Picking music for your midnight radio station can certainly be a difficult choice… especially when you have to deal with a fool of a manager.
This doesn’t really feel like much of a short story. More
like a little segue, look into Kitty’s daily life, managing her station
manager. It did help to crystalize some of the ways in which she views the
world though and highlight that before or else, she is a werewolf first and
sees things in terms of animal nature of instincts.
Kitty is so clearly an alpha figure in this story. It’ll be
interesting how this works into an urban fantasy world. There’s not many
stories which feature a strong, female werewolf without a whole slew of issues
from her male contemporaries.
Since this really felt more like an anecdote than a story, I
don’t really have all that much to say about this. It was fun, easy and makes
me keen to sink my teeth into Kitty and the Midnight Hour.
There’s the Ghost of Christmas Past and then there’s the Ghost of your First Time… after reading this, you tell me which is worse.
At the beginning of this story, I thought it would be quite
a sweet, easy little read. It begins talking about the fact that you never
forget your first. Which, of course, we don’t. What I didn’t quite realise was
that the narrator really wasn’t talking about the first I was imagining. Or at
least, that was not all that he was talking about. It turned out to be quite a
tragic tale, and one that almost had me in tears.
Alright, this story is still about first loves, but, being that it is a werewolf story, there is a much darker twist on the glory of a first love. Something that I really wasn’t expecting, and was only revealed at the very end. Yet, there is also a bittersweetness to the story – he is able to constantly love and communicate with the spectre of the past, one that eerily reminds me of the ghosts in A Christmas Carol.
Most people dream of true love. And, in its dark, twisted
way… this is a beautiful tale of that kind of love. That everlasting feeling
that you’ll never get over, and always remember… kind of a nice Christmas tale,
but not one that left me with all the warm fuzzies that I normally would like.
Title: Wild Ride Author: Carrie Vaughn Series: Kitty Norville #0.7 In: Kitty’s Greatest Hits (Carrie Vaughn) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy, Werewolves Dates read: 17th November 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Tor Year: 2011 5th sentence, 74th page: The Dustbowl was part of a row of simple wooden buildings set up to look like an Old West street but without disguising the modern shingles, windows, and neon beer sings.
He’s just discovered that he’s not as well as he wants to be. But a motorbike accident and a twist of fate might provide him with an out. Will he be brave enough to start a new life?
I’ve decided that I absolutely adore werewolf stories which feature gay werewolves. This is only my second. The other is the Mercedes Thompson series. There is just something that pulls me in… I’m not sure why. Probably something to do with the fact that werewolves are often used to indicate our animalistic side, which is very much associated with power and masculinity where the males are concerned… things that are not traditionally associated with gay men. Which is stupid, but that’s another soapbox for another day. The point is… I loved this.
This isn’t a greatly positive story. Although, it’s not entirely negative either. Unlike some of the other lead-up Kitty Norvilleshort stories, the man isn’t turned against his will and there’s really not much trauma associated with his turning. Rather, he trades one “cage” for another and then finds a way to live with the decisions he’s made. A much nicer and more PG story of paranormal turnings and becoming a monster.
What I loved most about this story though is the fact that
he actually walked away. Although it was scary, possibly dangerous and
could potentially lead to his death. He manages to stand up for himself, walk
away and be his own person. Something that not everyone can do. Especially when
surrounded by such intense peer pressure and an alpha figure such as the one in
this story. All in all, a fantastic read and one that I absolutely ripped
through.
Cormac managed to avenge his father’s death. But, he doesn’t think he’s quite done yet. When his younger cousin Bill follows him into the darkness, he realises that he may just have to readjust his priorities.
As a pre-story to a series about a woman who is a werewolf,
I was kind of surprised to find a story about a young werewolf hunter. One that
starts with the boy killing a werewolf in revenge for his father’s death and
continues with his journey for revenge. Yet, I’m pretty sure that this is an
origins story, one that will make a lot more sense when I meet Cormac and Bill
in the full-length novels.
