Tag: reading challenge

Urban Fantasy Challenge: Monster in my closet by RL Naquin

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, reviews

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Carina Press, available as e-book
The Source: Net Galley
The Grade: B
The Blurb:

I stopped believing in monsters long ago. But I knew I wasn’t imagining things when I found one in my kitchen baking muffins. I’d seen him before: lurking in my closet, scaring the crap out of my five-year-old self. Turns out that was a misunderstanding, and now Maurice needs a place to stay. How could I say no?
After all, I’ve always been a magnet for the emotionally needy, and not just in my work as a wedding planner. Being able to sense the feelings of others can be a major pain. Don’t get me wrong, I like helping people–and non-people. But this ability has turned me into a gourmet feast for an incubus, a demon that feeds off emotional energy. Now, brides are dropping dead all over town, and my home has become a safe house for the supernatural. I must learn to focus my powers and defeat the demon before he snacks on another innocent woman and comes looking for the main course…

The Review:

I rarely request ARCs through NetGalley, but I decided to make an exception for this book. And I am glad I did.
This book has everything I want in an Urban Fantasy. Familiar fantasy races, but with enough twists for them to feel brand new. And then there are the Closet monsters. I loved Maurice, with his fretting and cooking. What’s more, all the twists and the reasons for them made a lot of sense. 
This was the first time I read about a wedding planner, but it was intresting to get an insight in how much job it is. I loved following Julie’s struggle to adapt to the changes in her life. From the closet monster in her kitchen, to the fact that she has a gift. But it wasn’t just that. I loved the snarkiness and the quiet humor that Julie had, and how much she cared about her clients, even though some of them annoyed her.
The plot was intriguing, and filled with plot twists that took me by surprise, yet made sense when they happened. I loved how the stakes gradually increased through the book. From the first time Julie and Sebastian met, until the last confrontation.  I also liked that Julie didn’t expect anyone else to solve this. She faced down Sebastian several times. When it comes to the romance between Riley and Julie, it was cute and I am curious how it will affect the two of them in the upcoming books.
What I didn’t like was that even though a lot of the plot twists took me by surprise, I had a hunch about who the final victim was for a long time. But that is the only thing that mars the book, at least for me.
But I definitely plan to buy the next book in the series, since I liked this one a lot.

Urban Fantasy Challenge: No Dominion by C.E Murphy

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, reviews

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Kickstarter, not available for sale (yet).
The Source: Kickstarter ARC
The Grade: A+
The Blurb:

Recently widowed after nearly fifty years of marriage, Gary Muldoon had given up on adventure. Then shaman Joanne Walker climbed into the back seat of his cab, and since then, Gary has trifled with gods, met mystics, slain zombies and ridden with the Wild Hunt.
But now he must leave Joanne’s side to face a battle only he can win. Because as their long battle against a dark magic-user races toward its climax, it becomes clear that it was not illness that took Annie’s life, but their enemy’s long and deadly touch.
Though lovers be lost, love shall not…
     …AND DEATH SHALL HAVE NO DOMINION.

The review:
I have waited for this book since I first heard about it… Actually, that is not true. I have hoped C.E Murphy would write Gary’s story since I first read Urban Shaman. But I never expected it would be like this. This book… is C.E Murphy at her best.
I’ll admit that for the first pages it felt odd to not read about Jo, but I got used to it. I loved Gary’s voice. Loved it. I could almost hear him speaking in my mind ( I imagined him as having an Irish dialect. Yeah, I know. He is from Seattle).I kept on reading as he rode with the Hunt, and was delightfully human towards Cerunnos. Not that he mouthed off, but that he didn’t show any deference. Through the whole story, Gary is delightfully himself. No matter if he is talking with Cerunnos or with one of his Army mates. He is his own gruff, rocksteady self.
This story had everything that a good story should have. Action. Lot’s of it, especially in the beginning. From the start, Gary goes on Wild ride. There were times how Gary managed to keep up with Cerunnos. But there isn’t just action. No, what made most impact on me were the part when Gary went back in time, to the time he met his wife Annie. It was poignant to read about their romance. Yet in it, there was a touch of paranormal. I admired Gary for keeping quiet, and letting their marriage unfold. But the end. Oh lord. The end. It made me cry. And I cannot remember when that happened the last time.
So, what I didn’t like.
There is nothing I didn’t like with the story. This is C.E Murphy at her best. I just wish that more people hade been able to read it since it adds an layer to Raven Calls, but hopefully it will be available sometime in the future.

Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge: Zoo City by Lauren Beukes

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, reviews

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Angry Robot, available as print and e-book. 
The source:  purchased at Robot Trading Company
 The Grade: D
The blurb:

Zinzi has a Sloth on her back, a dirty 419 scam habit and a talent for finding lost things. But when a little old lady turns up dead and the cops confiscate her last paycheck, she’s forced to take on her least favourite kind of job – missing persons.

Being hired by reclusive music producer Odi Huron to find a teenybop pop star should be her ticket out of Zoo City, the festering slum where the criminal underclass and their animal companions live in the shadow of hell’s undertow.

Instead, it catapults Zinzi deeper into the maw of a city twisted by crime and magic, where she’ll be forced to confront the dark secrets of former lives – including her own.

The Review:
 

I have been curious about this book for a long time, so when Angry Robot had an 50% off sale, I decided to take the chance.
It was refreshing to read an Urban Fantasy that was set outside the US. The hustle and bustle of Joburg flowed through the page, and there were times I could hear her talking with the street vendors or her boyfriend. What I liked were the contrasts between the rundown apartment were Zinzi lived, and the luxious house her client lived in.
I liked the concept of the animalled, and how you got an spirit animal if you committed a serious crime. It felt right that some people disliked them, and other loved them.
I liked the characters, from Zinzi with her bad habits, to the spoiled pop stars she had to deal with. There was mix of desperation and hope in this book that gave me goosebumps.
That said, I had lot of problems with the plot. I found the plot to be confusing, and I couldn’t follow her motivations. One reason for that feeling might be the excerpts from articles that was scattered through the book. They annoyed me, and jarred me out from the book.

Urban Fantasy reading challenge: Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, reviews

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Berkley, available in print and as e-book
The Source: The bookshelf
The Grade: B
The Blurb:
We’re the D’Artigo sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we’re savvy—and sexy—operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.  But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times.  My sister Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she’s stressed.  Menolly’s a vampire who’s still trying to get the hang of being undead.  And me?  I’m Camille—a wicked-good witch.  Except my magic’s as unpredictable as the weather, as my enemies are about to find out the hard way… At the Wayfarer Inn, a portal to Otherworld and the local hangout for humans and beasties alike, a fellow operative, Jocko, has been murdered.  Every clue points to Shadow Wing, the soul-munching, badass leader of the Subterranean Realms.  He’s made it clear that he aims to raze humankind to the ground, turning both Earth and Otherworld into his private playground.  Our assignment:  Keep Shadow Wing and his minions from creeping into Earth via the Wayfarer.  The demons figure they’re in like Flynn.  After all, with only my bumbling sisters and me standing in the way, how can they miss?  But we’ve got a secret for them:  Faulty wiring or not, nobody kicks ass like the D’Artigo girls…

The Review:
One of my reading challenges this year is to re-read the Otherworld series by Yasmine Galenorn, originally the plan was to re-read it before Shadow Rising was out in February, but obviously that didn’t happen.
That said, I am glad that I made that vow, since I enjoyed this book a lot.
The world was rich, and intriguing. I loved the twists on the myths and standard tropes that was revealed, and in some cases hinted at.
I also liked the impact the Sidhe had on humans, that some loves them and some hates them. Which makes totally sense.But more than the world, I loved meeting the characters. I loved Camille. Her struggle with her feelings to the Svartan Trillian, who showed up without warning. Her love to her sisters. Her courage, and determination to do what is right.
The plot was fast paced, yet it felt as if it wasn’t too fast. It was easy to understand the characters reactions and actions. I loved how Camille’s Magic affected the plot. Not that it made it easier, if anything it made it harder.
So what I didn’t like with this book. It took a long time before it sucked me in, before it hooked me. In fact, it wasn’t until page 150 or so that I felt the urge to just keep on reading. Before that I put it down and picked it up several time.
Interstingly I have had different reactions each time I have read this book. The first time, I felt it was good, but not great , the second I loved it. This time it was a mix of the previous times.

