Category Archives: Book Review

Earthbound by Yasmine Galenorn

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for earthbound yasmine galenorn book cover

Title: Earthbound
Author: Yasmine Galenorn
Series: Otherworld #0.75
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Fae,
Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 12th February 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Nightqueen Enterprises LLC
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: I know it’s a lot to take on so soon, but I’ve been running my ass off finding you rides.

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Synopsis

When Camille, Menolly, and Delilah D’Artigo are reassigned Earthside, they have no clue of what to expect. Getting situated in a new world, figuring out where they’re going to live, what they’re going to do, is an adventure in itself. Return the beginning, as the D’Artigo Sisters walk through the portals to their new home for the very first time.

Thoughts

I started reading Witchling the other week, but since I was reading it off the back of Etched in Silver, I felt like I was kind of missing a huge chunk of the storyline. And then I found out that Earthbound actually explains how Camille and her sisters end up on Earth. Half an hour reading later, and everything I felt was missing makes so much more sense!!!

There isn’t a heap of fast-paced action in Earthbound, but it has just enough to carry the storyline forward. Yet, what I mostly love about this tale is the fact that it manages to feed background information through constantly. As the sisters attempt to fit in and find their feet in a new world, their lives and suffering are slowly unwound. Now it makes me want to pick up Witchling again, with a far greater understanding of what the back story actually entails.

 <- Etched in Silver ReviewWitchling Review ->
Image source: Kobo

Biographical Notes to “A Discourse on the Nature of Causality, with Air-places” by Benjamin Rosenbaum

Book Review, ,
Overview
The Mammoth Book of Steampunk

Title: Biographical Notes to “A Discourse on the Nature of Causality, with Air-places” by Benjamin Rosenbaum
Author: Benjamin Rosenbaum
In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 2 (Managed to read it… just)
My Bookshelves: Steampunk
Dates read: 30th January 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: It was sleek and narrow and black, designed for maneuverability.

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Synopsis

It’s a little hard to write a synopsis when you’re not entirely sure what you read. Sorry.

Thoughts

To be honest, I’m not all too sure what actually happened in this short story. I vaguely followed along with the storyline, but actually figuring out completely what was going on… I’m really not sure. Unlike the other steampunk short stories that I’ve read, this one didn’t seem to have a clear message in the vagueness of the storyline either.

The only real message and poignancy that I got out of this was the fact that religion and belief systems can cause wars. There were numerous mentions throughout of different religions. Numerous ways in which people’s beliefs seemed to twist and turn towards catastrophe. But beyond that… I really got nothing…

 <- The Celebrated Carousel of the Margravine of Blois ReviewClockwork Chickadee Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Great Blue Heron by Joyce Carol Oates

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for black feathers ellen datlow book cover

Title: Great Blue Heron
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Death, Horror, Mental health
Dates read: 30th January 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd.
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: The wife is shivering, her feet are getting wet, she would like to turn back but the husband presses forward, he has something to show her.

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Synopsis

The Wife is mourning the loss of her husband. The Wife keeps on remembering moments together and seeing a Great Blue Heron flying free. As her grief and love for the birds collide, there is no telling what will happen next.

Thoughts

This story had my heart racing. Something about the pace of it and the way in which it was written felt like an intense horror story. That, and the setting is based around a lake with overcast days… the perfect setting for a horror story and a horrific murder if I ever did hear one.

This is the fourth story in this series of bird-based horrors (I never knew that there was such a thing, or that it could be this TRULY scary… but I digress). And it is the second story that has an essence of grief and loss in its heart. This feeling of loss and grief is intense and the slightly broken way in which this story is told really drives this idea home. There is an almost ethereal quality to the storyline which makes it both solidly real and wispily dreamlike.

 <- Something About Birds ReviewThe Season of the Raptors Review ->
Image source: Amazon

A Fantastic Holiday Season edited by Kevin J. Anderson and Keith J. Olexa

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Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: A Fantastic Holiday Season
Author: Kevin J. Anderson, Keith J. Olexa, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Brad R. Torgersen, Mercedes Lackey, Quincy J. Allen, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Jonathan Maberry, Ken Scholes, Heather Graham, Sam Knight, Mike Resnick, David Boop, Eric James Stone & Patricia Briggs
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Short story collections, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 16th November 2018 – 29th January 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: Of course it wasn’t possible that Jimmy had actually ridden in a hyperspace sleigh back to Ceres, when the journey from Ceres to Mars, and vice versa, ordinarily took weeks.

