Bitterblue is the third book in Kristin Cashore’s series that began with Graceling and continued with Fire, both excellent novels (I gave them 5 stars and 4.5 stars respectively). Bitterblue is not quite as good, but the drop-off is slight, resulting in another strong read and a more than satisfying continuation.
Bitterblue picks up some years after Graceling.
May 1st, 2012. Bill Capossere and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4, 4.5 | Kristin Cashore | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Bitter Seed of Magic by Suzanne McLeod
Up until this point, reading Suzanne McLeod’s SPELLCRACKERS series has often been an exercise in frustration. The novels were often confusing, but were well-written enough that I couldn’t dismiss them and always felt there was huge potential for the series. With book three, The Bitter Seed of Magic, McLeod finally strikes the right balance between clarity and obfuscation.
The Bitter Seed of Magic focuses on the curse laid on the lesser fae of London by the sidhe queen Cliona.
January 19th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Suzanne McLeod | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Jewel of the Kalderash by Marie Rutkoski
The Jewel of the Kalderash is the third and final book in the children’s historical fantasy series The Kronos Chronicles by Marie Rutkoski. The first, The Cabinet of Wonders, was excellent (I gave it a strong 4 in my review) and while the second book, The Celestial Globe, wasn’t quite as good, that was mostly due to Cabinet being so strong. The Jewel of the Kalderash,
October 25th, 2011. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Marie Rutkoski | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Ashes of a Black Frost by Chris Evans
PLOT SUMMARY: Amidst a scene of carnage on a desert battlefield blanketed in metallic snow, Major Konowa Swift Dragon sees his future, and it is one drenched in shadow and blood. Never mind that he has won a grand victory for the Calahrian Empire. He came here in search of his lost regiment of elves, while the Imperial Prince came looking for the treasures of a mystical library, and both ventures have failed. But Konowa knows, as do the Iron Elves — both living and dead — that another,
October 18th, 2011. Robert Thompson´s rating: 3 | Chris Evans | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Always the Vampire by Nancy Haddock
Francesca Marinelli was turned into a vampire over two hundred years ago and then buried beneath her sire’s St. Augustine house as a punishment. The whole nest was then killed, and Cesca languished underground until the 21st century. Now she’s enjoying her second chance — and those handy modern conveniences. Nancy Haddock takes Charlaine Harris’s True Blood idea one step further: Cesca drinks Starbloods, synthetic blood with flavors like caramel macchiato. It’s a good thing she has that option,
June 2nd, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | Nancy Haddock | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
River of Shadows by Robert V.S. Redick
PLOT SUMMARY: The crew of the vast, ancient ship Chathrand has reached the shores of the legendary southern empire of Bali Adro. Many have died in the crossing, and the alliance of rebels, led by the tarboy Pazel Pathkendle and the admiral’s daughter Thasha Isiq, has faced death, betrayal, and darkest magic. But nothing has prepared them for the radically altered face of humanity in the South.
They have little time to recover from the shock, however. For with landfall, the battle between the rebels and centuries-old sorcerer Arunis enters its final phase.
April 19th, 2011. Robert Thompson and Bill Capossere´s rating: 4, 5 | Robert V.S. Redick | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Vicious Grace by M.L.N. Hanover
Have you ever been in one of those cobbled-together buildings where the 1st floor of the original structure opens onto the 3rd floor of the new wing, and you can only access the fourth floor by a staircase at the far end of that older building that got swallowed up into the whole mass at some point, and so on? I work in one, and after reading Vicious Grace, I don’t think I’ll ever see it the same way again! (Gee, thanks,
November 24th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter and Terry Weyna´s rating: 4.5 | M.L.N. Hanover | SFF Reviews | 10 comments |
I recently received a review copy of the fourth Blood Lines book, Blood Heat. I realized then that I hadn’t yet read the third installment, Blood Kin, and decided to remedy that before starting Blood Heat. I’m glad I read it — there are a couple of revelations that will no doubt be important to the series — but as an individual novel, Blood Kin is disappointing.
November 20th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2 | Maria Lima | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Editor’s note: Heir of Novron was originally published as Wintertide and Percepliquis.
Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan
Wintertide is the next to last book in THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS series. As with the rest of these books, this is a fairly self-contained story, but at the same time the reader can feel the momentum building toward an explosive conclusion. Hadrian is forced into a deadly deal to kill an honorable knight by making it look accidental in a tournament,
November 11th, 2010. Greg Hersom and John Hulet´s rating: 4 | Michael J. Sullivan | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
OK, HUNGER GAMES fans, you’ve been waiting a year for this book, and the last thing you want is some @#$% reviewer spoiling the plot. So, I will do my best to give my impressions of Mockingjay with as few spoilers as possible.
When a series becomes this popular and sparks this much speculation among readers, the author’s task is extremely difficult. How to surprise a fanbase, when that fanbase has spent many months trying to guess what will happen in the final installment (and almost certainly guessed right on a few counts)?
August 29th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter, Bill Capossere, Jason Golomb, Terry Weyna and Skye Walker´s rating: 4 | Suzanne Collins | SFF Reviews | 2 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…