Tag Archives: Paranormal Fantasy

No Place Like Home by Seanan McGuire

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
No Place Like Home (InCryptid, #0.03) by Seanan McGuire

Title: No Place Like Home
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: InCryptid #0.03
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 11th August 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Short story
Publisher: Seanan McGuire
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: This wasn’t where she belonged.

Synopsis

Road trips are wonderful things, filled with adventure, excitement, and questionable lodgings, but there comes a time in every man’s life where all he wants is the chance to sleep in his own bed, eat at his own table, and reunite his colony of talking pantheistic mice with their fellows, thus making sleep a little bit more likely. With Buckley Township in his sights, Jonathan Healy is finally going home.

The trouble is, home for him isn’t home for Fran, who grew up in the desert, never lived under a fixed roof for more than a week at a time, and has no idea what to expect. To make matters worse, Jonathan’s parents—Enid and Alexander Healy, late of the Covenant of St. George—are right on hand to make things more awkward for everyone.

With her future on the line, it’s time for Frances Brown to make one of the biggest decisions of her life. Does she stay in Buckley Township and try to make a life with the Healys? Or does she saddle up her horse and ride back into the sunset?

Thoughts

Returning home after a while is always difficult. But this story didn’t so much focus on Johnathon’s difficulties in returning home. It focused on Fran’s feelings of not quite belonging. And it also highlights the first indications of the relationship between Fran and Johnny and where that relationship is going to go…

This is the first of the InCryptid stories that actually enters the Healy household. And the madness and insanity that seem to be a part of the outlay for this family. It’s not anything like what I expected (and I had high expectations)… rather, it’s way, way, way more. A great, fun and incredibly unique household.

I love that this story starts out with the feeling that Enid doesn’t quite approve of Fran. But, throughout all of the testing and conversations, you begin to see that that isn’t really the case. And, at the end, you see a whole different light as the different generations find a way to accept one another and move forwards in life.

<- One Hell of a RideStingers and Strangers ->

Image source: Goodreads

One Hell of a Ride by Seanan McGuire

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
One Hell of a Ride (InCryptid, #0.02) by Seanan McGuire

Title: One Hell of a Ride
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: InCryptid #0.02
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 11th August 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Short story
Publisher: Seanan McGuire
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: “That’s that, then,” said Clark.

Synopsis

After a rather…eventful…visit to Tempe, Arizona, Jonathan Healy wants nothing more than to return to his home in Buckley Township, Michigan, where at least the threats are generally familiar ones. With the last of the blood mopped up and the locals none the wiser, it seems he’s just a train ride away from getting his wish.

Of course, there are a few small complications. Like the lovely and occasionally violent Miss Frances Brown, former star of the Campbell Family Circus, who seems to have become his new traveling companion. And then there’s the matter of the train having driven through a dimensional gateway into Hell…

Maybe Jonathan shouldn’t be quite so worried about getting back to Michigan. Maybe his time would be better spent in worrying about how to get off the train while he, and Fran, are still among the living.

Thoughts

Following The Flower of Arizona, and Fran and Johnathon’s meeting… it was nice to see how their relationship began and was likely to develop. Partly I loved the fact that this story involved a train ride and an adventure that had me giggling and smiling all the way through. Even if I now don’t necessarily want to ride a train…

I love that this story is literally what the title suggests – one hell of a ride. A train ride that passes through hell and all of the fun complications that that entails. The fact that it also highlights the evilness of corporate companies and capitalism… it just makes it all that much better.

Not only was this a fun adventure, but it showed a new aspect to the crypto world that I hadn’t expected. There was a mention of a Hell dimension in Discount Armageddon, but not really much beyond that. This provided that bit of extra information that helped make that much more sense…

<- The Flower of ArizonaNo Place Like Home ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Flower of Arizona by Seanan McGuire

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for westward weird book cover

Title: The Flower of Arizona
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: InCryptid #0.01
In: Westward Weird (Martin H. Greenberg & Kerrie Hughes)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 11th August 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Daw Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: “I’m going to die out here,” Jonathan muttered, tightening his hold on Fran’s waist.