Bill and Cormac are a fantastic pair of cousins. Like two
sides of the same coin – one is a tough, no nonsense, serious boy. The other is
kind of needy, wants to impress his older cousin and show that he’s made of
sterner stuff. Yet, it is ultimately this difference in personality and
relationship that saves both boys – their differences and ability to accept
each other that gives Cormac a chance to move on from his father’s death and live
his life.
This story really asks – when is someone actually a monster?
Is it just because they can kill you? Or because they do? I wonder how Cormac
will answer this question as the series unfolds…
It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield’s life. With her undead lvoer Bones at her side, she’s successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat’s worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover’s finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.
As if that wasn’t enough, a woman from Bones’s past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat’s about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she’s learned as a special agent won’t help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself – and Bones – from a fate worse than the grave.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It took me a little while to
read, because I couldn’t read it late at night before bed, or while I was trying
to study, or really do anything productive in any way, shape or form. It was
just really, really good and I never wanted to put it down. I finally had to
set aside a night to finish it… just so I could get my little happy fix.
Unlike a lot of the books I put on the strong women shelf, Cat finds her beau in the first book, and ever tale afterwards is all about them. And you know, all the people trying to kill them, preying on the weak, yada yada yada. Yet this still works brilliantly. Cat and Bones are trying to create their lives together, but they keep coming up against hurdles. One of which is Bones’ past as a gigolo. But they’re accepting of this. Neither was pure and innocent when they got into the relationship. Neither is free of a past. And they both use their sexuality to constantly trap predators. Its kind of a nice balance – because they both do it. don’t get me wrong, I don’t love that Cat is constantly having to dress provocatively and seduce men into going with her to kill them… but I love that both her and Bones do it, get jealous and understand each others’ motive.
This month, I needed a book that had Dracula as a character.
I figured I was probably just going to finally get around to actually reading Dracula…
but then Vlad showed up in this story. What a brilliant idea! Not only does
this novel feature Vlad the Impaler / Dracula / Haunter of My Dreams, but it
also features Cleopatra’s daughter. Now I’m curious to see what historical
figure Mencheres is… because he must be to be that old and powerful… yay for
reading the next books in the series!
The war that takes place in At Grave’s End feels like it should be finished at the conclusion of the book. But I get the feeling that this is just setting the story up for a much greater war. Makes me feel a little like a conspiracy theorist in my musings… but there is no way that such an intense war between characters can be over so quickly… so I suppose I had better pick up the next book and get reading!
Ruiz has been made into something he never dreamt existed. Never wanted to be and would rather didn’t exist at all. But he might be able to find a new beginning for himself, and just a small spot of revenge.
I don’t know much about the Spanish settlement of the
Americas. Actually, Zorro is my only exposure to such a time period and theme. Which
of course meant that this short story fascinated me from the outset. Especially
since Ricardo was a particularly noble and honourable lead. One who was thrown
into the world of the paranormal incredibly unwillingly.
Most stories I read about vampires feature a character who
is turned against their will. And this paranormal rape is frequently overlooked
or glossed over. Yet, that doesn’t happen in this short story. Actually, the
main focuses of this is on the horrors and atrociousness of being turned
against your will. It makes you feel incredibly sympathetic towards Ricardo and
make you question all of the vampires you’ve read about in books so far.
There is a bit of a Christian overture to this story. One
which seriously begs the question – how do you live when your life is a sin?
But suicide is also a sin? How can you balance your belief against such a
horror and intensity?
Sookie is alone on Christmas Eve and feeling incredibly lonely… and then she finds a surprising body in her backyard and things take a turn for the more… interesting.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect from a Sookie Stackhouse Christmas short story. I knew it would be a little off-kilter and a lot of fun. But beyond that… really not sure how Charlaine Harris would deal with the theme of werewolves and Christmas in the Wolfsbane and Mistletoe anthology. Turns out, she dealt with it brilliantly, kind of amusingly and in a really engaging way.
