Review: Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

Title: Discount Armageddon
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: InCryptid #1
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 368
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Publisher: DAW
Rating: 6.5

Summary:
From Goodreads: Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night... The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity-and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right? It would be, if it weren't for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family's old enemies, the Covenant of St. George. When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed. To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone's spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city...

Why did I read this book? This book caught my eye through the awesome premise and cover and I prompty added it to my most anticipated releases of 2012 list.

Source: Bought

My Review
Discount Armageddon is a very fun and flirty beginning to a new urban fantasy series. McGuire hits all the major points on creating a great new series: good world building, a strong female heroine, and clever and entertaining dialogue. However, I did have some issues with the novel.

I’ll start with what I really enjoyed. The worldbuilding in this is some of the strongest I’ve seen for urban fantasy. Basically, supernatural species and creatures (called cryptids) exist in our world and are hunted by an old secret organization known as the Covenant of St. George. Verity Price, the protagonist, descends from a family line that defected from the Covenant when they found out that the decimation of the unicorns caused cholera to spread, greatly hurting humanity. Apparently the Covenant thought it right to destroy a species of low danger due to their doctrine, with no care for the cost to humans. Verity’s family disagreed and moved to America to lead their own lives, helping the cryptids and learning about them as much as they could.

The creativity really comes in through the cryptids. Each species is unique and I found myself pleasantly surprised by all of it. Of course, one of my favorites is the Aeslin mice, a colony of mice that lives with Verity and is very, very religious. They celebrate many holidays, mostly revolving around key moments in Verity’s life, such as “Month of Do Not Put That in Your Mouth!” I laughed many times then wished I had some of my own. Another great cryptid are the Dragon Princesses, women who are fireproof and live with dragons. Or they did, until dragons went extinct thanks to the Covenant. They still collect a lot gold and have a lot of mystery about them. But I won’t that spoil here.

Verity herself is a great lead character and a tough young woman. She’s very Buffy-esque, without the superpowers. By day she’s a ballroom dancer and by night she’s a waitress in New York City and cryptozoologist. She likes to run on rooftops and shoot guns. She’s also wisecracking, resourceful and generally cares a lot about the cryptids.

The things that really bugged me about Discount Armageddon were some aspects of the writing. I quickly got tired of hearing how dancing makes a great fighter (I don’t even know if I agree) and how much dancing Verity does while not seeing very much of it. Also, I found it hard to suspend my disbelief, not with the supernatural aspects of the story, but with Verity, the human. Who would run and climb over rooftops in New York City in stilettos and a miniskirt? On the way to work? Don’t you end up sweaty and gross and tired? I felt like a lot of believability was sacrificed for the coolness factor. It’s just so cool to have a ballroom-dancing, gun-carrying human running around in stilettos and skimpy clothing, but it doesn’t make much sense.

There’s also a romance with, you guessed it, the two people from opposite sides of the cryptid situation. It’s very predictable, but I didn’t fault it too much since I liked the love interest, Dominic.

Rating: 6.5
Overall, I enjoyed Discount Armageddon for its great world building and fun story. I believe people will enjoy this as well as it’s a good start to an urban fantasy series. I’d watch out for some cheesey fight scenes and situations and the lackluster romance, but if you like that sort of lightness, then you’ll have no problem here. I’m going to be continuing with the sequel because I really want to see how far McGuire takes this. Also, there’s a great cryptid Field Guild on McGuire’s website that is worth checking out.

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Review: The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott and Colette Freedman

Title: The Thirteen Hallows
Author: Michael Scott and Colette Freedman
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 349
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: December 6th, 2011
Publisher: Tor Books
Rating: C+

Summary:
From Goodreads: The Hallows. Ancient artifacts imbued with a primal and deadly power. But are they protectors of this world, or the keys to its destruction?

A gruesome murder in London reveals a sinister plot to uncover a two-thousand-year-old secret.

For decades, the Keepers guarded these Hallows, keeping them safe and hidden and apart from each other. But now the Keepers are being brutally murdered, their prizes stolen, the ancient objects bathed in their blood. Now, only a few remain.

With her dying breath, one of the Keepers convinces Sarah Miller, a practical stranger, to deliver her Hallow—a broken sword with devastating powers—to her American nephew, Owen.
The duo quickly become suspects in a series of murders as they are chased by both the police and the sadistic Dark Man and his nubile mistress.

As Sarah and Owen search for the surviving Keepers, they unravel the deadly secret the Keepers were charged to protect. The mystery leads Sarah and Owen on a cat-and-mouse chase through England and Wales, and history itself, as they discover that the sword may be the only thing standing between the world… and a horror beyond imagining.

The Thirteen Hallows is the beginning of a spellbinding new saga, a thrilling tale of ancient magic and modern times by a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning playwright.
Why did I read this book? I was really intrigued by the premise that promised a mixture of fantasy, mythology and history. And look at that cover, it’s beautiful!

Source: Review copy provided by publisher

My Review
The Thirteen Hallows opens with a bone-chilling first chapter, one of the most exciting openings to a book that I remember reading in a long time. It really hooked me from the first page and from there I could tell that Scott and Freedman would take me on a ride of the very well-written, thrilling and shocking story of The Keepers of the Hallows and their objects.

The story follows Sarah, who, either by chance or fate, has her world turned upside down when she finds herself charged with the care of one of the thirteen hallowed objects, a sword. She must protect it from the main villain of the story, who is trying to collect all thirteen objects to pretty much take over the world. It all sounds very epic and it is. It’s also a very horrific story, one with more gore than I anticipated. But this isn’t a bad thing; I actually thought the horror of the reality of the situations Sarah finds herself in to be refreshing. The whole book spans only a few days and much happens, creating a very fast-paced and exciting journey.

I did have some issues with the plotting, though. Two major pet peeves of mine where present in this story. One of them is the Nasty Villain who gets Flunkies to do his job for him, no matter how incompetent they are, while he watches and criticizes from afar. I know this is a common trope, but watching these flunkies fail so much and take so much time doing it while the villain could just try to get something done himself annoyed me. It created a situation where I felt the villain wasn’t as scary as he should be. There were a few instances where the bad guy does appear himself and those scenes I enjoyed.

