Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry Dresden’s lover-until she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her torn between her own humanity and the bloodlust of the vampiric Red Court. Susan then disappeared to South America, where she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it.

Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court, has discovered a secret Susan has long kept, and she plans to use it-against Harry. To prevail this time, he may have no choice but to embrace the raging fury of his own untapped dark power. Because Harry’s not fighting to save the world…

He’s fighting to save his child.

You can check out the first few chapters on Jim Butcher’s site here!

Who first introduced you the love of books and reading? What about them resonated so deeply with you that you came to love books and reading too?

Check it out for a variety of answers from some venerable SFF bloggers (and me, Daya!)

As Ethan and Lena become inexorably attracted to each other, another world opens up to Ethan. He finds that Lena and her family are Casters, those with unimaginable powers. As Ethan discovers Gatlin’s secrets about the Caster population, he also finds that Lena’s family has secrets as well: As Lena’s sixteenth birthday approaches, she will come into her powers, and unlike other Casters, she has no choice whether she will Turn Dark or Light. As Ethan pieces together his nightmares, he realizes that his and Lena’s attraction goes back hundreds of years, to another pair of star crossed lovers in their family tree. Now it’s up to them to find a way to break the curse before Lena’s birthday, before Ethan loses Lena forever.

There are several points I found refreshing about this book: It is written from the male point of view, it takes place somewhere that is positively steeped in history and mystery, and we are introduced to Casters, or witches.

Beautiful Creatures was written in Ethan’s point of view, which cuts out most of the stereotypical female POV: adolescent whining, fawning, suicidal thoughts, etc. It was a welcome change to read about the basketball team, or how Ethan’s housekeeper would know he was up to something if he didn’t eat at least three plates of food, because she knew exactly how much he could put away.

Next best was the southern atmosphere. The small town is pretty cliche, but combined with Gatlin’s civil war history/reenactments, nosy Daughters of the Revolution, the old plantations, and Southern twang, it ascends to a higher level of worldbuilding and overall crafting of the book.

And finally! Witches! They seem to be a dying breed in this new generation of fantasy, but they are also a welcome change from the werewolves, vamps, and other things that go bump in the night.

Overall, the book is an excellent choice for the young reader. The love between Ethan and Lena is honest and doesn’t feel forced, and their relationship is sweet and much more appropriate for teens to model off of than certain other YA reads. At one point they realize they can communicate telepathically, which adds a new facet to their relationship: they can say anything to each other, even things they normally wouldn’t say out loud. Another point is the accuracy of high school life. While Ethan is already part of the “In” crowd, Lena clearly isn’t. The high school rite of passage is depicted accurately for Lena, as an outsider, and for Ethan, who is slowly “frozen out” for preferring Lena’s company.

Apparently Warner Brothers has already purchased movie rights, so I’m guessing it will be touted as the “Next Twilight” in order to fill that big sparkly hole for the teen/supernatural genre. One thing is for sure; it does have a gorgeous cover. I’d know I’d be tempted to pick it up if I were wandering about my local bookstore.

A bed with an electric blanket.
A man who knows me better than anyone else and still loves me.
A car that somehow keeps on trucking, even after numerous patch ups.
Swiffer sheets.
A dog whose warm eyes and wagging tail make each and every one of my appearances an Event To Be Celebrated.
Parents who still consider me their daughter, even though I don’t live my life exactly as they do.
My amazing apartment and neighbors who have become friends.
A boss who values me.
My favorite microbrewery opening its doors within walking distance.

The eldest was born in the season of planting, when the waters of the Nile had receded once more and the land lay rich and fertile, warm and muddy and waiting for the sun to quicken everything to life. She was born in one of the small rooms behind the Court of Birds, and her mother was a serving woman who cooked and cleaned, but who one day had caught Ptolemy Auletes’ eye. Her skin was honey, her eyes dark as the rich floodwaters. Her name was Iras.

The second sister was born under the clear stars of winter, while the land greened and grain ripened in the fields, when fig and peach trees nodded laden in the starry night. She was born in a great bedchamber with wide windows open to the sea, and five Greek physicians in attendance, for she was the daughter of Ptolemy Auletes’ queen, and her name was Cleopatra.

