Heartless Review

Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate 4)

-       Gail Carriger

Publisher: UK – Orbit

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant. Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

Despite being eight months pregnant, Lady Alexia Maccon takes no prisoners in her latest adventure. From the first page, she waddles in control of herself and others – and making sure there is always a cup of tea at the ready. One of the elements I love about this series is the comedy of manners that ensures. After all, werewolves turning into naked men causes certain social niceties some issues...

This world neatly combined elements of steampunk (steam inventions and dirigibles) with the paranormal in a world of Victorian ideals. This means that unmarried women don’t go out unchaperoned, and even in the midst of an attack it’s scandalous to see men without hats upon their heads. The investigation into who is threatening the queen is interesting – especially when Alexia gets side tracked. However, the first half of the book is relatively slow moving with little urgency until the final hundred pages when there is a huge finale across London and into the countryside.

I love the cast of characters about Alexia, from her over protective alpha husband, Lord Maccon, the dandy former-vampire drone Biffy, mad inventor Madame Lefoux and even hat-obsessed Ivy Tunstell. The world is unique and this is a rip-roaring adventure with perfect manners and a lot of fun.

Recommended for fans of Nicole Peeler and Philippa Ballantine. 8 out of 10.

Audiobook: World War Z Review

World War Z

Written by Max Brooks

Performed by a full cast
The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years. Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?”

Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.

This audiobook wasn’t read by one person but actually performed by a full cast who acted out the interviews within. As the book was originally an oral history of the first zombie war, it lent itself perfectly to this format and while it is described as an abridgment there were no obvious places where you could tell parts had been left out. The performers were uniformly excellent investing emotion into their tales of survival against the walking dead. The interview format ensures that you hear stories from all over the world, not just America which really gives the story a global scope. Especially frightening are the different methods used by various governments for dealing with the threat.

Listening to this book gave me shivers up my spine at times and did truly make zombies frightening. If the numbers of zombie books, films and TV shows have left you rather blasé about the living dead, this is one book that could get you to keep biting distance away from strangers and stockpiling water and gas. The only element that stopped this from being perfect was due to the retrospective story element. As each person was telling their story of how they survived the uprising, you knew that they would survive so the jeopardy for that person was lessened. Even though, the picture built by these tales is chilling and excellent. Definitely one of the best audio books I’ve ever listened too.

Recommended for fans of The Walking Dead and Sophie Littlefield. 9 out of 10.

Black Swan Rising Review

Black Swan Rising

- Lee Carroll

Publisher: UK - Bantam

When New York City jewelry designer Garet James stumbles into a strange antiques shop in her neighborhood, her life is about to be turned upside down. John Dee, the enigmatic shopkeeper, commissions her to open a vintage silver box for a generous sum of money. Oddly, the symbol of a swan on the box exactly matches the ring given to her by her deceased mother. Garet can’t believe her luck and this eerie coincidence until she opens the box and otherworldly things start happening. . .

On the surface this book has many things to like about it - set in New York, Garet is a jewellery designer who's father runs an art gallery. Slowly, Garet becomes aware that things are not what they seem in Manhattan with Alchemist shops randomly appearing, and mysterious mists descending on the city driving people to despair. Only Garet can stop it as she discovers a hidden heritage that her mother was trying to shield her from. I don't want reveal spoilers as the creepy atmosphere at the start of the book was one of favourite elements. Firmly grounded in the real world at the start, this Urban Fantasy slowly introduces you to the differences between worlds while references to the recession and it's impact on luxury markets, like art & fashion makes Garet's reality as realistic as possible.

It is only as some of the more fantastical elements arrive that I noticed something didn't quite gel. For me the major part that didn't sit right was the love interest, Will Hughes. I never felt the attraction between him and Garet and I never understood why she trusted him so much so quickly considering his actions. This spoilt some of the story for me as the relationship is a big element in the plot and provides some conflict with other characters. This was a shame as so many of the other characters were great - I loved Garet's friends who were there for her and again grounded the action in the real world. Added to which the selection of people Garet meets in her quest were colourful and memorable - I loved Oberon, Lol and the others!

The writing was good and drew me in quickly creating a character out of New York with fog, buildings, Central Park and other elements all adding to the personality of the city. There is a a great mix of history as well as old world charm that makes the book feel quite timeless. I loved the references to famous historical characters which gave Black Swan Rising a real sense of history. However, I keep coming back to my lack of connection to Will Hughes and how much this interrupted the flow of the story for me. It's frustrating as otherwise I really would have loved this book! Overall, though this is a great introductory novel to a new series - and I am looking forward to reading the sequel, The Watchtower soon. Hopefully, I connect with Will more - or there's less of him in it! :-)

Recommended for fans of Charlaine Harris and Lauren Kate. 7 out of 10

My Book Haul/ In My Mailbox

The Story Siren hosts a weekly meme where bloggers can share what goodies they've purchased/received this week. If you get a chance head over to The Story Siren and check out what everyone is up to!