The other pet peeve was the inclusion of the police in this story. Many people are being murdered so it’s natural the police would get involved, but I felt they, for no real reason, kept trying to blame Sarah for the crimes. At some points they make some pretty extreme leaps to connect her to the crimes and I felt this was just way too unbelievable for me (someone who takes detective work pretty seriously).

Rating: C+
The Thirteen Hallows was an exciting ride, if not a slightly bumpy one for me at times. I wanted so much to see what happens to the hallowed objects. One of my favorite aspects about this novel was the inclusion of British and Christian lore. I found the prose to be deftly executed in creating an exciting and terrifying world. However, this book was not without some faults that could have improved the story a lot for me. I would recommend this with these reservations in mind to those particularly interested in British and Christian lore or who’s looking for a fast-paced story with a good helping of horror.

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Review: Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin

Title: Sins of the Angels

Author: Linda Poitevin
Series: Grigori Legacy #1
Format: ARC
Pages: 325
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: September 27th, 2011
Publisher: Ace Books
Rating: B-

Summary:
From Goodreads: A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel…

Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case—a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell.

Aramael is a Power—a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul.

Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.

Why did I read this book? I saw this book floating around the blogosphere and that it was written by a Canadian author. After I read that it was about angels, I knew I wanted to get my hands on it.

Source: My very first Goodreads First Reads win! Yes!

My Review
There are some really great things I enjoyed about Sins of the Angels and just a few things I think could be improved upon. The story follows protagonist Alex Jarvis, a Toronto police detective who's following a string of brutal murders with no leads on the killer. Our other protagonist is Aramael, a Power (an angel of the sixth choir) who is sent to protect Alex from the serial killer she's searching for. Aramael, being a Power, doesn't interfere with humans (that's for the lowly Guardians), and has an issue with this mission but tries to get through it since he is also hunting the serial killer, who happens to be a Fallen Angel. This causes a lot of tension between Alex and Aramael, of course, and then there's the attraction they share to each other.

I really liked the the characters, especially Alex, since she's a tough cop but she's not without flaws. She finds herself overwhelmed from her case and this is made worse by Aramael since she can see his true form if they touch. She thinks she's losing her grip on reality because insanity runs in her family.

I also liked the world building. Out of all the paranormal races (vampires, werewolves, etc) I like angels the most. I think they could be used more so I was glad to see a book based on that mythology. The angel hierarchy resembles the Christian one but with changes and also includes a history of the past thousands of years existing with humans. I think this mythology is nicely woven into the book that also has a feeling of a crime novel since most of it is spent trying to solve all these murders.

Some of the issues I had with the book is that a lot of the conflict the characters feel is created by them not telling the truth to one another. This is sort of a pet peeve of mine (I always say: why can't they just say it!) and it creates some fustration for me. I would have liked to see things resolved more between Alex and Aramael sooner in the story so we could have a better payoff at the end. The novel also ends wide open for another sequel and maybe I'm just impatient but I would have loved to see more closure.

Rating: B-
I'd definitely recommend Sins of the Angels for urban fantasy lovers, but I warn you: you will like the characters and may wish more from them that you won't get possibly until later installments in the series. It's a fast-paced read and filled with good world building and action to move the story along. I'll definitely be picking up the next book in the series when it comes out (I just have to find out what happens, darn it!)

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Review: Indigo Springs by A.M. Dellamonica

Title: Indigo Springs

Author: A.M. Dellamonica
Series: Astrid Lethewood #1
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: October 27th, 2009
Publisher: Tor
Rating: A



Summary:
From Goodreads: Indigo Springs is a sleepy town where things seem pretty normal . . . until Astrid's father dies and she moves into his house. She discovers that for many years her father had been accessing the magic that flowed, literally, in a blue stream beneath the earth, leaking into his house. When she starts to use the liquid "vitagua" to enchant everyday items, the results seem innocent enough: a "'chanted" watch becomes a charm that means you're always in the right place at the right time; a "'chanted" pendant enables the wearer to convince anyone of anything . . .

But as events in Indigo Springs unfold and the true potential of vitagua is revealed, Astrid and her friends unwittingly embark on a journey fraught with power, change, and a future too devastating to contemplate. Friends become enemies and enemies become friends as Astrid discovers secrets from her shrouded childhood that will lead her to a destiny stranger than she could have imagined . . .


Why did I read this book? I read it for the Women of Fantasy Book Club and also for Calico Reaction's August Dare.

My Review

The story is told in a unique way. Astrid is talking to some kind of hostage/police interviewer while she is being detained for suspicion of commiting crimes. The interviewer, Will, tries to find infomation about an enemy, Sahara, who is currently reaking havok with a cult following. He wants info on Sahara, who is close to Astrid, but what he (and we) get is the story of Indigo Springs and what we know as the reemurgence of magic into the world. The story is thus told in the past and present and we get to piece together the situation.

The characters were good. I enjoyed Astrid. She is flawed: somewhat weak willed and easily succumbs to the pressure of others around her. I liked watching her grow and the person she becomes by the end of the book. Sahara is perfectly wicked, although she's portrayed as human enough to garner some sympathy. A breakout character, for me, would be Will, the interviewer, because even though he has a pretty specific role in the story (to interview Astrid and thus extract the story) he really develops as a character. By the end I felt like I knew as much about him as any other character.

The most awesome thing about this book is the magic. Magic is literally blue liquid and can enchant objects. This leads to all sorts of fun (such as a flying carpet) but it is also dangerous. If people come into contact with the liquid it can corrupt and infect them. I found everything about this system well thought out, utilized well and really just plain cool.

Rating: A
I really really, liked this book. I enjoyed reading it all the way through. Never once did my interest wane and I found myself staying up into the wee night to finish it (which is something that rarely happens for me). It has everything I love about what urban fantasy can be. There's characters and a world we can identify with, but there's also the worldbuilding as intricate as an epic fantasy. I cannot wait for the sequel, Blue Magic, to be released next year.