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Synopsis

‘Tis the Season-for 14 more magical, macabre and merry tales to make your Holidays … Fantastic! Gingerbread houses, caroling carolers, brightly trimmed trees, big family dinners, pristine snowfalls … the familiar pleasures of the season. But what better pleasure is there than a good holiday story? So open this winter solstice sampler and indulge in funny festive fantasies, nightmares before Christmas, and stunning space-age celebrations … these stories will warms hearts and minds like a blazing Yule log. Fantastic Holiday Stories by Kevin J. Anderson, Mercedes Lackey, Mike Resnick, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Jonathan Maberry, Eric James Stone, Nina Kiriki Hoffman., Quincy J Allen, Ken Scholes, Sam Knight, David Boop, Heather Graham, Brad R. Torgersen, Patricia Briggs

Thoughts

I bought this collection because the very last story is a short story in the Mercedes Thompson series that I don’t yet have. And I started reading this last year to try and get me into the Christmas spirit. And it worked. Beautifully. Fantastically. I’m actually sad that it’s over, even if I finished it after the Holiday Season…

The stories in this collection run the gambit from cutsie little fantasy tales to convoluted and entertaining science fiction tales. They fit into series and stand by themselves. And it’s this range that I truly love. After all, the reason why I tend to read so many short story collections at once is that they get a bit same-same with their tales. The fact that these are far more varied made this collection a little more difficult to put down, and a lot more fun to read than usual.

 <- Unappreciated Gifts ReviewNaughty & Nice Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

In Memory of a Summer’s Day by Matthew Kressel

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for mad hatters and march hares ellen datlow book cover

Title: In Memory of a Summer’s Day
Author: Matthew Kressel
In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Wordplay
Dates read: 28th January 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Can we play with them, forever and ever?

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Synopsis

Tours to Wonderland aren’t quite what one would expect… and they can leave you a little bit twisted and turned around. Whether you are a guest or a tour guide.

Thoughts

I don’t know if I’d ever willingly go on a tour through Wonderland. There just seems to be far too much that can, and will, go wrong. And this short story reinforces that idea. I definitely only ever want to read about Alice’s adventures… the real place just seems far too dangerous and bizarre.

Although this short story isn’t as heavy on the wordplay as some of the others in this collection, it is still kind of twisting and turning in the way it tells the narrative. Kind of like the original journey through wonderland… it is kind of hard to keep track of what exactly is happening and where they are. Yet, there are all of the hallmarks that everyone remembers from the original. Including Alice. Which was kind of sad…

 <- Run, Rabbit ReviewSentence Like a Saturday Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance edited by Trisha Telep

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Overview
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance

Title: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance
Author: Trisha Telep, Sherri Erwin, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Jenna Black, Jenna Maclaine, Raven Hart, Delilah Devlin, Keri Arthur, Kimberly Raye, Alexis Morgan, Lilith Saintcrow, C.T. Adams, Cathy Clamp, Susan Sizemore, Dina James, Colleen Gleason, Barbara Emrys, Savannah Russe, Shiloh Walker, Vicki Pettersson, Rebecca York, Rachel Vincent, Amanda Ashley, Karen Chance & Nancy Holder
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I have travelled the world in search of knowledge, studied with every important intellectual from da Vinci to Hawking.

Synopsis

Love is a weapon in the face of evil.

From the biggest names in paranormal romance, here are over 25 tales of a hunger like no other…

Let Karen Chance, Keri Arthur, Lilith Saintcrow, C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp, Amanda Ashley, Vicki Pettersson and Susan Sizemore and others take you hot-blooded on the trail of the sexiest creatures of the night.

In the world of the Undead there are strange codes of conduct, dark rituals and dating games, as they seduce the locals and engage in the most sensual encounters you’ll sink your teeth into this side of the grave.

These ain’t your mother’s vampires!

Thoughts

I kind of loved this collection. It definitely isn’t one that you can read cover to cover in one sitting – there’s only so many vampire romances that I can happily read before they start to blend into one. But as a slow read that I just picked up every now and again… it was really, really good.

The short stories in this collection ranged from the classical and predictable vampire stories to ones that took a whole new spin on the ideal. Some were just sweet and some just downright disturbing. And although they all follow a similar theme, not one is the same. I now have a very long list of new authors and series that I want to sink my teeth into…

<- Red Letter DayFade to Black ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Princess in the Tower by Elizabeth A. Lynn

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for snow white, blood red book cover

Title: The Princess in the Tower
Author: Elizabeth A. Lynn
In: Snow White, Blood Red (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales, Food
Date read: 28th January 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Signet
Year: 1993
5th sentence, 74th page: After the examination, he told Margherita to go outside, where she was instantly encircled by a small crowd of delighted urchins, who speculated aloud about the fatal, wasting disease she had obviously contracted.

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Synopsis

Margherita can’t seem to put on the weight that characterises the rest of her family. So they decide to put her in a tower to save her from her madness. Luckily for her, a nice young gentleman comes along and loves her… just the way she is.

Thoughts

This is the second Rapunzel story in the Snow White, Blood Red collection. And it is far more light-hearted and entertaining than the first. Where the previous story was a little dark and twisted, this one was fun, happy and had me smiling throughout. It also made me a little hungry with the constant mentions of pasta and food.