The youngest sister was born as the earth died, as the stubble of the harvest withered in the fields beneath the scorching sun. She was born beside the fountain in the Court of Birds, because her mother was a blond slave girl from Thrace, and that was where her pains took her. Water fell from the sky and misted her upturned face. Her hair was the color of tarnished bronze, and her eyes were blue as the endless Egyptian sky. Her name was Charmian.

Once, in a palace by the sea, there were three sisters. All the stories begin so.

The Hand of Isis is a historical fantasy by Jo Graham, and easily one of the best books I have read this year. The book follows Charmian, Cleopatra’s handmaiden and half sister, as she helps Cleopatra navigate the political turmoil as she becomes the Queen of Egypt.
Being a self professed Classics nerd, I knew that after reading Black Ships I was obligated to read anything else that Ms. Graham decided to write. The Hand of Isis eclipses all other historical fantasies I have read to date.

In The Hand, the veil between mortals and the divine is very thin, and the book begins with Charmian in the Halls of Amenti, telling her story to Serapis and Isis before her heart is weighed against a feather. Thus the book switches between third and first person, always coming back to where Charmian stands in judgment.

Charmian and her half sister Iras were born of different slaves, and Charmian’s mother died in childbirth. Thus Iras’ mother raised them both, and when they begin taking lessons with Cleopatra to keep her company, they become a triumvirate, each a face of Isis: Cleopatra, mother of the World with Horus at her breast, Iras as the Lady of Amenti, and Charmian as Isis Pelagia, the Goddess of Love. Thus with their individual strengths they secure a kingdom for Cleopatra, the embodiment of Isis on earth.

Charmian occasionally dreams and has visions of what will be, including her past life, as well as the lives of others. In a conversation with Caesar, she tells him:

Because you have known me for a thousand years. I have died in your service. I have saved your life when your enemies sought you, and I have killed a man across your funeral bier…We carried you to Memphis in a coffin of gold and laid you among the sacred kings, beside the bulls of Serapis until your city was ready. You may not remember, waking, this side of the River, but I think that you do know. I think you know much more than you pretend…You have come home to your place, Imperator, and she greets you as a lover long absent and much missed.

Charmian knows that she has served Caesar before, when he was Alexander the Great, and she his soldier. The simple idea of death and rebirth is told so naturally that I find myself truly believing (I am usually prone to eye-rolling). Charmian is a woman of Alexandria, the face of the goddess of love, and her love of men is only diminished by her love and devotion to Cleopatra and the Ptolemy line. I thought it was refreshing that Graham didn’t impose current Western ideals on Charmian, but instead made her just as I would imagine a powerful woman in ancient Alexandria. Her life is rich, with threads of past lives woven in, and her sexual liberation very characteristic of the time period, though perhaps shocking in modern day. Graham mentions a great many characters to flesh out the world, including Plato, Hero, Vercingetorix, and others. It is clear that this time period has been thoroughly researched, and I could appreciate the little tidbits that she dropped (geography, architecture, etc.).The worldbuilding is flawless, especially for a standalone novel.

Perhaps my favorite point in the novel (though there are many) is the idea of the afterlife. Even though Charmian visits the Halls of Amenti and stands before Isis and Serapis in judgment, the angel Michael comes forward to speak for her, though she does not follow his god. Again, this liberated sense of worship, religion, and love really is a really different take that so many authors of historical fantasies of the same era miss out on.

I cannot reiterate how much I enjoyed The Hand of Isis. I felt like it wasn’t really advertised or talked about as much as Black Ships, which is ridiculous becomes Graham’s writing has only improved. For the numbers people: I’d say Black Ships was a 9/10 while The Hand is 12/10. Highly, highly recommended: Go unto thou local biblioteca and procure The Hand of Isis. Statim.

Stealing Fire comes out in May of 2010 and further explores the story of Alexander the Great, as told by his soldier Lydias of Miletus.