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Guest Review: Kitty's Greatest Hits by Carrie Vaughn

This guest review was brought to you by calico_reaction!

Kitty's Greatest Hits (2011)
Written by: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: Short Stories/Urban Fantasy
Pages: 319 (ARC)
Release Date: August 16th, 2011

This ARC was received for review from StarMetal Oak Book Blog

Why I Read It: When I heard that Carrie Vaughn was coming out with a short story collection that featured all her Kitty-universe short stories, I was thrilled, because that meant I wouldn't have to track down all the individual anthologies she's been in AND I would finally get to read the long-awaited novella featuring Cormac. Then starmetal_oak contacted me for a guest review: she had received a signed ARC from BEA but wasn't interested because she doesn't read the series and wondered if I'd do a guest review. Hell yeah, I would!

The premise: ganked from BN.com: This first-ever story collection from bestselling author Carrie Vaughn reveals new adventures by sharp-witted werewolf d.j. Kitty Norville and the fascinating back-stories of key characters, including Master vampire Rick, Emma, and Cormac. This collection features two previously-unpublished works. A must-have for the many fans of this critically acclaimed series.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. I'll discuss each story individually, but due to the nature of short stories, I won't be spoiling any key plot points; rather, I'll talk about how they fit into the universe and which stories are worth reading and which stories could've used a wee bit more work. Star ratings for each story included!

Il Est Né (5 stars): I'd originally read this in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe back in 2008. Even though it's a good story, and I think I like this story better the second time around. I did find it an odd piece to start out with, only because everything else seems to go in chronological order. This piece is DEFINITELY not in chronological order, but the mystical rules of short story collections state that one must open and end with STRONG STORIES, so in that case, opening with this makes sense.

This tale takes place between Kitty Goes to Washington and Kitty Takes a Holiday and made me really nostalgic for the earlier books, when Kitty wasn't grating on my nerves the way she is now, when she had something to lose and had already lost it and was trying to put her identity back together, piece by piece. When she wanted to avoid violence at all costs. It's a good tale and it had me choked up at the end a bit.

A Princess of Spain (3.5 stars): While there were no series-characters in this story, the paranormal element became quite obvious, quite quickly, which made me wonder if this collection was going to delve into the historical events that Kitty, in present day, is always looking for. Indeed, it was, and while I'm not as familiar with Catherine of Aragon, I did like the inclusion of vampires in her history, as well as the irony of the ending, with Catherine convinced that her life with Henry will be so much better.

Conquistador de la Noche (3 stars): I'm being a bit generous with the rating here because this is Rick's origin story, and it's rather fascinating for that. I also liked how the setting played into the plot itself, especially at the story's end. However, what didn't work for me was Rick's devotion to his faith, which would've been fine, if it hadn't made the story rather melodramatic in parts, if it hadn't made Rick rather whiny and angsty through-out the story. I shouldn't be too harsh on the faith, because one's faith, especially at that time, was essential to their being as air, but even though it essentially saved him, it still left me cold. And I guess I can appreciate Rick all the more now since he's definitely moved on from irritating Louis-mode into something much cooler. Still, I felt meh with this story, which dragged on a bit.

The Book of Daniel (2 stars): This is another story where a character's devotion to his faith just didn't read well for me. Maybe it's due to Vaughn's writing voice, which is so modern that these period pieces end up reading as insincere? That's a high possibility. Whatever the case, I loved the premise of the story itself, which is how Daniel of the Bible escaped the pit of lions. Seriously, that's AWESOME. The rest of the story is a little flat though, and I never really felt the setting was fleshed out, nor the world. That said, this is a SHORT story, so there's only so much room.

The Temptation of Robin Green (4 stars): I've actually got the anthology this story originally appeared in, but I never got around to reading it, which makes me extra-grateful for this collection. I love the slight twist on the Selkie tale, because usually in such a tale, the genders are reversed. Rick also makes a cameo appearance, and he's MUCH cooler here than he was in "Conquistador." Good piece, even if poor Robin is a little mopey by the end. It'd be cool if Kitty ever meets her in a book though, given Robin's state at the end of the story.

Looking After Family (3.5 stars): I can't place my finger on why this story didn't settle with me the way it should have, but I guess it's because whatever we learned in the books of Ben's and Cormac's upbringing, I've forgotten it, and this story really didn't ring any bells. It's a solid enough tale though, highlighting the differences between Ben and Cormac and showing us how and why they became the men they are today; it's especially revealing for its take on Cormac, and quite worth reading because of it.

God's Creatures (4 stars): Speaking of Cormac, we get another tale, one I read in Dark and Stormy Knights last year. I liked the tale then and I like the tale now, and it was good to read this right after "Looking After Family," because it gives some of the throw-away remarks about Cormac's father more meaning. Another great thing about this story is that it spoils NOTHING about the Kitty books whatsoever, so it's the kind of story you can read without reading any of Vaughn's novels.

Wild Ride (2 stars): It pains me to rate this story so low, because it's TJ's origin story and I haven't seen that poor guy since Vaughn's debut (for obvious reasons). I've got the anthology this originally appeared in too, but haven't gotten around to it yet. At any rate, the reason for the low rating is simple: it's all telling and practically no showing. There are things to like about the story, certainly, like seeing how TJ interacted with his first pack, how his sexuality is an easy and obvious metaphor for his werewolf, but I wish the story had been longer, and that Vaughn had taken more with the piece. All tell, little show.

Winnowing the Herd (1 star): This was weird. Pre-Kitty and the Midnight Hour, it paints a far more aggressive Kitty Norville than she appears in the very first book, and that bugs me. She's so meek and passive and scared of herself in the first book that seeing her like this, thinking about meat and her co-workers as sheep, is just startling. The very end with her baying like a sheep is as startling as it is weird, and it was a major WTF moment until I read the author's notes, where we learn that Vaughn was aiming to write a more "literary" story. Right. Okay… but that explains it. Doesn't make the story any better in hindsight, mind you, but at least I understand the motivations behind it, and which is better than thinking the author lost her mind while writing this.

