Tag Archives: Paranormal Fantasy

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

Queen Rising by Danielle Paige

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for queen rising danielle paige book cover

Title: Queen Rising
Author: Danielle Paige
Series: Stealing Snow #0.2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Magic, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 10th January 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: And she felt the gravity of the boy and the dress and the promise of being something new.

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Synopsis

Enter a world of elemental magic, forbidden romance, and betrayal in this prequel to New York Times bestselling author Danielle Paige’s upcoming Stealing Snow.

Margot grew up as an apprentice to the witches Nepenthe and Ora, but she doesn’t possess the incredible magic that they have. So when the old Snow King asked her to kidnap Ora, she obeyed his command, hiding her true motives from the witches. Though the witches could kill Margot for her betrayal, they showed her mercy–and without her old friends at her side, she must find her own way.

Leaving the world she knows behind, Margot decides to put her affinity for thieving to use by embracing the Robber trade. But she is set for a much greater fate. . . and more of the prophecy foretelling Algid’s future will be revealed. Along the way, Margot must find her way from being a magic-less apprentice to be becoming a queen in her own right.

And Margot’s role in the prophecy is only just beginning. . . In the future, she is destined to cross paths with a girl named Snow, who will have the power to change Algid forever-for better, or for worse.

Thoughts

This was such an amazing novella. Which I was kind of expecting because I also thought that Before the Snow was amazing. Especially as a wind up to the actual novel and the first full-length story in this series. The only thing that annoys me about this is the fact that I decided to read Stealing Snow for my Around the Year in 52 books challenge… so I don’t get to read it until the 16th of July…. That’s a loooooong time to wait.

Queen Rising follows Margot through her journey to the cusp of adulthood. Although her life intersects with that of Nepenthe and Ora (who were featured in Before the Snow), this novella introduces you to an entirely different side of Algid. Which I thoroughly enjoyed, the multiple sides of a universe that are shown in two simple novellas. It makes me wonder how the novel will unfold – so much information has been crammed into the preceding tastes that have so thoughtfully been offered.

 <- Before the Snow ReviewStealing Snow Review ->
Image source: Bloomsbury

Before the Snow by Danielle Paige

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for before the snow danielle paige book cover

Title: Before the Snow
Author: Danielle Paige
Series: Stealing Snow #0.1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Magic, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 8th – 9th January 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: “Call me Nepenthe,” she ordered.

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Synopsis

Enter a world of elemental magic, forbidden romance, and betrayal in this prequel to New York Times bestselling author Danielle Paige’s upcoming Stealing Snow.

Young Nepenthe is half-princess, half-mermaid. Though she longs for the sea, her father wants her to stay on land. But only love can make a mermaid give up the water, and Nepenthe doesn’t love anyone the way her mother loves her human father. She wants to live as a mermaid and become the River Witch, like her mother.

Then Nepenthe meets Prince Lazar, the son of the all-powerful Snow King of Algid, and she can’t help but fall for him. After a horrible tragedy strikes, Nepenthe joins forces with a young fire witch named Ora to save Lazar and protect the kingdom. But it soon becomes clear that Ora loves Lazar just as much as Nepenthe does… And now Nepenthe must decide: inherit the power of the River Witch, or betray her friend to be with the boy she loves.

And Nepenthe’s role in the prophecy is only just beginning. . . In the future, she is destined to cross paths with a girl named Snow, who will have the power to change Algid forever-for better, or for worse.

Thoughts

I had no idea what to expect from this novella, or even what to expect from the rest of this series. I had just bought Stealing Snow because it was cheap in the Boxing Day Sales. And the cover looked pretty. And it was one of those stories that I’m so glad I did. At least, judging from the first novella (I haven’t got to the actual novel yet).

From the very beginning it is obvious that this is a great origins story. Not just of the villain, but also there is the hint of a key role that the River Witch is going to play in the greater series. Starting with the prophecy that is obviously going to govern the rest of the series drew me in from the very beginning. And the fact that the Prince (soon to be the Twisted King) starts off as an innocent pulled me in even further.

There is something almost sinister about the prince from the very beginning. Partly because there is a lust for power and triumph from his very first moment, but as his relationship with both Ora and Nepenthe develops, it become obvious that there is much more to it. And it isn’t until the final scene that you realise he is already beyond redemption.

 <- Stealing Snow ReviewQueen Rising Review ->
Image source: Bloomsbury

Ice Shards by Yasmine Galenorn

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for ice shards book cover

Title: Ice Shards
Author: Yasmine Galenorn
Series: Otherworld #9.5
In: Hexed (Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James & Jeanne C. Stein)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Fae, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 6th – 17th January 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: How could you do this to me?

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Synopsis

In “Ice Shards,” New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn returns to the Otherworld as Iris Kuusi, a Finnish house sprite, journeys to the frozen Northlands to confront the crazed shadow of her former lover and break the curse that is keeping her from marrying the man she loves.

