Reading Catherynne M. Valente is a unique experience. Her writing is full of magic and imagination. It doesn't always make 'sense', but it feels rightReading Catherynne M. Valente is a unique experience. Her writing is full of magic and imagination. It doesn't always make 'sense', but it feels right. The child in me who never grew up, who loves fairy tales, lands of magic, mythical creatures, and folklore, ate up this story like the most scrumptious dessert. I listened to this on audio, and at first, I wasn't sure how well it would work. There are a lot of concepts, and they don't tie together in a straightforward fashion at first glance. If other readers are like me, I'd encourage you not to give up on it if it doesn't catch you right away on first listen. Initially, I felt that Ms. Valente didn't quite feel comfortable reading her story. However, that changed, and she seemed to get into the flow of it, using different voices, timbres, and cadences for the various characters. I could feel how much she loved this story she had written, and the characters within.
This novel is one that both kids and grown-ups with a love of fantasy and make-believe tales would love. It's a story of a young girl who is very, very brave, strong-minded, determined, but with a very big heart for a kid (who are considered to be mostly heartless, according to the narrator). She goes to Fairyland on a romp, to escape the reality of a mother who works all the time and a father who was shipped off to war. Feeling alone and too different from the other kids she went to school with, she longs for adventure and a place where normal isn't the ideal. That's when she gets swept off to Fairyland and becomes a champion for this place of magic. And we are along for the journey.
At times, I got a bit confused with the narrative, because it's not exactly a linear story. Fairyland isn't a place that always makes sense, and that could make for strange listening when I was focused on driving or getting where I was going. If the reader embraces that this isn't that kind of novel, it makes for a very satisfying reading experience. Just immersing oneself in this marvelous world where anything is possible is gratifying.
This book is suitable for a young audience, but there are elements that feel pretty sophisticated, if one is older and catches the subtext. Some younger readers might not get all those references, but that's okay. I think it's fine for them to grasp an understanding of the story at their own level. There is some violence and dark subject matter, but the message of self-sacrifice, determination, friendship, and love are very good elements for kids to experience.
At one point, I thought I'd have to take off half a star because of getting lost and things slowing down a bit, but the overall beauty and power of this story requires a five star rating for me. I definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy mythopoeic/folklore-rich fantasy novels, young and older....more
I admit I am reading these books out of order, but it hasn't hurt. I like Crais' spare writing style, yet how he writes description beautifully, bringI admit I am reading these books out of order, but it hasn't hurt. I like Crais' spare writing style, yet how he writes description beautifully, bringing Los Angeles to life for me as I listened. I was a bit disappointed with how quickly it ended, leaving me with some questions about why the killer was operating. The same narrator as The Watchman, and he does the Cole/Pike books perfectly well, so I shall not complain.
I exhaled a dreamy sigh whenever Pike came around. He is utterly lickable. (Did I write that in my review? Pausing to drool...) Back to the review... I am quite fond of Elvis too. I don't feel that I know him as well as Pike, but that's my fault for reading these books out of order.
It was very awesome to see Carol Starkey from Demolition Angel again. She seems a little better adjusted, but smokes like a chimney. I enjoyed the banter between her and Elvis.
This one is a low four because of the sparse detail on the killer and how it wraps up. I think the characters are a strong point for me with this series, and the mystery part is sort of an added bonus, so I can can still rate this one well. It's a four because I really liked it for the reasons I mentioned. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! ...more
This book had two things going for it before I even read it: medical drama, and paranormals. Put those together and it's magic. And it lived up to theThis book had two things going for it before I even read it: medical drama, and paranormals. Put those together and it's magic. And it lived up to the potential. I am hooked on this series. I hope the next book comes out soon!
This was a gusty work, quite interesting and different. Probably one of the most overtly Christian dark fantasies I've read thus far, although I don'tThis was a gusty work, quite interesting and different. Probably one of the most overtly Christian dark fantasies I've read thus far, although I don't think it will find favor with a person who is fairly fundamental in their Christian beliefs (ie. avoid anything related to the occult). I was scratching my head at some of the physics concepts, since they were over my head, also some of the occult elements. Either the author did some heavy-duty research or she has a great imagination. Even though I'm not sure it was successful on all levels, I felt impressed with this novel, even as I acknowledge that it won't be for everyone. Thus the 3.75/5.0 star rating.
