Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
Imagine what the settling of the West would have been like if, along with hunger, drought, and malaria, the settlers also had to deal with dragons. Patricia Wrede’s Thirteenth Child is a sort of a magical version of Little House on the Prairie. Eff is the titular thirteenth child, which means she is a beacon of bad luck and will curse all those around her as she ages. Her twin brother Lan is a seventh son of a seventh son,
May 29th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 4 | Patricia C. Wrede | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
A Fistful of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
A Fistful of Sky is the story of Gypsum LaZelle, who comes from a magical family. Each child goes through transition in their early teens and receives the ability to do magic. However, Gypsum doesn’t go through transition. After several years of adjusting to her life as the mundane member of her family, she unexpectedly goes through transition, and receives the power of cursing. The only magic she can do is to perform curses, and if she doesn’t use her power regularly,
April 29th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | Nina Kiriki Hoffman | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Shape-Changer’s Wife by Sharon Shinn
Aubrey is a young wizard, apprenticed to Glynrenden, the most powerful shape-changer in the land. Aubrey wants to learn all of his magical secrets, but instead discovers a mystery surrounding the shape-changer’s wife, Lilith, which may change everything Aubrey has ever known.
The Shape-Changer’s Wife is a beautiful fairytale romance, with a haunting, slightly creepy undertone. Glynrenden is a menacing character, and Shinn does a wonderful job of eliciting a sense of dread during his interactions with the other characters.
April 20th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 4 | Sharon Shinn | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Kendra and Seth have to spend 17 days with their grandparents who they barely know while their parents go on a trip. Dropped off at the huge isolated estate deep in the forest, the kids have no idea what to expect. Little did they think they would discover that their grandparents are the caretakers of a nature preserve for magical creatures of all sizes, shapes and inclinations. But now it seems that Grandma has mysteriously gone missing, and that is just the beginning of the problems the children will have to face.
April 8th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3 | Brandon Mull | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Starfinder is the story of Moth, an orphaned child obsessed with learning how to fly, and Fiona, the granddaughter of the Governor of Calio, an outpost on the edge of civilization. Calio borders on the Reach, a featureless miles-wide expanse that is supposed to be impossible to cross, covered in an impenetrable mist that conceals and confuses the traveler. The Reach separates the human lands from the mythical Skylords, angelic beings who jealously guard the skies to keep any other race from achieving flight.
April 7th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | John Marco | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint
The Mystery of Grace tells the story of Altagracia — known as Grace — Quintero, a tattooed, rockabilly mechanic who finds her greatest joy in customizing old cars and building hot rods, and John Burns, a graphic design artist. Both of these characters have unfinished business that they need to deal with before they can move on with their lives. But, they meet and fall in love two weeks too late for it to be a happy ending.
It’s difficult to give a good summary without giving away some fairly significant plot details,
March 16th, 2009. Ruth Arnell and Marion Deeds | Charles De_Lint | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
Wings of Wrath by C.S. Friedman
C.S. Friedman’s Wings of Wrath is the second book in her Magister Trilogy. It focuses on the story of a god-blessed race, the lyr, who have spent the last 1000 years preparing for the return of the Souleaters. At the end of the previous war with the Souleaters, the gods sent a magical wall, known as the Wrath, to bar them from ever being able to cross back into human lands again. Ever since, the lyr have been guarding the Wrath and watching for the Souleaters to reappear.
February 1st, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 5 | C.S. Friedman | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Longeye by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Longeye is the sequel and conclusion to the enjoyable novel Duainfey.
Now that Becca has escaped from life as a sex-slave to Artificer Altimere, she must find a way to rebuild her life, learn to trust again, and help solve the mystery of what is happening to the land around her, as undead trees and strange monsters are starting to appear and take over Faliance. (Undead trees? That’s the big bad guy here?)
I usually am a big fan of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller,
January 12th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 2 | Sharon Lee | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Accidental Sorcerer by K.E. Mills
The Accidental Sorcerer is the first book in the Rogue Agent trilogy by K.E. Mills, a pseudonym of the author Karen Miller.
Gerald Dunwoody is a “Third Grade” wizard who has been failing at one job after another. After he loses his job as a magical inspector for the government, he takes a job as Royal Wizard for the kingdom of New Ottosland. And that’s where the story really starts to get interesting.
K.E. Mills has a gift for descriptive writing.
January 1st, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | K.E. Mills | SFF Reviews | no comments |
A beautiful fairytale for the YA reader, Chalice is a very loose reinterpretation of a Beauty and the Beast story. Mirasol is a beekeeper who is forced to become the Chalice for her demesne after the previous Chalice and Master are killed in an accident. Her role is to bind her abused land back together and to the new Master, a Priest of Fire, a being who isn’t quite human and can burn both the land and human flesh with the barest touch.
September 18th, 2008. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | Robin McKinley | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! I love how the post highlights her unique…
Pretty challenging book. Cut by half, speed up the cadence. Trying to figure out the plot, the main point of…
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…