Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Author: Kelly Lasiter

Song of the Nile: Addictive historical fantasy

Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

The sequel to Lily of the Nile, Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray continues the story of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the more famous Cleopatra. In this installment, Selene marries, becomes queen of Mauretania, and continually longs and schemes for the return of her birthright: the throne of Egypt.

Song of the Nile begins with a prologue that refers to the myth of Persephone’s descent, and so we know from the start that this book will take Selene into some painful emotional territory.

April 10th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4.5 | Stephanie Dray | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Springsweet: Appealing YA historical fantasy

The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell

The Springsweet is a young adult historical fantasy set in the late nineteenth century, mainly in the Oklahoma Territory. It’s also a sequel to Saundra Mitchell’s 2011 novel The Vespertine, though I didn’t realize that when I ordered it. So the caveat to my review is that I read The Springsweet without that background. How does it hold up on its own? Quite well, actually.

The heroine is Zora Stewart,

Magic Without Mercy: Solid addition to the series

Magic Without Mercy by Devon Monk

At the end of Magic on the Line, Allie Beckstrom killed the head of Portland’s Authority — who was ignoring a magical plague in the city for his own ends — and now she is a fugitive, along with her lover Zayvion and a handful of her closest friends who have now broken with the Authority as well. In Magic Without Mercy, Allie and her small band investigate the poisoning of Portland’s four magical wells and try to find a way to cleanse magic before the problem can go worldwide.

April 5th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Devon Monk | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Thirteenth Sacrifice: If you like evil-witches plots, give this one a try

The Thirteenth Sacrifice by Debbie Viguié

The Thirteenth Sacrifice is the first in the new WITCH HUNT series by Debbie Viguié. In it, we are introduced to Samantha Ryan, a Boston cop who comes from a traumatic past. As a child, she was raised in a coven of evil witches and was the only survivor when they accidentally destroyed themselves. She was adopted by a kindly couple, became a Christian, and has put all that behind her,

April 4th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | Debbie Viguié | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Grave Mercy: I wish it were longer!

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

I first heard about Robin LaFevers’ new YA release, Grave Mercy, a few months ago and was intrigued by its premise, which involves an order of assassin nuns. Based on that, I thought it was set in a fantasy world. When I learned that it was in fact set in our own world, in medieval France, I was more skeptical. How would LaFevers set assassin nuns in real France without it seeming unrealistic?

Alongside the real history,

Lily of the Nile: Couldn’t put it down

Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

After the defeat and death of Cleopatra, her three youngest children were taken to Rome and paraded as spoils of war, then adopted into the household of the victorious emperor, Octavian. Of the three, the one who went on to make a mark on history was Cleopatra’s daughter, Cleopatra Selene. In Lily of the Nile, Stephanie Dray tells the story of Selene’s coming of age in Rome, with a magical element added.

Selene is a fully-rounded character.

March 28th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 5 | Stephanie Dray | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

Chrysanthe: Did Not Finish

Chrysanthe by Yves Meynard

I’ve been trying to read Chrysanthe for two weeks now, and still haven’t hit the halfway point. It’s that experience where the bookmark never seems to move; whenever I sit down to read, I can’t get far before my mind starts to wander. With roughly three hundred pages left to go, I’ve decided to cut my losses.

It starts promisingly enough. Yves Meynard introduces us to a little girl, Christine, who lives with her unpleasant uncle in a world similar to our own present day,

March 26th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 0.1 | Yves Meynard | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |

The Mastermind Plot: Twisty YA mystery

The Mastermind Plot by Angie Frazier

Zanna Snow is excited when her grandmother invites her to visit Boston. She barely knows her grandmother, but this gives her a chance to spend more time with her uncle Bruce, the famous detective, and with her cousin Will. It’s not long before Zanna catches wind of another mystery and sets out to solve it. Meanwhile, Grandmother has enrolled her in a prestigious academy for young ladies, where one of her classmates seems determined to make her life miserable. On top of all that, Zanna is being followed around town by a mysterious old man.

Secondhand Spirits: A cozy mystery with a magical twist

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell

Secondhand Spirits (2009) is the first in the WITCHCRAFT MYSTERIES series by Juliet Blackwell. The series centers on Lily Ivory, a natural witch who has traveled the world looking for a place to belong, and finds it in the eccentric Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco. She owns a vintage clothing shop, and her magical abilities help her in her business by allowing her to sense something of the history of a garment and thereby match it with the right customer.

Wide Open: Impressive debut

Wide Open by Deborah Coates

Hallie Michaels, a soldier in Afghanistan, is sent home to Prairie City, South Dakota, for ten days of compassionate leave when her sister Dell dies in a car accident. Rumor has it Dell committed suicide, but Hallie doesn’t buy it. And since her own recent brush with death in the war, Hallie can see ghosts, including Dell’s. Hallie is determined to find out why Dell really died and enable her sister to find peace — and she’s only got ten days to do it.

Hallie is a fantastic protagonist: sympathetic yet flawed,

March 13th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Deborah Coates | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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