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 Bone Crossed is the fourth book in the Mercy Thompson series and this review may contain spoilers for the earlier books. To start at the beginning, check out Moon Called [my review, Amazon].
Even though Mercy is struggling from the fall-out of the last book’s events, trouble doesn’t leave her alone. She’s chosen to be alpha werewolf Adam’s mate, but before anything can be finalized, her vampire friend Stefan appears in her house at the edge of death. Turns out Marsilia, the mistress of the local vampire seethe, has discovered that Mercy killed two of her vampires and that Stefan helped to cover it up, and so she has declared Mercy’s life forfeit, and that of her friends. Just in time, an old friend appears asking for Mercy’s help; a ghost has taken over her home. Mercy takes the opportunity to leave her friends safe by removing herself from the area, but in the process attracts the attention of the crazed vampire in Spokane. How is she going to get out of this one?
While this was a little bit of a let down after Iron Kissed, which would have been hard to top, there is still a lot to like about this installment of the series. Mercy has a lot to recover from since she was raped and she finds that she doesn’t just get over it like often happens in fiction; no, she has panic attacks, she cowers, she has trouble even kissing Adam. Adam, of course, more than proved his worth with patience and understanding and I liked the way that their relationship developed.
These books wouldn’t stand alone very well, but that isn’t a criticism here. The events from previous books are still ongoing, while the book has its own plotline to keep the action going and provide new excitement. It’s a little like plotting for a TV show; there is a bigger conflict and then there is the driving force behind each individual episode. Everything has repercussions, but the ghost storyline allows Mercy to develop and heal a little by herself.
I’m definitely still recommending this series and eagerly awaiting the fifth book!
 After losing his job and his wife, Lev leaves his little daughter with his mother and sets off for London to find work and support his family. By a lucky chance, he meets a woman on the bus who helps him find a job after a brief period of homelessness. Working in the kitchen of an elite restaurant, Lev learns that he loves to cook and carefully observes the chef and other workers to glean their skills. Through a relationship with his co-worker and a path to success in his new career, Lev begins to understand the wider world while growing to appreciate and love his home even more.
I felt a little uncertain about this book while I was reading it and I still do now. I’m not quite sure how to review it because it’s one of those books that I liked but didn’t really like that much. The best part, clearly, was Lev’s sense of accomplishment and his ambition once he realized what he really wanted out of his life. I love to read about ambitious, goal-oriented, determined people. Obviously life gets in the way sometimes, but I can identify with them the best. Unfortunately, however, Lev also seems to have a somewhat ignorant or cruel streak towards women. He does not want a relationship after his wife, so he rebuffs one woman, but then he finds another, decides he’s in love with her, and ends up treating her quite badly when things don’t end the way he expects. The girl is partly at fault for leading him on, but all of his relationships with women bothered me.
I did like the entire theme of home running through this novel. Even when Lev makes a groove for himself in London, he still misses the people and the place that is his home. Eventually he realizes that it’s the people and not the place itself, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to do his best for his home country and making a difference for his family. The title is really well chosen; even though Lev starts out leaving home, the entire novel is at the core about his journey returning and how he’s going to get there as a more successful man than when he left.
I’m still a little on the fence about whether to recommend this book or not. It is one of those difficult reads that falls in the middle, that I know I’m supposed to love but I didn’t manage it. I think if this review intrigues you, the book is probably still worth investigating.
IndieBound | Powell’s | Amazon | Amazon UK
 On September 24, 2010, a plane lands at JFK airport in New York City. Immediately on landing, the plane goes dark, all of the window blinds pulled down, and the doors completely locked. Ephraim Goodweather has been spending time with his son, Zack, in the lead-up to a custody battle, but he is called away from his weekend off work to investigate the plane. On arrival, he and his partner Nora realize that it is full of dead people, bar four very ill exceptions. The dead people are unusual, though, in that they appear to be full of a strange white liquid, not blood, and their bodies haven’t deteriorated at all. Eph is mystified until an old man, Abraham Setrakian, approaches him with an extraordinary tale and an urgent mission.
At times, The Strain reads like a movie on paper. Everything is very visual, from the descriptions of the scenes to the alteration between chapters to the way it cuts across the perspectives of the characters. It’s easy to imagine this on a big screen, a difficult feat for someone like me. I rarely envision what I’m reading as I go along, but I couldn’t avoid imagine these pictures. While that’s not necessarily a fault, the book had a startling amount of gory descriptions and action scenes, so I don’t think this book is for the squeamish. It had my stomach rolling at times because I could for once picture all the nastiness associated with the vampires.
