The Hallowed Ones Review

The Hallowed Ones

- Laura Bickle

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community?

Wow. My heart was beating so hard while reading parts of The Hallowed Ones that I think my neighbours thoughts I had taken up bongo drums! Katie has been brought up as one of the Plain people, the Amish who live off the land and keep technology to a minimum. She is weeks away from her Rumspringa, a chance to explore the outside world and decide whether she wants to choose the Amish lifestyle for herself. However, before Katie and her best friend Elijah can leave something starts to happen to the outside world...at first news is patchy, but soon it becomes clear there is something wrong, some evil outside their community...

Katie is curious about the outside world and is looking forward to seeing what else is out there in the world even though she assumes she will be returning to the Amish lifestyle eventually. Her main fault is that she thinks before she obeys the orders from her parents, the Bishop or other adults – an admirable trait to me! She follows her heart even if it’s not always the safest route and while not street-smart, she is intelligent and curious. I don’t know much about the Amish lifestyle (there aren't any in England as far as I know!), but her world feels real and natural. I assume there has been a lot research to make this world come to life so easily! I don’t to spoil anything but the events outside the Amish community, which start to encroach on them, are creepy and disturbing. The discovery of the empty town or the horse with one show still in the stirrups, are images that will stay with me for a long time.

As with her adult novels, Laura Bickle has a fantastic command over the atmosphere in her novels managing to build tension and keep you on edge. I was so tense at some points that when someone sat beside me on the train I jumped a mile! There is also tension created as Katie’s relationships with those around her changes – there are some twist and turns which just makes the world feel so realistic. I also enjoyed the spiritual element and how that impacts the characters interpretations of the situation. It’s rare that the apocalypse happens in YA literature with some philosophical musings.

Overall, this is an atmospheric and tense story which explores coming of age during the end of the known world in a completely different way to any story I’ve read before. Heartily recommended.

Recommended for fans of Veronica Roth and Jennifer Barnes. 9 out of 10

Sparks Review

Sparks (Anya Kalinczyk 1)

-        Laura Bickle

Publisher: Pocket Books

Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern, who holds down a day job as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department—while working 24/7 to exterminate malicious spirits haunting a city plagued by unemployment and despair. Along with her inseparable salamander familiar, Sparky, Anya has seen, and even survived, all manner of fiery hell—but her newest case sparks suspicions of a bizarre phenomenon that no one but her eccentric team of ghost hunters might believe: spontaneous human combustion. After fire consumes the home of elderly Jasper Bernard, Anya is stunned to discover his remains—or, more precisely, a lack of them; even the fiercest fires leave some trace of their victims—and she is sure this was no naturally occurring blaze. Soon she’s unearthed a connection to a celebrity psychic who preys on Detroit’s poor, promising miracles for money. But Hope Solomon wants more—she’s collecting spirits, and in a frantic race against time, Anya will face down an evil adversary who threatens her fragile relationship with her lover, her beloved Sparky’s freshly hatched newts, and the wandering souls of the entire city.

I read and loved the first Anya Kalinczyk story, Embers, earlier in the year (review here) and have been waiting to start reading this sequel ever since. Finally, having decided that July is my joyful reading month – I’m only reading books I want to read and not review copies or other books so this was one of the first books I picked up. And I’m so happy it was!

I love Anya and her fire elemental, Sparky! They are great characters – strong willed, independent and caring. The past still haunts her and here she actually confronts the ghosts of her childhood. Anya continues to be one of those characters that thinks before she acts – a refreshing change in the UF genre! She is still a little aloof from others, but has opened up more since Embers and is moving closer to others particularly with Brian, Katie and even her boss Marsh. There are some great new characters introduced (love Charon!) and while the bad guy’s motivations are not explored in detailed the methods they use is very creepy.

The writing is smooth and comforting – like a bar of milk chocolate and effortlessly transports you to Detroit. The descriptions of the fires and ghosts are particularly realistic and effective. There is a great balance between characters and plot and the pages just flew past. I read this within 24 hours and wish I could have spread it out longer – but I was too greedy. I loved spending time with Anya and Sparky and can’t wait to read more of their adventures – I hope there will be more! This is a great series for those who like intelligent UF with plenty of fun from salamander familiars – just be careful going into a baby store with Sparky! J

Recommended for fans of Illona Andrews and Karen Chance. 8.5 out of 10.

