Green Eyed Demon

June 14, 2011 in Fantasy, Urban | 1 comment

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~Daya

I picked up Green Eyed Demon in February thanks to a package from Orbit (thanks Jack!). Green Eyed Demon is the third in a series written by Jaye Wells, and follows the events of Sabina Kane, a half vamp, half mage hybrid. An assassin for the Dominae, or head vampires, (think female triumvirate), Sabina is a kick ass, shoot-first-ask-questions-later kinda gal. Raised by vampires, she learns of her mage side (and powers) much later in life (in addition to a few other HUGE family secrets). When things become more complex and the tenuous peace between the mages and vampires is threatened, Sabina has to decide which side she’s really on. I can’t say much more without being hugely spoilerific, but Ms. Wells has done some excellent work with this series.

Red Headed Stepchild (Book 1) has one of the THE funniest scenes I think I’ve ever read in urban fantasy (hint: It’s when Sabina learns she’s not “just” a vampire). When I picked up Green Eyed Demon, it was so enjoyable because I had almost forgotten how much I had enjoyed the first two. The mythology that Wells has provided is simply unheard of til now and truly awesome. There’s a good amount of classical/latin (Pythian Guard, Hekate Council) mixed in with biblical references. Her premise is that Lilith was the first vampire and that after “de-sanctifying” the Garden of Eden, anything apple is fatal to vampires. Therefore, it’s not just stakes, but applewood stakes. Sabina loads her gun with apple cider bullets. Also, all vampires are identified by their red hair: after Cain killed Able, he was punished by God and “marked” with red hair. Sabina, only half vampire, has black hair with streaks of red. It’s a very cool take on what I think is becoming a bit tired.

Here’s an excerpt from Ms. Well’s latest short story, Violet Tendencies:

All in all, excellent stuff. It’s a fun, fresh take on the usual Vampire mythos, so pick it up if you’re getting bored with all the other stuff out there! You can read the first chapter here, and be sure to follow Jaye and Giguhl on Twitter!

Perfect Shadow

May 31, 2011 in Fantasy | Comment

Brent Weeks has released a new short story, based on the origins of Durzo Blint! It is set in the same world as the Night Angel series.

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Side Jobs

April 5, 2011 in Fantasy | Comment

Side Jobs is a series of short stories released by Jim Butcher. The stories take place in between various books, fleshing out the overall story or adding  development to lesser characters.

So, let’s skip to the fun part: Aftermath.

An apt title, Aftermath takes places just hours after the end of Changes. It is told from a wholly unexpected POV: Lt. Karrin Murphy. We haven’t heard from her in any of the other short stories, so it’s a refreshing change of pace from Harry’s dry humor. The story focuses quite a bit on characters we don’t hear much from, which is also a fun alternative. The interactions with Murphy, “Gentleman” John Marcone, Ms. Gard, and the local werewolves create an exciting read from a completely different angle in the Dresden Universe. Alas, it goes by too quickly.

For those interested in the <i>rest</i> of the book:

Game of Thrones Preview!

April 4, 2011 in Fantasy | Comment

Tracking the Tempest

October 17, 2010 in Fantasy, Urban | 2 comments

I was so excited to get my hands on Nicole Peeler’s follow up to Tempest Rising. From the cover to the characters to the exorbitant amounts of cooch (Yes, Jane has a lot of sex), I quickly became of fan of this series! Nikki Peeler just keeps getting better–Tracking the Tempest really gets going and sucks the reader in.

As a quick recap from Tempest Rising, we know that Jane is half selkie–she can call on the power of water. Her new boyfriend, Ryu, is a vampire. This leads to a fun romance with lots of steamy scenes (Did I mention they have a lot of sex?). With Tracking the Tempest, Jane is still coming into her power. She is coached by Nell, a powerful gnome, and Trill, a kelpie. Along with this newfound power, she maintains a long distance relationship with her new beau, Ryu. Everything goes well until Ryu decides that she should visit him for Valentine’s Day. With that visit, Jane’s contentment goes Ka-BOOM!

Stupid workaholic detective boyfriends!

Winter is Coming.

September 14, 2010 in Fantasy, Media, News | 3 comments

Just as warning, the fangirl in me is SQUEEEEEEEing right now. The amazing Winter is Coming website just released an itsy bitsy trailer or the Game of Thrones coming to HBO. SQEEEEE!!! Ahem.

