September Reading
Oct
01
2010

Is it just me or does each month go by faster than the last? Or maybe it just doesn’t feel like October since the last week has been 70 degrees… in Maine. It was even approaching 80 degrees a couple of days ago. Crazy.

First a general update… I am finally working on a new blog redesign! Or rather my husband is as I have no artistic ability whatsoever (he’s the one who designed my coffee cup and logo here). He started a new header the other night and when he told me what color it was I kind of cringed. But then I saw it… And LOVED it! So much that I keep asking to see it and end up staring at it wishing I could put it up RIGHT NOW. My husband finished the header today and has gotten most of the rest of the design and colors worked out so hopefully we can start actually setting up the website soon. I’ve been terrified about changing it, but now that I have a new look to be excited about I’m eager to get it up. And since this January will be the start of my fourth year running this site, it really is time for a new design.

September was a great month for reading – I read more books than normal, and I’ve even reviewed some of them already! Here’s the list for September:

34. Lady Lazarus by Michele Lang
35. Blameless by Gail Carriger
36. Lord of the White Hell: Book Two by Ginn Hale (Review)
37. An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire (Review)
38. Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light by Tanya Huff
39. The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt (Review)
40. The Fire’s Stone by Tanya Huff

Favorite book of the month: Since it was every bit as good as the first book, that would be Lord of the White Hell: Book Two. It was a decent month, although I’m sure it helped that I read two new installments in series I have become addicted to (Blameless and An Artificial Night).

Now to decide which longer book should I read soon while I’m getting caught up on reviewing some of these books. Elfland? Cold Magic? Kushiel’s Chosen? Daughter of the Forest?

What books did you read in September? What did you think of them?

Review of Silver Borne
Sep
30
2010
Silver Borne
by Patricia Briggs
352pp (hardcover)
My Rating: 8/10
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
LibraryThing Rating: 4.38/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.3/5
 

Silver Borne is the fifth book in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. It is currently available in hardcover and will be out in mass market paperback in January 2011. The first four books in the series are Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, and Bone Crossed. River Marked, the next book in the series, is scheduled for publication on January 25, 2011.

The day begins mundanely for Mercy Thompson as she works on fixing a car at her mechanic shop. When she receives a phone call from a friend passing along a message from Phineas to “tell Mercy to take care of that thing I gave her,” she figures he just wants back the book about the fae that he lent her. Since Mercy’s friend is worried that he cannot get a hold of Phineas she promises to stop by his bookstore to return the book that very night. However, once she gets there to find the shop closed and Phineas nowhere to be found, her instincts are screaming that something is not quite right.

Mercy doesn’t have time to dwell on something that might be wrong since she has a date with Adam. Although her date begins well, it ends badly when she finds herself acting strangely, as though she is compelled to do so. Soon, she suspects someone is using the pack bond to control her- it’s no secret that some of Adam’s wolves are not particularly happy about having a coyote as a pack member.

Later that night Mercy receives a call from Samuel asking her to go get him from the hospital where he works. Once she arrives she finds that something is seriously wrong with him: his wolf half has taken over because Samuel is too depressed to continue. She can’t tell anyone who may know more about the situation than she does because werewolves in this position must be killed according to pack law. Can Mercy save Samuel, salvage her relationship with Adam’s pack and unravel the mystery of her fae book before it is too late?

It continues to impress me that Briggs manages to pack so much into such a short novel. Each of the books in this series are approximately 300 pages long, yet the main plot is always wrapped up by the end and the characters are further developed. What I love best about each new installment, though, is that reading a new Mercy Thompson book is like reconnecting with old friends. After five books, the characters are all so familiar and true to themselves that they seem real (in spite of any supernatural abilities). Mercy has such a natural voice touched with humor that always draws me right in to the story and keeps those pages turning quickly.

This particular volume has a main mystery involving the fae, a group I particularly love if they have a dark nature instead of being happy, human-like beings. Although most of the fae in this series fit into that category, there are a few exceptions and I don’t even mind those because I love all the characters so much. While I loved the dark, fairy tale feel to the fae plotline in this story, the ending did bother me. It was just too convenient and seemed to come out of nowhere. It’s the same complaint I have with a lot of urban fantasy – it seems as though every powerful creature in the world happens to show up in the one city the series takes place in.

This is largely Samuel’s book as he’s dealing with some of the issues that have been mentioned before. Even so, there are still plenty of great parts with Adam, Bran and many of the other characters (I’m starting to really want a series about Bran and/or Samuel’s past adventures). Also, there’s more information on pack dynamics and the different bonds, and learning more about the pack social structure is always interesting.

Silver Borne is another great addition to the Mercy Thompson series with some more plot revolving around the fae aspect of the world. Although part of the ending didn’t quite ring true, the characters do and many readers will be happy to know that there is some special emphasis on Samuel.

