Magic Dreams (2011) Ilona Andrews Huh. This is a reread, but I can’t find my original review. Apparently, I didn’t read all the stories in the anthology this was originally in, and so I never wrote a review. So, this first appeared in the anthology, Hexed, which I have but seemingly only read one story […]

Croak (2012) Gina Damico Why why why do I keep picking up books that turn out to be first in a series? I don’t WANT to read first in a series. I want to read stand-alone books. Bah humbug. Lex used to be a good girl, just like her twin Cordy. But then something happened […]

Have Stakes Will Travel (2012) Faith Hunter This is a collection of four Jane Yellowrock stories, ranging from the time when Jane and Beast ran wild to the time past the end of the last book. “We Sa and the Lumber King” is set during the time when Beast was in control, probably the late […]

Crimes by Moonlight (2010) edited by Charlaine Harris stories by Charlaine Harris, Carolyn Hart I started this anthology more than a year ago, got bored with it and put it down, then finally decided I was just going to FINISH it. Needless to say, my memories of the stories at the start is rather faint. […]

An Apple for the Creature (2012) edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner; stories by Jonathan Maberry, Donald Harstad, Marjorie M. Liu, Rhys Bowen, Amber Benson, Mike Carey, Faith Hunter, Ilona Andrews, Steve Hockensmith, Nancy Holder First, I hate this title. It grates on my nerves like nails down a chalkboard. Luckily, the […]

Down These Strange Streets (2011) edited by Gardner Dozois and George R. R. Martin If you look at the list of authors above, you’ll immediately see why I read this series. There are some of my favorite authors here–many of whom write short stories I tend to love. And surprisingly, I loved most of these […]

Ashes of Honor (2012) Seanan McGuire Toby has, in theory, been putting her life back in order. But mostly she is still grieving the loss of her lover and her daughter. When she is asked to find a lost Changeling child–a child who has powers that may well turn out to be a threat to […]

Kilts & Kraken (2012) Cindy Spencer Pape I must admit I’ve been enjoying this series of novellas. The lovely steampunk and strong female characters offset the boinking (which, there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not my thing.) Dr. Geneva MacKay (Genny to her family) has worked very hard to establish herself as a rare […]

Starcrossed (2011) Josephine Angelini Helen Hamilton lives on Nantucket and feels like the biggest freak on the island. She’s tall. She lives with her Dad because her mom abandoned them when she was a baby, And she can do things that other girls her age can’t do. She tries very hard to fit in but […]

Sandman Vol 3: Dream Country (1990) Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones, Colleen Doran, Charles Vess, Malcolm Jones III I’m particularly fond of this volume–I quite like the Shakespeare story, as well as the dream of a thousand cats. Rating: 8/10 Published by Vertigo

Sandman Vol 2: The Doll’s House (1990) Neil Gaiman, Malcolm Jones III, Mike Dringenberg, Michael Zulli Here we see glimpses of where the story is going–as well as the relationship between the Endless. (I sometimes forgot what a bastard Desire is.)

Sandman Vol 1: Preludes and Nocturnes Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III “I’m not going to reread Sandman right now. Sandman makes me cry.” Yeah. So, just finished rereading volume 1. Death is before me today: like the recovery of a sick man, like going forth into a garden after sickness. Death […]

Hex Appeal (2012) edited by P.N. Elrod; Stories by P.N. Elrod, Carrie Vaughn, Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Simon R Green, Rachel Caine (and others) As I was expecting, this collection was a mixed bag. Luckily, the good stories were very good, and worth the price of the anthology. I bought the anthology first and foremost […]

One Grave at a Time (2011) Jeaniene Frost Here’s what I don’t get. That horrific cover? Same author. Same publisher, but the covers for this series are pretty damned awesome. And this doesn’t even merit something Jim Hines could mock for unrealistic/uncomfortable body poses! Plus, it’s a great book! I love how there’s still story […]

Hellboy Vol 12: The Storm and the Fury (2012) Mike Mignola, Duncan Fegredo Oh. Wow. I wasn’t expecting that at all. The Hellboy series has typically alternated volumes of short stories with volumes of the ongoing series. I generally tend to prefer the short story collections, but have read the ongoing stories with interest. Well, […]

Ember A prequel to Firelight (2012) Kristen Callihan This is the prequel to Firelight, and for 99 cents I figured it would be worth checking out. It was an interesting short story, but really not much of a stand its your own story. It also contains a preview of Firelight, which I also read, and […]

