Tag Archives: Paranormal Fantasy

A Good Bargain by Christina Henry

Book Review, , , ,

Black Wings ShortsTitle: A Good Bargain
Author: Christina Henry
Series: Black Wings #1.6
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Ghosts, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Free online short story
Publisher: Christina Henry online
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: The ground shook like the tremor of an earthquake, and I staggered a little.

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Everyone loves a good bargain. And, although I can’t imagine what it is like to go shopping at a Walmart or some such shop, it was still quite amusing reading about Maddie’s (once again) chaotic experience of shopping. The appearance of Lucifer, and Beezle’s snappy comments just helped to increase the enjoyable feeling of mayhem that I know I experience when I have to go to the shops.

This is a great little short story that, although it doesn’t quite add to the overarching storyline, is a great aside of Maddie’s daily existence under the shadow of Lucifer’s lineage. A nice way to fill up 5 minutes when you don’t have the time to read one of the novels.

 <- Night Out Review Moonlight and Sunscreen Review ->
Image source: Fang-tastic Fiction

Night Out by Christina Henry

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Black Wings ShortsTitle: Night Out
Author: Christina Henry
Series: Black Wings #1.5
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Ghosts, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Free online short story
Publisher: Christina Henry online
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: He stood in a shadow cast by the taller hotel across the alley from the movie theatre roof.

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It’s kind of difficult to find the time, not to mention the money to spend a night out on the town. And I don’t have supernatural duties and forces to contend with. Maddie and Beezle’s night on the town, although it had a happy ending had the same catastrophic, chaotic style that well, all of her stories do. It made me feel a lot better about my own hermit-like existence at times…

Dragons, illusions and weird little demons are a great way to work up the energy to watch Toy Story 3 (which I haven’t seen yet by the way). And Beezle’s determination to have his popcorn is both irritating, and endearingly obnoxious. Maddie’s ability to constantly maintain her sass and attitude, even when she’s quite possibly bleeding to death shines again throughout this story. If you’re feeling bad about not going out to socialise as much as you’d like then this is a good little story to read. It will not only make you laugh on your night in, but it will also remind you that sometimes it is just better to stay at home.

 <- Black Wings Review A Good Bargain Review ->
Image source: Fang-tastic Fiction

Aren’t You Glad You Didn’t Turn on the Lights? by Christina Henry

Book Review, , , ,

Black Wings ShortsTitle: Aren’t You Glad You Didn’t Turn on the Lights?
Author: Christina Henry
Series: Black Wings #0.6
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Ghosts, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Free online short story
Publisher: Christina Henry online
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: He was young, surprisingly young.

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In hindsight, this isn’t really the type of story you should be reading while you are in the middle of nowhere, doing fieldwork at 3am… The title alone kind of shows that. Regardless, I actually thoroughly enjoyed these five pages of slight terror that I felt in my tiny, accessible cabin on reserve. I just didn’t so much enjoy it when I decided to turn out the lights…

Maddie’s position as an Agent of Death must have some pretty difficult deaths which she is forced to witness. And, although they don’t fit into the overall structure of the novels, I like that Henry was able to find time to pen a short story of one such moment. I can’t imagine the horror that Maddie felt at watching a, well, horrifying murder take place right in front of her. Yet, the poetic justice of the story did help it to come full circle and emphasise that at least in this literary world, good always triumphs.

 <- The Care and Feeding of Gargoyles Review Black Wings Review ->
Image source: Fang-tastic Fiction

Bacon by Charlaine Harris

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
strange-brew

Title: Bacon
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #8.6
In: Strange Brew (P.N. Elrod)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: “I understand,” Kathy murmured.

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Synopsis

A beautiful Vampire named Dahlia joins forces with a Witch named Taffy from an ancient line to find out who killed her beloved husband.

