The Better Part of Darkness (2009) Kelly Gay The world changed after the Revelation, when creatures from other worlds stepped out in public. As things settled out, the Atlanta police force developed joint teams of human police–with powers if possible–and off-world partners. In Charlie Madigan’s case, her partner is the siren, Hank, and they’re trying […]
Blood Lite (2008) edited by Kevin J. Anderson This anthology came out in hardback last year, but considering the theme, I was more than content to wait until it came out in paperback. Which it recently did. As with most anthologies, there are good stories and bad stories, but there weren’t too many stories that […]
Tempest Rising (2009) Nicole Peeler Where to start with this book? First, the cover, which is what drew my attention. It’s got a manga Halloween feel to it, with snakes and tombstones and seals and a naked girl/woman with giant eyes. That’s not something you see every day. Excellent job there. Next, the story. Jane […]
Bitter Night (2009) Diana Pharoah Francis Max is a Shadowblade. A warrior transformed by and bound to a witch. Shadowblades cannot stand the touch of the sun, and their counterparts–Sunspears–cannot bear the darkness. Between them they guard and protect the witches they serve. Being a Shadowblade or Sunspear incredible abilities and immortality of a kind, […]
The Outlaw Demon Wails (2008) Kim Harrison Rachel and Ivy are still reeling from Kistin’s death and Rachel is trying to return to normalcy by going Halloween shopping with her mother. Unfortunately, their expedition is rudely interrupted by Al, who has somehow escaped the confines of prison and is out to kill Rachel. I really […]
Destined for an Early Grave (2009) Jeaniene Frost Cat is no longer working for the government slaying rogue vampires. She and Bones are off to Paris for a well-deserved vacation. Unfortunately, Cat remains the only living half-vampire, and her unique position remains a threat to the undead. Although the initial story seems to have come […]
Better Off Undead (2008) edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Daniel M. Hoyt Anthologies edited by Martin H. Greenberg are usually ones I can pick up knowing that I’ll like the majority of stories within. This volume? Not so much. There were a handful of stories I thought were good, but for the most part? […]
Rosemary and Rue (2009) Seanan McGuire October Daye disappeared for thirteen years. When she returned, she refused to return to her life as a changeling knight or as a private investigator, but is instead trying to squeak by as a human. Unfortunately for her, Faerie refuses to let her go. The Faerie from which Toby […]
Night Life (2008) Caitlin Kitteredge Luna is a copy in Nocturne City who is hiding her true nature as a were. When a serial killer starts eviscerating women and taking their finger bones, Luna is assigned the case, but the deaths–combined with an unusual struggle to hide her true nature, threatens Luna’s secret and her […]
Dancing on the Head of a Pin (2009) Thomas E. Sniegoski Remy Chandler may have averted the apocalypse, but things aren’t looking any better for him this time around. He’s been hired to recover some missing weapons–weapons that are most certainly more than they first appear. The second Remy Chandler novel actually follows the short […]
Must Love Hellhounds (2009) Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook I picked up this anthology solely because I saw Ilona Andrews had a story in it. Charlaine Harris also usually writes decent short stories, but not always. But I figured, I like everything I’ve read by Ilona Andrews, and there should be at […]
Mercy Thompson: Homecoming (2009) Patricia Briggs, David Lawrence, Francis Tsai, Amelia Woo What is it with supernatural fantasy authors and comic books? First Jim Butcher, now Patricia Briggs. Not that I’m complaining. It’s fun to spend time with characters I enjoy in a medium other than I’m used to, and I of course love short […]
Hunting Ground (2009) Patricia Briggs Anna was still getting used to the idea of being married to Charles when they go to Seattle his father–the Marrok. The American werewolves are planning on coming out, and the European wolves have been invited to ask questions of the Marrok about how they would be affected by this. […]
Skinwalker (2009) Faith Hunter First off, I love this cover. Yeah, she has a silly amount of cleavage, but aside from that, the cover gives a very good description of what the character’s attitude. Bike? Check. Riding leathers? Check. Shotgun? Check. Get out of my way attitude? Check. Kudos to whomever at Roc does their […]
Cast in Silence (2009) Michelle Sagara Cast in Silence continues the story of Kaylin Neya, Private in the Hawk force, marked by Nightshade, and possessed of magical powers she has yet to learn to control. The forces that surround and imbue Elantra are slipping into chaos, and both Kaylin’s history and powers make her uniquely […]
Skin Deep (2009) Mark del Franco Having enjoyed Mark del Franco’s Connor Grey supernatural mysteries, I pre-ordered Skin Deep hoping he would do as good a job writing a female lead as he did a male lead. The book came, but then I put of reading it primarily for the blurb on the cover, “She’ll […]