Kitty and the Most Pit of the Damned (3 stars): Coming off "Winnowing the Herd" had me grumpy, so I was in a nitpicky mode with this story. I wanted to know why Kitty didn't mention the MANDATORY soundcheck for the band before they came on stage, I wanted to know why on Earth Jax didn't immediately stop the concert once the dead body was discovered, why he wasn't taking action until after Eliot said he quit and Kent tried to get them all to keep playing (perfect place for Jax to assert his authority and say, "No, we have to stop now") because NO CONCERT VENUE should allow ANY band to keep playing if someone DIED on the floor and the managers of said venue were aware. They'd need to get an ambulance ASAP for fear of getting sued.

So yes, I was nitpicky. The whole selling-your-soul-to-the-devil-to-play-awesome-music is nothing new, but I did like Vaughn's subtle take here, with the devil being one of the Fae, and I liked that Jax was equipped to handle it, because he, too, was Fae. The ending was cute, and got me out of my grumpiness.

Kitty's Zombie New Year (4 stars): I was worried, because I made that snark remark in my review of Kitty's Big Trouble about Vaughn will probably use zombies next, and a commenter warned me there were zombies in this story. HOWEVER, I really, really, REALLY liked this particular take. It worked well and spoke volumes on an emotional scale. Note to Vaughn: I can handle these types of zombies!

Life is the Teacher (5 stars): I think I had this anthology once, but got rid of it before reading Vaughn's tale. But it's a great tale. It's funny too, because I've always thought that Vaughn always had a certain difficulty transitioning couples from friends to lovers in terms of her romantic subplots in various books (everything is fine before and after, it's that transitions that are tricky), but damn if she doesn't get sexual tension just right in this story. This is definitely more paranormal romance than pretty much any of her other stuff, and it's a great piece. It didn't matter either that I barely remembered the main character in question (author's notes reminds me she was turned in Kitty Goes to Washington), because it's such a great, great piece. And here Vaughn's intentions for the piece (exploring sex and vampires; telling an erotic story without the heroine removing her clothes) work fantastically. I can't speak highly enough of this tale. It's awesome.

You're on the Air (3.5 stars): This is a funny little piece that actually takes place in Kitty and the Silver Bullet, but from Kitty's point of view. What this story gives us is the before, during, and after of the call, and how Kitty's advice inspired Jake to take matters into his own hands. It's a good story, even if it was jarring to see narrative I recognized at first (the dialogue portion that takes place in the book).

Long Time Waiting (5 stars): Winning the most ironic title of the collection award, we get the literal long-awaited tale of what happened to Cormac while he was in prison. This tale takes the cake, and while it's not the ONLY reason to buy this book, I wouldn't fault you for getting this book for the novella alone. Seriously. Vaughn takes her time with this piece, fleshes things out and we see how Cormac's story here connects to the Cormac stories we've read before. We learn about Amelia's origin and how she and Cormac reached the agreement they did. It is a fantastic piece, and it's one that can also be read without being familiar with the Kitty universe at all. Not that you're likely to get this book without being familiar with the universe, mind you, but still. Vaughn does such a great job with Cormac's character and his voice that I swear she could easily start a spin-off series featuring Cormac and it'd kick the pants off of what I've read of The Dresden Files (which is, admittedly, only the first book, but still). Hands down, best story in the whole collection.

My Rating: Good Read

I've been tough on the Kitty series of late, but this short story collection, which features only stories that take place in Kitty's universe (historical and present day), really renews my faith a bit (and admittedly makes me miss the early books more). Sure, there's a few pieces that don't work well for me, but one thing that has really helped is getting out of Kitty's head and really seeing Vaughn's supernatural world at large, and from the eyes of other characters. Reading all of these stories doesn't have the same "everything and the kitchen sink" feeling that I sometimes get while reading the actual books in the series in regards to the supernatural that exists in this universe, and that's a nice thing. If you've a fan or have ever BEEN a fan of these books, this anthology is worth taking a look at, if for nothing else but the long-awaited "Long Time Coming," which features Cormac in, well, fans of the books know where, and if you haven't read the books yet, I will spoil nothing. But Cormac's story (rather, STORIES, as there's more than one) isn't the only reason to read this collection: fans of the series will be excited to get Rick and TJ's origin stories, and then there's a few gems that simply shine, such as "Life is the Teacher," which is a departure from Vaughn's usual style but works wonderfully in context. The author's notes at the end of the book also provide an interesting insight to each of the stories, and in some places, getting that background really helped me understand why Vaughn made the decisions she did. I'm glad I was able to read this early, and even though I'm keeping my signed copy of the ARC, I've already pre-ordered the hardcopy (for some reason, Tor is publishing this both as a hardcover and a trade) and look forward to it arriving.

If you've not read the Kitty books, some stories will work better than others, though I'd hesitate to recommend reading the whole collection without having at least some of the books under your belt. Still though, some of the stories should work fine if you're not already a fan of the series but are a fan of urban fantasy in general. "Long Time Coming," is great for fans of magic; "Life is the Teacher" is great for fans of paranormal romance (but don't mind getting a twist), and while "Il Est Né" is a holiday tale, if you like werewolves and want to sample what Kitty's life is like at the start of the series, it'd be an easy tale to get into.

At any rate, I'm happy with the collection, and I really, really hope there's plans for Vaughn to publish a SECOND short story collection, but this time, featuring all of her stories that ARE NOT a part of the Kitty universe.

Cover Commentary: I love this cover. The colors, how Kitty herself is kind of cloaked in shadow, how she's actually reasonably dressed and showing no tattoos! My only quibble with Kitty's appearance is what LOOKS like a silver necklace. Oops? Of course, I'm looking at the cover to the ARC, which may be different in the final copy, but on the whole, it's a great Kitty cover. It's also the first that doesn't feature a were-creature as well, but that doesn't bother me, because this book has more POVs in it that just Kitty's, so it's appropriate to create that slight distinction in the cover. :) If there were a were-creature on the cover, it'd be easy to assume that this was just another Kitty installment, which it isn't.