Synopsis

Jonathan is monster hunting… on circus grounds. But, the woman he expects is the perfect villain might actually be something else entirely…

Thoughts

I did read the Fran and Jonathan short stories a little out of whack. Or at least, I read Stingers and Strangers before I read The Flower of Arizona and so there were a few steps in that story that were missed. The Flower of Arizona however filled in those gaps. It was a great way to show how Fran and Jonathan were introduced and how their relationship first began…

One of the things I absolutely adore about Fran is that she has a great passion and love for life. She’s lively and completely irrepressible. Which completely lit up the pages of this short story and drew me in from the very first moment it was fun and seriously cute. A great meet-cute and beginning of a whole new relationship, written with McGuire’s sense of humour and pizzazz.

Love that the beast in this is a Chupacabra. Well… probably not, but it was something akin to a Chupacabra… they seem to be popping up more and more in the stories I read, and I’m really loving them. They’re a little bit weird, definitely unique and I just want one as a pet… partner this with the Aeslin mice… and two of my favourite paranormal creatures seem to be present.

<- LowstoneOne Hell of a Ride ->

Image source: Amazon

Claimed by Shadow by Karen Chance

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Claimed by Shadow (Cassandra Palmer, #2) by Karen Chance

Title: Claimed by Shadow
Author: Karen Chance
Series: Cassandra Palmer #2, Cassandra Palmer World #4
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 28th – 31st July 2020
Pace: Slow, Medium, Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: I wasn’t sure why – obviously she could see without the eye, or come to some approximation of it – but she seemed very depressed about missing her turn.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

A recent legacy made Cassandra Palmer heir to the title of Pythia, the world’s chief clairvoyant. It’s a position that usually comes with years of training, but Cassie’s circumstances are a little… unusual. And now she’s stuck with a whopping amount of power that every vamp, Fey, and mage in town wants to either monopolize or eradicate – and that she herself doesn’t dare use.

What’s more, she’s just discovered that a certain arrogant master vampire has put a geis on her – a magical claim that warns off any would-be suitors, and might also explain the rather… intense attraction between them. But Cassie’s had it with being jerked around, and anyone who tries it from now on is going to find out that she makes a very bad enemy…

Thoughts

This is a great second book to this series. I always find second books are the true hint to as to whether or not the series is worth continuing on. The first book is all about setting up the world 9and sometimes, they were originally supposed to be a standalone). But the second book is a hint as to the pace and style with which the rest of the series is going to set forth. Which made this a fantastic indication that I need to continue reading this series. Because. Wow. What a second book.

At the conclusion to Touch the Dark, Cassie had this great, kind of insane power thrust upon her. And I love that all throughout this book, she is seriously fighting that power. Instead of wanting to be powerful and a major player in the political activities which are surrounding her, she just wants to live a nice, quiet and normal life. To a degree, I get that. I’ve had an extremely eventful life… and all I want is for things to be incredibly boring. These are the kind of characters that I like – those who are powerful in a begrudging, slightly annoyed manner. It also gives many moments of humour throughout the action where she’s just a little bit testy…

Now that the series is starting to truly develop, I can see a few potential love interests for Cassie… and I’m completely intrigued to see who and what will be the ultimate guy that she ends up with. She’s finally lost that pesky virginity (and this is the first time that I’ve enjoyed the virginity sub-plot). But the actual guy who is going to be her happily ever after… I can’t wait to see who that will be!!! Personally, I’m hoping that it’s Tomas. But I think that’s just because I have a very, very attractive man pictured in my mind’s eye…

This novel isn’t just a great story in which Cassie is trying to wrestle with ideas of her new power. It is also a great story in which time travel and dimensional travel occur. From going back to the past, to travelling to Faery there are so many brilliant settings. Then, there’s also the fact that the end of this story indicates that not only is a massive supernatural war about to start. But, there’s a fairly good chance that Dracula is now running free and wild…

<- Touch the DarkEmbrace the Night ->

Image source: Goodreads

Stingers and Strangers by Seanan McGuire

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for dead man's hand book cover

Title: Stingers and Strangers
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: InCryptid #0.04
In: Dead Man’s Hand (John Joseph Adams)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 23rd July 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Titan Books
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: Eleanor had just admitted she wasn’t human; he wasn’t going to make her cope with the idea of unmarried couples sharing a bed beneath her roof.

Synopsis

Fran and Johnny are out hunting monsters. But, it’s the wild wild west and just certain things are expected… will they be able to win the day and finally recognize their feelings for one another?

Thoughts

This is yet another great InCryptid short story. It has the action, the humour and the wit that I have come to expect from this series. It deals with Verity’s grandparents (or is it great-grandparents?) and their own hunting journey into the West.

