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 A Touch of Dead is a collection of Sookie Stackhouse stories from in between various novels of the series. This means they (and this review) contain spoilers for those who haven’t read the books. Since it’s an incredibly short book at less than 200 pages long, this is definitely going to fall in mini review territory, but I thought it would be appropriate for Halloween!
These are all really short stories. So short that I probably would have felt cheated if I’d bought this in hardcover – there just isn’t very much there, unlike most collections of novellas. The margins and font were both huge, so each story sped by in just a few minutes. It was a great choice for the Read-a-thon, though, because I felt I’d accomplished a lot and the stories were very easy reads.
The introduction fortunately gives us a timeline for the stories, explaining where each fits into the overall canon. I’m almost up to date on the series, so none of them spoiled anything for me, though they may for others who are not quite as far in the series. We get to discover how Sookie discovered her cousin Hadley was dead, for example, which I remember confusing me when I first read that particular book in the series. We also get to see Eric ridiculously excited over the possibility of Dracula coming to Fangtasia, which was a light-hearted change. We even get to witness Sookie’s grandfather’s idea of a Christmas gift.
These stories are a nice way to dip into the Sookie universe without getting involved in a complete book, but I’d probably only recommend them for those who are already fans. Otherwise, you’ll get spoiled for the series, and I find it unlikely that you would enjoy them as much as someone who is already versed in the world would.
 This is the fifth book in the series. Rosemary and Rue is the first book.
The sons of the Duchess of Saltmist have been kidnapped, and usual it’s October Daye who is called upon to rescue them. The stakes are very high; if Toby doesn’t find the boys, her country is going to go to war with those under the sea. To make the situation even more complicated, she’s finally gotten together with Connor, a Selkie, and they may be forever separated if she doesn’t succeed in her mission. With her many allies by her side, Toby sets out to find the kidnapper, even when those she holds most dear are threatened.
This particular book is a turning point for Toby – she is not the same woman at the end of the book as she was at the start of it. Several storylines that have been building over the course of the last few books – if not since the start of the series – actually see a resolution, and with devastating effect. Some of the things that happen to her are gut-wrenching, and the world really isn’t going to be the same. She isn’t even the same herself; thanks to the changes which took effect in the last book, Toby is still getting to grips with her own changed identity and magic.
The mythology and backstory of all of the characters continues to grow and change in this book. I loved learning more about the Luidaeg in particular, who finally starts to be revealed in this book, and who is becoming much more than an all-powerful sea witch. We also get bits and pieces about the other characters.
I think my only problem with the book really was that I don’t like Connor very much. The entire time, I was busy rooting for Toby to finally realize that it’s actually Tybalt she loves, which as you can imagine lessened the impact of parts of the book for me. I’ve heard some say this is a Peeta and Gale situation, but I don’t think it is; there just isn’t any chemistry at all between Toby and Connor, and I’ve actually yet to find anyone saying they prefer the latter. Nor does Toby really think about it; she loved Connor when she was young so she must love him now. Since Tybalt is by far the better, more complex character, I just couldn’t get behind those bits of the story.
Regardless of personal preference though, One Salt Sea was a fantastic addition to the universe and one that has really, genuinely changed everything. I’m not sure how I’m going to wait until next year to get the sixth book, but I know I’ll have it preordered as soon as I see it available. In the meantime, I’m going to read Feed, as Mira Grant is actually a pen name for Seanan McGuire, and hope for some more magic there.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I bought this book.
 Rather than try and review each of these books separately, as I rushed through them so quickly that I can no longer separate them, I thought instead I’d just mainly explain to you why ALL of the books are awesome, and why they’ve become one of my top two favorite urban fantasy series. Then I can review the latest, One Salt Sea, without the other books hanging over my head calling for their reviews.
As I’ve already reviewed Rosemary and Rue, you’ll know that the main character of the series is October “Toby” Daye, a half-breed Daoine Sidhe who has her mother’s blood magic but is greatly weakened due to her mortal father. After a certain age, Toby grew up mostly on the streets, until she became a knight under the service of Sylvester, the Duke of Shadowed Hills. On her first and only failed case, Toby wound up transformed into a fish, while her liege lord’s wife and daughter endured years of suffering. After recovering, Toby decided to avoid the magic world, until she wasn’t given a choice. Ever since she was mostly restored to her role as a knight in the first book, Toby’s returned to the world of magic, got tied up in complicated politics, saved (and failed to save) countless people, and very nearly died. More than once.