My Rating: 8/10

Where I got my reading copy: I bought it (in hardcover even though it meant my books no longer matched – I found it for $11 and just couldn’t wait).

Read Chapter One
Read the Author’s Comments

Other Reviews of Silver Borne:

Reviews of other books in this series:

Review of The Sevenfold Spell
Sep
28
2010

The Sevenfold Spell
by Tia Nevitt
97pp (E-book)
My Rating: 7/10
Amazon Rating: 5/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3.5/5
Goodreads Rating: 3.4/5

The Sevenfold Spell is a new novella by Tia Nevitt, who runs the wonderful Debuts & Reviews site. This Sleeping Beauty story is the first in a series of fairy tale retellings called Accidental Enchantments. The next book will be based on Cinderella, and there are plans for books based on Beauty and the Beast and Snow White as well. The Sevenfold Spell was published in e-book format and was just released this week.

This particular version of the Sleeping Beauty tale is based on the familiar myth but makes it into its own unique version. While it is the same basic story with the fairies and a princess destined to prick her finger on a spinning wheel, the princess is not the main focus. The Sevenfold Spell is told from the perspective of a commoner named Talia, who is of marriageable age at the beginning of the story. The princess Aurora was just cursed by the evil fairy, and all spinning wheels have been outlawed from the kingdom. Talia and her mother earn their living by spinning, and the consequences of the seizure of their spinning wheel are devastating. A good portion of Talia’s dowry goes toward a new loom so she and her mother can begin learning and practicing a new trade. As a result, she and her suitor Willard do not have enough money to begin a life together and Willard’s father sends him to a monastery. Over the course of several years, we see just how this affects the course of Talia’s life and how her story ties in with that of Princess Aurora.

The Sevenfold Spell is a fast, absorbing novella. It didn’t take long at all too engage me, and it only took about an hour and a half to two hours to read from start to finish. As someone who is a paper book fan, I was a little unsure about reading an e-book and I think it would have been hard for me if it hadn’t grabbed my attention pretty quickly or if it had been dense. Fortunately this was not the case and I quickly forgot I was reading on a screen (other than on a couple of occasions when I noticed how heavy the iPad gets).

The first half of the book was actually pretty racy, and I was a little surprised by the amount of sex and wondered at first when it would get to more about the fairy tale. It began with showing just how terrified people were to be losing their primary means of making money when the spinning wheels were banned, and the next part was a lot of sex scenes. Early in the story, I wasn’t quite sure how they related to the rest of the book, but by the time I was finished, I felt that it ended up shaping her character quite a bit. It made sense that she’d decide just to have some fun and forget about her reputation – her prospects for marriage were gone and she was probably feeling pretty hopeless at that point. Plus it did shape her character throughout the years, and it influenced some advice she gave to a certain prince later.

The second half of the book ended up dealing more with the fairy tale, and Princess Aurora and the prince take on larger roles. I especially enjoyed reading about the explanations for the details in this well-known story, such as why the fairies could not counteract the curse.

The Sevenfold Spell is still the Sleeping Beauty we are all familiar with but with a different perspective that sets it apart from being just another retelling of this fairy tale. It moves at a good pace and is entertaining – and a bit romantic.

My Rating: 7/10

Where I got my reading copy: The author sent me a copy.

Other Reviews:

Tia’s Pajama Party Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Sevenfold Spell
Sep
27
2010

Today I am pleased to welcome Tia Nevitt to celebrate the release of her novella The Sevenfold Spell, the first in a series of fairy tale retellings called Accidental Enchantments. Since Tia is normally only available to comment after business hours, she has been stopping by while in her pajamas, thus the name. For a schedule of all the tour stops, you can see the full list here on her book review site, Debuts & Reviews.

Wow. Today is it. The release date. Be kind to me, world! Thank you so much for having me, Kristen. To celebrate the release, I’d like to give away a copy of The Sevenfold Spell. To enter, either leave a comment, or email me at tia @ tianevitt . com (remove the spaces) and please mention that you saw this at The Fantasy Café.

For today’s post, I’d like to discuss the books that have touched me over the years. They are all works of fiction, listed (roughly) in the order in which I read them over the years. Most are fantasy or science fiction—but not all.

2001 by Arthur C. Clarke
This is the first speculative fiction novel I ever read. For a long time, it was the standard by which all others were judged. It had to be hard science fiction—no space opera for me! However, it also had to have wonder in it. And the Jupiter approach scene is just about the most wondrous scene I have ever read.

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
I learned a great deal about character development from this novel, which I read when I was in high school, and before I entertained any serious desire to become a writer. I have since reread it many times.

The Once and Future King by T. H. White
Simply put, this novel made writing look so fun that I just had to try it for myself.

Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey
My husband had this lying around and I picked it up out of boredom. It was my first space opera. It touched me because of the music. I loved reading about a musician who goes off and finds a lucrative and exclusive line of work because … she has perfect pitch. And because she had to pass a rigorous physical, mental and intellectual exam to get in. I so wanted to be a crystal singer.

Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
I loved this series because the authors did their damnedest to include wonder in every chapter. You just don’t get a shot of wonder like this when you read today’s gritty fantasies. If you disagree, I’d love for you to recommend some titles.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
I learned a great deal about point-of-view while I was reading it, as it alternates between omnipresent to third person as it goes from chapter to chapter. I also learned that you can take an unpleasant character and make them compelling.

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
This book showed me that a novel can take on a serious subject and still make the reader howl with laughter.

Sentenced to Prism by Alan Dean Foster
I was blown away by this novel. Initially, I didn’t want to read it because I didn’t like the punny title. A friend convinced me to give it a try. It was totally not what I expected and when I name my favorite science fiction novels, this one always makes the list.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This novel taught me the importance of bringing out a character through dialog. It also made me fall in love with romance again.

And to round out this list, a recent one:

The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe
I just reread the review of this novel, and it made me wonder why I have not bought the second novel—I certainly intended to, and now I think I’ll get it for my nook. I loved Eddie LaCrosse, and while it was drenched in blood and gore, it had unexpected wonder, redemption and soul.

Ok, I have obeyed the blogger’s rule of THERE MUST BE TEN, so I’ll leave it at that.

Which novels would make your top-ten list, and why?

Thank you, Tia. That’s an intriguing list of books! I’m going to have to think about my top ten list; that’s a tough question to answer.

Here’s some more information on The Sevenfold Spell, which was released today as an e-book from Carina Press:

Have you ever wondered what happens to the other people in the fairy tale?

Things look grim for Talia and her mother. By royal proclamation, the constables and those annoying “good” fairies have taken away their livelihood by confiscating their spinning wheel. Something to do with a curse on the princess, they said.

Not every young lady has a fairy godmother rushing to her rescue.

Without the promise of an income from spinning, Talia’s prospects for marriage disappear, and she and her mother face destitution. Past caring about breaking an arbitrary and cruel law, rebellious Talia determines to build a new spinning wheel, the only one in the nation, which plays right into the evil fairy’s diabolical plan. Talia discovers that finding a happy ending requires sacrifice. But is it a sacrifice she’s willing to make?

Good luck to those entering to win a copy of The Sevenfold Spell! To enter, email Tia at the address she provided or leave a comment with your top 10 favorite books – we’d love to hear about which books you love the most and why!

Coming Up
Sep
26
2010

There were no books to add to the leaning pile this week, but I just wanted to give a quick update on what is coming up.

Tomorrow Tia Nevitt will be here as part of her blog tour for the release of The Sevenfold Spell. She will also be giving away a copy of her book. I’ve read it and it’s a very enjoyable romantic fairy tale based on the story of Sleeping Beauty.

For reviews, I’m working on one for The Sevenfold Spell and one for Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs. My hope is to get both of them up this week, but as I already know it’s going to be a crazy week we’ll see how that goes.

I’ve read an unusually crazy number of books for me this month so even with writing 1 -2 reviews a week I’m behind. After that, reviews that still need to be written are:

  • Lady Lazarus by Michele Lang
  • Blameless by Gail Carriger
  • Of Darkness, Light and Fire by Tanya Huff (an omnibus containing two of Huff’s earlier novels – Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light and The Fire’s Stone)

Whew! It might be time to get out a longer book to give myself a chance to catch up.

Discussion: The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews
Sep
22
2010

For quite a while now, I’ve been thinking I’d like to try to get more book discussions going here. Sometimes in review comments there’s a little bit of discussion about books, but there’s a limit to those conversations since there’s the need to be cryptic or put up big spoiler warnings before talking about a book. So I’m going to try actually doing this and see how it goes, and if I don’t end up merely conversing with myself, I may put up these discussions more often.

I will always make it clear at the beginning of the post that this is a spoiler discussion so anybody who hasn’t read the books knows not to read any further (unless, of course, you don’t care about reading big, nasty spoilers). The initial post will be spoiler free – I will not post anything specific about the books other than in the comments.

For my inaugural discussion, I’ve decided to start with the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews for several reasons. First off, I discovered these books this year and love them! Also, I seem to keep talking about this books with people on Twitter, and 140 characters just doesn’t quite cut it for a conversation. Plus there is so much to talk about! Please note this discussion is intended for all four books so there could be spoilers for Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes and/or Magic Bleeds.

Feel free to write about anything related to the series – what you thought about the books, how you feel about any of the characters, what you think of the mythology, speculation on what will happen in the next book, anything at all!

Read the comments if you want to see my theory about who Roland is, and I would also love to hear other thoughts on the clues we’ve been given so far!

For those who missed it, here is a recent interview with Ilona Andrews. It might give us some more to talk about.