On My Wishlist #91

This is a meme from Cosy Books. There are so many books out there that I want to read that this is the only way I can keep track! It's been a while since read any steampunk so I thought I'd have a look at what's out there...

God Save The Queen - Kate Locke

Publisher: UK - Orbit (July 2012)

Queen Victoria rules with an immortal fist.
The undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.
Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key-the prize in a very dangerous struggle.

With the recent Jubilee celebrations in the UK, this sounds like such a great idea! I love the cool pose on the front as well.

Riveted - Meljean Brook

Publisher: UK - Berkley (August 2012)

A century after a devastating volcanic eruption forced Iceland’s inhabitants to abandon its shores, the island has become enshrouded in legend. But the truth behind the legends is mechanical, not magical—and the mystery of the island a matter of life and death for a community of women who once spilled noble blood to secure their freedom.
Five years ago, Annika unwittingly endangered that secret, but her sister Källa took the blame and was exiled. Now Annika serves on an airship, searching for her sister and longing to return home. But that home is threatened when scientific expedition leader David Kentewess comes aboard, looking to expose Annika’s secrets. Then disaster strikes, leaving David and Annika stranded on a glacier and pursued by a madman, with their very survival depending on keeping the heat rising between them—and generating lots of steam.

I'm a recent convert to Meljean Brook's writing so I can't wait for this to come out. 

The Doomsday Vault - Steven Harper

Publisher: Roc

In a clockwork Britannia, Alice's prospects are slim. At 21, her age and her unladylike interest in automatons have sealed her fate as an undesirable marriage prospect. But a devastating plague sends Alice off in a direction beyond the pale--towards a clandestine organization, mad inventors, life-altering secrets, and into the arms of an intrepid fiddle-playing airship pilot.

I've read a couple of glowing reviews about this book and I have to confess I'm extremely curious about the story!

What are you wishing for?

Mastiff (Beka Cooper 3) Review

Mastiff (Beka Cooper 3)

-       Tamora Pierce

Publisher: Random House

Beka and her friends will face their greatest and most important challenge ever when the young heir to the kingdom vanishes. They will be sent out of Corus on a trail that appears and disappears, following a twisting road throughout Tortall. It will be her greatest Hunt—if she can survive the very powerful people who do not want her to succeed in her goal.

I’ve been reading Tamora Pierce since I was 13 and I still love reading them today! Her Tortall books are ones I’ve always loved and this, the third book of the ‘prequel’ series about George Cooper’s ancestress Beka Cooper is no exception. A mature Dog, Beka Cooper works with Achoo, her scent hound and her human partner Tunstall to keep the kings law. However, after her fiancée’s funeral, Beka finds herself and her partners on a hunt like none they’ve been on before – with the fate of the whole kingdom resting on their results. Someone has kidnapped a little boy and Beka is determined to find him.

Beka Cooper is such a strong character – sure of what is right and what is wrong but realistic about the world she lives in. Confident in her abilities – and especially that of her friends, but still unable to talk in front of strangers or large crowds. She is joined by the ever loyal Achoo, scent hound extra-ordinary, Senior Partner and friend Tunstall, Lady Knight Sabine and the mysterious constellation, Pounce. There is also the introduction of mage Farmer who seems to have plenty of tricks up his sleeves... The story ranges all over Tortall with Beka’s hunting pack mingling with peasants and high born giving a great picture of what the kingdom in like and laying the foundations for how the world will be by the time we get to Alanna’s time (The Song of the Lioness series).

There are plenty of action scenes, some tense creeping through the castle and some intriguing political and a very sweet romance. The writing is so easy to fall into and get lost in the story. There are a couple of occasions which will bring tears to your eyes and make your heart break. I loved returning to Tortall and I can’t wait for another journey back there!

Recommended for fans of Rae Carson and Isobelle Carmody. 8.5 out of 10.  

Waiting For Midnight Review

Waiting for Midnight

-       Merrie Destefano

Kindle Book

E-Copy received courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review

From the author of Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles comes a collection of 16 short stories, full of the rich prose and plot twists that have become Destefano’s trademark. Written to keep you reading all night long, this combination of short stories and flash fiction contains a ghost story, a werewolf story, and a science fiction story, as well as two stories that feature characters from her novels, AFTERLIFE and FEAST.
Short stories included in this collection:
Set on an alien world, “Letters from Home” tells the tale of a mother’s love for her wayward son and the great lengths to which she’ll go to rescue him from another dimension.
“Learning to Hunt” features Ash, the Darkling dream-eater introduced in Feast: Harvest of Dreams, as he explores seventeenth-century Amsterdam, where his father teaches him how to harvest dreams.
“Waiting for Midnight” explores that dangerous territory between first love and obsession, all set in Primrose Wood, a forest where dark magic rules.

This is an intriguing collection of stories. There are some flash fictions which are very short but do tend to raise a question or two and leave you wondering. The longer stories though are more satisfying. My favourite is In The Garden which is a very different look at what happens in a garden and is a story I’ve been thinking about ever since. In fact I felt like that was a real strength of these stories – looking at something that was familiar but giving it a twist – like looking at the world in a mirror: everything is the same but reversed.

There are a couple of short stories set in the worlds Merrie has created in full length books which are interesting little insights into both world, but it’s not necessary to read the full length books to enjoy them. I was really intrigued by Letter For Home where in a short space of time Merrie has created an interesting science-fictional world in the vein of Blade Runner or the Culture novels and gave it some real emotional depth.

Merrie’s writing style is very lyrical and rich. It’s descriptive without labouring the point and full of detail. This anthology is a great sorbet between courses – refreshing, flavourful and palate cleaning!

