This was my first time reading an Elizabeth Knox novel, but I know for certain that it won’t be my last. Quite famous in her (and my) country of New Zealand, Knox is best known for her adult novel The Vintner’s Luck and her YA duology Dreamhunter and Dreamquake. Mortal Fire is set in the same world as the Dreamhunter books, one that’s so similar to our own that only a few name changes and the presence of hidden magic differentiates it.
September 6th, 2014. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Elizabeth Knox | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Yesterday I was very lucky for the chance to meet with Laini Taylor and discuss her recently-completed DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE trilogy. Arriving in Christchurch, New Zealand for our biannual Writer’s Festival, Laini was kind enough to share some insights into her epic story. Involving a star-crossed romance, a perspective flip on angels and demons, and an upcoming film adaptation, her trilogy has ensnared thousands of readers — and hopefully you as well.
Here are the New Zealand covers of Laini’s books:
I hope you enjoy the interview!
August 30th, 2014. Rebecca Fisher | Laini Taylor | Author Interviews | 3 comments |
Kate Mosse‘s Sepulchre is a historical fantasy — historical fiction with fantastic elements. I enjoy both genres, and this novel features a female graduate student (somebody I can relate to) as one of the main characters, and it’s available for download at Audible, so I thought it would be good entertainment on my commute. I got about ten chapters in before quitting.
The book seems well-researched, is competently written, the tone switches easily from past to present and back,
July 26th, 2014. Kat Hooper and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | Kate Mosse | Audio, Edge, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
The Dragon of Avalon by T.A. Barron
Recent republications of The Dragon of Avalon number it as the sixth instalment in T.A. Barron‘s MERLIN series. To be more accurate, it was published *after* the five-part LOST YEARS OF MERLIN and THE GREAT TREE OF AVALON trilogy, but is placed between them in the chronology of events. Confusing, right?
Although reading this in the newly designated order certainly doesn’t give away any spoilers, there’s a definite sense that Barron expects you to have some awareness of the Great Tree of Avalon (it’s kind of like reading The Magician’s Nephew before The Lion,
July 16th, 2014. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | T.A. Barron | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man by Lloyd Alexander
No one does it better than Lloyd Alexander. One of his early children’s chapter books, The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man contains all of his trademark wit, wisdom and warmth, as well as a valuable lesson and plenty of delightful characters.
After giving his cat the gift of speech, the magician Stephanus is now harangued by requests to turn him into a man. Lionel is desperately curious about the world of mankind,
July 15th, 2014. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Lloyd Alexander | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
First of all, it’s important to note that Kate Mosse’s The Winter Ghosts is nowhere near the same length as her other works, particularly her best-known books Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel. It’s best described as a novella, one which can probably be read in one sitting (it took me two). Your enjoyment will probably hinge on knowing beforehand that this isn’t a dense holiday read,
July 8th, 2014. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | Kate Mosse | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
A Wizard’s Wings by T.A. Barron
This is the fifth and final book of T.A. Barron’s THE LOST YEARS OF MERLIN cycle, one of the earliest literary explorations of the famous wizard’s childhood. Since then there have been a number of books (and one television show) about what this enigmatic sorcerer was like as a young boy, well before his mentoring of the famed King Arthur, but Barron’s take on the subject matter remains one of the most popular.
So popular that it’s warranted a recent re-publication,
July 1st, 2014. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | T.A. Barron | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Tale of a Tail by Margaret Mahy
Margaret Mahy was one of New Zealand’s most beloved writers, the author of forty novels, over one hundred picture books, and a twice-winner of the Carnegie Medal. She passed away in 2012, and I’ll admit that I got a little tearful when I heard that there was still one last story of hers to be published posthumously.
As a final coda to Mahy’s prolific writing career, Tale of a Tail is a funny, magical little story about a boy called Tom who lives with his mother on Prodigy Street.
May 1st, 2014. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4.5 | Margaret Mahy | Children | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Malvolio’s Revenge by Sophie Masson
I’ve read plenty of Sophie Masson’s novels and enjoyed them all, but I’m fairly certain that Malvolio’s Revenge may end up being my favourite. Though Masson usually writes straight-out fantasy stories, this is a more of a mystery with a few supernatural trappings thrown in.
The book’s title is a bit misleading, for this book isn’t a sequel to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Instead it refers to the title of a play that the travelling troupe of actors who comprise our main characters are performing all around Louisiana.
April 17th, 2014. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | Sophie Masson | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
What do you get if you cross Paradise Lost with Romeo and Juliet? Laini Taylor’s DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE trilogy, a story that centres on an epic war between angels and demons with a pair of star-crossed lovers caught in the middle. Only the angels and demons aren’t exactly what you’d expect. In the world of Eretz, “angels” are winged humanoids known as seraphim and the “demons” are half-human,
April 8th, 2014. Rebecca Fisher, Marion Deeds and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 4, 4.5 | Laini Taylor | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Do it! One of the best things I've read in recent years.
This reminds me. I want to read Addie LaRue.
We’re in total agreement David!
I felt just the same. The prose and character work was excellent. The larger story was unsatisfying, especially compared to…
Hmmm. I think I'll pass.