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Carol Berg continues her Collegia Magica series with The Soul Mirror. The secret magical war being fought in the country of Sabria has left behind many victims: some dead, some maimed, some spiritually and psychologically damaged, and some intact in body and spirit but with reputation and honor destroyed. Anne de Vernase is one of these, the daughter of a traitor who not only betrayed country and king, but by betraying that king turned against his dearest and closest friend.
September 29th, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Carol Berg | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Dead Path by Stephen M. Irwin
Good horror novels must be devilishly hard to write well. There has to be a proper balance between gore and straightforward exposition; between the supernatural and the real; between those who look askance at magic until it is too late, and those who embrace magic regardless of their previous disbelief. Stephen M. Irwin gets the balance just right in his debut novel, The Dead Path.
Nicholas Close becomes enmeshed in the plans of a very, very old witch very early in his life.
September 26th, 2011. Terry Weyna´s rating: 3.5 | Stephen M. Irwin | Horror | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Sacred Band by David Anthony Durham
The most pleasant surprise about The Other Lands, the previous book in the ACACIA trilogy by David Anthony Durham, was that it broadened the scope of the series tremendously. Ushen Brae, the setting for a large part of the action in that book, proved to be a complex and interesting place, with its non-human Auldek tribes, several strata of human Quota slaves (from a warrior caste to an organized “Free People” resistance movement),
September 17th, 2011. Stefan Raets and Robert Thompson´s rating: 3.5 | David Anthony Durham | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter
There have been some great animal stories written for children. Brian Jacques’s Redwall series invested woodland creatures with a valor and camaraderie straight out of Tolkien, and Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows charmed with its odd blend of comedy and bittersweet nostalgia. E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web and Robert C. O’Brien’s Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh are in many ways beautiful little stories of life and loss.
September 16th, 2011. Tim Scheidler´s rating: 3.5 | Erin Hunter | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Kat Richardson’s GREYWALKER novels reached a crescendo with Labyrinth, the 2010 entry in the series. It is not surprising, then, that Downpour, Richardson’s newest novel, feels anticlimactic. How does an author top killing and resurrecting her main character? It’s especially difficult when the character comes back a bit less than she was in the last book; Harper Blaine’s connection to the Grey in this book is considerably weaker than it was. But Richardson has surprises in store for her readers,
September 9th, 2011. Terry Weyna´s rating: 3.5 | Kat Richardson | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
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,
September 5th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Victoria (V.E.) Schwab | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
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.
September 3rd, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Ann Halam | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
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 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).
August 25th, 2011. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Caitlín R. Kiernan | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
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.
August 17th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Carolyn MacCullough | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
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.
COMMENT Was I hinting that? I wasn't aware of it. But now that you mention it.... 🤔
So it sounds like you're hinting Fox may have had three or so different incomplete stories that he stitched together,…
It's hardly a private conversation, Becky. You're welcome to add your 2 cents anytime!