What does work without a doubt is the intense, ceaseless suspense and quick pace of the novel. It only takes place over a few days, but so much happens in those days as the mystery is established, solved, and the characters set out to save the world. The timescale never feels unrealistic, especially because we don’t stay with the few main characters all the time. We’re also given viewpoint perspective for a few of the victims and their families, which really drives the emotional impact of the entire situation. The authors are very good at establishing sympathetic characters in a very small number of words, which definitely impressed me. Of course, the main characters, especially Eph, are easy to care about as well. Eph in particular virtually lives for his son, but his chances of winning custody are slimmed even further when he has to save the human race. His priorities break his heart, and they break ours too.
While The Strain is not for the faint hearted, it is certainly an exciting ride, and is meant to be the first in the trilogy. I know I will be looking forward to seeing what happens next!
 I waited to do my loot (hosted by Eva and Marg) until I’d been to both my libraries. I’m hoping that the libraries help stave off my intense desire to buy books. It’s only been two weeks; right now we’re quite poor so that’s helping, but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to resist once I do have money of my own. I’m starting to apply for jobs, so we’ll see what happens. I know it could be months but I’m foolishly optimistic.
Anyway, at the moment I’m using Keith’s cards so I can get my own under my married name without hassle in a week and a half (!) so we go on the weekend when he’s around. I have two piles to share with you today. In theory, I have two public library systems. They both charge for loans from other libraries, though, so I’m limited to what’s inside. The first is from the bigger city library:
- The White Mare, Jules Watson – This is historical fiction about the Roman conquest of Britain. I’d never heard of it before but it looked pretty enough on the shelf, so I decided to give it a try. It’s the start of a series.
- The Warden, Anthony Trollope – I have been craving classics lately. Since I have Barchester Towers, I thought I’d start at the beginning, even if this one is not as good.
- The Iron Tree, Cecilia Dart-Thornton – I saw the middle one of this series in my old York library but don’t think I actually managed to check any of them out. I saw it and decided to read it now!
- Cotillion, Georgette Heyer – The library had maybe five Heyers and it was hard choosing! I remembered some positive reviews for this, though, so I took it first.
- The Painted Man, Peter V. Brett – Another fantasy that I had out of the York library but didn’t get a chance to read.
And my second, smaller library. This one is literally three minutes walk away, so I got more, figuring I can pretty much always get there when the books are due.
- The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga – Last year’s Booker winner. Booker winners tend to be hit or miss for me, but I’m still optimistic about reading a lot of them.
- Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood – I have The Year of the Flood over here to review, but I haven’t read it yet because I didn’t want to spoil what happens in this book. I’m hoping to start this today or tomorrow.
- Wolfskin, Juliet Marillier – I love Marillier’s work! I think I’ve won her latest book, but I took this out to tide me over.
- Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates – I don’t really have a reason for reading this. I haven’t seen the film or anything, but it’s supposed to be good, and it’s a quick read so I have to get to it before Saturday. The quick reads, which are non-renewable and due in a week, are hopefully going to help me read new releases without keeping them for months on end until someone else requests them.
- Very Valentine, Adriana Trigiani – This author has had lots of positive reviews around the blogosphere and this book of hers was cover out, so I thought why not?
- London: The Biography, Peter Ackroyd – I’m really excited about this! I love London and huge sweeping histories are totally my thing. It is gigantic, though, so I’m glad I have a few weeks to read it.
- Emma, Jane Austen – This one’s not pictured because I forgot it was elsewhere – sorry! Anyway, as I mentioned on Sunday, I got this to coincide with the BBC miniseries. I’ve finished and loved it now, the review will be up in a few weeks.
So that’s my loot! Read any of these books before? Let me know what you thought!
(And in case you’re curious, those are indeed my own books alongside and behind the library books.)
 Lizzie Brown discovered she was a demon slayer by accident, and now she’s discovered that she needs to take a test to get her license. The problem is that her Uncle Phil, the fairy godfather she never knew she had, has fallen in love with a succubus, and she needs to rescue him without incurring a huge fine. Getting her demon slaying license is the easiest of all of Lizzie’s problems once she learns that Las Vegas is now full of succubi and she is the only one who can kill them all. With her griffin boyfriend, crazy grandma, and a flock of witches in tow, Lizzie and her switch stars set off to save the world.
