Rating: 3.5

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The Near Witch: Spooky, heavy on mood and imagery

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

“There are no strangers in the town of Near.” That is, until the night Lexi sees a strange boy outside her window — one who seems to have uncanny abilities. Then, Pied-Piper-style, the children of Near begin to disappear, lured away by a song. Lexi, as an adolescent, can only hear broken snatches of the song. But her little sister is vulnerable to it. The whole town seems convinced that the strange boy is the kidnapper, but Lexi thinks the disappearances are tied to the legend of the Near Witch,

Dr. Franklin’s Island: A suspenseful story that isn’t preachy

Dr. Franklin’s Island by Ann Halam

Dr. Franklin’s Island, by Ann Halam (who also writes as Gwyneth Jones), is a YA updating of The Island of Dr. Moreau. In this version, three teenagers survive a plane crash and wash up on a tropical island.

It is not a spoiler to say that the two girls in the story, Miranda and Semirah, or “Semi” as she calls herself, become victims of genetic manipulation. That’s on the back cover of the book.

Blood Sacrifice: Thanks, Ms. Lima, for an enjoyable series

Blood Sacrifice by Maria Lima

On her blog, Maria Lima states that Blood Sacrifice is the final BLOOD LINES book — at least for now. Blood Sacrifice is a fitting conclusion, and one of the best installments in the series.

The end of Blood Heat was a doozy: Keira’s power-hungry ex, Gideon, had just crashed Keira and Adam’s royal bash and challenged their right to their lands. With him were two women: Gideon’s pregnant bride — the Seelie queen’s daughter — and Keira’s own mother.

September 1st, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Maria Lima | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Two Worlds and In Between: The Best of Caitlín R. Kiernan

Two Worlds and In Between: The Best of Caitlín R. Kiernan

Two Worlds and In Between: The Best of Caitlín R. Kiernan is a collection of Caitlín R. Kiernan’s works which span the years 1993-2004. In this collection there are 24 short stories, one poem, one novella, an introduction by the author, and a short afterword for each work. The stories are arranged in chronological order, letting the reader watch the progression of Kiernan’s style and the noticeable changes in her stories’ subject matter as she matures. Some of these stories are award winners and all have been published previously (though some have undergone extensive revisions since their original publication).

Once a Witch: Avoids most YA tropes

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin comes from a family of witches. At her birth, her grandmother prophesied that she would become one of the most powerful of all — but Tamsin’s powers have never manifested, making her odd one out in the clan. If this were Harry Potter, she’d be a Squib.

Unsurprisingly, Tamsin is insecure about her magical deficiency. When a stranger comes to the family’s shop, looking for someone to help him find a lost item, Tamsin’s insecurity leads her to make a fateful mistake.

The Mathematics of Magic: The Enchanter Stories of de Camp and Pratt

The Mathematics of Magic: The Enchanter Stories of de Camp and Pratt

Back in the 1940s and 1950s, L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt co-wrote five fantasy stories about psychologist Harold Shea and his colleagues for the pulp magazines. The Mathematics of Magic: The Enchanter Stories of de Camp and Pratt collects all five of these original Enchanter stories, plus an introduction by Christopher Stasheff (who edited many of the later Enchanter stories written by other authors), an article written by de Camp about Fletcher Pratt and their collaboration,

August 17th, 2011. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Fletcher Pratt, L. Sprague De_Camp | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Cryoburn: A good installment in a great series

Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold

Cryoburn is the long-awaited new novel in Lois McMaster Bujold’s excellent VORKOSIGAN SAGA, following 2002’s Diplomatic Immunity. If you’re not familiar with this series yet and are in the mood for some intelligent, character-driven and consistently entertaining SF, drop everything now and go find the first few books. Almost all of them are conveniently available in affordable omnibus editions from Baen. You can start with the Cordelia’s Honor omnibus if you want to read the series according to internal chronological order,

August 10th, 2011. Stefan Raets´s rating: 3.5 | Lois McMaster Bujold | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |

The Lost Heiress: Doesn’t quite match the excellence of the first book

The Lost Heiress by Catherine Fisher

The Lost Heiress, Catherine Fisher’s follow-up to The Dark City, picks up the action a short while after the close of the first book. Galen, Raffi, and the Sekoi have left the city of Tasceron behind, while Carys has returned to the Watch. The book opens with a bang when Raffi and the others steal back the blue box relic from Alberic, the dwarf thief-lord who had stolen it from them in book one.

The Fire Within: Charmingly whimsical

The Fire Within by Chris d’Lacey

The Fire Within is the opening book of Chris d’Lacey’s Last Dragon Chronicles. Interestingly enough, despite the series’ title, and the dragon on the cover, there are surprisingly few dragons in the book. In fact, one could make an argument that the dominant creatures are squirrels. Yes, squirrels. But somehow, it works (dragons play a much larger role in succeeding books).

The novel begins when David, a college student, takes a room with the Pennykettles — mother Liz and young daughter Lucy.

The Spirit Lens: Berg gives us a hero who is a true courtier

The Spirit Lens by Carol Berg

Courtiers are figures of contempt and fun in most fiction. They are craven lickspittles and influence peddlers, usually without honor. In The Spirit Lens, Carol Berg gives us a hero who is a true courtier. He is diplomatic, disciplined, strategic and loyal to his king at all costs — and the costs are great.

The Spirit Lens is the first book in the Collegia Magica series. Portier de Savin-Duplais is the librarian at the Camarilla Magica.

August 5th, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Carol Berg | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |

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