Eternal Kiss of Darkness (2010) Jeaniene Frost I really liked this book. However. HOLY TOMATOES! THAT IS A HORRIBLE COVER! Seriously, her Cat and Bones series has decent covers–good covers even. But this? This makes me want to cringe. Perhaps even rip the cover off and burn it so I don’t ever have to see […]

Anna Dressed in Blood (2011) Kendare Blake Cas has inherited his father’s calling–killing ghosts. He has a special knife, and he can sense ghosts, so when ghosts harm the living, Cas and his knife move them along to their next life. It’s a lonely life, and one that has kept him from making friends, but […]

Hellboy Vol 11: The Bride of Hell and Others (2011) Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, Kevin Nowlan, Scott Hampton By all rights, I shouldn’t like the Hellboy comics at all. Except, how can I not love a story containing dialog like this? HEY EMILE! Cut it out. You’re making the dead people nervous. That bit was […]

Girl Genius Book 11: Agatha Heterodyne and the Hammerless Bell (2012) Phil & Kaja Foglio Clanks! Fighting! Even smooching! It’s the latest Agatha Heterodyne book! Rating: 8/10 Published by Airship Entertainment

Kitty Steals the Show (2012) Carrie Vaughn Kitty has come a long way from when she was first attacked. She’s now alpha of her own pack, and a public face for werewolves in the US, both because of her radio show, and her (involuntary) pubic outing as a were. That status has led to her […]

Gunmetal Magic (2012) Ilona Andrews This book is set in Kate’s world, and Kate (of course) make appearances, but this is the story of Andrea and Raphael. Andrea has been outed as a shapeshifter and forced out the Order, which has been her entire life. As a shapeshifter she is required by Pack Laws to […]

Dark Frost (2012) Jennifer Estep Gwen Frost is finishing up one last assignment before winter break ends: she and her friends Daphne and Carson are touring a museum looking at magical artifacts important from the wars against Loki and his Reapers of Chaos, as are lots of other kids in her class. But Gwen is […]

A Dream of Stone and Shadow (2006) Marjorie M. Liu Charlie is a gargoyle, being held captive by a witch who enjoys taking advantage of some of his more… unusual properties. Emma is an abused child who Charlie’s spirit stumbles upon in its wanderings. Aggie is a member of Dirk & Steele who can catch […]

Fables 17: Inherit the Wind (2012) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Shawn McManus The North Wind is dead! Long live the North Wind! That’s right, someone has to become the new North Wind, and the best candidates are the cubs. Meanwhile, in the Land of Oz, Bufkin and several others are on the run […]

Once Burned (2012) Jeaniene Frost I seem to be on a roll. This is the second book in a WEEK I’ve read that doesn’t end cleanly. It wasn’t quite the cliffhanger that Tempest’s Fury was, but it did introduce issues and problems in the epilogue. And of COURSE this book JUST came out, so it’s […]

Tempest’s Fury (2012) Nicole Peeler Fury. Yes, that’s what I was feeling when I finished the book to a GIANT CLIFFHANGER. That was NOT cool. Especially since I’d really been enjoying the book up to that point. But now? Fury. OK, on her website she says this is the penultimate book of the Jane True […]

Urban Shaman (2005) C. E. Murphy Joanne Walker is flying home from her mother’s funeral with the expectation of being fired from her job as a mechanic for the Seattle police. Staring out the window of the plane as the come in for a landing, she sees a woman being chased. Even though she doesn’t […]

Clockwork Angel (2010) Cassandra Clare Tessa Gray has come to London from New York after her aunt dies and her brother sends her a ticket to join him. Unfortunately, there are some unpleasant surprises for Tessa, starting with the fact that the world is not as she knows it, and this underworld is very interested […]

Kiss of Frost (2011) Jennifer Estep Gwen is now mostly settled into the Mythos Academy. She still feels like a fish out of water, but she has friends and is starting to enjoy at least some of her classes. But because she spent her childhood as a relatively normal kid, she now get private weapons […]

The Fixer: A Lawson Vampire Novel (2011) Jon F Merz Lawson is a Fixer. It’s his job to keep vampires in line, to make sure humans never discover their existence. Unfortunately for Lawson, Cosgrave, his greatest enemy and his biggest failure as a Fixer is in town looking to change the balance of power–while taking […]

Forbidden Blood: A House of Comarre Novella (2012) Kristen Painter This is a short story prequel to an existing series. I thought it would be worth checking out to see if I’d like the series. Maris belongs to Arnaud, a patron who doesn’t particularly like her or treat her well. She has her own agenda, […]