This was quite good. I loved the historical details, and the mystery was very interesting, with some distinct elements I haven't encountered in anotheThis was quite good. I loved the historical details, and the mystery was very interesting, with some distinct elements I haven't encountered in another mystery book thus far. Mrs. Westerman and Mr. Crowther are a good combination. Also liked Jocasta, Sam, and Boyo. Recommended to fans of historical fiction and mystery.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur in the February 2012. .
This is actually the first book in the series that I've read, but it was fairly smooth sailing despite that fact. It did take me a while to get used tThis is actually the first book in the series that I've read, but it was fairly smooth sailing despite that fact. It did take me a while to get used to the quirky/corny humor. But I have to say, I enjoyed the time I spent with Charley, Reyes, Cookie, Garrett and the others. Don't let the silly humor fool you. Darynda Jones writes a good quality mystery story.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur in the February 2012 Issue. ....more
This is not my personal taste as far as romantic suspense (don't like reading about twisted serial killers), so I don't have much of a basis for compaThis is not my personal taste as far as romantic suspense (don't like reading about twisted serial killers), so I don't have much of a basis for comparison. Overall, it was pretty decent, and I did appreciate Charlotte and Daniel Rokov (of Russian heritage) as main characters, and they had good chemistry. The killer was one sick puppy!
Ms. Solomons took me back to the time around the beginning of WWII through the eyes of a girl who is a stranger in a strange land, and in such a way tMs. Solomons took me back to the time around the beginning of WWII through the eyes of a girl who is a stranger in a strange land, and in such a way that my heart was completely affected by this story. Descriptive, nostalgic, and highly evocative.
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.
Reviewed in the January issue of Affaire de Coeur magazine. ....more
I really, really liked this book. The main characters were real and three-dimensional and very likable. The romance is sweet and nicely sexy. Ms. HartI really, really liked this book. The main characters were real and three-dimensional and very likable. The romance is sweet and nicely sexy. Ms. Hart's depiction of the members of the basketball team added another layer of flavor to this story. I found myself cheering on the game scenes. I will definitely read more by this author. This is supposed to be a mini-review, so I better stop now.
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars
Reviewed in the January Affaire de Coeur Issue. ....more
Alright, I thought the narration on this book was way cheesy initially. But, like the bookcrazy girl I am who is a sucker for a good story, I got suckAlright, I thought the narration on this book was way cheesy initially. But, like the bookcrazy girl I am who is a sucker for a good story, I got sucked in.
This book is many things:
*Fun aimed at kids, but fun that an adult who isn't terribly cynical and superior could enjoy. *Penetrating, insightful look at human nature and society (don't laugh--it is). *Utterly disturbing view of the unscrupulous applications of modern science. I truly did feel my stomach lurch at some of the experimentation on children that the white coats were doing. What do we allow to happen in the name of the god of progress? *Fast-paced adventure *An exploration of a family that doesn't meet the typical, Leave it to Beaver definition.
The six members of the Flock soon found their way into my heart. I hurt for them when they suffered, and feared for their safety, and cheered them for their successes. I loved all of them: Max, Fang (he's pretty droolworthy for a fourteen year old--I think I would be crushing if I was that age), Iggie, Gasman, Nudge and Angel (adorable and kind of scary in some ways). They make quite a team. Max is a really awesome main character. I think she's a great role model for young girls. Her self-sacrifice and her determination to protect her family is admirable. She's a sharp, adaptable girl.
Oh yeah. The flying is pretty awesome. It made me almost wish I had wings...well, sort of.
Warnings: *Violence involving the kids and their scary pursuers *Some questionable actions (that these kids exhibit to survive) that most parents probably wouldn't want promoted or justified to their kids, such as stealing and destruction of property. I think the way it was handled is okay, as long as a concerned parent makes it clear that this isn't acceptable behavior outside of the circumstances of this book. *As I mentioned above, the author isn't shy about mentioning human experimentation, and on children, no less. A younger reader might find that pretty disturbing. I know I did, and I'm not particularly young (late thirties).
