“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas … except when it doesn’t. Kitty and Ben return to their werewolf pack in Denver only to discover an invisible evil that smells of brimstone and plays with fire has followed them home. Stalking the whole pack, it leaves a charred trail of ashes and death across the city. Kitty seeks help from Rick, the master vampire of Denver, as well as from the paranormal investigators on a popular reality TV show. But when a mysterious vampire who claims to be a demon hunter – and the only one who can help them – suddenly arrives, Kitty and her allies won’t be able to predict what he really wants … or what they must do to extinguish the terror that can torch them all.”
This is another very enjoyable installment in the Kitty Norville series. In each book, it seems that Kitty is confronted with a horror she doesn’t really understand, so that she has to both figure out what’s going wrong and solve the problem that is plaguing her so much. We think we’ve got a handle on Kitty’s world and Carrie Vaughn seeks to convince us that we’re just never going to know about all of it.
I also really liked that these books are involving increasing degrees of continuity. A shadow of Kitty’s past shows up here and several of the people from Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand are around either to make Kitty’s life miserable or help her out. I’ve come to feel very comfortable in this universe and I like it a lot. Also, always glad when the series ends with a slight hook but not enough to make me NEED the next book now. Good thing because I have to wait until 2010 for the next installment!
I’d definitely recommend this entire series. I’ll be reviewing the first 4 over the next few weeks. If I knew urban fantasy could be this much fun, I’d have been reading it a long time ago.
For the past few days, I have had the immense privilege of being able to read and enjoy the Kitty Norville series back-to-back. Today’s blog tour will be featuring books five and six, Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand and Kitty Raises Hell. We’re starting with book number 5! Here’s the summary from the back of Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand:
“Already the alpha pair of Denver’s werewolf pack, Kitty and Ben now plan to tie the knot human-style by eloping to Vegas. Kitty is looking forward to sipping fru-fru drinks by the pool and doing her popular radio show on live TV, but her hotel is stocked with werewolf-hating bounty hunters. Elsewhere on the Strip an old-school magician might be wielding the real thing; the vampire community is harboring a dark secret; and the irresistable star of a suspicious animal act is determined to seduce Kitty. Sin City has never been so wild, and this werewolf has never had to fight harder to save not only her wedding, but her very life.”
I’ve been loving this series and book 5 is no exception. As can only be expected in Vegas, quite a few things are far more extreme than Kitty has encountered before, and her elopement, needless to say, does not go as expected. By this point, I feel like I know Kitty really well, and I like her a lot. I love how her character has developed over the course of the series, so by this point, she knows what her priorities are, she loves Ben, and she knows enough to be suspicious when things are strange. I loved how all the weirdness in Vegas centered around the acts because in such a place, it would seem completely natural. They don’t need to hide like vampires and lycanthropes do in other cities because exotic is normal. It seemed a perfect stagedrop for what happened.
I also really enjoyed the further involvement of Kitty’s family in this book. I like them, too, and I think it normalizes Kitty and makes her easier to relate to, at least for me, when she has a normal mother and father who are worried and concerned about her. I’m basically eloping except with our parents along, so I loved that Kitty planned the same thing.
This is the first book in the series that ends in a real cliffhanger. Let me say, I was thrilled that I had the sixth one waiting when I finished! Up until now, each was a mostly contained story, but these two go together.
So, long story short, these books have really made me wonder why I don’t read more urban fantasy. Come back a little later for my review of Kitty Raises Hell! In the meantime, you can listen to this great Blog Talk Radio show with Carrie Vaughn, hosted by Miriam at Hachette, or check out a couple of articles written by the author. Carrie Vaughn also has a blog, which you can find right here. Here’s an Amazon link to check the book out further. And finally, I will leave you with a list of the other blogs participating on the tour!
This is a recent addition to the Sevenwaters series, but I don’t think knowledge of the first trilogy is necessary to enjoy it. I don’t remember much of the latter two books and still managed to fully understand and love this one.
Clodagh’s twin sister Deirdre is getting married, her mother is heavily pregnant with a child later in life than expected, and she herself must take charge of the house, try to comfort her worried father, and give up her marital prospects for the foreseeable future. At first, luckily, all this goes off without a hitch, except perhaps for the irritating warrior Cathal who has accompanied Clodagh’s cousin Johnny to the wedding and seems determined to rain on Clodagh’s parade every chance he gets. In the meanwhile, she meets again a man she likes very much and successfully gets through her sister’s wedding with the household intact. Clodagh’s mother Aisling even survives the delivery of a healthy baby boy, but then the unthinkable happens and Clodagh is the only one who can save her family from destruction.
I knew I loved the Sevenwaters trilogy, and I wasn’t surprised at all when I loved this, too. Juliet Marillier’s prose is astonishingly beautiful, weaving a fantasy world that exists side-by-side with a historical portrait of early Ireland. It’s so easy to get swept away into this world and Marillier has lost none of its magic. I knew absolutely nothing about the book going into it – not even the main character’s name – but I quickly realized that trouble was imminent. Once the main “trouble” occurred and I couldn’t put it off any longer, I absolutely sped through the book, as I’m sure I was intended to. I had to know what happened and this book is only predictable in some respects. I figured I knew what the ending was, but I needed to know how they got there. I particularly adored the tension between Cathal and Clodagh. That part of the story was beautifully done.