Thoughts

I’m not normally a huge fan of stories that are all about revenge – it seems like most of the time it is a twisted pursuit that leaves the perpetuators shells of their former selves. However, I liked the gradual and manipulative way in which Dahlia pursues her vengeance in this short story. Not only is it a pursuit in the name of love, but the sass and flash with which she carries out her retribution completely makes up for my usual distaste in such a story.

The invocation of Circe and her descendants in this short tale finally helped me to make sense of the name of this short story – Bacon. The true cunning and wordplay of Harris actually comes to the fore, but it isn’t until the very last sentence that this wit is shown.

<- Hecate’s Golden EyeSignatures of the Dead ->

Image source: Goodreads

There Will Be Demons by Lori Handeland

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
hex-appeal

Title: There Will be Demons
Author: Lori Handeland
Series: Phoenix Chronicles #0.6
In: Hex Appeal (P.N. Elrod)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Fae, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: He should be frozen like a gargoyle.

Synopsis

She thinks that she’s saving him from the demons, but could there be more to the story?

Thoughts

I really don’t have many words to describe this short story. Basically, I loved it, but at the same time, I was a little mad at the end of the story. It felt like a good beginning of a series, but also another tale about a strong, independent woman losing her identity for the sake of a man – not something that I am a huge fan of in the least. However, the writing and slow filtering of information that Handeland uses is a perfect counterbalance to create an enjoyable storyline that would probably otherwise have really, really, really annoyed me.

The use of the Nephilim, Grigori and Fae really drew me into the world created in There Will Be Demons. Handeland’s explanation of the different groups displayed a well-thought out reality which she has used to create a set of multi-dimensional characters. The obvious secrets that both Summer and Jimmy hold throughout the tale only built upon this world to leave me turning the page back and forth, looking for more of the story. Not all of their secrets are revealed, and it was both frustrating and disappointing to end this tale.

<- In the BeginningAny Given Doomsday ->

Image source: Succubus

How Do You Feel? by Simon R. Green

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

hex-appealTitle: How Do You Feel?
Author: Simon R. Green
Series: Nightside Companion
In: Hex Appeal (P.N. Elrod)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Won’t that be nice?

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Synopsis

An interesting short story about Green’s Dead Boy and how he lives his life.

Thoughts

How Do You Feel? was a completely unexpected short story – it was quite dark, with a twisted and unexpected strain of humour throughout it. The completely unforeseeable love story that rounded it out just polished it off to make me want to read the rest of the Nightside series. The use of a main character whose name is Dead Boy should have given me a hint to what kind of story I was in for though.

There is always a question about what happens after death, after all, most people don’t want to believe that this life is all that there is. And the idea of what happens when a life is cut too short with little or no mercy is a far more tantalising theoretical question. In creating a character that exists almost solely for revenge, Green approaches this question from a unique angle. Not only in addressing what happens after death and the lingering of souls, but how a thirst for revenge and an unyielding anger can destroy a life (and afterlife).

<- Outside the Box Review There Will be Demons Review ->
Image source: Succubus

The Girl With No Name by Chris Marie Green

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Girl With No NameTitle: The Girl With No Name
Author: Chris Marie Green
Series: Vampire Babylon #6.4
In: Kicking It (Faith Hunter & Kalayna Price)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: At first, he smile welcomed me.

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Synopsis

Chris Marie Green brings you an urban fantasy novelette that’s full of paranormal thrills and exhilarating action!

A young woman wakes up in a strange hotel room in New Orleans with no memory of who she is, where she’s been, or what she’s doing there. All she has are a pair of boots that she can’t seem to take off. As she takes steps to uncover her identity, she realizes that she might’ve stolen the shoes, and the bad-boy psychic she’s enlisted could be luring her into the clutches of a powerful, very ticked-off backwoods sorceress who wants them back….

Thoughts

A lot of stories rely on a character that is completely removed from their familial life. Whether it’s an orphan, someone who has been removed from their clan, or they’ve watched everything around them die and go up in flames, most good characters have nothing they can return to in their past. They either have nothing to lose, or everything. Lily in The Girl with No Name takes this one step further. This story is a literal journey of self-discovery – a girl who is unable to remember her own name, let alone her past.