Alayna Williams - 30 Second Quiz!

Earlier today I reviewed Dark Oracle by Alayna Williams - and loved it. Today the sequel Rogue Oracle is released and to celebrate I have a 30 second quick quiz with the author herself. So please welcome Alayna William aka Laura Bickle!

-          Favourite Book you’ve read?

Robin McKinley's HERO AND THE CROWN

-          Favourite Book you’ve written?

They're all my children, and I love them in different ways. I loved EMBERS and SPARKS for the worldbuilding and Sparky, and I love the ORACLE books for the neat stuff I learned about particle accelerators, astrology, and genetics.

-          Favourite food?

Chocolate. Hands-down.

-          Favourite film?

LADYHAWKE. Yeah, Rutger Hauer in that film is my ideal of a romantic hero.

-          Favourite music?

Sting.

-          Favourite authors?

Robin McKinley, Ann Aguirre, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jessa Slade, M.L.N. Hanover

-          Any pets?

Four barely-reformed feral cats and two fish named after Star Wars characters. Just the fish named after Star Wars characters, I promise: Ackbar and Sullustan

-          Favourite saying/quote?

From The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: "No matter where you go, there you are."

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Author Interview: Laura Bickles

Today I have a real treat for you - an interview with the lovely Laura Bickle, author of Embers and Sparks (In fact Embers was my pick of the month in January - you can read my review here). But did you know Laura also writes as Alayna Williams with Dark Oracle out now and ROGUE ORACLE out tomorrow. So lets dive right in shall we? :)

First thanks for stopping by – I loved Embers and am enjoying Dark Oracle so far. Can I tax your brain ask a few questions?

Thanks so much for having me! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed my books. :-)

So tell us a little about yourself...

I've worked in criminal justice, information technology, and library science. Most writers I know keep a day job for the glamour and intrigue...just kidding. It pays the bills.

I ditched criminal justice recently to work in a library. I get to pet all the books and be surrounded by all kinds of ideas. It's a writer's dream career. 

I live in the Midwestern U.S., where my husband and I are owned by four semi-reformed feral cats. Cat owners know what that's like...

You write under two different names, Laura Bickle and Alayna Williams how did that come about?

My editor recommended that I use a pseudonym for the ORACLE books. My first book, EMBERS, came out in April, 2010. DARK ORACLE was scheduled for June of that year. We thought it would be confusing for readers to have two UF series going on under the same name, with alternating release dates. For that purpose, it made sense to create "Alayna." In that sense, it was a branding decision.

Building another personality was interesting. I used variations of my own middle name and my husband's, so that it would be a name that I'd react somewhat normally to at conventions. I think that much of that relies upon only hearing my middle name when I was a kid in trouble: "Laura Alayna, get into the house THIS INSTANT..."

But it does make for a very long name badge at conventions.

What’s the main difference between the different books?

They're both urban fantasy. My Laura Bickle books, EMBERS and SPARKS, are best described as "Ghostbusters in Detroit with dragons and arson." They follow the adventures of Anya Kalinczyk, who's an arson investigator and psychic medium. She spends her days working with as an arson investigator and her nights exterminating malicious spirits with an eccentric group of ghost hunters. She's joined by her faithful familiar, a feral fire salamander named Sparky.

My Alayna Williams books, DARK ORACLE and ROGUE ORACLE, are about a criminal profiler, Tara Sheridan, who uses Tarot cards to solve crimes. These books are a mashup of science and magic - similar to Fringe and the X-Files. Tara's a reluctant member of an ancient society of oracles tracing their lineage back to the Oracle of Delphi. In ROGUE ORACLE, Tara and her skeptic partner Harry Li are on the trail of a Chernobyl survivor who's selling nuclear secrets on the international black market.

Both books about the supernatural – have you ever had a supernatural experience yourself?

I go to the local Renaissance Festival every year and get my Tarot cards read by the same card reader. She's amazingly accurate...though she warns me that I need to decide to be done with karma this year. Still scratching my head on that one.

