

Charley once again gets herself involved in a case for her firm while trying to fix Reyes-related things. In this book, it's mostly the Reyes plotline that provides the action. While there are no demons, despite the exciting revelations of the last book, there's definitely evil (and I don't use that word lightly). It's an exciting book, filled with the stream of wittiness that is Charley. (Did that sound a little facetious? It might have been a little facetious.) It honestly is funny and entertaining though, and a good light read.

I really, really don't get Reyes and Charley's relationship. Either he needs to stop threatening her and the people she loves, or she needs to stop believing him, because the way things are, I can't understand why she's so attracted to him.

And once again, Charley fails to take anything that happens to her seriously. This is the aspect of the book that bothers me the most: Charley just seems to shake off all the horrible things that happen to her. I want to see character development, but all that happens is Charley tosses off another quick line and moves on. At some point, it would be nice for something that happens to actually affect the way she thinks, but I'm not holding my breath.

Despite these concerns, the Charley Davidson series is enjoyable, and recommended for people who like fun urban fantasy.

Quality: Fair
Enjoyability: Good

In the same aisle
Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep
Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill

Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson

Lord of the Fading Lands
C.L. Wilson
Tairen Soul #1
Published 2007 by Leisure Books (Dorchester)
Fantasy romance

Knowing that the tairen are dying, Rain Tairen Soul, King of the Fey breaks an ancient taboo to consult the truth stone thingy and learns that he must travel to Celieria, a country he hasen't visited for a thousand years, since he nearly destroyed the world. There he finds Ellysetta, his unexpected truemate, who has the power to save the tairen, the Fey, and the entire world.

At first I really loved this story. It's very classical fantasy, with nobility and people with latent power and the end of the world approaching, all of which I enjoy reading. The romance was very sweet, despite Rain and Ellie's magical soul bond, which sounds cheesy but was different from the kind of instalove that annoys me. Though Rain and Ellie are bound at the very beginning, they're not actually in love, and the process of getting to know each other is in some ways complicated by their bond, not to mention Rain's history. At some points the whole concept of the bond seemed a little patronizing – Fey warriors bond in order to protect their women? The feminist in me snarls at this – but for the most part I managed to ignore those feelings.

In the world at large, Rain is the only one who can sense the growing power of the Elden Mages, who once warred with Fey and Celierians alike. But no one is willing to listen to his warnings, attributing the increase in deaths on the border to the Fey. I would have liked to see more of this aspect of the story and a little less of the romance. While it was obvious why the Elden were virtually universally despised, I didn't really understand their motivations. Good-versus-evil stories are sometimes more difficult to do well because it's easy to simply stop with "they're evil" as a basis for actions, which doesn't really work. Fading Lands needed a bit more background to pull it off.

Plus there's only so much sweet romance I can handle. The machinations of the Mages was more interesting, and I wanted to know more about what was happening with the tairen – you know, the problem that started this whole story? – and certain events that took place in the Celierian court.

One small irritation was the unnecessarily invented words. It's fine to make up words if the story includes creatures or concepts that don't exist in English. But since your characters are presumably not actually speaking English (or whatever language you're writing in) there's no need to make up words for "yes," "no," "sorry," and "thank you." They're just a distraction.

Overall, I liked the book. It made me smile and even laugh out loud. It could have used a bit less romance and a bit more of an actual story, because it was kind of lacking in that regard, but it was definitely an enjoyable read, and I'll be sure to read the rest of the series.

Quality: Acceptable
Enjoyability: Good

In the same aisle
Rhapsody by Elizabeth Haydon

Mini-Reviews | The Shadow of the Wind and Come In and Cover Me

Because I am far behind on my reviews and I don't have a ton to say about these two books, I thought I'd just combine them into one post and avoid clogging up my archives. Both were good reads that I thoroughly enjoyed!

The Shadow of the Wind
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Published 2005 (2001) by Penguin
Historical fiction/mystery
My Goodreads rating: 4 stars

This one isn't exactly a regular genre for me, but I found it at a used bookstore and it looked interesting. I'm so glad I picked it up. I don't know what it is about books translated from Spanish, but the writing is always beautiful. The Shadow of the Wind is no exception. It takes place in 1950s Spain, under the rule of Franco. On a trip with his father, a bookstore owner, Daniel stumbles upon one of the last remaining books by Julian Carax. Someone has been systematically destroying Carax's works, after Carax himself disappeared. Daniel tries to unravel the mystery of these books while avoiding a vindictive police inspector.