The nature magic employed in this short story is phenomenal – it combines the giving of mother earth with the need for payment. After all, nothing is free. This unique combination of healing, giving and taking payment all at the same time led to a twist that I didn’t expect. Always something nice in a short story, I love when you are surprised by a plot, and I’m incredibly eager to see what this author can do to a full-length novel.

<- Stolen Goods Review The Devil’s Left Boot Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Hecate’s Golden Eye by P.N. Elrod

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
strange-brew

Title: Hecate’s Golden Eye
Author: P.N. Elrod
Series: Vampire Files #11.5
In: Strange Brew (P.N. Elrod)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: It had a hell of a lot more force than a bare fist.

Synopsis

Sometimes you need to steal something to return it to its rightful owners…

Thoughts

I didn’t really know what to think about this story – I liked the idea of a moral private investigator with a vampire sidekick, but some of the suave present in past stories by P.N. Elrod is missing from this short tale. However, the voice of the narrative helped to bring me back to the story when I wasn’t entirely sure it was what I was in the mood for. The tone of the tale had just the right balance of cheerful self-deprecation and intrigue to keep me interested in the chief protagonist and his quick journey into re-stealing a gem for its rightful owner.

The idea of multiple kinds of retribution to the “bad guys” throughout this story left me with a warm feeling at the end of the tale. From the long con to out and out thievery, the selfishness of those perpetuating the crimes onto others had consequences which left me smiling at the end of the tale. It’s always nice when the good guys win, and the bad guys are punished in some way, shape or form.

<- Vegas OddsBacon ->

Image source: Goodreads

Snow Job by Carole Nelson Douglas

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

hex-appealTitle: Snow Job
Author: Carole Nelson Douglas
Series: Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator #5.1
In: Hex Appeal (P.N. Elrod)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Lilith was amping up the vibration and sound system into heart-attack mode.

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Synopsis

I love this repetition of the tale of Adam, Eve and Lilith with a much more modern spin on it.

Thoughts

The use of the tale of Adam, Eve and Lilith was a unique way to approach of tale of paranormal fantasy. A lot of mythologies and beliefs seem to inform fantasy stories, but very few utilise the Christian faith and stories to do so. The use of Lilith, and even the name Delilah have its roots in Christianity and the use of the two sisters’ names in their characterisation was a great reminder of the importance in naming one’s characters.

The premises in this story were fantastic, and the paranormal reality in which Delilah negotiates her reality a brilliant multifaceted setting. However, having not read the rest of the series, it was a little difficult to really immerse myself in the story.

<- Holly’s Balm Review Outside the Box Review ->
Image source: Succubus

The Parlor by Lucienne Diver

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Kicking ItTitle: The Parlor
Author: Lucienne Diver
Series: The Latter-Day Olympians #3.5
In: Kicking It (Faith Hunter & Kalayna Price)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Mythology, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: I’d find out soon enough.

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Synopsis

Tori takes what she thinks is going to be a simple job, and runs up against another member of the Olympian family.

Thoughts

I love to read about mythologies reimagined for the modern day, and this was an excellent way in which it was done. Where Riordan takes Greek mythology and spins it so that teenagers have a place in the world, Diver gives the tales of Olympus a much more adult and sensual twist. A tale of Apollo, Arachne and gladiators, there really isn’t much more that you could ask for in a short story inspired by the Gods of Olympus.

There were a lot of great things in this story, and I loved the heroine, she was tough, able to say no to a God, and wanted to do the good thing. However, the part of this story that I can’t get out of my head is the silver, reflective hot pants and knee-high boot get up that Tori is forced to wear when she goes undercover. Reflective hot pants. A thought to leave you with for the day.

<- Crazy in the Blood Review Rise of the Blood Review ->
Image source: Penguin