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 […]

100 Bullets: First Shot, Last Call (2000) Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso I’m not sure how I feel about this. The premise is Noir Crime meets the graphic novel, and although the graphic novel part is well done, I’m not as sure about the noir crime bit. Your life has been ruined. A man comes up […]

A Grave Denied (2003) Dana Stabenow This is the book published right before where I entered the series (A Grave Denied), so I knew that at some point in this book a Bad Thing was going to happen to Kate. I was surprised when The Bad Thing happened quite early in the book. The area […]

Peter & Max: A Fables Novel (2009) Bill Willingham and Steve Leialoha I love the Fables comics. I think they’re one of the best story lines going, and if you haven’t checked them out, you really need to. Peter & Max is set in the Fables universe–both Fabletown and the Homelands. We follow Peter Piper–and […]

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 Court of the Air (2007) Stephen Hunt Molly is an orphan, abandoned at birth, living in the poor house and working odd jobs until she gets her vote and can leave. Oliver lives with his uncle–his parents were killed in an accident–but his actions are restricted, due to the circumstances of the accident that […]

Soulless (2009) Gail Carriger Alexia Tarabotti doesn’t have a soul. This isn’t a particularly well known fact, since the only people who can recognize this are the supernatural–vampires, werewolves etc. But when she is attacked by a vampire at a ball, she is (quite willingly) drawn into an intrigue, against the wishes of Lord Macon […]

The Fire King (2009) Marjorie Liu This is a kissing book. I knew that when I picked it up, because it had a floating man head on the cover, and that swoopy writing you only see on romance covers. But I was somewhere without a book, and when I stopped at the grocery store to […]

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 […]

Child of Fire (2009) Harry Connolly I really wanted to love this book. John Scalzi featured it (and Harry Connolly) in one of his Big Idea posts, and as I’ve loved other books I’ve picked up that way, I was really looking forward to the story. But. I spent the whole book feeling like I […]

A Fine and Bitter Snow (2002) Dana Stabenow The Park (and Kate Shugak) are riled up when they discover that Dan O’Brian–the chief ranger of the park–is asked to leave by the new presidential administration. When two local environmentalists are attacked, Niniltna is thrown into an even greater uproar, wondering who in their community could […]

The Singing of the Dead (2001) Dana Stabenow A native woman is running for state senator, and after multiple threatening notes, the staff decided that she needs security. Despite her better judgment (and in need of money) Kate takes the job, even though she intensely dislikes the campaign manager (and the feeling is mutual.) I […]

Farscape: Vol 1 The Beginning of the End of the Beginning (2009) Rockne S. O’Bannon, Kieth R.A. Decandido, Tommy Patterson Michael and I both enjoyed the Farscape TV show (on DVD of course) so when I saw there was a Farscape comic, I decided to check it out. To be honest, Michael and I are […]

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 […]

On Edge (2009) Ilona Andrews Let me get it out of the way first thing: This is a kissing book. Yes, I know, I know. I usually hate kissing books. And in my defense, I didn’t know it was a kissing book when I ordered it. I saw Ilona Andrews had a new series coming […]

Host (2007) Faith Hunter This seems to be the conclusion of Faith Hunters Rogue Mage series. I say seems to be, because although the story arc was completed, there were threads left hanging. Now that could be good story telling, or she could be hoping to add to the series later. I’m hoping its the […]