The Rook (2012) Daniel O’Malley I spent what felt like an entire day starting a book, then putting it aside because THAT was not what I was in the mood for. Or what I thought I might want to read I don’t have as an ebook. Whine whine whine. So I opened up Calibre and […]
Kitty’s Greatest Hits (2011) Carrie Vaughn Il Est Ne – Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (2008) A Princess of Spain – The Secret History of Vampires (2007) Conquistador de la Noche – Subterranean Online (2009) The Book of Daniel – Talebones #39 (2009) The Temptation of Robin Green – The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance (2009) Looking […]
Kitty and The Midnight Hour (2005) Carrie Vaughn I’ve got the last Kitty book still waiting to be read, so I’m going to (hopefully) selectively re-read to get caught back up with the story. It’s funny, I’ve re-read this before, but every time I forget precisely how complex the story and characters are. After all, […]
Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? (2016) Paul Cornell (Shadow Police) This is the third Shadow Police book, and finds the group in sad shape. The three other members of his team were standing apart from one another, looking off in different directions, like they were an indie band posing for an album cover. Quill is troubled […]
The Ghoul Vendetta (2017) Lisa Shearin I adore this series. It’s so fun and enjoyable–despite all the ghouls and monsters. The nephew of a vampire lord is kidnapped at an elite yacht party Mac is attending with Rake (the wealthy goblin businessman and dark mage she’s sort-of dating, but still isn’t sure about.). This is […]
Battle Hill Bolero (2017) Daniel José Older This is the sequel to both Midnight Taxi Tango and Salsa Nocturna. You don’t have to have read Salsa Nocturna for this, but you really really should. Events have come to a head, and Riley and Cyrus and many other ghosts are in open rebellion against the Council […]
Street Magicks (2016) edited by Paula Guran I believe it took me less than a year to finish this anthology. Hopefully this is a new trend for me. “Freewheeling” by Charles de Lint “A Year and a Day in Old Theradane” by Scott Lynch “Caligo Lane” by Ellen Klages “Socks” by Delia Sherman “Painted Birds […]
Beyond the Pale: A Fantasy Anthology (2014) edited by Henry Herz I probably started reading this right after it came out, and got hung up on a single story. Two years later I decided to skip through the stories that didn’t interest me and finish the anthology. “Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela” by […]
A Fantastic Holiday Season: The Gift of Stories (2014) edited by Kevin J. Anderson & Kieth J. Olexa I picked this collection up solely for the Patricia Briggs story, but once I saw some of the other authors, read through the stories that interested me (but skipped the ones that didn’t grab me after a […]
Ghost Girl in the Corner (2016) Daniel José Older This is set after Shadowshaper. Tee has received a grant to take over the publishing of the Bed-Stuy Searchlight–the local paper that had been run by Manny. She has three other teens to help her: Mina, Rafael, and Coruscant, although the woman from the group that […]
Dead Heat (2016) Patricia Briggs The fourth book in the Alpha & Omega series, and I think the end of my Patricia Briggs re-read binge. One of the things I particularly like about this story is the interaction between the kids. “Shut your piehole, punk kid,” Max said, thumping her on the head with the […]
Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs The third Alpha & Omega book finds Charles overcome by increase in killings he needs to do now that the werewolves have come out in public. I takes awhile for Bran to be convinced that this is harming his son. Asil left Bran alone with his thoughts then, because if […]
Hunting Ground (2009) Patricia Briggs The second book in the Alpha & Omega series takes place not long after the events of the first book. Bran has decided that the werewolves are going to come out to the public, and he is meeting with the European wolves–not to ask them opinion, but to see if […]
Cry Wolf (2008) Patricia Briggs One of the things I particularly like about this book (and spin-off series) is that we get to spend time with both Bran and Asil. Bran didn’t reply, just spun himself slowly, around and around on the little stool in the corner of the room. In his hothouse, Asil trimmed […]
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson (2016) Patricia Briggs I really do like this short story collection. Pleasingly, Patricia Briggs is good with short stories, which makes this collection all the more enjoyable. Silver Fairy Gifts (previously published in Naked City) Gray (previously published in Home Improvement: Undead Edition) Seeing Eye (previously […]
Silver Borne (2010) Patricia Briggs The fifth Mercy Thompson book finds things slightly settled down after the events of the previous two books, but there are two problems: first is that Adam brought Mercy into the pack, and many of the wolves are deeply unhappy with that, and the second is that Samuel is tired […]
Bone Crossed (2009) Patricia Briggs The fourth Mercy Thompson book takes place immediately following the events of the third book, continuing the final scene in that book, and–more importantly–fixing one of the biggest problems of that book: Mercy acting as if everything was okay. Although it makes for difficult reading, I really do love that […]