Thoughts

Many of the stories that feature that fae feature characters with some level of power, or at least the court fae. So I kind of loved the fact that this story featured a house sprite. One that is still powerful in her own right, but of a completely different stature and power than the stories which I am used to.

I’m thoroughly enjoying the hexed and cursed theme throughout the Hexed collection. Yet, there was something about this curse and resurgence of the past which was even more intense and potent. Something which I thoroughly enjoyed. After all, there is nothing like a good curse and a lot of remembering into the past to help liven up a battle for justice.

I haven’t yet had the chance to sink myself into the Otherworld series. And reading my second novella of the series has made me want to sink myself into this world… I just have to finish a few of the stories that I have on my shelves first…

 <- Magic Dreams ReviewDouble Hexed Review ->
Image source: Ilona Andrews

Unappreciated Gifts by Patricia Briggs

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: Unappreciated Gifts
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha & Omega #3.5, Mercy-Verse #21
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Dates read: 29th January 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: But Kelly did indeed know how to dance, and they soon progressed beyond the simpler moves into some more daring, dramatic… even melodramatic moves.

Synopsis

Some members of Adam’s pack think Asil should get out more, so they’ve challenged him to accept a series of blind dates . . .

Thoughts

I really, really like Asil. And I really, really like Christmas. So a story that features both… I’m most likely going to enjoy that. And when it is written in the drily humorous tones of Patricia Briggs… yeah. I really couldn’t put this down. I wandered around the house (and walked into a few doorways) for about ten minutes while I just completely devoured this story.

The premise of giving a “gift” of five dates for Asil was funny from the very beginning. And I was expecting it to be a series of five short almost mini stories which outlined each of his adventures. Instead, it was just about the first one. And honestly, that was enough. It was kind of hilarious, really sweet and definitely highlighted just why I love Asil so much. After all, he has this sly sense of humour and a strong sense of dignity. Both things that I love in a man (and a character).

Unappreciated Gifts is a fun little, Christmassy return to the world of Mercedes Thompson. It is a good little laugh and a nice way to fall into the world, without being dragged too deeply under.

<- Fair GameDead Heat ->

Image source: Goodreads

Redemption by Patricia Briggs

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
shifting-shadows

Title: Redemption
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #7.4, Mercy-Verse #20
In: Shifting Shadows (Patricia Briggs)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Dates read: 29th January 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: “I figured out the install problem, too, thank you.

Synopsis

Ben (a major character in the Mercy Thompson series) is not good with people, particularly women, but he’s become strangely protective of a young lady in his office. This story was originally published in Shifting Shadows.

Thoughts

Ben is intriguing from his very first appearance in Moon Called. Although, not exactly all that attractive. Just… interesting. Yet, as the series progresses, he becomes a fair more enjoyable and beloved character. One that I constantly want to hear more and more about as the insanity of the storylines unfolds… so I was more than a little ecstatic when I found out that there was a short story solely based around Ben…

One of my favourite things about this short story is that it highlights the fact that dominance isn’t just about being bigger, tougher and stronger than everyone else. Rather, it is also about the willingness to protect and care for those who are weaker than you. And, since Ben is starting to grow up in this series… he is finally beginning to understand this! And understand some of his horrible past.

This might not be a truly feel good story, especially since it touches on many issues from his past, but it is a really good one. It lets you get to know a character that I completely adore. And it also allows you to gain further understanding into the structure of the wolf packs.

<- Frost BurnedHopcross Jilly ->

Image source: Patricia Briggs

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for frost burned patricia briggs book cover

Title: Frost Burned
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #7, Mercy-Verse #19
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Dates read: 28th – 29th January 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: “Sweats,” Kyle whispered to me, rolling off the chair like it hurt.

Synopsis

In this #1 New York Times bestseller, author Patricia Briggs “has reached perfection”, as Mercy Thompson faces a shapeshifter’s biggest fear…

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and her stepdaughter, Jesse, can’t reach Alpha werewolf Adam – or anyone else in the pack, for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. But she fears his disappearance may be related to the political battle the werewolves have been fighting to gain acceptance from the public – and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outmatched and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

Thoughts

I always forget how much I love the books in the Mercedes Thompson world. Actually, I don’t quite forget… I just don’t think that they could possibly be that good. And then I open one, and I don’t know why I don’t just read these books on repeat. (Probably because I have FAR too many other books that I also want to read…. It makes decision making incredibly hard).

Frost Burned is the seventh in the Mercedes Thompson series and takes place after Mercy has finally healed from her… activities… in River Marked. It starts with one of those beautiful moments in which everything seems to be going well. And then it’s not. Which is kind of how all such books end up going. However, unlike most books I’ve read, it kind of seems like the main catastrophe and storyline is over. When the book is only halfway through. That’s when you kind of know that the shit is about to seriously hit the fan.