Book recommendation: Thieftaker by DB Jackson

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations
A warm evening in colonial North America’s leading city. Smoke drifts across the city, and with it the sound of voices raised in anger, of shattering glass and splintering wood. A mob is rioting in the streets, enraged by the newest outrage from Parliament: a Stamp Tax . Houses are destroyed, royal officials are burned in effigy. And on a deserted lane, a young girl is murdered.

Ethan Kaille, a thieftaker of some notoriety, and a conjurer of some skill, is hired by the girl’s father to find her killer. Soon he is swept up in a storm of intrigue and magic, politics and treachery. The murder has drawn the notice of the lovely and deadly Sephira Pryce, a rival thieftaker in Boston; of powerful men in the royal government; of leaders of the American rebels, including Samuel Adams; and of a mysterious sorcerer who wields magic the likes of which Ethan has never encountered before.
To learn the truth of what happened that fateful night, Ethan must recover a stolen gem and sound the depths of conjurings he barely understands, all while evading Sephira and her henchmen, holding the royals and rebels at bay, and defending himself and those he loves from the shadowy conjurer.
No problem. Provided he doesn’t get himself killed in the process.

I really look forward to this one. I have, ever since I heard about in on Magical Words. It is an historical urban fantasy, with a large dose of mystery. I’ll admit it: Normally I would have waited for the paperback, but since I have read a couple of his books written as David B Coe and liked them, I am taking the plunge.
Thieftaker will be released by Tor Books in July 2012.
You can read the first three chapters here.

Pre-order it from : Amazon, BN, Book Depository

Urban Fantasy reading challenge:Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane:

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, reviews

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Orbit, available in Print and as e-book
The Source: Purchased at Bokus during a sale
The Grade: D+
The Blurb:
THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah

The Review:
I have been on the edge on buying this book since it was released, but when I found it on Sale in february I decided to buy it.
This is a book that you either love or hate. I wanted to love it, since it has a lot of the elements that I love in Urban Fantasy.
The world was dark, and gritty. There were several things that fascinated me. One thing were the magic system. I am not sure if I have seen a magic system like it before. I loved the way it used European folklore to banish Ghosts.
Another thing that intrigued me was the ghosts, and how their existens were the base of the Church, and employed the Debunkers and Liasons. 
The plot were filled with unexpected twists. One thing that I liked were that the motives stemmed from pure and simple greed. From Bump’s wish to open the airfield, to Chess wish to buy more drugs. The stakes kept growing, and I kept reading to see how the mystery was solved. And the end took me by surpise, yet it made sense.
The characters were deliciously flawed. I loved that they showed how different Chess lives were. The upside life were she was a Church Debunker and interacted with Church Elders, Goodys and suburban families. Then there were the Downside life, were she interacted with Terrible, Bump, and street urchins. 
So what I didn’t like. 
I didn’t like Chess.   Everything Chess does, she does to earn money to purchase drugs. I’ll be honest, this book was very close to becoming an DNF for me, but curiosity made me read on.. 

Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge: Motor City Fae by Cindy Spencer Pape

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, reviews

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Carina Press, available as e-book
The Source: Purchased at Kobo ( I think.)
The Grade: C
The blurb:
Detroit artist Meagan Kelly has had a strong sixth sense all her life, but that doesn’t mean the gorgeous stranger’s crazy story—that she’s a half-elf, half human heiress—is true. But Meagan can’t deny the evidence of her own eyes—he’s Fae. A tall, blond, handsome, pointy-eared elf—and a man she just can’t get enough of.
Ric Thornhill’s assignment just got a lot more complicated. The more time he spends with Meagan, the harder it is to see her as a political tool to prevent an all-out war between humans and Fae.
Now Meagan’s in a race to master her newly released powers in time to prevent the conflict, convince a jealous Queen not to strip Ric of his powers, and find out if she can build a life that straddles two worlds.


