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The Trouble With Witches by Shirley Damsgaard
After reading Witch Way to Murder, I found myself craving another Ophelia and Abby mystery and went to the library for my “fix.” They didn’t have book two, Charmed to Death, but they did have book three, The Trouble With Witches. I decided, what the heck, you can usually read these cozy mystery series out of order anyway. Often, authors will only allude vaguely to events of previous books in case you’re reading them out of sequence.
May 12th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Shirley Damsgaard | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Tower of Shadows by Drew Bowling
Last time I read a much-hyped fantasy debut by a promising up-and-coming talent it was the highly disappointing and, at least to me, overrated Eragon by teenager Christopher Paolini. So, even though it came with much less fanfare, I was admittedly skeptical about trying out The Tower of Shadows, another fantasy debut by a young wunderkind.
Fortunately college student Drew C. Bowling, who started his novel in high school, is a much more accomplished writer than Paolini was,
May 10th, 2009. Robert Thompson´s rating: 3.5 | Drew Bowling | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Magic in the Blood by Devon Monk
I complain sometimes about urban fantasy heroines who keep racking up more and more improbable powers over the course of a series, eventually becoming such spectacular demigoddesses that it would take a small army to give them so much as a black eye.
That’s one problem Allie Beckstrom doesn’t have. I’m beginning to think Allie needs more powers to deal with everything Devon Monk is throwing at her. Monk is great — maybe a little too great — at describing the agony of trekking all over Portland in the rain with a blinding migraine,
May 3rd, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Devon Monk | SFF Reviews | no comments |
A Fistful of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
A Fistful of Sky is the story of Gypsum LaZelle, who comes from a magical family. Each child goes through transition in their early teens and receives the ability to do magic. However, Gypsum doesn’t go through transition. After several years of adjusting to her life as the mundane member of her family, she unexpectedly goes through transition, and receives the power of cursing. The only magic she can do is to perform curses, and if she doesn’t use her power regularly,
April 29th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | Nina Kiriki Hoffman | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Puck of Pook’s Hill by Rudyard Kipling
The Sword Gave the Treasure, and the Treasure Gave the Law…
Puck of Pook’s Hill is certainly not as famous as Rudyard Kipling’s earlier works The Jungle Book, Captains Courageous, or even The Complete Stalky and Co.. First published in 1906, it was his final novel (only an anthology of short stories came after it) and it is certainly an odd specimen of a book.
April 18th, 2009. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | Rudyard Kipling | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Eve of Destruction by S.J. Day
It’s not every day that a trilogy’s second installment is better than the first, but S.J. Day has done it.
Eve of Destruction continues the story of Evangeline “Eve” Hollis and her adventures as a “Mark,” a sinner drafted into God’s demon-hunting army. Eve isn’t a typical Mark, and this becomes clearer in this volume as more Marks are introduced to the reader. In some ways, Eve has it easier than her colleagues; she still has a relationship with her family,
April 10th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | S.J. (Sylvia) Day | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Starfinder is the story of Moth, an orphaned child obsessed with learning how to fly, and Fiona, the granddaughter of the Governor of Calio, an outpost on the edge of civilization. Calio borders on the Reach, a featureless miles-wide expanse that is supposed to be impossible to cross, covered in an impenetrable mist that conceals and confuses the traveler. The Reach separates the human lands from the mythical Skylords, angelic beings who jealously guard the skies to keep any other race from achieving flight.
April 7th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | John Marco | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Victor’s Quest by Pamela Freeman
In the third and final book of the Floramunde trilogy, we were briefly introduced to a character called Victor (who sadly failed in the attempt to win Princess Betony’s hand due to his unfortunate stupidity). But Victor wasn’t a total pushover. He may not be very clever, but he’s brave and kind, and has a very intelligent horse that makes up for his own lack of sense. And he’s still single, something that his mother wants him to rectify immediately.
He’s sent off on a quest to find and marry a princess,
February 24th, 2009. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | Pamela Freeman | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan
The Steel Remains, by Richard Morgan, is a dark, gritty, and in some places obscene fantasy that will not be to everyone’s liking. So let’s get the surface material out of the way — if you don’t like your books laced with a heaping amount of f-bombs, graphic sex (hetero and homosexual), and graphic violence, The Steel Remains is not for you. In the slightest. Run. Run as far as you can. And if you can live with the swearing,
January 19th, 2009. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | Richard K. Morgan | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
In The Shadow Rising, things start to slow down. In fact, it often feel like the reading of the story must take longer than it took for the events to actually occur.
Part of the problem is that Mr Jordan tells us nearly everything except when the characters make a bowel movement. Also, he regularly launches into pre-set spiels in which he re-describes something or someone who we’ve encountered numerous times before or re-explains something we’ve been told dozens of times (e.g.,
January 1st, 2009. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Brad, you must be a very good teacher, as all the reviews from your students so far have been incisive…
thanks for the review! "Clean", "accessible", and "inviting" are all good descriptions of the art in this series. I appreciate…
Your positivity and enthusiasm are contagious Reading your blog has become a part of my daily routine and I always…
I am so grateful for the community that this blog has created It's a place where I feel encouraged and…
I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Clarke was a powerful voice in the genre and remains an important influence on…