Underground (2008) Kat Richardson I have got to start paying better attention when I pre-order books. I now have two copies of Underground. (sigh) Harper Blaine is a private investigator who was beaten to death several years previously. She was only dead for a few minutes, but she woke up a changed woman, and able […]
Vicious Circle (2006) Mike Carey Felix (Fix) Castor, who is usually at loose ends, is suddenly involved in three different cases. As a consultant in a police case, in a missing child case, and in assisting Juliet with a case she has taken on involving a haunted or possessed church. Additionally, he is still trying […]
The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle (2008) Jim Butcher, Ardian Syaf Harry Dresden in comic form. First, the story was interesting and I liked it. There is a murder at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Although city officials would like to blame Moe the gorilla for the murder, Murphy calls Harry in because the crime […]
Darkness Calls (2009) Marjorie M. Liu As a disclaimer, I read much of this book on the plane, so that may have affected my opinion to some degree. Darkness Calls continues the story of Maxine Kiss. She is a Hunter who has inherited a fight against demons and the darkness. Unfortunately for her, it is […]
Strange Brew (2009) edited by P.N. Elrod I love short story collections. They’re a way to discover new authors, visit with favorite characters, and to be honest I just enjoy short stories. Now if you like short stories, you eventually learn that a lot of collections are not worth buying, but there are certain authors […]
Buffy Season 8 Vol 3: Wolves at the Gate (2008) Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty, Joss Whedon We finally learn who kissed Buffy and woke her up. We also learn where Xander went after Sunnydale was destroyed, and someone wants Buffy’s scythe. (Not necessarily in that order.) I’m not sure how I feel about the story […]
Daemons Are Forever (2008) Simon R. Green That was thoroughly disappointing. I really like Simon R. Green’s writing style–I love the Nightside books and liked the first Eddie Drood book, The Man with the Golden Torc. The second Eddie Drood book, however, not so much. This book was all over the place, and it wasn’t […]
Last Watch (2009) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield I’d been thinking recently about rereading Sergei Lukyanenko’s Night Watch series, so when I stumbled upon Last Watch, my first thought was, “Why the hell didn’t I know this was out?!” my second thought was that this was the excuse I needed to reread the Night […]
Twilight Watch (2003/2007) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield Just finished re-reading Twilight Watch, the third book in the Night Watch series. Now I can start the new book in the series, and find out what Anton’s been up to. Published by Miramax Rating: 9/10
Day Watch (2000/2006) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield Just re-read Day Watch. As with Night Watch, I found that I understood and enjoyed the book better the second time around. Especially since I understood where the first story was going. Published by Miramax Rating: 9/10
Night Watch (2006) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield Been wanting to re-read this series for awhile. Discovering a fourth book in the series was just the push I needed. I liked it even better the second time through, mostly because I already understood what was happening, so I was able to pay more attention […]
New Tricks (2008) John Levitt I really wanted to like this book. I enjoyed the first book, and was pleased when John Levitt came by to tell me I had misinterpreted something, which had affected my opinion of the book. The problem this time was that I knew quite quickly who the bad guy was. […]
Brimstone Kiss (2008) Carole Nelson Douglas I’ve had Brimstone Kiss on my shelves for awhile, but had put off reading it. Now I know why. The fastest way an author can piss me off is to leave me hanging at the end of a book. Guess what Carole Nelson Douglas did at the end of […]
On the Prowl (2007) Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance, Sunny Wow. Talk about a mixed bag. I read and thoroughly enjoyed the first two stories. I started the last two and thought, “meh.” But then realized that to review the book I had to finish all four stories. I should have trusted my first […]
The Devil You Know (2006) Mike Carey “I don’t know what I want to read.” Peruses bookshelves. “I remember buying The Devil You Know, why haven’t I read it yet?” Reads first paragraph. “Hmmm….” Hours later. “Wow!” First off, I believe this was shelved in the mystery section, which is part of why I put […]
Spell Games (2009) T.A. Pratt I am annoyed. One of my least favorite things in the world is when a book ends with a major story arc unresolved, where you are left hanging to wait for the next book in the series. Guess what Tim Pratt did? Did I mention how much I hate it […]
The Devil’s Right Hand (2007) Lilith Saintcrow Dante Valentine has been living in Toscano with Japhrimel, slowly recovering from the events in Dead Man Rising. Unfortunately for her, relaxation and recovery are about to come to a screeching halt when she receives a summons from the Devil himself. This book had a very different feel […]