I love that Fran and Johnny are arguing and bickering throughout most of this story. From the very outset you recognise that they have feelings for each other. And although it takes a while for either one of them to actually admit it… that bickering and wit in their interactions helps to keep that feeling alive and well.

This had a beautiful gunslinging, wild west, cowboy feeling to this story. The fact that it also works to introduce Cuckoos to the Cryptid hunters just works even better. Now I need to read the rest of the short stories which make up this mini series within a series…

<- No Place Like HomeMarried in Green ->

Image source: Amazon

Blood on the Wall by Heather Graham

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for home improvement undead edition book cover

Title: Blood on the Wall
Author: Heather Graham
In: Home Improvement (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy, Vampires, Werewolves
Dates read: 23rd July 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: And, of course, because DeFeo’s ancestor, Antoine Montville, had been suspected of Satanism, but something like it.

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Synopsis

A young man just wants to build up his own cult and reputation. But when a werewolf comes to town, things are turned on their head and he finally realises that maybe he’s not been making the best decisions…

Thoughts

I really didn’t expect all of the twists and turns that reared their ugly heads throughout this short story. Every time I thought that I could predict what was going on, something else reared its head and surprised me. It was incredibly fun and welcome. I love when a story like this completely takes me by surprise.

One of the things that I love about this story is that the cultist in this story isn’t paranormal. And the one that you think is kind of normal? Not so much. It literally turns everything on its head throughout this story. In the best way possible.

This is a fantastic short story – it involves vampires, werewolves, crimes and cults. It kind of has everything that I love in a short story. Even if it is slightly, unexpectedly off-kilter to what I am used to. And all of those surprises… I’ll definitely be reading this one again!

<- Squatter’s RightsThe Mansion of Imperatives ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Field of the Dead by Kim Lakin-Smith

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of ghost stories by women book cover

Title: Field of the Dead
Author: Kim Lakin-Smith
In: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (Marie O’Regan)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Horror, Humour, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 30th June 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Once, mind, and then no more will be said on it.

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Synopsis

The church is being haunted in a world that doesn’t like to acknowledge the presence of ghosts. This is not only a battle of wills and power… but one of faith.

Thoughts

I absolutely adored the combination of the Church, the supernatural and faith in this ghostly short story. It’s a good beginning to a collection of ghost stories, just enough creepiness, without being overwhelmingly scary. I think I need to ease into the truly terrifying things-that-go-bump-in-the-night stories. It’s been a little while since I tried to read any…

This story was seriously layered in its symbolism, themes and moments. It was one of those that will leave you contemplating the story long after you’ve turned that final page. The plethora of characters, character histories and faiths had me rereading multiple passages. It was just so beautifully constructed.

This is one of those great stories that completely pulled me in, but I can’t actually remember completely what the storyline was even about. There was just something… whispy and ethereal about the story. Which most definitely suits the ghost story theme. I look forward to rereading this in the future and picking up more nuances that I previously missed.

<- The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by WomenCollect Call ->

Image source: Goodreads

Biting Bad by Chloe Neill

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Biting Bad (Chicagoland Vampires, #8) by Chloe Neill

Title: Biting Bad
Author: Chloe Neill
Series: Chicagoland Vampires #8
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 29th June 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: New American Library
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: A giant soaking tub sat in one corner, and tonight, it bore a surprise.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Merit has been a vampire for only a short while, but she’s already seen a lifetime’s worth of trouble. She and her Master, centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, have risked their lives time and again to save the city they love. But not all of Chicago is loving them back.

Anti-vampire riots are erupting all over town, striking vampires where it hurts the most. A splinter group armed with Molotov cocktails and deep-seated hate is intent on clearing the fanged from the Windy City, come hell or high water.

Merit and her allies rush to figure out who’s behind the attacks, who will be targeted next, and whether there’s any way to stop the wanton destruction. The battle for Chicago is just beginning, and Merit is running out of time.

Thoughts

I remember being a bit “eh” about House Rules. It was a good book, but didn’t really grab my attention, and so I took a break from this series. I kind of expected to get the same feeling from Biting Bad, but figured I’d give it a shot anyway. And boy, am I glad that I did. This was almost a revamp of the energy that I found in the first few Chicagoland Vampires books. It had all of that paranormal fun that I was hoping for, plus a number of riots and a lot of sword-wielding. What more could a girl ask for?

Ethan and Merit have taken a long, long time to find their happy-place in their relationship. At first it was supremely frustrating… stubborn and stubborn just constantly clashing and butting heads. But, as this series has evolved, that stubbornness has had a truly endearing quality. And I love that in Biting Bad, they’ve finally found their sweet-spot with their different character quirks and managed to find their happily ever after. Or at least, the beginnings of it.

