Snake Agent (2005) Liz Williams The Detective Inspector Chen series popped up as an Amazon ebook deal of the day, and I love this series so much I snatched them up as ebooks. (In my defense, my copies are all trade paperbacks.) Detective Inspector Chen is in charge of crimes that stretch into Heaven and […]
Libriomancer (2012) Jim C. Hines I really, really wanted to love this story. Instead, I just liked it, but came away with a vague feeling of disappointment–not because the book was bad–it wasn’t–but because I had wanted so much more out of the story, and it didn’t deliver. Isaac Vainio is working as a librarian […]
Blood and Bullets (2012) James R. Tuck First off, I actually enjoyed this. I was looking for mind candy, and this succeeded. Second, I laughed when I saw a picture of the author. Deacon Chalk is quite obviously how the author seems himself, right down to the goatee. That’s not a bad thing per se, […]
Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives (2011) edited by Justin Gustainis As the title says, this is a collection of supernatural mysteries. “Little Better than a Beast: A Marla Mason Story” by T. A. Pratt “Dusted: A Cosa Nostradamus Story” by Laura Anne Gilman “The Demon You Know… A Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Story” […]
Deadly Descendant (2012) Jenna Black Nikki Glass is a Descendant of Artemis. A few months ago she knew nothing about Descendants, but much has changed since she accidentally killed a man and became a Descendant herself. The community she has become unwillingly attached to has need for her particular skills–in her prior life she was […]
Dark Descendant (2011) Jenna Black I have to admit that one of the reasons I buy books and then don’t read them for awhile, is because I don’t like knowing anything about a book before I start reading it (this obviously does not hold true for a series). This is also the thing that makes […]
Fated (2012) Benedict Jacka Alex Verus is a diviner–a mage who can see the future possibilities. He runs a magic shop to pay the bills, and does everything he can to stay under the Council’s radar. Unfortunately for him, a discovery of a Precursor relic–and the fact that every other diviner in the area has […]
Chimes at Midnight (2013) Seanan McGuire I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it. And I tore through it pretty much in a single sitting. But it still felt off for some reason. First, the good things. I love Tybalt, and there was lots of Tybalt in this story, so that was great. […]
Written In Red (2013) Anne Bishop Meg Corbyn is running from those who held her for as long as she can remember. She needs a place to hide, and the Courtyard of the Others seems like the perfect place. An island of Others in the city, a place where human laws don’t apply and she […]
Night Watch (2006) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield narrated by Paul Michael I actually recently re-read Night Watch, which is a good thing, because if I hadn’t, then I would have ended up picking it up to re-read towards the end of the first section of the audio book. That’s the problem I have […]
Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls (2013) Elliot James Another John Charming story, this occurs after Charmed I’m Sure and references that story. I think I figured out the problem I have with these short stories. They all being with a flash forward, or whatever the hell you call it. It’s not a bad technique in and […]
DOG-GONE (2013) Elliott James This was an interesting story, and told me a little more about John Charming, the world he lives in, and his magical/mystical talents. But I also found it rather confusing in parts, especially the beginning where the POV switches around. I had to go back and reread a couple times before […]
Charmed I’m Sure (2013) Elliott James I love short stories–they’re like catnip to me. And short stories that introduce a character or author’s writing before I have to buy the book are even better (I’ve gotten better about not finishing books I dislike, but I hate having spent money on terrible books, especially if I […]
Last Watch (2009) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield At last I come to Last Watch. Theoretically, there is a fifth book, called New Watch available, but it’s listed as unavailable. Boo. Although Last Watch is broken into three parts, Common Cause, A Common Enemy, and A Common Destiny, they are–far more so than the […]
Twilight Watch (2003/2007) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield The third book in the Night Watch series may be my favorite. Like the previous two books, there are three stories: Nobody’s Time, Nobody’s Space, Nobody’s Power. Like the first book, Night Watch, all three stories center on Anton Gorodetsky and are told from his perspective. […]
Day Watch (2000/2006) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield This sequel to Night Watch picks up after the events of the previous book, but while the first book was written from the perspective of Anton Gorodetsky, Night Watch agent, this story is told from the perspective of three different Dark Ones, all three Day Watch […]
Night Watch (2006) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield This is not the first or even second time I’ve re-read this book (series, really). The book Night Watch is split into three separate story arcs, Destiny, Among His Own Kind, and All for My Own Kind, each building upon the previous. Anton Gorodetsky works for […]