Small Favor (2008) Jim Butcher Nothing is ever easy for Harry Dresden. Just when it looks as if things have calmed down a bit, the Summer Court and the Winter Court both seem to want a piece of Harry (although not the same piece) and then the Denarians decide to mix things up as well. […]
From Dead to Worse (2008) Charlaine Harris For awhile there I was getting frustrated with Charlaine Harris while it seems as if Sookie was the most attractive and beguiling woman in the entire world and everyone wanted to boink her. Whatever. I don’t care if she is part fairy, things were just getting a bit […]
Dead Reign (2008) T.A. Pratt When Marla stops the (not very sane) necromancer Ayers from animating a corpse, she sets into action a chain of events that will have her once again defending Felport from an invader, and learning more about the underworld than she ever wants to know. Hmm… Hard to come up with […]
Magic Strikes (2009) Ilona Andrews Now that Kate is working for the Order (and getting a steady paycheck) she’s working her butt off. A magic flare has caused trouble (as usual) and Kate gets to help deal with the upheaval. But when she goes to investigate the scene of the death of a shapeshifter, things […]
At Grave’s End (2009) Jeaniene Frost Cat and Bones are still working for Homeland Security, but Cat’s been working long enough that her disguise has worn thin–especially since Bones has become quite recognizable in the vampire world. To make things worse, Cat’s father is still looking for her, and doesn’t want a happy family reunion. […]
Dead Man Rising (2006) Lilith Saintcrow Dante Valentine has been taking on case after case to try and forget what happened to her in Rio. Unfortunately for her, it’s not working. She and Jace are keeping busy–and she’s all but running Jace into the ground–but she still can’t keep Japh off her mind. Things get […]
One Foot in the Grave (2008) Jeaniene Frost It’s been four years since Cat walked away from Bones–four years that she’s been working for a special group in the FBI to deal with the undead. But her past is now coming back to haunt her–not just the fact that she still loves Bones, but also […]
Deathwish (2009) Rob Thurman This book too me far longer than I expected to finish. I started reading, and then decided it felt like the final book in the series, and that was followed by the thought, “this can’t end well,” (after all, consider the name of the book) so as much as I desperately […]
Halfway to the Grave (2007) Jeaniene Frost Cat is half-vampire, and since her mother has told her of her history, has dedicated her life to killing every vampire she can find. Her heritage gives her heightened senses and strength beyond that of a normal human, but her hunt is surprised one night when she meets […]
Kitty Raises Hell (2009) Carrie Vaughn WAH! Now I have to wait a whole year for the next Kitty book! Picking up where we left off at the end of Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand, Kitty is back in Denver, and being haunted (quite literally) by the events that occurred in Vegas. Someone burned […]
Spiral Hunt (2009) Margaret Ronald Apparently John Scalzi has created a devious plot to separate me from my money. He’s calling it “The Big Idea” and has authors talk about their recent works. The last book to catch my attention was Margaret Ronald’s Spiral Hunt. Since ordering that I’ve been all but avoiding his site […]
Unfallen Dead (2009) Mark Del Franco Connor Grey is still helping Detective Murdock of the Boston PD solve cases in the Weird, still has a crush on Meryl, and is still fighting the Darkness that stole his abilities. Unfortunately, things have gotten even more confusing after the events of Unquiet Dreams. The Taint is wreaking […]
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand (2009) Carrie Vaughn Kitty and Ben are trying to plan for their wedding, and when they decide on a Vegas wedding, Kitty’s producer decides that would be a great opportunity for Kitty to try her hand at a live TV show. I’m still not sure how I feel about […]
Mean Streets (2009) Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Kat Richardson, Thomas E. Sniegoski OK. I admit it. I’m an Amazon junkie. I often search for my favorite artists and look at coming releases to see if anyone I love has something new coming out. Which is how I stumbled upon Mean Streets. I believe it […]
Unnatural Inquirer (2007) Simon R. Green We return once again to Nightside, where John Taylor is once again on the case. On several cases actually. As he finishes a case at the HP Lovecraft Memorial Library, he’s asked by Walker, who has the Voice of Authority in Nightside, to retrieve the Aquarius key before Max […]
Gil’s All Fright Diner (2005) A. Lee Martinez A vampire and werewolf walk into a diner… Not in those words, but that’s pretty much the start of Gil’s All Fright Diner. Duke the werewolf and Earl the vampire end up spending time at Gil’s All Night Diner, to help Loretta the owner deal with her […]
Tempting Danger (2004) Eileen Wilks Lily Yu is a young Homicide detective on the San Diego police force whose first major case is going to be a lupi killing–and the prime suspect seems to be the local werewolf prince. This is a very interesting book. The world is not quite our own, as magical creatures […]