Marillier is brilliant at character development and it’s the people of her world that come alive so well. Clodagh is exceptionally well-rounded and it’s fascinating to watch her strength progress from a position as mistress of the household to braving a foreign world and pitting her wits against those of an immortal fairy lord. One gets the sense that she does not seek such challenge, but has the strength to endure what she must for those she loves. She is so full of compassion and love that she willingly gives of herself without asking to make someone else’s life easier. Similarly, Cathal’s character is revealed very gradually, each aspect of his personality coming out by the end of the story to make him fully understandable and sympathetic. His actions, his past, everything comes to light and in the end it’s impossible not to fall in love with these two.
I would recommend this book to everyone, unless you can’t tolerate fantasy. Marillier has it all, with great characters, an entrancing world you’ll never want to leave, a plot that is engrossing and keeps you up at night, and a beautiful style of writing. I loved this book – and the rest of the series – and I think you will too. In fact, I’m off to go acquire the rest of her books in some fashion, and see if they live up to this amazing series.
Skandian raiders have captured Will and Evanlyn. After nearly dying on board ship, they arrive safely, but as slaves with little choice in their own destiny. Will is determined to escape, but neither of them have any idea how to get home or how to enact this plan. In the meantime, Halt concocts a scheme to free himself from the king’s service to find and rescue Will, but in doing so is expelled from the Rangers and joined only by Horace, an apprentice knight who is determined to do all he can to save his friend.
This book introduces a lot of new challenges to our favorite group of heroes. Will’s viewpoint is absent for a while and I was surprised by how much I missed his voice. I also really preferred Will and Evanlyn’s half to Horace and Halt’s. I felt that I knew the outcome of the second one, but the first one was much more variable and worrying. I mean, I don’t think Will can die given that there are many more books out and the series is called “Ranger’s Apprentice” but that doesn’t make anyone else safe. I found that by the end, I really just wanted Halt and Horace to find Will and Evanlyn. The cliffhanger made me very nervous and I have book 4 on hold from the library. I hope it comes in for me soon!
I’ll still be recommending this series. I think Flanagan’s writing voice is getting stronger and the characters are definitely getting deeper and more interesting. Again, this series is almost enough to make me wish I was still a young adult because I know I would have loved it even more back then. And back then I wouldn’t have noticed how much Flanagan seems to be ripping off medieval Europe. Not that I mind, but it is very, very common in fantasy and I like original world-building.
Princess Lissar grows to womanhood forgotten in a corner of a large castle; the focus is firmly on her beautiful parents. Only after her mother dies does Lissar gain attention, and not in any way that she wants. Lissar is forced to flee for her own safety with only her dog Ash at her side. Forgotten and lost in the woods, Lissar must learn how to stand on her own two feet, with the help of a little magic.
I love Robin McKinley. I’ve said in my reviews of her other books that she has a prose style that reminds me of fairy tales and puts me far, far back into my own childhood. I knew that “something horrible” happened in this book which may not be appropriate for small children to read, but it wasn’t really enough to put me off it even after I realized what it was – what it had to be. I loved Lissar’s transformation, her struggle to find herself, her slow journey towards recognition, and definitely her relationship with Ash, who was a great character all on her own. I especially loved the end.
So, recommended? Definitely, although not for squeamish or those averse to violence; I don’t think this is actually a YA book, although correct me if I’m wrong, someone!
This book is the sequel to Princess Nevermore. If you have not read that book and are interested in avoiding spoilers for it, please skip this summary!
Even though Quinn has returned to Mandria, Cam finds himself frustrated and unhappy. Quinn is destined to marry another and he’s forced to watch her choose. Worse, one day a little boy turns up, claiming to be Melikar’s new apprentice. Much to Cam’s shock, Melikar accepts the boy and informs Cam that the time has come to seek his past. Cam must go out into the world, his own trip through the wishing pool, in order to discover his past so that he can embrace his future.
Okay. I just loved Princess Nevermore when I was a young adult. It was my favorite book. I even tried to read it out loud to my mother while she was cooking, just so I could share it with someone else. So, understandably, I was both thrilled and anxious when I discovered this book’s existence a few months ago and opened it with trepidition when it arrived as a birthday gift. Finally, I would know what happened to Cam and Quinn, and this time from Cam’s perspective; he was so interesting in the first book but never really had a chance to shine since Quinn spends most of her time outside Mandria.