Weird Detectives: Recent Investigations (2013) edited by Paula Guran This is a collection of short stories previously published elsewhere, so I’d already read several of these stories. But there were several I had not, and several of the ones I’d read before were well worth reading again. This book has been sitting around for awhile, […]
Kitty in the Underworld (2013) Carrie Vaughn There are intruders in their territory, and with Ben out of town, Kitty goes out to investigate. She’s kidnapped and pulled into a strange plan, seemingly centered on Roman and his plans for world domination, but it’s not clear who is friend and who is foe. This was […]
Magic Rises (2013) Ilona Andrews European shape-shifters have given The Beast Lord and his pack an offer they can’t resist: come guard a pregnant were and you’ll receive barrels of panacea–the potion that reduces the chance of loupism in young weres. It’s a trap of some sort, but they can’t figure out what kind, until […]
A Spell of Vengeance (2012) D.B. Jackson I’m not quite sure how I missed this story when it first came out, especially considering that I read the first Ethan Kaille book last year. But I’m not sorry I didn’t read this first, because it might have made me reluctant to read the first book, which […]
Kitty Rocks the House (2013) Carrie Vaughn Weirdly, this book was published in April, but it’s been sitting in The Pile, waiting for me to read it, and I just never got around to it. Weird, because I usually thoroughly enjoy the Kitty books. But after reading the last Jane True book, I decided I […]
Tempest Reborn (2013) Nicole Peeler Alas, all good things come to an end: this is the final book of the Jane True series. I’m honestly delighted with the whole thing. I hate series that go on too long, or series where every book is a cliffhanger that is little more than a teaser for the […]
Blood Trade (2013) Faith Hunter I really like Jane Yellowrock. I know I say that every time I read one of these books, but that’s because it remains true. Natchez, Mississippi is overrun with rogues, and the Master hires Jane to come help him solve this problem. But when she arrives, things are even worse […]
Chosen at Nightfall (2013) C.C. Hunter The conclusion to Kylie Galen’s story arc at Shadow Falls. Kylie has had a rough couple months: she lost her grandmother, her parents are divorcing, she’s discovered she’s a supernatural being, she learned the man she’d called her father her entire life was not, in fact, her biological father, […]
Saved at Sunrise (2013) C. C. Hunter I’m a fan of C.C. Hunter’s Shadow Falls series, and was introduced to it through the free novella Turned at Dark about Della Tang, who is also the main character in this novella. Della wanted to go into law enforcement before she was turned, now, she wants to […]
Whispers at Moonrise (2012) C. C. Hunter Kylie Galen now knows she’s a chameleon, but she doesn’t know what that means. Nor do any of her classmates or teachers at Shadow Falls, her boarding school for the supernatural. She also doesn’t know what to do about Lucas, the werewolf she’s supposed to be dating, but […]
Thieftaker (2012) D.B. Jackson Ethan Kaille is a thieftaker and a conjurer living in Boston in 1765. Around him, discontent with Britain and taxes swirl, but Ethan, having already paid the price years earlier for mutiny, wants nothing to do with the Sons of Liberty. However, a girl–young woman–is killed during a riot, and the […]
Twice Tempted: A Night Prince Novel (2013) Jeaniene Frost NOTICE: If you had not read Jeaniene Frost before, SHE WRITES BOINKING BOOKS. Okay, that’s out of the way… The sequel to Once Burned is also not the final book in this series (I’m guessing the middle book of a trilogy, but I don’t know that […]
Seven Kinds of Hell (2013) Dana Cameron Zoe Miller’s mother has died. And before she dies, she makes Zoe promise to keep running from her father’s people. Since Zoe is running from herself as much as from her father’s people, it’s not a promise she has trouble keeping. Unfortunately for her, her father’s people seem […]
Death’s Excellent Vacation (2010) Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner Yeah, I’m a sucker for anthologies. Especially ones where I know the majority of the stories will be good. Mind you, I wasn’t impressed enough with the list of authors to pay full price (this still isn’t out in paperback yet?!) but there were […]
Cards & Caravans (2013) Cindy Spencer Pape THIS IS ANOTHER BOINKING BOOK. Although there is less boinking here than in the Bloodhounds series. The fifth book of the Gaslight Chronicles finds Connor McKay coming to the rescue of Belinda Danvers who has been convinced of murder by witchcraft and sentenced to burn at the stake. […]
The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination: Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius (2013) John Joseph Adams “Professor Incognito Apologizes: an Itemized List” by Austin Grossman “Father of the Groom” by Harry Turtledove “Laughter at the Academy: by Seanan McGuire “Letter to the Editor” by David D. Levine “Instead of a Loving Heart” […]