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Review: Hexed by Kevin Hearne

Title: Hexed
Author: Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #2
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 296
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: June 7th. 2011
Publisher: Del Rey
Rating: B-

Summary:
From Goodreads: Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

Why did I read this book? I read the first book in the series, Hounded, and enjoyed it. Then I generously given a copy from Dreams and Speculation (blog no longer exists)!

What I liked: A lot of what I liked about Hounded is present in Hexed. Atticus' world is pretty much filled with many riduculous and awesome mythological creatures including but not limited to vampires, witches, Celtic goddesses, werewolves, Maenads and demons. Hearne manages to include everything but the kitchen sink (which I wouldn't be surprised if one made such an appearance in one of his books) while keeping everything seemingly under control. Of course, hilarity ensues but it's just so much fun watching Atticus interact with all the different characters. Everything is done very cleverly.

One thing that keeps me smiling is Atticus' dog, Oberon. He's able to communicate mentally with him through his magic and the things this dog says is just so funny! At one point Atticus tells him the story of the Merry Pranksters and hippies and Oberon has it in his mind the whole book of 'sticking it to The Man'.

What I didn't like: I was really hoping for Granuaile to take more of a prominent role after the last book. I really like the chemistry between her an Atticus and I think there's room for a female main character. Unfortunately, we don't see her much while Atticus is busy with trying to take care of all the crazy supernatural shenanigans.

Also, while this book had a main goal, I felt like most of the plot was filler and could feel it lagging a bit in certain areas. I would have liked a more unified plot line, but perhaps some things were being sorted out for the next book. It didn't bother me too much but I hope the next installment has a more concrete path.

Thoughts on the cover: It's pretty standard urban fantasy. Except it's not a woman showing tatooes, it's a guy. Not bad, but I'm not crazy about it either.

Overall Thoughts
If you liked Hounded, you'll like Hexed, and you'll most likely want to continue the series after this as well. It has all the great fun Hounded had; humor, adventure and supernatural craziness. If you haven't started the series yet, you really should, if you're interested in urban fantasy. This is turning out to be a pretty good UF series, one that I'm looking forward to continuing. The next book is called Hammered and I'll definitely be picking it up!

You can read the first six chapters of Hounded HERE.

Thank you to Dreams and Speculation for providing the review copy.

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Review: Veil of Gold by Kim Wilkins

Title: Veil of Gold

Author: Kim Wilkins`
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 512
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: April 27, 2010, originally July 22nd 2008
Publisher: Tor
Rating: A

Summary:
When an ancient gold bear is found entombed in a dilapidated St. Petersburg bathhouse owned by her uncle, Rosa Kovalenka knows in her heart that this is no random twist of fate. Her former lover, researcher Daniel St. Clair, reluctantly agrees to go to the university in Arkhangelsk to identify the relic.

Along the way he is mysteriously set adrift. Maps are suddenly useless. Automobiles break down and cell phones inexplicably stop working. Lost and exhausted, Daniel stumbles even deeper into the secrets and terrors of the Russian landscape.

Rosa fears the worst when Daniel goes missing and, full of shame and sudden longing, resolves to find him. But to do so means confronting her past and secrets that she has fought to suppress.

In the unknowable, impenetrable Russian forest, Rosa meets an enigmatic wanderer who is full of tales and riddles of times past. He knows tales of a very old bear and the fate of lovers old and new. And he might hold the key to Rosa and Daniel’s future—or the destruction of their world.

My Review

Why did I read this book? This is June's Dare for Calico Reaction's Alphabet Soup book club! That and the fact I couldn't obtain the main selection, so instead of sitting June out I participated in the Dare instead.

What I liked: Well, I never heard of this author or book before in my life until Calico's book club (she's well known in her home country of Australia) and so going into this I wasn't sure what to expect. Boy, was I given a gem! I really enjoyed this story! I can easily say it's a Squee! type of book. You know, one that by the end of it, you're *squee*ing because it was so awesome?

Anyways, I better go into some detail here. There are some very specific reasons why I enjoyed Veil of Gold. First, the characters. There's three main protagonists: Em, cold and unfeeling but very smart, Daniel, kind but insecure and fearful and Rosa, strong and independent and the love interest of Daniel. I thought it was so refreshing that the male character was portrayed as the 'weak' one: insecure and anxious, while the women were tough and confident. Who agonized over lost love? Daniel. Rosa sometimes, but for her it was different. It didn't come from a place of dependance or insecurity. Secondly, I loved the darkness of the story. These characters go through some tough stuff, especially Em and Daniel after they cross the veil. Wilkins isn't afraid to damage her characters and it kept the story unpredictable for me. Also, the use of Russian folklore was fun and added another layer. The way Wilkins blended magic and myth into our world was intriguing and energizing. Finally, I enjoyed the ending. I really didn't see it coming and I was thinking "what just happened?" but in a good way!

What I didn't like: There isn't much I didn't like about this novel, but since I have the section here I'll write some stuff down. The story lagged in some areas but I felt this was minor and not enough to make me not want to read on. My biggest disappointment was Rosa's big secret. I thought it wasn't signficant enough for her to make such drastic decisions (I don't want to spoil it so I'm being vague) and when we find out what's motivating her, I felt like it was a bit of a let down. However, this was just one part of the overall story and I quickly overlooked it.

Thoughts on the cover: Love the cover for it's font and unique color.

Overall Thoughts
Definitely recommended. If you like urban fantasy, Russian folklore/culture or are just interested in something a little different, and a little dark, then this is for you. I hope Wilkins other books are reprinted in North America because I will definitely be reading them.

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Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Title: Hounded

Author: Kevin Hearn
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #1
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 289
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: May 3rd, 2011
Publisher: Del Ray
Rating: B-

I have to say that I never really heard of this book or author before and decided to take a chance with it, especially since I had enjoyed reviewing for Dreams and Speculation before and wanted to do so again. The premise looked fine enough but didn't really stand out to me. Fortunately, this turned out to be quite an enjoyable read despite my (wrong) expectations.