Supernatural is very popular theme at the moment for books, TV and films – what do you think draws us to ‘things that go bump in the night’?

I've always been intrigued by the idea of a hidden supernatural world existing beneath our own. Urban Fantasy allows me to explore the "what if's": What if a criminal profiler turned to Tarot card divination? What if the Oracle of Delphi survived into the modern day...and what would they have been up to? What if the future could be told through the use of magic...and how would we try to change what we saw?

I loved the atmosphere you created in Embers of a city on the edge and the descriptions of Detroit – is obvious you have a strong feeling for the city – what’s your favourite part of the city?

Ah...it would be tied between the salt mine beneath the city, which I turned into a dragon's lair for EMBERS...or Michigan Central Station, which is decomposing. I turned it into a way station for ghosts.

In Embers, Anya has a fire salamander called Sparky as a familiar. Sparky is a different type of being than usually seen in UF, what was the inspiration for the cutesy salamander? (I want a fire salamander of my own!)

Hee. I want a fire salamander, too. In this weather, I could

use someone to warm up the car!

Sparky is a composite of all the pets I've had. He's at turns, petulant, protective, and snarky. As a fire salamander, he can affect electrical fields and fire...he's been known to chew on cell phones, blow up microwaves, and set of sprinkler systems in the crime lab.

He has a favorite toy that he cuddles with at night...a Glow-Worm. I had a Glow-Worm toy as a child. I was terribly afraid of the dark, and it really helped. I still give them as gifts for baby showers.

In Dark Oracle tarot cards play an important part of the story - Have you ever had a tarot reading for yourself?

I read cards for myself for fun and use them for story prompts. The ORACLE books were written with a deck at hand. But I would never call myself an expert.

Finally what have you got coming up next?

I'm working on a couple of contemporary fantasy projects. Like my other books, they involve female protagonists. Somehow, my heroines always wind up with pets...be they cats, salamanders, or other familiars.

Thanks Laura for stopping by! Tomorrow in order to celebrate the release of ROGUE ORACLE, the second Alayna Williams book,  I have a 30 second quick quiz with Laura and will posting my review of Dark Oracle, the first in the series!

Embers Review

Embers (Anya Kalinczyk 1)

-       Laura Bickle

Kindle Book

In a city on the brink of social and economic collapse, arson investigator Anya Kalinczyk is struggling to hold her life together. By day she's caught up in the investigation of several deadly and unusual arson attacks; by night she's helping a misfit group of ghost hunters in their battle against Detroit's spiritual pests. Both are taking their toll on her, leaving her feeling increasingly isolated and lonely. When it becomes clear that the arson attacks are the work of a Lantern, a medium like Anya, she is locked into a deadly battle, not just for her own life, but the lives of the entire city.

Embers is a very different type of Urban Fantasy novel and I found it very refreshing. Our heroine, Anya is a lantern – able to see and speak to ghosts and occasionally she swallows them -  but only if they are inferring with the living. She’s had a tough childhood and finds it difficult to trust others. However, she isn’t snarky or cold. What makes Anya different, in my opinion is that she thinks things through. She’s not a physical heroine, willing to kickbox everyone out the way but rather she uses her unique abilities and tries to solve things with research and greater knowledge.  She feels more real than many ‘save the world’ heroines. Her fire elemental Sparky is a cute companion – I’d quite like one! And the rest of DAGR group help Anya to ground her and focus on the living.

One of the joys of this novel is the creepy atmosphere Laura Bickle creates especially during the exorcisms. The demon one sent a shiver down my spine and the description of the fire scenes seem well researched but not lecturing. Anya is a fantastic character and I like the way that not only does she change and evolve over the course of the story but so do others around her – especially the arsonist she’s chasing.

This book has some beautiful description in it – everything from the cookies baked to the church helps place it so much more in the real world. I actually wanted to visited Detroit when I’d finished as I felt I knew the city so well by the end. I already have the sequel, Sparks in my TBR pile so I’m sure I will be visiting again soon!

Recommended for fans of intelligent Urban Fantasy, Diana Rowland and Ilona Andrews. 9 out of 10.