Frost Burned (2013) Patricia Briggs This series switched to hard back first printings several volumes ago, which I hated, because I hate hard back books. Luckily for me, I have a kindle, so I can buy new releases without having to wait a year (or more!) for the book to come out in paperback. HUZZAH! […]
The Way of the Wizard (2010) John Joseph Adams I love anthologies. They give me an escape in bite size pieces that won’t keep me up past my bed time on a work night, and they also often a wonderful introduction to authors I have not read previously. This anthology focuses upon wizards of all […]
Slashback (2013) Rob Thurman Needless to say, I was eagerly waiting Slashback So let’s get the bad out of the way first: it felt like this book hadn’t been copyedited. On multiple occasions I had to stop and reread in order to figure out what was actually being said, which threw me completely out of […]
Teeth: Vampire Tales (2011) edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling This is an Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling anthology, so as always, there are fascinating bits of folklore. Rice, not garlic, was the most effective means of keeping Chinese vampires at bay, for they had a strange compulsion to count. Throwing rice at the […]
In Sea-Salt Tears (2012) Seanan McGuire The Luidaeg has been a complicated character throughout the October Daye series. This story gives us a glimpse of the relationship between the Selkie and The Luidaeg. The only way a selkie can become a true fey is to inherit one. But there aren’t many skins, so most selkie […]
Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs My. I was not expecting where that went. Now that the werewolves have been outed, the Marrock has been far more strict about enforcing the rules. And Charles, as his enforcer, has been very busy. He has also become haunted by those he is forced to kill, and those ghosts […]
My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon (2007) P.N. Elrod The follow up to My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, at least in theme. This was a very mixed bag. Some of the stories were good, some I could barely stand to finish, and in fact, put this anthology down several times, for something (anything?) I liked a […]
Discount Armageddon: An InCryptid Novel (2012) Seanan McGuire Verity Price is a cryptozoologist. And dancer. And member of a renegade family that supports the rights of cryptids to live as long as they don’t kill humans. Cryptids? They’re the monsters that go bump in the night. The creatures of myth and folklore. There is so […]
Home Improvement: Undead Edition (2011) Charlaine Harris, Toni L. P. Kelner As with most anthologies, there are stories here I really liked, and some that I found to be just okay. What was unusual was that there were some stories that I actually strongly disliked. “Gray” by Patricia Briggs isn’t a Mercy Thompson story, but […]
Hunting Kat (2012) Kelley Armstrong This is a short story that’s part of her existing series. Although this is a self-contained short story, it’s far more a teaser/trailer for other works rather than a story that stands completely on its own. Kat is kidnapped by people wanting to return her to an evil consortium that […]
Steel’s Edge (2012) Ilona Andrews According to Ilona Andrews, this is the last book in the Edge series. In the future they may write in this world (and about some of these characters) again, but as it is, they’re done with The Edge series. Second point, this is a relatively long book. Although the story […]
Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron (2012) edited by Jonathan Strahan This is a lovely YA anthology, with some amazing stories by some of my favorite authors. I didn’t love all the stories, but none of them were bad. The theme is young witches coming of age, but the stories are far greater than […]
Taken at Dusk (2012) C. C. Hunter Kylie Galen is still struggling to discover who she is. She believes she is meeting her couple who adopted her father as a baby, and hopes they will have answers to her questions, but the meeting leaves only further questions. In addition to questions she cannot answer, she […]
Awake at Dawn (2011) C. C. Hunter This is the sequel to Born at Midnight. Kylie Galen is a supernatural. She doesn’t want to be, and she really doesn’t like the way she doesn’t know what she is and how being a “Ghost Whisperer” sets her apart from the other kids at camp. But she’s […]
Necromancing the Stone (2012) Lish McBride This is a sequel to the YA book, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, which I really liked. Luckily, I like Necromancing the Stone just as well. Sam LaCroix is still trying to adjust to being a necromancer. And to having a position on the local Council, because he killed Douglas, […]
Death’s Rival (2012) Faith Hunter Jane has tried to escape Leo Pellisier and the vampires of New Orleans, however, something–or someone–is making vampires all over the country sick, so Jane heads out to collection information (and generally act as Leo’s Enforcer). Jane has been walking a very fine line (and not even walking it at […]
Aloha from Hell (2011) Richard Kadrey James Stark–better known in Hell as Sandman Slim–enjoys not being in Hell. He enjoys not having to fight for his life, or assassinate other Hellions on the orders of the Hellion who owned him. He’s gotten revenge on most of the people who sent him to Hell and murdered […]