The story is pretty straightforward: a twenty-one year old druid named Atticus (who is actually around 2000 years old) lives quietly in Arizona while trying to keep his distance from his enemy, a Celtic god who wants to reclaim a sword Atticus had taken centuries before. Atticus routinely converses with gods, witches, vampires, werewolves and all manner of mythological creatures that inhabit his world while trying not to get killed. He's accompanied by his dog Oberon, who he has taught to communicate mentally through his magic.

There's a lot to like about this book. First, Atticus himself is pretty hilarious. Humor is a large part of why I enjoyed Atticus' adventure. He has a great repertoire with Oberon and I found myself laughing out loud many times at their conversations. Oberon himself stood out to me as a great character who acts very much the canine best friend of the main character. Another highlight is the world building. You don't find many fantasy novels featuring druidic magic and I liked I got a taste of something different. Atticus draws his power from the earth and is able to shape shift. He's actually really powerful (he's had 2000 years to master his magic) but I never felt like he was invincible. Hearne populates his world by the idea that any and all mythological people and creatures actually exists in our world, however much of our experience is focused on Celtic mythology and witches and werewolves.

I found that the pacing and action was good and kept me turning the pages however, I felt like something was missing. This changed when a new character emerged near the end, a young woman named Granuaile. She makes a deal with Atticus to become his apprentice and I felt like this would be a great idea so we can see how a druid becomes a druid. This isn't yet explored in Hounded and I'm not sure it's in the sequels either. I think what I was missing was a connection between Atticus and another character (other than Oberon). The closest we get to this is with the Morrigan who has some great scenes with Atticus but they are few.

Overall, I'd recommend this book for someone looking for a good urban fantasy sans romance with extra humor and action. I enjoyed it and would like to read the next books in the series, Hexed and Hammered.

Review copy was provided by Dreams and Speculation.

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Review: Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter

Title: Prospero Lost
Author: L. Jagi Lamplighter
Series: Prospero's Daughter #1
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: August 4, 2009
Publisher: Tor Books
Rating: C-

This book is part of the 2011 Women of Fantasy book club hosted by Jawas Read, Too!.



From Goodreads: More than four hundred years after the events of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the sorcerer Prospero, his daughter Miranda, and his other children have attained everlasting life. Miranda is the head of her family’s business, Prospero Inc., which secretly has used its magic for good around the world. One day, Miranda receives a warning from her father: "Beware of the Three Shadowed Ones.

When Miranda goes to her father for an explanation, he is nowhere to be found.

Miranda sets out to find her father and reunite with her estranged siblings, each of which holds a staff of power and secrets about Miranda’s sometimes-foggy past. Her journey through the past, present and future will take her to Venice, Chicago, the Caribbean, Washington, D.C., and the North Pole. To aid her, Miranda brings along Mab, an aerie being who acts like a hard-boiled detective, and Mephistopheles, her mentally-unbalanced brother. Together, they must ward off the Shadowed Ones and other ancient demons who want Prospero’s power for their own.

Going into this I didn't know what to expect mostly because I never read The Tempest and know only bits and pieces about it. This story follows Miranda, the daughter of the dread Prospero as she tries to uncover what happened to her missing father. Along the way she tries to warn her siblings of the danger to their family and we are faced with the wonders of the supernatural side of reality. 

I found it hard to really get into this novel. I don't think it's bad per se, I just found myself indifferent for quite a lot of it. Miranda, as the narrator, is cold and uninspiring. She is a Handmaiden of Eurynome and therefore often calls on her aid in tough situations. I found this to be an easy way to drive the plot forward without much explaination; if Eurynome told Miranda to go somewhere, she went.

Also, I found that the plot was hard to grasp; as the reader and maybe even Miranda, we're not really given a direction to go into. It seemed very arbitrary. One day Miranda would go to find this sibling, and another day go to a ball. There wasn't really a big sense of danger. 

Lastly, what bothered me was the choice to include pretty much any and all mythological creatures or realities. There seems to be so much packed into this story that I felt like there wasn't much to tie it all together. I wasn't entirely convinced that all these supernatural beings and legends could really coexist.

Overall, while I wasn't feeling very inspired by the end of Prospero Lost, I think others may enjoy it if you could overlook some of the issues I mentioned. But do be warned: this book ends abruptly and continues in the next installment, Prospero in Hell. I don't know if I'll be continuing the series. C-

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Review: Elfland by Freda Warrington

Title: Elfland

Author: Freda Warrington
Series: Aetherial Tales #1
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 236/463
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: August 18, 2009
Publisher: Tor Books
Rating: No Grade

This book is part of the 2011 Women of Fantasy book club hosted by Jawas Read, Too!.



From Goodreads:
Elfland is an intimate, sensual novel of people—both human and Aetherial—caught between duty and desire. It’s a story of families, and of Rose Fox, a woman born to magic but tormented by her place in her adopted world.

Led by Auberon Fox, a group of Aetherials—call them the Fair Folk, if you will—live among us, indistinguishable from humans. Every seven years, on the Night of the Summer Stars, Lawrence Wilder, the Gatekeeper, throws open all gates to the Other World. But this time, something has gone wrong. Wilder has sealed the gates, warning of a great danger lurking in the realm beyond them. The Aetherial community is outraged. What will become of them, deprived of the home realm from which their essential life force flows?

Rose Fox and Sam Wilder are drawn to the lands beyond the gates, even as their families feud over Lawrence’s refusal to do his duty. Struggling with their own too-human urges, they discover hidden truths that draw them together in a forbidden alliance. Only by breaching the dreaded gates and daring the danger beyond can they confront that which they fear most— their otherness—and claim their birthright.

I've given this book a rating of 'No Grade' because I didn't finish it. I really tried to, but for reasons which I will explain here, I lost interest in moving forward.

The novel starts off interestingly enough: we're introduced to Rosie Fox as a young girl whose family is from the fairy realm, accessed through the Gates. These Gates are closed to them by Lawrence, another Aetherial, due to his belief of evil lurking on the other side, ready to escape.