There seems to be this idea that there is nothing sadder
than being alone at Christmas. As someone who has a partner who works away at
this time of year every year… I actually don’t think that it’s that sad. But it
is incredibly lonely. This story highlights that, and also the joy that you get
when you get an incredibly unexpected gift. Although, you don’t truly realise
that Sookie’s fun, adult times with a hot stranger, is a gift until the very
end of the story.
This is a seriously fun and beautiful Christmas story. It
encompasses that Christmas feeling of family and company, but does so with a
wonderful dose of paranormal entertainment. And a good, heavy dose of lust
throughout.
Dahlia is the Maid of Honour in an incredibly controversial wedding. One that could end in tears… tears of happiness or devastation… no one’s entirely sure. But as long as the bridesmaid dresses aren’t tacky!
I still haven’t met Dahlia in the main Sookie Stackhouse series, probably because so far I’ve only read Dead Until Dark. But, I’ve read a number of short stories which feature her, and I completely adore those. She is spunky, hardcore and has a major attitude problem. All the sorts of things that I thoroughly enjoy in a heroine. The fact that she’s a lot older and unaware of some wedding traditions such as “ugly bridesmaid dresses” just made me love her all the more.
The vampire and werewolf war is something I come across many, many times in my paranormal fantasy literature. Yet, I was still pleasantly surprised to find one such story in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding. After all, weddings are a great way to bring together warring peoples, regardless of whether its paranormal or political.
One of my favourite aspects of this story is that it is supposed to be “the” social event of the year. The fact that it becomes even more talked about when an attempted assassination and violence are involved… well, it just makes me want to pick up the Sookie Stackhouse books even more. After all, it is dealing with the paranormal world, weddings, and peoples’ perceptions in a way that I not only thoroughly enjoyed, but could also seriously relate to.
Title: The Way Station Author: Nathan Ballingrud In: Naked City (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy Dates read: 6th November 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Year: 2011 5th sentence, 74th page: I’m worried, bro.
We are all slightly lost, but Beltrane is more lost than most. Especially when he is forced to leave his own city. Will he embrace the beauty of his past, or the hope of his future?
We’ve all felt like we’re a little in the “between”. Which
means that a story about this feeling makes total sense, and is a completely
relatable feeling. Alright, the paranormal, drifty feel of the story isn’t as
relatable. But that in between, lost ideal is.
Beltrane is an engaging lead. Normally I would find a man
like this as a lead a little bit tedious and irritating. Yet, there is
something relatable about him – his sense of loss with the advent of Katherine,
his need to reconnect, but his unwillingness to let go of his past. This is
echoed gloriously in the flickering between the stories’ timelines.
Whilst Beltrane didn’t really seem creepy, the presence of
the other Betweeners highlighted that there is just something not right about his
foot in the past. We all need to find a way to move forwards in our life, and sometimes
to do so we have to actually let go of the past.
Catherine is the princess of spain, and about to enter marriage with a sickly Englishman. But, when she realises that there are paranormal forces at work, she bands with his younger brother Henry to get rid of the evil.
I only recognised that this was about Henry the VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon because I read Falling Pomegranate Seeds. Which is amazing (read it). But, since I’m not all that well versed and, quite frankly, interested in Tudor History, I wouldn’t have really clicked as to what this story was actually about. Having said that, even if I hadn’t. I still would have thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s obviously a story about a historical figure, and it has a beautiful dose of the paranormal. Both things which always draw me in. Actually, I’m finding that the short stories in the lead up to Kitty and the Midnight Hour are so far beautifully able to mention historical moments that are quite well known. But in a oh so subtle way.
The political intrigue in this story immediately draws you
in. It makes it almost impossible to look away as you want to find out how the
Spanish princess will fare in an English court. Luckily, this is just a short
story. Otherwise I would have happily wasted an entire afternoon trying to
figure out who was up to what in this political tale.
Most people when they imagine Henry VIII, it’s a pretty bad
image. Someone who liked to behead his wives and eat a lot. But, this short
story gives a view of him as a young child. Before he begins to run around
beheading women and divorcing the ones he didn’t kill…
Earth and Skye 