...Yeah. So I admit I got won over. This book gets four stars from me. It's actually very good. The chapters are really short, but don't let that fool you into thinking that content in this book is neglible. There is a lot to this book. It's not even what I would consider easily digestible. The author uses a lot of sophisticated vocabulary, which is great. I'm all for kids (of all ages) looking up words. Best way to expand your vocabulary.
I would recommend this to readers who are younger or who enjoy books aimed at a younger audience. It has a lot of adventure and action, and very likable characters. My eyes are on the lookout for the rest of the books in this series. ...more
This is a collection I would recommend to a fan of westerns with a weird and/or supernatural/horror slant. The stories are short and nicely digested, This is a collection I would recommend to a fan of westerns with a weird and/or supernatural/horror slant. The stories are short and nicely digested, and full of all the things that make a western fic fan happy.
I'm not sure I'd call most of these stories horror. More like dark fiction. Some were a little too oblique for my tastes (I had more than a few 'Huh?'I'm not sure I'd call most of these stories horror. More like dark fiction. Some were a little too oblique for my tastes (I had more than a few 'Huh?' moments), but the writing caliber was good across the board.
Moonbeams is an enjoyable sword and sorcery/heroic fantasy novel with good world-building. I like that the main character is a tough/capable warrior pMoonbeams is an enjoyable sword and sorcery/heroic fantasy novel with good world-building. I like that the main character is a tough/capable warrior princess, and I loved the diverse characters: three college-age humans who fell into the Veil, elves, faeries, dwarves, talking horses (but not in a cheesy way), dark sorcerers, and trolgres (troll/ogre hybrids). It's worth checking out.
This was pretty good and quite funny in parts. I think Hamlet, the cat was underutilized. His parts really made the book. I like the book and bookstorThis was pretty good and quite funny in parts. I think Hamlet, the cat was underutilized. His parts really made the book. I like the book and bookstore motif.
I will read more in this series.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine in the December 2011 Issue: ....more
When Grace met Seth eight years ago, she was a different person. She was shallow and spoiled, and immature. It caused her to treat him cruelly, and unWhen Grace met Seth eight years ago, she was a different person. She was shallow and spoiled, and immature. It caused her to treat him cruelly, and unbeknownst to her, her grandfather got him fired. When they meet again in the present, it's clear that Seth is still holding a grudge. He buys up the controlling shares in her family's company from her grandfather's young trophy widow and Grace's ex-fiance'. So now Seth is her boss, and he wants her back in his bed. Is it just about revenge, or are the flames of passion still burning just as brightly as they did for their brief time together in the past?
I liked that Grace had come to realize that she didn't want to be the same girl she'd once been. She'd learned a lesson about what was important after the tremendous loss she'd suffered. Now she was realizing that she still loved Seth. When their passion leads to a pregnancy, they end up getting married, but can Seth love her the way she yearns to be loved by him?
This is a good Harlequin Presents. It has all the passion, drama, and angst I like in these books. I also appreciated Seth's viewpoint. He didn't always approach Grace the way I would hope, but I could understand his issues with her. At the end of the day, he was a good man, and his actions showed that he was crazy about Grace, although she couldn't see the forest for the trees. Although life had pulled them apart and in different directions, and he was angry at the way she'd dismissed him in the past, I think that he was motivated down deep by his desire to get her back, because he never got over her.
There was a poignancy in the losses that Grace suffered, losses that helped to mature her and to encourage her to get her priorities right. I think that as a mature woman, she had a lot to offer, and I can't hold what she did at eighteen against her. The same goes for Seth at twenty-two. We all make bad choices when we are young, and hopefully have the opportunity to learn from them as Grace and Seth did. I'm just glad that these two fated lovers got a second chance together. A chance to be in love, and to have a family together, which was denied the first time around.
I really liked this book, despite the sniping and back-biting between Grace and Seth initially....more
Reread in September/October for Action-Adventure Aficionados group read. I was very distracted when I did this reread, since my life has been chaotic aReread in September/October for Action-Adventure Aficionados group read. I was very distracted when I did this reread, since my life has been chaotic and crazy. I would read it at night in bed. It didn't hit me as powerfully this time, but I think that was a me not it kind of thing. Still love this book and Dieter Resnick and I hope that B. Justin Shier finally writes book 3. ** Previous Review:
I ended up loving this book. It showed promise from the first page, and that promise held through to the last. I know I'm going to devour this series, and probably anything else B. Justin Shier writes. He knows just how to keep me excited about a book.
