Order [book in series=yearoffirstbook.book# (eg 2014.01), stand-alone or one-author collection=3333.pubyear, multi-author anthology=5555.pubyear, SFM/MM=5000, interview=1111]: 2011.01

A World Without Heroes: Appealing characters, imaginative world

A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull

Jason Walker, an eighth grader, was having a fairly normal day — playing baseball with his friends and working at the zoo — until he heard music coming from the hippopotamus tank. When he leaned over the rail to listen more closely, he fell in and was swallowed by the hippo. Instead of ending up in the hippo’s digestive tract, though, he ended up in a parallel universe named Lyrian. Rachel Woodford, a smart home-schooled girl around Jason’s age, was on vacation with her parents in Bryce Canyon when she followed a strange butterfly through a stone arch and ended up in Lyrian,

A Touch Mortal: Did Not Finish

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Full disclosure: I didn’t finish this book. I didn’t even get that far in. But I’m a firm believer that life’s too short to read bad books. A Touch Mortal hit one of my biggest peeves about YA paranormal romance, and it hit it really quickly.

It starts out with what could be an interesting premise: teenage Eden is somehow slipping from the minds of everyone around her, and doesn’t know why her friends and family are ignoring her. She’s depressed about this and contemplating suicide when she meets two young men on the beach.

Lightbringer: Refreshing YA

Lightbringer by K.D. McEntire

I’ve been on a young adult kick recently, which is odd for me because I tend to not enjoy young adult books. I’ve lucked out, though. I’ve actually been enjoying the recent flood of young adult books that have come my direction. It’s been a refreshing change of pace from my usual reading routine. Lightbringer is one of those young adult books I didn’t expect to enjoy, but ended up appreciating more than I anticipated.

Lightbringer takes place both in our world and in a parallel world called The Never.

July 2nd, 2012. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 4 | K.D. McEntire | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Phoenix Rising: Lots of rivets, studs and leather

Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris

Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are agents in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, taking on the uncanny in the name of Queen and country. Agent Books is a straitlaced archivist — don’t call him a librarian — who enjoys mechanical tinkering and his peaceful job among the Ministry’s old files. Agent Braun is an outspoken New Zealand transplant who loves to blow things up. At the beginning of Phoenix Rising, the two agents land themselves in the doghouse with the Ministry and are assigned to work together.

May 10th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter and Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | Philippa (Pip) Ballantine, Tee Morris | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Broken Blade: A fun little fantasy novel

Broken Blade by Kelly McCullough

Broken Blade, the first book in Kelly McCullough‘s FALLEN BLADE series is a fun little fantasy novel. I picked it up as something to fill in space between “serious” series. In that role, Broken Blade exceeded my expectations because it was refreshingly simple and interesting all in one.

In the City of Tien we are introduced to Aral. As member of a cult of assassins, called Blades, Aral was a rising star with great promise and great skills.

May 7th, 2012. John Hulet´s rating: 3 | Kelly McCullough | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Dragon Mound: Solid but slow

Dragon Mound by Richard Knaak

Dragon Mound, Richard Knaak‘s first installment in the KNIGHT IN SHADOW trilogy, chronicles Evan Wytherling’s confrontation with long time enemies as he seeks to end his seemingly endless quest.

Evan has been a part of momentous war, nations fighting against nations with magic, dragons and knights all vying on behalf of two master wizards for control of the nation of Rundin. The final battle in that war took place hundreds of years ago, and Evan has been on the road even since.

April 18th, 2012. John Hulet´s rating: 2.5 | Richard A. Knaak | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Wool: An elaborate knitting metaphor

Wool by Hugh Howey

Editor’s Note: When first published, Wool was an omnibus of edition including 5 “books.” Now, Wool is considered the first novel in Hugh Howey’s SILO series. The other two books are Shift (also at first considered an omnibus) and Dust which we’ve since reviewed.

Wool is the omnibus edition of Hugh Howey’s WOOL series. The first book in the series, Wool,

April 16th, 2012. Ruth Arnell, Bill Capossere, Ray McKenzie and Marion Deeds | Hugh Howey | SFF Reviews | 9 comments |

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 |

The Concrete Grove: Hopelessness emanates from every page

The Concrete Grove by Gary McMahon

Many countries, including the United States, house their poor in such unpleasant places that they are rethinking the way to provide housing assistance for them. Numerous high rise facilities have been demolished, like the infamous Cabrini Green in Chicago or Atlanta’s Bowen Homes, and replaced with mixed-income housing projects. In England, they are called council estates. High rises are even more problematic there, for England has never taken much to the skyscraper, at least as a place to live. So it’s not surprising that there are places like The Grove,

Kindling the Moon: Wildly successful characterization

Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett

Seven years ago, Arcadia “Cady” Bell’s occultist parents were accused of four murders. They faked their deaths and Cady’s, and the family went into hiding: the parents together, Cady separately. Now, Cady co-owns and tends bar at the Tambuku Tiki Lounge, which caters to both human and demon patrons. Then, when the media discovers her parents are still alive, the rival magical lodge Luxe demands that either they or Cady pay the price for the murders. Cady sets out to prove her parents’ innocence instead. But to do that,

January 31st, 2012. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Jenn Bennett | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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