Through the next 200 pages or so, we grow up with Rosie and her family and all the drama that goes with it. It reminded me of a soap opera, where all the characters are fae, yet they merely only talk about it. It's rare we get to see any Aetherial action. Enormous amount of time is spent on love affairs, adultery, and drugs. I felt this annoyance in the plot events was doubled by the fact that I never really liked Rosie. Everyone would say how nice and good a person she is, but she's rather selfish, passive and abrasive. I never understood why she made certain desicions such as those relating to her romantic life. I felt like drama was created for the sake of drama. I also didn't care for Sam very much: the stereotypical bad boy the main female character can't help fall in love (or lust) with.

For 200-something pages we are given all this backstory and I ultimately stopped reading for lack of movement of the main plot: getting the Gates open or defeating the evil presence beyond them. I wasn't interested in the family saga.

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Review: Zoo City by Lauren Beukes

Title: Zoo City
Author: Lauren Beukes
Format: ebook
Pages: 352
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: December 28, 2010 (US)
Rating: A

From Goodreads: Zinzi has a talent for finding lost things. To save herself, she's got to find the hardest thing of all: The truth.

Going into Zoo City, I didn't know what to expect. This is my first novel by Lauren Beukes, but I have heard great things about her other novel, Moxyland. What I found was a very unique and exciting experience in an urban fantasy world, one I haven't enjoyed as much since I read War for the Oaks by Emma Bull.

The story centers around Zinzi December, a young woman living in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her life isn't going so great, having once had a job as a journalist, she is now writing scam emails to pay back a large debt. Things change when she is approached by a music producer who wants to hire her to find a missing recording artist. You see, Zinzi has a special gift: she can find lost things. Not people, she insists, but she cannot turn down the job, which can essentially pay enough to cover her debt and beyond.

Zinzi can find lost things because that's her ability she manifested when she became Animalled. In the world Beukes has created, something called the Zoo Plague emerged, causing anyone who commits criminal acts (we don't know the extent of the requirements) is bonded to an animal for life. This situation is coined Acquired Aposymbiotic Familiarism and no one really know why or how it works. We are shown very little, mostly through separate pieces of information such as web pages or magazine/newspaper articles.

Zinzi was burdened with a Sloth (and that's what she calls it). One of the fascinating aspects of this novel is realizing and imagining what kind of an effect this sort of thing could have on society. Zinzi murdered her brother and she will forever be seen as an Animalled. Society has shunned these people, creating a whole new social class beneath everything else. Some have even used this to gain fame. It completely changes what we know and think about people; just by looking at someone and seeing they possess an Animal, you know they have done wrong at some point in their past.

The story itself is a noir mystery: the search for the missing young singer, Songweza. We follow Zinzi through her telling of the story while she uncovers a larger plot after some twists and turns. At times, you really lose yourself in the investigation and actually forget you're reading a novel about people with Animals and special abilities. Beukes has the ability to create such an original and fascinating world so subtly I forgot there was any other.

What I did yearn for more was more information on the Zoo Plague: why did this happen? How did it happen? I don't know if we will ever know, and I'm fine with that, but I did wish for more. Overall, I recommend this book for anyone looking for a great urban fantasy not quite like anything else. A

I received a review copy of this book from the Angry Robot Army program.

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Review: Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge

Title: Black and White
Author: Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge
Series: The Icarus Project #1
Pages: 452
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Superhero Fiction
Publication Date: June 23, 2009
Rating: A+

From Goodreads: It's the ultimate battle of good versus good.

They were best friends at an elite academy for superheroes in training, but now Callie Bradford, code name Iridium, and Joannie Greene, code name Jet, are mortal enemies. Jet is a by-the-book hero, using her Shadow power to protect the citizens of New Chicago. Iridium, with her mastery of light, runs the city’s underworld. For the past five years the two have played an elaborate, and frustrating, game of cat and mouse.

But now playtime’s over. Separately Jet and Iridium uncover clues that point to a looming evil, one that is entwined within the Academy. As Jet works with Bruce Hunter—a normal man with an extraordinary ability to make her weak in the knees—she becomes convinced that Iridium is involved in a scheme that will level the power structure of America itself. And Iridium, teaming with the mysterious vigilante called Taser, uncovers an insidious plot that’s been a decade in the making…a plot in which Jet is key.

They’re both right. And they’re both wrong. Because nothing is as simple as Black and White.

Black and White is the perfect superhero read; it has two awesome female super-powered heroines, Jet and Iridium, a battle between good and evil that often blurs into gray, and tons of cool super powers and action. I'm definitely a comic book fan so when I found out about this book after researching superhero fiction, I was excited yet unsure if it would be as fun as a comic book. It is.

The book is split between two time periods and two points of view. The story alternates between Jet and Iridium. Jet is a hero for the Corps with the power of Shadow, she's a goodhearted, shy and a very good super hero. She genuinely cares for others and follows the rules to a fault. She never questions authority. This is the downside to Jet; she often doesn't think for herself. This didn't make me like her less, though, since she is so well drawn by the authors that she seems like a real person with real faults. Then there's Iridium, a childhood friend of Jet's with the power of Light. She's not working with the Corps and is considered a rabid - a hero that's gone rogue. I think I liked her the best because of her smarts, toughness and overall want to not just follow rules but question them when they don't make sense.

Half the story takes place in the past, during the the teen-aged years of our heroines at the Academy. The Academy is a school for the kids with powers where they learn to use them and also where they learn to market themselves as a hero for when they graduate. The part about the school sounds cliche, but Kessler and Kittredge add their own spin on it: the Academy also teachers the young heroes how to market themselves, create a brand and get sponsors to fund their career as a super hero. The other part of the story takes place in the present, where Jet has graduated the Academy with flying colors and Iridium has become a rogue. Kessler and Kittredge are great at blurring the lines between hero and villain and challenges many ideas about what a hero is.

