Destroyermen: Into the Storm by Taylor Anderson
During the Second Battle of the Java Sea, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy and the crew of the destroyer USS Walker have been ordered to pull out of the Philippines. As they attempt to flee with several other Allied Navy ships, they’re attacked by the Japanese. The Allied ships are sunk, one by one, until only USS Walker and the crippled USS Mahan are left. When the huge Japanese battlecruiser Amagi shows up with its Kamikazes,
June 8th, 2012. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Taylor Anderson | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan
The first thing you should know about Theft of Swords is that it’s not a fine dining experience. This book is not the literary equivalent of going to a fancy restaurant and getting one of those huge plates that are mostly empty except for a tiny stalk of asparagus artfully drizzled with a delicate sauce. Instead, it’s more like sitting down hungry and getting a big, tasty burger you can just grab and sink your teeth into. (Vegetarians, please substitute for the vegetarian equivalent of a big,
January 5th, 2012. Stefan Raets, Greg Hersom and John Hulet | Michael J. Sullivan | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland
Lori Handeland’s Any Given Doomsday is a fun urban fantasy, following the standard recipe with no real surprises. The voice of her main character, Liz Phoenix, is sharp, breezy and sarcastic. The story moves pretty briskly with only a few slack points, and there is a lot of gorgeous, dreamy, steamy sex.
Liz is a bartender at a cop bar. She used to be a cop herself, but her psychic abilities kept her an outsider and even a figure of suspicion because her “hunches” were too accurate.
October 13th, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | Lori Handeland | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja & The Nightmare Ninja by Simon Higgins
Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja and Moonshadow: The Nightmare Ninja are the first two installments in a series of children’s books by Simon Higgins about, well, ninjas. The first book is mostly entertaining if a bit slight, but the second, unfortunately, is disappointing due to an overreliance on fight scenes. While the Moonshadow series has potential, it took a step backward in book two.
October 11th, 2011. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2, 2.5 | Simon Higgins | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Blood Blade by Marcus Pelegrimas
Blood Blade, the first installment in the Skinners series by Marcus Pelegrimas, is a solid urban fantasy novel. All of the major elements of this genre — such as vampires, werewolves, humans fighting them, and a little relationship drama — are present. The challenge of late has been finding an author who could still make this combination fun to read. Marcus Pelegrimas did just that; he made it fun to read.
Cole Warnecki, our hero,
October 5th, 2011. John Hulet´s rating: 4 | Marcus Pelegrimas | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
I did not have any expectations for George Mann’s The Affinity Bridge, and it managed to disappoint me anyway.
The book is beautifully presented. I must remember what they say about books and covers. Besides the beautiful cover, The Affinity Bridge has a clever idea: a Holmesian detective who is an Agent of the Crown, and his plucky female Dr Watson, in a steampunk world. Poor plotting, shallow characterization and bad prose stand between this idea and its execution.
September 17th, 2011. Marion Deeds and Bill Capossere | George Mann | SFF Reviews | 8 comments |
The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox
Lizzie’s long-lost grandmother reappears in her life, turns out to be a witch, and informs Lizzie she’s destined to be a demon slayer. A demon pops out of Lizzie’s toilet. Lizzie suddenly gains the ability to understand what her dog is saying. Her grandmother introduces her to her coven of elderly biker witches. Oh, and there’s a hunky griffin shapeshifter.
If this sounds a little chaotic, that’s because it is. Angie Fox bombards the reader with one wacky event after another in The Accidental Demon Slayer,
August 27th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 0.1 | Angie Fox | SFF Reviews | 10 comments |
Promise of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst
CLASSIFICATION: In the publisher’s press release, Promise of the Wolves is compared to Jean M. Auel’s The Clan of the Cave Bear and Richard Adams’ Watership Down, neither of which I’ve read. So for me, I was reminded of The Lion King — if the movie had been set 14,000 years ago in southern Europe and starred wolves, ravens, humans, and elkryn instead of lions,
August 25th, 2011. Robert Thompson´s rating: 4 | Dorothy Hearst | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Philippa Fisher and the Fairy Godsister by Liz Kessler
Philippa Fisher is your average 11½ year old — her parents are embarrassing and she wishes she was popular. When her best friend moves away, she is so sad that she comes to the attention of the fairy godmothers. They assign Daisy, who’s never worked with humans before, to Philippa’s case. Daisy must grant Philippa three wishes, but Daisy also has her own lessons to learn about compassion if she wants to advance in fairy society.
I listened to the audiobook version of Philippa Fisher and the Fairy Godsister (also titled Philippa Fisher’s Fairy Godsister in some markets) with my 9 year old daughter,
August 20th, 2011. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Liz Kessler | Audio, Children | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
I had heard the buzz surrounding Kristin Cashore’s Graceling and my curiosity was piqued. Sitting down to read, I hoped that it hadn’t been over-hyped, but was pleasantly surprised to find myself reading a fast-paced, intriguing fantasy novel with a wonderfully real and sympathetic female protagonist — which is rarer than you might think.
The world in which Katsa lives has amidst its population people known as Gracelings: individuals with extraordinary, but rather arbitrary talents. Identified by their mismatched eyes,
January 2nd, 2011. Rebecca Fisher, Bill Capossere and Terry Weyna´s rating: 4.5, 5 | Kristin Cashore | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
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