This is urban fantasy ultra light style, and in that respect, it works. The cast of characters is so varied and whacky that much of the book is hilarious. My personal favorite was Lizzie’s dog Pirate. When she became a demon slayer, she learned she could talk to dogs, and Pirate is almost too funny. He’s concerned with all specifically dog things, like sticking his head in the breeze on the motorcycle and smelling various objects on the ground. Lizzie and Dimitri, her boyfriend, also have a fairly nice dynamic going on; the main romance happened in the first book apparently and in this one they’re learning more about each other and how they feel. I wasn’t quite as fond of Lizzie’s grandma, who doesn’t seem particularly helpful most of the time, but I was intrigued by the mystery that is Max and I found myself cheering for Lizzie to succeed and vanquish the demons. I also liked the way Lizzie’s character developed over the novel, in that she took more responsibility for herself rather than relying on other people.
On the other hand, if it’s possible for a book to have too much humor, this one does. Even the more serious moments don’t take on all that much weight. There are some parts that are very moving, but for the majority of the book it’s hard to believe any of the characters are in danger. It was exactly what I needed at the time, but don’t expect any gravity from this one. As a comedy, though, it succeeds brilliantly, and I’ve heard that the first book in the series is even more entertaining. If you are looking for a light and fun read, look no further than The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers.
 Thomas wakes up in a lift with no memory of anything regarding his previous life. He knows his name and how to speak, but virtually nothing else. He’s stranded, until the lift doors open and he’s greeted by a group of boys who have similarly lost their memory. All of these kids eke out a life in a place called the Glade, farming, cooking, and doing their best to solve the ever-changing maze that lurks just outside, without getting killed by the Grievers, machines designed to kill kids. The gates open in the morning and close at sunset; any kid left outside at night is guaranteed to die in the morning. The day after Thomas’s arrival, the first girl is found in the box, and she is suspiciously familiar. Can Thomas solve the maze as the end game engages?
This book is a great read. It’s going to be hard for me to back up and explain why, but I’ll give it a shot. Perhaps the foremost reason is how amazingly suspenseful it is. There is a sense of dread lurking over the entire book. Thomas is tossed into this strange world with no knowledge of it at all, and as we learn what the boys know, we also learn that nothing is as it seems. This is even more pronounced when things start to go wrong. I had no idea what was going to happen next or how the boys (and girl) were going to solve the maze, or even if they were going to be able to do so. There was no way I was going to stop reading this book. Besides that, I adore dystopias, and while this is another variant of the fight-for-your-life scenario, it has plenty of individualism to spice it up. The wiped memories, the larger picture that is only available at the end of the book, and the maze itself and the reasons behind it were all fascinating.
Of course, such a book wouldn’t be so great if it didn’t have characters to care about. We have to care whether or not these kids die, and luckily Dashner pulls this off just beautifully. Thomas is a great kid. He’s perplexed, he’s unhappy, but he’s smart as a whip and determined to succeed. He’s not a perfect wonder boy, but he’s loyal, tenacious, and a true friend. I also thought his role in the greater plot was excellently planned and made his position a lot shakier than I’d expected. The other kids, while not center stage, are also characters to cheer for.
This is a YA book, but I had very few moments when I was aware that its projected audience was younger than me. I did take a while to get used to the fact that the boys are frequently called “kids”. I haven’t referred to anyone as a kid in quite some time, and somehow I don’t remember coming across this in other YA. Saying that I’m not sure how else to refer to the group, so I suppose it is more natural. That was really the only strange moment; otherwise I was as absorbed in this novel as a thirteen-year-old would be. There is similarly the fact that this book is totally clean; it’s as though these boys have no sexual urges whatsoever, and even when a girl arrives their reactions are subdued. To be honest, I don’t think a romantic entanglement would have been out of place, but the story works extremely well just as it is, so this is more of an observation than a criticism.
I highly, highly recommend this YA dystopia. The Maze Runner is a breathtaking work of truly addictive fiction and I am waiting with huge amounts of anticipation for the next book.
 As the eldest daughter of Edward IV and wife of Henry VII, Elizabeth of York presents a link of continuity between the extravagant Yorkist rule and the more conservative Tudor dynasty. At one time, two would-be kings competed for England’s crown, and with it Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. The Battle of Bosworth Field changed the course of history and Elizabeth’s role was in the very center of English politics. Margaret Campbell Barnes imagines how Elizabeth may have felt and reacted to her pivotal position, giving this occasionally neglected queen a voice of her own in one of the most recently popular periods in English history.