This week I had another package arrive from Amazon (I do like to treat myself!), but my biggest surprise was a very early birthday present from two of my favourite boys - K&P! You guys are the best and I love ya!

 

The Inheritance - Robin Hobb

Publisher: Harper Voyager

A collection of novellas and stories from one of the most critically acclaimed authors in the fantasy genre, Robin Hobb. Including work written under her pseudonym, Megan Lindholm.

Bingtown heiresses rub shoulders in this wonderful collection with vampires and alien musicians, tramps and feral cats.

This is one of my early birthday presents - it's a book I've wanted for a long time as I love Robin Hobb's books - especially the Liveships trilogy. Plus it's a gorgeous hardback copy.

 

Tortall and Other Lands - Tamora Pierce

Publisher: Random House Publishers

This collection of fantasy stories contains all the tales from Tamora Pierce's land of Tortall. In addition to pieces previously published in anthologies, Tortall & Other Land contains two new stories. The collection encompasses stories about characters both old and new.

Another birthday gift from one of my favourite authors. I've been reading Tamora Pierce books since I was a teen and each year I'm anxiously waiting for a new book to come out. This book of short stories should keep me happy until the final Beka Cooper comes out!

The Season of Passage - Christopher Pike
Publisher: Tor Books

Dr. Lauren Wagner was a celebrity. She was involved with the most exciting adventure mankind had ever undertaken: a manned expedition to Mars. The whole world admired and respected her.
But Lauren knew fear. Inside—voices entreating her to love them. Outside—the mystery of the missing group that had gone before her. The dead group.
But were they simply dead? Or something else?

The final birthday book from K&P. I loved Christopher Pike growing up and it's always been a disappoint I couldn't get hold of some of his adult books - but thanks to this reprint and my friends I can now! I am a very lucky girl! :-)

Voices of Dragons - Carrie Vaughn
Publisher: HarperTeen

On one side of the border lies the modern world: the internet, homecoming dances, cell phones. On the other side dwell the ancient monsters who spark humanity's deepest fears: dragons.
Seventeen-year-old Kay Wyatt knows she's breaking the law by rock climbing near the border, but she'd rather have an adventure than follow the rules. When the dragon Artegal unexpectedly saves her life, the rules are abruptly shattered, and a secret friendship grows between them.
But suspicion and terror are the legacy of human and dragon interactions, and the fragile truce that has maintained peace between the species is unraveling. As tensions mount and battles begin, Kay and Artegal are caught in the middle. Can their friendship change the course of a war?

I love Carrie Vaughn's Kitty series so I'm excited to read some of Carrie's other books. This a YA book has a dragons in so of course I wanted to read it! I purchased it for myself to celebrate the end of my book buying ban. :-)

Wolfsbane - Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Ace Fantasy

Shapeshifting mercenary Aralorn leads a dangerous existence. Now she must return home for her noble father, the Lyon of Lambshold, has passed away. But when Aralorn and her companion Wolf arrive, they find he's not dead, but ensorcelled by the ae'Magi, using him as a conduit to destroy Aralorn and Wolf. She must overcome this mysterious mist or fall to the blackest of magic

Again I love Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series and have enjoyed a couple of her early fantasy books. This looks like another fun fantasy to read.

Hunt The Moon - Karen Chance
Publisher: UK - Penguin

Cassandra Palmer recently defeated a god, which you'd think would buy a girl a little time off. But it doesn't work that way when your job description is Pythia-the world's chief clairvoyant. Cassie is busier than ever, trying to learn about her power, preparing for her upcoming coronation, and figuring out her relationship with the enigmatic sexy master vampire, Mircea.
But someone doesn't want Cassie to become Pythia, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the coronation ceremony never happens- including attacking her mother before Cassie is even born.

This is the fifth in the Cassie Palmer series and I feel like I've been waiting for this for ages! The fun of a time traveling clairvoyant facing off against mages, vampires, weres, gods, fae and other unknown creatures can't be under-estimated! :-)

So what have you picked up this week?