Anyway, I’m very happy to say that I loved it. Regan has lost no sense of her world and I adored exploring more of it and even paying a visit back to outer Earth with Cam. I know I’d have felt even more pleased with it if I was still the right age for it. These books are like a cross between a fairy tale and a fantasy novel. They have a fairy tale feel to them, that feeling of destiny and whimsy that permeates modern fairy tales, as well as stereotypical fantasy elements and some things that Regan herself has made up, like the Marnies and their food-growing system. The world is enchanting. The characters are even more enchanting, if that’s possible. It’s easy to fall in love with them and stay in love throughout the series. When Cam and Basil were in a particularly dicey situation that may have ended one of Cam’s sincerest hopes, I was actually very worried about them and almost couldn’t bear to find out what happened. On top of this, the book ended in exactly the way I have wanted it to since I was a small girl. It made me very happy.
Honestly, this is a wonderful sequel in every way. Apparently the author has expanded Princess Nevermore as well, but I haven’t purchased that yet. To be honest I didn’t even need to reread it to remember what happened, since I read it so many times as a child. I’ll be happy to reread both of these together in the future, and I highly recommend them for young adults everywhere, as well as those of us who may be grown but still can find the child in our hearts.
Having decided that his fate lies with the Rangers, Will is sent on a simple mission with an older Ranger and his friend, the apprentice soldier Horace. They are tasked with delivering a message to another nation, only to discover that there isn’t anyone there but bandits and a young girl claiming to be the servant of the king’s daughter, but that there is a very suspicious plan afoot. Will and his friends are the only ones who can set these problems to rights.
I really liked getting to know these characters better in the second volume of the series. I raced through this one just like the first, and the ending has a nice little cliffhanger to keep the reader going. This one stays full of adventure and excitement as Will is getting on his own two feet and working out what’s required of him. I also loved the new addition to the series. As others have mentioned, the prose is still on a young adult level, but as that’s what I’m reading, I’m okay with that too. In all, a terrific YA fantasy series so far, I hope it stays to this calibre as it goes on!
Caught in the aftermath of a vicious international war, thousands of refugees have fled the Coastal States, bringing their dangers with them into the wilderness near the untamed Middlelands.
Castaways from an imploding civilization – fighting to find and to understand the most dangerous of treasures …”
About the author:
“Jason Pratt is a native of West Tennessee, and the systems manager for Dyer Fiberglass, Inc. He holds a bachelor of communications degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
When he isn’t freelance editing other people’s books or writing philosophical treatises as a respected guest on various Internet sites, he can be found pondering tactics and strategies in the lateswar game or studying metaphysics and world history. Occasionally he finds the time to instruct, judge and compete in the art of fencing; and has been known to write cinematic epic fantasies when people aren’t looking.
Cry of Justice is the first book of an initial trilogy, the third book of which he is currently composing.”
When the day comes for masters to choose apprentices, Will is nervous. He wants to go to Battle School and become a warrior like he believes his father was, but he is small and comparatively weak, unlike his friend Horace who is an immediate choice for a future as a knight. Instead, he is chosen by Ranger Halt. Will doesn’t know what to expect from his new future as Ranger’s apprentice, but he quickly realizes that it isn’t as easy as he thought.
I have heard a lot about the Ranger’s Apprentice series, so I was excited when I found a box set of the first three. Seemed like an ideal time to jump in, and I didn’t doubt that I’d like it since so many others had. Of course, I loved it, and quickly grew to care for Will and Halt and Horace in the space of one short book. It certainly reads like a YA book with certain lessons that can be gleaned, but is enchanting enough for adults too, as it’s good solid fantasy. The world is interesting and I want to learn more about it, the characters are endearing, the action and plot are great, and the writing is the perfect tone and level for this type of young adult book. I can’t wait for number two!
In the seventh Harry Potter book, Hermione receives this book and one of the fairy tales serves as an essential plot point in it. So, what better idea than to write out all the fairy tales and sell them, too? Clearly, good idea. Each of these fairy tales is different and has its own little objective. There are five of them and at the end, Dumbledore comments on each, with some footnotes added by Hermione Granger. I won’t go into what each of them are, because I think we’ve seen a lot of reviews and it’s actually been a while since I read the book. I did want to put out a short review, though, just because I like to review everything I read.
My favorite story was the one featured in the actual Harry Potter books, incidentally. I liked the message about cheating death, and I liked that it reminded me of the Harry Potter series. Otherwise, I found these to be short, whimsical reads that fit in reasonably well with the universe but don’t really add all that much to it. Nice for completionists, and nice that a donation is made, but otherwise, nothing special, and not at all compared to the series itself.
“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas … except when it doesn’t. Kitty and Ben return to their werewolf pack in Denver only to discover an invisible evil that smells of brimstone and plays with fire has followed them home. Stalking the whole pack, it leaves a charred trail of ashes and death across the city. Kitty seeks help from Rick, the master vampire of Denver, as well as from the paranormal investigators on a popular reality TV show. But when a mysterious vampire who claims to be a demon hunter – and the only one who can help them – suddenly arrives, Kitty and her allies won’t be able to predict what he really wants … or what they must do to extinguish the terror that can torch them all.”
to check the book out further. And finally, I will leave you with a list of the other blogs participating on the tour!
on Amazon.
on Amazon.
on Amazon.
on Amazon.
on Amazon
on Amazon.
on Amazon.
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