 There are so many things to love about these books that I can’t express them all. Even just on the surface, the fact that all of the books are named by a Shakespeare quote appeals to my very literary soul, and shows that McGuire is going a bit further than your standard kickass girl urban fantasy. These books get to you, at least they got to me, and they worm their way under your skin. The magic system is so clever and fleshed out, with new species and kinds of magic revealed in every single book. McGuire pulls from myths, from standard fantasy, and from an imagination that is very clearly her own to create a world that’s one of the best mixes of fantasy and city I’ve ever seen. Toby may live in the city, but many of her magical counterparts live in old-fashioned duchies and counties, their knowes hidden across the landscape.
And then there are the characters and their relationships with one another. Toby loves fiercely, even when it’s complicated, and will protect those she cares about with a vengeance. As the series has moved on, these relationships have developed, whether they are with her ex Connor, who is now married to the daughter of her liege lord, her Fetch May, whose appearance in theory means she will die soon, or the King of the Cait Sithe, Tybalt (my personal favorite).
 Best of all, the books have that “epic” feel which you all know I absolutely adore. Somehow, when Toby is up against the world, the book just consumes me and the struggle feels real, immediate, and breath-taking. These are the kind of books I dash through because I’m so worried about the main characters and I need to know what happens to them. After I read the first book, I bought ALL of the rest because I knew I was going to need them, and then I read them and pre-ordered the latest. These are the books you simply can’t put down, that keep you up at night, that make you ignore anyone who actually tries to speak to you while you’re reading (seriously, how dare they?).
So, in conclusion to this, if you’ve ever enjoyed any sort of fantasy, urban or not, I’d highly recommend this series to you. McGuire just gets better and better with every installment, and I can’t wait to share One Salt Sea with you next week. And also, I must thank Ana of The Book Smugglers for introducing me to this series, as she pressed the first book into my hand and told me I should read it. She was so right!
If you do read these, and you really should, the series order is:
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 A fantasy classic, The Last Unicorn describes the decline of the unicorns and the struggle for the last one to find her comrades after leaving her forest home – only to discover that she is now horribly alone. Convinced that her fellow unicorns actually do still exist, she embroils herself in bad situation after bad situation, though not without non-unicorn friends, while looking for elusive companionship.
I was absolutely thrilled when I stumbled upon a copy of this book while I was in the US in July. I had intended to buy a copy online at some point, so the serendipity of it appearing before me in a physical bookstore was plenty to persuade me to buy it and read it shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, it then took me over a month (!) to review it, so I’m afraid some of the details have been lost. But I’ll try and capture some of the essence of this magical book.
Half of its appeal for me was simply the way it was written; it struck as immediately a bit old-fashioned, the kind of fairy tale my mother might have read growing up. That’s probably because she could have as the book was published during her childhood, in 1968. The unicorn is beautiful but slightly terrifying in its beauty, kind of reminding me of Galadriel in the Lord of the Rings. Fantasy is a thing of awe, not something we can weave into modern life so much like in today’s urban fantasy; it’s distinctly medievalesque with castles, magicians, and lovelorn princes. It feels like proper, epic fantasy, despite its very short length. And though the characters sound like stereotypes, Beagle makes sure they don’t stay that way, weaving in personalities and little traits that make us grow to care about them.
The story itself also has an old-fashioned feel about it. Rather than pure action, much of the story is determined by fate and the way things have to be, rather than pure decision-making on behalf of the characters. Sure, they make some decisions; the unicorn chooses to venture out once she’s heard that there are no more unicorns, and Schmendrick chooses to help her at some stage along the way.
But a lot of the book simply flows along, inviting the reader to linger in the beauty of it rather than causing suspense even though the storyline actually does have a few cliffhangers and tense moments. Much of this is due to the absolute loveliness of Beagle’s writing, the way he describes the magic as though it could be real, and his descriptions. He creates an entire world in the space of a few pages – a true feat.
A proper work of fantasy, that immerses you into a world that you can almost believe in, The Last Unicorn is a classic that deserves to be read more often.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I bought this book.