On My Wishlist #54

This is a meme from Book Chick City. There are so many books out there that I want to read that this is the only way I can keep track! This week I'm back to Urban Fantasy - cos it's my favourite! :)

Street Magic - Caitlin Kittredge

Publisher: St Michael's Paperbacks

Her name is Pete Caldecott. She was just sixteen when she met Jack Winter, a gorgeous, larger-than-life  mage who thrilled her with his witchcraft. Then a spirit Jack summoned killed him before Pete’s eyes—or so she thought. Now a detective , Pete is investigating the case of a young girl kidnapped from the streets of London. A tipster’s chilling prediction has led police directly to the child…but when Pete meets the informant, she’s shocked to learn he is none other than Jack. Strung out on heroin, Jack a shadow of his former self.  But he’s able to tell Pete exactly where Bridget’s kidnappers are hiding: in the supernatural shadow-world of the fey.  Even though she’s spent years disavowing the supernatural, Pete follows Jack into the invisible fey underworld, where she hopes to discover the truth about what happened to Bridget—and what happened to Jack on that dark day so long ago…

I really enjoyed reading Black and White by Caitlin & Jackie Kessler last year so when I found that she'd written a series of books set in London involving magic, I have to get my hands on this book!  

Stormwalker - Allyson James

Publisher: Berkley

Janet Begay is a Stormwalker, capable of wielding the raw elemental power of nature, a power that threatens to overwhelm her. Only her lover, Mick, is able to calm the storm within her-even as their passion reaches unimaginable heights of ecstasy. But when an Arizona police chief's daughter is taken by a paranormal evil, they find themselves venturing where no human can survive-for only together can they overcome the greatest danger they've ever faced.

This series was actually recommended to me by another blogger and while I haven't got my hands on a copy yet, I would like too as it sounds like a good series!

Right Hand Magic - Nancy A Collins

Publisher: Roc

Like most Manhattanites, aspiring artist Tate can't resist a good rental deal-even if it's in the city's strangest neighborhood, Golgotham, where for centuries werewolves, centaurs, and countless other creatures have roamed the streets. Her new landlord is a sorcerer name Hexe, who is determined to build his reputation without using dark, left-hand magic. As Tate is drawn into Hexe's fascinating world, they both find that the right hand does not always know what the left hand is doing-and avoiding darkness is no easy trick...

I love the idea of a section of the city where the strange lives - especially centaurs who are vastly under-represented in fantasy these days.

So what are you wishing for this week?

0.4 Review

0.4

    -    Mike A. Lancaster        

Publisher: Egmont

It's a brave new world.
'My name is Kyle Straker. And I don't exist anymore.'
So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded onto old audiotapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax, but perhaps they contain the history of a past world....If what the tapes say is true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie.
And if everything we know is a lie, does that mean that we are, too?

This book is written as a transcript of some audiotapes discovered and describes how the world changed drastically one day. This is Kyle’s story and his voice, his character comes over beautifully. He is a teenager just on brink of adulthood – suffering with family problems and girls. All that changes though on the day of the annual village talent contest... The writing is simple but extremely effective, creating a world that you recognise – at least at first with popular culture references. Then slowly the familiar becomes creepy and downright scary as everything changes – leaving Kyle and his friends lost and confused. There is a large portion of time when you’re not sure what is really happening – is it all in Kyle’s head?

If I could describe this book in one word? Amazing! 0.4 may not be a long novel, but it is one that will keep you thinking long after you close the pages. There is a sophisticated plot which meshes well with the teen angst. The mystery is intriguing and the reveal is not disappointing. This is pretty much the perfect anecdote to anyone who wants a YA book that’s different, but doesn’t involve vampires, demons, mermaids or werewolves. Or if you just want a well written, intelligent and exciting YA story.

Recommended for fans of Cat Patrick and Johnathan Maberry. 9 out of 10.

Back To The Books Hop

The Back to the Books Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Buried In Books

Is the summer over now? Maybe not, but September always feels like a fresh start - even though I don't have to go back to school any more! But back to the Giveaway - that's what you're all here for! :)



So what can you win here at Mel's Random Reviews?

Prize: Book of your choice from The Book Despository (up to £10 or $10) as such this is open internationally!

Rules: (without which there will be chaos!)

- Fill in the form below

- That's it! No complicated extra entries, no bribes, no favourites :-)

- Closes at Midnight 7th September 2011

- If you win, you'll have 72 hours to reply my email, otherwise I'll pick another winner
- You don't have to be a follower, but I won't object if you are! :)

<<GIVEAWAY CLOSED>>

Good Luck everyone and check out some of the other fabulous giveaways with this hop!