There is something a little more unique about Chicagoland Vampires in the genre of vampire stories. Probably because it deals a lot more with the inter-politics between humans and vampires – most stories they are not political stories which are discussed between the two races. In fact, they are largely separate. I love that there is a hugely political spin to not just all of the character interactions, but also huge aspects of the storyline. Right down to where the different branches of the police are called in.

I really wasn’t expecting the ending to this story. I thought that some aspects of this novel would carry on until the next and some would cease to exist in this story. I was pretty much 100% wrong on both aspects. Which just makes me want to read the next novel even more… I just have to dig it out of my shelves first…

<- House RulesHigh Stakes ->

Image source: Goodreads

Squatter’s Rights by Rochelle Krich

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for home improvement undead edition book cover

Title: Squatter’s Rights
Author: Rochelle Krich
In: Home Improvement (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 29th June 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Eve was sure.

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Synopsis

Eve and Joe have just bought their dream house. But there is something knocking in the walls at night. Who will win this battle of wills?

Thoughts

The start of this story made me think that it was going to be kind of cute and super sweet. Turns out I was wrong. Fairly seriously wrong too to be honest. This is not a sweet short story. It does not have a happy ending. In fact, I don’t suggest reading it just before bed… there is just something goose bump creating about it that left me cringing and feeling very seriously uncomfortable.

I did guess that this story would be a little random due to the name – after all, Squatter’s Rights are based on the idea that whoever lives in a place owns the place. I didn’t realise how truly dark Krich would take the idea and the story though. How uncomfortable I would be at the end of this short story and how much I would enjoy that feeling of discomfort…

There are many things that this story touches upon. But one of the most poignant – the fact that it is seriously easy to lose trust and faith in another person. How easy it can be to manipulate someone into believing that things aren’t all as they seem and matters should possibly taken into their own hands…

<- GrayBlood on the Wall ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris - Books - Hachette Australia

Title: Grave Sight
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Harper Connelly #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Mystery, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 27th June 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: I found it with my other sense, instead of asking for directions.

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Synopsis

Harper Connolly is honest, ethical and loyal – and ever since a bolt of lightning zapped her on the head, she’s had an extra-special talent: she can find dead people.

It’s not a common-or-garden job. Some people find Harper’s talent useful and fascinating, but she’s getting used to most people treating her like a blood-sucking leech, preying on the recently bereaved and offering false hope. She’s become an expert at getting in, getting paid and getting out fast.

So when Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver are hired to help in the Ozarks, they’re wary. Their mission is to find a local teenager – missing, believed dead – and instead they find that someone is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to bury a secret. 88 It doesn’t take long for Tolliver to be is locked away on trumped-up charges and leave Harpeer fighting for her life…

Thoughts

So this is a much better start to a series than the first Sookie Stackhouse novel. It’s a little more developed, which I think is probably just an indication of Harris’ developing skills. From the very outset, you are thrown into the world of Harper Connelly and her unique powers. From the very outset you are completely swept away and enmeshed with a woman who is quite damaged and has a seriously great personality.

I loved how this story started completely in the present. But, as the story unfolded, parts of the past also filtered through and helped to fill you in on so many important little titbits. It was a great way to create a beautifully dimensional and emotional character that you constantly felt connected to. It built upon all the trials and tribulations of the present story. It also helped to highlight exactly why Tolliver and Harper were so close. Just not in the way that is often implied…

Alongside the paranormal journey and discovery of Harper’s past, there is a great mystery to this story. In fact, it almost reads a bit like a cozy mystery. Just not quite. But still, it has that same sense of mystery to it and the almost innocence of the story line that the other cozy mysteries I’ve read hae had. However, there are a few more stakes raised. And a little bit more darkness due to Harper’s unique gift. It gives a slightly different feeling, and removes some of that innocence. Mostly though, I do love this paranormal aspect and brilliance. Particularly when it just makes the story that little bit darker.

Although the end of this story involves Harper and Tolliver getting the hell out of dodge, I can’t wait to see how this series unfolds. Partly, I kind of hope that they both get a bit of a happily ever after. It obviously wasn’t going to be in the Ozarks, but I look forward to jumping into this series and finding that at some point… hopefully.

<- More Charlaine HarrisGrave Surprise ->

Image source: Hachette Australia