A few short weeks after Skinwalker ends, Jane Yellowrock is in trouble again. Leo Pellissier, the leader of New Orleans’ vampires, is mad with grief after the recent events, and in his madness, he blames Jane for his losses. And this time it’s not just Jane who’s in danger. Her witch best friend, Molly, and Molly’s two children are staying with Jane now, and Leo’s grudge could cost them their lives.
As if this weren’t enough trouble for one girl (and one Beast),
January 12th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Faith Hunter | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Cassie doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Sure, Gram used to tell her that bedtime story about how Cassie’s mother was stolen away by the North Wind and imprisoned by trolls. But Cassie, who lives with her scientist father at a research station in the Arctic, has every intention of following in Dad’s logical, analytical footsteps. She has no time for fantasy. And besides, as she grew older, she realized that “stolen by the North Wind” was just a euphemism for “died.”
Or was it?
On her eighteenth birthday,
January 12th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Sarah Beth Durst | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Darkest Hour by Mark Chadbourn
Darkest Hour is the second book in Mark Chadbourn‘s AGE OF MISRULE trilogy. As often is the case, the middle book in the trilogy is the darkest one, and if the title didn’t give it away, Darkest Hour is no exception. Thankfully, the novel contains enough excitement to make it a thrilling read that should please fans of the first book.
At the conclusion of World’s End,
January 12th, 2010. Stefan Raets´s rating: 3 | Mark Chadbourn | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
From the get go, Storm Thief has you on the edge of your seat. Chris Wooding once again creates a very vivid and realistic world full of danger and suspense, and the characters to go along with it. We meet stone-hearted villains, a frightened and bewildered half-machine-half-man creation, a day-dreaming thief, and many more. This is not for the faint of heart, or the full of stomach.
Orokos is an isolated city on an island in the middle of a vast ocean.
January 12th, 2010. Skye Walker´s rating: 4 | Chris Wooding | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Lord of Snow and Shadows by Sarah Ash
Lord of Snow and Shadows starts as Gavril, a young relatively carefree painter, learns that he has just inherited rule of the northern kingdom of Azhkendir after his father (whom Gavril never knew) was murdered. The inheritance has a darker side, however, as his father’s line also passes from son to son the Drakhaoul, a creature which lives in their blood and mind and gives them great power at great cost — the eventual transformation of their body and soul.
January 12th, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Sarah Ash | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Harlequin’s Dance by Tom Arden
I got 67 pages (eight chapters) into Tom Arden‘s The Harlequin’s Dance (1997), and even those 67 pages were a struggle.
In fact, I started and stopped the book a few times before finally giving up. I’m a little disappointed, because it seems like there’s potential here. Characterization is thorough, there are some promising villains, and some subtle humor — all things that I appreciate.
And Tom Arden is a fine enough writer,
January 12th, 2010. Kat Hooper´s rating: 0.1 | Tom Arden | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Today we begin a series of series of sketches of 20 original fantasy heroes who have been conceived in the mind of our own Robert Rhodes. Rob’s fiction has appeared in several venues and he has been named a finalist in The L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. We’re proud of Rob and pleased to publish his work. We’ll also showcase several works of art which Rob has chosen to accompany his sketches. Be sure to visit the artists’ websites to see more of their portfolios.
We hope you’ll enjoy this series (please let us know by commenting).
January 11th, 2010. Rob Rhodes | 20 Heroes | 9 comments |
Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
I can’t deny that Persistence of Memory has an interesting premise. The protagonist, Erin, is a teenage girl who has been institutionalized most of her life due to multiple personalities and hallucinations. As the novel begins, Erin’s alternate personality, Shevaun, has been suppressed by drugs for about a year, and Erin is taking the first steps toward going to a regular high school and having a “normal” life. Right at this inopportune time, Shevaun reasserts herself and once again threatens to destroy Erin’s sanity,
January 11th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2 | Amelia Atwater-Rhodes | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker
Writing a critical review for a book as harmless and fluffy as The Frog Princess makes me feel awful, almost like I’m unnecessarily picking on a little girl in the corner who is minding her own business and trying to quietly read her book. But the fact remains that although The Frog Princess is a diverting and easy-to-read story, it’s also rather patchy and forgettable. Quite simply: there are better books to be read to your kids, and plenty that include frogs and princesses.
January 11th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 2 | E.D. Baker | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
One for Sorrow, Two for Joy by Clive Woodall
One for Sorrow, Two for Joy is one more in the vein of animal kingdom books, the classic one of course being Watership Down. Sorrow doesn’t approach the skill, majesty, or emotion of Watership Down but that’s hard to fault it for, as few books do. The problem is not that it doesn’t hold up well against a classic but that it doesn’t hold up well against your average book either.
January 11th, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2 | Clive Woodall | Children | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Looking forward to reading the review.
Always my pleasure, Marion! I'm almost finished with Book #3 now, and hope to be reporting on it very shortly....
After reading your review, I'm quite sure I never read this one, or Book Three for that matter. I loved…
What a fantastic review! I loved how you highlighted the blend of action and character development in "Foundryside." The intricate…
On her blog, "Aunt Beast" says she is in the early stages of working on another Tinfoil Dossier novella, so…