The Review:
I think I have started reading this book twice before, but put it down. But people kept praising this series, which made me wonder if I had missed something. So I decided to read it again. So what did I think?
Despite the fact that the world was populated by the standard races ( werewolves, fae and magic users), it felt unique. One important reasons were that the elves wasn’t perfect breathing mannequins. No, they are delightfully flawed. Some are ruthless, some xenophobic, some honorable. Just like humans.
This is reflected in the plot. The stakes in the plot gradually increased, thanks to the pressure of the Queen. The plot twists took me by surprise, yet they had been cleverly foreshadowed in the plot. A lot of them stemmed from actions by characters, and the characters feelings ( both good and bad).
I loved the sense of loyalty that exuded through the plot. Ric was loyal to the queen, Meagan loyal to her friends, Ric’s friends supported him. But what I didn’t feel through the book was a spark between Meagan and Ric. Which was a disappointment, since the romance subplot was an important part in the book ( The hints about Aidan and Eileen did make me want to read their story.)

Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge: Heart of Stone by C.E Murphy

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

The Particulars:  Urban Fantasy, Luna, available in print and as e-book
The Source: The Bookshelf
The Grade: B-

The Blurb: 

Okay, so jogging through Central Park after midnight wasn’t a bright idea. But Margrit Knight never thought she’d encounter a dark new world filled with magical beings–not to mention a dying woman and a mysterious stranger with blood on his hands. Her logical, lawyer instincts told her it couldn’t all be real– but she could hardly deny what she’d seen and touched. 

The mystery man, Alban, was a gargoyle. One of the fabled Old Races who had hidden their existence for centuries. Now he was a murder suspect, and he needed Margrit’s help to take the heat off him and find the real killer. And as the dead pile up, it’s a race against the sunrise to clear Alban’s name and keep them both alive.

The Review:

It has been years since I read this one the first time, and before this I would have said it was on my Keeper shelf, but now I am not so sure.

First, I love the world of Old Races. The races feels fresh and unusual, even the standard fantasy races like Dragons and Vampires.  I loved that each of the races represented an element.  But everything isn’t perfect among the longlived Old Races.  They live their lives in the shadows, avoiding discovery by humans. 


It is a delicate balance, and Alban’s decision to approach Margit disturbs it.
Soon, Margrit juggles her normal workload, her quest for Alban’s innocence and  an suspicious cop boyfriend.  I loved how everything slowly dragged Margrit into the world of the Old Races.   
How it all felt connected, but I admired Margrit for her courage and her sense of justice.  She butted heads with  Dragons and Vampires, refusing to show any fear.  
She ignored the grumbles of her boyfriend, that they yet again is on differing sides of a case. Add in the fact that her lover is a cop, and that she is spending a lot of time with a suspected murderer. .   I am amazed that she managed it.  (No, honestly. I would have collapsed, but maybe it is something they teach you in law school. ) 


Despite the fast paced plot, what made the book for me were the characters.  Margit has core of honor that pulls at her through the book. She is sharp, and bargains with powerful men. And, as the plot races on she really wants to tell her roommates, not to mention boyfriend, what is going on.
Alban… His soul is battered, but  being around Margrit is pulling him back into the Old Races from his exile.  I loved how Alban’s past were a red thread in the book, and how smoothly it was woven into the plot.


The romantic subplot was bittersweet, since both of them knew that they couldn’t happen.  


So, what I didn’t like with this book. Despite the intriguing world and plot, there were an invisible barrier that stopped me from sinking into the book.  It might have been the fact that I decided to read it with the intent of reviewing it.