So, without further ado, the Raven:

Are you happy in your pants yet? No? Not after seeing the lovely Sean Bean? What about this amazing interview with the creators? It’s so great to see GRRM so sincerely excited about the series. It would break my heart if he pulled an Alan Moore.

The Black Prism Releases August 25!

August 4, 2010 in Fantasy, News | Comment

I have been looking forward to The Black Prism ever since I read Brent Weeks’ Night Angel series. The Black Prism sounds completely different from the Night Angel series, but just as interesting:

Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.

Alas, it isn’t out yet, but you can spend some time learning what color drafter you are at a quiz over at Brent’s site! You can also get a sneak peek at the first three chapters, courtesy of Orbit.

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Confessions of a Bookslut

June 3, 2010 in Fantasy, Thriller, Urban | 2 comments

Or, What Haven‘t I Done?

I get around a lot.

But shockingly, there’s a lot out there I haven’t done.

First, I have never listened to an audiobook. Secondly, I have not yet read Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series. I know, I know!! Bear with me here.

Last month, I did something amazing. Something unbelievable. Something naughty. I signed up for Audible.com. The first thing I downloaded was Charlaine Harris’ Dead Until Dark. I got sucked in (haha, get it?). Now I got it bad, for both audiobooks and Ms. Harris alike.

But aren’t audiobooks just for listening while driving? Au contraire, dear readers! I thought that too, not so long ago. Dead Until Dark, a delightful 8 hours, kept me entertained while I:

  • walked/played with the dog
  • worked in the garden
  • prepped and cooked dinner
  • tried to fall asleep
  • folded laundry
  • prepared boring spreadsheets at work
  • drove

Now, normally, I would never be able to read while doing some of these things. Many a time have I wished I could walk the pup while reading a book (though I have a feeling it would end in disaster). Of course, for safety, I walk with only one earbud in so I can still hear what is going on around me.

This has been a breakthrough. Of course, I knew audiobooks existed, but for some reason (mostly $$) I never really got into them. I am furious at myself now for not experimenting earlier! When I was in college, it was a 3 hour drive to get home to see my parents. The time wasted trying to figure out new radio stations when I could have been immersed in a book! While driving! Ugh. Well now I know better. Now, with a long distance wedding coming up next month, a lot of driving, and a dog that needs exercised, I couldn’t be happier about this choice.

What about Sookie??

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The Dresden Files: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes! Or, what happens when you get comfortable

May 10, 2010 in Fantasy, Urban | Comment

First, apologies to Mr. Butcher. While The Dresden Files are one of my all time favorite series, in my last review on Turncoat, I mentioned this:

Side Note: In this sense, the books are a little formulaic, but that’s what makes them so ‘comfortable’ to me– Someone comes to Harry for help. Big baddies come after Harry while he investigates. Help is going to take a lot more than Harry anticipated. Harry outsmarts/outlucks/outmaneuvers baddies. Harry saves the day.

Oh boy. I couldn’t have been more wrong *looks contrite*. Changes begins in the usual Dresden manner–fast, gritty, and in your face. You are left sputtering “Harry has a daughter????? With Susan???” (not a spoiler, it’s on the back cover!) and the book just keeps getting better from there.

The beginning of the aforementioned formula begins to weave itself together, and I can almost see Jim’s face while he says “Ha! Take that!!” while pulling out the rug from under the reader’s feet. Just when you begin to fall under plot’s hypnotic spell, everything Changes. The book title is significant in that Harry’s relationships with many supporting characters also undergo some form of Change. He learns that Mouse, while often a great help in a tight spot, has even more to offer. He finds out about his mother’s relationships and how they affect him and those in his care. He discovers Susan’s reasons for keeping such a life altering secret, and the list goes on.

Finally, there is a HELL of a cliffhanger ending that kept me reading right into the author’s note. I realized that Jim’s living arrangements and vicious guard dog have nothing to do with Harry’s story, and had to go back a few pages and reread. I simply kept on reading because I assumed there would be more!

I’ll end with that, as MORE is what I am left wanting. Maybe that will be the next title (Eh? Think about it, Jim!).

The first four chapters can be found on Jim Butcher’s site.

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Inside the Blogosphere: How Do You Organize Your Library?

March 31, 2010 in Fantasy | Comment

John over at Grasping for the Wind has posted a new “Inside the Blogosphere” question:

As an avid reader, you probably have scads and scads of books. How do you like to organize them? Category, title, author, ebooks only, or some mix thereof? Explain your organizational system for books, (or lack of it) and why it works for you.

Unfortunately, I didn’t participate this time around, but check out the variety of answers!

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