Recommended for fans of Rachel Caine and Kelly Meding. 8 out of 10

Throwback Thursdays #53 - Bright Young Things

This is a great feature that Melissa at My World...in words and pictures has been doing for a while and I wanted to jump on board! There are plenty of books out there I desperately want...

But what about all those wonderful books that are ALREADY on my shelves?

Bright Young Things - Anna Godbersen

Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star. . . .
Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.
The only person Cordelia can trust is ­Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.

I picked this up on my kindle last year sometime as I thought it sounded interesting and I've not read any books set in 1920s New York. I still think it sounds interesting and I've still not read any books in 1920s New York...has anyone read it? I can't help thinking it's like a period 90210 or One Tree Hill...

What Shall I Read This June?

So this month I asked what I should be reading and you lot shouted over-whelmingly for one book and on book only - Divergent!

The full results were as follows

Divergent - Veronica Roth: 51%
Grimspace - Ann Aguirre: 23%
The Better Part of Darkness - Kelley Gay: 17%
The Desert Spear - Peter V Brett: 9%

I will try to fit Divergent into my reading schedule in the next two weeks - even though I am desperate to go straight from Bloodlines to The Golden Lily!

And who won their choice of book from my TBR pile? The winner is Mellianie! Congratulations! I have sent an email asking for your book choice.

So look out for reviews of both books in the next month and check back on the first Thursday of July when I will offering another follower a book in exchange for helping me choose a book to read!

Early Review: The Unholy

The Unholy (Krewe of Hunters 6)

-       Heather Graham

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA - Released on 19th June 2012

E-Arc received courtesy of Netgalley and MIRA Publishing

A Hollywood shrine hides unholy deeds... The 1940s: hard-boiled detectives and femmes fatale are box-office gold. In one iconic scene, set in a deserted museum, the private eye arrives too late, and the buxom beauty is throttled by an ominous Egyptian priest. Now: the Black Box Cinema immortalizes Hollywood's Golden Age in its gallery of film noir tributes. But the mannequin of that Egyptian priest is hardly lifeless. He walks-and a young starlet dies a terrifying death. Movie mogul Eddie Archer's son is charged with the grisly murder. Eddie calls agent Sean Cameron, who specializes in...irregular investigations. As part of an FBI paranormal forensics team, Cameron knows that nightmares aren't limited to the silver screen. Working with special-effects artist Madison Darvil-who has her own otherworldly gifts-Cameron delves into the malevolent force animating more than one movie monster

This is the second book with the second krewe of hunters and once again I feel like I don’t know these characters at all. In The Unseen I assumed it was because the team hadn’t been ‘officially’ formed yet but this time hardly any time was spent on any characters who weren’t the main couple – Sean and Madison. It doesn’t really feel like a team – and I can barely remember the names of the rest of the ‘krewe’. The good news is that Madison is an interesting character – someone who has always been able to see ghosts but hiding her ability. She’s not the most kick-ass, but is a vulnerable but stead-fast woman and I liked her. Sean is a typical alpha male and his over-protective nature kicks in almost straight away. Together they are a sweet couple, even if not that memorable.

The locked room mystery of the murder is interesting and I confess I spent a lot of time trying to figure out who the murderer was. It’s not immediately obviously – neither is the motive. Hollywood is always an interesting place to set stories with so many people trying to make it – fake is real a lot of the time. However, even with that in mind so many people in the game were ‘good’ people – there are very few shades of grey at all which in a town as fake as Hollywood I found a little bizarre! The ghostly element is downplayed for much of the story – only Madison’s ghostly roommate really adds much as he adds a lot of colour to the story.

The writing is easy to relax into and speed through. This is a light murder mystery with some romance added in but little depth that will allow you to remember the details in six months time. That said I enjoyed the break from heavy reading and will pick another Krewe of Hunters book – but let me see this team as a team sometime!

Recommended for fans of Nora Roberts and Linda Howard. 6 out of 10

Audiobook Review: Stardust

Stardust

Written & Read by Neil Gaiman

One fateful night, Tristran promises his beloved that he will retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond the Wall that stands between their rural English town (called, appropriately, Wall) and the Faerie realm. No one ever ventures beyond the Wall except to attend an enchanted flea market that is held every nine years (and during which, unbeknownst to him, Tristran was conceived). But Tristran bravely sets out to fetch the fallen star and thus win the hand of his love.

There is something nice about listening to an audio book read by the author. It brings you a step closer to the story with all the emphasis and inflections base don on how the author originally envisioned the characters and plot. In addition Neil Gaiman does do a good job with the narration weaving a magical world and wonderful characters in a fairy tale way. And this book is very much a fairy tale involving magical curses, wicked witches, unicorns and many other elements which seem half familiar and yet unique. It all has the feeling of a dream or a story you’ve heard before but can’t quite narrow down in your head where.

Tristen is a determined, slightly naïve but utterly charming hero who promises to bring back a fallen star for his love in exchange for whatever he desires. His journey to find the fallen star and adventures to bring it home again are a compelling story which will keep you enthralled. Indeed I couldn’t stop listening to this story and stayed in for the whole day to hear of his adventures! I loved the way the different plot elements wove together – not always touching but building a tapestry of the land beyond the little village of Wall in the middle of England. This is mostly a road trip with some unusual characters which add various degrees of colour to the story and will put a little smile on your face.

This is the second Neil Gaimen book which has utterly astounded and amused me (the other being American Gods) – and made me determined to try some of his other books. Oh, and I’d highly recommend the film as well – it is a beautiful story with much of the same feel as the book despite some large departures in terms of story and action. I great audio story and one I will listen to again – soon!

Recommended for fans of William Goldman and Gregory Maguire. 8.5 out of 10