If you liked "The Magicians", you might enjoy this one. I liked it even more.
A good mix of coming of age, magic, science fantasy, and snarky humor. It earns five stars from me.
One one level, for a reader who loves short stories (as I do), for the pure essence of the medium of storytelliHow to review this collection.....Hmm..
One one level, for a reader who loves short stories (as I do), for the pure essence of the medium of storytelling, this is an excellent collection. There is no question that all the writers here know their craft, and very well. I had the pleasure of being introduced to many new authors I had never read, and none of the stories were boring. I know I will definitely seek out some of these new authors to read more of their stories. Others, I'm not so sure about. Not because of a lack of ability, but I'm not sure that they write the kind of stories I like to read, if the content here indeed represents their output. It's completely possible that the pieces here are a departure. I suppose that like strangers who travel down a similar path (the world of short story literature), we might meet again. As Neil Gaiman intimated in his introduction, most of these stories caught me, and had me on the line, waiting for what happens next. Like Mr. Gaiman, that is a huge draw when I read a story. If I don't care about what happens next, I don't even bother finishing the story. For pretty much all of these stories, even the ones I didn't care for, I did keep listening to find out...what happens next. I wanted to know!
On another level, I think that if a reader picks this collection up to read fantasy/science fiction/speculative fiction and that alone, they will be disappointed. Certainly, there was a good amount of those things on offer. There were also stories that I would place firmly in the literary fiction arena. Which certainly is not a bad thing if that is your sort of reading. And if you like a literary touch to your speculative fiction reading, you will probably be a happy camper. Myself, I don't care much for the genre or its conventions, so I felt a bit like I had gone into a movie theater for a science fiction 'popcorn' movie and ended up watching an IFC-style drama about all the depressing aspects of life that I don't need to be reminded about. Not to say that the latter movie isn't well done and interesting, but certainly not what I wanted to watch, or read, in this case.
So, this one is a bit of the good and bad. I loved a few of the stories. I liked more still. Others I didn't care for or I was ambivalent about. There was one with a woman who was being stalked by an admirer who gifted her in the days around Christmas in the manner of the wonderful carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Take a moment, if you will, to consider how messed up that could be in execution. Yeah. I was bad, and it was highly hilarious and entertaining. That was by far my favorite story. This was by one of my favorite fantasy authors since I was a young girl, Diana Wynne Jones, who passed away this year, and will be mourned by this reader and many others. If that was her last story, I would raise my glass in toast to her. The Joanne Harris story was about Norse Gods in modern NYC, and it was funny and entertaining. Yeah, the Norse mythology part hooked me, but the wit kept me listening intently. The Jodi Picoult story, "Weights and Measures," had me sobbing hard and blowing my nose as I drove and listened. I think I'll avoid her books. I don't like going to that emotional place if I don't have to. But she can write. The most disturbing story was by Lawrence Block. It was called, "Catch and Release" and it was about a serial killer who had developed a habit of doing exactly that, except not with fish, and not all the time. It was....chilling, to say the least. Another story that I found very well-written but I found very unsettling and very sad was "The Stars are Falling," by Joe R. Lansdale. I've been wanting to read him for a while, and he's definitely a talented writer. The story itself was incredibly sad, but the imagery stuck with me. The sign of a good short story. There were others, lots of others, and I could probably talk about each one, but I won't dither here.
Narrator Comments: I think the narrators were very good. There was one man who I felt sounded a little too much like the PBS documentary narrators for my tastes. It took me out of the story because it was too monotone, and a bit too detached. The other narrators I liked very much.
Final Thoughts: My rating is an emotional one (that's how I roll, you see). I gave it three stars because it didn't quite give me what I wanted. That's on me, not the writers here. However, for the reader who has a serious love of the short story, and who wants to bask in that medium for many hours, or however long one wants to spend reading through an anthology, regardless of the genre and subject matter, I think this is a good collection to reach for. In that sense, it's probably more of a four star collection.
So I recommend this one with reservations... ...more
Danielle The Book Huntress
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