 In 2044, the US has all but collapsed. Most people, including an impoverished boy called Wade Watts, spend almost all of their time in OASIS, a virtual reality game created by James Halliday. When Halliday dies, he doesn’t create a will, but leaves everything he owns to the finder of an Easter egg (a secret within a game) he’s cleverly hidden within OASIS. The secret is hidden within 80’s references and challenges. Naturally, this gives rise instantly to hunters called “gunters” seeking the Egg. Wade, under his pseudonym Parzival, is the first to find one of the key components of the secret, but finds his life and those of his fellow questers are in very real danger from the “Sixers”, a corporate group determined to seize OASIS for themselves.
I loved this book. Absolutely loved every minute of it. Cline does not miss a beat in this phenomenal dystopia, not from the storyline to the characters to the writing itself. It’s the perfect book for gamers, in particular those who remember the old days fondly, and for those who adore adventure, a touch of romance, and thinking about that essential question – “What if?” What if the recession continues? What if virtual worlds take on the real one? What is reality?
I’m not quite old enough to have witnessed 80’s gaming in person, but I’ve been a gamer since I was only 4 and have been surrounded by the same references Cline uses throughout my life. The book is littered with gaming trivia, but I don’t think it would be difficult for a non-gamer to understand, as Wade is an excellent narrator and elucidates every small point, somehow without detracting from the narrative, as the book continues.
And what a narrative it is as Wade takes us on his own personal adventure. It may be a mix of real and virtual, but this is a story to be swept up in. The narrative follows Wade’s journey to find the three keys and gates in hopes that either he or one of the more honest gunters will find the Easter egg before the corporations or the government can do so. OASIS is free and an essential resource for the poor, who use it for easy access to education and an escape from their generally dim, impoverished lives. Wade’s journey is a true adventure in the best sense of the world as he conquers challenges he could barely have imagined, stretching brain and virtual limits to attain his objective. He grows not only physically and mentally but personally, stretching into the persona of Parzival and escaping his past.
Also, as a medievalist, can I tell you how awesome the name choice of “Parzival” is for this character? Arthurian legends mixed with video games! Parzival was a knight who went on a quest for the Holy Grail. How fitting – the Easter Egg is very much a modern Holy Grail.
The supporting characters are equally wonderful, and it’s hard to describe them without spoiling the story. Given that all the characters sport avatars that do not have to match their physical appearances, you can guess what might happen – I was absolutely delighted with the way that Cline handled this aspect of the story and found it completely fitting for our world, subverting expectations in the best ways. Imperfections can be beautiful, too.
As you can probably tell, I adored this book to pieces. It’s the perfect read for anyone who loves gaming, anyone who loves adventure, and anyone who simply loves an exceptionally good story. It’s thoughtful, with a lot to say about our culture, without ever losing its narrative appeal. This is unquestionably a top read of the year for me and I can’t recommend Ready Player One enough.
As such, I’m delighted to say I have one copy to give away to a reader in the US. Just leave a comment to be entered to win – the competition will close one week from today, on August 23rd at 12 noon EST.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free for review.
 The faerie world has never been comfortable for October Daye. Half-human, half-fae, she formerly ran investigations until her magical heritage lost her fourteen years of her life and the people she loved. Even though she’s decided that she’s finished with that half of her life, serving as a grocery store clerk until her need to avoid dawn gets her fired, the fae aren’t finished with her. She is drawn back into the world against her will, but with no power to resist her latest investigation into a friend’s death.
Ana of the Book Smugglers recommended this to me as her favorite recent urban fantasy series, and since you all know how much I love urban fantasy, there was simply no way I could say no. While this hasn’t displaced my current favorites, it’s fantastic to discover a new one.
This is proper urban fantasy, set right in the midst of San Francisco, where the fae blend neatly in the human world whenever possible. There are only a few times where they are vulnerable, such as at dawn, when October (Toby) must hide herself from detection. She has lost everything and mainly wishes to hide in the midst of the urban jungle. But she’s left no choice in the matter and must delve up old memories as she searches for a killer, and we’re right along with her on her journey.