Strange Days in Old Yandrissa (2012) John R. Fultz This initially had the feel of a folktale, but then it swerved, went back to the folktale lane and then went all apocalyptic. I enjoyed the bits with the folktale feel, but the wanton destruction–just not my thing. Rating: 5/10 Published by Orbit

The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006) Scott Lynch This is a re-read. I remembered enjoying this book when I read it, and I bought the sequel, but both are in hardback, and I just dislike reading hardback book. So I broke down and bought both for the Kindle. I am pretty sure I devoured it […]

Within the Flames (2011) Marjorie M. Liu For the most part I’ve enjoyed Marjorie M. Liu’s Dirke & Steele series, but there have been a couple times I just couldn’t get into the story. This was one of those times. I started this months and months ago, but would read a few pages and then […]

A Glass of Shadow (2011) Liz Williams Liz Williams writes stories that fall into a variety of genres at once: science fiction, fantasy, mystery. I read–and fell in love with–her Detective Inspector Chen series, and so buy her anthologies, hoping that means she’ll then be able to write more Chen stories. This volume is an […]

Of Swine and Roses (2011) Ilona Andrews Alena’s family is forcing her to go on a date with Chad Thurman, a thug, but a member of a family in a position to do Alena’s family a favor. Things go worse than anyone could have expected. This is a short story by Ilona Andrews–I have to […]

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (2011) Catherynne M. Valente This started coming up as recommended for me pretty much as soon as it was published. But it was hardback, and a hardback price even for the Kindle, and it seemed straight-up fantasy, which I just haven’t been in […]

Basilisk (2011) Rob Thurman I know it’s strange for me, but I’ve had Basilisk sitting around unread since last August. Strange, because I love Rob Thurman’s writing, and have loved every book of her’s I’ve read. But as much as I enjoyed Chimera, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about a sequel, […]

Touch of Frost (2011) Jennifer Estep When I perused the reviews for this story, I almost didn’t get it. Too much sex for a YA the negative review cried. Aw crap, I thought. I hate boinking books, which is one reason why I like YA–much less boinking, and it’s mostly off screen. But it was […]

First Frost (2011) Jennifer Estep Gwen Frost has a Gypsy gift–when she touches things she learns about the people who held those items. In addition to that skill, she has a good dose of curiosity, that eventually shows her things she never wanted to learn. This is a short story, and an introduction to Touch […]

The Legend of Eli Monpress: The Spirit Rebellion (2010) Rachel Aaron This is the third book in The Legend of Eli Monpress. The third book is much less about Eli, which is too bad, because Eli was the character I most liked. Instead, we see that those who are supposed to be watching over the […]

The Legend of Eli Monpress: The Spirit Rebellion (2010) Rachel Aaron This is the second book in The Legend of Eli Monpress. Following the events of the last book: Nico needs a new coat, which sends Joseph, Nico, and Eli to the one man who could make another garment for her. Miranda returns home only […]

A Conspiracy of Kings (2010) Megan Whalen Turner Although Eugenides makes many appearances in this story, it is about Sophos, the heir to the throne of Sounis. Sophos had disappeared, and this story is told, in large part, as his retelling of what happened to him. As with every other book in this series so […]

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery (2011) Maryrose Wood and Jon Klassen Miss Penelope Lumley continues to be the governess of Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia Incorrigible, the three children raised by wolves and adopted by Lord Ashton. Penelope (or Lumawoo as the children call her), continues to be both protector and educator […]

Deathless (2011) Catherynne M. Valente I should have loved this–I love folklore and so was familiar with Koschei the Deathless, and was eager to read a tale staring him. And the hero of the story is the young Marya Morevna who has seen birds turn into her sister’s husbands, and so expects magical adventures to […]

Locke & Key: Vol 1 Welcome to Lovecraft (2008) Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez Good, but really not my thing. Published by IDW

The Legend of Eli Monpress: The Spirit Thief (2010) Rachel Aaron This was a fun, straight-up fantasy romp, something I haven’t read in awhile, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Eli Monpress is a thief. As far as he’s concerned, he’s the best thief in the world, and his goal is for the bounty for his […]

The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland–for a Little While (2011) Catherynne M. Valente Mallow is content to live with her cast iron ducks doing the occasional magic for those in need, but mostly she prefers to be left alone. But then the King of Fairy calls a for a Foul in the capital of Pandemonium and […]

Doubletake (2012) Rob Thurman I believe I’ve made my love of Rob Thurman’s Cal Leandros series well known. I love the relationship between Niko and Cal, and how Niko keeps Cal human, despite everything. And how Cal remains human, because of Niko. Cal has changed a lot over the course of the series. He’s overcome […]