Although Daniel is a teenager for most of the book, it is definitely not YA. This is a gorgeously written story that takes into account all aspects of life. There is danger, mystery, romance, family, and of course books. Everything about the story is handled very well. The mystery is excellent; I had no idea what was going on until I was supposed to figure it out. All in all a great read, and if you have any interest in the book, I definitely recommend it.

Come In and Cover Me

Gin Phillips

Published January 12, 2012 by Riverhead (Penguin)

Paranormal

My Goodreads rating: 3 stars

I wouldn't call this book urban fantasy, despite the main character having some paranormal abilities. Rather than fighting ghouls or vampires, Come In and Cover Me revolves around coming to terms with the past, both ancient and recent. Ren has been chasing evidence of a certain potter who died a thousand years ago. Silas stumbled upon a site that he thinks contains the work of the same woman. Their process of discovery is rather different from most archaeologists' because Ren can see ghosts, including the ghosts of the dig sites she visits. There is the obvious difficulty – no one believes her, but it gives her insight no one else has. 

This one was unusual (for me) because no one ever tried to kill Silas and Ren. I was kind of hoping it would happen, but it was still a good story, more about the characters knowing and accepting themselves and each other than really about finding any of these bowls they're looking for. The romance, while utterly essential to the story, was quite low-key, which I appreciated. I can't entirely explain why I liked this book, but it was very enjoyable, despite the lack of murder, fighting, and other violence. If you're interested in archaeology and history, give it a try.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica's Guide to Dating of the Dark Side
Beth Fantaskey
Jessica #1
Published 2011 by Harcourt
YA paranormal romance

Bite-Sized Review
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is corny, clichéd, and occasionally idiotic, but enjoyable. It doesn't look like much at first, but it improves a lot and makes for a nice light read.

King-Sized Review
Dating on the Dark Side follows high school student Jessica Packwood. Jessica does not believe in the supernatural. She believes in science, and things that can be proven. So when the new boy in school introduces himself as her fiancé and informs her that they're both vampires, she scoffs. But eventually she realizes that something doesn't add up about her worldview. And while she may not believe in vampires, the rest of the town isn't so sure.

At first the characters annoyed me so much that I almost put the book down. The plot and the world seemed incredibly cheesy. The book contained every YA PNR stereotype known to man. So when I started to enjoy the book, I almost resented it for drawing me in. But it actually turned into more than I would have expected from the first half.

Early in the book, Lucius was an unbelievably obnoxious snob who thought power was merely privilege. Now many love interests in these kinds of books can be jerks sometimes, but Lucius was a repellent jerk all the time.  I couldn't imagine, from the first half of the book, anyone ever finding him attractive. But then Lucius underwent a rare and mysterious process known as "character development." He became someone who was, if not exactly "good" then at least sympathetic. While some of that process did involve rather over-the-top American "we're so awesome" undertones, it was impressive to see him change from a character I hated to someone I actually respected.

Although I would have appreciated a little more growth from Jessica as well, she did change throughout the book, though less than Lucius did. She was a bit on the boring and desperate side and made some seriously questionable decisions, but by the end of the book she started to grow into her heritage. With luck, in the next book she'll be more interesting.

As someone who appreciates grand worldbuilding, I was underwhelmed by Dating on the Dark Side. The book mainly follows basic vampire legend – except for the sunlight thing, because no one does the sunlight thing anymore. Vampires were the extent of the supernatural, and they lived in rival clans, mainly in Romania. It works for the book, though, so this isn't really a complaint, just an observation. However, some of the cheesiness in the story was a bit on the wrong side of ridiculousness.

Overall, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side was a light, enjoyable read that would be great for a rainy day. Despite its flaws and first impressions, it's actually a pretty decent little book and worth a try for any vampire fan out there.

Quality: Fair
Enjoyability: Good

In the same aisle
Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Bite Me by Parker Blue