The story is much deeper than superheroes and superpowers. The setting is the 22nd century and the way superheroes emerged is very well thought out and scientific. I thought it was much like a dystopia that gives us a way in which superheroes could have possibly been developed. This is enhanced by a fast-paced and action packed mystery.

I really loved Black and White and I highly recommend it. It's safe to say it has something for everyone. The story continues in the second installment, Shades of Grey, which I have already picked up! A+

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Review: Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff

Title: Summon the Keeper
Author: Tanya Huff
Pages: 331
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: C

This book is part of Calico Reaction's Monthly Book Club (July).

From Goodreads: Being one of Earth's protectors is never easy, but when Claire the Keeper andAustin the cat find themselves in charge of the Elysian Fields Guesthouse...more Being one of Earth's protectors is never easy, but when Claire the Keeper andAustin the cat find themselves in charge of the Elysian Fields Guesthouse Bedand Breakfast, all Hell breaks loose in the form of a gateway residing in the basement!

When I first started this book I was really excited and enthralled from the first page. I thought the tone and pace of the book was really good AND there was a talking cat. However, after some time the story's flow started to suffer and things just weren't as interesting as I thought.

There were two major problems I had. The first is lack of any real plot. There is some mention of something going on but it really only happens in the background. Things happen day to day at the hotel yet I felt like it was mostly for laughs and not for real substance. I think Huff has a great sense of humor but I think there could have been improvement on keeping the main story going and keeping the reader interested. I thought that sleeping Sara was exactly how the plot was acting: sleeping the whole time until the very end.

The other problem was the main character, Claire. She is extremely annoying because she never does anything fun. I couldn't like her because she was just a downer to everyone, even the reader. She puts down Dean the whole time, refuses to have any kind of interest in the ghost, and barely ever does any magic. She could have been way more likable for the reader's sake.

I did love Austin the cat. I love cats and I felt he acted just like I thought a cat would.

Overall this book was quick and easy to read (even though the constant scene breaks were a little annoying), I recommend if you want something light to read or if you really love cats. Although I don't know if that's enough to sustain you through the whole novel. I only stuck through it because I wanted to see Claire do something.

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Review: Thirteen Orphans by Jane Lindskold

Title: Thirteen Orphans
Author: Jane Lindskold
Pages: 492
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: B+

From Goodreads: As far as college freshman Brenda Morris knows, there is only one Earth and magic exists only in fairy tales.

Brenda is wrong.

A father-daughter weekend turns into a nightmare when Brenda's father is magically attacked before her eyes. Brenda soon learns that her ancestors once lived in world of smoke and shadows, of magic and secrets.

When that world's Emperor was overthrown, the Thirteen Orphans fled to our earth and hid their magic system in the game of mah-jong. Each Orphan represents an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. Brenda's father is the Rat. And her polished, former child-star "aunt", Pearl--that eminent lady is the Tiger.

Only a handful of Orphans remain to stand against their enemies. The Tiger, the Rooster, the Dog, the Rabbit . . . and Brenda Morris. Not quite the Rat, but not quite human either.

With this book it was easy for me to distinguish what I liked and what I didn't. I became really enthusiastic about certain elements and not so much for others. The elements I really liked was the originality of almost everything in this book. The magic, flashy and based on the game Mah Jong, was really creative and clever. I learned so much about the game while Brenda was learning to use her magic skills. The characters were also well done; even though there was a large cast (in my opinion), each character was distinct and not overly caricatured through their zodiac sign. The story was good and original since it embodied Chinese mythology, culture and history into a modern setting. I don't know much about any of those so I assume the author did her research but also took some liberties.

What bothered me the most was the fact that there wasn't much action. The novel is long and there are only a handful of parts that really stood out for me action-wise. But when there was action it was awesome. Also, what became a trend was the amount of dialogue in the novel. The characters talk, and talk, and talk. It is interesting for sure, but I would have preferred more action. It would have made the 500 pages go by a lot faster.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and it has left a lasting impression on me. I will never look at a game of Mah-Jong the same again. I recommend this to people who enjoy urban fantasy, especially if they are looking for something other than vampires and werewolves. This book is the first in a trilogy, the next being Nine Gates and then Five Odd Honors, so be prepared to continue. The novel ends but it is clearly a beginning to a trilogy.B+

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Review: Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Title: Sunshine
Author: Robin McKinley
Pages: 405
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: C
Challenge: Calico Reaction's Book Club - June Challenge

From back of the book: There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it's unwise to walk. But there hadn't been any trouble out at the lake for years, and Sunshine just needed a spot where she could be alone with her thoughts. Vampires never entered her mind. Until they found her...

Warning: Spoilers.

The first line of the book is this: "It was a dumb thing to do but it wasn't that dumb." I thought this sentence was awkward, frustrating and just overall hard to read. That's basically the way I felt for the rest of the novel.

I was fine with the story and the writing until I got to the part where Sunshine is being held captive and all of a sudden we learn that she has extraordinary powers. There was no hint at this before and I thought this came out of left field, especially since Sunshine was able to describe so accurately how her grandma taught her to use her powers. How do you forget a thing like that until the second day you are held captive?

I felt the most frustrating thing about this novel was the style it was written and Sunshine's voice. I couldn't believe someone would tell a story by cutting off every action scene by talking about nonsense. I remember being particularly frustrated when Sunshine went off on a tangent about something about the design of the roads in her town or something equally pointless. After the incident at the house and Sunshine escapes, she does nothing. Nothing but bake for maybe a couple hundred pages. I just didn't get it.

Often I thought of Sunshine was playing the victim most of the novel. Even though she never helps herself, she manages to do extraordinary things like escape a vampire, allow one to walk in sunlight, track vampires, and even kill one. This really annoyed me because I could not believe the Sunshine who was obsessed with cinnamon rolls could ever do these things.

Anyways, enough ranting about it. I'm disappointed because I think this story had some great potential but turned out to really frustrate me in the end. A lot of people love this book, and I appreciate that, but it just didn't work for me. I still hope to read McKinley's other works such as Beauty and her upcoming Pegasus. C

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