I’ve mentioned before that the Wars of the Roses are the latest popular trend in historical fiction. I’m fairly pleased with this as it’s my own area of special interest and I like to see how different fiction writers have portrayed all of these characters with whom I am so familiar. Sourcebooks’ release of The Tudor Rose comes at a perfect time and despite the fact that it was written years ago, it isn’t very dated. Interestingly, Barnes interprets history in ways that stray wildly from today’s popular positions. For example, Henry VII’s mother Margaret Beaufort, often portrayed as a tyrant who controlled her son and stifled his wife, is here a friend to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth happily allows Margaret to tend to those nasty administrative tasks that she would rather miss out on. Elizabeth herself is a charming character. She is fairly quiet and submissive but she loves deeply and she has a great deal of courage and strength. As readers, we want her to find love and happiness, because she is clearly so deserving of it.
In terms of plot, The Tudor Rose follows the life of Elizabeth of York from her childhood engagement to the French dauphin to a point within a year of her death. As such, there isn’t really any sort of tension; many readers will know how the story ends. It could feel slow, but it’s a very pleasant journey, and a lovely imagining of the late fifteenth century. The book feels rich with detail, fine gowns and palaces, and will surely appeal to those of us who love to read about royalty. And it’s always worth finding out what another author has done with the Princes in the Tower, particularly given that this book has a long enough timeline to include the revolt against Henry VII by Perkin Warbeck.
In short, The Tudor Rose is a wonderful historical read and well worth curling up with for immersion into another world, if not for those who crave excitement in their books.
Would you like to win a copy of your own? Sourcebooks is sponsoring a giveaway of one copy to a US or Canadian address. No P.O. boxes please! Just leave a comment to enter. This contest will run until midnight on October 20th. The winner of this contest is Stephanie.
 At some point, after I started reading more books than I ever expected I could, it seemed like I was falling in love with fewer books. They rarely grab me from the first page and usually I have to get at least 50 pages in before I feel compelled to keep reading. I like almost everything I read, but I rarely truly love a book. That said, I am now reading three amazing books, and am hard pressed to decide which one to continue at any given point!
 The first is The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer, a book I’m reviewing for The Book Bag. This non-fiction book is essentially billed as a handbook for people traveling to the 14th century (as it is basically a foreign country), but really provides an entertaining overview of every detail of medieval life. So far he’s explained what I might encounter in a town, a city, or the countryside, levels of society, and even gone into detail about coinage and dates and medieval attire. I know some of this information, but the little details like how the invention of the button changed men’s and women’s clothing? Or the slight differences in behavior? I had no idea, and it’s utterly fascinating. It’s also very funny in a dry sort of way, which makes even the facts I know enjoyable to learn again. I won’t be reviewing this book here for a while, but I am just loving it.
 The next is Emma by Jane Austen. It’s no secret that I really enjoy Austen’s work, but Emma has been the last on my list of unread Austens for years. I have two versions of it but I have never managed to get into it. I was in high school and I found it boring, and later I wanted to save one because I know there aren’t any others. I’m inspired today by the BBC’s new miniseries, which begins tonight at 9 pm. There was no way I wanted to spoil my last Austen with a miniseries and not with the book! And of course I don’t want to miss the mini-series because I love the BBC’s adaptations. I am even making Keith watch with me. So I started reading it, even though I was already reading two other books, and I’m adoring it this time through. I just love Austen’s sly humor, her deft touch with characterization, her turn of phrase, and that’s not to mention the snottiness of Emma and the fascinating world she lives in. I want to know where this story is going next! I know who the hero is and I can already see the light touches that are slowly developing that angle even as Emma goes about in ignorance. This book makes me want to reread every last Jane Austen novel, so I’m already planning on starting with Pride and Prejudice, the only one I actually have here. (Emma is a library copy since my two versions are in the US).
 The last is The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I have progressed the least in this because I started it before I realized I had to read Emma. There is so much blogger buzz about this book that I couldn’t resist starting it alongside the non-fiction, although I normally don’t read more than one book at a time (hah!). This was one of my last bought books before my ban started, as neither of my libraries have it, although both of them have the sequel. No idea why libraries do that. I’m only 100 pages in, but it is very good so far. I wasn’t convinced at first, but it’s growing on me. I plan on zipping through the whole thing tomorrow when I’m on my own again, as men, mine in particular, are extremely distracting, and I hope I fall in love with it like so many others have!
What was the last book you fell in love with?
 When a little boy’s family is murdered in a horrible raid, an Otori lord saves his life and gives him a new name, Takeo. For Takeo’s family was of the Hidden, a tribe which has been persecuted throughout their country, and Shigeru knows that Takeo’s identity will get him killed. As the story unfolds, Takeo realizes that he has somewhat extraordinary skills; he can hear unnaturally well, be in two places at once, and even draw better than a normal person. He is a born assassin and he is determined to wreak revenge on the man who killed his family. Meanwhile, Kaede is a helpless prisoner, forced into a marriage agreement with Shigeru after years of deprivation and unhappiness. Her marriage offers hope until Kaede realizes just what she’s getting into.