Iron Kissed (2008) Patricia Briggs I still have great difficulty reading this book, and flat-out skip most of a chapter because it is so hard for me to read. Just so you know. Mercy is called by Zee to look into a death at the Fae Reservation; this will allow her to repay her debt […]
Blood Bound (2007) Patricia Briggs The second Mercy Thompson books finds Mercy helping the vampires–specifically Stefan, who is a friend of sorts. The Mistress of the City knows what Mercy is, but believes Stefan that Mercy is no threat to the local seethe, and so accepts Mercy’s place in the city (although Mercy still has […]
Moon Called (2006) Patricia Briggs I learned my lesson years ago, although sometimes I’d forget, this time I remembered: after reading Guy Gavriel Kay, I must read something absolutely different. If I read any kind of historical fantasy after Guy Gavriel Kay, I am always sorely disappointed. Since I was still in the mood for […]
Dark Heir, Audible Version (2015) Faith Hunter, narrated by Khristine Hvam The story opens with the SOD (I shan’t elucidate for those who haven’t read the previous books) escaping from Leo’s sub-basement with the help of Adrianna, who Leo has kept bringing back every time Jane has killed her. Meanwhile, Jane and Beast are still […]
The Severed Streets (2014) Paul Cornell (Shadow Police) Well done, Paul Cornell, well done. He turned round and saw that he’d encountered the long legs of a man in black jeans, black T-shirt and black leather jacket who was sitting in a discreet corner of the bar, his mobile phone in his hand. He had […]
Midnight Taxi Tango, Audible Version (2016) Daniel José Older, read by the author The second Bone Street Rumba book is as much about Kia as it is about Carlos, and that’s one of the things I especially love about it. Kia is a teenage girl, bored with school, tired of being cat-called, and working for […]
The Dragon Conspiracy, Audible Version (2015) Lisa Shearin, narrated by Johanna Parker This is another audio book I finished earlier in the fall and forgot to review. The second SPI files book finds Makenna and Ian at a Gala opening at the Met, displaying a collection of rare gems that will soon be up for […]
Broken Soul, Audible Version (2014) Faith Hunter, read by Khristine Hvam I actually finished this a couple months ago, but forgot to review it. Oops! Leo has agreed to Jane’s exorbitant sum for security for the visit of the European Vampire council. Derek Lee has become Leo’s new Enforcer, and is having issues with some […]
Salsa Nocturna, Audible Version (2012/2014) Daniel José Older, read by the author As with his Bone Street Rumba novels, Daniel Jose Older reads his own work, and it’s totally great! This short story collection was published before Half-Resurrection Blues and features not just Carlos and Riley, but one of my favorite characters, Gordo. I keep […]
Curse on the Land (2016) Faith Hunter This is the second Soulwood book, set in the same reality as the Jane Yellowrock series, but not featuring Jane (although she does make appearances). Nell Ingram is tied to the land. She’s not a witch (she doesn’t test as one anyway) but she can do things that […]
The Lost Child of Lychford (2016) Paul Cornell It’s December in Lychford, Lizzie’s first Christmas as Reverend of St. Martin’s–the busiest and most stressful time of the year in the church. “The song ‘I Believe in Father Christmas,’” she continued to Sue and Oliver, her elderly churchwardens, twelve hours later, at their weekly meeting round […]
Blood of the Earth (2016) Faith Hunter We met Nell Ingram in the Jane Yellowrock short story “Off the Grid.” (In the anthology Blood in Her Veins). She is a very interesting character, and I can see why the author wanted to spend more time with her. Nell has escaped from the cult in which […]
Hellboy in Mexico (2016) Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, Mick Mahon, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba I generally like the Hellboy books that are collections of short stories, but for some reason I had a hard time getting into this collection. It had lots of the things I generally like about Hellboy (like getting into (and losing) […]
Salsa Nocturna: Stories (2012) Daniel José Older This is a collection of stories set in the same world as the Bone Street Rumba series, and although some of the stories were about Carlos, there are other stories as well. “Tenderfoot” “Salsa Nocturna” “Skin Like Porcelain Death” “The Collector” “Graveyard Waltz” “Protected Entity” “Magdalena” “Red Feather […]
Chaos Choreography (2016) Seanan McGuire This is the 5th InCryptid book, and shifts back to Verity and Dominic. Verity is offered the chance to return to Dance or Die–the reality show she was one before she retired her Valerie persona, and so she decides to take a chance, taking Dominic out to California to compete […]
Black Arts, audible version (2014) Faith Hunter, narrated by Khristine Hvam I really enjoy listening to this series. The narrator does a good job with the story and the characters. In Black Arts the story begins with Evan Trueblood storming Jane’s house, demanding to know where Molly is. Jane doesn’t know, and it take her […]