This short story really turns the idea of beauty on its head. Instead of being beautiful for her slenderness, Margherita is thought to be sick and mad. It makes those who are large and curvy beautiful, and those who are slender somehow “wrong”. A great way to flip current societal norms on its head. I also love that in the happily-ever-after a gain in weight and a lot of food feature. Again, something that wouldn’t normally involve a happily-ever-after and one that I really loved.

 <- The Root of the Matter ReviewPersimmon Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Next Time by Donna Kauffman

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of scottish romance book cover

Title: Next Time
Author: Donna Kauffman
In: The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Science fiction, Scottish romance, Time travel
Dates read: 17th February 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: “I dinnae rightly know,” he said, which should have deflated her hopes entirely.

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Synopsis

Abby knows that she’s facing a very short life-span, so when she sees a ghost in the Scottish Highlands, she decides to find out more about him. What follows is an adventure that she couldn’t fathom experiencing.

Thoughts

This short story took a very different take on the idea of Scottish Romance. Especially when compared to the other stories in this collection. There was a very sci-fi, time travelling feel to it that focused more on the future and ideas of mortality. Most of the other stories in this collection focus on love and lust. And as a general, trend towards historical romance as their theme. This went the exact opposite direction.

I love a good time travel romance (I’ve probably only ever read two), but I do sometimes find that they can be a little hard to follow. Which meant that having a short story that focused on this idea was kind of perfect. It wasn’t hard to follow since it was a straight forward and cute short story. but it also had enough going on and enough complexity that I didn’t get bored. The perfect balance for someone with my tastes. And someone who is constantly studying and filling her head with other nonsense.

 <- After the Gloaming ReviewKidnapping the Laird Review ->
Image source: Hachette Australia

Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for the prince of shadows rachel caine book cover

Title: Prince of Shadows
Author: Rachel Caine
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Historical fiction, Historical romance, Retellings
Dates read: 29th January – 4th February 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: New American Library
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: I was never as gaudy as Tybalt Capulet, but I could hardly leave the house without showing the wealth of Montague in some small way.

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Synopsis

Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene…

In the houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and – if they survive – marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely.

Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born.

Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest theif in Verona – and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona… and will rewrite all their fates forever.

Thoughts

I need to start this review by admitting that I’ve never actually read Romeo and Juliet before. I have read King Lear, but not yet had the chance to read the tragic romance… so there’s probably a few things in this retelling that somebody who had actually read the original play would have picked up on that I missed. Having said that, I still managed to pick up on many of the important moments in this story, and you know… fall madly in love with it.

It took me a few days to read this story, but only because once I read the prologue I realised that I wouldn’t be putting it down in any rush. So I waited to continue reading this when I had a few hours to spare. And then I basically read it from cover to cover. This was an amazing retelling, and amazing story and absolutely impossible to put down. And I liked that it didn’t rely too heavily on the reader knowing anything but the basics of Romeo and Juliet.

Although this is a beautiful historical romance, it isn’t just about the romantic aspects of the storyline. There are conspiracies and betrayals. Family ties and those of friendship. Everything you need in a fast paced, action packed historical fiction.

I’ve read a few stories by Rachel Caine now, and one of the things that I love about her work is the vividness with which she describes her characters. This amazing talent continues on in Prince of Shadows, but with an added benefit. Her description of the setting. Caine does such an amazing job of not only describing the streets of Verona, but also the political and social world in which the characters find themselves. I almost felt like I was walking alongside Benvolio as he deals with his cousin and best friend.

This is one of those beautiful, impossible to put down, heart wrenching, stunning stories. I couldn’t stop thinking about this story long after I put this story down. It is impossible to forget, and one of those books that I’ll forever remember reading.

 <- More historical fiction reviews More historical romance reviews ->
Image source: Penguin Books Australia

All You Can Eat, All the Time by Claude Lalumiere

Book Review, ,
Overview
Evolve

Title: All You Can Eat, All the Time
Author: Claude Lalumiere
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Vampires
Dates read: 17th February 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Why the hell is he telling me all this?

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Synopsis

Jenny is a young woman on the prowl. Hunting for something that will just make her feel alive. But what she ends up finding might be a little more than she bargained for…

Thoughts

I can’t say that I thoroughly enjoyed this short story. I liked that it took a new spin on an old classic. I even liked the rough shape of the story. The narrative voice drove me absolutely nuts though. There was a like, in like, every, like sentence…

This was one of those weird, trying to do a remake of vampire lore, but only halfway managing it kind of stories. It was a great premise. And even the execution wasn’t too bad. But it just felt seriously lacking in something. Which means that whilst it was kind of an enjoyable read… it’s also a read that I will be forgetting about quite quickly.

 <- The Morning After ReviewAlia’s Angel Review ->
Image source: Goodreads