Ben takes a much more central role in this story than the other stories. And so does Asil. Both characters that I absolutely adore and find completely intriguing. They have intense backgrounds and aren’t what you would traditionally classify as “good”. Which is probably why I like them so much. Their presence in Mercy’s life and the fact that, in spite of all odds, she actually likes them, helps to increase the stakes of what is happening.

Unlike the other books so far in the Mercedes Thompson series, there isn’t one big storyline, per se. Rather than a very clear beginning, middle and end with only one big obstacle to overcome, there are a small handful. It means that instead of the expected highs and lows, this story is more like a rollercoaster. And because of that, all that much more difficult to put down.

<- River MarkedRedemption ->

Image source: Amazon

Hexed by Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James & Jeanne C. Stein

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Hexed

Title: Hexed
Author: Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James & Jeanne C. Stein
In: Hexed (Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James & Jeanne C. Stein)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Short story collections, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 6th – 23rd January 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: If I can.

Synopsis

‘Four bestselling names in romance and fantasy come together in this collection of thrilling novellas featuring powerful women who know how to handle a hex or two…

New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews spins “Magic Dreams.” Shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau finds herself in deep waters when she must challenge a dark being to a battle of wits or risk losing the man for whom she secretly longs.

In “Ice Shards”, New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn returns to the Otherworld as Iris Kuusi, a Finnish house sprite, journeys to the frozen Northlands to confront the crazed shadow of her former lover and break the curse that is keeping her from marrying the man she loves.

National bestselling author Allyson james takes you to Magellan, Arizona, where Stormwalker Janet Begay and her friends are trapped by a powerful curse. It will take every bit of magic simmering beneath her skin for the Stormwalker to survive being “Double Hexed”.

From national bestselling author Jeanne C. Stein comes “Blood Debt,” in which bount-hunter-turned-vampire Anna Strong is visited by three witches who ask her to right an old magical wrong. Anna will have to live up to her last name to make it through alive.

Thoughts

I absolutely adored this collection of novellas. And was wondering why I didn’t pick this up much, much sooner. After all, it’s been sitting on my bookshelf for a few years. Although, since I now have another two series that I need to buy (I already had two), I’m beginning to think that that may have been my reason for not sinking my teeth into this series too early on.

There was a healthy addition of romance throughout these urban fantasy stories. But, mostly they featured kick ass women, curses and pasts that they were trying to overcome. All of which are some of my favourite themes and topics in any kind of story. The fact that I got to read four novellas with these themes, well, that just made me even more happy. And made this collection all the more difficult to put down so I could do something grown up and productive.

 <- Blood DebtMagic Dreams ->

Image source: Ilona Andrews

Santa’s Mortuary by Heather Graham

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: Santa’s Mortuary
Author: Heather Graham
Series: Krewe of Hunters #14.2
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: It was amazing that their room – in the right wing of the building – could be so quiet and charming while all manner of activity went on in other parts of the house.

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Synopsis

It was amazing that their room – in the right wing of the building – could be so quiet and charming while all manner of activity went on in other parts of the house.

Thoughts

Christmas time is a time for love, family and laughter. Unless you are a slightly amorous ghost who is separated from the love of his life. Then it’s just a time of frustration and loss of love. And a potential way to ruin everyone else’s Christmas with your sense of loneliness.

Although Christmas is always toted to be a story of happiness, love and family, it is often a time of loneliness for some. I love that in a holiday story collection, there is a number of stories which feature this loneliness, including this Krewe of Hunters short story. And, I also love the fact that, like every good story, this one ends with a happy ending for all.

 <- A World Done In by Great Granny’s Grateful Pie ReviewYes, Virginia2097c, There is a Santa Claus Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for daughter of smoke and bone book cover

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Demons, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Little, Brown, Company
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: What do you think of me, that you think I’d just vanish like that?

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Synopsis

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Thoughts

I read this in a lot of stop-start fits. It’s not that this wasn’t amazing (it was), it just wasn’t that amazingly fast-paced, grip you by the hair, drag you along kind of story. It was pleasantly paced. And that made it possible to put down and be a productive and useful member of the world. Or at least, it allowed me to do data analysis for a PhD…

Karou is everything that I wanted to be as a young teenager. An artist, free, living in a beautiful European city, and, probably most importantly, has blue hair and tattoos. I can imagine reading this as a teenager, and idolising Karou in so many ways. She would have been exactly what I wanted to be when I was sixteen-years-old. Now, ten years older, I still think that Karou is a wonderfully fun character. And one that I enjoy finding out more about as the trilogy unfolds.

The end of Daughter of Smoke and Bone was not what I expected in the slightest. It was a twist that I didn’t see coming, and one that was thrilling in its surprise. My first words when I finished this book was Oh My Freaking God! Yet, it wasn’t one of those surprises that didn’t fit into the storyline, it somehow fit perfectly. I can’t wait to find out what other surprises there are around the corner!

 <- Dreams of Gods & Monsters ReviewDays of Blood & Starlight Review ->
Image source: Amazon