The Grendel Affair, Audible version (2013/2014) Lisa Shearin, narrated by Johanna Parker This is a really fun series. Mac Frasier has moved from her little town in the south to New York City, but instead of making it as a reporter, she’s now working for SPI (Supernatural Protection & Investigations) when they discovered she was […]
The Dark Side of The Road (2015) Simon R. Green I have an off-and-on relationship with Simon Green’s stories. Some I love very much (Nightside) while others, I just can’t get into (The Secret Histories). But finding it on sale, I decided to give this new book a try. Ishmael Jones lives under the radar, […]
Shadow Rites (2016) Faith Hunter It’s the final days before the witch-vampire conclave, and preparations for the conclave are supposed to be finishing, but as with all group projects, problems keep popping up. The first problem is an attach on Jane. Then things start to spiral out of control from there. Molly and Evan and […]
Witches of Lychford (2015) Paul Cornell I thoroughly enjoyed London Falling, and so ordered both the sequel, and also this unrelated short story, when I saw them. However, London Falling was a very complicated story that required my attention to keep things straight, so I put off reading The Severed Streets and this short story, […]
Fire Touched (2016) Patricia Briggs And after finishing everything else, I went back to re-read Fire Touched. I actually really liked reading these one after another, because there were bits that I’d forgotten from previous books, that remained fresh in my mind. It added a bit of extra enjoyment, since I remembered why these characters […]
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson (2014) Patricia Briggs Interspersed with the novels, I read the short stories in Shifting Shadows. Patricia Briggs is quite good at writing short stories, which is why re-reading is such a pleasure. Silver Fairy Gifts (previously published in Naked City) Gray (previously published in Home Improvement: […]
Dead Heat (2015) Patricia Briggs The fourth Alpha & Omega book occurs before Night Broken. Charles takes Anna out to Colorado to meet an old friend. “Really?” said Joseph tentatively. “You don’t remember?” “Someone asked me not to,” said Charles. “And I told him I would oblige him. So no. I don’t remember.” And to […]
Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs The third Alpha & Omega book takes place several years between River Marked and Frost Burned. After the werewolves became known to the public, Charles’ job became much more difficult, since infractions that were previously allowed to slide, now carry a death sentence–a sentence that in many cases Charles has […]
Hunting Ground (2009) Patricia Briggs The second Alpha & Omega book takes place soon after the events in Cry Wolf (around the events of Moon Called.) Bran has called a meeting with the European wolves, to discuss the fact that he is bringing the wolves out into the public. Anna is still coming to terms […]
Night Broken (2014) Patricia Briggs Book 8 finds Beauclaire wanting his father’s walking stick back from Mercy. “Beauclaire knew that someone was going to have to take out Lugh. He was, apparently, girding up his loins to do just that when Da took care of it. That didn’t mean he didn’t swear vengeance.” Adam’s ex-wife […]
Frost Burned (2013) Patricia Briggs Book 7 finds Mercy adjusting to married life–and being a step mother. It also has Mercy attempting to discover what has happened to the entire pack, when they are kidnapped by rogue federal agents. This book has several scenes that have stuck with me, including Mercy throwing up on Kyle’s […]
River Marked (2011) Patricia Briggs Book 6 is Mercy’s wedding to Adam, and further problems with the Fae and other supernatural creatures. And their honeymoon. “Are we going to Portland?” I asked. “Or Multnomah Falls?” He smiled at me. “Go to sleep.” I waited three seconds. “Are we there yet?” However, on the good side, […]
Silver Borne (2010) Patricia Briggs Book 5 finds the Fae wanting an item back from Mercy–except that she’s not certain just what is is they want back, and also finds the pack using those bonds against Mercy. I stumbled back away from the truck, shaking and sweating in the night air, the fae stick in […]
Bone Crossed (2009) Patricia Briggs The 4th Mercy Thompson book follows immediately after the events in book three–actually it replays and finishes the scene that the third book closes, and I appreciate the way this scene plays out. Mercy had really awful things happen to her in the previous book, and it seemed like she’d […]
Iron Kissed (2008) Patricia Briggs This is probably the hardest Mercy story to read, but I read it, and cried like I always do. Samuel had learned to write before typewriters and computers rendered penmanship an art practiced by elementary school children. His notes always looked like formal wedding invitations. “Shoot,” he said, the word […]
Blood Bound (2007) Patricia Briggs This is the second Mercy Thompson book, and finds Mercy paying back her debt to Stephan that was incurred in the first book. Why couldn’t the people I cared about just need someone to fix their cars? I could do that. I especially like the end of this story, where […]
Moon Called (2006) Patricia Briggs And now comes the re-reading of the Mercy Thompson series. Here’s the back-cover blurb: Mercy Thompson’s life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she’s fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn’t exactly normal herself. I […]