This YA fantasy was a total change of pace. It’s set in a fictional feudal Japan, a beautiful setting that evokes a much different feel than most fantasy set in fiction medieval Europe. It helps that the writing is beautiful; I would quote but unfortunately I had to return the book to the library, so you’ll have to take my word for it. The words of love spoken between the characters, especially Shigeru and his love, were heartbreaking and touching. Even the title, Across the Nightingale Floor, refers to a floor that most of us would refer to as just creaky, designed to alert the occupant to intruders. This is the real name for these floors, but it is still far more beautiful than using just plain English. The book has not only ninjas and samurais and swords, but a feel of history and scope that I loved. Since Kaede and Takeo are from different locations and both travel, we get a feel for this world that is quite breathtaking.
As far as characters are concerned, I liked these, although I do feel we could have gotten to know them a little better. They all have a massive sense of honor and it was fascinating to see how their personal thoughts played out against their real world actions. This is such a polite world even as many of the characters sneak behind each other’s backs and murder one another. If one’s honor is impugned, he or she decides to die. It’s a foreign world view but extremely well played; it doesn’t feel melodramatic, it fits. The special magical skills that Takeo had fit, too, especially given that he’s a scion of a special tribe with many of these skills themselves.
Across the Nightingale Floor was a wonderful read. It’s a different kind of fantasy than I normally prefer but I loved it. I could have done with feeling a bit more emotion towards the characters, but I’m hoping that will come as I continue the series.
September was another great reading month over here. I completed 28 books, 20 of which reduced my TBR pile. I’m at 368 TBRs and before the end of October, I’d like to be at 350. We’ll see how that works! I’ve now completed 228 books for the year, which includes one from October already, and with which I am very pleased. I have never read this many books in a year in my life. It’s amazing how book blogging has inspired me to make time for reading no matter what else I’m doing, and I hope that this continues as I put more effort into finding a job as this month progresses and hopefully when I have one not too long from now.
What I read:
- Santa Olivia, Jacqueline Carey
- The Complete Maus, Art Spiegelman
- Graceling, Kristin Cashore
- To Tempt the Wolf, Terry Spear
- Twilight of a Queen, Susan Carroll
- Secrets of a Summer Night, Lisa Kleypas
- Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
- One Deadly Sin, Annie Solomon
- Dead to the World, Charlaine Harris
- The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, Angie Fox
- Fragile Eternity, Melissa Marr
- It Happened One Autumn, Lisa Kleypas
- Devil in Winter, Lisa Kleypas
- Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison
- Amsterdam, Ian McEwan
- Across the Nightingale Floor, Lian Hearn
- God is an Englishman, R.F. Delderfield
- The Lace Makers of Glenmara, Heather Barbieri
- The Angel’s Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- A Separate Country, Robert Hicks
- The Maze Runner, James Dashner
- The Tudor Rose, Margaret Campbell Barnes
- The Fire, Katherine Neville
- The Strain, Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
- On the Prowl, Patricia Briggs and others
- Cranford, Elizabeth Gaskell
- Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead
- Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs
The latter half of this month was heavy on review copies as I’m attempting to catch up before my parents arrive with all the rest of them in less than two weeks. I did rebel towards the very end and rewarded myself with some urban fantasy. It is becoming one of my favorite genres, and to think that at one point I wasn’t sure I’d like it!
I have also, somewhat miraculously, completed the R.I.P. challenge! When signing up, I listed The Strain, Vampire Academy, The Maze Runner, The Angel’s Game, and Fragile Eternity as possible reads. I’m impressed with myself as I almost never complete challenges, let alone early, but I’m wondering now if I can read the rest of my list in October. I haven’t linked my reviews at the site yet (I have only written one of them anyway) but I will soon.
For the month ahead, exciting and somewhat stressful happenings are afoot. Two weeks from today, I am getting married, and sometime shortly afterwards we are going to endure the stressful process of trying to extend my leave in the UK on the basis of that marriage. Money is tighter than I’d like it to be for this, but we’re still in the right margin of income, so please cross your fingers for us. On the blog, I have a lot of great reviews already lined up and a few giveaways and guest posts. I’m also planning on participating in Dewey’s 24 hour Read-a-Thon on October 24th and 25th, which is guaranteed excitement. I loved my first one in the spring and this time I will have a husband to feed me and keep me awake (as he plans on gaming for 24 hours at the same time), so I anticipate even more fun. Stay tuned!
Do you have any exciting plans for the month ahead?
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