This made it really easy to be immersed in the world as Toby’s investigation carries her around different sections of the fae, reacquainting her with old allies, enemies, and even lovers. There are quite a few places for McGuire to go with future installments in the series even as the current mystery begins to wrap up. This is a very eerie world; I’ve never been to San Francisco but I got a feel for the grimness of this version of the city, with its constant danger and quirky, often threatening inhabitants.
I really enjoyed the character of Toby in this book. I loved her casual banter, her struggles with other characters, and the fact that she feels like a human even though she’s actually half fae. It makes her very easy to sympathize with, especially because her concerns are actually very human in nature, particularly in the beginning of the book. She just wants to survive, to see her child, to be with the people she loves. I think it would be a challenge not to feel for her.
I did very much enjoy this particular urban fantasy and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series. There are three more, with another book coming out in October. In fact, now that I’ve written this review, I’m a bit tempted to go buy them now! Rosemary and Rue would be an excellent choice for anyone else who is craving a little bit more urban fantasy.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I bought this book.
 Please note that Magic Slays is book five in a series. This review will assume you have read the first four books in the series.
After quitting the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, Kate Daniels has attempted to strike out on her own with her own business. Unfortunately, she has failed to win many new clients, because the Order is busy spreading rumors against her. Moreover, Kate is now the acknowledged mate of the Beast Lord, which keeps certain people well away from her. When Ghastek, one of Atlanta’s Masters of the Dead, finally contracts for her services, Kate is thrilled, but not for long as she confronts a new menace to the world she knows and the people she’s finally grown to care about.
I reread the entire series in preparation for this book, something I hardly ever do but which I felt was very warranted. I’ve said far and wide that this is one of my favorites, somehow making me completely fall in love with prickly, brave yet vulnerable Kate and the many characters who populate the world around her. It was absolutely delightful to spend so much time in this universe; once you’ve grown an affection for the characters, it’s easy to enjoy all of the books even more.
And then I moved on to this one, which is a game changer, which feels just as epic as the last few. I’m not sure how long the series is going to last, because there are certainly threats hanging over Kate’s head and she can only delay them for so long. Another one of the characters who Kate loves comes into grave danger in this book, with her increased vulnerability becoming ever more obvious to her. She was trained to let no one in, and now that she’s let in a ton of people, she’s become more at risk than ever. Watching that transformation has been one of the best parts of the series for me, and now it’s coming full circle as she confronts the consequences.
One of the fun parts of this book was learning more about Kate’s past and getting an insight into where her parents came from. We’ve slowly gained bits and pieces of Kate’s past and heritage, with the pace increasing over the past couple of books. This time, we learned more about Kate’s mother, who hasn’t featured very strongly in previous books, and Kate’s history on that side of the family.
With every book I continue to wonder what’s going to happen in the finale; I think there is only one outcome to this series (which has two books left) and I am looking forward to where it goes. What is certain for me is that the quality hasn’t dropped at all and, if anything, each book has simply gotten better. I’m already waiting for book six with anticipation.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I purchased this book.
 Finley Jayne would have just been an ordinary servant girl in this steampunk version of London if she wasn’t two personalities in one body. Her dark side gives her supernatural strength and an incredible amount of anger, while her normal personality is sweet and unthreatening. When she flees from one of the numerous houses in which she’s attempted service, after (rightly) beating an aristocrat for sexually accosting her, she runs into Griffin King, a young duke who promptly takes her home to his relatively ragtag bunch of odd personalities. Each has a special talent, but they’ve also been targeted by a mysterious villain, The Machinist, who has it out for Queen Victoria.
This was an incredibly entertaining read that I just couldn’t put down. I loved the atmosphere of steampunk London and the special skills that each of the characters had. It felt almost like I was reading a classic superhero comic book set in Victorian London, with some vicious automatons added in. It’s a atmosphere at once familiar and different, so I could fit right in while still taking some time to learn about the world.
The book is pretty clearly a YA novel with a bit of an emphasis on Finley’s romantic relationships and her seesawing between Jack Dandy and Griff. It’s very much about her personal growth from a girl with two personalities into a girl who can control herself and unleash her feelings when it’s more appropriate. She changes quite a bit over the course of the novel; at times it’s difficult to get a grasp on who she is due to her separate personalities, but overall I certainly liked her as a heroine and felt I could understand her issues and hope for her to do better.
I did feel the book was a bit predictable; I figured one part out well before the characters managed it, and while I was probably meant to, I would have preferred that extra suspense towards the end. Plus I felt by the end that I hadn’t got to know many of the other characters particularly well; it was enough to like them, but not the same degree as I felt for Finley after her journey of self-discovery.
Still, though, I really enjoyed The Girl in the Steel Corset. I looked forward to reading it whenever I had a chance and I was very invested in the story’s outcome. It’s not perfect, but I will most definitely be looking forward to further volumes in the series.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free for review from Netgalley.
 In 1876, fancy mail order magic is driving out homespun magic, the kind Emily Edwards practices. As her and her father’s situation gets more and more desperate, she decides to snare a wealthy husband with a love spell. Her efforts, though meant well, completely backfire, and soon she finds herself racing across the country with Dreadnought Stanton, a snobbish warlock from New York City, on a frantic effort to reach the centre of the warlock’s world before it’s too late.
This was a great book in so many different ways. I love the setting – like other reviewers before me have said, it’s that wild west meets magic that is surprisingly appealing. It reminds me of Firefly in a way, both set in a world full of cowboys but with added twists to make them fresh and new. Here we have not only magic but echoes of steampunk and a few other bits and pieces.
Hobson’s ideas about magic are different from anything I’ve personally read, but the contrast is so apt for the time period when the mass catalogues started going out and people began to crave something other than homespun, homemade goods. This is a few years before that started to happen in real life, but it has that feel about it of the new pushing out the old, and the old struggling to survive in any way possible. The magic system develops very much along the course of the book, with new discoveries coming rapidly. It’s obvious that Hobson has a lot of ideas and I’m really looking forward to her fleshing this version of our world out more. The end of the book hints at a sequel and I am crossing my fingers that this is true, because I would definitely like to spend more time here.
And then, of course, there is a fantastic romance, and I can’t spoil that for anyone as it’s right on the back cover. Plus, tension sparks between Emily and Dreadnought almost immediately, and I think it would be difficult to miss their eventual romance from the opening chapters of the book. It’s a well done romance, too, without getting at all in the way of the plot. Instead it feels natural, inspired by the tension they’re both experiencing and the chemistry that springs up between them. There are very few types of novels that I like better than a good fantasy with a side romance, so needless to say this book ticked all of those boxes for me.
The Native Star is a solid satisfying indulgence of a read, well worth the time for anyone who likes fantasy or romance. And it was a nominee for the Nebula award this year, which is a third-party agreement of this book’s excellence.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I purchased this book.
 After Brenna was mentally abused and nearly killed at the hands of a notorious murderer, she has struggled to feel safe even amongst her fellow changelings. What’s worse, she’s lost the ability to change after her abuse, making her feel vulnerable and completely unlike herself. In this state of mind, she has been trying to heal with the help of Sascha, star of Psy-Changeling book 1, and Judd Lauren, one of the coldest Psys around. Judd makes Brenna feel safe, though, and as she begins to spend more time with him the attraction between them goes. But every touch and emotion is literal pain for former Arrow Judd, trained so well that his brain begins to combust at the seams, making the fulfilment of their feelings seem like an impossibility.
I have had an interesting relationship with Nalini Singh’s work so far. In the romance blogosphere, I’ve found that she is completely revered. So many people love her books that it’s impossible to resist picking one up. For me, though, the connection hasn’t been there. I’ve enjoyed her books but so far she hasn’t catapulted her way up my favorites list. With this book, though, I could sense something starting to change, as I got so much more invested in this book than in the earlier two.
In this one, I think the difference was in the characters. Judd Lauren in particular is just the kind of hero I seem to like best. He’s tough because he has to be, the classic dangerous man who just needs a little affection. What I really loved, though, is that he doesn’t really soften. He doesn’t become like a changeling. Instead he expresses his emotions towards Brenna as best he can; he can fall in love but she can’t completely change him. They’re very clearly different types of people who bond regardless. They need healing, but their past lives can’t be erased just because they’ve fallen in love. The entire romance was excellently done, in my opinion, and had me really eager to read more, wishing I had already had the next Psy-Changeling book!
Caressed by Ice is a solid, very enjoyable paranormal romance, further enhancing the Psy-Changeling world and drawing me deeper into Singh’s snare. Recommended!
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